Sunday, August 5, 2012

Pictures from Our Road Trip



University Arizona Football Stadium.


 
Moe met with the UA coaching staff and was given a tour of the entire campus, football and training faciities.   Despite the scorchng hot weather, the campus was beautiful with its gorgeous desert landscape and red brick buildings.  Moe Loved his visit of the campus and I fell in love with the city of Tucson!




One of the rest stops in Arizona had this amazing view of the valley.

 


Hallway Surfing- no need to worry about sharks or drowning.  I'm the sucker doing the pushing.




As soon as we checked into our hotel in Draper, Utah- we were invited to RM's cousin Marvin's house for a barbecue.  Pictured above is Moe and RM's niece Simone.




 
After we ate, we worked off the calories by playing ping pong.  Pictured is RM with his cousin Marv.



We later played a card game called 'Last Card" with Cousin Jake. 



RM has not seen his family in Utah for over ten years.  Pictured here is Moe with his cousins Julia and Salote.  The last time Moe and Julia were together, they were babies.  Julia and Salote's mom Vanessa was in the hospital the day Moe was born!




The person in the middle is RM's Great Uncle Taniela (Daniel).  He didn't know we were in town and was surprised to see us.  It was a touching reunion.




We went to BYU in Provo and Moe met with the football coaches and even saw some of his friends that are on the team- the vist was fine.

But when he visited the University of Utah and met with coaches, he LOVED it there. The coaches introduced him to the team, they gave him a tour of the campus,  and he had a great feeling for the entire experience.  
Pictured is the football  practice of the the Univ. of Utah.  Moe is on the side line to the left.





We were looking for a bakery and our GPS lead us to Kneaders Bakery, only a few miles from our hotel.  They make the best cinnamon rolls EVER!  I had a slice of their blueberry sour cream pie and it was so delicious, it took every ounce of will power not to take a second slice.

Their cinnamon rolls inspired me to make one from scratch.  The morning after we arrived home from our road trip, I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast- it was good, but the dough wasn't as firm as the one from Kneaders.  I'll just have to keep searching for a recipe close to Kneaders!




RM and I had a low cal smoothie from Jamba Juice for breakfast or lunch every day. 



(Inside the Tabernacle)

The tour of the Temple Square in Salt Lake City was a great experience.  It truly is an uplifting experience to read the stories of the pioneers and their efforts to building the Salt Lake Temple and Tabernacle.  Whether you're a member of the LDS church or not, one can't help but appreciate the beauty of the buildings and be moved by the stories.



We took a tour of the LDS Conference Center, a modern building built in 2000.  This is the rooftop of the conference center- a highlight of the tour.  It is a rooftop unlike any other.  In the background is the Salt Lake City Temple.



 
 After being on our feet for several hours at Temple Square, we were beat and ready to eat.  Lion House Pantry came highly recommended, so we were looking forward to eating there.

Here is my three word review for this restaurant....First and Last. 

 
On our last day in Utah, we met with two of RM's aunts- Vanessa and Lea and their daughters.  We met for breakfast that lasted until lunch time.  RM had not seen his Aunt Lea since he was fifteen years old!  They had a lot of catching up to do.


 
We had a wonderful time in Arizona, Utah, and Nevada.  But after being away from home for over a week, logging many hours on the road, staying in four different hotels, and eating out almost every night, it was nice to be back home.


There is nothing like sleeping on your own bed and eating home cooked meals -  even if it's me doing the cooking!


2 comments:

Stephanie said...

Great pictures. I'm glad that you had a good trip and are safely back home.

Ashley said...

I LOVE your dress. You look so cute. I want one. ;) Glad you had a fun trip!!