Memorial Day Trippage

This memorial day weekend, we went up to Washington to visit my family. It was my sister, Samantha's seminary graduation and I also had a baby shower. It was very fun! Saturday morning was my baby shower - which was awesome. I got so many cute things and I can't wait to have a little baby to dress up. Thanks to my Mom, Grandmas, and sisters who organized it and put a ton of work into it. The food was excellent and the house looked great!

While the women were baby showering, my dad took Eric motorcycle riding (dirt bikes). They had fun and no one got seriously injured. However, my dad did put Eric on his 250cc bike (2 stroke), rather than a 125cc like they first talked about. A 250 is a powerful bike and at first, Eric underestimated that power. He did a great job riding for the first time, but he did take a little spill and flipped the bike. He has a few battle wounds to prove it. What a cutie. Now he is officially part of the Brimley family.

Saturday night, we went and saw: Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Two thumbs down! Our advice: if you have to see it - wait for it to come out in the dollar theatre or on video.

On Sunday, we went to my sister's seminary graduation. It was very nice. It was good to see old friends that I haven't seen for a while. Also, it was very nice to hear the advice that the teachers and leaders were giving to the seminary graduates. They were things that I am sure were said at my own graduation, but I have long since forgotten them. They talked about the need to continue your religious education (especially at BYU, even if you are "done with your religion") and about the need to put God first in your life (if you are neglecting scripture study and prayer to study, etc. - that is a problem). I think it is good to keep going back to things that you have already done (like graduations, marriage sealings, etc...) because you can constantly learn new things or be reminded of old things that you were told once and might have forgotten. I think the things that are said are just as much for the people out in the audience as the actual people who are going through the event.

On the way home, we decided to be a bit adventurous and after driving by a beautiful gorge with waterfalls right underneath the highway, we stopped to explore a little more. It turns out that it was Malad Gorge State Park in Malad, Idaho. While the "State Park" part of it may not have held a candle to Utah State Parks (sorry Tom), the actual gorge was stunning. From the top of the gorge to the bottom of the river is 250 feet. The combination of several hundred springs and the Malad river formed the gorge. There were several waterfalls along it, but we only saw 2 of them. The river ran along the bottom and then the walls rose up rocky and covered with green plants near the bottom. There were birds flying all around the cliffs. At the time of day we stopped, the sun was lowering in the sky and soft light was filtering through the gorge. It really was a gorgeous and awe inspiring sight! It was kind of funny however to see this beautiful gorge in the middle of all the Idaho nothingness that we had been driving through. At the "State Park", there were several trails to walk along and a nice shady, green park with toys, BBQs, and picnicing areas. We decided that sometime we should all go spend an afternoon there.

Malad Gorge

Close-up of one of the waterfalls.

This gives you an idea of how random this beautiful sight is. This is the "Idaho Nothingness" that surrounds the gorge.

Another view of the gorge.

"Devil's Washbowl" - this is right below the footbridge that we walked across.

-Briana