Summer of Picnics #12

PIONEER DAY EXTRAVAGANZA!

Place: North Park
Menu: Good old PBJ's and apples :-)
Description: Pioneer Day celebration in Provo!

Both my Mom's and Dad's ancestors picked up and came across the plains in either wagons or hand carts to Zion about 200 years ago. My whole heritage is full of Utah pioneers! And since I have been able to work at This is the Place Heritage Park as a pioneer for a few summers, I have been able to connect with my ancestors in a very real way. Needless to say, I LOVE July 24th--Pioneer Day. In fact, I am kind of a pioneer nut--I love anything about pioneers (remember my post about crossing the plains? Yeah). Robert thinks I'm kind of a freak. He knows if he ever mentions anything about pioneers, especially pioneer women, I will go crazy.

When I found out Provo was having a "Pioneer Day Extravaganza" of course I wanted to go! And boy was I pleasantly surprised (yeah--I went a little crazy) when I found the mini 1847-1860 living history museum going for the celebration!!!!

Spinning wool

The doctor's buggy

Blacksmith's apprentice at work

Hanging out the clothes. This is what I used to do every day!

 On the stilts!

My handsome Indian ;-)

We also got to see some of the Antique Car show. So cool!

1928. My grandma was 2 years old!

1918!!!!! Wow, this was cool

And of course, the old fire truck.

And last but not least, the classic picture of Robert eating his lunch.

Happy Picnicking! And Happy Pioneer Day. :-)

Summer of Picnics #11

A RELIEF SOCIETY "FRIENDSY"

Place: Picnic area at Monaco Court
Menu: Grilled Burgers and Bratwurst, chips, watermelon, and brownies
Description: One last hurrah with all the friends

Kara, Marni, Carson, Laci

These are my girlies. We have been the Relief Society Presidency for the last little while in our student ward. And now I am moving and therefore we will be dissolved. Of course, just when we finally get the hang of things, it's time to leave! Isn't that the way it goes?

Needless to say, we four have spent A LOT of time together in the past few months, and have all grown very close. On occasions, our husbands have banded together while waiting for us to be done with a meeting (usually about 20-30 minutes later than we said we'd be done...) and had a chance to get to know each other that way.

We decided for our last Heritage Court week, we should do a RS picnic! The presidency and their spouses. It was super fun.

First of all, Scott brought this:

Yes, that is a machete

Robert got to work doing one of the things he does best (according to me):

We had tons of fun laughing and chatting and eating. Of course, Robert and I out ate everyone, by far...

The Williams--you can just barely see Kara's baby bump :-)

The Cochrans

The Brandleys

Since all of the girls took a picture together, I wanted all of the boys to get one as well. This is what I ended up with:

Robert, Mark, Scott, Jeff

Thank you, Scott, for being creative. Guys just aren't as comfy close as girls are, I guess!

This ward and calling have been an absolute blast. We will miss it!

Happy Picnicking!

Act 1; Scene 38: We Found the End of the Rainbow

We went hiking to Stewart Falls on Saturday morning. And we found this gorgeous rainbow at the foot of the falls! We were so close to the waterfall, we could actually see the beginning and the end of the rainbow--well, it was more like a raincircle. 

Sweet! Except for the part about us not finding a pot of gold OR a leprechaun at the end of it and not getting instantly rich and all of our wishes not coming true. Bummer.

But the rest of the morning hike was lovely! Here are some more pictures:

Act 1; Scene 37: "Let's Not Do That"

I have already told you that I tend to be a bit dramatic.

I also tend to be a bit paranoid.

For example, sometimes when Robert heads to work I think about him driving in the car. All of a sudden I picture a huge construction truck (because let's face it; they're everywhere around here) plowing into the little black Pontiac Grand Am (only a two-door!) and the next thing I see is me rushing to the hospital and then Robert in a hospital bed with the doctor's telling me that they are sorry, and then I see myself having to figure out to do with my life after that...

Yeah, it's pretty horrific. Or there are those times when we are watching TV or a movie, and two people get stranded from each other or break up or one gets cancer or one man's family is murdered by a psycho killer (we watch a lot of Bones), I just can't help picturing ourselves in their situation. And every time that I get worked up putting ourselves in the characters' shoes (isn't that what we are supposed to do while watching movies?) I make an executive decision and say to Robert: "Let's not do that."

I'm glad he replied with "Ok" when I said "Let's not do that" to crossing the plains with a hand cart when I was researching the Oregon Trail.

I'm glad he replied with "Ok" when I said "Let's not do that" to being in a huge war with an innumerable amount of Orcs running in to kill our village and everything we hold dear. (Although he kept insisting that it wasn't real, but that decapitated head thrown over the wall belonged so somebody's father!!!)

I'm glad he replied with "Ok" when I said Let's not do that" about being in a war and sending our boys to fight.

I'm glad he said "Ok" when I said "Let's not do that" to me dying in a sudden car crash or hideous murder of some sort (like I said, Bones) and him getting remarried and having lots of beautiful children without me being there.

Yesterday we were watching an ESPN story about someone being paralyzed. I thought of a huge bookshelf falling on my legs and becoming paralyzed, and not being able to do drama and dance very well anymore. I said to Robert, "Let's not do that." This time, however, he replied with: "If you were paralyzed, you wouldn't have to walk across the plains." 

Robert agreed that if I became paralyzed, he would toss me in the back of the hand cart with the flour and cornmeal and pull me all the way to Zion. But then he said to me:

"Let's not do that."

Summer of Picnics #10

BRIDAL VEIL PICNIC

Place: Bridal Veil Falls and Park, Provo Canyon
Menu: BLTs (which we actually ate before we got there!) and nectarines and grapes
Description: Beautiful place and cool mist

At the bottom of the waterfall

At the middle of the waterfall

View on the opposite side of the waterfall

Nectarine Faces!!!

Drips off of the rock

Happy Picnicking!!!!

Act 1; Scene 36: The Lavender Festival

This past weekend we had a girls' trip to Idaho. My Grandma wanted to take my mom and I to a Lavender Festival on Saturday morning, so off we went! 

At the Lavender Festival, you can sample all kinds of lavender products--lavender shortbread (tasted like perfume had been added to cookies--not my cup-o-tea); lavender lemonade (I was too chicken to try after the perfumed/cleaner cookies); lavender soaps and oils and perfumes and even stones for jewelry, made with lavender. There were two fields of all kinds of lavender flowers in the Idaho country, from which you can pick your own bundle.

Gorgeous, huh? My Mom and Grandma and I opted to make "lavender wands." 

The starts of a lavender wand

Grandma working on her wand

My finished product

It smells so good!

 Lavender is supposed to make you sleep better, so I think I will hang my wand from our bed. We shall see! All in all the smell of lavender is a wonderful thing :-)

Act 1; Scene 35: Now THIS is what I call a bike trip

 

Somewhere in the windy wasteland by the Idaho--Utah border

Summer of Picnics #9

INDEPENDENCE DAY PICNIC

Place: Lake Blanche, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah
Menu: Crackers and cheese, Cliff bars, grapes, carrots, cheese sticks, good and plenties, milk duds, and LOTS of water.
Description: Completely packed with hiking and beautiful canyon scenery.

We had to do a special picnic for the 4th of July. So we headed up to SLC Sunday night to sleep over. We got up a little after 6 to make it to the trail head before the masses arrived. Fortunately for us, the sun was hidden by clouds. Still hot, but at least the sun wasn't beating down on us for the hike. This is the view from Lake Blanche--behind us is Sun Dial Peak. Amazing, huh?

The river was absolutely raging!

On the trail--BEFORE it got hard (notice the pavement...lol)

Cute brother Sam

Amazing view on the trail

There were a lot of raging water falls on the way.

Almost to the top!

My Dad, getting in a good spot to snap some photos

Still lots of snow up here

If you look closely, you can see three adventurous boys at the edge of a raging waterfall

Awesome brother by an awesome waterfall

The boys had so much fun together, I hardly saw them! So fun to see three brothers hanging out and having fun. Soon it was time for a mountain top hiking snack.

We had some VERY sour grapes

When we finally got to the bottom (sometimes going down steep hills is harder than going up) I took a picture of our trail marker:

We scaled 2,720 feet in 2.8 miles up. Awesome.

Happy birthday America, and happy picnicking!