Ok Where did 2010 go?

I keep losing months and even years. I need to get it together. As for my activities, I spent the winter skiing, and the summer getting ready to row the Grand Canyon. The trip done the Grand was the most significant of my experiences. Ric was able to go with me the first week. We experienced my first flip at Indian Dick. It was not a big rapid but it schooled me to treat each rapid with respect. Some of them deserved a lot of respect.....really big waves. I loved the beautiful landscape and saw some of the most beautiful places I have ever been. One of my favorites was Thunder River...a creek that explodes out of a red sandstone cliff wall. The water is clear and cold. It was a treat because it was really hot! I loved the falls along the way and Havasupi was incredible.

Where did the summer go?

It has been a whirlwind summer of activity this year. With Ric back in action, he has been out just about every day on his bike in preparation for the LotoJa Sept 12th. It is a 206 mile bike ride that he has trained nonstop for. I have been busy learning to row, doing yw camp, a family reunion, visiting my mom and dad and finding time to be with family. As the end of summer approaches, I love to reminisce about all the wonderful memories. Here are the pictures that bring a smile to my face as I relive the good times again. Thanks to all my family for helping me make them. I have the best husband, kids, parents, and grandkids in the world. Top that with some great friends and I am a lucky girl. (Albeit an old one)

I survived YW Camp!

I just got home from girls camp last night. It went quite well. I was camp director and took them down the Ruby-Horsethief section of the Colorado river for 3 days. We camped at a beautiful campground the first night although some farm kids were driving their huge and extremely loud tractor/ combine around the campground from 12:00pm to 1:30 am. Between the tractor and the girls we didn't get much sleep. The trip went well considering there were 45 people on the trip in paddle rafts and kayaks. Ric, my really good friend, Nancy, and I rowed the gear boats. It was Ric first time on a raft. I was very nervous to be taking such a big group of girls on the water camping. Remember these are girls who have never done any primitive camp and roughing it to them is staying at a 3 star hotel. They had to set up their tents each evening and take them down each morning, learn how to use a groover, use propane stoves, dutch ovens and wash their own dishes( I don't think some had ever done that before). It was a huge learning curve for them but they were great. We had rain on one night but I never heard complaining even though some were cold. The morning of the first day was chaos at the put in while we found places for 49+ dry bags, 5 tables, camp kitchen gear, 4 dutch ovens, food for 45 people, groovers, firepans etc etc.etc. While rigging the boats, we realized that the boat rental company had not given us the oars to Ric's raft and the place was 2 1/2 hours back one way. Luckily, Nancy had brought 2 spare oars and I had 1 so we used those even though Ric's boat had oarlocks and ours had fulpins. Ric was a trouper for rowing the last half of the river without one clip after it popped off which meant he had to hold the oar up to as not to lose it. Crazy!!! They also didn't give us enough paddles for the kayaks. It was windy paddling down to camp, but the current was fast or we might not have made it. The first evening it rained and pretty hard. Some of the tents were wet inside and most of the girls had only brought a fleece blanket to sleep in. What happened to summer? We had one day with some swift current and some maneuvering to get our camp which was nestled in some gorgeous smooth basalt rocks. We had two little 12 year old miss the stop in their kayak, getting swept downstream, but were able to pull out at a ledge just below. While we recovered them, two other 12 year olds asked Nancy if they could take the right channel. They were told no but were goofing off and carried off by the current down the wrong side. They ended up on the tip of the island just across from camp. We had to figure out how to get them across the very swift powerful current in the river back to camp. They were scared and thinking they were going to have to spend the night on the island without food and sleeping bags. We ended up ferrying a paddle raft across (which means you paddle like crazy upstream at an angle to get across the river without being swept downstream). Ric and I paddled the kayak across to the sound of wild cheers from our group at camp. We were all so glad to be reunited. Especially one of the girl's mother who was there and beside herself with worry. It was a good life lesson for the girls. Follow your leaders and pay attention to where you are. We had great food and gorgeous scenery. We were able to land all 45 of us safely and I am so relieved for that. What an undertaking! I know that God was very involved in the experience and helped me with things I could not control. So many things could have gone wrong or been difficult, weather ( I worried about wind even more than rain since I have been on that river when my friend Nancy could not row down the river and was pinned against a bank by wind), and getting the camps we needed ( it is a non permit river so it is first come/first serve and we needed camps that could hold 45! ). So why did I do it? Yes I am crazy, but I felt that the Lord wanted these girls to do something hard for them and really get out in nature. The girls comments reflected that we accomplished that as well as had fun. It was an experience they will always remember. I am just so grateful for His help and the help of awesome friends and husband.

What is with the SNOW! We woke up to a foot of snow in the middle of April! So I guess you can only make snowmen, forts and snowcones.

Memorable Moments

Sometimes it is so hard to sit down and write down what has been happening in your life. I have to be in just the right mood. I guess I am close to it now. I was thinking about the past month and the things that I had done that I were really memorable.
I went down the Salt River in mid March. When I was asked to go down the "Salt River" in Southern Arizona, I pictured a flat sandy barren stretch with a rocky river winding through it. Boy, was I wrong! It was beautiful and amazing. I feel so lucky to be able to see such beautiful creations and to hang out with interesting and nice people. The Salt flows through a canyon as deep as the Grand Canyon in some places. It begins in a ponderosa pine forest and ends in a blooming saguaro desert. There was a place where a spring created a mineral formation which the Indians considered sacred so you couldn't stop there and a lovely camping spot along a creek. We were on the river 5 days with near perfect conditions. The water levels stayed good which was nice since it is a really rocky river and very technical. The weather was brisk on the water but warm when we landed. The fun thing about the river is all the rapids, one after another class 3 and 4. We had some heart racing moments when we had a boat throw the rower out and one near flip, but all were recovered safely.
I returned home to Nathan, Staci and the 3 boys. I love family times together What fun to get to spend time with them. We just don't see them enough. They boys are so cute and I really get a kick out of them. We spent one day at the Childrens Museum with Ashley and her three. The 6 kids are so active and love to be together. We had the best time playing with shaving cream. ( It went along with a cloud theme) It is fun to go to a place where kids just play and you can watch the craziness. There was not enough time though. Staci was spending time with her grandmother and best friend here so I decided to accompany Ric for a short trip to St George to do the Tour of ST George's 100 mile bike ride. We headed down with 4 bikes. Ric was nice enough to take me on a short ride the day before the race in the balmy spring weather. Nate who has turned into an animal rider along with Justin rode with Ric on Saturday while Ashley, her children and I made pioneer Easter Eggs with my mom. We all enjoyed the great weather, swimming, and just being together. It is wonderful that my parents are still so willing to endure us. I have included pictures of the Salt along with the museum and our ST George trip.
It has been really nice this year to have Kelsey staying with us while she teaches along with the bonus visits from Logan. I have had some fun moments with her. I have loved watching Brody, Clay's son. He is the most mellow baby. Even when Clay forgets things like formula and bottles, Brody is cool with it. I love watch Clay and Brittany with the baby. They really are enjoying parenthood.
Lastly, skiing is pretty much over for me. It has been a good year. I got my Ace 1 which is teaching kids. and met some really nice people. We kind of become a family up there and I will miss some of the joking that goes on. Kelsey called me a ski bum but I am really planning on hitting things harder next year so beware.
Now if spring will really figure out how to do spring consistently I will be happier. What is with lying out in the sun one day and having 5 inches of snow the day after. Sorry again to be so long winded but who knows when I will write again.