Disneyland vacation

We decided to go on a family vacation to Disneyland. We were supposed to leave right after the hike and drive straight to Anaheim since we would already be in California. But the hike didn't turn out the way we wanted. So we drove out on Tuesday and stayed in the Del Sol hotel right across from the entrance. We stayed in a suite, which was the same price as a regular room, but it had bunk beds and 2 queen beds.

The parking situation was kind of crazy at night. They had self-parking and also valet. But when I went to get ice, I noticed the parking from the valet was crazy. 

Wednesday we went to California Adventure. We did rope drop and it was great. But the weather was super hot! We had Genie+ so we were able to schedule things but there were some glitches. A couple of the rides went down and that was actually a huge benefit because, if you have a Genie+ pass for that ride, they give you a universal Genie+ pass that you can use for a lot of rides. This enables you to ride a ride a second time, if you want, without having to stand in a long line. But it was annoying to have the rides go down.

We rode all kinds of rides. There aren't as many in California Adventure that we like to ride but it still gave us enough things to do. We went directly to Cars ride because we didn't want to miss out. The line was super long but, because our kids are older, we can go on the single rider. 

We rode all kinds of rides and even watched the Captain America show (which wasn't worth the time). We took a break in the middle of the day to go back to the hotel and cool off. This was a lifesaver and something that made the trip great.

Thursday, we went to Disneyland. I tried to schedule the days we went so they weren't too crowded but there were still a lot of people.  We wanted to do the rope drop to ride stop. That's where you get to the park early and stay until the last ride ends. We made it to rope drop and were able to get quickly on Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge without standing in a long line. It was nice and we had fun on that ride. 

We went on Rise of the Resistance but the line was long and it took forever. But we had fun on the ride.

We ended up riding a ton of rides. We took a break in the middle of the day so we could stay until the end. It was fun to stay until the end, although we left a little before the park shut.  I will tell you that, after the big fireworks show, all the people take their kids home so it was eerily quiet and a different experience. I actually liked it and would rather be there early in the morning and then late at night. Taking a break in the middle of the day was great and something we will do the next time we go. Plus, it helped to chill us down a little because the weather was so hot!

It was fun to hang out with the kids at Disneyland. It also helped that Ethan would go on rides with Courtney when we didn't want to. ;) 

Backpacking trip

Bryan and Grandpa Pack were so excited to go on a backpacking trip with the kids. This would be Courtney's first trip so she was excited. They had originally decided to go Mt. Whitney since Courtney hasn't hiked it and the rest of us have. However, they couldn't get a permit. Bryan tried and tried to get one but it didn't work out. He did some more research and decided they would do another hike but still go on the trip. After a lot of debate, it was decided they would go near Mammoth and do a hike to some lakes.

With the location finally decided, the packing began. Food was purchased, packaged, and packed. Sleeping bags were stuffed and sleeping pads were prepared. They got their clothes ready and were all ready to go.

On the 25th, the hikers took off for California. They had to stop at a bakery for donuts, of course. They also had to stop to see the aliens.

The hikers made it to the camp area, set up camp, and began to be eaten by the mosquitos.

The next morning, the 26th, they got up, went to the trailhead, and began their hike. They soon realized that the mosquitos were awful. Since it has been a really warm Spring, the snow had melted quickly and released mosquitos all at once. News article about 2023 mosquitos

Courtney was miserable and got eaten alive!  She wore a mosquito net on her head to try and combat the bugs but it didn't do the best. They hiked until they got to the lake and Ethan went fishing while Courtney hung out in the tent. He caught fish for dinner and he had a great time fishing.

The next morning, the hikers decided they couldn't handle the mosquitos anymore. Courtney was eaten up and swollen all over so they went back to the car, called home to say they were on their way home, and came home that evening. I couldn't believe the amount of mosquito bites they all had when they got home. Bryan had about 30 just on his elbow area. And none of them escaped from the bites.  It was crazy. 

Courtney said she isn't interested in another hike but we are hoping that time will dull the pain and she will want to go another time.

Cookie info

While the hikers were gone, Grandma Pack and I decided to do a science experiment. We wanted to find which cookie in St. George was the best cookie for the best price. It actually started because I had a coupon for a free cookie at a place across town and Grandma wondered how many cookie places there could be in St. George. Whoa, she was in for a surprise. There are a ton of cookie places. We decided to just try 7 cookie stores to see what they had to offer and what we liked.

Grandma made a chart where we could keep track of the cookies, their taste, weight, price, ratings, and what the value is per ounce. We wanted it to be scientific instead of just an excuse to eat cookies (which it really was).

Anyway, we got cookies and tried them. We did save the remnants for the hikers.

My favorite cookie was either the coconut caramel Samoa cookie from The Sugar Cookie or the signature cookie from Soda Mix which tasted like an Oreo. Grandma's favorite was either the sugar cookie from Cookie Co. or the Sin-a-Roll at Dirty Dough. 

It was such a fun experiment and I'm glad we did it. We laughed a lot and had so much fun.

The truck is sold

Courtney was getting the car from my parents to go to college with and we didn't need the truck anymore, so we decided to sell it. I asked in our neighborhood GroupMe if anyone needed a truck and got a lot of responses but no one was definite. So I decided to put it on Facebook Marketplace which was both hilarious and frustrating.

I cleaned it all up, took pictures, and got ready to see what would happen.

I had A TON of scam people contact me wanting to buy the truck. They either had brand new profiles, only two friends who were both from the Middle East or lived in another state. I would always tell them no and that I knew they were scammers then blocked them. But one guy took it far. I deleted all the pictures of his glove box that was filled with cash he sent me to prove that he could pay for the truck, but he would not let up. I blocked him when he wouldn't take no for an answer. His profile showed he was in California but he kept trying to convince me he was in St. George. Ugh.

Finally, one guy contacted me who was local, had a ton of friends on his profile, his profile was years old, and he looked legit. He was coming over the next day and wanted to see the truck. I scheduled a time with him when Bryan was home and the man showed up with his mechanic. They both spoke Spanish so it was fun to pretend that I don't. 

The mechanic told him that it was a good deal but they still bargained. We got more than Bryan thought we would, so that was great.

Courtney needed one last photo with her previous truck. She was sad that we were going to sell it but we didn't need it anymore.

After all the paperwork was signed, money was exchanged, and the camper shell was put back on the truck, the new owner drove off with the truck. Bryan took one last photo as it was driving away.

Video games

Courtney spent a lot of time this week working on her video game skills. She was trying to beat Ethan's high score. Each time she got a good score, she would ask me to take her picture so she could prove it. It was hilarious.

Sleeping bag

When we were in Provo before the Hodgson family reunion, we went to a sporting goods store to get camping/backpacking equipment for the kids. Bryan is planning a backpacking trip for them and they need to get their equipment. We bought backpacks, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, mess kits, and a bunch of other things.  Courtney loved her new sleeping bag. It is a men's style because she doesn't like the mummy bags that are made for women. They are really restrictive so she wanted more space to move around. When we got home, she couldn't wait to try out her new pad and sleeping bag.

Hodgson family reunion

We had the Hodgson family reunion at Bear Lake right before the 4th of July. We went to Provo on Friday to spend the night and then we grabbed Ethan and drove to Bear Lake early Saturday morning. We met everyone at the lake and had fun chatting with family, eating food, and enjoying being near the water.

Ethan and Courtney rode on the jetski for a bit but it really isn't their thing. I was happy to sit in the shade, relax, and enjoy being around family.  We were able to talk to cousins Bryan hadn't seen for a few years and catch up on what was going on in their lives.

After the lake, we went to a park in Laketown for dinner and some games. The kids liked playing tic-tac-toe.  And the food was really yummy!

That night we drove back to Provo and stayed at the condo again. The bugs on our drive were horrible. There were clouds of little gnats that we drove through. When we got to Provo, I had to look at our van to see how bad the bug damage was. It was gross!

On Sunday, Ethan came to the condo for breakfast and then we drove back home. It was a quick trip but it was fun to see everyone.