Road Trip UT-CO

I’ve had the week off. I went on a road trip with my sister and her 3 year old twins. My sister is my favorite travel buddy and we haven’t been on any trips like this since the twins were born. She’s been a few places, and I’ve been a few places but not together. It was really fun. We did have to cater to the kids a bit but it wasn’t a problem. And if they had a few hard spots, she got to deal with them. I only got impatient a few times when I was tired or hungry, and I didn’t get tired of being with them, which made it even better. 

We started by dropping the dog off at my other sister’s house (Thanks Anna!) and headed south. 

By the time dinner came we were in Moab and found a food truck park. The kids had corn dogs and Amy and I split a falafel wrap and a gyro. Both were excellent and it was a nice break. 

We spent the night in Monticello and in the morning headed to Mesa Verde National Park. I had reserved tickets for the guided tour to Cliff Palace 2 weeks earlier and we had the 2 pm tour so we had time to get there and explore a bit beforehand. 

Spruce House

Cliff Palace

We didn’t walk/hike too far since we needed the kids to be able to do the stairs and ladders on the tour, but still had fun looking at the sights.  The Cliff Palace tour was good and I’m glad we were able to do it. The kids thought the stairs and ladders were an adventure. They got antsy as we listed to the ranger but after we got to a certain spot, we were able to leave when we needed to. Strangely enough, I thought the ladders and stairs would be in the “palace” itself, but you don’t get to do anything but walk by it, which makes perfect sense because it is a sacred place to the people and their ancestors. But there are very steep stone stairs and a few ladders to get in and out of the place. 

After Mesa Verde we headed to Durango, CO. The kids fell asleep in the car and didn’t wake up until we got to the hotel. We had a great time in Durango. Again, we did things the kids would enjoy as well as checking out the town. We spent some time every day at a park so the kids could play. It was just so nice to be outside. Plus, we had fun in the hotel swimming pool. And we got to see the Silverton train leave the station. We had already decided that even the shorter train ride would be too much for the kids at their age but they had fun watching it leave. 

Then when we left to drive home, we went up the mountains to Silverton. The San Juan mountain range is really beautiful. They still have snow and we saw a bunch of “waterfalls” as the snow was melting and running off the cliffs. 

Storefronts in Silverton

Of course after the fun in the morning, the rest of the drive home felt super long. I got home just before 10 pm and got to sleep in my own bed again. But it’s been a great week and I got to mark another place off my travel list. We would totally love to do it again one day when the kids are older. 

Spring has Sprung!

Hard to believe that a month ago we had snow. Now we have blossoms. I do love the changing of seasons. 

Fairy Garden

Pinterest finally got to me and I broke down this year and made myself a fairy garden. The plants are supposed to flower as it gets hotter so I'm hoping I choose well in that regard. It was fun to do. I have it on my back porch because I thought it would be fun to look out my kitchen window and see. And it is. The only problem is I'm too short to see that angle very well. LOL so if I stand at my kitchen sink and get on my toes and try real hard, I can see it. 

Earth Day

It’s been a very nice day. I’m not sure that I actually saw any sun or blue sky. It’s been overcast and a little drizzly in spots. That didn’t stop us though. I started the day meeting my mom and sisters and a few of their kids at the library where they were giving out packets of lady bugs for Earth Day. We’ve gotten lady bugs a few years now and it’s always fun for the kids. This year they gave them to the adults as well. Mine got donated to another niece who couldn’t come which I’m cool with.

Then we all headed down to a huge nursery for plants and flowers. I was trying so hard not to go overboard (and succeeded!) that I actually have quite a bit of space in my flower garden still. However, it’s still a little cool and I’m not sure how many of them will survive so we’ll see how that plays out. My biggest score was that I found a gargoyle for my garden. I’m very happy about that. I’ve wanted one for years but only ever saw them online so it was hard to tell size and stuff on some. I’m not putting it out yet because spring is barely here and I want the trees and bushes to actually have leaves on them, but it will go out maybe next month. 

It’s been fun. While I do enjoy winter, I’m glad spring is finally here. 

Happy Easter

One week ago, even just 5 day ago, you never would have guessed it is Spring. Even on Friday, I was joking that you didn’t need to color eggs, just hide the white eggs in the snow. And today, I have 1 tiny patch of snow left on my lawn. It most definitely feels like winter is finally over. 

Today we had only 1 meeting in church and it was mostly music. It was really nice. I played the piano for the primary kids to sing a song. We were a little worried after the last practice, but they sounded so great and knew the words pretty well. Then I also played a hymn for the bishop to sing and he sounded really nice as well. There were other musical numbers and they all did a great job. It was a really nice way to celebrate Easter and the resurrection of the Savior. 

I took a little nap and now am just reading/wasting time as I wait for dinner to finish cooking. We will have family dinner next week but I’m making a nice dinner today. Pork roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, and rolls. And I made a chocolate raspberry torte for dessert. Luckily, all of it freezes so I can enjoy leftovers later. 

My Library

I think my library is finally at its endgame. There will probably be tweaks to the plants and random things on the shelves in the future, but I think it's set up exactly the way I want it and has all the shelves it is going to get. My last piece came in the mail today and it's a painted sign that says Library. I got it from a shop on Etsy and I love it. LOL I had a gap on the wall and needed to fill it and now it's perfect.

Don't mind the snow outside. It's coming down like...well I don't even know. It's been snowing since sometime last night and hasn't stopped. I'm guessing another 6-8 inches where it's laying. It's pretty wet. 

Look at that empty shelf space, though. :) Plus, a couple stacks are being purged, I just haven't done it yet. 

I've got a picture of Anne and Diana, a quote from Jane Austen (both also from Etsy), and JW Waterhouse's The Lady of Shalott on my walls. All literary references. A comfy chair and foot rest. Minky blanket. Plants. I especially love the teacup plants I have scattered about. Yeah, I'm pretty happy with it. I foresee some happy evenings spent there in the future. 

Where are you Spring?

Ah Spring! How we love you. I'm sorry for all the allergy sufferers out there. I don't know if this weather pattern makes it better or worse. My biggest annoyance with spring is the little bugs that try and come in my house. Haven't had that yet this year. I guess that's one good thing. 

Yesterday, I woke up to basically a blizzard outside. Once it stopped snowing, it was kind of a nice, wet  day. My nephew had spent the night so we could keep watching Attack on Titan and we waited until the roads were cleared before I sent him home. So we got the entire of season 1 finished. 

Then this morning I woke up to another 5 inches or so. I decided today was a good day to work from home. And maybe file my taxes. 

The current view outside my window. And it's still coming down. LOL I'm wondering who prayed the reservoirs would fill up in just one winter? And yet, it's still quite pretty. It truly hasn't gotten warm or dry enough for most signs of spring to show up. Maybe next week? I have a few days off so it would be nice to have a tiny bit of sunshine. Just saying.