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!