Birthday visitors

(Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post... I am horrible about taking my camera anywhere, which I regret! I'll try to be better in the future)

This past Monday, Labor Day, I celebrated my 26th birthday. The only thing I really wanted for my birthday was to see my family, so I was so excited that they were able to make a trip up from St. George to help celebrate!

My parents and twin brother (yes, I suppose we were celebrating his birthday too) got here on Sunday morning and the first thing we did was head to Salt Lake to have brunch at The Cheesecake Factory. It was sooo yummy! It's probably a good thing it's closer to my house or I might become addicted. We were all so full by the end of our meal that we didn't even get any cheesecake (gasp!) but we had our fair share of cake and whatnot over the course of the next few days so it was alright! After we were all full on delicious food I had a little surprise trip to the Bingham Canyon Mine planned for my dad. He's been saying for years that he wanted to make a trip up there, and since they were offering free admission with a coupon on their website, I figured there was no better time! That place always amazes me at how enormous it is. The trucks at the bottom of the mine look like little matchbox cars, but when you see them up close they are HUGE. Just the tires on them are probably 3 or 4 times as tall as I am. It was really fun looking around the visitor center at all of the displays full of minerals and rocks that they mine, equipment they use, and just what an impact the mine has on our everyday lives. If you are ever in the area, I suggest taking a little time out of your day to go explore :)

Monday, my birthday, was actually pretty relaxing. We didn't really have much planned that day but it was nice to just spend some time catching up with my family. We did make a trip to Cabella's to stock up on some fishing gear for our activities on Tuesday. My dad's birthday was about 2 weeks before mine and I told him that for his birthday I would take him on a little shopping trip. I don't think he's ever been in a sporting goods store that big before so there was a lot to look at! We spent probably an hour and a half looking around at everything and I think he probably could have stay a few more and still been entertained! Monday night for dinner my family planned to meet up with my brother's girlfriend, Kaytlyn's family so they could all meet since the parent's hadn't ever met before. Even though it was a dinner for them to meet and get to know each other, they still surprised me by singing happy birthday, bringing cupcakes, and a little gift! It was really sweet of them! I didn't expect that at all so it was really fun!

Tuesday morning we got up pretty early and started getting everything ready for our fishing trip! My dad loves to stream fish, and since we have the Provo River really close, we try to go up for a little while each time he comes up. I am not the best stream fisher, I'll admit it! I tend to lose my lures in the rocks (I think I lost 3 that day) and didn't catch anything, but it was still fun to be outdoors with my family. Thad and I hadn't been fishing for about a year and it's one of our favorite things to do together so it was nice to be able to find some time to do it again! After we spent the morning fishing we headed up to Park City Mountain Resort for a little fun!

My twin brother has been wanting to go to Park City for a long time and since we were fishing only about 10-15 miles away, we decided it would be the perfect time to head up! While we were there we bought day passes so we could enjoy all of the attractions at the resort. Our first activity was the zipline. I'll admit, I was scared! I usually don't get scared by heights and thrill rides, but I'd never really done anything like the zipline before. So, after the really long ski lift ride to the top of the hill it was time to conquer my fears. My mom and brother went first, then I went down with my dad, and Thad was the last one to make the trip down the mountain. Once the gate opened and we started going, I had a blast! The views were amazing being that high up! I probably would have gone a few more times if I didn't have to pay extra to keep riding! Our next activity was the Alpine coaster. This was my favorite ride of the day! I love rollercoasters so I was pretty excited to ride it. Thad and I shared a car together since they said you go a lot faster with 2 people. It takes you on a slow ride up to the top of the hill, so we took some time to enjoy the nice views of the mountain and valley of Park City. Once we got to the top, we pretty much just let go of the brakes and started careening down the mountain! Honestly, that little coaster was probably on of the most fun rollercoasters I've ever been on! It feels like you are going to fly out of your car in the sharp turns, but I loved it! We ended up riding that a few more times that day because it was so much fun! The last activity was the Alpine Slide. I think of everything we did there, this was my least favorite. Don't get me wrong, it was fun, I just couldn't get past my fear of flying over the side of the TINY cement wall on the side of my as I was flying down the hill! The little kids that were riding it were a lot more brave than I was, I'll say that! It's a good thing I had a brake so I could control the speed. But, I learned that I enjoy riding things affixed to a track, rather than just being on a little sled while riding down a mountain!

Today before my family left to go back to St. George, we went to lunch at Tucanos, probably my favorite place to eat! I took my brother there a few months ago but my parents had never been before. My dad loved all the meat (even the chicken hearts, EWW) and my mom loved the salad bar and her dessert! I think it's definitely going to be a place we visit regularly when they come up! They were already making plans to go back the next time they come up so they can take some time to enjoy the rest of the shops in the Riverwoods at night when all the lights are on and the fire pits are lit.

Sadly after lunch it was time to say goodbye so they could head back home. I had such a great time with my family and I was so glad they were able to come spend some time with me and celebrate my birthday! It was definitely one of the most memorable birthdays I've ever had!