Shanandy

Broadcasting Live from a Pillow Fort in the Basement

 

Where does the time go? November 10, 2008

Filed under: Family, Outdoors — Shana @ 8:50 pm

We’ve been really bad about updating our blog lately so here is quick review of the past five weeks.

We have continued to ride our bikes all over.  As we have been riding the trails I realize how much of Southern Utah I haven’t seen.  I have also forgotten how beautiful it is around here.  Sharla and Jeremy have started joining us on the rides along with the regulars Ryan, Owen, and Joel.

I love family traditions.  One of our newest family traditions is the Witch’s Party that my Aunt Karma has been hosting for the past couple of years.  All of the girls in the Barton family dress up and have a great time hanging out and talking.  We missed those of you who live out of town or couldn’t make it.

Andy also enjoyed driving up to Jeremy’s house and seeing a new Lamborghini in the front.  Andy immediately wanted a picture with the car.

 
 

I heart Cedar Mountain September 28, 2008

Filed under: Outdoors — Andy @ 8:43 pm

This weekend we decided to ride Cedar Mountain again. We’ve always wanted to ride the western half of the Virgin River Rim trail. We rode the east half at the first of the summer, and it was brutal, but awesome. The western half, while seeming like it would go downhill literally felt like we were climbing 80% of the time.

15 miles of brutal climbing, so so scenery, and a dirt two track road at the end.  I wasn’t the weekend of my dreams but I’m glad I’ve done it once, and will most likely never do it again.

The so so on the scenery is because the aspens were in full color, and they were against the pink cliffs of Cedar Breaks. The air was pretty crisp and signs of autumn were everywhere.


I also forgot to post some great pictures from the first of this summer. Shan, Owen and I rode the Indian Hollow trail.

Indian Hollow was probably some of the best riding I’ve ever seen, and most of the worst. The trail starts off on a kind of alpine meadow and drops in to a slot like granite canyon with a stream in the bottom. Your riding on soft beds of pine needles and your literally swooping along the banks of the stream. A little later on though the trail is frankly just destroyed from ATV’s (which aren’t allowed on the trail). It’s steep, its full of rocks and the ground is just torn up. It’s not fit for hiking or mountain biking really. At the end of Indian Hollow your on a 10 mile double track road that’s cindered. While providing some awesome views, its frankly not that fun to ride.

You do end up in the town of Panguitch which has a lot of nice small restraunts to eat at. It’s also one of the cleanest friendliest small towns I’ve ever been too. If you’ve never been there, I promise you that you won’t regret the trip.

 
 

Boredom < Update September 10, 2008

Filed under: Family, Outdoors — Andy @ 6:33 pm

Well, for an update I’m literally a day and a half away of finishing my training up here in Provo.  I’m a little excited that I’ll actually be let out of the gate, and I’m a little sad to be leaving the friends and co-workers in Provo.

I figured out the other day that I’ve actually spent more time in the Provo office working than I have down in St. George.  It’s a little unsettling actually.  I feel like I’m part of the groove here, the daily momentum, I’ve filled some niche.  I do often get told that I feel like I belong up there, I fit in with the others.  I know Provo likes me, but frankly St. George isn’t as friendly.

Either way I’ve got a job to do and I’ll fit in eventually I suppose.

On a happy note, the Provo Marriott scored me some free tickets to the pioneer league baseball team for Orem, the Orem Owls.  I’m not a huge sports fan, but honestly it was a lot of fun to go to a live game.  I ate a footlong hotdog, and actually clapped and cheered for the guys.

Even when things go so well though, something always seems to go wrong.  I secured my place in hell that night by stealing some handicapped guys chair.  It was one of those chairs all alone, so you can wheelchair up to it and sit with a friend. I picked it because I didn’t want to talk to anyone really, but man was that guy upset when he asked if he could have the chair he paid for back.  I probably shouldn’t have replied oh you mean this one, when there really was only one. I didn’t even pretend to be in the wrong seat, I think my comment was more sarcastic than it should have been, but how do you come back from stealing a handicapped persons chair?  I’m guessing next time I steal a chair, I’ll be more ashamed.

Anyway here are some great pictures from the game, I couldn’t help but admire the scenic background, and the bright colors of the game. The game was held at the field on UVU campus. On a side note, whats up with UVU, I always thought they were even a stupider school to attend than Dixie, had I seen their campus I probably would have gone to UVU, it was beautiful up there.

I’ve really enjoyed my time up in Provo, and frankly I wouldn’t mind living here.  I can’t help but keep thinking that the only thing that would make Provo better is if someone cut the cancer that is BYU out.

I wish I could convey in this blog how frankly creepy BYU students are sometimes. Shan thought I was exaggerating until someone at a fancy restraunt next to us was telling his date about Book of Mormon stories. The very next day we hiked up to Timpanogas caves, and sure enough people on the trails kept talking scriptures, even Shan started to get creeped out.

To further push my point, I visited the Provo library thinking I could check out some DVD’s and that it would be cheaper than the local video store.  I found movie after movie, or should I say musical after musical, but sadly nothing worth watching.  I honestly think they only had video’s that were rated PG or G… yeah its that creepy.

I do have a hair update for all my bald brothers, and I do mean that literally.  I’ve been growing my hair out for almost 4 months now I think.  Behold the fruits of my labors!

It comes in two flavors, combed, and wild.

I’ve been soft with the updates, like Ryan’s gut,  I’ll update more when I return to the pillow fort.