Sunday, August 30, 2009

A Few Reasons We Love Utah...

When Brigham Young entered the Salt Lake valley, he said, "This is the place." This is the place for many of our family memories this summer. Come with me and I'll show you a few reasons that we love Utah...

COOLER WEATHER. If you could see the temperature clearly in my mom's rear view mirror, you would see the temperature reading a cool 62 degrees. This was right after lunch one day at Kneaders. (An EXCELLENT sandwich shop.) I knew you wouldn't believe it if you didn't see it for yourself. We LOVED the cooler weather in Utah!


ARCTIC CIRCLE. The best Fry Sauce on the planet. And believe it or not, we think their plain hamburgers with extra white sauce and lettuce are the best you can buy!! (We made more than one trip to Arctic Circle this summer.)


'STONE COLD' CREAMERY. Kellie and Blake used the gift cards they had been saving and treated us all to 'Stone Cold' ice cream. Lucky for Grandma and Grandpa they just live a hope, skip and a jump from this yummy ice cream shop.


TAI PAN TRADING COMPANY. This is the most AWESOME decorators warehouse ever!! I can't believe we don't have one here in DFW. Let's just say I had to make room in my suitcase for some COOL Halloween decorations. (I know, it was only the middle of August...but isn't fall your favorite season, too?)


THE OUTLET STORES IN PARK CITY. Great deals around every corner!



OLYMPIC SKI RUNS. Now here's a sight you don't see every day!


LAGOON. Super, fun memories of 8th grade Lagoon Day... Many stake Lagoon Days and, truth be told, the first place I ever held my Handsome Husband's hand. The kids had a grand time with their cousins and getting their 'adrenaline rush' on. Thanks, Nae for such a fun afternoon.


(I'm so old, I can remember when the Tidal Wave was Brand New!)




Kellie just 'had to have' a giant root beer snow cone. A yummy, cool treat on a warm day.


I used to think I would surely die every time I rode the Wild Mouse. Luckily, I always lived to tell about it. (Now so have my kids!)

My beautiful sister, Danae and her sweet, Lila Rose.

Braden, 12, Collin, 10 and Blake 11.



The Flying Aces. A tried and true favorite.


OQUIRRH MOUNTAIN TEMPLE OPEN HOUSE. What a treat to take the kids to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. We dressed in our Sunday finest and were able to see the beautiful interior of a beautiful House of the Lord before its dedication.



What's a church function without food? True to Mormon tradition, we were treated to an abundance of cookies and cold bottles of water in the Hospitality tent at the end of the tour. I was thoroughly impressed with the efforts of the Church to make all feel welcome. This temple will truly be 'beacon of light on the hill.'

Beautiful paintings in the hospitality tent.








My sister Danae, and her sweet kids, Braden, Collin, Lila and Caleb.


I love these kids! (We missed Sydnie and Mikenzie!)


This bench sits at the Stake center that faces the Oquirrh Mountain temple. I wish every Primary age child had a bench that they could sit on and look across the street at a temple, a true House of the Lord.



SNOWBIRD. For many years now, Grandma and Grandpa have invited us to share their beautiful time-share condo up at Snowbird for a week. It's always one of the highlights of our summer. Take a peek...


Looking out from the tram.


The view is spectacular from the top of the tram. Can you see the Salt Lake valley down below?


The Best Boy in the World at 'the top of the world'.


Horseback riding. The wildflowers were stunning this summer.








Grandpa and Blake crusing down the mountain on an ATV.



It was a crisp, cool 50 degree day. We actually bought ourselves some sweatshirts to keep warm. Am I complaining? Absolutely Not!! The clouds were so low. We loved it.



You definatly get your exercise at Snowbird. It seems like you're always going up or down a hill. (Can you see the Alpine slide in the distance?)


TEMPLES. My mom and I were going to visit the new Draper temple. Too bad for us, when we arrived it was closed for maintenance. Maybe next time.


THE VISITORS CENTER AT TEMPLE SQUARE. This is on the list of 'must-do's' when we come to Utah. We love spending the day at Temple Square.


The new Church History Library. Now, you could seriously spend some time here.


There was a amazing art exhibit at the Conference Center. Here's just a couple of the beautiful pieces that were on display.





The Conference Center.


The Salt Lake Temple. Recognized around the world.


The flowers were stunning on Temple Square. I took this picture in honor of my friend, Krista who has the most beautiful hydrangeas in her own yard. I knew she would love this picture.


'I love to see the temple. I'm going there someday. To feel the Holy Spirit, to listen and to pray. For the temple is a House of God, a place of love and beauty. I'll prepare myself while I am young. This is my sacred duty."




A trip to Temple Square wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Lion House Pantry for lunch. Their food takes you right back to Grandma's house when you were young. And of course, your meal just wouldn't be complete without 'melt-in-your-mouth' Lion House rolls or your choice of homemade desserts. (Between the four of us, we had chocolate layer cake, banana cream pie, apple pie, and carrot cake. It was delicious!! No need for dinner later!!)


Okay, this is TRULY the cutest baby in the world. Meet Braxton Bart Davis. He is my brother, Brandon and his wife Linda's first born son. He was highly anticipated after 5 goes with IVF. He is absolutely adorable and the love of everyone's life. I don't know what is going to to be more fun...watching Braxton grow up? Or watching my brother enjoy every second of finally getting to be a Dad... Just kind of puts a big 'ol smile on your face, doesn't it?

What a fun vacation we had this summer in Utah. We always love to eat at Cafe Rio and El Farol; spend WAY too much money at Deseret Book and the Distribution Center; see movies at Jordan Landing and much, much more.

But the thing that we love most, is simply being with the ones we love; Grandma Kathy, Grandpa Bart, Auntie Linda, Uncle Boy and Braxton and my sister Danae and her sweet family. In the eternal scheme of things we know that that's what matters most. Families really are Forever. And I love mine!!