A Weekend Retreat

The Mama recently treated me to a trip to BYU Women's Conference in Provo, UT. for my birthday (don't worry folks it's in August). But we calculated with my cousins that I hadn't been up there or seen most of them for 7 years! Yep, pathetic, I know.   So we decided to fly up (saved me time away from the kiddos) do the conference with my mom, my cousin Susan, Aunt Jill, sister in-law Sarah, and her mom Sue and other friends, then do a VERY abbreviated day/night visiting family.

We flew from Long Beach (near our old work stomping grounds) to Salt Lake.

We then made an impromptu visit to see our old friend from Chino Hills, Dawn Meehan.  Yep the Survivor finalist from this season, and amazing mother! 

 

BYU Women’s Conference is the largest two-day gathering of LDS women anywhere in the world. Over 200 presenters share their perspectives and insights on a variety of topics including womanhood and sisterhood, gospel principles, marriage, family, and practical and timely topics of interest and concern to women of all ages.

It is a time for you to develop new friendships, hear uplifting messages, gain new insights, participate in service, strengthen your testimony, enjoy time with family and friends, and gather with women of faith.

So needless to say, It was a great way to gain some perspective and have a reminder about what is truly important.

We had very limited time and I was still exhausted from the go, go go of the whole weekend. But we did do something I have always wanted to do...HIKED the Y!

Hiking the Y!

Then on our path up I saw this little sign someone just taped up there, but I really loved it and thought about it more than once.  

"The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer."

We also made time to eat a few really good meals!  Gurus Cafe where I enjoyed delicious food and later found out my friend Leah Wright created/designed their menu...isnt that funny.  She is SUPER talented.  Check out some of her photography HERE and you will see what I mean.

We also are a little obssessed with NieNie!  We both claim her to be our best friends (she just doesnt know it yet). So we had to go try her VaNIElla cupcake, but of course.  We also were gonna drive by her house but thought that might be a little stalker-ish (she was out of the country, yes we knew that too).  She has a great book though Heaven is Here which is really inspiring and you realize what an amazing and strong person she is!

We then took a stroll through Park City, UT. My mom really wanted to take the Canyon route to my cousins and it paid off to be beyond beautiful! What a drive!!!

That night we met up with a TONS of my cousins at a place that holds many MANY memories from my childhood!  The Burger Bar.  It is down the street from my Grandmas old house.  Which we found to be run down and not kept up well. I was kinda mad and wanted to cry when I saw it because it wasnt at all how I remembered it!

Had a blast and cant wait to actually bring Ned and the kids back! It will happen sometime in the next 8 years!