Oh The Things You Can Do With Just A Little More Sleep!!

I normally get up at 4:30. And yes, I am usually tired all day. Oh, and on Friday nights--I am no fun at all. But by Saturday I am back to normal, and Monday morning, ready to start getting up early again.

But this week has been different!! With it being spring break, I have forced myself to stay in bed until 6:30--most days.

And the results? Oh the things you can do with just a little more sleep!

1. Watched a BYU-H basketball game. Unfortunately they lost which was oh, so sad, especially since my husband already bought a plane ticket to what would have been their next game in Massachusetts!

2. Went for a five-six mile bike ride. Which taught me that I really am in as bad of shape as I thought I was.

3. Had my son and his very cute wife over for dinner TWICE!

4. Cleaned out the kitchen mail box!

I forgot to take a "before" picture, but imagine all those boxes stuffed with papers. It took me a good hour to clean it, and some of the papers I found were dated back to 1998!

5. Cleaned off the top of my fridge. All of those items have found a new home now.

And a cute little plaque my sister gave me has taken their place! (Appropriate, don't you think?)

6. Cleaned my desk.

If I had any degree of pride, I wouldn't even show you the picture below. Believe me, this desk was clean at the start of the school year, but day by day, paper by paper, it has gotten completely destroyed.

But with all my extra energy I quickly (okay it took several hours) whipped that desk back into shape!! I can actually find everything I need now.

7. Hiked West Wing Mountain THREE times!

This morning was so beautiful. The wildflowers were all in bloom and a quick rainstorm had just come through and left everything looking so clean. AND I FORGOT MY CAMERA!! Which means of course, that there will need to be at least one more sunrise climb in the next week.

8. Spent time at the lake with friends, having a picnic and playing badminton. It was gorgeous up there and once again I forgot my camera, but my friend Lisa took pictures so I will have to get them from her. (What kind of a blogger doesn't take a camera?)

9. Service. Tuesday night we made green cupcakes and frosted them with green icing and delivered them around the neighborhood early Wednesday morning. We also cut out shamrocks and green footprints and put them on people's houses who had small children. We probably looked a little crazy up at 6 (one of the mornings I didn't sleep in) running around the neighborhood taping green footprints to people's doors.

10. And since we didn't spend any money on a trip this year, I splurged and got a pedicure.

With all that hiking and biking, I thought my feet deserved a treat.:-)

It has been a great week. But now I am ready to get back to work, and back to no sleep.:-)

The Great (Attempted ) Escape!

It is such great weather here in Utah (where I am visiting for Spring Break) that even the house plants are trying to get outside to enjoy it!

Unfortunately for the plant, I thwarted its plan. But I am headed outside---clear blue skies, nice warm air . . . ! I get to go to lunch with my four sisters! And tomorrow we are headed back to Arizona (where I hear it is rather warm:-( but on Saturday my daughter Camille will be coming for a week visit along with her darling little baby! And that--I guarantee--will bring great. . . joy to my journey!

Historic Smith Hotel--Our Journey to Utah

Since Michelle and I were going to Utah alone for Spring break, we decided to make our trip an adventure. Thanks to Amy and Bailey and my visiting teachers, we had plenty of treats for our journey. As you can see, there wasn't a single ounce of nutrition in it, and enough sugar to last a month! We enjoyed snitching the snacks and Michelle had fun coloring in the coloring book with the glitter crayons. (Not just regular crayons, mind you, these had glitter in them!) But don't worry, we were sure to stop for a salad along the way to provide a little balance.


We left home around noon and drove to Glendale, Utah, population 350. For many years we have made this trip, and each time as we turn the bend into town (headed south) we pass a sign for the "Historic Smith Hotel". Being as my maiden name is Smith, we always joke about it being the family business. So this time, since I did not want to make the long drive to American Fork in the dark, we made arrangements to stay at the one and only Smith Hotel! And what fun that was!

The hotel was built in 1927 by Joseph and Mary Ellen Smith, descendants of Joseph F. Smith and run as a boarding house. The current propietors, Rochelle and Mike, now mostly serve as hosts to visitors from Europe who have stopped in Salt Lake City and are headed to the Grand Canyon.

There are six rooms to choose from. We chose this one, which ended up being a real treat. The beds were brand new and very comfortable and the furnishings completely charming!

Having a little time to explore our surroundings, and being very curious, we discovered this atrium just off the top floor. What a wonderful place to sit and relax after a day of travel!

This stove in the kitchen was in the house originally. Antique collectors would love the entire house, actually, as many beautiful pieces are on display that have been collected over the years.

In the morning Rochelle treated us to a delicious breakfast of waffles, fresh fruit, strawberry yogurt, granola and hot chocolate.

After gathering our belongings, we paused on the front porch to say goodbye.

For only $50.00 a night (in the winter) which included breakfast, it was truly a bargain. But being able to stay in quaint 82 year old house and experience a little slice of history was priceless!

It is Spring Break--Are You Going Anywhere?

ALL THREE OF THESE GIRLS ARE IN MY FAMILY

Michelle--on the right--is going to spend spring break with me in Utah, helping with Grandma.

Kathryn--middle--is going to stay home and work

Kali--on the left--just arrived in my most favorite place in the entire world--Hawaii

Additional Proof Life is Not Fair.