For those of you who have never been to Tuacahn here is a picture of the stage. It is an outdoor theater that is in the desert and it is surrounded by really high cliffs so it blocks the sun and it is gorgeous. If you have never been I recommend it.
Eric had a present for me back at our hotel. He gave me a very cute Bell figurine. The story behind this is that 3 years ago we came to St. George on our honeymoon and watched Beauty and the Beast at Tuacahn. (I sang along to all the songs that time!) Eric is so thoughtful and very sweet to remember how much fun we had that night. It was especially funny because Mrs. Potts fell over on her way off the stage and she couldn't get up because her costume was big and round, a pot actually. Thanks Eric, I love it!
Next we move on to the 4th of July. Everyone has already posted about that but here is a picture of my family waiting for the parade to start. I left Eric in Orem to work while I came home and had a great time. I helped gather candy with the kids!
We also celebrated Carter's 6th birthday with an Incredible Hulk cake and presents. He is so lucky to have been born on the 4th! There is always a huge celebration going on.
Let's not forget about the famous 4th of July Demolition Derby! I haven't been for a few years and I had so much fun! There were quite a few cars that tipped over. I even got the dirt sprayed on me.
Our next event was the Lovell Family Reunion in Idaho on the 17-19th of July. I've never been to Idaho or this reunion so I wasn't sure what to expect. We went up on Thursday and spent the night at this Ranch. It was a big house with lots of rooms and lots of fun activities. Here is a picture of the slide that Eric went down. Pretty intense. Luckily he didn't face plant at the bottom. 
On Friday the 18th we had the opportunity to go river rafting on the Snake River. We drove over the border to Wyoming and Eric's awesome second cousin or something like that took us down the river. Here we are on the drive to the river.
I was nervous for the river run but after our guides gave us some good tips on how to stay in the boat I felt a little better. And I originally thought I was going to be the "River Princess" which means I could sit in the middle of the boat and not paddle and it also means lower chances of falling out. But our boat was small and I ended up being the River Cinderella! I ended up paddling and bailing the water out of the bottom of the boat. So much for River Princess!The run we went on was called The Hoback and it was 8.5 miles long. The biggest Rapid we went through was called Lunch Counter and it was a category 4! Eric was a lead paddler so he was in the very front. He got a lot of water splashed on him. I also got soaking and the water was FREEZING! My feet were numb and red by the time it was over. Here is a picture of us going through lunch counter. (Sorry for the quality. It was the best I could do.) Eric is the one right in the front in the white shirt.
I didn't fall out but the boat tipped a bit and I fell towards Becca. So much for paddling. (I'm on the back left hand side of the boat. By left hand I mean if you were sitting in the boat I would be on the left.)
It was awesome and I'm so glad I went! At the reunion I played PIG with Eric and Mike. I won them both!! It was pretty good. Then Eric and I played a few games of Pool with Mike and Becca. We were all pretty good so Eric and I won a couple times and Becca and Mike won too. It was really fun and I like to win. Thanks Becca and Mike for some good games!Here are some more pics from our ride home. We stopped in Idaho Falls and took some pics.
That is all for our summer trips. We are out of money and can't afford gas anymore so it's my goal to cut back on driving. Carpooling anyone?
After I fixed a couple meals on that, my uncle gave me a full size grill when he got a new one. I'll admit the new grill is pretty old, and if it were a gift it would be a crappy one, but it's perfect for a hand-me-down. It was pretty dirty though, so I spent the last couple of weeks deep cleaning it, and then I decided to sand the wooden parts and refinish them (another manly activity). So I did that, and it was a bit more of a chore than I expected, and yes I did do a lot of sanding in the apartment. Cuz I'm a guy. Then I vacuumed and wished I hadn't sanded in the apartment. Now it looks pretty good though, and today being the 4th of July it was definitely a great day for the initiatory flame kissed goodness. I did a turkey roast, and it turned out marvelously. I'd have taken some photos if not for the fact that Kassi has the camera in Delta (and I wouldn't want anyone to feel bad for missing out on my perfectly prepared poultry).
