Moab on Memorial Day in May

After working 45+ hours a week for a whole month, I've never looked forward to a 3-day weekend more! We decided to plan a quick trip to Moab to visit Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.

The Saturday we left, we got the chance to be in the audience for MTV's Bully Beatdown show in Salt Lake. It was a pretty crazy show and our group, 9-1-1 Guatemala got paid $20 per person who showed up. My favorite part was seeing all the production that goes into the show and how big their crew was. Everyone had a job and was running around the whole time, but it all came together.

"King of the Cage"

The drive to Moab went by really fast. We ate at Red Robin and then spent our night in the hot tub. The next day we woke up early and explored the beauty of Arches National Park.

First stop: Park Avenue. This is where I saw my first lizard. I was pretty excited because I have been fascinated by lizards ever since I can remember.

I loved all the little flowers. I can't figure out how they can grow with no water and so much sun! They stand out among the red sand and rocks.

Chris really wasn't bored, although he looks it in this picture. He was such a good sport while I dragged him from place to place. Hiking isn't his favorite, but he never complained! Secretly, I think he really loved it too.

Balanced rock & Broken Rock - that looks just like a heart!

I got so excited when we pulled up behind this car! My Ohio State love burned deep within, especially knowing this fan lives in Michigan. haha - it totally made my day.

I got a lot of really great pictures of Christopher- jumping, climbing & posing. It was fun to play around at the Sandstone Arch because there was a lot to occupy us. They say this is the best spot for kids...but we loved it too!

The Landscape Arch & Double O Arches were really beautiful. I even got a cool picture of Chris jumping on it. I was impressed how high he got! He's really brave.

We liked playing around while hiking. I found this cute little cubby hole. But then Chris scared me by telling me scorpions lived in here. I was sure I would get pinched! Luckily...it was empty.

Here's the most famous one, Delicate Arch. This hike was the hardest and mostly uphill but totally worth it!

And now for the dedication to lizards....We probably took about the same number of arch pictures as lizard pictures. It was an ongoing challenge of who could spot them. I liked these 2 pictures the best: One lizard in action, running and a close-up. I was surprised the lizard wasn't afraid of my camera! He let me put the lens right in his face, I barely even zoomed!

We went to the visitors center and asked them where the best waterfall hike would be. They just laughed in my face! They said there is barely any water in Moab. But then I got it out of them...Faux Falls - the water that runs from a reservoir to a man-made lake. But I didn't care that the waterfall was fake... the beauty was real! I decided I had to hike closer than the trail. I was scared to walk through the river, so I shimmied over on a tree branch. The water was freezing and the power was a little frightening...but I was so glad I got close enough to feel the falls.

I felt so happy. Waterfalls are my favorite!

While on our first hike of the Canyonlands, Chris threw a rock at a lizard and actually hit it hard enough to knock its tail off!! It was crazy seeing the tail wiggle around, even though it was unattached. In this bush you can see the poor, tail-less lizard....and Chris, proud of his accomplishment.

The views were indescribable. Even pictures don't do justice. They were breath taking and almost scary at times when we got close to the edge. I loved the Upheaval Dome because they think it may have been caused by a meteorite. The Islands in the Sky were also really cool.

I was so happy to have a great opportunity to use my new camera and hike all around. We walked more than 15 miles! But it didn't feel like it because there were so many things to look at.

We walked so much that I lost the pinky toenail on my right foot! I've heard you lose some while training for a marathon and was really freaked out...but it didn't even hurt that bad. Once we came back home, I was surprised how green everything was. The mountains looked like they could be in Guatemala or something. Utah really is diverse...and beautiful! The only downside of the trip was we locked our keys in the car! We were just about to go out to eat at Zax restaurant when we realized the keys were in the ignition. Luckily we found a few tools (hanger, screw driver, dirty sock)...and Chris used his skills to break in and unlock it. It was kinda funny looking back and overall we had such a fun trip!