Goblin Valley Awesomeness

Going to Goblin Valley has been on my bucket list for the last couple of years.  I had heard that it was a great place to take little kids and that nobody was ever sad they went. Catch was, it's HOT, without a lick of shade, so you really need to time it right!  After we stayed in one of the East Canyon yurts last year, we knew that Yurting was the way to do Goblin Valley!

I was a bit worried on our way down that Goblin Valley wouldn't be all that it was touted to be.  It had been a stressful morning getting ready to go (Mike ended up having to work...man, how helpful he is to have around!), I was worried it would all be for nothing.

I couldn't have been more wrong. It was SO fabulous! We are going back, just as soon as I can reserve the yurt again. We LOVED it!!

We headed down on Thursday, early afternoon. It took just about exactly 4 hours from our front door.  We broke it up with a few stops (picking up Daddy at work, getting lunch, connecting with the Strongs, bathroom breaks), so it really didn't seem bad at all. 

(A little sidenote about our favorite Yurting buddies...sometimes I think Holly married Davis so that she would be in place when I got in the family. Man, I love that lady.  A more real, more hopeful, more dedicated, more understanding, more friendly, more obedient, a more faith-tried lady you won't find. What a great example.  She's been through a lot--their family has been through a lot. I hope someday to weather my own personal trials and struggles with as much grace and poise and 'realness' as she and Davis have.  Love them!)

Our Yurt.

We had a great one this time around--only downside was we were upwind from the bathrooms so we sometimes got a most pleasant aroma! ;)  Couldn't have found a cooler place to spend three days though--awesome!  This Yurt came with a BBQ grill, so we ate yummy food.  A picnic table, firepit, bunk bed, futon, dining table and heater were also included.  It was great!

We got a camping site as well.  We were over the body limit for the site, so Davis and Holly's two oldest slept in the the tent. If you are going to camp at Goblin, get campsite 19--it had the most shade of them all!  And, there are flushy toilets and showers! Whoop!

The great thing about Goblin Valley is that it is a little kids (and big kids) paradise.  There is climbing everywhere! And relatively safe/easy climbing at that.  I did it with a baby in my arms. Katelyn didn't have a problem. Joshy didn't even get nervous. Even Luke didn't have any big problems.  It was great!  And all this climbing was before we even went into the actual valley--just right at the yurt. It was perfect.  We could see the kids for miles, and hear them too.  Really, a very un-stressful parenting vacation.

These two crack me up! Watch for all the sass!

LOVE Benno in this picture! Ha!

Ady was probably the most climbing-est one of us!  She was nuts!

 

Our view, across the porch of the yurt.

After we got all settled in and unpacked, we headed into the actual valley of the Goblins. Awesome. Totally awesome.

The next morning we got up and did it all again.  We really spent hours just exploring the valley.  We had a slightly dramatic adventure when Holly and I took the littles back to the Yurt for lunch and naps (it was a LONG walk back from where we were!), but we made it and enjoyed happy quietness!

We went Geo-caching (and no, Davis is not doing what you may think he is...just chasing a little climber!)

After Holly and I headed back with the babies, Mike and Davis and the big kids kept going until they reach valley 2.  It was apparently awesome.

Thanks for my dear Friend, Elena, I discovered that there are Junior Ranger programs at all the state and nation parks. Super fun! We are well on our way to collecting many badges.  It was a good quiet time activity--and electronics, of course. What can I say, we're wimpy parents.

The bottom line--we'll be making this a tradition. Maybe not yearly, but probably bi or tri-yearly. I'm already working on convincing my parents to go down with us again over Spring Break.  It is fabulous!

I Heart Primary Childrens

Yesterday the Young Men in our ward came by collecting money for Pennies by the Inch. We contributed an embarrassingly small amount, but I vowed again to someday give lots of money to Primary Children's. It's on my bucket list to donate a tree to Festival of Trees, and then, years later (cuz it's even more expensive) I'm going to be a purchaser of Festival of Trees trees. (say THAT three times fast!;)  Currently, we are working towards simply making ends meet, but someday, my pocket book will match up with my gratitude.

Gratitude for the place that saved Luke's life. I know it. It is a miracle that we live close to such a specialized, high-tech, awesome place.  In the SHORT time since Luke's accident, I've been able to watch other miracles happen at Primary Childrens.

Miracles for the little boy of one of my best friends from high school, who has a heart baby.  That little baby is alive in no small part due to the steady hands of qualified surgeons, to the vigilant nurses, and the miraculous equipment that he spends time using.

Miracles for my niece and nephew who have spent time there for un-diagnosed muscular issues and seizures that started without warning or understanding.

Miracles for a little girl who couldn't see real well.

Miracles for a baby girl who had all sorts of intestinal issues and underwent surgeries to stablize and correct the problem. 

So--although there is always the chance you will get the crabby nurse, or your doctor will over look something, or you will be stuck in a small room--overall, my experience has been positive and I'm thankful for that great institution! 
(And this post in no way negates the awesome power of a loving Heavenly Father...He could fix hearts and heads and eyes and muscles and intestines in a cave in Africa is He wanted to.) 

8 years ago, today...

This day, 8 years ago, Mike and I went on our first date--one that I had to ask him out on! We went on a Halloween cruise down the Provo river, he taught me how to boil chicken. He stole my heart with his cozy blue sweater and his humble, 'I work with the Elders Quorum.'  He broke the touch barrier in a 'non-sleezy way' and was tall and funny. 

I was the best blind date he had ever been on, 'and the most beautiful' and never dated anybody else after that momentous day!  I waited the appropriate 36 hours before a 'hello' text message and he asked me out for a repeat performance just in time. We talked on the phone and went on dates--it was a no-nonsense, no games relationship and I was smitten! So glad I convinced him to marry me! ;)

(Not our first date, but could have been...we may even be wearing the same thing as we did on that night!)

LDS General Conference

Ah! Conference. I get the sense that a lot of people love this weekend as much as me, and I'm so glad there are so many of us! From a young age this was a special weekend. I love the sound of Conference on throughout the house...on each TV and blasting on the radio. I love the heritage I have that has made Conference an important part of growing up--we watch and listen and pay attention to the best of our abilities. I love the snacks and treats and being all crammed on the couches together. I love the pictures of people falling asleep and the 'crying laughs' that almost always happen. It's great!

I only caught probably about half of Conference. I spent the first hour of the first session at Instacare with Luken, and then many, many, (MANY) moments throughout the rest of the weekend being Mom. I was talking with my Mother-in-Law and she commented...'oh! I remember those days!'  It gave me hope that they end! :)  But, you know what?  I learned something this weekend. It started at the Relief Society Broadcast when President Monson shared that story about bread.  Did anybody else catch that the woman who followed the prompting to drive across town had a tired, cranky, 1 year old baby in the back. A baby who was very likely screaming her head off?  I was struck with the idea that Heavenly Father sends promptings--and that I can still RECEIVE them and OBEY them over the din of crying children.  I saw that this weekend.  Little snippets of talks would stand out to me--in between diapers and baths and mud fights and spilled food and bottles and naps and laundry.  I still felt the Spirit and learned things that I am sure were meant just for me. What a great weekend~!

So here are a few of my snippets.  Sometimes I got to listen uninterrupted for the whole talk! Sometimes it was just a brief moments. There are entire talks I missed.  But I'm grateful for what I felt and heard and learned, and I'm excited to try and put it into action!

*Start early and be Strong.

*Teach my children how to feel the Holy Ghost.

*We go to the temple to make covenants, we come home to keep them.

*I can expect my children to be covenant keepers.

*How much do I love the Savior?  Judge by how I joyfully and willing keep my covenants

*Point out when my children are keeping their covenants.

*Keeping covenants is nothing more than loving, helping, and serving others. I may not even notice it's happening.

*Don't be offended...that's ridiculous!

*Come to the temple and CLAIM YOUR BLESSINGS.

*CS Lewis, He is making me a mansion!

*The Spirit you feel is a reflection of your strength and obedience.

*I pray and calmly wait.

***

*Faith means always looking to the future.

*When we obey the law of tithing, we will be given blessings that are often subtle, but significant.

*The Lords direction is clear and brief.  Mine should be too.

*People want the opportunity to turn their time, talents, and efforts into good works.

*People who leave the church deserve understanding--the reasons are usually complex and there is generally not just one reason.

*Doubt your doubts, before you doubt your faith!

*None of us is quite as Christlike as we know we should be.

*Mothers can expect high standards of their children.

*Serve with enthusiasm.

*Live my life with Exclamation Points!! ;)

*Accepting callings from the Lord will bless me and my family immensely.

*Our ability to endure to the end is proportional to our receiving kingdoms of glory.

*Our ability to endure is proportional to our testimony and ability to hear the whisperings of the Holy Ghost.

*Spiritual endurance comes at a price.

*The Lord sees weaknesses different then rebellion.

*Fill my life with service to others and Satan's temptations become less.

*Study Jeremiah--he is a hero!

*How we preserve time for our families is a great issue of our day.

*The Saviors message is simple.

*The most important part of teaching others is my own personal spiritual preparation.

*Be willing to 'let go' of a lesson--the lesson then becomes the Saviors lesson.

*A teacher is also a student.

*There will ALWAYS be a good activity that will need to be sacrificed in order to attend our meetings.

*My everyday choices, small though they may seem, can have far reaching, eternal consequences.

*I was born with some attributes, but can develop others as I persistently seek after then.

*My testimony can be a buffer.

What did YOU learn from Conference this time around?