Murphy Trail

Our week was busy but uneventful; Dani is on the river almost every day during June, and when I'm not at the office I pick up as many EMT shifts as I can. Several times a week we are called on transfers. Moab Regional Hospital sends a lot of their patients to surrounding hospitals for different reasons. I say surrounding, but the other hospitals aren't very close - the nearest transfer is St. Mary's in Grand Junction at an hour and 45 minutes, and the farthest transfer we do is to SLC, 4 hours one way.

I don't hate transfers, it's just exasperating when I'm riding in the back of the ambulance with my stable (read: not exciting) patient towards one of these hospitals, and we hear on our radio the backcountry call that just went out to the back-up crew. I have to remind myself that quality patient care is most important, and try not to grumble about the fun the other EMTs are having.

With only two weeks left before Dad's rim-to-rim trek, we needed to put some miles in. A friend of ours suggested doing a trail in Island in the Sky (Canyonlands NP) that would give us a challenging distance and elevation. On Saturday morning we began the Murphy Trail, descending to the white rim. We followed the cliffside, exploring some of the neat rock formations. After we completed our loop, our total mileage was 12.4mi and 1,400 ft elevation gain/loss.

MORE hiking?

After a week of recovery from our big hike, I hit the trail again with my dad, who is training for his rim-to-rim trek at the end of June. We hiked from Hidden Valley to the Moab Rim, and after scrambling around off trail it ended up being about 8.5 miles and almost 1000 ft elevation gain and loss. At the end of the Hidden Valley trail we visited some neat petroglyphs that I've never noticed before. There were a lot of desert critters, including a couple of bull snakes. It was a lot of fun to spend the time with my dad, and I'm looking forward to helping him train more.

My dad and I have very similar hiking styles. If we see something that looks cool, we'll go explore it... even if it takes us off the trail for hours, scrambling up rocks on the edge of a cliff, while jumping through pokey bushes. Unfortunately, we've both burned bridges with the rest of our family (who--for some reason--don't appreciate these kinds of adventures), but we sure enjoy exploring together!

That evening after Dani got off the river we went over to the Moab Arts Fest and bumped into one of our old buddies, Jason, who was selling some of his ceramics. We invited him and his new wife to float the river with us on Memorial Day before they left town. One of my other friends, Sheena, was in town for the weekend with her husband, so we invited them too.

On Monday, Dani and I grabbed a few inflatable kayaks from the Hazlett's and met up with our friends and their spouses to raft down the daily section of the Colorado. There was no whitewater carnage, but we had a good time!

Our buddies Kat, Jason, Tyler, and Sheena

Solitude in Arches

Our highlight of the week was backpacking in Arches Nat'l Park. On Friday Dani swung by the visitor's center to pick up a backcountry permit and when I came home from work that evening, mom kindly shuttled us to the trail head for Courthouse Wash. After a short hike we found a beautiful sandy campsite in the narrow canyon walls, overshadowed by the cottonwood trees. There was a slight chance of precipitation, but we didn't even need our rainfly over our tent. Even though I grew up in the desert, I still appreciate the beauty of the red rock, sand, and distinct arid smells.

Dani prepared some delicious overnight oats (pre-mixed containers of oats, craisins, walnuts and brown sugar you just add water to the night before) for breakfast which we enjoyed before we began hiking again. It would be pretty hard to get lost - you just follow the stream in the deep canyon. We found pools, waterfalls, and even a wild turkey. Considering it was a weekend in one of the most popular National Parks in the state, we were pretty lucky to have the canyon all to ourselves! We didn't see another soul the whole trip, disguising the fact that we were less than three miles from the road in either direction.

Sometimes our carefully-placed camera on self-timer falls over. And we pose anyways.

I was officially hired on as a volunteer EMT for the Grand County EMS department this week! I will continue to train until I feel comfortable running with only one other medic. Early this morning we were called to a unconscious vomiting patient in a campground. After a quick assessment and treatment we took him to the hospital. As my first "real" call where I got to actually transport a patient with a medical emergency, I was pretty excited to administer care in the prehospital setting. It's going to be hard to go nursing school this fall when this is so much fun!

Big Decisions with Some Twists of Fun

This week started out rough as I came down with something and spent a few days sick in bed. Secretly I think Chris didn't mind because he got to practice his new medical skills with ONDAMED (a really cool biofeedback machine that uses pulsed electromagnetic fields to help the body heal itself) AND an injection (you can tell I really trust him).

Chris did have a great opportunity to go to the hospital on Tuesday to check out the workplace of a nurse anesthetist we know from our ward and ask some questions about the profession. Chris is planning on watching him in the OR this summer to get a better idea of what it will be like.

We went to the Monticello temple on Wednesday night, as our hearts and minds were occupied in trying to decide which school had the best nursing program for Chris. My stud of a husband was accepted into every program he applied to! We had it narrowed down to Utah State Eastern in Price and Weber State University in Layton (the Davis campus). USU Eastern appealed to us because the tuition is the lowest in all of Utah and it's close to Moab, but Weber has a very well-known nursing program - one of the the best in Utah. Ultimately we felt right about going to Weber, and are excited for Chris to go to a university where he will have more experiences in larger, busier hospitals during his clinicals and a larger network of alumni to get to know. Now all we need to do is find me a job in Layton starting in the fall, so if anyone has connections let us know!

Luckily Matthew and Olivia helped to spice up the second half of our week by inviting us to their theater performances at the Moab Broadway Review. Those two have been practicing hard with other kids and their performances were fantastic. We really enjoyed watching not just them but so many of our friends and ward members who also performed.

Matthew in "Food, Glorious Food" (Oliver Twist) and Olivia in "I Can't Wait to Be King" (The Lion King)

On Saturday I did an up-and-down trip to Provo for a fantastic girls day with my favorite year of roommates - Laura, Jessica, Candace, and Michelle. Jessica is getting married this summer, and both Candace and Michelle are expecting their first kids. So we threw a bridal shower for Jess, which transitioned into a combined mini baby shower for Candace and Michelle! It was so good for the five of us to have time to spend together (a rare occasion the last few years). With Laura moving to Florida for the summer this week and then Candace moving to Alabama for her husband's schooling in the fall who knows when the next time will be that we can all get together. I'm so grateful that our year of random roommates brought us all lifelong best friends.

As much as Chris would have loved the hours on hours of girl talk, he stayed down in Moab and hung out with some buddies who were in town for the weekend. Todd (a college roommate) and his wife Jame came down with a former mission companion of Todd's and the four of them had quite the day of adventures! They mountain biked the Klondike Bluff Trails, tromped to Delicate Arch, and then repelled from Corona Arch. Though my day was equally fabulous I'm still a little jealous of their repelling adventure without me!

Anders, Chris, Todd and Jame battled the crowds and wind at Arches

Don't look down Anders!

After our big days on Saturday we loved having a relaxing and peaceful Sunday. Church on Sunday was perfectly rejuvenating and helped to spiritually and mentally prepare us for a new week. We're so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel we have.

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew

The Men in My Life

Chris put in some 12 hour shifts at the office this week to try to catch up from our week-long hiatus, and he also agreed to fill in for one of Doc's assistants in Springville this Friday. We both had Wednesday off, so we spent the day mountain biking the Bar M - and considering it was my first time ever mountain biking I feel like it went really well. Chris is definitely the mountain biker, and I've always said it was the one adventure that looked too scary for me to have the desire to get into. However, Chris is convincing and after he bought me a used bike, it was impossible to tell him no. And I quickly realized that I actually love it! I definitely have a ways to go before I can do some of the crazy trails that Chris enjoys, but he's patient with me so I think this will be a lot of fun for us as I learn.

Work was a blast for me on Thursday because I got to go on the river! There was a family in town who wanted to go on a day trip, and since I was in town my boss asked me if I was willing to go, and we did a daily even though the company technically isn't open yet for the season. It. Was. Perfect. I sure have missed the river, and am excited to run it all summer long.

On Friday, Chris left at 4:30am to drive up with Doc to the Springville office to see patients. Although the staff in the Moab office do a great job of involving Chris in working with patients, most of his work is on the computer and on the phone. So Chris really enjoyed working directly with the patients in Springville as he checked them in, took their vitals, gave IVs, and took blood draws. By the time he goes to nursing school he will be showing his peers how to do this stuff!

Chris and I were lucky to spend the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Andrew, and were even luckier that my dad had plans to fly in for a few days. We had a lot of time to spend with him and my brother Jacob. Saturday morning Chris and grandpa worked on fixing their Suzuki while grandma and I did some gardening in the front yard. After our busy morning, my dad landed and met us for lunch. We enjoyed grandma's yummy spaghetti, and then had the pleasure of having grandma and grandpa play tour guide for us. They took us to Thanksgiving Point and rented a golf cart to give us an amazing tour of the beautiful flower gardens, and after that we went for a drive up Alpine Canyon. Following our drive we left the Andrews to drive down to Provo to meet Jacob for dinner at Red Lobster. We then made it a really late night when we spontaneously decided to go to the dollar theater and see the new Star Wars movie in 3-D. It was a super fun night and was worth the lack of sleep.

On Sunday we went to church with Jacob. The reason Dad flew out in the first place was to give Jacob the Melchizedek priesthood, and Chris was honored when Jacob also asked him to stand in the circle. It was a really sweet moment, and I loved seeing my favorite men worthily using the priesthood. After church we had lunch and just spent time talking before Chris and I drove home.

While driving home we took a quick detour to drive around Price, as it is an option for nursing school. Price has been our first choice because their insanely cheap tuition and cost of living, but as we drove around the town, it just didn't feel like home. We arrived in Moab to an acceptance letter from Weber University (which we hadn't expected to get accepted to - here's a lesson in needing to have more faith!). Now we have a whole lot of praying to do as we have big decisions to make.

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew

First Full Week in the Desert

After I trained at the doctor's office in Springville last Friday, Dani and I drove down to move to Moab to live for the summer. After settling into the guest bedroom at my parent's house, I had a full week ahead of me of training at the office. I'm working Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm. Dani took advantage of her free time to get out and enjoy the plentiful sunshine on some day-hikes in the area. She sent me PLENTY of pictures throughout the day just to make me jealous:

The Moab Valley from the top of the Rim trail.

Morning Glory Arch at the end of Negro Bill Canyon.

Dani's arm around an imaginary me while I'm at work.

Friday night we went on a short overnight trip to Culvert Canyon. We brought our tent, but the weather was so great that we decided to cowboy camp under the stars. We sure love the desert. After we hiked out of the canyon we stopped at the Moab dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs.

Sleepin' in in the morning sun.

Dino tracks!

Petroglyph panel at the Poison Spider Trailhead

Cotopaxi Questival and this thing called Pneumonia

First things first let me apologize for our lack of an update last week. The truth is last week was awesome and we have a lot to say about it - it was this week that got us down and out and caused us to miss the post. So we will work backwards and end with the good stuff of last week.

This week I was sick as a dog, we think it was pneumonia, but still aren't 100% positive. The good news is I am feeling WAY better now, and I learned a lot from this experience. Here's a few things this experience made me grateful for:

1. I'm grateful for a husband who faithfully holds the priesthood. Christopher was a wonderful support to me this week and alongside doting on me hand and foot and making me food he gave me a wonderful priesthood blessing. I truly believe this is the only reason I didn't get bad enough to need to go to a doctor (which I really didn't want to do based off our current health insurance status), and also know this is the reason I am feeling back to normal already.
2. I'm grateful for a father-in-law who is in tune with the Spirit. Dad Andrew randomly sent us some immune system-boosting supplements in a package about a month ago "just in case we ever needed them". At the time we had no use for the medicine, but they seemed to contribute greatly to my health this week and seemed to be exactly what I needed to launch myself to the road of recovery. I guess this also means I'm grateful for a father-in-law who's a doctor!
3. I'm grateful for the family prayers that were sent in my direction. I just loved knowing that I was being thought of by those I love here on earth as well as up in heaven.
4. I'm grateful for the health I normally have! I can't wait to get back outside and start exploring again with Chris. I'm done being cooped up! 

Needless to stay I spent pretty much the whole week in bed or on the couch. Christopher continued to study hard, go to class and work, and took care of me. And that wraps up this week. 

Now for the fun stuff.....

LAST week was a blast! Our week started off as normal - work - school - studying - etc., but the end of the week was where the real fun came in. 

On Thursday Chris and I went to the Logan Temple to perform initiatories. The Duersch kids have done some amazing family history work and we were so grateful to be asked to be a part of it. We took the family names that they found and started and were able to continue to help our ancestors progress in their covenants.  It was also my first time doing initiatories since I went for myself and it sure was a beautiful reminder of my own covenants. (Also, for those keeping record, it was my first time in a while going to the temple and not fainting! Let's be grateful for those simple things in life.)

Now the crazy adventures for us started on Friday. Chris and I entered a competition called the Cotopaxi Questival. To set the record straight - yes, it was my idea. *Side note: Chris and I were talking a couple weeks back and he said something along the lines of, "Dani, if I ever have some crazy ideas it's ok for you to tell me we can't or shouldn't do them. Sometimes my dad has some nutty ideas and my mom has to be the level-headed one and nicely shut him down." Well this is great for mom and dad Andrew, unfortunately when it comes to Christopher and I we both have a little too much spontaneity and a little too much of a drive for adventure that it seems sometimes we don't have a level-headed part to our relationship and we do some crazy things because neither of us seem to say "no" and shut the other down in time..........* The Questival was a spontaneous adventure we randomly signed up for a few weeks back and Chris got a friend from work to join, who then brought in two more team members for us. On Friday night we went to a giant festival to start off a crazy 24 hour adventure scavenger hunt. It'd almost just be easier to tell you what we didn't do in the next 24 hours - such as sleep - but instead I will show some pictures (not all of them, that would take FOREVER!) in an attempt to give you a glimpse of the madness we somehow willingly signed up to do.......

Donating food to the Utah Food Bank

Eating food from a food truck

Watch a sunset

Share a dutch oven meal with another team

Visiting a museum

Drove all night....... to get to Canyonlands 

Watching the sunrise from False Kiva - we made the hike harder than it should be by bouldering instead of following the nice trail...typical...

Visiting Arches!

Bouldering

Eating fry sauce at a Diner

Take a picture of someone with a beard, flannel, and a dog

You can see the whole story (including some funny videos) at our team's website: http://questivalteams.cotopaxi.com/category/2015/salt-lake-city/24h-the-original-salt-lake-city/stoke-level-rad 
Warning if you choose to watch the videos: we make the cat food sound WAY better than it is - I definitely spit mine out the minute the camera stopped filming and we highly suggest to never eat wet cat food, it's disgusting.

Also, we fly out to Alaska in just 13 days! If any of our family in Utah (Sorry Brading family out in WI and Roylances in WA) wants to see us before we go and we haven't arranged a time to meet up let us know. We are planning on being down in the Salt Lake-Highland-Pleasant Grove area next weekend and the end of the following week for a bit and would love to hug everybody goodbye.

Remember to pray and remember to play but not eat cat food,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew