Fun in Flagstaff!

This week Grant and I took a two day trip to Flagstaff. We had a ton of fun!!!! Our adventure began at the Snowbowl ski lift. The lift takes you from where you park (8000 ft above sea level) all the way to the top of the mountain (11,700 ft above sea level). It was quite a ride. Grant and Andrew are brave and ready to ride the chairlift. It was a little unsettling trying to get on without the lift stopping but we made it.

This is the view at the beginning of our ascent up the mountain. Grant hated it when the lift would stop. He felt like the cable would start to sag. I think he may have a slight fear of heights too.

It took a good 15 minutes or more to make it to the top and then jump off the lift without getting run over by the chair we just jumped off of! The temperature kept dropping as we got closer and closer to the top. At the top there was plenty of snow to make snowballs.

Grant helped Andrew climb the rest of the way to the top of the mountain.

The view from the top was amazing! You could see Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.

This is the view from the chairlift from the very top of the mountain when we started our ride down.

Andrew did a good job staying seated the entire time on the lift! He loved pointing out the snow patches near the lift and telling me when to take pictures. He also had lots of good joke for the ride down; although, Grant didn't appreciate them as much as I did :)

Grant wished he had his PSP for the ride. He thought the lift was a little boring. I thought it had amazing views and am glad we took the time to do it!

Later that evening, we went indoor rock climbing with Stephen. Grant loves to climb anything and always looks for the most challenging wall to climb.

Grant found a ledge he could sit on to take a rest from his vertical climb.

Stephen and I took turns belaying. This forced me to actually climb. Out of all the times I've taken the boys indoor rock climbing, I have never climbed, I've always been the belayer. So it was a treat that I was able to climb a few times here. I was surprised at how easily I was able to get to the top. I thought for sure I was too wimpy to do it. Thanks Stephen!!!!

On Tuesday Grant, Bearett and I went to the Arboretum. This is a nature preserve and garden that showcases natural plants found in the Flagstaff area.

Bearett and Grant started their tour inside the tree ring maze. You really couldn't get lost in it but it was very cool to go through.

We went on an official tour of the facility. I was surprised how short it was. So we lengthened our tour and checked out more of the place. We heard that there was a mama duck with her ducklings around the pond. Unfortunately, we couldn't find her.

The highlight of our visit was the Birds of Prey show. This is a picture of Grant volunteering to be a mouse. He is pretending it is night and he can't see, he has ears to mimic a mouse and he is holding a squeaker. As soon as he hears an owl coming, he is supposed to squeak to warn the other mice to hide.

The owl that flew out was HUGE and very SCARY!!! This was the only part of the show that Bearett didn't like and hid in my lap. This is a falcon. If you look closely where the handler's hand is closed at, you will notice the feet of the bird the falcon is eating. It was so gross to watch him rip parts of it off and eat it during the show.

This is a hawk that has been raised in captivity. The 11 year old girl that his holding her says that this bird is so tame that it likes to be pet and handled. I still think it looks a little intimidating.

Some of the birds that came out weren't chained to a handler's hand. These birds would fly right over the audience. The problem is that they fly very low when they go across and one time the wings of one of the birds brushed my face!!!

This is another type of falcon that lives in northern Canada and Alaska. This is a big bird! This bird has beautiful coloring!

When the show was over there was a crow and two ravens in three cages. Bearett loved going up to the cages to talk to the birds. These three birds had been trained to take your dollar bill that you put through the fence and then put it in a jar. Each time they did this they received a treat. These birds were also trained to do other tricks on command. This was a great show and we would definitely go and watch it again with you!

Camping in the Mountains

On Friday and Saturday this week Mitchell, Grant and I headed up north to go camping on our yearly 12 Oaks 2nd Ward Camp out. The camping location is off of highway 87 about 29 miles north of Payson (go past Pine and Strawberry). We turned off the highway right after mile marker 280. Its not a developed camp ground but it was a beautiful place to camp! Grant and I set up the big tent all by ourselves :) Unfortunately, Brent had to work and was unable to join us on the camping trip.

Mitchell didn't want to camp near Grant and I so he set up his campsite a good 50 yards away.

Mitchell slept in his hammock all night even though it was pretty cold outside. He stayed snuggly warm!

After our incredible Navajo Taco dinner, Mitchell hung out with the other teenagers and played spoons. Later on they watched a movie. Yes, a couple of the families that had been camping at this site for 2 weeks had a generator, TV and DVD player. It was like we never left home :(

Grant and his buddy, Abram, played on Abram's DS's. I guess these electronic gaming devices can link together so they played, and played and played.

Max loved going camping. He loved finding dropped food on the ground and licking bacon grease off of the legs of the grill. He also made several new friends. Here he is snuggling with Dominique.

On Saturday morning Grant, Abram, Dominique, Max and I went out exploring to find the cool cave. Grant and I went in the cave last year but Abram and Dominique hadn't ever been there. It is difficult to get into the cave. You have to balance on the rocks, duck, and try not to get wet while you climb in. The water was a bit higher than it was last year so I ended up getting a wet foot right away.

After you crawl inside, the cave opens up and you can stand. You have to bring a flashlight in order to find your way around.

Grant crawled up into a secondary cave. I didn't explore this upper cave last year because I couldn't find it (I never looked up into the ceiling to see the small opening). So Grant led the way through the narrow passageway. At some point I had to squeeze through an area on my belly. I would NEVER have explored this part of the cave on my own. It was a great adventure! The upper cave twists and turns and goes up and down. Eventually, it leads back to the main large room of the original cave.

We hiked our way back to camp along the creek. It was a beautiful trail.

I was sporting my "I Love Mitchell" shirt for the hike. Too bad Mitchell was asleep and didn't come with us hiking. This was a fun adventure for our little family. We really should get out of town more often. Next time I think there should be a ban on any electronic device! I am such a mean mom!!!!

Happy 2 Years!

Yesterday, June 7th, Brent and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary! The time sure has flown by. It is truly a blessing to be married to someone as amazing as Brent. My life is so much better now that he is a permanent part of it. Since I'm not a mushy person who gushes about the people in her life, I'm not going to go on and on about how talented, smart, witty, entertaining, athletic and practical Brent is. But I will just sum it up that I am a lucky gal to be married to him!!!!

Find the HERO in You!

Our theme for girls camp 2010 was "Find the Hero in You." It was a great theme to help the girls find their inner hero. I was able to work with the young women who were attending camp for the last time. These girls, "The SY's", were in charge of planning all of the evening programs and setting the tone for camp. Our journey to camp included a stop at the Payson, Jack-In-The-Box for a yummy breakfast. I believe it was Alyssa who convinced me that an Oreo Shake was the best thing on the menu and I just had to have one. She was right, it was fabulous!

Alicia just graduate from high school the night before. We are surprised she is awake in this picture. Jessica, Miranda, and the ever entertaining Madi must have been doing a great job talking her ear off!

Me, Chanel, Alyssa, and Kendall devour our high calorie breakfast! We will for-sure have plenty of energy for at least the next hour!

We paused at the entrance of camp to take a picture of the Incredible SY's!

Another photo moment in front of our super cool mural! This mural was created and painted by me with the assistance of my wonderful sister, Julie, and our very talented SY, Laurel.

On Friday night the SY's present the theme of camp in a skit. Kendall and Kailin our the instructors of Super Hero Training school. To the left of them are all of their "heroes in training." Mercedes was "Modest is Hottest Girl," Megan was "Tricep Girl," Caroline was "Brainiak", Miranda was "Monkey Girl," in the back row Alyssa was "Supersonic," Makayla was "Bitter Girl," Ashley was "Gossip Girl," and Madi was "Shape Shifter." There were several scenes in the play where the super heroes in training attempted their to use their super power to solve the situation. Some were successful and some weren't.

Monkey Girl was unsuccessful at talking the cat, Mr. Scratchy, out of the tree. :(

Jessica, the mom, and Chanel, the daughter, are having an argument over this very skimpy and shiny swimsuit. It takes several super heroes to solve this problem.

Alicia, Dominique, Danielle, Erika, Kay and Tiffany, are our back stage singers. They would peak out when it wasn't there turn on stage to sing our "I need a Hero" song.

Erika, Alicia and Kay are discussing why Tiffany supposedly doesn't like Alicia. It is a very sad moment.

Our super hero teachers, Kendall and Kailin are in tears about the previous scene and are determined to find a super hero to help Alicia. It was a really fun skit! All of the girls did a great job!

On Saturday morning, I led the 3rd year girls on a hike through Temple Canyon. It is a very challenging hike that takes at least 6 hours to complete. One of the coolest things on this hike is scaling the 20 foot cliff. Here is a picture of Alyssa making it up the cliff.

I made it out of Temple Canyon and then started the trek toward the switch backs. The trek to the switchbacks is long and boring.

After we made it down the treacherous switchbacks and down the rest of the mountain, we rested at the creek. The creek was very cool and refreshing. Some of the girls took off their shoes and cooled their hot feet in the water. From this point, the hike back into camp was a breeze!

Our Saturday night performance was dedicated to all of the Bishops in camp. This is Makayla who played "Miss Anita Mann" the hostess for Super Family Feud!

The Bishops competed for teams with a basketball shoot out. Those who made the moving basket were on the Galaxy Green Team, those who didn't were on the Yankee Doodle Yellow team. My bishop ended up on the yellow team. Each bishop received a "Super Bishop" cape so they could remember what team they were on. It was a very close game. These bishops were fierce competitors. The survey questions and responses were entertaining. In the end the Galaxy Green Team won by 2 points!

On Sunday morning, all of the SY's lined up in front of the sacred grove before church started to sing. They randomly picked out songs, completely unrehearsed, and started singing. It was a beautiful way to set the tone and spirit for the wonderful Sacrament Meeting that followed. These girls truly inspire me!

Brother Heywood was able to get/make Missionary badges for each of the SY's. The girls decided to wear red on Sunday

Our Sunday performance was done in all white. Don't they look like angels? Their spiritual program was amazing! These are some talented young ladies!

On Monday I helped Nancy for a short period of time to select photos for the dance party slide show. There were lots of great pictures taken by many different campers!

Kailin is displaying our Super Cape that has many of the heroic acts performed by campers. The Super Cape was presented to the Stake Young Women's Presidency.

This is the "Pants on the Ground" moment right before the SY's dance number. It was fun to hear Alyssa rap the tune.

At the Dance Party every dresses up in old prom dresses. One of the lady's in our stake has two huge tubs stuffed with a variety of dresses in many different sizes and colors. One of my SY's, Madi, picked this attractive black and white dress out for me. I added my long sleeved white t-shirt to the outfit to make it a little more modest :)

Camp was a TON of work but it was also quite rewarding. I am glad I was able to be a part of it this year.

Garden Update

Anyone want some Zucchini??? I can't believe how insanely huge my garden is!!! I just wanted to plant a little garden; however, the zucchini plants have 2 foot wide leaves, the tomato plants are full fledged monster bushes with hundreds of tomatoes growing on them, and the sun flowers dwarf the fence!Marianne checks out the garden. The tomato plants are out of control! In a week or so we will have more tomatoes than we can use. Its a good thing Amy and Bob want some so they can make salsa!

I can't find the carrots anymore! The jungle of leaves are hard to navigate through.