Camping... All Month Long

We may have overbooked kids this summer with camps. Between Makayla and Caden they were gone pretty much all of June at camps. 

Makayla started out summer break by attending FSY in Provo with Brooke. FSY is a week long church camp where kids 14-18 get to be spiritually uplifted and spend time meeting new friends. Makayla and Brooke had a great time. They had some fun boys in their group and managed to get a few spiritual moments in. 

They stayed in one of the dorms at BYU. I think it was a great opportunity to see what college life would be like. And Makayla clearly had enough treats to get her through the week. 

A week was a little too long for me. I was missing Makayla so much!! I was so relieved to pick her up early Saturday morning and hear all about her week. 

Then just a few days later, Caden and Tyler headed out for Stake camp. This camp is fun because there are so many different activities like ax throwing, ropes course, zip line, and archery. Our ward is not very big, so it was fun to go to camp with lots of other wards to meet new people. 

Unfortunately on the way home there was an accident that stopped traffic for a few hours. The boys eventually got out of the car and met some kids in another car and all started playing card games in the middle of the road!

Then just a few days later, Makayla went with Brooke to her ward conference. Makayla was a little nervous for this trip because she didn't know anyone other than Brooke, and their friendship is in a weird place right now, but Makayla ended up having a great time. They went rock repelling and boating. It was a memorable time... don't forget to ask Makayla about the creepy homeless guy named Thomas that found his way into the camp. It's a good story!

 Maybe next year I should not plan as many camps for the kids so that they can spend their whole summer with me!

A Weekend in Vegas!

Tyler and I celebrated our 16 year anniversary a little early this year with a trip to Vegas! We drove down to Vegas on the last day of school. We had tickets to see "O" at Bellagio, but I almost ruined it. I put the event in our calendar, but didn't account for the time change, so we were just getting ready to head out to go to the show with what we thought was plenty of time, when my phone dinged and said the event was starting in 30 min. I panicked and showed Tyler and we ran outside to get an Uber. I was on the verge of tears and couldn't believe I messed it up so bad. We only ended up being like 15 minutes late to the show, but when the usher led us to our seats, people were sitting in them and since we didn't want to make a scene, we just sat in their seats, but Tyler ended up having an obstructed view, so that was disappointing. Despite that mishap, the show was great and the acrobatics are amazing. 

We walked the strip a little bit and had dinner at Jason Aldean's restaurant. Then headed back to the Hotel. We stayed at the Luxor, which was fun. 

The next morning we spent a few hours by the pool. The weather was perfect and I got a good start to my tan. 

We made reservations a few months ago for Hell's Kitchen. Tyler and I used to watch the show when we were first married. I remember telling Tyler that someday I wanted to try the food because they made it look so yummy on the show. And here we are 16 years later. 

Tyler looks just like Gordon Ramsay. 

Ok, I'm not kidding, the food was the most amazing thing I have ever eaten! I ordered the scallops and Tyler ordered the Lobster Risotto for our appetizer. And yes, I am one of those people who takes a picture of their food, but look how amazing it looks!!

For dinner I ordered the beef Wellington. I have always wanted to try this and it was so yummy. The only thing is that it only comes rare, and It was just a little too rare for me, so Tyler and I switched mid way through and I thought his steak was so good. Tyler said he liked the beef Wellington better, so it worked out for both of us!!

Dessert was a toffee cake that was really good. 

And just because this is a once in a lifetime meal, I will let you know how much our dinner was... yes, that says $335 dollars for dinner. Like I said... once in a lifetime, right? 

This was our view for the meal

On our way out we got a few pictures of the kitchen. It looks just like it does on the show. 

We walked around the strip for a little bit before heading over to the main event....

KENNY CHESNEY AT THE SPHERE!!!!

I have seen Kenny so many times in concert, but when I saw that he was coming to the Sphere, I knew we had to go. The Sphere takes an amazing concert and takes it to the next level. The Sphere in Las Vegas is a glowing, high tech globe that lights up the strip with massive visuals and mind blowing shows inside. Its surrounded by a wrap around screen and sounds so sharp it feels other worldly. When I tell you it was the most amazing concert I have ever been to, I'm serious!

We heard the best seats are actually higher up, so we were on the 4th level and had the perfect view of the whole screen. These pictures don't do it justice, but we sang and danced our hearts out the whole night. I loved it!!

I'm so glad I got to spend the weekend with Tyler (and Kenny) celebrating our 16 year anniversary. There's no one else I would want to do life with. He is my best friend, my biggest supporter, the one who makes me laugh, and the one I feel the safest with. I love this stage of life we are in and look forward to many more years. 

If you're wondering about the kids, they had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa and the cousins hanging out at Lagoon. 

The Last Days of School

Carson graduated from Herriman High School, so we all got to celebrate him at a party. Carson is going to follow in Roger and Tyler's footsteps to be a mining engineer at the University of Utah. We are so excited for his new adventure. We made Carson a money roll for his graduation present. That's a lot of $1 bills!!

This was the last time I would drop off a 7th and 8th grader. I made them pose for a picture, even though they were embarrassed. 

I had to work on the last day of school, but good thing dad was home to get our traditional "Last day of School photos". I'm so proud of the kids for all of their hard work this year. This was a great year for all of them. 

Brynn wanted to walk to school on her last day of 4th grade. She had a great field day with her friends. 

Guess who got 4.0 again this quarter and honor roll? I am so proud of Makayla and Caden... but my wallet is not. 

Now let's get ready for an epic summer!!!