The last two weeks

The last month has been a whirlwind of sickness and vacations. A few weeks ago I got sick. Very sick. So sick that I went to the doctor (which I never do) and then the emergency room. Tests were taken, prescriptions were filled and still, the doctors have no idea what I had. Possibly dengue fever but no one really knows. Man, being sick makes you appreciate being healthy like nothing else can. I lost about 14lbs of mostly muscle during that time. So much for my time at the gym. Oh well.

The sickness couldn't have come at a worse time as it was Patrick's mission farewell last weekend in SLC. I still went but most of my time was spent sleeping and sweating at the local marriott. I missed the open mic night and post farewell parties but made it to the actual talk. We're gonna miss the dickens out of little Patrick.

Feeling as if we had been working too much, we decided to take more time off to explore the vast beauty that is, southern Utah. We met up with Candice's family in St. George and saw a local production of Tarzan at the Tuacahn theater. The theater itself is located among the sand stone cliffs of the padre canyon, which really is a beautiful setting for a live performance.

The next morning we headed to Zion's national park to hike angels landing.

Patrick and his girlfriend Michelle looking all sorts of sassy.

The hike wasn't long but it was a scorching 107 degrees and was fairly steep. Reaching the summit invoked several emotions.

Some joyously celebrated

Some found God

Some dangled their feet off the edge which freaked-out their wives and several complete strangers

Then off to the water hole to cool off

Synchronized ballet jumps by way of Jonny and Kaylene...

Followed by a little lovey dovey-which never hurt anyone

Temporary tattoos have become somewhat of a Farrington family tradition. Candice rocked the mystique tat to such a degree, that we all kinda feel like she should just bite the bullet and get the real thing.

The day finished with brats cooked over the campfire and root beer floats. Kinda perfect really.

The next day we did a hike called the "subway." In order to do this hike you need a permit which was secured by dear Jonny at 5am the day before. Big hugs to that guy.

The hike was amazing to say the least. One moment your checking out nipple shaped boulders and the next you're repelling down frigid waterfalls. Nipples, boulders, waterfalls, awesome.

A well intentioned group "jump"shot that just didn't go our way.

Patrick, again making jump shots look effortless

Ryan, swimming for his life in the cold waters of this magnificent slot canyon

Wonderful time, great hike, great company. Wish we didn't have to work.

Aspen y Burley

After two days back at work post Costa Rican vacation we decided we were fed up and ready for another adventure. We packed the bags and the dog and started on our way to Aspen, CO.

I’ve been to many CO ski towns, but not yet Aspen and was truly impressed. We stayed at the Sky Hotel which is dog friendly, and they provided treats for Rocco and wrote his name on the doggie board at the front desk.

The entire town is actually super dog friendly and we took him everywhere besides inside restaurants. We went hiking, checked out the town, swam, watched movies, and tried some mostly delicious restaurants. A good time was had by all.

Matt kickin it by the pool with some delicious eats.

Quite curious

mmmmm sushi

Rocco decided he wanted to play in the fountain.

Isn't Aspen gorgeous?

Friday morning we headed on our way to Burley, ID – through SLC. Ryan had asked us all to participate in The Spudman Olympic Triathlon which took place on July 31. We picked up Ryan in SLC and introduced Lauren and Meggie to Rocco. Meggie just squealed and wasn’t afraid of him at all. Then we thought it a great idea to take Rocco to the local dog park for 5-10 minutes before we got in the car again. He LOVED it, splashed around in the water, and started rolling around in the mud like a hippopotamus. Cute and fun, except we had to get back in the car and drive another 3 hours. Needless to say, our car is filthy and in need of a serious detail.

We then cruised to Burley, attempted to register for the race, but they were closed up for the night, so we ate some Mexican food at Angelo’s instead and hopped back in the car to head to our hotel in Twin Falls. Jon & Kaylene met us there – and we woke up at 4:45 am to run back to the race site to get registered and set out our gear. We made it just in the nick of time, as Jon arrived at the scene just 4 minutes before his heat was to leave.

Kaylene and I were in the 7^th heat, so we stretched a bit and got ready to go.

Ryan was in the 8^{th (10 minutes after us, he passed us on the bike)}. I freaked out a little in the open water at the beginning, but thanks to Matt’s encouragement on the side regained composure and got back in the game.

Jon, Kaylene, and Ryan all did really well – and I think it is something most of us will consider doing again.

The bike ride for me was actually pretty fun, though my toosh started hurting about 18 miles into it. I found myself thinking about the part in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure where he wins the Tour de France in his dreams and found myself laughing out loud. The laughter continued with additional pee wee references when the song Tecquila came on over the loud speakers and I started doing the dance he does in the biker bar with Satan’s Little Helpers.

Kaylene’s pedal fell off of her bike, so she had to be picked up and taken to the run (huge bummer!). The run was the hardest part for me, because it was at the end and my legs were jello – plus by that time it was hot. But… we all finished.

We were so hungry after the race we went for burgers, fries, and milk shakes – then drove back to SLC. We stayed with my parents for the night (though it was a very quick stay), and they got to meet and love Rocco. They were so great with him, got up in the morning with him, took him on a walk, etc…

The best part about all of this, it feels like summer. Real summer, like when you were a kid. Road trips, airplanes, swimming pools, milk shakes, hotel rooms, etc… Summer has always been one of my favorite seasons, and it’s nice to feel like it’s been a real summer. And… it’s barely August.