Camp Trefoil

Even before our family moved to Utah, we would send our daughters to Girl Scout camp here because the properties are so spectacular.  This summer Annika got to attend Camp Trefoil at the top of Provo Canyon.  The cabins she stayed in are gorgeous.  Rumor is that they were designed by women architecture students from the U of U.

This year Annika chose to participate in "Classic Camp" instead of horse camp.  I was working, so Jason dropped her off.  Here she is moving into her new home for the next week.

Presumably Annika had a great time because when Jason went to pick her up she was both happy and extremely dirty.

Later in the summer Annika had the chance to go back to Trefoil for a few days with her troop. Unfortunately she felt so sick that we called NomiAnn and Papa Kay and asked them to come pick her up.  At least she got a picture with her friends first.  From left to right we have me, Edith, Violet, Opal, Lua, Ellie, Cedar and Marianne with Lily and Annika in front.

Packing up before moving in.

I ended up staying because I was still needed as a parent volunteer.  While the camp was beautiful and the programming was great, these three days were really difficult for me.  I felt so sad the entire time because Annika was missing out.  She'd felt sick for so long that I was beginning to question whether transplant had been the right decision.  It was a heavy moment for me.  I can't begin to describe how much lighter I feel now that she is feeling better.

But hey, here are cute pictures of the girls doing all the fun things.  Even though Annie wasn't there, these are presumably the same fun things she got to do at Classic Camp.  Axe throwing is a great way to relieve frustration.

Horseback riding.  I hopped on too!

Looking stylish back at the cabins.

Fire-building.

And to top it all off, the High Ropes Course.

With or without my own munchkin, I am glad that I got to spend time with these smart, creative, courageous girls. 

Camp is a lot of work, and I am so thankful to all who make these memories possible for our daughters!

Hikes and the Heber Creeper

I'm hoping to keep the explanations on these next blog posts fairly succinct so that I can finally get caught up.  I'd love to blog in real time and talk about all the crazy things that are actually happening, like how Annika got left behind during a youth trip to the Bountiful Temple on Friday.  I texted Jason to see if she'd gotten her evening meds, and he explained that while Annika's meds had successfully made it to the temple, Annika herself had not.  Jason raced home with one of the other leaders (Jason Shepherd) and found Annika at home.  Apparently she was playing basketball by herself in the pit of the church and didn't notice when everyone left.  Once she figured out what had happened, she walked home and got her own meds.  Kind of sad that she missed out, but also a tiny bit funny.

Anyway, this post highlights some August hikes. Now that we have Zion, we often head up into Millcreek, particularly on off-leash days.  Here are Talia and I up Rattlesnake Gulch.

And here we are with our friend Sonja headed up toward Grandeur Peak.  We didn't have time to make it to the summit, but it was still beautiful.

Plus, we found a cool snake!

Just a girl and her dog.

Switching from sunrise to sunset, this is the Salt Lake Overlook on the other side of the canyon.

Eli and Jason joined Zion and me for this stunning wander.

Moving north into Davis County, we enjoyed a Sunday afternoon hike with the Wilhoits.  Annika wasn't feeling well, so she and Jason ended up staying behind but the rest of us had a great time.

It's always more fun with a waterfall!

Plus, there's nothing quite so intriguing as on old car washed up in the middle of the mountains.

Wrapping up with photos from our fun evening on the historic Heber Creeper along the Heber Valley Railroad.  So many thanks to Grandma Susie and Grandpa Charles for treating us to this fun evening!

Pre-train princess fun.

Each trip still begins with a traditional Western showdown.

Dance party!

While we were jamming inside, the scenery was beautifully peaceful outside.

My life would be so dull without these crazies.  So glad they are part of our life!

Mountains are incredible, but nothing tops family.  Love ya, Ruby!  So glad to be your aunt.