Spring Break

It's about time I mention what we did for Spring Break this year...because we had BLAST! We decided to go down to St. George, escape the nasty northern Utah weather, and visit my grandparents and cousin, Melanee. It just so happened that my mom and uncle Kris were able to come up that week too. It was a wonderful family reunion! Naturally, the occasion began with Mexican Train...it's totally necessary whenever you're with Grandma and Grandpa.

One day, my sweet husband said that he'd stay home (and watch the beginning of the NCAA basketball tournament-what a sacrifice...) and be with Grandpa while my Grandma was able to come with my mom and I to the beautiful temple.

I love the flag in front of the temple, so beautiful!

We (Mom, Brad, Melanee, and I) also went on a FANTASTIC hike. The trailhead was down in Hilldale (sp?), Utah, which is a polygamist community, just outside Zion National Park. The rocks were beautiful!! It was very interesting driving through the town and seeing the ginormous houses, all the women in their long dresses, and all the kids running around. Originally, we thought we had found the trailhead so we parked and got out and started walking. There were six or seven boys, all in their denim, button-up shirts tucked into their jeans, getting water from a well. (We asked if we could take a picture because they looked so cute but they said no and that if we did they'd "douse us" with water, hahahaha.) You could tell they were all brothers because they had the same round face and were all between 5 and 7 years old. We started walking and realized the trail was more like a road so we asked a man, who had the same round face as all the kids we'd just seen, where the trail was. He was very friendly and two more round-faced kids peered around the truck he was at to see us. (After the hike, when we got back to my grandparents, my Grandpa told us about his cousins who live(d) in Hilldale and his experiences with them. The only word I've been able to find to describe that lifestyle is interesting.) When we finally got on the right track, we had a WONDERFUL time on the hike. It wasn't very strenuous, until we got to the waterfall and were hiking along cliffs, and we were surrounded by the gorgeous red rock. When we got to the first waterfall we realized we could climb a little higher where we found another tier of the waterfall. There, we realized we could go a littler higher and found another tier, climbed a little higher and found another. It was absolutely breathtaking at each level. We hiked through sand, water, and snow but it was so warm. Here are few pictures to drool over.

Random arch

You guys are so brave!!

First tier of the waterfall

The hubby and I...like my glasses? I didn't have any but then I remembered these gems I found at my Grandma Hallie's house that were in the glovebox.

DON'T FALL!
This is at the third tier...the next picture is what they were looking at.

Looks like it should be a water-slide ride.

Go Melanee!!


We did it!!

It was a wonderful trip! My mom has more pictures of other fun things we did. We were able to see my cousin, Sister Cheryl Jensen, who's serving her mission at the St. George Visitors Center (so fun, she's a beautiful missionary), and have ice cream with her at Nelson's Custard (deee-licious)

going swimming with Grandma and Grandpa at their pool (seeing Grandpa swim around which was awesome to see him so mobile and Kris' arguing about not wanting to get out of the hot tub and how he was going to sleep there), shopping with Kris at Walmart, hanging out with Melanee on our way down in Cedar City and seeing where she works and goes to school, and just being with family. It was definitely a wonderful, needed break. Unfortunately, it was depressing to come back from 70 degree weather to snow the day after we got home, definitely did not like that. I love family.