Santa Cruz

I love this beach!
it's got a fun vibrant feel.
and the people watching is super...SUPER great.
When we were there there was a gigantic pit dug out in the middle of the beach.
Kind of like a 2 ft. shallow pool right off the beach.
Perfect for little beach lovers.
The downtown area is not to shabby either.
After being in a car for a couple days
A big breezy beach is just what we needed.
And I couldn't have little Lucy sit on the sidelines.
Just because of that giant purple cast.
She tried so hard not to get it wet....tried. :)
That's all you can ask for at a beach.

If I could own any vehicle....

I'm pretty sure it would be one of these.
I'm liking the the pretty blue.
What a dream it would be.
I am already imagining all the places it would take me.
The kids in the back, hair blowing and big smiles
and how it would get us around even in our old age.
back to all the places that hold the best memories, and new places we've never seen.
ahhhhhh. it would be perfect.

How do you know when school is back in?

When your living room isn't a giant blanket fort every morning
and you do more than 1 blog post a month.
I don't think I'm near as good of a side kick as Ellie.
Lucy misses her and her matching morning hair too.

haunted

Once upon a time

Shane told the kids stories of a haunted resort that

is right here near our little valley home.
He told them of empty pools, caves and haunted houses.
Of course they were not scared and wanted to go.
Especially Ellie she just had to see it.
Me on the other hand
I was content laying by the fire wrapped up in a blanket.
And that's when she said.
"If you were 7 you would want to go explore haunted mansions"
And there is defiantly some truth to that.
So I reluctantly went along.
And it is a good thing.
That place was rotten, dirty and down right frightening.
They needed a mother there to keep them safer {than the dad would}
and out of the real scary/gross stuff.
But the pictures turned out pretty cool and I will admit it was fun in a creepy way.
Ellie told me she knows what happened to this place.
"Ghosts came and scared all the families and guests out of the houses.
And when the people were gone they destroyed them
so know one else would come and they could live there forever."
There may be some truth to that. Bwah ha ha ha ha.
I for one would never go there in the dark....NEVER.

Happy Halloween!
{Don't worry I told them to act scared :) }

Yosemite

To get to our destination we drove on a 2 lane highway practically the whole way.
Mostly because I wanted to be in Yosemite National Park again.
The last time I was there before is when Canyon was 5 mo old.
We took a road trip to Yosemite and the coast.
It was his first big road trip.
The first time he sat in a knot hole of a giant redwood tree.
And the first time he rode in the trusty Kelty pack to hike for miles.
{Lucy still uses that pack today.}
I fell in love with this place.
And I wanted the kids to not only endure the 16 hr drive
but also be also to be amazed by it.
Both were accomplished.
They still ask if we can drive that way again next time.
The roller coaster road just before Yosemite might have something to do with that. :)

Lucy went and got herself a cast that weighed more than her the day before we left.
But that is a story for a different day.
It did not slow her down.not.at.all.

Driving....so pretty.
I had to make myself not pull over every second.
We had a long way left to go for heavens sake.
Next stop. Santa Cruz, CA.

16 hours one way: Part 2

We got to visit San Fransisco this summer.
I wrote about the adventurous drive out there a while ago.
But that was just the beginning.
So even though we took the trip in July and it is now almost November
I will still post photos of our trip
because it was wonderful and a 2010 summer highlight.
So for today.
The seasons first snowfall at our home {that actually stuck around for a bit}
and this picture of Ellie flying through the air at the little beach
across the way from Ghirardelli Square.

braving the storm

Clear back in August
Canyon and I hiked to the top to Mt Timpanogus.
He had been working up to it all summer with a club he is in.
His club had the date scheduled and I decided to go along.
It's a lot fun to go with him. He is such a good little hiker. {proud..so proud}
He doesn't even ditch me and chats about this and that with me the whole way up.
On the way up the weather was great.
Not to hot not to cold.
There were plenty of waterfalls and the views...oh the views.

Walking along that last ridge line was getting a little spooky.
Clouds rising up from below surrounding you.
But we were so close..and there was no rain.
Right when we got to the top the clouds cleared.
We got to take in the view of the valley and take this.

We made it! Our names were added to the shack walls at the top
and we started our decent down.
We did not make it to far when we felt the first raindrops.
Rain coats out and on now. We picked up the pace.
This was the last picture before the storm practically swallowed us alive.
You could barely see one step in front of you.


Being on the tippy top of a really high mountain is not the best feeling.
Especially when your with one of your favorite little people in the whole wide world.
Before we knew it the storm was SO bad....SO.SO. bad.
Freezing tempatures, Howling winds, thunder, lightening.
Hail that made your skin hurt when it hit.
I held Canyon's hand and we ran as fast as our legs would safely carry us
over a giant boulder field for shelter a few miles away.
Once a gust of wind almost carried my handsome son away.
I did not let go of him the rest of the way.
We were freezing.
Probably the most cold I have ever been.
And poor Canyon had on shorts.
Luckily for us we made it to the shelter.
There we hunkered down for hours.
With about 20 other hikers and backpackers.
Those nice backpackers boiled us water.
and lent Canyon a sleeping bag.
We got him down to his skibbies
and stuck him inside the sleeping bag so he would stay warm.
I filled a water bottle with that hot water and wrapped my frozen feet around it.
and then we waited....and watied
and got lots of texts saying.
"Are you okay it's pitch black that way"
"Are you alive the doppler is going nuts above Timp"
I know...believe me....I know.
After a while there was a break in that big bad storm.
We made a run for it.
And it turned into a new day.
It had to be a new day. It was once again beautiful out.
See.

The whole way down we talked about our "survival adventure".
About the extra stuff we would bring just in case next time.
I thought about how glad I was I was with Canyon up on the tippy top braving the storm.
I would have been a basket case if he was up there without me.
So we made it back down. With a story to tell that will never be forgotten.
Canyon still talks about it. And when it storms he looks up at the grand Timp
and wonders if anyone is up there in that shelter like he was.
And we are both happy we aren't :)

we're suckers for a good rope swing

We have found a few rope swings in our days.
But this is one was by far the best.
So. so. so. high.
And the view from the top, through the trees, when you couldn't go any higher.
Amazing!

{Top: Shane, me, Canyon.}
{Bottom: Ellie, Lucy}

{The View}

It's been a warm September

Maybe it's been a little too warm down in valley.
But up here in the mountains.
Not one complaint from me.
It's been near perfection.
Perfect weather for enjoying those beautiful colors.
Quite possibly the prettiest time of the year.
The kids most favorite part is gathering up their favorites to take home and savor.
{mine too...I love a perfect leaf bookmark. }
happy. happy.

Ragnar Wasatch Back {2010}

I know my blog is all over the place. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason. This is because of my horrible blogging this summer. But there are a few events that I wanted to catch up on. So every so often a random summer post will be made. :)

I ran the Ragnar Wasatch Back this summer.
I had the best time!
And the best team!
I love them all!
I also had a 7 mile run up a mountain pass that I was scared to death of.
It was a long, hot, dusty run..but it wasn't as but as i thought it would be.
I was ready for it! in a fast...ish sort of way. :)
When that was done I thought I got the hardest part out of the way.
Come to find out a 5 mile run
on 4 hours of sleep in a 48 period with a wounded knee is hard to.
And that is when I found out that...
if you eat a whole bar of shot blocks and a gu energy and a few Ibuprofen
that you can go from extreme exhaustion to all hopped up and ready to go in no time flat.
Also, I forgot how funny things are when delusion sets in from lack of sleep.
Way funnier than they should be. :)
When all is said and done running that many miles for 2 days with no sleep should not be fun.
But it was.
And were doing it again.
I thought I was going to be dead to the world the next day.
But I did not crash until 2 days later.
I guess I was still feeling the after affects of those shot blocks. :)
Can't wait until next year!

{Starting line in Logan}

{our ride}

{our whole team at the finish..minus one }

{Zions} feeling good.

Every once in a while
we get the chance to go to Zions without kids in tow and explore
some areas that we have never seen.
It's good to have a camping trip every now and again
that you can sit around a campfire for hours without worrying if someone is going to fall in.
Or having to dig dirt and rocks out of a small nose.
It's nice to go on a hike without packing a small child on your back and food for 5.
{Wait.... I still think we accidently packed food for 5.}
To be able to choose a hike that is a little more adventurous.
One that requires some ropes and some swimming through freezing cold waterfalls
just because it is just you and him....and you can.
It was beautiful and wonderful.
I love going and seeing new things and places. I. crave. it.
Sometimes you just need to do the things you did when you were 20.
And feel like you are 20.
It's good for the soul.
But in the back of that fake 20 year old mind of mine all weekend was the image of
3 little faces that make me happy to be exactly the age I am.
We will go back this year before it gets to cold with those 3 faces.
Because being there made me want to go back with them.
Zions is good for every soul young and old.
And the Fall season in Zions is out of this world pretty.

{the ladies...minus 2}

{me. birch canyon. 2010}

{To: Lucy} {From: Ellie}

Ellie gave this to Lucy for her birthday this summer.
It's good to know that even if they squabble over ownership of lip smackers
and what song they want to hear in the car
that Ellie's love for her little sis still runs deep.
Maybe that's why she usually always gives in, and Lucy claims victory.
Little Lucy sure is a lucky gal to have Ellie in her corner.
With letters like this from a beautiful older sister
Lucy will never be lacking in the self-esteem department. :)

I turned five in a hot tub

The first part of this story begins in the summer a few weeks ago.
Place- swimming pool with a hot tub
Time- 3:20 pm
Rule- You have to be 5 to get in the hot tub.

Shane: " Lucy I guess your 5 now" {kind of jokingly kind of not}
She did not pass for 5.......surprised?
And she was not very happy about it.

Fast Forward 2 weeks ahead to the first day of school.

Lucy: I wanna go to school.
Me: You can't your not quite big enough to go to school with the kids
Lucy: I am BIG seeeeee. { as she looks down at her tiny frame inspecting herself}
Me: I know you are getting big but you have to be 5
Lucy: I am 5
Me: No your not your 3.
Lucy: NO uh ah. uh ah.
Me: So when did you turn 5.
Lucy: In the HOT TUB. {it took me a while to figure out where this crazy idea was coming from}
Me: Well I guess your 3 again.
Lucy: I don't like 3.

But she is stuck being 3.
And it is just me and her for while.
Running the house.
It's a good thing.

sunday bike ride

Ahhhhh Summer nights.
Bike rides until dark....sometimes after.
I don't think I could ever get enough.

good bye powell

We were sad to have to leave
and the rain clouds finally were leaving us alone.
So the decision was made.
And we stretched out the trip a tad bit longer.

Good bye Lake Powell
See you again in 2 weeks.
The only bright side to a transmission going out on the way home.
And shoving 2 families in one car.
You Have :) to go back down to Powell.
This time adults only.

Thank heavens for good friends who invite us on amazing trips.

then the rain came down

And down and down and down.

We wore jackets and wished we had electric blankets
The kids huddled around the heater.
trying to get warmies blown their way.
While we are waiting for the white caps to stop threatening our lives.
We found fun by
exploring....or running from the storm.
trying the kids secret drink conconctions ...{you were so brave Emily}
climbing, jumping and swimming.
Yes it was warmer when you were in the water.
It was hard to get out knowing you could quite possibly die of hypothermia...{just kidding}.
The coldest day in June in Lake Powell on record.
It had to be! And we were there snuggling on a boat.
We even survived the brutal waves that could have swallowed us alive
good thing our captain was an experienced driver.
the next day the sun was our friend again.
we were happy to shed our layers and bask in her rays once again.

there were sunny days

This was our first day of summer....and it was full of what summer should be.
sunshine,surfing,swimming,exploring, lots of water, jency {shane's sister},
bare feet, beauty, blue skies, junk food, good friends, music, red rocks, laughter {lots of it}
naps, books, sun screen, tan lines, fishing, cliff jumping.
good good times.

Then the next day it was rain.