Road Trip.

We are back! And we had a fabulous time on our little road trip! Presley did pretty well despite a 1 1/2 hour screaming contest she had (she was the only contestant) that lasted from St. George to Las Vegas (on the first leg of our journey). After that it was pretty smooth sailing. Presley did great sleeping in her port-a-crib and did well without too many naps for the week. Roxy, as always, was a great dog in the car--she mostly slept--and was good about being in so many new places with new dogs and people to meet.

SeaWorld

Wednesday morning we got back in the car for a quick ride to San Diego to visit one of my favorite places--SeaWorld. Many of you know that I have always wanted to be a killer whale trainer so being at SeaWorld helps me feel like I am almost there. Presley loved the park and I was amazed at how intently she watched the animals.

We caught the first killer whale show and sat in the "splash zone" so that we could be close enough for Presley (and me) to actually see the animals. We didn't get wet but this was definitely my favorite part of the day. These animals are sooooo big and so beautiful to watch as they interact with their trainers.

The other shows were fun too. The dolphins are always entertaining with the tricks they can preform and the sea lion/otter show tries to be funny but really all we want to see is the gigantic walrus at the end of the show.

Presley loved the interactive tide pools where you could reach in and touch bat rays and hold bat stars. With the first star I handed to her she brought it right up to her face, looked at it, and then gave it a kiss! It was so sweet. We had a hard time putting all the bat stars down but eventually (with some tears) we were able to move on.

Hopefully we will get to go back to SeaWorld soon--I am still waiting for them to pick me to come participate in the shows (I just might jump in and see what happens).

Huntington Beach

Chris likes the beach and I love it so I thought for sure Presley (being a water lover) would be in heaven at the beach. Well, it was quite the opposite. Presley cried the instant we put her down in the sand and it didn't stop until she was safely back on the towel. She hated the sand, the waves, and pretty much everything about the beach--maybe she will grow into it and enjoy the beach on the next trip.

We also went to the beach one evening for a bonfire and dinner with Chris' friend Brian and his extended family. Presley again would have nothing to do with the sand and didn't move from the safety of her little beach towel.

Presley warmed up a bit with a shovel and pail but still would not budge from that towel! She redeemed herself as a water lover on the trip home--we stopped in Las Vegas again to visit with Chris' friend Mark (and his new wife and baby) where we went swimming at the pool. Presley couldn't stop from splashing, blowing bubbles, and jumping in the water.


Around Town

One of the great parts of this trip was just getting to relax and do what we wanted. We loved taking out the beach cruiser bikes and riding up and down the beach. On Tuesday night Main Street was closed for the weekly farmer's market so we stopped and got dinner and I of course had to buy a big basket of local, fresh, California strawberries (which only took us one sitting to eat).

Chris and Presley made a great pair touring around on the bikes. They even got a few stares--P was in the backpack screaming "wheeeeeeee" as we rode around.

I love how there were so many local shops and places to visit within riding distance--the taco shop (Chronic Tacos) and the Sugar Shack (for a yummy breakfast) were definitely the culinary highlights of our trip. Chris will argue that he loved In and Out but I am still partial to good old Utah local Burger Supreme.


Dog Beach


Finally Roxy got her day in the sun! Huntington has a pretty big section of beach where dogs are allowed and unlike Presley she loved running in the sand and playing with all the other dogs. Roxy however was not to excited about the water--she only ventured far enough to get her little feet wet.

Manhattan Open (AVP)

On Friday we made it to Manhattan Beach for the AVP tournament. We were able to watch the world's best volleyball players in some of their qualifying matches. It is amazing how strong these athletes are. Presley enjoyed the beach from dad's back again (this time in the backpack) and she beat the heat with a Jamba Juice (which she drank most of).

Home Again

The whole family had a great time at the beach--it was a trip that I hope we will make many more times. Thank you to everyone who made it possible (Brian, Mark and Dierdre for the places to crash, Brian's neighbors John and Julie for the bike and trailer).

We made it back without too much trouble. The windshield held up (we got a big rock chip about 20 minutes into the trip) and the flat tire problem never returned. Presley is still talking about Jack (Mark and Deirdre's 5 month old) and Thule Brian's dog. For now we are going to take a few days off and get back into a routine.

County Fair.

Part of living in a small town means that it is easier to get to the local, down-home things that go on all summer long. For instance on Thursday nights you can head into 'town' and go to the local Farmers Market--where we like to eat sweet fry bread and chicken kabobs--or you can catch one of several local parades and festivals that happen nearly every week.

This weekend we attended the Wasatch County Fair and by the looks of it you can tell that it was hot but we had fun chowing down on Philly cheese steaks , hot--fresh out of the oil--mini donuts, and Texas lemonade.

Chris' favorite are the livestock exhibits but unfortunately we came on the last day and all of the sheep, pigs, and goats had been packed up. We did get to see the horses and cows that were going to be in the rodeo later that night. Chris says he won't be truly happy until we own a sheep farm and learn to make our own cheese. Maybe someday . . .

PS--We used the fair to test out our newest purchase. The KangaKid backpack. So far it is a thumbs-up. It will hold a child up to 33 pounds and Chris said it was pretty comfortable--hopefully it will come in handy on our trip to California this coming week! (On sale at the REI outlet online, not a bad price)

Rub-a-dub-dub . . .

Today Presley not only enjoyed a long, hot shower with me but she also got to spend a good chunk of time in the big tub in our master bathroom. I wasn't finished getting ready and so while I put on a bit of makeup and brushed my teeth Presley literally swam in the tub.

It is a very large tub (we only filled it a bit) and Presley was on her belly swimming around, blowing bubbles, and wriggling like a fish. The tub is right next to my sink so I had my eye on her the whole time (conveniently, I could even see her in the mirror's reflection). Too much fun!

Yikes!

Can you see it??? I was outside this morning with Presley and Roxy, enjoying the cooler mornings we have been having, trimming the plants and weeding a bit, when this Praying Mantis scared the pants off me! I am not a bug person--my least favorites include grasshoppers and moths--and I was not at all prepared to have this gigantic, neon green, scary bug nearly crawl up my arm.

I backed away and will probably never get that particular plant trimmed down. Hopefully this bug is doing something productive like keeping away spiders!

New Food.

I know this new food looks like throw-up but Roxy loves it so far (and it smells nothing like it looks--think dehydrated camping food). How could she not love it when the ingredients are hormone-free chicken, organic flaxseed, potatoes, celery, sweet potatoes, apples, alfalfa, organic kelp, honey, zucchini, green beans, cabbage, bananas, papayas, yogurt, basil, garlic and rosemary. She licked her bowl clean!

Mmmmmmmm!

Hangin' out.

One of the reasons we bought our new home was the beautiful view from the deck. You can see the whole valley below and the mountains up the canyon--it is a spectacular view. We love to eat as many meals as we can out on the deck, despite the lack in "cool" deck furniture. We currently have a set of 4 plastic chairs and plastic table set with 2 additional plastic Adirondack chairs and lastly a pink plastic chair for Presley. The theme is PLASTIC . . . but it doesn't spoil the view!

Even Roxy likes to be on the deck (although she has always been a bit afraid of wood floors and especially decks and bridges). It is a great vantage point for her to see all the neighborhood dogs and bark at them as they pass by.

I have found a new food for Roxy. We are going to feed her a grain-free, gluten-free, organic, dehydrated raw food from a company called the Honest Kitchen. After reading as much as I could I have come to the conclusion that Roxy may be intolerant of grains and glutens. I am excited to start her new diet and hope that in 6 months her blood work shows improvement.

Fashionista.

For the past 5 days in a row, when I go downstairs to get Presley up for the day, she has been sporting a new pajama fashion. I didn't think kids started wanting to dress themselves or pick out clothes until they were a little older--I guess she is just starting a little early!

We are calling it the "shirt over head with exposed belly". I am not sure if she does this in the evening after I put her to bed or if she does it in the morning when she first wakes up before I get to her. It is pretty cute!

I have also been busy making additional hair clips--these turned out even better than the first set! I am sad to see the top-of-the-head ponytail go but this works too and I am getting used to the new style.

Thank you honey . . .

I owe Chris a big 'thank you'. I got two projects finished and one of them was no small task. The speakers got painted and it couldn't have gone smoother--easy to pop out the screens, easy to paint them, easy to paint the frames, and easy to put them all together again. The washer and dryer pedestals were a totally different story. Chris worked for 2 1/2 hours to get this project of mine wrapped up. The hardest part turned out to be re-installing the dryer vent hose--the hook-up was built in such a way that without duct tape, a screw, and a lot of time on your back wedged in a corner, it was nearly impossible to do. But my hubby did it!

I promise I will be doing laundry all the time now. The added height is so good that even looking at the laundry room makes my back feel better. I would certainly be living in a house of unfinished projects if Chris didn't bail me out--thank you and I will give you a break for a while (maybe).

Teeth.

We have had a wild couple of weeks in the 'teeth' department. All last week Presley had a low fever, whined, and was generally miserable because of the 4 molars that were working their way out. Finally this week (just yesterday) she stared acting more like the 'old' Presley. We are back to smiles, regular naps, and the happy girl we are all used to! I can't believe it is such a traumatic event in a child's life--thank goodness it is not something we carry around in our memories of childhood.

Roxy had an interesting week of teeth too. She went in last week for her bi-annual check up and vaccinations and we decided it was time to get her teeth cleaned (everything else was in tip-top shape). Chris brought her in to the vet on Wednesday and they started the necessary blood work to ensure all was well and that Roxy could tolerate the anesthesia. Later that morning we got a call from the vet requesting permission for additional tests (Roxy's ALT levels were high and she needed a bile acid test to recheck). We picked Roxy up for the evening (I don't think we could ever leave her overnight) with her catheter still in place and hoped for good news in the morning.

Thursday morning came without good news. Roxy's tests definitely showed some sort of liver disease. We are devastated. You would never guess there is a problem--she eats well, is active, happy, her digestion seems good. We are going to start Roxy on a daily antioxidant, milk thistle, and SAMe supplement while we find a new food that will help support her liver function better. The only good news is that with extra fluids and a different anesthesia the vet proceeded to clean Roxy's teeth--they are a gleaming white and there is no more doggy breath. I have vowed to remember to bush her teeth daily (which she is actually a good sport about).

PS--I have started resizing my pictures. I still haven't figured out what to do about the font spacing issues.

Demolition Derby!

As if we weren't lucky enough with the water skiing invite this morning, this evening some friends came across an extra set of tickets to the Kamas Demolition Derby and invited us along! 3 years ago (with the same friends) we went to our first derby and had a great time so we didn't think twice about heading out for the evening, even with the busy day we had already had. If you have never been to the derby you will have to check one out--there is nothing like it.

Demolition derby is a motor-sport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. They originated in the United States of America, and quickly spread to other western nations.

While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of ten or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehicles into one another. The last driver whose vehicle is still operational is awarded the victory.

The derby is the kind of place where kettle corn, hot dogs, candy bars, and diet coke make for a pretty good dinner. At the first derby we attended we even witnessed a streaker running across the dirt in nothing but work boots. Definitely something to check out if you ever have the opportunity!