Fall and Football

Yesterday was the first day of October (which is definitely my favorite month) and it was a perfect fall day!  The temperature was brisk, the sky was blue, and there was a smell of decomposing leaves in the air.  What better way to celebrate fall than by watching a football game?  Sean's team played the Grantsville Cowboys (they played in Grantsville which is an hour away so I had to get up even earlier) and they have the best record in the league.  They were expecting a shutout against the Braves but the Braves had other plans!  Sean (and the team) played so well!  He played both offense and defense and I think he was on the sideline for about two minutes!  He is getting so good at football, more aggressive and more confident!  I just love watching him play; in fact, it is becoming the highlight of my week.  Yesterday was definitely the highlight of a difficult week!  Here are some pictures of the action.

Note:  Do you love fall as much as I do?  Here are two of my favorite fall posts:  Fall Fun for the Locals and Five Fall Drives Near SLC.  Check them out!

Jersey Boys in Las Vegas

Ever since I saw the Midtown Men (the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys) perform at Abravanel Hall last spring, I have wanted to see Jersey Boys again!  I decided to see the Las Vegas production while I was in Southern Utah over fall break (Las Vegas is about two hours south of St. George) and, once again, I absolutely loved it!  I am fairly certain that I was one of the youngest people in the audience but I knew every single word to every single song and there were many times when I had to stop myself from singing out loud!  The musical tells the true story of how Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons became rock and roll legends from the perspectives of each of the four members. All of the main actors, Graham Fenton as Frankie Valli, Jason Kappus as Bob Gaudio, Jason Martinez as Nick Massi, and Daniel Robert Sullivan as Tommy Devito, are incredible performers who sing and dance just like the Four Seasons.  I loved all of the great music, especially when they performed "Sherry Baby" on American Bandstand, "Dawn (Go Away)" on The Ed Sullivan Show, and "Rag Doll" at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  The staging is incredibly clever.  They would often begin singing a song around a piano then move set pieces to depict recording the song and then they would put on jackets to perform the song on TV or on stage.  As the cameras filmed them, the footage would be projected on screens which I also thought was really clever.  There were three actresses who played multiple parts simply by changing costumes and wigs.  It was all incredibly seamless.  It is a very entertaining show to watch, although there is quite a bit of profanity, and I had such a great time.  After the bows, the cast came out once again to sing "December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)" and the entire crowd danced in the aisles!  It was so much fun and definitely worth the drive to Las Vegas!

Note:  Jersey Boys is performed at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.  It made me wish that I was really in my favorite city!

Zion National Park 2015

Over fall break I took a quick trip to Southern Utah.  Zion National Park is one of my very favorite places on Earth and it had been more than a year and a half since I had been there last.  That was much too long!  There is something about those red rocks that just calls to me and I spent a lovely day wandering around.  It was incredibly peaceful even though it was quite crowded and I needed a bit of peace after a crazy couple of months!

Alpine Loop

Last week, when I had two days off, all I wanted to do was read and nap.  Now, when I have sophomore essays and Beowulf tests to grade, all I want to do is go to the mountains!  In this particular tug-of-war, the mountains won so yesterday I drove out of the city to American Fork Canyon for one of my very favorite fall drives.  I think it was a good decision!

This lovely drive along the Alpine Loop was just what I needed to recharge my batteries.  The sky was a perfect cerulean blue, the temperature was brisk, and the smell of decomposing leaves was nearly intoxicating.  Much of the foliage was gone but there was just enough to make me happy as I drove the switchbacks with the windows down listening to Eddie Vedder.  Is there anything better?  I love being in the mountains and I love living in Utah, where I can be in any number of mountains in less than 30 minutes whenever I have a bad day!  I need to do this more often!  Essays can wait a few days.

Fall Fun For The Locals

I just love the fall!  The leaves are beautiful, the air is crisp, the fall flavors are delicious, and there are so many fun activities this time of year.  Here are some of my recommendations if you live in the SLC area.

Witch Fest at Gardner Village

Gardner Village has a wonderful display of witches from September 12 through October 31 but there are also some really fun events such as Breakfast with a Witch, Witchapalooza Dinner Theatre, and the ever popular Witches Night Out.  Go here for more details.

Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point

Cornbelly's is an amazing fall festival at Thanksgiving Point with lots of fun activities for the kids, including games, rides, face painting, a spook alley, a corn maze, a pumpkin patch, and a hay ride.  It runs from October 3 through November 1.  Go here for more information.

 Pumpkin Days & Festival of Scarecrows at Wheeler Farm

Wheeler Historic Farm has a really fun fall festival called Pumpkin Days which runs from Sept. 26 to Oct. 31.  There is a hay maze, a pumpkin patch, and a hay ride.  You can also make a scarecrow (Tashena named hers Toby) for fun prizes.  The scarecrows will be on display throughout Pumpkin Days.  Go here and here for more information.

Schmidt's Pumpkin Patch

There are a lot of pumpkin patches out there but Marilyn and I always take the kiddos to Schmidt's.  It is located in West Jordan at 9000 S. and 3400 W.  Try not to wait until the last Saturday before Halloween (like we did last year) because it is kill or be killed gets really crowded.  Schmidt's also has a really great Farmer's Market.

Crazy Corn Maze

Again, there are a lot of corn mazes out there but I really like the Crazy Corn Maze.  I usually go through it every year with or without Sean and Tashena.  My friend Tony and I once got so lost inside we paid an attendant $5.00 to get us out!  Last year Marilyn and I followed Sean and he had us out in about twenty minutes!  Go here for more information.

Frightmares at Lagoon

Lagoon, our local amusement park, is a great place to go in the fall for Frightmares!  The park is decorated for Halloween and there are a lot of fun activities, spook alleys, hay mazes, and Halloween-themed entertainment.  Lagoon-A-Beach isn't open but all of the other rides operate and I think Lagoon is a lot more fun when the temperatures are a little bit cooler!  Marilyn and I take Sean and Tashena every year and we shut the park down!  Frightmares is open from September 19 to October 30.  Go here for more information.

Note:  Obviously there are a lot of haunted houses in the SLC area.  I had a really bad experience at one when I was in high school so I don't like to go to them!  If Tashena wants to go to one, Marilyn will have to take her!