I love being at the cabin – I love mountains, I love escaping the heat, I love how pretty it is there and the smells, and I love all the memories that being there brings back and the new memories I get to make each time I am there.
My grandpa built our cabin I don’t know how long ago – but it’s been a long time. At the time everyone on the mountain thought he was crazy for building such a big cabin – 2600 square feet. He told them he was building it for his grandkids. Well, our family has gotten a lot bigger and so we have more cabins now. My sister and her husband built a super big cabin two doors down from the one my grandpa built. Between the two cabins we can fit my gigantic family, and it is fantastic. Ryan and I actually stayed at my sister’s cabin, but we still spent a good amount of time at my family’s cabin. I loved it!
We were there for about a week – there was a lot of hiking, crafts, eating and cooking, games, oh, and stomach flu (not the best part – luckily for me I never got it).
Our brother-in-law Christopher is always thinking up activities for us to do. This summer we made tie-died shirts of a sort. We twisted them up and then sprayed them with spray paint. Pretty fun.
Ryan and I wanted to go on some hikes we'd never done before. We did some research and found this one along the rim of Cedar Breaks. Most of my family went along with us and we had a great time - again I was in awe that my family has a cabin in such a beautiful place.
Some of my cute family after our hike.
On a Sunday afternoon we convinced our brother-in-law Cam, two dogs (they didn't really need convincing) and several of our nephews to go with us to the Spring. Although we have gone to the Spring more times than I can remember, it is still one of my favorites - so peaceful and beautiful there.
Although I must have been here before, I have no memory of coming here and it was definitely a first for Ryan. This is Cascade Falls and the views were incredible. I see places like this and I can't help but be filled with gratitude for a Heavenly Father who loves us so much to have created such a gorgeous and diverse world!
Aspen Mirror Lake - very close to Cascade Falls. Christopher told his son Zander that if he swam across the lake he would pay him $20. I don't know if he would have done it but then Ryan told him he would also pay him $20 to do it. What teenager could pass up $40. It took him quite a while to actually get up to swimming across, but eventually he did, and we had to pay up.
And my sister Missy took some pictures for us to put on our adoption profile, since most of our pictures are of us on a trip somewhere. If we happen to get a picture of us together it is generally because we have asked some random passerby to snap one really quick. Anyway, I had a really good time.
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These were some of our favorites that my sister took. Which one is your favorite?After leaving the cabin we had about half a day in Las Vegas before Ryan had to get back to work. One of my best-friends, Steve, works for Wynn Hotels and got us comp. tickets to La Reve. I had never seen it so we were pretty excited. We went to dinner and the show with my sister Emily and her husband Mark. It was fantastic! These acrobats do the most amazing things – things that don’t even seem possible. The ways they can bend their bodies and balance while being suspended by just a ring in the air is beyond me, and then they could dive into the water from 100 feet in the air – it was crazy.
After Ryan left I mostly spent time with my friends. I have two best-friends that I have known all my life, Wendi and Wendy. Wendi still lives in Las Vegas – I almost always get to see her when I am home. We got to spend several hours together one evening – we went to dinner, to this outdoor concert, and then just hung out. It was great. I love friends that you can always feel completely comfortable being yourself around because they know you so well that nothing you do will surprise or upset them – they clearly like you for you or else you friendship wouldn’t have lasted over 30 years. That is how my friendship with Wendi is. So awesome.
Wendy lives in Denver now but most of her family is still in Las Vegas so she planned a trip home at the same time as me so we could see each other. We also have that ideal type of friendship. It was so great to see her – I haven’t gotten to see her nearly enough since she moved to Colorado, which stinks. But I got to spend some time with just her and we had lunch with some of our friends from growing up – loved it.
The top 3 pictures are of my lunch with my friends - it was super windy and we were having my friends young daughter take the pictures, so considering these conditions I think it turned out very well. In the top right picture from left to right: Julie, Jamie, Wendy, Me, Katie - lov ethose girls. In the bottom pictures I am with Wendi's daughter Haylee and Wendi.Steve, my friend that works for Wynn, and I met the second day of our freshman year at BYU. I thought he was cute so I sat by him in chemistry class, and we have been friends ever since (nearly 15 years – crazy). He is actually from Washington but moved to Las Vegas while I was on my mission, so in 2001 I think. We have another one of those fantastically blessed friendships. I’m always happy to see him. We went to lunch at this great little restaurant that I had never heard of but ended up being owned by a girl I went to elementary and high school with – small world.
