A Day in the Mountains!

 George's sister Karen came to visit for the weekend and we decided that an excursion to the mountains would be a perfect way to spend Saturday.

Matt recommended a hike on a ridge up above Blue Lake. 

Amazingly beautiful scenery!

I am not sure if everyone in the group would have agreed with Matt's assessment that this was an easy hike but I do believe a 'good time was had by all.'

Grandma and Isabella selfie!

Thanks to Pinterest, I had a couple of games for her to play.  One was a regular scavenger hunt and the other a color hunt.  Both were fun and entertaining.

We even found enough snow for a snowball fight!

At one point, Karen decided that going ahead and climbing over the log that blocked the trail would be too hard for short little me!  She didn't remember that telling me I couldn't do something is like waving a cape in front of a bull.  

There is more than one way to forge ahead!

On the way back I did go over the log.  Where there is a will there is a way! 

And we made it up another ridge to see the view before turning around to go back to the cars.

George loves to take photos of me taking photos.  It's his favorite hobby! And I do give him ample opportunity to pursue it. 

 I think both Karen and Monica will research the trail before going on another 'easy' hike with Matt!

But they were good sports!

After the hike, Matt took us to a secluded spot with ready made fire rings and built a big fire.  We enjoyed personalized tin-foil dinners.  Our 6 year old enjoyed a hot dog and had plenty of help cooking it.

As the fire burned down to coals, there was lots of game time.  George aced the new ring toss game on his first try.

Karen savored her first s'mores in a long time. I was able to find gluten free marshmallows at Trader Joes and gluten free graham crackers at Walmart.  Gluten free chocolate is readily available.

Great food in a beautiful setting with family!

What could be better? 

 Isabella had such a great day that she cried when it was time to go home.  She kept saying that she didn't want it to be over.

Love that little girl so, so much!

Come back soon Karen!

 

Possibilities

 Over the last several years I noticed that many people I respect were picking a 'word of the year'.  They felt that having single word was a powerful way to stay focused and set applicable goals.

Until 2021, I had never been one who did this but after the turmoil of 2020, I decided that I wanted pick a work to concentrate on and that word was HARMONY - the blending of different parts to make a pleasing whole!  For so much of 2020, I had felt so much disharmony in my home, in politics, in religion, in our communities.  My goal was to do all I could to develop characteristics and practices to encourage harmony.  While sometimes I do hit a 'discordant' note, I know that I have seen much improvement in this area.  

As I thought about a word for 2022, I remembered a conversation I had many years ago with George's Dad.  Almost everyday he got up at 5:10 a.m. to play tennis and racket ball, often adding a swim.  His days didn't seem so busy that he couldn't have scheduled his exercise at a more reasonable (at least in my mind) time of the day.  I'll never forget what he told me.  He said, "Psychologically, getting up early leaves me feeling that I have my whole life ahead of me and not behind me." Now that I am also in my 'golden years' I understand that sentiment in a way I never could have when I was young.

There is truth to the statement that at my age, much of life is behind me but I also have an optimistic idea that 'the best is yet to be'.  With that in mind, my word of 2022 is POSSIBILITIES.  I have ample time to do whatever I would like to do.  The possibilities are endless.

I took an on-line class and learned about how to observe, identify, and enjoy birds.

I'm attempting to master my I-phone camera through another class.

I've been practicing the piano almost daily and see remarkable progress.

I volunteered to work at our Stake Family History Center and have already added to my family tree.

And I've been busy learning how to bake and decorate cakes.  Not sure this new hobby makes sense since I am always trying to loose weight and George is diabetic but no one has complained yet!

Here are a few of my cakes. 

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

Rich dark chocolate cake layers with chocolate chips and butter cream

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Tender and light lemon poppy seed cake layers with lemon cream cheese frosting and fresh raspberries 

Reese's Toast Cake

Fluffy white cake with peanut buttercream, chocolate ganache, and peanut butter toast crunch

4th of July Funfetti Cake

Tender white cake layers, mixed with red and blue sprinkles, covered in a whipped vanilla buttercream

Definitely a sugar overload but so delicious

'Every new day begins with POSSIBILITIES!'

Ronald Reagan 

Never lose hope, there are always possibilities if you just look for them.

Catherine Pulsifer 

Hooray for Today!

 Isabella's shirt tells how I feel about these first week of July!

Hooray for today!

We continued our 4th of July tradition of hiking in the foothills to watch fireworks all over the Treasure Valley. 

Glow in the dark jewelry and a glow in the dark ring toss game added to the fun.

George had meetings so he missed the annual 'Wet & Wild' parade which is a part of Eagle Fun Days.

And yes you do get soaked!

Our water loving granddaughter loved getting wet and getting people wet!

The parade is definitely one of her happy places!

Isabella was very determined to overcome her fear and practiced learning to ride her bike.

Just look at that concentration!

And that smile of success!

One evening we took a walk down by the river to do some birdwatching.  The little owls have flown away but we did see a Swainson's Hawk and osprey.  

And of course, had an impromptu photo shoot!

Isabella loves to pose!

Hooray for the golden hour!

Hooray for family!

Hooray for today!