December 3rd

Saturday was simply fantastic. When we got home I was so excited to look through my pictures. I felt like sharing them with the world because the day was so great but when I tried I just couldn’t do it. It dawned on me yesterday, it’s because it didn’t know how to put into words the feelings Paul and I shared. Then I realized I shouldn’t even try. It was our day, our moment, for us to remember and to have. It was special. It was all ours. It was just what we needed, a quiet afternoon/evening to be together, to enjoy each other and to feel close and connected. I still want to share the pictures but I don’t feel the need to explain why it was so magical to us, it just was. 

A while back we had booked a couple of nights at a hotel in SLC. We were going to go to a fancy dinner, ice skate, attend the temple, see the holiday window walk at the Grand America, Christmas shop and look at the lights. Well those plans had to be cancelled due to the whole furnace debacle. 

After much hemming and hawing we decided to go to SLC for the afternoon. We met my parents at the Blue Iguana. 

We all had lunch together and then they took the kids home with them. I got a pork chili burrito this time and LOVED it. I want another one. Like right now. For breakfast. Seriously. It was huge, spicy, chunky and just plain delicious. YUM!  

After lunch we made our way to the Grand America hotel. What a gorgeous, luxurious hotel. I didn't know something so grand (pun intended) existed in Salt Lake. We loved exploring walking through the massive yet quiet halls doing our window walk scavenger hunt. 

There was so much to look at. So much to take in. I would call it a visual smorgasbord. 

We earned a sticker when we made it to the toy store. 

At the end of our hunt we ended at La Bonne Vie where they gave us a large star shortbread cookie. We also ordered gelato and I got a macaron. 

It was chocolate spice. I am so addicted to these cookies. I'm glad they are hard to find or I would want them all. the. time. I loved the texture but I wouldn't get that flavor again. I would try the orange chocolate, I think. 

Our cute cookies for completing the scavenger hunt. They were delicious in the gelato.

La Bonne Vie was Ad-Or-Ab-LE! 

I have always wanted a sugar plum themed Christmas so the decorations in the store were almost more that I could take. I wanted one of everything, including the candy Santa. I was dying at how cute everything was. 

I am officially in love with the Grand America and I haven't even stayed there. Someday, someday! 

After we were done at the hotel we went to temple square to see the lights. 

I don't know if these nativities are new or if we just have never seen them before but I loved them. They were so fun and unique. They added a nice spirit to the night. 

They also had a hundreds of luminaries up with sentiments of the season in various languages. It was beautiful. I wish I had had my tri-pod so I could capture them glowing but I didn't want to carry it around.

This was one of my favorite nativities. 

This elephant is the main reason why. It reminds me of the nativity David and Nancy brought me from Cambodia. It was the first time I had seen an elephant included in with the animals. 

I loved the kiwi bird in this scene.

It is almost the 16th anniversary of our engagement. We stood here on the day we were married. I can't believe it has been that long. I'm so lucky! 

Everywhere you looked there were gorgeous lights. 

We went into the Joseph Smith memorial building to warm up and to get to hot chocolate. The tree in there was awe inspiring. Just gorgeous, like the building. 

The hot chocolate really helped warm us up. We were ready to do and see more. 

We were able to go into the Assembly Hall. I think that was my first time in that building. We also got to go into the Tabernacle. I don't think I had been in the tabernacle for decades. I'm amazed at how small it is and that they were able to use it for conference for so long. 

After we were done on Temple Square we gathered the kids, got some treats at Kneaders, watched the house in our area that has choreographed lights and it's own radio station and then went home and did the advent calendars. It was almost perfect. 

It's time for Hipsta prints 

At Kneader's 

The house with the awesome lights. I wish I could get my video to upload. Oh well. 

Our Last Week and a Half

We've been having a heat wave. It was hot. We went to the canyon. Twice. It was great. In the 70's. Ah!

Our garden hit full tilt. We have zucchini, yellow squash, patty pan squash (Thanks Nancy for telling me what it was!) green and yellow beans and jalepenos. The carrot wasn't ours but it was too cute so I had to include it.

We made our first peach julius of the season and it was delicious.

We took the kids to Trafalga for Family Home Evening. We decided the fifth Monday of the month would be a fun outing. We had a great time. Played mini golf, arcade games and ate a ton of greasy food. Andrew bought more giant glasses with all of his tickets he won. He loved playing the Big Bass game.

Maggie's youngest, Kyle, started kindergarten this year. We celebrated at Los Hermanos with chili verde and I had a pina colada.

Our deer are growing up! Take a look at those horns. Wow.

I finished another quilt.

Our new car hit 1000 miles. Wah!

We took the kids to see Mary Poppins in Salt Lake City. It was so much fun. New York was a little better but we still absolutely loved it.

Paul and I got to go on a date to Maddox in Brigham City. We've been dreaming of their pie for the last year. It lived up to our memories. They have the best peach pie we've ever tasted. I want more.

Emma went geocaching with her youth group Wednesday night. She loved it. She's obsessed. We went out as a family Friday night so she could show us how it's done. We didn't have much luck since it was getting dark but somehow we ended up at Kneaders to get their pumpkin bread. (It just came back. Yippy!) I don't know how that happened ; ) Andrew got this cute owl cookie. He wouldn't eat it until I took a picture.

I'm suppose to start a diet tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. I'm not confident in my abilities. Today I partied. I had a coupon for a free burrito so what did I do? I ate a big burrito from Rubio's as my last meal. It was so good. I will miss giant burritos.

Well there you have it. Our last week and a half in a nut shell. It's been good.

I Wish I Could Bottle the Magic of Sundance!

For Paul's birthday I bought tickets for us to go up to Sundance (one of my most favorite places in the world!)

to see The Sound of Music! It is the perfect date night activity and we were both really excited to go.

My mom came down to watch the kids. Before we left I asked Emma to take some pictures of us. My mom got to laughing because on all the pictures our expression never changed. Soooo 

right before Emma took another picture I did something wildly inappropriate (I grabbed him) and she captured this expression. Ha ha ha! That got everyone to laugh. 

I had bought the barbecue dinner to go along with our tickets. After we hiked up the ski hill we got to relax in the shade of pine trees, right next to a little stream and eat a delicious chicken breast sandwich, red skinned potato salad and baked beans. It was all really good but the atmosphere was my favorite part. 

I love the sound of running water.

After we ate we waited in line for a bit and then we got to sit and wait for the show. 

Excuse me lady, could you get your bum out of my shot please? 

Bum lady took this picture for us. 

Here is a glimpse of the set before the show started. The show was wonderful. The little bitty actress that played Gretel was sooo adorable. The cast was all very talented. It was about 63 degrees up there. We got to see the stars and sit together wrapped in a blanket. Heavenly! I can't even tell you how perfect the night was. It was magical and romantic. The setting, the show, the weather, the food, the company. All wonderful. I hope this becomes an annual tradition. They had us vote on which show we'd like next year. I don't even really care. If they are putting on a play, I'm there!