I've experienced a string of frustrating events, and last night D told me I just needed to slow down. I immediately dismissed his suggestion. I looked back on the things that had happened, and I couldn't see how speed factored into any of it. It wasn't until this morning, and with a more open attitude, that I realized D was right. My physical speed may not be shifted into high gear, but if my mind isn't focused on the present, it may as well be.
I recently got back from a backpacking trip, and during the hike I had some great conversations with my brother about the very same thing: staying focused and present in the moment. It doesn't matter much if our bodies are present when our minds are off somewhere else. It's the disconnect between the two that I believe has contributed to my misfortune as of late.
Until this morning I've been scratching my head the past couple of days trying to figure out what I've been missing, and maybe it's just that....the actual objects that are missing that are trying to shed light on the bigger picture. I've been fortunate that I've only lost stuff, replaceable stuff, and some extra time to right the things that are wrong. There are far worse things I could have lost instead. It's with this in mind, that I'm going to slow down and try to keep focused on the present.
August 9, 2013
July 7, 2013
Pachyderm Hike
I overheard Joy and Clair talking about a hike in Bountiful at lunch the other day, and after our trip up to watch the fireworks, I've been itching to go on another hike. It also helps to know I need to do some serious conditioning to get ready for a backpacking trip at the end of the month.
I looked up the hike and trail head location, and as soon as Darius got home from work I was headed out the door. I drove to Mueller Park, which can be accessed by heading east on 1800 South in Bountiful. The trail head to the Mueller Park Trail, part of which is also known as Elephant Rock or Big Rock, in total is 13 miles. My goal was to make it as far as Elephant Rock and head back, which was about 7 miles. I allotted myself 1-1/2 hours for the trip in, so that I'd have plenty of time to get back before Darius had to leave for work.
The trail is definitely popular with hikers and mountain bikers. Horses are even allowed on the trail, but I didn't see any of those...just their doodie. The trail was pretty easy, and I saw all ages along the way. The trail is fairly narrow in most spots, so I had to keep an eye out for bikes coming down and up the trail. The trail was very well shaded, which was very nice considering I got started right around noon. With the heavy rain from the day before, there was some humidity in the air which I loved.
I forget how much I enjoy hiking, and I realized that the last time I was able to get away for a hike entirely on my own was back in Alaska. It was nice to be able to go at my own pace, take pictures of whatever caught my eye, breathe in lovely mountain air, and enjoy the peace and quiet.
I almost turned around with 10 minutes left on my clock, but decided to give the hike one last push to see if I could make it to Elephant Rock. At a few points along the trail the rock is visible, but after that it's hidden. I had no idea how far I was from it, but I'm glad I didn't turn back. I made it there right on time and had a few minutes to enjoy the views before heading down.
I'm not sure why it's called Elephant Rock. I didn't see any resemblance there, so I'm going to guess it's called that because it sticks out of the surroundings....like an elephant in a room. :) The view from the lookout was of South Davis and the Great Salt Lake and it was beautiful.
It's nice to have a trail so accessible within a short distance from home. I'm looking forward to my next hike...solo, or not.
I looked up the hike and trail head location, and as soon as Darius got home from work I was headed out the door. I drove to Mueller Park, which can be accessed by heading east on 1800 South in Bountiful. The trail head to the Mueller Park Trail, part of which is also known as Elephant Rock or Big Rock, in total is 13 miles. My goal was to make it as far as Elephant Rock and head back, which was about 7 miles. I allotted myself 1-1/2 hours for the trip in, so that I'd have plenty of time to get back before Darius had to leave for work.
The trail is definitely popular with hikers and mountain bikers. Horses are even allowed on the trail, but I didn't see any of those...just their doodie. The trail was pretty easy, and I saw all ages along the way. The trail is fairly narrow in most spots, so I had to keep an eye out for bikes coming down and up the trail. The trail was very well shaded, which was very nice considering I got started right around noon. With the heavy rain from the day before, there was some humidity in the air which I loved.
I forget how much I enjoy hiking, and I realized that the last time I was able to get away for a hike entirely on my own was back in Alaska. It was nice to be able to go at my own pace, take pictures of whatever caught my eye, breathe in lovely mountain air, and enjoy the peace and quiet.
I almost turned around with 10 minutes left on my clock, but decided to give the hike one last push to see if I could make it to Elephant Rock. At a few points along the trail the rock is visible, but after that it's hidden. I had no idea how far I was from it, but I'm glad I didn't turn back. I made it there right on time and had a few minutes to enjoy the views before heading down.
I'm not sure why it's called Elephant Rock. I didn't see any resemblance there, so I'm going to guess it's called that because it sticks out of the surroundings....like an elephant in a room. :) The view from the lookout was of South Davis and the Great Salt Lake and it was beautiful.
It's nice to have a trail so accessible within a short distance from home. I'm looking forward to my next hike...solo, or not.
Saffy Lunch
After quite a good turnout for the 4th, my family had the added bonus of assembling again today at my brother Eric's place. His daughter Saffron was baptized, and they hosted a lunch at their place afterwards. James' family was down from Idaho, and Michel's family was also there.
Anytime there are lots of cousins and a house with "new" toys, I rarely see my boys for very long. It's nice that they have such a great time, especially when it gives me time to sit and catch up with everyone.
In addition to the Canfield side, Melinda's Ashton family was there as well. We don't have many opportunities to see them, and I love our visits with them! Her family members are lovely and talking with each of them is so enjoyable.
I have a great family. I love it when we can all get together, it never gets old.
 |
| Melinda & Saffy |
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| Miles, Ian, Lisette, Saffy, Eric & Nigel |
Anytime there are lots of cousins and a house with "new" toys, I rarely see my boys for very long. It's nice that they have such a great time, especially when it gives me time to sit and catch up with everyone.
 |
| Sarah is quite the firecracker and will give any kid twice her size a serious dose of fierce! |
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| A lot changes in a month with little kiddies. We just saw Madison on her birthday a little over a month ago, and she wasn't quite walking, but she is now. |
In addition to the Canfield side, Melinda's Ashton family was there as well. We don't have many opportunities to see them, and I love our visits with them! Her family members are lovely and talking with each of them is so enjoyable.
 |
| James, Clair & Eric. We don't see these men together very often, but I sure love it when we do! |
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| Carrie, Archer & Joy. They're all so stinkin cute. |
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| Michel and two (out of 5) of her lovely daughters, Kylee & Karissa. |
I have a great family. I love it when we can all get together, it never gets old.
July 5, 2013
Hooray for Independence Day!
Darius has been working a lot lately with very few days off. I was very excited when he told me he managed to get two full days off from work and would be spending Independence Day and the day before with us.
Wednesday just happened to be the opening day of Despicable Me 2, and after a busy morning of cleaning, we all went to an early showing. After a dry spell of good kids movies, it's nice to have several to look forward to this summer. The boys enjoyed watching the previews and were almost as excited for their big tub of popcorn and rare jumbo soda as they were for the movie. The movie was great and we all loved it!
For the 4th, we headed over to the Bruhn house for a BBQ. We had a good turnout...Eric's family, Clair's family, the Bruhn 3, Joy and Courtney. We all enjoyed a little potluck offering, and did our best to beat the heat by sticking to the shade.
T
The boys had lots of fun with their cousins, did a little wheel-barrowing and 3-leg races. It was cute to see my boys so close together without fighting, but they quickly ditched their leg tie and tried to cheat their way to a victory.
Days off for Darius mean catching up on sleep, so while D napped after the BBQ, the boys and I headed out for a little shopping excursion. They've been dying to spend some of the money they've been saving, so I bribed them with a purchase so long as they let me look for a new top. They had their new Lego sets picked out within a quick minute, and I wish I could say I had as good of luck as they had. I struck out at our first stop, and after a promising armful of things to try on at H&M, I unfortunately struck out there as well. Stores were closing early, so we headed home to figure out the rest of our day.
I didn't realize it until now, but this was our first year watching fireworks on the 4th since watching them in Clearwater when the boys were just shy of 4 months! We were back and forth deciding where we would go, but when Joy mentioned hiking a trail in Millcreek Canyon, I thought it was a great idea. We stopped for a quick bite to eat on our way up to meet her at the trail head. The year before, Joy said there were very few people at the top, but this year the cat was out of the bag, and there were a lot of people with the same idea.
We reached the top just in time, and with the valley spread out below us, we could watch an entire spread of light shows! There were a few shows bigger than others, but with people setting off their own fireworks, there were dozens of lights to watch, and our attention darted from one area to another. It was incredible! We even got to see nature's lightshow...strikes of lightning far off in the distance that lit up the surrounding sky red.
Darius decided to head back down the trail with the boys a few minutes before me to get a head start. There were a few parts of the trail to where I could hear the boys, but I didn't catch up with them until almost the end of the trail. It was tricky heading down a trail in the dark, and the boys were getting tripped up, so Darius was very relieved when a nice family came along and helped him with the boys. The mom in the group, snatched up Zach and apparently he talked her ear off, telling her his life story and then some.
It was great to be able to spend the day with all my men, and so much of my family. I take for granted what all our little freedoms amount to, and how despite the cons, our country has far and away so many more pros that make me incredibly grateful to live here.
Wednesday just happened to be the opening day of Despicable Me 2, and after a busy morning of cleaning, we all went to an early showing. After a dry spell of good kids movies, it's nice to have several to look forward to this summer. The boys enjoyed watching the previews and were almost as excited for their big tub of popcorn and rare jumbo soda as they were for the movie. The movie was great and we all loved it!
For the 4th, we headed over to the Bruhn house for a BBQ. We had a good turnout...Eric's family, Clair's family, the Bruhn 3, Joy and Courtney. We all enjoyed a little potluck offering, and did our best to beat the heat by sticking to the shade.
T
The boys had lots of fun with their cousins, did a little wheel-barrowing and 3-leg races. It was cute to see my boys so close together without fighting, but they quickly ditched their leg tie and tried to cheat their way to a victory.
Days off for Darius mean catching up on sleep, so while D napped after the BBQ, the boys and I headed out for a little shopping excursion. They've been dying to spend some of the money they've been saving, so I bribed them with a purchase so long as they let me look for a new top. They had their new Lego sets picked out within a quick minute, and I wish I could say I had as good of luck as they had. I struck out at our first stop, and after a promising armful of things to try on at H&M, I unfortunately struck out there as well. Stores were closing early, so we headed home to figure out the rest of our day.
I didn't realize it until now, but this was our first year watching fireworks on the 4th since watching them in Clearwater when the boys were just shy of 4 months! We were back and forth deciding where we would go, but when Joy mentioned hiking a trail in Millcreek Canyon, I thought it was a great idea. We stopped for a quick bite to eat on our way up to meet her at the trail head. The year before, Joy said there were very few people at the top, but this year the cat was out of the bag, and there were a lot of people with the same idea.
We reached the top just in time, and with the valley spread out below us, we could watch an entire spread of light shows! There were a few shows bigger than others, but with people setting off their own fireworks, there were dozens of lights to watch, and our attention darted from one area to another. It was incredible! We even got to see nature's lightshow...strikes of lightning far off in the distance that lit up the surrounding sky red.
Darius decided to head back down the trail with the boys a few minutes before me to get a head start. There were a few parts of the trail to where I could hear the boys, but I didn't catch up with them until almost the end of the trail. It was tricky heading down a trail in the dark, and the boys were getting tripped up, so Darius was very relieved when a nice family came along and helped him with the boys. The mom in the group, snatched up Zach and apparently he talked her ear off, telling her his life story and then some.
It was great to be able to spend the day with all my men, and so much of my family. I take for granted what all our little freedoms amount to, and how despite the cons, our country has far and away so many more pros that make me incredibly grateful to live here.
June 28, 2013
Ben at 5 years, 3 months & 15 days
I've been meaning to write up a little piece on the boys since they turned 5, and I keep putting it off. With Ben sitting next to me this morning, I finally fired off some questions for him to answer about his favorite things right now. Here's what he had to say...
Favorite colors - green, blue, pink, red, and purple. (I think because he was coloring during this question, he just named a bunch of the colors he was using.)
Favorite foods - toast, yogurt, strawberries, strawberry smoothies, pancakes, mac & cheese, hot dogs, and ice cream. I swear this kid could live off of toast and yogurt if he had to. A common phrase I hear almost everyday from him is "Two toast with butter and the crust off." Whenever there's a sale on yogurt and I stock up and buy a dozen or so containers, he will easily go through a third of them in a day if I let him.
Favorite toys - Legos, Transformers, and Angry Birds. I wasn't too crazy about the boys getting into Legos at this age. The little pieces end up everywhere, hurt to step on, and after the initial object is built and comes apart is almost never rebuilt. I find that most of the time the boys only play with the little Lego men anyway. However, lately Ben has really been getting into building his own little space crafts and such for his men, and I'm impressed by what he comes up with.
Favorite places to go - Jump Around Utah a.k.a. the Banana Peel and the store. I think I covered the nicknaming of JAU before, but in case you missed it, Ben started calling it the Banana Peel and I couldn't get him to explain to me why he called it that. He finally told me that the enormous jumping pillow in the middle of the room was slippery like a banana peel.
As far as the store goes, this answer surprised me a little, but if I think about it from his angle I guess he likes going whenever we let him spend some time on the toy aisle looking at Legos. He has a particular Lego Chima set he's saving up for, and he likes to check it out whenever he can. He's very thorough and likes to turn the box around and look at the photos on each side.
Favorite people - Jonas, Joy, Grandma & Grandpa, and Zach. I'm sure this list isn't complete because Ben has a lot more favorites, and I maybe coaxed Zach's name out of him.
I often wonder what it must be like for my boys to always have the other around. I'm sure in a lot of ways it must be nice to always have someone to play with, but on the flip side it's frustrating for them whenever they need their own independent playtime and the other is in their business and driving them nutty. I know Ben and Zach love each other, but I don't often see them show their affection for each other. Whenever they do show love for each other, it's very sweet. My favorite is when one of them is asleep and the other will give him a kiss on the head or cheek.
Favorite game - Punch Robot, which is a game Ben plays on his LeapPad. There's a little robot that has to smash buildings to uncover numbers and solve math problems all while avoiding alien attacks.
Favorite movies - Rio, Curious George episodes, and Peter Pan. I love it when I'm in another room and I can hear Ben quoting lines from Rio or Peter Pan. He really gets into character!
Favorite animals - dinosaurs, ducks, and fish. Dinosaurs have interested Ben for a few years now, but ducks and fish are new additions. I have no idea where ducks came from (unless he just saw D's ducks on the shelf and said it), but fish I do know came from his buddy Jonas' house. They have a nice big fish tank, and Ben has been requesting one of his own now.
Ben is definitely skittish around animals that run, jump, and lick. Maybe that's why fish appeal to him. At a BBQ at Carrie's house a couple weeks back, Joy brought her new puppy, Ulli. Ulli got to chasing Ben in the yard, and Ben ran around in a wide circle screaming in panic. I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably at his fear over a puppy half his size.
Favorite books - Curious George, Cat in the Hat, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Peter Pan, etc. There are so many great books and Ben pretty much likes them all, so it's hard to say what his all time favorites are, so I'm going off of what books are frequently in rotation right now. Whenever we read Cat in the Hat to the boys, Ben can nearly recite every page to us. Lately when I've asked the boys to clean their room, Ben will quote to me from the book, "...this mess is so big and so deep and so tall, we can not pick it up. There is no way at all!" As serious and as upset as he is when he says it, I can't help but laugh a little. I'll joke around with him and tell him to break out his thingamajigger, which just makes him more upset.
I love all the little quirks Ben has, and I need to remember more often to take the time to record the sweet and funny things he does at this age so that I won't forget...like the way he tells me that he loves me, which is very often right now. I know as he gets older, I won't hear that quite as much.
Some of the other things I want to remember... Ben loves to dress up. He often wears a cape, mask, or hat and wields a foam sword. Often when he's in character, I'll hear (what I like to call) his Santa/crow laugh. It's like a ho, ho, ho laugh that has a cackle quality to it.
Ben is a sweet boy and loves to be helpful. When we're up at Grandma Ruth's cleaning, he likes to help me dust and wash the windows. When he doesn't mind cleaning his room, he gets right to work and has a great attitude about it.
Ben loves to show me what he's working on, whether he's building something out of Legos, coloring, building a puzzle, or practicing his letters. His face lights up at his accomplishments, even more so when he receives positive feedback.
I'm not a stay-at-home that revels in motherhood, but I do know how very fortunate I am to have this time with my boys while they're young. I love being around to see how their personalities have formed, to see how their interests change over time, and the excitement they have for nearly everything right now. Childhood is magic and I love watching the show.
I'm lucky to be your mom, and I love you forever Benny.
Favorite colors - green, blue, pink, red, and purple. (I think because he was coloring during this question, he just named a bunch of the colors he was using.)
Favorite foods - toast, yogurt, strawberries, strawberry smoothies, pancakes, mac & cheese, hot dogs, and ice cream. I swear this kid could live off of toast and yogurt if he had to. A common phrase I hear almost everyday from him is "Two toast with butter and the crust off." Whenever there's a sale on yogurt and I stock up and buy a dozen or so containers, he will easily go through a third of them in a day if I let him.
Favorite toys - Legos, Transformers, and Angry Birds. I wasn't too crazy about the boys getting into Legos at this age. The little pieces end up everywhere, hurt to step on, and after the initial object is built and comes apart is almost never rebuilt. I find that most of the time the boys only play with the little Lego men anyway. However, lately Ben has really been getting into building his own little space crafts and such for his men, and I'm impressed by what he comes up with.
Favorite places to go - Jump Around Utah a.k.a. the Banana Peel and the store. I think I covered the nicknaming of JAU before, but in case you missed it, Ben started calling it the Banana Peel and I couldn't get him to explain to me why he called it that. He finally told me that the enormous jumping pillow in the middle of the room was slippery like a banana peel.
As far as the store goes, this answer surprised me a little, but if I think about it from his angle I guess he likes going whenever we let him spend some time on the toy aisle looking at Legos. He has a particular Lego Chima set he's saving up for, and he likes to check it out whenever he can. He's very thorough and likes to turn the box around and look at the photos on each side.
I often wonder what it must be like for my boys to always have the other around. I'm sure in a lot of ways it must be nice to always have someone to play with, but on the flip side it's frustrating for them whenever they need their own independent playtime and the other is in their business and driving them nutty. I know Ben and Zach love each other, but I don't often see them show their affection for each other. Whenever they do show love for each other, it's very sweet. My favorite is when one of them is asleep and the other will give him a kiss on the head or cheek.
Favorite game - Punch Robot, which is a game Ben plays on his LeapPad. There's a little robot that has to smash buildings to uncover numbers and solve math problems all while avoiding alien attacks.
Favorite movies - Rio, Curious George episodes, and Peter Pan. I love it when I'm in another room and I can hear Ben quoting lines from Rio or Peter Pan. He really gets into character!
Favorite animals - dinosaurs, ducks, and fish. Dinosaurs have interested Ben for a few years now, but ducks and fish are new additions. I have no idea where ducks came from (unless he just saw D's ducks on the shelf and said it), but fish I do know came from his buddy Jonas' house. They have a nice big fish tank, and Ben has been requesting one of his own now.
Ben is definitely skittish around animals that run, jump, and lick. Maybe that's why fish appeal to him. At a BBQ at Carrie's house a couple weeks back, Joy brought her new puppy, Ulli. Ulli got to chasing Ben in the yard, and Ben ran around in a wide circle screaming in panic. I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably at his fear over a puppy half his size.
Favorite books - Curious George, Cat in the Hat, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Peter Pan, etc. There are so many great books and Ben pretty much likes them all, so it's hard to say what his all time favorites are, so I'm going off of what books are frequently in rotation right now. Whenever we read Cat in the Hat to the boys, Ben can nearly recite every page to us. Lately when I've asked the boys to clean their room, Ben will quote to me from the book, "...this mess is so big and so deep and so tall, we can not pick it up. There is no way at all!" As serious and as upset as he is when he says it, I can't help but laugh a little. I'll joke around with him and tell him to break out his thingamajigger, which just makes him more upset.
I love all the little quirks Ben has, and I need to remember more often to take the time to record the sweet and funny things he does at this age so that I won't forget...like the way he tells me that he loves me, which is very often right now. I know as he gets older, I won't hear that quite as much.
Some of the other things I want to remember... Ben loves to dress up. He often wears a cape, mask, or hat and wields a foam sword. Often when he's in character, I'll hear (what I like to call) his Santa/crow laugh. It's like a ho, ho, ho laugh that has a cackle quality to it.
I don't know where it came from, but when I ask Ben to do something that he protests, he'll say to me, "But Mom, I'm not going to college!" It makes no sense to me and I have no idea where he picked it up, but it makes me laugh, especially the way he says it.
Ben is a sweet boy and loves to be helpful. When we're up at Grandma Ruth's cleaning, he likes to help me dust and wash the windows. When he doesn't mind cleaning his room, he gets right to work and has a great attitude about it.
Ben loves to show me what he's working on, whether he's building something out of Legos, coloring, building a puzzle, or practicing his letters. His face lights up at his accomplishments, even more so when he receives positive feedback.
I'm not a stay-at-home that revels in motherhood, but I do know how very fortunate I am to have this time with my boys while they're young. I love being around to see how their personalities have formed, to see how their interests change over time, and the excitement they have for nearly everything right now. Childhood is magic and I love watching the show.
I'm lucky to be your mom, and I love you forever Benny.
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