We have a tradition that after Stake Conference we always go on a little adventure. This time, we headed up to Eldorado Springs for a little picnic and a hike. The weather was a perfect 75 degrees and sunny. The kids had a great time throwing rocks in the river, exploring a tiny cave, and getting dirty! We will be sad to see this beautiful Fall end!
Josh played soccer for the first time this year, and much to my surprise, he loved it! They had practices twice a week for 6 weeks, and played games on the weekend for the last 3 weeks. He called them his “Big Games.” It was so fun to go cheer him on and watch his cute, determined little face as he chased the ball. We are proud of you, Buddy!
That’s right—I finally turned the big 18 + 12. 30 years old! I know a lot of people have a little anxiety when they turn 30 (ahem….Rusty), but I am actually really excited about it. So many new experiences to have, so many new things to do. Being grown-up definitely has its perks. So, here’s to my NEXT 30 years!
Rusty threw me an awesome birthday party at the park. He made Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken, and then all my awesome friends brought yummy side dishes. He also showed a sweet little slide show that I’ll put at the bottom of this post. AND, he bought me the shirt I am wearing in the pictures. How did I get so lucky? A man who can plan parties, cook, and shop…not to mention all the other more manly stuff he can do ;)
My friend, the extraordinarily talented Sarah, made my birthday cake. It was spice cake with a peach filling and topped with caramel frosting. There is only one word to describe it, and that word is DIVINE. We had cake and donuts (my favorite treat) for dessert. You should have seen the swarm of kids around the donut box. 60 donuts were gone in less than 5 minutes. I don’t think I could have asked for a more perfect day. I am grateful for all I’ve learned and been able to do in my first 30 years, and I’m so excited to see what the next 30 will hold!
Some of Rusty’s cousins were running the Red Rock Relay and needed a few extra team members. Rusty wanted to find out what all the Relay fuss was about, so we jumped on board. And we are glad we did! We had such a fun time! We started at the top of a ski lift at Brianhead ski resort, and then ran 187 miles to the finish line in Zion National Park. We experienced all kinds of weather—snow, rain, 80 degrees, ran on all sorts of terrain—canyons, back roads, neighborhoods, giant hills, and had all kinds of fun. I was a little skeptical of the co-ed relay, but I was pleasantly surprised. Rusty trained well, and he ran his heart out on every one of his legs. It was so fun to watch him. We’d do it again in a heartbeat!
Team C.R.E.W (Crazy Runners EveryWhere!)
Natalie, Michael and Jack met us in Glenwood Springs for Labor day. We rented a house from VRBO that the kids called the “fishy house” because it had a metal fish displaying the address. There was a little backyard with a fire pit, an apple tree, and even a little garden in the front. Halle was in heaven picking apples and digging up carrots. The boys loved running in the backyard, and the parents loved that we could put the kids to bed and still hang out in the living room. Our family had the awesome opportunity to share full bunk beds. It was very cozy :)
We decided to try the hike to Hanging Lake with the kiddos. We’d been told that it’s a hard hike, but still doable with kids. Maybe with some kids, but not with ours. That was a LONG, HARD hike. Jack did NOT want to get in his hiking backpack, and Josh’s short little legs were just not up to the task. But, after much whining, piggy backs, many snacks, and a lot of encouragement from Mom and Dad, we made it to the top! The kids were really proud of themselves and the falls were beautiful. Worth it? Not quite sure…..
Of course we had to go to the Hot Springs, but can I say, RIP OFF?? We paid about $80 for our family to go swimming in a warm pool. But, in spite of giving me major anxiety about the cost, we loved hanging out at the pool. The kids loved that it was so warm, and there was a fun waterslide that Josh can’t stop talking about. 
We also hung out at a little park by a lake, made smores, played the wii, and just generally had a good time! We were so glad to spend time with the Birds, and it flew by way too fast.
Here’s to another great school year!
Ever since my triathlon last summer, Halle has said that she wants to do one too. She’s been talking about it all year, and as I was training this summer, sometimes she’d come on a little bike ride with me or a run around the block. Our awesome town puts on “The Mighty Kids Triathlon” every summer and we knew this would be the perfect race for Halle. There are transitions, and the kids get timing chips and everything. So official!
It all started with a 25 meter swim. She did it in 55 seconds flat
Then on to T1. 4:15. We’ll work on transitions for next year :) 
She biked a mile in 6:23. Yes, I realize her bike is a little small. I’m working on it :) 
She had a speedy T2 and then a great 1/2 mile run—4:58. She ran the entire way! 
Final time: 17:09. On the way home from the race she said, “Mom, I can’t stop smiling! I can’t believe I did it!” It was a proud moment for this Mamma. Way to go Halle girl!
I had the fun opportunity to go to girls camp with my Young Women this June. We went to Camp Batel up near Laramie, WY and we had such a good time. We got to shoot bows and arrows, throw tomahawks, canoe, shoot guns, and eat yummy food. We had a fairy tale theme and our ward was “Camp Lumiere” from Beauty and the Beast. We had a fun skit night, and fun ward party luau, complete with dutch oven pineapple upside down cake. The girls loved bishop’s night where the bishopric all came up and brought us brownies and ice cream. We then enjoyed a beautiful testimony meeting around the campfire. It was fun to get to spend all that time with the girls, and also with my good friend, Amy Braiser, who was our amazing camp director. The only thing that was not awesome was the mosquitoes. They were just awful! There were so many, and they were so relentless, that by Friday night I felt like I was going a little bit crazy. One of our YW counted over 150 bites on her body! But, one wise leader likened the mosquitoes to Satan, and how he tries to distract us from the important things in life, just like the mosquitoes were distracting us from the fun and the beauty all around us at camp. We survived the mosquitoes and lived to tell the tale. After camp we made cute little camp scrapbooks, so these pictures are from the scrapbooks we made.
Tara, Amy, and Lynnette giving the girls a run for their money in the canoes
Tara, Kristie, and Mavanee showing off our amazing archery skills
Timpanogos Cave, that is. We decided that Halle and Josh were old enough to make this rite of passage hike. I have so many fun childhood memories of hiking the cave with my family, aunts, uncles and cousins, that I was excited to share this same experience with my kids. It is a tough hike—1 1/2 miles and 1,065 ft of elevation gain. But, we brought lots of water and snacks and were confidant that the kids could do it. As we were getting ready to leave Josh said, “I sure hope there are no “Traitors and Tyrants” inside of the cave!” Where does he come up with this stuff???
While there were no traitors or tyrants, the cave tour was amazing. The kids did really well on the hike up, and Halle absolutely loved every minute we were in the cave. Josh liked it to, but it got a little long for him. He got a free ride down the mountain, and my quads got a killer workout from steep downhill hike + child on my back. This will definitely be a repeat activity.
