Rather Go Out in a Blaze of Glory

 July 2022

Unfortunately, July 1st brought the end of mine and Andrew's excursion. We were going to try again to hike Hanging Lake before heading back, but it wasn't really going to work out and we opted to just start the drive back instead. It's shocking how enjoyable a roadtrip can be when we get to pick the music and don't need to accommodate kids' bladders. The drive back went by so quickly. When we learned that the kids were still going to be at colonial days for a while, we decided to hit up an escape room and a running store. I mean, are you kidding me? Over the course of 3 or 4 days I had all of my favorite things: Colorado mountains, car karaoke, one on one time with Andrew, a puzzle come to life, hiking, and running/shopping for running things. It could not get better. The escape room was so much fun (and so much cheaper than the ones we've gone to in California) that we booked another one for the whole family the next day. 

Not to brag, but we crushed it.

Once we reconnected with the kids and Andrew's parents, we got to hear all about their adventures while we were away. It sounded like they had a blast doing crafts, playing outside, going to colonial days in Orem, and going to a trampoline park. Their grandparents took such good care of them and they had a ton of fun. 

Somehow I let myself get talked into going to the Hot Air Balloon festival(?) in Orem suuuper early the next morning. Unfortunately, the balloons didn't make it off the ground due to wind, but Audrey, Joshua, and I had fun hanging out and then I got to pick up kolaches on my way back to Salem.

Later that day, we got the group together for a hike up to Timpanogos Cave. The last night I did this hike and cave tour was when Adaline was two months old, and I have to say it went much better than that fiasco did. The kids seemed to really enjoy the tour and the break from the heat, and then the whole hike back is all down hill.

As we were doing the cave tour, Alex kept doing a more and more aggressive potty dance. We couldn't just run out to the exit because the cave is dark and you have to have guide with you. Andrew was getting panicky and I was certainly wondering what we were going to do when I remembered that I had an empty water bottle in my backpack. Very discreetly, I was able to help Alex and not even get left behind. Parenting certainly requires a lot of creativity and problem solving.

Everyone split up to take a little rest, eat some food, and then we met back up at the escape room place to save Santa. This room was specifically meant for a group with a wide range of ages and I was thoroughly impressed by the thought put into it. There were puzzles that Alex could solve and puzzles that were tricky for the adults. And the puzzles aimed at the kids weren't just fluff either-they were actually integral to solving the room as a whole. It was so much fun to all work together, but especially to watch our kids-who love puzzles as much as we do-get so excited about finding clues and figuring each piece of the mystery. Matthew would yell out every time he thought he had figured out something new. Adaline came in clutch with a couple puzzles right at the end and was clearly thrilled and proud about the connections she made. The game master watching might have just been super kind, but he said he was so impressed with our kids and how clever they were figuring out the puzzles. It was a blast!

Alex could not stay awake for church the next day-honestly, I barely was

Making treats with Gram for the 4th of July

For July 4th, Andrew headed off early in the morning to go run his first ever 10K. We got there in time to cheer him on and see his giant grin once he caught up with us for the parade. He did so well! The best part was that he said he felt really good the whole time and like he ran a really smart race-the hardest part about running a new distance, in my opinion. 

Aunt Audrey brought lots of fun snacks and activities to entertain everyone while waiting for the parade. It got going pretty quickly and the kids were thrilled with all the candy they caught. It was fun to watch them really get into clapping and cheering in the hopes that more candy would be thrown their way. 

That night a few of Andrew's extended family members came over for dinner, and we did some fireworks in the cul-de-sac.

The next day it was time to head home! The epic summer trip was over and it was back to regular summer living back in California. 

I love when they help each other out-Adaline making a new shield for Alex was the sweetest.

Michael's Sunday School teacher sent me this picture that he took during class...yikes, my kids are so well behaved.

This is how we get through waiting at the dentist office

Alex went through a phase of wanting to wear his hair in ponytails all the time and it was adorable. These were his "dinosaur spikes". I was kind of sad when he was ready for a short haircut. 

I don't know what we did between coming home from Utah and the end of the month. The only other thing I remember was that I got a stomach bug just a few days before my next half marathon. I was feeling pretty good the morning of, so I decided to just go for it. Well, that was a very bad idea. You know how you normally load up on carbs and fluids before a long endurance event? Well I had basically had nothing to eat or drink in the previous two days and I really felt that during the race. I wrecked my body doing this one and had to give myself way more time to recover afterward. Do I regret it though? ha Can't say that I do. I even managed to still sneak in under 2 hours somehow.