When your hiking your happy

I am going to do a post about the coolest parts of my Glacier National Park trip but first I wanted to post about something a noticed over and over while on out trip last week.

Everyone that I met was happy and helpful. I didn’t meet a single grumpy rude person the entire trip. A maintenance man helped us put air in a low tire. We talked to some very friendly retirees on the shuttle, who found me to return my hiking pole after I left it in the shuttle. A hiker that we passed several times on our long highline trail hike gave us a ride back to our camp so we didn’t have to wait forever for a shuttle. There was the friendly biker gang  that Darcy got a picture with. And met a very friendly hippie who showed me how I could use my hiking pole as a didgeridoo and made sure I knew the dangers of pvc  (apparently it can give you cancer and give men a more feminine voice.)

All of the park rangers campers and hikers we met were fun to talk to and happy to be where they were.  I have wondered about the reason for this. Does being in such a beautiful setting make people happier? Are happy people more likely to go on a vacation to a national park? Or do grumpy people not like to go to beautiful places? Whatever the reason is I thoroughly in enjoyed spending a week around happy people.

Extreme Geocaching

 

“Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online.”   http://www.geocaching.com/

My Dad and sister have been really into geocaching for quite a while ago. Darcy recently found her 800th cache and I think my Dad is past 2000 caches. Whenever they are together or away from home they can’t resist finding a few caches. As a result of hanging out with them I have found a decent amount of caches myself.

This summer Michael has been doing a lot of hiking and has gotten into caching as well. He likes to find the caches that require a long hike to get to. This week he found a few up on top of Y mountain.  When we go to a park with the kids he likes to look up a few caches nearby. Last week we went to the playground behind Provo Peaks Elementary to play a find a few caches.

Generally caches are hid in a place you can reach from standing on the ground. This one ended up being about 30 feet up the tree. I climbed trees like a monkey when I was a kid so I decided to try and get the cache.

That’s me, way up in the tree, holding the cache in my hand (it was a micro so it’s hard to see.) It was fun to climb a tree again, and my kids thought I was really cool, but I got sap all over my pants so I ‘m not sure if it was really worth it or not.

On Saturday Darcy came down to visit. We had some errands to do and after our errands we went caching. Michael had found a cache on a little island that you could wade out too. From pictures that people had posted it looked like it got about knee deep. So we decided to try it.

Here we are with the island we are wading to in the background. The water was a bit murky so it was hard to tell how deep it was.

Wading back. Its way more than knee deep. The cache ended up being on the opposite side of the island from where we went ashore. So we had to bush whack through prickly trees to get there. But we found the cache and Michael and Kathryn decided to wade out and get it too.

Kathryn was the only to find the cache and stay dry in the process.

Me and Michael after finding it. You can see from his shirt how deep the water got.

After our adventure Darcy and I were talking about it. She said if someone had said, “I will pay you ten dollars to wade through that slimy water out to the island.” She would have said no way. But for some reason decided on our own to do it because there was a cache on the island wasn’t that big of a deal.

Usually geocaching doesn’t involve wading through a lake or climbing a tree, but it was an exciting departure from the norm.

And just for kicks here is one more picture of Darcy and Michael finding a cache on our way home. I stayed in the car to watch the kids while Darcy and Michael got one more cache. I wonder what people who drove by thought when they saw  to adults, hanging out by a rock on the side of the road, with towels wrapped around there waist.

Why this blog will never be a mommy blog

You know how some moms start writing blogs and they get a bunch of people to start following their blog and after a while they actually make money by writing about how there toddler took off their diaper and smeared you-know-what all over the wall?

I have to come to the conclusion that this will never be my blog.  Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy reading a funny well written mommy blog, sometimes reading about the crazy things other moms have to put up with helps me appreciate my kids more, or not feel as frustrated when they do something crazy.  There are several mom blogs I read just because they are so hilarious, not because I actually know the mom. 

But my blog will never be a successful,  funny mom blog. I just can’t convince myself that people really want to hear all the details of potty training a kid or the embarrassing thing they said to a stranger. I don’t have a desire to write about my failures in motherhood. I like swapping crazy kid stories with my family and friends. But I don’t want to put it out there for the whole blog reading world to read about, comment on and criticize. I like to get other peoples take on things and to share and receive advice, but I want the advice to be from someone’s whose opinion I value and not some stranger in Ohio who knows a sure fire way to potty train a kid in a week.

It’s nice to be able to share my frustrating parenting moments with people who knowledge of me isn’t based only on the stories of my kids shenanigans that are funny enough to gain a following of readers. People who will be able to laugh when I tell them about the ridiculous fit my daughter threw because I wouldn’t carry her towel for her when we left the water park without thinking that I can’t control my kids, because they also see me the other 99% (ok maybe 90%) of the time when my kids are normal well behaved children.

I suppose I shouldn’t care if some random stranger thinks I am a horrible mom because the only time one of my sons gets veggies is when it is mixed into a fruity drink and  I’m sure there is probably somebody out there who would be happy to give me some advice on how I could change that. But the truth is that I do care what people think and I don’t want to hear what a stranger who has never met my kid thinks would be best. I am hard enough on myself when it comes to parenting and I don’t want to leave myself open to any extra advice or criticism by writing about my struggles as a mom where anyone can read them and comment on them.

So I hope my readers are not disappointed by a lack of  posts about motherhood because it is never going to happen on this blog. I hope you are all fine with occasional posts about me and whatever I happen to feel like sharing. If you want to hear about the crazy things my kids have done, or the funniest conversation about poop with a three year old you have ever heard, then next time you see me ask. I love talking with people who know me and care about me and are actually interested in my stories. We can swap stories, share cool tips that have worked for us and laugh about the ridiculous things that happen while trying to raise a kid.

Meanwhile I am glad that there are moms out there who know how to write well and enjoy documenting the ups and downs of parenting. Then I can keep reading my favorite mommy blogs without writing one of my own.

I am curious what other people think about mommy blogs. I am the only person who feels this way? Do you love them, hate them or write one yourself? Let me know what you think.

IVs

Prepare for a sappier than normal post.

I have often thought about how I am glad I was born when I was. I really enjoy modern technology. I am glad that even though my parents live over 500 miles away I can drive to see them in one (long) day. I think microwaves are amazing. I love that I can chat with Michael on my computer while he is at work. Being a parent without disposable diapers, wet wipes and onesies would be much more of a hassle. I'm sure I would have survived living without all these conveniences, but I'm glad I don't have to.

Last week a nasty virus made its way through our family. Everyone was affected somewhat but it hit Parker especially hard. After three days of being very sick Parker ended up in the hospital because he was extremely dehydrated. It took 7 different people at two and half hours and about 10 different pokes to successfully get an IV into him (he was so dehydrated it was very difficult to find a vein.)

 As the nurses were trying to get an IV into Parker I thought of my parents at the hospital about 30 years ago, in a much more serious situation, with my sister Darcy. When she was two she was diagnosed with leukemia. Her chance of survival were not incredibly high. I remember the story of one of the first times she was in the hospital and they poked her over 20 times before they were able to get an IV in. I remember my mom saying how helpless she felt and how hard it was to watch them hurt her little girl even though they were trying to make her better. As I sat on the hospital holding Parker on my lap, keeping the barf bag near his mouth while the nurses poked and prodded him, I got a glimpse of what my parents went through with my sister for several years. Despite the odds Darcy made a full recovery and now spends her time editing, geocaching and convincing my children that there is more than one name for what they call pajamas.

After about 24 hours of having an IV pump fluids him Parker was feeling much better. When I had to follow him around the pediatric floor of the hospital with his IV stand I knew he was ready to come home. After a day or two of resting and gradually eating more than crackers and apple juice Parker was back to normal.

But if we had lived a hundred years ago, or in a different part of the world today this story could have ended with Parker dying of the flu instead of spending a day in the hospital, in a private room watching Tarzan over and over, then going home and fully recovering. I know that I am very lucky that my children haven't had any serious health problems. And I am grateful for this. I also know that this might not always be true. I have friends and family who have spent many days at a hospital with their sick children. They are in my thoughts and prayers. And even with the amazing technology we have sometimes we still lose someone we love.

As far as medical technolgy goes I don't think getting an IV of fluids is very tricky. But it saved his life. Yes I am glad I live now when I can watch Netflix from my bluray player and send my dad pictures of my kids from my phone. But I am even more glad to be alive during a time of immunizations, chemotherapy, antibiotics and other lifesaving medical technology. I am glad loosing children in an accident or disease is a rare tragedy and not something that most woman have to deal with. I know this is still not the case throughout the world and I do my best to support the organzations and people who are fighting to change this.

So here is to technology, both medical and otherwise, and all the wonderful things it brings to my life.

Anticipation

 

   Right now I am waiting for the window guy to come and measure some windows so we can can get them replaced. And I am really excited. About windows. But it is more than just a few windows. It will be the last of the major things we want to improve on our house. It is something I have been anticipating for the nearly 6 years we have been in this house.

We moved into the house knowing there were a lot of things we would want to upgrade and we have slowly made our way through the list. Furnace, air conditioner, water heater, roof, doors and windows. They are all projects that were too big to do on our own.

I have been looking forward to finishing these projects since we bought the house. Each time we are able to complete one I get excited about the new improvement. I enjoyed the cool air flowing through the house when we got air conditioning and felt relief when we were able to replace our leaky roof. I felt like throwing a party when we replaced our front door and I was able to stop putting a rag in the gap too keep the cold air out in the winter. Hooray for doors you can’t see light and feel a breeze coming through!

Darcy came over last night to start planning out our, sure to be amazing, trip to Glacier Nation Park in August. It got me all pumped up to go, even though it is still three months away.

Planning our awesome trip and waiting for the window guy (who is getting close to being late) has made me spend sometime thinking about anticipation. Maybe I am just easily excitable but the anticipation of something is a big part of the enjoyment for me. I love looking forward to something, thinking about how much fun it will be and planning it. Sometimes I get so excited I have dreams about whatever it is I am anticipating. Dreams about new windows, amazing sales for kids stuff or hikes right on the side of a huge mountain.

I like to plan things I know I will enjoy way out in advance, then I have even longer to time to think about how awesome it is going to be. So here is my list of the biggest things I am currently anticipating.

1. Danl and Belinda moving to Utah for the summer. They will only be here for a few months, but I am so excited to have them near by. Less than two weeks! And getting to meet their baby girl who is due in September. Kathryn will get a girl cousin!

2. Replacing the last of the windows in our house! Which, according to the window guys I just talked to should be installed by May 25.

3. Kathryn’s dance recital and Stephen’s track meet. It will be a first for both of them and I am excited to see how they do.

4. Family reunion/ Moses Lake summer trip. One of the few bad things about Utah is that it is a long day’s drive away from Washington. I am so excited to hangout with my family.

5. Our awesome trip to Glacier National Park this summer. No kids are coming. It is going to be a blast.

6. The 5k mud run my super awesome friend Amanda and I are doing in August. I think a three mile muddy obstacle course sounds like a blast.

7. The really big, beautiful king sized quilt my awesome mother-in-law is making for me. It will be big enough to hang over the side of my king size bed. I picked out the pattern and colors (cream, light yellow and a really deep red.) She is going to hand quilt it and submit it in the Utah State Fair in August. I know it will turn out amazing.

8. Darcy making her trifle some time soon. I have been close to eating some twice in the past month but it hasn’t happened yet.

9. My kids being big enough to go on a family bike ride (not walking while the kids ride on their scooters and tricycles) on the Provo River Trail. This is a ways off, but it will be so cool.

I am getting excited just thinking about all the exciting things I have to be excited about!

So what are you anticipating now?

Running and my dad

The only thing I know about my moms labor with me is that she got mad at my Dad because he was watching the summer Olympics at the hospital while she was having contractions. He was probably watching track. Most of my pajamas as a toddler were my dad’s running T-Shirts that he got from various races.  Dad now thinks of training for marathons as a hobby, some people build a new model air plane every few months, my dad runs a marathon every few months.

Whenever I got new shoes as a kid I was sure that they would help me run faster. In third grade we were timed running a mile. I ran it 7 minutes and 47 seconds. Which is pretty decent for an 8 year old. Of course my dad was excited that one of his five kids might like running too. Soon I was on the Baron Park Striders track team. From the very beginning of my running career I gravitated towards long distances. When I was 9 I talked the officials at the Hersey track meet into let me run in the mile even though you technically had to be 10 years old to qualify.

I did track all through middle school and added cross country in high school. I was never one of the fastest runners but I enjoyed myself and always did my best. Dad would take me to the track and time me running splits and talk racing strategy with me. He always picked a few meets each season and left work early so he could come cheer me on. That meant a lot to me.

As I got older and busier it became harder and harder to fit running into my day. Soon after Stephen was born I decided wanted to start running again. Dad said he would come to Utah and run a marathon with me if I wanted. So I began to train. The thing about training for a marathon when you have a little baby at home who doesn’t believe in sleeping for longer than 3 hours at a time is that you are exhausted at the beginning of your run as well as at the end. I somehow managed to run a marathon when Stephen was 8 months old. I hadn’t done nearly enough training but I finished, with my dad at my side.

Two kids later I was feeling flabbier than I ever had before and knew I wanted to get back in shape. After a few weeks of running I decided to run another marathon. I called Dad and he said he was in. So I began to train again. Saturday afternoons I would call dad and see how far he had ran that week and compare our training routines. I trained right this time and felt much more prepared for the race.

The middle of June came around and I was ready. We were running in the Utah Valley Marathon and it had a beautiful course that started way up Provo Canyon and ended about half a mile from my house. We got on the bus to take us to the start at about 4:30 a.m.

And then it started raining, and raining for about the first 13 miles of the race. And not a light trickily rain it was a pouring until your toes are squishing in the water in your shoes rain. My dad told me that out of the nearly 20 marathons he had run that one had the worst conditions. We finished though, and I was in better shape than I had been in years.

I had every intention of continuing to run after the marathon. It didn’t happen though. I blame it on baby number four who I was actually 6 weeks pregnant with when I ran the marathon. I was soon to tired to do anymore than keep up with 3 kids and running got dropped from my schedule.

William (baby number four) has easily taken the award for most needy baby. It seems like his goal for the first year of life was to prevent me from accomplishing anything other than taking care of him. It you want proof of this look at the dishes in my sink. Gratefully he is starting to grow out of this and I don’t feel completely exhausted at the end of every day. Enough so that I have began to exercise again.

I started out with exercise videos in my living room and since the weather outside has been better I have been walking, which can be quite the work out when you are trying to walk fast while pushing three kids in a stroller. Now that it is not dark when Michael gets home from work I might actually have some time to go out running.  And I am excited. I love the tingly exhausted feeling my muscles you get after a good run.

Running plays a different role in my life now than it did when I was a teenager but it is still important to me. It’s not about racing in a track meet or getting a personal best time anymore. It’s about getting out of the house, taking a break and doing something for me. And my Dad has been there with me no matter what my running goal has been.

My parents are visiting next week. I think I will ask my dad if he wants to go for a run.

Being tall doesn’t make you good at basketball

I enjoy running. I am a decent volleyball player. I am not a basketball player. Growing up I would occasionally play a game of HORSE with my brothers or dad. I played in PE when we had to. I like watching basketball if it is a team that I care about, but since we don’t have TV that doesn’t happen very much.

Despite my lack of basketball skills I joined our wards women’s basketball team. It gives me a chance to get out and socialize and we have a fun team. When I joined the team the other women assumed that I would be a good player. I think it is because at 5’ 10’’ I am the tallest lady on the team. It didn’t take long for everyone on my team to realize that height does not equal basketball skill. Fortunately they didn’t really care if I was any good and were all just playing to have a good time.

It’s a good thing everyone on our team has that attitude because the only game we won was the one where the other team had to forfeit because they didn’t have enough players. Officially they forfeited the game but we scrimmaged against them just for fun. They still won even though they were playing with only four people and we had a full team with a few extras to sub in.

When I first started playing with the the ward I was pretty clueless about the finer points of the game. Basically I knew you tried to get baskets and you can’t double dribble. But the details like, not staying three seconds in the key, what a jump ball is and the various ways you could foul someone were a mystery. Often players from the opposing team would give me pointers. I think they figured they didn’t have to worry much when they were twenty points ahead. I have learned most of the rules out but I still don’t always know what is going on.

The hardest thing for me in basketball is being aggressive. I am just not really a in your face kind of person. Cross-country and track aren’t really the most aggressive sports. I must have made some progress in being aggressive though because I actually got a foul called on me in our last game. I’m not sure what I did.

Last night was our stake tournament. Since we were seeded last we played the teamed that had the best record. Which meant we didn’t really have a chance. It was a fun game though. The final score was 18-48. And amazingly enough 8 of those 18 points were scored by me. Maybe being tall does have some benefits.