Snowbird Tram- Customer Appreciation Day

Snowbird Ski Resort does a fantastic Customer Appreciation event. The first two weekends of this November, you could donate a can of food and receive a free tram pass.

So we took the opportunity and seized the day. We had a relaxing morning of pancakes and reading. We slowly got ready for the day and headed up for the cold. By cold, I mean 34 degrees cold.

Jade and Ivy were lucky and they got to be up at the front of the tram. The poor woman behind us was struggling with a fear of heights, so my kind husband pointed out whenever we were over a significant drop off. My girls didn't get nervous, but she did. It's amazing how high the tram is, you are looking down on the chairlifts and they look so little. But it was beautiful. Unfortunately there wasn't much snow. I can't imagine them really being able to open for Thanksgiving.

Scott and Josh went 4-wheeling along the road to Provo. Jade was looking so adorable by the sign that I had to capture it.

We got some fun pictures of the family with the beautiful view behind us.

Santaquin's Family Tree Restaurant

I'm wishing now I would have taken a picture of this little restaurant on Main Street in Santaquin. I've been searching the web for a picture of this restaurant but have had no luck. Just a number of reviews and listings of its location and phone number.

Anyway, after a great day at the Sand Dunes, the group wanted to go to dinner in Santaquin. If you have never driven through Santaquin, you aren't missing much, it's a very small town. Now, after having eaten at the Family Tree, I recommend you make a stop there for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Or if you just need a snack- their scones are a meal by themselves and VERY delicious.

Everyone raved about their meals and plates were all but licked clean. The servings are huge!

Many enjoyed the manager's grandmother's fresh baked Chocolate Cake. The rest of us indulged on their fresh caramel popcorn balls.

The atmosphere is just what you would expect at a little family run business. Old family pictures hanging on all of the walls, a banquet room in the back with long tables and pictures of brides and graduating classes as decoration. The restaurant was full of happy people filling their bellies with homemade rolls and roast beef.

When we got home, I told my mom that we stopped and ate in Santaquin. She immediately said, "At the Family Tree?" Apparently, she and my dad stop there anytime they are in Santaquin. (Why would they be in Santaquin? When my dad was a football coach at Lehi, they would travel to Santaquin for games. Lehi and Santaquin are no longer the same sized schools).

Go give it a try...

77 W Main St

Santaquin, UT 84655-7083

(801) 754-3499

Oh goodness- what am I doing?

Every once in a while, I get a bug. That bug is a workout bug. It makes me feel motivated and anxious to do things that will make me feel stronger, healthier, and happier.

I have the bug.

Recently, I started swimming in the mornings with Melissa. I'm really lucky to have Melissa willing to workout with me. She does marathons and triathlons and is a member of training clubs. She and I used to work out together back before I married Scott. We'd work out several evenings a week after work, we'd do yoga on Saturdays and shared a personal trainer. Over the past 8 years, she's continued to workout while I haven't.

Each time we go swimming, Melissa has a workout plan for us and we've increased our distance and lengthened our training time over the past three weeks.

As of last Monday, I'm now doing Stott Pilates as well. Once or twice a week I'll go and do an hour of the reformer and possibly I'll do an hour of a mat workout. My first 5 classes will be private sessions where I get to learn all about how to hold my body correctly while engaging my core.

I started doing a mat workout with a Pilates video back in 1994 when my friend, Camille, introduced me to it. During the same time, my aunt and uncle started doing Pilates with Jim. (Jim was a personal trainer I worked out with back in the late 80's who became certified in Classical Pilates). There are only a few (maybe 4) people that are certified in Classical Pilates in all of Utah. Classical is very strict.

Since Joseph Pilates' copyright expired in the early nineties, Stott Pilates entered the scene. Stott allows for some modifications of exercises and with Stott, you hold your body a little differently. I really really liked the way I felt during and after Stott Pilates. So much so, I looked into getting certified. I won't be- it's a lot of money and a lot of time. Instead, I'll just keep going to Aspire Pilates.

If Riverton isn't far for you to travel, I highly recommend you give it a try.

Smart Cookie...

Apparently I am a sucker for a good cookie. A dear friend of mine introduced me to Smart Cookies. I'm in love.

The other day I took the girls and Miss Kim to top off our pizza with a sweet treat. The girls both got ice cream and we loaded up on different cookies. The sugar cookies are soft and yummy. There are several different frosting flavors that are all really good. I love that you are not limited to sugar cookies- they have a wonderful selection of milk chocolate chip cookies and semi sweet chocolate cookies with toffee bits, with oatmeal, with nuts -- so many yummy choices.

The girls loved the decor and spent the whole time trying to guess who was in the photographs on the wall. Smart Jade even knew who Amelia Earhart was.

Blue Lemon- Yum!

Melissa and I ventured out and tried the Blue Lemon in Highland. First impressions were very good. The decor was very fun and very beautiful. Then we looked at the menu and it was so enticing- there were so many amazing looking choices. We narrowed it down to the Chelle’s Famous Vegetable Lasagna and Blue Lemon Portobello Burger with Sweet Potato Fries on the side. We wanted to try the soups but knew that we had more than enough food, so we just sampled the Tomato Bisque and the Butternut Squash. Oh my goodness, the Butternut Squash was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Everything about the meal was fantastic. I would really recommend going to the Blue Lemon for a wonderful meal.

After the meal we walked over to the Bistro and enjoyed a cupcake and an eclair. The treats were fine, but not my favorite. But, their specialty drinks looked wonderful and next time I'll finish my meal with one of those instead of a baked good.

Haunted Train Ride...

In preparation for Halloween we went on the Heber Creepers Haunted Canyon. The weather was great and almost everyone had a great time. Jade and Ivy loved everything about the ride. They loved the ghosts, the ghouls and the werewolves. Harrison raved about the characters and Luke covered his eyes the whole time.

It was fun hearing all of the stories about the haunted canyon. Some of them were more believable than others, but all were fun.

My only complaint is that it only lasted 35 minutes round trip.

BYU Campus for a day...

Scott and I had bronchitis. Neither of us were feeling very well, so my parents were kind enough to take the girls for the day. They went and had a blast playing at BYU.

First they played at the Bean Museum- a famliy favorite. Grandma held a snake, Luke wore a shell and Jade kept herself busy doing the scavenger hunt.

After going to the Bean Museum, they walked up to the bells and had fun getting their hair stuck to the wall. Jade's did it the best and Luke required a little help from the rest of the kids. (note the small picture on the top left corner).

What better way to finish up a visit to BYU, than the Creamery on 9th. BYU really has some of the best ice cream and the price is right. The kids were very creative in their demonstration of how to eat ice cream.

Thanksgiving Point- Children's Garden

On Labor day we had gone through the Thanksgiving Point Discovery Gardens before going into the Luau. Ivy really loved it and was eager to go back. A couple of days later she asked Miss Kim to take her. As Ivy and Jade are both "list makers," Ivy created a list of things to see and she wanted to take her sketch book with her. In addition to the notebooks, she also took the camera. (I do love that my passion for photography as been passed on to my girls). The bottom two pictures were taken by Ivy. She's actually got a pretty good eye.

Labor Day - Part 2

To finish off our Labor Day celebrations, my folks took all of us to Thanksgiving Point for their Labor Day Luau. Did you know that they do a Luau? It is really great and very well done. First they have a buffet of some really yummy food. The girls ate really well, of course Ivy loved the watermelon and Jade loved the meat. They both ate a ton.

After dinner we wondered around a bit and then there was a show put on by UVU's Legacy. It was very fun to watch. Jade loved it and was copying the dancers in her seat. Unfortunately we couldn't stay til the end, so Jade was crushed. We're on a quest to find when they are performing next so that she can see the whole show.

It was all wonderful, I have to be honest. As much as we enjoyed it and as great as it was- there were some definite items that could use some improvement.

1. The line was so long for the food but it moved very quickly. Unfortunately, they did not have enough drink stations or enough juice. We were not close to the end of the line, and all that was left was water.

2. The show was advertised as starting at 7:00 and that it would be an hour show. They were a half an hour late starting, and when we left at 8:30, they were referring to the second half of the show.

3. It didn't seem like the performers had run the show with the music and lights before. There were cut-offs mid song and delays.

4. The traffic guys were sending us through residential neighborhoods to get back to the freeway. There has to be an easier way to leave the Thanksgiving Point Amphitheater.

Overall, it was a wonderful night and a very fun day.

Thanks mom and dad for taking us, it was great.

Flour Girls and Dough Boys

Melissa and I enjoy going to lunch. We enjoy trying new places. We feel that we are able to be pretty good critics- because we are both pretty good cooks and we both REALLY enjoy good food.

For lunch we went to Flour Girl and Dough Boy. It was really good and we will go back.

We both had the "Blueberry Apple Salad" and I had it with almonds instead of the pecans and the "Creamy Tomato Basil Soup." Both were wonderful. In fact, the soup is probably the best tomato basil soup I've had. It's very chunky with fresh tomatoes.

As for the treats- we had the molasses cookie, chocolate chip shortbread cookie, cream cheese brownie and the pumpkin chocolate chip bar. The cookies were only so-so. Melissa's malaskas are much better but the chocolate chip shortbread was really pretty good. The cream cheese brownie, Melissa liked it, it was a little too dark and rich for me and we both though it could have used more cream cheese frosting. The best treat was the pumpkin bar, even my girls liked my left overs.

Definitely go and check it out. You'll be glad you did.

35 N. Barratt Ave
(150 W just off Main St.)
American Fork, UT 84003

801-763-9232 phone
801-763-9237 fax
flourgirlsdoughboys.com

The Purple Turtle

When I was little, my dad played softball with a team called the "Docs" and every time they played we'd go to the Purple Turtle on the way home. I'd always get a sherbet.

On Saturday, Jade was having a few discipline challenges- it happens, because she is six. She agreed to be really good all day, if we would reward her with Purple Turtle. So that is what we did. She was great, so we invited the Dodges to join us.

As we drove past the old rodeo grounds and baseball diamonds, (missed driving directly by it because of road construction), I pointed it out and shared some family history with my family. Although Scott isn't one to play in a local softball league, it's fun to share memories of my dad.

By the way, the food is still just as good. The kids loved their rootbeer freezes and Scott enjoyed his blackberry cheesecake shake. They've added really yummy sweet potato fries to their menu and I really liked mine.

Charlie's BBQ

We've been wanting to experience some of the great Lehi local flare. So, when Scott's parents and his sister told us they were going to Charlie's on main for BBQ, we we happy to join them. We got there before them, and it was really yummy. It was more expensive than we are used to spending on a lunch, but the girls did a great job of eating the sandwiches. The coleslaw wasn't Kentucky Fried Chicken's coleslaw, but it was great on the pulled pork sandwich.

I only had a film camera with me, so I didn't take a bunch of pictures. So here are the few to document the day.

The day in Park City

Before Tom and Anne headed back to Malibu with the kids, I took a day off and we played at the Park City Mountain Resort. We had our choice between Park City or Lagoon. I am SO glad we went to the mountains. Everyone had a blast, got sunburned and tried something new.

We did the all day pass, so we had unlimited rides on the Alpine Slide, the Alpine Coaster, the Zip Line, the trampoline, the rock wall, the miniature golf, the kiddie rides and the maze. I would love to make the resort an annual tradition. (We went last year with my work and loved it then too, but it was chilly then and Ivy was too young to do much).

On the lift we saw cute kids and a hawk.

On the ground we watched kids (Jade) climb to the top and hit the button that didn't work. I even raced her to the top, once.

On the mountain, we challenged each other to the fastest rides down the alpine slide. I knew I'd lose since I stopped to snap some pictures with my broken point and shoot.

Grandma was nearly thrown from the coaster as her seat belt loosened going around a corner and everyone else pushed on the levers to go as fast as they possibly could.

From the tree tops, the older and heavier family members floated to the base of the mountain with surprising speed. After our first time down, we found out that to go faster you need to tuck into as small of a ball as you possibly can. We tried it and boy do you zoom through the trees at a scary speed.

If you need an activity to end your summer with, this is the one to do. It isn't cheap, but if you get the all day pass, you really get to enjoy your day more. There is nothing more annoying than using your one trip down the coaster with the expectation of racing down the mountain only to find yourself stopping at every turn because the person in front of you has a scared child with them. (Wow, that was a run on sentence!) It happens- believe me, I know. So, I was really glad I got to go again to redeem the ride.

Little Ballroom Dancers...

You all know that Jade is our little gymnast. She loves to flip, jump, bend and balance, but this past year, she has found something else that she loves. She loves to perform and dance. After her recital in May, she asked if she could be on stage more. So, this past summer, she took another jazz/ballet class and we added a ballroom class. She loved ballroom and really enjoyed doing it with Luke, her cousin.

Since she loved to perform, I asked her if she wanted to audition for the performing companies at the Vibe. They had an intensive three day workshop where she got to learn a hip hop routine, a ballroom dance and a jazz number. She worked really hard on the choreography and wanted to remember the dances. The day after the workshop, they had closed auditions. (Closed auditions mean that the parents don't get to watch). I hated that I had to drop her off and then just wait, but both girls did a great job with their auditions. They received wonderful comments from the judges and they both worked really hard.

Yesterday we got the news that Jade made all three performing companies. They are trying really hard to have all of her classes on Monday and Wednesday (she has to take 5 hours a week). Keep your fingers crossed that it works that way because gymnastics is on Tuesday and Thursday (4 hours a week). I was planning on making her choose between the two, but I think she's just too young to have to quit one of them just yet. If she's feeling overwhelmed, then we can decide which one has to go. But, for now, I'm so excited for her and can't wait to watch her grow.

The Ballerina in our house...

Every summer, we sign up for the Jacqueline's School of Ballet Summer Workshop. I really love the technique that the girls learn at that studio and would love to have the girls there during the school year but for Ivy's age it is creative movement and she's learning a lot of skills at the Vibe. That being said, their summer workshop is WONDERFUL. Each week they focus on a different ballet. The girls get to learn about the story and they do a dance telling the whole story. On the last day, Ivy got a beautiful crown. She was so proud of it and felt very much like a princess.

Here are a few pictures of Ivy. I had to be a pushy mom and move in front of some other mom's while Ivy was doing her across the floor, but since I only got to go watch one time, I justified it. The first two are through the glass and there is some reflection, but the last two, I snuck my lens through the door.

PS- Ivy made the Boogie Baby jazz company at the VIBE. She is so excited.

It's "like our restaurant"

I know I've said this before, but our girls have a favorite restaurant. It is Teppanyaki. The girls will eat everything on their plates, as well as half of what is on ours. They'll even eat the sushi.

On Saturday night, while down in St George, we went out for dinner and then went to Tuacahn for "Footloose." When we asked the girls where they wanted to eat, Ivy said that she wanted to go to "our restaurant." There isn't one in St George, but there is a place very similar. It is Samurai 21 and it is very good. The chef was wonderful and really catered to the kids. He had Jade catch an egg and he had the train whistle.

If you are down in the area, check them out. You'll be glad you did. Our girls were. In fact, Ivy said that it was "like our restaurant but it looked different." Unlike our Teppanyaki, they had beautiful decor and ambiance.