Monday, July 15, 2013

A Change of Pace


Sometimes I look at our calendar and have a heart attack.  Literally every day, every weekend there is at least something that needs to (or gets to) be done!  We have been having so much fun the past few weekends, and were looking forward to yet another adventure backpacking in the Uintas this past weekend, but…due to the unpredictable weather we were forced to reschedule.

At first, I was a little sad.  But sleeping in on Saturday and waking up in my own bed was fantastic.   And going on a familiar run was just we I needed!  Making a homemade breakfast in bathrobes and sweats, perfect.  We even rolled up our sleeves and deep cleaned the entire house, baseboards to the ceiling.   

Although we are kind of rushing this summer along (hard to believe it is already mid-July), the small moments where we can sit still can sometimes be the most refreshing and rejuvenating.  When we can go on a slow walk, make the longest most complicated meal possible and top it with dessert just because we can and have the time - those are some of my favorite moments. 

But the break won’t be for long!  We still have camping-familyreunion-mexicotrip-lakepowell-missionreunion left to go!    


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Turn n' Burn


We were in Portland for 24 hours!  Well, more like 33ish.  We flew in late Friday night and left early Sunday morning.  But it was worth every sleepless minute.

Saturday morning we met up with my sister Katie’s family and Anna’s family for a fun breakfast at iHop – watching those kiddos’ eyes pop when they saw their chocolate, chocolate-chip pancakes with whipped cream on top was priceless!

After breakfast we went to the Portland Zoo – my very first Zoo experience!  We saw hilarious black bears, stinky penguins, ugly monkey bums and everything in between.  The kids were in heaven, and found the train ride to be especially entertaining!    

Once we realized we were cutting it close on timing, we scarfed down a quick lunch, sped back to the hotel to change, and made our way to the beautiful ranch where my cousin Charlie and his wife Laura were getting married.  Sandy, Oregon is such a cute little ski town, and the view at the wedding was phenomenal!  Mt. Hood was there off in the distance with rolling green hills and the perfect amount of sunshine. 

After a fun night at the wedding and reception, we dropped off the kids (and mom who volunteered to be the babysitter) and we made our way to downtown Portland to experience a night on the town.  Ryan and I were the only ones who had ever tried a Voodoo donut, so we had to make a pit stop!  After about an hour wait, we ordered the following:

Dirty Donut – Oreos
Arnold Palmer – Vanilla frosting with lemonade
Diablos Rex – Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate
Dirty Snowball – Coconut with peanut butter in the middle
Butterfinger – Butterfinger!
Tangtastic – Tang and Vanilla
Fritter

Although the donuts may not be the tastiest things on the planet, just the experience was worth the wait, and the weight!

P.S. Get ready for picture overload!!