It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

Sheryl and I went back and forth on wether or not we should go. It was still a little chilly and we knew driving our own four-wheeler was probably not an option. Lon assured us that we would find at least a 2-seater so we wouldn't have to drive and to be perfectly honest, I just really didn't want everyone to go off and have fun without me. So...we all headed south to Sand Mountain for some 4-wheeling fun. It was an absolutely gorgeous day!

Everybody picked their machine of choice and Lon rented a 4-seater Rhino for himself and Sheryl and Jana and me.

Helmets were a must for all riders-except those in the Rhino. We were told that they were the safest of all the 4-wheelers. Super-duper roll cage and impossible to flip.


Everybody got a crash course in operation. Except Lon. He didn't really need one. The Rhino practically drives itself.
We caravanned it and headed toward the sand. There was a brief moment where Sheryl (who was shivering in the front) had to decide whether or not to continue onward or return back to sit in the warm car. She decided to switch places with Jana and sit in the back and share the blanket and gloves with me. It was at this point that there was no turning back. Was I cold? Yes! Had I lost all feeling in my hands? Yes! Was I about to say anything? NO! I was having way too much fun. Lon was 'pedal to the metal' the whole time. And yet I felt quite safe. (There was a heavy-duty roll bar-remember?) It was better than any roller coaster ride- ever! The only time I felt real panic was watching my kids (lbh..my son) tearing it up on those machines.

Christian and Brandon

The more sand you had on your face meant the better driver you were. Hailee and Shae were by far the best drivers.

Warming up in the sand...

Jason and Brittney take a turn in the 2-seater.
There was a lot of digging out. Not the Rhino. Not once did we get stuck.

There was Jason and Weston...
And Brittney and Gabe...

And my personal favorite rescue...Hailee...willing to offer Jason any help he might need.

Ready to rumble...

Jason and Weston

This was my view the whole day. The back of Lon and Jana's heads. Although Jana did glance back a couple of times to make sure Sheryl and I were still strapped in after a couple of hair-raising dips and turns. It was all good until Lon decided to try a couple of donuts in the sand. The first complete turn felt a little unstable, by the second one I knew we were going over. Lon laid the 'unflippable' Rhino on the right side and put Jana and Sheryl in the sand -resulting in a couple of scrapped elbows and sore necks. Lon and I were hanging snugly by our seatbelts. After a couple of seconds of shock-induced silence, I felt moisture dripping off my face. I had my big SLR hanging around my neck and when we flipped, the camera swung around and smashed me in the face-just above my lip. I heard a hint of panic in Christian's voice as he reached the Rhino and surveyed the scene and I was anxious to get out and wipe off my face. My biggest fear was that Lon would feel responsible and regret our trip. I haven't had that much fun in a long, long time.

The nurses in the emergency room said that the words "4-wheelers" are banned from their vocabulary. They claimed they have just seen too much tragedy. I just kept offering a silent prayer of gratitude that all of our kids were still in one piece.

6 stitches was a small price to pay for a day of (mostly) safe, happy, fun in the sun.

And Lon, for the 100th time, I'm not mad! I had way too much fun and I'm the only one who got to go home with a souvenir.

(Here goes my pride...I look pretty, huh? Thanks, Jord, for the close,close up)

"Hello purple cactus"

So...I've had a little struggle with the blogging thing lately. I'm backlogged with photos and events to document and share and so here it goes....

First..I'm going to rewind to Memorial Day weekend. Just a short 3 weeks ago. Our friends, the Wardrops, invited us and the O'Briens down to St. George with them for the weekend. With 2 days notice, and various activities and schedules to rearrange, it was a tricky, spontaneous getaway. But Lon never, ever takes "no" for an answer-and we're always glad. Our lives have become more interesting and entertaining since meeting them. We are eternally grateful.

They had rented a home nestled in the red cliffs of Snow Canyon. It was over-the-top beautiful. I felt like I was in a Parade of Homes home. Oh, wait... I was.

I kept seeing leaves on the floor and couldn't figure out where they were coming from. Then I noticed the giant tree growing up out of the floor.

We started off the day at my favorite breakfast place. The Bear Claw has the best breakfast potatoes around.

And I'm apparently not the only one that thinks so... Brandon and Christian waiting for a table.

We had to split our group up in order to find enough seats to accommodate everybody. I loved that Jason was willing to hang out at the bar with the little boys but then I realized that it was the "crazy morning hair" club.

We spent some time at the pool soaking up much needed sun and warmth. (L-R: Brittney, Gabe, Hailee,Shae, Lexi, and Christian)

Our fabulous hosts, Lon and Sheryl. Love them to pieces.
Weston gives us a glimpse of the Gun Show!
How to compensate for sun glare on your cell phone...
Shae, Britt, Lex, Wes, and Gabe

Wardrops are big tennis players. Brandon's doubles team went to state this year..(and last year, and the year before that...) So it was only natural that the tennis courts is where I found them all. It is just as natural, of course, that I would also find all of the girls parked on the side of the court spectating/supporting.

Sadly, no one was watching the over 40/under 12 crowd play. But I suspect that was just fine with them. (Jordan and Sean)

Happiness is: ending a perfect day at The Pizza Factory with breadsticks and alfredo dipping sauce...

Tomorrow...Sand Canyon and stitches....

Shadow Box It!

Not sure what to do with all of your souvenir ticket stubs, subway passes, museum pamphlets and memorabilia? Shadow Box it!

(P.S. check out Gabe at the bottom of the picture)

London Wrap Up and a Love Story

It is time to wrap this up and move on to other adventures!

Although not planned, we happened to be in London for the Royal Wedding. The whole country was abuzz with wedding fever. It was the topic of conversation on every subway, in every restaurant and every newscast. There is no question is my mind that the Britts enjoyed the speculation leading up to the wedding more than they did the wedding itself.

(no..I did not take this pic!)

We had every intention of being on the front row but, beside the fact that we forgot our pointy forehead hats, we couldn't get past the crowds to even get through the gate to Hyde Park. (This is the view of Hyde Park from our hotel room window).

So we found front row seats in the comfort of our hotel room and got the play by play on the perfect dress, Harry's assessment of the bride whispered to the groom (she looks amazing), who was invited and who wasn't. the carriage ride, and the first kiss(es).
The festivities lasted all day...
...but I have to say that the hand crafted hats were the highlight for me.

My "wedding" dinner.
Our trip to the famous department store, Harrods, started out wonderfully. We were awed by the size, the displays, the unique products and, of course, the prices. And then...disaster struck.
I found the expansive perfume display and excitedly called for Brittney to come smell some of the more exotic choices I found. I meant to do the "spray into the air and then lean in and smell" things but instead of spraying into the air I sprayed directly into Brittney's eye. Blinding my daughter was definitely not on my "things to do while in London" list and I know for a fact it wasn't on hers either. I felt terrible! I led her around by the arm like a good blind guide but it was a good 30 minutes before she could open both eyes. Harrods will forever be burned into our memory (and eyes).

These purple roses were hanging upside down in several bunches.
And amazing food displays...


I would've considered getting this doggie bed for Aussie, but it just seemed wrong that my dog have a nicer bed than me.
As a family of tennis fans, we decided to hit Wimbledon. I think it would have been a lot more entertaining with a couple of good tennis matches going on. By this point in our trip, I was getting a little ornery about how expensive everything was and I was done shelling out the big bucks with nothing to show for it.

The famous "center court." Many a tennis player dream of one day playing in this spot.
And the equally famous Wimbledon strawberries and cream.
Time to put London to bed....

The London Eye
Big Ben....
...and Piccadilly Circus.

Thank you London for providing challenges and discomfort that caused my daughter to push through and discover her own strength. She now knows that she can do hard things. Thank you for showing her your diversity and culture and beauty. We discovered that Will and Kate weren't the only ones falling in love in Great Britain. She spent the last 4 months uncovering your many gifts and fell deeply in love with it all. We will be forever grateful.