Hikers

So lately it seems most of our dates end up being hikes with my family. I am fine with this. Nathan, who does not love hiking as much as I do, is good to accompany me.

A few weeks ago we hiked Lady Mountain at Zions with Dad, Robert, his love Claire and the Jensens. It was pretty intense. You could see Angels Landing and the people there looked like ants. We could see the tops of all the mountains around us. It is also a lot more exposed than Angels Landing, meaning there are lots more places you could fall to your death. FUN, right? Luckily no one died this time around. It used to be a park trail until they closed it in the 1940s...something about being too dangerous. We live on the edge. Here are some fun pictures. I put my hand in some of them so you would have something to scale with it is not that I am the worst picture taker ever.

Zions Park Lodge from less than 1/2 way up

Robert and Claire sittin in a tree...

Metal wheel points to all the other peaks

I was told there would be a register. I was lied to.

There are trees on top of the mountains at Zions. You just never see them, unless you're a bird. We did see birds flying below us when we were at the top.

Yes I am wearing brown books with black pants. What?

Lady Mountain

Then we had the Davis family reunion, which was awesome and while everyone else played the super intense soccer game which Nathan and I accidentally slept through the beginning of ( probably an effect from the Lady Mountain hike the day before) we took Jimmy up the mountain.

Then last weekend we woke up way too early for a Saturday so we could hike up to Big Falls at Mt. Charleston with Dad and Amy. Yes that is snow that you see in the picture. It is just starting to feel like summer here. We have been really lucky weather wise.

Jackets in June..in Vegas?!?

Yes, Amy and I are both rockin our GC T-shirts.

Guess how I got down the mountain.

Tomorrow I am off to Kolob to do some more hiking at Girl's Camp. My family was supposed to go up this weekend to help set up as per tradition, but it ended up not happening with all the snow that they got the roads were worse than what we thought was safe with the van. Not going to lie, I almost cried. I LOVE that tradition, and it was probably the last year Amy Linda and I would have been up there with Dad. Oh well, during the Millennium I am sure we will go camping there again. That mountain is part of my soul. I am pretty sure I helped with it during the creation. I probably could have still gone up by myself, but it just wouldn't have been the same. This week I came to the realization that what I really love about Kolob is Girls Camp and all the wonderful stake people that I love that are there, but mostly it is that I had a whole week each summer to spend working alongside my dad and sisters. I am going to miss that.

My mountain home

Conquering the Mountain

Saturday we woke up at 4:30 in the morning to prove to my dad that we could make it on the hike we are planning for family reunion Memorial Day weekend. This prep hike required us to hike Sunrise/Frechman Mountain. We went early because this mountain is nothing but rock so it gets hot really fast and so that Dad and Amy could make it back to clean the church building (we did not make it back in time for this).
This mountain and I do not have a good history. I have hiked it a few times in the past and gotten lost EVERY time. Don't ask me how I do it, I'm just that talented. My dad reminded me that my very emotional response the last time we hiked it was "I will never hike this mountain again as long as I live." Umm...so I lied. BUT yesterday I conquered it. I did not get majorly lost, minorly a few times. Why they put me in front knowing my history I am still not sure, but I made it all the way up and back and lived to tell about it. We saw two rattlesnakes and our knees almost gave out but we made it.

 (Dad was taking the picture)

 The whole group at the top!

After the hike Nathan and I went down some stairs together and looked like we were at least 90. We started to go down holding hands but necessity left us clinging to the rail and easing ourselves down the stairs. Not gonna lie it was pretty funny.

Anniversary

Nathan and I have officially enjoyed one year together as of today. I love him and am looking forward to spending eternity with him. To celebrate yesterday we went to the temple and did a session and sealing together to remember those wonderful covenant and promises of one year ago. Today we celebrated mothers day with both of our wonderful mothers and loved it. I know it doesn't sound like much of a celebration but for us it was perfect.

Here's a few pictures of what we have been up to lately.

We made delicious food, including almost a gallon of strawberry jam.

We went Hiking in Red Rock.

Nathan survived a weekend alone while Megan and I went off to California for our ANNUAL SPRING BREAK ROADTRIP.

We helped Linda with her Victorian picture project for her class.

In the process of doing my hair for this, I looked like the Cowardly Lion. Like I'm straight out of The Wizard of Oz.

We went for Sunday afternoon walks in our complex.

We made cards for our Grandmas and mothers.

I went on the Railroad tunnels hike out at the Dam to get ready for camp.

We love life together!

Looking for the Good

The First Presidency Message this month by President Uchdorf is called "Looking for the Good".


Confession: I am not very good at this.

Truth: Nathan does this naturally and I am so lucky to have him as my sensei in this area.

I don't necessarily look for the negative in others I just tend to dwell on it in situations. For example: Last weekend I forgot my purse and our hiking backpack at my parents' house. I saw this as a terrible blow to my perfect day that I had planned. Nathan saw this as an opportunity to spend that time with our families and go on a different hike I had wanted to do.

Another example: When our insurance was being awful and denying my insurance claim, I said this is unfair I am doing everything right. I fulfill my calling, go to the temple, read my scriptures...I would like to see some of those promised blessings now please and not have to deal with this. Nathan said that it was an opportunity to exercise faith and learn from our trials. (I know gag, right. At the time I wanted to hit him and say na-uh, but let's face it he was right...Don't tell him I said that!)

In short, read your Ensign from this month and do it. We can all work on it together. Thanks for being such a great example of this and helping coach me on my way to the glass half full, Nathan.

Here's another example, just for kicks and cause I'm sad rebels lost the Conference Championships. I was upset we were late. Nathan was grateful we had free tickets and got to be together on a fun date and that my sisters were able to come too.

I think optimism and gratitude are closely linked. Maybe if I listened to President Monson more closely last conference I would be a pro at this by now...baby steps.

Sunrise Sunset

The weather here is beautiful and yesterday I wanted to take advantage of it by going hiking at Red Rock before all the waterfalls dry up. Well, it didn't quite work out as I left our hiking pack with all the food and water and park pass all at my parents' house. Nathan was wonderful to forgive my silliness and instead we got to visit his grandparents who were in town and we took Jimmy and Kristi up on Surise Mountain behind their house to watch the sunset. It was beautiful and those little kids were troopers. Hopefully sometime soon we will go all the way to the top (probably not with Jimmy though) since Nathan has never hiked it.