Zion National Park

After we left Bryce, we drove to Zion National Park.  We thought nothing could compare to what we had seen at Bryce, but Zion was just as beautiful and geologically amazing. The mountains looked like they had been carved by sand.  This one is called Crosshatch Mountain.

We went on a couple of hikes that made me feel a bit queasy.  Here's how I felt:

and here's how M felt.

Look at this one - that was so crazy!

At the end of our trip we went to Vegas for a few days.  We just wanted to chill out, go swimming, and see a show.  We saw the Cirque du Soleil show, Love, which is full of Beatles songs and you know, crazyawesome Cirque du Soleil stuff.  

I've got a bunch more pictures of our trip on my flickr if you want to see more.  

We had a great time but we were a little bit homesick, although when we got home I burst into tears because Kaya wasn't here.  That was sad.  Our house is not the same without her.  

We've been busy ever since we got home.  I have a new boss at work, school's starting up again and all my student employees are coming flooding back.  M & I celebrated our wedding anniversary - 15 years!!!!  One of my best pals is moving to Hawaii...  It's been quite a year. 

Our Vacation (or, why leave the house?)

After Grandma's party, we hurried back home, stopped by our house, switched out our suitcases and jumped in a cab to the airport for our vacation.  What I thought was a slight hangover turned out to be a pretty bad cold/flu.  By the time we got to Vegas I had a fever and was shivering.  So, that was kind of a bummer, but we still managed to have fun.  Coupled with a small fender-bender, we started realizing why some people never leave the house.  

After a night in Vegas, we headed out for Bryce Canyon, which is a few hours away.  We saw a double-rainbow (#doublerainbowitdoesn'tgetold)

Bryce Canyon is full of hoodoos, caused by erosion and gazillions of years.  

The colors are simply amazing.  The whole experience was sort of spiritual - the hoodoos make the whole area look like a giant, ancient temple.  You can't tell from these pictures, but they're over 100 feet tall.  We got up at sunrise to see the sun slide over the tops of these beautiful structures.  

more tomorrow!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Our vacation a few weeks ago started with my grandma's 90th Birthday party in Indiana.  My grandma is one of the coolest ladies in the whole wide world and I'm crazy about her.  Do you know any other 90 year olds who demand their favorite band plays at their party so they can dance the night away?  The day before the party my aunt rented a giant pontoon boat so the whole family could hang out and swim together.  That was SO much fun.  My nephews and my cousin's kids were sweet and it was terrific watching them go off the slide all day.

here's what the boat looked like.

and here's my beautiful grandma - she knows how to travel in style, doesn't she?

They also let the kids drive the boat.  We were in pretty good hands.  Or feet, I guess.  

my mom made a special batch of wine for the party and did a lot of decorating.  It looked fantastic.