22nd Anniversary

This year Ron planned an amazing anniversary date. We went paddle boarding at sunset on the River. Callie was out of town with a friend and Mason and Noah both had plans. So we took April and Goofy on our date. We planned ahead and asked Mason to pick us up at the bottom of the river so we didn’t have to take two cars and drive separate. It was another magical night on the river. We saw a lot of horses, April and I tested out jump rope on our paddleboard. Ron had planned ahead went to one of our favorite gluten free restaurants and got two GF lava cakes to go for me to enjoy in the river. He was so cute, had the cakes in a cooler all ready to go when I got home from work that day. 😍 It was a wonderful trip and I loved every moment of it. I’m so lucky to wake up every morning next to this man. 

Havasupai

This trip has been a long time coming. For a couple of years now, I've wanted to go with my boys to Havasupai. The reservation process is intense—reservation day opens on February 1st on the Havasupai website. You have to log in right at 8 a.m., and it's crazy busy with everyone trying to secure a spot. The odds are pretty low. But against all odds I got a reservation for the ONE week we could all go (our friends Dallin and Kaurtney Slade and our family). It was a little miracle  

**6/8/24**  
We started our hike at about 6:50 a.m. and reached camp around 11. By mile 7, I started feeling some sore spots on my toes, but like an idiot, I ignored them. When I finally took off my shoes, I found about six blisters, mostly on my right foot. Definitely not fun and not my smartest move. Finding a camping spot was challenging since we arrived on a Saturday. It took about 1.5 hours to settle on a spot that gave us some shade, though it wasn’t as close to the water as we wanted. A really nice older gentleman approached us and offered his spot for the next day. He was so kind and made sure we knew exactly when they were leaving so we could claim it.

After settling, we explored Havasu Falls. It was stunning, and the water was incredible. My favorite moment was swimming behind the giant waterfall with Ron and Noah. Reaching the wall was a challenge—the force of the waterfall pushed you backward, so you had to swim hard. When I finally made it, Noah was waiting for me and said, "Good job!" My mom's heart melted instantly. It was such a fun moment to share with my 15-year-old. I worked hard to get to that wall and was thrilled to share it with my family.

We got some Indian fry bread for the boys, though Ron insisted he didn’t want any. I knew he was lying—he's so sweet and didn’t get any because I can’t have it. I married a good one, but I told him later that he should have some.

Our first night was rough—actually, it was awful. We slept near the canyon wall, which radiated heat all night. It was terrible; I don’t think I slept more than 40 minutes at a time. Ron got up, left the tent, and tried to sleep on the picnic table in multiple positions. Poor guy was just miserable, and we all were. Luckily, Sunday morning, we secured a much nicer spot right by the water, which made a huge difference.

**6/9/24**  
Moving day! We moved campsites across the trail. That same nice older gentleman had told us the day before that they were leaving early, so we reserved the spot by putting our bags down around 3 a.m., thanks to our horrible first night’s sleep we were up and waiting. Once the rest of his party left, we moved our tent over. It was more work, but so worth it. We got a beautiful spot right next to the river. The sound of the water was magical, and we even dragged a picnic table into the water to sit. People walking by admired our spot. The temperature by the river was at least 10 degrees cooler, and the breeze off the water was just amazing. We were so happy we went through the trouble of setting up camp twice.

We decided to hike down to Mooney Falls today. The hike down is incredibly treacherous and dangerous, with old chains, slippery rocks, a small tunnel, and half the climb was wet from the waterfall’s mist. Poor Kaurtney was too terrified to make it all the way down—she got about halfway before the steep cliff got to her and she had to turn around. I’m so proud of her for trying. Ron, the boys, and I explored Mooney Falls while Dallin took Kaurtney back to the top. Mooney Falls is incredible—a massive 200-foot fall with crystal-clear turquoise water. There are large pool areas with plenty of spots to explore. We found a rope swing, and the boys (including Ron) had a blast climbing a tree and jumping off. Mason and Noah were sweet, encouraging me to try it. I used the rope swing, though not from the tree. I love how adventurous my boys are and how they always want me to join in the fun.

Later in the afternoon, we met up with the Slades and hiked to Navajo and 50 Foot Falls. These waterfalls are smaller, and the water area is larger and more spread out. The walk to these falls is a bit long, but we had so much fun swimming behind the smaller falls and playing in the cold water. I love how Ron’s adventurous spirit pushes me out of my comfort zone to play and have fun.

**6/10/24**  
Our last full day in Havasupai.  
In the morning, Ron, the boys, and I hiked back down to Mooney Falls to explore again. We decided not to hike to Beaver Falls since the Slades couldn’t join us. We spent the afternoon at Havasu Falls, our favorite spot. We played in the water and the falls, with my boys scaring me every time they jumped from behind the big waterfall. Mason even swam up to the waterfall, which is pretty insane considering the strength of the current.

**6/11/24**

Hike out. Sad sad day. We started our hike out around 5:25am. It was sunny hot and grueling. We finished around 10:45am. Despite the miserable heat it was a good challenge and I’m glad we survived. Noah was hilarious, he found a huge pick axe along the trail, picked it up and asked “Dad! Can I keep this?!” Sadly we did NOT let him keep it. This trip was amazing and so fun to adventure with all my boys. So glad and grateful we got to do this. 

April is 9

 April is 9! Words I use to describe her:

An angel, sweet, snuggly, kind, loving, caring, gentle, all smiles, a sensitive soul, tidy, dancing queen, and organized. 

She’s been into reading a lot lately and got her own bookcase for her bedroom and she’s in heaven.  She can talk to just about anyone into playing the game Pretty Pretty Princess including her brothers and her Dad.  

She loves organizing things. She wanted me to buy her small toys just so she could organize them and not to play with them. 

Her only flaw is her picky eating.  We are still working on expanding her palate. Currently she enjoys: Hamburgers (patty form only), scrambled eggs, pancakes, French toast, cereal, frozen blue berries (only frozen), apples, Oreos, ice cream, gf granola bars, green beans and broccoli. 

This little peanut completes our family and I’m so grateful for her. She has magical hugs and makes me feel like a million bucks. Everyone needs an April in their life. 

April Arts and Letters Night

Last week we got to celebrate this girl and her creative mind. She works so hard and I’m just so proud of her. 

Last week April’s elementary school had a program called Arts and Letters. This is an evening to celebrate students who submit work to be judged and awarded. You can voluntarily submit art work, an original poem, a short story, and/or audition before a panel of judges to compete in the poetry recitation. April being the overachiever that she is worked really hard and submitted items for all 4 categories. She spent a lot of time creating rough drafts, editing, painting, and memorizing the longest poem ever. Haha She won medals in 3 of the 4 categories. I love her zest for life and her sweet confidence. (She was sooooooooooo nervous to have to say her poem in front of such a large crowd of people. But of course she did amazing.)

April was awarded:

1st Place for Creative Writing (Short Story)

1st Place for Poetry Recitation

2nd Place for Original Poem