Visit to Utah

I got to spend a couple crazy busy weeks in Utah before I left for Africa. The first week was spent at a training for the curriculum I’ll be teaching at the MWB school. It was nice to be able to get a little more information about what I’ll be doing for the next year of my life.

While I was in Utah I got to spend time with people that I just love and adore. Below is a play by play of the two weeks while I was there:

Day 1 Monday -

I stayed at Ben and Breezy’s house while I was there. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of them but I do have one of the room I stayed in. Breezy had a little basket of goodies for me. She’s such a sweetheart and so nice to let me stay in her home. I loved it.

Day 2 Tuesday -

Nothing better than dinner and a movie with my dear friend Bryce Glover.

Day 3 Wednesday -

Cafe Rio with Cindy Sullivan. I love this girl. It was so much fun to reconnect with her. She’s so good to me and I love our conversations. Not to mention the great food of my favorite place to eat.

While Cindy and I were chatting, some kids at another table kept saying my name. I turned around and lo and behold was one of my most favorite students of all time, David Skanchy. Seriously, this kid was the greatest. He could get me laughing so that I was in tears and would have to leave the room. He would do the craziest things. One day he got the whole entire class to hide outside. I was a bit confused why I didn’t have any students five minutes after the bell rang. I heard some snickering outside my window and sure enough the whole class was out there with their ring leader, David Skanchy. I didn’t think I would ever see him again and it was such a tender mercy running into him. We reminisced about the good ‘ol days when he was in my class. Once again, I laughed that gut belly laugh as he told me story after story of what actually happened in our math class. It’s a good thing he’s so smart because I don’t think I taught him a thing but we sure had fun.

After dinner I drove to P-town to visit my dear friend Becky. I met her in Africa three summers ago and she has been a loyal close friend ever since. She’s such a blessing in my life. I will miss our frequent chats about every detail of our lives.

Day 4 Thursday -

Reunion with Sparkle Motion. During my stay in Utah I was fortunate to live at “the party house”. Every year at the talent show, the girls of the party house would put together a dance to a different era. The fourth year was the big reunion tour with a mix of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. I have many fond and wonderful memories of these amazing women. Those in Arkansas, Florida, and Boston were missed at our little parte’. I will cherish all their friendships forever.

Day 5 Friday -

Started the morning off with a sunrise hike to Sunset Peak with my most favorite of all students, Tess Collett. She shares my same passion of the great outdoors and it was so nice to be able to spend some time with her. I sure do love that girl. I can’t wait for her to come see me in Africa.

Instead of going to my training I went home and slept for a few hours. I went to the training for an hour and then ditched to go and see these little ones.

Aren’t they the most adorable kids ever. I just love them to bits and pieces. I miss them and wish I lived closer.

Day 6 Saturday -

Today I climbed my most favorite mountain of all mountains: Timpanogas. I grew up in the shadow of this mountain and so I feel like it’s mine. I’ve hiked it almost every summer since I was eleven and didn’t want to pass up another opportunity. The weather wasn’t the greatest but I loved every minute of it.

After the hike I had a little high school get together. It’s always so good to spend time with dear friends who’ve known me since I was in Kindergarten.

Day 7 Sunday -

Extended family reunion. I emailed Camille a few weeks before I came to Utah and told her I wanted to get the family together. That’s all I had to do and suddenly we had ourselves a party with family that I hadn’t seen for years. It was so good to catch up and see what’s going on with everyone. Thanks Camille and Dorothy for putting this together. It was fantastic.

Day 8 Monday -

Seven Peaks with Megan, Josh, and Zack. It was so nice to spend time with the niece and nephews and soak up some rays. I’m not sure Josh and Zack will ever forgive me for trying to force them on the slides. One of these days they’ll understand the beauty of speed and water but until then the wave pool and lazy river it is. No complaints from me. I loved every minute of it.

Day 9 Tuesday -

There’s nothing better than a picnic up Provo Canyon, near bridle falls with kids I love and adore and a wonderful brother. Miriam and Aaron were at Youth Conference and were greatly missed.

Becks came over for a sleepover. I just love that girl.

Day 10 Wednesday -

I got to see my sweet little companion, Madeline Geyers Flinders, again. She was my last companion and I only got to be with her for six weeks but it was a memorable six weeks. Lots of fun but mostly we just worked our butts off. She has four adorable children and is married to a wonderful man. I’m so glad she’s in Utah now so I can visit on occasion.

I also got to see Tess again. Her sister works for Great Harvest so she got me free goodies. She’s just so good to me. I wish I could just take her with me everywhere.

Later in the afternoon the Mike and Stacie Raddatz clan and I headed up Little Cottonwood Canyon to go camping. I was so happy to spend some quality time with these kids. We told stories, went on adventures to the water, ate real good food, roasted marshmallows and made smores until I was sick. Mike and Mia entertained us by catching the mice that were running around camp. We also got to see a meteor shower. At midnight Bud, Mia, Mike, and I were all laying on the ground with Mike’s pillows (he brought like ten) watching the shooting stars. It was a little piece of heaven. Sure do love my family.

Day 11 Thursday -

We got back pretty early from our campout and I took a nap. I was exhausted and it was a much needed break from all the playing. After the nap I went and saw good ol’ Shera, one of my dearest companions. I had such good companions on the mish. I’m super fortunate.

Nikki and I laughed for an entire two months. There were very few prayers that we made it through without busting a gut. This girl’s hilarious. One little story about this gem: One day we were riding home on our bikes and all of a sudden Nikki starts pulling up her dress, pulled down her nylons, and then proceeded to pull down her garments and give me a full on moon, all while she was riding her bike in broad day light. Who is this girl? She’s such a blessing in my life. Long live Xena, Shera, Iceman, and Heman. Looking forward to having my mansion right next to hers.

Day 12 Friday -

This morning I got to have breakfast with Smorley Morley. Paul’s been around for years and being with him always feels like coming home. We sat at the good ‘ol Ihop for hours just chattin’ about life. I sure do love that boy. It’s always good to spend time with him.

I also stopped by J&M and M&S again for a final goodbye.

Day 12 continued and Day 13 Friday and Saturday: King’s Peak -

I’m trying to get ready to hike Kilimanjaro so I called up my dear friend Scotty and asked him if he’d like to hike the highest peak in Utah with me. Of course he agreed because how can you refuse an invitation like that? Unfortunately, our luck wasn’t so great.

We left SLC at about five which put us at the trailhead at nine. By this point it was pouring down rain and neither of us wanted to set up the tent so we just slept in the car…not the greatest beginning to our little adventure.

The weather wasn’t much better the following morning. As a matter of fact, it was foggy and rainy for most of the morning.

At one point it started hailing and we had to stop so Scott could put on his “rain poncho”.

An hour or so later it started thundering and lighting and the hail turned to snow.

At this point everyone is turning around. Scott and I had a hard time deciding what we should do but felt it was best to let go of some pride, follow the crowd, and turn around without the success of a summit.

Here I am admitting defeat:

A few hours after that we got this:

A beautiful blue sky with a bright shining happy sun. Such is life. The hike down was harder than the hike up and my knees were killing me. We were happy to finally see the cars after more than 12 hrs and 23 miles of hiking.

Day 14 Sunday -

Bud took me to the airport and I said farewell to Utah for another year.

Summer in Oregon

This is the first summer in four years that I’ve been able to spend in Oregon. I wanted to document all the good times that we had during July. It was an eventful month filled with good times with family and friends.

Oneonta Creek (July 3rd)

We started the month off by taking a dip in one of the most beautiful places in the Gorge. It’s a little canyon off the side of the road with a beautiful waterfall at the end. In order to get to the falls you must climb over fallen trees and wade through water almost waist high. The water is freezing so the best time to go is on a hot summer afternoon.

Emily’s Birthday and Independence Day (July 4th)

I’ve missed the last three years of Independence Day and was so happy to finally be able to celebrate with Emily in America.

We started the day with a lovely breakfast of waffles and crepes. There was so much food and lots of people. Then we had the most spectacular parade that I have ever been to. I even got to be the Queen with my sisters. Just following in my mother’s footsteps.

After the parade we headed to Chuck e Cheese for some good ‘ol fashion fun. Then off to Vernonia for another parade and some fireworks.

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I haven’t had such a great 4th of July celebration in a long time. I loved every minute of it.

Seattle to Portland (July 11th)

The following weekend Rick, Natalie Baxter, and I rode from Seattle to Portland. A 203 mile bike ride that I never have to repeat. I was on my bike for 16 hrs and my rear end felt it by the end of the ride. I’m glad that I did but I’m also glad that I never have to do it again.

I had many hours on my bike to prepare for the following speech.

Bruce Reunion (July 14th)

A few days later we had a Bruce Reunion with some of my dearest friends from the pre-mission days. We had five of the six Bruce members at our house and others who always wanted to be a part of Bruce but were never actually accepted into the group. But unlike other cliques, Bruce loved all.

We gave the out of towners a tour of the Gorge. Stopped at Vista House then did the Ponytail Falls loop. After which we had a nice BBQ at Heid’s where we reminisced about the good old days.

Triple D Gone Double and Margethai’s Visit (July 17th and 18th))

The next weekend I wanted to hike the triple D: Mt Defiance, Dog Mountain, and Devil’s Rest. It’s a 26 mile hike with almost 10,00o ft of elevation gain. I started the first and hardest hike at 6 AM. A later start than I was planning so I had to hurry because I was meeting Margethai and Heidi at Dog Mountain. In order to save time I ran down the mountain, a decision that has cost me a great deal. My knees have not been the same since that 6 mile run down a 4900 ft mountain. Can someone say stupid? I made it to Dog Mountain about 1/2 hr later than planned and desperately tried to catch up to Heidi. I was in so much pain. I was already feeling the effects from Defiance and didn’t know if I would be able to summit Dog. We finally caught up to Heidi (mostly because she waited for me) and hiked the rest of the way together. The way down was painful on the legs. When we finally made it to the bottom I laid on a picnic bench and admitted defeat opting out of the 3rd mountain. Smart decision. I couldn’t move for the next three or four days. Poor Margethai had to spend the weekend with me as I limped everywhere we went.

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Sherwood Robin Hood Parade (July 18th)

Random but fun. One of Heidi’s many fun adventures that we’re always grateful for because it gives us a chance to get out of the house. I got to see lots of my old students. I sure do love them. I’m looking forward to seeing them again when I get back.

Direct Instruction Conference in Eugene (July 20th – July 23rd)

I spent the following week at a conference in Eugene. I met some amazing people and made some great connections. So grateful for the chance to learn more about the curriculum that I’ll be using for the school in Zambia.

My friend moved to California this week. I was sad to see him go.

Family Reunion at Yellowstone (July 24th – July 28th)

This was our first attempt at a family reunion. We got almost everyone there. We really missed having Mike and Stacie’s family with us. We spent our first night in Boise with the Crockett’s, our dear dear cousins. It’s always so fun visiting them.

The next morning we drove to Island Park. Mark, Dad, and I had just a bit of a struggle finding the cabin instead of the lodge. We all finally got to the lodge and proceeded to laugh, play, eat, and rest for the next three days. Sunday was church in Island Park and Yellowstone. Monday was an attempt at the lake and hanging at the lodge. Tuesday we cleaned up and headed home. The weather was awesome with thunder and lighting storms. It was so nice having most of the family in one spot. I loved having the kids around and playing with the siblings and spouses and pops. Such a great weekend. Hoping we’ll be able to do it again next August.

Bridal Showers for Cathleen and Mercedes (July 30th and July 16th)

We’ve had lots of wedding’s in our ward among which were my sweet friends Cathleen and Mercedes. I sure do love them.

Kara’s Visit (July 30th – Aug 3rd)

I’m not really a best friends kind of person. I have two sisters and they fit the role of best friend pretty well. There are only two other people that I would consider a “best friend” from my childhood days and sweet Kara Jones Sommer would be one of them. We grew up together from Junior High on and spent many hours at each other’s homes. Every once in a while we get a visit from her in Oregon. It’s always so good for my soul to be in her presence. Her kids are delightful and even though she’s going to be excommunicated we still like her.

Friday we spent the day up Eagle Creek basking in the sun at Punch Bowl Falls. Kara’s Goddess nature was realized as we swam to the waterfall. We then did some cliff jumping. Nothing major but it still gave us a little thrill.

These kids are adorable.

After Punch Bowl Falls we headed to a baseball game. My only memory of that was how gross and dirty everything was. Beer and urine all over the place (not so much the urine but it might as well have been). We did get to eat peanuts, licorice, and ice cream so I guess it was worth it.

We spent the next day at the beach where I was planning to get some sun and was sorely disappointment when I froze the whole time. The Oregon Coast is tricky business. Beautiful but definitely not for sun bathing.

Sprint Triathlon (August 1st)

Triathlon’s have been on my list of things to do every since I started the list. I’ve never had the opportunity to do one because of timing and other events that I’ve trained for, so when my friend, Marianne, told me about the Blue Lakes All Womens Triathlon I jumped at the opportunity to join. It was so much fun. Come to find out, I am a terrible swimmer. Who knew? Seriously, I think I was the last to get out of the water in my age division and perhaps the two divisions that came after me. Guess it gives me something to work on. The biking was my favorite part. My next goal is an Olympic triathlon.

Backpacking

I have a deep love and passion for backpacking. There are few things in life that I'd rather do than backpack. There's something about packing everything I'll need to survive on my back for days at a time. I love to be outside. I always tell my students that if there was any way we could have class outside everyday, rain or shine, I'd do it. I love the fact that my only concerns in life are when I'm going to eat my dinner and where I'm going to set up camp for the night. I love pitching my tent and taking it down. I'm quite particular about that one. I love organizing everything in my backpack over and over again. I love walking for hours and hours to my next destination. I love the fact that my mind is so clear. I'm the most content when I'm backpacking.

This summer I got to go on some amazing backpacking trips. I'm super grateful for fabulous friends who share my same passion.

Glacier National Park w/ my home teacher

I wish I could take credit for the following photos but when you're backpacking with Art Wolfe it's best to leave the picture taking up to him.
I so desperately wanted to see a bear but at the same time was terrified that I might. I spent the first few hours of the hike making as much noise as I could so as to not startle the bears. It was all in vain...we never saw any. Everyone we talked to had but we weren't as lucky.

We went over Memorial Day Weekend. We drove all through the night on Thursday (well not so much me as my HT...I mostly just slept), started hiking Friday morning, camped Friday and Saturday night, hiked out Sunday, and drove through the night Sunday. It was a lot of driving but well worth the beautiful scenery that we saw.

Upper Muley Twist Canyon w/ Shells and Crow

There's nothing like good Southern Utah backpacking with two of my dearest friends, Shells and Crow.  Upper Muley Twist is rated five stars in my favorite hiking book and it definitely lived up to its rating.  It was amazing.  Typical Southern Utah with the beautiful red rock and amazing slot canyons.  We started our hike at about 4 PM.  Left our packs 3 miles in and hiked 9 miles through the rest of the canyon.  We finally got back to our packs at 11 PM.  It was an adventure hiking in the dark.  We got up the following morning and hiked out.  It was exactly what I needed.

The Redwoods w/ Scotty

I guess this would have to be my favorite backpacking trip this summer.  I went to the Redwoods with my fam when I was younger but we never experienced the joys of backpacking there.  We covered lots of ground and saw lots of different terrain.  It was spectacular 

Day 1: Drove to Redwoods.  Hiked 8 miles to campsite on the beach.

Day 2: Hiked along the beach for most of the day.  We saw lots of elk, a seal, cool birds, and lots of people.  I love hiking along the beach.  From the mouth of Scotty, "When you're hiking on the beach, everything seems real far but real close at the same time." Profound my friend and so true.  We watched the sunset…well I watched the sunset, Scott fell asleep on the sand waiting for the sunset.  He missed out.  It was beautiful.

Day 3: Hiked out and drove to next destination: Redwood Creek Trail.  This is the day where stubborn Heather kicked in.  The hike was along a creek.  It was a beautiful day and I couldn’t bear hiking on a trail when I could just walk in the water.  Scott stayed on the trail and I ditched for the water.  We lost each other for a bit and in order to save me Scott made a sign so I’d know which way to go.  We eventually caught up to each other and all was well.

Day 4:  This was my favorite day of  the whole trip.  We got up in the morning and went for a walk in the Tall Trees Grove.  Amazing!  There’s no way to capture how beautiful it was.  Then we packed up and hiked a few miles on the trail and spent the last five walking down the river.  It was nice and relaxing.  We ended our day with some great seafood in Crescent City and a long drive home with lots of taking turns driving so we wouldn’t fall asleep.

My family!!!

I am the luckiest girl in the world. I know I might be kind of partial but I have the greatest family.

My brothers are funny, kind, and willing to give me (and have given me) anything I need. They've given up their home, their car, their time, their money, their children, and their love for me more times that I could ever remember. I want to thank you, my dear brothers, for your love. You all mean the world to me and I want you to know how much I love you.

My brother's wives are even better than my brothers. I know those boys wouldn't be half of who they are if it weren't for the three of you. Thank you for always caring about me and the drama in my life. I wish I lived closer to you. I love you.

My sister's husbands deserve medals for having to put up with the extension of their wife (that would be me). They had no idea when they married my sister's that I came with the package. They have taken such good care of me and have come to my aid over and over again. One time I mentioned to Rick that something was wrong with my bike. Two minutes later he was outside fixing the problem. I'm not even sure I asked him to look at it. He just did it. As an old single woman it sure is nice having Rick and Jake around whenever I need to be rescued. Thank you for taking care of me and for allowing me to be such a big part of your family.

My Dad (sure is hard to write this with all the tears blurring my vision) is the world's greatest Dad. He is my voice of reason. When I need good sound advice I call my Pops. He keeps me sane and has the ability to help me see that everything is going to work out. We went to lunch the other day and I realized that I truly am my father's daughter and for that I am very grateful. He is a good man and has taught me how to live a good life. Thank you for everything Pops, I love you.

My mom, although her presence is greatly missed, I feel like she has never left my side.

My nieces and nephews are the sunshine of my life, all thirteen of you. I wish there was some way for me to show you how much you mean to me. You bring me more joy than you could ever know. Your smiles, your laughs, your sweet little voices and really deep voices, your hugs and kisses, your constant desire to play, your never ending love has made my life so full. Thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for your resilience. Thank you for lighting up every time you see me. I miss you the most when I am in Africa. I miss you the most when I'm anywhere but with you. I love you and always look forward to any opportunity I have to be in your presence.

My sisters...well...let's just say I will never be able to repay them for all they've given me. They are incredible examples to me. They are what I want to be like when I grow up. I couldn't live this life without them. They truly are my right and left arms. Their selflessness amazes me. They know every little tiny detail about my entire life and never complain when I'm sharing it with them. They are the official removers of DDD. They are the first phone call I ever make. They are my security. They know me better than anyone and their love never stops. I have shared the happiest and hardest times of my life with them. I don't know how I was so blessed to have two of God's greatest masterpieces as my sisters. Heid and Steph, you'll never know how much you mean to me but I'll spend the rest of my life trying to show you. I love you!!!

To my dear sweet family, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I wish there were better words to use to thank you for what you have all given me. Bette Midler says it best, you truly are the wind beneath my wings :) I love you all!!!