WERE YOU WONDERING WHERE WE'VE BEEN?

WELL, EMILY HAD A CAR

AND LOTS OF GIFTS

THAT NEEDED TO GET TO UTAH,

WE GLADLY VOLUNTEERED
TO MAKE THE ROAD TRIP
WHILE TAKING IN
A FEW SIGHTS ALONG THE WAY.

WE HEADED  DOWN THE ROAD

PAST THE SAGE BRUSH
AND JOSHUA TREES

FOLLOWING THAT NEVER ENDING ROAD
THROUGH THE DESERT

TO LAS VEGAS.
WE SPENT THE NIGHT
AND HEADED OUT THE NEXT MORNING
FOR ZION NATIONAL PARK
IN THE RAIN.

IT WAS THE DAY OF THE ECLIPSE
AND WHEN WE SAW EVERYONE
LINED UP ALONG THE ROAD WITH THEIR GLASSES,
OF WHICH WE HAD NONE,
WITHOUT LOOKING UP,
I POINTED THE CAMERA TOWARDS THE SKY
AND THIS IS WHAT I GOT.
NOT TOO IMPRESSIVE,
BUT I DID GET THE DARKNESS.

DO YOU REMEMBER,
MAYBE IN ABOUT THE FIFTH GRADE,
LEARNING ABOUT PLATEAUS?
WELL ON THIS TRIP
I GOT THE TRUE MEANING OF THEM.

PLATEAUS,

GORGES, 

AND I'M CONVINCED,
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL

MOUNTAINS YOU WILL EVER SEE
ARE ALL OVER UTAH.

WE ARRIVED AT ZION NATIONAL PARK

ASTOUNDED 

BY THE BEAUTY WE SAW!

EVERY WHERE YOU LOOKED
THERE WERE MOUNTAINS,
WITH TRAILS FOR WALKING,
AND WALK WE DID.

ABOUT THE BEST THING
THAT COULD HAPPEN
AFTER A DAY OF HIKING,
WAS SOAKING MY FEET
IN THE COLD VIRGIN RIVER.
AHHH!

FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO CAMP,
THERE WAS A CAMPGROUND
SURROUNDED BY THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS
WITH THE RIVER FLOWING THROUGH IT.

TAKE CAUTION THOUGH!
THERE WERE ALSO SOME OF THESE
POISONOUS PLANTS
WITH TRUMPET LIKE FLOWERS,
THAT ELISE HAD WARNED US NOT TO TOUCH.
WE OBEYED HER ADVICE.

CAN YOU BELIEVE,
THIS WAS THE VIEW OF OUR HOTEL.

A VERY PLEASANT PLACE
TO END OUR DAY AT ZION.

BACK ON THE ROAD,

TO PROVO, WHERE EMILY AND ZAK LIVE.

WE DELIVERED THE CAR,
QUITE DIRTY
AND SPLATTERED WITH BUGS,
SO IT WAS TIME FOR THE CARWASH.
AFTER A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP,
M AND ZAK ENTERTAINED US
FOR THE DAY.

AT THE MENTION OF TOP GOLF,
PAPA WAS READY 
TO SHOW THEM HOW 
TO HIT A GOLF BALL.

M HAS PLAYED A GAME OR TWO
OF GOLF BEFORE,
SO SHE SHOWED US HER SKILLS.

ZAK, WHO HASN'T PLAYED MUCH,

IF ANY GOLF,

DID OK FOR HIMSELF TOO.

WITH A LITTLE PRACTICE,
ALONG WITH
THAT GREAT IMPACT OF HIS SWING, 
HE'LL PROBABLY BEAT
THEM BOTH NEXT TIME.

IT WAS ZAK'S FIRST WEEK
BACK TO COLLEGE,
SO EMILY TOOK
THE TRADITIONAL
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL PICTURE.
I'M ALSO POSTING THIS TO SHOW
HOW CUTE THEIR NEW HOME IS.

THEY'VE LITERALLY JUST MOVED IN,
WITH CAMP CHAIRS, FOR THE TIME BEING,
TAKING THE PLACE OF
LIVING ROOM FURNITURE.

THEY HAVE A NICE SIZE KITCHEN,
ALL BRAND NEW,

WITH EVEN A SEPARATE LAUNDRY ROOM.
IT'S PERFECT FOR THE NEWLYWEDS!

WE CONSIDER OURSELVES LUCKY
TO HAVE LAKE ELIZABETH
CLOSE TO US FOR OUR DAILY WALKS.
WELL EQUALLY AS CLOSE TO THEM
IS THIS PARK, 
WITH A RIVER RUNNING THROUGH IT,
AND THIS BEAUTIFUL WATERFALL.
I'M ENVIOUS!

AFTER ALL THAT EXERCISE AND FRESH AIR,
IT WAS TIME FOR DINNER.
WE WALKED FROM THEIR PLACE
INTO TOWN
AND ENJOYED A GREAT MEAL

BEFORE TAKING IN THE SIGHTS.

I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE MORMON TEMPLE
IN OAKLAND WAS BEAUTIFUL,
BUT JUST LOOK AT THIS ONE IN PROVO.
AND, THE GROUNDS
WERE SPECTACULAR!
YOU WOULD ALMOST THINK
THAT MY SISTER CAROL
WAS THEIR GARDENER.

THE LAST DAY OF OUR VISIT,

WITH EMILY AS OUR ESCORT

AND TOUR GUIDE,

(ZAK WAS IN SCHOOL)

WE VISITED SALT LAKE CITY,
AND TEMPLE SQUARE.
DEFINITELY
A PLACE OF PEACE AND TRANQUILITY,

AND BEAUTIFUL GARDENS.

AFTER ADDING A WALK THROUGH THE MALL,
WITH ACTUAL TREES
AND A BROOK RUNNING THROUGH IT,
IT WAS TIME FOR LUNCH
BEFORE M DROPPED US OFF AT THE AIRPORT.
OUR TRIP WAS SHORT,
AND WE WERE SAD TO SAY GOODBYE 
TO EMILY AND ZAK
AND THE WONDERFUL STATE OF UTAH,
BUT,THERE'S ONE THING YOU CAN COUNT ON,
WE WILL RETURN!