Utah Trip

 Oh...the annual trip to UT.  We love it.  I have so much fun getting to spend some great time with my family.  I love the weather, and by the time we are done with school, I am ready to pretend I don't have a "life" to manage anymore.  This year, we started with a "girls" trip to Paradox, CO, and enjoy some sewing while we were there.  I wish I could say that I was the one that made this super duper hotsy totsy apron, but that was my cute cousin Sierra...she is awesome (and not really my cousin...but my cousins daughter...but she felt like a sister)!  The apron was super cute, and I can't wait to get one made special for me in the mail ;).






Paradox is full of fun..and part of the fun is ranch fun.  So, we all went out and ran in the sprinklers.  Truthfully, I didn't run, i took pictures, and I avoided things like....getting cow poop all over me.  I know, I know, I totally missed out.  Luckily, I had enough fun watching everyone else get crazy.

Maddie didn't plan on running in the sprinklers, but she couldn't help it, and got herself just a little wet.  She loved laughing at her other cousins...getting all wet and crazy dirty.  I have to say, I loved seeing my cousins children.  It warms my heart to see little parts of my cousins, in their sweet kids.  I just LOVE it!

And, yes, while we were there, we sewed.  We sewed and sewed, and made jewelry (and I learned that I should stick to quilting).  Spending this time with my cousins, aunts, and family makes we wax nostalgic.  Our family has been so close all growing up, I love all of them dearly, and I feel so blessed to be able to share a little bit of our lives together.

We were lucky to see some of our friends from Tucson while we were visiting.  The McBride's moved to UT a year ago, and Mitchell and Brenna were great friends.  They have the same birthday, shared the same baptism day (which just happend to be their birthday), and they love playing games together.  I am glad we got a chance to get together and catch up.  It's ones of life's ironies...their family is all in AZ, ours is in UT...but here we are.

We spend some time at a place called, Get Air.  The kids jumped and jumped on trampolines, and loved jumping into the pits.  I even took a turn, and did a couple flips.  I was happy to know I can still flip, and be crazy, yet I am fully aware that I am not longer a kid.

The parks in UT are beautiful.  Everything is green and lush right now.  It TOTALLY makes me home sick, in a big way.  It's kinda crazy to think that kids can actually play outside during the day!

We also went to the Planetarium...the kids all had a blast!

My favorite day of family togetherness was going to Park City and riding the Alpine Slide, the Alpine Coaster, and other goodies.  I took Noah on the Alpine Coaster, and my cup runneth over.  Here is my baby, so sweet and innocent.  He has no idea he is supposed to be scared.  We start going down, and he is silent.  I take it easy, I don't want him to freak out, and I definitely want him to have fun.    When we got to the bottom, he said..."let's do it again."  So, I take him again....and this time, he says he is scared...but when we go, he tells me to go faster.  I can't express how much I loved doing this with him.  Experiening a first with my children is one of my absolute FAVORITES...love it.    We rode it a few more times, and each time he wanted to go harder and faster.  I love it, love him!

Here's Grandma...she works so hard to make everything fun for her kids and grandkids.  All the work, just might wear her out.

G

While Maddie was in town with us (she left after a week to attend girls camp), she and Jessie were joined at the hip.   This is how cousins should be....love it.

 Grandpa liked the Alpine Slide WAY more than the Coaster.  Even though the coaster goes faster, and is wilder, Grandpa likes the DANGER side of the slide.  He likes that you can fall off....he's wild.

Elizabeth and Emma had so much fun spending the day together, conquering all the fun rides.

I love that when I get back home, I get to visit my friends.   Jodi is the best to take some time out of her schedule to come and visit with me.  I sure love all the friends I grew up with.  They are a SERIOUS blessing to me.  I love them all dearly!

And, here is where I realize I didn't take enough pictures.  We did a bunch of stuff while I was there.  But, without a camera phone (which I have back now by the way), I don't have all the little moments.  But, I have these.  I loved my trip back.  Coming back home is always a little bitter sweet.  

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Happy Father's Day

Beware...this isn't short.

I'm far away from the father of my children, and very near to my own dear father.  

I wish, so much, I could do something special to help celebrate the amazing FATHER Bj is.  WOW.   He impresses me all the time with what a great dad he is.  Just today, he drove to Phoenix, and waited at the airport for nigh unto 2.5 hours to pick up our daughter (who flew for the first time as an unaccompanied minor).  He didn't want her to have any opportunity to feel insecure, or for something unexpected to happen.  This is the kind of man he is.  I am also amazed that he is willing to make a 2 round trip drives to UT just so I can visit my family.  He takes care of us, and does it with a smile.  I am blessed, and grateful.  Thank you Honey!

So, what makes Bj so special?    I looked through the photos I have taken throughout the years to illustrate what a great Father he is.

 He goes above and beyond.  It was Mitchell's birthday, I was out of town, and instead of making a regular cake (or buying one like many dad's might do), he made a three layer ice-cream cake.  He definitely goes above and beyond the call of duty. 

 He is the FUN one.  It is well documented in our family, that if you want to do something fun, you should ask Dad.   He is the one that will plan big camping trips, and bring all the gear you want.  He is the one that will plan and carry out fun family activities that take all day.  He is the FUN one, and we are all grateful to have a FUN one in our family.

  He is HANDY!  All Dad's should be handy.  Okay, that is my personal belief since my own dad was super handy.  I am grateful that for all our home improvement projects, Bj has been the go to guy. He has lost sleep thinking about how to make something perfect.  I can totally count on him to be amazing, at all times, and in all things, and in all places. I love that he teaches our children these skills.  I love that a few weeks ago, he and Mitchell took apart the downstairs toilet to get a toy Noah flushed down.  Bj is special (the good kind).

Loves playing with the kids.  Even when he has care taking responsibilities, Bj still finds time to have some fun, and be a good dad at the same time.  I love it.

 He is INVOLVED.  He has been the coach every year our kids have been in soccer.  He is so patient.  So kind, and so loving.  I love that my kids have the chance to learn about sports through him (they surely won't learn it from me).

***Look at Lizard...trying to avoid the little boy attempting to hold her hand.  Cracking me UP!

He LOVES them.    Oh my goodness, Bj loves his children.  He adores them.  He takes time for them.  He makes sure he is home to enjoy them each day.  When other fathers want to be alone on Fathers Day, all he wants to do is to be with them.  I LOVE THAT! 

He is FUNNY.   Well, he thinks he is.  He tells the kids all his favorite jokes, and works hard to make them laugh, and laugh, and laugh.  He loves this, and they love HIM!

He is a worthy Priesthood holder.  I love that our children can always count on Bj to take care of them.  He leads our family to choose the right.  He is always worthy to give them blessings for health and spiritual needs.  This is one of the greatest blessings of our lives!

He LOVES me.  He shows our children what it means to love.  He takes care of me, and teaches my sons what it is like to be a good man and husband.  He shows me tenderness, and my girls know what kind of man they need to look for when choosing a spouse.  He is a good example in so many ways.  He is loyal, kind, fun, and unafraid to show me affection.  I love the man he is.

He is HUMBLE.   So, not everyone in Bj's family will agree.  But, truly he is humble. At the end of the day, when he reviews his choices....he is so humble.  He sees all the ways he can improve, he makes goals to improve, he tries to be patient, and apologizes for his mistakes.  When it is so easy to be proud and unteachable, Bj is willing and happy to admit his mistakes (not that he ever makes any mistakes), and gets to work.

This Fathers Day when I am far from him, I hope Bj knows what an amazing Father I think he is. 

Bj, I love you.  Thank you for giving me 4 amazing beautiful children.  Thanks for making me a mother, and being the father I always dreamed my children would have. 

And last, but not least.  My own sweet Father.  Oh my goodness, I love him.  This is the man that worked so hard to teach me all the lessons of life.  

He taught me to take responsibility for every choice I made.  EVERY CHOICE.  If I was sad, angry, happy, or silly...it was a choice.  I love that lesson.  

He taught me to keep my word.  To be honest in all that I do.  

He tried to teach me to care little for others opinions of me (still working on it).  

He is an example of true love.  When Lizzy was suddenly fighting for her life, he was on a plane in hours to be by my side (even though I wouldn't show or share my concern).  He acts tough, but he has a heart of gold.  

When all other parents disliked teenagers, he embraced us.

He taught me about boys, how to avoid them, how to dance with them, how to take their arm, and what they are really thinking.

He taught us to think for ourselves.  To question, and be honest about our conclusions.

He taught us to do hard things.  To stand up for others, when no one else will.

I am so very grateful for the Father I was blessed to have.  Thanks Dad for being the best father I could ever dream of.

New York City....

So, if you don't like rambling blog posts and a few pictures, you may want to skedattle.  

Why did we go to NYC?  Well, because we wanted to.  The truth of the matter is I have ALWAYS wanted to go to NYC.   Like since I was little, but there was never a great time to go.  I have always been too responsible to do "fun" things (yes, there is a little regret there, from being too responsible...Mom, I should have listened to you!).  Anyway,  Bj gave me a personal challenge, and he said we could go to NYC as soon as I achieved my goal.  Well, I achieved my goal...and so we started planning the trip.  Little things or big things tried to thwart our plans, but we made it, and I am so glad we got to go.

Here's how it went down.  We left Thursday morning at 4 a.m. to get to Phoenix for our flight that left at 7.  Got to NYC at 3 p.m.   I took my first taxi ride, and that was an experience, to Bj's best friends house in West New York, NJ.    I felt so blessed to be staying at Derrick's house.  What a great friend to let us stay at his place so we could afford this little dream of ours.  That night, he also took us out, with his two sweet girls in tow, and showed us how to be real New Yorkers.  I was so impressed with him!  And I felt super lucky to have someone introduce us to the city like that.  I think I might have felt a little lost without him, but he showed us the way, and made me feel like NYC was my second home.  We walked all over the city, and didn't get back to his house until 11....then we worked hard (and failed) to get tickets to a broadway play for the next day.

Friday morning we had a plan, it was a pretty good plan.  Get up early, 6:30...and start the day with a bang. Go to breakfast at Sarabeth's (this was DELICIOUS...can I just say Lemon Ricotta pancakes).  Then go to get tickets for a show we wanted, then go to the temple, then to ground zero, etc...  

We didn't get the tickets we wanted after waiting for an hour in line, so we just headed to the temple, hoping we could get tickets later when the TKTS booth opened at 3.  The temple was amazing.  I loved seeing how they made the temple work in the CITY.   The building was beautiful, the people were kind, and we were both impressed by the spirit there.  Its amazing to come in from the craziness of the city, to the beauty and peace of the temple.  I loved adding this to our trip.

So, we were off to get tickets.  I wanted ticked to the show ONCE, but as we got to the ticket booth, we realized the wait would be INCREDIBLY long.  VERY long.  I bagged it.  We are only in NYC for a weekend, I don't have time to wait in line all day.  I headed over to the box office of "It's Nice Work if you Can Get It" with Mathew Broderick, bought the cheapest seats in the house, and washed my hands of it.  Then, we were off to Ground Zero.

At this point, Bj was done with the dress clothes he had on. So, we stopped at this little cafe.  I got us a little snack, WATER, and found an outlet to charge our dying devices.  This was a fun spot to just stop, relax, and take it all in.

We got to Ground Zero, and truly, I felt it.  The feeling....like something happened there.   There was a heaviness in the air, and a peaceful calm as well.  We really wanted to get tickets to go see the memorial, but the tickets were for 6:00 p.m., and we had tickets to the show.  So, we couldn't do it all.  Bj was bummed, this was the one thing he wanted to see there.    But, at least we got to go down there.  

At this point, my choice of shoes is making me wonder if I am insane.  I just wore flip flops, but they were not the comfy kind.  We had been walking all day.  And I LOVE walking, but my feet were crying a little.  But, just a little.  We kept walking from the World Trade Center site, to SOHO to go to dinner.  I had so much fun snapping pictures of buildings as I was walking.  There was some amazing architecture, and I LOVED it.

We parked it at the Cowgirl cafe.  This restaurant had some great BBQ for Bj and a superb salad for me.  It was nice to sit and let my feet rest for a bit.  At this point, it was getting a little windy and cold for me.  It was in the 70's, and this is pretty cool for an Arizona girl.    After dinner I picked up some supplies to paint my nails while we were there.  I learned a very important lesson....99 cent polish is worth, 99 cents.  Next time, just spring for better!  I'm learning.

That night, the show was so fun.  It was a fun, light hearted musical, and Mathew Broderick was great.  Bj and I had a blast being there together.  We got back to NJ at about Midnight...and since that is 9 in Tucson, I stayed up and did my nails, and read a book.  

Maybe not the best choice.

Saturday....we didn't get up at 6:30.  It was 7 or 7:30...and then we got going.  We walked around the city a little, and then went to the MOMA.  I love modern art, totally one of my favorites.  Maybe not the crazy art, but I love simple lines, the slightly crazy stuff.  Anyway, much of the art was my cup of tea.  And, some of the art was a little too crazy for my tastes...but still interesting.

After the MOMA, we walked 5th Avenue.  We walked into just a couple of the stores.  I think Bj didn't love this part of the trip.  Its true...we can't really afford anything in Saks.  But, I think it is a little fun to look at all the things other people are crazy to buy.  We also went to Tiffany's.  I found some amazing jewelry I will never have.  Luckily, I don't really have a need for it, so it all works out!

We made our way to Central Park.   I love the view from the park...  It seems like such a calm area, but then the city is right there, looming!  We met up with some friends who came from Boston to hang out (Shawn and Jhordan).  The park was beautiful...but we wanted to go see the Guggenheim...so off we went.

Parts of the Guggenheim were being worked on, so we did a little fast walk through of what was open and available, and then made our way to dinner....in Brooklyn.  This was a little bit of on adventure on the subways.  Luckily, I just left it up to Bj and Shawn, and they found the right way to go, and we finally got to Brooklyn.

We waited in line for a bit to enjoy this pizza.  But, at least we had each other to make the time go fast.  When we finally got our pizza, I wasn't sad we had waited.  This was DELICIOUS pizza.  Super delicious!  After dinner, we walked the Brooklyn bridge back to the island, and it was a beautiful night to be walking.  I tried to get everyone to go clubbing...but no one took me up on it.  

Got to bed early....midnight.

Sunday was our last day there.  We wanted to make it to the 9 a.m. ward.  At 7 when the alarm went off, I looked at Bj, and he just said...we'll go to the 11 a.m. ward.  Thank goodness, we slept a few more minutes.  We had a few things to do around the city before we could get to church, so we hiked all over the place, and then made our way to church.

This ward made me want to move to NYC for real.   Okay, NYC made me want to move there, but this ward cemented the idea in my head.  The talks were amazing, the choir was even better, and the whole experience was great.  Really, I am so glad to have the opportunity to go to different wards whenever we travel.   We spent the rest of the day walking around central park, and sitting and relaxing for a bit.

This was such a great trip for me, for us.  We haven't been on a trip, just the two of us, in 12 years.  Too long.  We've decided we need to be more fun.  We need to start having the experiences we want to have, NOW, not later...when the kids are grown, or things are easier, or when we have tons of money.  We just need to make it happen now, when life is imperfect.  

When we got home, Bj started looking for jobs with his company in NYC.  Not seriously...just glancing at what there is....let's hope he keeps glancing.  I would love to live in the big big city!

I love to look for Rainbows....

My little Elizabeth was baptized today.  She went outside this morning to take pictures and was freezing cold....Tucson in May, is not quite freezing, but it was under 90 degrees, so it was cold to Elizabeth.  Getting ready this morning was fun.  Hair, dresses, getting the house prepared for the party afterward....and then, miss Elizabeth tore her dress.  Of course, we didn't find the tear until we were supposed to be leaving.  Thank Goodness I have a sewing machine always ready to go...2 minutes later, we were on our way.

Here's the baptizee and the baptizer...I love that Bj is a worthy wonderful priesthood holder.  He is such a good dad, and my children are so blessed to have him as their dad.  I love that as Liz came out of the font, she said, "I feel so warm inside, but I feel cold outside."  She has already started to benefit from the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  I love that.

My parents came to town for this special day...being close enough to family that we can be together for the most important days, is pretty awesome.  

Me and my super special wonderful amazing Elizabeth.

After all the fun.  I got to crash...old school style...with my dad.  If it were true old school style, I would be cuddled up to him, but this was good enough.  A little napping together is pretty great!