Maile and Kirstin do St. George

Our darling niece, Maile came down to visit us this month for a couple of weeks and brought along her best friend Kirstin. We had a lot of fun with them. Casey and I both still had to work so they spent some time down at my boss, Liisa Frei's pool. But we also got in a couple of St. George Roadrunners baseball games, hiking in Zion's, and a day trip to Las Vegas. Where the highlight was riding the elevator to the top of the Stratosphere and riding the ride on top. They're a couple of funny 14 year olds. Not too much drama, but lots of silliness. i.e. buying Pop Tarts as the only thing to eat for two weeks, texting each other while sitting next to each other, etc. Oh, to be a teenager again...pass!

The San Diego Zoo

Sara and Chris have seasons passes to the zoo. So this afternoon while we were waiting to pick Chris up from the airport we took Kylie and Chloe over to the zoo. We had a great time. We didn't have a lot of time but still got to see the petting zoo, take a bus tour, and ride the gondolas. It was really a lot of fun!

Sidewalk Chalk with Kyler

Our next door neighbor loves to come hang out with Casey and me. We have so much fun with him. He is the cutest kid. Sometimes Kyler decorates our driveway for us. Today I went out and colored with him. We had a great time.

Eugene's Out in the Artdoors

Each May the City of Eugene, Oregon puts on an urbane adventure race. Similar to the TV show The Amazing Race and Kellie Nemke, Marnee's partner runs the team that organizes the event. So Marnee invited Matt, Casey and I out there to be a part of her team and compete in the race. We had a great time, although it took a lot longer to complete than we thought it would. We road bikes from location to location completing tasks either physical, mental or artistic. My ass was killing me from the bicycle seat by the end of it, but well worth the bonding. Here are a few of the pictures from the event. Enjoy...

Aloha Maui!

May 1-5, 2009

My cute husband and I decided we needed a little get away. (Actually I decided I needed a get away and he complied.) We finally chose Maui as our destination (other locations in the running included; Paris, Belize, Costa Rica, and Cozumel). We had a great time. We went to a different beach each day, got to see the windsurfers and para surfers, went to eat at some great restaurants, and most memorably drove the "Road to Hana". Up, down, in, out, over, up, down, in, out, over = Katie very car sick!! We found sound Dramamine at the little camp store in Hana and that saved me on the way back. Plus, we stopped a lot and looked at all the waterfalls. We also went and checked out The Plantation course at Kapalua where the PGA plays their first tournament every year. What an amazing golf course. The trip was a great time, but a little too short. I would have loved a couple more days.

Angel's Landing

Angel's Landing at Zion's

Casey and I took advantage of a free Sunday at home to go hike in Zion's National Park. It was a stunning day with perfect weather. I had never done this hike at Angel's Landing. It was kind-of crazy. To get to the landing you have to hike along the edge of the mountain holding onto chains attached to the side so that you don't fall into the abyss. The views were totally worth it though! What a gorgeous place. This hike has revealed to Casey, however, that he is a touch scared of heights. It didn't bother me at all however, and he felt I was a little lax in my grip on the chains. We finally had to change positions so that I was walking behind him so that he couldn't see what I was (or wasn't) doing. So cute.

Kylie's first pedicure

So, Sara and I went to get pedicures one afternoon and my mom and Kylie came along. Kylie wanted to be like her cools aunts, so she got her very first mani/pedi. She was so cute. She picked out her color (blue with blue glitter on top) and got flowers on her thumbs. It was funny how closely she watched what they were doing. Her mom paints her nails all the time, so she new how to hold still and let her nails dry. She was very proud of her blue finger and toe nails. She is so fun to be around. Oh, to be a carefree child again!