Summer Vacation

Hi everyone. No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I took a much needed, long vacation out west. I hung out with family and soaked up the sun. We started out in Salt Lake staying at my sister, Megan's, house. There Brian and I learned two great new games,Bohnanza and Killer Bunnies. Both are card games that I highly recommend. Megan has a huge cherry tree and we tried to pick them while I was there. But the tree is so big that even a ladder didn't reach them. Brady, Meg's husband, braved the roof of his house to pick cherries for me. After hours of picking and risking life and limb we ended up with only one bowl of cherries. It was quite an adventure I will never forget.

After Megan's the fam headed for the Hatch's in Spanish Fork. Wesley loves his Grandpa and had the best week with him. Kent (Grandpa) took him on Harley rides, taught him to longboard, went fishing, and toured one of his paint plants. My mother-in-law and I toured the Parade of Homes, which is one of my most favorite things to do. We had the best time seeing how the other half lives.

When our time was up in Spanish Fork the boys and I moved on to Cedar City to stay with my family. I hadn't been home for two years and loved every minute of it. The Boys rode the ATVs every day, jumped on the trampoline, made cookies with Uncle Joe and ate at Maggie Moo's. My mom taught me a new sport called Pickle Ball. It is like tennis, but on a smaller court. I was addicted instantly! I'm on a hunt for Pickle Ball courts in Cleveland now so I can get my fix. While we were there Keegan decided that he was ready to talk, in complete sentences no less. His voice is cute and high. I love it!

While staying with my parents we went to Lake Powell. We were hot, sandy, wet and happy. Wesley's hair bleached out from the sun over the week. It looks so great! After Lake Powell my mom, sister's and I had our annual Spa day. We went to St.George to a Greek restaurant first, then on to the spa. I had a facial and a hot oil hair treatment. It was fantastic! Laying outside under a vine covered patio while someone washes my hair and massages my hands and feet is something I could get use too. The girls and I were very relaxed, but still had enough energy to go shopping afterwards. It was super fun.

After over a month in Cedar City we packed everything up and traveled to San Diego. Brian met us out there and we had the most amazing time. It was my Grandpa's 80th birthday so the most of the Baldwin family got together for the party. We have a tradition of putting on skits. For the Phillips skit we changed the words to "A Modern Major General" from the musical "Pirates of Penzance" which is one of my grandpas favorite plays. It was hilarious. We also went to Sea World which I love. Keegan loved the Shark exhibit, weird huh? He kept saying "Look, big fish!" It was so funny. The rest of the time we sat on the sand and played in the water. Wesley learned to skimboard quite well and had his first surfing injury(don't worry he's okay). When the week was over we got on a plane and headed home to Cleveland.

I had the most amazing summer. Even though it started out with a sad experience it turned great. I am so grateful for my family and miss them so much.