With summer coming to a close I am trying to fit in as much as I can before the snow falls. We were planning on taking a day trip out to Timanogos Cave last weekend...BUT alas, I called to make reservations for the cave tour and they tell me that its "FREE DAY" and all the ti
ckets are gone unless I want to come out and stand in line at 7:30 AM and hope for a ticket before the sun sets!...so that idea was quickly scratched
! Todd came up with the idea of going to the Zoo. None of us had been this year. (I hadn't been in several years)...so it sounded like a good plan. Deron, Cameron and Jack all had tickets to the BYU football game with Grandpa so they weren't going to be able to come to the zoo with us. Erik opted not to come...so that left me, all the girls and Todd. We weren't going to let an
ything stop us from having a great day....so we ventured out the door Saturday morning and planned on having a ton of fun. (We hoped f
or good weather too) After several hours of traveling, we turned off of Foothill Drive, having made pretty good time...and only having another 5 minutes to drive, when we came to a pretty good HALT! Traffic was stopped...we waited and waited for things to start moving, but it only crept at a snails pace. We waited for 90 minutes just to get TO THE PARKING LOT turn to get into the zoo. Now, any SANE person would have bagged the entire zoo experience about then and turned around and headed back home, but after driving for 2 hours and being totally INSANE...we WERE going to tough it out. Dayna, Todd and Dana jumped out of the car (when we were in front of the parking lot turn off) and went to get in the enormous line for tickets, while I 
wandered around trying to find a parking spot....which wasn't easy I might add. We ended up parking way up above the zoo in front of a gated community and then hiking back down into the zoo. Once we got into the zoo it was all worth it, but I was starting to wonder if we should just find something else to do, but I am glad that we stuck with our plan. Later we found out that the Zoo was hosting a Diabetes Walk ...hence all of the traffic to get into the zoo...(we decided next time we go, we will check the Internet and see when they have things going on out there and NOT go that weekend). We got to see the new baby elephant, talk about cute! I didn't expect her to be quite so small. She had quite a vibrant personality too and played with the crowd, rolling on the ground and trotting around the pen. There were baby merkats, tigers and a baby giraffe. Lots of cute animals. the penguins were swimming, the bear were playing and the roosters were wandering. We
spent about 2-3 hours walking around looking at all of the animals. It had been such a long time since we had been that we all just took our time, took alot of pictures, talked and relaxed. We rode the little train and reminisced about when we use to all come to the zoo when the kids were all small. After our fun filled afternoon we went and at
e our picnic lunch up on top of the mountain by where I had to park. There was a little park with a nice picnic table and we were starving, so that's where dinner was served. We had a great time relaxing and enjoying the wonderful weather. Who says that you can't have fun at the zoo without little kids...we DID!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Zoo-pendous!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Oh... the BEAUTY of it ALL!
There is proof that Autumn is officially here. We went to Hogle Zoo yesterday and we drove through all of the canyons (Daniels, Parley's and everything in between)....the colors were vibrant and just gorgeous.... (Although~ I had gone out to the city the day before and the colors seemed to be even more stunning then.) I just love seeing the reds and the oranges cover the mountain sides. It makes it really hard for me to drive down the road because I just want to sit and look at the leaves, the mountains and along the roadside. I love how the reds pop against the greens and yellows....its just so pretty. On the way hom
e from the zoo we stopped at Whisky Springs so that I could hike up the trail and get some closer pictures of the foliage...but a picture doesn't do it justice, it was so much prettier in real life. I cou
ld just live outside from April until it snowed...I love the colors of Spring, Summer and Autumn. I love the sound of the running rivers, the chirping of the birds and the smell of campfire (as long as its not on me). I love the squirrels, the prairie dogs, the deer (not on the road) and the butterflies. I love everything that nature has to offer during the 3 seasons of Glory. Although I am not looking forward to the coming months of Winter, (you all know that that is an understatement and then some) 
I am trying to look past whats coming and enjoy the Fall and all of the changes that come with it. Its gorgeous out there....so go out and have a look for yourselves!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
A Betty Crocker moment for me....
Many of you out there that are reading this- already have this recipe... BUT...some of you don't. Every time I've made this salad I've been asked for the recipe and it quickly became one of OUR favorite salad recipes years ago when I made it up. Our family loves it and we eat it all summer long. Sorry there aren't any pictures...but just imagine it looking SCRUMPTIOUS----because it really is!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sugar and SpiCe and EVERYthIng NICE...thats what little girls are made of!
It only happens once a year...but I am already wishing we could do it again before next year...It'
s our annual "Girls Weekend!" We started this wonderful tradition last year in July, just before Todd and Dana were married. We vowed t
o keep it a tradition and and made plans for the event to take place again...which it did this past weekend. Last year we sort of did the "SPA THING", with facials, painting toenails and a "get to know you game"...this year we took on the theme of "GAME TIME". We ate at the Chinese Gourmet in Orem until we were ALMOST too full (we had to save room for our "junk food" later on). Afterwards we tried something new and did a Photo Scavenger Hunt...which turned out to be a blast! We had a list of 60 things (that were each worth a different amount of points) on our lists. We had to take a picture of one of our team mates with the object from our list. We had 1 1/2 hours to get as many photo's as possible and the team with the most points won. Poor Kim had to be on my team...(she felt sad that she had to be on my team too because she knew that I would be the loser)...I was the slow one, so yes Dayna and Dana won...but Kim was a good sport and we had tons of fun. We took pictures of strangers, candy, something
that reminded us of summer, the inside of a restaurant, a fire hydrant, someone working and many, many more hilarious and crazy things. We really had to think "out of the box" on some of the objects and be super creative. It was hysterical to see so
me of the pictures that everyone took...good laughs for years to come thats for sure. Dayna and Dana won cute purses for getting the most points! We then went back to Dayna and Jack's where we were spending the night. We made junk food and played more hilarious games. We played one where we passed the camera around (that was set on the timer mode), whoever got stuck with the camera when it went off had to pick some outrageous item from a bag of "unknown" objects!...we wore masks, crazy hats, wigs, moo moo's...crazy garb that none of us would be caught dead in. It was great for laughs and many fun pictures. At about 1:30am, we couldn't hold our eyes open any longer and we headed for bed. BUT...bright and early (7:30 am) I got up, made crepes with raspberry freezer jam, frozen strawberries, Nutella and banana's and whipped topping...yes we ate AGAIN...can you believe it!
Then we got ready and headed out for a day of shopping. We found some great deals on winter wear...shoes and "girl stuff"...we bought a few fun things and then we all went and had our nails done! I'm not one to get my nails done often (this is only the 3rd time in my LIFE) because I don't feel like its a luxury that I can do all the time...BUT I have to say~ it sure makes me feel pampered and pretty when I do. I love the way my hands actually look like "girl hands" and the way that it makes me feel a littl
e more feminine with long nails. We had a fantastic time just "being girls" together. Talking, laughing and goofing off couldn't have been any more fun! I love my girls! Girls weekend is something that I look forward to every year. I can't wait until next year when we can do it again.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Monday Maddness...?!
...And LAST but not LEAST, our final day of Labor day! We ALL...yes that was "EVERYONE"...agreed that we should go hiking up Rock Creek. We packed a lunch...city style (went to Subway and got sandwiches), threw it all in our packs and headed up the canyon for the day. We got up there and it was just beautiful. Everything was still green and gorgeous. Some of the leaves were changing, but not many. I was a little surprised that we didn't see more people on the trail...being a holid
ay and all. We passed 2 people on horses going up past the dam and there were 4 people behind us...just going to see the dam. We hiked in about 2-2 1/2 miles, ate our lunch along the trail, took lots of pictures and enjoyed the gorgeous mountains. I had forgotten how rocky the trail was...hence the name "ROCK CREEK", but I'm a little slow...if I was going to pick my favorite trail that we've gone on this year, it would be the one up Moon Lake, hands down. Its got the incline and decline along with the smooth, straight way... but the path isn't rocky and we could enjoy the view around us without having to STOP to LOOK at our view like we did on the Rock Creek Trail. We had to keep our eyes down most of the time because the rocks are so thick and none of us wanted to trip. Cameron found some wild raspberries and even ate a few of them. We decided that the ones at home were much sweeter and alot BIGGER! The ferns were still out and in areas of the trail they were just thick and lush! I've never seen ferns all over like I have this year, they are beautiful. It makes me sad when I think that be
fore too long all the plants and the pretty colors are going to be gone and everything will
be blanketed with that YUCKY white stuff!...I am soaking in all the nature and warmth and sunshine that I can get...hopefully storing up enough to get me through the winter. Our day was splendid even though there was a "LITTLE" complaining and some tired bodies, we are still hoping to get in a couple of more hikes before the snow flies..maybe even one up to Timp Cave!....We're on a roll now, why stop?!
Men and their "toys"~
Deron is an avid gun man. He loves to shoot guns, talk about guns, look at gun magazines and do anything "guns". He has always liked to take the kids shooting from the time they were about 12 years old (some got to go learn earlier than others) and teach them how to be a safe shooter. They have shot cans, logs, water balloons, clay pigeons and targets. Its a fun time for Dad and kids to bond...so I let them have fun wi
thout voicing (too loudly) how I feel about guns. I am NOT against guns at at...I just personally don't like them or like to shoot them. When I was taking hunters safety, years ago when I was 12, I was doing the shooting test and one of the bullets (in my gun) backfired and blew up in m
y face...no harm was done, but it scared me to death and I have hated guns since. I think I have only shot one once since that time and will probably keep it that way. During our Labor Day adventures this year, Deron taught Halle how to shoot. He had been telling her for some time now that he wanted to teach her how to shoot, but she would never go with him. WELL...he thought that their little camping trip would be the perfect opportunity to put the plan
into motion. At first she didn't want anything to do with learning...BUT after experiencing it, she loved it. She couldn't get enough of it!!!! So...Deron has another one hooked. I think all of my kids love to shoot guns, not as much as their dad does....but its still one of their favorite times with him. They all talk about the memories that they have going up to the shooting range or somewhere else and spending that time with their dad. Deron is such a wonderful dad. He has so much patience and likes to spend time with the kids, no matter how
old they are. Sometimes its things that he likes to do and sometimes they
get to pick what they want to do with Dad... but not matter what it is, he gladly goes along and enjoys every minute of it!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Lions and Tigers and Bears...oh my!
Saturday, Kim and I decided we were going to pack a lunch and drive up the canyon for a hike. Deron called and said that we should change our plans and come up to the little "hide-away" where they had camped. He said they had gone on a hike earlier that morning and had found an amazing trail that would take us cle
ar back into the mountains, through the brush, the pines and even a small creek. WOW...it sounded fun, so we finished packing our lunch and headed up to pay them a visit....thinking that we would ALL go,
but when we got there, nobody wanted to venture up the trail again. After a little debate, Cameron decided that he wanted to come- so off we went. It was a gorgeous path. Lots of pine tree's, squirrels, birds and even a little rain. We ate our lunch along the trail, took lots of pictures and even sang some goofy songs that I used to sing with the kids when they were little. Kim kept saying that we had been on the trail long enough and was ready to go back...I wanted to hike for at least an hour and THEN turn around. We were at the "5 more minutes" mark, when we stopped to rest and I told them, "Just 5 more minutes, and then we'll turn around". We were looking around at the way the path was going. It was heading up into some pretty t
hick bushes and narrowing...not that it bothered any of us, but just observing. Cameron was the first to see the markings on the tree's right by us...YES a bear had left its mark in several tree's right there next to us and YES they were fresh! At first we thought maybe we were just freaking ourselves out...but NO, we looked closer and could see that they defiantly were bear markings. Earlier (not too far back on t
he trail), we had passed some "FRESH DUNG" on the trail...I thought it looked like bear poop then, but I didn't want to say anything to the kids or scare them so we just said "Hmmm...animal poop" and kept walking. NOW we were scared...at least a tad bit nervous to say the least. I've always wanted to see a bear in the wild...but I wanted to be DRIVING when I did...and we WEREN"T driving!...We had walked 55 minutes up the trail and decided that we had gone far enough...(and we were a bit scared)...so we turned around and headed back. We were making as much noise as possible and still trying to hurry without running...but somewhere along the way, I think we must have ran because we made it back to camp in 15 minutes....We were all happy to be back safe and sound and glad that the bear kept to himself, where ever he was.
Labor...what is it?...Whatever you make it~
"Labor= work, especially hard work"...anyway-that's what the dictionary tells me. Therefore that means this weekend is supposed to be full of WORK, RIGHT?!...SO why do we all leave, vacation and celebrate like its a holiday?? Well...work didn't happen in my house either..(I guess there is still tomorrow though). Being the last weekend of the "Summer Holidays", Deron wanted to go camping. I started out loving the idea, but as the days were getting closer I got dreading it more and more. I love to camp, don't get my wrong, I went camping once this year already and it burnt me out and I haven't been able to go since. Camping is just as fun as you make it, I absolutely believe that...but as a woman, it also entails a lot of work without the convinces of home and I think that one has to gear themselves up for such things. Like cooking (love to cook) over a campfire (not my favorite way to cook), cleaning (I actually like to clean...to some degree-I like to have a clean environment) without the ability to BE clean...washing dishes in a dish pan of "sort of" clean water-not my idea of fun. Preparing meals for a good part of the day (do that 2x a year, Thanksgiving and Christmas...not wanting to do that any other time of the year), at least if you want to eat something other than hot dogs and cereal...anyway, you get the idea. So I opted out of the Labor Day camping trip. Deron and Cameron and Halle still wanted to go, which I thought was awesome for them to be able to spend some time together...you know "Dad and kid time". So Kim and I stayed home to have "Mom and daughter time". Without anyone else home, we decided we were going to have a PJ party "SCARY movie" marathon, eat food in front of the TV and pop popcorn. We started right at 5:30, when the "caravan" p
ulled out of the driveway. Our first movie of choice wasn't a scary one, but one that we both had wanted to watch. Then we watched "The Passengers"! It ended up NOT being scary and we were both bummed...the show was good, but left us both feeling let down that our time was running out and we hadn't even scared ourselves yet. Then we watched "The Haunting of Molly Hartley"...it was pretty scary (at least the part that I stayed awake for). Kim kept saying, "Mom, wake up"...it just wasn't the kind of scary we were look
ing for...But regardless, we had fun. We both ended up sleeping in our own beds because we weren't terrified enough to sleep out of our comfort zone (we had planned on both sleeping in my bed because we were going to be too scared to sleep alone...but it didn't happen). BUT....Halloween is coming and I will find a movie to scare the socks right off of us...I always do! I know- there are many of you out there wondering "what kind of mother allows her children to watch scary movies?"...ME! I've always like them, and I guess some of my kids inherited my love for a good scare once in awhile~
Friends come in all kinds of packages~
I love to look at other peoples blogs...I love to read what the world and the people out there are doing! I know there are some of you out there in the world that are just like me. I would love to know who you are-- like those of you visiting my blog and reading up on my families goofy moments, comings and goings and life in general...leave me a comment or become a follower of my blog, I would love to check out your blog as well.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Autumn chores~
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Death never sounded so appealing...until now!
This really is so rich and yummy that you will feel as though you could just die at any moment and be fine. It can be made both sugar-free and NOT sugar-free....you choose your choice of death. I've tried both and they are equally as good!!!
Layer them on the bottom of your dish. Layer pudding on top of the brownies. Layer whipped topping on top of pudding, repeat layers until it fills your bowl, ending with the whipped topping on top. Then crush your candy bars up and sprinkle them on the the whipped topping. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve and then refrigerate any leftovers. Lasts well for days as long as its kept cold. Enjoy & let me know how you like it!
