Welcome Home!

Colby has been in Vernal since last April working on the new jail/court building for Uintah County.They have been telling him for awhile that he would be home by Christmas,then it was March 1st and then it was in a week. So when he called me and told me on New Years Eve that he would be there only one more week and we needed to go and help pack up his things and bring him home finally, at first I didnt believe him and then we were all super excited!

So last Thursday my parents and Kenz and I packed up and went to Vernal. Vernal is about 250 miles or about a 4 hour drive.After we got there and I really understood how far Vernal is, I can't believe that Colby drove this every single weekend for the last 9 months. He would come home on Thursday or Friday (depending on his workweek) spend as much time as he could with Tayten and on Sunday night get back in the car and drive 4 more hours.He was basically home for 48 hours and turned around and went right back! What a devoted Daddy he is! I don't think any of us would want to drive 500 miles every single weekend! We are all so happy that is over and he is home!

While we were in Vernal we ate at Colby's favorite chinese restaraunt, Win-on. 7.99 for all you can eat crab legs! Um,I know what you are thinking, but it was GOOD! We then went and drove around the Vernal temple, went back to our hotel (brand new Marriott, it was fabulous!) sat in the hot tub, breakfast at the hotel and then we went to tour the jail Colby had been working on. He pulled some strings with the General Contractor, but only if we all wore hard hats! Yes, hard hat hair for the rest of the day is much different than just normal hat hair!

The building was amazing and beautiful. How proud I was of Colby. You could tell that everyone on the jobsite liked and respected him. They were all sad to see him go. On the other hand, I think anyone that got the tour we had would be "scared straight" literally. First we toured the court rooms, the judges chambers, FBI offices, 911 center and many other offices. Then we went into the actual jail. In the picture below it is at the far left of the picture. We saw the minimum security area, no privacy at all. The bunks were so small and tiny. Everything was steel and cement. The common area had several tables with attached seats, and one TV. The inmates visit with their family through video conferencing, there is no face to face visits.

We saw where the inmates are booked, fingerprinted, where they shower and get their jail attire, the kitchen, the control room where all the cameras are watched. We went to the maximum security portion of the jail, this is where inmates who have a sentence of less than 5 years go.There were drunk tanks, suicide watch cells, solitary confinement, an infirmary. It was crazy and scary all at the same time.The doors to the cells were so thick and so heavy.I cant imagine what they sound like when they slam shut.

My Dad and Colby were totally in their electrical element. The three girls had no idea what they were talking about.From the electrical rooms to the huge generator that could supply the whole building with power for 48 hours, it was electrical heaven for those two! And,then Kenzie saw a mouse! EEK! The tour ended soon afterward!

We then went to the house that Colby had been staying, packed up his stuff and got back on the road.

So long Vernal, it was fun but not that much fun!