Colorado Hiking and the Adventures of Lone Cone

This past weekend I had one of the most amazing weekends. Julianne graciously accepted the challenge of taking our children so Clarence and I could spend some time hiking the mountains around Groundhog. We left Wednesday night about 9 pm. With us came Eleanor and Eugene, as well as Derron. We arrived at the "cabin" around 2:30 or so and went to bed. I couldn't sleep. I was just so excited to be back at our favorite vacation spot. Groundhog Lake. What a little gem of a place. It's so quiet and peaceful and gently tucked into the mountains well hidden from the world around it. It's our little piece of paradise.
The next morning we sent Gene and Eleanor on their way to see Dorothy and Lloyd for the day in Pagosa Springs, and the 3 of us set off on our own adventure of hiking Nipple mountain. Yes, that is the real name. We were still a little tired from our 3 hours of sleep, but excited about our hike. Clarence and Derron would be hunting this area next month, and they wanted a chance to check it out and scout the area out. Of course I didn't take my camera with me, so you'll just have to take my word for it when I say it was amazing. The hike started out fine, but as the day progressed the hike became harder and harder. We went through some pretty crazy country! It was worth the trip though. We were lucky enough to see some nice Bull Elk and even get within 15 yards of some of them! We got on our hands and knees and crawled to see them. I have never been so close to an elk before. It was awesome. The hike back down was long and crazy, and I was ever so thankful to see the truck.
The next day Derron and Clarence did a little fishing while I sat glassing the country side for elk and deer. Eleanor sat outside and just enjoyed the view. It really is something else. After a short hike up the mountain to check on a game camera, it was time to send the 3 of them off to head home. Clarence and I decided to go for a little drive and ended up on another adventure all together.
Clarence wanted to drive this road that takes us the the other side of a mountain called Lone Cone. There is another a place over there called Preachers Hole that is also a little honey hole for hunters. So we decided we'd drive over there just to see it. After parking the truck and going for about a mile we found this Preachers Hole. Upon admiring the view we happened to glance up and see hikers on top of Lone Cone. We both thought, what are they doing up there? We both had no desire to climb it, since it is over 12,000 feet in elevation and well above the tree line. Well, one thing lead to another, and before we knew it, we were hiking this mountain that neither one of us really wanted to. It took about 1 1.2 hours to get to the top, and it was the scariest thing I've ever done.... I think so anyways. Since it's above tree line there are only rocks to climb to get there. Big ol' rocks and little ones that are jagged and move a lot. Some places were easy to climb, and others were steep and dangerous. I was very scared and wanted to turn back a couple of times, but I knew that the view would be amazing when and if we ever made it.

Well, we were right. The views were spectacular. You could see everything for miles and miles away. We could spot our trailer on the side of Flat top Mtn, and it looked so little, just a speck really. We sat and admired the view for a long time. My legs were wobbly and I was petrified of the height of the mountain. There was a little hole dug out of the rocks that resembled a nest. I climbed in that and stayed while Clarence sat in awe and soaked up the beauty around us. I was kicking myself for leaving my camera and cell phone in the truck. I wish we had something to show for our hard hike, but I guess the images that are in my head will just have to do. I did take a rock from the top to remember that I CAN do hard things. Before too long the clouds soon started to gather and the wind picked up, so I knew it that was our cue to climb down the mountain.

If I thought the climb up was hard, the climb down for me was worse. My knees were still sore from the day before's hike, as well as wobbly ankles. I pretty much crawled down the mountain. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to climb down on jagged rocks that moved and hurt your feet. I wanted to give up a couple of times, but I knew it wouldn't help because I still had to get off that mountain. The climb down seemed to take forever, but once off the rocks I was never so happy to see dirt! We hiked the rest of the way to the truck and just sat for a minute looking at the mountain. Can you believe we did that? No way! If I had a bucket list I'm sure this would have been on it.... not necessarily hike Lone Cone, but a big mountain. And we did.
When we finally got back to the lake we went fishing. Clarence caught 7 and I caught 2. That's how it goes with us.
The next day we went for a 4 wheeler ride to the top to check cell phone messages and then went exploring a little. We kicked up a herd of about 100 or so elk on the mountain and it was incredible to watch them crash through the trees and what not. After a short hike on the mountain we spent the rest of the the morning taking it easy and resting. What a great way to end a trip. We got home about 8:30 that night and I was so happy to see my kids! Julianne was amazing with them, and I will be eternally grateful for her and her willingness to stay with my kidos. Oh Ju, how we will miss you when you leave for your mission in October!
I am so thankful that I was able to spend this weekend with my best friend. It was a vacation to always remember. And I can promise you one thing: I will NEVER be hiking a mountain that high again, thank you very much!

Happy Birthday to ME!

7/7/77. That was the day I was born. I weighed 7 lbs and 6 3/4 oz. Almost the perfect baby. So here I am 34 years later, and still almost perfect. Ha ha. Not even close! I have so many imperfections and flaws it would take the rest of the year just to name them. So I won't. Instead I will tell you about my birth day according to my mom, who was present during the whole process. Here it is in her words:
I was visiting Show Low at the time. We lived in Chama, New Mexico. I was visiting my parents, and I knew I was close to having this baby. I didn't know if I was having a boy or a girl, since back then they didn't do ultra sounds. On the 7th of July I was out walking and started having contractions. I called my dad to let him know and then went to my parents house. I also called your dad to let him know that the baby would be here soon. I do tend to have babies rather quickly. He was working in Chama still, but had arranged for someone to bring him to Show Low by plane when it happened. The contractions grew stronger and stronger, and I was prepared to have that baby on the bathroom floor. My mom came in and said, "Oh no you won't! We're going to the hospital!" She rushed me to the hospital where I continued to labor. I was so ready to have you out, but you wouldn't come. Finally your dad arrived. He rushed into the room and THEN you came. We decided you were just waiting for your dad to be there. We named you Trina, since you were the 3rd (tri) to join our family.
So there you have it. My story. Now I'll fast forward 34 years and tell you what happened today.
I truly have the best husband. He isn't what you would call the romantic type, but he is dependable and patient and kind and ...... just amazing. This year he pretty much became perfect in my eyes and became the romantic type. He bought me flowers. And not just any flowers, the man bought me ROSES! 18 of em. With a card. I have waited 15 years for that. It was wonderful! I also received a very nice card from the RS as well as a card from Mike. Ah, the surrogate husband. How thoughtful of him. Julie bought me the most amazing shirt that I LOVE, and my mom bought me some cool shorts. I do have the best family and wonderful friends.
I usually spend my birthday at girls camp and the girls sing happy birthday to me and treat me like a queen. This year I had the pleasure of being serenaded to by the cub scouts and their families. It was a nice gesture, and I appreciated it. We had a pack meeting that night, and I'm the den leader as well as the mom of one awesome 9 year old! So there you have it. I had a great birthday and I was treated like a queen by my prince charming. Thank you for the great Birthday!

Kaitlyn's Bitrthday

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago I had her. She was such a precious gift to us. Only 5 lbs. and 5 oz. and nearly 32 hours of labor, Kalityn arrived at 5:48 in the evening. After spending a month in the hospital and 3 more weeks on oxygen, we were able to take our tiny bundle with us to Oklahoma City. I was a seasoned pro with having Clarissa, so this was going to be cake.... so I thought. Little did I know that this feisty 2 month old was going to give us a run for our money.... literally.Now 12 years later and who knows how many hundreds and thousands of dollars later, our sweet litte girl turned 12. She has been such a pleasure to have in our home. She is an example to me and helps keep the peace..... welll, except when she's teasing her siblings. I remember when she was about 4 or so, she would call her sister a Pootalolli or a Putate. Don't ask me what they mean, but she LOVED to tease Clarissa with those 2 names. It would send her in a tissy and she would yell, "THAT IS NOT IN THE ENGLISH DICTIONARY!!!!" She still likes to joke with her daddy and can still send her sister in a Tissy.
For her 12th b-day we went to Denny's. Why Denny's? Apparently is has become a tradition of some sorts. When Clarisssa turned 12, I was pregnant with Karly and going through a rough patch of morning sickeness. Clarence was somewhere in the forest hunting, and I had handle the birthday party by myself. After only a few friends showed up and I had one distraught girl, I decided the easiest thing to do was load them up and take them to Dennys. The hamburgers that were supposed to be grilled could wait for another meal. And so we did. The waitress and employees sang happy birthday and she got to have her cake and eat it too. She dubbed it the best birthday ever. And so you can see...... a new tradition. Except THIS time Clarence wasn't hunting and I an NOT pregnant.

So we loaded Kalitlyn and a couple of her friends in the van and headed to Dennys. The girls had so much fun giggling and laughing at.... well, I'm not entirely sure what they were laughing at. Girls. Silly girls. Anyway, the waitress and the other employees came out and sang happy birthday and she did get her cake and eat it as well. It was a success.

Afterward we cam back here and opened presents and ate ice cream. Some of the girls had to go home, and a few stayed and had a sleepover. I guess I'm gettitn' too old for these, because at 11:30 I did ask them to turn the tv off and go to bed. Party pooper.


For breakfast they ate bacon, waffles, strawberries, and whipped cream..... of course all Kalitlyn's favorites. It was a great birthday, even if Kaitlyn did get sick. Poor baby.

On Sunday she was still not feelin well, but was insistant on going to church and going to Young Womens for the first time. Wait, back up..... Young Womens? AAHHH!! That's when it really hit me that she was growing up. I still want to hold her and rock her in my arms and send her to binki heaven like when she was a baby, but I can't. Instead I can hold her and talk to her and comfort her when she needs me. At least I still have that.

Happy Birthday Bug!!!! I love you, and I'm so thankful for all you do.

Thankfullness

Today was an interesting day for me. I woke up and realized that my baby sister had moved away. I knew it was coming, but I wasn't really prepared for it to finally be here. When I got up this morning I thought about how much I was going to miss her. Sure, there's still the phone and facebook, but I have grown accustomed to seeing her on almost a daily basis. So when I got out of bed and off the computer (yes, I have a computer addiction) I decided I would set some goals for myself so I wouldn't wallow in self pity.
I worked in the yard for a couple of hours and began to feel better. I worked in the house and begin to feel even better. After dinner I read an amiazing blog by an old friend that truly imspired me. It was about his journey that he was taking to come back to the church. I cried a little and was inspired by his intensity and sincerety.
As the evening came a funny thing happened. I had an overwhelming desire to get out and run. I can't say I've ever had that before. Yes, I did run on Monday with Emlee and then by myself, but it was because she wanted to run. I was surprised to feel this way and decided I would run, but only for a little bit. Clarissa saw me get my shoes on and asked to come with me. Shocker. This is not something she has NEVER done before. I of course said yes and off we went. After a very short time she was ready to give up and stop, but I genlty nudged her on and we made it to a mile. It was an accomplishment for her to finish, and I was gratful to be able to help her with this and have a chance to talk with her.
Afterwards I felt so energized and decided to keep running, but just for a little while. I had some time to think to myslef, and I realized how truly blessed I am. I have a terrific husband and a wonderful family. I have 4 beautiful children, each with unique personalities and personal trials they face. I love each of them, and they teach me so much. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for allowing me to be apart of their lives as their mom. I feel very undeserving of these special gifts from above.
The weather was so nice outside and I still had a lot on my mind, so I kept running. I thought about a lot things and before I knew it I had run 5 miles. I have never ran 5 miles before. I don't even like running. Running is for people who have a death wish. But running, lately, has been soothing to the soul. It calms me and grounds me. It's my time to be away from everything and just think. I have no distractions and when I'm done I come home with a clear head, and usually a full heart.
I learned a lot on my run this evening, and I'm looking forward to the next time I have an overwhelming desire to run. Hopefully it won't be for awhile, because I just don't know if my knees can take another beating anytime soon.