Rain, snow and wind

We have been camping for the past 8 days. We had to move our usual location to one up in Sardine canyon. I have heard many stories about how that canyon got it's name and after spending a crazy week there I can think of my own reasons. The first day or two were not bad. It was a little windy but nothing we have not seen before. Unfortunately the spot that we were camping in was at the summit of the canyon. Wellsville on one side Dry Lake on the other. Just FYI, Dry Lake is not dry right now and the water in it had white caps on the lake when we were coming home. The third night it blew like no ones business. I have never seen wind quite like that. The worst wind I have ever seen went of for a few minutes maybe even twenty. This wind started at 11:45pm and went til 4:30am. It was not just windy. There were 95 MPH gusts. Let me tell you what that feels like...you can't breath and it will lift you right up off the ground. We laid down camps all night long. We worked faster once the canvas started ripping. The next day we set it all back up again. I kept saying, "If only the wind would be gone I would take the rain." I guess God decided to try that theory out. The wind stopped and the rain started. Then the snow, then the rain, then the snow, then the rain. Once we were taking our camp down on Monday, I was soaked to the bone for five or so hours. Once I started loosing feeling in my fingers and legs I decided running around in my long johns was better than having frost bite. It was true. We did have an enjoyable weekend despite what we went through. I know one thing. There are a few new items in my "Must Have" camp bag and I know I can make it through it what ever IT is!!!

Dear Mom;

I sure do miss you. It seems that never a day goes by that I don't think of you or use some piece of information that you have taught me to accomplish some task in my day. There are a million questions that I wish I could ask you and have you tell me your opinion. I know when you were here with us you were a great person to ask for an opinion. Even if we didn't see eye to eye on things you would always offer your ideas and explain why you thought that way. I miss having you hear to share new things with, or enjoy old traditions that we still do. It's funny how we used to just do things to do them and now they seem to be things that we did because of you. Some times it's hard to see life change from the way it was with you. I have to remind myself that if you were here we would still be making changes we would just be making them with you. You'll never know how much you influenced our family. YOU were everything. You did such a good job. You never looked for recognition for what you did to make our family the best thing on earth but now that you are not here, we sure can tell what we miss and really how much you did. Even the littlest things that we never realized you were doing while you did them. I often hope that you can keep tabs on us and know what we are doing, what neat things we are involved in, our troubles, our successes. I hope that you can and I also hope that we are doing things the way you would do them if you were here. I love using some of your things that I have acquired. It always makes me think of you when I get to serve dinner in your bowl or when I spend my weekend camping and wear your necklace. I also love to look at my flower gardens. I always think of you. It's always nice when people tell me that I remind them of you. Hopefully some day I will leave a stamp on this life just like you did. It's amazing to me how many people you loved, helped, fed and knew. It seems that every time I make a trip to Hyrum I run into someone who knows you and misses you . Thanks for being my Mom. If only we were able to spend a few more years here together. Someday I guess we'll do a little catching up and then go back to doing things the way we used to. I love you and I'll be seeing you.

Too Many Noodles

My Mom always used to make a pot of spaghetti and sauce, mix it all together and feed us. I used to ask her if she could leave the sauce on the side because I liked to add as much or as little as I wanted. She would always tell me that it was easier to mix it all together. I tried to make 4 servings of spaghetti and sauce and mix it all together the other night for dinner. The only thing that happened was the noodles are dry and there was not enough sauce. I don't know how she did it to always make good ghetti but she always did it. Maybe next time I'll get it right and know how to make the right sauce for the amount of noodles I have.

You will make many changes...

before settling satisfactorily.

That is my pre dinner fortune cookie today. How fitting because this month of May has been pretty changing. Well lets just say it probably started in March. You see, this year is one of those years when Easter is really late so we didn't have our first camp out until April. We were set on having a great weekend because being that it was so late in the year we thought we could escape the snow at Easter Rendezvous.
Well to our surprise we had tons of snow this year and when run off season got here...The rivers FLOODED. We went from dry camp spots to covered in 3 feet of water. Just to give you a mental picture right here that was about knee high on me. So we quickly found a new place to camp and had a great weekend.
Following right behind is our LARGE Cache Valley Rendezvous. This is a family activity (ok maybe just me, mom and dad) but it seemed to be what we did from the time I was 6 until, well still doing it. On Mothers day Saturday, we went up the canyon to see our camp site because the river was running high. Blacksmith Fork river had already gone out of its banks. That Saturday there was a little water running down the back gully but nothing that we had not seen before so I figured all was well. Come Sunday morning it was a new story. The river had washed over the bridge we use to get into camp and also started two more new rivers in the middle of our camp ground.
This wouldn't be so bad but a few years back, maybe 11 or so Hyrum City thought that back filling the large gully on the property would be a great idea. So, the kicked us off of the Left hand property for a year and back filled.
Fast forward to May 2011 and now the river is out of its bed and flooding all of the back filled area. The river is actually running so deep through some of the property that I am sure there will be big changes to the layout by next year.
We have been working so hard to find a new location for our event that I am starting to wonder if we are really supposed to go camping this year. Never mind the amount of rain that keeps falling from our skies. Hopefully come Sunday we will be hitting the mountain to enjoy the heck out of a week of camping.

Garden of the Gods

Last weekend my mom n law and I went to Colorado Springs for a bridal shower. We had an amazing weekend together. We make great traveling partners and got along beautifuly. We had a good time visiting with everyone that we saw. On Sunday, Cathy took us out to see beautiful Garden of the Gods. If you ever find yourself in Co Springs, CO stop by and have a look. My favorite is Kissing Camels. I did a tiny rock climb just so I could get a photo for all of you back home. Here it is...

March in Hyrum

In Ogden I have now been wearing sandals for weeks. Not really thinking about how much colder or how many weeks behind Cache Valley is I got dressed in a cute skirt and sandals to go and decorate my mom's grave for her March 17th Birthday. Big surprise as we topped Sardine canyon and the snow was coming down. I looked at John and started laughing. Wonder if there will be snow in the cemetery?

Yep there it was. White stuff all around. I stood in the tiny patch of grass near the headstone so I could keep my piggies warm and worked fast.

Thanks to my loving husband who stepped a path out there so I didn't have to walk in the snow. Here's to you mom. Love you and miss you every day.

Spring = Baby Animals

Last weekend we went to baby animal days at the historical farm in Wellsville. It was a lot of fun even if it did snow while we were there. Nothing like getting a little dirt on your boots while you are at the farm. Josh, Jen, Sky, Sage, Zack, Nash, Gramps and M all braved the weather and enjoyed a wagon ride out to the barns. In the first barn we held bunnies, won frogs and got out picture taken so we can not be lost children. Then we headed into the petting part of the day. Baby sheep, goats, pigs, chicks, ducks, turtles, and bears. It was a lot of fun to see and we enjoyed making petroglyphs and puppets. After we had our fill on the farm we headed for a bite of lunch at Angies. It was a great day and we enjoyed doing it.

When Grandpa comes

"It's always fun when Grandpa comes, when grandpa comes hoorah. He has a winkley tinkley smile he's jolly all the day."
I used to have two grandpas that fit the bill of this childrens song of my youth. Now I get to watch these two boys relive the words. Grandpa and his boys.
Nothing makes your day better than being lucky enough to start it out like this. Sky and Sage crawling all over you just because they love you. Gramps is always game for a little snuggle and then Sky knows he'll cave for a video game. Gramps always says it's easier to be the Grandpa because it's ok if it's all fun and games. Surprise boys, Gramps came to play to day.

April showers bring

May Flowers!!! Happy May Day.

There's a dog in the trunk

Bella has figured out that when we start getting ready to go some where all she has to do is go out side. Sometimes she will wait for us under the car. One morning when we were setting out for a Saturday of errands...
We found Bella waiting for us in the trunk. I guess she found it open and figured that was as good as the back seat. I don't think she would like it if we left her in there so we opened the back seat and let her go for a ride. She loves being with us and will just hunker down in the back seat. Her eyes say,"I'll sit here if i can just be out with you."