St. George Vacation...

So Jason and I decided we wanted to start a new family tradition, by going to St. George every year the weekend that school gets out. We thought that would be a fun way to kick off the summer. So on Sunday we packed our suitcases and went away for a few days. (next year we will make it a longer vacation). There are so many fun places to go and do activities, eat and shop in St. George. I don't think you could ever get bored and the weather was perfect!!

Dora didn't want to miss out on the fun and be left behind.

On Monday we decided to go to Fiesta Fun for some miniature golf and go karts.

Jason and his brother Jake had fun getting each other wet in the bumper boats.

The great prizes we bought with our tickets from the arcade.

On Tuesday Jason, Jake, and myself decided to go do a hike in Zion's National Park. We hiked Angels Landing. In the brochure the description for this hike said strenuous and not for anyone fearful of heights. It should have also included not for anyone who is out of shape, clumsy, or doesn't want to risk their life. 35 people of died on this hike from slipping and falling. It was a five mile round trip hike with very steep inclines, switch backs, and 1,500 drops off both sides. To make matters worse it started to rain when we reached the top the the hike back down was a bit slippery.


This was a post card we bought. It gives a better idea of what the hike was like. You can see the switchbacks. Once you got to the landing in the middle of the postcard, the rest of the hike was up the steep cliffs holding on to a chain, with drop offs on both sides. The hike ended at the top of the mountain (the top of the postcard).

A picture of me taking it nice and slow holding on to the chains for dear life.

Finally reaching the top. The views were amazing!!

On the way back from the hike we stopped at this trading post for a treat and some fun pictures.

The best part of the vacation and the main reason for going was to see the shows at Tuacahn. If you have never been there I would highly recommend it. It is a beautiful outdoor amphitheatre nestled back in the red rock mountains. This year the shows that they are performing are Annie and Foot Loose. They were both great, but Foot Loose was more entertaining. The main character in Foot Loose is Thayne, from So You Think You Can Dance season 4. He did an amazing job.

Enjoying the pre-show buffet dinner.

My cute grandparents happened to be down there at the same time. It was fun running into them and spending some time together.

Well that concludes our tip. We had a great time and I can't wait to start planning it for next year.

A little bit of everything...

Man it feels like I haven't blogged forever. It seems like for the past 2 months all I have done in my spare time is yard work. Each year Jason and I try to tackle one big project in our yard. This year we had set a goal to have it accomplished by the first of June so that we could spend the weekends during the summer months having fun. This year we decided to clean-up and landscape the other side of the creek. We decided we wanted to turn it into a camping/wooded area, with a picnic table, fire pit, little walkways, and a place to set up a tent. We haven't been able to finish it all, but we have done the majority of it. We also decided that our front yard needed a bit of curb appeal so we tore out some bushes and added a side walk and flower beds.


This is Dora attacking her catnip that we bought for her. It's amazing how much cats love this stuff.

Here's part of the flowers that we bought. If you're ever looking for an awesome nursery, that has a huge variety try Valley Nursery. I could spend hours at this place.

This spring we also had to sand bag our banks along the creek, because of the potential for flooding. It amazes me that about a month ago this is what the creek looked like and now it's just a trickle.


Before After

So this is what part of the area looks like. We still have some work to do, but it might have to wait until fall. All of the material and supplies that we used had to be pushed in a wheelbarrow one trip at a time across the yard, over the bridge and to the other side. I bet we made over 100 trips hauling dirt, gravel, sand, retaining wall bricks, and pavers for the patio.


Before

This is what the our front yard looked like before. I loved the bushes, but not right in front of our door. I wish I could have transplanted them somewhere else.


After

This picture is kind of dark, but you get the idea. I think it looks more inviting than it did before. I can't wait for all of the flowers to grow and fill in the area.

Other things that have kept me busy was planning a baby shower for my cute sister-in-law Megan. I had so much fun shopping and getting things for a baby girl. We had the shower just in time, it was on Saturday and baby Annie arrived on Tuesday.

Well that about sums up the past 2 months. I'm excited to finally be done with school and be able to enjoy all of the fun things that come with summer!!!