Adams Family Hike

This is the beginning of the hike when we are all still excited to be going!

Still happy.

We went the wrong way at one point and ended up in this beautiful little area next to the river where the kids could play on the logs and run around a bit.




There's nothing like climbing on a log in the middle of the stream!

On Saturday, Alan and I decided it would be fun to take everyone on a hike. After looking online for one that would suit our pampered feet, we picked Adam's Canyon. The reviews said it was a family hike that would take about two hours with a waterfall at the top! We were jazzed. We started at 11:30am and the switchbacks at the beginning were tough.
We were climbing a mountain though and assumed it would level off at some point to give us a break. Not so much. As we climbed higher and higher the song "Climb Every Mountain" kept running through my mind and I felt like the Von Trapps crossing the Swiss Alps. Thankfully we were not being pursued by Nazi's. And frankly, I don't think that knowledge would have helped us move any quicker. Alan and I tried to stay positive for the kids as exhaustion turned into bewilderment because we weren't getting any closer to the top. We would ask people coming down how much farther and they would just look at us with pity in their eyes and say your not even half way there yet.
At one point the trail became so verticle that Sarah just stopped and started crying that she was never going to be able to get back down. We felt so bad. When we finally reached the "bridge" to cross the river I am pretty sure we became the Grizwalds. We were going to the top and everyone was going to have fun no matter what! The bridge to cross consisted of logs layed across the water with boards nailed to it every so often. Then at one point 3/4 of the way across the bridge just ends and you have to make your way on slimey logs and hope you don't fall in. The water wasn't deep but very cold and lots of rocks to hurt you.

It just kept getting steeper and steeper.

and steeper yet.

Sarah is so done. She was not happy about having to climb back down what we just came up. Going down was much better though.

We climbed higher and higher and at one point the trail goes completely verticle. We scaled the rocks and the roots sticking out to get to the next level. And we still weren't there yet! By the time we reached the top it was anticlimatic and the boys were just excited to stop and get to throw rocks in the water. Our fun family hike ended at 4:30 in the after noon. Whatever the phase beyond exhaustion is, we were about three phases beyond that. Somewhere between pioneer crossing the plains and death! On the upside, my butt looks better sooooooo.........

The end!

Lost

So have you ever had one of those dreams that takes you to so many places you wake up not really knowing where you are? I was so disoriented this morning I couldn't make sense of where I was. Especially since my brain was telling me I should be at a really cool Dr. Seuss park in Arizona where it gets really hot but I don't sweat. And, Will Ferrel was standing next to me in some sort of rubberized suit and on stilts that made him look like a character from a Dr. Seuss book. Just as I was registering who he was he slowly started to tip over on top of me while I was calmly asking him not to crush me. We both laughed and laughed and then I woke up. I promise I don't do drugs and didn't watch anything weird before bed. If I could hook a camera up to my head and record my dreams I could make millions!!!!!!!!

We're done! Finally!

Jacob's months and months of play practice have finally come to an end and culminated in a very fine performance. Jacob was cast as the "Cowardly Lion" in his school's production of "The Wizard of Oz". He did a fine job and sacrificed his play time everyday for the past four months so he could be at practice. He sang, he danced, he did a great job.

Mary and Bob came up to see the play too and had a fun time I think. We are done with extracurricular activities for a while now. Thankfully, sports, orchestra and drama are done with and we can just focus on the rest of the school year. Although it will last until the first of July. I wish I had a video of his performance but as most of you know, we are technologically challenged in our house and don't have a digital video camera. Trust me, he did well! It is so fun to see our kids participate in these activities and I am especially thankful for the teachers that provide these opportunities.

I think I am old.....

I was scrutinizing myself way to close to the mirror last night and was surprised to find a gray hair. This of course caused me to look even closer and I found another, then another. I saved them for a while and looked at them on different colored surfaces to see if in fact they were gray. I do have some very light hairs left over from my much blonder youth. After a difinitive diagnosis of most definitely gray, I named them Jacob, Daniel and Sarah. The kids were surprised to find out that they had gray hairs named after them, and were just slightly flattered and somewhat confused about their very young mother having gray hair. "Are you old mommy?", Sarah asks.
I am not sure how I feel about this new information. I find it ironic I discovered them so close to my next birthday. Be careful what you look for, you may find it! I have decided that there is really no need to look at myself in the mirror that closely again. I just don't need to find things anymore. I also have no desire whatsoever to become a slave to a hairsylist. I have lived this long without one and I don't intend on starting the hair coloring rollercoaster. It is an epidemic here in Utah and most of the hairstyles end up looking like something between a skunk and Cindy Lauper in the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" video. I think Edward Scissorhands moved here after his movie debue and has been doing hair here under an assumed name ever since.
Other things happened this weekend too, but I think my gray hairs have trumped them all. Superficial? Maybe. But definitely noteworthy. I'll share the other stories later.

Monster Concert

Jacob performed in his "Monster Concert" tonight. The orchestra is comprised of all of the elementary schools in North Davis County. There were about 300-400 students on the stage playing at one time. They did such a great job! Jacob is doing really well learning the Cello and he is sticking with it in the orchestra next year in Jr. High. Yea!!! Good Job Jacob!

Facebook, really?

I have recently joined the ranks of Facebook. I must say, it is a monumental waste of time with few redeeming qualities. It is the pinnacle of the cyber-generation's need to stay connected on every mundane level possible. And, sadly, I like it! Mostly I have enjoyed getting in touch with people Alan and I haven't talked to or seen since High School. We got married, left and never looked back.
Yesterday we had our friend Kent Kolhase and his cute family over for dinner after not seeing or talking to him for almost 20 years. I can't believe I am old enough to say that but alas it is true. It was so fun catching up with him and getting to know his family. Except for a few gray hairs, he looks exactly the same.
We have discovered a few other friends and look forward to getting in touch with them too.
We also, had Stake Conference yesterday and got to go to the Ogden Tabernacle. I didn't know Ogden had a tabernacle too. It is very different than the one in Salt Lake but it sits next to the temple also like the Salt Lake tabernacle does. The presiding Bishop and his Wife spoke to us and it was exhilerating to see a General Authority up close. He talked about the attributes of all the prophets he has known in his life since David O McKay and what great men they were/are. It was a good meeting. Our Stake President talked about the importance of our families and the value of families. It is nice to be reminded from time to time that our families are the most important things in our lives. I find my desire to be with my family grows as I get older. Especially as members of my family die and our children get older and prepare for their futures. Life goes by quickly. There really isn't any time to waste on the superficial. I suppose this means less time on Facebook!