Photos from Girls Camp

Craft time!- since our theme was focusing on the positives in our lives- the girls decorated these with 10 personality traits they like about themselves and 10 physical traits they like about themselves.

Camp fire- everyone's favorite

The Stake had a Dr. Seuss theme, "Why fit in when you're born to stand out." Our Stake goes a little crazy with decor. It was very cute.

The girls LOVE our lake time. How many can we fit on one tube?

Ready for canoe relays

Hanging out in the tent. It was really cold at night. The final night there all 19 girls decided they would sleep in the same 6-man tent. They were warm. I love that the girls all get along so well. 20 very different girls together for 4 days and no drama. Pretty amazing.

Playing at the lake

Canoeing 

Talking about boys in the tent

Trying to stay warm

craft #2 - cute necklaces

So peaceful

Cute girls!

Mixing the Trash Bag Salad- a girl's camp staple.

It was COLD!

Skit night. We let the girls make up the skit without leaders help. They had to keep with our theme and use a bag of props. They came up with a cute version of the Ugly Duckling  who learned to choose doing good over popularity. They also decided to make it a musical. They had a 2-5 minute limit so they sang a fun mash up of a variety of songs.

Crafts

Camp SWAG, Live Lucky backpacks. Our ward theme was "Tell yourself Ducky, you're really quite lucky"

Quiet time for journaling and scriptures

Weekend/Ride Report-Loa Fish Lake Loop

We decided that this summer we are going to explore Utah on our bikes. One weekend a month we are going to a new location and doing a bike ride. This weekend was the first trip.

I have to start by stating that small town America rocks. We stayed at the Road Creek Inn in Loa, Utah. It is a newly reopen hotel. We were the only ones there and the owners we so nice and accommodating. They even checked on us after our ride to make sure we made it back. They offered to come find us if we weren't back by dark. The whole town was friendly. Everyone waved as we rode past. Made us consider (briefly) giving up city life.

Road Creek Inn. Main Street. Loa, Utah

 

The building is the old ZCMI.

 Friday evening we went to dinner in Bicknell. We tried the restaurant's "famous" pies, including pickle pie, oatmeal pie, and pinto bean pie. Surprisingly good-but nothing we'd go back for.

We then drove to what was labeled on the map as a bird sanctuary. We didn't see much by way of birds, but the scenery was nice.

 Friday morning, after a basic breakfast provided by the hotel, we headed out on the ride. I was nervous. This was the longest ride I've ever undertaken (53 miles). It was an unfamiliar route where I wasn't sure if there would be a shoulder to ride on, a lot of traffic, and how steep of hills we would encounter.

It turned out there was just a small shoulder, but very little traffic. And the small town hospitality continued as everyone gave us a lot of space as they passed. We did have some pretty steep climbs, but I was better prepared than I thought. The climbing was tempered by rolling hills and a few flat stretches as well.

Nothing but road ahead.

A few miles into the ride. There was a nice down hill before the turnoff to Fish Lake, then a steady climb for several miles.

Made it to the top. All downhill from here.

Rick just built a new bike. We figured there would be a few adjustments along the way. We only had to stop once when his back wheel decided to stop turning just as we headed down to the lake.

Not far now.

First view of Fish Lake. The ride was beautiful. I wanted to take more photos but it was a bit annoying to stop riding every few minutes for a photo op.

We stopped for lunch at The Bowery. It was so delicious! We knew it was a risk stopping for meal mid-ride, but we assumed it was all downhill on the way home, so it wouldn't be a problem. (Little did we know.)

My meal- YUM.

A brief stop to dip my feet in the lake before heading around the other side and back to Loa. The wind was really picking up at this point.

 

The ride back was beautiful, very little traffic, and camp sites every few miles, which meant bathrooms! I was grateful.

It was also open grazing land and we had a scare when we turned a corner and startled a cow who jumped out into the road.

We heard there was one climb on the way back. We hoped the very small incline out of town was it, not so lucky. We then rode around this lake which was beautiful. We saw some pelicans out on the lake and a huge flock of some other birds that were too far away to identify (frustrating). The far side of the lake had a nice climb which we assumed was the single big climb going back. Again, not so lucky.

I thought this was funny. The ride back was spectacular. The road followed a winding river. Shortly after this spot, we found the actual big climb we had been told about. It came after some 8% grade descents which would have been fun except the strong gusty crosswinds had picked up.

After the climb, we were regretting the hour stop and big lunch. Somewhere between mile 35-40 exhaustion set in and I went into "just keep peddling" mode. The last 10 miles were very windy and much harder than anticipated. We came back into Loa via some farmlands. The ride took us about 2.5 hours to get there and 2 hours to get back. Surprising considering how much climbing we did the first half. The wind really slowed us down on the return.

Someone once told me you can tell an amateur biker by grease stains on your legs. I've never been on ride without them. Somehow I had them on both legs this time.

 All in all, a wonderful ride and we are looking forward to our next "Explore Utah" adventure. We learned some things to apply to our next ride- including the importance of applying sunscreen evenly and to pack something to eat for lunch on the road instead of stopping for big meal.

Next month we are heading North.

Father's Day - My Husband and My Dad!

My Husband
I've said before that one of my favorite things about Rick is what a great dad he has been. That is one thing that really attracted me to him when we were dating. He so selflessly gave up career, education, and social life to take care of his kids. The boys hated the few times Rick took them to daycare, so when he was laid off from his job, he found a way to work from home so they could have the stability of being home with a parent instead of bouncing around various daycare centers and friends/family homes. It took sacrifice- they didn't have much by way of money and Rick gave up furthering his education and career, but it resulted in two great kids. Rick has never complained, simply because he doesn't see that he has anything to complain about. He does not have one regret that he chose spending time with his kids and their stability over anything else. This is the good man that I married!

One of my cousins posted a link on Facebook to a single-dad's blog. I started checking out some of his posts and found this one he wrote about being a step-dad.
 
I thought that I would relate to his experience as a step parent, but our experiences have been pretty different, although a couple of his thoughts rang true for me as well. What I enjoyed was reading his feelings about his kids having a step-dad when his ex got re-married. It made me think of Rick. I love that there is not an ounce of jealousy that his kids have "another dad". Rick has been very supportive of dad2 taking a parenting role in their lives and encourages the kids to have a good relationship with him. Rick understands having more people to love his kids is good. In fact, the better relationships the kids have with all parents and step-parents the more stable life is for all of us. And stability for the kids has always been priority number one.

I see how hard it is for the kids to have 2 families and 2 homes. It really is so unfair to them. Rick and I talk often, and have spent many hours with a counselor, discussing how we can make life more stable for them. As the kids get older and start to understand the dynamics of their home life, I believe they will come to appreciate how much less stress they had in their childhood because their dad has always put their stability and happiness as his number one priority. I love him for this!


My Dad
Growing up I think my friends liked to hang out with my dad more than they liked to hang out with me. He always planned fun water-skiing trips, parties, backyard football games and vacations to Lake Powell, all expense-free for as many friends as we wanted to bring. At 70, he's still the same guy. He and my mom just bought a motor home for the family to use at will.

He is also a great example of faith and service. He currently is the Stake Patriarch. I think it is an emotionally exhausting job. The only thing he doesn't like about it, is he isn't asked to do anything else at church. He loves to serve and be involved.

Grandkids are his passion and kids fight over who gets sleepovers with grandpa on a weekly basis. He is a such a great example of success, family and faith!

My First Birch Box

I am so bummed. I just wrote this whole post then lost it all. Ugh.

I have jumped on the Birch Box bandwagon. First of all, I'll explain the Birch Box if you haven't heard of it. You pay $10 / month and get a monthly box of samples of beauty products. I was intrigued by what I've read on others blogs about it, so I decided on a 3-month trial. You have to get on the waiting list, which I think is a marketing ploy to make it seem urgent you sign up. It took a week or two, then I received an email saying I was at the top of the list and better sign up soon so I didn't lose my place. Silly, but effective, I guess.

I had a long, tiring day at work today. Two people are out so I'm covering for them. Thursday is usually my short day at work, but today it was extra long and extra busy. Thursday evenings my boys all go to various lessons and I usually have some Betsy time, which often means a bike ride. I was so tired after work I just couldn't get myself out there. So I settled on a little yard work so I didn't feel guilty for being a total slug. I came in to shower and saw the Birch Box on my bed. It came when I was at work and Rick brought it in for me.  Ahhh perfect. My Betsy-time could be a mini-spa night.

Here's the breakdown of the SWAG:

MicrodermaMitt - Denizia Olive Oil Soap - I love fancy, all-natural soap, but I never buy it. I think because it's usually expensive and also usually overly-scented. This has little to no scent. I took a nice long shower. It seemed fine. I'll need to give it a week or so of use before I make the final call.

Juliette Has A Gun- Not a Perfume and theBalm-Stainiac in Beauty Queen. These are the two items I'm most skeptical about. I'm not a big perfume person. I just don't like artificial smells. However, every once in a while (lets face it when I don't shower but probably should- or when I just want to feel a little extra fancy) I like a little perfume. This tester size is perfect. I actually often choose tester perfume as my free gift at Sephora. I can try a new scent without buying a big perfume bottle that rarely gets used.   I've never been a fan of lip stain. It seems to always be a funky color and dries my lips. This is for lips and cheeks. I am open to give it a try tomorrow.

Cynthia Rowley Dress Up Band-Aids - How cute are these. I thought there'd only be 3-4 in the box, but it's a full box. They are fun. Luckily :) Isaac got cut in his fencing class and needed a bandaid so we were able to try one out.

Cute. We couldn't really see which design it was through the wrapper. I thought this one wasn't as girly as others, but it's flowers. Isaac didn't care. I love that my boys are cool with girly bandaids. (This is why I lost my post. I had just finished it when Isaac came looking for a bandaid. For some reason when I added the pic it erased all my text.) 

Masqueology - Pore Minimizing Mask - Ahhh. Here is what made it seem like a mini-spa night. This is not what I'm used to in a face mask. Instead of being a cream you put on and wash off, it was a towel you place on your washed face and leave it there for 20 minutes.

It was nice. Just a tad tingly. Now my face is very soft, but a bit sticky. Nothing I'd buy, but fun to get a sample to try.

So that's this month's Birch Box. Really fun. I'm excited for additional boxes and what they will bring. This would be a fun gift for girlfriends' birthdays or a shower.

Ride Reports

Ride 1

No pics with this ride. Saturday my parents called and wanted us to come see their new motor home. Rick and I had planned a road ride. We decided to combine the two. Instead of riding over the mountain to my parents we decided to ride around it with the possibility of riding over the top on the way home. It was a little breezy when we left, but it quickly picked up to very gusty winds.

I learned that I am a fair-whether biker! What a crazy ride. Trying to stay upright with the wind blowing you all over a busy road. Scary! When we were finally able to turn from the cross wind, we had a head wind that required riding in the lowest gear and peddling hard to move forward (ground was flat). It was a little more adventure than we had planned. We had my mom drive us home as the winds only increased as the day wore on.  

On the plus side, the motor home is very nice. :)

Ride 2

Tonight Rick and I took our mountain bikes to my favorite ride. We rode up Dry Gulch to the North end of the BST.  I thought I was in pretty good biking shape, but this humbled me. A steady climb up the canyon, which is totally worth the amazing view riding along above the Avenues.

 

Many people take "The Bobsled" down, but I am not ashamed to tell you that it scares me to death. Not my kind of trail. Plus, if I rode that down, I'd miss my favorite part of the ride which is riding down Dry Gulch. The rolling climb up makes for a lot of fun going down. Half way down I realized I had a goofy smile on my face. Must be having a good time.  

  

I loved introducing Rick to this ride and so glad he enjoyed it as much as I did! We've now done the northernmost and southernmost ends of the BST in SL valley.  We now just have to do everything in between to reach the summer goal. However, both ends are so much fun, it's going to be hard to leave them for other trails.

What's for Dinner

Update: salad was a hit. I don't think it was anyone's all time favorite meal, but Rick and I thought it was a definite do-again; Zane didn't say anything but was in the kitchen later in the evening looking for leftovers (good sign); Isaac said it was OK, which is what he says to everything that isn't mac and cheese or pepperoni pizza, he did say he would eat it again. I probably would add cucumber next time.

Another quick and easy meal tonight. Not sure how yummy yet. Sitting waiting for family to be ready to eat. Luckily- not a hot dinner.  Someone gave me a subscription to Taste of Home magazine (I can't remember who, but thank you to whomever it was.) The recipes have been fun, but hit and miss as far as "do again" meals. 

Here's the recipe for this (hopefully) yummy summer salad. 

Spinach Penne Salad

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 ounces) uncooked whole wheat penne pasta
• VINAIGRETTE:
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• SALAD:
• 1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach
• 3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced ripe or Greek olives

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water; drain again.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the vinaigrette ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, spinach, tomatoes, feta cheese, onions and olives. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Serve immediately. Yield: 10 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1-1/2 cups equals 327 calories, 15 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 7 mg cholesterol, 233 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 11 g protein.

The magazine suggested doubling the vinaigrette and using it as a chicken marinade, which I did, then grilled the chicken.

 

Someone gave us these cute pasta bowls and serving dish for our wedding. (Apparently, I'm very bad at remembering who gives me things.) We use them often. Love them.

 

 Here's the finished salad ready to eat. Come on peeps. I'm hungry. :) I'll add an update later to see if the fam thinks it's a "do again" meal.

On an unrelated note: I have to add this pic of Isaac on his last day of 7th grade. He and his friends decided to "Suit Up" for the last day. Big brother, Zane, helped Isaac look hipster. The belt is very cool- a gift to Zane from my mom for Christmas. (See I can remember other's gifts.) It has piano keys on it.

Weekend Report

I did a poor job taking photos this weekend. It started with my Friday off and a morning bike ride. I've heard from everyone that Draper has great mountain biking trails. I've been in the area almost 3 years and never tried them. I was held back by my fear (unjustified I learned- just like my fear that Suncrest was too hard to ride.) I just supposed that everyone was hardcore and I'd be in the way puffing up the trail or riding my breaks down. We figured a Friday morning would be pretty traffic free to give it a try.

We started by riding to the flight park and jumping on the South end of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. My mountain bike goal for the summer is to ride the whole BST in the Salt Lake Valley. The ride was spectacular! Lots of climbing and probably the best cardio workout I've had all year. Our simple 1 hour morning ride resulted in 2.5 hours (and a sunburn). 

It was a little scary at first as the trail was very narrow next to a steep mountain slope.  But it soon widened a bit and we were graced with either a sweeping view of the valley or beautiful tree lined trail.

We rode up the mountain and under the road which took us to the top of Corner Canyon. We followed Annie's Trail (Draper Rim Trail) until it hit Clark's Trail then headed down. Much quicker getting down then up. Then it was just a short road ride back home. Lovely. We will do it many times I'm sure. There are so many options to explore once we hit Corner Canyon. Here are a few pics.

Can you tell I'm out of breath! This was during the long uphill climb.

Are you jealous? Isn't it lovely?

 

Saturday morning I met one of my roommates from BYU. I have not seen her since the 80s! She was in town for her daughter's soccer tournament so we grabbed breakfast and caught up on each others lives. It was so great to see her. I'm bummed I didn't take a pic. Hopefully, we will get together again soon.

Saturday evening we went up the canyon for dinner with another old friend, this time from high school. We've had lunch a couple of times since reconnecting, but never had some good hang out time. Her husband treated us to a dutch oven dinner. We played some games, ate and chatted. 

Jody always gives me good working-mom advice. We were discussing how there just isn't time to do everything you want/need. She imparted the wisdom that it's important to rotate what you don't have time for instead of letting the same one or two things always slide. Good advice- and made me feel better that my kitchen floor hasn't been mopped in 2 weeks. I'll get to it next weekend for sure- but don't expect the yard to get weeded!

 

 

 

Rick, Zane, Isaac and Evan playing Apples to Apples

 

 

 

 

 

Chow time- yum!

Saturday was busy, but so rejuvenating. I've been lamenting my lack of girl friends lately and it was so comforting to have old friends around. As Jody mentioned (which also applies to Jenny), it is so nice to have friends that you can see after 20 years and the time just melts away and we are still the same friends we always were. Love those girls. It reminded me that I need to make some time to cultivate new friendships because they are not just going to appear.