Hauling it Home
I always seem to acquire a lot of things when I am in Utah. Then I have to find a way to take them home.
My most unusual thing to carry on the airplane was pumpkins from my father-in-law's garden. When Matty was a baby, he and I had traveled to Utah in Mid-September for a wedding, and it was pumpkin harvest time. I brought home 3 good-sized pumpkins for the kids to have as well as a bunch of gourds.
Last summer I bought all my school supplies in Utah because a big-box retailer was having a big sale with boxes of crayons for like 19 cents.
This year, I went shopping at the party store for luau birthday supplies while in Utah. So I had those to bring home.
But the kicker was that I was bringing home "river stones". I bought a beautiful container of river stones that would look perfect in my newly redone master bathroom. (before and after pictures coming next week after the final finishing touches are done.)
Mark was a little overwhelemed the night we were preparing to leave with the amount of stuff we had to schlep from SLC to JFK and then to long-term parking. He was worried about the weight of the suitcases, and that we would get charged many dollars if they were too heavy. "You want to bring home 10 pounds of ROCKS!?"
I was very clever and divided my river stones into six ziploc bags and put one in each suitcase.
Turns out, our suitcases were overweight, not solely due to the rocks, but it didn't really matter since Mark is silver medallion on Delta and the skycab informed us you can have up to 75 pounds per bag...
A review
Well, I thought of writing a review of HSM2 but that will have to wait for another day. Although, I liked the first one better as it was less materialistic, Gabriella had a stronger role, and the sequel was a little mature. I did like meeting Sharpay's parents. They were funny. And I liked Ryan. Okay, I guess that is a review.
But the real review is the new nail salon I went to yesterday.
I have gone to Salon A (not it's real name) for several years a couple times a year for a pedicure and an eyebrow wax. I like getting pedicures, but tend to still view them as for special occassions, such as right before a vacation, right before giving birth, the beginning of summer, etc.
I popped into Salon B right before vacation for a quick eyebrow wax since it happened to be right by the pet store I was buying 7 day fish food for (incidentally, the 7 day fish food did not work and we had a goldfish casualty when we were in Coronado. Now we have 2 new goldfish. Goodbye Bubbles, Hello Peachy and Creamsicle. They look identical but somehow Josh can tell them apart.)
Anyways, Salon B eyebrow wax was was $2 chepaer than salon A. So I decided yesterday to try Salon B for a pedicure. Note: this was not a special occassion, other than I had some birthday money and my toenail polish was completely disgusting.
I came in about 40 minutes before closing. I noted that while the pedicure was $17 and the manicure was $8, if you got the mani-pedi, it was $20. So I thought, well, that's like getting manicure for $3. So I went ahead. I picked my colors pretty hastily-red for toes, light pink for nails. Unlike Salon A which is smaller, Salon B has about 8 workers and 4 pedicure chairs. They wasted no time going to work. While I was in the pedicure chair, I had the manicure done. Now normally, I am all about efficiency (remember my mom calls me quick and dirty), but for the occassional pampering experience, you really want them to take their time (and scrub off all the dead skin on your heels!).
Since I was done so quickly, I had time for an eyebrow wax. In salons that I have been to (which is really just A and B), it's typical for the owner or manager to do the waxing. As she finished my eyebrows, she said, "Lip wax?" And I said, no, I never had one before. She said, "You need one." Well, okay. I couldn't say no since I am now paranoid that I am growing a mustache. Let's just say Lip Wax=Immense pain.
Next time, I will go back to Salon A. A couple more dollars for a better experience. In the end, I always seem to get what I pay for.
Highlights
Week one: Coronado
Best pool: Loew's
Best outing with 2 oldest: Seaport Village via the ferry
Best beach excursion: hunting for baby sanddollars
Best view: Ocean from top of Point Loma
Best date: dinner at Sheerwater at the Del followed by fireworks on the beach (thanks Mark for arranging that!)
Best show: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Lamb's Players Theater
Best shopping: Sam and I going to the art store for a print of Coronado
Week 2: Salt Lake City
Best milkshakes: Shivers on 33rd South
Best family night: Red Butte Gardens
Best idea that didn't take off: Lemonade stand
Best outing of the week: Discovery Children's Museum at the Gateway
Best memory: Josh's birthday party with his cousins: mini-golf, batting cages, pizza at the park
Best swing: Aunt Julie at the batting cages
Best girls' night out: Mimi's Cafe and Hairspray with Chrissie
Best historical outing: Temple Square
Best Matthew-ism: Loving a baby boy doll at the Church Museum of History Children's room
Best rolls: Lion House
Best DVDs I hadn't seen: Dreamgirls and the Queen
Week 3: Salt Lake City
Best idea that got rained out after arriving at destination: Cookout in the Canyon
Best Utah grocery store item: Grandma Sycamore's white bread
Best Pioneery thing we did: Candy cannon at This is the Place
Best petting zoo: This is the Place (goats, sheep, etc.)
Best friends to share dinner with: Deb and Mary Ann
Best belated birthday present: From Julie (but I can't tell cuz Chrissie's getting one too!)
Best train: Heber Creeper with Grandpa
Best nature outing: Walking around Silver Lake at Brighton
Best reptiles: Toadally Frogs at Utah Museum of Natural History
Best home fireworks show: Uncle Bill and James
Best homemade ice cream: Aunt Liz (vanilla) and Aunt Jennifer (strawberry)
Best garden vegetables: Tim and Karen
Best Matthew-ism: I had a dream that I was in a hippo
Best flowers: Zinnias!
Week 4: Salt Lake City/Utah County
Best idea to come for the weekend: Mark
Best attempt to replicate something close to home: Salt Lake Bees game
Best bonding: Cousins at Lagoon
Best ride: Rattlesnake Rapids at Lagoon
Best catching up: Michele at Cafe Trio and Bilinda and Carol at my Mom's house
Best indoor picnic: Aunt Julie
Best outdoor pool: American Fork on a cloudy day--not very crowded
Best thing someone should replicate in New York: Kangaroo Zoo (large indoor A/C space with lots of inflatables!)
Best missionary homecoming: Mom!
Best adult family dinner: Harvest at Thanksgiving Point
Best redecorating: Chrissie
Week 5: Utah County
Best sports camp: BYU All-sport camp, Josh and 3 cousins
Best babysitter: cousin Olivia
Best extended family moment on my side: Lunch with Emilee and her parents
Best BYU moment: Walking from Bean Museum through DT to the Creamery with Deb and kids
Best place to eat 2 nights in a row: Cafe Rio
Best missionary homecoming: Susie
Best sacrament meeting: Mom and Susie reporting
Best idea that was hard to implement but rewarding: Have 2 parties 2 days in a row!
First Runner up: Big Family Picture
Second Runner up: Photo of 5 baby boy cousins under 15 months in matching outfits
Week 6: Bear Lake
Best guacamole: Julie
Best silly moment: Family dance party
Best anniversary moment: Walk at sunset at the marina
Best at laughing at himself: John B.
Best book: Twilight
Best raspberry shakes: Quick and Tasty
Best games to play with the adults: Team scattergories and big booty
Best games to play with the kids: Concentration, Red Rover
Best thing to try for the first time: Waverunners
Best at juggling 2 kids 16 months apart: Stephen and Jenny
Best surprising place to take a newly returned sister missionary to spice up her wardrobe: Seagull Book and Tape (downeast basic shirts) Runner up: Old Navy
Best farm lunch: Joyce's BLT's and roasted vegetables that we picked an hour before
Back from the West
Well, we made it back without incident.
But I am finding myself a bit overwhelmed! We have painters and plumber coming this week, plus unpacking and reorganizing and back to school shopping! AAAH!
Luckily I have an escape.
Maybe some of you have heard of Twilight?
This is a young adult fiction book written by Stephenie Meyer. She's LDS, but the book is not LDS. In fact, it's a romance between a human and a vampire who are high school seniors.
I was so engrossed I spend 2 days furiously reading my sister-in-law's copy--staying up late and getting up early. After heading to the grocery store last night to restock our fridge and pantry after 6 weeks, I went to our local borders and bought Twilight (so I could reread it more carefully) as well as the 2nd volume New Moon and the last installment Eclipse, which just came out this week.
So if you are looking for a last summer read, I highly recommend this trilogy. I can't wait to get back into it!
We had a wonderful vacation. Everything went so well. The kids adapted tremendously to each new situation. Many fun times with friends and family. Look forward to some pictures and highlights soon. I just couldn't wait to tell you all about Twilight though!
