We're Back!

I have determined that August is not a good month for blogging. Some people can reach around all the crazy this month produces and document each day and activity. Sadly, I am not one of them. We did have a great month and hopefully I can remember the high points, at the very least. We may need to break this up over a couple posts.

We started out the month with Ben's family's reunion. In Ben's family each of the kids take a turn planning the reunion. It's a great way to get the "flavor" of each little family and we also get to see some places that we wouldn't normally see. This year was no exception. My sister-in-law's family owns a lodge in Torrey, UT.  I didn't know where Torrey was before the reunion began and to be honest I'm still not quite sure where it is, only that it is in the middle of nowhere. It is right outside Capitol Reef National Park, and, if I remember my 4th grade Utah history well enough, that is right in the middle of what we Utahns like to call, Color Country.  (Are you proud of me Miss Harrington?) Torrey's population is approx. 200 and "downtown" consists of a church, two hamburger joints, a gas station and the only store, called the Chuck Wagon, which only carries diapers up to size 2, which I know because my SIL needed size 5 and had to drive to Loa, 20 min up the road, to get them. I also think that the only road in the whole town that is paved is Main Street. I hope this paints an accurate picture, because it will perhaps help you to experience the shock and awe that we felt as we drove up to Cougar Ridge Lodge.

I wish I had the time and space to describe how Cougar Ridge came to be, because this place started out being built as a barn and somehow turned into 15,000 square feet of posh-ness. Holy cow. First off, this place is set in the most breathtaking scenery ever. Red rocks, green pastures, silver sage... it's just stunning. Then you walk into the the place and your heart stops. The first floor is home to the kitchen of my dreams, I think it is as big as my first apartment, and just down from that are the bowling alley, theater room and the virtual reality room (yes, that's right, the VIRTUAL REALITY ROOM!) Upstairs are four suites, all with king size beds, flat screen tvs, and mine just happened to have its own private jacuzzi. (If you go to the website, which I suggest you do, my room was Scotch Ridge). Everything in the room, from lights and temp to the tv were controlled by a touch screen remote. This makes for hours of fun when your husband is in the shower and you can turn out all the bathroom lights and force him to listen to Lifetime movies really loud in the dark! There is also a gym, steam room, dry sauna and a great-room with a more realistic dream kitchen. Third floor is the kids' domain with bunkbeds and endless forms of entertainment. I think you get the point.

So, while this place was amazing, the company was even greater. I have been blessed to have my closest friends be family. I love my sister-in-laws as much as I love my own sisters and I feel the same about Ben's brothers. There are few people I would rather spend time with. So even the fact that it rained at least part of every day only made the time there sweeter. The sad part is I was having such a great time I forgot to take pictures. When I finally remembered, it was the last day. I KNOW! So stupid.  But I will use my limited gift of language and the small amount of pictures I have to detail our days there.

We arrived Thursday evening and spent most of that night visiting and trying to figure out the remote in our room.  There was a lot of, "Ali!  I can't turn off my tv!" and "It is 62 degrees in my room and it won't stop playing John Tesh, I think I'm doing something wrong." going around and many inappropriate jokes made by my BIL Shon, which I won't share here.  After an amazing dinner and an even more amazing lightning show, we settled into bed.

Remember what I said earlier about getting a flavor of the families that plan the reunion?  Well BIL is a doctor and SIL is a personal trainer so when the 6 mile hike was announced at breakfast no one was surprised.  I bowed out because "Evie" wasn't in the mood to play mountain goat especially at an elevation of 9000 ft and "Evie's" sea level lungs are having a hard time making it up the stairs at 5000 ft.  So "Evie" stayed home and ate hummus and red peppers.

That night we had a family chili cook-off.  We divided into 4 teams and were assigned a protein.  My team got beef, and as team leader I decided to go for a southwest-y chipotle style chili with grilled corn, fire roasted peppers and black beans.  Now I have never cooked with chipotles before and so had no real idea what I was doing, but I do pretty well with flavors and figured I could wing it.  Well, the end result, while tasty, could melt the eyebrows off your face.  That was okay though because my MIL's vegetarian chili could melt your whole face.  We ended up coming in 2nd to the pork chili that tasted like Indian food but left taste buds. 

This is turning into a novel so I'll just hit the highlight of the next day, which was the ATVs.  Now we didn't do a whole lot of four-wheeling in SoCal.  Something about .08 acres just doesn't lend itself to that type of fun.  Both the boys have ridden in the past out here but this was a new one for Ev.  There weren't enough to go around so we took turns letting the older kids ride alone and the adults heading out with the littler ones.  What I am about to describe was my favorite reunion memory and I'll do my best to give an accurate description...

I had gone out with my niece and we were up on a ridge where the road was and which you could see from the "staging" area where everyone waited around for their turn.  As I was headed out I passed Ben coming back in with Evie.  I offered to switch riders, as my niece was a little older and wanted to be a bit more adventursome, which Ben provided and I did not.  So we switched riders and I headed back.  At this point, Evie decides she wants a turn at driving, and not the kind where she puts her hands on mine while I drive.  No, she wants full control and she keeps knocking my hands away when I try to help.  So with my hands off to the side of hers and my foot firmly over the brake, I let her go.  She's crazy.  She couldn't go fast enough.  My in-laws were down in the basin and could see us up on the ridge.  My FIL, Arden, turns to my MIL, Lorraine, and says, "Wow, Aimee is a dare devil on that thing."  A few minutes later as we FLEW past them, Arden again turns to Lorraine and says, "Oh my word, that's Evie!"  We spent a few minutes more "off-roading" and then pried her off the thing.  That's my girl!

Okay, enough about the reunion.  Needless to say, many tears were shed at the end of the week as we said good-bye to our family.  Someday we are going to buy a compound and make everyone live on it so we can see people everyday.  I think ATVs might come in handy there.