Timp 2016

I like to hike Mt. Timpanogos at least one time each year. I was gone all summer so unfortunately I had to hike it on a weekend after school had started. The Saturday before Labor Day was when we decided to go for it. It was really crowded because of the holiday weekend. The great thing was that the temperatures were really mild, which was amazing. The not so great thing was that I hadn't really hiked all summer. It was HARD. It is usually just a walk to the mountain for me but this year my hamstrings were really sore before we started, I am in horrible shape, and it was after a long week. During the hike up I really was miserable. Going down I was totally fine. And the most surprising thing was that I was not even sore the next day. I am not sure how that happened.

I also need to add that I had taken a little fall on the Y the Thursday evening before we hiked. I don't think this slowed me down but my knees were pretty ugly for the hike. It actually has been hurting more now, a week later, than it did right after it happened.

Rachelle, Amber, Moki and I hiked it. It was extra windy from the saddle to the summit. Like the windiest I have ever seen but it wasn't dangerous. The top was also in a cloud while we were up there so that was really cool. We made the round trip in 7 hours and 40 minutes, which isn't too bad.

It was freezing on top so we didn't stay too long.

Moki loves this hike! And all the random people on the hike love her.

 Rachelle and I.

 I took a selfie when we got back down to the saddle, mainly so I could see how crazy my hair was.

 Despite feeling out of shape it was a great hike and I am really glad I made an effort to squeeze it in.

Back to Utah

I had to get back to Utah the beginning of August. I had cub scout day camp and collaboration for work. I was also ready to be back in my house. I did not get the exercise I am used to getting in July and my body was definitely feeling the effects of that. I was craving my normal diet and routines. It was still hard to go though. It has been really hard having a sick parent. Living in Utah means I can not help at all which is challenging at times. The drive back was long as usual but it was GREAT to sleep in my own bed.

I was the photographer at day camp. Here is our crew.

 Anthony and I went up to Sam and Amandas one day to hang out with Andrew. We had a great time swimming. Turns out a boat makes the pool really really fun.

 Andrew is a pro at swimming with his snorkel and fins.

 My grandma got all the kids these really cute towels this summer. So fun to see them use them.

 Andrew also had a sleepover at my house. He wanted to watch his show, on my bed, in his life jacket. It looked very uncomfortable to me, but hey he was happy.

 Emerson is loving food these days.

 I watched Emerson while Amanda and Andrew went to see Peter Pan at the Hale. He loves playing water so I put a little bit in my raft and he was in heaven.

 He also loves bubbles.

 Aaron and Jacklyn came to Utah and we had tons of fun with them. We did a seven peaks day with everyone in my family.

 Anthony, Aaron, Jacklyn and I floated the river one day.

 Life jacket are a must on this river.

 The Provo river is so much fun. I forgot how swift it is, especially compared to the Feather River. We shared lots of laughs while we floated along.

 The scenery is also amazing.

 Moki was very happy to be back in her own house.

 Unfortunately while Aaron and Jacklyn were visiting I also had to work a bunch of hours. I had a lot of catching up to do after a long summer away. Luckily I was able to work in the evenings while they played with my other siblings.

We also went to Trafalga in Lehi with Amanda and the boys. It was so fun. Andrew was in heaven.

 Aaron and Jacklyn left Utah the same morning I started back at school. I tried to go to bed early but all my brothers were downstairs laughing so I had to join them.

 Anthony and I went out to ice cream and I said I would treat. Little did I know he would go giant size. What the heck?

 I cut my hair off before school started. It has been fun to have a little different style.

 My dad got to got o church. Guys this was amazing!!! He had a great day and our family is so grateful. After nine months in the hospital he was so excited. So glad it worked out so well.

 I love love love hanging out with these cute boys!

Niece and nephew time

I loved getting to spend so much time with Olivia and Braxton while I was in California. I spent multiple weekends with both of them and then I also kidnapped them one at a time so I could have some one on one time as well. One on one time is a lot easier for me and it is fun because you focus on what they want to do.

I loved going to watch Olivia at swim team.

 This is her first year and she made so much progress. And she loved it which was so fun to see.

 California is so hot. I swam so much this summer. I love swimming so it was great.

 I love biking with Olivia. We were able to bike every day she was with me when it was just her visiting. My mom even joined in on the fun.

 We also floated the Feather River. That was really fun.

 It's a very calm river so we just enjoyed each others company and ate lunch while we floated along.

 It is exhausting hanging out with me so she took a nap almost every day.

With Bubba we just did a lot of building legos and swimming. He was so hard at church this summer. One Sunday I just gave him my phone during Sacrament meeting so I could try to get something out of it.

 Another Sunday was spent in the foyer like this.

I loved seeing these kids so much. They have so much personality and I hate that I live so far away from them. I miss them like crazy.

The Deck

Sometime in July it started to become apparent that my dad was going to get to come home. He was getting a lot stronger and he didn't need medical care anymore. The biggest factor keeping him in the care center was that he couldn't walk. This has been very very hard on my dad and frustrating but his body is still making progress. One thing that needed to happen before he could come home was we needed a deck off of my parents front porch.

Aaron has been so amazing the entire time my dad has been sick. Like so AMAZING! He has done so much to help my parents. I am so grateful for all of the sacrifices he has made as well as his wife, Jacklyn. Aaron was the mastermind behind the deck. He had some help from my dads brother Pete and a few others but he is the one who drew up the plans and saw the project through. It was a lot of work and learning but it was fun to get to see him accomplish such an amazing thing.

We debated about just throwing a deck together out of supplies from my dads barn but in the end we decided to buy composite decking and make it nice. I am so glad we did. This is what we started with.:

 Then we went to Home Depot to buy the supplies and that took like three hours.....not even joking.

 Pete and Aaron decided the best thing would be to build the deck over the cement porch. Here is the progress after Day 1:

 The composite is so nice.

 We loaded everything on my dads trailer and just pulled it out of the barn every time we worked on it. That worked great and made the set up and clean up really easy. It was KILLING my dad that there was a project going on at his house while he was stuck in bed. He helped a lot with the planning but he was really bummed he couldn't be there building. He loves stuff like this.

 Aaron even used the tractor to level the ground.

 I painted the red door. It is so pretty!!! And I painted the trim on the house. That was one of my summer projects.

 Ben came and helped one day as well as Aaron's friend Dan.

 There are so many nails in each board that goes on the deck. I helped as well and I was shocked at how many nails went in each board to ensure that it was sturdy.

 Building the frame was definitely the hardest part.

 Finally we got to lay some of the actual decking. It was so exciting.

 I had to sit on it and admire our work.

 Look at the adorable wreath I found for my moms door. It is so cute!

 It really probably only took a little over a week to build the deck but because Aaron also has a job and it was so hot we didn't work on it everyday. I had to go home before it was finished. I also accidentally backed into the deck and split one of the boards on the frame. Who does that???? My car was loaded to come back to Utah and it was after midnight, I just needed to back my car up closer to the house. Seems like an easy thing but I nicked the corner of the deck and split one of the boards. I have not been that mad at myself in a long time. I was so MAD!!!  I shed some tears over that as well. It was so frustrating. Luckily with the help of Bishop Trinnamon it was an easy fix, but the hard part was that I had to leave the mistake for Aaron to deal with and he was already doing so much. Definitely not one of my finer moments.

 The deck still needs the rest of the railing put up and the stuff you put on the bottom to cover the blocks but it turned out beautifully.

 It is going to be a great addition to my parents house.

Here is my dad already for dialysis sitting on the porch built for him!