I love this time of year!

For our only weekend at home this month, we decided to get out to enjoy one of my favorite pastimes: the State Fair. We went with our good friends Carrie and Joel. Although there was no elvis show, there were a lot of cute animals,


fried food, great outfits, and hot tubs. Okay, we didn't plan on the last one, but it was such a smoking deal that we couldn't help ourselves. We've been hot-tub-less for two years and coming home from skiing is not the same without it.

The next day, Stacia and Dave had a housewarming party. Their house is amazing. The spread was better than at a wedding. There were little lamb chops, ceviche, homemade jellys, star cookies, fruit, and anything else you could possibly imagine. Of course, I didn't get pictures of any of that because I was too busy taking pictures of Beck--the cutest baby. I want to steal him!

Havasupai: Day 3

All good things must come to an end. In this case, it was not just our incredible weekend. You see, this trip was just a few weeks before Jess and Sarah moved to Germany. They are only going for two years, but they are planning on starting a family while they are there. Justin and Sil are already expecting. And Rod and I have talked about it. The whole weekend we were planning our next trip, but we all knew that next time will be different. This was truly an end of an era. It was so bittersweet.

Four hard cores headed out early to hike to the rim. The rest of us decided to spend the day playing in the waterfalls and riding the helicopter out. In the beginning we had the waterfall all to ourselves. When the sun came out enough, I decided to explore around the falls and found a way to get behind it. The sunlight behind the falls was incredible, dancing everywhere. Once we started jumping, the crowds gathered and our courage grew. Before we knew it, we moved from behind the falls to on top of them.

Justin was nice enough to run ahead and put our names on the waiting list for the helicopter. What little time we had to wait, we spent eating indian fry bread in the cafe and getting ice cream sandwiches from the store. The ride was short, but incredible.

At the top, we said our goodbyes and started the long trek home. We passed the Hoover Dam just in time for sunset and cruised into Vegas in time to catch a late dinner.



After passing a bad Lady Gaga impression, we decided to call it a night. We were exhausted! The next morning, I got up early to enjoy a bloody mary by the pool. We used the last of my quarters on video poker and hit up two Vegas essentials--Trader Joe's and In-n-Out Burger--before heading home.

Havasupai: Day 2

It was a long night, sleeping in the bottom of a slot canyon while the thunder echoed down the canyon and the rain filled our dreams with floods.

The next morning we headed to Mooney Falls.

The hike down was a bit treacherous, but well worth it. We spent the day hiking down river and playing in whatever waterfalls we could find.

Although we never made it to our destination (Beaver Falls), the journey was so beautiful we didn't mind.

Havasupai: Good Times and the End of an Era

Our Labor Day weekend was bittersweet. It was one of the most fun long weekends I have ever had, but it was also one of the last weekends we had with our good friends, Sarah and Jess, before they move to Germany.

Sarah is seriously amazing. Despite the fact that she had been packing up her entire life and figuring out how to ship it to Germany, she still managed to plan the perfect weekend. It started with a 12-hour drive from SLC to Havasupai. We broke things up a bit by stopping for breakfast in Utah County, where we encountered the most convenient flat tire ever. We stopped for breakfast, noticed that Sarah's tire was flat, they took it to the service station while we ordered breakfast for them, they arrived just in time for breakfast, and we picked the truck up as soon as we were finished eating and headed on our way.

We followed Sil's prego nose to Carl's Junior in Las Vegas for lunch, after which the girls piled in one car (with our mixed fountain drinks) and the boys piled in another. We had a brief stopover at in Henderson, gambling and trying unsuccessfuly to get a helicopter ride, and Rod gave us an insider's tour of the Hoover Dam. The girls took advantage of an unexpected detour to spend all of the their quarters and shop for Sarah's new car. We rocked out the whole way down Route 66 until we picked up Fry Bread and stew at the lodge.

We made it to Havasupai well after dark. We weren't too disappointed, though. The camping area was basically a parking lot. Rod and I slept in the back of the 4Runner. It was hot, but the drone of the mosquitoes in our ears forced us to close the door and windows.

The next morning we started the long, hot hike to the campground. Sarah outfitted us all with more jerky and trail mix than we could have eaten in a month. It wouldn't have been a bad hike (all downhill or flat), but it was unbearably hot. By the time we made it to the Village, all I wanted was a cold soda. There were still two miles until we made it to camp. By this time, I was really wishing we had caught a ride on one of the mail donkeys that kept passing us. Yes, the tribe still receives their mail by donkey.

When we made it to the campground, it was all worth it. I did not know that places like Havasupai Falls even existed. Words and even photos can't do it justice. The limestone in the water makes the water an milky aqua color. That water in contrast with the red rock walls shaped like petrified waterfalls was unbelievable.

Wicked Games and the Hangover

It's been so long ago that I can't remember what we did for the rest of August. There was a Chris Isaak concert--he is always the best entertainer of the Red Butte lineup, a double date to see The Hangover (again), Banter with the Bench, squeezing in date night, a trip home that included an interesting (but not exciting) night out in St. Anthony and a trip to see my new second cousin. There was work--a lot of work. I billed 240 hours. Rod was out of town nearly every week. Yikes for both of us! But, on the bright side I didn't have time to miss Rod and I've already made up for Ireland. Anyone up for another two week vacation?

Chicago and Sundance

After Ireland and Seattle, we were exhausted. We tried to ease back into life in SLC. Our first Tuesday back was the much-awaited Chicago concert at Red Butte. Unfortunately, it was a big let down. Instead of singing all of their greatest hits, they sung 30 seconds of their greatest hits in a medley of 30 seconds of their other greatest hits. I was just getting into one song, when they would start with another. At least the setting was great.

Friday night we headed to Sundance (the ski resort) for an overnighter with the Summer Associates. Due to budget cuts, we skipped the Tree Room (saddest day), but we did spend some time at the Owl Bar. We also were um "entertained" by The Fantastiks. It was not my favorite. We didn't have the chance to enjoy any of the bike trails around the area the next day, though. My family was in town for school shopping. Jayde, Jordan, Mom Dena and I shopped until we dropped, literally. I nearly fell asleep on the floor of their hotel room. We did take a small break in the middle of it all to see Funny People and pick up a Little Ceasars Pizza and bread sticks. I cannot believe that Jayde is going to be a junior in college and Jordan is going into Junior High School. I feel so old! I love those guys.


We finished off our weekend with a brunch with the fam, Dave, Inga, and Gabe at the Salt Lake Pizza & Pasta place. This has become Jayde and my go-to place for brunch (at least until she turns 21 and can get into Fiddlers Elbow).

Shantel & Tom

Less than twelve hours after arriving home from Ireland, we headed to Seattle to attend Shantel's wedding. One of the first memories I have of Shantel is at a barbeque, after which she asked me if she could get a ride. I said yes and asked her where she wanted to go, "It doesn't matter. I just need someone to drive me 19 miles from here so I can run back." (She was training for a marathon). I thought, then, "this girl is crazy!" And I was completely right. When I think of all the crazy things we have done together, I can't help but smile. During law school, we spent nearly every weekend hitting the clubs--usually in Park City and usually ending up at some random house party. On breaks, we would hit the road to NYC, Vegas, Santa Barbara/Solvang, Seattle, Moab to Alberquerque, wherever. Each trip ended up even crazier than the last.

It wasn't all about having a wild time, though. During our first year at law school, Shantel practically lived with me and my roommate Mark, entertaining us with her Korean puppet shows. The second year, I practically lived with Shantel and her roommate Mark (Mark liked to get around) and, although Shantel and I were not moot court partners (Mark was actually my partner), we spent the most of our time together. Then third year, Shantel moved in with me. It made sense since we already spent so much of our time together. I can't even begin to count the number of nights we spent over a bottle of wine.

Her wedding was very elegant. And it was so apparent how much Tom loves her. He started tearing up when Shantel started walking down the aisle. I don't think there was a dry female eye in the house after that. The tables were topped with leaf wrapped vases and pretty pink orchids. The food was probably the best wedding food I have ever had. It was a full spread of gourmet appetizers and lamb shanks. They were passing around champagne with Frangelico (so Yummy!) and Chambord all night. I was tipsy after two, but that didn't stop me.

Our weekend didn't stop there either. When we first arrived in town, Shantel invited us to the rehearsal dinner. It was such a unique restaurant. There is no menu. The chef comes around to talk to you about what you like and dislike, then he comes back with a wonderful surprise. It is perfect for people like me who can never make up there minds.

The next day, before the wedding, Rod and I met up with Tracy and Dave to grab lunch at Pike's Place and check out the Seattle Art Museum. I can never get enough of all the great food at Pike's Place. Although I love modern art and have been to Seattle many times, I have never been to the SAM. I don't know what I was waiting for. It was fabulous! The exhibit started with a full size Ford in various stages of flipping. There were a lot of familiar artists--a few of my favorites--and even more new ones I had never heard of. I think Rod and I both liked Some/One by Do Ho-Suh, and the Titus Kaphar exhibit the most. Some/One is a coat made entirely out of dog tags, each of which represents a soldier who has died. Even though the coat is in the center of a large room, it fills almost the entire space. Titus Kaphar recreates fine art masterpieces and then reconfigures them to tell an alternate history. For example, one painting--A Conversation Between Paintings--he cuts out the picture of a little boy looking adoringly at a white soldier and superimposes the boy on a painting of a black soldier, which were traditionally depicted alone in paintings.

The next day after the wedding, we went to a barbeque on Lake Washington. It was so fun spending the whole day catching up with old friends and meeting Shantel's new family and friends. Afterwards, we went to Shantel and Tom's place. We had planned on going out, but were having so much fun just hanging out that we ended up just ordering pizza.

Sunday, we all had brunch at the Elysian Brewery, before saying our goodbyes and heading back to SLC.

Congratulations Shantel! I am so happy for you.