Painting Peggy's Kitchen

First, we put tape around the stuff we didn't want to get paint on.

Then we scratched off any old stickers and put on a coat of primer. Here is Chalisse covering the orange cupboards with white primer.

Greg is applying primer to the edges of the ceiling. Just don't move the ladder.

Andrea starts to apply the first coat of primer to the door frame.

Chalisse is now painting the cupboards a light yellow. Her favorite color!

Carson and Andrea along with Greg attempt to put the first coat on the door.

I got a little bit carried away with the paint.

Jensen is finishing up the door. Notice the nice brown wall in the background that is painted.

Christmas Lights at Temple Square

It has been at least 12 years since Greg and I have gone down to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. So when we told the the little kids we were going to see the Christmas lights they said, "huh"!

It was beautiful even in the fog. Of course I love fog, but it messes up the pictures a bit.

Spooktacular Halloween!

Labor Day Fun

We had such a great day today. We met up with some friends and spent a couple of hours shooting targets and such in the morning and had a really fun time.

Jensen got to try out my 22, which I named "Oh Henry". He still likes Jared's gun better and shoots open site quite well.

Greg liked shooting every gun up there we had. Of course he did well on the clay pigeon contest as well.

In the afternoon, Teep and Grayce came up and we went dove hunting. Greg shot a dove and it landed in the canal. Cute Lilly got it out and brought it to Teep.

This is our little band of intrepid hunters and their dogs after the dove hunt.

Loving the Outdoors

Greg and I took a break from our hectic everyday life to spend time with our family camping and hiking. We went up to South Fork (around the Monte Cristo area). It was beautiful as you can see from the picture of our camp spot above. Our spot had a nice fire pit and picnic table, a shady place to pitch our tent, and an outhouse close by.
The first thing we did even before setting up camp was a hike along Wheeler Creek Trail. It was an easy 4 mile (out and back) trail with beautiful views of the Ogden River and wild flowers that dotted the pathway.
These are different pictures along the Wheeler Creek trail. The trailhead is actually along the Ogden Marathon course and close to Pineview Reservoir This is the view at the end and it is well worth the short hike. After that we left to go set up for camp and cook our hobo dinners before eating smores and turning in for the night.
The next day we had sausage and pancakes (which Greg cooked on his griddle) before heading to Causey Reservoir. Causey Reservoir is beautiful and we decided to take in a short hike. This Reservoir has many different trails around it that vary in difficulty.
We chose Skin Toe trail which was a 2 mile (out and back) trail. This one was a little more difficult for the little kids and not as well groomed. But the sights were gorgeous. After that the kids were requesting to go back to camp for lunch and have some free time.
Carson and Andrea loved going down to the river. Carson loved throwing rocks and seeing them splash before they disappeared over the waterfall.

Chalisse brought Uno which we played multiple times. I must admit that my kids ganged up on Greg a little so I could win seven games in a row. Gotta love my kids!

By the time Carson woke up from his nap it was time for Greg to get the coals ready for some yummy Dutch oven chicken. However, he told Chalisse and Jensen that they had to start the fire. They had to do this by using whatever Greg had on his hiking belt. Chalisse found the flint and steel and Jensen dug further and found the matches. Carson insisted that we have smores again so that was desert. We then went for a short walk around South Fork before going to bed. Chalisse and I woke up around 2:15 a.m. and looked at the stars in the skies and then we were cold so went back to bed.

The last day we had cinnamon rolls and cereal for breakfast. We rolled up our sleeping bags and packed up our belongings and headed out. However, we decided to take in one more hike.

Andrea requested on seeing more wildflowers. So we hiked Green Pond trail.

This was a 2.5 mile trail one way. It is one I would do again and again. The trail ends at Snowbasin. Andrea loved the wildflowers all along the way.
A little bit off the trail is a another trail which you can go and see Green Pond. I thought since we were hiking on this trail we might as well see the Green Pond. There was a little picnic table at the pond and we stopped and had a few snacks that Greg had in his backpack before heading back.

Spring Break

So I think everybody but our school district had spring break a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday was the last day of spring break for the kids so Greg and I decided to take the kids out to Antelope Island since the weather was going to be perfect. It was a terrific place to go. We went on a 3 mile hike, looked for wildlife, and played on the beach.

Jensen and Chalisse didn't want to leave the water. It was probably the best place to experience the Great Salt Lake.

Greg and I had fun as well on the beach. It was the perfect way to relax after a hike. We really enjoyed being together as a family.

Andrea and Carson decided that the Greg mobile would be the best way to get back to the car. I think they just didn't want to leave the beach.

Carson was so excited to see all the sand. He has never been to a beach before and when he saw all the sand he said, "Look the sand box is everywhere".

Snow, Snow, And More Snow!

Ugh! I'm sick of snow. Mother nature is bound and determined to send more snow this week. If I was a skier, I might find some reason to delight in hearing that we should expect more snow.

The other day, I came home to find that Greg and the kids had built a snow fort. I thought it looked pretty cool! I'm glad they found a way to enjoy the snow.

Old Ephraim's Grave

On Saturday, Greg, Jensen, and I hiked to Old Ephraim's Grave via Old Ephraims Cut off. It is a 12 mile loop that starts south of Camp Lomia on the Right Hand Fork up Logan Canyon. There are many ways to get to Old Ephraims's Grave, but this is the only route that you can view a 120 foot deep sink hole.

Old Ephraim's grave is a Logan classic. Old Ephraim was an infamous grizzly bear with a hearty appetite for sheep, cattle, and big game. He was 9 foot 11 inches tall. The rock on his grave site stands 9'11" to understand the size of him. The 1,100-pound beast was the last griz known to roam Utah. After many years of trying to trap and kill him, Frank Clark who worked for my Grandpa Ward was able to kill him.


This is the sink hole. I tried to get as close as I could without falling in to get a picture, but I could not even see the bottom. I can't wait until our next hike. Greg has it all planned out.

Enjoying the Simple Things in Life

Time goes by so fast that sometimes it is hard to enjoy the simple things in life. Yet some of the most simple things are the most beautiful things. So, Greg and I decided that this summer we would enjoy what was just around the corner and take advantage of this beauty around us.

Over the last few days, we camped and then hiked 20 miles throughout Logan Canyon. We hiked on the Nature Trail, the Riverside Nature Trail, up to the Wind Caves, Crimson Trail, up to the China wall, around Bridger Loop and some trails I have no idea where we even were. But I loved every minute of it. Here are some pictures to enjoy:

We're Going Sledding!

For years growing up, during the Christmas vacation, my brothers and I loved to go sledding down grandma's hill. We would spend hours icing the hill to get it just right for the so called "competition" we would have with the neighbors the following day. After a while, our fingers and toes froze so we would go in for hot chocolate, doughnuts, or sometimes my mom would help us make honey candy.
It was a perfect day today for a sledding, so I decided to take the family sledding down Grandma's hill.

Thanksgiving = Food, Fun, Family

For years during Thanksgiving time I like to reflect back on the blessings throughout the year. I am thankful for my family, for the food we are blessed with, and all the fun times we share together.
This year for Thanksgiving we wrapped up the food, family, and fun into one and went pheasant hunting. Actually I wanted to go with my brothers to share in their excitement and to put in a good couple of miles of walking. Jake made all the arrangements at a private club and for the first time I shot my first pheasant.
Here we are getting ready and loading our pockets with bullets.
Bella was a good dog and even swam out into the river to get the hen that was shot down.
Wow! Cherilee actually hit a pheasant. That deserves a hi-5.
This is the rooster I shot.
Here we are flushing the pheasants out.
This is Teep trying to find the pheasant he just shot down.
And he found it.
Josh is bound and determined to get every last pheasant.
Grayce got a couple of nice pheasants.
Kaleena flushing out the pheasants.
Jensen wasn't to sure about putting the pheasants in the back of his jacket.
Teep and Greg searching for pheasants.
This is our little band of intrepid hunters and our 12 pheasants.