Party until the end

I was working really hard to make the best of my summer. I wanted to get the most out of it. Tuesday I had an opportunity to take my nephew Andrew to the zoo. I was really excited to take him because he knows all the animals and all the animal sounds. We practiced all of them on the way to the zoo. We had a good time but I think he was looking for his mom the entire time. He was not as care free as he normally is and I had to work hard to get him to smile. Monkeys!

 Andrew loves drums. He was instantly drawn to the children using the instruments. He was being really shy so I didn't know if he would take a turn.

 He finally did but he was very serious the entire time.

He loved the elephant show.

 Giraffes. So many pictures of Andrews head!

 Finally got a smile out of him with a selfie.

The Seals tank was getting cleaned. Andrew enjoyed waving at the scuba diver.

  He loved this ball that spins and has water on it.

I loved spending a couple of hours with this cutie. After we went to Wendy's and had lunch. So glad Amanda and Sam parted with him for a little while.

 I am still dog sitting Titan. Moki has seriously been in doggie heaven. Two dogs on my bed is way too many if you were wondering.

Before heading back to work I got my eyes checked. I have never had that done outside of free exams at work and school. My vision is fine, which I was expecting, but I wanted to have a doctor in place that I know and like. I went to one of my former athletes and students dad. He was awesome. It was really interesting all the different tests he ran. Then my eyes were dilated for a really long time.

 I had to go back to work on Thursday. Not only did we work all day but we also had back to school night. Crazy. I was worn out by the end. Meetings are hard for me but I love meeting all my students at back to school night. My gym looks amazing right now.

I kind of consider it my gym....even though it obviously is not. I can't believe I am starting my tenth year of teaching. Holy cow where does time go?

Today I hiked Silver Lake. This is one of my favorite hikes. It is 4.4 miles. Not too strenuous and has amazing views. The dogs were in heaven. This is the view looking down from the lake.

This is the view looking at the lake.

 Rachelle, a fellow teacher, joined me on the excursion. The dogs loved swimming.

 I didn't know if Titan had ever swam but he proved to be a champion!

 The dogs were worn out after and were snuggling on the way home. Moki will be so said when Titan goes home.

 Fun way to spend a Saturday.

I also signed Moki up for basic dog training classes through a trainer. I have been wanting to do it for a while but just have not wanted a Saturday commitment. Today I went to the first class. It was an owners only class. Moki is going to have a rough go for a while. There are tons of rules for the dogs even while at home. She is going to HATE them!! Let's be honest it is going to be rough on me too. I am excited to get better behavior out of her though. In the end I know she will be happier this way.

My Yearly Trek

Today I did my yearly trek to the top of Mt. Timpanogos. I love the hike. It is beautiful and amazing. I feel like doing it once a year is good until I get to the top and sign the book and the dude above me is 72 years old and has hiked to the summit 631 times. What? I am telling you if you think I am crazy there are people way crazier out there. But what an accomplishment. I would love to be able to do that when I am 72. So Julie Goudy, a friend form my ward who I served in young women's with, Moki, Titan and I hit the trail at 6am. We had a long but great day. We hiked from Aspen Grove which according to the internet is 13 miles round trip. I will start by saying that my vertigo was giving me a little trouble this morning and I was sort of worried. Luckily it cleared up and I felt much better on the way down. I wonder if the elevation and strenuous exercise were a bad combination? My legs also felt extremely lethargic all day, super annoying. I also sprained my ankle walking the two crazy dogs in the dark last night. I just stepped off the curb wrong. Yes my ankle was swollen before I even started hiking. Of course I turned it over one more time on the way down the mountain. Luckily it didn't give me much trouble once I kept hiking.Not my best hike as far as how I felt, but it was still beautiful and enjoyable. Julie was great company as well.

We saw more Mountain Goats than I have ever seen on Timp today. It was fun to see but also made me nervous because a dog got seriously injured from a goat on Timp just last week. You can see a few in this picture.

 There was a huge herd hanging out above the lake on the glacier. There were also quite a few hanging out between the saddle and the top.

Julie and Titan were first timers! Titan did great. He listens much better than Moki.

 I really do enjoy this hike even though it is challenging no matter how conditioned I am .

 Great Views.

 One more in color.

I know you are dying to see my selfie from the summit. . . . .

Moki exploring the summit.

 Most likely contemplating if there is anything to jump off of, my dog is crazy I tell you.

 The worlds best view from a toilet

Yes they have a toilet on the mountain. Yes I always need to use it and so I am grateful.

Snacking at the lake on the way down. Two tired dogs.

Moki loves just leaping through the meadow. She is so athletic it is scary.

 Gorgeous day. So glad we started at 6am. It was hot on the way down.

Moki thinks she always has to be in the lead. Super annoying.

Titan was pretty tired on the way down. He kept laying down on the path. Here he is taking a break in a spring running off the mountain. Poor pup.

My ankle is huge, my feet are swollen, and my hamstrings are tight but it was a great day on the mountain.

Other Random Things That Needed Done

Some items on my to-do list before school starts are get my car detailed, get my hair cut, deep clean the house, take Andrew to the zoo, tires rotated, relief society stuff, dentist, doctor, mail some bday cards and a package to Caleb, just to name a few things. I am telling you it has been busy around here. I can report that I deep cleaned the kitchen. I not only washed all the cupboards but I even re-organized them, I did the fridge inside and out, and the over. It took two really long days but I am so happy it is done. I also did some deep cleaning in two of the upstairs bedrooms. I have more to do but we will see if I get to it. The car is detailed and my hair got done as well.

Sariah was in town and we got to hang out for a couple of hours.

 Love this girl. We hiked until we got rained on and then enjoyed lunch. So fun to catch up.

I took Moki to hike the Y on all my cleaning days but she was still super bored. She spent a lot of time looking out the window.

At least she is cute while she does it.

Dan, Anthony and I finally made it to the food truck round up. We have been talking about going for months. Unfortunately I wasn't hungry and I look disgusting because I was in the middle of cleaning out the fridge, but hey it's all good.

I have been wearing my lovely slippers everywhere because the blisters on my feet from Havasupai are still pretty sore.

Probably because I have been hiking everyday still. What do you do? I need exercise and with my vertigo hiking is the best option right now.

Taking naps is always a priority in this house.

Getting to the temple was on the list. I love that it is so close.

I am watching one of Moki's favorite puppy friends Titan. Titan's family watched Moki all during basketball season so I volunteered to watch him while they go to lake powell. My house may stink like dog breath because they seriously want to wrestle all day.

 Yesterday I banned them to the outdoor porch because I had some meetings. So glad I did. I don't want this mess in my house. BUSTED!

Saturday I finally tried biking again. I was so nervous. It has been frustrating to not be able to do something I absolutely love and enjoy. The last time I tried was two weeks ago and I was super sick the rest of the day. I am happy to report that it went well. My legs were tired and felt so out of shape, but I made it 27 miles.

I was bummed that I feel like I lost all my biking fitness that I worked so hard to get at the beginning of the summer, but I was so grateful to just be back in the saddle. Hopefully I have turned a corner towards health here.

Going out with a bang!

Summer is almost over. There were a few more hikes and things in the Provo area I wanted to do before school started. I also have a huge to-do list of other things that also need to be accomplished before school starts. But let's be real if anything needs to happen it's the outdoor stuff.

I have still been suffering side effects from the vertigo. It is very hit and miss. One day I feel normal and then one day I will be really tired and my head just feels off. Really weird. I finally got to where I can read again. reading has been really challenging for me since the initial vertigo. In the beginning I couldn't focus at all. I would just get sick. I am happy to report that I have been able to waste some time reading, something I love to do.

Squaw Peak was on the list. It's a seven mile round trip hike. Not too long but it is straight up. It's like hiking the Y but 3x longer on the uphill alone. When we started it was a beautiful day. Moki thinks she always has to be in the lead.

You get an amazing view of Mt. Timpanogos.

From the top you have one of the best views of Utah Valley around.

 There was not a flag on top last time I hiked it.

 Moki was tired but happy.

While on top thunder clouds began to roll in from the East. There was lots of loud thunder.

 It was time to get off the peak.

We wanted to try to get back to the car dry.

 Unfortunately I take way too many selfies.

At least I try to make sure there is a decent background.

 We didn't make it to the car before the rain started but we didn't get too wet. Overall it was a great afternoon hike.