happy birthday elisabeth!

A few weeks ago I mentioned to Elisabeth that her birthday was coming up soon and we should figure out what we wanted to do. Her face lit up, she clapped her hands together and said, "Oh, I hope somebody will make me a princess cake!!" Well, somebody did! I am pretty proud of myself, I have to say. This was my first attempt at a whole fondant cake and it worked out pretty darn well. I learned some things that I will do differently next time, but it came out very nicely. And our little princess loved it, so does anything else matter?

My favorite picture of the day!

We had a fun little princess party. Everyone dressed up for the occasion, which made it extra special. We brought Claire home from school for a while because she really wanted to be there. She painted nails while I put on a little makeup. We had a pink princess lunch, took lots of pictures, opened presents, and of course, ate cake and ice-cream. It was a very fun, but simple party--the best kind!

Ellie and her princess friends--Arden, Chloe, Anna and Kirsten

Even Mom was a princess for the day! I love you sweetie!

absolutely spectacular

The adventure begins!

I'm finally getting to posting about our backpacking trip to Zion National Park. It was an amazing/beautiful/challenging/gorgeous/tiring/fun trip. Garrett and I went with his mom, Dixie, for two days starting at the north west Lava Point and ending in the main canyon at Angel's Landing. Our highest point was about 7,900 feet and we ended at about 4,000 feet. All of it wasn't downhill however. The first day we had lots of up and down--nothing too long or steep, but at that elevation it really winded us. I mean, we do live at about 200 feet. The air is just a tad thinner up there.

Yes, it's a very long way down.

I believe that I have the most-used description right--absolutely spectacular!! Wasn't that it Dixie? But Garrett and I totally agreed. The scenery was spectacular. Every turn we made I had to stop and take pictures because new canyons were visible and the formations we had been viewing now looked totally different. The sunset and sunrise made for beautiful views too.

These were from the point just beyond our campsite. Gorgeous!

There's something very liberating and empowering about backpacking, knowing that you are carrying everything you need to survive on your back (or at least someone with you is!) You feel this freedom to go anywhere and take on anything. The only concern is for water, since it's hard to pack enough for the whole trip. There was a spring on both days, both of which we managed to find (no help from the parks service--thanks for nothing), much to our relief and delight. It's funny how exciting a spring can be. I couldn't wait to put my hands in it. A pretty little deer came for some refreshment at the same time and wasn't concerned about our presence in the least. She also wasn't concerned that she was standing just feet from the edge of a 1,000 foot cliff. Go figure.

The large tree on the left is barely hanging onto the cliff. It's a seriously long way down!

This is looking back up at the spring. The arrow shows where the spring is.
The tree to the right of that is the one by the deer.

The second day we had a lot of knee/ankle/back pounding downhill down trails cut right out of the rock. It was amazing, and very difficult to show in photos. Perspective is difficult to portray without other equipment or fancier lenses. Or maybe it's just the photographer. We were super glad to have our hiking/trekking poles to save our joints on the downhills and help us power up the uphills. I'd never used them before, but I loved them. I highly recommend picking some up (Walmart for under $20, or REI for $80--WHAT?? Trust me, our cheap ones were better than Dixie's expensive ones--she said so!) For day hiking or backpacking, they are a must. Just one piece of advice--don't ask Garrett about the poles unless you REALLY want to hear about how awesome/indespensible/fabulous/won't-ever-even-go-on-a-walk-without-them-again they are and if you have a while. He really likes his poles. Really.

The trail cut out of the cliff. Like I said, it's hard to portray the exposure in the picture.

Maybe this shows it. Below Dixie is the next section of trail. Get it?

Another spectacular view--fall was already beginning in Zion!

We ended the trip with a trek up Angel's Landing. This is a day hike from the valley floor that Garrett and Dixie had done previously. I'd been there, but not to the top because we had little kids with us. I have a great picture of Dixie and Garrett midway up, but Garrett is a little green in it. As soon as we made it up he hightailed it down without us. I never knew he was that bothered by looking down from heights. Getting to know your spouse better--another benefit of backpacking!

Me on top! The Virgin River is visible at the bottom.

From the top of Angel's Landing we had a good view of the trail we just came from. I didn't realize there was that kind of exposure right there. Don't look Mom! Of course, that's nothing compared to the exposure of Angel's Landing.

What a ridge, huh?

We were exhausted but happy that we made it when the hike was over. I didn't realize how spent my body was until the next day. Lots of steep up and down made for sore calves! But we had a great time. If you are interested in looking at more pictures (as if I didn't post enough!) you can look at them all on right here.

Thanks for being patient (or not so patient) with my delay in getting this post done. And thanks for being patient and getting all the way through this very long post!