July 2010

Highlights from July 2010

Coco, 22 months old. Still not a lot of hair but sweet as can be.

Hot tub time with daddy

Fun Lake Powell trip with some great friends. Even though it was 110 the whole time we were there we were able to cool off and have a lot of fun. We found an awesome camping spot that gave us a little afternoon shade, a spot for badminton, swimming, and a beach... Perfect! We had fun on the stand ups exploring the canyons too.

Here are a couple pictures of releasing the first batch of turkeys into the wild!

A couple pictures of us at the Kamas rodeo on the 4th of July weekend.

We had a fun 4th of July this year. We woke up early and ran the 5k together as a family in the stoller division. We actually took 2nd place which was a bit of a surprise but awesome! Then we meet up with some of our favorite friends to enjoy Park City's parade on main street and then headed to the Hi-Ute to BBQ and chill. A little fire, good company and a great night.

Coco posing with her 2nd place medal from the 4th of July 5k!

June 2010

Here are some highlights from June 2010.

We had a wet spring but by the time the sun came out everything in Park City was so green and beautiful. Coco and I stopped at the ranch on the way home from the zoo one day to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine.

Coco at the ZOO.. she fit right in with the monkeys : )

Island Park with the Hirschi's

We did another fun stand up paddle down Warm Springs. We had 2 teenage moose come running full speed across a meadow and into the river right in front of us. They were both pretty agressive, splashing and snorting. We weren't sure if we were going to make it past them. Luckily they crossed over to the other side and let us by!

See the moose in the grass ahead of us?? He had just crossed the river... awesome!

Playing at the cabin on Henry's

Welcoming our new baby turkeys to the ranch. We got 200 wild turkeys this summer. We had to incubate them for several weeks and then gradually move them outside. It was really fun watching them grow and change. We released a few batches higher up but we think they may have become coyote and mountain lion gourmet dinner : (. Hopefully we will see a few this spring!

Catch up!!

I have SOOOO much catching up to do on this blog. Summer has cruised by with no time to keep up but I will try and post a few things this week. Here are a few Pics of Coco in the meantime...

Catalina*NewPort*Balboa

In June we headed to California for a little getaway with our friends the Carlsons and Hewletts. First stop was Catalina Island... We rode around the island on our cruisers, ate LOTS of treats, laughed and laughed. The boys and I went diving the next morning. I had never been on a cold water dive and it was COLD but so beautiful! We headed back to the mainland the next day and went to Newport and Balboa for a little shopping. Courtney put together a movie of our little adventure. Good times!

a little getaway...a little work..

Back in April I had a convention in San Fran so Ben and I decided to make it a great excuse to get away for a couple of days. I hadn't been to this part of California in years! We went across the Golden Gate to beautiful Sausalito to stay for a couple of nights and we weren't disappointed. Sausalito is a fun, romantic little town right on the waters edge. It was very romantic and we lucked out with beautiful sunny weather which we heard is hard to come by that time of year! Marin county is really stunning with the lush greenery, redwoods and the bay. It is also the acclaimed birthplace of mountain biking so we needed to pay our dues and go for a ride while we were there. We rented bikes and road from Saualito all the way to the top of Mount Tamalpais, around 2500 vertical feet! It may have been a bit more than we wanted to do but the views around every corner keept us going all the way to the top where we were greeted with stunning views of the ocean, bay, city, bridges, rocky outcrops, dense forests, and the beach! I pictures didn't come close to capturing the view :(

I would love to make this trip one we do every year, we didn't even touch the surface of all the great things to do. We did have a little time for the farmers market, and some shopping in the city too before it was time for the work part of the trip to start... good times!

Beautiful Sausalito

Mount Tamalpais

15 minutes before the TOP

Muir Woods National Monument

Biking through the redwoods and a view of the ocean from 2500 feet!

COMMITMENT

The word commitment often brings out mixed emotions for people. At a time when we are presented with endless options, making a commitment to something or someone can appear to be a challenge.

Often people resist fully committing to an idea because they want to minimise their risks. The only hitch is that, when it comes to life, a partial commitment usually returns only partial results and partial joy.

It is fear that often holds us back from going after our heart’s desire. First there is the fear of people seeing us fail, or at the very least struggle as we stretch ourselves to reach out for something new. We also fear success and the new responsibilities that success always brings.

I like to compare the process of making a commitment to the process of surfing. When you see a wave coming that you want to ride, you launch yourself forward into action preparing to ‘catch’ the wave. This is the same as the first steps you take when you want to achieve a goal or make a vision a reality.

Then comes the point when the wave ‘catches’ you! Sweeping you up, it starts to pull you forward with it’s own momentum. It is at this moment the crucial decision has to be made. Do I want to catch this wave or not? It is a decision that relies on gut level instinct.

You can either pull back, and let the wave roll on by, or throw your whole being into it. You know that a half hearted commitment will have you being dumped in the white wash, tossed unceremoniously around like a wet rag.However, if you throw every bit of your being at the wave you can have the chance to experience a wild and joyous ride.

Life is very much like the ocean. There are endless options to choose from, just as there are always new waves. But to experience the sense of triumph and satisfaction that comes from fully realising our dreams, we have to commit to that vision, person or goal; just the same as we need to commit to the wave we want to ride.

Commitment requires not only action, but a sense of purpose that is unwavering even in the face of challenges.