Month: September 2012

Girls Grand Expotition 2012… Day Two and the Journey Continues!

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If Day One was great, then I can easily call Day Two amazing. I have done the trip from Porter Ranch to Salt Lake City many times in my life. Probably more then I can count actually, so it isn’t always as impressive to me. The being said, I enjoyed it more then normal because Kelli has never been through most of that route before. However, the trip from Salt Lake City to Jackson Hole is one of many favorites and a trip that brings back a lot of childhood memories, so I was really looking forward to it and to sharing it with Kelli.
Today was definitely filled with a lot of pictures. Unfortunately I had a few issues with my camera, one of which was improper settings that I didn’t bother to check. So a lot of my pictures turned out grainy and dark. Oh well, that’s life! Anyway, this is how the first part of our day went…
woke up excited and ready to hit the road, breakfast was pretty yummy too! 
stopped in Ogden for some gas, ice, snacks and of course, coffee!
once we reached Brigham City, it was time to cut off towards Logan Canyon. I think I was a bit giddy.
drove through Logan and found that a few of the places we used to stop at for picnic items as a kid.
started up Logan Canyon, the trees were beginning to turn and a storm was looming in the distance. 🙂
stopped at Ricks Springs, a spot my family always visited when I was a kid. Ah, memories.
reached the top of the canyon and the Bear Lake overlook. Perfection.
stopped in Garden City for a famous Raspberry shake and some lunch. Yummy.
drove along Bear Lake on our way to Jackson. On a partially cloudy day, the lake was amazingly blue.
Ricks Springs

Another generation enjoying a beautiful day  and a stop at Ricks Springs.

Kelli and the girls at the Bear Lake Overlook

Mommy and the Girls at Bear Lake… such a gorgeous day.

After the drive around Bear Lake, we headed back into the canyons and I was in heaven. The sky was perfectly blue, the air was crisp and the leaves were starting to change. I have never been through this area near the beginning of Fall, so I felt as though I was seeing some of this for the very first time. It was beautiful, relaxing, cathartic even and I was so thrilled to be sharing it with such a dear friend. The only thing that could make this even more perfect would be having Shaun here. One day soon.
Once we passed through Afton and hit our junction in Alpine we began our trip through Snake River Canyon. We were almost to Jackson and there was plenty of fun ahead of us!

after a few stops in the Snake River Canyon, we made it to Hoback Junction. Jackson here we come!
on the road to Jackson we noticed several brush fires up in the canyons near Jackson, bummer.
we checked in to our hotel, after a near meltdown moment.
           side note: the meltdown…the hotel didn’t have our reservation. it was found and all was right.
after a few moments of unpacking and taking a breather we were back in the car.
soon we were in Teton National Park. i think the first sight of the peaks took Kelli’s breath away.
we drove, stopping whenever we could, but as the sun set we were forced to head back to Jackson.
to end the night we stopped to do a little shopping and grab some pizza for dinner before bedtime.

Snake River Canyon… Perfection

Kelli and the girls at the Snake Overlook in Teton

A little sneak peak before our day in Teton tomorrow.

After a long day its now time for the adults to head to bed  The girls, after only a bit of fight, are passed out cold. What an amazing day. I tried my best to soak it all in and enjoy every moment. I think Kelli really enjoyed the day and all that she has seen so far. That is the icing on the cake for me. I cannot wait until tomorrow.

Girls Grand Expotition 2012… Our First Day

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Day one of our trip is now in the history books! Well, our history books at least. We hit the road by 6:30 am and landed in Salt Lake City around 8:30 pm (Mountain Time). While that drive might seem long to most, it was a good one. Abby and Ellie are excellent travelers and even though they had their moments, it was a pretty effortless trip. Kelli and I had the chance to talk and catch up on life and then some.
The one of several tourist stops in Baker… The Worlds Largest Thermometer.

After a change of clothes, Ellie decided she wanted to drive for mommy. If only she could have.
It wasn’t a day full  of  pictures, but there certainly were some memorable moments. Here is how our day went…
on the road by 6:30 am with a full tank of gas and ice in the cooler.
stopped in Victorville for a potty break and some Starbucks to finally get the day going.
stopped in Baker to change the girls clothes and a photo op with the World’s Largest Thermometer.
gas stop in Primm, Nevada (stateline) and one of many false alarm potty breaks for Ellie.
stopped in St. George Utah for shoes at Payless and then gas and some lunch.
             sidenote: yes, Payless. In the middle of nowhere I realized that Abby’s sandals were MIA
between St. Geroge and Salt Lake City were several potty breaks for the girls, one was a photo finish.
arrived in Salt Lake City around 8:30 pm and checked in to the Holiday Inn Express.
once settled it was dinner at Sonic, baths and then bed. 
A nice cozy bed is calling my name, but I cannot wait for the day ahead of us. Tomorrow we land in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and that means Grand Teton National Park! Until then…

Girls Grand Expotition of 2012!

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In just a few short hours the girls and I hit the road with Auntie Kelli for our Girls Grand Expotition! I need a lot of sleep but its hard not to think and be excited about the trip ahead of us. Not only do I get to see my sister and my parents, but I get to show one of my dearest friends some of the places I love most. I get the chance to play tour guide for a week and a half too!

So the car is packed, the girls are in bed and now its time to get some rest. We have to be up super early so lets hope that I can sleep! Let the fun begin!

New Format…

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I have been thinking about my blog and its format as of late. I love it but the one thing I am horrible about is being overly detailed and my posts can be too long at times. My past posts took a lot of time, sometimes sacrificing the time I slept or did housework. I often procrastinated long enough that posts built up over time, making it harder to finish them. My goal from this point forward is to be a bit more to the point but still give all of the details that tell our stories. Hope everyone enjoys the new format and I would love to hear your opinions too!

Abby’s First Day of Preschool…

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Today was Abby’s first day of Preschool. Yup that’s right, our little girls is going to be in preschool! Pre-K for that matter. This time next year she will be starting Kindergarten! OK, I am getting ahead of myself there. Seriously though, today was her first day of Pre-K and I have to admit I was a bit nervous and emotional. Abby, on the other hand, was beyond excited. She hopped right out of bed, ran in to go potty and brush her teeth, then got dressed and was ready to go. Once we were all ready to go we took Ellie over to Nana’s house and then headed off to school.

When we arrived Abby could barely contain herself. Once she was out of the car she was headed up the sidewalk, saying to hello to all of the kids who passed by going to their classrooms. We even had a hard time getting a picture of her on her first day because she was too distracted by all of the children arriving for school. She was so excited that and of course that made both Shaun and I smile. We were so happy to see her excited to learn and make new friends.

When we arrived at her classroom, Room 2 to be exact, we quickly found her name tag and took one last picture in front of the welcome board. We walked Abby inside and before we could give her a kiss and a hug goodbye and tell her we would be back in a few hours and to have a great day, she was off to the rug where circle time was beginning. She sat down, talking to the children next to her and saying hello to one of her two teachers, Miss Betsie. And like that she was off to learn.

There were no tears or sad goodbyes, no “mommy and daddy please don’t go”, and no reassurance needed from the two people who have been her teachers to this point. I would be lying if I said that didn’t bother me just a bit. While most parents like to avoid the separation anxiety meltdown with their children, a part of you hopes there might be a few tears and a need for you to be there. But I should have known better. Abby is independent and pretty fearless. She loves to jump right in, especially when there are other children around. We had also discussed school with her and all of the fun things she might do and learn and her tour of the preschool before we enrolled showed her just how fun of a place this can be. She was ready to go and excited for the unknown ahead of her.

Really my reaction was selfish and I realized it the minute I started to think it. Instead I shed a few tears of joy and maybe just a few over the fact that our little girl was growing up. I was so proud to see her excited and ready to try new things. As a parent I can only hope that this excitement and curiosity continues throughout her life.

After we left, I counted down the time until I needed to go and pick her up. I busied myself with a few errands and chores around the house. Then finally it was time to head back to school and pick her up. I was there at the gate waiting. When we were let in and allowed to go to the room I found our girl sitting quietly in circle time listening intently to her teachers. When she saw me, her face lit up and once she was excused to leave she ran right to me, gave me a hug and then began to show me all of the items in her cubbie that we needed to take home. She had some newsletters and papers for me to read and then a picture of a “roller coaster” made with markers, crayons and colored tape. It was beautiful.

Abby then started telling me about her day, about the book they read with the raccoon family who were also starting their first day of school, they got to draw and color and to top it all off they got to paint (something she had wanted to do). She also played out in the yard with a few new friends, pretending to be pirates searching for treasure. She did find treasure, a coin and a dinosaur egg, hidden in the sand. From what I could tell it was the best first day ever.

As a treat I took Abby out to lunch, a place of her choosing, so we headed to Subway. Over sandwiches we continued to talk about her first day and what she hoped to do the next time she went to school. I watched her talk with such excitement and personality and it really began to sink on then how much she was growing. Wow… time flies. At that moment I did what I could to savor the moment and make it last for as long as possible. After all, this only happens once.