Utah: Week 1

Well, I've taken a little break from the blogging it seems. I've been rather distracted from the computer since we left for Utah - as always happens when we go on a trip. However, I promised my mother-in-law that I would blog weekly while away so she can see pictures of the grandkids - so I'm now attempting to catch up! Ben currently has a rotation for the month in Provo at the UVRMC (which is where we had Emma) and a nearby clinic. He's really been enjoying his time there - it's a great ward-based family medicine rotation with lots of other LDS students and residents- so it's been a fun change of pace from his other AZ rotations. It's also been fun for him to be spending so much time in Provo - our beloved newlywed home. I have very fond memories of the place! :) Anyway, we are spending the month at my family's home in Sandy for these 4 weeks and Ben is commuting to work each day in the crazy snowy weather. It's been a good refresher course in the art of scraping ice off of the car! We've had a fun time so far during our Utah stay - it's nice to get to spend so much time with my family - I miss them dearly when we are away! To backtrack and get you caught up on our activities, I'll take you through some of the pictures on my camera.

On our drive up to Utah, we stopped and stayed the night in Las Vegas. We stayed at one our new favorite places - the Hilton Garden Inn - it's on the strip, but on the far south end and away from the craziness. Well, we strolled into town on the same day as the Monte Carlo hotel fire. So, we took a few pictures as we were on the road. When we were looking at hotel prices earlier in the week, I noticed the Monte Carlo was quite reasonable and I considered it for a moment - guess that would have been a bad idea!

The first night in Utah we went to see Cloverfield - it was really fun! I mean, it wasn't a perfect movie, but I was definitely entertained! Getting out of the house that first night I realized how cold it was! I was shaking like crazy getting back to our car. It's seriously been super snowy while we've been here with a couple of decent sized storms. It's been a little winter wonderland of sorts. This past week we've also all been getting over colds, which maybe is for the best considering how rough the roads have been. So, because of snow and illnesses we've been in the house quite a bit - we've been reading a lot of books and doing lots of puzzles with Emma. She's getting to be quite good at it! I also have been enjoying snapping photos of little Becca - she's just the cutest little thing - I love her so much!


This past weekend was a lot of fun. The kids and I all started to feel much better and I was anxious to do some fun stuff! On Friday night, mom watched the kids while Ben and I went on a date - we went downtown to the Gateway mall and ate at Z'Tejas (yum!) and did a little shopping. It was a very pleasant night out. Saturday was an interesting day - we watched President Hinckley's funeral, which was so wonderful - it really helped me feel a little bit of closure and the comments and stories that were told were so appropriate. At the same time, I really felt like my feelings towards Pres. Monson grew - he is going to be an amazing Prophet for our Church - I'm so grateful for great leaders! Saturday evening dad's work was involved in a fundraiser for Junior Achievement that was held at Fat Cats. We had a great time bowling - Emma came along with us and she really enjoyed her little bowling shoes and the arcade games. Also, the evening was made extra special (and strange) with Dad and I somehow participating in a dancing contest. It was rather embarrassing, but I tried to be fun! Dad, of course, won because of his sweet moves. I have been asked politely not to include the video of us dancing - you never know - it might become a YouTube favorite and nobody wants that! ;)

BubbleShare: Share photos - eco-friendly toys


On Sunday we enjoyed a little SuperBowl fun with games and good food while watching the game. Despite not really caring about the game, we all enjoyed it - it was a real nail-biter! I have to admit it was a little weird for me to be watching the game and knowing that it was being held so near our AZ home, but that we weren't there. Oh well. We paid particular attention during commercial breaks - overall, I was quite disappointed, but there were a couple that I enjoyed. This one and this one gave us a bit of a giggle.

This morning my mom, sister, and the kids and I went to IKEA for a little outing. Since Emma is now potty trained, I thought I would see if she could get into the little play area they have there. You have to be 37 inches tall to get in and Emma just barely cut it - they had to take off her shoes to measure her and she was really a 1/4 inch too short, but they let her in anyway, since she's so close. Emma did so good going on in and playing - she didn't seem to care at all that I was just dropping her off. I was so proud of her! And our shopping experience was so great! ;)