Easter Weekend

What a delightful weekend this has been!  

It started with a delicious pedicure at the spa on Friday afternoon with my wonderful sister-in-law Danelle. Followed by a walk to the City Center for the Arts Festival, which was closed by the time we got there.  Not to be deterred from date night, we tromped up the road to a darling restaurant called Twenty-Five Main for cupcakes, making a frugal and fun $2.00 date!

Saturday morning I inexplicably woke up at 5 AM and after 45 mins, I woke Burke up by dramatically whining in his ear, "I can't sleep!"  To which he replied, "But I can!"  And then he got up with me. :)  Little did he know that the banging around in the kitchen the night before had been in preparation for his very own Easter Egg Hunt!  Even sleepy-eyed, he still  managed to be excited and found all 18 craftily hidden eggs!

At 6:50, Cath and Matt dropped their precious girls off for us to babysit while they went to an early morning temple session.  We made breakfast, went to the park, tried to keep Lyndee from getting into mischief and eventually watched Elmo on Youtube to keep her occupied.  They picked the kiddos up at 9:45 and by 11:00 we were headed for Grandpa Pug's Rockville property, just outside of Zion National Park for the Urie family annual Easter picnic.

It was a beautiful day, but I was glad for a jacket whenever the clouds would shade us from the sun and the temperature would drop 5 degrees.  It was so nice to sit around and get to know the Urie side of the family better.  I just love Burke's cousin Mack and his wife Rachel.  Mack is a year younger than Burke and they just had their 4th baby.  4 kids under the age of 5!  It is a hoot to watch them!  The kiddos had a hilarious egg hunt, heedless of cow patties as they sprinted around the clearing, trying for boasting rights at the fullest basket.

I absolutely love these pictures Burke got of the property and of Grandpa Pug.

These images look to me like a man at peace with his life, calmly waiting for whatever comes next.

All too soon we were heading back to St. George, determined not to miss the Art Festival this time!  For a couple of hours we weaved through the tents displaying glazed pottery, hand-woven shawls, vibrant paintings, detailed wood carvings, and whimsical chalk art.  

We stopped to visit Uncle Matt and see his amazing sculptures that he makes out of scrap metal and rocks, but the majority of his pieces had already been sold.  Here he is with his prize winning piece, "The Light Bearer."

He is very talented and we are so glad he is still with us after his near kidney failure this winter.  Before walking home, we bought some scrumptious homemade ice cream and compared my belly to the bulge of a bullfrog.

That night we went to dinner with our good friends the Gonzalezes and then made a dash out to decorate "someone's" tree before they got home.  You better appreciate this Mom, because I got threatening texts from a family member the next morning reminding me that what goes around comes around! :)  Look at that guilty look on Burke's face!

We went home and crashed on the couch with Charlton Heston and "The Ten Commandments."  That movie is not what it is hyped up to be.  All I had remembered was, "Moses, Moses, hoooooold me in your arms!"  Ugh.  I lasted about 20 minutes.

Sunday morning we woke up and had choir practice, then came home and read some beautiful articles on the atonement and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Our church meetings were lovely and for YW we took the girls across the street to the Temple Visitor's Center to watch "The Lamb of God" followed by a testimony meeting.  I am so impressed by the strength and testimony that some of my sweet girls have at such a young age.  I felt so uplifted.  Following church, Burke finished marinating his teriyaki burgers and we went to Kevin and Danelle's for a tasty and entertaining Easter dinner.  When we finally crashed into bed last night, I snuggled up to my sweetheart and we talked about how blessed we have been.  I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face, listening to the rain outside our window, feeling so in love with my husband and so grateful for our charmed lives.  I hope your Easter Weekends were equally edifying!