Spring Break: Grand Canyon

Today we woke up early, prepared our hiking daypacks, and set out for the Grand Canyon! I was about Dallin's age the last time I visited the Grand Canyon. I remembered some areas and views, but I don't think I accurately remembered the beauty and majesty of this incredible creation. It amazes me (again) how powerful water can be! I reflected on the thousands of years the river has slowly carved through the rock. I pondered on the patience of the Creator as He set this is motion knowing this would be the end result. It isn't just a big hole in the ground; it's nature's representation of patience and perseverance. It was simply breathtaking! Jeff and the kids seemed to enjoy it too. We came in to the south rim and stopped at several lookouts on our way to Grand Canyon Village where we parked the car and hiked along the rim for a couple miles. We all got a little toasted by the sun, but we had a blast. The kids sure played with my anxieties though. There were a few times when they hiked out onto precarious rock formations or just close enough to the edge to get my heart racing. Luckily, they were sure footed enough that no one got hurt! Whew!

If you look closely, the kids are actually out on that rock! Yikes!! 

After our hike, we grabbed some ice cream before heading into Flagstaff where we stayed the night. We got to Flagstaff around dinner time. We ate then waited for the sun to go down before heading to Mars Hill where the Lowell Observatory is located. Again, I've lived in AZ all my life and have never been here. It was really cool! We were able to closely look at the moon and to see the 4 moons and rings around Jupiter. We even got to witness a new star forming. I wasn't sure if the kids were going to like it, but they all seemed enthralled with the cosmos. It was a great way to end a day in awe of the Lord's creations!



Spring Break: Page, AZ

Today started our Spring Break adventure! This year I realized that our Spring Break occurred during the first week that the Mesa Temple presented their annual Easter Pageant. I grew up going to this pageant every year. I have fond memories of watching the pageant with my grandmother (who passed away three years ago) then going over to her house for treats afterwards while we waited for the traffic to die down. I know I'm partial, but I think this is the best pageant. It recounts the life of Christ from birth through resurrection. My eyes fill with tears each time I watch the scene with Christ and the children or the scene after His resurrection. In any case, once I discovered that the two events coincided, Jeff and I decided we'd take the kids to Arizona for Spring Break. The kids have been there a few times, but this time we decided to make a few stops along the way. First stop was Page, AZ. I have made this drive numerous times but have never stopped to actually visit Glen Canyon Dam. This time we did. We wandered around the visitor's center before we took a guided tour of the dam. It is incredible to think that the energy created from this dam actually services where I live now and the small town of Craig, CO where Jeff grew up. It is amazing to think that all that energy is harvested from the water. We marveled at the huge turbines and the incredible architectural feat to create the dam.

That is the size of the turbines! 

Do you like how the kids are photobombing our picture?

After we left the dam, we checked into our hotel then drove down the road to hike to this little gem - Horseshoe Bend. This is a part of what becomes the Grand Canyon where the Colorado River wraps around the incredible section of rock. It is breathtaking! I will even venture to say that it's even more beautiful than the Grand Canyon. I know many people may disagree with that but I loved watching the river wind around the rocks, which is something that is more difficult to see from the rim of the Grand Canyon...but here are a few pics so I'll let you decide.

Amber doing her best Ariel pose. 

We finished our day by swimming at the hotel. I think it was a successful first day. Next stop = Grand Canyon!



Laurin's 18th birthday

Happy birthday Laurin!!! She is officially an "adult"! This past year has been an adventurous one for her as she has been feverishly wrapping up her high school career and frantically trying to plan for her college future. She is officially enrolled at Weber State University and (after the shock of knowing she has to be an adult) is excited about moving out on her own. We are extremely proud of her academic accomplishments. She is quickly maturing as that frontal lobe in her brain finally kicks into gear. It has been fun watching her make good decisions because she knows that is what is right and not simply because she wants to avoid a parental consequence. I'm still not certain she has given up the erroneous assumption that her parents don't know anything, but hopefully with time, she will see us as an asset. She is such a beautiful, talented young woman. We are so proud to call her daughter. To celebrate, we had her favorite dinner (steak) then invited family over to partake in cookie sundaes for dessert. Happy birthday Laurin!! We hope this next year is the best yet!

General Conference

This is one of my favorite weekends of the year! Saturday and Sunday we have the privilege of watching four 2-hour live broadcasts in which we are able to receive counsel and comfort from the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love being able to listen to a prophet's voice. My heart feels buoyed up after hearing the messages and I feel motivated to make the changes necessary to enable me to one day return to my Father in Heaven. Prior to watching conference, I wrote down two specific questions that I prayed would be answered during the course of the weekend. As I listened to the talks, I could feel the gentle whisperings of the Spirit as those questions were answered - whether through something the speaker said or something I felt in my heart. I know my Father in Heaven is aware of all the tears I shed and the joys I celebrate. Sometimes I feel unworthy of His love, but He is always there nonetheless. I know I have a Father in Heaven. I know He sent His Son to come to this earth to die for me that I might live again. I know through my Savior's atonement I can find peace. I know They are aware of my deepest desires, and I have faith in my future. I was grateful to have the spiritual and emotional balm I received this weekend. There have been some dark moments recently as desires go unfulfilled, but I trust in His wisdom...and I'm making an effort to trust in His timing as well. In addition to my own spiritual edification, it was great to see my kids listening and learning. I loved hearing them talk about some of the messages. I realize there was some candy/treat motivation for them to listen for certain topics, but I think they are all learning to listen for the spiritual benefits...not just the sugary ones. I can't wait to do this again in 6 months!

Our topic buckets! We chose different topics we thought would be discussed or topics we thought we should pay attention to. When those topics were mentioned, the kids got to get a little something out of that specific bucket.

Choir Tour 2014

Today Amber returned home from choir tour. She left the same day Stan, Kristi, and their kids arrived. This year the choir went to Southern CA. After a late start (the buses didn't arrive Thursday evening as planned), they made it to CA where they participated in a few festivals and clinics and also got to play at Disneyland. Amber had a blast! I'm pretty sure she didn't want to come home. Here are just a few pics from her weekend.

Pack Meeting

Tonight was another pack meeting. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of all the silly cheers and activities at pack meetings, but I do appreciate the cub (and boy) scout program because of all they teach these young boys/men. Tonight's pack meeting was all about "compassion". There were several stations where the boys got to see, in a small way, what it would be like to have a disability. I thought it was very well done. Jeff and I had a meeting in Salt Lake that evening so we had to leave before the awards, but Danny earned two more belt loops! Way to go Danny!! (And way to go Bear Leaders!!! Those women are on top of things!).

This last station was on dyslexia. They had to complete word scrambles.