Just Because

This was a hallmark trip to Utah for our little family. We didn't go for a wedding, missionary farewell, graduation, Christmas, Thanksgiving or any other holiday or event, we went...just because we wanted to. We drove this time too, which is something I think we've only done 4 other times since we've been married! It just didn't make sense to pay $800 for airfare to Utah. We also stayed for a whopping 10 days (partly because we won't be up for Christmas anyways) and were able to fit in a lot of fun things. We ate, we shopped, we talked, we camped, spent a night in Park City, and a night away(just me and Corey) at the Hines Mansion. I even fit in a lunch with friends. It was a lot of fun, but oddly enough, by the time we left it still felt like the time had just gone by too fast. I posted a LOT of pictures, but I didn't feel like leaving anything out!

Camping at Payson lake would have been a lot more fun if Corey and Asher hadn't gotten sick! Somehow I was miraculously spared. We rode mountain bikes, rowed the boat, and ate the best watermelon ever.

Playing Rock Band with the fam. My hands were actually a little sore the next day after trying my hand at base and lead guitar. Rooky. Notice the little drummer boy next to me. He ran and grabbed this Fijian drum and pounded his heart out.

Love, love, love beautiful Temple Square.


We ate at The Lion House. Corey always loves to try different Root Beers (or in this case Sasparilla). Uh, Brigham's Favorite was a little strong for him! Pretty funny.

Ash and Corey at the Christus.

Check out that pile-o-steaks. Nice job Grill Master Ryan, they were delicious!

Dinner out with the family. We were so MAD at the server at the Mayan. Doubt we'll go there again, but it was still fun with everyone there.

Ah, isn't little Mason sweet? And I am positive there is a picture of me and my sisters somewhere by this Lion drinking fountain, its a classic.

Anderson fam. And what is it that these three have in common? Answer coming soon.


Hogle Zoo pics. Isn't that donut awesome? And no, he didn't eat it all, in fact those two bites in the picture were about all he ate. The zoo was better than I remembered as a kid.


These two went on the Alpine Slide, and the Roller Coaster. The funniest part was when they were near the end of the coaster and I could hear Asher yelling...I thought he was scared until I saw the huge smile across his face. He loved it. Corey on the other hand was actually a little scared!


We spent a night in Park City. Such a cute town. We went to the Olympic Park, checked out the museum and were awed by some athletes training on the freestyle jumps. Wow. I've always felt a little jipped that I wasn't around when the Olympics actually came to SLC, and seeing some of this almost made up for it.

This was so worth seeing!

Long Time No See

(Left to right. Becky, Alisha, Me, Celeste, Missy, Becky(and baby in womb!))

Since moving to New Mexico 11 years ago, I have pretty much lost contact with friends from the old days. Aside from e-mailing I really hadn't seen or talked to anybody for years (okay, Missy pitied me with a call or two and a lunch a few years back). This trip to Utah I decided it had been long enough. So, I met up with a few old friends for lunch at Mimi's Cafe in Sandy and did a little catching up. All of these girls are beautiful and smart and it was so wonderful to see them! I'm not sure what took me so long, but it won't be 11 years again, that's for sure. I always think its funny how old friends can fall into a conversation so easily, even when its been a very long time since you've seen eachother. It's so fun to think of all the old days and all the funny and crazy things we did. So, here's to old friends...

Tidbits

Can I just say how much Asher makes me laugh? I knew this stage would be fun(ny) but I didn't know how much I would laugh. Here are some of the funny things he's done lately:

• When I say "ouch" or Asher hears something fall down or I somehow hurt myself (the clutz that I truly am), Asher will come right up to me and say, "Are you okay Momma?" So cute and of course I am instantly cured.
• At prayer time (meals, bedtime, etc.) Asher has decided that he should say every prayer AND that it should be the sacrament prayer. "Oh God, the Eternal Father..." He actually knows it fairly well, and he'll start with one for the bread, then one for the water. It's hilarious. They really pick up on everything they see and hear, don't they?
• Every night when Corey gets home Asher is really excited and runs to the door. But, not for the reason you would think. Sure, he's glad that Corey is home, but the true draw is the lunch box that he brings with him. (Yep, Corey's a brown bagger, only, his is blue) Asher rummages through that thing so much zeal you'd think it was filled with candy or something. Usually he presents a piece of fruit (which Corey brings with good intentions but never eats) and eats it, sometimes sharing with Corey. Who knew a lunch box could be so cool.
• He's learning manners (amazingly enough). He's great at saying 'thank you' and 'sorry' (sometimes he has to be reminded of that one), but my favorite is "exsqueeze me." When he bumps into me, burps or even has the hiccups we get to hear that one. I hope he never learns the real pronunciation.
• He thinks he's a cat. Literally. Which is funny because Corey hates cats and is actually very allergic to them. Asher comes bouncing into my bedroom in the mornings when he wakes up...and he's meowing. Then when I pick him up he'll lick my face and even ask me to scratch his ears. We have actually had to start asking for 'little boy kisses' to make sure we don't get licked all the time.
  

But seriously, where do they come up with this stuff?

This is just a picture I came across that I never posted. Just the two of us went to the zoo, and we had a great time feeding the giraffe. Scary black tongues twirling towards you can be a little scary! It was really cool though.

Emery's Big Day

What it would look like if there were a hundred Ashers in the world. Yikes!

Last week we were able to spend some time with Corey's parents who were in town for little Emery's baby blessing. We had a great time eating, laughing and playing. One new adventure we found in town was the Explora! museum. I'd heard of it, but didn't have the faintest idea of what it was all about. It features a bunch of stations with different science concepts you can learn about. The coolest part is its for all ages...Asher found a place he could play with trains, and there were brain teaser games and light-bending fun for the adults. We couldn't believe it when we saw the GIGANTIC elevator with couches and chairs inside. Asher thought he'd died and gone to heaven I think. Once he saw that thing, it was all he could talk about, and so the obsession with "bellvaders" continues.

Me and Ash in the world's coolest elevator. G-ma and pa Reitz showing us how heat transfers into images on a screen.



Okay, so we wanted to try it too.


The tightrope bike. After seeing one lady try it (and totally freaking out all the while) I thought it'd be scary. Turns out its not so bad. We couldn't get Grandma to try it though...maybe next time?

We also took in an Isotopes Game, always a good time. My favorite part of the night was Asher's rendition of "Charge!"...you know the song they play at all the games. Da-da-da-dun dun dun...CHARGE! Asher was sure we were all yelling "George!" He yelled it loud and clear every time. I think I like his way better. The winds kicked in hard enough that night that we left a little early. Still fun though.

Emery's big day was nice. It was a sweet blessing and we had a good time visiting with friends and family. She looked so precious in her dress and was a very good little girl. Not a peep. It seems like babies always start wailing when the blessing starts, doesn't it? It's going to be so fun to have a cousin close by, as long as Asher can keep his sharp teeth, pinching fingers and piercing screams to himself.

Summoned

I feel fortunate to have gone thirty years without being called upon for Jury Duty. My lucky streak finally ran out when I opened a letter from the Second District Court. Bummer. I was stressing out and completely horrified, trying to conjure up some legitimate reason for not being able to do it. The fact that I stay at home with Asher, and don't have any kind of normal childcare routine made it especially annoying. Where can he go for a 9 hour day?? How could I possibly inconvenience any of my friends that badly? I know I'm not alone in feeling this way because I actually have a friend who brought her little boy with her to prove she didn't have childcare, and thus could not possibly do jury duty. I didn't have the guts to do something so bold. So I have been dutifully checking each night to see if in fact I will be forced to go downtown. My chance finally came today. There was my number, 144, staring me in the face. I think I re-checked it at least 3 times to make sure I was really seeing it right. A very kind friend in the ward had pity on me and let Asher come over to play(aka fight with her 3 year old, no doubt), and I was off. The upside: I read a big chunk of Breaking Dawn and was able to finish it yesterday; the Downside: I'm not done yet, I still have 4 days left of suspense.

Although it was pretty interesting to see how the selection process all works, I was really crossing my fingers I didn't get picked. In the end, it turns out I am not a desirable candidate for a criminal case for aggravated assault. The most entertaining part of the morning was when one of the men on my panel raised his hand and started ranting to the judge about how he believes everyone is guilty until proven innocent! He went on for a couple of minutes about his whole theory and the rest of us had a good laugh. I don't think he was picked either.

I know the power of the jury is the crux of our whole judicial system, keeping us from tyranny and all, but until kids are in school or I enter the "golden years" of my life, I think I'll keep on crossing my fingers that my turn will be skipped right over. I'll let someone else have that honor instead.