My first fourteener!

Grays Peak (14,272 ft)   
(Yes, I took this picture... my family doesn't believe me...I took the beach sunrise pic with the bird too... I'm proud...)

I've had a goal since we got back to Colorado to climb a "fourteener" (a mountain over 14,000 ft high) before I turned fifty. Monday I reached that goal and it was AWESOME!
(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grays_Peak)



Brrr! It was cold, windy and slow-going!

Danny and I attempted to climb Grays Peak last Thursday and were turned back halfway up the mountain by high winds in a snowstorm. We were bummed, but the 3 1/2 hours that we hiked still made for a perfect day, and we were determined to make it back next season to try again.


Snow is hiding the view of Grays here. When you look at the next pic of Mike and Annie, you'll see how visible Grays is without blizzard condtions blocking the view!





Mike and Annie (No snow blocking the view this time!)



Well, my brother Mike suggested that we try again Monday since the weather was supposed to be good, but Danny couldn't go. So Mike and his faithful dog Annie and I left early yesterday for another attempt at getting to the top.

View from trailhead. Gray's is the light blue mountain way in the distance. Seemed so far away...

  We were blessed with the most beautiful day we could have imagined-- I wish Danny could have been with us!

Unfortunately, Mike started having some serious breathing problems close to the same spot where Danny and I had to turn around last week, so he and Annie rested while I climbed to the summit of Grays.


Although I worried about leaving him behind, I have to say it was the most exhilarating experience to make it to the top! And the view?!  Well, these pics don't begin to show what it was like. I wish my camera could have captured what my senses experienced... I'm hooked!  I want to do this again and again... with Danny next time. :-)

See Breckenridge's ski slopes in the distance (to the left)? What a view!

The sign says "Grays Peak 14,272 ft". Three guys we met on the trail loaned their sign to me once we made it to the summit. 

:Looking south at Pikes Peak in the distance

stupid game...

Danny and I play Phase Ten often because we love to spend time together and because playing cards is cheap entertainment. We've come to appreciate cheap entertainment these days!

But... sometimes I don't LIKE playing Phase Ten with Danny because HE CHEATS! (see pic...low score wins in Phase Ten) 

Stupid game...

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged...

The other day I was thinking of everything EXCEPT for the stop sign in front of the supermarket and I failed to stop. Not only that, but there was a PERSON crossing and I didn't see him either.  I stopped immediately to apologize. He exploded, calling me an idiot and blaming me for the reason we have to have stop signs in front of supermarkets in the first place. I lamely told him I was so sorry, adding that I usually do stop and that this was not my habit.  He yelled more about how I shouldn't be allowed to drive, etc. Then he stomped away, still yelling.  That incident affected the mood of my whole day, but I think I learned something important from it.  We all sometimes fall into the role of that guy. We may judge others on one incident--without knowing anything else about them and without realizing that our judgment just might affect their day in a negative, maybe hurtful way. I found myself on the receiving end of an inaccurate and hurtful judgment in an event that only lasted a few moments. It made me think.  Thank God for the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, so that when we do make mistakes (and we make plenty), we can learn from them and refrain from judging others too quickly.

A friend once told me that marriages will thrive when we include the Lord in a sacred "marriage triangle".  You know-- with the Savior at the top point and both spouses at the other two points.  When we look straight at our spouse (or at ANY other person, for that matter), we sometimes don't see clearly.  Maybe our beam is in the way (see Matthew 7:3)? 

But when we look at our spouse through the Savior's eyes (making an angle in our triangle), we are better equipped to see him/her as our Savior sees him/her. And marriage works much, much better with the pure love of Christ as our foundation.  Any relationship works better that way... even an insignificant one involving a stupid, distracted woman who made a mistake by missing a stop sign.

Luke 6:37:  "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven"

May God hold you in the palm of His hand...

The other day while watching the Notre Dame-Michigan game, a ND commercial came on inviting folks to visit the campus. The commercial used my favorite Irish blessing and some beautiful Irish music to draw in the viewer (it worked), and it amazed me how good it felt to hear the words of that familiar blessing combined with the comforting beauty of the music.


You know that Danny and I have been experiencing a great deal of stress since AF retirement and since the job in Omaha in June never happened and other potential jobs are still in the 'wait and see' stage. It's difficult to not know yet where we'll be in a week or month or year. We feel very unsettled in our lives as our earthly belongings remain in a storage unit for much longer than we had expected.

My parents have been wonderful as they've graciously shared their home with us, and we love them and appreciate the rare time we've had with them after living far away for so many years.  But despite their kindness, we ache to get back to our own lives in a home of our own.  We haven't felt a sense of permanence or ownership for so long, and while we have no doubt that the Lord's hand is in this trial and that everything truly will be all right, the unease has still accompanied us in every waking moment and, too often, throughout the night.

Having shared that, let me get back to what happened with the Irish blessing I mentioned. The moment I heard the blessing and the music, I felt like a weight was being lifted from my shoulders.  The music soothed my spirit and the words embedded themselves within me, and they're still there comforting me three days later. Haven't left for a moment.  I feel calm and at peace, like I do every time we are in the temple, and I know for certain that the Lord is here with us in our trials. I know Danny wasn't meant to get the job we expected to get back in June, even though we wanted it so badly.  I also know that if we get what we think we want in every situation, maybe we'd miss out on the blessings of true gratitude.

One more thing since my post is focused on my favorite Irish blessing:  As it's gone through my head over and over again this weekend, I've found my thoughts always resting on YOU.  Each of you mean the world to me.  I fervently ask my Father to bless you with the sentiment found in the words of this traditional blessing.  So without further ado, this one's to you... from me... with love:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
                             (Traditional Gaelic blessing)

I love my family!

There are at least a thousand pictures I'd like to post today as I think about how much I love my family, but Sarah Traut (soon to be Sarah Claeys!) is being honored at a bridal shower in half an hour, so this has to be quick and I'll slowly put all thousand pics on here. :-)  I love this family picture, taken on Jessie and Zack's deck at their house in Utah. It's old now, but still captures the spirit of one of many wonderful days with our kids and their sweethearts and kids.  As you can see by the date on the picture, this is over two years old, so Abby and Ethan have grown up a bit since then, and Stratton has joined the Edwards family. I love these people!!!

My first post... I'm nervous about this!

Well, here I am finally.  And if I write anything here TODAY, that means I'm committed and will have to continue writing on days AFTER today!  Am I able to commit to something so serious?  Jessie, Jamie, Brian, Stevie, Lori and anyone I've left out (accidentally) have inspired me to start writing because THEIR efforts on THEIR blogs have inspired me in every way. This is an excellent way to record bits of each of us so our loved ones will be able to know us and realize that we are all in this life to raise and lift and support and teach and learn from each other.  So here I go.  For tonight, I will just say that I am blessed beyond measure because of the very special people in my life-- every member of my family and every friend who's touched my life forever.  Thank you all for making my life so worth living!