SunValley, Idaho...Last week Bruce and I went up to Sun Valley for work. It was a long (5 hour) drive but I discovered I really like Idaho. We have been there a lot over the years and I guess I had never really thought about it. The difference was that I was comparing Wyoming to Idaho. Let's just say Idaho to me is better. The Sun Valley Resort is beautiful. The condo we stayed at had very comfortable beds and very nice furnishings. The huge bathroom with oversized tub wasn't bad either. For fun there is Ice Skating, bowling, swimming, skiing, etc.... It is a great place to stay.

Florida was awesome. This was our first time to visit. We stayed in Naples at a wonderful condo. There were miles and miles of beaches. Then we stayed 3 days at Disneyworld Wilderness Campground and Resort. We had so much fun. The resort was incredible and so convenient to the resorts. We had a 1 bed cabin with kitchen and huge bathroom.

We even saw an aligator in the wild in a canal next to the highway going to Everglade City! The weather was perfect.

Oh the places I did go

2008 has been a wild ride. We have been to Las Vegas, St. George, Island Park, ID, St. Louis, MO, The Indy 500 and we just got back from Naples, Florida and Disney World. I feel a bit like Dorthy though. I really think there is no place like home. I love to travel. To see the many different landscapes of our great country, the diversity of the geography, the nice people we have met on the way. But the best part of leaving home is coming home. Family. friends, my own bed. :)

St. Luis YTB Convention

On Sunday we got back from our YTB business convention held in St. Luis. It was an incredible experience. We have found an awesome company. This company has been based on God, Family and Country. We met so many nice people and made new friends that love to travel as much as we do.

This replica of the Statue of Liberty is only 5 feet shorter than the real one at Ellis Island. I am so glad I was born in America and enjoy the freedoms that men gave their lives for. Freedom isn't free, it was paid for at an infinite price.

I wish I could capture the excitement and energy that I felt at convention and put in words on this page. You will just have to imagine what is in my heart. Over half of the speakers thanked God for His blessings. The convention ended with a song "If Jesus is 4 days late, he's still on time" that had nearly 20,000 people on their feet and lots of us in tears. Just remember with God all things are possible.

I Love Summer

I love summer. I really need to find something about winter to love. It is 5 months of the year here. Working in the yard, playing at the park, golfing, just sitting outside soaking up the rays are all things I enjoy. I don't ski, snowshoe, or sleigh ride so what could I come up with to do in the winter that I would enjoy?? Got any ideas?? Quilting, maybe but that doesn't count. It is indoors. Shoveling the walks after a snow storm, trying to build a bigger snowman every big storm we have, going for a walk in boots. Ok, maybe I'll make it a point to learn how to love winter too.

Weekly Summer Grandkid Days

This spring we got together to decide on activities for our grandkids day. Thursday seemed to work best for everyone and except for camps and vacations it has worked very well. We have visited Liberty Park, The Aquarium, the 24th of July pre parade Float preview party, the blue park, had a Pirates and Princess party, and this week will be our family olympics. I have to say I have the best grandkids in the world and these days we get to spend together are such a joy. We have fun, fun, fun. Even though the ages range from 4 months to 14 years old every one has a good time. I am so proud of the older grandkids that help us with the younger ones. They are so good them. It really helps enhance the experiences we have.

Wolf Creek Vacation

Our daughter invited us to go with her and her family to Wolf Creek last month. We had a great time. Ogden has some very fun family places. The dinosaur park and the Tree House Museum were spectacular. The kids loved them. The best part was just being together. We swam, hiked, went on nature hunts, played games. I nearly stepped on a snake. That was exiting. I would love to live in that area. Not a lot of people and it is beautiful.

Yellowstone 2008

June in Yellowstone was cold but a great way to see lots of animals. It was snowing part of the time. Welcome to summer. We saw 3 black bears. That is almost unheard this time of year. Tons of elk and bison were out grazing. It is a wonder to see.

The Indy 500

We went to the Indy 500 over Memorial Day weekend. It was a blast. Saturday is the annual race parade in downtown Indianapolis. The place was packed with race fans. The floats, cars, clowns, celebraties and more added to the excitement leading up to the race.
Sunday, Race day. Started with a 1 1/2 mile walk to the track. Over 200,000 fans trying to converge on the track was quite and experience. Our seats were on turn 4 so we could see all of turn 3 and down most of the straight way that the start/finish line was on. What a thrill when we heard, "Ladies and Gentlemen start your engines!" and we all cheered. The roar of the engine was defening but a chill went up my spine. It was so exiting and I would not really call myself a race fan. I am now. Scott Dixon won after 500 miles in less that 4 hours!
Monday, we went back to the track to walk around. We visited Gasolline Alley, the Brickyard, the Pagoda, the pits and the museum. This photo was taken on the winners podium. We would like to thank our race enthusiast, Scott and Cinnamon for a great time. They enriched our experience and their children were so cute and loving. It was a trip of a lifetime.

I have been tagged.
5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. Oatmeal Cookies (my favorite)
2. Popcorn(homemade not the theatre kind)
3. Apples
4. Grammies and Milk
5. Licorice
5 things on my to-do list:
1. Meals for a family in our ward and the Aunts(Margorie and May).
2. Be a better person.
3. Read my emails. They get out of hand.
4. Dye Heathers hair!!!
5. Make it through till I am released.
5 Things I would do if I was a Billionaire:
1. Buy every one in the family thier house and one for me.
2. Set up scholorships for all of our grandchildren.
3. Move to Millcreek.
4. Go to a fat farm.
5. Help a 3rd world country
5 Jobs I have had:
1. Referring Travel Agent for YTB. Love to travel
2. Smiths Food and Drug (18yrs) So happy to be retired.
3. SLLC (Mail runner) for a very short time but it was fun and great excercise.
4. Janitor
5. Waitress (I hated being a waitress. no offense but it was the most stressful job!!)
Bad habits I have:
1. Swearing (mostly in my head and I am so repentant)
2. Mindless eating.
3. Not listening enough to the spirit or not following what I do hear.
4. Being too happy in the morning. Makes most people sick.
5. Taking 1/8th of a Unisom to help me sleep (most nights)
Places I have lived:
1. Patti Cr
2. 3600 West
3. Meadowwood Way
4. Really to many places to mention. I went to 13 different schools, 3 of them high schools.

I tag Kayla, Steph, and Diane.

What's most important

This is a picture of one of the most important things in my life. My family. With the birth of grandchild #10 and #11 on the way I couldn't be happier. They are healthy, lively, full of fun, energy, smart, talented and awesome.

Today, Ty choose to be baptised. To become a member of the church is a very important step to our eternal progress. He is traveling on the right path.

I am so proud of them all.

Zions National Park/St. George

Zions is a great day trip. With many beautiful hikes that go from very easy to dangerous. I have been there several times and spring is my favorite. The weather is usually mild. The summer tends to get very hot.

If you like the heat go for it. I personally am a pansy when it comes to heat. The Virgin River was running high so kayakers were making the best of it. We have tried the pack horses and found that a great way to see the canyon, too.

St. George was fun. Our concert wasn't well attended maybe only 50 or 60 people but singing in the Tabernacle is the best experience. The acoustics are alive making it a joy to sing there.

I am sitting at my computer thinking about all the places I'd rather be right now. The sky is grey and overcast. We need the rain so that's great but it does nothing for my spirit.

Last night a couple of my friends and I talked about New York. It is an exciting place to visit. Broadway shows, Central Park, Times Square, ground zero, just to name a few. I would love to spend about a week there. A few short days doesn't give it justice. We saw a matinee of Hairspray when we were there. I loved it. More than the music I appreciated the message of tolerance and that discrimination comes in many forms.

Well, that feels better. Just thinking about past experiences and ones to come in the future. Day dreaming of vacations yet to come. :)

Spring in Utah

She is very fickle. One day 80 degrees, the next it snows. I am trying to take it one day at a time. Each day has it's wonder. The weeds in my yard have started to grow like... well, weeds. The sunset the other night was spectacular. Just having the sun shining is a wonder after such a long winter. Today the breeze is on the cool side. And I saw my first caterpiller this year.

Up coming trips

I am so excited. We have several more trips scheduled this year. The Indy 500 (!!!), Island Park, Idaho (Yellowstone), St. Loius, MS (YTB Convention), Hawaii.
Some of them are thanks to our new business. Others are just for fun but all of them we will be able to enjoy with the benifits of being travel agents. We want learn more about the places we visit and share with our friends and family the excitement and fun of each trip.
To round us out we both have been taking online courses in travel and have become certified in YTB (Your Travel Biz), Carnival, Disney and CLIA (a national cruising orginization).

Trip of the month

This month we will be tooling down to St. George for our anual Schubert Concert. I always look forward to this trip. Not only do we get to sing in the historic tabernacle, we also get to enjoy the beauty of the St. George area. Serveral years we have popped over to Zions(a wonderful experience), or down to golf in Mesquite, or explored the canyons close to the city. Last year we even took the downtown historic tour. Very informative and fun.

Trips...

I don't know about you but I look forward to the summer. I love the warmth and opportunities to be outside. We often spend a day at the park with the kids. Running through the sprinklers, watching the clouds, digging in the dirt are fun activities we enjoy in the summer. Every day can be a new adventure. GO SUMMER!!

Olympic Tours

It is not to late to book Olympic tours to Bejing, China.
What an incredible experience it was to go to some
of the 2002 games that were held here in Salt Lake City.
The tours are easy to find at GrannyGoTravel.com.
Just click on International tours.

Viva Las Vegas

Our trip to Las Vegas was fast and furious. We stayed at the beautiful Orleans Casino. Our room was a suite on the 19th floor.

We visited the Spring Reserve and Red Rock Canyon. Both were awesome. I had never been to either place. The weather was perfect for hiking. Our shoes were not. I was in sandals.

There is more to Vegas than casinos and gambling. Mama Mia for one! It was fun to leave the kids and husbands home for a night of music, dancing and laughter.

Seeing family makes any trip better.

We are going to Las Vegas this month. A pretty exciting place and family to visit to boot. It is one of the many trips we have planned this year. We have experienced many wonderful destinations. Travel is in our blood.

2 Fly Free

Exclusive to YTB is a very exciting program called "Two Fly Free". For $300.00 yearly fee you get 2 Air vouchers to over 20 exciting destinations. You just pay for your room per night and stay 7 to 10 nights depending on where you go. These are 4 and 5 star hotels. Find out more by going to YTBTravel.com/grannygotravel and click on the flight tab and click on the picture of the 2 Fly Free. All the information is there!

Inner Passage in Alaska. It is inspiring to sit on the balcony of your cabin and take in the sites of your cruise. For some it is a dream come true. Miles and miles of beautiful vistas, thousands of trees, waterfalls, whales, and the wild life in the cabin next door.

You could be on your way!

Leaving the port at Seattle, heading for adventure in Alaska!! Can you picture it?

Now is the time to book cruises

Cruisin' is one of my favorite ways to travel. Great entertainment, food, fun, activities it is vacation value with a big bang. Several lines are having sales now thru the end of the month. Granny Go Travel.com has some of the best cruise lines with bargains galore.

Travel to the Past

Being able to travel all over the world would be a blast. This is a temporary blog, and this would be terrific to transfer to grannygotravel.com

Will test and eventually will migrate this over to a house domain, however, for now, this works.