They should be paying ME!

Kitchen Sink. Toilet. Bathroom Sink. Tub.

Just a few things that have required frequent, no, constant maintenance here. Tonight the oven wouldn't stop clicking as the pilot light relit again and again and again for an hour. It was fine, just really unecessary, really unfixable as far as we can tell, and really annoying. Then, when attempting to do dishes (which we have to do by hand here to begin with), the water, rather than draining, came up the other side of the sink, bringing with it what looked and smelled like vomit. Lovely. I mean I get that these apartments and their plumbing are 50 years old, (I wish I didn't know that our Bishop's wife was brought home from the hospital to these apartments), but is it really fair that we're paying the same as folks that live in newer, nicer, refurbished North Wymount? I submit that it is NOT!

A Great Father

Being a great father is a tough job. A great father must wear many hats. He is and does many things. Fathers carry on traditions with their families, like watching July 4th fireworks by Lake Peachtree.

Fathers travel and do fun things with their families.

Fathers are excellent sandcastle builders. Diligent and meticulous, their work is always admired by hordes of beachcombers.

Great fathers are classy,

but are also adventurous and not afraid to take risks!

Great fathers work hard at their professions to provide for their families...
....so they can go to college...and maybe buy a few things.

Great fathers dance with their daughters,

and love their grandsons.

So, Happy Father's Day to MY Dad who perfectly emulates a great father! I love you!

Because it's been awhile

Today I'm grateful for:

1. Busy work days. Now that I love my job, I prefer it that way.
2. Oh, did I mention I quit my other job? Well I did. No more useless call centers for me!
3. Naps in the late afternoon.
4. Finding fun or inspiring new blogs. Like this one.
5. SUMMER!

Hotter than Hades

Have you ever experienced a day when the A/C in your office wasn't working, and the A/C in your car wasn't working, AND the A/C in your apartment wasn't working? And it was almost 90 degrees outside? If you've been to Costa Rica or Brazil or Central Africa then you would understand. See, I haven't. Maybe it's just me, but in this nation of wealth and plenty, I don't think I should have to say "well, at least I have indoor plumbing!". Sorry for the ingratitude. That's the heat talking.

Memorial Day Campout

Over the weekend we went camping with our friends Mike and Katie Matthews. I guess you could call this our "2nd Annual" Memorial Day Camping Trip, and like last year, we had a great time! We love Diamond Fork Canyon, especially our little secluded campground by the river, and even better than last year, we had great weather! Last year was met with huge thunderstorms just after getting our camp set up, (and let me tell you, a tent as shelter is about as assuring as just sitting outside in the storm - aside from the rain), but this year we actually enjoyed a clear, starry night, warm fire, and real s'mores. Here are some more pictures from the trip:

Our tent

The Matthew's tent

Making breakfast

More of the campground

Memorial Day afternoon we hiked up the Hot Pots (natural hot springs) a little further up the canyon. It was surprisingly hot for being a somewhat cloudy day, and I paid for it later by getting dehydrated. This picture was supposed to show an awesome canyon view with the river far below, but you can just take my word for it: it was beautiful!

Us with the Matthews

The Hot Pots! Thankfully there is an ice-cold mountain stream that runs beside, because it takes a bit before wanting to get into a sulfuric hot spring after an hour of afternoon hiking.

The view from the hike down.

We even met one of these guys on the trail! Is it red on yellow or black on yellow? So much for retaining Girl's Camp knowledge. He was a nice little fella, though. He saw us coming and took off back into the woods.

At the end of the trip, I knew I was really excited to come home to a cold glass of water, but I don't remember being that thirsty. All I know is that I was feeling really beat, and although we had hiked a few miles that day and I was a little sunburned, it seemed inconsistent with how I was feeling. It was like I was suddenly fighting the flu. Sam's quick sense and medical knowledge kicked in, and after a few glasses of water I was back to being myself. Funny that it didn't dawn on me sooner. It seems camping trips would not be camping trips without some kind of hitch, but that's the nature of spending time in nature I guess. Overall it was a great trip and I'm excited for more trips this summer!