Apr 07
Cary Snowden101 Barnes and Noble, Books
Well, we didn’t have much of a plan for Tuesday evening so we decided to head to our local Barnes and Noble for some book browsing; something for everyone!
Lynne spent most of her time looking through the enormous cook book section while the boys rooted their way through the childrens’ books. I dabbled here and there through biographies, current events, and some critical thinking sections.
The boys started flooding me with requests so I opened the purse strings just a little bit and gave them free reign to select a book within a budget of five dollars. This made for a great lesson in price awareness and gave me an opportunity to show the boys how to find the price on a book. There was a momentary confusion between U.S. and Canadian pricing, but once that was cleared up I was thrilled to see them hunting for books, checking pricing, and deciding on an acceptable value.
Reiley picked on of my all time favorites; Flat Stanley (the original story). I remember reading that one when I was about his age, so this was a cool choice for me. Kaiyan predictably selected a Spongebob storybook. Wishing he had selected a new subject with which to impose on the scope of his imagination, I approved with the hope that this would at least motivate him to do more reading.
The library-like setting was a nice break from the typical hustle and bustle of our more regular outings, and we all came home with some new ideas, and in a relaxed mood to get back into our nightly Harry Potter adventures. We’re on book three and I am doing the reading this time. Lynne and the girls devoured the Harry Potter books within seconds of each publication; the boys and I are going through for our first time and watching the movies after each reading.
Barnes and Noble may not be the most exciting thing on our list of 101 things to do in Utah, but we enjoy it and will certainly call this a ‘family night out’ a few more times before our list is complete.
Apr 04
Cary Snowden101 Cupcakes, Gluten Free, Sweet Tooth Fairy
On our way home from the movie we remembered that The Sweet Tooth Fairy just opened a new shop in Draper. My daughter Danaca works at The Sweet Tooth Fairy shop in Provo, and it is one of our favorite spots to stop for a treat.
Because this one is new, and fun, we decided to add it to our 101 list of things to do in Utah.
A little bigger than the one in Provo, the Sweet Tooth Fairy shop in Draper has a few tables to sit at and a few more things to choose from. In particular, Lynne found an entire tray of gluten-free treats among the cookies, cakes and candies. We each picked out a favorite cupcake, and Lynne gave a gluten-free frosted cookie a try; Wow!
If you live in the gluten-free world you know that choices are limited, and when someone puts a so called ‘gluten-free’ treat in front of you it is time to prepare for the worst. It is a well-known fact that gluten-free treats are not treats at all, but rather just balls of sawdust decorated to look better than they taste.
I am thrilled to report that Lynne thought the gluten-free frosted cookie from The Sweet Tooth Fairy was the most wonderful treat she has had in over three years. For this fact alone I am a committed regular customer from now on! Not to mention, of course, the over-the-top delicious cupcakes and her own special creation called ‘Cakebites’. Peanut Butter is my favorite, but believe me; you can’t go wrong.
Our friend and confectionery entrepreneur Megan Faulkner (she literally is The Sweet Tooth Fairy) took time out from her back room labors to come out and say hello, and graciously joined us for a photo op. Thanks Megan; the place is awesome!
You can read a little more about The Sweet Tooth Fairy in my Utah Valley Business Blog.
Apr 04
Cary Snowden101 Dragon, Movie
Ever since seeing the commercials for the movie titled ‘How To Train Your Dragon‘, we have been planning to go.
Late this afternoon we had a perfect storm of extra time, no pressing priorities, and everyone willing to go. We made a run for it and headed to the local Larry H. Miller Megaplex at Jordan Commons. We got there just in time for matinee pricing, which I love (any movie shown before 6:00 p.m.) and got to pick our seats from almost anywhere because not a lot of people go to matinees. Which I love.
We loved it. Of course. Going to a movie as a family or group is always a good time, but we really enjoyed this one; great story, good moral, fun characters, likable lead, and awesome dragons. There were even a few times when I whispered to Lynne about how great the graphics were. And I rarely make a comment about how great the graphics are in anything.
As far as animated movies go, this is one of the better ones we’ve seen. We still favor The Incredibles as our leading favorite, but ‘How To Train’ is definitely in the top five. The boys really liked it a lot, and we had plenty to talk about on the way home.
Apr 04
Cary Snowden101 Easter
It just happened to be the Saturday before Easter so we spent a couple bucks at the local candy shop and hid it around the back yard for a fun Easter Egg Hunt. We boiled and decorated some eggs, too. A few cousins came over and we made a lunch of it; what a great time just hanging around the house and watching the kids run around the yard collecting treats.
Grandpa ran out for a few buckets of chicken from the local KFC and a good time was had by all.
Not necessarily an adventure, but we had a lot of fun and so decided to add this to our 101 things we did this summer.
Apr 02
Cary Snowden101 101, Fiddler on the Roof, Hale Center Theater
Our first stop: The Hale Center Theater in West Valley near the E-Center to see a production of Fiddler On The Roof. We debated whether or not to take our two young boys (ages 6 and 7) for fear that the longer show time and late evening would combine to make for a boring or restless night for them. How wrong we were! They loved it, every minute, and so did we! During the intermission we hit the snack counter and talked about favorite parts and discussed what might be coming next. The boys were more than excited to get back in their seats for the second half.
The Hale Center Theater is well-designed theater in-the-round, so the action is in the middle of the audience and points in every direction. The result is more three-dimensional and gives you the impression you are part of the experience. From the moment Tevye takes the stage we were actually IN a Jewish village in Northern Russia; what a treat!
The acting was terrific and the story, of course, was more than memorable. We quizzed the kids on the way home to get an idea of how much they absorbed and were amazed at their comprehension of the story. Perhaps a tribute to great acting and a well-rounded production, mom cried, I was touched, and the boys remembered every detail.
On the way out we got to meet the actor who plays Tevye, and he agreed to pose for a quick photo. We are hooked on theater, and can’t wait to see The Three Musketeers and The Wedding Singer (both coming soon). We’ll definitely be back for more; this was a really great night and a perfect way to start our Summer of 101 adventure!
Apr 01
Cary Snowden101
Getting ready to do another experimental blog jaunt as we ramp up the Spring and start an incredible summer.
My plan? I’m going to do 101 exciting, fun, interesting or at least worthwhile things. The rules? Well, I’m thinking since I live here in Utah, and we do a lot of fun things here, I may as well keep it near home and share a hundred and one cool things to do around the place we call ‘Home’.
Other than that, I plan to keep it family-friendly, inside the state, and on the cheap.
We’ll see how this goes.
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