Escalante, Population 850

We went and visited our favorite residents of Escalante, UT: Stacy, Bryan, and Baby Ada! This was my first time visiting them even though they've lived there for 5 years or so. We had a lot of fun! Stacy & Bryan have a small (but absolutely gorgeous) place so we didn't stay them, and instead stayed in a giant cabin owned by their friends. Ellie had a fantastic time breaking in all of Ada's toys. I can't wait until they're both a little older and can start playing with each other.

Ada has changed so much in the month and a half it's been since we saw her last. She is rolling over (3 months before Ellie could) and she'll probably have teeth before Ellie too. She is a super cute baby! Her little baby squeals are by far my favorite thing about her.

Stacy and Bryan took us to Devils Garden, just outside of town. It was a really neat place where you could just wander amongst the rock formations. Really, really beautiful!

This is my favorite picture we got of Ellie. She looks so grown up, standing up all by herself (kind of... you can see Mike's arm behind her if you look really closely).

We had a really good time visiting family! Stacy & Bryan are excellent cooks and we enjoyed lots of vegetables picked from their garden. Mike ate a Santa Fe Pepper, which was pretty spicy. I touched my tongue to it and boy did it burn! I can't imagine what it would feel like to eat a big chunk of that.

On our way home, we stopped at Bryce Canyon with my parents.

Here's Ellie, posing in front of the majestic backdrop of Bryce Canyon. The only thing separating her from the sheer cliff below was her papa's arms. (Actually, she was very safely seated on a post, securely held by Mike... but it sure felt like she was flirting with death to me. I hate heights.)

This is at the Inspiration Point Overlook. When we headed back to the parking lot, Mike pointed at a car and said, "Oh! Someone's missing their license plate. Poor people!" As we got closer, we realized WE were those poor people.

Someone stole our rear license plate! And they even stole the bolts that attached it to the car. Really? Who does that in a crowded parking lot in the middle of the day? We had to go to the Visitor's Center and file a police report and then they gave us a copy of our signed affidavit so if we got pulled over on the way home, we'd have proof we reported it. By some miracle, we didn't get pulled over at all on the way home and we went to the DMV the next day and paid $10 to get new plates. So to you, Mr. License Plate Stealer, I say, "Thanks a lot! I could've bought lots of delicious ice cream for that $10."