Utah trip: Part 1

Oh my goodness how awful am I at updating? I really don't have any excuse for the neglect except for my pure laziness. By the time I realized it had been that long since my last update, I found myself 3 feet deep in laundry and trying to pack for our 4 week trip out to Utah.

It only took 2 planes and 10 hours of travel to make it from the sunny beaches of Florida to the beautiful mountainous views of Utah. I've been longing for this trip for some time now. I'm almost sad it's already here because that means it's going to end, and I have no idea when we'll back.

It's been crazy busy since the day we landed but today we laid low...only because my little guy has the stomach flu. Why do kids always seem to get sick when you're on vacation? It's not fair and just plain sucks. There's nothing worse than when your child is sick and in pain and uncomfortable. I would do anything to take that away from him.

And sadly, because of this, it's given me time to update the blog while he sleeps.

I'm pretty excited for the rest of this trip. It's going to be filled with TONS of family time, which is like my favorite thing in the world. And I finally got to meet 2 "new" nephews of mine. I'm also looking forward to reuniting with some great friends that we've missed terribly. And the last thing that I'm looking forward to is eating all of the delicious food that's here! I'll (hopefully) be doing a post on my top favorite eating spots. Stay tuned :)

So please bare with me as my updates may be scattered and non-existent the next few weeks. I really just want to take advantage of spending time with the ones that I love and miss so dearly.

You can also follow along with my instagram, where I'll probably be posting pictures more often than I am blogging.

Here is just a recap of our first week via my blurry iPhone camera:



 This kid was so excited to be at the airport. He was literally bouncing off the walls. It wore me out.

 Obligatory in the air photo.

First food stop of the trip, Kneaders. Basically Heaven.

We decided to raft the Provo River. That water was freezing and those branches are deadly. Super surprised no one was impaled.  

Best little cousins

 Evan refused to wear clothes...shocker. Sitting in Papa's car for the firework show.

 The "grand" finale.

Made a special trip down to Nanz' new shop to surprise them. This photo pretty sums up everything, super awkward and scattered.

NeeNee took the grand kids and myself to see the new Planes movie. Evan couldn't sit still for longer than 5 minutes. It made it hard to concentrate.

 They had to reenact the movie

 Evan was dying to feed the horses. Every time the horse took a carrot from his hand, he made that face.

 And this brings us to today...the stomach flu. Throwing up every 30 minutes for 5 hours. Let's hope this never happens again.

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade

I think I post this drink on every site I've ever had (2 sites) but it's just so dang good, I feel guilty keeping it to myself. 

I learned this recipe from one of my Young Women's leaders like 13 years ago. And It's honestly like liquid heaven. 

I almost hate making it for events because I do not want to share it. I hoard it. I don't even tell my husband when I make it because I don't him to have any. 

I'm selfish, and I'm okay with it. I've accepted it :) 

So to keep me from looking like the bad guy and never sharing the goodness, I will just pass the recipe along so you can make it and hoard it for yourself!

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh (or frozen (thawed) if out of season) hulled strawberries
1 1/2 - 2 cups fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 bottles of sparkling water (you'll need about a liter and a half)

Directions: Slice strawberries and place in blender. Add 1/2 cup sugar. If you want a more sour lemonade, use 2 cups lemon juice, for a little more subtle taste use 1 1/2 cups. Pour lemon juice into blender. Next, make a simple syrup. To do so, boil the last 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water. Reduce and stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 min. Now add the simple syrup to blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour mixture into a pitcher and add sparkling water slowly. Stir with a large spoon. Chill for about 2 hours or serve over ice immediately because really, it's just too good to wait for.

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