On Sunday after church, Ruth and I loaded up the car and headed to her parents house for a few days. On Monday we visited Storm Mountain at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. We got there in the late afternoon/early evening so we could get a better picnic site, and it was a good thing we did, because the place was practically empty when we got there but when we left it was really crowded. After we got our area all staked out, we strolled around the raging river that was running through all the picnic areas. The pictures won't really do it justice, but it was awesome to see how powerful the rushing water was. Then we started making our awesome dinner, which consisted of salad, watermelon, a dutch oven main course (that consisted of potatoes, carrots, onions, kielbasa sausage, and seasoning), and some rolls cooked in another dutch oven. Once we got all the food going we enjoyed some more of the scenery and played a few card games while we waited for the food and the rest of the crew to make it to the canyon. All the food turned out great, and we got to top it all off by making some s'mores over a campfire.
On Tuesday morning Ruth and I had to do some shopping, then we took off on an unexpected adventure. The only bad thing about having this surprise adventure, was the lack of a camera. Since we didn't plan on going anywhere special, we didn't have the camera. Anyway, we drove into downtown Salt Lake and visited Temple Square. We enjoyed the beauty of the temple, the grounds, and even had lunch at the Lion House Pantry. It was my first time to eat there, and all the good things I had heard about it were true. As I said before, it was completely unplanned, and wound a being one of the highlights of our trip. Sometimes life gets unintentionally too structured and we need those sporadic moments to remind us that its alright to let life take us where it will sometimes.
With Wednesday came the biggest reason we made the trip up north. We were fortunate enough to go to the Draper Temple and see Ruth's cousin get married. It is always a joy to be in the temple, but it was special for us to go to a sealing so recently after our own. It gave us a chance to admire the sealing ordinance again, and not be so lost in the bliss of the moment that came at our own sealing. I think I can speak for Ruth and myself when I say it made us even more appreciative of one another. After enjoying the beautiful ceremony, we took part in the first phase of pictures and then headed to where the luncheon was to be held. The luncheon was going to be held at the clubhouse of a golf course and we had about an hour before it started, so we took advantage of the situation. So we grabbed a few buckets of balls, a couple sets of rented clubs (and my clubs which just happened to be in my trunk ;) ) and headed for the driving range. We must have been quite the sight, a whole group of golfers in either shirts and ties, or dresses. I don't think anybody got to serious, so we all had a blast waiting for the rest of the wedding party to arrive at the luncheon. The luncheon had excellent food, and it was a good way to spend just a little more quality time with Ruth's family before we had to head home. We would have stayed for the reception, but we both had to get back to be to work that night. Anyway, it turned out to be a fantastic trip, we always enjoy the chance to be around family. Here are a few pictures from the weeks adventures:
Big Cottonwood Canyon:
You will have to excuse the goofy commentators, but I think this
gives a better idea of how cool the water really was!
Looking good......
But it needs one more thing....
The SAUSAGE!
The Wedding Day:
The happy newlyweds.
Random:
Ug ready to pounce.
A rainbow we saw on the way home.
