Mini Vacay

Easter weekend we took a much needed mini vacation to Bryce Canyon/Capital Reef. It was strange not being around for Easter with the family, but it was spring break for the kids and me as well as Conference weekend. No finding subs. Plus Bill had Good Friday off so why the heck not? He has been working non-stop on finishing the bathroom before our homestudy and I love how it turned out! It's tiny and perfect. So nice to have such a handy husband!

Friday morning we left fairly early and arrived around 1:00. Our room wasn't ready so we drove around Bryce for a couple of hours. We did a hike and then drove around to the overlooks. None of us had ever been there and I have to say it was quite breath taking! Simply amazing. Just when I thought it couldn't be better we went in the evening for a hike. The contrast of light and dark was beautiful. My pictures didn't come close to capturing how pretty the views were.



Saturday we went to the Visitor Center as we entered the park. Big mistake. Tears. Arguing. Bartering. Ugh. Note to self: Next time give kids cash and then they can't buy more than the amount they have and it will be "fair". I thought traveling with other people was the reason my kids would act out and misbehave on vacations. Now I know I'm wrong. It's all vacations!!! After talking to my friends though I am glad to know it's not just my kids! :)

This set the tone for the remainder of the morning. Stella gave up halfway through the hike and refused to walk on top of the hard snow. I stayed back with her. We drove around for a while, stopped for lunch and since the bickering continued we headed back to the hotel and let them play in the pool.  That helped the overall moral.

In the evening we went for another hike. That was probably the best hike out of all of them. There was one part that Tristan really wished he could ride his go kart because it was downhill switchbacks. They all thought it was funny to play off my anxiety of heights and falling by getting close to the edge and pretending to fall. Not cool.

We were planning on going to the cabin but after forgetting the keys we thought it would be fun to change our plans and go to Capital Reef! My most favorite place. So many good memories there. As cheesy as it sounds being there rejuvenates me. It fills my spiritual reservoir. I always feel close to my grandpa there. After finding a place to stay we headed to the park for some lunch and then over to Kohab for a rigorous hike. It's fun once you get to the top because there are tons of cheese holes to play in.

Monday morning we hiked to Chimney Rock. That hike completely wore the kids out. They fell behind us and the old people that were hiking behind us. I think after 4 days and 6 hikes we successfully exhausted them. I was very proud of how well they kept up and didn't hardly complain at all! One nice thing about kids getting older I have to say. It was a great little getaway and overall everyone enjoyed it! I came home feeling less stressed ready for the next phase of our adoption process.  Hard to believe I've lived in Utah my whole life and never been to Bryce Canyon! I can't wait to go back