This video is of my niece Meghan and nephew Jaxon who decided their tubes were "too heavy" to carry up the hill. It's absurd, but it makes for a funny video.
Logan decided to try to film while tubing. This is the result.
I think someone's pile is bigger than someone else's...
Did you notice a theme? That's because my mom got us a one year pass to all state and national parks. We're gonna be camping hard core in the next year! Sydney saw some Tim Tams made by Pepperidge Farm (PF) 
here at Smith's. She was very angry because she had just purchased 7 packages during her Trip to Hawaii. I was skeptical that the PF Tim Tams would not be as good as the Arnott's (Ar) Tim Tams, 
or that they would even work for Tim Tam Slaming. I set up a nearly blind taste test for Sydney with some Amretto Hot Chocolate to see if she could tell the difference, I also wanted to indulge in the tasty morsels side by side to see how they compared. The results were that Sydney who didn't know which were which found the Ar Tim Tams to taste better dry, She said, "The PF ones are more sugary." However, she found them to be equaly as tasty during the slamming process. I on the other hand, thought that when eaten dry they tasted very similar, but the creamy filling was a little better tasting in the Ar Tim Tams. I also came to the same conculsion that during a good slam you can't tell the difference. In another note the PF type seemed to have a tiny bit less of a chocolate coating and I'm saying a minute amout here. Over all that the PF tim tams are a good subsitute for the real thing, but here in America we will be just fine Slaming our own.
This is the dish drying bag
This is the utensil holder drying the dishes
And this is it rolled up for storage.It has always been my mother's dream to visit Hawaii. Last week her dream became a reality. While Logan is away freezing his tush of in the GC, Mom and I took our very first plane ride and had the adventure of our lives.
I got these pictures from Logan today with the captions:
"Yeah, it snowed."
and
"Here is out my hotel room. I didn't think i would make it back to the hotel."
Since I will have to drive through Las Vegas to pick Logan up from his Grand Canyon rafting trip in November, and I have never driven down there, we decided to practice last Saturday. I drove all the way to Boulder City and Logan says I was "white knuckling it" all the way. We survived though, and we went to the Hoover Dam (where I've never been) and took a "Dam" Tour.
It was really cool. We started out by watching a movie which was a little boring, but soon we were on a great big elevator and heading 570 feet down into one the dam.
The first stop on our tour was the best stop. We stood in one of the 40 foot diversion tunnels they built to divert the river during construction. It is now where the water flows through in giant a giant pipe.
Next was the power plant area with the generators.
Then up to the observation deck. Sorry the pictures are so bad, but the sun was shining right in our faces!
Then we headed to Vegas to The Cheesecake Factory. It was yummy! I was eating my salad and I was telling Logan that there was something nasty and spicy in my salad. He tasted the dressing and told me it wasn't spicy. So I ate a little more, and then I decided it didn't matter if it was expensive, it was also too gross to eat. So after Logan finished his meal he decided to tackle my salad. He took a bite and said, "There are onions in this." YUCK!!! I ate onions! At least I know I still hate them raw!
Awhile back Sydney and I tried to get to the top of Utah hill in my Escape at night. most of the road is doable in the escape but the last 2 miles is called the TV tower Jeep road. so when I got to that turn off I was in my escape and I said, all smart like, "Jeep road schmeep road." The escape does okay if you turn around and go up things in reverse you get good traction that way but it just you push it up if it is too steep as we found out on that road at about 10 at night. Since then we've been wanting a second try at it with a four wheeler. Yesterday we did just that, we went and stole Dad's truck and a four wheeler and went to the top of Utah hill. From up there you can see for miles in all directions and the Utah Side is much better than the Nevada Side. It was a little hazy so you couldn't see as far you should be able to but it was still a long ways. Here is a picture of up on top. we are kinda blocking out Pine Valley Mountain.
Yesterday was Logan's 28th birthday! We celebrated by opening presents when he got home from work and then going to Best Buy to spend the gift card his siblings got him. He used it to purchase a very nice wireless keyboard and mouse.
For his birthday he got cash, a new fossil wallet, a picture for his office, white chocolates from See's Candy and the gift card to Best Buy.
Next we went to Red Lobster for Logan to have their endless shrimp. Besides the first two servings they give you initially, Logan tucked away 4 more! We were so full! We walked some of it off at the Outlets at Zion and then headed to the movie theater to watch Logan's favorite person in The Invention of Lying. It was really disappointing. It had it's moments, but was really offensive when it came to belief in God. My recommendation: if you really have to see it, wait for it to come out on DVD and save yourself some money...
When we got home from the movie, Logan had his special birthday cupcake. I have given up on baking for his birthday because it is doomed. These cupcakes are really yummy and come from a place that is called 25 Main (it's at 25 Main, St. George). Overall, I think he had a good day and I am saying thank you in his behalf for all of you who called/texted/emailed him yesterday. He really appreciated it. My favorite was Ron singing to him:)As you all know from our previous post requesting friends and family to go with us, we hiked the West Rim Trail in Zion National park last Saturday. 
As it turns out, my memory didn’t serve me well, as Sydney can attest, because it wasn’t all downhill, it was mostly though. There were many spectacular views of white sand stone cliffs, huge monoliths, deep slot canyons... 
and tourists hiking in colored bras (Sorry boys, no pictures). 
From this point you can hear an echo of a whole phrase like, “Shellie is scared!”
Another part that is also cool is being able to see Angels Landing from up above instead of from down below, and believe it or not it looks scarier from up above. After the 13.5 miles we were a little sore but what really hurts your pride is that we were passed by this, “old broad” as I called her, who must have started at the bottom and passed us heading up the trail when we weren’t even half way, then passed us again when she was coming back down and we still had 2-3 miles to go. All she had with her was 2 liters of water strapped to her fanny pack. 
To celebrate our 2nd Anniversary we took an extended vacation to Moab, through Arches National Park; to the middle of no where, through Natural Bridges National Monument; to Cortez, through Mesa Verde National Park; to Durango, through countless whitewater rafting stores; to a bunch of little towns, through a 12,000 foot mountain pass; and finally to Grand Junction, and home.
We had both been to Arches before, but never before hiked to Delicate Arch. It is so awesome and totally worth the 3 mile hike.
This one is at the Natural Bridges National Monument. This bridge is named Sipapu. That is one word we heard about a bazillion times at Mesa Verde...Anyway, click to enlarge this image and look for a little white spot which is Logan. I didn't go to the bottom, it's not cuz I couldn't make it, but because of the photo opportunity. I did, however, almost die coming back up out of there.
This is me coming up a ladder at Mesa Verde National Park. I've come a long way since this. We did all three ranger guided tours and had a BLAST!!! This is actually one of the small ladders. We did just fine on the 30 footer, just fine.
Mesa Verde is a fascinating place. We learned all about Kiva's and Sipapu's and got a feel for what life was like. I would have never made it in a culture where the klutzy don't survive.
This is Logan's "Steve" picture he took of Delicate Arch. (Our friend Steve is always posting these cool, artistic pictures on his blog).
As many of you know, Logan is a flip-flop fiend. I remember once searching every store/mall in the Salt Lake Valley with him in search of the perfect flip-flop.
Prior to meeting Logan I was quite the advocate of $1 flip-flops. They were affordable enough to have a pair in every color and it was pretty much like being barefoot.
Logan is an advocate of $30-$40 flip-flops. He likes to find the perfect pair and wear them till there is nothing left of them.
Since I now work in a sweat shop that has concrete floors I have decided that the $1 flops weren't cutting it. I bought a pair of Sketcher ones earlier in the year from JC Penney because my mom gave me a $10 off coupon. They lasted just over a month. They were a slight improvement over the $1 flops but just a little. And my $1 flops last a lot longer.
This led me to go on my own quest for the perfect flip-flop. We went to every shoe store imaginable in St. George and I couldn't find any I was satisfied with. I did find some Tiva's I liked but they didn't have them in my size. Last week I went to Dillard's to look some more. And I fell in love... 
This is the perfect flip-flop of all time. The flip-flop that beats all flip-flops!!! This is the Sanuk Yoga Mat sandal. The sole is made of a Yoga Mat. THEY ARE HANDS DOWN THE MOST COMFORTABLE SHOES I HAVE EVER, EVER HAD!!!
I HIGHLY recommend them. Really, you should get some or just try some on. I am afraid there may now be more than one flip-flop fiend in the family...
Each year for the 24th of July we go up to Monroe to celebrate with my side of the family. This year was no different. We had so much fun at the parade and on the park.
We didn't get any pictures of me and Logan together. Or any pictures of family really... I am so good at taking pictures of us with Logan's family and so bad with mine.
Meghan and Maycee were 'mini cheerleaders' in the parade this year (Go South Sevier!!!). They really liked it. Maycee is the one with red hair that is waving in the top picture, and Meghan is the red head with red shorts in the bottom. Funny story, one of the cheers included the phrase "kick butt" and my sister was freaking out about it (come to think of it, she probably wouldn't approve of me saying she "freaked out"...haha! Love you Kristy!)
Then in the afternoon, Logan kayaked the Sevier River through Marysvale Canyon (that is also turning into a 24th tradition). This is just a sneak peak of what you may be seeing on the Paddle Oar Die blog soon. 
