Check one off!

I distinctly remember seeing a photo like this in my 5th grade geography book and wanting to be in that car.  My love of travel started early! 

On our weekend trip to the Redwoods, George helped me check one off the bucket list, although he grumbled a bit at the $8 fee.  I reminded him that it is probably the cheapest and easiest thing on my rather lengthy list! 

Redwoods

Three years ago we had a trip planned to go to California to see the giant redwoods but instead we made a trip to Buenos Aires to be there for John and Monica's wedding.  Wouldn't have missed that for anything!  George had a 4 day weekend again so this year we did go south.  The redwoods did not disappoint!

We have some tall trees in Oregon but nothing quite as tall as these giants. 

This area is called the "Avenue of the Giants' and it is easy to see why.  This tree once stood 362 feet tall...walking the whole length of the fallen giant gives you a real feel for its size.  362 feet is more than the length of a football field. Truly awesome!

Seeing the root system of this tree, called the Dyerville Giant, gives a great sense of the actual massiveness of the redwoods. 

It crashed to the ground in 1992 moving the earth so much that it registered on a nearby seismograph and one local, who heard the impact from a half mile away, thought a train had crashed. 

 We spent a lot of time looking up! 

The trunks seem to often be hollow.  

Looks like there have been campfires in these trees. 

Easier to cut a tunnel than move a tree! 

Not all the trees are redwoods.  This one made me think of the Spanish Moss on the trees in the South. 

Although there were  bear and mountain lion warnings, the only wildlife we saw was this cute slimy banana slug. 

And a herd of elk in the appropriately named, Elk Meadow! 

I LOVE being a Grandma!

Can't say enough about this Grandma job!  

It is the best! 

 Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while....but our hearts forever. 
I know Isabella will have my heart forever....I hope I have hers too! 

I Climbed Long's Peak!

Back when we were young and slightly crazy, we decided to climb one of Colorado's Fourteeners - one of the mountains with an elevation of over 14,000 feet.  Our good friends and neighbors, Dave and Cindy Cloyd joined us.  Funny that I don't remember training or preparing for this hike at all.  We were living in Fort Collins at the time so we were living at 5000 feet and as I mentioned we were young.  Our preparation consisted of getting babysitters, reading a few maps, getting a hotel room for the night before in Estes Park and heading out!  

Looks like we did enjoy a high carb breakfast.  Don't we look young?   This must have been in about 1985. 

 I loved that van!   

I have no memories of the first part of the trail that goes through an alpine forest.  Here is our first view of Long's Peak. 

After six miles of a normal mountain hike, you arrive at the famous 'Boulder Field'.  At the beginning it is deceptively easy! 

Before too long the trail gives out and you just have to scramble over the Volkswagen sized boulders. 

 To get some size perspective you can see a man at the base of the largest rock. 

 The structure that you can see is a solar toilet. 

Getting across the boulder field took a long time and was an incredible amount of work. 

Rest time  

The place we were headed is called the 'Key Hole'.  You can see it clearly. 

We are all smiling because we are getting so close!  Unfortunately Cindy was feeling the affects of the altitude and decided to wait for us at the Key Hole.

Here is what I just read in a guide to climbing Long's Peak 

The real challenge on this portion of the route is not the passage itself but other climbers encountered while traversing it.  On many portions of the ledge there is not a lot of room to pass, specially on the stretch near the top of the Trough.  Working your way around someone on one of these passages risks getting knocked off or putted off the ledge, a risk not worth taking.  

The trail on the back side, on the other side of the Key Hole is not for the faint hearted.  In fact George has no memories of the views as he was concentrating too hard.  Seems that George was smart to be so careful.  

The last part of the hike is what is called scaling, not climbing but not just a hike either.   I didn't take  any photos but I found this one which is exactly what I remember it looking like.  

For years we've laughed at what happened at this part of the day on what is called "The Home Stretch".  Dave and George were scrambling along when suddenly they looked up and I was way ahead of them zipping up to the summit.  I distinctly remember realizing that I was not going to die on the mountain....I was going to make it to the top!

We did it! 14,256 feet! 

I had climbed Long's Peak and I still have the shirt to prove it. 

Just for accuracy and to explain the route I've added a map and description.

Approach. A good trail leads from the East Longs Peak Trailhead [the standard route] six miles west and south to the Boulderfield north of the summit where the trail ends. From the Boulderfield the route climbs southwest overland atop boulders to the Keyhole, a gap in the northwest ridge of the mountain.

Ledges. Passing through the Keyhole the route crosses to the west side of the mountain and turns south to make a lateral transit across the Ledges to the Trough. These are described as the tops of "boiler plate slabs" lying on the side of the mountain.

Trough. The Trough is a steep rocky gulley or couloir, which is climbed southeast to the top of a ridge on the southwest corner of the mountain. This is a climb of about 600 feet on broken ground starting at 13,300'. The Trough narrows at the top where passage is blocked by a chockstone, a large boulder that must be scrambled around.

Narrows. The route then turns east to traverse the south side of the peak, starting on a convenient narrow ledge above a perciptious drop, appropriately known as the Narrows. The ledge gradually widens to flare into the final stage to the summit.

Homestretch. The final stage to the summit turns north up a steepish slope of smooth granite called the Homestretch. Cracks in the granite lead diagonally up to provide footing for the final climb north to the flat summit of the mountain. However, much of the surface has been polished smooth by the passage of thousands of climbers, not to be attempted when wet.

Talented & Creative

Our Matt is a man of many talents!  Here is a glimpse into his latest venture.

Take a bunch of old skateboards.

 Work hard to get off the glue and paint, then glue them back together to create pieces like these 

Use a lathe 

then shape into beautiful things 

I love my Mother's Day presents!  Salt and Pepper Shakers and an interesting bowl.  I am amazed by his creative mind and talent with woodworking!
I love this boy.  (Can I still call him a boy when he is 36?)

Heavenly Thank Yous

I spent last week in Boise going through boxes and boxes of 'stuff' - the treasures of my life!  I read old boyfriend letters and felt the joy and sorrow of early loves and heartbreaks.  I looked at the many wedding announcements and baby announcements I'd kept over the years and remembered all my dear friends though the stages of our lives.  I read the pink baby book my mother had started almost 64 years ago to keep track of her little baby girl - ME! Report cards, school projects and some of my 1st grade papers were in one box. I found Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Cabbage Patch Kids.

 I smiled at the memory of the Karate Kid headbands my dear neighbor Cindy Cloyd had made for all the little boys in the neighborhood when that movie was the craze! 

Then came the hard part - deciding what things I needed to keep and what things could be thrown away. Not an easy task but I'm happy with what I kept and what I was able to let go of.  It feels right. I will always have the memories and I don't need the 'stuff' for that. I enjoyed this time to reflect on my life and realize what a wonderful almost 64 years I've had!  And I'm looking forward to many more years of joy...and probably more treasures saved!

Going through all this made me think that while I often talk of seeing my loved ones again in Heaven, I've never really thought of what I might say to them.  Well when I see my mother and my Grandma Boyle, I'm going to give them both a long overdue thank you!

In one box I found my old Barbie dolls and clothes.  Some had the Mattel label but many were hand made by my Grandma Boyle.  She was a remarkably talented seamstress.  My mother told me that when she was young and they were poor, Grandma would take her with her sister Clarice to one of the expensive stores in Little Rock where they would pick out a dress.  Grandma would look it over, go home, make a pattern and then sew the exact dress in the perfect color.

 

She used that same talent to make me many Barbie clothes. I can't imagine working on something this tiny and doing such exquisite work.  I feel ashamed that little  8 or 9 year old me didn't appreciate all the love in these clothes...and this is only a sampling of what she made for me.  I am pretty sure that I preferred the 'store bought' Barbie clothes over her 'made with love' clothes. 

 Here is a sampling of the Barbie clothes she made me.  That little red shirt has darts and a collar and sleeves.  The black dress has an edging hem and lace at the neck. 

Look at the detail on this shirt.  It has teeny tiny buttons on what I think you call a placket. 

This dress has pleats and ribbon trim. 

 When I see Grandma again I am going to give  her the biggest hug and tell her how thankful I am and how I know that these sweet clothes were a gift of love to the little granddaughter she adored. 

Now neither my mother nor I have Grandma's sewing talent but one of my mother's gifts to little Marilyn was simple but time consuming.  I loved playing with little plastic army men  but they were all green so it was impossible to organize battles when all the soldiers looked the same.  My mother took nail polish and put dots on half of them (and I had a LOT) so that I could visualize two armies.   And she put red crosses on the hospital tents and trucks. Another labor of love for an ungrateful little girl.  

  

My heart is full when I think of the love that has surrounded me all of my life!  And I am grateful for these simple demonstrations of that love!

A Rainy 5K

George ran the Lake Oswego Lake Run 5K this rainy morning. Yes he was cold, wet and wearing several pounds of damp clothes but he still managed to cut 3 1/2 minutes off his time and improve his pace almost a full minute from last year!  That early morning running is paying off!

I am so proud of him! 

Goodbye to #31 and #32!

Last week I took foster guide dog #31 back to Guide Dogs and she was adopted by a family with children and a 10 year old yellow lab!  I think she is going to be living the sweet life!

I went home that very day with #32, kept her for a week and then took her back.  She didn't look too happy to be left but later that same day she went to another foster home, one they call a 'working' home. 

 Every day the trainers will pick her up in the Guide Dogs for the Blind 'school bus' and she will continue her training.  Hopefully she will succeed as a guide for a visually impaired person.  George and I are so lucky to have all these great dogs to love!

Another Missionary Story

Another of my seminary kids is serving a mission in Poland. After spending her first 7 months in Warsaw she was transferred to Gdansk which is located way up on the Baltic.  Perfect to spend the summer in this fairytale like city!  Missionaries are assigned to different cities by the Mission President who has been called to preside over the mission.   They might stay in a city for only a few weeks or up to many months.  The president prayerfully decides where each missionary should serve.    Each missionary is also assigned a companion with whom they spend every minute of every day.  The companions are also assigned and changed by the mission president. Talia is now training a new missionary fresh from the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah where she will have spent the last 8 weeks studying Polish before flying off to serve her mission. 

I love this story from Talia's recent transfer.




 Here is Talia's story in her own words. She entitled it, "Smile More" and Sara Bareilles"

I was feelin' the stress of traveling to a new city with 6 pieces of luggage and training. I was sitting on the train and reading a language book and just couldn't seem to shake these nervous/stressy feelings. So, I said a prayer. I needed to know God new about the feelings I was having and that He was there for me. And you want to know what happened within the next 5 minutes? I looked over to the man across the aisle on the train from me. In that moment, he took off his sweatshirt and his t shirt read, "Relax, smile more"....and then seconds after that, his ringtone went off...it was "Brave" by Sara Bareilles. Now, they may have seemed like little things to everyone else...but those were little, simple ( and even cheesy!) reminders that God is aware of us and our needs and that He listens & answers our prayers. 

I love this work.  I love Gdansk.  I love my district. I love the members.  I (am learning to) love Polish.  I love my little companion. I love this gospel and I love you!

And I love Talia!  Her last name is Beem and she is truly 'beaming' in every one of her mission pictures.  Talia is the happy girl in the maroon shirt! 

Perks of Having Been A Seminary Teacher

I loved the years I spent teaching seminary.  It's just icing on the cake to receive invitations to weddings of my former students!  Plus Mondays have become my favorite day of the week because that is the day I get emails from my missionary students.

Here I am with sweet Abby and her brand new husband Ethan!  I was lucky to have been Abby's teacher for several years.  Watching her grow into this beautiful young woman has been a pleasure.  I hope this young man knows how lucky he is! 

Thought I'd share this fun story from another sweetheart student who is serving a mission in California. 

In Ally's own words:

We're knocking on doors and a man answers and says, "What are you selling?"

Us: We aren't selling anything sir, we are the sister missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints."

Him: "Oh, the Mormons...nope I'm good"

Us:  "Well is there anything we can do for you today?"

Him: "You can get me a Big Mac, fries and a coke from McDonalds"

Us:  (awkward laughs and slight confusion) We wish we had one to give you but unfortunately we are fresh out."

Him: (awkwardly laughs back) "It's ok.  You ladies have a great day!"

Door shuts

The next day

Me to my companions:"I really feel like we should go get that man a Big Mac.

My companions: "You are so weird"

Me: "Seriously"

Them: "Alright" so we get in the car go to McDonalds and order a Big Mac combo with a coke and drive to the man's house.  Knock on door... and he answers

Him: "Weren't you here yesterday?"

Us: Yes we were but we brought you a Big Mac this time."

Him: "That was a joke."

Us: "We know but we wanted to spread some joy and hopefully this time share a message"

Him: "You really do know how to brighten a day."

We go inside and share a first lesson...he is now a new investigator!

Isn't that a great story?

That's my fun Ally in the middle in the red shirt!  Way to spread the gospel...one Big Mac at a time!