December 31, 2022

Fantastic Cali trip with all of us is in the books! Things to remember:

"Camping" in Beaver Dam.  Seeing the Kynastons and having a huge Mario Kart tournament.  Rainy first evening at the beach. Movie and games every evening.  Taco trail for some.  Sunny beach day.  Panffles. Sea lion spot (they were so close).  The walk to the beach from our house was 1/2 block.  Channel Islands.  Island fox.  Poor sea sick Darren.  Cavern Point hike with awesome views plus hilarious kids. 3 species of dolphins (Risso's, common, bottleneck).  Sound of the rocks as the waves receded.  Unfortunately we were whaleless (Rylie's whale socks did not bring us luck).  Red Robin per California tradition. Kenzie sleeping in the living room. Ocean birds.  Beach sunset.  Mama and baby dolphin.  Acai bowl. Taking a bad family photo and not thinking to take a good one at the beach.

 

December 25, 2022

Hail the heav’n’born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all he brings, Ris’n with healing in his wings. Mild he lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die; Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth. Hark! The herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King!

Merry Christmas! A wonderful Sabbath Christmas it was. K and T joined us for breakfast, church, presents, dinner, and Christmas hanging out.

I like Christmas with my fam. Sadie was funny, Cam was delightful, Rylie was generous, and Darren can now live in the woods for a week. It was great having 7 of us together. We chatted with M and R for a minute on FaceTime. 

 

December 24, 2022

Christmas celebration for Christmas Eve included Draper Chinese dinner with bingo, presents, and chimes.

The girls have been hilarious together tonight. “Do what I do going down the stairs.”

 

December 23, 2022

Draper kid Christmas celebrating was great. Sibling gifts, snack game, scavenger sock hunt, and games - all with lots of laughs and being together. “Tricked you - your present isn’t really a llama.” :)

 

December 22, 2022

Some Christmas time spent with my parents and Denise. It was interesting but the kids were good sports and I love my parents.

The funniest part of today - and there were plenty of funny things in Richfield - was tonight when Darren farted and Sadie said, “Nice one Big D.”  And then we all cracked up. 

December 21, 2022

Helaman - he did bring glad tidings to my soul.

The kids have done some Christmas activities the last few days with Christmas cookies and decorating gingerbread houses. 

December 20, 2022

Went snowshoeing with Darren today around Granite Flat. It was nice to get out even with my clumsy attempt today. It’s been a humbling week with poor pickleball play, getting whipped at SkyJo every game, and today’s snowshoe. But I got a new beanie so there’s that. 

 

December 16, 2022

I do enjoy playing pickleball. 

December 11, 2022

Lots of good little things that made for a week of smiles and contentment. Baylie’s tail wag on the couch in the morning when I come out, not making dinner, O Holy Night by Celine Dion, a new Christmas song - “Merry Christmas” by Ed Sheeran and Elton John, Seinfeld, sweatshirts, quiet morning with scriptures and the Christmas tree lights, certain socks that Kenz gave me for Christmas years ago, mirror drawings, Sadie’s charcoal, Baylie and her penguin, 1Second a Day video from 2020, deer crossing the neighborhood road on my run, Helaman 7:9 - these are my days, singing “Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful” in church, and Christmas quotes.  

Joseph B Wirthlin - And so He was born: Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Beloved Son of God. The Creator of suns and moons and swirling seas lay wrapped in swaddling clothes, His surroundings among the most humble earth had to offer.

 

“There’s room for everyone on the nice list.” - Buddy the elf

 

 

November 29, 2022

Our Tuesday night work crew is the best.

 

November 27, 2022

In church we sang the Mr Bean song!  “Alleluia”. Ry had the pleasure of sitting by Darren who sang part of it as Mr Bean. :)

Amos 5:8 - Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name.

November 25, 2022

Such a great day with kids. SkyJo, pickleball, catch phrase (lots of laughs here), hearts, hot chocolate, pizza, movie.  I loved today. 

 

November 24, 2022

Thanksgiving in Richfield with my parents went well. Lunch was good and the 7 of us enjoyed eating and playing a few games and taking my dad on a drive to see the new houses being built. Yangy thanksgiving. 

 

November 23, 2022

Before heading home from Hurricane we decided to head over near Snow Canyon and hike Padre Canyon. This was a great hike - perfect hike before driving home. It was steep the last 1/3 but with the hike only 1.5 miles it was totally doable. The view into Snow Canyon was cool. Then home to see the girls. PS - my favorite hiking snack is a fruit by the foot.

November 22, 2022

Happy Darren’s birthday! We spent the day exploring Zion’s West Rim trail.  We started the day meeting some folk from Arkansas. Then shuttle to The Grotto stop.  This was a fabulous hike! We left the crowds at Scout Lookout and continued on another 2 miles for some really cool views. We ran into some snow and ice and I can’t believe I took my spikes out of my backpack. I turned back after a bit while D continued on about a mile more while I enjoyed soaking in the Zion views. We are a late lunch with a cool view of Angel’s Landing and The Great White Throne. We also caught a glimpse of Walter's Wiggles from a distance. Hiking down we saw 3 condors soaring. It was super cool watching them. I loved seeing them. Dinner was Sizzler in Cedar City followed by hotel relaxing with delicious hot chocolate. That was a good day. Hard to tell whose birthday it was as I loved the entire day that Darren picked. 

November 18, 2022

Friday morning cold fun hiking to Donut Falls. Friday night music fun in Ephraim. We met Mason for dinner at Abundance (chicken pesto and fries - mmm) and then went to watch Rachael’s concert which was fabulous. 

November 17, 2022

Someone at work wasn’t going to use their Luminaria tickets (Christmas lights in the gardens at Thanksgiving Point) so they gave them to me. I recruited D, Cam, Kenz, and Tanner to come with me. (Sadie had work.) We kept our expectations low and had a fabulous time. I really enjoyed the lights and smells and the feeling of Christmas.

 

November 13, 2022

Christmas is up. It was a content evening as the girls put up Christmas decorations as we listened to Christmas music. Sigh.

Ry and I did a puzzle today and it reminded me of the BYU Speech I listened to this month from President Steven J Lund (General YM President - he gave the devotional in September). I really liked his talk and here’s the part I thought of:

Heavenly Father purposefully designed and ordered our world to require us to walk in faith. He pressed into place the pieces of this sophisticated jigsaw puzzle of mortality but held back a few of the pieces, which He keeps in His pocket to ensure that faith is required as we come up against the gaps in this puzzle’s spiritual landscape. He has ensured that we will not be able to game the system by thinking our way to heaven—to discover Him through provable math or science, which would obviate faith and foreclose the purposes of mortality.

I have a struggling attorney friend who recently said of the gospel, “It just doesn’t add up.” Well, his is a fair observation, isn’t it? The puzzle is incomplete, so it does not always add up. This should not surprise us. Even in mathematics there are numbers—such as pi—that are irrational but reliably constant.

 

 

November 12, 2022

Elder Renlund’s talk, April 2020. “Remember, joyfully and reverently, that the Savior loves to restore what you cannot restore; He loves to heal wounds you cannot heal; He loves to fix what has been irreparably broken; He compensates for any unfairness inflicted on you; and He loves to permanently mend even shattered hearts.”

November 11, 2022

Getting out in the winter is good for my mental health. Cold and beautiful today up AF Canyon. Thankful for friends who also like to get out.  Also - froyo and Five Guys fries are always a good choice.

 

November 8, 2022

I like a rainy day when I don’t have to drive far in it. I also like a good quote. Found this one from awhile back. Elder Christofferson April 2010 - Faith will not come from the study of ancient texts as a purely academic pursuit. It will not come from archaeological digs and discoveries. It will not come from scientific experiments. It will not even come from witnessing miracles. These things may serve to confirm faith, or at times to challenge it, but they do not create faith. Faith comes by the witness of the Holy Spirit to our souls, Spirit to spirit, as we hear or read the word of God. And faith matures as we continue to feast upon the word.

November 5, 2022

Parents visit and Capitol reef exploring. Double heifer day. Golden throne hike for a view, an echo, and few people. Sand at the tanks - my favorite. Ephraim stop for dinner and visit with M and R. 

November 3, 2022

Today was a winter wonderland up AF Canyon. Beautiful morning.  Then this evening it was a mini Snow College friends reunion.  Tara, Mary, Patty and I met up and ate some Five Guys before heading to SLCC to watch volleyball. Brandy's daughter was playing so we met up with her.  Such a great evening catching up with my grinds.  It had been probably 10 years since I’ve seen Bo. So great to see her and of course the rest of my gang.

November 1, 2022

I really like breakfast with Cam Tuesdays this school year. Hash browns and sausage plus today we had some kiwi.

October 31, 2022

Happy Halloween. Cam baking pumpkin muffins while singing Sugar by Maroon 5. Doof and her sidekick Agent B. 

October 30, 2022

Halloween weekend with Ry home. Pumpkin carving where Tanner went all out on his carving, puzzles, painting, pumpkin cookies (after pink pasta for dinner), drawing monsters, apple crisp, some Minecraft of course, and a Baylie bath. 

October 27, 2022

The sunset tonight was 5 stars! It was awesome chatting with Cam during the long drive thru lines at Costa Vida and Chick Fil A. 

 

October 24, 2022

Today at work a patron said goodbye with, “May the force be with you.” This may be my favorite interaction yet at work.

October 23, 2022

Great Sabbath. Church and chatting after church. Randall’s house where they made us dinner. Then telestrations had us all laughing. Camrie and Sadie were cracking me up today with Penny and just in general. We got our first snow of the season tonight. 

October 22, 2022

 Our annual Friend Zion retreat concluded today. I love this time every year where we see some beautiful stuff and strengthen our friendships. This year we added a rappelling adventure so I could be completely out of my comfort zone. 

We left for Deb’s cabin early Thursday morning. We stopped at kannaraville falls and enjoyed that hike. That water is always make your feet hurt cold but it was so beautiful. There were some fall leaves plus beautiful canyon walls plus gorgeous water falls. Fabulous chill hike. And I didn’t hate the new metal ladder like I thought I would. I also bribed a kid to go under the water fall for $2. 

We picked up some extra snacks and a game of Yahtzee at Terry’s food and drug (and hardware) in Orderville. Enjoyed our evening at the cabin. 

Friday we got the four wheeler and side by side running to help with our point to point hike. We dropped Lorien’s jeep off at the East Mesa Trailhead and then rode the four wheelers to Stave Springs Trailhead. We hiked 8 miles of down into the canyon and back up. Echo Canyon via East Rim Trail and then up to Observation Point. Echo Canyon really did have awesome echoes. Cool If you geek out at stuff like that like I do. It was awesome to see a side of Zion I hadn’t seen before. We saw 6 people until we got to where the Observation Point trail heads off. Plenty of people at OP. But a guy pointed out the California condor soaring by Angel’s Landing so that was cool. More geeking out by me. :)

Came back to the cabin for chips and salsa and then picked up the four wheelers with a side trip to look out over Jolley Gulch. Evening at the cabin was getting ready for our Birch Hollow rappelling adventure. Aaaaahhhh!

We started our day early and with my anxiety sky high. I was so nervous to rappel. Something about only a rope and waking off the edge and me being at level 1 with rappelling experience. Birch Hollow had 10 or 11 (we lost count) rappels and the first two are probably the hardest. I told everyone I wanted to go second so I could watch someone and then go down so I wouldn’t stress more. :). I tackled the first rappel and after that I was good to go. I was still totally nervous but I knew I could do it. The cool rappels came at the end as you’re in more of a slot canyon setting. One rappel was over 100 feet. It was pretty cool though and just straight down with no obstacles - just long. 11 rappels was a lot and I’m still processing as even though it was cool and parts were fun, the anxiety was high and I’m not sure I actually enjoy it. :). Then we hiked out Orderville canyon to the truck, drove a horrible road back to where we started, ran back to the cabin and hurriedly packed up to head home and beat the storm. Well we didn’t beat the storm and the drive from beaver to Nephi was so scary and wintery and slow. But thankfully we made it home and have another fabulous Zion weekend in the books.