A little home repair

I love the smell of NEW anything.  New carpet, new wood, new plastic... you name it.  The problem with getting to the NEW smell is all the hard work in between.  I'm kinda stuck in the hard work part right now.  It just seems so tedious and takes FOREVER to see much progress.  This is the point I'm at right now.  I've been trying to find motivation to sand down the drywall... to caulk edges of windows and screw in wood in places.  It's not like I'm avoiding it.  I'd love to knock a few of these things off of my to do list in an evening.  If only I didn't have a life.... or a job... or a child that thinks she needs fed.

But... Christmas break is coming, and I should have big plans.  The problem is, I always have big plans.  Not just big plans, but BIG plans.  Usually by the time I head back to school in January, I'm left feeling defeated that so many things on my list were left undone.  

So... I've got a plan.  Its a few weeks early for resolutions, I know.. but its a good one.  My resolution this year is to NOT have plans, little or big.  I'm just going to make a list of things around that eventually need done, with no expectations.  By the time the new year hits... I'll be doing great. Anything checked off of my list at that point will be just an added bonus.  

So... here's to NOT having a plan.

Ready?

Go!

Mt Olympus and Y mountain

Wade's love language is "time spent together", but getting him out of the house to do something is nearly impossible. While Aspen was out of town on Wednesday visiting her grandma, I dragged Wade out for a hike.

Well... Let me restate that.

I drove to the hiking location, and he drug my old body up the mountain. 

Whomever said that if you can run X amount of miles, you surely can hike.... was sorely mistaken.

My friend John suggested a few hikes for us and then asked if I was tough enough to take on Mount Olympus.  Yeah, I wish he wouldn't have said that because my ego had to prove that I COULD do it.  

Dumb ego.

You are so grounded for next hike.

I was dying by mile 1, and was really hurting by mile 2.5.  The last big .25 mile climb to the top, we passed on because we were dead tired, and it looked very intimidating (and we were basically out of water) and because I am old and wussy.

The trip down should have been much easier than going up, but considering I wore my barefoot shoes, it was NOT GOOD.  Going up, my foot hit the ground on my pads of my feet, using mostly toes to climb.  Going down, my toes were pushed into the front sections of my toe shoes because of the incline, and rocks would hit my heels and arch of my foot.  I counted 8 blisters when I got home.  My heels still feel bruised 10 days later.  I haven't put on my toe shoes since I have been home, but plan on running in them tomorrow.

 As a solution to our little water problem, we found a spring coming out of the side of the mountain on our way back down.  I could hear grandpa Frank cautioning us as the the many ill effects we would suffer from drinking it, but figured water coming directly from the mountain had to be just about as filtered as you could get.  So far, there have been no side effects.  So there Grandpa!!

Last week, in order to make myself feel less wussy, I planned an easier hike for the both of us.  Aspen went to visit Emily (sitter), and Wade and I hiked to Y mountain.  Yeah, yeah... I know... Y mountain is a BYU thing.  The view was worth all the crap I had to take for it from my fellow Utah/USU fans.  The morning was cool, the path was wide but steep, and it wasn't very long.  I think Wade has caught my vision (finally) with this whole hiking thing.  I have only been bugging him to go hiking with me now for 4 years.  We are hoping to get in the big Mount Timpanogas climb before summer ends.  It will be an all day event, with a round trip total of 15 miles.

I won't be wearing my barefoot shoes.

summer bucket list in FULL swing

We wasted no time in getting into our summer check off list.  With a little help from Utah Connect Pass, we had entry into several places to pick from.  In one day we hit Discovery Gateway, Clark Planetarium (and 2 movies there), Gateway water fountains, and lunch at Lion House.  Aspen had her first "warm sidewalk" experience at Gateway.  She was cold and when I showed her to lie on the warm ground... that's where she stayed... until we left.

Thanksgiving Point's Museum of Ancient Life (dinosaur museum) was also checked off.  Brenden and Wade even got their hands wet and played in the erosion pool.  Aspen's favorite parts are the big shark, the water part, and the sand area at the end which she calls "the dig".  This is a favorite place of hers, and one we drive by on our way home often (which means she INSISTS that we take her there).

Yesterday we hit Hogle Zoo.  This is another of Aspen's favorite.  She had to hold on to the zoo map when she got home for a nap, and for the rest of the evening. 

Still on our Utah Pass is Tracy Aviary, Olympic Park, Museum of Natural History/Fine Arts, Red Butte Garden, Snowbird & This is the Place park.

Today I was able to hang out with Brenden for the afternoon.  We went to a movie, got lunch, and just had some nice chill/visit time.  Going out on individual "dates" with each of the boys is DEFINITELY on my list of things to do for each of the times they are here this summer.