Mostly Scenic 10 days and 3,600 Miles

My I am full of emotions right now. The first of August I had an overwhelming desire to get out of "Dodge" Texas. I think it was the heat, but I needed a break. My sweet hubby seeing my distress, made it happen. Plotting out routes, hotels and things to do, and people to see, we took off on the 11 of September. Like Cinderella, we had a curfew to be back home on the 21st. Work and church tend to keep our vacations in moderation.

First day and last day of trip, find us driving through the state of Texas which is lacking greatly in the scenic department. Sorry to say, but other than the blue bonnets in the spring, this place is ugly.  I haven't been to the Big Bend area of Texas, and due to my thrill of rattlesnakes probably won't ever go there.

Second day found us driving through Kansas, which isn't anymore scenic than Texas. Got excited when we saw the Rocky Mountains in Denver and started our drive on 70 through the beautiful Mountains. I was disappointed of the lack of fall colors, warmer than normal fall for Colorado. Vail was our stop for the night. We got settled into our room. There were a few patches of gold in the tops of the mountains, and the cool night air was great. We took advantage of the gondola that went up to the top of the mountains with spectacular views.  There was even a couple who had just got married up on the peak. they were kind to let me take there picture.

We got a good start in the morning to head to Vernal, Utah where we are both from.  The ride was pretty and went from beautiful mountains to the rocky desert of Northern Utah.  Rick is always glad to see what he called his "castle" growing up,. "Split Mountain is a gorgeous rock formation in the mountain side, the Green River flows at it's base. 

We went to visit Rick's family the rest of the day.  We didn't tell his Mom we were coming, she was so cute when she opened the door and saw us standing there. "Surprise!"  The next day we headed to Dinosaur National Monument, It is about a 15 minute drive from Vernal.  They discovered a big deposit of 145 million year old dinosaur bones, 500 different species. They built a building over the deposit and you can actually go in and watch them as they carefully excavate the bones out of the mountain side.

We them took a quick drive over to the Split Mountain Gorge, and then...

met some of Rick's family for lunch.

(totally random out of place picture) We also enjoyed a yummy Cafe Rio lunch when we arrive the day before. This is one of the many pictures we teased our kids in Texas with. They love Cafe Rio as much as we do.

That afternoon we met up with my sister in law Louise, and her daughter Rachelle, and her 5 children. 3 of them, cute little triplets! We met at Remember the Maine park. Can you understand why I miss this place. We didn't make it up to the Ashley National Forest a 20 minute drive north of Vernal, we heard the mountains were covered in golden spender. We had fun visiting, and enjoyed a great dinner at the 7-11 that night. The have the best bread dough scones ever!

The next morning, after more goodbyes we were off to Park City, Utah and Salt Lake City... We got checked in, had dinner and went to bed.  We got up the next morning and went in to Salt Lake, with an early lunch at Crown Burger. Wish there was one in Texas!  Nobody makes a better burger.We ran a few more errands... Church bookstore, Quilted Bear were traditional stops.

Then it was off to visit with Mom, and take her to dinner at our favorite Mexican Restaurant in Salt Lake. Lafrontera, home of the very best smothered burrito we have ever tasted. Mom enjoyed  huge soft taco and guacamole.

We drove back up to Park City and slept, then up early to head back down to the valley to pick up Mom to drive the beautiful Alpine Loop.  We had to make a couple of stops though. We drove through the old hometown of West Jordan. We stopped for breakfast at Dunford's, the best donuts ever made,  And a drive through the old neighborhood. Our Church meeting house, Rick's favorite close to home, golf course, and the old homestead. I wish they would take down the wreath, and siding... boo. It was up for sale.

Then over to pick up Mom and a drive up the alpine loop. It didn't disappoint!

That night we had dinner with some of my brothers and Mom. She loves to eat at Olive Garden. So mad I didn't get pictures. Went back up to Park City and prepared for the 1800 mile trip home.Then it was time to come home NOOOOOO! The only thing  we did that made the drive home worth it was... the long drive over the Rocky Mountains.  It did not disappoint. Around every bend in the road were spectacular vistas, look what people miss flying over its majesty.

Then it was through to Durango, Colorado, where we stayed the night,  Next day, home. First time in a long time that I wasn't happy to be home. It was weird. Thus the emotions...

So grateful to get away, breathe fresh mountain air, and a change of scenery. Very beautiful scenery!

Sometimes my ideas turn out ,,,

After my fail at my home improvement project, I am happy with my new one.  It's really not a project, but a solution to a crowded kitchen.  When we purchased our house in Texas, we were in a hurry (okay I was in a hurry) to find a place and get settled. In buying a home, we thought we would never see the children much, because they were in Utah, and would probably stay.  Due to fortunate events however, they all ended up within a 15 square mile of us, in Texas.  At the time, we would have never thought that a possibility of happening. We bought a home with a very small kitchen. I use the  medium size pantry for food storage, and the cupboards, drawers, and counter space were lacking. I thought it would be good to take the kitchen cabinets all the way down the back wall to the window. The original cabinets were built on site, I knew matching everything just right would be hard unless I could find the original cabinet maker. So for the last 3 years I have been looking for an alternative.  I found one, and I love it.  After having it on my wish list for 2 years, and waiting for 4 months for it to arrive from Italy, I couldn't be happier with the results. It gave me 3 more deep drawers, and loads of cupboards space. I am happy that I persisted in finding a solution, I could live with.

The back wall is the one I thought we could extend the cabinets.

 I just love it...

 I am happy...

So glad I was patient and persistent...

Shoot, forgot to remove Rick's cushion for his chair, He thinks the chairs are too hard.  Haven't got around to making a cover.

And another 4th of July...

I am posting for journal purposes only.  Pictures and happening are a lot like previous years.  We celebrated at Brianne and Jarod's due to the extra friends invited, and room needed to celebrate.  Brianne is always nice to include others who don't have family around to celebrate with. This year she invited the Nelsons and the Solgere families, friend Daphne, and former student from NC, Toya. Rod, Jarod's dad was also visiting. We had a house full!

Rod and Jarod grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. Inside... fruit, salads, chips, dessert,  which included homemade banana ice cream, were awaiting all of us, very hungry people.  We ate, visited, and attempted fireworks, but then the rain came. We thought we might call it night, but it stopped, and the fireworks resumed.

The kids are getting older and enjoyed them.  I could hear little Zeke say "again, again."  No matter how big, or how loud, he loved them. All the grands but Zeke,  held a roman candle as it shot into the sky. Papa (actually neither was I) a fan of that, but they had a ball.

Good food...

 Great Chefs...

 Solgere's

 Rick and Brandon...

 Uh, Oh, someone is in trouble...

 Toya and Zeke...

 Fun surprises...

 Nothing cuter than kiddos....

 Jake and Pip

 Benson and Ike

 Bailey

 Pip

 Zeke

 Sparklers and candles...

Happy 4th of July! I love America!

Oh, what to you do in the summer time...

I posted this on Facebook a few weeks ago...

Loved the summers growing up. Besides the pool, my favorite place in the world, was my Aunt Jane's house. Every summer, in my youth, we were invited for a week in the City. Being from a small town like Vernal, we were in awe of the city, and all it had to offer. My Aunt Jane and Uncle Allen would make sure every wish my sister and I had, was fulfilled.

Their house on 10th Avenue was amazing.  It had stairs to bounce down on our behinds, a laundry shoot on the third floor, that we threw things down besides clothes, a basement full of interesting things, side tables with drawers of playing cards for bridge, and beautiful objects placed just right in the living and dinning rooms. Their yard was meticulously kept, with a bird bath placed in just the right spot.

We would always go to Hogle Zoo (train ride included),shopping trips to ZCMI (Tiffin room for lunch), Some fancy dinner buffet (loved the fountain), Liberty Park,,, with plenty of rides on the ferris wheel and carousel, Snelgroves for ice cream on 21st South (the big twirling cones), The Van Winkle's home to swim, the train station, and the airport to watch the planes land.

My absolute favorite times were at night, out on their deck. The sparkle of city lights was an incredible sight for little ones from the country. Uncle Allen's cheese burgers, were the best. In my mind, I can still hear him reading our favorite story, as we were cuddled up in his arms.

One time we visited, and much to my mom's dismay, my Auntie had our hair chopped off. My long golden locks gone. I guess the new dresses (Scottish style) were a peace offering. 

Scottish jig...

ZCMI Tiffin Room.  This is a picture of the second renovation.

Salt Lake's, answer to Bluebell.

Beautiful City Lights.

Liberty Park...

I am thankful for the love my Aunt Jane and Uncle Allen showed me.  Being one, of ten children growing up was a challenge, it was fun to get the extra love and attention.

The Realities of Summer

After living in Houston, Texas for 14 years now, I can still report that I despise June, July, August, and September. Why, you might ask? Its just the abundance of a lot of stuff. Abundance of humidity with the increasing temps, fire ants, snakes, mosquitoes, lizards, allergies, and having to stay inside (that one by choice for me). We have had a beautiful spring for Houston, for which I will be forever thankful, but Saturday brought the reality of the coming days.

I really wanted a pool when we moved down, but the horror stories of snakes in the filters, or just taking a swim in the pools, made it a dream, rather than a reality. Oh, well. So as I anticipate another summer, my imaginary bags are pack and ready to evacuate.

There are a lot of people who just leave. They are gone for a month at a time. We could have never done that with clear conscience, for our church responsibilities, and work, have kept us around. Well, lets just face it, if you work in IT, you rarely can be gone for a week at a time. When you are off, you take your work with you. We have never been on a vacation the last 20 years, without Rick needing to work while he was gone.  So, here is to another summer.

I will look for the positive, I will dream for relief, and I will make it through...