We have not gone on a vacation this summer. Mostly that has been for financial reasons, but finding a chunk of time when your kids are teenagers is a feat in itself. So, we really stretched and went to Park City for the day. Reed was convinced that he had never been there before, so he was excited. He doesn't remember most of the places that we have been, but when we look back at the photos we realize that he was pretty young!
Our day in Park City began at the Outlets. I really can't complain about shopping with my kids because they are pretty easy. Colby knows all his own sizes and has his own taste. If there is something I like, I keep my mouth shut because if he knows that I like it, he will immediately dismiss it as a possibility. Parker is all about comfort. In general, his clothes must stretch and be sports oriented. Sticking to stores like Nike and Adidas works well because he can match the swishes or stripes on the tops and bottoms and look decent. This is like the middle school version of Garanimals. Reed tends towards the preppy, but also loves the sporty look. I usually help him find two or three good options and then he picks.
For those of you with girls, my apologies. I saw some of that trauma first hand. For the record, boys don't usually try on clothes and never worry about if some article makes them look fat. The whole process of looking, choosing, deciding, and purchasing is generally under 15 minutes per store. We can cruise a store in 2 minutes- no problem. They have learned this technique from their mother. I HATE trying on clothes and I do not labor over such insignificant decisions. If I love it, I buy it. If not, it stays at the store. It is a rare occasion lately that I would fall into the "it's-so-cheap-that-I-really-have-to-buy-it" trap. This trip I did try on a gown that I had seen in June. A strap was broken, so I asked and got 40% off! $60.16 for a sequined, jacketed gown is a great deal. Now I have two occasions to wear it, so within 20 minutes it was in a bag and out the door.
We packed up the cooler and had a picnic lunch at the Outlets. This struck Ed as quite funny- all of a sudden I was worried about thrift. But the real point was that Parker was in charge of cooking for the family for three days (Cooking Merit Badge) so he packed the cooler. Hey, it was cheap!
After we finished shopping, we headed to the Olympic Sports Park. It is such a cool thing to watch the kids practice their freestyle jumps into the pool. I think I may have the boys do a camp session next summer.
Then we headed into Park City proper to the Park City Mountain Resort. The kids went on the Alpine Slide and the Alpine Coaster. Loved the coaster. It was kind of a long wait, but Ed and I enjoyed talking to a couple from Los Angeles while they waited for their kids to come down the zip line. I wasn't wearing nearly enough jewelry to feel comfortable walking down Main Street in Park City, so we went back out to the Newpark area and had a wonderful dinner at Good Thymes. Reed was quite disgusted that they couldn't even spell "times" correctly. A bit of explanation was required!
It was a fun day. Park City is so different from most Utah towns and cities that it is a breath of fresh (very expensive) air. I could never live up there, but it is fun to visit!
Reed is in the 6th Grade at Freedom Elementary. He has Mr. Shumaker- just like Parker did. In fact, Mr. Shumaker keeps calling him "Parker!" He is in the same classroom that both Parker and Colby had 6th grade in which is a little crazy!
Parker is an 8th Grader at Lehi Junior High School. He thinks that 8th grade will be a lot better than 7th. . . but 7th didn't seem that bad for him. Hopefully his favorite teacher will be his PE Teacher- me! I have to homeschool him for that class because it just did not fit into his schedule. We will be counting karate as his activity.
Colby is a Junior at Lehi High School. This was a big thing- he drove himself to school! He is really excited about this year's schedule because there are more classes that he thinks are interesting. Not excited about Algebra II, though. Oh well. Marching Band will make up for it!
This morning the Scouts of Troop 1042 were up and moving early. They dressed in layers because the wind was whipping through the neighborhood at about 20mph. One of those layers was the ever popular pink t-shirt that denotes the "Pink Mammoths of Fury" Patrol. The hydration packs were filled and pockets stuffed with granola bars. No need for sunscreen today- the forecast was for wind and rain all morning. That dismal information didn't dampen the spirits of the 9 boys, 6 adult riders, and 4 support team members who were well prepared for a 50 mile bike ride. 
Since the Cycling Merit Badge requires two 25-mile rides, we all thought that the boys would call it a day and count this ride for a 25-miler, but they surprised us. They were halfway to an amazing accomplishment and they were prepared and excited to continue. One Scout called it a day because his gears were not functioning correctly, but the other 7 headed out on a revised route. Instead of the planned route that included shorter rides that all circled back to the park, the boys headed south towards the Bus Garage, the Lindon Boat Harbor, and on to Vineyard Elementary. At that point we were at about 40 miles completed and the Orem Sports Park has a trail that is 1.16 miles long. The boys all took 9 laps around the park to complete the 50 mile ride.
