Utah, The Highlights

Here's a smattering of the things we did in Utah...

-Hiked the Y.  We decided to give ourselves a "Provo Day," wherein we hiked the Y, walked around BYU campus, consumed BYU Creamery chocolate milk, and generally relived memories.  We also got to spend the day with Clark's sister Jessica and her then-fiance-now-husband Tyler, as we happened to pick a day that Tyler had off work.  Good times.  We missed seeing the Adams family because they woke up sick.  Less than good times.

-Speaking of Utah County, we headed down there a few more times to visit the Reids.  I went to a Zumba class with Kim, and reminisced about when I used to dance.  And then my hips were sore for days.  Clark went on a ride-along with Officer Patrick and kept the peace (so cool).  And we all headed down one day to see their house, play at the splash park, and enjoy a picnic dinner.  Good times.

-One day we rented open kayaks at the Daybreak Lake and spent an hour paddling around the lake.  This was one of my FAVORITE things we did.  Partly because it was new, and it's not often that I get to do new things.  And partly because it was outside, and so peaceful.  I would do that again in a heartbeat.  If only we lived in a fabulous community where renting kayaks (for free, I might add) is one of the amenities.

-We also hiked up Millcreek Canyon.  I think the girls were pretty excited to be hiking in the mountains, and let's be honest, so was I.  The crisp air, the sound of the creek, the trees, the birds.  Nothing like it.  (Though I will say, Michigan has the trees and the birds in abundance, and you don't even have to go further than your front yard, which is amazing.)

-Speaking of canyons, we managed to get up there again for a weenie roast with the Millars.  Thank goodness our Utah trips coincided again!  All time spent with the Millars is priceless.

-Speaking of hot dogs, holy smokes we consumed a lot of grilled hot dogs!

-Speaking of grills, we spent one night in a tent - in my parents' backyard.  We made an "outdoor" evening of it, and cooked tin foil dinners on the grill.  But wait, these were not your ordinary tin foil dinners!  The biggest pain of a tin foil dinner is waiting for the meat to cook.  So we used Costco frozen meatballs instead.  Pre-cooked, and pre-seasoned!  The second biggest pain of a tin foil dinner is waiting for the potatoes to cook.  So we used frozen hashbrowns (southern style) instead.  This plan was brilliant.  It only took 15 minutes for those puppies to cook up.  Add in some veggies, and BAM, tin foil dinners at their finest.  Everyone actually slept in the tent, which was a miracle.

-Cafe Rio.  Twice.  Enough said.

-We ate at a number of restaurants.  Julia has been asking for weeks now when we can go to a Peppers again.  She means Chili's.  I almost don't want to correct her, sweet girl.  We also scored some Sno Cones, which helped beat the heat.  They didn't have my favorite flavor of all time (Nectarine), but the Mango Peach was pretty good.  Why have I never seen a Sno Shack here?  Michiganders, any help on this one??

-Utah's Hogle Zoo never disappoints, especially when accompanied by Aunt Suzanne, knower of all animal knowledge.

-Jessica got married!  To Tyler!  GOOD TIMES.  The wedding was lovely, the reception was beautiful, and the Coldstone was delicious.  And much needed, since it was 100 degrees that day.  Along with the wedding, all the Blockburger siblings were in the same place for the first time in 5 years.  Please tell me it won't be another 5 years before we do that again.

-We met Ethan and Flynn (my new nephews).  You know how as a parent you think your kids are way cuter than anyone else's?  It turns out that's true for nephews and nieces, too.  As Julia might say, "I just can't get my mind off how cute Ethan and Flynn are!!"  I really can't.  It's an obsession.  Just thinking about it makes me want to hop on a plane right now so I can squish their cute faces again.

-We spent a lot of time with family.  This was the most precious thing we did.  Spending a month in Utah gives you ample time to do all the things on your list, leaving lots of time for hanging out, going to the park, going on walks, and playing games.  We also got to go digging around the Blockburger home, sifting through precious artifacts from their family history.  We learned a lot of stories from The Great Storyteller himself (Steve), and quite frankly, felt the Spirit.  Family history work, I tell ya.  It's more than names and dates.  It's stories.

-We also got together with LOTS of friends.  I'm reminded that I have amazing friends.  And it feels like little pieces of my heart are all over the country.  Why can't we all just live in the same neighborhood?