Salt Lake City

Saturday was our day to see some of the sites on Temple Square.

We got the tour of the North Visitors Center, had lunch at the "Nauvoo Cafe", checked out the Joseph Smith Memorial building and watched the new movie "Joseph Smith:Prophet of the Restoration" which was really good.

Here Brad & I are 15 years later after our picture was first taken here at our wedding.
We checked out the view from the administration building.
It was in the high 90's again today, so the kids were cooling off under these plants that had recently been watered and were dripping.
We also toured the "Beehive House" and ended our SLC day with a trip to

I have to say it was very different not having Crossroads Plaza and the ZCMI center there to go shopping or grab a bite to eat. It is such a construction mess down there right now!

The kids (and Brad) were "done for" around 4pm, so we decided to head back to the hotel. Right by our hotel was a new Cabela's store that Brad wanted to check out. I have to admit I wasn't exactly on the band wagon about that one but...

we ended up staying at Cabela's for 2 hours! It was great entertainment! All the taxidermy displays, aquariums, shooting range and candy store kept us busy. I can't imagine how long a person could spend in there who was actually interested in the merchandise!

Later that night we were treated to a fireworks show being set off right behind the hotel. We still don't know the occasion, but they lasted a good 15 min. and we had the best seat in the house on our cushy deck chairs behind the hotel about 72 degrees. It was perfect!!

"Rise and Shout"

"Rise and Shout the Cougars are out, along the trail to fame and glory!"

(Cougar Fight song)

Friday was BYU day for us. It was fun to be back again. A lot of things have changed though.

Being "Alumni" we got to take the old fogies golf cart tour of campus :D

Checked out the bookstore and the fancy new food court at the CougarEat. Wow! Do the students have it good now!

We had some fun at the Science building... Brad really wanted to show the kids the Vortex cannon :D
The kids practiced lecturing in this auditorium.

Did a little bowling at the "Games Centre"

And walked around campus some more. I am sure the kids were sick of hearing us say the whole time "Remember when...", "This wasn't here before!", "This isn't the same", "They have it so good now"

I am soooo stoked for my kids to go to BYU now!! I really want them to go, so that I can go and visit them! Our campus visit was so fun. We ended up spending 8 hours just hanging out on campus.

Wednesday's drive to Utah & Thursday's fun

We started out at 8am Wednesday for our 650 mile trip to Utah.

We had borrowed some DVDs from the library only to find that Star had chewed the cord that connected the 2 screens. The second screen would work only if you held the cord "just right." Elise sacrificed for the good of the team and jiggled the cord "just so" and sat very still so as not to disturb the cord. Yeah for Elise!! When we got into Utah we were looking for a place to eat and found Cafe Rio. I have heard so much about this place we decided we HAD to try it. I have to say I really liked my enchilada, and the rice was awesome, especially for being "fast food." I ended up getting 2 meals out of mine. We wanted to go back again, but were never hungry enough to justify it :DThursday morning we met up with our good friends from Mass., the Gygis. It was really good to see them again.

We had planned to go to Timpanogos cave together, but the cave tours were booked 'til later than they had time for. So we just went for a walk together and had icecream.

Joel and Abby were really cute together

All together again

Sadly we had to say goodbye (again) as the Gygi's had prior commitments.

We stuck around though and made the 1.5 mile, 1000 foot climb up to the Timpanogos cave at 1pm in 100 degree heat. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Don't they look like happy campers?

Here are the happy hikers, going up the last 1/4 mile.

I was impressed Abby made it up. She only got the ride for the last 1/4 mile.

This is what your car looks like from 1,000 feet up.

We kept encouraging the kids to keep going and telling them how nice and cool the cave would be. And of course it was a cool 42 degrees and the formations were very cool too.

Once we finished our cave experience we decided to head down to Provo to some of our old haunts. As we drove around to some of our old apartments we couldn't believe how run down and small some of the places were. Ahh, love is blind :-D

While the dorms we lived in when we first met were demolished a few months ago, the dorm I lived in my second year and where we spent most of our dating days was still there, so we had a little reunion there for old times sake (16 years later!).

Brad and I used to like this shake shop in Pleasant Grove called "The Purple Turtle", and for Brad it was the "Gold Standard" in shakes. So... we had to go and see if it was as good as he remembered. Brad's favorite and the ultimate shake
So... was it as good?


Have you ever been to the Purple Turtle? If not, next time you may find yourself in Utah, make it a stop on your trip. The shakes are so filling we only ate half and saved the other half for a "milkshake" the next day.

"Canoe" say lots of fun?!

A couple Mondays ago we joined a couple families in our ward for a canoeing FHE.

My camera ran out of batteries... again... and... again... my friend SueLynn rescued me and let me take a couple pictures of

"The Vikings!!"

Bishop was very brave taking on all these rowdy boys on his own!
It was a great night! We paddled upstream where the boys "practiced" tipping their canoe and were so cold after we returned, that hot chocolate was in order for the evenings finale.

Ahhh... I LOVE being able to go canoeing on the river. So fun!!

p.s. I am going through our Utah pictures and will try to get a post up about our trip ASAP :D

7-11

Be sure to pick up my most favorite drink. It's FREE today!!

I have ALWAYS loved a slurpee. It is "comfort food" to me. I remember going down to "Mac's" which wasn't exactly a "slurpee" (same thing though) with my 35 cents and getting slurpees in the summer. Learning the delicate balance or riding my bike while still holding the slurpee. Ahhh, those were the days... now the suckers are 99 cents! Still worth every slurp though!

100% sugary deliciousness!

Frontier Fourth

Saturday we went out to the High Desert Museum for their "Frontier Fourth"

Elise learning to write with a real ink pen from the school teacher
No contests or prizes for Ethan to win here, just work to do.

A Fourth Full of Fun

We started out our 4th of July at the Lion's Club pancake breakfast down at Drake Park
MMMMMmmmmm

Then we went up the block to line up to be in the "Pet Parade"
As you can see half the town was in the parade and the other half were watching it.

Very cool!

We walked in the "Odds and Ends" category with our friends who were walking with family who had a "pet" horse
Here's the "Star"

After the parade we went back down to Drake Park for the festivities. There were a lot of booths, games and entertainment.

Brad, Abby, Ethan and I tried our hand at the Fish Fling. You put rubber fish, ducks or balls in the bungee and tried to get it into the rings out in the river.

Ethan's first shot:

Watching Ethan's second shot and....

of course it went in!! He's a winner!!

Then it was Abby's turn

Neither Brad or I won, but here are the kids with the water bottles they won!!

Around 2pm as we were leaving this huge crowd of bikes came down the road. The throng continued to ride en mass for almost 5 minutes. I am sure there were hundreds of bikes. Brad said "We are SO doing that next year!"

After the festivities at Drake Park we decided to go out to Sisters to the "Gem Round-Up."

There were about 3 rows of tents like this all selling gems in various states of refinement.

Ethan and Abby checking out some of the gems.

There was some pretty cool stuff! I have to admit I was a little partial to the petrified wood. We also found out the Oregon state gem is the "Sunstone"

For supper on the way home from Sisters we stopped at the Tumalo Feed Company and got stuffed. My steak was awesome!

Then to wrap up the night we watched the 20 minute firework show that was set off from the Butte in the middle of town. Ok, that isn't us sitting there, but I thought it was such a cool pic. With the flares all around the top with the fireworks coming out made it look like a live volcano!! Very cool!

I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs. I can't sing it without coming to tears.

I couldn't find a version on Youtube with all the verses, but here they are.

O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet Whose stern impassioned stressA thoroughfare of freedom beat Across the wilderness! America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife. Who more than self their country lovedAnd mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine Till all success be nobleness And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!