Party, Christmas, Party

For some reason, I didn't take as many pictures around Christmas time as I usually do. This is unfortunate because if I don't have a picture of something, it never happened! The Ackerson family Christmas party was a success, as always, the kids got plentiful ice-skating time, the brisket dinner was delicious, and everyone got to open a present from a cousin. Win!

I was fully prepared to not have Bevan home for Christmas this year. He's dodged working on Christmas for years and years now.  Working at a ski resort, you eventually have to take your turn.  But to our fortune / misfortune, he woke up super sick and couldn't go into work anyway! It got him to come downstairs while we opened presents, and then he spent the bulk of the day in bed.  Oh well!  The kids got to play with all their stuff, and I made some cheesy potatoes for dinner while watching the snow fall outside.  It was perfect.

The day-after-Christmas sledding party has been a thing since the mid 90s. Mom sure loved it, so we need to keep it going. I'm glad the rest of the family was on board.  Thankfully there was barely enough snow on the cabin sledding hill. We had gumbo for lunch, thanks to girlfriend-Ali and her authentic Louisiana upbringing. There were also plenty of snacks to keep us going until it got dark. Even then, it was hard to convince the boys to come inside from playing football in the powder.  Is this going to be a new thing?

Early December Mayhem

We sure do like to pack it all in the beginning of December, before school gets out for Christmas break! The kids had no stoppage of fun: North Pole Express train with cousins, tree lighting ceremony at town square (meh), going AS A FAMILY to cut down our Christmas tree (it was actually a positive experience), plenty of ice skating and sledding, and we can't forget the band and choir concerts. It's so fun to see these kiddos staying busy.  There won't be anything left to do for the rest of December.

Of course, as a parent, there's a lot of behind the scenes going on as well that can be equally stressful (um, Christmas?!). I'm also trying to wrap up landscaping season while finding time for my "more fun" winter job.  At least the weather has stayed okay.  It's tried to snow a couple times, but I'm not complaining.  Winter will eventually come.  I'm glad the trampoline can still get some use.

Birthday WEEK

As crazy as November is for me, I love the extra slew of birthdays towards the end of the month. I laugh when people are surprised that we have so many birthdays so close together, but I really love it! We just buckle down and bust them all out at once. I was really slacking over the last couple of years with friend parties, but then Drew reminded me that you're only a kid once. Fair enough!

Drew had a Wild Robot themed party where we watched the movie with his friends while consuming an entire bag of Lee's popcorn. And those bags are big bags!  

Tommy's birthday was the next afternoon, and I'll have to rethink the ninja theme next time. I thought 7 year olds would be able to fold ninja stars, but I ended up just folding everybody's. Thankfully, they were mostly occupied with the other ninja weapons. Just give the kid a fake weapon, and they will have fun for hours. 

Anna's birthday was technically on Sunday, so we had a small get together for her at grandpa's house with the leftover cakes from the previous two parties. No worries, she got her official cake the next day when she had a bowling birthday party with her friends. It was fantastic and we all got our fill of cake.  Now I get to have a break on birthdays for the next 6 months.

Havasupi!

Bevan and I were lucky enough to snag some open spots on Allen's backpacking permit for Havasupi.  This has been on my bucket list for about 20 years.  The permits have only gotten harder to get and more expensive over those years, so we figured it was now or never.  Huge shoutout to Beverly, Lloyd, and Nora for watching our kids.  I'm sure they had the time of their lives missing school and playing all day.  Do whatcha gotta do.

Since the drive is so stinking LONG, we broke it into 2 days, but still managed to start hiking by noon the second day.  The hiking weather was absolutely perfect, 60's!  We knew we wouldn't be swimming in waterfalls exclusively so the cooler weather was certainly welcomed.  It was very different to see the consistent mule trains on the trail and helicopter flying non-stop overhead.  It made it feel a little less rugged, but oh well.  The walk through the village to the campground was also a little eye-opening.  It's just a totally different environment... and that's how they choose to live.  The kids certainly looked happy, but it was also Friday afternoon.  We found our awesome camp spot near the top of Mooney Falls.  It's the best white noise to fall asleep to!

On Saturday morning, Bevan and I set off for the Colorado River confluence.  We got stuck in traffic descending Mooney Falls, but that was our only big hang-up.  We made amazing time downstream and easily found the 9 crossings along the lightly-marked trail.  The confluence itself was a little underwhelming, but it was still fun to see that freezing-cold, chocolate-brown river that I love so much.  The way back was a little frustrating, we kept loosing the trail... again and again!  You would think just following a simple creek wouldn't be so hard, but we barely made it back before it started getting dark.  That was another thing, visiting Havasupi so late in the year means it gets dark so early.  Good thing we were super tired and ready for bed by 7pm.  Best night of sleep ever.

We were planning on attending the Supi LDS branch the next morning, but the weather had different plans for us.  Walking through rain = mud for 3 1/2 miles back through the village seemed like an adventure in itself, but I only brought one pair of shoes.  We decided to pass.  The sun did come out by lunch time, so we did some more hiking around and waterfall gazing.  The fry bread was a little disappointing (swiss days fry bread is way better), but it's still fun to soak in the culture.

We got an early start Monday morning, which meant it was down-right cold for the hike out.  Walking back through the village, we passed the lineup of people waiting for the helicopter.  I secretly envied them, but just because we had a long drive ahead of us.  I actually enjoy hiking out of the Grand Canyon.  It's part of the fun.  We made amazing time and passed hordes of people hiking in.  We got back to our car about noon and started the long drive home.  That's the main downside of this adventure, but a small price to pay for red sand, turquoise water, and amazing waterfalls!  I'm already plotting how to go back next year.

Happy Birthday Nora!

Nora is the best sister in the world.  Okay, so all my sisters are equally wonderful, but she gets special props because she turned 50.  She's kind, thoughtful, positive and very friendly.  I mean, if I could have HALF as many friends as she does, I'd have it made.  She celebrated a milestone this year and made her birthday last several weeks.  She first wanted to celebrate by riding 50 miles around Bear Lake with 50 friends.  Well, she couldn't quite get the 50 friends on board, but I got to tag along as a fill-in.  The temperatures were perfect with zero wind.  We stopped a lot to eat, rest, and laugh, not really being in a time crunch.  Her cycling friends were all so different... but all had a love for Nora and a love for cycling.  Lisa generously allowed us to spend the night in her family's condo.  It's in the same complex we stayed in as kids in the 80's.  Not much has changed since the 80's!  Even the murphy bed is still functional.  The grounds and pool still all look the same, and it took me back to when I was 7 and wondering what the purpose of a sauna was?  I had a lot of questions as a kid.  

A few weeks later, we capped off her birthday with dinner at the Mandarin.  We even got the coveted 12-person round table with the lazy-susan in the sun room.  What a birthday miracle!  I was staring at the menu and suddenly remembered that I forgot to pre-order the peking duck, again!  This is like 4 years in a row that I forgot to order that forbidding duck.  Oh, well.  Some day.  The rest of the food is beyond-imaginable and we had no trouble filling up the lazy-susan and eating just about all of it.  We then went back to Nora's for cake she made herself.  This is how we roll in our family.  

St. George Marathon 2024

Bevan has been working HARD all summer for this race. The guy is a machine and rarely missed a workout, even though I secretly (and sometimes openly) wanted him to.  Everyone's got their thing!  

The kids were just so excited to go back to St. George. The hardest part of the entire weekend was (once again) getting out of utah county.  Augh, the traffic... we left so early too!  It was a random brush fire that stopped traffic from Sataquin all the way to Spanish Fork.  We rolled into the marathon expo with only 30 minutes to spare before they closed.  Whew!

Due to the current heat wave, temperatures were almost 100!  Bevan said the race temps in the morning were perfect for running.  He kept a steady pace, but picked it up for his last 2 miles and we almost missed him come across the finish line.  Beverly and Lloyd were there to watch and it was so much fun to cheer him on with them and the kids.  He snuck us out a few creamies and we headed back to the hotel before it got any hotter.  Good thing we had some pool options.  He rested, we played, everyone got their fun in.  

He says he's going to take a break for a few weeks, maybe only run twice or three times a week and (hopefully) add in some biking.  And then starts the training for the next spring Marathon.  Way to pull back, Bevan!

Backpacking in Bryce

We had a great time in Bryce Canyon.  Huge shoutout to Allen for planning it all!  Who else can get 6 siblings together to hike into the wilderness to sleep, eat, sweat, and laugh for a weekend?  He made it happen.

The Under-the-Rim Trail in Bryce is in the most bizarre drainage.  It's so green and foresty, but there is no water and hardly any animals (there goes my chance of seeing a mountain lion).  I saw one squirrel, one rabbit, and a tick on my sleeping pad (eww!)  Ranger lady even made us carry bear canisters and cook our meals 100 yds from camp.  We played along... mostly.  The weather was perfect, not too hot or cold, with overcast skies on the hike back up to the rim.  Just what we ordered.  I loved sampling backpacking meals and swapping sleeping pills.  When it got dark, we just chilled in our backpacking chairs (WELL worth the 2 lbs to carry) and stared into the sky.  I got to see 3 satellites and a shooting star.  As the crow flies, we weren't that far from the road, but it felt like the edge of the wilderness.  When we came out on the 3rd day, it was weird to see people again.  But we got cleaned up, poached a hot tub, ate mediocre burgers and got home to our kids who hardly noticed we were gone.  I guess it does get a little easier in that way as they get older.  

I just love backpacking.  If I had to pick a "favorite" outdoor activity, that would be it! (sorry to lead you on, xc skiing, but you're too seasonal).  Allen is busy working on our next adventure.  And I need to start thinking about upgrading some of my gear!

Ackerson Family Reunion 2024

After we scattered Mom's ashes on Timp, we headed back to Midway to officially kick off the family reunion.  We stayed at the same Harvest group site and it was as good as ever.  Green grass, apple trees, and lots of amazing food.  

Friday was officially "lake day" and we mixed it up by spending the day at Jordanelle instead of Deer Creek.  It was pretty great.  Lots of parking, sandy beaches, and no afternoon wind.  We were next to a great little cove that was buoyed off from motor boats.  It was perfect for kayaking and paddleboarding.  My gracious friend, Cristi, and her fiancé, Brent, stayed busy taking the teenagers out on their boat and tube.  We have so many teenagers now, we really needed a second boat, but there was still plenty to do.  It is unfortunate I hardly got any pictures.

On Saturday, we drove over the mountains to Timpanogos Cave.  Not many people in our family have seen the cave, so it was fun for them to experience a HARD 1.5 mile hike.  They were all sweating by the top.  Fortunately we made our tour time and had a great time in the cave again.  No wag bags needed this time!  After lunch in the park we headed back to camp to chill, eat, and play a fun family trivia game.  It's amazing how much I DON'T remember about my childhood.

We stretched the reunion into Sunday a little.  After church, we headed to a local park in Midway to eat all the leftovers and procrastinate going home and starting laundry.  Luckily, we had the shortest drive.