Memorial Day weekend- Logan

Memorial Day weekend was pretty great.  Jenny took my kids for a quick sleepover.  I cleaned the house like crazy.  Its so nice to just get a project done without interruptions.  My kids are great helpers but listening to a good book and just working is great sometimes! So when Darren got home we hiked up Cherry Canyon behind our house and got up top to see a good view of the snow covered Lone Peak.  It was a beautiful view of the valley below.  We ran down to make it to the car before dark.

The next day Darren took Tyler to Sundance to ride the trails with his Outlaw Mnt bike team.  Darren got in some good riding too!

Then Saturday night we headed up to Logan to visit Pat and Seth.  They have a beautiful apple tree in their backyard.  A nest was so sitting there so cozy.  

Sunday night we drove up to Utah State and saw my old apartment.  Merrill 214 (we called it jokingly- the room of love because 2-14 is February 14th)

I took my kids inside to show them where I lived for 2 years.  Even the spot under the stairs were Darren and I had a good conversation about getting married.  (abby did push the emergency button below- they answer really quickly!). Old main was beautiful as we rolled down the hill.

 
Darren and Seth made us a yummy bbq dinner with delicious potatoes.  Creamies were pretty popular.  And after we put kids to bed Darren and I went for a walk up around the temple.  My legs were still pretty super duper sore from running down Cherry canyon so hills were pretty painful!

Monday we went for a hike (along with everyone else since it was Memorial Day) to the wind caves. I love that my kids are such good hikers.  Abby made it the whole way up and down.  Only loosing it when she tripped on the way down and cried and wailed for a while.  

 

Then a few days later we met all together at Corie and Nolan house for dinner and playing.  We missed Ranell and Jordan but what a treat to be all together.

A good thought Darren sent me

Quma.net (800) 622-6463 QUMA INSPIRATIONS Vol. 3, No. 1 The Consummate Truth of Life  Human behavior is an effect: Human thought is the cause.  Whatever you do, you do first in your mind.  Your mind, the ultimate source of all your actions and reactions, orchestrates every deed, performs every act, authors every word. Your mind--the thinker of thoughts inside your body--is the very essence of who you are. It is you and you are it.  Rene Descartes captured this essential truth in sublimely succinct prose: "Cogito ergo sum. I think, therefore I am."     We think, and with those thoughts we create.  By the thoughts we choose to think, in very literal terms, we create the quality of life that we experience and the person we become.  It goes beyond influencing, shaping or guiding.  By our mental choices, you and I determine how we experience our experiences and what we enact in the world.  We establish our own happiness or misery, abundance or scarcity, bondage or freedom. In the foremost and rigorous example of the law of cause and effect, we harvest in life, only and exactly, what we sow in our minds. At this very instant, you are abiding the consequences of your own mental choices.  You have been where your thoughts have led you, you now stand where your thoughts have brought you, and you will go as high and as far as your thoughts will take you. All that we do and all that we will ever do or accomplish is a product of our mental choices. Once we see --really see--that our thoughts are by far and away the leading cause of all our effects, and discover that we have total control over that exclusive causative force, we gain access to the grand key--the source and the solution to the full gamut of our potential.   The consummate truth of life is that we alter our destiny by altering our thoughts. The mind is our most crucial resource, our crowning asset, our ultimate arena of battle. If we will master the power of our minds we may do or be whatsoever we will.   The moment you and I start thinking differently, our world changes.  It cannot be otherwise. A new mental process invariably precipitates new physical and behavioral outcomes.  The effects are often amazingly rapid.  People can make dramatic, stunning changes with remarkable speed by altering their paradigms. The truly exciting part of their transformation lies in the astounding discoveries they make regarding their abilities and possibilities. Often they come to realize that the potential they are now acting on has been there all along, and so have the opportunities.  When they see that it has been, not just primarily, but only their thoughts that have been holding them back, they stride forward with great energy and seize opportunities that have been staring them in the face for quite some time. When we fully accept how precisely everything from our character to our circumstances corresponds to the thoughts we choose and the images we hold in our minds, that realization stands among the most significant and empowering revelations a person can ever receive. Our main purpose in publishing Quma Inspirations is to supply you on a weekly basis with strong ideas, frequently coupled with suggestions for implementation.  Our intent is to help you develop stronger character and reach higher pinnacles of success in all aspects of your life.                                                                                                                                - Dennis R Deaton

"As he thinketh in his heart, so is he."                                                   - Prov. 23:7 "All that we are is a result of what we have thought."               - Buddha

Biz town

I think the highlight of Tylers fifth grade year was Biz town.  He had to learn about finances, writing checks, having a bank account.  He had to apply for a job- which he got his first choice.  He was Mayor of the city.  I was super proud of him.  It's a one day cook experience of these 11 year olds running a city.  They work, they have time off, they have “money” to spend, and real things to buy.  Tyler had to give some fun speeches and sign lots of papers and make sure people were happy.  I volunteered and worked in the bank.  So fun!  

Mothers Day weekend

We added a new member to our family this Mothers Day weekend.  Its official, Tyler has a new bike. It will take lots of care since it will get really dirty and Tyler has already crashed it a few times so it takes time to fix it.  But it has brought us all joy. I love seeing Darren and Tyler riding together and talking about riding together.  And they seem to enjoy it also!  Tyler is part of a club called the Outlaws.  They specifically ride down hills and jumps.  This bike is super heavy… you dont pedal it up a hill!  

We got to go out to dinner on Darrens company. We dont go out to eat pretty much ever.  I dont like to spend all that money!  But this was a fun treat with fun desserts at the end! Darren got a nice ride in with great views.  Ella was so brave and scared… but so brave.  She got to go to a ski camp for the day to ski with the Snowbird ski team.  Try it out and see what she thought about racing. She was so nervous but did it!  

Tyler had his last organ recital for a while.  His teacher, Jan Clayton, is leaving on a mission to play the organ in Jerusalem and the Center.  He has learned a lot from her free lessons.  It was a total miracle we got to gleen so much from her.  

And for mothers day… all the cute things the kids give me. but this was my favorite.  “My best memory of my mom is the all of the adventure we went on”

Its pretty exhausting to take them on all my adventures but if one day they remember it all and says good things about hiking, climbing, road trips, skiing …. I will be so happy!

Maple Canyon with the Cub Scouts

Tyler has a super great scout leader, Nathan Hampton.  He plans some fun things and is a natural at being with scouts.  I was excited that Darren got to go camping with them.  Maple Canyon is amazing.  Great for rock climbing and famous for ice climbing.  Darren and another dad Corey woke up early and went for a bike ride.  They all went on a night hike….and then another hike in the morning after a delicious breakfast.