When The Sun Goes Down...

For the past year Kevin and I have been talking about taking pictures of the sun setting over the Great Salt Lake.  This past week it worked out that we could actually accomplish just that!  We went to Ensign Peak which is a great location behind the state capital building that overlooks the city as well as the lake.  You can hike to a lookout or take the longer and steeper trail all the way to the top of the peak.  The hike to the top is worth it!  Here are some of the pics I snapped while we were there:

As the sun set, the city started to light up.  Boy is that a view worth taking in sometime (just remember to bring a flashlight for the trek down if you are going to hike up to the peak to see the sunset!)

Here's how beautiful the city looks as the sun goes to sleep:

Pre-sunset photo of the back of the capital building

Wasatch front from Ensign Peak

Starting to get darker

Doesn't South Mountain look so far away?  We live down near the mountains that you see far in the background!

The Salt Lake Temple

Look how the city comes to life at night!

I think our next photo-taking location may be over by the lake again, but closer to the lake - maybe over by the marina.  It was fun to experiment, practice our skills and make better use of my tripod!  

Fall Is In The Air!

Sunday after church, Andy went riding on his street bike with a friend we met through the kid's school.  They took off for Big Cottonwood Canyon so the kids, the dog and I took off for a hike.  We are so lucky that we can hike in Corner Canyon (5 minutes from our house).  The kids and I were leaf peeping but not too many had turned yet.

Kendall blazing the path for us

Waiting for the rest of us to catch up

Having an in-depth conversation about boogies, poop or some other gross bodily function.

Taking a break to rest those tired tootsies

My kiddos!  Penton had as much fun as the rest of us.  She was so thankful to be included in a hike for once!  Most places here we can't take dogs because of the watershed areas.

I think our next activity may be to attempt to take Riley mountain biking on the trails in Corner Canyon.  It would be great to help him with his balance on his dirt bike.  I love the fall and can't wait to do more and more hikes as the leaves change colors.

We Are...Penn State!

We were fortunate enough to be able to attend the Penn State/Alabama game in State College a few weeks ago.  What a great way to end our crazy 9 day trip to Florida!  We flew into Philly and drove to Harrisburg where we met up with my parents.  Thankfully (for us) my dad upgraded his season tickets and ended up with awesome seats and 8 tickets together and 2 further away.  Since he had these new tickets, we decided back in April or May that this might be a great year to go to a game.  Little did we realize when we made these plans, that it would be on the tail end of our Florida trip!

My kids were so excited for their first trip inside Beaver Stadium for a REAL game.  Riley had been to two Blue/White games in the spring, and tailgating as an infant at homecoming, but never to an actual, official game.  Riley sported his jersey and Kendall got to wear her PSU cheerleader outfit my parents gave her for Christmas last year.

I packed Kendall's Penn State Barbie doll to help her get excited about the game.  After coming off of our Disney trip and meeting all of those characters, she asked if she was going to get to meet Barbie at the game.  My dad told her there would be 10 Barbies down on the field with pom poms!  But she was really hoping to meet the Nittany Lion!

We got to State College in great time considering all the flooding and road closings they had experienced in the S-Q Valley.  We strolled through town and did some shopping before heading up to the Lion Shrine.  We bumped into my cousin and his wife twice during our travels.  Jon and Laura had the other two tickets that were seated with us.  It was awesome to see them again so soon!

We headed up to the shrine only to find a line full of 'Bama fans!  We waited our turn, chatting it up with our opponents and telling them all the favorite spots to go on game day.

After our pictures, we drove by the Creamery.  The line was outrageously long, but we decided to take the kids and take our chances.  We waited for an HOUR to get the chance to choose our own yummy flavors.  Thankfully it was well worth the wait.  All of our choices were delicious!  The kids were sugared up and ready for our walk to the parking lot to meet up with my parents for tailgating.  My friend Jeff who I use to teach PE with was also at the game.  He came to visit us and it was awesome to catch up.  I saw Jeff during our visit to PA in June and we made plans to see each other at the game.

Too many options!

Kendall had to have "pink" ice cream

Riley chose cookies and cream

My dad took Kendall up to see the team get off the buses at the stadium (a family tradition).  When the busses start driving up the road, all the cars and RV's start honking their horns so you are sure not to miss them.

We were able to find JoePa, well, at least a cut out of him!

We also took the kids up to see the Blue Band enter the stadium.  The kids got to hear them play and watch the drummers marching.  Sometime between then and when the game started, Kendall took a short, but much needed nap.  They had 2 fighter jets fly overhead before the game which Riley loved seeing.

Tailgating with her Pappy

Watching the Blue Band

Getting ready to enter Beaver Stadium with 110,000 of our closest friends!

The kids enjoyed the game as best they could.  Riley isn't into football nearly as much as the rest of us, but he did well.  Kendall loved seeing the lion with her Pappy and watching the band and doing all the cheers.

Pre-game whiteout

Team huddle

Too much excitement!

Student section

Having fun with his family!

Trying to see the lion up close!

After the game, we headed back to our hotel in Harrisburg and got to hang out a little more before bed.  In the morning, my parents, the kids and I spent some more time together while Andy worked on more homework.  After our sad goodbyes, we made our way to Baltimore to catch a delayed flight to Salt Lake.  We arrived home after 1 am, EST!  I didn't want Riley to miss anymore school after the 4 days the week before, but I was willing to let him sleep in if necessary.  Thankfully he woke up in time to get to school before the second bell!  It took us most of the next week to get ourselves fully caught up on sleep!  I was so tired, but thankful for a chance to do so many great things in such a short period of time.

Knee Deep In The Water Somewhere

Got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair.

Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair.

Sunrise there's a fire in the sky,

Never been so happy,

Never felt so high.

And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise!

We had a short but great visit in Jax!  I wish we could have been there longer because there were a few friends who I really wanted to see, but sadly, our schedules didn't work out.  I was grateful to see the friends that I did.  I miss them and our easy going beach lifestyle so much at times.

The one difference about this trip to the beach opposed to our trip to Kiawah last year was that Kendall actually got in the water without being held!  She and I jumped waves while I held her hands and then was brave enough to let go and swim around in the surf!  Our little girl is only afraid of a few things: noisy fireworks, moving cars on the street and the ocean's waves!

We started our visit to Jax with lunch at our favorite BBQ joint!  We've been craving good ole' southern bbq so we drove straight to Mojo Kitchen in Jax Beach!  Andy and I were craving the sweet taste of bbq the entire 2 hr. drive to Jax!  After lunch, we checked in at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, which is one of the most posh places to stay in the Jax area!  Love being pampered and staying oceanfront!  We had the beach to ourselves that afternoon and we went shell collecting and wave jumping before heading to the pool!

That night we went to the Benz's for dinner with most of the other regional presidents and a few other corporate level big wigs.  Jim and Murray are such gracious hosts.  She is southern hospitality wrapped up with a beautiful smile.  They hired two lifeguards/babysitters for the kids and had kid-friendly food while lots of gourmet food, wine and beer for the adults!

The next morning we met up with some of the girls from my play group.  We met at Riley's favorite park and had a great time catching up.  After seeing all of them, I met one of my two dearest Jax friends for lunch.  Leigh and I usually met at Angie's Subs for lunch once a week.  We were convinced that they put crack in their sweet tea because it was so yummy and addicting!  We both struggled not to consume too much of the caffeinated, sugary sweet nectar while we were prego!  It was so comforting to catch up face to face with Leigh.  It's not until you have moments like these that you realize how much you miss someone!  

After lunch, we drove by the old homestead.  We got a chance to see all the road improvements they had started working on while we were still there.  We drove through the old 'hood and talked about all the friends we missed from Waterleaf!  We had such incredible neighbors and one of which is my other dearest friend in Jax.  We weren't able to physically get in contact with Kerri and her sweet family.  It was the one regret I had as we drove to the airport on Friday.  We did drive to her house and leave her a note though!

After we got back from our trip down memory lane, we once again, headed out to the surf and the sand before our dinner plans for the night.  Dinner was for all the G&W employees and their spouses.  They provided child care at the Inn for all the kids while the parents were shuttled over to the Sawgrass - TPC for dinner.  Such an incredible venue for dinner.  We had a great time mingling with old and new friends.  It was fun catching up with some of the other women I knew from our time living in Jax.  

The next morning I spent packing us up before I had to attend a spouse luncheon.  The G&W CEO gave a presentation about the company (which many of us had heard before, but was beneficial for the newbies).  After it was over I had to rush off to drive with the family to the airport for our flight to Philly.  We were going to meet up with my parents in Harrisburg that night before all heading up to the Penn State vs. Alabama football game.

What a crazy trip, huh?  And it wasn't over yet...

I Wanna Be A Dirt Bike Rider!

Yesterday was our first family ride at Five Mile Pass.  Andy has taken Riley there many times, but this was the first time we all went there to ride together as a family!  Kendall was able to fit into Riley's old jersey and pants and ended up wearing his ski helmet and ski goggles because we didn't have an extra helmet for her.  It worked out well.

Kendall spent most of her time riding double with me.  We did hill climbs, whoops, burms and a few fishtails and donuts.  She kept squealing for more!  Riley got to show me all his favorite places to ride and the little tracks he's created.  Andy got to show me the hill climbs and jumps he enjoys and I got a chance to practice some small jumps (keep in mind it's been almost 10 years since I've really ridden my 4wheeler!).  Thankfully it was like riding a bicycle - it all comes back to you pretty quickly!

We tried some trail riding after lunch and Riley did very well!  Some of it was steep and rocky but he was a trooper and followed our path up and down the trails.

I think by next summer Kendall will be ready to transition to the 50 and Riley into a 70.  We've got a friend who we bought the 50 from who is going to deliver the 70 to our house in Utah on his way from Cali to Rhode Island next year.  That will be perfect timing!  Too bad that we don't live near the Meeks family anymore, because our boys always enjoyed riding with the Meeks boys.  Someday...So for now, we will make it a family affair!

More Dirty Dash FOTOS

Flo-Foto was at the Dirty Dash taking pictures through out the race.  Here are a few I snagged off their site.  You'll notice their logo on the pics because I haven't bought any of them yet.

This was the disgusting mud hole at the end of the race

Having a few laughs after the race

As if I weren't muddy enough!

My Bestest Friend!