Heber Valley Cheese Factory Tour

My husband and I love cheese.  In fact most of our anniversaries or celebrations inlcude a baked brie or some emmentaler fondue or just a cheese/fruit platter.  The sharper the better.  So when I heard about a cheese factory tour and tasting in Heber I grabbed tickets right away.  The Heber Valley Artisan Cheese factory is located in the crazy adorable town of Midway.  They offer cheese tours the first friday of every month.  Just check the website to get tickets!  

You begin the tour with the owner and operator of Heber Valley Cheese, a 4th generation dairy farmer.  He walks you through the cheese making process and answers any questions you may have.  The process is pretty amazing and kinda makes me want to try it out at home some day.  

Next, you enter “The Cave” where they keep all the cheese cold so it can age and intensify in flavor.  When I visited a cheese factory in Switzerland a million years ago they had an actual cave where they aged the cheese but here in Midway, Utah, a refrigerator room will do the trick.

Finally, you get to taste!  They had an entire table of experimental cheeses that they are testing out.  From herb infused to salsa marinated to a white vanilla bean cheese. Along with all the cheeses - that they actually sell right there in the store - they provide complimentary apples and pears to cleanse your palate.  So many amazing combinations!!

They ask you to score everything so they can fine-tune their business.  It was so fun to be a part of this process.  Not to mention delicious!

Also, on the way out the we grabbed some ice cream.  As former Utah State University Aggies we were so beyond excited to see they sell our all time favorite flavor “Aggie Blue Mint!”  

Heber Valley Artisan Cheese Factory

920 River Road

Midway, Utah 84049

http://hvac.squintzcreative.com/product-category/cheese-events/

$7.00/ person

Build something

We have had "build a garden box" on our perpetual "to-do list" for five years running. Finally, this spring we decided to build it as a date night. And boy howdy was it ever fun! I found a tutorial http://www.superhealthykids.com/how-to-make-your-own-garden-boxes/ and we pretty much followed it with a change here and there. My husband on his way home from work, picked up the supplies at Home Depot and then we got right to work. 

He cut most of the wood as I herded children away from the saw. 

I used the drill and power screwdriver (not sure what the tools are called). Our two little boys tried their best to get in on the action, too. 

The redwood his chose was so pretty and I love the bench all around it. 

It took only about one hour start to finish to build a 4'x8' garden box. I think next year when we build another two, we will make them 4'x12', though. The garden box supplies were pricey for a date, but if you factor in a no-babysitter fee and not eating out and how much use we will get out of it, it was an inexpensive date. So, get outside and build something, anything - power tools are FUN!

Date Night: THRIFTING

One of our all time favorite places to go when we're kid-less is thrift shopping.  In fact, when we're on vacation, we always make a point to stop at a local thrift store to see what we can find.  The ritzier the area the better the thrift store is going to be. Our all time favorite places are the ten thousand Goodwill's in Portland.  If you were to come into my house and start snooping through things probably about 85% of my stuff is second hand.  I love it!  So here are my favorite things to find at a thrift store:

--I always start out at the glassware and serveware.  I love milk glass and I've found dozens of little pieces to add to my growing collection.

--Next we check the videos and tapes.  Yes, we still have a VHS player and a tape player.  We love tapes because we don't have to be as careful with them as DVDs or CDs.  Just be sure to open the case and make sure you're really getting what your thinking.  One time I bought "What about Bob" and ended up with "Winnie the Pooh."  Bitter disappointment.

--Skim through the games section.  Usually the games are complete and usually under 2 bucks.  My kids only play a game a few times before it gets shelved, so at $2 I don't feel too bad about it.

--I never look at furniture or appliances.  They are usually not worth the money.

--Then John and I split up while he looks at boy clothes and I look at girls.  He likes button up, vintage cowboy shirts.  I like to have something in mind that I'm looking for.  Like right now I'm looking for pencil skirts and graphic t shirts.  (my uniform this summer)

--Last of all we end up at shoes.  I know some people have issues with second hand shoes.  I absolutely have no issue.  I just wipe them out with a wipey and call it a good deal.  Seriously you guys, I have like a hundred of the cutest shoes you've ever seen.  They are ALL from thrift stores.  You just can't beat the prices.

We'll spend like $50 and come home with 6 bags full of treasures.  It's the most fun!! And yes, John bought that whole outfit!

French Kiss Friday

I realized that a different (and perhaps difficult, at least for me) date idea is to do something that your spouse enjoys even if it isn't in your comfort zone. My husband and I had a mini-getaway to Southern Utah for our anniversary and he wanted to go mountain biking with me while we were there. I haven't ridden a mountain bike in probably 14 years, but my husband enjoys it. I remember that I used to like riding along dirt trails and going up and down hills, but many years ago I got into road biking and never went back. In fact, I haven't even ridden my road bike since having children - only my beach cruiser with a bike trailer attached. Needless to say, I am a bit rusty on the bike. We hit the Bear Claw Poppy Trail with in the Green Valley Loop in St. George. It was beautiful and HOT. My husband was pretty excited to ride this trail again and to show me the beauty of this easy (with difficult sections) trail. At first, I really didn't think it was fun - I had a hard time finding the "right" gear and kept switching gears. My husband gave me suggestions so it wouldn't be so hard and I would quit stopping and getting off the bike. I felt so wobbly and so uncoordinated and was only having about 40% fun. 

Finally, I got in front of him and that seemed to help because then I didn't feel the need to "keep up with his pace." Why do husband's only have one speed, FAST?! I enjoyed the trail much better; although at that point, it was pretty level which also helped. 

Because of the patience of my husband - and bit of my willingness to keep going - I started staying on my bike during the longer, more technical downhills (uphill was still tough and I walked those, let's not be crazy) and actually having fun! The moral of the story for a French Kiss Friday is to try something that your spouse enjoys - biking, wood working, reading, coding, watching sports, sky diving, whatever it is your spouse will really appreciate the effort and you may find that you want to continue going with him! Good luck!

Workout together

Check out a workout class!  I talked my husband into coming with me to Zumba and it was just about the most I laughed in a long time.  He’s very active and loves to hike and mountain bike and jog but Zumba was definitely not in his comfort zone. He told me the only way he would go is if I let him wear one my my workout tanks and his addidas sweat bands. All of us got a kick out of watching him trying to figure out the dance moves and move his hips.  Hysterical!!

You don’t have to belong to a gym to try out a workout class together!  If you google Yoga or Zumba or Barre Ballet  or Spin and your city there are classes going on everywhere.  Most gyms offer a free or cheap introduction class too.  You don’t have to sign up or anything.  But working out alongside my husband is just so much fun!

If a workout class just isn’t your thing just turn on you tube in your living room.  We love to turn on a yoga workout after everyone has gone to bed. Our favorite beginner channel is Yoga with Adrienne. No one can see us so we can go as easy or intense as we like.  Plus it’s just a fun and different way to connect!  We’ve even found some cool acro yoga tutorials on you tube that are fun to try.  

Happy sweating!!

Comedy Sportz and Rockwell Ice Cream

Date nights sometimes fall into the "dinner and movie" routine and as nice and relaxing as that is, it is more fun to do something out of the ordinary. My husband and I went on a group date (with a bunch of our neighbors) to our local comedy club, ComedySportz, one evening and I can honestly say that we laughed until our sides ached. Comedy Sportz is a nation-wide franchise, we went to the one in Provo, UT. The comedians are divided into two teams - blue and red - and compete for laughs and points from the audience. 

It was interactive and loud and family-friendly and hilarious and crazy and just plain old fun. It was a bonus to see a college friend who happened to be "competing" that night, too! 

ComedySportz has a vintage feel with lots of knick-knacks from decades past. Even though this group has long graduated from college, we still felt comfortable with the "hipster" college crowd that made up the rest of the 200-member audience. 

And no date is complete without a dessert, right?! Rockwell Ice Cream Shop in Provo (happens to be around the corner from ComedySportz) is AMAZING. Words can honestly not do this ice cream justice! My husband got the Honeycomb (their homemade vanilla with caramel swirls and Violet Crumble candy bar chunks) flavor and I got the toasted coconut (homemade vanilla with tons of toasted coconut). I am just glad that we don't live any closer to Rockwell ice cream or I would be in there daily, it is just that good. 

ComedySportz:
36 Center St., Provo, UT  (801) 377-9700
Shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00pm and 10:15pm
Tickets are $10 each
Be sure to arrive early as they often sell out!

Rockwell Ice Cream:
43 N. University Ave., Provo, UT (801) 318-5950
Monday - Thursday 11:00am - 10:00pm
Friday and Saturday 11:00am - 11:00pm

French Kiss Friday

What’s even more fun than hiking with kids?  Hiking WITHOUT KIDS!!

My husband and I love to get out and explore when we get a minute to ourselves.  Sometimes it’s long weekends away on really intense hiking adventures.

Or it’s just a walk up the canyon in the evening while the babysitter deals with bedtime.  Being outside, breathing in the fresh air of the mountains is so good for a relationship I think.  As we walk we talk about our kids, what’s stressing us out or what’s happening at work.  Don’t get me wrong, dinner and a movie is awesome and usually what I feel like doing on our date nights.  But when we don’t do that and get out together and talk I’m always so glad we did.  

(Also, try it on a clear night with a full moon and no headlamps.  It’s just kinda fun!)