Lessons from our trip to Utah: Volume 3

The best moments from any trip are never photographed.

Probably because the happiness of great experiences with family or friends can rarely be captured by posing people on couches or outside of their houses; and, as I am learning with Anna-- children rarely hold still long enough for you to capture that perfect passing moment.

Here are some of those perfectly wonderful experiences from our trip that never got photographed:

*Anna sleeping in her fort on the floor at her Aunt TT's house
*Going to a movie (like a real date!) on Richard's birthday, gripping Richard's hand the whole time because the movie was so gripping, and eating lots and lots of candy!
*Going for a run on the morning of Richard's birthday, in the rain (HE suggested it-- not me! Seriously, it was a birthday miracle!)
*Seeing some of our best friends, the Gunnells (*sigh* the shortest four hours of the whole trip) and eating what can only be described as the perfect ooey gooey chocolate peanut butter cake (almost better than sex...but not quite)
*for Richard-- seeing BYU triumph over the University of Washington in the season opener football game
*for Rachael-- how do you capture the thrill of not having to cook or clean for 9 days
*Seeing my mom (a self proclaimed bland food lover, who rarely eats anything spicier than "mild") devour a home-made buffalo chicken pizza.
*Seeing the stars!
*Taking a beautiful hike near the base of SnowBasin with Courtney, Naomi, and little Lilah
*Riding up the ski lift at Sundance with another pair of great friends, the Wrights, and spending time with their new little son Owen (he could definitely be a contender)
*Reading Mockingjay late at night (thank you Kendra!) with Richard.
*visiting our old ward in Provo, and actually feeling that spiritual fire again (which sometimes is lacking in my usual sunday experiences when I am trying to chase a sleep deprived toddler).
*watching T.V. with Carly. Simple, but so luxurious and fun.
*walking around Red Butte Gardens with my family on labor day (and it was FREE too)
*Going for a walk on my old haunt-- the Provo River trail (it helped me train for three marathons!)
*the chance to have dinner with so many good friends-- Alli and Morgan, Alena and Lincoln, Kendra and Miles, Krista and Nate, and Summer and Emma.
*Seeing Anna take some of her first steps!

I did take some pictures, but as I said, the best moments are never really captured on film. Hopefully, I caught at least a few "good" moments-- more to come on that later!