Apple Spice

The eating rage seems to be bakery/cafe type places. AppleSpice is yet another Kneaders, Paradise Bakery, Zuppas, etc...The popularity of such places, I believe, is the freshness of their products. Everything is made, cut or cooked there with actual ingredients---not with bagged or canned stuff. I went to AppleSpice in Logan with my nephew and his family to enjoy hot chocolate, clam chowdah, and half a veggie sandwich on a cold, snowy day! The food was great, but the the company was better!

Movie and Crepery

 I saw the last Twilight movie with my nephew and his wife. I don't think I ever realized how cheesy the movies were until this last one---but I finished out the series. The ending was different than the book and I liked it! So I did like it even with the cheesiness! But then again, I do like cheese! After the show, we went to the Crepery---where they use crepes for their food of choice! I never thought of using crepes for sandwich wraps! I got a yummy crepe sandwich and a almond steamer---and in my steamer I wanted a bit of chocolate sauce so they made a heart in my drink! And the atmosphere was so quaint and cozy!! The Crepery is now one of my new favorite places to eat!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

I went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra with my niece and her husband in SLC. Before we went to the concert, we wandered around the City Creek Center(and of course had to go try some Godiva chocolate)! We ate at the Blue Lemon which gets all its ingredients from local farmers---it was so yummy! I would definitely eat there again! For the concert we had excellent seats to enjoy the light show that goes along with the music.  I think that I would enjoy watching the light show even if I couldn't hear the music! It was simply amazing! And I loved the 'rock and roll' Christmas story and music! I felt like I was back in the 80s for a moment! It was MTVs Headbanger's Ball(music) meets Mormon Tabernacle Choir's The Spoken Word(sweet story)!! Between the sights and the sounds, it was almost a sensory overload! Plus since it was at the Energy Solutions Arena, I splurged and got their nachos---love their nachos(and normally I only get them if I go to a Jazz game)!! So it really was a great night all around!

Arches National Park

 

During Fall Break, I met up with my nephew and his family in Moab so we could enjoy Arches National Park together. We stayed at a hotel called the Rustic Inn and it was in a way---it had a kitchenette right next to the bathroom so the only sink we had was the kitchen sink, so grooming and food were kind of in the same area. And plugs were few and far between! But it was a nice place to sleep! And we definitely tired ourselves out enough! Moab was one crowded town---I guess everyone had the idea to hit the national parks one last time before Winter comes! Arches was amazing----we walked and hiked many places! My favorites were Delicate Arch---the famous Utah arch,  and the Sand Dune arch---you walk into softest sand(so we took our shoes off to enjoy the coolness of it) with walls of red, tall sandstone surrounding you! The kids had a blast in the sand---it was like entering a playground because all the kids were running and jumping barefoot in the sand---it was a happy place! And after all that walking, I didn't even feel guilty indulging in a bit of fat/sugar loaded foods! Loved that I was able to spend time with my nephew and his family in such an amazing place!

Boise, ID

A few weekends ago I drove up to Boise to visit with 2 of my nieces. I was hoping to fly since it's a quick flight and 5 hours is a long time to drive to me, but flights were ridiculously high for such a short flight---hence, I drove. After three and a half hours, I stopped in Jerome to pick up Tauna and her kids. Much to my relief, she offered to drive the rest of the way to Boise(because my eyes were feeling very heavy)! We stayed with Selena in her new home! The weekend was very busy between eating,  a movie(Hotel Transylvania--very cute!), arcade games, BSU football game(BSU won on their "smurf turf") and Haunted World(2 kids were being wimpy about it, but we got them through okay)! Loved spending time with my nieces!

46th Birthday

Can you believe it!? I actually turned 46 this year in October! I continued my new tradition(starting last year) of taking off work the day of birthday! It's such a wonderful feeling to do that! It was a totally relaxing day--I didn't hurry or rush anything! I eventually arrived in Logan to have nachos and movie theater popcorn for my lunch. Then for dinner I had family come over for South Carolina  Bake Macaroni and Cheese, broccoli and Wingers Hot Wings. For my birthday dessert, we had strawberry daiquiris--the candle was put in my straw! Loved the day, the food and the company I had on my day!

Man vs Mud

First of all you must know, I am not a runner in any way, shape or form. So I surprised myself by complying to enter the 5K Man vs Mud run in Cache Valley. I'll admit, I was a bit nervous as the Saturday neared in September. But in the end, I had so much fun that I might have to do this run every year! It's not so much of a run as it is obstacle course after obstacle course of mud, with walking in between to the various muddy barriers! My favorite part had to be the slippery slides into muddy bogs! The plodding/slipping through waist deep bogs and climbing/crawling obstacles were tiring to say the least! We were definitely covered in mud when we finished! There were volunteers there who had warm water sprayers to spray us off good before we got in our vehicles. I thought I had been sprayed off pretty well until I got home and showered----what a muddy mess that was!!! Overall, I would recommend the Man vs Mud to anyone! If I can do it, anyone can!

Twin Falls Temple

In August, I drove up to Idaho to pick up my nephew to attend the Twin Falls Temple. We decided to do proxy baptisms/confirmations for the dead. I brought family names I had found through research. We each did 25 names. During the female names(that I did), my nephew was able to be the baptizer and confirmer. Having family names made it an extra special experience! The Spirit was so strong! What a wonderful service I can do for my ancestors who didn't have a chance to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ when they were alive! We might have to have "going to the temple" as our activity more often! Plus I love attending the temple! Afterwards we had a delicious Italian dinner at Maxie's Tomatos!

Zoo, Mall, & Temple Square

In August, my nephew and his family came down to go to the zoo. Luckily it was perfect weather to go walking because we ended up walking A LOT! First, the zoo is always fun! The most exciting part for me was that the polar bears were back! There is a new exhibit for them, but it was so crowded in that area, it was hard to enjoy the polar bears! But the tigers were up and walking so they became my favorite of the day! Much to the kids chagrin, the zoo train was down---yet we still managed to have fun! After being spectators at the zoo, we "spectated" the new City Creek Center in SLC. Downtown SLC has been mall-less for a more than a few years during this major refurbishing! It's an "outdoor" mall, but has plastic/glass roof barriers that come together if the weather is too cold or too hot. Two malls have been melded into one mall now! We ate lunch at the food court and got dessert at Cheesecake Factory! Yum!! We enjoyed all the water fountains(and the water spurts that the kids played in)! Then we walked across the street to Temple Square. Visiting the north visitor center, we walked up to view the Christus statue(my favorite part of visitor center)! By the end of our 6 hour jaunts, my legs were exhausted! It took my legs a few days to recover totally! But it was worth it because I got to spend time with my nephew and his family!

Denver Visit

Flew into Denver last weekend to visit my niece and her family. Her fifth child was just born in May so this was the first time I got to meet him(so of course I held him a lot)! The kids and I played in the water a lot---first at their house with the plastic swimming pool and hose and then we went up into the mountains near a shallow stream. The water and going up to the mountains was a great way to cool off in the hot weather!! So we played, played and played some more! And of course my niece, her husband and I played Phase 10---we always have a good competition with that game---I lost ): but it was still a great time playing it with other humans(I have the game on my iPad and so I only get to play avatars which cheat and stack the deck---as only electronics can do-- the iPad version made me more aware of  and brought out my competive emotions ---at first I would yell frequently at my avatars for the unfairness of it all[like skipping me when I'm the one behind] but now I do not yell at my avatars[Nancy, Floyd and Andrew] as much---now I just take a deep breath at each injustice and remind myself it it just a game---and with humans I never have an emotional outburst like I have with my iPad so maybe in the end it's good emotional therapy). Anyway,  we had a last minute change of plans and instead of flying home, I drove home(about 10 hrs) with my niece and her kids---I don't know how families survived traveling before dvd players in the vehicles. And can I just tell you that everytime I visit my nieces or niece-in-laws with their small children, it makes me have more respect and reverence for mothers than ever---I am always exhausted afterwards and wonder how they do it 24-7!! It is truly amazing to me!!! I am in awe of mothers!!--and I'm not dissing the fathers and the time they spend with the kids and helping out, but let's face it, mothers do so much more than any of us can imagine!

Shreveport, Louisiana 2012

 I visited my nephew and his family in Shreveport for the weekend. We did many things to occupy our time. First, we saw the new movie "Brave"---very cute but I'm sure I'll need to Netflix it so I can see it with subtitles because the Scottish accents were sometimes hard to understand. Then near the theater was a carousel, so my great-niece, Diana, and I rode that for our picture opportunity together---we were the only 2 people on it so it was easy to get a picture of us on it! After that the 3 of us girls got a pedicure--workers had strong Chinese accents, but luckily Rachel could interpret for me---and I had a few moments of pain during the pedicure with the pedicurist digging on something near my toenail---I thought for sure I was going to look down and see blood everywhere(that's how badly it hurt) but my toe was fine and the nail looked and felt great afterward---and I took the pain bravely without screaming out or pulling my foot back! That night Rachel cooked up a shrimp and crawfish boil for dinner---you have to put a plastic bag covering on the table with paper on top of that. There are no utensils or plates. You boil the shrimp, crawfish, potatoes, and corn on the cob in special seasonings, then drain the water and dump it all onto the table. Then you dig in with your fingers! And there is a yummy remoulade sauce(like a fry sauce but mcuh better[the taste was to die for]) you dip the items in. Also, I got taught the correct way to eat crawfish---Louisiana style(last time I had crawfish was in Texas where I broke it open and sucked out the insides, which was nasty---but here you break off the tail and find the meat in it)! We had french bread to go with it too! It was so tasty and yummy!! Clean up was quick because you just fold in the corners of plastic bags and throw everything away! It was just a fun meal altogether!! Another day, we went to the Farmer's Market in town. Rachel's sister was there performing in a group of "hoopers"---women who do tricks with hula hoops to music---at the end of their performance, the let bystanders try out the hoop---I was horrible at it, but it was fun and tiring trying to keep the hoop up! Then we just relaxed the rest of the day---but it was entertaining to relax at home because they had just acquired a kitten(found him in a park in bad shape so they took him home[and to vet] to heal him)---and kittens are so dang cute to play with and watch!! And he definitely had front and center attention from all of us---their dog, Sally, and one cat,Tommy, liked the new kitten(named Kreeger--means warrior in German), but the other cat, Lorraine, refused to be in the same room or even walk past him---and the 3 hermit crabs just didn't care(did you know you have to "water" them---and they change shells every now and then so it's fairly impossible to know which crab had what name). Also, I learned a new card game called Palace---I really enjoyed it---now I just have to remember the rules so I can show others to play it again! It was such a great time hanging with my nephew and his family!!!

Ely, Nevada

Last weekend I drove to Ely, Nevada(4 hours through the barren salt desert of western Utah and then more of nothing from NV stateline to Ely---so boring---good thing I had an awesome audiobook to listen to)! My nephew and his family live in McGill, Nevada(about 10min north of Ely). I had to wonder why anyone would start a town in the middle of absolutely nowhere, but I guess there was a booming smelter business at one time in McGill and there is still mining to keep people in these 2 towns. My nephew works for the BLM, so he helps take care of the acres of empty land down there used for recreation and grazing. We did go up into the mountains for a cookout---that is where the real beauty of this area lies: up in the mountains! There is also a mountain called "Garnet Hill" where you can literally find garnets(January's birthstone)! The garnets are already "cut" like a gem when you find them(after searching through lots of dirt/rocks). I'm not sure what to do with the garnets I found yet---first I gotta find a rock polisher to get some of the rock off the gem. The biggest one I found was the size of a plump raisin, but one of my nephews found one the size of a big grape(and on the first stone he turned over)!! Searching for the garnets made me realize I'd have never made a good '49 gold digger---takes too much time and digging around for the little success you have! But the reason I went to Ely was to see my great-niece get baptized, which was the highlight of the trip! I love spending time with my family and watching them develop into who they have become so far in life!!!

Pottermore.com

In April, JK Rowling opened up a interactive reading experience for Harry Potter fans on-line. I had been anticipating it since it was originally supposed to open in October. It's a free site that takes you through each chapter. Each chapter has pictures and information that go with it. A menu on the left allows you access to extra information that is not in the books. For example, in book one we learn all about Prof McGonagall's life, a bit more about the Dursley's and a bit more about Quirrell. Also, JK Rowling includes her thoughts as she was writing the book. So the extra info is cool! In the pictures that accompany the chapters, you find objects and chocolate frog cards. By chapter 7 you have gotten your letter from Hogwarts and the list of items you need for your first year. With the pictures you literally go to Gringotts to get your "money" and then go through Diagon Alley "buying" all the things on your list. The final thing you buy is your wand. Your wand picks you through various odd questions. Then the following chapter, you get sorted by answering various odd questions again! I was sorted into Hufflepuff. Once you are sorted, you learn spells and potions, which give you house-points. I will admit, I had to have one of my 6th grade boys show me how to do the spells correctly and I had to look on YouTube to figure out the potions. I'm doing very well on the spells now(even though the full body bind spell is the only one to get high enough power to win right now) and with potions, I am doing so-so---I have made some and it is not easy! I've only blown up one cauldron(so now I will have to buy another---plus you lose 5 points for that)! Hufflepuff is so far behind on house-points it's not even funny! I'm hoping that when book 2 comes out that the House Cup winner will be announced and we can start over on points! I also like the security of it---you have to choose a random username from the site so no one knows who you are at all---and opponents are from all over the world! You can have friends, but you have share with each other your usernames so you know to accept them or not. I'm sure some people are okay have strangers as friends, but I'm not. But  I have been having a great time reading, dueling, searching, and brewing!!!

Harry Potter Theme Park

I got to cross off an item on my bucket list earlier than planned---visit the Harry Potter Theme Park at Universal Studios in Orlando! The reason I was able to go earlier was because there was an awesome deal in November---like 60% off flights and hotels---it was a steal because the cost was all under $500!! And that's the kind of vacations I look for! This theme park was only built a few years ago. I have to tell you that the HP park has 2 of the most awesome rides ever!! First there is the Forbidden Journey in the Hogwarts castle---you sit on a bench with your feet hanging free and the ride is totally interactive--you feel like you are in it and experiencing it as you chase a dragon, escape the gigantic spiders, get away from the whomping willow and have Harry save you from the dementors! You are spinning, flying, and dropping suddenly at every turn! The second ride is the Dragon Challenge---there are 2 coasters---one for the Chinese Fireball Dragon and one for the Hungarian Horntail Dragon---once again you are on benches with your feet hanging freely---the coaster takes you upside down with your feet in the air and the corkscrews you down and around the corners---such a rush!!! I couldn't get enough of those 2 rides! There is also a Hogsmeade/Diagon Alley town and you can visit the different shops that are in the books. With so much cool stuff in all the shops, it was quite the task to not buy it all! And of course there was butterbeer and pumpkin juice! I had the frozen butterbeer and loved it---butterbeer has a cream soda base. And pumpkin juice was yummy too---tasted like apple cider with a hint of pumpkin flavoring in it.

We did go to the rest of Universal Studios too. One day we got so drenched from 2 rides, we were just wet or damp all day and night---they provided "people dryers" but it didn't help much. Got to take pictures with characters---which is always silly fun! I always feel like I'm the only adult doing that! The other 3 rides I loved in Universal was Rip Ride RockIt---it started out going totally vertically up for many yards and then it just went crazy looping and curving around, all while listening to the music of your choice--then the Incredible Hulk ride was like the Dragon Challenge but your feet were not free hanging---and then The Mummy was a fun interactive one---not as good as the HP one though.

Another super thing about being at Universal Studios in February was that the weather down there was hot! 80 degree weather---can't complain with that! The humidity did frizz my hair everyday, but had to just deal with that! I loved wearing summer clothes! It was a good break from the cold winter temperatures in Utah!