SUNSHINE AND HAPPINESS

Last month we took a little vacation down to Phoenix Arizona for some sun, friends and good times. It was the perfect trip and the weather was fabulous.
 

The boys played a round of golf in Keirland and then toured the PGA course that was played the week before. They were like kids in a candy store...just SO excited!

We ate the most amazing food at new restuarants that some other friends told us about. We went to North, The Green House, and Sauce. They were fabulous! 

We went to the horse races at Turf Paradise. We had so much fun "investing" and growing our "portfolios". Some of us didn't have the best of luck winning, but we all still had a good time.

We played mini-golf before heading back home. Mini-golf is simply the best! It is always sure to bring a smile and laugh to your face.

After spending 4 days shopping, eating, playing games, laughing and telling jokes, hiking, watching horses, sun bathing, golfing, and site seeing...I can conclude that the trip was a complete SUCCESS!

DATE NIGHT!

Sweets and I did this...

with them...

and ate this...

the other week! It was quite the ultimate date night thanks to groupon! 

None of us had scuba dived before so it we weren't too sure what to expect, but after we figured out the breathing thing underwater and learned the ropes of our gear, we were off to the deep end of the pool to scuba! Afterwards, we headed to Greenhouse Effect for some yummy crepes. We love going there and getting the strawberry, banana, nutella, powdered sugar and whipped cream crepe! It was such a fun night and we can't wait to get certified for real and actually scuba dive in the ocean...! 

THE CATCH UP!

You might have forgotten all about us...or you might not have. Either way, we are here and ready to share what we have been up to since November! NOVEMBER!!! Seriously? Has it really been that long? My apologies, truly. Nonetheless, welcome back to our blog and be prepared for sensory overload!


November-December:
Sweets and I trekked across the globe to the U.A.E. to visit our dear friends Richard and Catherine. Words cannot explain just how amazing they are for taking us all around and showing us the best time. Abu Dhabi and Dubai were incredible! We had an awesome time and completely fell in with the people, the smells, the bright colors, the yummy food, and all the adventures.
We saw and did: the grand mosque, ski Dubai, Palm island, desert safari, world market, shopping, a camel ride, Emirates Palace, Burg Kahlifa, National Day and much much more!

December:

A few days after our globe trot Sweets and I headed to Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo. We love going every year and seeing all the cowboys and cowgirls calf rope, steer wrestle, bareback, bull ride, and barrel race! We were lucky enough to sit on the front row again and it truly was awesome.  

December:

Sweets and I spent our Holiday season with our annual cheese and chocolate fondue party, Hire's and the lights at Temple Square, the Arnell Christmas party in the theme of "Santa Claus" the movie, and opening gifts with the puppies and visiting both families. It was very relaxing and quite enjoyable. Usually Christmas is hectic, but not this year. I loved the fact that it fell on a Sunday. It forced us to slow down and truly remember what the special day was all about!

December-January:

For New Years, Sweets and I headed up to Sun Valley with part of my family. We go there every year and it is always a good time! The snow wasn't that great this year, so we didn't go skiing or snowmobiling, but we did plenty of hiking, hot tubbing, dinners, games and shopping. Sun Valley is beautiful and we love spending time up there!

January:

A few days after the New Year we traveled to Maui Hawaii for some R&R! It was so fun to hang out with my whole family and no kids for a week. The weather couldn't have been better and it honestly was such a fun trip. We all hiked the Bamboo trail, went on early morning walks/jogs, boggie boarded with the abnormally huge waves, and watched lots of football games. Maui is so pretty and we are still laughing from all the funny things that happened...  

So, in a nutshell, this is what we have been up to for the past few months! We are so lucky to have been able to have these experiences and we look forward to more in 2012. Speaking of 2012, because of some new craziness that Sweets and I are embarking in, we are going to go private. We would love all of you to keep following us and are appreciative of those who have taken interest in our lives. Leave your email in the comment space below and we'll send you a link and keep ya posted on what's coming next!

ROCKTOBER

It started off with a beautiful scenic hike up Rocky Mouth Canyon to a waterfall with my brother Matthew and 2 of his children. The waterfall was really pretty and the kids loved hiking through the vibrant leaves! This fall was probably one of the all time prettiest that I have seen. 

Next it was an all day event making Apple Butter for the Holiday's. I have never made it before but I found a really yummy recipe and had to try it. We devoured our jar in 2 days and my home was left with the most incredible aroma!!!

Sweets and I took a gander up to Midway for an evening and brought the pups along. We hadn't been up there for awhile so we thought we would take a little night getaway. Tahoe and Telly ran all around the fields and were in heaven! I can't believe how big and fast Telly is getting. They are so funny when they play together.

Next, we headed down to SG and LV for a weekend trip with some friends to see Jimmy Buffet! This was incredible. First thing first, we had to race the go-cart around the 1/4 mile loop and my Sweets took first. It was so fun. We then drove down to Vegas to hit up the Pawnshop, Traders Joes, do a little shopping, and of course party at the "street party" before the concert. It seriously was a blast! The concert was the MGM and we sang and danced all night to the best island music. It was Sweets first concert so he was a little shy getting involved but he came around when Jimmy sang "fins". Afterwards, we headed to Mesquite for a little money "donation" until 5 am. It was quite the late night and quite a trip!

We rounded out the month with our tradition of Thriller at Kingsbury Hall. We go every year, and each time does not disappoint us. We are still in awe and shock and laugh just as hard as the first time we saw it many, many years ago together.

CHEERS...TO THE FREAKIN' WEEKEND!

Over Labor Day weekend, Sweets and I and our friends Dave and Lindsey, decided to take advantage of the long weekend and go on an adventuresome trip! None of us had ever been to Seattle, so we figured that was a good place to go. We left Friday evening and came home Monday night. It was such an incredible, beautiful and fun trip.

SATURDAY:
started off with Pike's Market Place. We absolutely loved it here. We walked all around the market admiring the gorgeous (and inexpensive) flowers, handcrafted jewelry, garden vegetables and fruit, and all the seafood you could think of. It was fun to watch the fishermen throw the fish, but boy was it stinky!




Just behind the Market was the infamous Gum Wall! I have never seen a wall so huge loaded with chewed gum. It was really colorful but kinda of gross if you think about it. Each of us chewed a piece of gum and attached it to the wall. That was our contribution to Seattle.

From there we walked down to the pier for some lunch and took in the scenery of each of the islands across Puget Sound. Then we walked back up and did a little window shopping at all the stores. There was the original Nordstrom, H&M, Nike Town and a lot of other smaller local shops. The streets were flooded with people and cars and beautiful architectural buildings. Downtown itself reminded me a lot of San Francisco with its steep hills.

We then headed over to Seattle Center where we saw the Space Needle, the Science Center and Experience Music Project. Its funny, but we were taken back at how small the space needle was. We totally were thinking it was the largest thing in Seattle and its not even close. However small or big, it was still really neat to see.

Instead of going to the top of the Space Needle we thought it would be fun if we took a sea plane tour instead. I was a little nervous at first taking off and landing in water but I was surprised at how smooth it was and how pretty the whole city is. We were able to do the 30 minute tour and it was awesome! We flew all over Seattle and had the best views of everything. It was definitely a highlight of our trip!
  

SUNDAY:
was filled with even more awesomeness. We first headed to see the Seattle Temple and enjoy some spiritual time. It was a very pretty temple with beautiful statues surrounding it and a tiered pool of water in the front. We couldn't have asked for a better morning than to walk the grounds in the beautiful weather.

From there we drove up to Snoqualmie Falls. WOWZA! The falls were so big and loud...I loved it. The view of the falls and the mountains surrounding it were incredible. We definitely were in awe. I love the mist that surrounds waterfalls. There is something so peaceful about it. 

We then made our way over to the island Bremerton for some lunch. There happened to be a festival on the pier so we just had to check it out. The boys ate delicious corn on the cob and we all sat there people watching (our fav thing) and listening to a local band sing some Country music (also our fav). We decided to take the ferry back to Seattle which was such a fun experience. I had never been on a car ferry before and was totally amazed at how fast the thing moves with all that weight! The movie Deja Vu did cross my mind a few times...ha!

Once we arrived we thought we would check out the old part of Seattle and ran into the Underground Tour Center. It looked way cool so we signed up and did it. Apparently, there is a whole other city below Seattle that was the original city before a fire in 1889 wiped it out. We were in shock at the saloons, banks, and other buildings intact (for the most part) below the Seattle streets. It was really neat to take this tour and we are so glad we did it!

MONDAY:
was bittersweet. We headed over to Kirkland for some beach action and hit up the kayaks. We went out on Lake Washington and seriously loved it. The water was surprisingly warm and calm. The homes that we passed by were so beautiful and each had their own dock. We did learn that there are boats for every 5 people in Seattle. Amazing! After kayaking we ate a great lunch at a Beach Cafe and soaked up the last few hours before we had to head to the airport.

On our way to the airport, we made a pit stop at Cow Chips. I ordered the cow-plop and it was truly D-lish! It was just the dough, my favorite part about cookies. Sweets picked up some chiplets and we all chowed down on those. Everything was centered around cows which was really neat. You could order a calf, a cow, a herd, and even a bull chip. Who would have thought?

Thanks Dave and Lindsey for joining us on this fabulous trip and making so much fun! We had an absolute blast and look forward to our next trip with you!
As for you Seattle...we will be back again soon!

TO LAST A LIFETIME

Last week was an awesome week for hanging out with friends! I got see some of my favorite people that I have not seen in SO long. First off, I met up with Emily and Kim at momma Kathy's house to visit. Emily came into town from Texas for a few days before heading off to London for the next 18 months. It is so sad that she will be far away, but hopefully I'll be able to sneak over there and visit her and her cute hubby Dave. We all chatted for hours...literally...discussing everything in our lives and reminiscing of the good times when we all lived together. We ate a delicious meal that Kathy put together for us from Costco and thoroughly enjoyed our Banbury cross donuts for dessert! 

I will miss you Em and I love both of you girlies!!!  

Next, it was on to dinner and games with our awesome friends Catherine and Richard whom always provide us with a great time! They currently live in Abu Dhabi and are in town for a few weeks so we had to get together and see them. They came over to our house and we ate a yummy Fontina Sausage Pasta and Caprese Salad. Afterwards, they ran home quickly to put their sweet Elizabeth to bed and came right back over for dessert and games. Cat made us yummy individual chocolate pies with cut up candy sprinkled on it. Once we licked our plates clean we started right on in playing 'ticket to ride' and 'buzz'. It was a late night but worth every laugh! 

We love you both and can't wait to come visit you soon!

"Everyone needs good friends. Your circle of friends will greatly influence your thinking and behavior, just as you will theirs. When you share common values with your friends, you can strengthen and encourage each other. Treat everyone with kindness and dignity." Thomas S. Monson

TO HELL YOU RIDE

The name "To Hell You Ride" was the original name of Telluride. Back in the 1800's it was a mining town and was an attraction for criminals. This is where Butch Cassidy, the ex-mormon Utah boy, started all of his crimes! So interesting...but more on this at a later time. Here is the sensory overload of our trip!

Sweets and I took another Vacation to Telluride for "Pie and Beer" day weekend! We had so much fun last year that we just had to go back. We went with our friends John and Kara and it was a fabulous weekend. 

Sweets, Kara and John went mountain and downhill biking at Mountain Village. 

While they were doing that, I hiked the Village trail and a little of Prospect Trail. It was so beautiful and the weather was sunny and warm! We got a little more sun than we thought.

We also headed up to Alta Lakes which is a gorgeous lake filled with clear blue glacier water. We ate lunch and took in the scenery! WOWZA...it was pretty! And the water was freezing!

The town is so much fun with lots of things to do. We walked all around, did a little shopping, ate super duper food and had fun riding the gondola.  

We then 4-wheeled up to 1200' to the Ghost town of Tomboy! It was such a pretty and rugged drive to the top but well worth it. The views were incredible and the air was definitely thin. After every 5 steps we had to 'rest'...so funny! 

On the way home, Sweets and I headed over to Ouray. Apparently this town is known as the "Switzerland" of America. It is also known as the ice-climbing capital of America! It was such a neat town and we loved it. We stopped off at Box Canon Falls and that was awesome. It is a huge waterfall inside a mining cave which was created by the earth splitting in two and rock being pushed up from 2 million years ago!!!

Overall, it was the best weekend and such a fun trip with John and Kara! Telluride is such a beautiful place and Sweets and I are already planning a trip back!