Exploring

Well, we've been here about 2 weeks now, and other than a few trips to the grocery store, we really haven't explored the area too much.  So, we decided today to take a drive into the mountain and see what we could see with the kids.  We drove through Little Cottonwood Canyon, right outside of town.

Heading out of town

entering Wasatch National Forest

winding roads!

stopped here for lunch- burgers all around

bird feeders surround the outside deck at Silver Fork Lodge.  We almost got dive-bombed a couple times!  Fun fact: their tiny wings beat up to 1,500 times per minute!

Jake had to try the beer- Polygamy Porter (if you can't read the label- it says "Why have just one?"

After lunch, we drove up further to check out the ski resort areas.  We stopped at Brighton and got out to walk around.  Ended up on some trails, but didn't last long with the hills!  

Notice our current elevation was 8,756 feet

View from atop a rocky area

Me and Jake enjoying the view 

watching the boys climb (click on picture to zoom)

totem pole

pretty wildflowers

Here's to more weekend adventures!  

Go West!

Monday, July 9, three people from the moving co. came to box everything up.  They were there most of the day, but got it all done.  It's amazing how fast professional movers can pack!
Tuesday, the driver showed up with the big semi to get all our things loaded.  He had a few guys with him, and they had the truck filled by 4:30 pm.  We vacuumed the house and made sure everything was neat and then took off immediately, with our goal being to get to Chicago area that night.

This was the scene in the car for the next several days-

We were prepared with some Benedryl for the cat if she got too anxious, but she actually did pretty well, and we never needed it!  Way to go, Gertie!

We spent the first night in Joliet, IL.  We left at 9:30 the next morning and crossed the Iowa border at noon.  We got to visit the Antique Archeology shop in Le Clair, IA.  If you've seen the show "American Pickers" you'll recognize it.

Wednesday night we stopped in Lincoln, NE around 6 pm.  We ate at a Mexican restaurant and swam in the hotel pool.  Gertie ate a little bit and had some milk.  She wouldn't eat or drink anything in the car.  

Here she is taking a little break from her carrier at a pit stop.  She's watching Jake and the boys go into the gas station.

Thursday we had breakfast at the hotel and checked out by 9:30 am.  We stopped at the Archway Monument in Nebraska and looked around a little.  The boys got to go through a maze.

We had Wendy's drive thru for lunch and later we stopped at this gas station. The sign is true! Gas was $3.79/gallon.

We made it to Rawlins, WY and spent the night at a Days Inn.  We had dinner at a Pizza Hut across the road.

There were some antelope (?) milling around the yard at the hotel.

Friday (the 13th!)  we left at 9 am.  Here are some pics of Wyoming...

There are loooooong stretches of space between towns in Wyoming!  We did stop at 11:00 at a place called Little America.  They have a gas station (guys clean your windshield while you fill up), a shop with 50 cent ice cream, and a playground.  We stopped and had leftovers and PBJ for lunch, along with some ice cream for the kids.  Gertie and I took a break in the car and she got a few smiles from people walking by.  People aren't so used to seeing cats traveling!  

Kids in the car

Friday we made it to Sandy!!!  Stopped by the school, the bank, got the keys to our townhouse, and then went to the Pastor's house for burgers.  The boys got to play x-box!  They loved it.  

Then, we had to check into a hotel for 3 more days because our moving truck wasn't arriving until Monday and we had no beds to sleep on!

  The Hyatt House is a really cool place.  Here are the boys in the pool....

Here's a picture of the mountain views

Our 13th Anniversary week

As I mentioned, we had planned to spend the first week of July in Indiana.  We had a good visit with Jake's parents and celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary at his brother Seth's house in Fishers, IN with a backyard lunch.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures that day.

  Sunday evening, we met my parents at Turkey Run State Park.  It was blazing hot & humid all week (over 100 degrees), but we managed to get in a trail hike anyway. Here are Dave and Andrew with my dad, Denny.

My mom, Linda, leads us across the suspension bridge-

After they took the boys home with them on Monday, Jake and I spent the week at the Inn, exploring local antique shops, and mostly relaxing.  It was too hot to spend a lot of time outside.  We went to the Beef House in Covington for our anniversary dinner.  Delicious!  

We spent July 4th in Terre Haute, IN. Ordered a new dryer at Sears to be delivered in Utah, saw a movie "People like Us", and ate dinner at Applebees. As Terre Haute is the city where we first met at college, we also drove around reminiscing.  Got some pics...

the fountain at Indiana State U.

Coffee shop where I worked as a baker for a few months freshman year

Hulman Center, we saw an Adam Sandler show here once

house where Jake lived when we met, with Jay, Dan, and Scotty

my first apartment

At the end of the week, we got the boys and headed to Lafayette.  Pizza King is always a stop when we are in Lafayette!  The train delivers your drinks to your booth.

The wedding was nice, we got to visit with some friends and family, and got a family pic with Jake's parents, Rick and Emily, and his brother Seth, and his wife Stephanie at the reception.