Getting away is great.

Has anyone missed me? Yeah I knew you would. We have been out of town since early Friday morning, came back for a short visit Saturday night and were gone again by Sunday afternoon. We got home last night at about 9 p.m. and are bushed today. We had a family reunion this weekend and our anniversary was yesterday.

The reunion was great. Dave's family is pretty fun to be around. We all camped out in his sister's back yard, had dinner, an auction, breakfast, lunch and tons of fun in the water. They set up a huge slip n' slide and used snow sleds to take a ride down it. All in all it turned out just great, we got a new tent and slept beautifully except for my mattress going flat.

Then we went to Bear Lake on Sunday afternoon. We have been married now for 7 years and we had gone to Bear Lake for our honeymoon so we wanted to go back. It took a lot longer than we thought it did 7 years ago, but back then it was just the two of us with no screaming kids in the car. And when we did finally make it, David had to run off and finish a couple of papers (so much for a stress free vacation right?). So the kids and I went down to the beach for a while to play. All of my children are like little fish in water. They love it, and Bear Lake is perfect because it doesn't get deep enough for a long ways out to be too dangerous for even Cora. We were only able to swim for about an hour and then went back up to our little cabin. The only problem was that David was trying to work and there was no TV or games for the kids to play, (and I was trying to read Breaking Dawn) so they were bored out of their minds. Luckily I have a great husband that can't stand to see our children bored so he stopped what he was doing and played for a while. Then he gave up too and turned the laptop into a DVD player and let the kids watch Peter Pan.

Yesterday was our busy day. We got up bright and early (Dave at 3 a.m. to finish his papers so he could play all day) went to the beach for a little morning walk, and checked out. When we went for our honeymoon, we went up to Minnetonka Cave and loved it so we had to take our children. We were a little worried about Dawson especially, because he is kind of a woose and we were afraid that he would freak out being in the dark (at the end of the tour they turn the lights off and you can't even see your hand in front of your face) but he loved it and just kept going on and on about the Cave being "Groovy". The kids did fabulous, there are 840 something steps in the cave and they didn't complain once. Dawson was smart enough though, when we got out and Dave said lets to it again, Dawson said no way.

Then it was off to the beach (Cait was about to die in anticipation). It was so much fun. Like I said the water is shallow and so I didn't have to worry too much. Cora loved it. We put her in her floaty and she was tall enough just to walk around. I was sure the feeling would make her want to just keep walking, but it didn't. We made sand castles and had a picnic and played in the water for a little more than 3 hours. No one even got severely burned, yeah!!!

The only bad part of the trip was the five hours it took us to get home. Since we started at the north end of the lake that was a half hour trip just to get to Garden City, then we stopped for gas in Logan and in Brigham to eat at Maddox, but it was closed, so we headed to Layton for our favorite restaurant, Famous Dave's, and then back on the road. But overall it was a much needed family break and Bear Lake was the perfect place. Out little home away from home.

Minnetonka Cave.

Kermit's Castle

The Three Sisters

The Seven Dwarfs

The Wedding Room. Notice the stalagmite on bottom (our guide is standing in front of it) and the stalactite up top. In about 5000 years or so they will finally get married and meet each other. This is at the end of the cave when they turn the lights out. It is a little disorienting.

The Stairway to Heaven. Clear up those steps at the white lights is Heaven and down where we are standing, in the red lights, is the Devil's Office. There is a hole there that you could, if they would let you, climb down and it drops 40 feet in elevation very quickly. We were on our way back up.

Cool family picture huh?

Look how pretty. The mountains and the girl.

This is Blue Pond Springs. Dave and I discovered it on our honeymoon (that time we saw a moose). I can't get enough of the clear water.

I need a boat like that.

And last but not least the house we bought while we were there, NOT. I wish. This is my dream home to a tee. I would by that no matter the cost if it ever went up for sale. I was in love at first site.