Spring Break - A Break To Remember

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
~Winston Churchill

Spring Break 2011 -

Plan - Go down to St. George, spend three days basking in the warm sun, hiking along trails in Zion's National Park, swimming in the hotel pool, playing in the park, good food. Just good ole R&R.

What we got.
Visions of white Sandy Beaches. See below.



Due to inclement weather both here and in St. George, we opted to cancel the whole thing altogether. Why pay hundreds of dollars to spend three days holed up in a hotel room? We can do the same at home and be much more comfortable. So instead of white sandy beaches, we were dreaming of a white Christmas.



But we did promise the kids that we would take them swimming. We first went to the Clearfield aquatics, but we arrived, and everybody had the same idea and they were full. So we quickly ran to Layton's Surf and Swim and enjoyed the chlorine-induced asthma attacks the whole time (talk about bad air - don't go there if you have bad asthma). But the kids enjoyed it. Porter relaxed so much that he fell asleep while on the tube in the wave pool. Both Tiffany and I knew we would have tired kids after we were done, we just didn't expect it to happen during the swim.



The following day we opted to run up to Promontory Point where the Union and Pacific met to finish the transcontinental railway back in 1869. Today it is a National Historic site that Dallin has learned about in school, so we took this opportunity to go and see it with our own two eyes. We found it. Out in the middle of nowhere. Saw some train tracks and pictures of the event (same ones you can find online) and were about to leave when the ranger asked if we wanted to see the trains holed up for the winter. So we followed the ranger past the 'no authorized vehicles beyond this point' sign and went into the winter shed where the trains were being worked on. Every winter they come here to get repainted and polished to shine every summer. They took us around each train and we saw up close the amazing detail of the trains.



On the way 'home' we tricked the kids in going the back way to Logan. Unbeknownst to the kids, we had called Grandma to see if she would like to go to dinner with us, and she invited us to stay the night. Tiffany and I opted not to tell them and surprise them once we got there. The snowy weather helped out as we were only a quarter mile away from Grandma's house when Emma finally realized that we were in Logan. A loud clatter of hoorays and excitement brought us the final 200 yards to grandma's driveway.

The following day we went home and Tiffany and I took the final trip alone (with some friends - but without kids) down to Provo to see the Carl Bloch exhibit down at BYU. I think I will leave an additional post concerning that trip alone, but suffice it to say, I am not an art enthusiast. But there is something special when you start to look at a piece of art and consider what the artist was thinking/feeling and then wonder how much of the final work was completed with good design, and how much of it was left to inspiration. As good as Carl Bloch was, I am betting there was much to the latter.

So, we enjoyed our time, though the weather continues to wreak havoc with our livelihood here. More of the same this week. But no matter the circumstances, a good attitude will get you through about anything.

Thanks, kids, for having a good attitude and making Spring Break a break to remember.

Cheers,

Dad