A Wonderful Escape

Forgive me in advance for the long post!  We just had so much fun in July and August that we have A LOT to share with you all.

The 4th of July has always been a favorite holiday of mine. Unfortunately, we spend our holiday driving home from San Diego and haven't been able to celebrate properly in several years.  However, Lillian did wear her red, white, and blue dress to church the Sunday after and doesn't she look cute?

Mid July,  Josh and I bought  a new car.  It was an unexpected purchase on my part and very exciting.  I will spare you the details but I will let you know that I LOVE IT!! It is a 2012 Dodge Charger.  It is quiet, smooth, spacious, and it has AC vents in the back for Lillian. Love, love, love!

I wasn't thrilled with the color. Black is so hot and it shows all of the Arizona dust but I have a helper to assist me in washing it frequently.

We bought the car just in time for Lillian, my sister Samantha, my brother Larkin, and me to drive to Logan, Utah, to visit my family.  It was a long drive but, once we arrived, the real fun began!  As soon as Lillian got out of the car she said, "Bahk Bahk!" and ran off in search of her feathered friend.  She enjoyed every minute with this funny hen.  In the late afternoons her favorite thing to do was sit on the front porch and eat sunflower seeds with Bahk Bahk.

 Sometimes her buddy even joined her in the house but NEVER for dinner!

One of the first things we did upon arriving in Logan was clean the sink at Angie's. Angie's is a popular local diner that challenges it's customers to consume a small kitchen sink full of ice cream.  We took that sink down no problem. Lillian was a huge help!

 We went swimming several times and Lillian had fun flying with Uncle Larkin.

We picked apples, apricots, and grapes in my parent's backyard and made all kinds of delicious treats.  Lillian thought it was the best thing ever that she could walk outside and find something yummy to eat.

Lillian was not satisfied with all the fruit in her own yard and became The Bare Bummed Berry Thief and persuaded Sam to go out and steal blackberries from the neighbor! Sam, having stole plenty of fruit in her lifetime ("Drive Grandpa! Drive!" she once screamed as she ran up to the car with an arm load of pomegranates), was happy to be her accomplice. 

We spent a Saturday in the charming town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was a long drive for a short visit but Sam and I had fun tormenting Larkin in the back seat. It was just like old times except now Lillian can join in the fun.

July 24th is a big holiday in Utah and we celebrated by shooting off fireworks.  Lillian wasn't sure what to think of her sparkler.

Lillian saw her first musical at the Red Barn Theater.  She was mesmerized  by the singing and made it almost all the way through the show.  Towards the end she wanted to be out in the lobby running around UNLESS a song was being sung, then we had to come back in to the theater so she could watch and listen. She is a girl after my own heart {SIGH}.

One of my favorite things we did was go to the Preston Night Rodeo and the Cache County Rodeo.  I hadn't been to a rodeo in ages and I enjoyed it immensely. Josh even came for a visit and went with us!

Before the rodeo we went to the Cache County Fair and Lillian rode the Merry-Go-Round three times!

Logan has one of my favorite stores, CAL Ranch.  On one of my many visits I was able to find Lillian a pair of red boots that almost match mine.  She loves them and wears them almost every day.

During our month is paradise we also shopped,

baked,

went to the zoo with cousins,

cleaned the fish bowl and petted the fish,

babysat a very strange looking baby,

and worked.

I taught a Healthy Lifestyles class and helped with riding lessons and general horse education at Uinta Academy.

We has so much fun it was difficult to leave.  Especially since Lillian and I had to make the long journey home alone.  On our way out of town we stopped to attend my cousin's wedding and Lillian Fay was able to spend a little time with her great great aunt, Patty Fay, and her third cousin (??), Jackie Fay.  They are all beautiful blondes.

The day after we returned home, Lillian went in for a tubal myringotomy.  We are hoping it helps with all her ear infections.  She was a champ and all the nurses loved her.

Other than that, life went right back to normal, just like we had never left.  We went to the barn to see Gigi,

 played with cousins,

went to the University of Arizona versus Northern Arizona University football game,

played hide-and-seek with Emerson,

and discovered new things.

What a perfect two months we had.  Samantha Garbini Photography took about a million photos of Lillian while we were in Utah but I only have a few.  I will post them when (IF) I ever get them.

Over and out.