Maybe in Oz

From the minute we landed in San Diego we hit the ground running.  We had just a few short days to visit friends, family, and finish up our shopping before the flight back home.  After our rental car was finally ready, we stopped at the mall to cross a few things off the list.  Then we grabbed some fish tacos and headed to my parents' house.  We got settled in and then my mom and I hit the fabric shops for my once-a-year fabric binge.  I always go in very strategically with a list of everything I'm looking for, that way I don't forget anything.  The fabric in the US is $10/yard versus the $24/meter in Australia, so even when the bad exchange rate at the moment it's worth it to bring whatever I *need* back with me.  By now, I'm an expert at stuffing fabric into a suitcase to the absolute maximum weight allowed.  I never travel without my luggage scale anymore.  For dinner that evening we had some really good Mexican food with my family at our ...

While in Utah we took a day trip to Timpanogos Cave with Phil's sister and brother in law.  It was a couple hours' drive from Park City through a scenic mountain pass.  They limit the number of people through the caves, so we had to book a time slot in advance to make sure we were able to see them.  The time slot is when they let you start the steep hike up to the top of the mountain where the caves are.  It was a very warm hike, but we enjoyed the beautiful rugged scenery along the way.   American Forks Canyon Switch backs up the mountains Halfway up the trail Koen, Amber, and Colby - Team Blue! View down the canyon It took us about 40 minutes to get to the top, where we waited for our turn inside.  Our guide led the group of 16 into the first of three caves and gave us some history of how they were discovered by some locals.  Unfortunately a lot of the stalactites and stalagmites had been removed from the cave many years ago and ...

This past week was supposed to be our last quiet week before a month of calm.  Then on Sunday night I found myself anxiously driving Phil to the emergency room.  He wasn't feeling the best during the day but we didn't think much of it.  He went for a 3 km swim in the afternoon, and after dinner he started eating a nasty stomach cramp.  At first we thought it might be from the swim, then when he threw up thought it might be the food.  I was feeling fine though.  He laid down for a bit, but when he was on the ground screaming in pain we realised it was time to go get help. We got to the ER at 9 pm and it was overflowing with people.  Phil went and laid down in the hallway while I checked him in.  He was in such a bad state that security came to check on him, and just a couple minutes after checking in a nurse wheeled him away.  Soon he had four nurses and a doctor anxiously trying to figure out what was wrong.  They gave him an IV for t...

We decided to check out Utah Olympic Park while we were in Park City.  We thought it would be a fun stop for a couple hours but ended up there almost the entire day.   When we first got there some athletes were practicing their jumps into the pool.  It was really neat to see how they ski down rollers without all the snow.  When they are ready to jump, a jet starts up and creates bubbles in the water to soften the blow.  We got to see athletes of all different levels, from tiny kids just starting out to people doing several spins and flips. The Ski Jump Practice  Then we explored the museum a bit.  The bobsled caught my eye, and I decided we needed to try it.  It's not often you get the chance to ride down the Olympic Bobsled course!  We signed up, but it didn't start until 1 so we figured we better get some lunch so it had a chance to settle before that excitement.  Amy, Michal, and Elan on the bobsled Jamie and I on ...

We flew into Salt Lake City and drove out to Park City, where we spent the next few days.  Phil's sisters and their families came out from Mississippi and Wyoming and our friends came out from Seattle and Denver to visit.  Our friends Michal, Amy, and Elan from Seattle Saturday afternoon we had a family reunion and picnic at a park.  I got to meet a lot of Phil's extended family and he got to catch up with family he hadn't seen in a decade.  It was great to hang out and see everyone. Phil, his younger sister, and her baby girl The Guymon-Richardson clan After the picnic we had Christmas in July with the family.  The kids enjoyed their Aussie rules footies and koala hats and Phil gave his parents a frame with his Ironman race medal from when his parents ams to visit.  We then had a chance to see our friends some more over dinner. Phil and his parents The kids with their Aussie pressies On Sunday we took advantage of having the ...