Our next hiking adventure…

Thanks for hopping back to my blog for another adventure.  Vieve and I went hiking again on July 7th.  We left right after work and headed up to Sundance.  This was an adventure that was fun, exciting and a tad bit scary.  Never mind…it was not a tad bit scary…IT WAS SCARY!!!  We headed back up to Sundance.  This time we hiked to from Sundance to Stewart Falls and back to Sundance.  So, here is our adventure…   We rode the chair lift to the top of the mountain and began our hike down to the falls.

 It was an amazing view.  Oh, I love the mountains.

  We found a huge tree and played on if for a bit. We are easily entertained. Ha Ha

 We came upon some hikers who warned us that they had just ran into a moose and her calf.  We had to cross a river.

   It was kind of treacherous but we made it through it.We could see the falls…thank goodness…we thought that we were lost. Finally, we made it!!

 OH NO!!  Which way do we go…

 Our hike back to Sundance!!

 It was amazingly beautiful.  I love our mountains!!  Shortly after I took this picture, the hike became SCARY!!  All of a sudden, we heard in the trees behind us, a BIG SCARY NOISE and then, a whole bunch of trees started to move.  We stopped.  My heart was beating so hard.  We saw a HUGE BLURRY BROWN shape.  I was so scared!!!  I grabbed Vieve and moved her in front of me.  She thinks that I was trying to sacrifice her…but, I would NEVER do such a thing.  I was just freaked out.  We waited quietly and listened.  Slowly we started to walk fast down the trail.  The entire way down the trail, we heard from behind us (actually, beside us) trees moving.  We would stop and listen.  Oh, I knew that we were being hunted.  We hurried down the mountain.  It was so scary!! 

 

Finally, we made it to safety!  UGH!!  Do I want to hike again?  Oh, of course, I do!!

Oh, what a great day!

Michelle

Our first hike adventure….

I love to be outside.  I love to be up in the mountains.  I am so grateful that I live in Utah…we have awesome mountains.  So, this summer, my friend, Vieve, and I have decided to go on some adventures.  It has been quite a long time since I have done any hiking.  I was trying to remember when I last went hiking…it has been a long time.  TOO LONG!!  So, a few weeks ago (June 30th), Vieve and I went on our first adventure. I have lived my entire life in Utah and I have never hiked Stewart Falls.  So, we did.  It was awesome!!  Let me share our adventure with you. 

It was the best evening for a hike!!Look how green everything looks! I told Vieve to run out into this meadow so I could take a picture of her…she did.  OOPS!!!  It was a meadow of Stinging Nettle!  Sorry, Vieve!

          Then, we came upon a catepillar! Then, we could hear the falls…and they were right around the corner (ok…several corners)      We were so excited about the falls!!We are almost there!!We made it!!  Incredibly beautiful!!

Side note…Vieve kept telling me that the water from the falls was magical.  Earlier in the day, I collided with my filing cabinet and deeply cut the top of my foot.  I decided to take off my shoe and soak my foot in the water.  BAD MISTAKE.  Infection started forming…this was the only bad part to the adventure.  Vieve…the water from the falls is not magical.

  

On the way back…we came across this interesting scary looking thing. 

Oh…but the flowers that we saw along the way…were absolutely gorgeous!

YEAH!!  We made it back to my car safely.  On the way home, we planned our next hiking adventure…stay tuned!

Happy Hiking!!!

Michelle

aw…a sweet note and treats!

I arrived at work Friday morning to find a cute little surprise setting on my keyboard.  I wasn’t expecting it at all and it truly touched my heart.  SHH!! I love those types of little surprises.  They make me feel loved!  Immediately, I feel all those warm fuzzies going through my body.  I love to do little things for people because I love to see them smile.  But, when I receive them…I get all excited inside.  I love to be remembered and thought of…in a good way.

Well, this sweet little surprise was from my dear friend, Vieve.  She knows when I truly need a little pick-me-up.  She does the sweetest things for people and when it is for me…I get all excited inside.  I am grateful for her friendship and for her thoughtfulness. Although, the cookies were mighty delicious and oh, those cake bites were heavenly…the card…the best.  I love receiving notes from people.

Vieve, thanks for the things that you wrote…I know that what you wrote is sincere and so sweet.  You definitely have perfect timing.  You definitely know when I truly need a pick-me-up and a sweet note.  You are the best!  Thanks for being a wonderful friend!! 

Aw…a sweet note and a treat…what a perfect way to start the day!!!

Michelle

 

just a happy thought…

Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember you can achieve. ~ Mary Kay Ash

 

Believe in yourself!

Michelle

choosing…

I love to sleep. In fact, I love it so much that I would do anything for sleep. Ok…not anything…but you know what I mean. The problem is that I do not get to sleep very often. I suffer from insomnia. I can’t seem to shut my brain off…too many thoughts going all of the time. I guess I just love to think. It would be nice to turn the thoughts off when it is time to go to bed and get more than a few hours a sleep each night. Oh, how would it be to sleep all night long? Aw…what it would be like? Hmmm…maybe someday I will know.

Last night, I went to bed early…yes…early and I was sleeping peacefully when all of a sudden, my eyes open, my mind starts racing in a million different ways and I grab a piece of paper and start writing and writing. In my mind, an event was planned from beginning to end. I knew the direction that I needed to take with this certain event and I could the see the success in it. It was the most incredible experience. After contemplating this experience for a tad bit, I had an impression to check the trunk of my car. I have been missing both pairs of glasses since I returned home from YW camp over a month ago. I have looked everywhere for them and have had no success. I looked inside my trunk…I have my camp tote, chair and a blanket. I stood there looking at the things. I opened my tote and tucked away inside it sat my glasses. My glasses!!! I found my glasses! I have checked that tote a million times for my glasses and they have not been there. Ok, not a million but several times. OH!! I am so grateful that I found them. Yahoo!!! Now if I can get some sleep sometime that would be wonderful too. HA HA

I love these types of experiences and I am so grateful that I have them. I just wish that they would happen more often in the normal hours of the day. Ok…maybe nighttime is normal for me to receive such inspiration. So…if I had to choose between sleep and these types of experiences…I guess…I choose these awesome experiences.

Sleep tight!

Michelle

A new name…

A few weeks ago, my niece, Brylie, had to spend the day at the hospital for tests. She has grown up going to a lot of doctors and hospitals and freaks out at the mention the word doctor. This particular day, the doctor recognized Brylie’s anxiety towards him. So, he took his time approaching her. When he finally did, he noticed that her toe nails were painted. He asked her who painted her toe nails. She responded, “Hell did.” He looked at her. Then, he asked Jessica who Hell was? She laughed and said that it was her Aunt Chelle. He just laughed.

Brylie is just learning to speak and yes, I am known as Hell. (Ha Ha…please no comments.) One phrase that you hear her say a lot is “Hell Toes”. When it is time for her toe nails to be painted…she walks around the house saying, “Hell Toes, Hell toes.” But, when she says it in public…we do get a lot of strange looks. We are just grateful that she is starting to talk!

Have a great day!

Michelle

sigh…just random thoughts…

A few weeks ago, I was invited to speak at a youth conference. It was an incredible experience. Oh, I love serving amongst the youth. They have power within themselves that is so amazing and strong. Anyway, when I arrived, before I even got out of my car, I was approached by a young woman that was attending the youth conference. She said, “Sister Gren, I am glad that you are FINALLY here. We woke up this morning to hear, (a young woman’s name that I will call Maylee) telling us how many hours until you arrived. Every hour, Maylee has been announcing to everyone when you would arrive and you are FINALLY here.” Of course, I giggled and was filled with those amazing warm fuzzies. But, that is not what I want to focus on right this minute. But, I do love those warm fuzzies.

The events of the night went as planned (well, you know with youth and events there is a lot of flexibility). There was lots of talking, laughter and fun. Then, it was time for the fireside where I and, a Bishop from one of the wards that was in attendance spoke. Following his talk, a testimony meeting was held. It was incredible. The Spirit was amazingly strong throughout the entire evening. The testimonies that were shared were icredible. It was awesome!

Anyway, when I was getting ready to leave, I said my goodbyes and I noticed that Maylee was nowhere to be found. I looked everywhere. I was puzzled. I felt strongly that I needed to say goodbye to her.  Why?  I am not sure.  I just knew that I needed too. I asked her friends where she went and they have any ideas. I asked her young women leaders if they knew where she went. They did not. We thought that she might have gone to the bathroom. I had a feeling to go put my things away in my car. Let me add…by this time it is extremely dark. As I approached my car, sitting on the cement divider thingy behind my car was Maylee. I placed my things in my car and went and sat down next to her. I told her that I had been looking for her to say goodbye. I told her that I wasn’t leaving until I found her. She said to me, “I knew that you would come looking for me.” How did she know that I would come looking for her? I gave her a hug and we just sat there in there on the cement parking divider in the dark in silence. She wouldn’t talk. I had a feeling that something was up. So, I quickly prayed and asked for guidance. Then, I just talked and talked…hoping to say the right things…something to comfort her. I still have no idea what was wrong. I hope that I said the right things.

But, this morning when I was getting ready for work, my thoughts turned to that evening a few weeks ago.  Why did she say to me, “I knew that you would come looking for me”?  How did she know that I would go looking for her?  I am grateful that I heeded to the prompting to seek her out.  But, I am just still so curious.  How come she had so much faith in me knowing that I would go looking for her?  Was it really important for her to have me find her and talk to her.   Hmmm…just random thoughts this morning. SIGH…

Michelle

A ray of sunshine in my life!

I have said this many times before…one of my most favorite people in the whole world is my adorable niece, Brylie. She brightens my day ever time I see her. It doesn’t matter where I am, who she is with, what event is going on around her or what the time of day it is…she is ALWAYS excited to see me. When she sees me, she runs to me and gives me the HUGEST hug. Wouldn’t that brighten your day…to have someone excited to see you EVERYTIME they noticed that you were near? I hope that it would. It surely brightens my day!

On Sunday, I went to dinner at my mom and dad’s home. DELICIOUSNESS!! Brylie was already there and was playing in the backyard with Grandpa. As I walked out onto the patio, she noticed that I was there. She stopped what she was doing, ran to me and gave me the hugest hug. Aw…she just melts my heart. After playing with her for awhile, I went into the kitchen to cut strawberries. Of course, she followed me. She climbed up onto one of the stools at the island and was waiting for me while I washed the strawberries…at least I thought she was waiting for me to finish. I turned around to see this:

Of course, I had to grab the camera. Isn’t this the greatest pictures? HA HA She just is the most adorable little girl that I know!! AW...to be a little girl again. Brylie, you are a huge ray of sunshine.

Have a great day full of fun and sunshine!!

Michelle