Normally Normal Again

I'm back to the old routine: school, homework, free time, bed. I wish Spring Break lasted forever. Trips from time to time, and all the time I need to spend with Cooper, the dog who came back from a place that kept him up all night today. Why do I need nine months of learning, anyway? Why can't there be three months? We kids can't stuff all that math, reading, social studies, etc. in our brains. They'll explode!

On Wednesday was the drive to Utah. We got there at about 9:45 and went to bed a couple hours later (we're a family of night owls). I got to sleep in my own room, my Aunt Missy's old room (her real name is Melissa, but we call her Missy). I couldn't sleep, since I had slept in the car before we got there. I sneaked into my parents' room, and quietly tried to get a place on the bed. It wasn't such a smart idea, because my mom woke up and said, "Go somewhere else. We're trying to sleep, and we won't be able to if we're all squished." So, I found a place in the basement, where my brothers were sleeping. I slept better in there, although I was cold.

On Thursday we headed for Provo, Utah at about noon to visit my brother Parker and his girlfriend, Meegan. Before we went to the indoor stadium to watch Parker's football practice, my mom just HAD to go to Nordstrom to buy a white shirt for my dad with the $50.00 gift card our friends gave to her. We went and enjoyed gourmet ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. It was delish (short for delicious). We went to Parker's practice. All the coaches respected my brothers since they had been at football camps three years in a row. I felt invisible. Then, Meegan showed up, and we watched with her. I discovered there was a little putting course for golf over in the corner, so I kicked golf balls around into the holes, a game I called, "Solf." It is a mixture of soccer and golf. Then, we went to the greatest Italian restaraunt in the history of all Italian restaraunts: Brick Oven. It is not all over the world, only in Provo. It is the greatest place to go to. I enjoyed a Pasta Bar. I got bowtie and shell noodles and a huge meatball with some garlic bread. Then, at the sauce center, I chose red sauce. Oh, no, I just remembered. I left my garlic bread at Grandma's. Oh, well. So, then, Meegan and Parker split apart from the family for the night. They had class in the morning. So, the siblings drove together in Meredith's car.

On Friday my family went to Park City, Utah to enjoy a day at The Canyons Ski Resort. I didn't go, because I didn't want to. So, I spent a morning finding my own things to do. Then, my Grandma took me to a fast food restaraunt called Shivers. Inside it looks like Candy Land. On the ceiling, it has an oval with a picture of the Candy Land Game Board. Then, Candy Castle is there when you walk in. On the windows it says things like, "Peppermint Forest" and "Gumdrop Alley." I bought a mini cheeseburger and a small chocolate shake, which ended up being a huge chocolate ice cream cup. I didn't even eat 1/4 of the ice cream, and I was sad to waste the shake. My Grandma and I dropped off chairs at my cousin Liz's house. She had just had a baby girl named Grace. After dropping the chairs off, we went to a place called Color Me Mine, which is an art studio at an outdoor mall. People in Utah are probably familiar with the store, because it is very popular. I made an egg cup with stripes, and it holds an egg with polka dots on it. My family was impressed with it when we picked it up yesterday. My family came home, and we met up with my mother's mom, whom we call Nani. We met her at Noodles and Company, another Italian restaraunt. I had a recipe called House Marinara, which is regular spaghetti, but it uses penne pasta instead of spaghetti. It was delicious. Then, we went to Nani's condo and had ice cream sundaes.

On Saturday we went skiing again, and this time I went since we had bought tickets in advance. We went to Park City ski resort instead of The Canyons. My dad and my mom visited with a ton of people on the ski lifts, and most of them were from New York. I wondered why people more than 1,000 miles away come to Utah for skiing. Must be great snow. I can only go on Blue Squares, because I'm an intermediate skiier. My brothers are experts; they can go on double black diamonds!!! I always feel bad for my dad, because he's an amazing skiier, but he has to go on easy runs with me. He says he enjoys it, though. We went back home, and Meegan came to visit us from Provo. Parker had come skiing with us that day. We ordered Olive Garden. More Italian food!!! Everyone watched Quantum of Solice, which is James Bond #7, but I didn't watch because I don't like to watch PG-13 movies. I wish my family didn't watch them. I played my Nintendo DS and then went to bed in the basement.

On Sunday we went to Grace's baby blessing at Liz's church. It was Fast Sunday, which means you don't eat breakfast that morning. That also means you can bear your testimony, which is what you believe, in church. Liz's husband, Cameron, went up and bore his testimony, then Liz. I was happy to be a cousin of Liz. After the meeting, we said good-bye to Parker and Meegan and then went back to Grandma's to pack. I played hide-and-seek with Madison, and he was easy to find since he's so tall. We went home and weren't home in time to pick up Cooper, so we picked him up today. I was happy to see him.

And now I'm back to my routine. Learn, do, eat, sleep. Boring routine, huh? I wish it was summer, because then I'd have tons to do. But that's just the way it is.