Winter Wonderland

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Friday we were feeling pretty cocky about our current situation. We live in St. George, land of the sun!!! We weren't going to let a little snow stop us from rock climbing all weekend like we had planned.  So Friday we went out, and while cold, we still were able to climb and have a good time all bundled up.

Then Saturday came. And the weather straight up laughed in our faces as it proceeded to snow ALL DAY LONG (8 inches of snow, third largest amount on record). After breakfast we realized it wasn't slowing down any time soon. I wanted to bundle up, stay indoors, and eat cookies until I passed out in my hot cocoa. Chad had other plans. And his plans ended up being pretty freaking great once he convinced me to peel my butt off the couch.

We went out to Snow Canyon State Park, and finally saw it in the Snow. It was gorgeous, all white and red. Rukia hasn't had a more fun time in her entire life, and we loved all the hiking, photography, snow ball throwing, and (Chad's homemade) hot cocoa drinking in the middle of a very snowy and deserted desert. It really was magical. And as long as this only happens once this winter, it will continue to stay magical.

Getting High

 

Chad and I both though it was hilarious that he was going to be climbing hundreds of feet into the air on 4/20, getting really high. We're super mature like that. I tagged along so I could take some pictures of the climb, and also because we knew I'd be freaking out until he got home and I knew he was back down on the ground.

It was beyond gorgeous outside. The sun was shining (we've got the sunburn to prove it), the birds were out chirping (and dive bombing), and Chad completed his first multi-pitch climb like the champ that he is.

Taking a ride on the Crazy Train

We were lucky enough to have another friend come out and visit us for a week. It was tons of fun! Chad had a mountain biking partner and we got to show off all of our favorite places!

We started by getting a new puppy. Then we took the new puppy back and it was a sad day indeed. Chad took Will mountain biking every afternoon, including one trail that I don't even want to hike up.

We accidently hiked through Snow Canyon Park at night. We realized it was getting dark real fast and we were in the back of a canyon. The boys thought it would be faster to climb up and over the mountain rather than going back through. So we tried going up. Note to self: It is never easier to hike over a mountain. Especially as it starts to get dark and your vision starts to go. Eventually we all came to our senses and hiked down and then back through the canyon in a lot of sand. Hiking in sand is not the most fun. Hiking in the sand in the dark is even less fun.

We also hiked Angel's Landing during a thunderstorm. The wind was crazy. A couple actually turned back because they though the girl was going to get blown off the mountain. Hey lady, if the chipmunks can handle it I think you'll be ok. Then we went and saw a midnight showing of the new Batman movie and woke up at 6:30 the next morning to take Will back down to the airport to (barley) catch his flight home. :)

It was a crazy week and a lot of fun. We were worn out and ended up needing a serious nap Saturday afternoon. As tired as we were, we are so happy that Will could make it out!

Happy Birthday Weekend!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAD AND JARED!!!

We had a GREAT vacation with Jared! Not only did the boys completely wear themselves out with all the hiking, biking, running, and video games but we got to celebrate their birthdays all weeked! Friday afternoon we went and saw Snow White and the Huntsmen. I don't quite remember what we did for dinner but we spent most of the evening playing video games and baking cake.

Saturday (CHAD'S BIRTHDAY!) we slept in a little bit and headed out for french toast at Kneaders. After 2 huge pieces of french toast Chad had them bring him 2 more, which turned into 4 more when 2 employees tried to be helpful. It made for a great breakfast Sunday morning too! The boys were dressed in their matching birthday t-shirts! I loved it. So did everyone else that we ran across that day!

Matching Birthday Shirts!!!

After breakfast we headed out to Snow Canyon Park to hike and spend the day in the sunshine! We started out with Cinder Cone which is an extinct volcano. It was a lot of fun with AWESOME views! It was a steep hike up and quite the decline trying to go down. Chad of course ran down like it was no big deal while Jared and I slid down. We would take a step and slide a few feet, then take another and slide some more, you get the picture. There was tons of loose lava rock which was very light and good at cutting you up. I scraped up my leg because I can't keep my balance trying to surf down volcanoes. The rocks also cut up Chad's new birthday shoes :(  We ended up returning them because the rubber was strangely soft and we all (employees at the store too) agreed that the shoe had some sort of defect with the super soft sole. And they didn't have another pair in his size... So.... no birthday present for Chad :(

You can see our little car down there on the left to get an idea of how high up we were

We went around to some other running stores and checked out other shoes but he didn't like them as much. So he'll either get another pair of the same shoes he has now or the new New Balance zero drop barefoot shoes. Now he's figured out that we would have to get new running shoes for him regardless of the birthday situation so he's trying to come up with a different birthday present :) At least he has his super cool t-shirt.

Chad struggled to get these babies on. It could have had something to do with the whole separate toe thing, or the fact that they were a size too small! Either way it was fun to watch :)

Our volcano hike didn't take too long so we struck out deeper into the park and explored. It was really hot and sunny. We found a little cave that we explored and it was some much needed relief from the heat. The views were wonderful and we had a great time. After a couple hours though we were all wiped out.

We tried to get some free birthday ice cream but our favorite dollar cone place shut down, like shut down forever. It was quite the blow. Happy freakin' birthday. We had a bunch of coupons I had saved for this weekend so we could all be total fatties so we were all disappointed. I am sad about the lack of ice cream that will be in our lives, yet happy about the lack of 16 year old girls flinging themselves at my husband. So we went to a cupcake place instead and got Jared a cupcake to save for his birthday (I was NOT making 2 cakes!) and Chad ended up getting a free cupcake :)

Blurry photo, had to add it! It was our only pic together on the bday!

For the birthday dinner we stopped at Cafe Rio and all got giant burritos. Not as giant as the Sagebrush but still really good, and no dishes! We devoured them, we were starving after hiking in the sun all day. We had carrot cake and sang when we got home and relaxed - we we're still pooped!

Crazy eyes!

Blowing out the candles the first time

Trying to figure out a wish since he didn't make one the first time around.

 Sunday (JARED'S BIRTHDAY!) Chad was the only one righteous enough to make it to church. We had a nice day hanging out, cleaning (me!), and chatting on skype with family. We then celebrated Jared's birthday with lots of pizza, cinnamon sticks, and cake! We were able to round up birthday presents for him, 2 shirts and a pair of shorts. Poor, poor Chad... Again, the shirts made an appearance!

We all had a great birthday weekend and were both super excited that Jared could not only make it out to visit but make it out here to celebrate their birthdays!

Chad and Jared at Angel's Landing! Yup, they both braved the crazy hike and made it! Now I've got to put on my big girl pants and make it too! The views were worth it!