Brynn's Baby Blessing

Today we attended the baby blessing of our good friends Jeff and Tiffani. Jeff blessed Brynn with the ability to be a leader among her peers. In today's world, it is especially important that there are strong leaders in the next generation. I have no doubt that Brynn will be just that. It's exciting to see our friends interact with their children; it gives Brad and me a lot to look forward to. And, not to mention, a lot to be terrified of. Someday.



I start a new job tomorrow! Although I was sad to say goodbye to good friends at my old job, I'm excited to step into a new opportunity and see where it takes me.

Saturday ride

It was such a beautiful day a few days ago so we decided to go out for a nice flat ride out West of the airport. We needed something nice and flat because we've gotten lazy over the winter! Only in Utah can you go on a beautiful bike ride with snow capped peaks that allow you to go skiing that very same day if you want.

Night at L'Opera

We were lucky enough to score some free tickets to the opera, so we got all gussied up for a night out on the town. We saw "Ariadne auf Naxos" at Capitol Theatre. It was a lot of fun!

Ringing in 2007 - Mocktail Party

Happy New Year! I can't believe that 2007 is already here, somebody pinch me now. We were fortunate to ring in the New Year with our closest friends...and one loud laughing weirdo we felt sorry for (just kidding Jeff, we love you to bits). The 2nd annual Mocktail Party was a screaming success thanks to some hip and 'licious liquor-less drinks expertly blended by none other than mixologist aficianado, Bradlee himself. We played "The M&M Game," which is both hilarious and humiliating all at once, if you can even imagine. Are you sure there wasn't alcohol in those drinks? Because I don't know what would cause a group of normally well-mannered and otherwise decent human beings to get on their hands and knees and suck M&M's through a straw. But, when you're racing against the clock and everyone else, all social graces are out the window and it's all or nothing. Become the straw. Control the dice.
Happy New Year Everyone! We hope that 2007 brings you peace and happiness, health and good fortune, love and friendship.

Halloween Party 2006

Rachel and Greg threw a smashing Halloween party this year. Rachel's house was decked out from wall to wall in ghoulish and ghastly (in a good way) decorations and she cooked up some delicious food too! She planned a road rally and we all made it back alive and had a great time doing it. The seasoned "road rally pros" won the race, but there was some controversy with one of the prizes. All in all it was a great time.

For some reason about half of the pictures didn't get recorded on the memory card of the camera, but here's some of the ones that did come out. Sorry about the technical difficulties guys, Brad feels really bad about it.

Quick Weekend Trip to the Grand Canyon

We took a quick trip to the North Rim over Labor Day weekend. We enjoyed spending the time in the outdoors away from civilization for the most part with beautiful views of the canyon and the river. We camped at Indian Hollow which is about 30 miles from the nearest paved road and secluded right near the canyon rim. It was a beautiful area, but unfortunately it was just low enough to barely be out of the Ponderosa Pines and into the Juniper, but it was still a very nice campground.

Here's a few pics: (Clickable thumbs)

Snowbird Tram

It was such a nice day today that we decided we needed to spend a little time in the great outdoors while the weather is still good. We didn't have much time, but that's OK because here in Salt Lake City we're only a few minutes from great hikes, views, mountains, and ski resorts. We headed up to Snowbird to take the Tram to the top of Hidden Peak and then hike around a little bit. The weather was just right, a little cool with a breeze blowing so a light jacket was just enough. Here's a view from the way up.


And here's a bunch from the top.

  

This one is a view of the Heber Valley.


And in this one you can see Mt. Timpanogos in the background.


And, at the bottom we found a great looking Mercedes Unimog that I had to take pictures of. Gina has gotten used to me taking pictures of every Unimog we see.

The Windy City

Brad and I just returned from our trip to The Windy City-Chicago, IL. We are in love with Chicago and are already planning our next trip back. We spent our first 2 days in the big city enjoying everything from deep dish stuffed pizza and Chicago "dogs," to shopping on The Magnificent Mile, to the Architectural boat tour on the Chicago River. On the second night Brook and Kyle met us in "the Loop" or downtown for dinner and we strolled around Milleniun Park late in the evening. We spent the next two days in Rockford, where Brook and Kyle have just bought a darling home, and helped them with a little much needed painting before they officially move in next weekend. It was fun to spend time with Marley and KJ-they are growing up so fast. Brook and the kids took us back into Chicago the next day and we spent the day hanging out in Chicago's hip neighborhoods such as Wicker Park and Lincoln Park. Then we went back to Michigan Avenue for more shopping and fun on the beach. Highlights were the Hancock Tower (from the 96th floor) and the "beach" of Lake Michigan.

Amazing view of the Chicago
River and Lake Michigan
from our hotel room
on Wacker Drive.


Nighttime in the "loop"


Brad met a new friend outside of the Lego store but he wasn't much of a conversationalist.

Views from the Chicago River:

Dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe on Michigan Avenue

Playing on the beach of Lake Michigan