Manti Temple Open House

One of the main reasons we chose to stay at Palisade State Park is so that we would be close to the Manti Temple.  It has been undergoing refurbishments and now that they are complete the temple is open for the public to tour (anyone can go in) before it is dedicated again.  My sisters and I (and our aunt Mary who lives in Manti) were able to go through it on Saturday.  The Salt Lake Temple is iconic but my favorite has always been Manti because my maternal grandparents lived in Sanpete County so I spent a lot of time there.  My grandfather did sealings in this temple and we always attended the pageant on the grounds in the summer.  This temple was built by the pioneers who settled in the Sanpete Valley and it opened in 1888.  I was most impressed with all of the 19th century furniture, art work, and chandeliers (which looked like they might have originally featured gas with hand blown glass shades).  The interior is very beautiful and is definitely worth seeing.

Note:  The open house was very disorganized.  We had reservations and we still had to wait close to two hours outside in the rain (the ushers informed us that our wait was nothing compared to other days).

Spring Camping Trip at Palisade State Park

Both of my sisters and I went on a quick camping trip last weekend (along with everyone else on spring break) at Palisade State Park.  We have stayed here before in my sister's trailer but this time we stayed in a cabin which was really nice.  It included sleeping for eight, a nice bathroom with a shower, a kitchen with a fridge and a microwave (no stove), and a seating area.  We had so much fun!  We got there Friday afternoon and found a great diner near us with the best burgers and fries for dinner.  We made a fire for s'mores (even though it was a bit cold) and we watched lots of movies late into the night.  We had plans on Saturday (including dinner with our aunt) and then made another fire and watched more movies.  We slept in late Sunday morning and then packed up to come home in the afternoon.  We liked staying in the cabin so much we are planning to come back this summer!

I am so happy that my sisters and I are close and that we enjoy spending time with each other!

Tashena's Bridal Shower

Yesterday afternoon my sister Marilyn and I hosted a bridal shower for our niece Tashena.  The theme was Around the Clock and every guest was assigned a specific time of day in order to bring a gift that could be used at that time.  The invitations featured gold and silver clocks and so our decorations were gold and silver and we has cute clocks as cupcake toppers.  This theme was really fun because the gifts were so unique, such as the ingredients to make brunch, cooking items (a cock pot, an instant pot, and a wok) to make dinner, games to play in the afternoon, etc.  We served chicken salad sandwiches on croissants, fruit cups, punch, and chocolate cupcakes.  We only played one game (it is called bride babble), but it got everyone laughing out loud, and then Tashena opened her presents.  It was really great to see so many of Tashena's family members and friends come and support her!  Marilyn and I weren't sure if we could pull this off (huge thanks to Trent, Kristine, and Sean, especially during the balloon arch incident) but Tashena was happy and everyone seemed to have a good time so we are calling it a success!

Next up is the wedding in Washington state in May.

Antelope Island Camping Trip

Kristine, Trent, Marilyn, and I went on a winter camping trip to Antelope Island State Park for the past few days and we stayed in one of their new cabins.  They were really nice with a living room area, kitchen area, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a large loft area.  There was a large porch, a covered picnic table with a fire pit, and views of the Great Salt Lake.

The sunsets were spectacular!

We explored the island during the day and, because it has been so mild, the bison were roaming instead of being corralled like they usually are in the winter.  I got really close to a group of them (which made my sister mad).

More views of the lake.

My family spent lots of time by the fire pit, which is usually my favorite part of camping, but I didn't last very long because I didn't bring a warm enough coat and it got really cold.  I went inside and read my book during the afternoon.

Every night we stayed up late playing Shanghai Rummy!

It was a fun and relaxing trip!

Christmas 2023

Christmas was really lovely this year!  I was so happy that both Sean and Tashena were home and that we could spend the day together!  We woke up early to open presents with the traditional breakfast of cinnamon rolls and orange juice.  I got some new Doc Martens boots, some of my favorite perfume (which made me very happy because I was almost out of it), and physical copies of Barbie and Oppenheimer.  We all took naps in the afternoon and then had a wonderful dinner consisting of honey baked ham, cheesy potatoes, yams, stuffing, asparagus, pomegranate salad, vegetables and dip, and rolls.  After dinner we took a poinsettia to my parents' grave and then played Shanghai Rummy while eating dessert and treats.  We worried that Tashena's fiance Tucker would get overwhelmed with how crazy we get when we play cards but he ended up winning!

I hope that you had a wonderful holiday with the people you love! 

Gingerbread Houses 2023

Last night we had our traditional gingerbread house party!  Tucker joined us for the first time and he fit in really well with the craziness!

This year we got kits for a gingerbread village and the little houses were so cute.  We were all able to make several of them and Trent even joined it!

We had so much fun!

Our gingerbread village!

Thanksgiving 2023

I spent Thanksgiving with my family (Sean came home from college but we were missing Tashena and her fiance Tucker who live in Washington) and it was a wonderful day.  We had a somewhat non-traditional dinner because we had ham instead of turkey but we did have all of the other side dishes including potatoes, yams, stuffing, asparagus, pomegranate salad (a family favorite), a relish tray, and rolls.  Everything was delicious!  In the evening we had pie and lots of other treats (my sisters are very good bakers) and then we played Shanghai rummy (an absolutely crazy card game that really gets going).  I am so grateful for my family and that I am able to spend so much time with them.  I hope that you had a happy Thanksgiving with the people you love!

Fourth of July at the Property

I joined my sister Kristine and my brother-in-law Trent at the property for the long Fourth of July weekend and it was an amazing trip!  I love staying at the property and it was so nice to have several days to relax this time!

When we got to the property we drove around to all of our favorite places nearby (my favorite is this formation that looks like the face of a Native American chief).  Then we came back and grilled brats and sat by the fire.

The next morning we took a day trip to Moon Lake on the back end of the Uinta Mountains.  It was a bit overcast but it was beautiful (I made a reservation to stay in one of the cabins in August).

Ebony was living her best life fetching the world's biggest stick from the lake (we brought it with us when we left and she played with it later that night).

On our way to Rock Creek we saw the Upper Stillwater Dam (the water is at historic levels!).

We had a picnic at a site in the Rock Creek campground at it was so beautiful (it started raining as soon as we finished).

When we came back to the property we barbecued burgers and I made a flag cake (I make it every year even when I am camping!).  After dinner we built another epic fire and sat outside until really late.  It was such a perfect evening because it was cool and overcast but only rained for a few minutes after we went to bed!  It was the best trip!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday with family and friends!