Dang those viruses!

First off, I apologize for the lapse in updating. I was able to get on my computer, but I was afraid to sign into anything or upload any images for fear of the dang virus. The good news is that it seems B has remedied the situation, so we're back up and running, for now....

So, there's a lot to catch up on. I'll have to do it in increments, and pictures will be inserted when I retrieve them from the exterior hard drive.

First up, UTAH
The girls and I flew out on Mother's Day. I had only flown with them once by myself, and it was from Philadelphia to Birmingham, so not a rough trip. It was also back when Abri would sit quietly in your lap. I'm here to say, that is not the case any longer. When I arrived at the airport, I found out it was a 5 hour flight to Phoenix, and then another 1.5 hour leg to Salt Lake City. That wasn't exactly good news to me. Lucky for me, there were 2 empty seats on the plane, and I was able to bring the car seat on for Abri. After she slept for half the flight, the girls spent the remainder of the time on the floor in front of the seats. For some, you may be thinking, WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING-GERMS! but don't judge until you've walked in my shoes. At the end, I was complimented by everyone sitting around us on their behavior, so it was ALL GOOD.

Eventually, we did make it to SLC, and Utah never looked so good. As we flew in over the city, I felt like I was going home. It holds a real place in my heart. I instantly felt the smog of NJ lift off my shoulders and the slow pace of the state enter my veins. My vacation had begun.

We were picked up at the airport by the Berrys-James, Adrian, Sydney and Mason. James also works for USG, and we lived in UT at the same time. Lise' and Sydney are 3 weeks apart in age, and Abri and Mason are 3 months apart. They drove in to meet us from Nevada. We hadn't seen them since the day we left Richfield 2 years ago. It was like that lapse in time disappeared right before us, and we picked up right where we left off.

Our first stop on the way to the resort was the grocery store. We had 3 adults and 4 children in car seats in their SUV along with a weeks worth of luggage and strollers. (this includes the luggage rack on top) Somehow, it evaded our minds that maybe we should have gone to the resort first and the grocery later. You should have seen us piling groceries into every imaginable hole. It was quiet funny.

We were sure happy to pull into the Marriott Summit Watch in Park City. WOW, is about all I can say. It was our first experience with our time share benefits, and it definitely confirmed that we had made the right decision for us in joining the timeshare world. The resort was beautiful. Our room overlooked a stream, and we could walk anywhere we wanted in town. It was great for the kids. There was a pool, scheduled activities, and a playroom. The girls especially enjoyed the "Shoe Tree." (pic to come later).

When we weren't enjoying the fresh mountain air, the girls were playing dress up, dancing and building things out of playdoh. Because we're in the Eastern time zone and the Berries live in the Pacific time zone, there was some adjustment to our schedules. My girls would be up by 5 am, so we'd eat breakfast and head out for our daily stroll up (and I do mean UP) Main Street. It was quite the workout for the Mommy behind the stroller. It became something I looked forward to each day. At night, Adrian and I would polish off a bottle of wine and catch up on movies and girl talk.

Wednesday night, B was able to join us. Once he arrived, I was willing to try eating at restaurants. Remembering a show I had seen in years past with Rachel Ray, we decided to have breakfast at The Morning Ray Cafe'. It was worth the hike to the top of the hill. So, if you're in PC anytime soon, be sure to stop by.

ON Thursday, we made a trip just south of SLC to the photographer that took pictures of Lise' when she was baby. Once we have them, we'll be sure to share.

The week came to a close all too soon. We enjoyed every minute of it, and look forward to doing it again in the near future. Hopefully the Berries feel the same :-)

My one regret is that we didn't have the chance to drive south to Richfield to visit with our neighbors. So, if you're reading this, I'm sorry. There just wasn't enough time in the day. I promise the next time we make the trip it will be the first thing.

Within minutes of taking off, we vowed to return soon. Our flight home was long, and we almost missed our connection in St. Louis, but we eventually made it home. It was good to be back, but we sured enjoyed ourselves while we were away.