Category: Lisa

2023, A Day In The Life Of Liz, Arches, Arches National Park, Lisa, Moab, Mother, Utah

Visiting Arches National Park with my Mom!

elizabethjoyhadley

Hi again friends! Continuing on with my fun week in Utah with my mom!

So after we saw Derek Hough in his amazing live show, we drove down to Moab, Utah to visit Arches National Park!

First of all, the drive there was breathtakingly beautiful! It was a little long from Salt Lake City, but honestly, the views were amazing!

This was pretty much the views for most of the drive!

Once we got there, we checked into our hotel, which was actually a ranch, and we went to check out the downtown Moab area.

The view from our hotel room! It was RIGHT on the Colorado River!
I could not get over the views!

On Friday morning, we woke up early, and headed to Arches National Park!

I’m not going to lie to you, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into, I didn’t know much about the park or the history, or really what to expect at all. I like doing this to myself sometimes because it leaves me with no expectations!

But, let me tell you, I LOVED IT! From the amazing rock formations, the challenging, yet still doable hikes, and the really cool way that they laid out the National Park. I could not get enough! It was so much fun!

Here are a few of my favorite arches and hikes!

The hike to this one included 3 other arches as well!
The Delicate Arch!

The Delicate Arch was the hardest hike we did, but my goodness was it worth it! This arch is iconic!

Another one because !!!
This one we had to hike through sand for! It was awesome!
The hike in to the previous arch!

After a great day at the park we headed back to our ranch for dinner and relaxing! It was such a great day!

Had to pull over to take a picture of our ranch from the road!

Side note, our ranch had the best restaurant at it! The Cowboy Grill! I’m still thinking about our meal to this day!

I really enjoyed Arches National Park and the town of Moab and all it had to offer. The park was vey accessible for everyone, and the arches could be accessed if you weren’t up for the hikes. The hikes just made the views a little bit better!

The next morning we got to see the annular Solar Eclipse, and we were in the 80% path for the Ring of Fire!

We went for a walk along the Colorado River before watching the Solar Eclipse!

Then we drove back to Salt Lake City and did a little shopping, had a little dinner, and enjoyed our time together!

I really can’t say enough good things about Arches! It was a really cool park, very well put together, a lot to see, and the Arches were just so cool! I would go back for sure!

I’m very thankful for my time with my mom in Utah!!

Thank you for reading friends, have a great day!

2023, A Day In The Life Of Liz, dance, Derek Hough, Idaho, Lisa, My favorite things, Symphony of Dance, tour

Derek Hough’s show ‘Symphony of Dance’

elizabethjoyhadley

You guys, last week I had such a good week! On Wednesday, I went down to Salt Lake City and picked up my Mom at the airport and then we went to see Derek Hough and his wife Hayley on tour!

We were so excited! I bought these tickets the day they went on sale, so it was a long time coming!

Since we had VIP tickets we had to get to the theatre early, so we could check in and then go back stage!

We waited to take our picture with Derek and Hayley and then went to the Question and Answer session!

I was able to ask Derek a question, and I just wanted to share his answer with you, because it was amazing. I asked him how he deals with and handles negative comments about him on social media, or over email. As a morning news anchor, I get comments all the time towards me, and I asked him how he handles it.

Derek said that at first he would take those comments to heart, but then he started to realize that when people would said hurtful and negative things to him, he began to realize that says more about the people saying it, than it does about him. He said he began to have empathy for them, and recognizing that they are missing something from their own lives if they feel the need to reach out to you to say their negative comments. So in case you needed to hear that, there you go.

I LOVE this picture so much! The true happiness on my face can’t be beat!

After the VIP session we went to the Cheesecake Factory for a quick dinner and then headed back to the theatre for the show! We had about two hours in between the VIP session and the show!

Our seats were in the second row, right on the aisle! I turned around and this is the view!

Derek’s show was called ‘The Symphony of Dance’ and I have seen Derek in every show he has ever done, and to be honest, they have all been AMAZING! But, there was just something so special about this one. It had so much heart behind it.

The Symphony of Dance, in my opinion, was a metaphor, for the journey of life. There will be ups and downs and highs and lows, but overall it’s the journey that you remember. I loved that so much!

The females had 18 costume changes, and each one was more spectacular than the last!

Each dance told a story, and each dancer was phenomenal! I’m telling you I would see this show every night in every city if I could. I left feeling so inspired!!

This show was particularly emotional for Derek because he is from Salt Lake City, and he had a lot of family and friends and his old dance teachers in the audience, and it was a sold out show! It was so special. I can only imagine how Derek was feeling up on that stage!

I just want to thank Derek and the entire cast and crew for this show! It was truly wonderful and I think everybody, even if you know nothing about dance, could enjoy this show and enjoy seeing the talent and hard work and creativity on that stage! I would see it every night if I could!

Thank you Derek, from the bottom of my heart, for teaching me to live my life with passion and to never let anybody make you feel bad about being who you are!

2023, A Day In The Life Of Liz, Boston, Derek Hough, Grammy, Idaho, Lisa, Mother, Mother's Day, Twin Falls

Happy Mother’s Day Mom!

elizabethjoyhadley

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s but especially to my mother, Lisa Joye Hadley.

Let me tell you about my mom. My mom is just the sweetest woman. She also has so much energy, and loves to go new places, try new things, and experience life! She also just loves her family so much, and is the biggest supporter of us all.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be a good parent. And the conclusion I have come to is to: be there. Be there when your child is having a good day, bad day, an off day, a sick day. Be there for them when they succeed but also when they fail. Be there for them for their sports games, their musicals, their dance recitals. Be there for them in the morning, and be there for them in the night.

My mom was always there. She was and still is the person who I know will always support me in my choices, and congratulate me on my accomplishments, and talk to me when I feel like I’ve failed.

A parents is a hard role to play, but I guarantee I would not be the person I am today if it wasn’t for my mother who always told me I could do whatever I put my mind to. No matter what I wanted to try, she let me try it, and she let me figure out for myself what I wanted to do and didn’t want to do.

I am very thankful for my mom. She never tried to force anything on me, she would guide me and help me decide what I wanted to do, but she never forced me to do anything, and that is so important.

I never really realized any of this until I moved across the entire country at the age of 22. I realized then that the only reason I was able to do that all on my own was because of her and my father. Because I knew that she believed in me, but I also knew that if I needed her, she would be there.

I am so thankful for my mom for letting me figure out who I am without her forcing me to be who she wanted me to be. My mom is the best, and I love her with all my heart.

There are very few people who I would fly across the country to surprise for their birthday, but she is one of them!

I can’t wait for more adventures and fun with you Mom, and I am so thankful for you for always being there, supporting me, and loving me through everything. You are the reason I am who I am, and I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. I love you so much Mom. Happy Mother’s Day!

I can’t wait to see Derek Hough again with you, as is our tradition!

(BTW, I will write one of these for my father on Father’s Day, because he also made me who I am today. I love you too Dad.)

Also, I would like to give a shoutout to my two grandmother’s my two aunt’s and all the other Mom’s in the world who are raising the next generation to be good, kind people who can think for themselves and make this world a better place. Where would we be without Mom’s?