New headshots at 63!

So grateful for Bre and Addison helping me to feel beautiful.  Getting older is interesting.   I still feel "normal" like I'm 39-- but I look in the mirror and it's obvious I'm changing.  But I'm not trying to age with grace, or be anti-ageing. I don't want to look like I'm 39-- I want to look like I'm 63- with lines and wrinkles and sagging jaw... I see it and I'm okay with it.   I'm all in on growing older and feel privileged to get to do this.  At 63 I want to look age-appropriate.  I want to age with mischief, with audacity, and with a good story to tell.  Plus, I have great hair!

 

4th of July

4th of July celebration was good.  We went to the little Layton parade at the park by our house, with Tayla, Lady, and Elsie.  Wayne had the neighbor girl do face and hand painting for this on our way to the park. It was pretty lame, as parades often are, but they did start the parade with the Layton city officials passing out popsicles to all the crowd.  Nice, big, legit popsicles…then it was all downhill from there.  Wayne and I were in the shade, so we were good, but the 3 little girls were right up at the front lines begging with the rest of the kids for some candy to be thrown their way.  It wasn’t a big candy parade.  They got all of 4 things in their bags…and mostly candy they don’t like.  So I told them not to worry, there is candy at my house and we will have our own parade and I will march by and you can cheer and I will throw candy at you.  So that’s what we did!   The Layton park festivities are good though with live bands all day and lots of things for kids to do, food trucks and craft-type vendors.  Then fireworks at the end of the night. It’s nice to have this all close by to us and we could just walk to it.

Monson found out this week that his ankle is far worse than they thought and includes his achilles and ligaments that support the ankle, and he has to be completely off of it– not just in a boot, for at least 4 weeks..then they will x-ray again. He is on a knee scooter for now.  He will be trying to do Bear Lake and their Michigan weeks this way.  It will be a challenge. 

Wayne and I went to Monson’s home for Lexi’s 4th of July party. They had a lot of friends over for Mexican food and a big bounce, water slide blow-up in their driveway for all of the kids.  All was going great til a big storm blew in around 5 pm, and we all had to scatter inside.   The storm left and they had massive fireworks at their neighbor's home- Drew Watson - and then we all watched out their amazing view window that faces North and saw fireworks all across the valley.

 

June Roundup

 I had my second Ladies who Learn luncheon.  This time at Joanne Murdock's home and she made delicious food and then shared about a book called The Happiest Man in the World written by a WW2 survivor from Auschwitz.  It's all about Faith, Family, Friends and having something to do.  

Kimi Farley, Jan Hedberg, Me, Linda Noyce Diane Lake, Erin Perkins, Jo Murdock, Bonnie Benedict.

We used the boat for the first time this summer with Monson's family.  We headed off to Willard Bay for tubing on a gorgeous summer evening.  I love doing summer things in the summertime.

Addison and Poppy are in rehearsals for Annie and loving it.  Addison's bald head makes him look like Daddy Warbucks...so that's good.

  

My sister Angela got in an e- bike wreck and ended up in intensive care in a hospital in Price, Utah.  She was there for 5 days.   She crashed and ended up with a concussion, small brain bleed, #7 rib broken,  bruised lung, cracked collarbone, lacerated liver, bruises and cuts everywhere.  She is doing a little better each day… she’s eating, they’ve upped her meds so she’s not in so much pain.   So grateful Guy was following her and could call 911 and get the help quickly.   We got Anglea home and she will have a long recovery so her summer is over.  

I am loving my daily DUCK walks..even with my weighted vest.  It says it's 15 pounds, but feels like 50 pounds!

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.