I suppose I have a good reason – I’ve been on vacation for the last 2 weeks. It was nice to get away from everything and hang out with family for a while. Where did we go?

Well, first, we spent a week in Newport Beach, CA. Yes, the ocean is cold right now, but you do get used to it. I still have a hard time getting used to the ocean though. Growing up in southern Michigan, we were surrounded by *freshwater* lakes, and would often visit my grandparents in South Haven, which is on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan (Lake Michigan is the one between Michigan and Illinois/Wisconsin for the geographically challenged). I’m honestly not sure how people get used to the salt in the ocean – I swear that I’ve never spit so much in my life! :-)

Whilst in Newport Beach, we spent a day at Disney Land (it’s too close not to go – especially for our kids!), and then spent a day at Magic Mountain. The remainder of the days were spent either at the beach, at the mall, or doing various other things. Not surprisingly, going on vacation with kids isn’t so much about R&R as it is making sure the kids have fun, which I think they did.

After Newport Beach, we then spent a week at Snowbird (the Cliff Lodge) in Snowbird, UT. Snowbird is located in Little Cottonwood Canyon just SE of Salt Lake City, and boasts some of the best skiing around. My parents own a timeshare up there, which makes it much more affordable for us to vacation!

Salt Lake Valley is a beautiful area. If you know anything about the history of that area, it was first settled by Mormon pioneers in the mid-1800’s when the area was largely just a big desert. The landscape of the valley now is so dramatically different, it is simply amazing. Trees, grass, flowers everywhere, and the backdrop of the mountains is breathtaking. Yes – it’s a bit different from Texas. This was the scenery I enjoyed during my college years at BYU, and I’m glad that I have the chance to go back and visit every so often.

To continue, there are a myriad of things to do in Salt Lake City, from visiting Temple Square, to Hogle Zoo (I got some absolutely amazing pictures from the zoo – I’ll post a link if/when I get a chance to upload some of them), and we spent several days visiting with friends (and letting our kids play together). All in all, a good time was spent by everyone.