Spring Break - Parks A Plenty

Spring break this year was in Southeast Utah 

visiting beautiful and unique parks a plenty!

We hiked, biked or explored each day 

and played games or talked around the campfire at night. 

It was 10 days of heaven with 10 awesome people and a terrific dog.

Goblin Valley State Park

Natural Bridges National Monument

House on Fire Ruins

Goosenecks State Park

Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum

Hovenweep National Monument

Needles District Canyonlands National Park

Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument

Dead Horse State Park

Island in the Sky District Canyonlands National Park

What a wonderful world!

Spring break in the nighttime...

This week was the twigs' spring break from school. 

Zac needed to work so we couldn't go south to our beloved redrock.

We decided to make the best of it and play in the evenings.

(photo credit - Jason Carlton) 

We went to the temple 

(all except our poor Paul who had phlebitis 

and was stuck on the couch at home with his leg elevated). 

I went in to do initiatory work 

while the twigs and Meg'n went to do baptisms and confirmations. 

When I came out they looked surprisingly dry...

yup, the baptistry was super packed 

so they hadn't been able to get in. Oops! 

Another night, Paul and I were going to the Layton High School production 

of the Wizard of Oz for the Stake Single Adult group activity 

so we got tickets for the twigs and Meg'n to come along. 

It was a treat to see so many kids we know perform!

In between these activities, 

there was some board game playing and video watching. 

Another evening, our local missionaries came by for a visit.

Sister Christensen is an artist 

and painted this beautiful picture 

that they've made into a card with Elder Eyring's great quote. 

The week's activities ended with 4 hours of laser tag 

and some very sore thighs haha!

We'd like to do it all again tomorrow! 

So grateful for this precious little family.

<3

Bison, a bunny, baptisms, a beauty, a beast, 7 brides, and an April blizzard...boy oh boy!

Because our girlie's school schedule is half High School classes 

and half College classes 

and their spring break weeks are in separate months, 

spring break didn't really happen for her. 

With a lot of planning and a little creativity, 

we got lucky and were able to party it up 

during her High School spring break 

between her college classes. 

I found the following evidence of the partying on her phone tonight. 

There was hiking on Antelope Island with friends...

and Bison.

There was an afternoon with Ashley at the movies

watching Beauty and the Beast

and playing with Waffles the bunny. 

There were several afternoons of doing odd jobs 

like raking all the leaves out of the garden,

stacking wood,

and having the family sort through their shoes

to make money for efy this summer. 

To top the week off we all went to Salt Lake 

for a live production of one of our family's favorite movies,

then baptisms at the Salt Lake Temple 

for our family members who've gone on before,

and yummy treats at Kneaders

just as a crazy April blizzard was beginning.

I'm thinking she did a pretty good job 

at improvising her spring break week!

<3

San Fran with honors...

Zac needed to take an honors class for one of his scholarships. 

The honors class that was highly recommended to him 

came complete with a field trip to San Francisco!

The class was called "The Beat Goes On" 

and the field trip was over spring break. 

Zac was awesome to send pictures each day!

Here are some of my favorites. =D

The Class Description says "From On the Road to the Summer of Love to Woodstock with several stops in between, this class explores the events, trends and personalities that illuminate this explosive time in America. Central to the class is a “field trip” to San Francisco where the students explore many of its neighborhoods that are on the forefront during these decades of change—places like North Beach, Berkeley and Haight-Ashbury. The class will also examine what of this revolution in thought and action has endured, as well as what has not, into Twenty-first Century America."

I believe one of the objectives of honors classes is 

to acquaint students with diversity of thoughts and actions. 

Some of the class experiences were a little too diverse 

for Zac's liking but he's an optimistic guy 

and found lots of things to love. 

This picture's for you, Hunter. <3

Zac found Alcatraz's audio tour quite interesting.

This is one of the two professors (taking a 360 photo) who led the field trip. Thanks men!

A memorable experience for sure.