Festive Fourth of July

Months ago, my parent's got us tickets to Tuacahn in St. George. Tuacahn is an outdoor theater. Growing up, I went a lot! It's a fun atmosphere and the backdrop is remarkable.

My parent's close friends Mark and Debbie Ostler have a home in St. George and they let us stay there which was generous!

Our trip to St. George was short, but sweet. We originally planned to stay 3 nights, but instead stayed 2. The number of people coming on the trip kept dwindling.  My family went, Jill and Daisy came, My parents, and Simon and Esther. (Jeff and Lindsey are in England and my parent's are watching their kids.) Last minute, Jessica and Chris stayed back. It's not a short journey with their 2 young kids. We caravanned in 2 cars on the journey and Simon and Esther rode in our car. It was like we had 5 kids! Simon and Esther are very well behaved and my kids loved being entertained with their cousins next to them.

FOOD

• "The Pizza Wagon" is checked off my bucket list! It's a pizza place in Hurricane that has 4.7 stars. It's outdoor and the oven is unlike one you've ever seen. It's hard to order and we've never had luck because it's popular. You have to order at the right time because there is limited space in the special pizza oven.

• I've heard a lot about "The Creamery" in Beaver which has 4.6 stars and we checked it out. If you go, I insist that that you get a scoop of "The Barking Pretzel" ice cream. Brown sugar-flavored ice cream swirled with a peanut butter swirl, chocolatey coated pretzel pieces and salty pretzel bark pieces. Andrew heard rave reviews about Pop Daddy Smoked Gouda pretzels. His sources were reliable. 

• Some say the "best Mexican food" in Utah can be found in Fillmore, UT at a place called "Tacos Panchos." This restaurant has 4.7 stars and was the perfect break in our drive. As a matter of fact, our gas light came on right as we got off the exit. It was a toss up deciding which was better-- the carne asada fries or the crispy tacos.

• "Viva Chicken" is a place we've frequented in St. George and for good reason. Others agree. It has 4.7 stars. My mom and Jill said the chopped salad was special. Next time I'll copy their order though mine was good too!
• "Bonrue Bakery" made fun a yummy breakfast and is also rated highly at 4.6 stars. My mom and I picked up a variety of goods-- donuts, cinnamon rolls, an almond croissant, etc. We gobbled everything up!
• "Nielsen's Custard" used to only be a St. George treat for us but now we have one minutes from our house. That didn't stop us from getting peanut butter cookie dough concrete while in St. George.
• "Chick Fil A" kept the kids happy.

ACTIVITIES

• Tuacahn

We saw "The Little Mermaid." What a delight! Ariel's voice was meant for that part. She nailed it. The costumes and sets were vibrant and incredible. Yes, they flooded the stage and hoverboards were a creative way to handle the no leg/mermaid dilemma. The blacklight cooking/chopping scene was a favorite. We've been at Tuacahn on nights where you're so hot you stick to your seat. We lucked out that it was a pleasant evening. There was and a breeze and some shade. 

At intermission, we got water bottles and Minute Maid Soft Frozen Lemonade which helped wake the kids up. It's wild they all stayed up! We make it back to the house after midnight.

Thursday, July 3

Originally, one of my parent's were going to stay back from the play with the youngest kids who were sleeping. Since Jessica's family didn't come, that meant only Penny would be left behind. Tuacahn offers "showcare" and I called and Penelope got the last available spot. She went to the childcare which meant all of us could enjoy the show. We expected Penny to sleep for the duration of "Little Mermaid" especially since they have a quiet room with beds. Miss social butterfly was partying hard until 11:15pm. She had only been asleep for a few minutes when we picked her up.

There isn't typically a firework show after the play but because it was the eve of the 4th of July we got to watch a big show with excellent seats. Most of us thought it was awesome although Daisy was terrified. 

• Gunlock Parade

One of my parent's former missionaries is from Gunlock and invited us to join her family for a parade. Her Dad was the MC. Gunlock is a tiny tiny town and it was unlike any parade we've attended. Sure, there was some candy thrown from vehicles but it was basically a planned water fight. Water balloons were thrown and the fire department squirted large hoses. James was in his happy place. After the water ended, the town does dancing in the middle of the town's only street, which doubles as a state highway, and my family lived for it. President Denning got called out to the dance floor. It was a morning we'll remember. We lucked out and got thrown Gunlock t-shirts which will help us remember this unique and terrific celebration.

Friday, July 4

My mom's "mission daughter" Sofie Shurtliff

• Swimming

The Washington County rec center has a wonderful pool for families! We spent the afternoon of the 4th splashing around. There were multiple slides, a lazy river, and an outdoor area with water guns. We loved this pool! Isabelle was devastated that she couldn't go down the largest slide. You had to be at least 6 years old and 44 inches tall. She's only a couple weeks shy of being 6. Nana helped stop the tears by jokingly saying they should make the lifeguards cookies with salt instead of sugar.

Friday, July 4

• D.I

My sisters are big into thrift shopping. I tend to only go to D.I when Jill is in town for the summer but I think that's going to change. After having huge success at the Riverton DI recently, my kids were eager to check out the St. George one. They found jewels at both. Asics shoes for only $10! The dress I wore to the play was a DI treasure as well.

Saturday, July 5

• Hiking

As we made our way back home, we stopped and hiked Red Reef Waterfall at Red Cliffs recreation area campground. Both the first and second waterfalls were dry but it was not a bust! The hike was 1.5 miles roundtrip. The slot canyon was incredible! It was toasty which was expected, but we survived. James found many caves to explore and rocks to climb. We saw 2 lizards and a giant beetle. I adore hiking!

Saturday, July 5

Unfortunately, I forgot our hiking backpack for Penny. We tried using a towel to tie her on my back but ended up just carrying her which worked out.

A hilarious quote I have to share. Backstory...Penny was not her best self when we stopped for Mexican food on the way home. (It was naptime.) Daisy exclaimed: "I don't even know what's going on with that baby!" Amen Daisy! Penelope fell asleep shortly after we resumed our drive. Yahoo!

So grateful my parent's made this trip happen! Summer is zipping by!