Month: May 2014

Motherhood Moments: Happy Mother’s Day!

Mother of 9 and grandmother of 27 my mom truly is marvelous. In honor of Mother’s Day I just want to say thanks for always being patient, fun loving and kind.

Here are some memories:

My parents were so poor when they first started out they lived in a two room farmhouse. My mom fed and clothed the seven children who shared that space on next to nothing.

My mother is tough. She gave birth to nine children all naturally and breast fed us all until age 1.

When the side window in our van shattered on a road trip mom fastened a blanket to the opening using wire hangers that was strong enough to lean against.

She lived three years in Mexico on a service mission for our church, even though she barely knew Spanish when she went.

One Christmas when I felt alone and forgotten, my mom told the story of how she chose my middle name, Elizabeth because she was inspired by Elisabeth in the bible. It was the best Christmas gift I got.

Mom, I love you and think you’re an amazing example.

Firefighters Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser – Good Food for a Good Cause

I recently wrote a post for Sundance Resort’s Blog about their annual Firefighters Pancake Breakfast that was held this past Saturday. It’s a fundraiser that benefits the local North Fork Fire Department, our small emergency services provider. It was great to get to know my community fire fighting force a little better, especially since many of them are volunteers.

My neighbor has been the volunteer fire chief for the North Fork Fire Department for over a decade. Through that position he has trained for thousands of hours on first response, swift water rescue, technical ropes rescue, wildfire prevention and response as well as traditional structure fire response. Car accidents, medical emergencies, avalanche crises, he has dealt with all of these and more, all for free.
Last Saturday as I enjoyed the best pancakes of my life at Sundance Resort, I was happy to support this amazing group of people who work so hard to keep my home and family safe all year long.
Thank you to all the service men and women out there. Your sacrifice is greatly appreciated.

Hobble Creek Bike Trail, Springville, Utah

When Spring hits I’ll do almost anything to be outside. This is how I ended up towing 80 pounds of kids and cart behind my bike on a family bike trip last week. I have great memories of biking as a family growing up, and although I rarely do it now as a mom (maybe a few times a year) I still connect biking with happy memories.
Hobble Creek paved bike trail in Springville, Utah is a great family trail. It is paved, fairly flat, and passes some beautiful scenery. Although the leaves weren’t yet out on the trees, it was still a fun afternoon and we had the trail to ourselves.

Little g was dressed to impress with her purple crown and blanket cape (we’ve been going through a Frozen obsession at our house). At five years old I know Big E should have his own bike, but that’s one outdoors purchase I haven’t gotten around to yet. Sorry, I’m not VeloMom, but I know we’ll be looking into that this summer. He had so much fun on the Hobble Creek Bike Trail, we’ll have to get him his own wheels.

Trail Info:
Difficulty: Easy, except for one steep section around mile 3
Length: 4.5 miles each way
Time: 2 hours, including walking breaks
To Get There: Take the 400 South Springville Exit from I-15 and head east toward the mountains. As you climb the hill you reach a 4-way stop, turn Right. The road will curve eastward again and you’ll soon notice the sidewalk on the right is wider than before. This is the start of the trail in the residential area, but there are several other parking places 1/4 to 1/2 mile down the road that are more woodsy.