Summer Vacation

We are at the end of our annual summer trip to visit family and friends in Utah. Looking back, we made some great memories with family and friends from Washington, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Texas and New York. Highlights include Lagoon amusement park, small town 4th of July celebration, Hobble Creek Canyon family reunion (including Maren's death-defying bungee jump) and the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. Below are some pictures from some of these fun moments.

Lagoon Amusement Park: Nathan made sure Brian was soaked from water guns on this ride.

Caroline enjoyed resting in the shade with Grandpa B.

.

Maren's favorite rides were the swings and Tidal Wave--a big pirate ship that swung side-to-side. Nathan took his first ride on a "real" roller coaster. He liked "The White Roller coaster"--the park's original wooden roller coaster--so much he immediately hopped into the line again for another try.

4th of July in Fillmore: This small-town parade was complete with large farm equipment, riding lawnmower races, lots of American Flags, plenty of salt water taffy and Otter Pops! After the parade, booths at the city park offered Navajo Tacos, lip-syncing to Taylor Swift/Miley Cyrus, and goldfish racing. That night we enjoyed lying down on blankets at the Little League baseball field and watching a first-class fireworks show while waving our Glow Sticks.

Christine and kids enjoyed the parade from the shade of Grandma T's green pickup truck.

After the parade, the Christensen Family offered our gang a ride in their parade wagon pulled by large Clydesdale horses.

.

Family reunion at Hobble Creek Canyon: Hobble Creek Canyon was gorgeous! Large grassy fields, fish ponds, a zip line for kids, a bowling ball cannon (yes, it shoots bowling balls) and great food made for a wonderful evening. Thanks to the Pope family for allowing us to enjoy their property.

Nathan proudly showing the trout he caught with the help of Uncle Matt.

Brian being strapped in to the Bungee Jump (or shall we say "sling"). Bungee cords were attached to two large telephone poles on either side. The "rider" straps on a harness and clips himself/herself on to the bungee cord. The black straps behind the rider are then attached to a four-wheeler. The four-wheeler then pulls the rider back 25+ yards, releases the straps, and the rider is flung through air, over a creek and toward a mountainside. A pretty thrilling ride.

Here's when it becomes interesting. Petite Maren decides that she wants to taste the adrenaline. In retrospect, the laws of physics should have screamed to us that the speed of a 7-year-old would far exceed that of her 210-pound father. Oh well. Once she is harnessed, Maren is strapped to the four-wheeler and slooooowly pulled back...

Whoosh! When the straps are released, Maren looks like she has been shot out of a cannon. Rather than moving horizontally across the creek, she shoots nearly straight up. Here is a picture of her bouncing back from the apex of her jump.

Much to Maren's (and Christine's) relief, she finally stops. One more problem...since she is so light, we can't use the normal length of rope to pull her back down to the ground. The rope is too short. Someone comes up with the ingenious idea of tying a can of rubber cement (acting as the weight) to some twine, which is then attached to the rope. About 15 minutes later, after several attempts to hurl the rubber cement can/twine/rope over the bungee cord, we succeed. We pull the rope down and bring Maren back to Mother Earth. After her first attempt at space travel, Maren remarks, "I don't think I'll try that again until I'm an adult."

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Dedication: On a more peaceful note, we had the opportunity to take our children through the open house of the newly constructed LDS Oquirrh Mountain Temple. This temple is named for the Oquirrh Mountain range, which is located nearby. "Oquirrh" is a Ute Indian word translated as "The Shining Mountains" or "Glowing". Because children are not typically able to enter temples after they are dedicated, we enjoyed showing Nathan and Maren the different rooms and explaining the purpose behind temple worship. This family experience was especially meaningful because we talked about the importance of our marriage in a temple and how that marriage ensures that we will live together with Sarah, as a family, after we die. To learn more about temples, follow this link: LDS Temples.

Our family enjoying the view of the temple grounds.

Maren sitting in front of the granite fountain located near the temple entrance.

Nathan and his cousin Max enjoy some time together after touring the temple.

Caroline enjoys looking at the beautiful flowers on the temple grounds.

Our trip to Utah was the highlight of our summer. We will miss cool evenings, pleasant morning walks, time with family, and the beauties of our Rocky Mountain home. Rascal will miss the soft Kentucky Bluegrass, many children to play with and most of all the "Salty Mountain." Thank you, family, for the wonderful time spent in Utah!