Antimony

I don't think life can get any better right now. Going from vacation to vacation is just so rough. :D. After driving back from California I met up with Steve, Jace, and Claire to begin the second vacation. To say I was excited to see Jace after a week is a HUGE understatement. It was all I could do not to skip over to him as I saw him walk up to me. Steve's parents own a ranch/house in Antimony. Don't ask me where that is. Somewhere over the rainbow is the only way I can think of it. So what did I do?

1. Hiked through Bryce Canyon--Jace knew I would love to take pictures of it!

These poor people put up with all my picture taking.

Look we have another picture together!!

Steve and Claire

Can you see Claire?

Claire, Steve, Jace, & I

2. Explored and experienced all the farm all animals. The pig was my favorite.

3. Played on the motorbikes. Jace and Steve took us up into the hills for a gorgeous view of the Sunset. They tried to teach us but after the fence and fence post were tackled we put it on hold. of course I burned my leg. How dumb can I get? I just have this thing with fire.

4. We all rode in a Horse drawn carriage through town in the evening.
5. Kissed a toad--wait I have a prince already!
6. Took the boat out. Then took the boat back. Yeah stupid boat was rebelling.
7. Listened to songs by Greg--our host.
8. Played some games and watched the rain pour!
9. Woke up to my boyfriend bringing me wildflowers after his early morning bike run.

Did I mention I had a blast? Great location. Fun people. Good Food. Lots of time with Jace. What more could a girl ask for?

California

I don't like to sit still for very long. Don't know why. I get stir crazy being kept in one place for so long. So when I planned my summer I planned multiple trips that would take me to a variety of places. August's vacation is one of my favorite places.

Mark has been hanging out at Dan & Amy's house all summer. Well actually he's been doing the grunt work and learning all about the real world in California. I decided to open my big mouth and challenged Dan to a "who's in better shape contest." Needless to say he won. But it was just an excuse to come out and visit. Bringing Mark back is just part of the deal.

Here are the Highlights:

1. The ENDLESS phase ten game that took us 2 nights to complete. Of which I got my butt kicked in the end. I HATE 2 sets of four.
2. Spending time with just my mom without any interruptions. That hasn't happened in a long time.
   
3. The few days spent at the beach house where I slept SOUNDLY!
4. Walking through and an enormous house, where I got a glimpse into the world of people who have WAY too much money on their hands. It made me want to go to Italy even more and swim in the amazing pool.
   
5. Standing, literally, on top of a mountain and looking down. I got queasy it was so amazing.
6. Jumping fully clothed into Emerald Lake and laughing while I came up.
   
7. Watching Karlie Hip throw Kyra into ocean after chasing her down.
8. Laying in the sun while finishing my book.
9. Tasting some of the best fudge I have ever eaten.
10. Hiking 12 miles while being eaten alive by mosquitoes. I am still itching so bad. Every itch is covered but I am not as bad as Dan. The poor man is one big giant bite :D.
11. Laughing at Mark since I haven't been able to do that all summer
12. Video Chatting with Scott, Amber, Weston and Catherine. Weston is still crazy.
13. Ate some ice cream that tasted like a fresh orange! Oh it was delicious!
    
14. Spending a lot of time with Dan, Amy, Karlie, Kyra, and Jessica. I love these people!

The trip was well worth it. Mark is home. I've become a day person. Had a break from work. Spent some time with some of my favorite people. Now I get to spend time with one of my new favorite people.

The Beach






The Castle





The Hike








The Lake

Wakeboarding

Do you ever have those experiences that make you feel like a gimp? An old lady who waddles down the side walk because of her old spiny back? I thought I was sore after snowboarding. Wakeboarding is by far more painful. But completely worth it.

Jace has been talking about going out on the boat since I started dating him. Somehow yesterday the stars aligned and we were able to go with Steve and Claire--two of my new favorite people. I love trying new things. I got up at 0630, yes the cruel hour it is, to Jace at my door with a big grin on his face. I have never seen him so excited. He was like a little kid on Christmas morning. The water was a bit chilling but I wrapped up in a robe and started to watch. After a few fun runs by the professionals the newbies got to try. Steve was the first to go then it was my turn. I wasn't brave enough to try the ski yet--that will be next time--but I had a blast on the wakeboard. I had a few frustrating episodes trying to get up for the first time but once my brain clicked there I got up! By the end I was even trying to cross the wake. I almost did it before I face planted it. Jace even taught me to drive the boat so he could go out. I'm still rusty at that. More practice will be required. The hardest part was seeing over the top. Oh the curse of shortness continues :D. Jace has me hooked now. I can't wait to go out again to the smooth mirror-like water! Even if that means getting up at 0630.

Yup that's me. Hard to believe right?!

Claire, Steve, and Jace chilling on the back.

Jace & I we finally have a picture together!

River

Saturday was HOT! I know the word comes duh comes to mind. Jace and I joined Levi, Crystal, and Cheryl to float down the Provo river. The water was FREEZING! Sunscreen on, tube in hand I went out into the water. 200ft later I flipped into the river. I thought the water was cold in the beginning, nope I couldn't breath for several seconds. Luckily Jace had caught my tube and I climbed out and up through the brush. I have several scratches and bruises to prove it. I quite enjoyed the rest of the floating experiencing. Especially after my bum and feet went completely numb. I even got a pretty decent arm workout. I only managed to flip myself in one more time at the end. I think my leg hair grew about an inch though. The sun decided to hide while we were on the river but popped out again afterward. Saturday was a perfect day. I defrosted, showered, and spent the night playing games with Jace, Steve, and Claire. Did I mention Jace can cook? The boys fed us really well. I think I finally warmed up by the end of the night.

Oregon

Over the 4th of July I did something slightly crazy. I spent approximately 3o hours in a car. Doing what you might ask? Driving to and all over Oregon. My parents, sisters, and I piled into the Acura and drove to Portland. My dad grew up in Oregon and I've never seen where he grew up. So I tagged along. We drove to Portland and saw just how big a city it is. I am not a city girl at all. Too many things in the way. My dad showed us his old high school, his bike route around the town, his old house, and my Great grandma's house. I was reminded of a little town in a movie while driving through there. After the trip down memory lane we crashed at the hotel and ate dinner at red robin. Fries and a chicken wrap are the best things in the world. Not a bad way to end the day.

Sunday we got up and attended church at my dad's old ward. It was funny to watch people recognize him. Lets face it my dad has gotten older and has a few more grey hairs. But some of the older ladies still recognized him with all the changes. They started to tell stories and I found out what a crazy kid my dad really was. After church I met the infamous Uncle Tom. I have heard stories about him growing up. And they were all true! We all walked in and were afraid to sit down because of the cat urine smell and the junk everywhere. Moving on from that quick visit we all crammed in the car again and drove to the Coast.

My Uncle David and Aunt Lori live in the quiet coast line of Oregon. Check one thing off my Bucket List. I love their house, tucked away on a hillside. I haven't seen my cousins in a while. I can't believe how much bigger they are. Dinner was fantastic, a great way to kick off the fourth of July. We did fireworks afterward and all crashed. I of course was teased and questioned about Jace. Gotta love family right.

The rest of the week was spent doing a variety of activities. My favorite was the boat ride. We all crammed into a speed boat and did a tour of the river. My legs and arms got some sun! Our guide kept spinning us around and jumping through rapids. We got soaked. My parents in the back just got plastered over and over again. I also got to participate in the adult dinner. Its weird to think sometimes. I'm an adult now. The other point of the trip was see my grandma. She managed to trip and twist her ankle while breaking two bones in her elbow. Poor grandma. It was a lot of fun to see her again.

The worst part of the vacation was leaving their gorgeous house and driving 16 hours back to Utah. Kristi, Kalli, and I watched Gilmore Girls, slept, took pictures, read and did everything we could to pass the time. Lots of breaks, food, and ice cream also helped to pass the time. I've been to Oregon and back! Gotta love family vacations.