Zion Ponderosa

We went to Zion Ponderosa this past weekend. If you haven't heard of it or have never been check out the link. It was the perfect getaway for us and we had a great time! We have some friends that go up there every year and they always have glowing reviews. So we decided to check it out.

We stayed in one of the vacation homes there and it was incredible. This is the view from the back porch. Amazing!

As luck would have it our friends were staying there the same weekend and were gracious enough to be our tour guides. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery on the ATVs, went to the pool (super fun with slides), played games and had incredible food. They also have a recreation barn with pool tables and ping pong tables for the guests to use, horseback riding, hiking, a zip line, rock climbing wall, tennis court, frisbee golf course and of course Zion's National Park is within a 15min drive! We had a great time and loved spending time with friends and family. Tim and Hilary seriously have great kids! My parents joined us Saturday morning but I totally forgot to get a picture of them... sorry mom and dad! We enjoyed spending time with them too!

Here are a few pictures of us on the ATVs...

Back 4wheeler Kelsey, Anna, Dallin, Meg & Noah. Front Kenzie, Keeley, Calli & Marley.

The kids all piled on the morning they left, they all loved riding and would ask every time they saw us if they could go on a ride. Meg kept telling Brad "go faster horsey!"

Tim, Brad, & Calli.

Meg, me, and Anna.

Kenzie and her friend Kelsey

This is the view from a look out spot on one of the ATV trails. Beautiful view!

During the ride we took Saturday, I noticed rain clouds approaching. When I asked Brad if we should head back he said it shouldn't be a heavy rain. So we kept riding and when the rain hit we were SOAKED within 10 min! Very fun ride up to that point and after changing we planned to go back out but the rain started again so we didn't make it.

Brad's pants are normally a lighter color! Luckily we have a couple jackets in the ATV bag.

Random bit of information...this police truck was parked in the SAME spot when we passed in on the way to Zion Ponderosa so we looked harder on the way back and they have a dressed mannequin in the driver's seat to fool people into slowing down. Way to go Kane County!

We had an enjoyable time and will most definitely go back again!

6th folder 6th picture

I have been tagged... it has been over 2 weeks (sorry Kim!) but with girl's camp this past week, life has been CRAZY to say the least! We had a great time except for ALL THE RAIN - more stories to come.

This picture is of us at Havasupai in Arizona. This is Navajo falls 1 of 4 beautiful falls in the area. AMAZING vacation and wonderful memories. We went with Brad's sister Monica, her husband Chris and 2 oldest children Alison and Will. I would recommend this vacation to anyone. Well worth all the hiking. If anyone wants to go I would be happy to give you any tips.

Girl's weekend! TOFW - Las Vegas part 2

TOFW - LAS VEGAS

Girl's weekend #2 started with Girl's weekend #1 here. We were supposed to be 5 but ended up with 3. We originally planned to go to TOFW (Time Out for Women) in Las Vegas back in February but because of President Hinckley's funeral it was postponed to September. We went from 5 to 4 at first because Becky just had her 4th child and wasn't ready to take a road trip with a new baby. Here are the 5 of us at our last GNO - dinner at Texas Roadhouse - YUM!

L-R Me, Becky, Nikie, LeAnn and Kim.

The story of how we went from 4 to 3 will have to come at a later date. We started the trip Friday morning driving straight to Vegas with a few potty stops (Kim is pregnant.. that should say it all!) but forgot to get gas so we barely made it to the edge of Las Vegas on fumes! We also had to plan out our meals around Kim's schedule.. every 4 hours she would ask what we were going to eat next.. it became a fun game to guess when she would mention it again! We love you Kimmy Sue!

We spent a great deal of time in the Caesar's Palace Forum shops Friday afternoon and evening..especially at FAO Schwartz. We helped Kim find some Christmas gifts for her kids. We went to dinner at La Salsa a Mexican restaurant that evening and then headed to the Von's grocery store to get some treats for TOFW the next day. I almost stole a protein bar but luckily remembered I had accidentally stuck it in my purse instead of on the check stand. It could have been awkward sitting at TOFW feeling guilty about not paying for my bar. Good thing I figured it out then so I could pay for it before leaving.

We stayed at a hotel approx 5 miles or so from the strip and the convention center. It was surprisingly nice and a great set up for 3 women to get ready bright and early in the morning. We were upgraded to a golf course view for free and didn't get to see it until the morning as we were leaving. oh well...

The next morning we headed to the Time Out event. (Click here for more of an explanation of what TOFW is and my previous experience.) We thought we were getting there early but when we arrived, there were 4 lines of at least 40 women in each line. Luckily, we still found great seats right up front. I was able to see Hilary before the event and chat with her a bit before getting started. I have only been to TOFW events where she has been performing and I can't imagine one without her. With her fun sense of humor and strong testimony she has it all!

The day started with having each presenter introduce themselves and a little bit about what they were going to speak on. We were fortunate to have Virginia Pearce stay over from the previous day to fill in for Carolyn Rasmus who was ill. She was so inspiring and by far my favorite speaker of the day. Amanda Dickson was presenting at a Time Out for the first time outside Utah and she was fabulous! She was so hilarious and really spoke on a level for many to enjoy. We also heard from Michael Wilcox, Pam Hansen and Chris Stewart who were all great as well. Overall, a great day filled with inspirational presentations that made me laugh and cry all at the same time! This weekend was a great way to relax and really evaluate where I am in my life.

Here we are with Hilary.. L-R Kim, Hilary, LeAnn and Me.

Just us girls!! Aren't we cute? All color coordinated..that is what the lady who took our picture said!

We had such a great time laughing and making memories! Thanks Kim and LeAnn for making this a very memorable trip! Love you both!

We can't wait until next time when Nikie and Becky can join us. We missed you guys!

Girl's weekend Las Vegas TOFW ...Part 1

A little something to get you excited for the official Girl's weekend TOFW post!

September 19-21, 2008

Top 10ish list (ok 62! Thanks to LeAnn for putting this together)

( In no particular order)

1. Kim’s sweater hitting the baby in the carrier right behind her seat and the mother getting snippy and throwing her sleeve back at her. Kim didn’t know there was a baby right behind her.
2. The bathroom at the 7-Eleven saying “Out of Order, Not a public restroom.” And when Kim asked about it, the cashier replied, “There’s a reason it says that.” Then he let Kim and Angela use it.
3. Kim’s conversation with Laurel Christensen and trying to figure out how they knew each other. “She asked if I went to BYU, not if I lived in Provo!” They were in the same singles ward in Provo.
4. Running into MaryKay Orgill at the event and Angela asking her if she knew Traci Norris. She also asked Laurel Christensen if she knew Traci. She’s apparently the only common link if Angela knows them as well.
5. The Thunder From Down Under billboard of hot men in Vegas. Angela and LeAnn took pictures of it through the open sunroof.
6. Angela yelling at the man standing on a barricade “You’re hot!” out LeAnn’s side of the car.
7. Angela asking a man/worker in the Forum Shops “If I were a bathroom, where would I be?”
8. Playing in the FAO Schwartz store and trying to find gifts for Kim’s kids.
9. Kim’s fajitas not sitting well with her and eating 20 tums in an hour.
10. . Disgusting Nephi bathrooms – separate building from the gas station store – worse than the ghetto 7-Eleven in Las Vegas.
11. Hilary asking LeAnn if she says offensive things too after Kim said, “I can tell this is an old CD because your picture is old” after Hilary commented that she chose an interesting CD – it was her Christmas one.
12. Hilary telling Kim she looked like she was 10 minutes pregnant.
13. LeAnn talking with Amanda Dickson while she had Michael Wilcox sign her book.
14. Borrowing Shannon’s (a girl behind us) sharpie marker so Hilary could autograph Kim and LeAnn’s CD’s. Then the break was over and Shannon wasn’t able to get Hilary’s autograph.
15. Discovering we’re BFF’s (Best Friends Forever) with Hilary Weeks because of two degrees of separation through Angela.
16. The waiter burning his finger on Kim’s hot fajita plate at La Salsa and showing Kim how quickly it blistered.
17. Kim asking “Where are we going to eat?” at the beginning of each day and around meal times. 18. Angela trying to get LeAnn to jump up on the back of a statue in a fountain at the Forum Shops and pull its tail.
19. Walking up the stairs in the Forum Shops and getting winded. So we decided to take the curved escalators the rest of the way.
20. Getting a view room of the golf course at the Sun Coast Hotel and not being able to see it until morning.
21. Going to bed Friday night in Las Vegas around 10:30 p.m. – heading back to our hotel at 9:30 p.m. So much for staying up late on the strip!
22. Angela and Kim giving LeAnn dating advice.
23. Parking LeAnn’s car at Angela’s parents’ house. “Does your car leak?” – Angela. “I don’t think so. Oops it must, there’s a puddle there now that I’ve moved it!”
24. Driving down Las Vegas Boulevard and Kim trying to remember where her sister Heidi got married. It was the Little White Chapel of Flowers – same place that Dennis Rodman and Carmen Elektra got married.
25. Kim measuring the beds in the hotel room in St. George with her arms because she thought one was a queen and the other was a double. Nope, both are doubles.
26. Semi truck tire blowing out on the drive home from St. George. Kim telling Angela to hurry and get past him, “Go, go, go!”
27. Driving down to Las Vegas on one tank of gas. We stopped a couple of time for breaks but never thought to fill up on gas.
28. Eating brunch at Gandolfo’s in Mapleton. Tasty breakfast sandwiches.
29. Picking up our lunch boxes behind the stage and then eating outside on a shady hill and digging in our heels so we don’t roll down.
30. Trying Power protein bars. LeAnn picked a different type and Angela later told her she should always listen to her recommendations.
31. Kim saying “I hate to say this, but I feel better already” after Angela got her to drink some Bragg’s apple cider vinegar and water.
32. Kim asking frequently, “Will that detach my placenta?” or reassuring us that it wouldn’t.
33. Laughing hysterically at the “4 Christmases” preview in the movie theater when Vince Vaughn was struggling to keep vomit down after a baby threw up on Kate Hudson.
34. Kim throwing up in her mouth when she smelled LeAnn’s banana that she brought with her in the car.
35. Kim saying her baby was the length of a banana. LeAnn kept calling her baby a banana.
36. Three ladies completely zonked out during the TOFW afternoon break.
37. Crawling over a railing to get to our seats because we were sitting next to an older lady and a lady with a cane. Kim saying that a pregnant lady shouldn’t have to go over rail.
38. LeAnn asking Kim if she was concerned that she had 3 bottles of drinks with her when she came out of the gas station store. She had thought LeAnn went to the bathroom more than she did as a pregnant lady who goes 10 times a day.
39. Kim telling LeAnn that she needs to get her phone number unlisted.
40. Kim giving us a fashion show of her outfit choices and being worried about wearing red shoes with the brown pants with pink and white plaid print and having to readjust because her pants were too big.
41. Kim trying two times to push the door open to go into the bathroom while Angela was in it in the middle of the night in St. George. She had her ear plugs in and couldn’t hear Angela saying she was inside.
42. The really loud air conditioner and brown box filtration that drowned out the outside motel noise in St. George.
43. Mini teddy grahams – small portions of chocolaty goodness.
44. Angela almost not paying for her protein bar. She stuck it directly into her purse when she picked it up.
45. Buying treats the night before the TOFW and Kim getting a Savings Von’s card. We all used it and then left it in the hotel.
46. Leaving the melted yogurt covered pretzels in the St. George motel freezer. We forgot to take them in from the car during TOFW.
47. The ladies from Hurricane, UT getting teased throughout the TOFW. Hilary asked people to shout out the states where they were from if she didn’t already mention them. After hearing them she said, “I didn’t ask for cities. Let alone a town!”
48. Kim saying we should have a prayer for safety after the semi truck tire blowout “Ok LeAnn will you say it!” 49. Kim buying a couple of Halloween cups and saying that her kids will be scared of the skeleton head one but will later fight over it.
50. Walking through the casino lobby at 7:30 a.m. and seeing people who looked like they hadn’t gone to bed yet.
51. Walking out of the TOFW for lunch break and seeing a woman from the Home Show next door smoking a cigarette.
52. Angela telling us about Hilary Weeks on the drive down.
53. Using the men’s bathrooms converted to women’s during the TOFW event.
54. Wishing the Cold Stone Creamery was open at 9:30 a.m. We frequently talked about getting some ice cream but never did.
55. Our post event critique of what we think should be done differently or what we thought went well.
56. LeAnn calling it TOWF, TFOW and mixing up the sequence.
57. Pam Hansen saying that when the sound guy turned on her microphone she “would be hot!” Later she asked “Am I still hot?” when she forgot to release us for a break.
58. Telling Amanda Dickson that we would vote for her to continue on the TOFW events. This was her first one out of state. We made sure to let Laurel Christensen know.
59. The lady telling us we looked color coordinated before taking our picture at the TOFW.
60. LeAnn and Amanda Dickson calling themselves Amazons.
61. Kim asking if we thought Cesar would have a puppy for her when she got back.
62. Kim’s cashier at 7-Eleven giving her change in poker terms – full house and some change. He said that his job at 7-Eleven was just math practice.

Lake Powell... need I say more...

Who doesn't just absolutely LOVE Lake Powell? Especially when staying on a houseboat like this! It is one of the most relaxing, beautiful, and fun places to vacation. We didn't think we would make it this year but my parents called us a couple weeks before they were going and asked if we wanted to join them. Duh?! Of course we would go. It was a business trip of sorts for my dad and others on the trip but it was still enjoyable.

Brad and I are running out of vacation time so we went down a week ago on Wednesday and we headed home on Saturday. The rest of the group went down the Monday before and some left on Thursday which made the 2nd half of the trip even better with less people.

The weather was perfect mid 80's and at night in the 60's, the water temp was perfect as well. Lots of great food! Thanks to Paula & Eleisha! We also reconnected with old friends. We spent time reading, talking, playing card games, watching movies, water skiing, swimming, tubing, knee boarding, and of course taking showers in the lake! Good memories!

Brad's first time knew boarding and he was able to do a 360! Nice job honey!


Brad working the 360!

My parents showing us how it is done on the tube! It is very difficult to throw them off.

With having broken my ankle 4 weeks previously I tried knee boarding for a bit but got nervous I would fall and hurt myself again (it stinks to get old!) so I let go outside the wake. Then my mom talked me into the tube.

It wouldn't be a Lake Powell trip without waiting for my mom to jump off the top of the boat- she is afraid of heights and always has to think about it for several minutes...(the first time was over an hour!) before she finally jumps in.

Here is Brad showing her how to just jump off.. it is not that hard!

Anyway, thanks to mom and dad for thinking of us and for Scott and Paula for giving us the opportunity to go! You guys are great!

Maui 5th day

Day 5

Well today was kind of a day of relaxation. We slept in since it was one of the first days we didn't have something scheduled. We split up a bit at this point as well. As I mentioned on day one my dad had one this trip for he and my mom and today was the day they left us to go on the 2nd part of their reward which was to stay on a little island called Lanai right off the coast of Maui.

So Travis, Carly and Jamie went to a late breakfast and Brad and I hung out a bit at the hotel and when shopping for some flip flops for him. He had burned his feet on our snorkeling adventure the day before and his Keens were rubbing all the right areas :0)!

Then we went on a drive along the coast. It was very beautiful and riding in a convertible makes all the difference.. you can really see all the landscape around you. Here are some pics from that drive.

On this side of the island (Wailea) there is a lot of lava rock on the beaches.

Then after our drive we decided to go boogie boarding at one of the sandy beaches nearby. The waves were not as large as we would have liked but it was still fun! Here are a couple pictures of our adventures. Brad likes body surfing so here is one of him after a hard wave pounded him into the sand!

This is a picture of me on the left and my brother Travis on the right. We seriously had so much fun! It had been a while since Travis and I had been boogie boarding together. We used to go visit our cousins every summer in San Diego and we loved boogie boarding and body surfing and would have contests for hours!



Here are pics from the hotel.. it was AMAZING! This was the view from our room.

This last picture is the sunset our LAST night... isn't it beautiful?

Wow.. only one more day to blog about.. seriously I need to be much faster at this!

Maui 4th day....

Day 4



Snorkeling at the Molokini Crater and dinner at an incredible restaurant, what else can I say? Such a fun day out on the ocean in the clear blue water, we saw several whales which was a bonus since this was a snorkeling tour and so many beautiful fish! Great food too! They served grilled chicken, rice and salad. Seriously better than expected on a tour like this.

Inside of the catamaran and Brad and I on deck!

Brad was swimming back to the boat and since he was using the dolphin kick to move faster, he didn't realize how close he was to the boat... that is blue paint from the where he made contact! :)


After spending a day on the ocean we headed back towards the airport and the Hana highway to to Mama's Fish House. The view from our table and the walk in were amazing!

Below in front of the restaurant... soooo beautiful!

View below from our table of the ocean and the restaurant from the front.

Walking up to the restaurant... too many great photo opportunities...

View from on top of the restaurant. Yes they had a walkway on top of the restaurant.. very cool.

Great food in fact they have a new menu each day which tells you which fisherman caught each type of fish and where they caught it. Incredible and sooo tasty!

Maui 3rd Day... The Hana Highway

Day 3

The Hana highway... the most horrible drive that I have ever been on (TWICE) but it is incredibly beautiful! The first time I drove this road was over 14 yrs ago.. and I told myself I wouldn't subject myself to that drive again but I caved and went again so that Brad and my family could have this experience. Here is what the road looks like in most places..


The Hana Highway is a 60 mile stretch of road that connects the small town of Hana to the rest of Maui. The Hana Highway winds its way past waterfalls, beaches, bridges and spectacular ocean views. The entire drive is a narrow 2 lane road with switchbacks that in places only allow one car to cross at a time. I can get terribly car sick and therefore narrow with switchbacks does not make for a good combination for me! After Hana, the highway becomes even more like a footpath than a road and heads to the Kipahulu Visitor Center at Haleakala National Park. I finally had to drive the last few miles to the 7 sacred pools and have to say it was less than spectacular. I guess hiking into Havasupai last May set the bar way to high for beautiful waterfalls!


Here are more pictures of the road to Hana and the one on the left shows how my mom and sister made it the long 3 1/2 hour drive by sitting on the back of the convertible, while unsafe gave them a lot more leg room! We were only driving 10 to 25 miles an hour.. that's ok right?

This picture is looking back at the road carved out of the mountain we had just driven on. I am bummed that there was a fire on the Big Island of Hawaii which made several of our photos hazy.

Here is the beach at the base of the 7 sacred pools. Soooo beautiful... maybe not so much Brad and I in our bathing suits but the scenery! :-)

The picture on the left is the bridge we drove over to get to the Haleakala National Park and then hike down to the pools. You can see 2 of the 7 pools on the left and then the 3rd one in the picture on the right. The other pools are really small and for some reason I didn't get a great photo of those.

The pictures below are at The black sand of Hamoa beach is one of our favorite beaches on Maui. The water was not too rough, there are no rocks in the surf, the crowds are minimal, and the scenery is amazing.

I was extremely car sick by the time we got back to where we were meeting for dinner. So my cute husband and wonderful sister missed dinner to take me back to the hotel. (After getting some ginger ale at the store and soup from Outback for me to eat.) I was also craving a turkey club sandwich, I know totally random! Brad and Jamie went on a search to all the restaurants at the hotel and finally found that I could have just ordered it via room service. I felt much better after eating and resting, but that was an extremely long day!

On a side note.. I was just thinking about my journey to motion sickness. I used to be really car sick growing up and then it got much better until a few years ago (except when I read while in a car). I was at Lagoon with my family and my friend Kristi when I started feeling sick from the motion on the rides. That had never happened to me before, I had been on these rides many times before. It was very strange, I even had to lay down on the grass for a while. I felt really embarassed but Kristi was super nice about it and my family took her around while I recovered. (We were in college at this time so yes it was ok my family left me alone.) I can still ride most rides at amusement parks just not ones that turn around in circles rapidly or dump me upside down for more than 15 sec. I know that was random but thought I would share.

I have so many things to blog about but I like to do them in order.. hopefully I will have the rest of Maui by the end of the week. I know.. promises, promises!

Anyone else have a problem with motion sickness?