Happy Birthday to You, and You, and You, and You.....

I'm starting to become one of those occasional bloggers...how sad! :( I need a swift kick in the butt my dear friends and family! If you're still seeing the same post after a week+, I give you permission to nag me until something new shows up, and I don't mean casually comment that you haven't seen a new post in a while... I want you to full on nag me until I comply.

Okay, onward!

January may be over, but there are some pretty awesome people that celebrated birthdays this last month that I want to acknowledge. At the start of the month I was thinking that it would be fun to have one big party to celebrate everyone that had a birthday in January, but I'm glad it didn't work out that way. It's much more fun to stretch the fun a little further. Maybe I should be like an ambassador for birthdays or something. I love the opportunity to celebrate how special these people are.

Carrie kicked off the month, and I've decided that I need to add her birthday planning to my list of things to do in December. It always sneaks up on me, and I find myself scrambling at the last minute for her. She's too awesome for last-minute planning!  Regardless of the poor planning, there was still a good handful of Canfields that were able to meet up for a nice visit over lunch, and I got lucky and had some free time to visit with Carrie on her birthday.

I hate to admit to favorites, but in a big family like mine, it's not a huge secret that there are some of us that have closer ties to each other. I still love everyone to bits, but Carrie is one of my favs. Growing up I did my own thing and played with my imaginary friends and missed a great opportunity to connect with the flesh and blood playmates that were always around. It wasn't until I was ready to leave home that it dawned on me what a close bond I had Carrie. It's taken a while, but we're finally living close to each other, and it makes me so incredibly happy. Now when I hang out with her, I don't feel that panic settling in when our visits come to an end, because I know there won't be a gap of months and months that pass before I see her again. I love Carrie so much more than I can express, but I suspect she knows it's always more. ;)

My lovely friend Brandi is next in line on the birthday train. I love that she loves her birthday and goes all out to celebrate it each year. She is an amazing person who I think the world of. I'm in awe of how she juggles all that she does and in the seemingly effortless way that she does it. There should be more designated days to celebrate her. I didn't expect to get any face time with her on her birthday, but I just happened to catch her at the right time, and I enjoyed a long overdue and wonderful visit with her.

Eric's birthday was a day later, and I feel bad that in the past I haven't done more to acknowledge his or my sister Michel's birthdays. I guess in some ways I felt like maybe they didn't want another reminder of their age advancing a notch, so I kept things simple with a phone call, email, card, or text. A birthday marks another year, but I think it should be more about celebrating the person, and the longer these amazing individuals are around to celebrate, the better!

It wasn't very original, but I think it was great that a bunch of us could get together again to celebrate Eric and Michel's birthdays. Eric picked a great Mediterranean Grill that everyone enjoyed, and I'm so glad it's in my neighborhood! We all had a great visit with each other, and it's always a good feeling when so many of us can find a window in our busy schedules to come together.

As an older sibling, especially one to a bunch of young kids, Eric was responsible (in a good way) for shaping us in one way or another. I love to hear every one's different memories about each other and how greatly they vary, but I think all of us would agree that Eric is indeed a gentle giant. He is kind and so much so that I can't think of very many times that I have ever seen him angry over anything. Those Keep Calm quotes that I'm seeing around everywhere lately make me think of Eric. I think Eric's ability to be calm is a great attribute, and when I'm around him I think of how much better a person I could be if I could keep my crazy in check.

Next in line is my niece, Karissa; and nephew, Ian. Karissa is Michel's daughter and Ian is Eric's son. I think it's cool that Karissa and Ian share a birthday in between Michel and Eric's birthdays and that they both happen to be the 3rd child in each family! I may not have a very close relationship with them, but I have loved watching them develop into the people they are and enjoy hearing about what they're up to. 

Michel. What can I say about her? She's got some sort of super-human blood running through her veins. She's constantly on the move with her work and family, and if all that craziness wasn't enough..she's back in school again. Grace under pressure is what she embodies, and I'm always amazed by how much she is able to do. I'm terrified at the thought of going back to school myself, but when I look at Michel and all that she has been able to accomplish, I can't help but feel inspired and encouraged that I too can do more. She's a lovely example of a human being.

Small packages can pack some pretty big punches, and that's exactly what my young friend Emma does. She is a riot and I love the mess of adjectives that only begin to describe her personality...sassy, spunky, sly, sweet. I'm fascinated by her, and how full of life she is. She brings so much joy to those around her, and I know she will be thoroughly entertaining to watch as she grows up!

Finishing up the January birthdays is James. He's in a good place in Idaho, but I wish I got to see him more often! His easygoing and fun personality is a joy to be around. His comic relief on our hike this past summer was a huge motivation for me to keep going when I wanted to stop. James is such a fun and positive person, and you can't help but smile when you're around him.

These lovely people make a cold, long month so much nicer! Cheers to each of them and all the things that make them special and for the happiness they bring to others. I have probably said this before, but I'll say it again... they are a lovely way to start off a new year!

What are you grateful for?

On the days leading up to and following Thanksgiving, our daily photo challenge topic each day was something we are thankful for. After Thanksgiving I also came across a lovely tradition that I'd like to begin next year. It may be a little past Thanksgiving already, but there's no time like the present to actually get started.

For those of you that read this post and would like to join me, please feel free to leave a comment (or even send me a photo you would allow me to post) to express what you're thankful for.

My list is endless of the things I am grateful for, but I'd like to take the opportunity to elaborate on my family and share a little something about each of them that I love and appreciate.

Grandma Ruth - She is as sweet as they come, and I love that every time I leave her house I can always find her at the door or in the window waving to me as I pull away. The sight of her waving goodbye makes my heart swell.

Dad - I think Dad is almost as excited as I am that we finally have a garden to plant in the Spring. His green thumb is one of the things I'm so happy to have picked up from him. Before we left to come home Thanksgiving evening, he told me he had some flower bulbs for us on his workbench. I love and appreciate the little thoughtful things he does.

Mom - Her generous spirit is a blessing, and from her I have learned the tremendous satisfaction to be gained by doing for others. I think like her, I am truly happiest when I am able to help anyone in any capacity.

Michel - She pays it forward. She knows the struggles of being a SAHM, and she has shared some of her experiences and challenges with me. She knows how it feels to be need, and in return she has graciously given to my family when we've been in need ourselves.

Eric - I love his calm. He is gentle with his words and his children. I am louder and more abrasive. He's a quiet reminder to me that I don't need to raise my voice to get my point across.

Clair - He is courageous in the ways he is able to be vulnerable. I love his ability to let his guard down and share with others his struggles and triumphs. He has been sharing his personal affirmations for a year now on his blog Canffirmations. Although his affirmations are personal to him, I can often find ways to apply them to my own life.

Connie - I feel really loved when she gives me a hug. I think my family members all give great hugs, but Connie's radiate a warmth that is extra special. Maybe it's more noticeable to me considering we weren't always very kind to each other in our youth. I'm grateful that we can express our love for each other now.

Carrie - She is thoughtful and always remembers the little things. I like to think she has an excellent Rolodex in her head of important dates and events. Carrie will be the one that always remembers to call and send her best wishes for whatever the occasion may be.

Joy - Her strength and resilience inspire me. Her inner strength is much like a boxer. She takes her blows amazingly well and comes up swinging like Mickey O'Neil.

James - His fun-loving and easy-going nature is contagious. His humor and relaxed attitude is refreshing to be around.

Darius - He is such a hardworking man, and as hard as he works, he's so pleasant to be around when I am fortunate to have time with him. Regardless of his schedule or how tired he may be, he helps me around the house and acknowledges the work I do with the boys at home.

Ben - I love his willingness to help me around the house and his independent spirit. It sometimes breaks my heart just a little when he refuses my help, but at the same time I love that he wants to do things for himself and the satisfaction it brings to him.

Zach - He is social and will talk to anyone about anything. I love that he pulls me into his conversations with others that I probably would not talk with otherwise. He's a great reminder that there's no reason we can't connect with the people we come across each day.

And to each of you....the rest of my family and friends, there are so many wonderful qualities about each of you that I love and admire. I'm truly grateful for each of you and the strength and inspiration I am able to take away from all of you. Part of the reason I am me is due to the positive influences of the amazing people I am surrounded by. I hope to be more mindful of each of you and to take the opportunity to express my gratitude more often.

Much love to each of you.

October This & That

The first couple weeks of October kept us all busy. We had several weeks left in our apartment, but decided to move into the house right away and get settled. It was an easy move, and we quickly unpacked and got ourselves organized. We had beautiful weather and took advantage of the warm days to pull up the remnants of the garden left by the last tenants, and get it ready to be planted in the Spring. 

The middle of the month is a blur. I'm certain there was plenty going on to keep us busy. Towards the end of the month I enjoyed a lovely birthday with lots of my favorite people. Darius and the boys took me out to breakfast at the Park Cafe. It was our first visit there, and we all loved it. Afterwards we hit a few thrift/antique stores, and I found an awesome coat tree and a few other knick knacks. My dear friend Brandi came over for a visit with her son Jonas, and then my sister Carrie organized an aerial yoga party for me. Joining us were Kylee, Joy, Connie, Clair and Michel. I wasn't too sure about what we would be doing, but it turned out to be so much fun! I'm all about doing it again. It was a great day...just wish I had taken photos!

Halloween wrapped up the month, and I was happy to get that holiday out of the way. The boys got a little crazy leading up to it, and I was happy to be done with all their pre Halloween sass. Carrie brought the most adorable little dino over for a quick visit, and then we Trick-or-Treated in Joy's neighborhood which turned out to be great, nice and laid back. 

Yellowstone Hike - Day 3

Day 3 was loooooong! If you would have told me that I would begin my day on the Bechler River Trail and end it at home with a long, hot shower; I'm certain I would have laughed in your face. Strange enough, that's what happened.

Try to picture a hammock with a blue cocoon inside it strung between those 2 trees. I'm still amazed Clair slept that way each night.

 I had it in my head that Day 3 was going to hurt a whole lot worse than Day 1, but strangely enough it didn't. I still have a hard time believing it too, after seeing the state of my feet when it was all done. I'll spare you the blistery details! I do have my brothers to thank for their help. They each took a couple things from my pack to lighten my load. I'm sure it made all the difference.

The two river crossings from the day before was all it took to fully wake up for the day. So COLD! Even though Clair and I got an earlier start than James and Logan, they easily caught up to us by the time we reached the second crossing. I knew their younger, fitter legs would be able to make it to our last campsite ahead of my pace, and they were also entertaining a return trip to Mr. Bubbles, so Clair and I split up from them for most of the day.

Considering my great love for squirrels I guess I shouldn't be terribly surprised that a pair of them are the only ground animals we saw the entire time. We did however see two birds of prey, probably a golden eagle and a hawk. I like to picture the squirrels as those birds' meals. :)

We may not have seen any bears or such, but we did see the signs they left behind.

I wanted to take the opportunity to photograph all the different varieties of wildflowers on the return hike, and ask my brother Eric to help me name them all, but unfortunately my camera quit working. I was happy to get the last few shots that I did, and hopefully I can add some photos later on from the batch James took.

I was able to keep a steady pace, and I had much better control over my breathing on the way back. I enjoyed some great conversation with Clair, and by the time we had reached our campsite from Day 1, we were both thinking the same thing. We had made great time up until then and knew we could probably hike all the way out and skip our last night on the trail. I think the thought of avoiding another day of blistered feet in boots, eating a hot meal, and sleeping on a soft surface in a warm home was all the motivation I needed to keep up the pace.

By the time we reached what was supposed to be our last campsite, we took a break and were about to leave a note for James and Logan when they showed up. They decided to hike out too, and took a break while we got started again.

As we made our way back to the Lone Star Geyser, we saw a large group of people hanging out and knew the geyser was about to go off. We couldn't have had better timing. Clair and I anxiously watched the trail hoping James and Logan would arrive in time before it went off. They made it just in time, and it was a perfect ending to our backpacking trip. It's an impressive geyser, and I enjoyed it more than Old Faithful. After we hiked the rest of the way to trail head, we all drove out of the park via the West Entrance and stopped in West Yellowstone for the popular post backpacking meal of burgers and fries.

I ended the day and started the next with that long, hot shower and hobbled to bed. As nice as it was to wake up warm and comfortable in the morning, I still missed the trail and that incredible forest smell.

My body will heal, I'll forget the hellish first day, get new hiking boots that are kind to my feet, and look forward to next year's hike. Who's in?

Yellowstone Hike - Day 2

My body was really angry with me on the morning of Day 2. My face felt/looked like a jet-puff marshmallow, and my air mattress had sprung a leak, and I basically had no cushion between my body and the hard ground. Did I mention it was cold!? I checked the weather ahead of time and was prepared for cold nights (upper 30s, low 40s), but even with warm gear I was still really cold.

Breakfast lifted my spirits considerably. James is a perfect companion to hike with. He keeps things light and funny, and watching him interact with Logan was very entertaining. He's like the younger brother James never had. Our entertainment was watching the two of them prepare their elaborate breakfast of pancakes. I guess they forgot the non-stick skillet and spatula, because their first flap-jack attempt looked more like scrambled eggs. They resorted to option 2, which was to boil their batter in Ziploc bags. Mmmm.... Yeah, I was more than happy to eat my instant oatmeal.

We had another long day of hiking ahead of us, with a planned detour, but even though we got packed up later than we wanted, we were able to squeeze everything in. After hiking up to an elevation over 8,000 feet the day before, I was more than happy to have our hike drop us down a couple hundred feet in elevation.

Day 2 was definitely the day I was praising President Grant, congress, anyone that had anything to do with preserving and making it possible for people like myself to enjoy such a beautiful part of our country. There were times where I'd look around at the vastness surrounding me, and it felt like my body was full of helium. It made me think back to the drive that D, the boys, and I made from AK through Canada. There were stretches of mountains so breathtaking that all you wanted was to bottle that feeling that seeing those views gave you. That big tour bus full of all my favorite people, those were the people I thought of and wanted to share Day 2 with...and it was just getting started!

Twister Falls

 

 

We only saw one sign (Twister) naming the falls along our trail, so Clair and I started making up names for them. Clair named this one Bro Hug Falls. The water shooting to one side made him think of a one-armed hug guys give each other.

I never told anyone, but lately I've been getting a little vertigo on steep areas or big drop-off sections of hikes that I've been going on. I'm happy to report I didn't once feel like I'd plummet to my death while getting closer looks at the falls on the trail.

 

 

 

There's a little side trail off Bechler that leads to a thermal area, and I'll just say this instead of trying to find enough adjectives to describe the awesomeness that greets you at its end....it's a place that should be on every one's bucket list...and they call it Mr. Bubbles.  

 

 

I am not a huge water lover, especially when horseflies are anywhere near the shore, but I've yet to encounter a more perfect water spot than Mr. B. You don't have to be a swimmer to enjoy it, it's shallow enough to kneel or sit in and, you.  will.  never.  want.  to.  get.  out.  It's nature's hot tub, but so much better!

 

 

It was the saddest part of the hike to leave Mr. Bubbles, but we still had to make it to our campsite before dark, so off we headed.  

 

 

I think we called this one Cake Layers?



  





River crossing #1.



River crossing #2...wider, deeper, faster. These crossings were no joke. I'd be frightened to see what they were like a couple weeks earlier. The trekking poles I borrowed from Carrie and Bobby literally saved my bacon.

Brothers with long legs make it look so much easier!

After our second river crossing, we made it to our camp a few minutes later. We were all pretty wiped from our long day, and after dinner we all called it a night, knowing that Day 3 would be our longest (and what we thought) our most difficult day.

Yellowstone Hike - Day 1

Clair and I were both up with the sun and packed up early and headed into Yellowstone National Park. We stopped at a Backcountry Office in Grant Village to obtain our backcountry permit and watched a delightful backcountry video. We made our way to the Lone Star Trailhead which is just south of Kepler Cascades near the Old Faithful area of the park.

James and his brother-in-law, Logan, met us at the trailhead and we started our hike! The first couple miles of the hike felt as though we were cheating. The trail was wide and paved, which was for the benefit of visitors making their way to the Lone Star Geyser. We learned upon arriving to the area of the geyser, that it only goes off every three hours. Since we had just missed the last firing, we kept moving on. There were some interesting thermal features as we gradually moved away from the geyser area, and a couple miles further we reached the site which we had reserved for the third night of our trip.

It's not very clear on my map, but I'm pretty sure our trail changed from the Lone Star Trail to the Shoshone Lake Trail a/k/a the Continental Divide Trail before we reached the trail we spent most of our time on, the Bechler River Trail. We had about 10.5 miles to our first campsite, 9D4. For nearly half that I was in hell! I grossly underestimated how difficult the first day would be, thinking that day 3 was the day to be scared of. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't know ahead of time, otherwise I may have chickened out.

I'll be honest, after I got to our campsite and dropped my pack, I was certain that there was no way I was up to another 2 days of anything remotely similar to what I had just gone through. For several hours I had myself convinced that I'd be returning to the trailhead the following day. After regaining my ability to breathe normally and think somewhat more rationally, I decided that it was wrong to torture myself all day just to give up before getting to the really cool stuff on the trail.

It wasn't long after dinner, cleanup and hoisting our packs up the bear pole that it began to rain, so we all retreated to James' & Logan's tent for a few hands of Pinochle before we were all too tired to play anymore and headed to bed. Clair was extra brave and slept in the hammock we borrowed from Joy. He was in an area pretty well protected from the rain, but had a good scare when he thought a bear was trampling through camp around 4 a.m. Turns out the noise was from other hikers or park rangers checking our permit. Whoever it was, I'm pretty certain one of them went by Gary. Thanks for the scare Gary!

Bike Envy

Our backpacking trip this year was down a few Canfield members, but we're hoping to add some serious numbers next summer.

After car trouble reared its ugly head at our Subaru right before the trip, Clair and Stacey very graciously allowed me to user their car to drive up to Yellowstone. I followed Clair on his bike most of the way, and I envied his ride almost the entire time with the exception of the time I saw lightning strike a field very close to the highway I was on, and for the super buggy areas in which bugs pelted any exposed skin on Clair's body.

At one point during our drive, as we were making our way through Logan Canyon, we hit some road construction, and I could see Clair ahead of me with maybe 8-10 vehicles between us. I had the windows down and most of the traffic was stopped, and all I could hear was a light breeze rustling through the tops of trees. It was serene and peaceful and then traffic begins to move and I hear Clair's bike rev and rumble and echo through the canyon walls. It was beyond awesome! I wish he could have experienced what I heard, I know he would have been most impressed!

We stopped in Jackson, WY for some leg stretching and our last serious meal before our hike was to begin the following morning. As the sun started to set, we entered Grand Teton National Park and stopped along the way to capture the stunning scenery. I love, love, love that stretch of towering mountains; and I believe the range is Clair's favorite.

At one point during the drive through the park, we enjoyed the gorgeous peaks to the west with rays of setting sun shooting up from behind; while to the north, there were dark skies and flashes of lightning. We fortunately avoided the dark areas and made it to our campground with just enough light to set up our tent at the north end of the park in the Lizard Creek Campground.

Mishmash

The past few weeks have been a good mix of some fun stuff. Now I know why my dear friend will publish "This week in pictures" posts every so often. Time has a way of sneaking off, and this past month has gone by pretty quick...so I guess instead of a week's worth of photos, I'll cover most of May instead. :)

Darius, Ben, Zach and I joined Clair's family for a swim party to celebrate Makenna's recent birthday. I had lots of fun making cute little fondant owls to top her cupcakes, and we got to watch Makenna jump off the diving board for the first time!

I made several cakes this month...this one was for my cousin, Anthony's, lovely wife for Mother's Day. They enjoyed Grandma's birthday cake so much that they had to have another, so Anthony got in touch with me and surprised his wife.

I love that Clair and I love the same baseball team! Most of the family was able to get together for a BBQ at Carrie & Bobby's place to celebrate Clair's birthday. We feasted on some good eats...Sanpete Turkey, homemade rolls, yummy salads, and pudding cake. There were some really happy tummies. :)

My lovely and extremely talented niece, Karissa, graduated from high school. I put together this cake as a nod to her talents as an artist. We joined her family for some lunch and cake and enjoyed a good visit with them.

This sweet little soul just turned 1! The boys and I drove up to James and Brooke's home in Idaho to celebrate Madison's birthday. I brought some pizza dough and sauce and we cooked up some pizza the night before, and enjoyed a little family BBQ the following day. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed a great party!



 

We've been wanting to get a dog, but it's just not in the cards for us right now. Lucky for us, we can get our puppy fix from Joy's sweet new friend, Ulli. The boys and I got to dog sit for him while Joy was at work. The boys love him (so long as he not chewing on them).

It's been a good month! I love my family, and it feels really good to live close to everyone again. There's a bunch of us, and there's always something going on, and I love that I'm not missing out on so much of it anymore.