Mendee (My sister) organized a family visit here in Ogden this year. Unfortunately Charlotte doesn’t’ get here until next week some time, but we’ve got her presents from this weekend under our little tree.
Mendee provided a nice suite for my mom and Ray (ended up also being out hangout when we were visiting before breakfast of dinner). It was a nice room for sitting with a little kitchen, a couch, a sitting chair, and we drug in another chair from Mendee, Jade, Carl, and Nathan’s room so we had enough butt spots (The was also the little ball of energy Wesley, but his butt was walkin’, or nappin’ most of the time in the hotel).
In the morning we wandered on over to “The Rusted Spoon” for some home style cooking, and an unexpected patron getting some pictures with everyone. The color seems very red/warm to me, but the lighting was also pretty red/orange, and the place is wood lined so that contributes to the color craziness.
After some breakfast we parted ways, I took a HARD nap, then we jetted off to play at SeaQuest in the Layton Hills Mall. It has been around for a while, it has had better, and worse days, but it is always a pretty fun time for the kids (it is humid and hot in there because “FISH”). Last year or so, I took my kids, and Raili to swim with the Stingrays. That was a good time as well. Those images may be on the site somewhere as well. The pictures of Mendee petting the Stingrays is the pool the kids snorkeled in with the sea-life.
After SeaQuest we wondered off home for a minute, then to Union Grill for some dinner. I called ahead and they said “We’re really busy, so probably like 45 minutes”. That sounded reasonable, so we all met there, and the waiting game began.
Since the Union Grill was a bust (45 minutes turned into 90 minutes +), we parted ways for a little bit before watching the boys (Nathan, Dayton and Indy) jump on the indoor waves at FloRider. Jamie and myself walked over to 5 Guys because FRIES! Mendee and that side of the herd went to a Mexican place I forget how to spell, and mom and Ray wondered back to the hotel for some spicy alone time with Nikki (not really, but it was getting late, and waiting at Union Grill was exhausting).
The boys all did well. It was the 1st time for Indy or Dayton, and Nathan had played on these type of things before. They all said they had a ball and would definitely recommend.
There are two videos too (I’m not 100% sure how they’ll play, so I put up both copies of each one – hopefully one of them will be the correct side up). There is sound, but I muted it online so it doesn’t blast your ears off (You can un-mute with the controls).
Once we were all sufficiently humidified, we parted ways again, and headed home. Of course, me being me, had to try some images at night down town. I didn’t have my tripod the last couple days, so this is at around 1600 ISO and as slow as I could with out being a total blur (and with me Sigma lens because it goes as wide as 18mm, and as fast as 2.8f).
That’s that. I really nice time with my family for the holidays. It was our first time doing Christmas stuff down here in Ogden since I moved back to the good ole’ US of A. I’m going to try and get Charlotte back to Poky while she’s here, but I don’t have a firm time-frame yet (I don’t do well with “firm schedules”).
I hope er’one has a good holiday season, and be nice to everything because the Whale on 9th and 9th probably said so (It has spawned a secular “religion” called “The Church of the Sacred Whale of 9th and 9th“. Me and Jamie have been members for about as long as the “church” has existed).
Take care ~ me