Annual Candy Making Night

 

I have always made candy during the Christmas season and a few years ago we got all the kids together one night and spent it making different candy.  It was fun and we started a new tradition.

Everyone came over Sunday night and we handed out recipes and put everyone to work.  Pinterest is a great place to find new recipes and this year we tested out some new ones.  Poor Heather started on dishes and was stuck for along time as we all kept throwing dishes her way. 

They all turned out but we learned that brownie mix in muffin tins stick.  Taylor spent 20 minutes trying to get 24 mini brownies out.  They taste really great.  After working so hard we played pounce.  I found this game at the mall and we loved playing it.  I think I loaned it to a neighbor who never returned it so me and Berkley made our own version of it.  She had fun putting beads on a string to make the mice.  It's the dumbest game but so much fun.  We always laugh so hard.  Fun night with my husband and kids. 

Thanksgiving

 This year we spent Thanksgiving out in Duchesne with my family.  At least my brother Ken and his family.  We went out thinking everyone was coming and it ended up they all had different plans so it was a small gathering.  My Mom is an excellent cook and the food was wonderful.  It was nice to have everyone be able to sit at a table and small enough to have a good visit. 

 

Bellamy loves her papa.  Braelyn and Berkley were in California with their Dad so Bellamy was the only child there.  I will admit that I'm horrible about taking pictures.  I just don't think of it so these are the only shots I have of Thanksgiving.  At least I got one shot of my awesome children.  We were just missing Greg and Lauren. 

Bellamy loves her scrambled eggs.

 One morning Steve tried to get Bellamy to eat some oatmeal and he said she would just spit it out, so I cooked up a scrambled egg and she gobbled it up.

Don't you wish you could get that happy over eating something. 

Friends Forever

 In October me and my awesome friends from Duchesne were finally able to get together.  Last year we didn't do it and I really wanted to keep the tradition going so we found a Friday that worked for all of us.  Teresa said she was coming but bombed out that morning.  I haven't talked with her for years and was sad that she didn't make it.  Everyone brought yummy food and I talked Gini into bringing her yummy smore cookies.  I  got the recipe and have made them twice since our get together.  It was cold outside so we just spent the two days catching up.  We even decided that next August we will do the Duchesne triathlon.  I will be getting a gym pass so I can practice swimming.  We have 9 months so hopefully I can get my body in shape.  Our goal is to finish.  The first four pictures I was trying to figure out how to set the timer on my camera.  Finally got it.  I love these women and am so grateful they are in my life.  Can't wait till next year.

General Conference Weekend

 We were so excited for Conference and to have all our kids up at the cabin.  It has been along time since we have all been up there to watch conference.  I guess the Priesthood session got Greg all excited and he had to see if he could jump over the coffee table.  His siblings were egging him on and Lauren was trying to tell him not to. 

We were only missing Braelyn and Berkley, but I think Bells loved all having all the attention for herself.   Taylor brought up Jenn and Taryn brought Bret.  It was fun just hanging out and laughing. 

 Sunday morning in between sessions we headed up Rhodes Canyon for a four-wheeler ride.  We still wonder who put the swing up.  The wind had been blowing that morning so we all bundled up, but once we started up the canyon the wind stopped and we had a nice ride. 

That is Heather running in front of Taylor.  What you can't see is a truck pulling a trailer in front of her.  She jumped off the ranger and was trying to jump onto the trailer.  Unfortunately she had slippers on and could not run fast enough on the rocks to catch it.  I really wonder if she would have jumped on.  Conference was wonderful and I always feel such peace listening to the prophet and apostles.  It helps me make it through the next six months. 

A Friday we will never forget.

Me and Steve took off to the cabin on Wednesday to spend a couple of days alone and catching up on projects that needed finished.  Thursday we spent outside doing yard work and spraying weeds.  We decided to take a break and drive up the road to Tom's cabin.  Once we left Tom's cabin I had the strange thought that we should see if we could run from it to our cabin.  We set the speedometer on to see how far it was and it ended up being around 4 miles.  To most people that would be an easy run, but I hate to run and it's never been easy for me.  The feeling persisted and we decided that night that we would do the run around 10:00 in the morning.  That night I went for a walk and Steve took the four-wheeler out for a drive.  He was late getting home and I was worried that I would have to go look for him.  He said he was talking to the trapper "Pete".  I said his name is not Pete and finally remembered it was Robert.  We would usually see him up here and talk to him during the year.  He is from Duchesne and married to my second cousin Linda.  That morning we got dressed and climbed in the ranger to do the run.  Almost to the top of the dugway Steve noticed something out of the corner of his eye at the bottom.  He slammed on the brakes and we backed up.  We both jumped out when we saw the truck and the horse standing at the bottom. 

I told Steve I would go call 911 and he headed down the mountain.  I raced back to the cabin and dialed 911.  It was very frustrating when she kept asking for my coordinates and what the mile marker post was.  Also I had no idea what Steve was going to find at the bottom.  Finally she got the sheriff and ambulance on the way and I went back up to the top.  Two hunters had stopped and Steve yelled that he was still alive, but barely breathing and to make sure an ambulance was coming.  I ran back down to call 911 and they told me they were on there way and life flight was also coming.  I called my brother's cell phone to see if he was anywhere near the ranch to come help.  No answer so I called my Mom and told her what had happened.  She then called Nancy to see where Ken was and Nancy called Linda, Roberts wife and picked her up and flew up the road.  Finally the sheriff got there and surprisingly made it down the mountain.    Soon after the ambulance from Tabionia made it and the emt's got down to Steve.  He had been  down there holding Robert's head and talking to him for about 40 minutes.  When he first got down there he couldn't find him.  The truck was sideways leaning up against some trees and he had been thrown behind the truck.  He had hit so hard his boots had come off. 

 We felt pretty calm after the emt's got there and life flight was on it's way.  We assumed everything would work out.  They asked Steve if he could drive the ranger up the canyon to help carry Robert out.  Steve meet them halfway and they were performing CPR on him.  They got him out to the clearing by the cabin and one of the ambulances came down.  By then Steve had brought Linda down to him and the sheriff was trying to direct life flight to us.  It landed up on the hill by the other ambulance so they loaded Robert up and continued to work on him while driving up to life flight.

 Life Flight had kept going while the ambulance was driving up and after 10 minutes it shut down and I knew he had not made it.  Talking with my brother later he said alot of accident victims keep breathing until you move them and then their heart gives out.  We have both had a pit in our stomach since then and our hearts break for Linda and her children.  We both know how hard it is to lose a father and he was so young.  Only a year older then Steve.  We will miss seeing his truck and visiting with him.  His horse had a broken leg and they had to put her down and his favorite dog was also killed.  So he was able to take his horse and dog with him.

parasailing

 I bought Taylor a coupon for para sailing and gave it to him for his birthday.  Me and Steve went up to watch him and it looked like a blast so when another coupon came up I bought me and Taryn one.  I'm deathly afraid of heights and was a bit nervous that morning.  But once I was strapped in and we stepped down the para sail lifted us up and suddenly I was flying.    Unfortunately my instructor did not get us high enough up and 3 minutes after I took off we landed.  He acted like that is what we were supposed to do, but I was mad.  I didn't say anything and waited for 15 minutes for Taryn and the other kid in the group to land.  Steve was up at the top of the mountain and he assumed they would bring me back up for another ride.  Nobody said anything and on the ride home I decided I would email and ask for a refund. 

 Here is the shot of me heading down to the landing strip.  We did not get very high.

Taryn had a much better experience. 

   

 She got to loop-de-loop and enjoy the ride. She said she was ready to land and had a fun time.  I got home and sent an email saying that I loved my three minutes but the coupon said a 15-20 minute ride.  They quickly replied back to my email and said they would refund my money or give me another ride.  I choose to go again, so the next morning we headed back up to the point.  I had the same guy that took Taryn and he was great.  He took me for a long ride.  It is so peaceful up there and my fear of heights never came into play.  I loved it.  The loop-de-loop was my favorite.  I would definitely go again.