Utah

Playing a bit of catch up with my blogging here.  I'll start with the last week of our spring break trip which we spent in Utah, near the Arizona border.  We all love, love, love desert landscapes, so I knew that we would like it there.  But our splurge on the Amangiri lodge was Out. Of. This. World.   Brace yourself for a mammoth post.  This place was a photographer's dream, with its stark concrete design, clean lines and uncluttered decor.  It was so serene that it felt almost otherwordly.  Particularly if one was able to tune out the noise and clutter created by three little girls ...  but I digress.

Our room:




hat supplied by the lodge





she's obsessively drawing hearts ("That's because I give you all of my heart, mom" she says)


spellbound by "Finding Nemo"













"these things taste odd"



"but they work well as bowling balls"

Early morning bathroom:








We went for a morning hike every day, just in time for P's morning nap in her carrier (the added weight makes for a much better workout for me, ha!).














The girls' hiking attire, which they thought was rather fashionable, was not our first choice but who needs to spend their vacation engaging in an argument about outfits with a four year old and a six year old?   We scored points on the sensible footwear and sunhats - and didn't sweat the small stuff ....










Arriving back at the lodge after a long hike:




The terrace was one of our favourite places - also the site of daily "craft camp" for the girls.   After our morning hike and lunch,  F usually went on his second hike of the day while we spent time on the terrace with a steaming cup of coffee (for me), some cookies and chocolate pilfered from the mini-bar (for me and the girls), and some little crafty projects I had brought along for the girls.  I then amused myself with the camera, or just sat and breathed in the desert air, while the girls crafted away or just hung out:












Now just to clarify:  we don't stay in such luxury places on all of our trips.  This week happened to fall on our 15th (!) wedding anniversary and on a round-numbered birthday for F (lets just say it wasn't his 30th ... ahem) so we needed some special place to mark these milestones.  And it was special, all right.  A beginner photographer's nirvana and a great place to have some family time.









We love you, Utah!