Utah Part III

Tuesday Seth had to leave us to go back to work and that meant our vacation would turn into a girls trip. We started our girls trip by going the American Idol concert in Utah. We had such a blast! The girls really wanted to get back stage, and even walked up to the stage before the concert started to see if they could go backstage. They didn't make it, but were given a tip on how to meet the Top 11. At 11:00 the Top 11 would exit the back gate to sign autographs and take pictures. We went to the back gate and got a great spot in line. Check out the pictures below! The girls were so excited and even shed a few tears for some of their favorites!

The next morning we got up early and hit the road for home. Keep in mind that I’m driving Seth’s truck with our luggage and our mountain bikes. I decided to take the Vegas route and along the way we stopped in St. George and went to see the temple. Once we reached Vegas I was so tired we decided to stay overnight and Seth got us a room at the Stratosphere. The girls were so cute when they heard earlier in the morning that we were going to Vegas they wanted to wear some of their new clothes so they would be fashionable. I think they were a little disappointed when they saw everyone dressed down.

Can I just say I HATE Vegas! The girls had lots of questions about the casinos and the strip. We drove down the strip at night so they could see it all lit up. The next morning we figured out that we had free passes to go to the top of the Stratosphere and walk around.

I was so happy to get home six hours later!



American Idol

Utah, Part II

Day three we found ourselves heading to Provo for a BBQ at Seth’s uncle Todd’s house (oops, forgot to take pictures). After the BBQ we took the girls and Seth’s parents to Stadium of Fire. I must say I was a little skeptical: I’m not a big fan of watching fireworks. But the event was amazing. Seth and I became a fan of Brad Paisley who performed (that’s big because I’m not really into country music). The patriotic program was very touching and the fireworks were the best I have ever seen.

We had a nice visit on Sunday evening with Seth’s cousin Beverly and her family who happened to be visiting from New York. It’s always nice to finally meet a FaceBook friend. Of course, I forgot to take pictures, again!

On the Fourth of July morning we went mountain bike riding with Seth’s sister Mary, Scott her fiancé, and his really cute kids. We asked them to take it easy on us because we are beginners and had only done this once before. The scenery was so beautiful the ride was a bit rocky but pretty easy as far as the incline we were riding up. The scary part was the trail. The trail was so narrow only bikes could ride one way so we would have to get off our bikes and hug the mountain to let other bikers through. On the other side of us was a drop that was at least a couple hundred feet down the cliff and lots of loose rocks that made it very hard to keep one’s balance – well my balance that is. I ate it a couple of times luckily landed in some wild rhubarb and shrubs which broke my fall down the cliff. I was shaken, a bit scared and tempted to give up. But I had to show my family and myself that I can do hard (in this case scary) things.

Our next casualty was Rachel she fell off her bike and had no rhubarb to catch her fall. Thankfully she fell only a few feet instead of a couple hundred! Angels were definitely with us this day. At this point Scott was ready to make us all turn back but Rachel, though shaken, insisted on making it to the top. Scott took a few members of our party back down the mountain and I was ready to join them but I knew I needed to make it to the top with Rachel. If she could do it so could I! And we did!

Later in the day Seth’s brother Dave and his family came over for a BBQ and fireworks! It was fun to see them and have the cousins hang out together. At 10:00pm I excused myself and went to bed I was so exhausted from our day.

We did manage to get pictures of Eva at the BBQ!

On to Stadium of Fire!

Our adventurous bike ride!

You can see how narrow the trail is!

View from the very top, see the road that's how far we road up!

BBQ at Grandma & Grandpa’s house.

Utah, Part I

We had a fabulous time visiting Seth’s parents in Pleasant Grove. We were amazed at the beauty that surrounded us and we were really tempted to pack up and move to UT. But realistically we can’t so we won’t but we were tempted. Utah has so much to do all year: skiing in the winter, hiking, mountain bike riding, tubing, camping and you are surrounded by glorious mountains and fabulous weather (during the summer at least).

We arrived in Utah on a Wednesday evening after a long car drive that included many pit stops due to yours truly. I guess with age the first thing to go is the bladder – I used to be able to hold it for hours!  We took the girls for a bike ride on BYU campus and made our way to the Wilkinson Center to visit the bookstore for some BYU clothing for the girls. We also had a great visit with our friend Chanelle, who is at BYU for the summer.  We ended our campus visit with some ice cream at the Creamery. It was so fun to be on campus and hear Seth talk about some of his experiences – or should I say escapades – while he was at BYU. We saw so many kids attending EFY that Rachel got excited and wants to attend next year.

On Friday we took the kids to Park City and we did the Alpine Slide and Coaster. The Coaster was so much fun! The girls really wanted to do the zip line, too. Now they will have something to look forward to on our next trip to UT. Seth and I loved the car ride to Park City. It was absolutely beautiful and it was fun to talk about building a cabin someday in the mountains of UT. It’s nice to day-dream once in awhile!

 

We also went shooting with Grandpa.

End of School Gifts

I found the cutest idea this year for end of the year teacher gifts. I bought the canister at Michaels and all the candy at Wal-Mart except for the pop rocks.

Sedona

We started off Summer 2011 by taking the family to Sedona and we had so much fun! We attempted mountain bike riding; the girls and Seth did a great job. I on the other hand had to walk my bike up a few steep inclines but I was ok with that. We lounged by the pool and took the girls to Slide Rock where we discovered how brave Rachel is. She jumped off a 20 foot cliff into the cold water below! Check out the video at the end of our pictures. Can’t wait to go back in the fall for some hiking.

Outside our condo, Seth, Rachel, Alex and our friend Rhiannon

 

Rachel at Slide Rock