The Day of the Presidents

Our Presidents have done some pretty cool stuff.  Abraham Lincoln emancipated slaves.  George Washington fought for our independence.  But there is one thing they've done collectively that trumps all the other great things they've done.  They got me a day off of work every February.  Now that's something worth celebrating.

Holidays are the greatest thing ever.  They're like Saturdays on steroids.  Saturdays are great, but I often spend the majority of the day doing little chores around the house, things that don't get done during the week.  Holidays are like a bonus Saturday, but they're even better because I already did all my chores on Saturday.

President's Day was an excellent example of how great holidays are.  We didn't go on a fancy trip or anything.  We were just at home, but it was great nonetheless.

We started the day by sleeping in.  Once our sleep was complete we wanted to get some exercise.

Last time we had driven to the temple we noticed there was a walking trail next to the river, so we decided to give that a try.

The river was beautiful and the company was excellent.

If you can't tell, Robyn was really cranky that I made her be in a picture.

We walked the whole length of the trail, and still wanted more.  So we climbed the hill toward the temple.  We didn't make it all the way there because at the top of the hill we decided to explore the park across the street and then do some stairs at the amphitheater.

This is how precious I look on the stairs.

Robyn descended so fast that it was like a blur.

On the way back down the hill we decided to run as fast as we can.  There was a slight problem, though.  Remember when you were a kid and you were growing so fast that your parents had to buy you new clothes every few months?  We have that problem in reverse.  We're shrinking fast enough that it's hard to have clothes that fit us.  Both of us have pants that are just little too big.  Once you get running pretty good, the pants have a tendency to jostle themselves downward.  Don't worry, there was no nudity, not like the awkward time in the front yard or the awkward time in Hawaii.  But we weren't able to run quite as fast since we were both holding up our pants.

After a morning of good exercise, we figured we had earned a good meal.  Plus, we didn't go out for Valentine's (Because we hate going out that night.  Everything is crowded and extra expensive.) so this was our belated Valentine's date.  Robyn had heard of a placed called Tsunami's in South Jordan.  We drove up there and had some serious deliciousness.

I had a seaweed salad just because I wanted to try it.  It was pretty good.

Tempura shrimp, teriyaki chicken, rice, too much goodness to handle.

After our meal we came back to the house, relaxed, and I read a book.  It was an excellent day and the best part was that I totally didn't do any work, at home or at the office.

I'd like to thank George and Abe for a great day.  Oh, and thanks for freedom from tyranny and slavery, that's pretty cool too.

Wild Zucchini Grill

I tried out a new restaurant this past week.  It sort of changed my life.  It's called the Wild Zucchini Grill.  One would hope that it would have wild zucchinis scurrying about.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, but it was amazing.

It's a brand new place, and it would seem we weren't the only ones with the idea of trying it out.  When we got there, the line was ridiculously long.

Naturally, I had to record Robyn's reaction to the line.  Although, this reaction might be to the fact that I was taking her picture.  It also might have been that she was very hungry.

Isn't she cute when she's cranky?

I told her that she looks cute when she's cranky.  I also told her that her cuteness did not give me incentive to avoid situations that make her cranky.  Telling her that made her cranky.  It was cute.

When we got up further in line we got to witness the birth of the flat bread.

Birth is a miracle, even when it's just flat bread.

After many days spent in line, this beautiful sandwich was the fruit of our labor.  I got this delicious wrap and Robyn had an equally delicious pizza.  They were both glorious.

You totally need to try this place out.  We haven't even tried the pasta yet, but I'm sure it's just as amazing as the food we did try.

Anniversary Surprises

Friday was my Anniversary. (As I mentioned here)  It was a fabulous day.  I mentioned then that Robyn had some surprises in store for me.  You're about to find out what those surprises were, but I'll warn you now, there's lots of preciousness ahead.  Some may see the preciousness as "mushiness".  Whatever terminology you choose to use, there's plenty of it about to enter your life.

When I got home from work, I pulled my car into the garage and she was there ready to greet me before I came into the house.  She must have been diligently watching for me because there was something important she needed to tell me.

"You're not allowed to go into the bedroom."

She had blocked off one room of the house, where she had been working on a secret project.  What was that project?  Well, that was to remain a mystery at least for the time being, because it was time to go out for dinner.  She had planned a special dinner and I wasn't allowed to know where we were going.

Normally, I drive whenever we go anywhere, but I was in the passenger seat as we drove to our destination.  This was to avoid the awkwardness of the fact that I had no idea where dinner was going to occur.  I knew we had reservations at 7:00, so as we drove I was speculating where we might be going based on how much longer we had to drive.  When we started going south on I-15 I figured we were going to downtown Provo.  But we got off at Center Street in Orem.  I instantly said, "We're going somewhere in the Riverwoods, but I have no idea where!"

I was right.  We went to La Jolla Grove in the Riverwoods area.

The restaurant looks like you're in a lemon grove.  They also seated me across from a really cute girl.

We decided that there was no dieting for this meal.  So we each got an appetizer, a main course and a dessert.  But, I'm definitely a different person than I used to be.  After  I finished the appetizer, I was already starting to feel full.  What is that all about?

The good news is that fancy places don't give ginormous portions.  So I still enjoyed my whole meal.

I think the best part was this chocolate mousse cake which is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me.

After dinner it was time to drive back home.  I was returned to the driver's seat since I was allowed to know that we were going home now.

When we got home, I was allowed to enter the bedroom.  This is what greeted me.

She had spent time going through all of our pictures and selecting specific ones that represented specific memories.  She had them printed and lined them around our bed with loads of cuteness.

Even more precious, she had written something she loved about me on the back of every picture.  There were such things as "I love how smart you are."  on the back of a pic us thinking with the thinker, or "I love how healthy you are getting." on the back of a pic of us on a big hiking trip.  There were even such awesome captions as "selfie" on the back of a selfie.  Is that not the most precious thing ever?

The answer is yes, it is the most precious thing ever.

Maybe next week you'll get to find out about how I surprised her.