Mom, Dad, please meet my good friend Anthro.

So, this is sort of 2 posts in one...a couple of weeks ago, my parents came out to visit us! It was really fun to see them. We ate yummy food, road tripped to St. George, biked up Snow Canyon, went to the St. George Temple, watched the Cougs dominate Gonzaga, and just relaxed. We also went to Anthropologie to see my display!

Here is the background. I was put "in charge" over the macrame display (see below). Although "in charge", I still wasn't given creative decision making power over dyeing the rope or actually installing the display. Both the visual manager and the display coordinator worked with me in a group effort to decide how the display would be attached to the ceiling (However...I did get to drill holes in the ceiling to install the hooks, while precariously balancing myself atop a massive ladder to reach the SLC store's unusually tall ceilings. Dream job? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. and...yes.)

So, you ask...what was I actually "in charge" of then? Well, I actually macramed all of the rope that you see hanging! I made all of the twists, knots, ties, frays, patterns, and designs; everything that you see hanging, I made it! It was seriously the best 2 weeks of work of my life!!!! Forgive me that this is paragraph number 3 about the windows, and I haven't even gotten to my parents visit yet. I'm a bit excited.

Thank you to my family for going to see my display! I had been gushing about this to Don for the entire 2 weeks that I was working with the visual team, and it makes me so so so happy that he was able to see it. We went up with my mom, dad, and my brother.

Right before we went in the store, I told my family that they weren't allowed to gawk, and that they had to remain low key and "cool". My family made fun of me big time for that request...Needless to say, they did heed. My mom is an excellent stealth picture taker.

Ladies, if you are questioning whether the below pictured "twisty" somewhat resembles those friendship bracelets we used to make out of hemp in elementary school...you would be correct.

During my 2 weeks of work, I also got to help paint some t-shirts and stain a bed. Awesome.

Now back to the parental visit. While they were here, we took a grand tour of the Conference Center. Neither of my parents had ever been inside. It is an amazing structure, inside and out. I have been to several sessions of conference, but I had never been to the roof. Don was skiing this day, hence him not being in the picture.

As I mentioned above, in St. George we went on a long bike ride up Snow Canyon. Here is the car, crammed with 4 disassembled bikes.

It was a bit early in the morning.

It was also cold, and I definitely wasn't prepared for cold weather in St. George. Luckily my dad-io had an extra sweatshirt.

Much needed rest.

More rest for the weary.

After the bike ride, we decided to drive around parts of Zions National Park. We drove to the top of a very beautiful canyon road.

Picture at the lookout point.

Packing up.

I have more pictures of my parents, but I don't think they would have appreciated me posting them. My mom could have won a funny face contest while on the drive to St. George with one of those pics...If everybody comments enough votes in the affirmative, I might just have to post it against her will.

Stephen, Mom, Dad, it was great to see you all! Thanks for spending the week with us.