Bear Lake

Nearly every summer when I was growing up my family made a trip up to Bear Lake. I loved going to the pool and swimming the days away. I remember going to the playground and going on the slide and riding the metal horses on springs. I remember my siblings, cousins, and I going into the sauna and plotting cannon-ball wars and other ways to get the people that were not in our family to leave the pool. I remember getting ready for bed and watching John Denver and the Muppets. It was always so much fun to go to Sweetwater.

I was excited to share the fun with my sister-in-law and her family. We were finally able to find a weekend where we were all free and able to take some time to go up to Bear Lake.

The McCoys met at my house on the 15th and waited (patiently) while I finished work. Once I got home we quickly gathered everything together and set off. We made a quick stop at the Burger Bar to have some yummy lunch/dinner and then we were off. When I was a kid it used to take FOREVER to get up to the trailer, but it seemed like we were there in no time and getting set up.

We decided it would be a good idea to go for a walk to explore and to stretch our legs after being in the car for a while so we took the kids up to the playground. They were swinging and having a great time for a while. Like all kids, they were trying to go the highest, though no one made it all the way over the top. ( I think the Mythbusters took that one on, right).

We then went back to the trailer (or our vacation house as Cailey called it) and got into our swimming clothes then went back up to the pool. We pretty much had the thing to ourselves because it was getting late. We had a great time swimming around and played until it was time for the pool to close.

Saturday morning Matt, Becky and I got up to go for a run. I am training for the Disneyland Half and didn’t want to lose my training momentum on the trip. I was scheduled to do 8 miles. Matt and Becky did the first few with me then I set off toward Garden City for a while, turned around and tried to catch them before they made it back to the trailer. I was able to catch them and walk the rest of the way home with them. It was fun.

We woke everyone up when we got back and had breakfast and got ready for our fun day. The kids really wanted to go to the cave, so we set out for Minnitonka. It always is a long drive to get up there as we climb to the top of the mountain. We got up there and there were cars parked all down the road. I guess I have only been there during really off weeks lately, because it was CROWDED! Matt and I hurried up to the booth to get tickets for everyone. We had to push our way in front of a family of 15 that didn’t have their money ready and we were signed up for a tour that would leave in about an hour. That gave us time to pull out our lunch and eat while we watched the little chipmunks run around and waited for our turn.

The tour was good. Our guide was probably the best one I have had for a while. Forrest kept us all entertained by answering all the guide’s questions and asking some of his own. We made it to the absolute dark and then it was time to walk out again. The kids were all champions! They made it out and were still running strong. We had thought about going to the beach after the cave, but it was getting late and the McCoys had tentative plans with some friends to go do fireworks, so we headed back to the “vacation house” and relaxed the rest of the day and played at the play ground.

The next morning we wanted to go to the lake. With the super wet spring we had there was absolutely no beach near the trailer so we drove to the Idaho state park. I was worried it would be more crowded, but it was great. There was a layer of washed up weeds or something that made a bit of a barrier to get in the water, but it didn’t stop the kids or Matt from jumping right in. I was actually surprised with how warm it felt in the water.

We played around there for a while, burying the kids in the sand, reading, and just having fun in the sun (surprisingly no one really got sunburned!)

Then it was time to go back to the trailer and eat lunch and get ready to go home. It is surprising how fast a weekend goes when you are having so much fun!

Girls Trip - Updated with Pictures

My sister Val turned 30 in June and she planned a girls trip for us all to go to Las Vegas.

We started the trip Early Saturday morning (earliest for me because I live the farthest North).  My mom was nice enough to drive her new car down, so I went up to here house, then we picked the girls up and were on the road.   A quick breakfast stop and then we made it all the way down to Vegas in no time.

The first order of business when we got there was to get some lunch.  We wandered for a while until finally deciding to eat at PF Changs.  I know we have one in Utah, so we probably shouldn't have gone there, but I dont' go to the one in Utah, and Lettus Wraps sounded really good.  We had a really nice waitress that was super good at keeping my Diet Coke full (I was really thirsty!)  Once we had finished eating we checked into the hotel.  We were staying at the Monte Carlo. 

We still had some time to burn so we started to wander around the strip.  I had been to Vegas fairly recently, but it had been longer for my mom and sisters, so we just looked around and took pictures and had a good time.  Then it was time to go back to the hotel and clean up for our show.  We had tickets to Cirque du Solie Viva Elvis.  So we cleaned up and walked out to grab some dinner before the show.  Since we had eaten so well for lunch we stopped at a cute little sandwich shop for dinner and then right to the show. 

The show was good.  I didn't know what to expect, and it was a little more dancy than I totally expected, and a lot more about Elvis' life and stuff.  I more expected it to be a Cirque show set to Elvis music.  But it was really fun.  I especially liked the part with the superheros on trampolines.  I also liked the roping part and the chair stacking.  It was a good show.  Once it ended we hiked back to the hotel and went to sleep.

The next morning my sister and I headed to the gym to make up for all the eating the day before.  The gym was nice, but it was seriously 90 degrees in there.  I was dying!  We cut it pretty short in there and headed back to the room to get ready for the pool.  The pool was really nice.  There was a wave pool, a lazy river, and a regular swimming pool.  We got out there early enough to get some nice chairs to relax on.  I would have loved to stay longer, but I was pretty scared of getting sunburned since my skin hadn't seen the sun yet this year. 

After swimming we set off down the strip again.  It was lots of fun to see the inside of the Venetian and the Paris.  We ate at the Sugar Factory.  They served WAY too much food.  WAY too much.  I didn't even get close to eating all my main course and then we had to order dessert!  It was really good - a little pricy - but yummy.  We got our fill of walking around and went back to the room to cool down and we watched some of the hockey game. 

My sisters wanted to ride the roller coaster at the New York New York so we walked over there and sent them on the coaster.  Then we got in the car and drove to the Fremont Street Experience.  It was 80s week (or month, or summer, or something) so they had some fun 80s cover bands playing.  We stopped at the first stage for a while until they took a break for the light show on the roof.  When that was done we walked over to the Mermaid casino because Chrystie had heard they still had penny slots.  We were ready with our pennies, but none of the machines would take them.  Stupid!  So we took our twenty cents and moved on.  We were looking for food again and were lured down to the end of the road by a Subway sign (the subway ended up being closed).  We were disappointed and started walking back when the band at the end stage started playing Bon Jovi.  That had us stopped and we had fun dancing along to that band for a while.  They thew us beads a couple of times and we had a ton of fun.

The band took a break for the show again and we walked out and headed back to the hotel.  We made a quick stop at the food court and then walked out to the Bellagio to catch the fountain show.  We waited and waited and waited and I finally looked it up and noted that the shows stopped at midnight.  Seriously?  Midnight?  I thought this was Vegas?!?!  Anyway - we went back to the room a little disappointed, but we still had had a really good day.

Monday we got up and went to the Paris to have some Crepes for breakfast.  They were really good.  Then we waved good bye to Vegas, loaded in the car and set off on the LONG trip home.  Yep, the trip home seemed to take three times longer than the trip to Vegas.  It was really windy outside and the car was rocking the whole time.  I was SO car sick by the time we got to my sister's house.  They had dinner there for everyone, but I just rested on the couch until it was time to finish the rest of the trip home.  I was happy to be home (or at least not in the car anymore), but the trip was a lot of fun.  Thanks girls!
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OK. So I got in trouble for not putting more pictures in this blog.  The ones included above are the only ones I took with my phone.  They were easier to get on the blog, especially since I was already a few months behind on this.  But, updated by popular demand, more pictures of Vegas.

 Lions at the MGM

 Coca-Cola Store

 Stopped at ABC stores for sunblock (ABC Reminds me of Hawaii)

 Chrystie and Val watching the Lions at MGM

 M&Ms (YUMMY)

 Reflection in the ceiling at the casino

 

 

 Our room was WAY down the hall

 Oops, this one is sideways!

 Yummy lunch

 the show we went to

 My adorable sisters

  

 Fremont Street

 the show on the ceiling (sorry it is sideways too)

Our Hotel

And there you have it.  More pictures of our Las Vegas trip.  I didn't' get many pictures of people because I had the big lens on the camera.  Oh well.