Burraston Ponds

So a week and a half ago Brett, Monika and I went camping at Burraston Ponds in Mona Utah. We went with the Dayley crew, Vance, Nicole and Cassidy, Beau and Marci and a couple of Beau's friends.

We didn't know what do expect because we had never been there but we were looking forward to a nice weekend of camping, fishing, and relaxing with friends.

BD went down on Thursday evening to set up tents and reserve spots for everyone because Saturday was no license fishing day and we figured it would be crowded. We had no idea that when we got there the campground would be over-run with a ton of young boys on a father/son camp out. They didn't seem to notice or care that they set up there stuff right in the middle of ours. Literally putting their food station 5 feet away from the Dayley's.

Beau and Marcie found a different spot around the corner, so Brett and I moved our stuff by them. That night someone had the "amusing" idea to give all the boys Kazoo's and there had to be 50 boys running around blowing the dang things. I think I would have killed one of them if we hasn't moved our spot away. Luckily because "Saturday is a Special Day" they left bright and early to go home and "get ready for Sunday".

The rest of the trip was very enjoyable. The kids played in the water, BD and the girls found a "Secret Spot" on a canoe ride, Beau caught all the fish (although everyone else tried, and the sun came out off and on which I enjoyed.

Brett playing some crazy mouth instrument.

Julie bundled up next to the fire

Vance and Nicole enjoying the campfire.

We were joined by the Austin family on Sunday and had a great afternoon. There is a really nice rope swing that we all decided to jump off of. The water was FREEZING!! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of that but next time (On a hot summer day) I will make a point of getting pictures of everyone in action.

Moab

So one of the things I forgot to mention in my previous post was out trip to Moab in April. I should've posted these back when it happened but I'm sure there a lot of things that I "should've" done. Anyway we had an awesome time. Spencer hadn't been to Moab since he was a toddler and Monika had never been. We hiked to Delicate Arch and I think both the kids were totally amazed at how big it is up close.
Spencer holding Delicate Arch on his shoulder. I didn't get any pictures of Spencer's first mountain biking experience but I know he had a really good time and I'm grateful for Brett and James for taking it easy on him.
There is a giant sand hill just outside of Arches National Park that the kids wanted to play on. This was the last place we adventured before heading home. The kids had a blast climbing up and then running and rolling down. I have to say my legs were burning climbing to the top through all the sand but it was worth it.

We stayed in an awesome condo with the Dayley's and next door to the rest of the gang. We enjoyed great food, games, conversation, pool and hot tub. Thanks to everyone (Greg, Natalie, James, Kim, Blake, Alison, BD, Julie, Lance and Marissa) for including us on this trip. We had an awesome time and can't wait for more adventures over the summer.

I Know, I Know

Ok, so I know I have been really terrible at updating my blog over the past while. I don't know exactly what my problem is because there has been a lot of stuff going on. It's just a matter of setting aside the time to write a little post and download some pictures. It doesn't sound that hard but....
Anyway, I'm writing this at work so there won't be any pictures. I just wanted to mention a few of the things that have gone on in the past little while. Monika turned 12 on March 30 (Yikes) and we went to Jump On It and then she had a sleepover at my sister Carmens house (check out her blog for some funny pictures). Brett and I ran away to Mesquite over the kids spring break while Monika spent some quality time with my sister Jessica in St George (her blog has pictures). We had our annual fundraiser for work which turned out awesome and they earned more money than they ever have. It was held at the Marriott in Provo where we had a lovely dinner and were entertained by Collin Raye in a private concert. Brett doesn't like country music so I really appreciate the fact that he came with me. For Mother's Day, Brett and I went camping at Notch Peak since the kids didn't really care about spending the day with me (ah, the joy of teenagers). Spencer turned 15 on May 17th and we all went to Lagoon. It was so much fun but I forgot how ridiculously expensive it is. Last week (Thurs-Monday) Brett and I had an adventure on the White River. We did this trip last Memorial weekend as well and were so impressed by the fact that we saw only one other group of people the whole weekend, decided that it should become an annual trip. We loaded up our inflatable kayak with dry bags full of gear and clothes and set out for 4 days and 3 nights on the river. Tim and Jessica Jindra, and Tom and Erin Jindra joined us, and the first day was a little scary. We got a fairly late on Thursday so we didn't get on the river until after 6pm. The river was moving about twice as fast as last year according to the USGS data and the weather was much colder. We had only been on the river for about 10 minutes when Tim and Jessica flipped their boat. They tried to get the boat turned over and get back in but couldn't do it. They got separated from the boat and then from each other. Finally the boat got stuck on the bank and Brett and I were able to pull Jessica across the river just down from the boat and Tim was able to grab the paddle, dry bag and pump that had come loose from the boat and float down to where we were. The guys walked up river along the bank to see if they could get the boat and assess the situation. Jessica was obviously soaked and freezing. She was trying to move around to stay warm but by the time we were able to get their boat down to where the rest of us were waiting her skin was pretty white and lips were purple. We knew we had to find camp asap, get her out of her wet clothes and start a fire but in order to do that we had to get back on the river and find a spot where we could pull the boats onto dry land. Brett and I found a spot about 10-15 minutes down river and everyone set up camp. Unfortunately most of Tim and Jessica's stuff was wet so we spent the evening drying sleeping bags and clothes by the fire. We set up ropes around their tent to hang their clothes on which looked like a hobo camp; clothes hanging in trees, socks drying on sticks next to the fire and sleeping pads laid out on the ground. (I'll post some pictures at a later date). Obviously the next day was a little nerve wracking for everyone. Our choices consisted of leave most of our gear, pack only what you can carry and walk back upstream to the car several miles, or get back on the river and paddle the rest of the 24 miles or so. Once we figured out that there was a problem with the bottom tube on Tim and Jessica's boat that we could fix, we chose to continue the trip downstream. I love the water and have never really been frightened of it but that first 20 minutes or so of day 2, I was shaking. As time went on everyone became more and more relaxed and the trip ended up being awesome. Even Tim and Jessica were back to casual, relaxed paddlers by day 3 and although at one point Jessica said she didn't want to ever do another trip like that, I think it is on again for next Memorial.

Wacky Wednesday- Rachelle Johnson

Rachelle JohnsonTitle: Girls Youth Coordinator (7-12 yrs)Email: rachelle@hopecenterforkids.orgExtension: 1010
Rachelle Johnson was raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where she went to high school and became involved in HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America). She then went to the University of the Nations in Kona, Hawaii, where she studied medical missions. During college, she teamed up with YWAM and helped serve and study in Japan and the Philippines. Other international mission trips include: China, Taiwan, Jamaica, Fiji, Mexico and Israel. After graduation, Rachelle came back to Council Bluffs where she worked in nursing and performed in-home health care for 3 1/2 years. After hearing a sermon by Pastor Ty, Rachelle felt led to work with the youth at the Hope Center for Kids. She began as Volunteer Coordinator, and now works as Youth Coordinator for girls ages 7-12. Rachelle also helps lead the Hope Center's Mission Squad.

Too Many Hats

Mother, friend, spouse, employee, manager, chef, taxi driver, counselor, maid, partner, sister, daughter, mediator. These are just a few of the hats that women have to wear and it makes me wonder how they do it. Is it possible to wear these hats and to actually fit in all of them or do we attempt to put them on, only to have them slide down over our eyes, making it impossible to move forward? This is somewhat a rhetorical question because I don't think anyone truly has the answer. We attempt to wear multiple hats at the same time but often find it impossible or at least feel that one hat is bigger than all the others therefore becoming our dominant guide for the moment. No matter how hard we try to fill each of these roles, I can't help but feel that there are too many which leads us to perform a half-assed job. As females, I think we look around at other women and assume that they are doing a great job at filling their hats which leads us to compare and unfortunately not meet up to our internal standards. Do other people place these hats on our heads and do they judge us on our ability to perform the expected duties? Again, a rhetorical question. Maybe nobody sees these hats but us. Other people may just look at us and see a woman. Sometimes I feel like taking all these hats, throwing them into the air, screaming like a banshee and running to hills before anyone can catch me. Unfortunately I think if it wasn't hats we were trying to fill, it would be shoes.