Touring Merril...

Merril still goes on tour from time to time.  This week he took Japanese tourists to Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, and Route 66.  

We're just being dorks in the morning.  Love this goofy family of mine.

Broken windshield...

On SR-9 on the way home, Mark asked me to pass him a drink.  I reached behind me and looked backwards for a second and then heard BOOM!  Whatever hit my windshield left a baseball sized spider crack!  If I'd been looking forward, I might've swerved the car off the road to avoid it.  Luckily, I wasn't even watching the road for that millisecond. 

We can feel the end of the school year!!  Can you?

Surprise 40th birthday for Merril...

I'm not good at planning big parties. That being said, I wanted Merril's 40th birthday to be grand!  I planned a surprise birthday party and held it at the church.  So many lies were told to get him there and keep him away until it was time.

He said he had no idea!

We had snacks, sandwiches, and cheesecake.  Then we told "Merril stories."  Any fun, embarassing, or hilarious stories involving Merril were allowed.

I brought the banner home and tied it above the garage for a few days.

On Merril's actual birthday, he blew out candles.

This man is generous and ambitious! He does so many crazy and amazing things and I'm just amazed that he lets me tag along.  I hope he lives at least another 40 years with me!

Hiking West Temple...

Merril and Wade hiked almost all of West Temple in Zion National Park.  It was windy and there weren't any bolts to secure a harness to and Merril didn't want to get blown off the top of a mountain.  :)  So they turned around and came down.

I'm glad these two have found each other. Hee hee. They can do random things like hike mountains on a Thursday. 

I'm getting there!

I feel like I've been working on the backyard forever but the fire pit is looking so good!

Hike Hurricane 2018: Red Cliffs Recreation Area - Red Reef Trail...

We hiked the beautiful Red Reef Trail and it was super busy.

We didn't even make it all the way up to the falls but we still had fun hiking and getting exercise.

Hike Hurricane 2018: La Verkin Overlook

Okay so La Verkin Overlook isn't exactly Hurricane but you can see Hurricane from the top and so I made it count.  

We hiked with the Beatty family. Luckily no one fell off the edge! 

Look at my cute boys.

TurkEaster 2018

They are ready for Easter!  The kids had a specific color they were assigned.  They could only pick up eggs that were their color.  

Mikayla's color was pink!

I like to grab a selfie with my main squeeze every chance I get.

The outside hunt is always fun times.

Juliet seems to be the most competitive every year!

And a magnificent TurkEaster Feast!

Hike Hurricane 2018: Three Falls Hike...

I had a new year's resolution to try more local hikes.  I've heard of Three Falls but didn't even know where it was.  I found it and made everyone hike it with me. We started by following the historic canal and going through a little tunnel.

It doesn't always have water, like now, but I imagine it is crazy awesome when it does.  

The first 2 falls are right near the beginning of the hike.  The 3rd fall is a bit farther.

The 3rd fall had a little pool underneath it and just a whisper of water coming over the top. Okay it was mostly a mud pit. The kids tossed big rocks into the mud and thought the noise they made was hilarious.

Great way to exercise!

Random pictures...

Maxine's curls are stupendous!

I sang the National Anthem at Coral Canyon Elementary VERY last minute but my hair is looking awesome and my Mom bought me a new dress for my birthday.

Wrestling boys.

One of the reasons we live in this place is the beautiful skies!

Bun Burner 1500 Gold...

Merril wants to compete in the Iron Butt Rally, which is an 11-day endurance motorcycle rally.  It's expensive but you can't just pay money and enter.  You have to be selected.  Merril decided to go to an Iron Butt luncheon in Jacksonville, FL to try and secure a spot.  He rode his motorcycle to Jacksonville to earn his Bun Burner 1500 Gold and maybe impress some of the higher ups.

Wade rode a teensy bit of the way and took these nice pictures of Merril.  M had to complete 1500 miles in 36 hours or less and he did it! My bum hurts just thinking about it.

Dang!

Vegas with Maxine...

JoLyn was performing in a percussion group in Las Vegas and Jo Anna invited us all down for a mini girl's weekend.

We watched JoLyn and went to The Cheesecake Factory!

Merril took the rest of the kids to play in the snow with Wade and some of his kids. Jack said they had to hike a bunch in the snow and he had to pull the sled. It looks like they're having a good time though.