Tony Grove

On the way home from Bear Lake we decided to stop by Tony Grove. It's been years since we've been there. In fact, I think the last time I had been to Tony Grove was when I was 16 and my uncle took my pictures up on the rocks and in the fields of wild flowers. 

It was gorgeous just like we had expected but man was it FREEZING! Tony Grove is a deep mountain lake surrounded on the side with these huge rock cliffs jutting from the mountain. It's beautiful. But cold. Especially when you're a little boy who got woken up from a nap in the warm truck a few minutes earlier. 

We walked around just one side of the lake {because it was about 40 degrees not including the wind chill factor} and took some pictures of the autumn leaves.

I kept waiting for Jesse and one of the girls to fall in the freezing waters and cry the entire way home. I think that tree has been there for eons. It's kind of iconic of Tony Grove. 

Logan Canyon wasn't as spectacular as I remember it last year, but there were still patches of reds and yellows to look at. 

It's scenery like this that makes me want to enjoy hiking.

One last time....

One last trip to Bear Lake before the cold comes in. 

I miss it already.

We were the only ones at the property for most of the weekend. I love my family. But I have to admit, it was kind of nice to just worry about my little family. And not having to share anything or wait for my siblings to wake up to eat was an added bonus.

We watched the moon rise over the lake. Simply breathtaking... I wish I knew how to capture beauty like this. Enchanting.

We went on four wheeler rides to look for fall leaves and mud holes. What we found were a few leaves {I heard we were about a week early to see Logan Canyon's spectacular colors} and one gigantic puddle.

 

 

Now I've been known to plow my way through a few puddles and mud holes before, but this one took the cake! It was huge. And deep. Deep enough that Jeff and I had to put our feet up on the front of the ATVs to drive through it. We all loved it! Even when I decided to gun it going in and splashed water up and over the top of the four wheeler and into my lap. The kids couldn't stop laughing because they figured I had peed my pants! 

After a fun four wheeler ride, the kids and I went to the beach so Jeff could rig a set of "rabbit ears" and watch the USU football game. He is dedicated. 

And like the last time we were at Bear Lake, Cole refused to put his swimming suit on, even after I told him he would want to play in the water. He insisted that he was just going to play golf on the beach and not get wet. Well, what started like this...

...ended up like this.

What a cute little twerp! 

I love the quiet end of season days at Bear Lake. I can just sit back, relax, and sip away on a Mtn. Dew. While the kids and dog run wild!

By now we had visitors come by. So we took Rue-bug moose hunting. She says it's her favorite! We didn't find any moose {but we knew they were around somewhere... check out those prints} but we did find a lot of deer.

And we went rock hunting. I'm always fascinated by the rocks on the top of the water tower mountain. What is that stuff growing on them? And why does it grow like that?

Disappointed with our moose hunting, we decided to go to dinner. Afterward, Jeff was craving a raspberry milkshake so Fern boy, my sister-in-law, and myself headed out to find a milkshake. You have to remember that after Labor Day, everything in Bear Lake shuts down. Finding a milkshake at 10 p.m. in the summer isn't a problem, but in the fall, that's a different story. Knowing that every place was going to be closed, I decided to try the gas station as you come into town. It was dark, really dark, and I was trying to look for the entrance when I looked up and holy BLEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A friggin' moose was standing in the middle of the road! I slammed on the brakes and we barely missed Mr. Moose {he was probably just a couple years old but still}. We were in shock! I can't even describe how scared I was AFTER we were ok. The adrenaline was pumping and that poor girl at the gas station that night had to endure us freaking out as we pleaded for milkshakes and told her about the moose. I'm pretty sure our family thought we had made the whole thing up because we made such a big deal of the event. But we could have DIED people! Those suckers are big and tall and if you hit one, they are coming through your windshield straight at you. It still freaks me out just thinking about it. 

The weather held out for one last beautiful weekend. I have a feeling I'll be missing my happy place all winter long!

YW Reunion

I've written before about my own Young Women experience growing up.

"Young Women nirvana" as my YW President I'm serving with now reminds me.

It really was divinely special. A treasured time in my life that I makes my heart smile and get warm fuzzies every time I think about it. 

And my Patty. Oh how I miss Patty. 

After Carri died {Patty's daughter and one of "my girls" whom I loved}, the older girls from my YW group decided we weren't waiting for the next one of us to die before getting together again. So we planned the first of what I hope will be a lifetime of YW reunions. 

This year was the first year of our reunion without Patty. It almost didn't happen. Life gets busy and schedules get crazy. But I refused to not have our reunion. I know that if I stop getting the girls together, she will let me have it on the other side someday. She wouldn't want us to stop laughing and loving each other just because she isn't here with us physically anymore.

And selfishly, I need them. I need these girls - women and mothers now - who molded me into who I am. I need to be reminded of who I was then. Of what I believed, knew, and cherished. I need to remember how much love one can feel when you see someone you don't talk to or hang out with but within seconds of just seeing their faces you smile and are filled with the most amazing friendship, non-judgmental hug, and love you could ever imagine. Call me corny or emotional {I am crying as I type} but it's true. These girls, this time in my life, my Patty, are some of my most sacred and treasured relationships and memories God has ever given me. 

Enough blubbering.

I wanted to do something for everyone to say hi to Patty but not have anything too sad or pressured. I decided we'd meet at the cemetery and write Patty and Carri balloon messages. {And check on Carri's "animals"}Then go back to my parents' house for an ice cream sundae bar.

The view from the cemetery was heavenly. Truly breathtaking.

I guess it was a good thing that we were really small in numbers this year because there is a helium shortage and I could only get 12 yellow balloons at the store.

I wasn't too sure what I wanted to write... balloons just aren't big enough to convey how much love, the influence, and how much I miss my dear friends. I hope my meager words were felt in Heaven.

We laughed at the lone, non-conformist balloon trailing behind at its own pace. Typical Carri style! 

We talked and laughed and stuffed our kids full of sugary Aggie ice cream for more than four hours! It was midnight when I finally left my Mom and Dad's house.

I love these girls more than words can ever express. 

{Left to right: Kelsie, Kali, Rachel, Jamie, me, Molly, Kimmy}

{Left to right: Kali, Kelsie, Jamie, Rachel, Kimmy, me, Molly}

And next year EVERYONE better come!