Minnetonka Cave

Ray and Reva took us to Minnetonka Caves one day while we were in Preston. It was a nice change from the hot weather since it is always 42 degrees in the cave, although a little strange to be carrying a jacket to the entrance of the cave...

First we passed some time waiting for our tour to begin. We began with watching the nearby chipmunks. A woman was feeding them seeds.And this one obviously had an itch.Next, because Steve is Steve, he made a friend. I swear, if there is a dog within sight Steve will make friends with it.But I have to admit, the little guy was pretty stinking cute.
After a few minutes we made our way to the cave; the surrounding scenery was beautiful.The entrance to the cave.The hike included lots of neat structures and 896 stairs! Here are just a few.I honestly don't remember what this is, but it looks neat!In the front of this picture sit the seven dwarfs. Behind them sit the three sisters.The one formation in the cave you can touch because it's already stopped growing.Some of the structures in the cave look a little piecemeal... because they are! At one point someone came into the cave and broke most of the structures, so they had to find all the pieces and cement the columns back together. As a result, this is in the vandalism room in the cave.I believe this was called cave coral.And these were the little stalactites that the tour guide described as straws. He said that if you could see inside them that they are even hollow!I don't remember what this was called, but it looks cool. I do remember it had something to do with the formations looking like stacks of gold coins.
Cave bacon! Mmm mmmm!For those of you who are Muppets fans like myself, this structure is Kermit's Castle!This collection of stalactites was located in the wedding room and had a woman playing the organ in it.And here are the bride and groom. Apparently they will finally be married when they connect one day. Talk about a long engagement! This makes the 14 year engagement of Miss Adalaide and Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls seem like a breeze!Thanks Ray and Reva for a fun day! Each time we're in Preston I get to go to so many new neat places!

Hiking Willow Flats

While we were in Preston Steve and I enjoyed spending time with Kathy and Amanda. One afternoon we went to Willow Flats where you can hike to the head of Cub River. It's neat to see the river suddenly begin coming out of the hillside.

This baby bird greeted us just as we began our and we put him off the trail somewhere safe. He was gone when we got back, so hopefully he found a safe place to stay.
So, this blog has a lot of pictures, and if you think there are too many you can just blame Kathy; I had a hard time selecting between all the cute pictures of Amanda and still getting pictures in of scenery....We made it! Kathy and Amanda at the head of Cub River.Where the water comes out of the rocks. Steve told Amanda the story of Moses getting water out of the rock for the Children of Israel here.So it's tradition that when you get to the head of the river you drink from it. Here is Amanda taking her first sip.
And then we of course had to pose for some pictures.Then we enjoyed some fruit snacks. Here Kathy and Amanda were playing a game with theirs. Too cute.After the fruit snack game, Amanda and "Uncle Stevie" came up with a new one: throwing rocks into the water to splash everyone. Here she found a nice, big rock for Uncle Stevie to throw in and splash everyone.Sometimes it took some work to get Amanda close enough to the water to throw her rocks in. Pictured here: "The Transfer"All along the path were beautiful wild flowers.And because I'm a sucker for flowers...On the way back to the car Amanda would periodically inform the rest of us that it was time for a picture break. I'm afraid that began with having to stop to wait for me to catch up as I was behind from my flower pictures... For me, most picture breaks were just opportunities to get really cute pictures of Amanda.Although Steve did get in on the action occasionally... He calls this his "Adam pose". Thanks for this Steve.And a random little waterfall off the river which for one reason or another I really liked.Thanks to Kathy and Amanda for making it such a fun day!

2 Years and counting

So, August 10th Steve and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary, or we would have if we hadn't been stressed out looking for a place to live... So I realized that because of all the moving chaos, we had never posted anything about our anniversary. If we celebrate, it will be later, like 2 months later when Steve stops being an unpaid intern and actually receives his first paycheck... If we do anything, of course, I will (eventually) post pictures. In the meantime, I thought I would post a few pictures of Steve and I through the last few years.

The night Steve and I officially got engaged, although I'd been wearing my ring for 5 days already...
By far my favorite of our engagement pictures.One of our favorite wedding pictures of us and the Logan Temple.
Another wedding picture much less frequently seen, but one I love because of our holding hands and the natural expressions. Helps me remember past all the wedding stuff to the way we felt on our wedding day, and still feel.Our first Christmas together with my parents. Steve had to beg for me to take this picture and I love it. Don't let him know that sometimes he has good ideas though...The professional pictures we took summer 2008.

Really, this post was a lot of fun for me, just because I had a really hard time picking out pictures to use without adding a ton of pictures; a reminder of how lucky I am. Steve and I have had a great first 2 years of marriage and I look forward to many more adventures with him. Love you Steve.

Events of Preston Trip - Temple Open House

While we were in Preston, Steve and I had the opportunity (thanks to my great in-laws) to attend the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. On Wednesday we rode down with Ray and Reva and met up at the Temple with Kathy and Amanda. It was great to be in the Lord's House with family.
Here is the outside of the Temple.
Those tents provided much-appreciated shade on such a sunny day! If you click on the picture, it looks like the Angel Moroni's hand is in the shade, but...The truth is that he was struck by lightning not long ago! So Moroni has one darker arm. Still, nothing detracts from such an impressive sight. By the way, I have since been informed that the Angel Moroni was replaced so that the temple will be perfect for the approaching dedication.From the outside of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, you can see this: which view includes the Jordan River Temple. What an amazing thing to see prophecy being fulfilled. I can only think of the good that two temples so near each other will do, and of the great work which can be done in that area now.
The inside of the Temple was beautiful, as it is in all Temples. I felt the Spirit so strong there, and the presence of the Lord very near. Still, I always love to see on each Temple, a reminder of whose house it really is, and to remember that the Lord's work goes on there.And finally, proof that Steve and I were there. Don't make fun of our smirking faces; I already said it was a very sunny day!Thanks Ray, Reva, Kathy, and Amanda for such a great experience! I always love to be at the Temple.