St. George Trip

So.....life is always an adventure being married to Justin! I am not spontaneous at all (See my Disneyland post), but he is good at being spontaneous. Since he had Monday off and the kids had Monday off we decided to head south. I knew St. George wouldn't be hot, but we were hoping for a little warmer, and maybe some sunshine. We got our wish! It wasn't hot, but it was warmer. If the sun was shining and the wind didn't blow then you felt fine in long sleeves. Saturday we drove all day and we couldn't check into our hotel yet so we drove to the temple. It is beautiful! There was a couple taking their wedding pics and it was very cute. There were so many people just walking around and sitting on the grass, yes, grass, and relaxing. It was great.

Sunday morning we headed out to Zions. I've never been there, and Justin hasn't been there in many years, so we thought we'd check it out. It is gorgeous!!! The views are incredible! It was the perfect day. We hiked on a trail called the Emerald Pools and it was long (3.7 miles). The kids did great, though. Even Alyssa hiked the whole thing. It wasn't really easy, either. It was kind of tough, but it was incredible to see the views.

This pic was at the very top. It was freezing, but beautiful. Little Kate was just shivering.

At the bottom we ate lunch and saw two deer (in the background).

Then we went on another, shorter and easier, hike. It was nice and easy but everyone was pretty tired by then. We saw a couple more deer. It was also getting chilly because the sun had gone behind the mountain. So we really didn't get away from the cold, but it was very nice to get out.

Monday we went to Snow Canyon, but it was raining and very cold. We only stayed for a couple of minutes and then turned around and drove home. The kids had fun exploring the sand dunes for the couple of  minutes we were there. Kate had a great time in the sand, getting all dirty for the ride home.

So we didn't stay very long but it was really good to get out and now.....can you say SPRING FEVER?????

Gramps' Funeral

As sad and hard as funerals can be, Gramps' was all that. He was such a good guy and we will all miss him so much. I cried all the way through my talk, but I did feel like I was able to convey my love for him, and I guess that is all that matters. I am so thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What a blessing it is to know that I will be able to see Gramps again, and hear his laugh, and give him a great big hug. It is still really hard right now, but without that hope it would be absolutely devastating.

One neat thing about the grave dedication was that Gramps received full military honors. He served in the navy and so 4 navy people came and saluted as the casket went by. There were two flags the casket went through, and then they folded the flag on top of the casket, gave it to my Grams and presented it to her "On behalf of the president of the United States." Once again, I'd rather have Gramps, but it was really nice to have the recognition he deserved for his service to our country. Here are some of  the pics. And yes, it was in the middle of a blizzard and it was very cold!

Good-bye Gramps, I love you!