Lake Blanche

 Erica and I snuck in one more hike before I went back to work. We ditched are poor dogs and went and hiked Lake Blanche. It was a great morning. I hate that dogs can't go up Big Cottonwood Canyon but rules are rules. Lake Blanche is a great workout. Steady uphill the entire 3.34 miles. The lake is beautiful.

Hiking with Erica is great. We both have very long legs and can hike fast. It was a great last summer hike!

Second Sister In Law Hike

On Amanda's birthday the girls all snuck away and did a short hike to Gloria Falls up Little Cottonwood Canyon. It was a great evening and so fun. It was also fun to be able to include Jacklyn on the hike. This time we picked a shorter less intense hike. It was perfect for our timeframe and also beautiful. It was definitely a success.

The falls are so pretty. The hike was a very gradual hike. It would be great for kids.

It has been so fun to get to know these ladies, now family.

Watching the sun set as we finished the hike was great.

It was such a fun little adventure. I really liked doing something new.

 

Aaron and Jacklyn Came to Visit

 Aaron and Jacklyn came to Utah! It was a last minute decision and it was so fun to spend some time with them and Tyla. They came in really early Friday morning and we packed in as much fun as we could. Friday we went to Highland Glen to paddle board, JCW"s for burgers and then finished the night at my place for games. Anthony and Amanda and the kids joined us for paddle boarding. A storm cut our time short but we had some fun first!

Andrew came with us after the swimming because he wanted some more fun with us. After JCW's we spent the evening playing Camel Up.

Saturday I woke up and went on a bike ride. Andrew and I hung out at my house while Aaron, Jacklyn and Tyla met people for lunch. Then we met all my siblings at the rec center for some swimming.

After the rec center everyone came back to my house. I made some yummy food and we finished the evening with games. Another very late night. I was feeling very tired from the late nights.

Sunday I got up and took Tyla on a nice long walk before church. it felt great. Then we went to church.

I caught this cute picture of Tyla and Jacklyn on the way into church.

We ditched church after sacrament meeting and I took the best nap ever. I really needed that because I was so exhausted. Then we headed up to Dan's for dinner. He made some yummy food and we celebrated Amanda's birthday.

Then all the girls snuck away for our second sister in law hike. It went much better than our first, we got back to the cars before dark!

Monday I watched Tyla so Aaron and Jacklyn could go to the movies. Then we ran a bunch of errands. We stopped at the outlets to shop. They were a let down.

After shopping we went to Caleb and Anthony's. Sam and the kids came up too. We swam at their pool. Then we went to dinner. 

This morning Tyla and I got in one more walk and then Aaron and Jacklyn packed the car and took off. They sent me this cute picture of Tyla at a rest stop.

It was so fun to have them in town. It was busy and I am tired but it was so great.

Mutual Boating Activity

 The Turley's were nice enough to take our young women out on their boat one Wednesday evening. We spent three and half hours on Utah Lake. The weather was amazing and it was seriously so fun. I am so glad we made it happen. I just really love these young women and think the world of them.

Hiking with Erica

Erica and I snuck in a couple hikes. We went to horsetail falls one week. I love that hike. It is a good workout with a beautiful waterfall at the end.

Moki and Archie are both awesome hikers so it is fun to have them with us.

It was good to catch up because we missed each other most of the summer because our vacations were not lined up. I love hiking with Erica and wish we could make it happen more often.

We also took a day and hiked Timp together. Erica had never hiked it before. So crazy! We went on July 26th and it happened to be perfect timing for the wildflowers. They were absolutely incredible. It was so fun to be up there at their peak.

We started early and used the Timponooke trail to summit. Erica did a better job of taking pictures. I have done the hike so many times I didn't get my camera out as much. After seeing her pictures I wish I would have taken more. They are all so good.

It was a really nice day. It is so nice to do most of the uphill climbing in the morning as the sun is still coming up.

Once we got to the meadow the flowers were unbelievable.

There were so many different varieties and colors. It was so fun. Such a good reminder of the beautiful world we live in!

We also encountered a lot of mountain goats on the mountain. They did not like our dogs which made for an interesting trip. There were quite a few that had babies with them and so I think they were a little more cautious. they were definitely stomping their feet at us. We also had to wait at a couple of places because it did not feel safe to pass by. It was pretty cray. I have seen them every time I have hiked Timp, and I have hiked it with Moki every year, but I have never seen the goats act this way before.

we made it to the top with our dogs. Our dogs did awesome. Again I just love hiking with Moki and Archie. So fun!

It took us just under 9 hours to complete the hike. I left my watch running at our breaks but I would guess we hiked for 7-7.5 hours. We rested more than usual which was great because I never felt like I was racing up the mountain. It was a great day. I was tired and dirty when I finished but it felt so good to be on top if Utah Valley again.