Women's Redrock Music Festival

Well, I'm about a week behind on blogging, but you know what, life has just gotten really crazy around here. Getting down to the last month of planning our wedding has definitely put on a lot of stress. And hey, it's better late than never!



So last week was Women's Redrock Music Festival (WRMF) down in Torrey, UT. It is one week out of the year that Tiffani and I really look forward too. Because of our budget cuts this year, with the wedding coming up, we had to cut out all camping and getaways, but WRMF was one that we just couldn't do. This was our 3rd year attending - we started going after we had just been dating for about a month or so, so it's definitely something that has always been a part of our relationship.




WRMF is a gathering of a bunch of independent women musicians just rockin' out as a couple hundred our so spectators just chill on the lawn on their blankets and camp chairs enjoying the sounds - all with this beautiful landscape surrounding us all. It is an experience that is just so moving. Tiffani and I mentioned that every year we leave with new thoughts, new ideas, new inspiration. To be surrounded with such moving lyrics written by some very strong women is just so powerful to me.




As soon as we got to the festival, planted our chairs, and got cozy, I just felt like I was HOME. There is something about this place that just sets me at ease. I don't know if it's because Tiffani and I came here so early on in our relationship so I relate it to how newly in love we were at the time, but it just always brings us so much closer together. The lyrics move me more. The melodies give me more chills. I'm brought to tears so much more quickly. It is just an experience that hits me right down to my bones. And it burrows it's way into my soul from the moment I get there until we drive out past the redrock to head back to the bustle of the real world. The world just stands still for the 2 days we're at WRMF. We didn't talk about wedding planning. We didn't worry about Xander. We just enjoyed each other and the music that filled the air.

A Chili's Kind of Night!

Sunday night after picking Xander up from a weekend with his Grandma Jean, I was definitely not in any mood to cook dinner. So we decided to take the kiddo out to eat. One of our most-visited family restaurants seems to be Chili's. I love that I can get any one of their burger options and make it a vegetarian black-bean burger! Definitely a plus on my end! And there are so many options for Xander too. It's great because even though french fries are an option, he always seems to pick mandarin oranges or some other fruit. I am absolutely OK with that! (even though he snags a couple of my fries at some point)




As much as I love Chili's though, it was unfortunate for our waiter that the cook sent my burger out still cold. I know it wasn't his fault, but his tip still suffered. By the time I got my burger re-made (i honestly wouldn't have cared if they had just re-heated it), Xander and Tiff were just about finished with their meal. I was a little upset. And hardly even a sorry. Luckily, once I DID get my burger, it was finger lickin' good! Shiner Bock BBQ Black Bean Burger... wish I had gotten a picture of that one cause it was YUMMMMMY!

Little Fish

This summer, Xander has been taking swimming lessons through his preschool. They go over to the Sports Mall and swim for about an hour, 4 days a week for 2 months. Last week ended the swimming lessons, and I have been really anxious to find some time to get him into our new apartment's pool to see what he has learned.

There's a lot he still needs to learn and practice in the pool, but one thing I am thrilled about is just how comfortable he is in the water! Last year, he would cling to us in the pool and not play around at all. This year, he's putting his face in the water, jumping off the sides, and testing his abilities without a floaty! I'm so proud of my little fish!

On Friday, Xander kept saying how much he missed GrammiLu and that she should come swimming with us. He was so excited when she actually came over to play in the pool! Between the rides in the pool she gave him and all the tossing up into the air he got from Tiff and Grandma, I think he was absolutely thrilled to be swimming that afternoon.