A Return to Zion

It's been two long years but I'm finally heading back to Utah for a quick trip to attend a friend's temple sealing in Manti, catch up with old friends at my Mission Reunion in Salt Lake City, and to enjoy some rest and relaxation with the little sis in Provo. Maybe one of these days I'll just stay in bed all weekend watching re-runs and eating ice cream. Not this weekend!

Palm Springs - ROUND 2

This weekend is the Second Annual Palm Springs Women's Conference Retreat! We just made that up. Last year a handful of my girlfriends piled in the Burb and headed for the JW Marriott in the Palm Dessert to relax and watch General Conference with the girls. We had sooo much fun, that this year we've decided to do it all over again.

Tonight myself and THIRTEEN of my girlfriends are going to be participating in this repeat of hot tubbing, dancing, luxurious hotel rooms, a spiritual feeding of Conference talks from the Prophet and other Genereal Authorities of The Church, a pool side nap and maybe a massage from a cabana boy (ok, so maybe just Lisa rubbing my feet), and then a stop at the Dessert Springs Outlet Mall for some cheap shopping and delicious dining. A full report when I return...

VIVA MEXICO!

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

Its true. I've fallen in love with this FABULOUS city. It was my first time to the Bay Area and I loved every minute of it. We managed to see 6 cities in 3 days. Now that's hard to do!

The trip was thrown together last minute when I found a cheap flight from travelzoo and realized I had no big plans for the long weekend. A few friends were invited and within 5 days we had booked a flight, a hotel room, rental car, tickets to Alcatraz, and a long list of things to do and places to see. Here are a few of the fun things we did and saw:

Saturday morning we woke up early to be at our Alcatraz tour. It was an incredible experience to be there and learn the story of the infamous criminals that escaped from the inescapable prison. I was also impressed by the beauty of the grounds . . .









After our tour of "The Rock" we hit to the streets and saw the Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Ghiradelli Square, Lombard Street, some beautiful cathedral, and of course the Golden Gate Bridge . . .


















After an exhausting day in the city we piled back in the mini-van and headed for San Jose to stay at April's house. And what a house it was. We spent the evening in the hot tub and all fell asleep in the theater room.

Sunday morning we were up early again and went to church in Saratoga where Brad's little niece Chloe was blessed. Afterwards we joined his famliy for a luncheon and then it was back on the road again. We spent the afternoon traveling to Monterey and Carmel on the most beautiful 17 mile drive of my life. We even packed a picnic for fun . . .











Monay we slept in, enjoyed a delicious breakfast, played some tennis, jumped on the trampoline one last time, packed our bags, and then hit the road for Stanford University and the Oakland Temple . . .





Like all good things, the trip had to come to an end and we headed back to San Francisco for our last supper and a quick drive to Coit Tower on Knob Hill to say our goodbyes to the city.


Such a fantastic trip. I'll miss you San Francisco!!! Thanks for all the great fun and memories.