pride and prejudice in utah

We're house bound this weekend, due to a hurricane named Harvey.  You may have heard of it. It's supposed to be the largest hurricane to hit the mainland United States in over a decade.  We're currently in the red band of rain, to the north east of the eye.  The winds are minimal, but there's a lot of rain. Estimates are that we'll receive between 12-36 inches by Tuesday.



With all of this "free" time on our hands, I thought what better time to organize and paint the garage floor, a chore we've been putting off for the past two years. But Charlie doesn't think that's a good idea to paint the garage floor, something about humidity, yada, yada, and where do we put all the stuff IN the garage?  So while I update my blog about our epic camping trip this summer, he is baking cookies for our next door neighbor, who turns 14 today.   It's a good compromise.

Once we left Rocky Mountain National Park, we drove to Dinosaur National Monument, which is just on the border of Colorado and Utah. We pulled in to our campsite - set up our tent - and braced ourselves for what appeared to be huge storm clouds rolling in.

While we readied ourselves - Henry chopped wood.



Carolyn washed her hair.



Charlie and William hung our sun shower.



And Elizabeth set up cocktail hour; because apparently - in our world - no situation is so dire that you should ever deprive yourself of sitting back, putting your feet up, and taking a moment to enjoy a snack and cold beverage.  I love this mentality! 



The storm never did hit, clouds miraculously dissipated, so Charlie pulled together a dinner of steak and garlic mashed potatoes. Which it would turn out, was one of the two finest dinners we would actually cook and eat on our trip.



As this was only our second night of camping, we had not yet perfected the right amount to cook during meals, or how to pace ourselves and make food more if needed.  We also hadn't planned our meals very well beyond our IMMEDIATE meal, so our menu for breakfast the next day, was rather dismal.  We wound up having an abundance of leftover steak and potatoes, and that is how we introduced garlic mashed potato pancakes to our breakfast culinary repertoire.

They were delicious!

We were so fortunate on this entire trip.  The weather was highly cooperative, and we had no injuries or ailments that were so significant they couldn't be treated with the equipment I had packed in my first aid kit. Also, on this night in Utah, as everyone settled in to sleep (after a game of Dungeons and Dragons, a staple each night); I was able to do a Google search and find a whitewater rafting outfit, a short distance away.



And as luck would have it - I was able to book a Class III trip along the Green River for a family of six, the very next day. All from the comfort of our tent with my iPhone!



Our river guides from Adrift Adventures were amazing.  On the way to the river, they made a brief stop and took us on a short hike up a canyon to show us Fremont petroglyphs that dated back one thousand years ago.









Mid-way on our trip, they beached our rafts and pulled together an incredible lunch for us.



While we dined on taco salad, and peanut butter and jelly rolls - we socialized with other rafters, who had traveled in far and wide to raft on the Green River.  We met a family with three children, that was from Sonoma, California - in the same town where Charlie and I once lived.  We exchanged tips on various places to visit on their way back to California, and they shared with us some of their favorite places in Wyoming - which was where we were headed, next.



Our guide, Abby, was a passionate Jane Austen fan, so we spent the majority of our trip discussing the nuances of various movies and how well they relate to the books. In fact, we almost missed our lunch pull-out because we were so engrossed in a conversation over whether Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen made a better Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.



Our vote, Colin Firth.  Her vote, Matthew Macfadyen. When we told her that was preposterous, she booted us from the boat and we floated down stream in 68 degree waters.  It was phenomenal!



This was such a beautiful stretch of river.  While I don't have the best pictures to capture the landscape, it reminded me so much of the Grand Canyon.



The massive sandstone cliffs and sharply dipping mudstone layers in contrast to the blue skies and rushing water, made me think about how awesome it must have been for John Wesley Powell - who made this trek with his crew, in wooden vessels.



This environment really does something to my spirit … being in the great outdoors, in the middle of such spectacular surroundings makes me swoon.  Not even Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy can top this!



Although, my Charlie - who just put this in front of me…



Is pretty darn close! 

first day of school eve

'Twas the night before a new school year, and the children are all tucked in their beds … while twangs of fear and excitement, danced through their heads. (And yep, mine, too.)

Tomorrow morning, the triplets will be starting seventh grade, and their first year in Junior High School. Henry will be starting the fourth grade at his school, but this also marks his final year in elementary school - before he moves on to middle school next year for fifth grade.  The days are indeed long, and the years far too short. 

With that in mind, I'm so grateful that Charlie and I were able to take off four weeks this summer to spend such awesome quality time with our children. Believe me: nothing brings you together quite like 22 nights in a tent. There is so much to write about - the incredible places that we visited - and the genuinely amazing people that we met at virtually every stop.  With all of the negative news and political vitriol that seems to be oozing from every outlet, it reassured our faith in humanity to take this trip and cross paths with such great people. There really are great people everywhere. Okay, so there are some crazy people, too …. but they are like the salt you add to a dish.  When handled properly, they give life wonderful flavor. 

Hopefully, unlike last year - I'll be successful in my quest to get those thoughts and pictures jotted down before our summer of 2018 vacation begins.  

Exactly two weeks ago, we wandered from our campsite to a breathtaking glacial lake, and lamented that there wasn't a marina, so we could rent a boat.  Our lamentations didn't last long, because we met a fellow camper named Tim, who was situated elsewhere in the park, but was visiting this particular lake with his wife, and their two children, who were the same age as our kids.  And they just so happened to have multiple kayaks and a paddle board that they were more than happy to share.  

We took Tim up on his generous offer, and as I paddled out to the middle of this lake with my children, I had everyone pull their boats together and join me for a moment of silence.  There aren't enough words in our vocabulary to capture the beauty of this place, and no photographs could ever do it any justice. 

In this sacred space, I told the children that whatever highs or lows await them this year - or in life, for that matter - I want for them to remember this moment.  This moment of beauty, peace, love, magic, and exhilaration from the tips of their fingers to the tips of their toes.  I told them that they are the beloved children of Charlie and I … and also, of God.  Just like the breathtaking views all around us, they are wonderfully made and they have PURPOSE.  They are comprised of an energy that is designed to do tremendous good, and their mission is to bring great love and strength every where they go.   

(Also wet willies.) 

Tonight, as I was tucking our pensive children in to bed, I reminded them of this kayaking moment and time we spent together at Bowman Lake within Glacier National Park.  I reminded each of them that they are a gift to this world, so as they go about their new school year - I pray that they do their best.  Keep their backs straight, shoulders and chin up, make eye contact - and smile.  Be kind to everyone, and especially keep an eye and hand out for those kids who are alone or different. Equally important to the academic education they will be receiving, is the socialization and compassion that they learn to exert for the fellow travelers on their path of life.   So at the end of each class, they must remember to always walk to the front and sincerely say goodbye and thank you to their teachers, too.  

As I concluded our bedside discussions, I told each of the triplets, and Henry, individually, that the pressure will undoubtedly be ramping up both academically and socially, so if they are ever feeling completely overwhelmed with it all,  just let me know.  I'm ready at a moment's notice to pull the plug, hit the road, and camp through the other 48 National Parks in the United States.  They know very well that I mean it, which is likely why all four of them flipped over, pulled their covers up over their heads and exclaimed, "OH NO! MOM. WE'LL BE TOTALLY FINE!"  

Something tells me, they aren't fully recovered from our camping adventure, just yet.