Dog Days of Summer

G and I had a great time recently on Pineview Reservoir with some neighbors, Taylor, Hughes and Jensen families. We headed up the canyon Monday after work for a BBQ and some quality time behind the boat(s). Funny thing is, G and I ride the short bus when it comes to water sports. We generally only get on water toys when our buddy invites us to Lake Powell every other year. Even then, it takes the better part of the week to get my trash out of the water. G does a little better than I.
Who's the hotty on the wake board? It's all about function, nothing to do with form. Nevermind that the life jacket is a small. Look as the real boaters watch in awe of G's skill.

Our buddy Scott actually knows what he's doing. The lake was pretty choppy this evening, but Scott manages to get out and have a good time.
This is Scott and Mindy's son - he'll be on skis as soon as he can walk, I'm sure.
It was all Zan could do to get his little guy Carson on the tube. Apparently Carson used to love riding with his dad, but somebody mentioned once to Carson after he had fallen off the tube that he had almost drowned. Must have left quite a mark because it took a lot of coercion to get him out there, and he was extremely nervous. However the return trip to the boat was with a grin from ear to ear. "It was fun!" he said. I agree.

Demolition Derby

Today began the demolition of our master bathroom. It's down to the bare bones. Be sure to stay tuned for the before and afters. Also wish me luck sharing our little main-hall bathroom with G during the remodel. I assigned him to the 1/2 bath on the other end of the house, but he has managed to move into "my" bathroom. We both require mirror space at the same time every morning, so we'll see how long sharing a little bathroom lasts before one of us gives and moves to the other end of the house for some personal space.

And just in case you're concerned, I am having great difficulty adding pictures to my blog. I've tried on two different occassions to excite you all with pictures from this week's events and Blogger's being dumb. Now I'm frustrated. G said dramatically, "Oh no! What are you going to do if you can't post pictures on your blog?" He's mocking me. As if Blogger troubles weren't bad enough, I'm seconds away from demolishing my keyboard. The Delete button is refusing to delete. Grrr.

Canyon to Canyon

This weekend Kati and I signed up for the Canyon to Canyon 10k race. What might not be totally obvious about Kati is her incredibly competitive spirit. She works hard and she wants to win. Her pace is quite faster than mine, so I really don't try to keep up with her. As the gunshot went off I said, "I'll see you in at the finish line" and off she went. For the better part of the race I could see Kati in front of me (of this I was proud since she is usually several minutes ahead). Because there was a half marathon at the same time as the 10K (we were 10k participants), there was a turn around point for the 10k runners, and the 1/2 marathoners were to continue up the course. I got to the 10k turn-around point and noticed that Kati had run right by without turning around. She was far enough in front of me, not to mention jamming out with her iPod, that it would have been impossible for me to yell for her to turn around. So, I turned around and silently wished her the best. For a split second I thought she had changed her mind and was going to run the 1/2 marathon. What could she have possibly been thinking?

I casually made my way to the finish line and hoped that every footstep I heard behind me was Kate running to win. It never was. I crossed the finish line and Rachel asked me where Kati was. "I don't know. She didn't turn around." Just a few minutes later, here comes Kati, sprinting as fast and furious as she could possibly move her feet. She had realized at some point that she had gone too far and turned around, having run close to a mile out of her way. Even so, she was still only about three minutes behind me. This race course was mostly a rugged, dirt trail with many hill climbs throughout. I was so impressed to see her cross the finish line so fast after enduring a longer distance on a crazy course. It was a good race.

Hemstitch Dreams Coming True

Can you guess what this is? This is no ordinary sewing machine. It's the hemstitch machine that is going to change my life forever. My dear friend Amy J. is letting me "store" her machine and use it while I launch my hemstitch business and YOU, my lucky readers, are the first to know! I will be launching an Etsy shop very soon offering hemstitch blanket and burp cloth kits, blanket and burps with a crocheted edge and quilts made by yours truly and my talented sissy-seamstress-quilter extraordinaire.

Meanwhile, if you need a receiving blanket and/or burp cloth hemstitched, email me at bylowbaby@hotmail.com. For an extra fee, I will add a crocheted edge to complete the perfect gift for the new baby.

**This is a good time to announce the winner of the Baby Bunting Name-Off. The award goes to Rachel for By-Low Baby. Congratulations! The name comes from a Mother Goose nursery rhyme sung by Papa as he rocks the grandchildren to sleep.

By-Low baby bunting

Papa's gone a hunting

A rosy wisp of cloud to win
To wrap his baby Bunting in

Thank you to everyone who commented and emailed your ideas and suggestions! So many great names were submitted!

Stay tuned for more on By-Low Baby!

Cabin Lovin'

This weekend was the best cabin weekend yet. The snow is GONE! The weather is WARM! We were even able to sit out on the porch comfortably at night. As I said in a previous post, we took G's parents to the cabin for the weekend. It was nice to have them there and a very relaxing stay. Can I just live there forever?

Chillin' on the porch with the parentals

While we were there, we took a little field trip to Mesa Falls. The Upper and Lower Mesa Falls are the last major falls in Idaho that have not been used for irrigation or hydroelectric projects. At 110 feet and 85 feet, respectively, they offer equally spectacular views in a beautiful forest setting. At Lower Mesa Falls, the Snake River is squeezed into a gorge that drops 65 feet. The glassy waters froth to mist in an even higher 11-story, 114-foot plunge. Simply awesome!

The splash hits the rocks across from the falls to form this ecosystem for foliage that would not otherwise survive in the area.

These pictures do not do it justice. You'll just have to believe me when I say it was beautiful!

Back at the ranch the fellas set up a game of horse shoes. G would always start out looking like the winner, then G Sr. would come back to win.

G would get a ringer, then G Sr. would too!

What's up with the suspenders? Like father like son.

The best part of the weekend was getting the firepit installed and going into the woods so G could use his chainsaw to cut wood. I was all prepared to have smores, but then fell asleep before we could get to it. It's exhausting doing nothing all day, I'll tell ya.

Happy Birthday, America!

G and I spent Independence Day weekend up at our cabin in Idaho with G's parents. We celebrated our freedom by getting up bright and early to run a 10k race. The course started at about 7,000 ft elevation and followed a forest service dirt trail through the woods for 6.2 miles. This could have been, by far, the most difficult 10k I've ever run. First of all, it took me about 2 miles into the race to figure out how to breath at that altitude without dying. Once I got that figured out the trail turned to sand in several spots, then took us up and down steep terrain. I was so glad to see the finish line. Back at the cabin there was a 4th of July parade put on by the residence on the Island. Being the first time at the cabin over the holiday, I was so excited to get out and watch the parade.

People had constructed their own versions of a float by decorating their boats and ATVs. The little girls were waving like Parade princess' and the little boys were hucking handfuls of candy at the bystanders {that would be me and G}.

Maybe next year I'll put streamers on the spokes of my bike and wave a flag up and down the road.Later that evening a fireworks display was scheduled in the cove at the lodge on the reservoir. They fireworks were supposed to start at 9:45 P.M. At around 9:15 P.M. we could hear fireworks launching very sporadically. I kept thinking they were just giving us the 10 minute warning or something. Around 9:30 P.M. we walked over to the viewing spot. It was pretty cool to see all the boats coming into the cove. It was quite a sight with all the lights.

Here is a video of the awesome firework display. We weren't sure if this was the firework's beginning, or the end. It turns out it was, indeed, the finale. They ended at 9:43 P.M. Remember, they weren't supposed to start until 9:45? And they lasted a whopping 16 seconds. Also note: it was still quite light outside. Not exactly Sugarhouse Park.

Baby Bunting Name-Off

I am about to launch my own Etsy shop to sell my crocheted-edge baby receiving blankets, burp clothes, quilts and hemstitched blanket kits, but I still lack a critical piece of information - a clever name for my shop. Something that is memorable and cute. I have a name in mind which I might stick with afterall, but I'm not sure it fits my own criteria.

Here's where the Baby Bunting Name-Off begins. What should I name my shop? If I use your idea, I will give you a $50 gift card to their store of choice. Leave me your comments or send me an email with your ideas. I can't wait to see the creativity streaming.

Charitable Donations Accepted

A few weeks ago while at my piano lesson I commented to my teacher that every time I sat down to her piano I felt like the keyboard was bigger - as if I was playing my scales in another octave or something. She asked what I played - a 6 foot? 7 foot ? I laughed and said, "No, I have an upright." Her response couldn't have been more beautiful. She said, "Oh honey, at your level you should be practicing on a grand..." and gave me some very specific reasons for doing so. Oh thank you! I couldn't agree more. Since I have been bugging G for some time on the topic, I came home and immediately related the news - it is time to upgrade. My professional and most wise concert pianist teacher told me so. Unfortunately, "Pppsssffff! Are you crazy?" and the biggest eye roll in G history was all I got out of that conversation. Now I'm more obsessed then ever with wanting to upgrade to a grand. I am a hair's breath away from selling my soul to the devil to get it. It probably wouldn't be such a big deal if I weren't such a piano snob. Of course I only want what's best for my musical development. Is there something wrong with that? Apparently G thinks so.

So I've decided I'm going to do something about it. I talked to my teacher this week and told her I want to start putting a repertoire together so I can begin capitalizing on my talent, since this is the only way I was ever going to get what I wanted. She couldn't have been more pleased and ready to help. So, all three of my loyal readers, if you know anyone out there who needs a pianist for a special event, say a wedding, party or any occasion, send them my way. With 25 years at the keys, I guarantee nice music. And tell them it's for a good cause - all proceeds go to the GOLD-E Piano Upgrade Fund.

The Men in My Life

Since it's Father's Day, I thought I would take a moment to pay a small tribute to the men in my life.
I start with G. Even though he's not a dad, he's still # 1 in my book. There's a running joke at our house that husbands are pointless. Even though I feel like I have to follow him around with a broom and dustpan, he's still a pretty good guy. He mows the lawn religiously, he does the laundry every week, he'll take out the garbage can, and never forgets the mail. He knows when it's "appreciation week" at our house and will take extra measures to help out (except he still won't take that dang suitcase downstairs...). He's smart. He's funny. And, believe it or not, G has a little mischievous streak. He definitely keeps my life interesting.

Meet my dad. Probably one of the most calm and collected persons you could ever meet. I've heard people are intimidated by him, even gone so far as to call him "Mafia." That's just because you never know what he's thinking. He's a hard working guy, whether it's getting up before the crack of dawn to schlep across town to his job, running his dream small-town convenience store for a summer (or just dreaming about running a small-town convenience store for a summer), fixing an old junker car in the driveway so one of the kids can drive two blocks to the Sev for a drink, or fixing dinner for the masses-because as much of a pain as we all might be (you pick your reason), he enjoys having us all together and we enjoy being with him.

Meet Randy a.k.a. Randal Clause, my step-dad. Randy and I met close to 20 years ago. I was just a tween and wanted nothing to do with him, but alas, my pre-teen antics didn't keep him away - and for that I am forever grateful. If it weren't for this guy, I probably wouldn't know how to ski (well, I'm still no Olympian, but I can enjoy the sport), would have little appreciation for the outdoors, wouldn't be able to put the Tetons on a map, and could never say I got to ride in "the truck." Whose stories would I have to roll my eyes at? And what would I do if I didn't get to hear about "the cabin" and every piece of furniture or fixture he and my mom are saving because it's perfect for "the cabin?" He has a big heart and a lot of love for all of his kids.

Finally meet Stephen, my father-in-law. Sorry, no picture. I've gone through every digital photo album I own and I do not have a single picture of him. Just imagine G in 30 years and you've got his dad. Stephen could easily be the smartest guy I know. An engineer by profession, his mind works in numbers. One weekend while G and I were visiting, he had programmed a number game, I think he called it "Bolts and Cogs," into his TI-86. He had summons me to play the game when in the background I hear Julie say, "Stephen, maybe she doesn't want to play." His reply, "Well, too bad" and proceeded to teach me the rules of the game. I never did really get it, but I was impressed with his genius nonetheless. From the first time I met Stephen, he's always been so welcoming and loving. That I appreciate more than anything.

Where the Good Things Are...

Monday I had an opportunity to go to the ABC 4 News studio with Tammie, Heidi and Venice to watch a live broadcast of the station's Good Things Utah, with hostesses Nicea, Angie, Reagan and a guest host (don't remember her name) filling in for Marti. It was so interesting to be behind the cameras watching - what a production it is to put on this little show everyday. There are a lot of people involved!

The reason we were invited to the show is thanks to Heidi. One of Heidi's friends from the Wasatch Mountain Club, Carol Macheter, 61 yr. old adventurer who recently returned from a summit of Mt. Everest, was being interviewed on the show.

During her three month adventure on the mountain she would send emails to friends in the Club documenting her experiences and Heidi would forward them to me. Heidi knows that once upon a time I wanted to climb Everest, but when I realized I would have to walk across ladders in crampons over giant crevasses, climb ice walls, struggle breathing, risk losing body parts to frostbite ormore likely die trying, I set that dream aside. And since I don't really climb mountains, I chose to live vicariously through Carol. I felt like I got to know her personally.

Carol started her climb at 8 PM and reached the summit at 6 AM on May 24, 2008. On the way down she was temporarily blinded, likely due to the altitude and the pressure on her eyes. Her eyesight was eventually restored, but it was a brutal return trip back to camp and, thanks to the help of her two sherpas, lived to tell about it.

Carol doesn't know it yet, but she's my new best friend. What an awesome lady. The best part is she came to the studios on her bike, walked in with a giant backpack and wore a 'Hike Moab' t-shirt for her interview. She's hard core, but so down to earth. It was a fun experience and I'm glad I was able to meet a real-live adventurer.