we try every summer, at least once, to make a day trip to bear lake with the kids. i have guilt about my kids not being raised anywhere near the ocean and visits to bear lake seem to lessen that guilt. it's definitely the next best thing, sandy beaches, gorgeous water, sand castles, everything i love about the beach. unfortunately we have not been to bear lake for two years now, i think with the addition of ethan it became a little harder to make the trip, so everyone was excited that april and i finally resolved to do it this year no matter what.
one of my favorite things about going is the drive. for about twenty five minutes or so it's nothing but winding rodes through the cache national forrest, nothing but trees and cliffs as far as you can see. it's such beautiful scenery but you feel like you must be far away from anything resembling a beach.
then just when you think the road could go on forever, you round the corner and....
BLAM there's the stunning blue color of the lake, it's surprises me every time and i LOVE it. once you get there you know it's just a short drive down the mountain and you're there. 
i love the small-town feel of garden city, all the stores and restaurants, even the grocery store all feel "local" and sort of old fashioned.
as usual, this was a moms and kids trip, april and i have done it several times sans husbands. we always have a great time gabbing on the trip there and back. and even though she doesn't really love the sand getting into everything (she's a funny girl), she always agrees to come and makes the trip a lot more fun than going it alone. i'm so lucky!
after everyone has a chance to play and splash and cool off for a bit, they always settle into their routine of digging, sculpting and shaping the perfect sandcastle. everyone has a specific area that they're supposed to work on and it's all supervised by, you guessed it, allie the boss.
the moms love the castle digging time because we usually get a few minutes to sit and relax. is there anything better than having your toes in the sand? it's one of my favorite feelings.
it's not however, one of ethan's favorite feelings. he ended spending a lot of time on the blanket jumping from towel to towel to avoid the uneveness of the sand, he was the same in winter with the snow. i did manage to talk him into standing (only with sandals on) in the shallow water on the beach, he loved to let the small waves crash on his legs and feet.
after a long day of hard play and sunshine, we pack it up to head back home. a trip to bear lake wouldn't be complete though without a famous raspberry shake so we always pick these up to make the car ride home a little easier. 
mmmm....raspberry shakes....it's such a fun tradition, i'm already looking forward to next year. maybe we'll even talk a few of the blogger moms into coming with us. hint.hint.
one of my favorite things about going is the drive. for about twenty five minutes or so it's nothing but winding rodes through the cache national forrest, nothing but trees and cliffs as far as you can see. it's such beautiful scenery but you feel like you must be far away from anything resembling a beach.then just when you think the road could go on forever, you round the corner and....BLAM there's the stunning blue color of the lake, it's surprises me every time and i LOVE it. once you get there you know it's just a short drive down the mountain and you're there. i love the small-town feel of garden city, all the stores and restaurants, even the grocery store all feel "local" and sort of old fashioned.after the long drive everyone is anxious to do one thing...jump in the cool water and we all agree that it was worth the drive, everything was perfect.
as usual, this was a moms and kids trip, april and i have done it several times sans husbands. we always have a great time gabbing on the trip there and back. and even though she doesn't really love the sand getting into everything (she's a funny girl), she always agrees to come and makes the trip a lot more fun than going it alone. i'm so lucky!after everyone has a chance to play and splash and cool off for a bit, they always settle into their routine of digging, sculpting and shaping the perfect sandcastle. everyone has a specific area that they're supposed to work on and it's all supervised by, you guessed it, allie the boss.the moms love the castle digging time because we usually get a few minutes to sit and relax. is there anything better than having your toes in the sand? it's one of my favorite feelings.it's not however, one of ethan's favorite feelings. he ended spending a lot of time on the blanket jumping from towel to towel to avoid the uneveness of the sand, he was the same in winter with the snow. i did manage to talk him into standing (only with sandals on) in the shallow water on the beach, he loved to let the small waves crash on his legs and feet.after a long day of hard play and sunshine, we pack it up to head back home. a trip to bear lake wouldn't be complete though without a famous raspberry shake so we always pick these up to make the car ride home a little easier. 
what's going on behind those eyes little guy? why so serious?
karrie's fortieth birthday was so much fun to plan and execute, we all had such a fun day we keep wishing it was someone's birthday every week. 
lunch at the do-do was so fabulous, funny how i only remembered to take a photo of the dessert - oh my goodness! that whip cream was to die for!
if you haven't seen mama mia you need to grab a few girlfriends and go see it, it wouldn't have been half as fun without the group of fun girls to go with though.
part of the whole experience was all the laughing, i mean howling, that happened on our row! but can i just say, what's up with pierce brosnan's singing? oh man, that was painful and whoever cast him for that part should be FIRED! - everyone else was fantastic. (
sorry, i got distracted....the blogger moms were in charge of having karrie home for her surprise birthday party hosted by her husband, she was totally fooled!
of course the blogger moms and husbands ended up being the last ten people at the party because we always have such a fun time together, i see cruises in our future!
so happy 40th birthday karrie, here's my way be-lated list (this seems to be a trent with me lately). 
4. she is a 
8. she made a great pta president and is an 
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it was fun to have wayne and eileen home from their mission this year to attend with us, it's one of eileen's favorite things. (check out the darling bonnett she made for natalie!)
of course we had lots of family there and cousins, plus friends, make everything more fun.
my favorite parts of the parade were...the marching bands, there were a ton of them this year and i love the way they totally liven things up.
the motorcycles that do tricks, i'm always stressed that they're going to run into someone but every year it turns out well so i've started to enjoy them.
the missionaries marching, really i took this photo for patsy because she missed the parade this year, i knew she would like to see these guys. when they passed by everyone clapped and cheered, they blushed a little, it was great.
i also love the flag at the beginning which i didn't get photos of because i was trying to stand be respectful. every year except this one, they have local military march and i always cry, it's so moving to see everyone cheer and go crazy with appreciation for them. my favorite part of the parade this year ended up being something a little unexpected and caught me off guard. there was a ward or stake that dressed up like pioneers and had covered wagons and were carrying signs with photos and name of real pioneers that crossed the plains.
i got so choked up, it was so moving and in an instant i just felt so appreciative of their sacrifices and moved by their faith. great idea! the other best part of pioneer day are the local fireworks. we used to sit out on a blanket on a lawn near the fireworks and that was ok, but for the last few years i've saved us a spot on the grass where they actually light the fireworks off. the crowd is insane but it has been so worth it. 
there's absolutely nothing more spectacular than fireworks up close! the display this year was so fantastic! the finale was incredible, it just kept going and going.
one of my favorite photos of the night doesn't include everyone from our party but it turned out so cute i had to post it.
happy pioneer day everyone! we love utah!