Hike to Timpanogos Cave

Today Corey and I hiked up to Timpanogos Cave. To get there, we rode his motorcycle up American Fork canyon, which was a lot of fun :) I love going on motorcycle rides with him, its one of our favorite things to do together. After we got to the station at the bottom of the trail to Timp Cave, we picked up our tickets and we had about 50 minutes to hike up to the cave. They usually suggest leaving about an hour to hike up, but Corey and I made it a challenge to walk up quickly :) The trail gains 1065 feet in altitude in 1.5 miles... So its pretty steep. Some parts of the trail were more steep than others, but it was definitely manageable, and wouldn’t be a problem for anyone, even children were hiking up and there are a lot of benches along the way to stop and take breaks. Corey and I only stopped once to situate my pack a little better. We made it up to the cave in 45 minutes :) At the top we snacked on cliff bars before going into the cave.

The cave was a lot of fun because we had a really energetic guide, a ranger named Molly. Timp Cave is made up of 3 different caves, which were all discovered at different times. The first cave was discovered by a man who was logging up AF canyon... something Corey and I decided would be really difficult because of how steep the mountains are. So this guy found the first cave, which was later mined and isn’t very pretty anymore. The second cave is cool because there is a really skinny part in which the original discoverers came down through and there is still a ladder that you can see way up above in the crevice. The third cave is my favorite though because it is the one with the most formations and has been preserved the best. There are a lot of stalactites and stalagmites, some that look like straws and others that look like popcorn. There was also an interesting formation that had a green tint to it because it contained Iron... So cool :) Corey and I were both impressed with the formations and found it really interesting watching the stalactites drip water onto the stalagmites below them, which will eventually form more of the rock/mineral compound and will eventually touch. There was a formation shaped like a huge heart and another shaped like the face and ears of a dog. We were definitely impressed with the cave and loved our guide because she answered all of our questions and told us neat stories. One of the stories include one day when a ranger found an old ticket stub from the 1920s in the cave but when they brought it outside of the cave it just disintegrated. 

After our tour of the cave, we hiked back down to the bike to head home. The hike down was much faster than the hike up because it was all downhill :) Overall, it was a very fun day for both of us and a great activity for a beautiful Friday afternoon in the summer :) 

Paul’s Birthday

Today we went out to dinner to celebrate Paul’s birthday :) Bonnie took us all to La Caille. Once we got there, we all found the menu humorous because under some of the dishes where the pricing usually goes there were comments such as “Financing available” and the description for the lamb that I ordered had a funny saying about wolves. Overall, it was a very nice dinner and we all enjoyed our dinners :) 

After dinner we went back to Paul and Bonnie’s house for cake and presents. Corey bought Paul these really nice horse books and I made Paul a cake from scratch and decorated it with frosting roses :) The chocolate cake recipe I found makes a more fudge-like thicker cake and I thought it was great because it was much easier to layer than the crumbly cakes :) I’m getting a lot better at decorating also and can make roses look really nice now and I am really glad that Paul loved the cake :) 

Bonnie's cat Zoey the "bitchy kitty" meows/complains a lot when you're not petting her right... Well she decided she needed a piece of cake too and came right up to my plate :)

Corey’s Olympic Weightlifting Competition

This weekend Corey and I went down to Cedar City together because he was competing in an Olympic Weightlifting Tournament. He recently has been lifting with the Praxis gym in Salt Lake and this was his first competition :) There are two lifts that he competes in: The Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. 

Last night we weren’t able to leave until late because I went to my cousin Lauren’s wedding reception and said hi to all of my family members for an hour or so and then Corey and I were off. The drive down was a LOT darker than I was expecting... Once we left the larger cities and were past Payson, it was pretty much pitch black and our headlights were the only lights helping us see until we reached Cedar City. Our directions got us lost for about a half hour and then we finally reached our hotel at like 12:30 in the morning.. Needless to say we were both pretty tired. 

In the morning we were excited and ready for his competition. He was competing in a local junior high gymnasium, but once we got there we were informed that we had to go to a building in SUU to register and then come back for the competition... So we got into the car and raced to register him to compete. It all went pretty smoothly in the end and we got back in time for him to weigh in and warm up. I was really excited to watch him lift because I don’t normally get to see him when he’s lifting. I thought he did GREAT! and I was really impressed with his lifting abilities because the lifts he did were really hard. 

The Snatch was first. With this lift, you pick the bar up from the ground to straight overhead and then stand up. It is a really difficult lift because the technique has to be practically perfect. He did great! His first lift of 45 kilograms had Perfect form and was Amazing! I was super impressed :) With the Snatch his highest in this competition was 48 kilograms :)

The Clean and Jerk was next. This lift is all about picking up the weight to shoulder height, standing, and pressing it overhead until the arms are straight. Corey was great at this lift :) His highest was 72 kilograms which is his bodyweight. I was WAY impressed because not many people can press their bodyweight over their heads. Corey did GREAT! :) 

After he competed we got lunch at Cafe Rio, which is our FAVORITE restaurant, and went back to support everyone else from team Praxis. Overall it was a great trip and I was really glad I got to see Corey lift :)

And of course on our way back we had to stop at the Chevron in Beaver :) We stopped here the last time we came to Southern Utah... in like 2009... for my birthday where we spent the weekend in St. George :) Except last time I was too chicken to sit on the oversized chair right in front of the convenience store... but this time I had the guts to do it :)

Dinner at Bohemian Brewery

Tonight Paul and Bonnie took us with them to the Bohemian Brewery on 7200 South. This place was really neat because they brew their own beer and it had an old pub feel to it with wooden paneling and green ivy around the bar. The waiter we had was actually the manager of the store and he was Awesome and very friendly :) He helped us decide which of the specials to order by describing them in detail and stating that there was a competition between the two chefs to see who could sell the most dishes that night. Corey and I both got the past special, which was AMAZING!! :) Definitely one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. Bonnie had the other house special which was a salad and Paul ordered the meatloaf because it was his favorite dish there. BUT... we all know that a brewery isn’t just about the food... They had an amazing little sampler of all of the types of beer that they serve given in nine mini mugs of the BEST beer ranging from very light to very VERY dark. Corey and I both agreed that the chocolate dark beer was the best :)  It was a great dinner and we had a Great time eating there with Paul and Bonnie thanks to the wonderful food, company, and entertaining waiter. 

Grandpa and Grandma Richard’s 50th Anniversary Party

Today, Corey and I went and celebrated my grandparent’s 50th anniversary at the Scera Park in Orem. My grandpa reserved a small picnic area and invited my Mom’s family. It was a lot of fun because Corey and I were able to visit with all of my Mom’s brothers and sister’s who we don’t get to see very often. Randy and Susan and their kids were there, Roxanne flew in from Minnesota with her family, and Ray and Cindy drove up from Vernal. It was really nice to get to see everyone again :) A week before the party, I went to my aunt Rickelle’s house to help her, Lexi and my mom decorate a replica wedding cake for my grandparents. It was a lot of fun because I have recently been learning how to decorate cakes and was able to make a bunch of frosting roses and mix color dyes to get the correct peach and rust colors to match their original cake. It ended up looking great! At the party, Marcio cooked the chicken and everyone brought a salad or side dish to share. Corey and I enjoyed talking to Grandpa about future careers and the economy while we were waiting on everyone to get there. Overall, I think it was great and Rickelle, my Mom, and Roxanne did a great job decorating and putting together pictures and displaying Grandma’s handmade wedding dress. It was a very nice occasion to celebrate and visit with everyone again :)

 

Today Martha and I went horseback riding up Provo Canyon with Twig. He was in town and Martha knows that I like to ride horses so she set up a time for us to go with him :) So Martha, Twig and I loaded up the horses and drove down to Provo. We rode up South Fork in Provo Canyon. It was SO pretty up in the mountains! :) Martha and I met Twig and helped him load up the horses, the horse I rode was named Dude, and then we were off. We unloaded the horses at the base of the trail and then rode for the next few hours. We went up muddy trails, through trees and out into an open meadow area. It was beautiful :) the trees were so green and there was still snow on the mountains :) We went up and down and I learned how to sit right in the saddle and lean different ways when going up and down hills. It was a great learning experience and a lot of fun to take a break and enjoy the beauty of nature on a majestic creature :) Thanks Martha for taking me with you! I took a lot a pictures, enjoy:

U2 360° Concert at Rice Eccles

So yesterday was my second day of my internship with Utah Health Policy Project and I was in the office working on stuff and the director asked me if I would like Free U2 tickets for the concert today... and I was like... YES! (Amazing the connections you get in the most unexpected places) So Corey and I went to the U2 360° Concert today at Rice Eccles Stadium :) It was a lot of fun because Dad and Cami had tickets for the concert so I drove up with them from Lehi and Corey met us there right after class :) The Fray was the opening band and although I love The Fray, they didn't do as well as I was hoping. I saw them in concert a few years ago and they were much better alone because they're more mellow and not exactly right for the opening of U2, but it was made up completely when U2 started playing :) They had an awesome stage that looked like a HUGE green claw with a large screen in the middle of it that was made of panels that moved up and down throughout the concert. The light effects were really cool and the stage had two rings with two bridges that connected them... and the bridges moved too. It was pretty cool :) One odd thing happened, though. During the concert, Corey and I swore we saw some UFO off in the distance because there was a red and blue lighted thing that just hovered in one spot.. very odd. However, the concert was a lot of fun.. very loud... but we had our ear plugs to help mute out the static so the music was clearer :) Overall, it was definitely worth going to the concert, I love Bono's voice, and I heard my favorite song "Sunday Bloody Sunday" :)

STITCHES!!

So today I was making dinner and totally sliced into my left index finger with the knife :( Sad day. I was using the leftover turkey that we had and chopping it up and chopping up some vegetables to make shish kabobs and after I cut the turkey I was washing the knife in the sink with a small scrubber and soap and was apparently washing it too fast and the sponge slid off the knife and sliced the top of my index finger right near the distal joint. :( Right then Corey walked into the room and found me crying and upset about slicing my finger. I held a paper towel on it with pressure and cleaned some stuff up a little bit and then we went to the instacare in Saratoga Springs. It was about 6:30 at night and so my regular doctor wasn't in her office so I had to go to the instacare. They were Very nice people and took very good care of me. Once I got there, there was another patient, a little boy, who was also getting stitches. He didn't even scream so I had a standard to live up to, because I definitely shouldn't be worse than a small child. So the nurse brought me back, took my vitals, numbed up my finger and cleaned it out. It was a pretty deep cut.. If it was up to me I probably would have just put a lot of pressure and a bandaid on it, but it did need stitches. SO then the doctor came in and placed 3 stitches and while he was stitching the nurse gave me a lollipop to suck on to distract me because I really am a wuss when it comes to stuff that happen to me. However, I did survive and my finger has healed Very well :) It's actually not even noticeable anymore. They did a great job and I am so glad Corey was so wonderful to take me and entertain me while I was getting my stitches :)

Fly Fishing Trip at LC Ranch

When Corey was younger, He and Paul went to LC Ranch to fly fish together. They had a great time and so they thought it would be something fun to do again :) So Paul and Bonnie took Corey and me wit them to LC Ranch the 12th - 13th of May. We stayed in the cute "Bungalo Cabin" which had a kitchen, living room, a large bedroom and a loft. It was Really Cute! There was actually a Surprising amount of space in the cabin. Once we got there, we were all pretty ready for dinner and, because it was a small town, pretty much everything closed at about 6 or so except a really crowded restaurant... SO.. we stopped at the gas station and bought some soups, crackers and fish :) It was actually pretty good, we heated up the soup and it was a great dinner with the fish on crackers and gingersnaps that Bonnie brought. Before it was dark, Paul and Corey taught me the fly fish form a little bit before I jumped into it the next day. We put a rock about 40 feet away and they showed me how to slowly let out the reel and keep a pattern of swinging up (long strokes for a lot of reel, short for not as much) and so I was able to practice pausing and casting out the reel to catch the fish. I got pretty close to the rock a couple times but Corey, Paul, and Bonnie all showed me up because they are pro :) It was a lot of fun because they were critiquing my casting so that I would get better and catch a fish the next day. We ended our first day with a movie and got a good night's sleep. 

Corey and I were in charge of breakfast so I brought blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup and scrambled eggs :) It's one of our favorites :) Unfortunately we didn't have a griddle so we were forced to cook pancakes in a frying pan... which was extremely difficult for me that day for some reason... I sacrificed the first pancake but put Corey on pancake duty and he did great :) Overall, I think breakfast was a huge success because I was laughing the whole time and we enjoyed ourselves :) 

After breakfast we met out guide at the main lodge. He was a Wonderful guide, very nice and patient. He took us to the first little pond to practice casting. It was a little more difficult in this first spot because we were on a slant and the hill behind us was pretty steep so it was easy to catch the fly in the bushes, however, we did well and didn't get very many snags. We didn't catch any fish from this first pond, but my casting abilities were getting better will all of the practice :) 

The guide then decided that we should try a different area, so we jumped into the truck and headed to another pond. This next pond wasn't very successful either and I almost slid into it because the dirt around the edges was really loose and I slipped right onto my butt. haha. BUT the next pond was Wonderful! We all ended up catching one in this pond. Corey was the first to catch one. He has an amazing ability of getting the fly WAY far out into the lake because he is really strong and can muscle the pole forward with a lot of momentum to fling the fly out. His fish is pictured below :) We weren't able to keep any of the fish but it was SUPER fun to cast and catch them :)

Bonnie was the next to catch a fish :) The fish in this lake were pretty big, so reeling them in was exciting :) I really like fishing because it holds a certain amount of anticipation and excitement you can't really find anywhere else. 

Then it was my turn! :) I caught my first fish fly fishing! :) I was really excited but it was flopping around in the net and so that is why you can't see it in the second picture because I was holding it at one point but it slipped out of my hands once the picture was taken. He was a pretty fish and I had a blast catching him and reeling him in. 

After this little pond, we explored a few more and Corey caught another fish :) 

When we went to honeymoon pond, there was this bridge (pictured below) that led out to a small island that we fished a little on and I was blamed for the condition of the bridge.. typical :P hahaha. I had to just laugh because this bridge was REALLY crooked.. Something I could definitely never do on my own but it was still funny that they teased me about it :)

Overall, LC Ranch was Really fun and I was able to experience fly fishing :) I think fly fishing is WAY fun and I can't wait until we get to go fishing again so I can try it out again. Thanks Paul and Bonnie for taking us with you to go fish :)

My Mom's Birthday

Today was my Mom's Birthday. Jeremy, Lexi, and I went to Rickelle's house with Mom, Jennifer and Anthony to have dinner and eat cake. I had a CPR recertification class in SLC that night and so I was late because it takes a while to drive from there to Provo and the class didn't get out until 8 p.m. But I made it in time for pizza :) It was fun seeing everyone and Lexi and I got Mom these cute tulip wall decorations for her to put into her kitchen.

Corey's 1989 F350

Today Corey and I drove up to Ogden area to look at a new truck for him since he sold the blue truck because it wasn't exactly what he was hoping for. So this was pretty much the perfect truck because it was kinda banged up a little bit, meaning he could use it for whatever and not worry about scratching it, it drove well, came with 4 extra tires and rims, and had a steel bumper with a winch on it. Its had a couple issues because it is fairly old, but it runs really well and its nice to have a truck again to use when we need it. :)