Mt. Nebo and a heart attack

Back in 2007 Lisa, Shena, and I wanted to hike Mt. Nebo, but it was postponed because Mt. Nebo was on fire the weekend we had the hike scheduled. Two years later the stars aligned and we all got together and hiked it the last Saturday of August. We had a fun group including Lisa and her boyfriend Eric; Shena and Smalls (they served in Albania with me); George's old roommate Mike and his bro-in-law Scott, and bringing up the rear George and me (mostly just me!)

The trail head - we had no idea what was ahead of us...maybe that's why we all look so happy :)

L-R Scott, Mike, George, Liz, Shena, Smalls, Lisa, & Eric

Stats on Mt. Nebo (may not be accurate):

• Highest peak in Wasatch Range
• 11,860'
• 3,340' elevation gain from trail head
• 14 miles round trip
• 9 hours

None of us had ever hiked Mt. Nebo before, and all the info we could find online seemed to vary, so we weren't sure what we were getting into. We decided to camp the night before in order to get an early start on Saturday. We found a great (and free) campsite just minutes from the trail head at Cottonwood Campground. This was definitely the most relaxing part of the trip :) On the interstate side of the mountain it looks very barren, but the side we hiked up and camped on has a stream running through with lots of foliage. It's a great place to camp!

At 8 am on Saturday morning we headed up the trail...there was NO warm-up. I was breathing hard 10 steps into the steep trail. I kept pushing on thinking for sure the flat spot would be right up ahead. It never came. Even after we got up on the ridge it didn't seem to get any easier.

The Gals - this was seriously one of the only flat spots on the hike. That is Andrews Ridge behind us. We hiked up there. Mmm hmm!

Don't let Shena's sweet smile fool you, this girl is hard core!

Lisa misbehaving again :P

About 3 miles into the hike I'm pretty sure I started experiencing altitude sickness...headache, nausea, and loss of appetite. George and I ended up only going about 12 miles total and during that whole time I guzzled down water and Gatorade. But I only ate a couple wheat thins and a piece of cheese and a couple grapes. As I was doubled over sucking in Oxygen, I thought of my brother-in-law, Joe. He always asks me why I do these kinds of excursions. And honestly most of this hike I couldn't come up with a good answer for him!

The summit - just out of reach. I'm guessing we were about a mile from the top. This is where I decided I'd gone far enough and opted to take an alpine nap instead. The rest of our group is on the summit in this photo...hard to see, but they are the specs on top. Go team!

Shena and Smalls were hard core and decided to head on to the North Peak, which is the true summit. Apparently it was super sketchy rock climbing/scrambling. Fortunately they met up with a friend from another group and they ended up going down a different trail and getting a ride back to their car.

George's knees were KILLING him on the way back down...the walking stick helped some.

And that was our Mt. Nebo excursion. Although it wasn't the most pleasant hike, it was a fun outing and I'm glad we finally did it! I decided it's probably not the best idea to go from sea level to hiking a mountain over 11,000 feet in less than a week. I'm sure my out-of-shapeness had something to do with my pain as well :) But it really was fun with all the great company and getting up to heights where we could enjoy beautiful views is always pleasant.

One of my life goals is to climb at least one mountain a year: 2009, check!

The Flying Canadian

We're back here in Utah and we had another birthday bash with our good friends, the Hansens. Brett & Kate always come up with great gift ideas...

George's initial reaction :)

This year for George's birthday they got him a sweet flight jacket!

They're always coming up with nicknames for George...like 'Goose' or 'The Flying Canadian'. It's an awesome jacket and very personalized. We've got the pilot's license and jacket, now all we need are some pilot glasses!

Evie, Grace, & Brett share August birthdays, so it's always a party at the Hansen home in August. Check out that princess cake, woo!

Thanks for the best birthday present ever! We love you guys :)

From Sea to Shining Sea

We've had a party pretty much since I landed in Florida last week... It started off with George getting his PPL, so we had to celebrate. And with his birthday on the 15th, one party led to another and it turned into a week-long celebration. George is in between classes now so it's been like a vacation for us. It's been so nice and relaxing...and George definitely needed the break after studying his brains out for all the tests.

We thought it'd be fun to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean and then make the drive to the other side of Florida to watch it set over the Gulf of Mexico. It was beautiful and we made a fun day of it in St. Petersburg (Tampa Bay area).

Cape Canaveral sunrise 6:50 AM

The early morning puffies. There were crabs EVERYWHERE...and I'm not talking about us :)

Not bad a 4-star for $40

Unfortunately this is what a lot of the day looked like...the pier socked in.

Taste the rainbow! It cleared up just in time for the sunset :)

This was hilarious...the lady bird was harassing the man bird for seriously 15 minutes! As she squawked away, he just stood there and took it. I should have recorded a video.

Liz the spaz, frolicking among the birds.

Making it up to the birds after scaring them off...

The Gulf of Mexico

St. Petersburg sunset 8:10 PM

I LOVE the huge grass at the beach.

Although it was fun to explore the west side, we decided we like the beaches on our side better...we get the waves so we can body surf, and there aren't as many seagulls. Two pluses in my book!

On George's actual birthday I made him a delightful breakfast of crepes topped with fresh peaches, strawberries, and blueberries. After that we went to the beach and played all day.

Crepes - and George's present was that rocking camp chair (and a new wedding ring since he lost his first one).

George proud of his big hole.

Just a second after I took the previous picture...a wave washed over him!

Relaxing on playalinda!

My husband, the pilot!

George on his first solo flight!

For the past month my George has been a very busy student. After two weeks of torturous waiting and no flying, George was finally able to get a check ride, which is the final 2 parts of a 3-part FAA exam that ultimately decides whether you get your license or not. There is a written, oral, and practical part of the test. He took the FAA written exam last week and ACED it...yea 100% I was so impressed!! Then he passed his stage check (pre-final flight check) which took two sessions of flying due to the weather (we're still enjoying thunderstorms every afternoon). The oral portion took about 1.5 hours and he breezed right through it. And last, but definitely not least, he had his pratical that took 2 hours. From start to finish it took 8 hours to complete, 4 of which turned out to be waiting and letting the nerves build. But he was able to stay relatively calm and show the FAA examiner his flying skills. I'm so proud of him...he's a pilot now, woot woot! This was all for his private license, so he still has more schooling for his instrument rating, commercial license, and certified flight instructor. It looks like we're on schedule for him to be completely finished by the end of Jan 2010. He absolutely LOVES flying, so we're happy with how it's all worked out so far.

George with his British instructor, Neil.

Kyson's Baptism

Kyson and his daddy Joe - 01 Aug 2009

I can't believe my sweet little nephew Kyson is 8-years-old!!! This past Saturday was his baptism and confirmation. I just adore this boy and am so proud of him. I love his energy and excitement for life. He had lots of family there to love and support him. It was such a great day!

Kyson, Joe, Kaden, Sadie and Sara Melling

I love you Kyson, thank you for bringing so much joy into our lives :)