Colorado road trip

We did our Colorado Adventure Road trip with Bob and Diane Lake this week.  We hiked a lot, sweated a lot, laughed a lot, and ate a lot.  It was a great trip.

Day 1.  Up early. Green River for lunch at Rays Tavern. Delicious burgers.   Arches by 2. Stinking hot!  Felt like 138 degrees. (According to the Park Ranger)   We hiked to Landscape arch and Double O Arches. Then I was beat. Overheating. Feet on fire. 2 bottles of water. Got back to car. Could wring out our clothes.  Moab for gelato. Then headed to Grand Junction for an overnight and dinner at Rockslide Brewery. Old Main in Grand Junction is delightful. 

Day 2.  Wayne got his National Park Pass for life. The Park ranger thought he was too young to get it so  he had to prove it– he liked that.  We hiked Colorado National Monument.  The Devils Kitchen hike was really cool and drove to Independence Rock.   Lunch at Sol Cafe.  We shared with Bob and Diane my dad’s funny humor about Female Park Rangers( he thought they were mostly homely)  ANd Bob started naming everything- every rock formation, every mountain-every restaurant that we didn’t know the name of “Weiner”  (It’s like we are 12-year-old scouts, because we laugh every time.) Drove to Glenwood Springs. Spent time soaking in the mineral hot spring pools at Iron Mountain. So gorgeous.   Then Mexican food at Freida’s - out of this world delicious.

Day 3. Big walk around Glenwood Springs. Then, we headed to Golden, Colorado. Diane and I  are crocheting a ton in the car. We stopped at Idaho Springs for Ice Cream. Such a cute old mining town. Concert at Red Rocks amphitheater that night. It’s in a gorgeous setting and the sound/acoustics are stellar. But soooo many steps. Allison Krauss and her Union Station band were amazing.  

Day 4. Up and out for an hour and a 1/2 drive to Manitou to hike the Manitou Incline. It’s hot. We are having a heat wave. Manitou Springs is a darling town at the base of Pikes Peak.  The Incline was hard 2744 steps straight up to the top.  I would take 6 steps then pause 10 seconds to catch my breath. Then 6 more steps. Went from 6,000 some odd feet up to over 8,000 feet.  It was so hot. Our clothes were drenched. We were really proud of ourselves though when we got to the top. Everyone at the  top cheers for everyone else.  You met a lot of people on the trail cuz you are all going so slow. Plenty of time to talk. Met a guy named Jesse - who was 340 lbs– he told us this..doing the Incline 6 steps at a time.  Literally– 6 steps, then rest on that step for a bit, then 6 more steps.  No sitting down..just walking up.  He beat us to the top.   We took lots of pics.   Then we had a 3 plus Mile hike back down the mountain. Our feet were killing us. Linner was chopped lamb gyros and  ice cream.   We all got hats and shirts that said we survived the Incline. 

Day 5. Up

Up and outta the hotel.   Checked out the Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini shrine  with giant Jesus on top of mountain. Beautiful Saint of Immigrants.  Then off to Buffalo Bill’s grave site and a look out.  Drove into Denver for lunch at Zorbas an awesome treasure of a place that we stumbled upon– Amazing Greek salads. Walked the Botanical gardens- they were gorgeous but it was 103 degrees.  Drove to Boulder and checked into our 4th hotel.  Rockies game  was… you guessed it…. hot ,but fun. I love a good baseball stadium and singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame with strangers.

  

Day 6. Wayne  drove all day and we got home around 5 pm.   It’s a really windy and cooler day. Stopped at Little America, Wyoming for ice cream cones. Wayne and Bob had 2 because it was so good. Wayne drove 1,518 miles this week.  

 This week was sweaty and filled with stairs…. If there were stairs in Colorado we climbed them.  We love our Lake friends, but  happy to be home.

Grandkid swim and game night!

FULL DAY of swimming and playing with cousins.  We traveled down to Krystin Morley's awesome pool.  Andhung out in the water for 4 hours.   

Tayla was having a difficult time at the swimming pool.  She couldn't get up the nerve to jump off the 15-foot-high ledge into the pool below.  She made a pinky promise to her little sisters, saying,  "If you do it, I'll do it." 

Lady and Elsie, and Poppy and Alfie just got to the top of the ledge and jumped without hesitation.  And now Tayla was trying to get up the nerve to follow through on the pinky promise. 

We kept telling her, "Talk to your brain. Don't overthink it. Your brain is telling you it's not safe, but remind your brain that your sisters just did it and they are not hurt, and actually enjoyed it, so they are doing it again and again." 

Tayla was making herself miserable.

After about 20 minutes, just when we were giving up, Tayla took charge of her fearful monkey- brain and made the jump. She was really proud of herself for following through.

For Grandkid game night we had our rainbow party… we blew up colorful balloons to create a balloon pit for playing in – George was in heaven..We talked about loving everyone and not judging because we are all children of God.  We chalked rainbows on our driveway, Colored rainbows, played a new dice game called Garbage that even George can play with the big kids, walked to Arctic Circle for ice creams and Icees from Maverick, and I crocheted them all rainbow pocket dragons that hook on your hand to fly while we walked.  Wayne and Alfie built a fire pit and we had s'mores of course..plus the kids played yard games, - corn hole, Mother May I and jumped on the tramp.  

 

Fathers Day 2025

 

We love this guy so much.  Father's day we had 2 of our 5 kids in attendance.  Wayne received loving phone calls from the other 3.  Monson's and Addison's families came to celebrate.  Wayne got a metal detector--he has always wanted on, so he was thrilled.  Another hobby for this guy.

Wayne made his own dinner of smoked ribs!  Plus corn on the cob,salad, bread ( he made this too) deviled eggs and an apple crisp and creamies for dessert.  The boys beat the girls in our Mind the Gap trivia game.

Addison is committed to his art!  He is playing Daddy Warbucks in Annie this summer and instead of a bald wig, he's just shaving off all his hair!  This was our Fathers Day activity.  Wayne took over and did a great job taking him from hairy to hair-less.

His head is neon white....his hair is so thick it has not seen any sunlight...it's really crazy looking.  He will hae to use a lot of sunscreen, wear a hat, put make up on it, to make it look normal.

No Kings rally

 Wayne and I made our protest signs and participated in the No Kings- Anti-Trump rally in Ogden.  These were held all over the country in response to Trump’s heavy-handed immigration tactics with ICE roundups and the spending of 40 million dollars for a military parade on his birthday to stroke his big ego.  WHAT?!?  It’s beyond me. Spend the money on people (veterans) not birthday parades.  That's not who America is-- a military parade is more a North Korean thing to do.

  Anyway.  It felt like a very patriotic thing to do and be a part of.  We took our American flag and joined the crusade. I teared up several times just as we were pulling into the parking lot. We heard speeches and watched cars honk for or jeer at the protestors. We got flipped off and called terrorists. Oh well-- we know who we are and that we are on the right side of History!   At the rally, we sang the Star Spangled Banner and talked to some interesting people around us.  We found shade, so that was a plus.  Wayne’s sign said, “Good people can no longer be silent.”  ( on the back side… 3 branches of Gov’t not just one.)   Mine said, “People matter, Democracy matters, the Constitution matters.”   ( on the back side…Dump Trump! ) We enjoyed the signs around us. People are clever. One sign said… “OH my heck… even the Mormons are here!”    One said, “I love my country, that’s why I’m out here sweating.”  

Of course, the MAGA's are saying that Trump is not acting like a king, but within 150 days of taking office.. he is definitely acting like a fascist. Here's what I see.... He's ruling by executive order, defying the Supreme Court, using the richest man in the world to unconstitutionally dismantle federal agencies and hijack appropriated funds which is the responsibility of Congress ( per the constitution, Congress has the power of the purse and is the branch of govenrment responsible for deciding how our federal funds are used), federalizing the national guard against the wishes of the state and weaponizing the military aginst US citizens, going after judges and the free press, the arts and educaion. ( A shortlist includes Harvard and Columbia,the National Institute of Health and the CDC, the Department of Education, the Kennedy Center, and the Smithsonian, and PBS/NPR).

Truman wrote this about the Protest and protesting in general.  He was at the UofU protest.

 ONCE UPON A PROTEST. by Tru

Once upon a time in 2020,

I was living in Portland.

And when the protests hit,

we didn’t just march.

We organized.

Helmets.

Goggles.

Signal threads.

Night after night. After night.

It felt like a war zone.

Flash bangs. Tear gas. Feds in unmarked vans.

We weren’t just angry—we were in it.

And while we were getting chased through the streets,

I’d check Instagram and see people back home

at brunch.

At Target.

Planning road trips.

And I remember thinking—

How is your life still happening?

Because ours wasn’t.

____

At first, it felt like the whole country had woken up.

Even in Utah, people were protesting.

My own family was holding signs.

And for a second, I really believed—

Maybe this is the moment.

Maybe people won’t go back to sleep this time.

But they did.

⸻

Except in Portland.

And Seattle.

And Minneapolis.

We kept showing up.

And suddenly, we weren’t inspiring anymore—

we were “too much.”

People said,

“We already protested this.

Why are you still out there?”

Because nothing was fixed.

Because people were still dying.

Because performative rage isn’t the same as actual change.

⸻

And yeah—there were policy wins after 2020. Some cities did the work. Some departments shifted. But this protest right now? This isn’t about policy. This is about a man who thinks he’s above it. Who doesn’t want to pass laws—he wants to be the law. We’re not dealing with broken systems anymore. We’re dealing with someone who wants to be the system itself. That’s what No King’s Day is really about. That’s why we’re here. ⸻ And here’s what I’ve learned: The system wants us to protest. They want us loud. They want us visible. Because they’ve figured it out: Let them scream, and they’ll feel like they did something. Let them march, and they’ll go home thinking it mattered.

Because most people do. ⸻ They’ve turned protest into a pressure valve. Not a revolution. Just a release. And if we fall for that again— if we give them another tidy, weekend protest with matching shirts and clever hashtags— they win. ⸻ I’ve done the part where you show up and watch everyone else drift away. Where the gas still burns in your lungs but the group chat’s gone quiet. Where you’re still fighting, and they’re at a baby shower.

So I’ll say it straight: If you’re showing up this No King’s Day, don’t treat it like a moment. This is a threshold. And you’re stepping into something bigger than a single day. ⸻ We don’t need more people screaming. We need people staying. So if you’re here—be here. Fully. Loudly. Longer than they expect you to. Because this isn’t a repeat. This is the unfinished one. And this time, we don’t walk away.

Landon's Pride reflection

Landon wrote this for his friend group and shared it with me, and I have his permission to post it here as well for my record.  I love my Landon so much.  We have both grown so much in the last 20 years.

20 years of Pride parades and festivals.  The world has changed drastically. At 16, I “snuck out” to attend my first Pride celebration by myself.  I didn’t have much pride then, I was secretive and quiet and depressed and scared and Mormon and “ssa’d” and…. 

There were no corporate sponsors that I remember and our parade was nowhere near 3 hours long.  The crowds were definitely smaller, which was a relief because I didn’t want people to see me.  But I went.  And I saw people being proud of who they were and who they love.  Women who were strong and brave.  Men who were sensitive and flamboyant. It felt more like a Protest or a party. There were less kids and families around. As the straights became better allies and more gays had kids, that has changed. 

And today I don’t have many secrets, if any at all, and I found my voice and use it a lot. I have found so much joy or at least I know that the sad moments will pass, and we can get through. And I’m not afraid of who I am or how I am, in fact, I love it. And I found peace with my own spirituality. And I’m gay. Being gay is great.  I’d definitely choose it to the alternative. 

20 years of going to Pride. 16 y/o me couldn’t comprehend my life and all that it is. He couldn’t see how Pride would grow and change. My son attended his 1st Pride as an out gay man this year. It was a very different experience from mine was 20 years ago.

20 years ago, I showed up afraid. This year, I showed up full.

Full of life, full of love, full of stories and scars and glitter and grace.

Pride isn’t a parade. It’s a process

Of learning to speak

Of daring to dance

Of loving who you are and who you are becoming

I wish 16-year-old me could have seen this. Seen my husband’s hand in mine. Seen my son walking proudly. Seen the love, the family, the joy.

But I know he’d be proud of me. Just like I’m proud of him—for going, for looking, for wondering if there was more.

There was. There is.

I celebrate Pride now not just for me, but for the scared and alone 16y/o I was… and the brave young man my son is today. I celebrate for everyone still learning how to love themselves in a world that doesn’t always make it easy.

To anyone still in the quiet shadows: come as you are. We’re saving you a place in the sun - where you can be embraced in rainbow light and know true peace, love, and joy

🌈❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🌈

Andrew and Sophia

 My oldest two grandkids have my heart!  They have been through a lot and come from a mixed family of issues and blessings....and they navigate it all with bravery and compassion.  I'm so glad they do music/band/choir at Viewmont High.  They found their people and have good friends to do high school with. 

Memorial Day

It's time to celebrate our loved ones.   I like some of our traditions, and I want to change some of it as well.  Do we have to meet at a cemetery?  Aren't there other places to do this? I feel closer to Tom at the family cabin.  I feel closer to my parents at Bear Lake.  I feel closer to my grandparents when I smell a rose, eat a ginger cream or see ballroom dancing.  

We have been gathering on Sunday night of Memorial weekend around Tom's grave for 20 years now...and it's good.  We share stories about Tom and remembrances, sometimes sing "Love at Home," and have sour patch Watermelon candy and Creamies Ice cream.  We have shared the SAME stories over and over-- Hunter and the "Feels like a corn dog" story, Addison and his flying grasshopper that Grandpa killed, Brad going up with Grandpa to the cabin over and over......it's pretty standard, but I want more.  This year I shared Tom's obituary -- so we would have those memories.... What else could we be doing?  Maybe come up with new stories-- research something?  We will continue doing this while Wanee is alive, but who knows what it will look like after that.

We go to my parents, my grandparents and Marcie and Preston's gravesites at Lakeview Cemetery on Memorial Day...  I take the books I made in remembrance of my mom and my dad and we look through those pictures, read some of it out loud, sometimes we sing "Love at Home" or "Once I went in Swimming." This year, Monson made cake in honor of Grandma Sheri who was a cake maker.  I cried thinking about how so many things change. Addison and Landon joined with me in the tears. 

May round up

We finally found the snowhorse on the mountain above Layton...My friend took a picture and drew it in for me...but Now everytime I look at the mountain I see it... it's really plain from my windows at the back of my home.  The legend is not to plant tomatoes until you can see the snowhorse..and also if the snowhorse is still around by July 1st we will have a good water year.   

Kim Johsnton's daughter Rachel got married.  It's  one of their first big family celebrations without Eric.. he having passed away 18 months ago.  It was great to go with Kimi Farley and Diane Lake  to support them. 

We celebrated Holly’s 48th birthday with a surprise Disney themes party at Sandy’s house.  Holly asked Sandy to do it– then Sandy told her she was going to be out of town– as a ruse– Savannah picked Holly up for “lunch’-- then we were all ready in Sandy’s front yard when Holly pulled up in  the car - she covered her face with her hands then told Savannah that she was crazy…  She got out of the car and just stood there.  She was overwhelmed.  Cyrrena set up a big yard sign with Happy birthday to Holly with Mickey and Minnie. Holly saw Patrice Holbrook- her ward best friend there and was thrilled!  We got a lot of pics, had fun food and then gifts.  Holly has a wonderful sister in Sandy!  

I started a monthly lunch-and-learn type gathering with my friend Kathleen Blake. Kathleen hosted and fed us lunch- she's such a good, caring cook and taught us about Happiness and what she does for the groups she leads at Hunstman Mental Health. We had a good start with Kimi Farly, Kathleen's sister- Lisa, Diane Lake, Jo Murdock, my Layton friend Bonnie Bendict, Angie Smith, Kathleen, me, Erin Perkins, and Jan Hedberg and Jodi Hawkins.  I love these ladies so much.  It will be fun to see how this morphs and changes.  In June we are meeting at Jo Murdock's home and she will teach us something.  

May also brought Elsie's graduation for Preschool!  She is ready- more than ready for Kindergarten.  She was the only kid wo sang every word and di all the actions.  She has such confidence.

Sophia had her final choir concert-- she is in two different singing groups next year.  It's fun to see her grow and progress. She is such a bright light and we love and adore her.

Landon cut Monson's hair..he went from homeless-duck-dynasty man to handsome model!  I love his curly red hair!