Nature At It's Finest

One of the things on my list to do this fall, was to drive the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway. It is a 40 mile drive that starts in Payson and ends in Nephi. I discovered it online one day and they said it was "a photographer's dream". Boy were they right! Can you believe those colors? I was in total awe!

As the drive took us higher into the mountains, we began to see less colors because it was a little too late in the year. I highly recommend doing this around the end of September when the colors are really saturated and they have yet to fall off the trees. Here is the view from one of the many "outlooks" as we got a little bit higher. The view is still gorgeous.

The highest point of the drive takes you to about 9,000 feet in elevation, which is only about 3,000 feet below the summit of Mt. Nebo.

On our way back down, we passed what they call "Mini Bryce Canyon". I hope to make it to "big" Bryce Canyon soon. Amazing!

We only went about 25 mph on the byway so we could soak in everything around us. By the time we got home, it was five hours later. I can't wait to do this again and if you've never gone before...put it on your list for next year. This should not be missed!

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

The older I get, the more I realize how holidays are geared toward children. I guess I'm still a child at heart because I always want to do the things that my nieces and nephews get to do: go on easter egg hunts, make gingerbread houses, and carve pumpkins. Seeing as Erik and I still don't have any children, I've decided this year that I want to do these things anyway. Why do kids get to have all the fun?

Earlier this week, I dragged Erik to the pumpkin patch at Wheeler Farm. It was way more fun than buying a pumpkin at Albertson's.

We probably looked ridiculous having no children and taking pictures with our dog, but I didn't care. I was in the holiday spirit and Khloe actually really enjoyed it. She sniffed around at all the pumpkins and even ran around the corn maze.

We were only there for about 15 minutes, but it was worth it. We did something we've never done before, spent time together as a family and brought home an unexpected treat for Khloe.

Now I'm just hoping I don't have to carve this thing all by myself. :)

Cabo San Lucas: Last Post

I know you are all sick of seeing my vacation pictures from Cabo so this is the last post. My favorite part of the entire trip was when Erik and I got to play with an African lion cub. Down by the marina, a company was raising money for the nearby Wildlife Refuge and you could pay $25 to play with the baby lion. Most of you know how big of an animal lover I am and so I couldn't pass it up.

We were a little nervous at first...I mean...it was a "wild" animal. He did snarl at me once with his enormous teeth and I got scared for a second but besides that, he was completely harmless.

We played with him for about 20-30 minutes and took a bunch of pictures. I couldn't stop smiling.

The end of the trip was a little dramatic. It was finally time to leave and we made it to the airport about 1 1/2 hours before our scheduled departure time. Well, we got there and were shocked to see that our flight was about to leave in 20 minutes. They moved the flight up and weren't going to let us on! We all thought we were going to be stranded in Cabo with no hotel or rental car, but thanks to Erik and his Dad's skills in persuasion, they changed their minds and we ran to the plane. Phew!

All in all it was a wonderful vacation! I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I can't wait to go back!

Cabo San Lucas - Part 3

What did we do the next day in Cabo? You guessed it....more fun at the pool! :)

I also took a cooking class where I learned how to make Japanese Fried Rice....

and Erik entered the ping pong tournament and came in first place. He won a free drink.

(Erik is on the left)

The next day we got up bright and early and went deep sea fishing.

We caught a marlin (but it got away), a sail fish, tuna and a few others. It was a fun, yet tiring day. Fish sure are heavy!

The coolest part was when we saw a school of about 30 dolphins. They swam near the boat for almost a half an hour. It was amazing!

Stay tuned for the final post (part 4).

It was my favorite part of the entire trip!

Stretching the Season

Golf season is coming to an end, although you wouldn't be able to tell in our house. Erik has been stretching it out as long as possible. Here is a look at what golf season means to me:

Beautiful Sights

Too Much Testosterone

(Pictured: Erik's friend, Koo...all the boys are responsible)

Unexpected Company

Some Runway Modeling

(so funny!)

A Little Action

And Brief Spouts of Dogsitting

You didn't realize how much went along with golf season did you. :)

Cabo San Lucas: Part 2

More fun in Cabo!

Erik went golfing at the Cabo San Lucas Country Club. He said it was pretty nice but it smelled like a sewer. Yuck! By the way...this was a practice shot. I promise you he did not miss the ball. :)

I went snorkeling with Mom & Dad at Pelican Rock. It was awesome! The visibility wasn't that great but we didn't have to look far to see crabs and huge schools of fish.
Erik got scuba certified in July and went on his third and fourth dives in Cabo (first two were in the Dominican Republic the month before). He saw tons of fish, a couple of eels, starfish, and even a sea horse.
Then it was more fun at the pool and dinner at Las Quesadillas.

It was a great couple of days and there was still more to come. Are you tired yet? :)

Cabo San Lucas - Part 1

This past August, Erik and I went to Cabo San Lucas with his family for a week. It was so much fun! Here are some highlights from the first two days.

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Here I am with my nephew Soren while standing on our hotel balcony. As you can see, the view was amazing!

The sunsets were beautiful and the scenery at the Sky Pool couldn't have been better.

Our first day was spent playing beach volleyball, football and hanging out at the pool.

Almost every night, we went down to the marina for dinner and Erik was constantly asked if he wanted any "nose candy". He said 'no' to everyone but did opt for a picture with the "lizard man".

On our second day, we went to the main beach area and went parasailing.

I've been parasailing a few times but this was Erik's first. He had a lot of fun and was glad we got it for free (by listening to a timeshare presentation).

This was only the beginning...stay tuned for part 2!