Let the Climbing Season commence

Maple Canyon is such a neat place to climb, and conveniently it is only 20 min or so away from Brandon's mom's house in Mt. Pleasant. We dodged the rain this weekend and got some nice climbing in.
Big Cottonwood Canyon- this is a local favorite spot, and we love to climb here too. The crowds were out this Memorial Day, but we still had a good long day of climbing at the S-curve.

It was a wet Memorial Day weekend, but we still managed to get out and have some fun in between rain showers. We had a BBQ in Mt. Pleasant with the Fox clan and friends, climbed in Maple Canyon and then came home for a Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday night. Gramps' sweetheart Nancy put on this dinner in memory of Gramps (he bought the turkey in Dec. and died in Feb. They had both talked of having a turkey dinner for the family, and now we finally got to have it. Sadly we found out his sister Gayle passed away that day too.)

Monday felt too good to be true- sleeping in and climbing together all day, then a girl's night out with Courtney and Wendi for Chinese food (we were sick of BBQ food). We should have 3 day-weekends more often!

This Desert Life

After a long month of working on remodeling the duplex to get it ready for renters (Brandon did most of the work), we were SOOO ready to get away for a weekend. The weather is finally warm and it was the perfect time to go camping in the desert. We drove a couple hours south to the San Rafael Swell and had the best time! The dogs had so much fun and did really well for their first camping trip!

On Friday night when we got there it was dark so they didn't quite see what they were getting in to. We pulled way too many cactus quills out of their poor little paws. Cole and Zoey were also quite excited to sleep in the tent with us. That was fun until the sun came up early in the morning- then they wanted to be on the go. We hiked in the canyon around the San Rafael river, and got in and swam around a bit too. Cole LOVES to swim, but Zoey- not so much. And she's the one with the webbed feet!

On one of the huge red rock canyon walls is a large pictograph panel dating back at least 2000 years. It was drawn by native indians and very interesting to see. Several years ago it was vandalized, but fortunately has since been restored. If I had lived back then, I'd want to live in those beautiful canyons too. I love Utah and all the different areas to enjoy the outdoors. Especially when I have my best friend to enjoy it with!

Washington D.C.- just a girls getaway

Traveling in the spring time is so great (except when spring storms cause flight delays and cancellations)! The crowds are thinner, the rates are lower, and if you're lucky like us, you get to see the earth blossoming and blooming- and what better place to see that than Washington D.C.? It was cherry blossom time and we saw some beautiful parts of the country driving through Virgina and into D.C.

We stayed in Charlottesville a few nights on both ends of the trip and saw our special family friends The Rasmussens. Rylie was baptized and it was neat to be there with her. While there we went to visit Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's estate on a beautiful hilltop overlooking the valley. I learned a lot about him and some history that I had forgotten from my school days.

In D.C. we tried to see all the things on my list, and accomplished it except that we didn't have time to see Mt. Vernon. My mom was so easy-going and great to travel with. She's been there before, but since it was my first time she let me decide all the things I wanted to do. At the end of the days we were worn out from all the walking, but ate some great food and had a lot of fun!

On the first day we toured the Library of Congress, Supreme Court, went to the White House (looked at it from outside the gates), Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War Memorials, and that was a lot of walking!
The next day we toured the Capitol, went to the American History Museum, and the gorgeous Arlington Cemetery. I loved watching the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. We were there as the sun was setting and it was a humbling beautiful place to reflect on all the people that have given their lives in the service of our country. That night we ate at a wonderful Indian restaurant- I love international cuisine in big cities!
On Sunday we got in line first thing to get tickets for the Holocaust museum, and while we were waiting for our time there we went to the Natural History Museum. That was fantastic! I could have spent days there. We spent 4 hours taking in all the horrors of the Nazi genocide on the Jews, and I still can not comprehend how such an atrocity could have occurred.
We wanted to have some authentic Chinese food, so we set off for Chinatown, then finished it off with a treat from the Red Velvet cupcakery. So delicious! Earth day celebrations were going on all up and down the mall, including a concert which was pretty cool.

As luck would have it, a storm blew in on Monday morning and it was pouring when we started driving back to the airport. Half way there we found out our flight was cancelled. We ended up staying in Charlottesville another night then buying a ticket on Delta to get home the next day. I had a fantastic time, but was ready to come home. I missed my husband and of course my puppies!

Birthday and Easter celebration

A few weeks ago we celebrated Brandon's b-day at his mom's in Mt. Pleasant with his family and some yummy food. It was a cold, rainy Saturday, but luckily that led to a beautiful sunny Easter Sunday! We had a wonderful dinner at my parent's house, and Easter games. We love getting together with our families!

Spring Riding

This is what I love... riding powder and music. Well, yesterday I got both. This season I haven't exactly gotten as many days in as I would like, but the spring has treated me very well. I rode the Canyons last weekend with my sis, and yesterday AS my sis. Being an identical twin has it's advantages. We just had a big storm this last week and there was still some powder to be had on this beautiful sunny spring day, the "pond-skimming" contest was going on, and the Wailers were playing at the end of the day. I had so much fun, and my husband was nice enough to take the responsibility for the day so I could play!

Saying Goodbye to "Gramps"

This has been one of the hardest weeks ever. On Saturday evening we got the sad news that Brandon's grandpa had passed away- this was a shock to all of us, because he was so healthy and active and vibrant- we thought we had many more years with Gramps. Apparently he died peacefully in his sleep with his arms folded, sitting in his chair with the morning paper. This has brought comfort to many of us.

Yesterday was the funeral service and it was such a wonderful tribute to a kind, compassionate and loving man. Brandon's family has been an incredible strength and support through this ordeal, and we will continue to lean on each other as we will still go through tough times ahead. But we have also had moments of laughter and smiles as we reminisce about fond memories and watch home videos of Gramps. It was wonderful to hear his familiar voice on video again and hear how lovingly he spoke to his kids and grandkids.

Gramps was an accomplished professional trumpet player, he was a member of the Phoenix jazz and swing band, and gave many thousands of performances over the years and recorded 8 albums. He was an avid tennis player, won many tournaments and was still playing several times a week at age 82! He gave over 5,000 hours of service at the VA in his retirement, after working many years in this organization. He made time for his family and friends, calling his daughters who live far away every single day. We were lucky to have a birthday celebration together just 3 weeks ago and had a nice family gathering. Jesse spent most of his time with his sweetheart Nancy, who had become the family's adopted grandma. She is such a sweet lady and we are all lucky to know her too.

Brandon and I have become a lot closer through this experience and it is wonderful to be part of such a great family. If we could all be like Gramps, this world would be a better place. Brandon has said many times that he will try to follow the example of this wonderful man, and we resolve to make more time and not take one minute for granted that we have with our loved ones here on earth. So go see your grandparents, or call them on the phone and tell them you love them. Take time to listen to their stories and learn from this incredible generation that won't be around for too much longer. We will miss you Jesse Carter, but know that we will be together again someday!

Funny Stuff

If you haven't ever checked out this website "Stuff White People Like" I suggest you go to it immediately. I laugh out loud reading this stuff, and usually it's at work when it's slow, and really quiet, and I feel a little silly. My favorite one so far, obviously because I have dogs now, is this one.

Speaking of, Coal and Zoe are so dang cute, and getting bigger by the minute.

They are 8 weeks old now, are potty-trained for the most part, and are learning to follow commands and getting into a better routine. I think it's Brandon and I that have been trained better for that. I never would have thought I'd ever become a dog lover, but these two have grown on me, and now I can't imagine life without them!