The gift of flight

Well, I guess I could say turning 27 was a breeze. My clever husband surprised me with a trip to the wind tunnel in Ogden. It's an indoor skydiving simulator called iFly. It's awesome! The wind is so powerful, it makes you drool. Olivia got to fly too, as a belated birthday present.

Below is the birthday girl.

Below is Olivia, of course.

Below is my amazing friend Melissa, who showed up as a surprise to wish me a happy birthday, and who was talked into flying as well.

Joe has been before, so he took pictures and watched the kids. This is the way to go if you, like me, don't see yourself ever jumping out of a plane.

We each got two one-minute flights, and my hips and rear were sore even from that! Click below to watch me on my first try.

Click below to watch Olivia fly.

Click below to watch our instructor test the wind before our flights. We've actually known him for quite a few years, so we felt really safe with him. He's done about 5,000 real skydives.

Wherever did she get an idea like that?

The other day, Olivia approached me while moaning and groaning. This is how she looked:

Now, join us for a good book. How about "Arthur's Chicken Pox"?

Journey into red rock country

Prepare to see a lot of entrada sandstone, folks! That's red rock to the lay person. But first, our drive to eastern Utah took us past the windmills at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon.

Our first stop was Goblin Valley State Park. It is amazing! We loved climbing on the formations and buttes.

Below is Joe's favorite goblin.

Below is Marie's favorite goblin. :)

Our next stop was Moab. We stayed at an RV park in a one-room cabin. It's so much cheaper than a hotel, but it gives more flexibility for families with young kids than a tent. Plus, it allows for the camping feel. We liked it well enough to go again.

Below is one of "The Windows."

After a few hours at Arches, we went back to the RV park for a rest and a swim. Our last adventure of the day was climbing a sand dune off the highway in Moab.

After a much-needed shower, we hit the sack.

The next day, we were back at Arches. Below is a hike called Park Avenue.

Below was our favorite trail -- through slot canyons and crannies. It led to Sand Dune Arch, which Marie proceeded to climb atop.

We stopped at the Arches visitors center before heading home. It was a memorable trip, and we feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful state.

Four and counting

Olivia turned 4 years old last week! First thing in the morning, after beholding the pink balloons and streamers that had mysteriously appeared during the night, she wanted to open her presents. Thanks to everyone for the generosity!

Play the video below to see Allison's reaction to her sister's new scooter.

That afternoon, we went to Chuck E. Cheese's to play.

We went to Panda Express, per Olivia's request, for dinner. It was the one and only thing she insisted on for her birthday. We had only been there twice before in her life. What a funny kid.

Olivia's great-grandparents happened to be in town, so they got to see her on her big day.

Below is Olivia with Marie's mom.

Gifts from God

This Easter I want to tell the world I know Jesus Christ lives! He came into this world, he served and sacrificed, he led and taught. And then he died. He died for me, for you, for everyone. But that wasn't the end. Our Savior and Redeemer was resurrected. He lives, and he paved the way for us to live again too.

Christ knows each one of us inside and out, and through his unmatched love and guidance we can overcome anything. As the prophet Isaiah said, "with His stripes we are healed." The love I feel for my girls is the closest I come to understanding the Savior's selfless love for me. There is no greater truth to pass on to those precious girls than the story of Jesus Christ. I am grateful from the depths of my soul for His miraculous atonement and resurrection.

Click on the link below to see my gifts from God this Easter.

View PhotatoBug Slideshow

Thanks to my brother-in-law Beau. He snapped the majority of these photos with his sweet camera.

Easter festivities

Our Easter weekend began with the city's annual egg hunt. It's actually more of an egg grab, but the kids love it. They split up the park by age group, so I went with Allison and Joe went with Olivia. We only had one camera, so click on the video to see the preschoolers -- and some adults -- scramble.

Next up: coloring Easter eggs. We used the traditional dye and a wax crayon.

Mommy's eggs:

Daddy's eggs:

Olivia's eggs:

The result of a tantrum:
On Sunday, Olivia searched for both Easter baskets since Allison didn't understand. Watch the video below to see the discovery.

Blast from the past

The picture of me with my girls reminded me of this gem, straight from the 1980s. My mom is sitting with me, age 4, and Laura, 2. Isn't my mom's hair beautiful? Such volume. Such grace.

Thoughts on 30

I've been 30 for the past 12 days now, and I'm already qualified to explain what it's all about. I have to tell you it's pretty good. I think I'm aging gracefully.

I'm coming off a good birthday, which I managed to milk for an entire week. And I'm still riding that high. Hear that? It's the power of positive thinking. Marie likes to quash that by reminding me how old I am now, but in a couple of weeks, she'll be in her late 20s. Who's old now?

So I feel like I need to muse about reaching a new decade in my life. I don't muse very much, so let the musing begin:

My birthday is fun because of the celebrities who share my day: Johann Sebastian Bach and Modest Mussorgsky (dead guys, but great composers), Timothy Dalton (my fifth favorite James Bond), Matthew Broderick (my favorite Ferris Bueller), Rosie O'Donnell (my favorite celebrity to hate) and one Kevin Earl Federline (another great composer).

Speaking of celebrities, loads of them didn't even make it this far: James Dean, 24; Jimi Hendrix, 27; Jim Morrison, 27; Tupac, 25; Notorious B.I.G., 24; and Kurt Cobain, 27. But they all had serious problems.

Why should I care about celebrities? I've got my own concerns, like the fact that it's just 10 years until my first visit to the proctologist. Goodbye junk food. Hello fiber.

But I feel great. Like my friend Kristen said, 30 is the new 20. Does that mean 20 is the new 10?

This one blows my mind: If I get eight hours of sleep a day, that means I've slept a total of 10 years now. 10 years! I can't believe I've spent one-third of my life resting.

The gray hairs on my head continue their slow lateral assault while the brown ones on top seem to be retreating.

Even though I don't feel old, I can't help wondering if around the time I get my last child out of diapers, I'll be thinking about signing up for a pair of my own.

I've also been concentrating more on sucking in my gut, which is weird because I've been living for years under the assumption that I have no gut. The pounds that were so easily gained during a couple of years of snacking without adequate exercise seem to have caught up with me. Metabolism fail.

I've been wondering about what other 30-year-olds have accomplished. Some have become millionaires. Some are CEOs. Some are famous athletes. I fit exactly none of those categories.

Jesus started his ministry when he was baptized at age 30. Then, there were all of those miracles and the birth of Christianity. That seems daunting at best. If I happen to start a new religion, though, required reading would include the Epistle of Joe.

I don't think I'll manage to do any of the above. What I have done, though, somehow, is land an amazing wife, two beautiful daughters and a job I love — all of which make the past 30 years feel like 30 minutes.