Kotter's Swing

We had a few extra girls with us today...last night we swapped cousins in SLC.  Mack stayed there with his cousin, Ethan, and my niece, Grace, came back to Mendon with us.  It was a girl party for sure!  Barbies, Taylor Swift, lots of late night giggling.  Poor Grandpa was heavily outnumbered!


This morning, we decided to pick up June's BFF, Payton, and go to a movie.  (Rio...LOVED it!)  And then we ran a few errands for Grandma and drove back to Mendon to take some pictures.  Somehow we ended up at Kotter's Swing.  I'm not sure how I missed this when we lived here, but it's stunningly beautiful and SO much fun.  I love those Kotters for making this place gorgeous and accessible.  

This is the view from the clearing just before the swing... 

There were a handful of other girls already there swinging, so we just jumped right in with them!

Everyone was adventurous and cooperative and encouraging, and we spent an hour thoroughly enjoying a beautiful afternoon in Mendon.

 

 

 

And then sometime between round two and three for everyone, one of the girls suggested that I TRY IT!  That was absolutely out of the question.  I don't love heights.  I don't love speed.  I know my limitations.   I said no several times before Spell Girl finally said, "She's not going to do it.  She's kind of a chicken about stuff like this."  

Um...a chicken??  ...really???  

She's right.  I am totally and completely a self-proclaimed chicken.  But the thought that went through my head at that moment was my motto for this trip, "Say YES to everything!"  And you can't do that if you're a chicken.  So, I decided not to be a chicken this time...


(thanks June, for taking over the camera so I could be adventurous...)

 

It was more fun than scary.  The rope didn't break.  I didn't fall to my death in the 4 inches of raging water in the little creek beneath me.  And the high fives and cheers I got from all those little girls after I made it safely off the swing were TOTALY worth it!!  

I love Dallas, but I'm pretty sure there's no possible way to duplicate this place or this feeling anywhere but in Mendon!

 

 

The Storm

You know that feeling you get when you can feel a storm coming?  It's out there.  It's inevitable.  The clouds are dark and ominous and the air is thick.  And you have to decide at some point whether to go through it or run for cover.


That's how I felt Saturday night...like a very small, very unprepared boat heading into a raging sea.  (It didn't help that there was an actual storm that night and the clouds actually did look dark and ominous.)  For anyone else, this particular thing probably would have been insignificant, but for me, it was BIG.  I knew the storm was coming and I knew there wasn't anything I could do about it.  I knew that running for cover wasn't an option this time.  I needed to make myself go right through it.  But I think I also knew that I would make it out safely on the other end...somehow.

 ...it was that middle, stormy part I was concerned about.  

I got on my knees Saturday night and begged for help.  And then I got back there again first thing Sunday morning.  And sometime between 6:30 - 8:30am all of my anxious worrying was replaced with calm assurance and quiet confidence.  There's a song or a poem or something that says, "sometimes He calms the storm and sometimes He calms the child."  Today, it wasn't the storm that was calmed.  I definitely felt it raging around me.  But there was a protection that I felt throughout the day that kept me from being my typical, uncalm self.  And after several hours, I realized that I had made it through the day, not beaten and discouraged and barely hanging on, but joyful and confident and with a renewed faith in the power of the Atonement and the very definite assistance from a kind and merciful Heavenly Father that comes when we ask for it.      


Storms happen all the time for me.  Sometimes I can feel them coming and other times they catch me off guard and knock me off my feet.  But with them, there is always some lesson learned, some greater confidence secured, and always an assurance that no matter how much the storm rages, I am never alone.  I know that my Heavenly Father is aware of my every need.  I know that the Savior loved me enough to sacrifice His life for me.  And I know that there is an undeniable power in the Atonement to make up the difference for all the many things that I lack.   I'm grateful to have made it through yet another storm.

Mendon

See why I love this place?

 

 

 

Aquacise

Shortly after we arrived in Utah on Sunday night, my friend Lauri texted, "Do you want to go to an Aquacise class with me on Tuesday?"  I decided before we left on this extended vacation that my motto was going to be "Say YES to Everything!"  So, I immediately texted her back and said, "YES!  What's Aquacise?"

After an hour of "Aquacis-ing" this morning, I now know what it is and I've officially added it to the list of Stuff I Love.   Aquacise is like aerobics in the WATER!  I don't always LOVE exercise, but when you combine it with WATER (which I DO LOVE) it's totally fun!  


Lauri picked me up at 7:45 and we met three other friends at the Logan Aquatic Center for the 8:00am class.   We jogged in the water, used noodles and foamy "hand weights," and had an amazing workout!  

You're probably picturing this:

but we totally felt like THIS (only with much more modest bathing suits!):

The hour went by so quickly I was surprised and slightly disappointed when it was over.  And it was such a great workout that even right now, several hours LATER, my arms and legs still feel a little like jello.  Since it was so much fun, I convinced all of them to go back again tomorrow instead of waiting until Thursday...and TCD is coming, too. 

I LOVE happy surprises...especially the ones that burn tons of calories!

Fourth of July

We tried not to waste one second of our first day in Utah.  

We started with the Hyrum Parade...

Reuniting with our BFFs, the Baker's

We made one more quick stop for another much anticipated reunion with a BFF...

 ...and then we drove down to SLC to watch fireworks at Sugar House Park with all the Thunells.

Spell Girl chose to finish the last chapter of Pendragon instead of watching the amazing fireworks show...it's a good thing I have that flashlight app on my phone!

I LOVE the 4th of July.  I LOVE fireworks.  And I LOVE spending holidays with family and friends!

Road Trips

I LOVE Road Trips!  We've gone on A LOT of them over the years, but I think this one has been the BEST by far!  Here's why:

• We left on time.

• Everything miraculously fit into the van...two sets of golf clubs, one float boat, camping stuff, fishing stuff, Girls' Camp stuff, 7 large duffel bags (one that is filled with JUST my shoes), swimming stuff, snacks, a case of water bottles, a camera bag, blankets, pillows.  (One of the Scoutmaster's many amazing talents is the ability to make TONS of stuff fit into very small spaces.) 

• We made it to our destination faster than we expected.

• There was NO fighting. NO yelling.  NO whining.  Everyone in the van was totally delightful for 12 whole hours! 

• Awesome music!!  I have essentially the same 800 songs on my MP3 that I've had since November, but there's something about listening to music for hours and hours and hours while you're driving on an endless stretch of road that makes them sound even better.

• We drove a different route this time than we have on past trips to Utah.  And it turns out Nebraska is beautiful! 

• We made it to the hotel in time to have a great dinner, take showers and get in bed at a decent hour, so that we can start LEG #2 tomorrow.  

• And guess what!  Tomorrow's drive is 90 miles less than today's.  

Highlights:

  Did you know that the World's Largest Porch Swing lives in Hebron, NE?  We had to make a tiny little detour to see it.  I thought it was kind of funny that it's not even on a porch!

 

 Aren't we such dorks!?  See what happens when you combine very little sleep, an entire day spent in jammies with no make up, and 12 hours crammed in a van??

 Turquoise toes!!

 We all thought this little street looked so much like Wellsville, UT

Look at this cute little house all decked out for the 4th of July!

 There is a lot of corn in Nebraska!

 This was a really cool arch that crosses over the interstate in North Platte, NE

 more corn...

I'm grateful for happy surprises, uneventful days, beautiful scenery, a family that LOVES to sing, and the chance to get up and do it all over again tomorrow.   The best part about today, though, is that we're halfway to our destination.  Because even though I LOVE road trips, I REALLY LOVE getting there.