Almost Over Before It Even Started

Doesn't it feel like summer got a late start this year? It was a very wet winter that continued into the first part of summer and inadvertently ruined our first major planned trip for June: The Subway. The Narrows in Zions were still so flooded so badly that they closed them off for quite a while and then only opened them to teams going in with wet suits, climbing gear, and helmets. No thanks.

But since we all had the time off anyway, we decided we should at least go camping.

We went down to Holden to spend a day/night with Ryan's grandparents, and then drove over to Maple Grove, our favorite fishing spot, the next day. I know I have been there before in the summer, but it has been since I was a little girl with my own family. For at least the last 8 years I have only seen the campground covered in 3-4 feet of snow. I was pleasantly surprised to see how big and how beautiful that campground is. It was so green and so peaceful!

This camping trip wasn't as filled with high adventure as many of our other ones have been, but it was great to just get away and spend time with family.

This is Jess and Cameron's little guy. He is a cute little bug! And look at his blanket... or what you can see of it. It's camping gear!

Dodger was an absolute trooper. In desperate need of a hair cut, Dodger allowed all the little kids to hold onto his leash and drag him around for hours at a time. I am sure after a while he would much rather have found some shade and some rest... but with 3 young girls all clamoring for a turn to walk him, he didn't get much of the latter.

Snake grass. Pretty cool stuff.

A beautiful pavilion tucked up in the trees. We played a few very exciting games of Commando here. Don't worry - it has nothing to do with running around naked. In fact, after I explained the game to Fred, he said, "Oh! That's the 'Dot Dot' game." So it has many different names. The basic gist is to have someone stand at home base, close their eyes, and then call out a number they are going to count to. During the time they are counting, the other players dash from base to base, all decided on before the game, trying to touch as many as possible before the counting stops, at which point everyone hides and the counter opens his/her eyes to look around to see if they can see anyone. They can't move from where they are standing, but they can lean from side to side. If they spot you, they call you out and you have to start over. The goal is to be the first person to touch all the bases and make it back to home base without being caught.

Matt, Jen and Traci.

Ryan and his faithful best buddy.

The gals - Natalie, Chloe, Traci, and Emily.

Dad and Jess cooking. (And Dad sneaking some food.)

Me doing what I do best... enjoying a S'more straight off the roaster.

Something no camping trip is good without.

This awesome shirt was given to me by my mother-in-law (which I have no pictures of during this camping trip and I don't know why.) The obvious part of the shirt says, "I love my husband." But there is fine print there too that really makes it read, "I love it when my husband catches less than me." Typically this doesn't happen... but when it does... AWESOME!

The most adventurous part of the trip was when Ryan, Robert (Ryan's friend) and Dad decided to hike to the top of the mountain pictured at the beginning of this post. I originally planned on joining them, but since I had pulled a muscle the week before this (right before the Dirty Dash) and I was 12 weeks pregnant and not feeling like I could make it all the way, I opted to stay behind with Dodger and read. And I am very grateful for that.

Reports have it that the trail disappeared shortly after it began. And then they reached massive show fields. And the whole going was pretty rigorous. Of course they still had fun, but I am glad I didn't go.

Dad leading the way.

A view from the top.

The trip was wonderful, but ended much too soon. We only stayed the one night and then everyone had to head back to work and their busy lives. Bummer.

In between this and the next big camping trip planned, we had a fantastic family reunion on my mom's side. It was held 7 miles outside of Hatch, Ut on some property my relatives own. They have put a ton of work into it making it into a nice camping spot with several pavilions, electricity, bathrooms with showers and running waters, and even a place called the "Grand Hotel" that has four small bedrooms each with a half bath for the elderly or people with young kid. Or Asa - because he can't exactly camp in a tent.

They have had the reunion there before, but the last time was 4 years ago and I was having back issues and wasn't able to go. I was really impressed with the place. I saw cousins I haven't seen in years. We played games, told stories, and had some great lessons. It was really quite an awesome experience. I really hope to go back again in two years if we are able. Unfortunately I didn't get a single picture of any one or anything. But everyone seemed to have a great time.

The next big camping trip was planned for the following month: The Uintas! This is our annual trip we take with Ryan's family somewhere around the 24th of July.

Of course, one of the first things to happen after we got the tent set up, was Ryan took off to the stream. You can't keep that boy away from water for very long. Originally, Ryan set off for the stream with Robert. They were both in shorts, t-shirts, and regular shoes. When they returned, Robert was wearing a swimming suit and water moccasins and Ryan was dressed like this...

It was pretty funny. Two very different approaches to the same problem. They both knew they were going to get wet - so Robert stripped down and Ryan layered up.

Dodger can never be kept far from Ryan when fishing in involved. In fact, it's hard to decide who loves to fish more!

A few hours later we decided to head down to the dam and try our luck fishing there. It was extremely slow going. No matter what kind of bate we used, no matter what weights or other tricks, there just wasn't a bite. I eventually just took to casting it out, leaving it there, and putting my attention into reading. Ryan eventually came over to join me and took to casting my line for me once or twice. Eventually he exclaimed, "Diana! You're line!" I looked up to see my bobber being dragged away. I put the book down, gave the line a little tug, and began reeling it in.

Tada! Behold my mighty fish! I tried to give Ryan the credit for it since technically he cast it out there, but he maintained that I did the work by hooking it and reeling it back it.

We stayed there for maybe another hour before everyone (including Cameron and Robert) gave up and we decided to head back to camp. Just in time too because a huge storm came rolling in that had us all holed up for the rest of the night. My little fishy there was the only fish anyone caught.

The next day I joined Ryan, Dodger, Cameron, and Rue (their dog they adopted from our abandoned lot) and hiked up to Joan Lake. In theory it's only about a mile hike, but it's mostly vertical. Quite a challenge, but it's very beautiful. We always have fantastic luck up there - probably because it's so much harder to access than the other lakes and therefore less fished, but this year was a total bust. Not a thing. I think we all saw just a single fish swim by. Nice sized, but no one could land it. This did not make for a very happy boys. Especially because that meant the score was still Diana: 1 Boys: Nothing. Remember that shirt my mother-in-law gave me? Hehehehe.

We tried that same lake the following day because we ran into two elderly gentlemen accompanied by a Sportsman's Warehouse fishing guide that said that after we left, we were able to catch a handful of really nice fish up there. The guide even gave us some of the lures he used. How could Ryan resist? I made the hike up with him again - admittedly not very happy about it because it's a tough hike. But my attitude changed up there. It's too beautiful to stay frustrated for long. That is... unless you still don't catch anything... in which case I giggle (in a very non-supportive wife sort of way) and Ryan pouts as we leave the lake empty handed.

So what happened, you may ask? The guide said there are 70% less fish in the Uintas than there was even last year. It was a really really hard year with all the winter kill and unfortunately, Joan Lake hasn't been stocked in years! So the fact that we have done so well in the past is pretty impressive.

Thankfully back at camp we still had plenty to do including...

Ping pong.

Bean bag toss. (We played this game at my family reunion and decided to duplicate it. The boards aren't quite done, but they served their purpose.) Regulations say the boards are placed 27 feet apart. You cannot step in front of the board to toss your bags. You toss 4 bags to the other side. If it lands on the board (without hitting the ground first) you get one point. If it goes in the hole you get 3 points. Sounds easy enough but it is hard! And instead of just getting the amount of points you added up, you only get the number of points you earned minus what your opponent got. So if Ryan got 6 points and I got 4, he would only get 2. First one to 21 wins. It's really fun.

Enjoying time with family.

Reading.

And of course more fishing. Ryan is a stud and took the girls out fishing on the stream. Here he caught several tiny little fish, but he says it doesn't count because "the girls caught them." He is going to be an amazing dad!

This picture is priceless. I could not get Madi to look at the camera for the life of me. She loved fishing, but would not smile with that thing near. The fact that she is grimacing and pulling away is hilarious!

Natalie and Madi with Uncle Ryan.

Natalie - very proud of her catch. Ryan also took Traci fishing during this time, but I took the two little girls back to camp with me and didn't get any pictures. Sorry Traci!

Swinging is also a favorite past time. Emily and Madi spun the swing up and would let it unwind and spin them around and around.

This face of Madi's is pretty priceless too.

And here is little Zach. Poor kid got eaten alive by mosquitoes. I wish I had a better close up of it. It was awesome to have Jodi here with her kids. Her Ryan is working and going to school in Colorado and couldn't make it. But we sure enjoyed having her here!

Even without the fish - the trip was still a lot of fun. I know camping with young kids can be quite a challenge, but I am really looking forward to having camping as part of our own family traditions.

It's hard to believe that school starts for the kiddos in a few weeks and before you know it the heat will be gone and the leaves will be changing. It goes by so fast! But at least we had some great trips in there!

And to end this long post... two pictures of what we saw on our drive back down the canyon.

Moose! I jumped out of the car and took several pictures before they got too close. The rest were taken from the car. Just as we were getting ready to hit the road again, a third one popped up out of no where. We think it must have been mom just laying down in the bushes. It was a beautiful sight. What a perfect way to end a trip!

6.5 More Books

It's time for another book review! I like to write a couple reviews in one sitting, so I usually wait until I have 2-3 books under my belt. But then I start another book and I get to thinking, "I might as well wait until I am done with this one..." And before you know it, 2-3 books turns into 6-7. In this case 6.5.

First off - the book I was so excited to write about last time...

The $64 Tomato: by William Alexander.


Before you say anything, just read the explanation on the front: "How one many nearly lost his sanity, spent a fortune, and endured an existential crisis in the quest for the perfect garden."

Aren't you hooked?

So again, before you judge, I was meandering through the library trying to find something that looked worth while. However, my previous attempt at this had led me to a book with a great plot - but with a lot of... shall we say... unnecessary scenes in it. I swear - everything I picked up after that was based on the same stuff. Lust, sex, murder, same old, same old. I was really craving something fresh. I had just about given up when I found this in the Staff Picks. I was immediately interested. Honestly, I love this genre! True stories, told by witty and delightful authors - you can't beat it.

And I must say, this book did not disappoint. It wasn't just the fact that I am interested in gardening (although I am not that good at it) but it was the way he tells the stories. Every day stories and experiences that literally had me crying and laughing out loud. It was fantastic! 5 out 5 stars, no question.

The next book I read was right along the same lines. In fact, it was recommended at the end of my tomato book.

If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: by Heather Lende.


I was drawn to this book for a couple reasons. 1. It was recommended by the last one. 2. Ryan loves Alaska and I thought I would enjoy reading about it too. 3. I love the feel of small towns and the closeness and stories that come from it.

My impression? A little - blah. I enjoyed reading about the people and the life style, but after coming off the high from the tomato book - both in content and writing style, this one was pretty boring. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't horrible. It just wasn't very exciting either. In fact, and I am ashamed to say this, but this is where the ".5" comes in. I gave up about halfway through. This is tragic for me in many ways. The last book I remember "giving up on" was the Work and the Glory something like #5 when life got too busy. I always finish the books I read. Even if they aren't always worth it. I know this thinking is flawed, but somehow I keep thinking that if I stop reading a book it is an even bigger waste of my time than if I finish it and still didn't like it. I know that's not right. In fact, I am sure I would save myself a lot of time if I just stopped reading books that didn't interest me. Thankfully, I haven't felt the need to do so very often. I can only think of one or two that were deserving of that. This wasn't one of them. It wasn't even bad! I honestly did like it... I was just bored. And there is a big difference between being bored and still liking a book (yes, it's possible) and just not liking a book at all. So I am bummed that this is my first book I chose to abandon. Sorry Alaska lady. So from what I read... 3 out of 5 stars. Don't know if that's a fair judgement, but there it is.

The next book is...

The Golden Compass: by Philip Pullman.


Yes, this is the one they turned into a movie years ago and a big warning was sent around to Christians alike saying not to watch it because it was Anti-Christ and all of that. So I didn't see the movie or read the book. Until I realized that two of my co-workers had read it and I asked their opinion. Neither of them felt that it deserved that kind of label and they both said it was an interesting read. So I decided to give it a try.

I actually really enjoyed the first book. It is a really interesting plot. The only "anti" anything in this book was that it made reference to "The Church" - (Catholic) and how it was doing horrible things in the name of the Church. Sadly - this has been true as long as humans have been on the earth. As long as Satan is out there, people will do horrible things in the name of something good. Doesn't make it right. And as for this book - it was no different. In fact, from the Church's perspective, they were actually trying to do the right thing. It just turns out that it wasn't. The only other "anti" thing is that one of the character's goal is to break through this world into another and "kill God." Obviously, this is where the red flag should be raised. However, you learn in later books that there isn't a "God" to kill. It doesn't follow our Godhead, and there is certainly no Christ figure - thus making it impossible for it to really be "Anti-Christ." So there really isn't anything to be offended by. I did enjoy this book. I would give it 4 out of 5.

Next, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass: by Philip Pullman.


Books two and three in the series. I will just lump them together and get it over with because I can review them about the same. I like a lot of the elements in these books, but they get really weird. I mean really weird. If you are going to read any of the series, just stop with the first one. It's hard to do because it ends in such a "what's going to happen next?" sort of way, but both of these books were just bizarre. In these books you watch the characters go in and out of different worlds, meet and fight with and against angels and witches, learn where all the "Dust" is going - the big subject of the first book that carries through, and then watch the main characters go to the underworld to free the dead, and replay a sort of Adam and Eve scene.


It actually makes no sense. I had a long discussion with my co-worker about this and of all the elements of these books, we were both just so lost as to why things ended the way they did. When "The Church" exists, but "God" doesn't - not really anyway, Adam and Eve did - but "the fall" wasn't enough once... what the heck?! They say that Pullman was trying to make a statement because he is Atheist, but if he was, I don't know what it is. Because it's honestly not even Anti-Religious. He condemns doing horrible things in the name of something else, but most of us would agree with that stance. And as for needing a second Fall? Who knows. Super strange. So stick with the first one. For books two and three - 3 out of 5 stars for some of the fantasy elements, 2 out of 5 for everything else.

The Glass Palace: by Amitav Ghosh.



I actually went to the library looking for The Glass Castle as it had been recommended to me, but I couldn't remember what it was called. I typed in Palace instead of Castle and this one popped by. I knew right away it wasn't the right book, but it actually sounded really interesting.

This book took me the longest a book has probably ever taken me to get through. At least in the last 4-5 years. Probably because 1. The print was small and compact. 2. It takes place in Burma and India and uses a lot of the native terms and name (appropriately) and it hurt my brain. 3. The plot isn't very thrilling.

It starts at the British invasion of Burma in 1885 and ends... I don't know 50ish years after WWII, all following the same family. Typically I am a character person. I care about a book based on its characters. And though these characters were interesting, it was much more the history that kept me reading. Because it spans such a huge length of time, a lot of the "plot" where you actually get to watch the characters do things is pretty limited. It spends a chapter going into great detail with a few of the characters and the next thing you know it's 20 years later. Kind of strange. But I still enjoyed it. I do like historical fiction, and I think that's what kept me going, because the characters and the story line wasn't necessarily enough to do it for me. Would I recommend it? Yes and no. If you want action and a plot that really keeps you going, this would probably be last on your list. If you want a challenge and enjoy this history of things, then sure. As for star rating... maybe a 3.5 out of 5.

I planned on writing my book review after that one, but we went camping and my father-in-law gave me a book from his sister to read that looked light and easy. And after hurting my brain with the previous one, I needed an easy read.

Her Good Name: by Josie Kilpack.


This is an LDS novel, and as I have mentioned before, I don't love reading those. I say this with caution of course, but a lot of them are cheesy and too simplified. I can say with this one I was pleasantly surprised. Josie Kilpack is a great writer. She is witty, charming, and at least in this book, she is dealing with some heavy stuff - being identity theft, drug rings, and the likes. And a little bit of romance. But it wasn't cheesy. It wasn't shoved down your throat. The threat was real. It happens all the time. In fact, at the end of the book there was tons of information about identity theft, credit reports, where to get help, all that stuff. Pretty cool. And it was a super easy read. Some of the chapters were less than a page long. Hahaha. And the print was bigger and more spaced out. Funny how something as simple as the printing can make a difference. I would give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

And that gets me caught up for now. I forgot to mention in my original book post of things I have read that I have read several books by James Harriot. He is probably my favorite author ever. He was a British vet who passed away several years ago. I love, love, love his books! If you love animals of any kind and want a really well written book - pick up one of his. 5 out of 5 all the time.

It's All Downhill From Here

I have officially made it to the halfway point of this pregnancy! Sweet! I am 20 weeks, and 1 day (by the fact that it is now just after midnight).

I debated and debated whether or not to post week by week pictures, but that seems a little much. I did post them on Facebook, however.

It is about time to post a baby bump picture though - proof indeed that there is something growing in there.

Without further ado: 20 Weeks

Another angle, different outfit. This is moments before heading out the door for...

Another 5K. What a better way to celebrate, right? I figure, I have unintentionally had this 4 week run thing going - so might as well keep it up. Dirty Dash at 12 weeks. 4th of July at 16 weeks. And now Orem's "Run a crook out of town" at 20 weeks. I debated for weeks whether or not I should do it, but last Thursday I decided - why not? It was free after all. So I called up Necia, who is always game for a run, and she joined me. By "joined me" I mean she drove with me. We in no way ran this together. She is way too fast for me. But I am super proud of her. She has been running like crazy and has been getting better and better every run. She is my hero.

This is our sister pre-race face.

And me striking a strange pose.

And this is us post-race. Unfortunately, the lighting doesn't quite show it, but I am as beat red as ever. But for this race I wore it as a badge of honor. I ran the whole thing! I didn't expect much of myself, but since there were no hills in this run, it wasn't as bad as I expected. It was really enjoyable. And I even shaved a few minutes off my run from the 4th. I am still only averaging about an 11 minute mile - but hey - I don't feel too bad about that!

Because I signed up last minute, there was no guarantee of getting a shirt, but thankfully because we showed up early to pick up our race numbers, we were the first in line to get a shirt if there were extras. Lucky us - there were. They also had a drawing at the end for prizes. Necia kept saying that she has never ever won anything from a drawing - but her number got pulled and she won a free meal from a local place. Pretty cool! I stuck around for the rest of the drawing after Necia took off with her family who came to cheer her on. Towards the very end I was nearly asleep when something in the back of my mind said, "Hey! That's your number!" I sat up in time to hear them call it out a second time - this time as a "Going, going, gone" measure. Thankfully I jumped up in time to claim my prize: a 24 LED light. Hehe. Pretty fancy, right? It looks like a remote control of some sort.

As a whole I would say I am doing really well. I still have good energy and the nausea has been much better. Hopefully it stays that way. And I am halfway done! That is pretty exciting to me. :)