I must be losing my mind...

I am getting ready to do something I thought I would never do (I guess this teaches me to say never to say 'never'!)

I am heading to Zion National Park in 10 days to do a big wall climb. That means that I am going to climbing a wall large enough to take more than one day. (the Angel's Landing wall, if you know Zions) So guess what that means... that's right, I will be sleeping on one of those crazy port-a-ledge things off the side of the wall.

WHAT AM I THINKING??? I honestly don't know. Well, I figure you gotta try new things sometimes, and this is definitely a new thing. Be adventurous while I have good people to be adventurous with!

The scenery will be spectacular, the company will be good, and I will be workin' pretty hard so I might even lose some of this "30 fat" (always a great side benefit!).

Wish me luck! I'll post some great pics when I get back...

Happy Birthday Fireman Nathan!

Nathan, my adorable nephew, turned 3 and it was all about being a fireman. Who knew there could be so many fires to put out??? Everything was on fire for hours, and hours, and hours...(pretend fire, of course)


Who says you can only dress up on Halloween!?!

"I have a fire hat and fire clothes!"

Every fireman needs a fire engine... Auntie Hoot's car will have to do!





The party was a big success! Fire engines, bubbles, playing outside and even a fire engine cake (well done Andrea!). Good times!

Paint by numbers...

Okay, so I didn't use paint by numbers to paint my room, but it worked out anyway! It took so long for me to find an orange color to paint on my wall. Yes, I did say orange. (Not the most common color to use, but my current favorite anyway!) One was too sherbet, the next one bright pumpkin.. finally found a warm terra cotta like color. It makes me sooo happy! Almost like a warm italian place.

The picture is the best I have. Please ignore the edge up by the ceiling that still needs to be done. Ah, the homeowners jobs are never done...

Back to my potato roots

I had a great weekend in Idaho visiting my wonderful Grandpa. My Dad and I enjoyed a weekend of doing odds and ends around the house, great stories of days gone by, and good company with family. Dad decided Grandpa needed a new flagpole. This wasn't any old flagpole either. We were on a mission....
we searched the East Idaho State Fair (so exciting!?!)for the right flagpole. I then supervised as we dug in Grandpa's yard and broke out the cement.
It looked so great! Dad has such a good eye for this stuff. Anyway, I really enjoyed getting back to those Idaho roots of mine and enjoying the more simple life with two great men....my Dad and Grandpa.

Fun Summer Memories....

Is it September already??? There were just too many fun things going on this summer. Since this is my first 'blog entry' I thought I would write my summer highlights....


I guess the first event was going to Marine World. I love the fact that we all took off on a Tuesday and played hookey! It was also Michelle's birthday, so we celebrated and just loved watching the 2 kids, Nathan and Audrey, have a blast! Mostly we spent time with the animals, but we big kids rode a couple rides too. Yahoo!

I got the greatest picture of my nephew Nathan making friends with a walrus. He was talking to him and the walrus was just staring back like he was listening. So cute!



I also got a chance to rock climb at Lover's Leap for the first time. The boys and I took off on our adventure, and soon became known as 'Midnight Train', 'Small town Boy', 'Shameless Desire', and 'Wildfire'. We climbed a fantastic and frightening (to me!)climb called Corrugation Corner. Great climbing, and I provided the entertainment by doing "the beached whale move" onto a ledge, getting my back pack stuck, and kicking my feet in the air to try and propel myself while laughing! I can say I have never done that move before! I have to give props to Andy for the fabulous lead! What a great view and,of course, the company couldn't have been better. Yet another experience that tells me how much I love climbing!

Hiking Half Dome in Yosemite was not on my list of things to ever do again...ever. But, never say never! Natalie and I embarked on a crazy day of adventure. We woke up early, drove to Yosemite, hiked Half Dome in 90+ degree weather, and drove home. What a day! We decided 3 days previous to suck it up and just go for it. We knew it would be hard, but the heat added a second level of difficulty.
Once I got close to the top, exhausted and a little lightheaded, I remembered why my sister Andrea and I vowed never to do this again. But, we succeeded and got to the top of that mountain! Spectacular view!! And who would have ever guessed that Natalie's cell phone would have worked up there??? (hi Daddy-O!) I wish I had a picture that could do this place justice, but these will have to do for now...



So much summertime fun. Can't wait to see what the fall will bring...