Climbing with the Family

A few weeks ago Bret and I took our cousins rock climbing in Rock Canyon. They recently moved to the glorious state of Utah and we thought it would be fun to introduce them to this beautiful state by taking them to one of our favorite places and teaching them about one of our favorite sports. As an added bonus my Mom was in town so she decided to come and try some climbing as well.

The hike was a bit steep but everyone made it up including little Dallin... with a bit of help from Grandma.

Several loving arms took turns holding the cutsie pie, who was absolutely delighted to be spending a day outside.

The kids took turns climbing and they all did such a great job. Mama was oh so proud:)

Kristi enjoyed the view from up high...

Adam sailed up every route we put him on with the greatest of ease...

Jack found a way to climb even when he wasn't tied into a rope...

Stori insisted on sporting my pink chalk bag...

and finally Sam... who was much too excited about exploring the rocks to hold still for a photo. Although I did manage to sneak this snapshot before he could turn away.

Sheri was by far the most graceful of the climbers.

However, Mom came in as a close second.

She made it all the way up. It was very impressive.

We even taught her how to belay. Isn't she adorable!

The Behemoth

BEHOLD...

I give you CASTLETON!!

I have had a desire to climb this beast for quite some time. Castleton is a beautiful 400 foot tall sandstone tower in the heart of Castle Valley near Moab. Christian and I had been talking about going for awhile but circumstances just never quite worked out... until this last weekend.

The hike to the base is pretty steep but the view was amazing.

Here are some photos of the climb...

Here is the second pitch. Christian is climbing while our crazy friend Chester looks on.

A comfy ledge somewhere in the middle...

The last pitch...

The two of us at the top...

Me looking for the geocache to sign in for the Crapo Cache-a-teers...

Rappelling down...

The following day we decided to climb The Priest. This climb was definitely more challenging. The first two pitches were one long squeeze chimney. This kind of climbing was new to me. It involves a lot of pain and leaves you feeling torn up and completely destroyed. In essence... AMAZING:)

The Priest is the tower all the way on the left side.

The squeeze chimney involves a very slow process where you inch your way up much like a worm. You do this by pushing with your feet and then pressing your arm as a wedge into the chimney all the while pressing your knees against the walls to hold your body inside the chimney crack without slipping. Eventually the crack widens and you start pressing your back against the wall and walking up with you legs almost completely extended on the other side. I have the biggest bruises all over!

Traversing into the belly of the Priest...

Scary!

View of Castleton from a ledge in the middle of the Priest...

We made it to the top...

4 pitch rappel...

Afterwards we stopped at this delicious Mexican Restaurant and ate till we were ready to explode. Yummy!

Christian had the Carne Asada Burrito...

I had the Chicken Mole...

Chester had some deliciousness as well!

I love weekends in the Desert:)

We're Moving Next Week!!

Our closing date is the 22nd of this month. That means we'll be moving next week. Luckily our family will be out here to help and we'll have access to a moving truck before it's used to pack up Sheri and Mckay and take them to Missouri. It will definitely be a stressful week but hopefully by the end of it we'll be all moved in and settled. I can't wait to invite people over! We'll finally have a place big enough to actually entertain company!

We went back one last time to measure a few things and do our final walk through to make sure a few important details checked out. Everything is perfect!

The jetted tub... Christian fits!

Julie's walk in closet... don't worry we'll find a spot for Christian's things.

The hallway... Mom's room is the first door on the left.

Christian's favorite statue... I think we'll all get along nicely!

Bret's Creation

Christian was out of town last weekend on a climbing trip so Bret and I decided to make dinner together. Being that Christian is allergic to shellfish we naturally decided to make something with shrimp. We did a slight variation on Dads famous Lemon Basil Shrimp recipe by adding sun dried tomatoes. We paired it with Aunt Stephanie's delicious asparagus recipe and Voila! The knockout duo was perfection!

Bret and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!

Growing Up

There comes a time in everyones life when they finally have to grow up. For some this moment happens when they move out of their parents house. For others its finishing college, and if that doesn't do the trick usually getting married ends up sealing the deal. Christian and I have tried as hard as we can to avoid the growing up thing, but alas the time has come. We have decided to embrace the world of adulthood and buy our first house. It's all very nerve racking and oh so scary! Several times we've questioned our decision to become real adults but when an $8,000 tax credit and an insanely low interest rate are dangled in front of you the transition is really quite easy. Especially when you pair that with the ghetto spider infested basement apartment we'd be leaving. Hooray for adulthood!!

After lots of searching we found a place that I think will suit us both very nicely. It's located in Pleasant Grove within a very French inspired community called the Belle Monet. We made an offer last week and it was accepted! Financing is all taken care of and we should be closing in about two weeks. I apologize for the pictures... I pulled them off the Internet so the quality isn't fabulous but it should give you an idea of what it looks like. Also keep in mind that our furniture isn't nearly as fancy and for the first couple of years there might be a few empty corners:)

The Floorplan:

Notice that there are TWO decks, one off the living room and one off the Master Bedroom. There is also a walk in closet and a jetted tub in the Master bath as well!

The Living Room

The Kitchen:

Do you see the granite counter tops? The knotty alder cabinets?

The Master Bedroom

I'm guessing this next bit will ensure that you all stop by for a visit...

Hooray for pools! I LOVE swimming pools and can't wait to relax in the sun at our new place. We'll be sure to host a house warming party for family and friends as soon as we're moved in.

How to shave a Lucifur

As many of you know we have a very fury cat. He's entirely too hairy and every time you pick him up while wearing black you will inevitably get "lulu'd". We've often joked about shaving the cat and I have even called Petsmart to see if they will do it and how much it is. We know some people who have a cat similar to Lucifur and when they shave their cat in the summer months the cat actually seems to enjoy the hairless freedom. Now before you think that this is just another method I use to torture the beast who I am forced to share a home with I want you to all understand that this was Chrstian's idea and it was he who bought the clippers and ultimately did most of the shaving.

Yes we shaved the wretched beast...

No he did not like it... and no he wouldn't hold still which is why he's a bit patchy.

And no he definitely doesn't enjoy his hairless freedom...

He is a cranky cat now who has made it very apparent that he is unhappy in his bald piglet state and abhors the notion that I willingly laugh at his nakedness. He looks like a Tim Burton freaky monster cat.

Anyone know how long it takes for cat hair to grow?

The Pho King

Christian has a new love in his life... Pho. For those of you who don't know, Pho is a Vietnamese noodle dish. Christian's new favorite thing is to create these noodle dishes and put his own spin on them. It's become a favorite of many of his friends and because he's gotten so good at making it they have consequently nick named him the Pho King. Pho is basically a thin rice noodle that is put into a broth with vegetables and meat. The trick is to make the broth really tasty and this is the part that Christian excels at. Our current favorite version has baby bok choy, snow peas, carrots, mushrooms, bean sprouts, jalapenos, limes and chicken.

After a full day of climbing we all hang out and let Christian work his magic in the Kitchen.

Bret and I usually help with the chopping.

Delicious!