Things I am Thankful For

Who says that rockclimbing isn't a dangerous sport? Well with them I'd beg to differ. Two of my best friends could have happened upon trouble this afternoon. You see Seannie was on a climb, and slipped. Jessie was belaying but wasn't quite expecting his fall, so Sean started to basically free fall. She wasn't wearing gloves, but instinctively she grabbed the rope. She slowed him down as much as she could, and she saved his live.



After falling 75 feet and landing flat on his back, all Sean got was this scratch. He didn't even get the wind knocked out of him. You think the Lord doesn't care for His children? Right.



Jessie, on the other hand wasn't so lucky to get away with just a scratch. On both hands she received second degree burns. I got to the hopspital after they had begun to bandage her right because it had the worst damage done.



But they knew it was love, it one they could understand.
(She) was showing (her) love, and that's how (she) hurt (her) hands.
"The Hand Song" by Nickel Creek

The Krumbly Road of Kibble

Preston was feeling a little left out of the loop and decided to reak havoc!

Congratulations Yuki and Josiah!

Congratulations Yuki! Josey finally got home, and you both made it through deployment! I have the faith that you can do anything now! Two of the Brinker Bandit roommies have bit the dust, five to go! Who's next? I'm betting on Cresent!

Welcome Home Natali`!

May I welcome you home from the great Washington DC Visitors Center Mission!

How we did it

So, after booking our flights at 2:00 AM two days before our adventure began, Desi and I got set up with the hookups. Rental car, hotel, and all the rest. We didn't get much sleep, which was good because we were just gearing ourselves up for the trip. Being sleep deprived in the first place, Desi drove the four and a half hours in the dark (she's partially night blind) from Boise to Ogden. She got in about one AM, and we probably went to bed around three. We awoke around seven to prepare for the flight at 10:15. First we had to pick up my mother in Sandy so she could drop us off and take my car so I wouldn't have to park at the airport. With a smooth check-in, happiness prevails and we made our first plane to Chicago.



I must say that Chicago Airport has some cool underground tunnel walkways. And I have a pretty cool camera. With our powers combined, awesome pictures are created by taking a picture of one person, and then switching places. That is right, Desi took the picture of me, then I took the picture of her, and it ended up as one picture. Pretty cool huh?



Desiree and I then continued the trip in style . . . We left SLC Friday morning on a normal sized plane, and then we got on this thing as we left Chicago. It's a rare case when you get to walk up the runway to get on the plane! Such a funny moment, it had to be documented. Funny to us at least, as we were already sleep deprived, and it only got worse!!

THE jeep

We arrived in Rochester early around 6:30, and rented this fine peice of machinery. A Jeep Liberty . . . as cool as it looks, and as fun as it was to drive, I personally would never buy one. The cockpit wasn't as functional as I require. Any vehicle without a dashboard just doesn't work for me. Oh, and the gas mileage is not something I would want to ahve to deal with for more than a weekend. Excellent stereo system though, so that is what mattered.



Later on that night, Alex provided me with one of my favorite pictures of the whole weekend. You can't beat a fine slice of Manly goodness cramped into the back of an SUV.

Erie Canal

My Mother asked me to take a picture of the Erie Canal. When she went to Palmyra in 2002 she didn't realize that the Erie Canal was about a block north of Main Street. Then she saw the movie The Work and the Glory. So she called me up, and asked for the picture. Hope this works Mom!

THE GROVE

My Favorite Trees

The Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York is definitely one of my favorite places on earth. Since I moved from Northern New York two years ago, each time I've stepped out of there I've thought it would be my last.



Now I've been back about four or five times, and I'm sure this won't be the last.



Two and a half hours later, I drug my feet out of the grove and wondered when the next time would be.

The Kids of Toronto!

Marvin and I also share an undying love for Guatemala. I'll never forget learning to Salsa dance and reading the scriptorials on the Hill Cumorah at 2:00 AM!



Tina and I were brought together by Marvin because I needed a place to stay in Toronto during my first visit there. A few hours later though we realized that we had a previous connection as well. My cousin Kevin, baptized Tina and her family in the Philippines years earlier! We were definitely meant to be friends.

The Kids of New York!

The Beautimus Stacie. She is the one that inspired me to continually cut my hair shorter and shorter. Thanks for the great advice!



Here we have Jackson, with whom I share an undying love for Guatemala! Nothing quite like those textiles, eh? Chacho na!



Patrick and I are fantastic partners on the dance floor. Even though it's been a year, we still remember how to shake our groove thang!



Alex, don't even think that your cocked eyebrow and magic "wiggly" fingers can overtake my mind power! It's a wall! That's right, a wall!

Once Again With The Whole Gang

Here we've got Desiree, Alex, Stacie, Patrick, Christian, Jackson, and myself.



Whose shoes are whose really? I think Desi and Alex got a little confused Saturday night in the parking lot.

Gang in da Grove

Remember how a moment ago I was wondering when I would once again enter the Grove? Well, it only took a couple of hours. And I'm glad I did, because I love this picture with the pink in the sky.



Now, this location in the Grove is my favorite place to take pictures. Here I am with Desi, Alex, Stacie, Christian, and Jackson. The reason I love it so much is the winding path in the backround. Kinda like where I'll end up . . . it's a destination unknown, and the pathway to get there is long and winding.



Here is Jackson with the Palmyra Temple peeking out of the trees. Attractive shot eh? Oh, of the bench I mean . . . yeah, the bench. ;)

Saturdays Sunset

Ohhh, the sunsets on Upstate New York. How I miss them. I can't take credit for capturing this one though. I'd like to THANK Christian again and again for taking this one.

The last we saw of . . .

Here is the last picture we had as a big group. We were still missing a few peeps, but moments after this was taken, Tina got stolen away by Nathan and Patrick homeward-bound for Toronto. On the front row are the ravishingly beautiful ladies: Mary, Stacie, Tina, Desiee, and myself. Then in the back we have the devilishly handsome chaps: Jackson, Alex, and Patrick.



Who can resist those hand held, self-taken pictures anyway? Not Alex, Desi, or me!



Now that is a great compliation of people. The Beauty in the middle and the Beast's as the bread of the sandwich. Nah, just kidding guys, you two are the best!



And yet another favorite picture of the trip, it's just so frame worthy!

Patrick's Backyard

This is definately something that I miss about living in New York. This is Patrick's backyard. BACKYARD!! Who has a huge, lush, thriving river in their backyard really! Definately not a reality in the west. It's like a resort!

Desiree's Chillins

If you go back in time three years, the reason why Desi and I were in New York in the first place was because of our jobs. We were nanny's in the greater Watertown, NY area. Here is Desi with her nanny kids: Heather, Mikey, and Chris at the top.

For the Love of Tin Pan Galley

As part of Desiree's and my planning our trip to New York, we specifically scheduled time to eat at to the most fantastic restaurant in Northern New York. We went as far as taking an afternoon flight home, which meant getting back to Utah tired and exhausted. All for the love of Tin Pan Galley.



Desi and Alex anticipate the eating of the food! "Take the darn picture so we can chow!" But oh!! Was the wait worth it!!



The famous Stuffed French Toast. We got the half order to split between us all, because of the divinity of it. Two peices of french toast filled with creamy cheeses and stawberries, then topped with honey butter and powdered sugar. It is heaven on a plate. This alone puts IHOP to shame.



I ordered the Pina Colada French Toast. Who can pass up pineapple bread that is french toasted, drizzled with a toasted coconut syrup, sprinkled with macadamia nuts and coconut, and dusted with powdered sugar. Not I!!



Desi got Huevos Racheros. Sauteed peppers, onions, mushrooms, and black beans, on a crisp home made tortilla covered with scrambled eggs and cheese. With home fries on the side. Talk about southern flare!



Jen enjoyed the peach and blackberry fritters. Fresh peach and blackberries folded into batter and skillet fried. Dalloped with fat free yogurt and berry syrup.



Oh, to be able to experience that first bite once again!



After the sweetness that Jen and I ate, we did a switcher-oo with Desi and had some spicy goodness. Ummmm!! I tell you, the late arrival back in SLC was worth breakfast in Sackets Harbor!

Woolsey Avenue!

This was my home for about nine months. Here I resided with my Divine angels, Laurie, Kyle, and Connor. Who knows, I may be residing with them again soon enough, just not in Sackets. *sigh*

The Serenity of Sackets Harbor

Something that I loved about Sackets Harbor is that I lived about four blocks away from Lake Ontario. That and it has deep history. The wall that Jen, Desi, and I are standing on is at the Sackets Harbor battlefield. You see, Sackets Harbor became headquarters for the U.S. Army and Navy on the northern frontier during the War of 1812. A reason that Sackets was such a key player in the war was that the harbor was one of the few ports on the lake that could receive large war ships, because of the unusual depth. Apparently there a quite a few sunken ships in the harbor and throughout Lake Ontario. Now theres a history lesson for ya, eh! Also, Sackets Harbor is the home to The New York State Seaway Trail which is a 454 mile scenic route paralleling Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River



Now this picture speaks for it'self. Definately another favorite. Between Jen's flabbergasted face, the sailboat, and Desi's grace. This will be framed as well.

Watertown

Oh, the memories that a simple sign can bring. This is one is where I would usually have to slam on my breaks, because I'd been speeding down the road into town.



The Watertown Ward adopted a highway! I think that is awesome! The great thing about it is that its through a part of one of my favorite drives coming into Watertown. There is this little basin waterway area where lots of ducks and geese live. Quite often there would be animals crossing the road that I'd have to slow for. I also remember experiencing one of my favorite sunrises while driving through that basin. Awww, good times.

Clouds in Sky

I am regularly fascinated by nature. On our way back to Rochester to the airport, I took a lot a pictures of the clouds. It's amazing how they are so puffy and majestic and all lined up across the sky. Not to mention the forest that I-81 is cut out of. Can we say green? Yes, green.

Connection to Altanta

Here is the second small plane we had the pleasure of flying in on the trip. It was a nice short flight from Rochester, NY to Atlanta, GA for us, as we fell asleep as soon as we sat down on the plane. We don't even remember it taking off. We woke up about 20 minutes out of Atlanta. How funny! Then we got to walk down the stairs to get off the plane! That was way better than the ramp we used in Chicago!

Think of the day we had, breakfast in New York, lunch in Georgia, and dinner in Utah. Desi covered four states in one day, because she still had to drive home to Idaho that night!

Wondorous Beauty

And then there is the subject of clouds from above. You don't experience them this smooth
from below, that is for sure.



This is one of the many mountians ranges in the Ogden area. See the pointy snow capped one on the right? I live about two blocks below it. It's awesome to be able to look out my bedroom window and watch the sunrise over it. I'm glad I got this shot, priceless, you might say.

It Must End Somewhere . . .

What is that coming out of your ear Desiree? Oh, its just the headphones to my iPod. *whew*



After much sleep deprivation and a LOT of fun, here we are on the last leg of the trip. As soon as we got back onto ground in SLC around 9:oo PM, we drove up to my place in Ogden, and then Desi started her four and a half hour drive back up to Idaho around 10:30 PM. Remember that she is night blind, and she then had to work at 7:00 AM the next morning. What ended up happening is she stopped a couple of times to sleep for about 2 hours total, got into Boise around 5:30, got ready for the day and went to work. The Lord was definately her friend that night!