Be Mine, Stephentine

If there's one thing I love more than Valentine's Day, it's Valentine's Day that falls on a Saturday.

And if there's one thing I love more than that, it's when that Saturday happens to fall in the middle of a 3-day weekend. 

And as if my heart isn't already overflowing about this much wonderfulness packed into one holiday with the opportunity to spread that holiday out over 3 days, the one thing that could make all of this even better is something that happened this year. Called, all the national parks were free. 

And not to mention, Friday Feburary 13th was my last day on-track. SO, holler about that. 

Stephen and I started our Valen-weekend with our traditional big fight a few days prior. I don't know what it is, maybe the stress of how much I love Valentines Day and how much I expect for it gets to him, or maybe we just like to spice things up so we get snotty with each other. We're working on it.

Whatever the reason, Friday was Make-Up Day. Aka, the day Stephen added these to my life:

The cutest workout shoes!!

We've never really had a Make-Up Day before, to be honest.....but it worked! I almost peed my pants. I don't consider myself a material girl or even really a shoe person, but apparently I am on 

Make-Up Day. Some people might disagree with me, but I think fights are okay in a marriage. Don't go crazy or anything, and don't try to start fights, but knowing how to resolve conflict is very important. I think sometimes people freak out when they have a fight and they think they're never going to make it because they're fighting and they shouldn't be, but it's really okay. And if everyone would just calm down and hug and kiss and say they're sorry and then have a Make-Up Day to prove it, then everything could be fixed in time for Valentines Day. 

Which I barely took any pictures of, so sorry about that. 

It went like this:

Go to Bruge's for breakfast. They're in Provo now and it is delicious!

Drive drive drive. Read Cosmo. Listen to music. Play getting-to-know-you games c/o The Dating Divas.

Arrive at Snow Canyon! Not a National Park. Pay $6. 

It is worth it.

Get out. Roll in the sand. Try to learn how to do a backflip. Get scared err time so just hang out while Stephen does all the work of lifting and flipping.

Look around for a place to climb.

Try out our new camera tripod. 

It works like a charm :)

Climb and hike and play all day until the sun is setting. 

Go to the petrified sand dunes and try to climb to the highest point.

Put on music and dance.

Sit and wait for the stars to come out.

The stars are out, and they are breathtaking.

Try to find our way back to the car and get very lost.

Almost fall off a cliff.

Pull out the phone flashlights.

Become convinced that we are going to be wandering around in this desert wilderness until we give up and huddle together for warmth until the sun comes up and we are able to find our way out, if we haven't frozen to death by that point, and then when we make our way back to Cassidy Jane Carbaby, she will have been booted since she wasn't supposed to be in that parking lot past 10pm. 

Find our way out??

Pass several signs that say "Not a trail!" 

Feel bad. Ish. It wasn't on the purpose.

Drive out of the park and to Outback Steakhouse!

Change in the car. 

Lament because I didn't remember to paint my toenails and I brought wedges for date night.

Eat all the food, and even drink flavored lemonade. 

Drive to our hosts' home! 

Sit up and chat with Brenley and watch House Hunters. 

Go to sleeeeeep. 

Go to church.

Go kinda close to Snow Canyon on this beautiful hike. 

No pictures do it justice.

Go to Green Valley Loop. 

'Froading in a Honda is....still fun. *said hesitantly* Next time we'll get an ATV or side-by-side or something made for this. 

Watch in awe as some people try slack-lining across the canyon. 

Go climbing. 

This was a special day for me because there were two other couples that started climbing by us. And for the first time ever, I was the best girl there! The guys were pretty good, and it seemed like they went a lot. Like they were couple friends who took a bunch of trips together. But the girls weren't that into it and I guess that just made me super-confident or something, and I did my first 5.10 outside. It was so fun!! I've come a long way since my first time rock-climbing outside.....

Stephen also squeezed some bouldering in. Or maybe this was on the hike?

Drive to the Dixie sign. If there was a dental school here, maybe we would end up living here in Geezy. We consider this as we climb to the top of St. George's version of the Y. 

I'm glad we did, even if it is a little underwhelming. 

Drive over to the St. George temple. 

Consider taking a picture but we are wearing climbing clothes and the lighting's weird and it's kinda cold, so just get back in the car and drive on. 

The next day we take Zions! I love this place. 

We drive in fo freeeee and drive around, through tunnels, around mountains, taking the scenic route. 

We pop out for a brief hike.

Overhear this: "I think our kids are like, genetically predisposed to falling off cliffs."

Start hiking down. 

Get off the trail somehow?? What is wrong with our sense of direction?

Keep driving. 

Stop for lunch at Oscar's.
Become BFF with the owner so he gives us free carrot cake! Or maybe that was just him feeling Valentinesy. Or perhaps because he messed up our order. Hard to tell with these friendly small-tourist-town folks.

I have always loved Valentines Day, but I especially love celebrating this day when my Valentine and I first said "I love you" to each other. On fight days and makeup days, in Provo or in St. George, whether I'm in the driver's seat or he is, Stephen is my Valentine. It was a wonderful weekend that couldn't have been better with anyone else :)