Road Trip!

Alyvia's first road trip! I don't know how this all happened, but it happened very quickly. We woke up, found out there was a wedding the next day, and decided to go. That easy.

Alyvia did amazing! She slept most of the way and when she wasn't sleeping, she was happily playing and eating crackers. Troy did all of the driving, so I got to kick back and enjoy the ride!

Troy's family is amazing. Some of the kindest & most genuine people I have ever met. Everyone was so welcoming and generous and it made me miss my own family. It was fun to meet everyone and celebrate such a beautiful couple getting married! (Getting $1.00 everyday from the "Bed Fairy" was awesome!)

Just a few highlights from our Utah adventures:


In-N-Out Burgers:

Everyone in Boise always talks about how amazingly wonderful this place is and how they need to get one here, but I'd never had it before...until Sunday, June 13th, 2010, when I ate the most delicious double cheese burger that my mouth has ever tasted. It was then followed by some surprisingly disgusting french fries, but fortunately, the burger made up for it. So there. Now I can say I've had In-N-Out Burger! Thanks Utah.




Bridal Veil Falls:

Troy drove us up into the mountains for a little sight-seeing. Not long, and we came across Bridal Veil Falls. Beautiful double waterfall coming down the mountain with steep trails to take you up close and personal. On the top you can see the remains of a tram and visitor center that had been destroyed by an avalanche in 1996. The scenery was beautiful and I didn't want to leave! The cold cloudy day gave it an eerie feeling, especially after reading the story behind the name of the falls. An Indian woman and a brave from a rival clan fell in love and planned on running away to get married. The woman was confronted by her angry tribe the very night she had planned to meet her lover to elope. Fearing that they had killed him once they learned of their secret, she jumped off of the mountain to her death. The falls split in the middle and looks like a bridal veil formed by Nature itself, who'd been touched by the woman's wild beauty. The mountain protruding between the falls is said to represent an alter where the doomed couple was to marry.







Alyvia's 1st movie theater experience:

Since this vacation has been a mini family reunion, we all decided to go see a movie
together. And by "we", I mean everyone except me. All I could think of was trying to keep Alyvia quiet in a movie theater. I was secretly dreading the entire experience until we actually got there and the movie started. Thankfully there were other babies in the theater, and that's how I know how good Alyvia really did behave. The other parents had to get up and take their crying children out of the theater multiple times though out the movie. I didn't even have to take Alyvia out once! I was so proud of her. She even said "grandpa" for the 1st time while we were there! Oh, and the movie was cute, too.


Indoor Rock Climbing:

I've been talking about going rock climbing for a couple years now and we finally got around to actually doing it! I wish my body had recovered afterwards as quickly as it had 10 years ago when I last climbed! It was so much fun climbing and meeting the challenge to keep pushing myself to the top, but my muscles are still suffering! I can't wait until Alyvia is old enough to enjoy it more! There was a tiny wall for little kids which was really cute, but Alyvia just wanted to watch Mom & Dad this time around.

Baby Rattler Display:

On our way home. Too much Diet Pepsi. Have to pee. Gas station in the middle of no where.

The gas station's front doors advertised a baby rattler display inside. Heck, we're in the desert. A rattle snake display, although weird seeing in a convenience store, wouldn't surprise me much. The display was positioned immediately when you enter the store. There were 3 steps leading up for you to look over the top, along with a sign warning no sudden movements and to approach slowly. At this point, the bathroom was my 1st priority until I saw the sign on the bathroom door: "Paying Customers Only." Great. My cash is in the car and I didn't really plan on buying anything. Back outside, I told Troy to check out the baby rattlers inside. He approached the display in anticipation ever so slowly, up each step, and carefully extended his neck to look over the top, and that's when everyone burst into laughter. These are the "baby rattlers." At least I didn't look first!!

Family:

I met so many new and awesome people, and Troy was so happy to finally see his family after so many years. Showing off Alyvia was fun as usual, and tons of pictures were taken!!!