Some Must Push and Some Must Pull

Trek, as expected, was absolutely incredible. Who would have thought that pushing/pulling a handcart could be so much fun? We felt the spirit of the Lord so strong each day as we walked, struggled and had fun. It was awesome to be around the selfless people that put this whole thing together and to see how amazing and strong (both physically and spiritually) the youth of my church are. It was almost overwhelming at times to be surrounded by so much goodness.

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It felt odd to be on the 'adult' side of things. It was a strange realization that I was no longer one of the kids, but a wonderful realization that I was happy to be where I was. I got to know some amazing people, and got to spend time with people that I already admired so much. Plus...being an 'adult' has its bonuses. Such as getting to sit on a camp chair instead of a bucket or on the ground. Unfortunately the toilet situation was the same for all.
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On the last morning we sat and listened to the youth share their feelings, testimonies and experiences from trek. I could not believe how strong and faithful they all are. They are proud to be Latter Day Saints. They are incredible. I love my church so much, and feel so lucky to be able to work with the youth. They inspire me to be a better person and to be stronger in my faith. Plus they are adorable.

So all in all - the whole weekend was amazing. The beautiful Raleigh Hills Young Women. These ladies are incredible. I feel very lucky to get to spend time with them each week. They are smart, fun, and so faithful.

My new friend, Miss Darcy Rhodes. We are pioneer soul sisters.
This little guy was created not by the 15 year old boys, but by the adults. It just goes to show that boys never really do grow up.
The trail was beautiful and rugged. I loved the scenery we got to travel through. It was not easy terrain. I was so impressed with how tough everyone was. I had a really hard go on the last 3 miles of the day. I had to do some serious off roading in a beautiful land rover instead of walking. Its a hard knock life. I know. I know. Sigh. The father figures serenading the group.

We rested where we could.

Some of the lovely ladies in my ward.

Jessica, Colleen, Stefani and me.

I am so glad I got to be one of the lucky few adults (am I really an adult??) to go on this adventure. I loved (nearly) every second of it. And I am truly blessed to get to work and play with such amazing girls. I love my Raleigh Hills Young Women!

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And as a side note, my big acting debut took place on trek. Jim Bridger, the hottest mountain man of all tried to get me to marry him. That would just never do, so I lied and told him I was already married. Then, in order to avoid his retaliation I ended up marrying the tall dark and handsome (at least that is how I picture him being) George Peacock (true Pioneer story people). Maybe if you are all REALLY lucky I will post the video footage. Maybe.

A pioneer woman am I

Well folks, I am off to trek through the Oregon wilderness and get in touch with my pioneer roots. It's going to be a long few days full of hopefully more good than bad. The highpoint I am sure will be my debut acting gig as Mary Lowry. I will be acting out a scene where I refuse to marry the big mountain man causing all sorts of trouble. Its going to be epic. To say I am horrified doesn't quite cover it.But other than the acting scene, I am actually looking forward to the experience.

So with that,

God be with you till we meet again.

Razzles and Television

Berry season is once again upon us in Oregon. We love to get out on Saturday mornings and pick berries that last all year long. Our first picking of the summer was all about raspberries. We made it home with about 7 pounds of delicious razzles. But after one batch of jam we realize it is not going to be even close to enough. Tyler is a master berry picker. I refuse to go without him. He filled that whole bucket in the time I got 1/4 of mine done. It is his special talent. We love Oregon's fresh berries!And in much more exciting news...we cannot wait for Sunday when our favorite show is FINALLY back on television. If you do not watch it you need to start. Mad Men is back on July 25. Hallelujah.

Buckets of Fun

So I am going on trek in a few week with the youth in my church. We get to dress up like pioneers and follow the Oregon trail complete with hand carts and the whole shebang. I think it is going to be a pretty strenuous outing, but I know it is going to be super fun and spiritual, plus I love hanging out with my Young Women so I am excited to be a part of it. I am one of the lucky few adults from my church who were asked to participate. That all being said...I learned yesterday at our big prep meeting that this was going to be our toilet for a large portion of the trip:

Ummm wha? Let me tell you that I am not a champion squatter. TMI? Maybe. But let me also tell you that champion or not, I will be venturing into the woods over using this baby.

No doubt.

Mt. Hood

Ty and I spent the 4th of July weekend testing out our new camping gear on Mt. Hood. We had an awesome time exploring the trails on and around the huge volcano.

First on the list of things to do? Immediately get up to Timberline to see the one and only Overlook Hotel from The Shining. Finally! I can check that off my bucket list. What a relief.

One more childhood dream fullfilled.

The clouds around Mt. Hood were not particularly cooperative. This was the best shot we got. It was a beautiful day, but the clouds just wouldn't burn off.

We spent the afternoon hiking Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain. Classy name huh? Suffice it to say that Tyler spent a good part of the hike finding 'clever' (and mature) alterations to that name. Half way through the hike we came to this beautiful lake. Hiking in Oregon is just the best. The hikes are so easy and the rewards at the top and along the way are so awesome. It will be hard to transition back to Utah hikes. I would rather die than hike that dumb Mt. Olympus again. Worst hike ever. Especially now that I have new and higher expectations to hiking.
Anywho...we loved the Mountain lake. So much that I had to do a high kick on a log. Woo!

The trail was beautiful and the weather was not too hot, so we had a great hike. It did take well over a mile before my heart rate finally slowed down and I was able to breathe normally. I am no longer able to hike at any level of elevation. My Utah lungs are no more.

Sad day. Photos from the top.

There was an incredible view of the Cascade Mountain Range. It is awesome to look out and see the massive volcano peaks in every direction. Oregon is cool. We had one awesome camp site. Dinner was complete with our favorite Jewish hot dogs and some incredibly delicious kabobs. The temperature dropped radically when the sun went down (hence the awesome Utes beanie). We got into the mid 30's...which is not my kind of weather. Lucky for me Tyler can make a mean fire and we survived the cold with huge flames, hot chocolate and about 9,000 smores.

When the sun peaked through and the clouds blew over for about 3 minutes Tyler jumped in the car and frantically drove to a spot where we could snap a few photos of the mountain. We were sad it wasn't super clear because we really wanted the full effect of camping at the base of a volcano, but we still had a fabulous weekend and can't wait for our next camping adventure.

A little of this and a little of that

Ty and I have been fighting the crappy weather and doing our best to be outside as much as possible. We have been hiking and camping and wandering the rose garden. It has been a busy past month at our house with finals, make up finals (now that the collarbone is in working order), trips, work and everything else that life throws at us. So here is a quick catch up on a few things we have been doing.

I got to go home to Utah for my beautiful friend Nicole's wedding. I also got to hang out with my family, go to my sister's baby shower, and fall in love with Utah summers all over again (that dry dry summer heat is as good as it gets).

My brother Danny is super awesome and was willing to fill in for Tyler and be my date to Nicole's wedding dinner. We had a ridiculously fun time. Lucky for me I have very cool brothers (cute ones too).It was so much fun to be a part of Nicole's wedding. It is always awesome to see the people you love so happy, and doing great things with their lives. It was a beautiful wedding at Tuscany.
The wedding also served as a mini high school reunion. It was surprisingly fun to see so many old friends from high school, and to catch up with a few friends that I see a little more often.
After my quick weekend home Ty and I spent some time playing with our camera at the rose garden. We don't really know how to use it yet, but we are still having lots of fun pretending. We also went on a beautiful little hike that I cannot for the life of me remember what or where it is. Well, I am pretty sure it is somewhere in the gorge. That should clear things up right? Well, where ever it is it was awesome and we loved it. The wildflowers are slowly starting to come out, which is always my favorite thing.

More to come soon from our 4th of July weekend at Mt. Hood.

In other news:

Carlos Boozer is no longer with the Jazz. Lets all shout Good Riddance! to him.

Also, we are now counting down the days, not the months or weeks until we get a new little baby in our family and I become an official Aunt. Excited does not even come a little bit close to what my whole family is feeling. Yay.

Alex and Twitch? Yes please.

This made my whole week. This is why I watch this show. And this is the type of routine that makes me miss dance so much I can hardly stand it.

(PS...I don't know how ot make this video fit on my screen better, so just go watch it on youtube)

I am in love with Alex. Well, with his dancing at least.