Decisions, Decisions

Grrr.... my sister sent me an email that Cathay Pacific is having a sale of 55% off flights to Japan. It would be $1000.00 from Salt Lake. Tickets have to be purchased by July 31 and flights have to be before May 31, 2017. Foreign flights for $1000 or less is a great price and Cathay Pacific is an airline that I really like. Very comfortable for long flights.


I have the money, that's not a problem...but I was kind of planning on staying home next year. I've been thinking about a new car, and I've been thinking about painting walls and replacing the carpet in my home and a myriad of other things that cost money or would need a little time off from work. LOL - what's a girl to do?


What if this is my chance to see Japan? We have friends living in Tokyo right now and they won't be there forever. I told her we better seriously consider this. People tell me a lot that they wish they could travel like I do. Someday is a word I hear all the time. It's a terrible word. Sometimes you have to say TODAY. Or at least before the end of the month. :)


A trip to the library for some Japan travel guides is going to happen really soon.

Happy 4th of July!

It's been a great holiday weekend.

It started on Friday when my sister and I took my two nieces on a little overnight backpack trip. I let her talk me into it (she didn't have to talk very hard) because I thought it would be fun to get out and I have all that backpacking gear now that I should use once in a while.

We were going to go to the Uintah's and do a small trail there but the forecast was calling for rain so the day before we left, Amy decided that we'd go up Logan Canyon and hike the Temple Fork Sawmill trail. She said it was 2.5 miles although the sign says 3.2. I think she clocked 3 on her phone.



The trail starts out with a lot of sagebrush and small trees. It was hot and dusty but then you get into the canyon and there are pine trees and wildflowers and all kinds of grass and vegetation. Beautiful.

 

It was the perfect trail for the kids. Ha ha... and myself. Not too steep and 3 miles was just right. The girls had to carry their sleeping bag, clothes, and water while Amy and I carried the rest. It was their first backpack trip and Amy wanted it to be fun for them so they would want to do it again. They had a great time and already want to go again next year and maybe take more people.

The dog had a great time. Funny story... we were sitting around the fire and it was getting dark but you could still see and Charlie barked and then some animal made a noise. We all looked at each other and started wondering what it could be. We knew bears wouldn't be an issue, even though Amy did take her bear spray. The noise came again and it was hard to make out and we were trying not to freak out. Then it got closer and we could hear it again and this time it was a definite moo. Yeah, we had seen cows on the way up. They graze up there. They were on the side of mountain on the other side of the stream, slowing making their way up and over the side. Ha ha, what a relief to have that mystery noise solved.

The sawmill was built when the LDS settlers were cutting down trees to build the Logan Temple. A few rusted out tools of some kind and the stone monument with a plaque are all that remains.

In a clearing not far from the sawmill remains, we found a spot that has been used for camping, complete with a fire ring. There were 2 other groups of hikers that evening and then we passed 3 or 4 groups coming up as we headed out.

Sitting in the mountains by a campfire is truly one of my favorite things to do. There isn't a lot that is more relaxing than that. Even if I am sitting on a hard log.

We need to go back up that trail sometime. We had left the spare clothes and flip flops in the car and there were so many places we could have gotten in the water if only we knew and had some spare clothes and shoes with us.

After we got back to the car on Saturday morning, we continued up the canyon to Bear Lake and had lunch, complete with famous raspberry shakes. :) Naturally, I didn't sleep very well Friday night so by the time I got home and showered I didn't do much and was in bed by 8:30 and slept like I was dead.

On Sunday, the family had a picnic at the botanical garden on the Ogden river parkway. And since there is a river there, we were in it. The kids were soaked but it was hot and it felt so good to be in the cold water.

And today I've been doing little things around the house like getting the hiking stuff picked up and put away and then reading and enjoying the sunshine.

Summer Nights

Saturday night I took my sister up to Brigham to pick up her car then I took the highway home. I don’t drive it as much anymore since my parents don’t live up that way. It was dusk. There was the ending of a beautiful sunset and I rolled my windows down and turned up the radio. It was a great drive home. It smelled like summer: grass, trees, sprinklers, even the herd of elk on the highway.  I usually list summer as my least favorite season because I don’t like the really hot days and everything dries up, but summer nights like that one are actually pretty glorious.

Family Vacation

I spent last week with my family in Oregon. After my parents got back from their trip there last fall, my dad started thinking about a family vacation there. My parents told us they would rent the house and pay for the food if all of us could pay our way up there. 

I have to say I was ridiculously excited for a family vacation in Oregon, even while I wondered at being with them for 7 days straight.  I decided to fly up and rent a car so I paid the most money, except for my parents. It’s ok though. It works for me. My 2 sisters and brother drove with their families. Even if I had driven, I would have been by myself because with all the kids there were no extra seats.

 

 

I arrived Sunday morning and since I had a few hours to spare before heading to the coast, I went to Powell’s Books. J I escaped with only 4 books so I’m very happy with myself.

We stayed just south of Waldport, and just down the road from the house my parents rented last year. This house was pretty big with 6 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms and right on the beach.

And for the bad news, sickness travels fast in a house with 6 children. A few of us got sick, including me. So I was actually a little bit miserable part of the time, even though I was out and doing things. When I got home Saturday afternoon, I just crashed and then didn’t go to church on Sunday. I needed some rest. I still have a nasty cough and my sinuses aren’t quite back to normal.

In spite of that, I loved being with my family. There wasn’t much fighting and I think all of us had a pretty good time. We played in the water and sand, flew a kite on the beach, went to the Tillamook cheese factory, and saw sea lions on the wharf in Newport. I didn’t get out to walk on the beach every morning like I had planned because I didn’t feel good but I guess I can’t have everything. My room had a balcony and I slept with the door slightly open every night to hear the ocean. It was wonderful.

 

 

 

 

Versailles

What trip to Paris is complete without a trip to Versailles?

We had great weather and got there right after opening so we didn’t have any problems with lines getting in or buying tickets. It’s truly a wonder to see. The only issue we had was that it was 2 days before we came home and we were tired. Really just exhausted from all the walking we had already done.



So by the time we got to Marie Antoinette’s gardens and her little hamlet, we kind of skipped them.  We didn’t go into any of the little side gardens either. Still I got a picture of the Apollo fountain and that’s one I really wanted. The fountains only run certain days, but when they aren’t running the garden is free for visitors. We saw some locals running. How awesome would that be to be able to get your exercise in the gardens at Versailles?

 

 

Oh What a Night!

We've been having a wind storm. I don't think I slept much at all last night. I swear I could feel my house moving during the bigs gusts. I went out around 10:30 pm and pulled my garbage cans into my garage so they didn't blow away. I don't know how high the gusts were in Ogden, but they seem to be as high as 90 mph in some areas. Crazy! We have a lot of trees down in my neighborhood but I still have power.

I called my mom and sisters this morning. Amy is in Oregon so I drove up to her house to check on it and it seems to be ok. Her church and my church meetings were canceled. So were my brother's but he lives in Kaysville and it sounds like they got hit pretty hard. They lost power (and their trampoline blew away) and decided to go to my moms for awhile.

My bishop called a ward council this morning and we all showed up and he made assignments. We got a bunch of the sisters called to check on them and make sure they had heat and to let them know there was no church. I've seen a few people out driving around checking up on people. As my bishop said this morning, this is really what church should be about: helping people. It's not just about going to meetings.

Anyway, they say the winds will die down later this afternoon and tonight. I hope so. I'd like a nap but don't know if it's possible to sleep with these gusts. Hopefully, I'll sleep well tonight.

La Cuisine Cooking Class

For sure, one of my favorite things was the cooking class we did. I let Heather pick it since it was her idea but I had a great time. We did the market class which means we met up at a local market and purchased vegetables, meat, cheese, and bread and took it back to the kitchen to cook. 

I will probably never cook anything like it again but it was so fun and delicious.  We had artichokes, leeks, potatoes, duck, cheese and bread. Then for dessert we had crème caramel.

For all that though, I did learn a few things that I can use with my own cooking.

Truly, I only rarely enjoy cooking. Every once in a while I get quite pleased with myself for making something tasty and good for me, but I don’t feel that way a lot.

I had to laugh at the difference between my plate and the one the chef did. The art of making the plate look good is totally lost on me. Bet you can’t guess which is which.

After the cooking class we went shopping! Even though I wasn’t in the market for designer anything, the Galleries Lafayette was a fun place to go. I did buy some souvenirs there.

 

 I also bought a ton of French beauty products from Citypharma.

And soap from another little store in the Marais area. My suitcase was so full going home. I’m amazed what I pulled out of there when I unpacked. Three bottles of perfume! This is definitely the trip that I spent the most money on.