This week Jason and I will celebrate our seventh anniversary. I know you are all wondering how I have put up with him for that long. Just kidding, Jason is actually a rather fabulous husband and it is my privilege to be married to him.

This year it was Jason’s turn to plan our anniversary merriment. Those of you who know Jason know planning really isn’t one of his fortes, quite the opposite. But this year he put a lot of effort into planning and these efforts paid off. He arranged a surprise weekend getaway to Salt Lake City for us. Perhaps you are thinking that Salt Lake City doesn’t sound like a terribly thrilling location for a getaway, but I’m afraid you are mistaken.

We stayed at the Grand America Hotel in downtown. This is of course the only five-diamond hotel in Salt Lake City and is definitely the most luxurious hotel I have been to in these parts. Jason had reserved an executive suite for us. This suite was 880 sq feet and included a sitting room and a balcony. We were on the 18^th floor so the view from our balcony was quite impressive. Jas and I laughed a little when we realized that each night we stayed in this opulent suite it cost us roughly the same as our second mortgage payment. It definitely was a little pricey, but for a special occasion, such as this, it was worth it.

We spent the whole weekend in approximately a 10 block radius. We went shopping at the Gateway and dined there at Z’Tejas. We also sampled the Sunday Brunch at the Grand America, rated the #1 brunch buffet in Utah. It was yummy.

For our big night out, on Saturday night, we went to Bambara for dinner and to Ballet West’s performance of Nine Sinatra Songs. Yes, Jason loves me enough to go, without complaint, to the ballet. And yes, he does make the rest of you boys look bad.

I had never heard of Bambara before but apparently it is rated as one of the top ten restaurants in Salt Lake City. The food was delicious and unique so I can see why it is highly regarded. If you ever find yourself dining at Bambara I would recommend trying the fresh fried potato chips with blue cheese as an appetizer and the goat cheesecake as dessert. Yum! Bambara is located across the street from Capital Theater so it’s a perfect place to dine before you go get some culture. It was a fantastic evening. Excellent food, good company, and throngs of men prancing around in tights-what more could a girl ask for.

There you have it, we spent the whole weekend in downtown Salt Lake City and found exquisite accommodations, delicious food, cultural opportunities, and plenty of shopping. So don’t underestimate your local scene. There is more to it than you might think.

Last Saturday Team Evil was not scheduled to play. Jason and I decided that since we didn’t have a soccer game it was the perfect opportunity for us to make a little getaway. After some debate, we ended up going to Park City. We stayed in Midway, which is about 15 minutes from Park City, at the Zermatt Resort and Spa. It got better reviews than most of the hotels in Park City so we thought we’d give it a try. The resort turned out to be quite nice. My only complaint was that our room was a little small. But the hotel was clean and the décor was tasteful and fun with a Swiss theme.

Jason and I spent most of our time shopping at the Park City outlet stores, wandering around Wasatch Mt. State Park, and playing games at the resort. I think it’s important to note that Jason not only lost to me at checkers on the giant outdoor checker board, but also got creamed at shuffleboard. His main, or I should say only, tactic playing shuffleboard was trying to hit my pucks and nock them out. He continued to use this as his only maneuver even after he lost to me over and over again. Didn’t someone once say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? Hmmm…makes you wonder. We both got a good laugh over how miserably he lost every game.

We had a great time and plan on heading back to Park City for another weekend getaway sometime in the summer.

I should also add, for any of you who are considering going to Park City to dine, there are a lot of magnificent restaurants there but you should be aware that they all close at ridiculously early hours. Jason and I were both stoked about trying some great food at a new restaurant only to find that they all closed at 9 0’clock, even though it was the weekend. So we were unfortunately too late to partake. Even one place claiming to be a happening restaurant and nightclub closed at 10:00. A nightclub that closes at 10? Shouldn’t they call it a dayclub then? Pathetic. So keep that in mind, all you gourmet food seekers.