Lake Powell

I will let the pictures tell the fun of the week:
TUESDAY morning we took the House boat out to the beach.

He looks like he is enjoying it much more than he actually did.

This was our perfect campsite for the week (center and across the water). The cove made for perfect water most of the day.
Corban LOVED playing on the beach and in the water.


Learning to drink from a cup.
Taking care of business. Floating.

WEDNESDAY we made it out on the boat to go wake boarding. This was on our way to pick up Lisa from Stateline Dock

Jared is pretty good, or at least he can impress me.

The scenery was what was entertaining at this point. I am not so impressive on a wake board. I can easily get up, but after that I am pretty boring.

Grandpa kept the boys entertained with Story Time: The Lion King. Corban was VERY interested.
YUMMY Mixed Vegetables. We took a dip in the lake to bathe after this dinner.

THURSDAY we woke up early as usual. Corban was pretty good at keeping to a 6 am wake up. He is so darling in the morning that you want to be awake with him.

We all got excited about doing this hike after breakfast. It was quite the walk from the boat.
So much so that Corban decided to take his morning nap along the way.

In Jared's hands you see the start to our drift wood collection. Unfortunately we didn't get pictures of the REAL finds later that day when out on the waverunner. Josh knew of a sweet spot.
We hiked back to the houseboat rather than back the way we came. Grandpa was nice enough to hike by himself back to the ski boat and drive it back. Most of us swam across to the houseboat, except for Ali who took all three babies with grandpa.
Floating and enjoying the warm water.

Fun for the boys. You don't see him here, but Jake was very interested in this activity.

Sweet Alisa taking care to feed Corban. It turns out he still isn't ready for graham crackers.

Card games.

FRIDAY we got up the energy to go back out for skiing and wakeboarding.

Jake woke up to his sweet gift from Josh and Tarah- his own bow and arrow set.

He had the pro show him how it's done.

Jared is really impressive on 1 ski.

Me, not so much. Again, it is easy for me to get up, but after that I really don't dare do anything. Not too interested in pain. Corban fell asleep on this boat ride.
You would have never guessed that Tarah is pregnant from the way she looks or acts. If she was not feeling well we didn't know it.


Lisa showing us what she is learning in school.
Finishing off the book that had the entire family hook: Glass Castle. Also taking care of business again.

The boys showing us how it's done on the WASP.

Jake caught the biggest fish under our boat just before dinner. We gladly put this one back in the water.

Jared making a fire for our singing around the fire and illegal fireworks show put on by Josh. Josh had picked up some nice fireworks from New Mexico on his roadtrip back home from Alabama.

SATURDAY we got right to hiking so we could say we did it. Colleen, Curtis, Jared and I hiked to the point where you can make out the people- one that lower ridge below the higher part. We couldn't go any higher without ropes or being dangerous. We opted for safe.

And then we had a nice 10 hour drive home. Would have been shorter, but there was a slight detour from a wrong turn.

Flagstaff

On August 16th we took a road trip to Flagstaff. We started a little late in the day because our morning was spent talking to neighbors about Prop 8. There was a slight detour, after leaving at about 1:20 pm, stopping in Orange County to pick up our "ride". The Clawsons so generously consented to us borrowing their mini van for our trip. Secretly they want us to take this vehicle off their hands now that they have a Mini Cooper- so we tried it out for a week...which is now going on two.

We arrived in Flagstaff after midnight and enjoyed a luxurious king size bed for the night. After going to church, we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and watching Grandma and Grandpa adore Corban. I don't blame them.

On Monday, instead of packing up and heading to Lake Powell right away, we took a scenic drive through Oak Creek Canyon with Ali while grandma watched the kids.

This is overlooking where we hiked down to. Off to the right is...This spot- a natural slide. The water is snow run off; hence the reason it is icy cold. Jared had no hesitation to jump right in, as this was a high school memory of his so he knew just how it was done.
Ali couldn't resist after watching Jared have so much fun.
And it took both of them to talk me into it. It was FREEZING, as my face depicts so well. It was fun, but I could have done without the fish slapping up against my side. Once I was use to the temperature of the water (or numb), it was the fish that were making me scream. It was well worth it in the end. It reminded me of my younger years when I would do anything and call it fun. I am getting a little more cautious in my "mature" age.

What we didn't get pictures of was the blackberry picking we did all along the trail. That was probably the highlight for me- instant gratification! There were tart ones and a few ripe ones. Unfortunately we took too long at the slide so we weren't able to stop where we had planned to do a lot more berry picking.

This is what grandma was enjoying back at the house- Corban (7 1/2 months) and Alisa (14 1/2 months)- while she finished packing for the Lake.

After returning from our trip, we made a start on the 2 hour journey to the Lake. We arrived in good time, but the rest of the evening was not uneventful.

Jared and Curtis left us with some of the boxes to unload on the house boat while they went back to Page to pick up the boat from storage. About an hour later, Colleen got a call from Curtis, asking if we had a key to the boat. With the answer being no, the boys starting working on a plan. They were at Walmart picking up ice and ice cream. We got a call back saying they would take it back to the mechanic and have him hardwire it so we didn't have to have a key. To their luck, he happened to have a key that would make due with a little jiggling. So then they were off to top off the boat with gas. While filling it up, we got yet another call (maybe another hour later): "Did you bring that plug from the house for the boat?" "No, you said it didn't fit and needed to be taken back." Hang up. So back to Walmart they went to get a plug...and mouse traps per our request, seeing how we found a dead mouse in one of the toilets. It was about 10:15 pm when we had arrived at the lake just before 6 pm. After unloading melting ice and ice cream, we put together dinner for the night (Oregano's Salad). Our fun for the evening was spent around 2 cartons of ice cream, practically finishing them both between the 5 of us. Yikes!

"Citius-Altius-Fortius"

Latin for "Swifter, Higher, Stronger". Dad wrote an email to his kids today, reporting on their time in Athens. Dad is there doing TDY, while mom and Debora spend there time gallivanting about Europe. Here is some of what he wrote, which inspired the rest of the post:

It's been interesting being in Greece during the Olympic weeks. Even though the venue changes every 4 years, the Greeks truly believe that "Olympic ism" is exclusively Greek - it's in their DNA - it's part of the Greek soul. And that's a two-edged sword, because, as you may have read, that kind of fervor sometimes leads less disciplined people to do really foolish things in their quest for Olympic dominance. Tragically no fewer than FIFTEEN Greek Olympians have been disqualified in the past four months on doping charges. How demeaning to theirs of all countries - the birthplace of of "sportsmanship". Add to that such bad behavior as China's committee and coaches lying, cheating, and deceiving in order to dominate the modern Olympic scene and one wonders what is happening to the Olympic spirit.

When the Olympic Games were resurrected in 1896 the motto they chose was "Citius, Altius, Fortius", Latin for "Swifter, Higher, Stronger" - noble words that have stirred the spirits and stretched the abilities of the thousands of Olympians who have competed - the vast majority of them fairly - since then. But today's games seem to be reflecting a trend in our world society that is giving new meaning to those words: "Give me what I want in life, and I want it fast"; "I expect a higher salary, rank, honors - without having to work for them"; "Give me more power & dominion over others - without the responsibility to serve them"; and so on.

Thankfully, the vast majority of the thousands of Olympians who competed this month still believe in the true spirit of the games - and, as there can only be one fastest, highest, or strongest at any one time, most of them walked away even the losers. But even losers can leave the games with a sense of accomplishment. I was touched by two of the competitors who ended up last in their event:
South Africa's Natalie Du Toit finished the grueling 10K open water swim in 16th place, more than a minute behind the gold medalist. But she did it with one leg, having lost the other in a motorcycle accident. And she vows to come back even better in 2012.
Twenty-eight year old Erica Bartolina from Eugene Oregon, has been pole vaulting since high school, and this year she soared 15 centimeters higher than her personal best to secure the last spot on the US vaulting team. Erica lost an eye when she was four months old and has to compensate for her lack of depth perception. Accidents have repeatedly interrupted her career. At the Chinese training base, just prior to the opening ceremonies, she lacerated her chin on the crossbar and sustained a concussion and whiplash when she landed. She subsequently failed all three attempts in the qualifying round. But she knows that she will be an Olympian forever.
And my hero of the games, who did win the gold, is Matthias Steiner, the strongest man in the world. After lifting an amazing 258 kg he stepped onto the podium, tearfully clutching a photo of his late wife Susann who was killed in a car crash just a year ago. "She's always with me", he said. "I hope she saw me. I wish..."
I have no doubt that he would have gladly traded a bucketful of gold medals for one more embrace, one last goodbye...or the hope that he really can be with her again - forever.

Yep, you guessed it, I see a parallel coming. I couldn't help but ponder on what Citius-Altius-Fortius might inspire me to achieve, and a lot of thoughts came rushing in. Here's a start:
May I be swifter about getting around to doing good in the world.
May I reach a higher level of spiritual and family commitment.
May I build stronger family bonds.
What would yours be?

...OK, now I'm done. Love ya,
NDM

The first thing that came to mind when I read the motto was, "I need to put that on a wall in my home." Now I think that came to mind because I have been trying to figure out ways to decorate my walls. I don't know that I want to encourage my children to be Olympians, per say, though the spirit of it can be inspiring. Now I am pondering what my Swifter, Higher, Stronger would be.
May I be swifter to rescue my distressed child- better yet, prevent a need for being rescued (ha, not a chance there)
May I reach higher to clean the cob webs dangling from my ceiling.
May I be stronger without sleep that I may accomplish all that needs to get done in a day.

But seriously pondering this definitely makes me think of my priorities. For each priority, I would say it would take a slightly different form:

Priority of My relationship with the Savior and my Father in Heaven:
May I be swift to heed the commandments and personal direction I am given.
May I reach a higher level of righteousness and discipleship.
May I be a stronger example of what is right. Stronger in my self discipline. Stronger in my faith in Heavenly Father and his plan for me.

Priority of Family Relationships:
May I be swift to humble myself and be more patient, loving, forgiving, and most definitely more grateful.
May I elevate my thoughts to concentrate on the positive and see the good in those around me,
May I be stronger in making my family a true priority through my thoughts and actions. Stronger in my service to them.

Priority of work and education:
May I be swift to accomplish that which is worthy of study and work.
May I reach a higher level of commitment to continually educating myself.
May I be stronger in self discipline to finish what I start.

Priority of my callings in the church:
May I be swift to see the needs of those around me.
May I reach higher in my focus, committing to make all we do in the church a strength to the individual family unit. (Specifically speaking of my current calling of Enrichment Counselor in Relief Society)
May I be stronger in my faith and in seeking direction from the Father in all that I do.

Priority of anything and everything else:
May I be swift to accomplish good in this world.
May I strive for the higher good- doing the Best of what's available and not just settling for Good or Better.
May I be stronger in keeping my priorities my priority and staying true to my beliefs.

Thank you, dad, for helping me spend time on this exercise. It has been very cathartic and makes me realize I should spend time thinking on these things more often. This gives me something to work on for the Olympics of everyday living. I have not been able to see much of the actual Olympics, but I do believe we can all be Olympians in our own life, even though it isn't in the spotlight of the rest of the world. And actually, being out of the spotlight sometimes helps us focus on what really matters. I am sure grateful that I am not famous!

Response to "Comments" and an Update on the BIG post from July 29th

Thank you for your comments! I enjoyed reading about more things to consider with the girl needing a home. We have not yet been able to meet with her. In fact, the situation was left with them going to get back to me. As far as I know, they have not contacted me- I have no messages regarding the situation. I almost feel like time will work this thing out.
A concern that I read from you, but knew the answer to myself was about what to do when we leave town. They told me they work that out and find her a temporary place to stay. As for the family visiting, visits would not be at my house, it would ONLY be the sisters (which sound like good influences thus far) and maybe the mother, and they (the sisters) would do the traveling.
As for the donation to Prop 8, the money goes towards awareness (advertising) and the like- not really quite sure of all expenses, but I am pretty sure that it is not going to be "paying off" anyone.
When the letter was read over the pulpit I felt very strongly about supporting it. It reminded me much of the "trial of faith" Heather went through with the building of the New Port Beach Temple and the members in the district were asked to donate because the temple would be built solely on those donations. I do believe that was tax deductible? Doesn't really matter, but that was one of my hold ups on being able to decide on an amount (didn't really discuss that concern with Jared, so I don't think he was concerned). But watching the "trial" for the Clawson's and the blessings that followed was just the kind of experience one would hope for in the end- they were able to adopt a baby girl and were the first live sealing in the New Port Beach temple. Of course you don't go into it planning on something that big, just the blessing of strengthening my testimony is good enough. I have also been very blessed to have a wonderful, loving family of my own. I am grateful for my two-parent home where I was exposed to male and female influences which were very different but complementary. I am blessed with a loving husband and beautiful child, which strengthens my testimony of family. I am completely in favor of every child being given the opportunity to live in the best environment for there upbringing, which is in a home with a husband and wife committed in marriage. I believe the best thing for our society is to support the family unit and much of our problems will be solved because the individual will be getting what he or she needs, and the parents will do the disciplining and loving. That alone could eliminate many of the laws that have to be enforced.
The Bishop wasn't at all pressuring us or making us feel like we had to do this to be in support of the church. I actually looked at it as a blessing that he came to us because we were having a difficult time making the decision and this made it very clear for us. I have no idea why we were of the chosen few, I can only guess the reasons. Either way, his visit answered my prayers.