Fun with family

Mom and I wanted to do something fun this year that didn't cost a fortune. We opted for the Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City - and it was SO much fun!!! We invited my mom's sister, Kathi, and their aunt, Nadine, to come with us. We saw three plays (The 39 Steps, Pride and Prejudice, and Much Ado About Nothing). They were wonderful, and so funny! 
We only stayed one night, but it was the perfect amount of time. Alex came and "tended" Dad during the day and then stayed the night to help David listen for him if he needed anything. I think Bear (the poor dog) missed us more than any human. We are already planning another trip next year because we had such a good time being together and getting "cultured." 
Here are some pictures of our time together. I also took several pictures of the sunset as we drove home. It was incredible! The weather was great, but lightning storms were coming in as we drove home. There were beautiful, fluffy clouds in the sky and the sun tried to peek through. I've included those as well. 

Mom bought us all a "tiara" to wear. You can't see hers because her hair is so much lighter than the rest of us, but it was fun to wear them and feel like princesses for a little bit. The lady who took our pictures was funny. She kept hitting the button on my iPhone and we ended up with LOTS of these pictures. Several of those pictures included her finger. Nice! And in one of those with the finger, Mom said it looked like Nadine was going to throw up. We laughed so hard over that none of us could breathe. I'm sure the people trying to watch the greenshow really appreciated the idiot ladies laughing their heads off. Oops! 

One of the things we did was shop in the gift shop. Mom found a display of hats, so she made me try them on and take pictures. Every time we saw a hat after that, I put it on and she took a picture. I don't know why we thought it was so funny, but here are her photos of our hat fun. 

I don't know why, but the last hat made me think of Strawberry Shortcake. I used to love her! I had a doll that smelled like her, had a board game with her theme, and just loved to watch the cartoon. That phase only lasted a little while, but I have fond memories of Strawberry Shortcake. 

These are pictures of the sunset I caught out the window of Mom's van as we drove home. There's no explanation needed, but I will say that God has truly created some beautiful things in this life, and sunsets in Utah are one of the most beautiful. 

My obsession with sunsets (and the occasional sunrise) continues. I don't know why, but there's something about the picture that Heavenly Father creates when the sun goes up and comes down. No two pictures are ever the same. It just makes me appreciate how small I am in this world, and yet how much I am loved that I could witness something so beautiful. It was the perfect ending to two wonderful days with three of my favorite people. I'm really looking forward to next year, and hope that we really and truly do it again. 

One last thing - if you're ever in Cedar City, you have to visit The Pastry Pub. They have excellent food, and their pastries are to die for! Now, I don't eat pastries anymore, but when I did, these were the ones I craved. We had a wonderful lunch there on our second day. They have good food and it's a fun environment. I didn't get any pictures, but you can check out their website at www.cedarcitypastrypub.com.