Top 10 Must Visit Spots...

I love traveling. Or at least I think would love traveling if I ever did actually travel. There are places that I would really like to visit someday. Exotic locales that every world traveler would call a must see! I will go and it will be incredible and some places I will love and want to visit again.

However there are already certain places that I return to again and again. They are my Wailing Wall, my Jerusalem, my Mecca. I go because I feel connected to these places and because they are part of my history. They are reminders of where I come from and where I want to be. I hope all of you have places like this.

I went to one of these places a few weeks ago. I doubt you have ever been there and if you haven't then most likely you never ever will. I don't know the real address but to me it would be addressed as:

My Blue Heaven or Bide a While Haven
Wasatch Resort
The Canyon

While in the canyon I visit a museum that could not be more impressive to me than the Met or the Louvre. Over here are some steps made of massive stones put into place by my great-grandfather. I know because I sat on one of those steps looking at an old picture of him putting it into place while my grandmother told me the story.

The rocks themselves talk of the history of this place. My children can tell you of how the men working at the temple quarry would drill into the rocks and pour in water and the the water would freeze and crack the rocks. The put their fingers into the holes left in some rocks as we take our walks. The massive rocks have thousands of stories to tell. Climbing rocks, naming rocks, discovering rocks, conquering rocks and even losing rocks is all part of the experience. We lost Table Rock in the floods of '83. This massive, flat and beautiful granite rock that sat at the side of the creek where we would all climb up on was the scene of many a lunch.

The ancient trails that are known only by a select few. It is so entertaining to see hikers and bikers travel on their beaten path right past Cool Water where freezing cold water bubbles right out of the earth in a beautiful shaded area. The Water Tower where we used to be amazed as our intrepid Uncle Mitch would climb up and reach way down with his pink and white round cup and get us all a drink.

Up the canyon even the cups have historical significance. There are the baby blue/white, pink/white thick plastic cups that are in Grandmas cabin. But the ultimate drinking experience comes from the dented metal cups in the main cabin. There is a joy that comes from filling up these cups with the glacier-licious water that comes straight from the tap. The cups instantly become the temperature of the water which just heightens the anticipation of that first sip. Mmmm. It is so cold.

The fine amenities of the 5 star resorts are not be found here. Indeed some of the best parts of the canyon are the windows that stick and the floor that slants. There is also an unwritten rule that although there is a TV and DVD player available they are never to be turned on. You have to find your own entertainment. There are lizards to be caught and rocks to be thrown. There is the fort you made last year that you have to find, repair and improve upon. It is here the kids learn to play Monopoly and PIT. At night you play kick the can and it is the best because there are so many places to hide and it is so dark! The creek is a dangerous focal point of our trip. It is gloriously powerful right now so it is a bit of a worry because water+unlimited rocks= boys paradise. I enjoy it more when it slows down to a lazy trickle and the pools fill up and you can jump from rock to rock to rock. Or you can add a bit of an adventure and throw big rocks into the little pools and totally soak your unsuspecting brother who is standing nearby!The best part of the creek is the noise it makes when you are sleeping. There is nothing more relaxing in the world than that sound and combined with the cool summer breeze that blows in the old wood windows is the best medicine for any insomniac!All of these attractions are nothing compared to the connection that I feel with family while I am there. The entire place is a treasure box where I store little snippets of memories of family. Each memory as unique and wonderful as the person who gave it to me. Great-grandma Ashton sitting at her kitchen table tatting, Grandpa Carter repairing something, Grandma taking us to visit her cousins down the road, aunts playing PIT, uncles climbing rocks, cousins playing kick the can, 2nd cousins teaching me Solitaire, great-aunts bringing cherries to munch on, Mom taking us on hikes, brothers having waterfights and sisters swinging on the swing and talking until late into the night and now my kids and their cousins are filling their own memory box. I love hearing them reminisce about their adventures on the ride home. Each of these memories tie me to these marvelous people and I feel stronger when I leave there. What other place in the world can do that for me?

Wintermuck and Winterfest

Wintermuck!

I told you about my sister and her crazy dream about a holiday called Wintermuck! Well we have officially celebrated the first annual Wintermuck and it was a huge success. Thanks to Brandon's parents we were able to celebrate in their huge field behind their house. We had all of the traditional Wintermuck festivities. We had a bonfire and roasted hotdogs. Apparently Alli is a hot dog fan! Just teasing Al! Snow Wrestling which I hear will be introduced at the next Olympics! I think Mitch was mad because Alli ate all the hot dogs! Snowball fights where the object of the game is to hit Mitch and then get dumped in the snow. The ugly sweater contest. Here is our big winner (or big LOSER)! We also had a great time chatting and watching/riding the sleds! We opted for 4-wheeling for dragging the sleds around the meadow instead of snow mobiles since some of the more wealthy among us already own those it seemed the cheaper way to go plus we didn't know how much snow there would actually be on the ground! It was an absolute wonderful way to celebrate the joy of winter while chasing off the winterblues with a healthy dose of spring anticipation! Hanging with cousins was the favorite activity for most of the kids! We also celebrated Sara, Kassidy and Lauren's birthdays! One of the highlights was when several deer gracefully lept through the meadow! It was like being in the mountains but with a flushing toilet! I don't know who she is texting since we were all RIGHT THERE! Maybe Brandon was on the 4-wheeler at the time! Aawww. Newlyweds! Thanks to Tricia and Brandon for planning and providing a lot of the food! Thanks to Andrew for taking charge of the equipment and hauling everything around! Thanks to Brad for breaking a 4-wheeler so Andrew would have something to work on this week! The best part of WinterMuck is that it put Haley into labor that night! Although she was still in labor 2 days later!! She is such a trooper to go for a 4-wheeler ride.

Winterfest!

Immediately after Wintermuck our little family hopped in the car to head up to Soldier Hollow for the Winterfest Tubing Celebration. Conditions were fantastic for tubing! It had been warm enough during the day to melt the snow but by the time we got there at 8:00pm it was only about 15 degrees so the runs were all frozen and it was super fast and fun! We stopped by the lodge after the lifts closed at 10 and had some hot chocolate and warmed up a bit before heading home! We had some really tired boys but it was a great winter day!

New Years Eve!

Happy New Years! I must admit that I think New Years Eve is my favorite holiday. Low stress, lots of fun, stay up late! Love it! We did the traditional fondue dinner! The kids really got into fonduing this year and they especially liked the mushrooms and squash but I think I love the cheese and bread although the shrimp that Brandon did were yummy! Then we played all the traditional games.... Thumper, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and some new favorites.... Dippity, Dippity Dip, and the Hand Game! Then came the big moment! We got out the chimes and ran to wake all the neighbors with our yelling and banging! Aaron especially enjoyed the screaming! Did I mention how much the neighbors love us!

Sara laughing! Glad she is feeling better! Joe and his amazing eye brow trick!Jenn and her lovely curly hair! My beautiful sister Alli! Thanks for all the great pictures Alli! Here is B. Rad! He was a bit upset by my outing him in his dodge ball outfit so he kept posing so that the next pictures I posted of him would be very GQ!

Fun was had by all! We laughed a lot and enjoyed being with one another. We toasted in the new year and finished with the chocolate and fruit fondue! What a great way to start the year!