Odds and Ends

A hike up Belle's Canyon

It seems wrong that this is the only picture I have of you...

Sunrise Hike

Danny Heslop in Concert

The Wonders of the State Fair

Usually I think of the state fair as great people watching. This year, the animals beat out all.

Jazzercise anyone?

Somehow my education on chickens had been neglected. Truly I did not know chickens came in these forms. They became a highlight of the fair this year.

This one was just pretty

The beginning of fall in the canyon

Birthday

I had a 2-day birthday. One day with roommate family and one day with my blood family.

My nieces found a much better use for sprinkles than decorating the cupcakes...


Jacob refused to have his picture taken without some sort of prop...
My cousins Cameron and Niki came for the festivities.

Jody spent much of the afternoon making me her own designer birthday cards.

The girls and I went to dinner. What cute roommates I have!

I just wanted to wear my hat on my birthday- so I did.

YUMMY birthday cake!

Low key and entirely marvelous. Important to note a special appearance by the Bermanator. And of course a trip to the bookstore for this year's addition to the collection.

Grand Canyon Photo Extravaganza

I realize that it is nearing Thanksgiving and that I went to the Grand Canyon over Labor Day weekend... but really that is not that important. The important part is that I am getting it done (finally). Ok- there is one more "not that important" detail about this post. The pictures are in reverse order. We ended at the Colorado river and double bridge and began at the Bambi Cafe... But it is much easier to post it this way. So this is how it is going to be.

Before the summer got into full sway Emily and I planned out a few fun summer trips. The last thing we wanted for the summer to get away from us and not have any new great experiences. This Grand Canyon trip was one of those spectacular mini get aways. Two car loads of people, camping gear, one British stowaway, and views that would take a long time to be ordinary; that was our trip.




On the way to Page Arizona after it was all said and done to deliver our stowaway.

The old and the new.

Keyhole point- one of my favorite pictures. Sunday was a day of interdenominational church service at the lodge, a mule ride, and a scenic drive.

Oh, Sunday was also a sunset.

I took A LOT of these pictures of the canyon. It just draws you in- and you endlessly and futilely try to capture it.

Our trail guide. She was the real deal- in another life I think I would have made a good cowgirl.

The gang- I know what you are thinking...with posture and pose on a horse like that we look like professionals.

Emily deserved her very own mule spotlight- this was her dream and desire- ride at the Grand Canyon. Love that I was there for you to live a dream- no matter the size.

Windy standing out on a precipice. I do believe I was in a skirt during this scampering on the boulder ledge. Skirt because it was Sunday- it doesn't stop me from exploring.

On top of that boulder ledge I was exploring on the top of the grand canyon I found this shell embedded in the rock. Yeah, that was pretty cool.

The Brit- stowaway. He was hiking rim to rim when Eric and I ran into him and offered to help- which he denied at that time. Ran into him again the next day and he was still in need of help. So he joined our group, campsite, and we even gave him a ride to our next destination. (never mind the 10day stay at the house the following week because Emily is too nice and he just seemed to be attached to SLC. We offered 1-2 days- apparently they do math differently in England.) Nice guy nonetheless.

Planning at the campsite.

I'm a sucker for sepia.

Loved the shadows in this picture.

This guy was the BIGGEST wasp I have ever seen. Wish I had something next to it for scale.

The trail down into the canyon- I wanted to keep going but time and group restraints limited too much exploring- but Eric and I went a bit past where the trail disappears.

This plant was COOL

Same place as before but this time looking up the trail to where we started- at the top of the trees.

The 2 brave souls willing to go deeper to the depths of the canyon that anyone else.

Day One- Emily I only used this picture because I loved the face you made.

The lodge...

Perhaps we are friends.

The whole gang... Eric, Emily Utt, Heather McOmber, Laura Durham, Sierra, Anya Bybee, Allison Miles, Kim Woodbury

And my a favorite stop... El Bambi Cafe in Beaver, Utah. When we drove by it we had to turn around and stop. As long as you like hamburgers you will get a long just fine with it. And I must say- they make a pretty good burger. And the cafe was named (by luck of the draw) after a deer that the owner's son adopted and kept outside the cafe 40 years ago.

And the rest is history.

I do not like elephants

Elephants are not my favorite. I do not like elephants because they walk right into the middle anything they choose and sit right down in the middle of the room making a mess of everything. Do you know how much energy is wasted to host an elephant? A lot. Food alone to keep it alive is an endless endeavor and then add all the clean up... There is no ability to enjoy company- you can't even see each other through or around the elephant that is blocking the view. Peace and serenity- forget it. The problem is that convincing an elephant that it is not welcome takes at least 2 people- (sometimes much more depending on the size of the elephant). But if only one person is courageous enough to face the elephant then very little progress is made. Next thing you know elephant #1 has called all its friends to join in and the have destroyed everything. Just why are we so afraid of elephants? Not that I am not guilty of my own elephant phobia from time to time. I just think that I would rather be using all that energy for something other than the maintenance of an elephant. Anyone willing to join me in my quest to banish elephants from mine and other's living rooms and back to Africa where they belong?

Hitting the Mark

There is a story in the New Testament about the high priests refusing to enter the Judgement Hall during the trials of Christ because they did not want to defile themselves during the passover. This contradiction hit me painfully hard. How could they miss the mark so painfully off? Thinking they were sooo holy, yet, truthfully they were destroying the very embodiment of holy. Am I missing the mark? How do I not suffer the same fate? How do I then "HIT" the mark? This is the key in the end- learning what it takes to hit the mark.Hitting the mark requires accuracy- accuracy requires correct teachings/principles and then consistent practice, diligent effort, learning, and even mistakes. If hitting the mark is put in context of archery or shooting it is easier to understand the effort and diligence required to consistently hit the mark. "Good" constantly asks/requires us to be diligent-and that is true for everything. Not much in this world "stores". Exercise doesn't store, faith doesn't store, food doesn't store , neither does talents, relationships, knowledge, or even sleep. They all need nurturing. We can't ever expect something to just be there for us.
I wonder why so many of us push back so hard against consistency. Do we view it as a loss of freedom? Being tied down? Is it a fear of failure -encouraging us not to put so much in only to fail? Or is it the monotony that comes in the repetition required to master and maintain once the novelty has worn off? I relate to plies and tondues for dancing. How many plies or tondues have I done in my life? Hundreds of thousands. It has gone through many phases in my life- first novelty, then monotony, but now they are my old friend. I love them, they are simple yet vital. It is like coming home, peaceful and even a joy. It is like a musician who has done scales for 20 years. I imagine that when they sit and play scales now that it is almost a form of meditation, familiar, calming, it just feels good. i think this is the blessing of consistency. It is a challenge to get to this point and a constant effort to maintain but there is an arrival where the things we commit to become love and devotion. We know it, it is safe, and we can settle letting our guard down and our souls expand. If we do not commit we are not grounded to anything and there is no rest.
If this is the outcome- again I ask why do we push back? Perhaps in the process of commitment we discover more about ourselves and that frightens us. Maybe it is the perceived sacrifice that is inherent to any commitment we fear. Sacrifice of time, money, or pleasure. Yet it is sacrifice that creates depth strength purpose and meaning. Commitment, true commitment is a transforming process. I ran across a quote on commitment in a Yoga Journal a couple of years ago, " Without commitment, life is a free-for- all, a series of hook-ups, and mere dabbling. You'll never have the sustained intimacy in a 3-month affair that you have with someone you've been with for 10 years. There is no way that a week long retreat in yoga will give you the kind of power and sustained opening that you get from years of daily practice. Without wholehearted commitment- a kind of for-better-or worse agreement with yourself that you're going to show up for this person, or this project, even if it's not going well, even if you're not in the mood. Our capacity for keeping our commitments makes progress possible."
Commitment- true commitment is nothing less than a transforming process. it is how we create ourselves. think about it. In what other form do we change voluntarily? So we see why God asks commitment from us. That is the very first step in the gospel, baptism. Essentially baptism is an action of committing ourselves to God, to our fellowman, and even to ourselves to participate and invest in the gospel. So much so that the symbolism is that we are dying in the water and being reborn a new person. Unfortunately that instant in the water doesn't change our nature to be holy. But, it is what we will become if we are true to the commitment the water symbolizes. In furthering our progress in the temple the lord asks us to even deepen our level of commitment and asks us to be consistent in our attendance furthering our potential to "become".
I believe the value of anything we participate in consistently is rarely found in the beginning nor in a single episode but is found years later like the musician or dancer who has been transformed into master by diligence and has gained peace, joy, and self in a way no one will ever find without paying the price- the tuition of consistency, diligence and commitment.
In the church we are asked to be consistent in many things. I believe it is not only to enable us to hit the mark, but so we can enjoy these blessings and the transformative power inherent to being consistent. Home teaching, visiting teaching, scripture study, prayer, temple attendance, marriage, fostering friendships, honoring father and mother, working on talents... Anything which requires consistency and commitment are the true sources of joy, peace and personal creation.