Staycation!!!

It's taken me a while to get this posted! A month ago we decided to take a little trip to Bryce Canyon in southern Utah.  I'd only heard of it before but now it's one of my favorite places on Earth!  

I was off-track and when Barrett got done with school Thursday afternoon we hit the road. 

 We drove into Panguitch which is one block long so I made Barrett drive out to the canyon to try to catch the sunset.  

As you can see, the outlook is sadly facing east, but I did get this shot which ended up being one of my favorites. No boots for me!

After the sun set and we bought Barrett a nice fleece, we headed to this delightful restaurant that could not have hit the spot more. It was so fun to be out in the middle of nowhere.  

We walked out of the restaurant into the most silent night. We drove into the pitch black (literally, Barrett turned off the lights for a millisecond and I freaked out).  I had forgotten what so many stars could look like--Heavenly Father has blessed us with such a beautiful world and I was grateful to be reminded of the serenity we can find. 

We stayed at this little motel that was actually awesome and gave out free Danishes!

Here's the start of our first hike. 

We hiked the Peek-a-Boo Loop (rated "strenuous" thank you very much) which had a surprise view around each corner. 

 Here are a few of my favorites:

This tree is going on my wall someday.  I absolutely love it. 

This looked like a club to me. The troll in Harry Potter instantly came to mind and I made Barrett do this awesome pose. 

We met a nice couple and chatted for a bit. Then we took their pic and they took ours. I'm so happy it turned out and we could capture this extraordinary day. 

The blue sky against the orange walls was stunning.  It's definitely my favorite match of complementary colors.  

I do believe I remember telling Barrett that the view was so beautiful that if I didn't make it to Paris again I'd be fine. I might regret my words if he remembers that, but honestly I've never been in a place that made me realize the majestic beauty that we have to enjoy as much as this. 

I was really happy to find this rock that looked like a fist. I was feeling pretty tough by this time. I mean, a day of hiking can do that to you. 

 Small cloud :)

We did the Queen's Garden Trail in the afternoon after our lunch break and 30 min car nap.  I was pretty tired out by the end. 

If you need a quick trip this was easy to plan and so, so, so fun!

I've never been happier to be married to my favorite person in the world who made every step the best. We'll probably be going back in the near future. Yay for staycations!