Beautiful Wyoming

We got to spend the weekend with Jake's family at Grandpa Greg's cabin in Wyoming. I have to admit that I was skeptical that Wyoming could be beautiful outside of the Tetons. I was proven wrong. It was beautiful and green with a river winding through everything. Picture 'A River Runs Through It' and you'll be pretty close. It was pretty much a fisherman's paradise. Jake was salivating as we drove up and got on the river to fish as fast as possible. I don't fish, but I still enjoyed myself. The kids loved it and can't wait to go back.

We got to spend the weekend visiting with Jake's aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was fun to catch up with everyone and share some good laughs. We're definitely hoping this becomes an annual adventure. Jake's trying to figure out when he can go fish up there again. Zack enjoyed fishing, Kate enjoyed watching. I have to admit that Kate's not so much the outdoorsy person. She'll spend a few minutes hiking or fishing, but that's about it. If it was up to her she'd probably go shopping. Not sure how she's my daughter. Sage loved petting all of the dogs. I've never had a kid who loves animals like she does. There's no fear at all, she just gets super excited and wants to play. Its great, and again definitely not inherited from me. Come to think of it, what did my kids get from me?

My Boys

I love my two boys. They're the greatest. I especially love them at this time of year because its their birthdays. Zack's birthday is today and Jake's is on Friday. I can't believe I have a 6 year old. Crazy.

So, these pics are from their recent backpacking trip. Have I mentioned that Zack is a hiker extraordinaire? Because he is. He can probably out-hike most adults, and especially most kids. He's amazing.

So they went backpacking to the Uintahs. Zack carried a 15 pound backpack in for 4 miles on the first day. They set up camp, cooked on their little stove, fished, and had a good time. Zack had a tough time on the way out, but overall he was a trooper. I love that he's getting old enough to do things like that with Jake. And I love that he has a dad who can do those things with his son.

I love my boys!

p.s. Sorry about all the pics. They were too cute to leave any out:)

Farmington Festival Days

We just experienced our yearly tradition of Farmington Festival Days. Love it. Love the parade, love the races, and mostly love hanging out with the fam. This year we started the festivities with a BBQ at the homestead. Early the next morning most of us ran a race. Mel and Toby did the 10k, Jake did the half-marathon, and I did the 5k. I managed to get 3rd place overall in my race. Seeing as I'm not that fast, obviously nobody was very fast this year. My trophy is proudly displayed in the office:)

Then the parade. The kids love it. They end up with bags full of candy. Good times. The pics are of the annual sitting at the parade and of the races the kids were having before the parade. Love it. After the parade we got treated to some of my Uncle John's delicious omelets. So good. Then we got to cool off in the pool.

All in all, a successful festival days. Can't wait for next year. Tradition!

Lake Powell

Another successful Lake Powell trip. Successful in that there were no serious injuries and no major boat problems. Add to that the fun and relaxation and you get a successful trip.

We went with our good friends the Slacks (hopefully they're still our good friends after being stuck with us for so long:). We camped in Knowels Canyon (or something like that). Our campground was a 2-story in that the boat was down on the beach and then we had to go up a steep hill to get to food, tables, and shade. So we still got our exercise.

We did lots of skiing, some wake boarding, lots of knee boarding and tubing. Obviously most of our pics were taken on the tube. The kids love it. Zack always wants to go slower, Kate asks to not go on the 'big waves' and Sage just fell asleep. This year Zack went on the knee board all by himself. He's starting to get old enough to do more of this boating stuff. He's actually a pretty good help now when we go. I thought I had figured out how to get up on a slalom ski, but for some reason I struggled. I managed to get up a couple of times after lots of tries. Really annoying. Jake of course, was his normal amazing self on anything he tried. He enjoyed skiing on the smooth water that's hard to find anywhere else. Zack caught his first fish. He was so excited. It was a catfish, which he says is his favorite fish because it has whiskers. We hiked up to see some super cool indian ruins. I've never seen anything like that. Pretty amazing.

So this was my second time doing the Lake Powell thing and every year I learn lots more about how to do Lake Powell. I grew up doing mostly mountain camping. This hot beach camping is a totally different beast. This year I learned about the importance of having good coolers and packing them well with ice. That didn't happen so well this year, so the majority of the trip we had warm drinks. Let's just say that warm drinks at super hot Lake Powell are not so good. Big lesson learned. I remembered what things are important to bring and what things aren't so important. And I remembered that its really hard to camp at Lake Powell, in the sand, in the heat, with kids. I've never experienced Lake Powell with a house boat, but I'm pretty sure I would enjoy it. In fact, I'm thinking maybe we should try Flaming Gorge trips for a few years until we accrue a house boat. We'll see. That heat was killer this year. Loved being able to just swim in the water when it was hot, but really wanted somewhere to go to get out of the heat. I am definitely of swedish ancestry. And I live in Midway. Moral of the story: I don't do heat.

Despite the heat, we really did have fun. It was nice to get away, relax, and enjoy the beauty of Lake Powell.

Anyway

Christmas Meadows

We had a super fun weekend camping in Christmas Meadows in the Uintahs. I love camping in the Uintahs because its so beautiful. I also love that it only takes about an hour for us to get to campgrounds in the Uintahs.

So we packed up Thursday and took off after dinner. Holy cow. It takes so much stuff just to go camping for a couple of nights. The truck was full to overflowing. Anyway, we set up camp when we got there and didn't do too much else. It got cold that night. Sage ended up in my sleeping bag, but Zack and Kate were troopers. Zack is a born camper. He does not get cold. He was half out of his sleeping bag and totally warm all night. He can also hike forever. Its great.

Friday morning we went for a fun hike. There was tons of run-off from the snow melting, so it was a wet, muddy hike. We were actually surprised at how much snow was still up there. Mirror Lake and all the campgrounds around it were still totally covered in snow. Luckily our camp site was at a lower elevation so we were fine. In fact, the weather Friday and Saturday was perfect.

Our friends came up to camp Friday afternoon and we had lots of fun. We took the kids fishing. Unfortunately, the fish didn't show up. Even the big boys tried their hand at catching us some dinner, but no such luck. That night we had s'mores around the campfire. So much fun. That's about my favorite part of camping. The kids loved it.

Saturday morning we had some good pancakes and bacon for breakfast. I love a good breakfast in the mountains. Then we played softball with the kids. We packed up and headed home after that. It was so nice to get away. Very fun and relaxing. We all loved it.

I did it!

I made it through my third marathon! I ran the Utah Valley Marathon through Provo Canyon and finishing at the Provo Town Center. I'm in much pain, but glad I did it. The weather was perfect. We got rained on a bit, but not too much. I so do not run well in the heat, so I was very grateful for the cool weather.

Other than my aching body, it was a great experience. I got to meet some great people and push myself to my limits. Overall I felt pretty good, but those last 6 miles are always so hard. I didn't walk at all other than at aid stations, but I have to admit that the only thing that kept me going the last few miles was that I just wanted to get it over with and not prolong the agony. I finished at about 3:47. I was hoping for a little faster, but that was the best I could do today. I'm ok with that.

Jake was a trooper and dragged all three kids out in the rain to watch their mom run. It was good to see them a couple times during the race. My dad and sisters also drove all the way down just to watch me finish. I'm feelin' the love. Thanks!

In the post-race picture if it looks like I'm at deaths door, that's because I was. Not really, but I was definitely hurting. Immediately following the race I told my sister never to let me run a marathon again. However, now I'm thinking more clearly and, let's face it, it will probably happen again. Yes it hurts, but there's something to be said for working so hard towards a goal, and then pushing yourself to accomplish it. Definitely something I feel good about.

Special shout out to Linz, who was definitely on my mind today. The last marathon I did was with her. I'm hoping they do celestial marathons so we can run together again. Love you Linz!

Kindergarten Graduation

Zack finished kindergarten! He was so excited for the program they did. They sang some great songs and Zack did an awesome job. Now we get to play for the summer and then on to first grade. Crazy!