Just Got Back From the Windy City!

Brad and I had the chance to take a trip to Chicago for a week. Brad had a test for a course that was scheduled there, and so we decided to make a vacation out of it. We were fortunate enough to have my in-laws watch the kids for us while we were gone. I was amazed at all there was to do and see there. I thought a whole week there was going to be too much, but we actually were busy the entire time! We bought a city pass that takes you to the John Hancock building, which is one of the tallest buildings in the city and several of the museums that are downtown. We also made a stop at the Lincoln Park Zoo, a dinner theater called Tommy Guns, a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley field, a culinary tour in the north side of Chicago, and a bike tour to see the sights of the city at night. We stayed in a hotel on the Magnificent Mile, where there is tons of shopping and fun restaurants. We also made a stop at the Navy Pier where there are lots of amusement park rides and different shops. Probably one of my favorite places we visited was the Ghiradeli's store for a sundae one night, and then the Hershey store across the street for some family gifts. We made sure to try some of their famous deep dish pizza and a Chicago style hot dog(tomatoes, peppers, mustard and pickles). I may have gained a little weight trying all the different foods on this trip, but I must say I enjoyed it! I couldn't believe how die hard the sports fans are in Chicago. Even though the Cubs are awful this year, they still manage to fill their stadium seats. I was thinking how different it is attending a D-Backs game on a bad season. One thing we learned quickly from the locals is that you don't want to be on the south side of town late at night. There was definitely a reason they filmed Gotham City from Batman in Chicago! While I really enjoyed taking in all the sites of Chicago, I was glad to come back home and see my babies again...although I could have done without the extreme Arizona summer heat.

Syrell and Tate's Wedding

I can't believe the last of the Salmon family is all grown up and married! We had such a fun time celebrating Syrell and Tate's big day. Although the weather was a little warm, the air conditioned reception center made all the difference. We enjoyed meeting all of Tate's family and gave our last Salmon family performance of songs and stories to tell of the couples' courtship. Both Tyson and Elise enjoyed getting all dressed up for the occasion, and I think Tyson's favorite part of it all was seeing the giant knights in armor standing in the reception center. Elise, Cali and Savanna were quite the cuties with their little ballerina dress attire. We are excited for Syrell and Tate to get to experience the married ward scene in P-town...aka Provo.

Wicked!

So, Brad and I got the chance to attend the musical Wicked for the first time this past Saturday. It was a great play, and I would recommend it to anyone who has never seen it before. It is definitely a worthwhile show, and there were several times during the play where I got chills from the greatness of the music. The girl who plays Glinda in it is hilarious and the story is very entertaining as well. I must say I am a girl who enjoys musicals!

4th of July Weekend!

We had quite the adventure riding the light rail over the holiday weekend. We planned on going to the free admission night at the Phoenix Children's Museum, and grabbing a bite to eat at the nearby Pizzeria Bianco. When we got to the restaurant, they informed us there would be a 4 hour wait. I thought...are you joking! Anyway, we ended up having to grab a bite to eat at the nearby British Pub called the Rose and Crown. It was probably the greasiest food I have ever had, and it was quite the interesting atmosphere to take our 1 and 2 year old children. Brad and I had a good laugh after the whole experience. We ended up having to wait another 2 hours to get into the museum. I would like to say it had been worth the wait, but that would be lying! By the time we made it home on the light rail, it was around 11 p.m. The kids were pretty good sports about the whole thing, and they did have a great time in the museum. We chalk it up to a good story to tell down the road.

Pre-wedding Lake Trip

We felt a trip to the lake was just the thing to help Taryn relax before her big day. The kids all had a good time tubing, and even the guys got out for some rough riding! Taryn and I insisted on having a ride similar to the kids, at maybe just a little faster pace. We ended up getting more of a ride than we bargained for from my Dad. Let's just say we might have gotten the best air of the day! Syrell and Tate were quite the love birds on the boat. We are excited for another wedding coming up soon!

Taryn and Russell's Wedding

We had such a good time at Taryn and Russell's wedding. Although it ends up being quite a long day throughout all the wedding festivities, Tyson and Elise held up fairly well. Tyson found his favorite hang out spot at the candy favors station. He and his cousin Brody were on a sugar high basically the entire night. It was fun having an inter-ward marriage because we basically got to see the entire Tempe South Stake at the reception. Who would have thought that the neighbor boy down our street would end up winning Taryn's heart! We are excited for them, although the military life will end up taking them far away from us most of the time.

Elise's First Birthday

Elise is officially one! She is starting to walk all over the place and loves to wave and say "hello" to everyone. She is becoming quite the social butterfly. Ironically, her first word was "uh-oh." It is something she must hear from me a lot! I have to admit it is so much fun getting cute outfits for little girls and dressing them up. I decided to go with a cupcake theme...thus, the reason for our matching shirts. It was fun having all her aunts, uncles and cousins around to celebrate the special occasion.