Another Month...Here and Gone!

So this may sound like a strange question, but where did the month of September go? And the next question is, where have I been? I guess I would be somewhat accurate in saying that there wasn't much that happened during the month of September because the boys were back in school and things suddenly got quiet around here, but that's definitely not all that happened in September.

To begin with, Patrick came all the way from Korea for a month long visit during the last part of August and the first part of September and we enjoyed getting to spend some time with him...although we didn't see him much! He was here though to help me out when Rod had his sinus surgery on August 26th and I was forever grateful for all of his help during that time.

Rod has suffered his whole life with sinus headaches and about 25 years ago he had major surgery because his sinuses were so impacted with infection that he could have died. I've heard horror stories about that surgery, like how painful it was and how bad Rod looked afterward and how he was out of work for weeks. Since that surgery, Rod hasn't had any more problems with his sinuses until the last couple of years and then he started having reoccurring problems with them every few months. At first, just knowing how bad his first surgery had been, Rod absolutely refused to go through that again and was willing to do most anything to avoid it, but after he kept having problems over and over again and all he seemed to be doing was "bandaid"ing the problem with medication, he finally decided that he would give in and have the surgery again. It ended up being a 3 hour long surgery and I was a little worried about how Rod would do because of all that I'd heard about his previous surgery 25 years ago, but he did great! He was off his medication by the day after the surgery and other than a little bruising and swelling around his eye, he even looked great. Of course, he wouldn't let me near him with my camera, so you'll just have to take my word for it though!

During the month that Patrick was here, we had a few family dinners and we even got to meet his girlfriend, Marie that he met here in Clinton just before he left for Korea in March. We had fun getting to know her a little and spending time with Jon and his girlfriend, Brittney too. Chris was a little more illusive. We did get to see him once, but that was about it. I thought that he'd come just for the food and the company, but obviously it takes more than that. Maybe someday I'll figure him out...or not!

Patrick doesn't like his picture taken...so Marie posed with Jon, Brittney and the boys instead

Somehow we finally convinced Patrick to let me take a picture...but you can tell he doesn't like it much!

The little boys love Brittney!

Other than that, we've been busy with soccer every Wednesday and Friday night. Both Connor and Hayden decided to play during the fall season and they've loved it. In the spring, Connor's games were on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Hayden's were on Wednesdays and Fridays, so we were gone every single night with one boy or the other. Now that Connor is in 1st Grade though, their games are on the same night and that has turned out to be a bonus...except for the nights when their games are at the same time and at different places, but I think that only happened twice the whole season. They're definitely improving though and it's been fun watching their games. At least we've been able to sit out and watch the games on the sidelines rather than from inside the van because the weather has been much more pleasant this fall than it was in the spring.

I guess I shouldn't forget the fact that we also celebrated Connor's 7th birthday at the first of this month. It's hard to believe that he's growing up so fast, but he has been such a joy in our lives. I think he says or does something at least once a day that just makes me smile...but it's usually more often than that! He's such a funny kid! The other day he and I were sitting here alone and I asked him why he was so easy to get along with and he said "because I'm always happy...except when Hayden makes me mad!" And that is so true!

Connor's birthday cake...it's supposed to be an airport!

Connor and his cousins Tyler and Teegan

Paige and Nyayla watching the big kids ride the 4 wheelers

Rod decided to get the 4 wheelers out and give the big kids rides around the pasture...they loved it, no matter how long they had to wait for a turn!

The best part of any kids birthday...opening gifts, even if they are all clothes!

Did I mention that I ran another marathon this month? I ran the Top of Utah marathon with my friends Jodee, Carmen and Megan and while it wasn't one of my favorite ones, I was glad I did it. It was my 5th marathon overall and the 3rd time running the Top of Utah...and I posted my worst time ever! I think that's part of the reason I didn't like this run so much. I started out running with all of my friends because we were just going to make it a "fun run" since several of us had been injured throughout the summer (including me) and Carmen's sister, Lori was running her first marathon. As we ran down out of the canyon, I kept having a hard time holding back with all of the momentum the downhill was giving us, so after a while I went ahead and my friends assured me that if I slowed down, they'd be right behind me...and they were, but even when I died and slowed way down to wait for them, I never could see them! I was kind of bummed that I'd left them. Then when they finished only 2 minutes behind me, I was even more bummed because my worst fear had come true. I had run at least half the marathon all by myself and my friends had been only minutes behind me...and because of my own selfishness, I wasn't with them! I can honestly say I learned my lesson and I won't be doing that again!

Hayden got appointed chief picture taker since I was running...and he forgot to bring the camera to the Finish line...but he took about 25 pictures of me at mile 14 and they all look about the same!

Now that October is here, I have grand intentions of posting every week...but who knows? Maybe it will turn out to be just like every other month. I guess at least I've left myself plenty of room for improvement!

Tetons or Bust!

Anyone that knows me very well, knows that at the top of my list of things that I love the most are Jackson Hole, the Tetons, anything moose, being with my family, taking pictures and camping…and if you combine all of those at one time and spread it over a week, well in my mind, that’s complete euphoria and the closest thing you can get to being in heaven! So if anyone wondered where I was this past week, you might just say…I was in heaven!

Right up until Tuesday, when we left for Jackson, I wasn’t even sure we were really going to go. We had made our plans to go way back at the first part of summer and had even invited the entire Carling family to go with us. Then as the time got closer and I got busier and busier with Laurels Conference and we found out that not one person in my entire family was going to be able to go with us, Rod suddenly lost his desire to go too…so I figured our entire trip was foiled and I was really bummed…but I was also too busy to worry about it! The bad thing is, as much as Rod didn’t want to go, we didn’t have an alternate plan, so it was looking more and more like we were just going to stay home.

Then on Sunday, when Laurels Conference was finally over and things were getting back to normal around our house, I overheard Rod telling someone that he was going to be out of town all week because he was going to Jackson…and I suddenly got very excited and overwhelmed at the same time! That meant I had basically Monday to get everything bought, cleaned, packed and ready to go by Tuesday...and I wasn’t sure I could do that much in just one day! But I did!

On Tuesday morning, we got up and headed out of town and I was so excited because we were on our way to one of the greatest places on earth...or so it is in my mind! Rod and I decided that the one thing the boys would want to do while we were in Jackson was to ride their bikes, but both of their bikes had flat tires and Connor’s was way too small for him. So at the last minute, we decided to get Connor a bike and give it to him for an early birthday present when we got to Jackson. We even thought about getting a bike for Hayden too, but that wasn’t as easy. His birthday was already over, so we couldn’t really give it to him for his birthday and if we were going to get him one, he probably needed a bike the next size up...but the next size up was almost too big for him! So after much thought, we finally just decided to take his old one with us and fix the flat tires when we got there.

On the way to Jackson, we stopped in Soda Springs for a bathroom break and to check on the generator and the bikes at the back of the trailer...and everything seemed to be doing well! The next time we stopped to stretch our legs was somewhere about halfway between Soda Springs and Alpine Junction and when we went to check on the generator and the bikes...Hayden’s bike was missing! My immediate thought was that someone had stolen it while we were stopped in Soda Springs, and luckily, they hadn’t been able to get to mine. So in a way, I was grateful that Hayden’s bike was behind mine on the rack, but I was sad at the same time. Needless to say, Hayden was heartbroken and we ended up stopping in Jackson and getting him a new bike...and we got him the next size up, so it all worked out after all! However, at that point, Connor was a little sad that Hayden got a new bike and he didn’t get one, but we assured him that things would all work out, even though he didn’t believe us!

When we got to the Tetons and finally got our trailer settled (that’s a whole other story all by itself), we gave Connor his bike and he was thrilled! To say that we hardly saw the boys the rest of the trip would be an understatement. I don’t think they “lighted” more than a few minutes at camp because they were always off exploring on their bikes...and at Colter Bay there is a lot of campground to explore!

Connor with his new bike!

Did someone say we're in the Tetons? No wonder I look so happy!

Our next adventure was finding that the vent cover on our trailer (the one that is right above our bed) had somehow blown off during our travels too. I think it was just old and was really sunrotted but whatever the case, it was missing. We didn’t discover it until the next morning and it had even rained a little during the night, but fortunately we had a shade that covers the opening (to make it a little darker in our room) and that must have caught most of the rain. Anyway, we tried to find a replacement cover, to no avail, so we just covered it with a big plastic bag and massive amounts of duct tape...and hoped that would keep us dry in case we had any further rainstorms. During the week, we had lots of threatening rainstorms, but none that actually materialized until the last night...and then it literally poured on us for hours! But guess what? My plastic bag and duct tape covering held out and we didn’t get wet at all. It didn’t even blow off on our 5 hour trip home! I must have duct taped it better than I even thought I did.

The morning after the rainstorm

While we were in Jackson, we barely even left the park. We did all of the normal “tourist” things, which included hiking to Taggart Lake, taking the boat across Jenny Lake and hiking to Hidden Falls, playing in Jackson Lake, going to a ranger talk on Grizzly Bears, shopping in all of the stores, visiting the visitors center, eating calzones at Leek’s Marina, driving to the top of Signal Mountain and even pulling over at a few of the turnouts so that I could take a few pictures (like I don’t already have a stockpile of pictures of the Tetons). However, by doing all of the “tourist” things, we also had to deal with all of the other tourists and at times that didn’t make us too happy…like when we had to drive around and around and around at Jenny Lake to find a parking place, only to decide that it wasn’t going to happen and we’d have to come back the next day! We came back the next day too…and still had to deal with the same thing! It took us several attempts, but we were finally able to find a parking place on our third attempt of coming to the Lake!Mt. Moran in the background is my favorite Teton...and I kind of like the boys too!

Hiking to Taggart Lake

Are we there yet mom? Connor didn't love hiking so much!

Taggart Lake...it was worth the hike!

The boys needed to cool off their feet in the lake

We went to Leeks Marina one night for dinner

Me and Rod at the top of Signal Mountain

The boys and I at the ranger talk about Grizzly Bears

As unhappy as we were that we had to return time after time to Jenny Lake to try to find a parking place, we weren’t so upset when we got to see a black bear on our way to the falls, which we probably would have missed if we’d gotten a parking place any earlier! I was even probably more excited about seeing the bear than the kids were because as many times as I’ve visited the park (and even lived there for a couple of summers), I’d only seen a bear on one other occasion. This bear sighting was the best though because the bear was probably only about 100 feet away (if that) and it was so busy eating huckleberries that it didn’t care that there were about 50 of us gathered on a rock taking pictures of it. I did get a little nervous though when it started heading in our direction as it ate the berries. That’s when I decided that we had enough pictures and we’d probably continue on our way to the falls. Apparently, we just barely missed seeing a grizzly bear too (on the same path), but you can’t have everything!

This is the bear we saw...he wasn't very far away, but luckily he was too busy eating to notice all of the onlookers!

Rod and the boys were more than happy to take a rest

Just a little of the scenery on the way to the falls

Here we are at Hidden Falls!

Overall, we had a wonderful week and when it came time to pack up and come home, I wasn’t too happy about it! I told Rod that if I could just sit up there and enjoy the sights, the sounds and the smells of being in the park forever, I would be completely happy…but I’m sure I’d start missing Rod and the boys eventually because they probably wouldn’t stay there with me! So inevitably, I had to come home…but there’s always next year!The boys at Colter Bay Marina

Not only did we see a bear we saw a moose...and I LOVE moose!

Happy 4th of July....and more!

It’s a good thing we have the 4^th of July each year because it’s good for all of us to take some time to celebrate and realize just how blessed we truly are to live in a free country. As the parent of a soldier, it makes me even more appreciative of what these men and women sacrifice to maintain those freedoms for those of us who take them for granted each and every day. Patrick is currently serving in Korea, and while he would be the first to admit it’s not his favorite assignment, I know that it has made him appreciate that he is able to live in the United States (most of the time) and I know there are many people that are grateful for his willingness to serve our country...including me! Thanks Patrick!

As for the rest of us, we had a wonderful 4^th of July weekend and because we had a whole weekend to celebrate, it was a little different than most holidays. On Saturday we spent a lot of time working in the yard trimming trees and just making it look nicer. All of my daisies and day lilies have recently bloomed and if I could, I would probably just sit out in the front yard admiring them...but that would be much too hard, so instead I’ve just taken a lot of pictures…go figure!

While we were beautifying our yard, we finally got around to putting our flag back up (it needed a new rope) so that we could feel a little more patriotic. Then when things cooled down a little, much to the boy’s excitement, we even put up our new pool. Unfortunately, it takes over 3,000 gallons of water to fill it, so the water was going all afternoon, but it still wasn’t full when we went to bed, which meant they had to wait until Monday to actually be able to swim...but that’s better than nothing, right?

Just before it was time to go to bed on Saturday night, I remembered to go outside to see if anyone was shooting off fireworks nearby...and we were in luck! They were doing them in Westpoint and Hooper, and probably lots of other little towns, but we could sit on our front porch and watch the ones in Westpoint, or stand on our back porch and barely see the ones in Hooper...but that wasn’t close enough for us! So even though the boys were already in their jammies and none of us had shoes on, we jumped in the van and went to see the fireworks “up close”! We really only saw about 10 minutes worth of fireworks...but it was just enough to get our fireworks fix...for the week! Hayden and I LOVE fireworks, and lucky for us, almost every weekend in July there is a town nearby shooting them off, so we’ll be able to see lots of them in the next few weeks!

On Sunday, which was the actual 4^th of July, we just did the normal church thing, but then on Monday we were right back enjoying the holiday. Rod had to work (or chose to work) so that he could make up for some days that he’s going to take off at the end of the month to go to AP camp with our stake, but the boys and I got up and went to Logan to spend the day with the Carlings. We got to Logan in time for a little breakfast with all of my brothers and sisters at mom and dad’s house and then we headed up the canyon to enjoy the rest of the day at Aunt Marion and Uncle Ralph’s cabin.

Mom and Aunt Marion

Teaching the kids to throw lawn darts

Time for lunch!

Although the wind was blowing most of the afternoon, it was so much cooler and nicer than it would have been downtown...and the cabin is a haven for kids because there is so much for them to do! We went for a little hike, the kids played lawn darts and just did a lot of what kids like to do (whatever that is), we barbecued some hamburgers for lunch, we visited and then the kids all took a turn on the huge tree swing that we all love! It was a wonderful day!

Just before it was time to leave, Connor came running to take his turn on the big swing and he tripped and landed on all fours. Of course, he cried because he’d skinned the palm of his hand and his knees, but with a little water and a few bandaids, he was soon on his way and everything was OK...or so we thought! Later that night when we got home, he woke me up to tell me that his hand really hurt, so I got up with him to see if he needed another bandaid. Instead I ended up giving him some Advil so that it would stop hurting and then he went back to sleep and again, everything seemed to be OK! However, when he woke up the next morning and his hand was still hurting, I began to wonder if there was more than just a few scratches that was causing the pain. So we made an appointment with the doctor and went to have it checked out. Well a few X-rays later, we discovered that it wasn’t just scratched a little, his poor little hand was broken!

Connor is now sporting a new, glow in the dark cast, which is pretty cool and was novel for a few minutes, but he doesn’t like it so much anymore! We’ve let him swim with it, but it keeps getting too wet and I’m afraid he might have to give that up for a few days. We probably should have gotten a splint instead of the cast, which was one of the options the doctor gave us...but the mom in me, made me get the cast because besides healing his hand, I think it might just help him break his habit of sucking his two fingers...which just so happen to be covered up by a cast! That, I’m sure, will be another story for later on!

A Memorable Memorial Day!

For over 35 years now, we’ve carried on a family tradition of getting together with all of our Carling relatives on Memorial Day to celebrate the life of our wonderful grandparents…and celebrate the posterity that they’ve left behind! For all of us cousins, it used to be a day that we greatly looked forward to so that we could share our yearbooks with each other and just see and spend time together...which is something we rarely got to do! It was truly a day we looked forward to!

The tradition started back in 1975, the year after our grandma, Clara Pearl Astle Carling died, but even before that, we would get together at grandma’s house after we’d all go to visit grandpa’s grave in Providence. Then the year after she died, that family gathering shifted to our house in Logan. It seemed the likely thing to do so that we could continue the tradition that she’d started and so that we’d still be able to spend time with our relatives.

Each year on Memorial Day, everyone would come from as far away as Salt Lake and sometimes even Arizona, to leave flowers at the graves, and then we’d all meet at our house for a barbecue. All the aunts would prepare a salad and a dessert to share with everyone and they all brought their own meat, which was usually hamburgers, to cook on the grill. My dad only had one grill at the time and with 8 brothers and sisters and countless cousins, there were a lot of hamburgers that needed to be cooked…so our family usually waited and ate last! We felt a little deprived always having to go last, but we soon figured that we could eat our meal in two courses. The first course would be all of the yummy salads and the second would be the hamburgers. That way we could still sit and “eat” with our cousins until our hamburgers were done. It was the best of both worlds!

My cousin Melanie and me - we got mistaken for each other several times this year. Do we look that much alike?

For years, Memorial Day was one of my favorite holidays because I absolutely loved being able to spend time with my cousins that I rarely got to spend time with otherwise. With almost 50 cousins, we all had someone that was near our age, so it was truly a fun time for all of us. However, as the years have gone by and we’ve all gotten older and started families of our own, the Memorial Day gathering has become smaller and smaller. At one point we even determined that every other year we’d consider it our official Carling Family Reunion, but I’m not even sure that has stuck.

Ray, Dad, Lola, Lee, Blaine - missing Ivan, Darrell, Eva and Linda (who died a few years ago)

The Carling Brothers and Sisters with their spouses
(l to r: Beverly, Ray, mom, dad, Kathy, Lee, David, Faye, Blaine, Lola, Dee)

Now, it seems like the aunts and uncles have all remained faithful and continue to come every year (with the exception of a few of them here and there), but the only other ones that have remained faithful is our family. It seems like we get to see different cousins each year even though it’s usually not the same ones from year to year, so it’s always exciting just to go and see who will show up. On the other hand, knowing that most of my cousins probably won’t be there, I now go to the party knowing that if no one else shows up, at least I’ll get to see all of my brothers and sisters…and that’s good enough for me!

This year, I couldn’t even talk my husband into going with us. I didn’t used to have that problem, but he knows how much I enjoy seeing everyone (and how long I like to stay), so he usually finds other things that he “has” to do on that day to prevent him from coming. Either that or we drive separate cars so I can stay as long as I’d like! This year, he and Jon had conveniently made plans to go car shopping on Memorial Day to see if they could find something to replace Jon’s old Ford Taurus that was still barely running. As much as I love them to come with me, I knew we’d all be happier if we did our own thing.

Guess who showed up right in the middle of our family party? Rod and Jon! They had apparently come to Logan to look at a car and decided to just stop by…and to get some food! I didn’t care what their reason was, I was just glad they came! Overall, we all had a wonderful day. The boys and I got to visit as long as we wanted (which was almost until 9:00!), Rod got to come to the party and just eat and leave (which is what he prefers) and Jon got himself a cute new little car! What more could we ask for?