Tag: Utah

St. George and Back in Two and a Half Days

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I have never actually run a marathon, not even close, but we are no strangers to marathon road trips. This road trip was to St. George and back, leaving Friday night after Shaun came home from work and heading back on Sunday afternoon. It was a marathon, but I am not complaining. It gave us the chance to see some of my family and spend a bit of time with them, even if it was short. Most importantly, it allowed us to spend time with my Grandma Taylor (Great Grandma Tutu to the girls). She has had some health issues as of late so even though it was a shirt trip, we felt it was an important one to help cheer her up.

The drive in was uneventful, getting us in at nearly 2AM mountain time. Not too bad considering we didnt leave the San Fernando Valley until after 5:30PM. The following day was pretty mellow. We spent time at Grandma’s house, visiting with my parents and sister as well as my Uncle David, Uncle Kevin and Aunt Carolyn. Everyone had decided to have a BBQ over at my Uncles David’s house, so Shaun and I made a run to Costco with my dad which gave us time to talk and catch up as well. The BBQ was very casual and gave everyone more time to talk and visit with one another. We had some yummy food with pumpkin pie for desert and then we all say down to watch Rango together, which was a very nice close to the evening.

The following morning we got up and packed the car. Its hard to leave so soon. Had this not been one of the busiest times for Shaun, we probably would have stayed a little longer but such is life. We met with my parents and sister for brunch at Cracker Barrel, yum! After a very yummy and slightly filling breakfast we headed over to Tonaquint Cemetery to say a quick hello to Grandpa Taylor. I miss him very much but it always makes me feel better when we can stop in a say “hello”. After the visit with Grandpa we headed back to Grandma’s house to say goodbye to everyone. We stayed for about an hour and let the girls play. Grandma was in wonderful spirits although I could tell she was sad to see us go too. Its always hard to leave family, but we finally had to pack up the car and say goodbye. Aside from some traffic outside of Baker and Barstow the ride home was pretty smooth. Until next time St. George!

Ellie and Auntie Jillian have a snuggle as we wait for dinner.

A few snuggles and some play time with Grandpa Taylor. I’m sure grandpa cant resist those baby blues!

Sometimes a girl just needs to sit in the closet and eat her snacks before breakfast. That, or Ellie just did not want to leave. Can’t say I blame her.

Abby is trying to be like her Auntie Jillian and play with the golf tee game at Cracker Barrel. She kind of had the hang of it.
Ellie is showing off her Rockette moves to Grandpa Taylor.

That’s a big game of checkers!

Saying “hello” to Grandpa Taylor. Miss you very much!

Jillian finally helped me find Grandpa’s name on the memorial wall. Thanks!

Oh those teary baby blues! Ellie didn’t like the fact that Grandpa wanted to rest his arms, she wanted to keep flying up in the air instead!
Like this!

Smiles with Grandma Taylor. I can see where those blues might have come from.

Chewee, such a sweet old boy. Sixteen years old and still going strong. One can only wish for a happy, loving and faithful dog like this.

Road trip snacks made it not just to her mouth but all over her face!

Ellie is loving her pretzels and showing off her cute little feet all at once. These girls are so easy going in the car. Boy are we blessed!

To Salt Lake City or Bust!

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As a Valentine’s weekend treat Shaun, myself and the girls packed up the car for a short trip to Salt Lake City. Meeting us there would be my mom and dad (Grandpa and Grandma Taylor to the girls).

The drive there was eventful. We stopped in Vegas to break up the trip and let me tell you, that night of sleep wasn’t sleep at all. Abby, who had to sleep in a big girl bed, wouldn’t sleep! It wasn’t that she wanted to out, she just didn’t want to sleep. The following morning, as I am sure Shaun would agree, we were awake but hadn’t felt that sleep deprived since Ellie was first born.



After leaving Vegas several hours later then we had planned due to sleep deprivation, we made it to Salt Lake City, unpacked the car and headed out with my parents to a childhood favorite of mine, The Spaghetti Factory! This was the first one I had ever been too and now, almost 25 plus years later, we are returning to enjoy it! This would also be Ellie’s first trip to a Spaghetti Factory too!

The following day we decided to take a drive with my parents and do a bit of sight seeing before the concert. Time was limited but we packed a lot of things into the day. The first stop was driving by the first house I ever lived in on Ottawa in West Valley. I was happy to see it, but it had fallen into disrepair. I think the house numbers spray painted onto the front step made that pretty clear. Gone were my dads beautiful rose bushes and flower beds, the paint had been changed, and the trees out front had been hacked up. I cant even imagine what the backyard and inside look like now. Not sure that I want to. It was a nice memory, but now I need to get pictures from my parents to have those beautiful memories on hand. It was fun though, to show Abby were Mommy lived when she was Abby’s age.



After the trip down memory lane, we decided to take a drive up to Snow Bird and Alta. Not that we had plans to ski, but it was a pretty drive and it gave Abby the chance to play in the snow. It was a gorgeous day, clear skies, sunny and about 55 degrees. Abby was able to play in the snow without a jacket and this time she was able to make snowballs to throw at Daddy! When it was time to go, Abby was less then thrilled to leave.


After our stop in the mountains we headed back into the city and over to the University of Utah campus and my dads Alma Matter. We stopped by the bookstore to check a few things out and left with outfits for Abby, Ellie and myself thanks to Grandpa and Grandma. Abby also got a mini football to play with as well. I hadn’t been on the UofU campus in some time, so it pretty neat to see some of the changes that occurred for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Because of such an honored event, the University now has a beautiful new stadium that I just had to get a picture of. Go Utes!


We then moved forward to our last stop of the day, Temple Square. My father and many of my family members on his side of the family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. While I am not, I still embrace my fathers beliefs and love to learn what I can about the Mormon church and their teachings, so it was a special treat to walk through Temple Square. I have not done this since I was junior high age but I certainly remember a lot.

Even though preparations were underway for Sunday services, we were still able to go inside the Tabernacle with help of two lovely sisters, one from the United States and one from Taiwan. As I remembered the Tabernacle was gorgeous and the acoustics, which the Tabernacle is known for, were amazing. I hope one day to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing, especially at Christmas time. After we were shown the nail drop demonstration, we had to leave and take in what we could of Temple Square before we had to head back to our hotel.

Before heading back to the car, I was able to grab a few shots of the beautiful Salt Lake City Temple in the afternoon light. It was stunning. I did move on however, as a large wedding party began to gather outside waiting for a newly married couple.




After our visit to Temple Square we went back to the hotel and got ready for our evening ahead. Abby and Ellie stayed the Grandpa and Grandma Taylor while we headed to see Stacey Kent, an amazing Jazz singer who put on one heck of a show that night. Performing live, she sounded just the same if not better then she does on her CD’s. It was a very relaxing show and night. After the concert we headed out in search for dinner, finding the Red Rock Brewery where I had the chance to eat some of the best Fish N Chips I have ever had. Large Halibut steaks in a thick breading, with amazing fries, and a homemade tartar sauce with fresh dill. Its not a dinner I will forget. Our appetizer of fresh tomato and mozzarella wrapped in prescuitto with a lemon dill sauce… incredible!

After a great night we came back to ouor hotel room to find my dad relaxing in a chair, Ellie snuggled on his chest and Abby passed out on her bed. She had not napped all day, so when my parents bathed her and set her in bed to watch cartoons, they literally watched her fade into a deep sleep and literally fall over. My dad caught a picture of her… what an angel.


The following morning we woke up, said the goodbyes I hated to say to my parents and hit the road. We would not be stopping over anywhere for the night, we were headed straight home. Even though it was a quick weekend it was a wonderful one. As always it was hard to say goodbye to my parents, but I will see them soon. At least they did get some time with the girls and to share a city that they started their family in, with us.