A couple of weeks ago, we decided to take a mini-vacay "up north" (as we southerners say). On June 20th (Father's Day) we got together with the Cannon clan to celebrate my Grandpa's 85th birthday. It was so nice to see family, some of whom I had never met before, and enjoy good food & great company. Since Cory had the following week off, we decided to get a hotel room and do some fun stuff with the kids on Monday.
We went swimming for a bit after we checked into the hotel (I know, it was Sunday, I don't need the guilt trip). Then it was off to bed.
Monday morning, after breakfast at the hotel & a little more swimming, we got ready and checked out of the hotel. Then, we headed to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy.
Right now Cory & Andrew are pretty much geeked-out about saltwater fish, so we figured this was the perfect place to go. We didn't spend a lot of time there, but we saw a lot of cool fish, coral, sharks, and cute penguins. We had fun petting the stingrays too.
After the aquarium, we headed to Training Table for a yummy lunch. Then, it was off to the Sweets Candy Factory near the airport.
We took a free tour of the factory, which had, unfortunately, had the power off for most of the morning, so not too many machines were up and running. But, we did get to see (and SMELL) the chocolate enrobing machine covering cinamon bears in milk chocolate. YUM! After the tour, we of course had to purchase some treats in the factory store!
After the factory tour, we headed to Sugar House for a trip to a fish store (like I said, geeked-out). I am certain if we didn't have the long drive home ahead of us, Cory would have bought a fish or some coral for our tank.
Next, it was off to the Classic Fun Center in Sandy for arcade games, the jungle gym, the blast zone (super fun!), and good old-fashioned roller skating. I wish I had gotten some pictures while we were there, but I must have been having too much fun! The boys were both "too cool" for dorky skates, so Zach rented roller blades, and Andrew rented a scooter. Poor Madison struggled with the whole roller skating thing (must be related to her mom)!! By the time she decided she was really ready to give it a shot and go it alone, we were all tired out and ready to leave! We will have to go back soon, so that she can give it another go.
It was time for the dreaded ride home. We hopped in the car, took a short detour in Springville for dinner at the Cracker Barrel (apparently, the have the BEST mac & cheese ever according to Zach the mac & cheese expert), and then headed home.
It was a long, tiring day, but we had a LOT of fun!
