Bear Lake with Amber's Family

Nothing like being in the sun and having fun with the family. For the end of the summer activity with Amber's family we decided to make a trip up to Bear Lake for the day. Amber's family prefers the north sandy beach area of the lake so we headed to Idaho for the day. We arrived there around 10 AM and it was a little brisk, but that did not deter us from setting up our little area for a day of fun. After getting the canopy up and the camp chairs out we were ready for the day's activity of playing in the water and sand. However, before Dave was able to set foot into the water Amber wanted a picture of us both to capture the moment. There was a mount of sand that someone else had gathered up that looked like a nice spot for our "photogenic" spot. So here is the two of us with Amber's black floppy hat, and of course Amber always needs the kissing picture... at least I know she is still in love with me :)

Since it was a family event we needed to get a few snap shots with Mom and Dad, siblings and sibling-in-laws... and of course of our cute little niece who Amber endearingly calls her her "mini me". 

 Of course Dave found some way to be a goof. Here he is surfing the Bear Lake's beached turtle. But after a quick snap shot he was off to the water to play Frisbee with the rest.

 Our niece had a great time with Amber playing in the sand. She was so cute with her little Too-Too swimsuit. She did not like touching the sand but she had fun watching Amber build her sand castles.

 Dave decided to turn the mound of sand into a volcano with a mote dug around it. Too bad we did not have any Mentos and Diet Coke to make an eruption :)

It was a fun day with the family. By the end of the day some of the family looked like red little crabs and others were only slightly pink, but we all had smiles on our faces. We finished it off by going to a Mexican restaurant in Logan and further enjoying each other's company. As always, it is always great to be out with family.

Pioneer Day

This year we celebrated the 24th of July by going to the Spanish Fork Rodeo.  It was our second time going to the rodeo down here and we will definitely be attending for many years to come.  Watching the bronco and bull riding was so much fun.  Those guys are crazy to climb onto the backs of those animals! My Mom is from Idaho so I have a bit of country in my blood, it definitely comes out when we go to the rodeo.  I get kind of excited ha ha.  One of our favorite parts of the evening was watching the muttin bustin.  It is so funny to watch those kids hang on for dear life.  The sheep were doing summersaults to try and get them off, I have never seen a sheep do that before!  After the rodeo they had a really good fireworks show, it was the perfect way to celebrate Pioneer Day! 

Dave's Mom came with us and it was so great to have her down.  Before going to the rodeo we went to Casa Salza for some Nachos (which we are totally addicted to) and after the rodeo Dave's Mom stayed the night with us.  We are so glad she could come down and spend the weekend with us!

Eight Year Wedding Anniversary

We had such a fun Anniversary this year!  To start off our evening we went to dinner at Carrabba's.  It is one of our favorite Italian restaurants.  The funny thing is we don't go for pasta, their chicken is amazing.  Dave always gets the Chicken Bryan and I get the Pollo Maria Rosa.  I really can't tell you how good it is!

After going to dinner, Dave surprised me by stopping at Leatherby's in Taylorsville to get some ice cream.  Leatherby's is one of my most favorite places.  Their ice cream is the best!  I used to go there with my family when I was a kid, it was a special treat for us.  Sometimes we would go for family home evening.  Every time I go there it makes me so happy, nostalgia I guess.  Anyway, I usually get the Tracy's Peanut Butter Cup sundae.  It is so good!  So glad Dave spoiled me and took me there.

After stopping for ice cream we went to see "The Little Mermaid" at the Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley.  We love to go see shows here!  "The Little Mermaid" was probably my favorite Disney show growing up so it was amazing to see it on stage.  I think my favorite part was when they performed "Under the Sea".  They had aerialists hanging from the ceiling performing and the actor who played Sebastian was fantastic!  It was such a good time!  I totally want to go see it again.  So yeah, pretty much a day filled with a few of my favorite things, Dave being one of them.  The last eight years have been amazing and I am so glad I get to spend eternity with my best friend!  He always makes me laugh and is the most serving husband there is.  I am one lucky girl!

Amber's Birthday

I had so much fun for my birthday this year!  It was a big one so I wanted to make it memorable :)  We met my best friend and her family at Liberty Park in Salt Lake for a picnic.  It had been such a long time since I've been there!  So many good memories.  We sat over by the pond and ate and watched people go by on the paddle boats.  After, we went to the splash pad and watched the kids play.  When we were finished there we went to Tracy Aviary.  I had never been before so I wanted to check it out.  It was actually really fun.  My favorite birds were the owls.  They are so cute, and one of them totally winked at me! 

Dave let me be the owl cause they are my fav.  London did not want to look at the camera ha ha

Lindsey and her family.

So glad I got to celebrate with Lindsey.  We have so much fun together and I don't know what I would do without her!

After seeing the birds we went to dinner at The Pie in Salt Lake.  I love going there and it had been such a long time (like, since college!)  Their pizza is the best!

The next day, on my actual birthday, my family came over to have dinner and birthday cake with us.  My Mom brought german chocolate cake, which is my all time favorite.  I'm so lucky to have my family, and nothing would be a celebration without my amazing husband.  I love him more than words can say.  I'm so grateful for all of the wonderful people in my life and that I got to celebrate my birthday with many of them.   

Dave's Birthday

Ah man I turned 32 years old. Actually, it was a great day. I got to spend the day with Amber out in the sun. She took in some sun while I was fishing, which she enjoys (not the fish but the sun). After getting skunked at the reservoir we decided to go and hit a bucket of balls at the driving range. We should have taken a picture of Amber since it has been nearly a decade since she has swung a golf club.

 After all the fun in the sun we met up with my twin brother and his girlfriend for dinner. It was kind of funny because the first place we went to was closed due to "maintenance" (I think we dodged a bullet on that one). The next place we called up and they said they were open. When we arrived they were actually open but were hosting a private dinner. So another swing and a miss. My brother then recommended going to another restaurant but upon arriving he realized it wasn't the restaurant he was hoping for... so we struck out. After that we finally found a place to eat. We found a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant. It was a fun experience and the food turned out well. All in all, it was a fun birthday. Also, Amber got me a cheese making kit since I like to cook and this was something I was looking at getting for some while now.

Grandma Hatch's 80th Birthday

Dave and I were able to go and celebrate my Grandma's 80th birthday with her.  We had so much fun.  Most of my Mom's side of the family were there so we had a great time catching up with cousins we have not seen in a while.  We had a big potluck lunch and then we sang Primary songs.  My Grandma loves music.  My Grandpa also stood up and sang a song especially for my Grandma.  It was the cutest thing ever.  Then my cousins showed a slide show of family photos that they had put together.  My Grandma loved it.  My favorite part was when my Aunt shared some fun facts about my Grandma.  She had asked my Grandma questions without her realizing that her answers were going to be shared at her birthday party.  It was so fun to hear some of the things that she said.  My Grandma said the job she always wanted was to be a soda jerk.  She also has a prankster side to her.  She loves to toilet paper peoples homes.  She even takes her Grandchildren out to show them how it is done.  And then like a proper Grandma she cleans up the mess and gives the toilet paper to the person whose house she got.  She makes me laugh.  It was so fun to be with her.  I love my family!

Bowling with Friends

A few weeks ago we went on a double date with our friends Jason and Beth.  We had so much fun!  It was an incredibly rainy night, so it was a good thing we chose an indoor activity.  We went to Bam Bams BBQ for dinner.  Dave was the only one who had been their previously, so it was a new experience for the rest of us.  Their bbq was really good.  

After going to dinner, we headed over to Miracle Bowl for a couple games of bowling.  I am a terrible bowler but we had a good time.  Typically I start out pretty good but then I get progressively worse which is definitely what happened.  

Dave was having fun trying to see how fast he could get the ball rolling.  I think the quickest he got was 21 mph, so I'm surprised the pins didn't explode ;)

Dave in Dubai

Dave got the opportunity to go out to Dubai for a work trade-show. Other than the long 15 hour flight from Atlanta to Dubai and adjusting to the different time zone, it was a good experience. The flight out was a safe one because former President Jimmy Carter was on the flight (the white haired guy).

After traveling for more than a day it was a relief to see a bed… fortunately works allows for good lodging arrangements J. The room they gave me had a great view of downtown Dubai. The city was really pretty and being there you can’t but help notice there is a lot of money. My coworker made the comment that it reminded him of Las Vegas minus all of the gambling and other stuff that happens in Vegas.

After a goodnight’s rest and a pretty good breakfast we first headed off to setup the trade-show booth. Fortunately, that didn't take too long so we headed off to the world’s largest mall. Man, that place was huge and we didn't walk the whole place. The mall had a nice looking water area where at night they would have a water works show.

The mall is located near the world’s largest building which is almost 1 km tall. It was really crazy to stand next to it.

Exploring further into the mall we found the world’s largest in-door aquarium (apparently, they want everything to be LARGE lol).

Well, all of the exploring had to end. The next day we had the booth already and had one of their royal family members walking the floor with his entourage of around 20 people. He appeared to be a nice fellow.

After the first day of booth duty they had a vendors’ dinner to welcome everyone. They served us a buffet type of Middle Eastern food. It was pretty good; I’m always up to finding some new type of food to try.

The conference went well. It was interesting to speak with people from that area of the world and to get a glimpse at their customs.

For one of our dinners we were able to go to a fancy Indian restaurant (Armani/Amal) that was located on the third floor the Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building). It was fun to wind down a bit and enjoy eating outside and being able to watch the water works show that would occur every 30 minute or so. The food was really good and it was interesting to be waited on hand and foot.

After the entire trade show was finished we were invited to come along on a Safari expedition with a lady and her family that we got to know because we had neighboring booths.

The expedition was fun. They drove us out to a sand dune area where the sand was super fine.

First they unloaded us into a new Toyota Land Cruiser and took us 4-wheeling for about half an hour or so.

After that, they took us to the serving area where we had dinner and a local dance show.

While there I got to do two different things that really made the trip. The first item was to hold a falcon.

The second was to ride a camel! It was pretty awesome.

While in the entertainment area I was able to try on some of the local type of dress… I don’t think I would fit in with the culture if I wore this.

We got to eat sitting down on some pillows which was interesting but made the experience that much more enjoyable.

On our last day in Dubai and before our flight we decided to go check out the beach area quickly. The beach area was really nice and it was fun to be in a warm area in March…  also, now I can say I have been in the Indian ocean.

As everyone knows, there are a lot of expensive cars in Dubai. This wasn’t the first or last Ferrari I saw while I was out there… too bad they didn’t leave the keys in the ignition so I could take it for a quick joy ride lol.

Our last thing we decided to do was to hit the Mall of the Emirates. On the way there we passed a decently sized mosk.

While at the mall I got to see snow… who would of thought there would be snow in the Middle East? But they have a ski resort. 

One of the last things was to take a load off of my feet before we went to the airport. However, I was quickly asked to get off of the fountain shortly after this picture lol.

The trip back was a bit long. On the flight back they decided not to fly over a certain Middle Eastern country, so that added another hour to an already 15.5 hour long flight, but I survived it ;) It was an exciting and interesting trip but it is always great to be back in the USA to be with my beautiful wife. 

Girl's Night

Dave was gone for a week so I had plenty of time to get together with friends.  It was Lindsey's birthday this month so we met up for dinner at one of her favorite restaurants, Cafe Rio.  It was so great to get together.  We live an hour apart, so we don't get to see each other as often as we would like, but like all best friends, when we do get together it is like we just saw each other yesterday.  I'm so lucky to have Lindsey in my life she is the best!  We laugh and cry and commiserate and I am so glad we are friends.