Elly (Get out and Explore)

Â Â A small (but growing) collection of shops and restaurants in the heart of present Daybreak, SoDa Row offers convenient services, unexpected treasures, and tasty fare as well as gathering space for the neighborhood. And it all comes steeped in Daybreakâ€™s signature new-vintage vibe. While it has its drawbacks and disappointments, SoDa Row offers a unique experience that no Daybreak resident would want to overlook. .Â Â Currently, the services offered at SoDa Row are pretty standard â€“ a hair salon/day spa, and laundromat. While the day spa has been calling my name ever since I discovered it was there (and the prices donâ€™t look too bad), the laundromat has been randomly closed both times Iâ€™ve tried to visit. Iâ€™m hoping itâ€™s just bad luck. Oh, and thereâ€™s the barbershop, too. Rumor is there will soon be a dentist as well as other professional services offered from the big boxy blue office building. I have to admit, I look forward to such a short jaunt to visit a doctor. (Letâ€™s hope theyâ€™ll be good doctors!) Â Â <img src="images/stories/dsc_0150.jpg" border="0" width="232" height="350" align="right" />Â Â While the service selection at SoDa Row may be increasing, the retail offerings are still pretty slim. There is a florist (which probably counts as a service), a new womenâ€™s clothing shop called The Red Herring, and the flagship: Oopsie Daisy. All three seem charming but, Iâ€™ll admit, have yet to capture meas a regular customer (prices, at least at Oopsie Daisy, just seem too high for my cheapskate bones). You know what I would like to see at SoDa Row? One of those fascinating home dÃ©cor consignment stores bursting with affordable found treasures, large and small, or a fabric shop would be nice, too. And why not something not so cutsie, like an electronics store or golf shop? .Â Â Â CLICK READ MORE TO SEE REST OF THE ARTICLEÂ

<img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7zBfUnNFPDw/SoCs40IXUgI/AAAAAAAAB1g/fmbPZD8WxuI/s400/Picture%20024.jpg" border="0" alt="Splash Pool" title="Splash Pool" width="400" height="300" align="left" />Â Â Â What better way to celebrate your fourth birthday than splashing with your friends in a pool just your size? For my daughterâ€™s big day this week, we called up a few neighbors, grabbed a birthday cake, sunscreen and towels, and headed over to the Splash Pool in Founderâ€™s Park. Â Â Â The Daybreak Splash Pool reminds me of a big bathtub full of happy kids and tub toysâ€”especially when they turn off the two spraying water jets (the on-site Daybreak employee will turn them off on windy days or whenever someone makes the request). Surrounded by concrete decking and shady lawn, the pool itself provides a big blue circle of summertime splashing for Daybreakâ€™s youngest residents. A zero-depth entry gently slopes down to an 18-inch â€œdeep endâ€, which is plenty deep for preschoolers showing off their water tricks. I love the â€œNo Divingâ€ warnings set along the poolâ€™s edgesâ€”as if that three-year-old getting ready to do her best belly-flop yet can read them. And water toys? Donâ€™t bring your own (youâ€™ll lose them)â€”just dive into the yellow lost-and-found bucket and borrow a few.CLICK "READ MORE" TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE...

Â Â Â I broke my toe at Eastlake Pool the other day. I canâ€™t blame anyone but myself for stepping on it while I was tripping over my own towel. Yeah, it was pretty classy. But now Iâ€™m chomping at the bit. Here I live in this incredibly beautiful, walkable, bike-ridable, boat-rowable community and I limp along slower than the HOA responding to resident complaints. Whatâ€™s a newly disabled Daybreak girl supposed to do? Hang out on my front porch, of course..Â Â Â Â We all have one, you knowâ€”a front porch. Theyâ€™re one of the standard features in Daybreak.Â But I tend to forget about mine; even our visitors use the back door. Why are front porches so great anyway?.Â Â Â Â First of all, they add a lot of character and classic American architectural style to a home. Just imagine your Victorian-style house without its characteristic spindle railings and gabled porch roofâ€”it just wouldnâ€™t look right. If houses that were built with a front porch over a hundred years ago are still attractive today, you know that your home has long-lasting architectural appeal. That front porch isnâ€™t going to go out of style in ten years.CLICK READ MORE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

Â Â Â Summer fun at Daybreak: splashing at the pool, boating on the lake, yoga on the lawn in front of the DCC. Our community is at its best in the warm weather. But what if you want to share it with friends and family who donâ€™t live here? I know a lot of people, myself included, who avoid the whole idea altogether out of sheer confusion. Who can get a membership card? How much does a guest pass cost? And do they have life jackets big enough for Aunt Sue? After a long conversation with Clint Warnick, Program Coordinator, I can finally say with confidence that Iâ€™ve figured it all out. I think.Â Â Â Â First of all, there are two kinds of membership cards. The most common kind have a chip them that opens the gates at the pools, these are called â€œproximity cardsâ€. Each household in Daybreak can receive two of these for free. If you donâ€™t have your membership cards yet, fill out the paperwork your builder gave you and bring it by the DCC (they also have forms there if you donâ€™t have any). Donâ€™t forget to comb your hair for the photo! Â Â Â Â If you have a brother living in the basement, roommates upstairs, a tenant in your detached garage apartment, or a college student home for the summer, they can all have their own Daybreak membership cards. For $10, any resident age 14 and older can stop by the DCC and pick up a proximity card. Itâ€™d be a good idea to bring along proof of residency.CLICK READ MORE TO SEE REST OF THE ARTICLE

<img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7zBfUnNFPDw/ShbL5aeZ_TI/AAAAAAAABvo/70mL8VnbjSc/s800/med_Oquirrhtempleexterior2_18May09.jpg" border="0" alt="oquirrh temple" width="290" height="385" align="right" />Â Several years ago, I stepped into the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris and, looking up at an originalÂ rose window, I thought of the people who had dedicated so much time and material and artistic talent to construct the building, of the hundreds of thousands of people who have visited through the centuries seeking solace, sanctuary, and God, and of the French people today, whether believing Catholic or not, who are proud of their historic building. And I thought, this is a special place. Walking into the newly finished Oquirrh Mountain Temple built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and located right here in Daybreak, while it has neither the spaciousness nor extravagant decoration of the famous cathedral, I felt immediately that I was in a special place.Â Â Â Â Â With itsÂ faÃ§ade the color of dry native grassesâ€”comprised of Uinta gold granite from Chinaâ€”and straight-forward lines, the new temple reflects its arid valley setting and the hard-working, down to earth culture of the people around it. And yet it is breathtakingly beautiful. Â <img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7zBfUnNFPDw/ShbL50mt9uI/AAAAAAAABv0/I935rDckMM8/s800/med_OquirrhtempleOrdinanceroomA_18May09.jpg" border="0" alt="murals" width="290" height="193" align="left" />Â Â Â Â The prairie themed colors and no-nonsense architectural style continue in the interior. Gorgeous fabrics in muted browns, golds, greens, and cream complement the dark-stained oak woodwork and abundant brown limestone from Morocco and Egypt. And although the 19,447 Swarovski crystals in the Celestial Room chandelier are imported from Austria, local artisans also helped furnish the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Bronze handrails on the grand staircase are made from Julius Blum components forged in the United States. Fluted, struck with stars and bordered by circles, the fabulous art glass windows were brilliant cut by John Quist of Salt Lake. Local volunteers, asked on a special Church-service mission and supervised by Utah artist Linda Curley Christensen, hand-painted the lovely murals of Utah mountain country that appear in the upstairs instruction rooms. But best of all, a local landscape architect and Daybreak resident (my very own neighbor, in fact), Greg Boudrero with MGB+A designed the plantings on the grounds surrounding the temple.Â Â Â Â Â It struck me as I moved through the building that while the materials used in the temple are of the highest quality and the craftsmanship is evidently first-class, the space does not have a fussy, extravagant feeling. Beyond the many framed prints taken mostly from well-known LDS paintings and a few carefully placed vases, there is very little extra decoration. Clean-lined moldings and classic, contemporary furniture, including some very comfy chenille chairs in the upstairs sealing rooms, focus the space to its purpose. These rooms are meant to be used by hundreds of people every day. This temple is built for work.Â CLICK "READ MORE" TO VIEW THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

Â A great big thank you to user jarmcguire for supplying most of the information in this article. Â Â Â 5/13/2009 UPDATE:Â Due to miscommunication, invitations will NOT be required to attend the Neighborâ€™s Tour. Whether you receive an invitation or not, if you live in the Daybreak area you are invited to attend the special Open House from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Saturday, May 23. They request that you donâ€™t bring extended family and friends to the Neighborâ€™s Tour, but instead invite them to make reservations for a tour during the Open House for the general public. Â Â Â UPDATE:Â AÂ Neighbor's TourÂ of the temple will be held Saturday, May 23, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM for all residents living in Eastlake Village.Â The local LDS youth will soon deliver invitations to every home in the area and the temple hosts/ushers will check for these invitations as guests arrive for the Neighbor Tour. Â Â Â Â <a name="OLE_LINK2" title="OLE_LINK2"></a><a name="OLE_LINK1" title="OLE_LINK1"></a>Ticket reservations begin today, Monday May 4, 2009, for the upcoming Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. Whether you belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or notâ€”whether youâ€™re thrilled, or curious, or concerned about the new temple in Daybreakâ€”the Open House will be an opportunity to explore a local Daybreak feature that you wonâ€™t want to miss.Â Â Â Â The Oquirrh Mountain Temple will be open to the general public from June 1 to Aug 1, Mondays through Saturdays, with breaks for the Fourth and Twenty-Fourth of July. One-and-a-half hour tours will begin at 8:00 AM and run every ten minutes until the last one each day at 8:50 PM (except Mondays when the last tour will end at 4:30 PM). Tours will include a short video in an air-conditioned tent about the history of South Jordan and the importance of temples to LDS people, a tour of the interior of the temple building, and light refreshments (it wouldnâ€™t be a church function without those refreshments!)   .Â Â Â Â You can make reservations by calling 801-240-7645 or online at <a href="http://www.lds.org/reservations">www.lds.org/reservations</a>. Only groups up to ten can be accommodated online, to make reservations for larger groups youâ€™ll need to call. Everyone is welcome to attend the Open House including children in strollers and people requiring wheelchair assistance. There will even be Spanish language translators on hand.CLICK READ MORE TO SEE REST OF THE ARTICLE

Â Â Â Â Judging by the busy playground, most of you Daybreak residents with kids have already visited the recently opened park by Oquirrh Lake. As my school-age boys would say, isnâ€™t it awesome?! The largest and, by far, the best playground in Daybreak, the new west end of Rowdy Park offers a whole lot of fun for kids of all ages.<img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7zBfUnNFPDw/Sf5diE5bQ_I/AAAAAAAABtg/MhRnLUkl17I/s288/IMG_2557.JPG" border="0" alt="playground" width="288" height="216" align="right" /> Â Â Â Â First of all, thereâ€™s the playground. Unlike many other parks in Daybreak, at the west end of Rowdy Park youâ€™ll find entertainment for both very young children and older kids, too. To start, there are swingsâ€”not only regular swings, but also the first baby swings in Daybreak! Thereâ€™s a tube slide set right on the side of a hill (make sure your kids wear durable pants because theyâ€™ll probably end up sliding right down the hill, too). And thereâ€™s this merry-go-round contraption that you can hang from and go around and around. But the best part, according to my kids, is the incredible climbing structures made of sturdy ropes webbed around metal frames. Like ships or towers or giant three-dimensional spider webs, the structures encourage imaginative play and some great games of tag.<img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7zBfUnNFPDw/Sf5dbEboJzI/AAAAAAAABtQ/I5AzSNk0XR0/s288/IMG_2550.JPG" border="0" alt="beach" width="288" height="216" align="left" />  Â Â Â Â And then, of course, thereâ€™s the lake with its jogging trails and deep blue beauty that weâ€™ve all enjoyed for awhile now. Just beyond the playground down at the waterâ€™s edge, thereâ€™s a sandy beach complete with sand-castle perfect wet sand. But even though the spot seems perfect for cooling off on a warm spring day, donâ€™t even try to get in the water. Kennecottâ€™s infamous no swimming rule is still very much in effect and the lake security guards will descend on you promptly if you so much as touch the water with your feetâ€”I understand â€œstay out of the lakeâ€ signs will be posted soon. Maybe when South Jordan City takes over the lake someday, theyâ€™ll allow swimmingâ€”or at least wadingâ€”and weâ€™ll be able to enjoy the beach as it was meant to be enjoyed.  Â Â Â Â In addition to the exceptional playground and lake, there are some other great features at the new park. Two adjustable basketball hoops with separate half courts invite pick-up games and shooting practice. Plenty of park benches, picnic tables, and well-placed rocks provide rest for supervising parents and worn-out grandparents. Tons of extra sand around the playground gives kids with wise parents who steer clear of water a place to dig, too. And the landscapingâ€”like always at Daybreak parks (yes, even Founderâ€™s Village parks have better landscaping than what you find at a typical neighborhood park)â€”adds beauty, character, and atmosphere to the area. There are even lots of shade trees.CLICK READÂ MORE TO SEE THE REST OF THE ARTICLEÂ

So, thereâ€™s all this great stuff for me to do at the Daybreak Community Center, but what about my kids? Thatâ€™s where the DCC falls short, in my opinion--thereâ€™s child care for younger kids and the basketball gym for older kids, butÂ no place for families to spend time together and it's many obscure rules detract from the fun it could be. <img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7zBfUnNFPDw/SYElPWNfXuI/AAAAAAAABn4/G8QQ_kauXQM/s288/DSC00454.JPG" border="0" alt="child care" width="288" height="216" align="right" /> The child care at the community center is excellentâ€”who better to leave your precious children with than neighbors and friends?â€”but pricey. At $2.50 an hour per child (ages 18 months to 8 years) or $3.50 an hour for an infant (older than 6 months) the rates are pretty comparable to typical daycare but extremely expensive for gym child care. And you have to pre-pay in 10-hour increments. They increased the fees last year in order to make the child care more self-reliant, so residents who arenâ€™t using the child care donâ€™t have to pay for it, but if youâ€™re bringingÂ even a coupleÂ kids to the gym regularly, youâ€™ll honestly probably save money working out somewhere else. Also, the child care fills up quickly, especially for infantsâ€”I wouldâ€™ve been sent home this morning without my workout if someone else hadnâ€™t canceled at the last minuteâ€”so donâ€™t be like me and make sure to call ahead for a reservation.  CLICK READ MORE TO SEE REST OF ARTICLE

(This is the firstÂ installment of a four-partÂ review of the fitness options available at the DCC.)Â .Ah January, the time of year we dust off that old resolution to lose those extra pounds and get in shape. If you arenâ€™t already getting your butt in gear at the Daybreak Community Center (DCC), you really should check out the options there. They offer a variety of fitness activities that are not only good for you, but fun, too. And hey, since youâ€™re already paying for it with your HOA dues, you might as well use the facility.. <img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7zBfUnNFPDw/SX4WRPuucxI/AAAAAAAABm4/y8pc1lvQbyc/s288/DSC00452.JPG" border="0" alt="treadmills" width="288" height="216" align="left" />If youâ€™re into plugging in the earphones and working your heart out, the DCC has all the typical workout equipment for you: treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, and a weight-lifting circuit. While not large, the exercise room overlooks the basketball gym below which gives it a feeling of spaciousness. Thereâ€™s even an indoor track around the open space for walking or jogging. You wonâ€™t find as many machines at the community center as you would at a larger gym, but thereâ€™s usually enough to go around.. <img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7zBfUnNFPDw/SX4WQA2apSI/AAAAAAAABmw/y51pcZTjREA/s288/DSC00451.JPG" border="0" alt="weights" width="288" height="216" align="right" />And itâ€™s such a clean, well-kept facility. The locker rooms are large and well-appointed and you donâ€™t feel like youâ€™re going to catch a fungus the minute you step in the door. But the best part, of course, is itâ€™s all free to Daybreak residents..Upcoming: fitness classes (warning: theyâ€™re fun but not free)

Personally, I get bored stiff on a treadmill. Iâ€™m walking, Iâ€™m walkingâ€¦Iâ€™m running, Iâ€™m runningâ€¦and Iâ€™m still staring at the same four wallsâ€¦yawn. I like the variety, external motivation, and camaraderie provided by a good fitness class. And let me tell you, the classes at the Daybreak Community Center supply a hefty dose of all three.  <img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7zBfUnNFPDw/SX4WSE_J8pI/AAAAAAAABnA/lnfAztYg4Tk/s288/DSC00453.JPG" border="0" alt="indoor cycles" width="288" height="216" align="left" />From heart-pumping indoor cycling to muscle-building Body Pump (a Les Milles barbells and step class) to inner-peace-finding yoga, thereâ€™s lots of fun ways to become a healthier you. For a full schedule of available classes, stop by the community center or check the calendar at <a href="http://www.daybreakliving.net/">www.daybreakliving.net</a>. If youâ€™re not thrilled with the range of classes currently offered, theyâ€™ll be sampling new classes soon so make sure you get involved to lend your two cents.  The instructors at the community center are excellent. If you canâ€™t afford a personal trainer (they have those, too), the next best thing is an instructor who tells you whenâ€”and howâ€”to warm up, work hard, work harder and cool down, too. And theyâ€™re friendly, kind people whoâ€™ll take time to make sure your step is properly aligned and give advice for comforting sore calves or easing injured muscles.  Speaking of friendly, thatâ€™s one of the best assets of the Daybreak Community Center. As opposed to some other local gyms, the atmosphere is relaxed, casual and low-key. Everyoneâ€™s there to get a good workout, not care whether your sports bra matches your running shorts. And since you often run into friends and neighbors, or maybe drag them in with you, thereâ€™s a lot of moral support and general encouragement which really help keep you going in your fitness goals.  But there is a drawback to all these great benefits: you have to pay for them. Your HOA fee, which covers your membership to the community center, does not include the classes so that those who donâ€™t take them donâ€™t have to pay for them. But at $30/month (or $5/lesson), the rate is pretty comparable to other gyms in the area and your $30 gets you into any class offered throughout the month (except yoga, which is privately runâ€”you have to pay the instructor separately).  And I have some good news if youâ€™re thinking about taking the DCC classes: you can try them out for free! The much heralded re-launch classes (new music and new moves) on Saturday, January 31â€”Body Step at 7:30 a.m. and Body Pump at 8:30 a.m.â€”will be free to all Daybreak residents, no class pass required. If you plan to go, make sure you call ahead to sign up starting Thursday, January 29. Come down and get your feet moving, your heart pumping, and your fit on! Coming up: basketball, volleyball...sitting in the corridor?