Another reason why I love UT: Sam got to shake President Eyring's hand in the grocery store!

mud anyone?

Why does it always rain on Memorial weekend??? We were invited by some good friends of ours to their cabin in the mountains outside of Price, UT for the weekend. I checked the weather report before I packed and it said showers on and off. BUT, the weather was so warm and nice here that I couldn't imagine it being cold and rainy. So...I packed mainly shorts, t-shirts, even a few flip flops. After a long drive through a gorgeous canyon, we turned off onto the 8 mile dirt road headed for the cabin and OH MY GOSH! The road was MUD!!!! It wasn't just a nice straight road on flat ground, no, it was steep and windy!!! AND, dare I say, scarier than any road I have ever driven on! (Luckily Kelly was driving) One slip and you are down a cliff!!! I was a wreck! We were all praying the entire way! Jenna and Bailey were holding on to each other for dear life! Well, we made it in one piece which is the most important thing. But soon I was longing for rain boots, any kind of boot! Then after the first day of kids running around outside, 4-wheeling etc., I was wishing I had brought more clothes-namely pants and socks! So, this weekend consisted of alot of outdoor fun, messy outdoor fun. Every child got plastered with mud from head to toe (literally!) And, Sam even fell into the river while trying to pee off a rock! Luckily Kelly was close at hand!!!! That was a fun clean up! We didn't bring towels so I dried him with a hand and face towel. Every pair of shoes we brought are COATED with mud! I was even desperate enough to try to trade Heidi for a pair of clean socks! Noah ended up wearing a pair of Dan's that I think he had worn? Oh well! We had a few good laughs over it and then just dealt with the mess. At night we put all our wet shoes and clothes by the wood stove to dry. We have mutual friends who have a cabin down the road and so we had dinner with them at our place the first night and at theirs the second night. They made us Dutch Oven dishes that were to die for! We roasted marshmallows and made S'mores with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!!! Mmmm! We shot clay pigeons with rifles and Tosh let us all try out his new hand gun on some targets! It was SO MUCH FUN! We made a mess of the hill side with all the clay pigeons pieces! We even let the kids try the less powerful riffles (with adult supervision). Sam's favorite things about this trip: 4-wheeling by himself, baby Frankie, Koda (the dog), shooting the guns, and BABY FRANKIE! Noah's list would be the same except for the dog. He now wants a gun! Great! Bailey just loved the 4-wheeler! She could do that all day! I came home and was grateful for a large capacity washer, clean socks galore, and Kelly for cleaning my poor car after all the abuse it took this weekend! We really did have a FUN, FUN time and we are so grateful for Dan and Heidi and the Rymers! We will always remember this weekend!

Friends

Today being a short day, we had plenty of time for play dates, water fights, dress up...etc. Just girls! My daughters are blessed to have good friends!

Girl's Weekend

I just got back from sunny Cal, recharged, relaxed, and replenished. I spent 4 days doing all the stuff that women love to do with my dear friend Jennefer. No typo here-her name is JennEfer! We met when we both lived in Castro Valley, CA. She was Bailey's nursery leader and at the time, had a dog named Bailey but no children of her own. She now has two ADORABLE girls that I fell in love with these past 4 days!!!! AND, Jenna is named after her although I didn't know it but was thrilled when I found out! Jennefer went by "Jenna" her whole life and her middle name is Lynn just like my Jenna's!!! So I guess I did well in her eyes with our girl's names! We don't just share the same taste in names, we are so alike it is scary sometimes! That's why being together is so comfortable and so fun! Here are some highlights from my trip:

• Shopping from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM in SF, Berkley, and Walnut Creek
• Eating six different pastries in one day, the eclair from Tartine Bakery was my favorite!!!! No guilt, it's vacation!


• Running at sea level with Jennefer and Carrie.


• Getting a massage and pedicure after the run!


• Going to Santa Cruz and laying out on the sand without a care or worry in the world!


• Hours of meaningful and not so meaningful conversation.


• Hearing the famous Jennefer Haight give a Gospel Doctrine lesson at church and thinking she is on top of her game.


• Realizing I needed this vacation more than I thought!


• Eating Jennefer's cooking-waffles, Artisan bread, pasta, chocolate cake....mmmm! I need ALL of the recipes!

• Drooling over the GORGEOUS homes in Pacific Heights!!! And their view!


• Seeing the old familiar sites yet gaping at their beauty all over again! San Fran is spectacular!


• Being myself, by myself and realizing how grateful I am for the family I left at home!!!


• My bird shirt from H & M, I thought Jennefer and I had the same taste but I guess I was wrong!!!! I love it!


• Waking up this morning after getting home at midnight and seeing Sam's smiling face 2 inches from my face, Noah's hugs, Jenna's pure excitement, and Bailey's ability to stay awake for anything!
  

Thank you, thank you Jennefer (and Lance...and Megan) for a wonderful get-away! What a great weekend!