Yellowstone is always a good idea.

I have been wanting to go on a little weekend trip with my parents for quite some time...and they must have been thinking the same, because all I had to do was mention a Yellowstone Trip together and my mom had the whole thing planned. The lucky thing about living in the Salt Lake Valley is that we are 4 - 6 hours away from 6 different national parks. This year I watched the ENTIRE Ken Burns documentary on the national parks and 1) fell in love with John Muir 2) fell in love with Teddy Roosevelt 3) fell in love with John D. Rockefeller 4) decided to visit the parks a lot more often. We left on a Friday after Charles's work. He didn't have to take any time off for the trip which was good--we are saving his days for other plans!   

^^^Grooving our way up I-15^^^

 ^^^until a horse trailer caught on fire and we were delayed for over an hour. No horses were in the trailer. Peed in the forest to the side of the road. ^^^

^^^While the wreck was being cleaned up we took pictures. Yes, we drove up in our Yaris. Yes, it is big enough.^^^

 ^^^We met up with my mom and dad and Mark. The hat (what are those things called?) was from a gift shop along the way; Mark insisted it was necessary for keeping his head cool. Also, he is eating a Thunder bolt from Woodside Bakery. I ate one myself and it was delicious. It is a vanilla pudding-stuffed croissant dipped in chocolate. Do you remember Mark's story?^^^

^^^First Destination: Old Faithful. We had so much fun walking through the old Lodge by the geyser, then we chatted with the people waiting for a view of Old Faithful including a lady from New Jersey and a lady from British Columbia. My dad told me about his encounter with a bear when he was 14 years old and came to Yellowstone with my Grandma Doris. The bear nearly ate him but instead took a loaf of raisin bread from the car. All the people sitting around us listened to the story too. They just didn't say anything.^^^ 

 ^^^The geyser erupted 10 minutes later than predicted so we almost left thinking Old Faithful should be called Old Cheater, but then the geyser blew and that was a happy moment for all of us.^^^

 ^^^Max and Mira by Yellowstone Lake^^^

 ^^^Upper Falls^^^

^^^Norris Basin^^^

 ^^^Artist's Point. This was one of my favorite places in the park. The picture doesn't do it justice...It was just gorgeous.^^^

^^^Max, Mira, Me^^^

^^^Me, Charles^^^

^^^Maxwell^^^

^^^Mark^^^

I wish I had a picture of our lunch spot. It was perfect. It was at the Marina near Bridge Bay. I could have stayed there all day. Speaking of food. I'm always so glad when I pack a healthy lunch. A yummy sandwich and grapes tasted so good.

 ^^^On the way home on Sunday we stopped off at the Johnny Sack's cabin. It was incredible...not to be missed!^^^

^^^We also saw Mesa Falls. It was simply amazing. They call it little Niagara.^^^

And then it was time to go. As soon as I got home, I started planning our next trip back to Yellowstone. Like an addict or a junkie. Until Next time, Jellystone!

^^^Who else is old enough to remember this old Hannah Barbara cartoon?^^^

Also, no trip to Yellowstone in complete without some really great music; you spend so much time in the car driving to the different viewpoints. 

Here are the artists/albums I remember listening too:

Beyonce

Begin Again Soundtrack

Blind Pilot

Cake (Charles can sing every word from Fashion Nugget)

Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young 

Jethro Tull

Tegan and Sarah-Heartthrob 

The Great Gatsby Sound Track

The Shins

XX

New York City With Teenagers!

Well. We went to New York City with our sons (19 & 14) and our daughter (12). People ask, what was the best part? I tell them the best part was waking up with my family every day (especially my sweetie Charles) and saying "What should we do today?" "Where should we eat today?" "How should we get there?" And then just BEING with my favorite people every day for 10 straight days. I wish every day could be like that, where you just wake up and do whatever you want with the people you love. So in New York City, we lived on a whim--heading to museums, little shops, and great places to eat. Here's some of the highlights with places to eat at the bottom, plus my NYC collages.

^^^Day 1: Walk the Brooklyn Bridge^^^

^^^And then sit for awhile^^^

^^^Still Sitting^^^

^^^Charles and me at a Picnic in Prospect Park with my Brooklyn brother and his family^^^

^^^Harrison and I tried to take a selfie with one of the twins.^^^

^^^Mira's reaction to Times Square. She was so fun to have along because she LOVED New York and has decided she is going to go to Julliard and will be a waitress at Cafe Lalo. She was NYC smitten for sure.^^^

^^^A rest in Bryant Park.^^^

 ^^^The view from our Hotel Room. The Excelsior on the Upper West Side. ^^^

^^^Harrison could have looked at the skyline all day.^^^

^^^Midday rest at The Met. It was an all day affair.^^^

^^^A Trip on the Staten Island Ferry^^^ 

^^^Our Utah feet where so tired!^^^

^^^Maxwell with one of the twins. We spent the day at Jones Beach^^^

 ^^^Maxwell with the twins in Dumbo.^^^

 ^^^Cafe Lalo T-Shirt. Eating Magnolias. So Cliche. ^^^

Breakfast:
We tried several places and decided Bagels n' Co had the best bagels and pastries.

Dinner:
We ate Pizza at Grimaldi's twice.
And again at Patsy's.
The best Vietnamese Sandwiches are at Hanco's.
Luke's Lobster was one of my favorites.
Sushi at Haru.
Hot Dog's at Gray's Papaya.
Had to try Momofuku.
The Shake Shack was worth the hype.

Treat:
Lavain
Cafe Lalo
Shake Shack
Magnolias
Mira insisted we try Cake Boss

During the day I collected all the fliers, brochures, tickets, cards, and napkins that I could get my hands on. I had brought glue, tape, scissors, and my journal with me, knowing I would art journal at the end of the day. I decided not to do a special trip journal this time and just added the collages into my current journal. We had to rotate 5 people through one shower so I made these while we watched Big Bang Theory and I waited for my shower turn. 

And let's hear it for my favorite NYC song!




Remembering my fun trip to San Francisco last year!
And Moab here and here.
And La Jolla.

Happy Father's Day, Dad

My Dad Listening to a Young Ambassadors Recording 1977

To the dad who could wear a tuxedo or Dickies and be comfortable in both. Sing or fix cars. Read or re-roof. You get the gist. He learned to text just so he could easily stay in touch with all of his seven children. He takes good care of my handicapped brother every day. Grows an incredible garden. He is a wonderful man and a wonderful father. Glad you're mine, Dad. 

The Super Cool Moms I Leaned On In the Early Years of Motherhood.

I've known a lot of incredible moms in my life (including my own--she'll get her own post), but these are the moms who I was closest to when I was raising young children. These are the moms who showed me the way. I especially love the way these women refused to join rat-race parenting, and just loved their children for who they are. Also, they love the outdoors, animals, and art and have made those a part of their parenting.  

This is Stacey my sister-in-law. She taught me to be patient with my children and once even said "If you think of all the things that are wrong with your children, you'll go crazy. So don't even bother thinking about them." That phrase comes to me whenever I wish my children were more; I just put an X-mark on negative thoughts and love my children for who they are. Also, Stacey is a huge believer in getting your kids outside for the joy and confidence that the outdoor brings. She loves to feed her family. She builds her children up with encouragement and praise. Her children are mostly grown now--and they are fabulous people. My brother fell in love with her in-part because of the mother she was to her four small children. (Together they had 2 more.)

This is my sister Pam with her two daughters. All of her energy has gone towards loving and strengthening her children. I have watched her work her tail off so that birthdays, weddings, vacations, and celebrations were wonderful experiences. She believes in vacations and their importance in bringing family closer. She is also an artist at heart--sewing, scrapping (and dang! can she ever throw an outfit together). She cooks the meals her children like. She plowed the teenager years before me which was a tremendous gift--I watched her raise teenagers with patience, grace, and faith. And mostly love...she was right by their side for all the hard stuff.
































This is my friend Chantel. Here she is in Pompeii with her children. She raises her children with so much energy. If they become curious about snakes, well then she will fill the house with books on snakes, buy a snake, and talk about snakes. Her children's natural interests become the whole family's interests--and she has really smart kids. She thinks beyond tradition and conformity. She was one of my champions when I sent Anne off to Germany at 16...and a year later Chantel moved there herself, mostly so that her children could have a world-wide perspective. She believes art is important and makes sure that there are lots of watercolors, brushes, paints, and art papers around so that her children can create.

This is Shar with her only granddaughter. She makes really good cinnamon rolls. She has LOVED her 5 children. She worked her tail of for her kids---first, when her husband was deathly ill and she was raising small children. At that time, she ran the whole show; she was the primary earner, cooked every meal, and made sure the homework and meals were done. Mostly though, what I watch in Shar is that she loves and adores her children. Her children have found their own paths and she has been so proud of them. And anyone who has been in her house knows--she loves her children's friends like her own. And that has been a huge gift to my own boy.




This is Kathryn. She is a loving mom, just in her eyes and voice. I don't know how else to say it! Her eyes alone emit so much love. She has consciously created a calm life for her children--staying at home even when she was itchy to work. She focuses on the good things in life--music, art, culture. The table is always covered with projects and Kat's errands always include a trip to the art or fabric store. She delights in her children.

This is Rachel. I first met her when I was living at the University Village. She taught me the ways of natural childbirth and nursing which I was so grateful for later. You really need someone to show you the way if you choose the natural route. Also, she just spent time with her children. She was physically with them in all ways. If they were watching a movie, so was she. If they were coloring, so was she. She is a laugher--and her house was a place of joy. She took her kids outside, and taught them to love animals.

Date Night at the Dodo-Salt Lake City

Well, first of all, don't even TRY to park at the Blue Boutique or you will have to reckon with a man with greasy hair and glasses. He will ask you to move. You will. He will explain that The Blue Boutique is very busy on Friday nights. You understand.

When you are in the Dodo you'll notice that a lot of the servers have recent spray tans; you never would have realized this except that you partook of a spray tan yourself and are now intimately aware of a certain Cheeto tone of skin. Speaking of skin, they were showing a lot of it even though it is only in the high 50s. We get excited about warm weather here in Utah.

Also, The Dodo has a very old crowd. We decided. Also rich. Also Mormon. How can you tell? No one in the whole restaurant was drinking wine. Not one person. But people were eating lots of desserts. Yessiree. Different vibe than say Trio, or Ruth's Diner. A salad off the secret menu is the best--The Dirty Bird. Worth a try.

It takes a long time to get your food which is okay because that gives you plenty of time to update Charles on the state of the union (i.e. your children, your disillusionment with education, your desire to blow this popsicle stand and move to Africa) and gives you another chance to complain about the server's bad-tan.

All in all you get what you want: a turkey, avocado salad with the Dodo's perfect BBQ sauce and a night with the hon.

Pharrell Williams - Happy (Official Music Video)

Christmas is so good.