Oh the things we saw!

We really did see practically everything in Arches. All the arches, viewpoints, etc... The Three Penguins are one of my favorites. The whole time we called them the Three Egyptians, but later we found out the "official" name is the Three Penguins.

Before we did the Delicate Arch hike, Rog asked me if I thought we would understand why they call it the Delicate Arch when we saw it. I thought that was funny because isn't it obvious? Apparently he didn't know that the Delicate Arch is the one on the Utah License plates. I had been there before, so I assured him he would understand when he saw it and he definitely did. When we got there, I was afraid of going to stand under the Delicate Arch (it looks like there is a huge cliff behind it), but Rog, being the good husband he is, helped me overcome my fear.



I think the Devil's Garden Trail was my favorite. It was about 6 miles roundtrip to the Double O Arch with all of the other arches along the way. Wall Arch fell last August, so it was interesting to see where that arch used to be. We found and named Rog Arch. Obviously it isn't a real arch because it isn't 3 feet (we learned that is the definition on our Fiery Furnace Tour), but we had fun with it.



We visited the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands. The Grand Viewpoint was amazing, but we decided not to see more viewpoints because they would pretty much be the same thing. Rog says the Mesa Arch was his favorite arch, so it was worth making the extra drive for that (and just to be able to say we visited Canyonlands).



Our last day we went on the Fiery Furnace Tour. You can either pay for the tour or pay for a permit into the Fiery Furnace. Because there are no marked trails, we decided to take the tour option. We liked our ranger and it was cool to see what is in the Fiery Furnace. It's different from what you see anywhere else in Arches. If you go to Arches, definitely sign up for the tour in the visitor's center.

One of the guys on our tour carried a whole watermelon in as a joke, so we all got to benefit from that. The same guy also made a comment about how mormons have horns, but we'll overlook that... Pretty sure he didn't know we are mormons.

We loved seeing the amazing work of our Heavenly Father. I don't know how someone could believe there isn't a God after seeing that. So BEAUTIFUL!

Camping in Moab

For Memorial Day weekend we camped out in Moab. It was quite the adventure! It rained nearly every night. Fortunately it didn't rain a whole lot during the day. But the fact that it rained during the night helped it stay cool during the day. For that I was very grateful! Our little tent didn't come with a rain fly, so we bought a tarp and Rog amazingly made it keep the rain out.

Before our trip, we bought a butane stove on which we cooked just about everything we ate that weekend. This included hot dogs at the Delicate Arch Trailhead which made us famous on the trail. People would see us and say, "You're the hot dog people." And we would reply, "Yes, yes we are." It was pretty funny.

Best part of vacation - desert every night! Friday night, caramel apple crisp from Denny's. Saturday night, shakes from the Moab Diner. And Sunday night, we cooked s'mores out of the back of Meg because it was windy and we didn't want the wind to blow out the flame. MmmMmm! Good thing we burnt so many calories from hiking all day!

I fell in love with the cactus there. They really are pretty! Today I went to Home Depot in search of a cactus for our apartment, but I didn't find one to my liking. I will most likely continue the search next week. Wish me luck!

We spent our days seeing practically everything there was to see in Arches National Park. And we also visited Canyonlands National Park one morning. We went to church Sunday morning in our shorts, a t-shirt, and running shoes. This was definitely a first for me. At least we took off our hats. :)

It was a great trip! Although I do have to admit we were happy to get back to our nice, soft bed and wonderful shower. (Our tent was TINY and the showers at the campground were definitely not that great.) But we only paid $61.94 for 3 nights. I told Rog we would have stayed in a hotel, but camping is SOOOOOO much cheaper and that makes the accountant in me happy. I'm not so girly that I can't rough it for a few nights to save some $$$!

Haircut

Ever since we got married, Rog has pestered me to cut his hair for him. My answer was always the same... I don't know how to cut hair. I don't want to mess it up! But last week I finally gave in. We borrowed the needed supplies from my BIL Jason and I went to it. Obviously it wasn't perfect, but it wasn't awful either and I'll only get better with practice.

And we will call her...

MEG

As in... "Megara. My friends call me Meg. At least they would if I had any friends."

Hercules has been my favorite Disney movie ever since I first saw it in 1998. It came out in 1997, but Riries don't pay more than $1 to see a movie (other than in extreme cases), so I didn't see it until we rented it. I remember watching it on my 12th birthday and loving it because we had just finished the unit on Greek Mythology in 6th grade.

We decided that our CRV has a little spunk to her. I can just picture her saying any of these Meg quotes from the movie:

I'm a damsel, I'm in distress, I can handle this. Have a nice day.
I'm a big tough girl. I tie my own sandals and everything.

Well, you know how men are. They think "No" means "Yes" and "Get lost" means, "Take me. I'm yours."

Ok and while I'm at it, I have to include my favorite quote from Hercules.

Panic: "Hercules." Why does that name ring a bell?

Pain: I don't know. Um, maybe we owe him money?
Hades: So you took care of him, huh? "Dead as a doornail." Weren't those your exact words?

Pain: This might be a different Hercules.

Panic: Yeah. I mean, Hercules is a very popular name nowadays.

Pain: Remember, like, a few years ago, every other boy was named Jason, and the girls were all named Brittany?

Gotta love Pain and Panic! And that quote is even more wonderful now that my BIL is Jason and his little sister is Brittany.

Well, there you have it. Kind of a long post just to say we named our car Meg...

Timp Caves

Last Saturday after biking 15 miles, but before buying our new car (It was a busy day!), we hiked up to Timp Caves with my family and took the tour through the caves. It was beautiful hiking weather and the caves were amazing! I can't believe I've lived in Utah my whole life and never done this!

Here is Rog and me with my dad after we beat everyone to the top! :)

I love this picture because if you look closely you can see a cave lake (I think that's what it was called). It reminded me of the sixth Harry Potter when Harry and Dumbledore go get the horcrux out of the lake in the cave. (I'm so excited for the movie to come out in July. The previews look awesome!)

Personalized Frames

For my first enrichment craft night, we made personalized frames. For the benefit of anyone who missed the activity or anyone who reads my blog and would like to make one, here are the directions.

You will need: an unfinished frame (I got the ones we used from Roberts), 1 piece of scrapbook paper, a small bottle of acrylic paint (2 oz.), Mod Podge (most glues would work fine), paint brush, mounting squares (or double-sided tape), scissors, paper cutter (optional), picture to fit inside the frame, and any embellishments you want to add a little something more to the frame.

1. Paint the edges of the frame.

2. Trace the outline of the frame onto your scrapbook paper and cut it out. I like to just trace the corners and then use a paper cutter to cut the straight lines, but cutting the whole thing with scissors would work just fine too.



3. Trace the inside of the frame.



4. Poke a hole in the center and cut out the middle.

5. Make sure the paper is a good fit to the frame. Trim off any excess paper.

6. Pour Mod Podge onto the back of the paper.

7. Use the paint brush to spread the Mod Podge. You want a thin layer covering all of the paper. Stick it to the frame and smooth out any bubbles.

8. Apply your picture to the cardboard that came in the center of the unfinished frame using mounting squares or double-sided tape.

9. Add any embellishments to the frame (Mod Podge works well for this because it dries clear) and put the picture in the frame.

There you have it. Super easy and cute!

We bought a car!!

So yesterday we woke up and decided that we would help the economy by buying a car! I mean why not, right?!

Well actually, we decided a few months ago that we wanted to buy a car while the economy is bad because hopefully we would be able to get a good deal. We spent some time researching different cars and decided that we wanted a Honda CRV. I had always wanted a CRV, so mostly I just had to convince Rog that it was a good idea. Lucky for me they really are great cars, so I was able to convince him pretty easily.

We decided we wanted a 2004 or 2005 with between 50,000 and 60,000 miles. Not too old or too many miles, but old enough and enough miles that we would be able to afford it. Oh and it had to be blue. When I got my Civic when I turned 16, I really wanted a blue one, but I went with green because I didn't want to wait. (I was tired of driving my mom's minivan!)

We got some car dealers looking for us at the auctions and my dad and Rog started checking the classifieds and craigslist regularly. We found some cars that matched some of our criteria, but nothing that matched all of the criteria. So we just continued to wait patiently. Because we didn't really NEED another car until winter when the scooter isn't a viable transportation option anymore, we could be picky.

Honestly we had no idea when we woke up yesterday that we would buy a car that day. My family was up in SLC for a family friend's mission farewell and my dad just happened to check the classifieds and found the PERFECT car at the same dealership we bought my Civic 7 years ago! It fit every criteria we had set and was in the right price range, so we went for it!

The newbie has many wonderful features that Fred doesn't have. Some of our favorites:

* Cruise Control
* 4-Wheel Drive
* Automatic Windows (Yes, Fred has manual windows!)
* Non noisy (Fred has been super loud since I was in an accident -not my fault- a few years ago.)
* A gas gauge that actually works (Fred's doesn't work, also since the accident.)

Let's face it, the newbie is just newer and cooler, not to mention prettier. It's in great condition!! Fred has had more than his share of scratches because he was my "learning" car. I will always love Fred because he was my first car, but man, this new car is SWEET!

We have decided that newbie is a girl, but we are having trouble coming up with a name. We need to come up with one pretty quick or newbie might stick. Suggestions are welcome!

Another cool feature - the trunk has an ice chest and a picnic table! This will definitely come in handy on camping trips!



Thanks dad for helping me get my DREAM car!

Go sign up, NOW!

The Freedom Run (1 mile, 5K, or 10K) will be on July 4th as part of Provo's Freedom Festival. If you sign up by midnight tonight, it is only $15 for the 5K or 10K and I think $10 for the 1 mile. And if you sign up two or more people from your family, you get $2 off for each family member after the first. I realize that not many people run as many 5K's as I do, so let me tell you that $15 is THE BEST DEAL I HAVE EVER SEEN FOR A 5K!! To give you an idea of how good this deal is, the Salt Lake 5K was $30 and the Race for the Cure was $25. But you have to sign up by tonight or the price goes up and becomes just average....

I've never done this particular 5K before, but I do know that they give out microfiber t-shirts instead of the regular cotton ones that most every other race gives out. We got microfiber shirts from the Top of Utah and they are pretty dang nice. (Emily, why do you have to be in China? I know you would be all over this!) Anyway, I just thought I would inform anyone who will be in Provo for the 4th of July of this spectacular deal. If you ever have had any desire to run a 5K, this is the one to do!! So sign up now! (The link is on my side bar, just click on the picture.)

My New Fav

I'm kind of a shrimp fan... it's not my absolute favorite, but I do like it. Last time we were at Golden Corral, I tried the popcorn shrimp and now I am in love! Last week it was on sale at Maceys, so I gave in and bought a box. HEAVENLY!!! Rog thinks they are disguisting and loudly proclaims that I am stinking up the whole apartment when I cook them in our toaster. Sorry babe! There's no turning back now that I've found them. While searching for images of popcorn shrimp, I found out that Dairy Queen has a popcorn shrimp basket. Now I'm in trouble! Looks like we'll be going to Dairy Queen a lot more now!

Best Day EVER

Saturday was a busy, crazy, wonderful day. It started bright and early when I got up to make the drive to SLC for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K. It was an incredible experience to see everyone there supporting the fight to find a cure for breast cancer. I ran with 18,000 of my closest friends! Here is a picture from the Deseret News. The only word to describe this is WOW!

Roger is taking a GMAT Prep class that meets every Thursday night and Saturday morning, so he couldn't run with me and although I asked practically everyone I know, I was unable to recruit anyone to run it with me. So I just drove up, ran, and drove back. I spent a solid 10 minutes trying to take a picture of myself with the timer on my camera, but I had no luck. So Rog took a picture of me in my race shirt when he got home from his class.

As soon as Rog got home from his class, we headed over to the APX summer kick-off party. In true APX style, they had helicopter rides, a cash cage, free shirts, food, snow cones, bounce toys for kids, and lots of prizes to give out. The helicopter rides, cash cage, and prizes were given out by raffle tickets. We waited and waited and waited for our names to be called, but it wasn't until we decided to leave that Rog's name was called for an APX backpack. He already had one from the last APX party, so he traded it for a hat. Then after we left they called my name for an APX water bottle. Luckily they let one of my coworkers get it for me! It was a fun party!

Unfortunately we both forgot sunblock in very important places. I forgot my cheeks and Rog forgot his head. Yes his head... my cute redhead forgets that he doesn't have as much hair there anymore to protect his scalp. So we ended up a little red. Thanks to my secret weapon against sunburns (Proactiv - or any face wash containing benzoyl peroxide) mine was practically gone by the next morning.

After the party I made a frame for the Top of Utah Marathon/5K we did last September while Rog studied for the GMAT. I had made a similar one for our Deseret News Marathon we did July 2007, so this one is part of the set.

Then we went on a nice 12 mile bike ride for our daily tri training. While on the bike ride, I decided that I deserved a dinner out, so we went to Chili's because we had $100 in gift cards there (now $75). We came home and watched an episode of NCIS (our current favorite show) before going to bed exhausted, but feeling very fulfilled. I just loved this day. Beautiful weather, lots accomplished, endorphins from working out... your guess is as good as mine, but whatever the reason, it was the best day EVER!

Tulip Festival

I've always wanted to go to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Pointe, but until this year I've always missed it. We went with Roger's family on Saturday and it was AMAZING!! It was rainy in the morning and even while we were driving there in the afternoon, but I was determined to go even if I had to walk through the pouring rain. Luckily the sun came out and we were able to stay nice and dry while we enjoyed the tulips. Saturday was the last day this year, but if you are near Utah Valley at the end of April next year, GO! You won't be disappointed.

Amanda's Wedding

Roger's cousin, Amanda, was married last Friday (May 1st) in the Draper Temple.

She was a beautiful bride with a beautiful dress! Her mom made it! Can you say impressive!

It was so fun to get to spend the day with all of Roger's family that came into town for the weekend...

...and to enjoy the beautiful and tasty food Julie, Amanda's sister, made for the reception. We sould have taken a picture of the food. It was a sight to behold. But we didn't, so here are the girls surrounding the food.

And finally, I got to hold a cute baby and then pass him off to his mom when he got tired and a little cranky. :)

It was a great day!