In June, Afton and I flew to Utah to visit my mom, sister and niece for 2 1/2 weeks. It was QUITE the adventure, that's for sure. It was the longest trip I have taken since Afton's been born and Paul has make the executive decision that we are not allowed to be gone for more than 2 weeks in the future! You would think we would all be sick of each other by the end of the trip, but we had a wonderful time and were so incredibly busy the entire time we were there! I'm going to do my best to highlight our trip. I took SOOOO many pictures while I was on vacation... I had to decide which ones were my favorite b/c it would have taken forever to upload them to the blog.
One of the best parts of the trip was when we landed in Utah. The flight into SLC was long and I was a little nauseated by the time we landed. It was quite bumpy and Afton was tired of sitting still. We were so happy when we finally landed. The older I get the more I dislike flying. But, Utah is too far of a drive by myself right now.
We found mom, Emily and Lily by baggage claim and the sweetest thing happened. Lily comes running for me and just when I thought she wanted me, she yelled "Aton, Aton" hahahahah!!!! Her and Afton hugged and hugged and hugged. You would have thought they were college roommates who were reuniting after years apart! Nope, they are just baby cousins who have an incredible bond!
Since I could go on for days talking about the trip, Im going to caption the pictures below! If you want to know more, just ask!
These sweet girls love being near each other! I cant put it any other way!
My sweet, dear, amazing friend Rosemary made me try Black Truffle Aged Gouda. Ok, I love gouda... but not aged gouda... and NOOOTTTTT black truffle aged gouda! It was the most expensive gross cheese I have ever tried. At least I know what to buy her for her birthday! I'm thankful she made me try a new thing through!
Mom and I went for a walk one evening and found ourselves at Johnny Rockets having a milk shake. It was so peaceful. We sat next to the fountains, sipped on our shakes and solved all the problems of the world. Ok, maybe zero problems were solved but we enjoyed people watching and discussing life.
Mom insisted the girls needed an ice cream cone while we were one a drive. Ok, I first have to point out how CUTE the girls are holding hands. These babies LOVED their ice cream cones. Shockingly they did not get it all over the place. A few baby wipes and we were good as new. Afton was in heaven. I think my mom is trying to win her over and become Afton's bestie by letting her have a big kid cone. This is what Sonic apparently considers an XS kids cone.
One of the COOLEST things we did on this trip was drive to the AFB in Ogden, UT and watch the Blue Angels fly. It took my breath away it was so beautiful.
We did a LOT of swimming while we were on vacation. The swimming suit I brought Afton ended up being too small so my sister brought out this cute blue one with the dots. It was my sister Erin's swimming suit she wore before she passed away. It was so heart warming to see Afton wear it and it fit her like a glove. These are pictures I will cherish forever!!!
The picture of me having my blood drawn was the WORST part of our trip. I had found out on Fathers Day that Paul and I were expecting another baby. I told Paul and we were both SO excited. Before I left for Utah I kept feeling like something was not right. Well, 2 days into our trip I unfortunately miscarried. It was such a sad thing to go through. I'm thankful that we were so busy though. I'm thankful for the amazing doctor I had at the walk in prompt care clinic in Layton. It's been an emotional ride and I'm still processing it... but with that said, I'm thankful it happened when it did, if it was going to happen.
For the first part of our trip we did not have my sisters double stroller. So.... you do what you have to do... and you put the smallest baby in the bucket under the seat!!!!!! Afton loved it! Please dont call CPS on me!
The girls loved riding the horse. They fell off together and that was quite tragic but they quickly recovered and moved forward with life.
Afton slept in a "big kid bed" for the first time. I wont lie, I was a little nervous but it worked out much better than expected.
We headed off to California on July 1st after Emily's mediation with Lily's dad (Another post for another day). The trip from Farmington to Vegas took a lot longer than expected. We expected mediation to take an hour and it took 3. We expected it to take 30 minutes to get the girls ready and pack up the car and it took about 2 hours. So... we left a lot later than expected and ended up getting to our hotel (Westgate) around 9:30 pm. It was funny b/c when we FINALLY found our way to our room, mom and I started getting ready for bed. My sister reminded me that mom and I were going to walk to the Bellagio to see the fountain. We were SOOOOO tired and I decided we would just skip it. Mom was insistent that we go b/c it was the 1 thing I really wanted to do on this trip. I had been talking about it for weeks. So, mom and I put our shoes on, left the babies with my sister and headed out to see Sin City. We were tired and ended up taking a cab to the fountain. Well worth the cost. Once we were out and about we woke up and had a blast. The fountain was BEAUTIFUL and we made out way to Wahlburgers for dinner... or breakfast.... whichever. It was very disappointing. It was crazy expensive and the food was not good :( Chalk it up to being an experience! I loved Vegas. I'd love to go again and have more time to see the sites.
The next night we stayed outside of Sequoia National Park. It is the home to the largest Sequoia Tree in the world. It was spectacular! The girls were AMAZING! There were a couple total meltdowns while we were at the park but that was mainly because they had been in their car seats for so long and they were going stir crazy. I was quite impressed with my sisters car too. We did not have any car problems and she did a fantastic job doing most of the driving!
California produce. What can I say about you???? I LOVE YOU! I miss you and I would love to have you in my life every single day! The produce orchards were amazing. We saw so many things being grown.
naval oranges
olives
kiwi
peaches
lemons
limes
artichokes
cherry tomatoes
grapes
Monterey, California is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. I called Paul while I was there and told him I wanted to move to Monterey!!!!! The weather is amazing and the people are so kind. The palm trees were so beautiful and there are produce stands EVERYWHERE. Its a place I did not know actually existed. If it was not so expensive to live there, I would really consider moving there. 72 deg and sunny all year round.... YES PLEASE! We spent the day at the beach and at fishermans warf. We had dinner at this awesome restaurant and after dinner I realized I left my wallet at a Subway just outside of Sequoia National Forest... 5 hours away!!!!!! I ended up spending the rest of the trip having to bum money off of my mom and sister. Paul said it was a great way to make sure I did not over spend, lol. I only find it funny b/c I know he was joking!
I was very thankful that the girl that found my wallet was willing to hang onto it for me and I picked it up from her on our way back to Utah at the end of our trip. The ocean was so beautiful in California. The water here on the East Coast is much warmer than it was where we were in CA so swimming was not really an option for me. I put my toes in and a wave knocked Afton over. She was quite annoyed by that.
My mom would like to take Paul to Monterey next summer. It would be such a wonderful vacation as a family. I know he would love the seafood!!! It gives me something to look forward to :)
4th of July in San Francisco was wonderful. We spent the day at Pier 39 and enjoyed so many fun activities. The girls rode the carousel and Lily threw the biggest fit when it was time to get off. She loves horses and did not want to leave them behind. Afton was not quite sure what to think about the experience but it was so fun. Mom has pictures of that on her phone. I need to get them from her and upload them!
One thing we did not take into consideration when packing for San Francisco were the cold nights. We each brought jackets b/c we knew it would get cool but it got COLD. the night of the 4th, mom saved Emily and I by buying us STL Cardinals socks at a local store. They were probably ridiculously over priced but they kept our feet from freezing. We bought the girls zip up hooded sweatshirts and made sure they had long pants on.
Lily was a little freaked out by the sound of the fireworks. Emily was afraid of them at that age too. Afton slept clear through the big booms. I could go on and on about the fireworks at Pier 39... but since I'm trying to keep it to just the cliff notes, I'll say this... I could feel the fireworks in my chest. Every single boom was so intense. I have never been more thankful to be a member of this great nation than I was at that moment. Feeling the fireworks made me think about the turmoil that is going on in the world and I'm thankful that we live in a nation where I have rights and freedoms. Those rights and freedoms are challenged every single day. We are a country that is at war with itself... and yet we still have rights, we still have protection from our military and our law enforcement. We still have the ability to attend the church that we choose and we have the right to stand up for what we believe. We may have others pushing against up but we can STILL stand. I am so incredibly blessed to be an American citizen.
Emily and I walked the streets of China Town. Talk about stepping into a different world. Emily made the comment that she felt like we were in China. It's as close to China as we will ever get. It was wonderful to see the difference in culture. It was wonderful to be the minority. Everyone needs to experience being the minority. I have friends who are refugees from Iraq and they talk about the struggles they have in our grocery stores because they dont know what anything is. I understood that for the first time in China Town. It was a beautiful experience!
A group was exercising their free speech by trying to convince us to stop eating meat. I did not leave feeling the need to become vegan but they sure did try their best. The looks on the officers faces was fun to watch. I could tell that they were standing there thinking "these people have lost their minds, but I'm getting paid contractual overtime to protect these nuts" lol.
I knew I would see row houses in San Francisco. I was honestly shocked that they were EVERYWHERE. It was amazing to see how the architectural design was so different between the individual houses.
Emily and I harvested pearls for the girls. We each picked an oyster and we got to squeeze the pearl out of the middle. Afton has the silver pearl and lily has the pink pearl. They are beautiful. We had them made into necklaces and will give them to the girls when we think they will be old enough to take care of them. It is a keepsake I will cherish forever.
We did not have time to take the ferry to Alcatraz but we were excited we were able to see it from Pier 39. You grow up hearing about places like Alcatraz, but seeing it in person makes the stories so real.
I loved seeing the seals. While we were standing there watching them, a camera crew came up and wanted to get video of the girls and they interviewed me. It was so fun. They loved that the girls were in matching outfits!
The funnel fries were AMAZING! Seriously!!!! I could have eaten them all day!
We drove down Lombard Street. I wont lie, the drive to the top of Lombard Street freaked me out. I dont do well on roller coasters and that is exactly how I felt.... like the car was going to flip over backwards. I dont know how anyone drives a stick in that city. I would die my first week. Lombard Street was so beautiful. It was very busy and it made me wonder why anyone would actually live on that street. I would hate having people tromping through my yard. Heck, I don't like people knocking on my door, lol. Ive seen the street in movies but it was wild actually being there.
The Oakland Temple was BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I was so thankful we were able to go. Mom walked around with the girls for a while and I had a chance to sit, ponder and pray. I had a lot on my mind and I needed a moment to connect to God and have a moment to organize my thoughts. One thing I love about being Mormon is that the church is the same everywhere we go. The feeling of peace can be found at every single Temple. The feeling of being close to the Savior can be felt at every single Temple. Mom found Afton this little rose and it's now in a little jar and will be kept in her memory box.
The Golden Gate Bridge was awesome! It was so cold and so windy that we were not able to get the girls out and take them on our little walk. Mom stayed in the car with them and Emily and I walked part of the bridge. We originally wanted to walk the entire bridge but we could not fit it into our day. Something was better than nothing! It was a wonderful memory.
I love windmills. Always have and always will. Driving past this windmill farm was so beautiful. I was so happy I was able to get a few pictures.
We stayed in a "resort and casino" outside of Vegas on our way back to Utah. It was an... interesting... place, but the bed was soft and we were exhausted. On our way out the next morning, we decided the girls needed to do a little gambling while were were still on vacation :) Don't worry, they just pressed the buttons!
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Our last stop before finally making it home was at the St. George Temple. That was a quick visit because we were all anxious to get home. Afton and I were flying out the next morning and we had a lot of packing and such to do.
We had a little birthday party for Lily the night we got home. It was so fun to have Rosemary and her 2 boys over for dinner and cake and ice cream. Rosemary brought the cake and it was AMAZING!!! Lily actually blew out her birthday candle on her own! I hope she made an amazing wish :)
Well, that's all I have for tonight. I may go back through tomorrow and add a few things that come to my mind between now and tomorrow (should say later today because it's 12:33 am)
I had such a wonderful trip to Utah and California. On the trip we went through Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California. A few states I have never visited. It was a trip of a lifetime and I made memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. I could not be more thankful for my mom and making it possible for us to make these memories.
I am so excited for the rest of the summer and cannot wait to blog about mom, Afton and my trip to NYC in 2 weeks! YAY!
I hope you are all having wonderful vacations this summer. Be safe and stay cool!
EQ
