Babysitters Club

Rory's birthday coincidently fell on a work-free weekend, so we decided to take advantage of it by going on a romantic getaway. Now, when we combine 'romantic getaway' and 'student budget', the only logical possibility is camping. I know many of you are thinking, camping, romantic? Let me give you a little background on the kind of I did growing up. We would travel about 3 hours north of Chicago to Durand, Illinois, population 25. Once we arrived we would set up our avocado green pop-up trailer and head into downtown Durand to the only restaurant (besides that one sandwich joint with the "our water has an excessive amount of nitrogen in it and will damage your body" warnings posted. yah, we don't go there anymore.) and devour 5-6 taco pizzas. Then we return to the campsite, eat s'mores, and spend the rest of the week at the beach and eating out. (Susan, you probably now understand why I like camping.) I think that sufficiently explains why I would equate camping with romantic. We decided to head up Provo Canyon and camp at Big Springs Park because I am so dang city-fied and terrified of being eaten by a bear. We set up our tent and were building a fire ring, when suddenly a woodland creature appeared. This wasn't just any woodland creature, this was a 4 year old human, and after discovering our sweet set-up she decided to find every single child attending her family reunion and bring them to our campsite. They were all adorable and all wanted to help build the fire pit and the fire, but it's pretty tricky to keep track of 10 kids under the age of 4, especially when there is a creek, a fire, and a ravine nearby. After about an hour and a half, their parents must have realized, 'hmm this is a relatively dangerous place and I don't know where my children are.' and they came and retrieved them. Needless to say, we did have a great time and I had my first taste of real camping. I think I prefer the beach:)

p.s. If anyone else out there is terrified of being eaten by a bear, take a hint from Becky Harvey, if a bear attacks just jump on its back and start cussing

Alpine Loop

Seven Wonders of Provo

Several weeks ago, the Daily Universe published an article entitled The Seven Wonders of Provo. As this would fit perfectly with our Summer Project, I excitedly picked up the article to discover new adventures we could go on. None such exisited. The article highlighted ice cream cones from Macey's and limeade. As a newly converted Provo-lover, I would like to state that Provo truly has so much more to offer besides soft serve ice cream and a lemonade remix. Let us* expound...

1. Y Mountain
Y Mountain has such a great legacy, and for me, it has been a symbol of what my BYU experience should embody. My Grandpa attended BYU in the 40's, and has often shared what the Y meant to him: freshmen hazing. Every year students would haul lime up the side of the mountain, bucket-brigade style, to paint the giant Y. When my Mom attend BYU, they would take mattress batting up the mountain to line the Y, douse with kersoene and set on fire. These traditions no longer exist, but Rory and I make it a point to hike Y Mountain once a year to take in the view.

2. J Dawg's
As any true Chicagoan, I am a self-proclaimed hot dog snob. If my hot dog is lacking in celery salt or is coated in ketchup, I am not a happy camper. Although J Dawg's does not serve up Chicago hot dogs, they do serve up some delectable dawgs, and the only hot dog that rivals the deliciousness of the Chi-town treat. Their BBQ sauce is out of this world. If you haven't visited this lovely shack, you probably should. It's for your own good.

3. L. Tom Perry Special Collections @ the HBLL
So I'm going to be honest with you... neither Rory nor I have actually been brave enough to enter the Special Collections section of the library. From what I understand, you have to wear a protective suit, much like this one, to protect the books from damage. Okay, not really, but I do know that you have to sit in silence and that you are locked in until you return the book through a small glass window. So if it's that intense, whatever is in there must be good, right?


4. Bridal Veil Falls
With the magnificence of outdoor beauty that Utah has to offer, it is fitting that one of the 7 wonders of Provo is a waterfall. Being a short jaunt from the parking lot increases its appeal to people of all ages. For those more daring and experienced outdoorsmen a small hike will even take you to the upper levels of the falls, to peer down and admire its beauty. Perhaps the most obvious reason this has made our list is due simply to its name. How fitting that, in a city in which people get engaged after only a few weeks of meeting each other, the most attractive natural wonder is called Bridal Veil Falls. Another reason we decided to put this on the list is because of its historical import. How many other places in Provo can boast that at its top the famous Rosemary Potter graced its dance floor with her swanky disco moves.

5. Sammy'sSomething has to be said for a place that is open past 6 pm is Provo. For that reason alone Sammy's has earned a place on our seven wonders of Provo. What's truly great is that there is so much more to this place than just its college town-esque hours. The pie shakes are to die for. Out of control. Wonderfully delicious. Despite Lauren's sworn hatred for sweet potatoes, she finds their scrumptious sweet potato fries not only bearable, but actually desirable. This is not the place for romantic anniversary meals or marriage proposals, but it is a great place for first dates and hang outs. The atmosphere is laid back and friendly and if you play your cards right you might even get the honor of having your picture join the polaroids that line the walls.

6. Ulmus Americana

Now you might be asking yourself what's so cool about a tree. Wait until you see this one. It is the ideal tree house tree. If it weren't the only one of its kind in all of the U.S. we might try and build one overnight just to show you how sweet it is, but since it's a rare hybrid, they won't let us. It was a gift to Provo in 1927, and was an experimental cross tree. They haven't been able to duplicate it since and it's seeds don't grow, so unfortunately we can't try to grow one of our own. It's so large that every Fall seven dumptruck loads of leaves are carried away, and it has several beams that support it's horizontal-growing branches.




7. LaVell Edwards Stadium

Few things bring a tingle to the spine quite like a full, jam-packed, rowdy Lavell Edwards Stadium. If BYU is the identity of Provo, it can be argued that amongst social circles across the nation, Cougar Football is the identity of BYU. I could go on and on about the majestic beauty of this place, but will end with one invitation. If you want to experience Provo at its finest, go to a game for yourself and you will never be the same. Promise.

*LADIES AND GENTLEMEN Rory Hekking is back, and we can resume calling this "The Hekking's Blog"

Yee Haw!

After writing my our last post, I thought to myself, 'Now is this the Hekking's blog? or Lauren's blog?' So I apoligized to Rory for my remaining bridezilla tendencies (yes, I know the wedding has come and gone, they are slowly dissipating) and asked him to write on our most exciting Utah adventure yet. He of course replied yes, and even though I have been married three whole monthes (that makes us experts by BYU 59th ward standards) I have not yet learned the lingoese of males. Let me translate for all of you in a similar situation, 'yes' actually means 'I am saying yes, but who knows when that will actually happen.' But now that I have become enlightened in this foreign language (and boys think girls are complicated??!!) I have relinquished all dreams of this being the Hekking's blog and pretty much accepted this will be Lauren's blog. So all of you who are reading this for Rory, sorry you're outta luck.

Anyways, last month we had the privilege of crossing into Spanish Fork, which truly is a whole different world. As we sat down I noticed that everyone around me spoke with a little twang, and were all dressed in cowboy boots, jeans and cowboy hats. Let's note that we are only about 15 minutes from Provo. The Rodeo was in one word, spectacular. We saw bronc riding, team roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, rodeo clowns, bull riding and my personal favorite- mutton bustin'. What is mutton bustin' you might ask? Well let me explain, a small child, about 5 or 6 holds on to an angry mutton as long as it can while it runs around trying to throw it off. Rory and I fully intend to train our child in the prestigious sport of mutton bustin', that is of course unless DCFS steps in and shuts down mutton bustin' across the country, and if that is the case, we can always move to Mexico.

High Country Rafting + Hypothermia

*High Country Rafting = awesome
Hypothermia = not so awesome

*Disclaimer: when you hear "High Country Rafting" you may be led to believe we were rafting through whitewater, running rapids and drop-offs. This however is NOT what rafting down the Provo is like. It would be more accurately called Leisurely Country Rafting or Lethargic Country Rafting. Nevertheless, we had a great time. The views of the mountains and valleys were beautiful and we even got to see some wildlife. At one point a herd of horses was gathered at the edge of the river, lapping up some water. It was incredibly peaceful and we hope to return and try kayaking down the river. The one thing we did not anticipate was how DANG cold the water is. After spending my summers swimming in Lake Michigan I figured it couldn't be any worse... HOLY MOLY was I wrong! Rory shivered the last half hour of the trip even though it was 90 degrees out. Maybe next time we'll get some wetsuits.

SSSSSuuuueeyyy

So maybe you're not familiar with the term, but I would like to state that that is not a picture of a Dutch oven haphazardly filled with pig slop. It is actually a rare Utah delicacy, one of which we call tourte aux fruits de cocotte (or maybe I just used an online translator to attempt to translate Dutch oven cobbler. maybe.) Nevertheless, last weekend we had a wonderful evening at Big Springs park making this Utah staple. But I must say, my favorite part of the evening was setting of the panic button on our car every time a certain couple began to inconspicuouslly mack in the field adjacent to us.

4th of July

Provo appears to be a sleepy little boondock town, that would be somewhat inconsequential if Brigham Young University and its 30,000 students had not plopped down in the middle of it. However, when it comes to the fourth of July, Provo is not a sleepy little boondock town at all. In fact is the biggest thing since deep fat fried oreos (which are actually amazing and will change your life... and unfortunately your waistline). They call the fourth of July festivities AMERICA'S FREEDOM FESTIVAL at Provo, and begin the celebration the Sunday before the fourth of July. Events include: a colonial fair, a gala, a freedom run, grand parade and Stadium of Fire. Although we were not able to participate in all of these events, we did make it to the parade. Which is a miracle since Provo city ordinance 9.14.220 states: "spectators may stake out their claim to a spot along University Avenue no earlier than July 3, 2009 at 3:00pm." Yes ladies and gentlemen, if you wanted to see the parade you had to get your running shoes on a whole 17 hours ahead of time, stake out some land, oh and sleep there overnight. I felt like I was in Oklahoma, in 1889, racing to find of the best piece of land to settle. BUT, luckily my sister had a spot reserved, so we bummed off of her and didn't sleep there overnight. Thanks Meghan!

There were 250,000 people there! I didn't know there were that many people in Utah.

There were at least 3 high schools with bagpipe marching bands. Oh and other awesome floats like the "Cowboy Poetry Gathering" (see above) and Utahs "Fiddling Extravaganza"



After the parade we went to the Farmer's Market