Finishing Touches in Utah

One of the highlights of our trip to Utah was an incredibly large bowl of homemade Caramel Corn, made by T'liese. It was Charloe's birthday, and that was her only reply when asked what she wanted in order to celebrate.

There is just something magical about a vast pot of caramel.

We also got busy sanding, priming, and painting the outdoor bench on my parents' porch. It had gone from looking rustic and shabby chic to homeless and abused. It was time for a face lift! After letting the primer dry for an hour, a whole team of people descended to paint two coats of "Crushed Seed" onto the bench. I love it. It sure brightens up the porch! The best part is that Mom likes it. Other than me losing patience with some little kids being around paint (and, subsequently making a complete idiot of myself), I would consider this bench makeover a success.

Friday night, I made a batch of Red Velvet Cupcakes and Birthday Cake for Charloe. I will blame a gas oven that the cupcakes got a little too much heat, and consequently were a little dry (meatloaf, Sigourney?). Nothing a ton of cream cheese frosting can't fix, right? A picture snapped of me making this cake is what caused my turning point to take place! I'm glad I did it, just for that reason. The cake was scrumptious. If you like cake and all.

On Saturday, we loaded our things into Cuh-ROW-lla and followed my parents caravan-style to Koosharem. We were able to see cousins and my Aunt LeeAnn, who lost her husband to cancer just a few days before. Though the circumstances were not fun, it was such a treat to visit with people I hadn't seen in years. Family really is what it's all about.

After Koosharem, we met up with Charloe and her little family at an awesome sandwich shop in Richfield. It was hard to decide from their endless menu, but I got a Philly Cheesesteak. Everyone around the table seemed to enjoy their massive bread-and-meat combinations.

After a stop in Walmart to help my Mom find some new lampshades and a welcome mat for the porch, John and I were on our way to St. George. The original plan was to stay in Richfield with my sister yet again, but when she woke up fiercely sick that morning, we decided to avoid their house for the night. Instead, I used my Gold Priority Club Points to score us a beautiful free hotel room in St. George. After a three-hour drive, we finally arrived at the brand-new Holiday Inn Express. We watched Food Network (we don't have television, so this was a rare treat) for an hour before picking a place for dinner. Wingers won, and we enjoyed an AWESOME dinner. John had a huge burger, and I had a delicious BBQ chicken wrap. Then we wandered around TJ Maxx before crashing for an early night.

Sunday meant a 7-hour drive home to Arizona. We passed some beautiful scenery and enjoyed finishing a book on CD. No matter how wonderful the trip, and this one was pretty stinkin' wonderful, it always feels great to be home.