Summer 2026

 


I haven't done a blog post since we returned from Japan, but I decided I'd like to start up again, so I'm going to try and do seasonal posts, starting with this summer.

The best thing about this summer is that we had the chance to be together with kids and grandkids most of June, July, and August!

To start off with - we celebrated a lot of birthdays:

Boone turned 9 on May 24th. He ordered no-bake cookies for his treat and had a fun reptile party.


Grammy turned 62 on May 30th and we went to Pink Box to celebrate!


Erina turned 2 on June 6th. Grammy and Grandpa and Rayna and Boone went to Star to be part of the Toy Story celebration.



Avniel turned 38 on July 1st and had the most delicious birthday cake ever!

Megan turned 33 on July 28th and we had a blast at her splash-pad party in the park in Vineyard.


Stephanie turned 38 on August 4th and she made a yummy Tres Leches cake.


Shaneel turned 3 on August 15th and was the cutest Picachu you ever saw!


We had so much fun visiting Ben, Violet, Leo and Erina at their house in Star, ID. One of the highlights of the visit was going to Babby Farms Exotic Petting Zoo. Getting up close and petting kangaroos was a little scary but mostly fun.







On Erina's actual birthday, Violet made a themed Toy Story dinner that was amazing and so CUTE!



Erina was quite the little ham taking selfies with grandpa. She also loved her big cousin, Rayna.




The Naidus arrived in Utah right around Father's Day and it was fun to be reunited with them!




One of the places I've always wanted to visit is Martin's Cove and Rocky Ridge in Wyoming. At the beginning of July we had a great window of time where the weather was not too hot and so Kimball and I took a little road trip to check it out. 

We were impressed by the beauty of the area, in spite of the rugged terrain. The Cove is a special place, and knowing the sacrifices made by my ancestors and how they suffered there made it important and meaningful for me to visit it.





Kimball and I both said that visiting the area gave us a much better understanding of what the journey was really like. I had not realized Devil's Gate is so near to Martin's Cove. It is a very impressive landmark.



Rocky Ridge was completely different from the Pioneer Trek "Rocky Ridge" experiences I've had. At first the trail seemed less dramatic than I expected. But as we hiked up it, we tried to imagine how it would be if we were freezing cold, with little clothing and maybe no shoes, and exhausted and starving. Thinking of it in that light the trail seemed to go on and on and on. It was very sobering to consider what they did.




Here is a picture of the monument that sits at the base of the trail. It's hard to read in the picture, so I have written it out below.

At 7300 feet above sea level, Rocky Ridge is the highest point on the Mormon and Oregon Trails. This elevation, lack of water, and rugged landscape presented a challenge to the early pioneers. The trail over Rocky Ridge is approximately two miles long and ascends over 700 feet in elevation. This ridge was particularly difficult during the 1856 rescue of the Mormon Willie and Martin handcart companies. The Willie Company crossed Rocky Ridge in severe winter conditions in a state of starvation. Their ascent began on October 22, 1856. It took 27 hours for the journey of the 15 miles from the base of Rocky Ridge to Rock Creek. Poor clothing, including worn out shoes, was the cause of this area being called the trail of blood.



We celebrated July 4th by going to a park in Pleasant Grove for fireworks. Got there quiet early (hours before dark haha) in order to get a prime spot!








Our family reunion trip July 12-16 was truly highlight of the 2026 summer. We rented a large house so the whole family could to stay together. When we arrived we formed up "teams" for a fun family competition and scavenger hunt that lasted throughout the week. 

We had great meals together, did some crafts, rode bikes, swam and played pickleball at the neighborhood pool and spent some great days at the beach and lake with jet skies, kayaks, the floating oasis and great sand toys - all ages had a blast! 

Golfing, hiking and watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Pickleville Playhouse were also great fun. We had family field game night, went out to eat at Cafe Sabor, got burgers and milkshakes at Zipz, and ended the trip by going to Minnetonka Cave on the Idaho side of the lake.

It was exhausting and so much fun!

Fun times at the house


















Fun times at the beach





























Fun times hiking















Fun times riding bikes






Fun times doing crafts







Fun times playing family games










Fun times eating yummy food












Fun times golfing, swimming and going to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers








Fun times at Minnetonka Cave














What a great time we had - so many good memories!



July was a busy month - after our family Bear Lake trip some of us took another quick trip to St. George to see a couple of plays at Tuacahn Theater. 

The first night we were there we saw Finding Nemo. The second night only the mom's went to see Les Mis. Both were very fun, but extremely HOT. The shows don't even start until 9pm, but even at that hour it's very hot and sweaty. 

During the day in between the shows we did a few activities. The mom's went to the newly remodeled St. George Temple. The kids had a blast at the condo pool and we went to a candy show and learned how to made flavored taffy at The Taffy Shop.

Of course, we ate some really good food - Riggatti's Pizza, sadly we didn't get a picture, George's Corner Restaurant, and Nielson's Frozen Custard!





















This summer we have done a lot of hiking. During June, Kimball and Steph and Danny did several training hikes (Kyhv peak being one of them) in preparation for hiking the backside of Timpanogos. Then on July 1st Steph, Bowman, Rayna, Danny and Kimball all completed the Timp hike!

Later in July Steph, Boone and Kimball and I hiked to Cecret Lake in the Alta Ski resort area. The wildflowers were in full bloom and it was beautiful!













We had a picnic with Burtons one evening in August at Wheeler Farm. Too bad we didn't get pictures of the Burtons haha




Mid August the Naidus invited us to join them for a trip to Disneyland. Kimball politely declined, but I went along and had a wonderful time!









We closed out the summer with a Labor Day camping trip (kind of, haha) We got the best of both worlds, Mitchells camped at a lovely place called Hope Campground on the backside of Kyhv Peak. We drove up for the evening dinner (delicious steak kabobs) and dessert and campfire. Then we came home and slept in our own beds!

We also got in a great end of summer outing at the Hogle Zoo with the Naidu family and some of the Mitchells.






Summer 2026 is in the books!















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