Rim-to-Rim

You know that moment when all of a sudden, out of the blue, you and your best friend have the same days off work so you feel the NEED to go on a fun adventure? Well Chris and I had that moment. And decided to take a spontaneous trip to the Grand Canyon...and hike rim-to-rim.

We didn't have much time to prepare for this endeavor so we simply ran to the grocery store to get some goods, packed our bags and made a plan that went like this: drive to the Grand Canyon and then hike. After a quick post-work nap we left at 1am on Wednesday for our grand adventure.  During the drive I learned a few things about my husband, #1 he knows every word to every Celine Dion song ever written and has the vocal chords to attempt to hit them and #2 he has a theory that if you sing as loud and as ugly as you can then you will sound exactly like Guns N' Roses and can sing along to any of their songs (I tested this theory and he's on to something big). When we came to the crossroads of the sign that said "North Rim <- South Rim ->" we took a wild guess and decided to start at the South Rim, just because.

Thanks to a time zone change - which we totally forgot was going to happen or we would have slept in longer than 1am - we arrived at the Grand Canyon just as the first light was coming up. It's a little surprising, because you're driving in a fairly flat desert--and then suddenly--the world drops off in front of you. It was amazing to watch the sunrise, especially since all the other tourists were sleeping--giving us the opportunity to feel some solitude. We then headed to the backcountry office right as they opened to see if we could get a permit to camp inside of the Grand Canyon at some point that weekend. As you can well imagine, those permits are hard to come by and we had no such luck. This lead to our decision to spend the day seeing sights around the visitors center, and then begin hiking the next morning across the canyon in a day.

Snapped this photo just as a thunderstorm rolled in.

We had fun playing tourist, but definitely felt like we were missing something as we stood at the edge of the canyon looking down. It felt too "Disneyland-ish" and void of the awe factor we had been expecting. Knowing that we needed more out of our Grand Canyon experience we went to bed early to catch a good night's rest before our big hike the next day.

Our alarms woke us up at 3:30am so we could take down camp, catch the first shuttle to the trailhead, and start hiking down Bright Angel Trail by 4:45. The descent into the canyon was spectacular! The farther we hiked, the larger the canyon became, and we finally felt like we were really seeing it. We hiked. And hiked. When we felt like we had to be at the bottom of the canyon there was another canyon wall to descend. When we finally got down to the Colorado River we felt a pang of longing, as we know we will never really feel like we've experienced the Grand Canyon until we've rafted it (mark my words--one day it will happen). The bottom of the canyon was stunning with the black granite, refreshing creeks, and a surprising amount of shade.

It wasn't long after we got to the bottom that we realized we should have planned our trip better, or rather at all--as going south to north meant that about a quarter of our hike was downhill and the rest was going to be uphill. But an uphill battle wouldn't stop us as we continued on. We hiked. And hiked. Annnnnnd hiked. We saw a lot of pretty things along the way, but mostly we just dripped in sweat and thought about how smart everybody else was who we met who had trained for this hike and had daypacks instead of full overnight packs. Since we hadn't planned our hike in advance, we carried all our camping gear to stay at the North Rim. Let me tell you - the size of your pack makes a big difference.

As we approached the north rim we were blown away with how different the terrain was from the south rim. We were no longer in Visitor Center chaos of the desert but had entered a much less populated and beautiful Aspen forest. We were lucky to be able to walk up and get a tent spot in the "hiker/biker communal site." After a quick dinner we crashed and slept like rocks throughout the night.

"We made it!" thumbs up.

Chris threw together the video below, pretty much summing up our big hike.

                                   

When our legs wouldn't move in the morning, Chris opted to take the shuttle back to the south rim to pick up our truck. During his long drive I made fast friends with some neat hikers who were in the communal site. When Chris got back we drove to Page, Arizona, where we had a big all-you-can-eat Chinese dinner and found a campsite near Horseshoe Bend. We were too tired to set up our tent so we just laid our sleeping bags in the truck bed and crashed like we had never slept before.

When Saturday rolled around we once again woke up at a ghastly hour (though slightly later than the previous two days) and drove to Horseshoe Bend to see the sunrise. Our tired legs hobbled the longest quarter mile we have ever experienced to the overlook. Once again our planning, or lack thereof, shone through as the sun rose in the opposite direction of the Horseshoe Bend overlook! Regardless,  it was a scenic and peaceful morning. We met a sweet couple from Japan who Chris offered to take some pictures for. The husband then gave me a small pillow to sit on so I wouldn't have to sit on the cold hard rock, and then insisted I keep the pillow (which had tags in Japanese!) when we left. It was such a kind gesture, and was a wonderful reminder of how little acts of kindness can brighten somebody's day.

When we were done taking pictures we limped back to the truck, began singing a mix of Celine Dion and Guns N' Roses, and headed back home (where we agreed that upon return we would do nothing other than eat and lay in bed for the foreseeable future).

Remember to pray and remember to play,

But really just remember to plan your vacations,

Mr. & Mrs. Our-Legs-Ache-Andrew

Jardine Juniper

We had an awesome start to our week with a camping-date-hike extravaganza!

Chris made sure he designated our trip of the week as our official date ahead of time - yah I'm that lucky, I have a husband who really listens to all my nonsense - and it was one heck of a date. Monday after I got off work around 10pm we tossed all our camping gear into the truck and headed up Logan canyon. We spent the night at Wood Camp and it was a gorgeous little camp. It was right next to Logan River and as two washed up river guides we couldn't have asked for a more peaceful night than being able to fall asleep and wake up to the sound of moving water. (But words of the wise, try not to mention rivers around us. We've both come down with a bad case of whitewater-fever and as excited as we are for Alaska we can't stop dreaming - literally, we both have dreams - of the river.)

Tuesday morning we woke up to a light snowfall and had a nice little breakfast in our tent. We then packed up and started our hike up Jardine Juniper.

And it continued to snow. And we kept hiking. And it snowed harder. And we fell down past our knees in the snow. And we went 6 miles. Then we stopped and had lunch under the platform - the only dry place on the mountain - and enjoyed the view of a spectacular 1,500 year old Juniper tree, the oldest living juniper tree.

Annnnnd, we went back in the snow with another 6 miles back to the truck. And it snowed harder. And it snowed so much our footprints from the way up had already disappeared. And it snowed until you could no longer see the trail. And we lost the trail. But luckily we found it again. And we kept hiking. And it kept snowing. Have I mentioned yet that it snowed on this 12 mile hike? Anyways, all-in-all, it was an awesome hike and we were the only two people on the trail all day (probably because of all the snow).

We couldn't have asked for a better start to our week, and we are so glad that we had the opportunity to camp and hike on the only two cold and snowy days that Logan has had in weeks. But hey, when you both have a day off you do what you gotta do to spend time together and enjoy God's creations.

The rest of the week was busy with school and work. Chris did his clinicals for his CNA class. He particularly enjoyed the old woman who muttered "I don't like you" under her breath when helped feed her. And contrary to what he may say I'm sure he also enjoyed all the bowel movements he helped clean up.

Today we had the unique opportunity to go home teaching together. Chris's companion wasn't able to meet up with him this month so I stepped in to fill those shoes. It really is a miracle and a wonder every time I see my husband teach the gospel. He truly has a special spirit and I am constantly working to be even half as good as him. He's a great example to all those we live around, but is the greatest example to me.

That about sums up this week. We were bummed to miss out on Jorgen's baptism and all the fun family times this weekend, but we sure can't wait until next weekend when we have the chance to go down and visit our family in Moab!

Oh! And one more thing! We finalllllllly got our plane tickets for Alaska! We will be flying out the evening of May 2nd. Juneau here we come!

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew

Valentine's Week

Well our post is very late this week - sorry. Shortly after all our fun valentine celebrations we both got hit with the plague and have been pretty useless for a while. Don't worry, it's not the measles. We're finally bouncing back though! Yee-haw!

Valentine's Week, yes it's a whole week not just one day, was spectacular. We had a lot of time to spend together and the weather outside was beautiful.

On Thursday we spent the whole day climbing up in Logan Canyon. Whenever we climb Chris has always "led" and I have always "followed." When he "lead climbs" he is placing protection in the wall as he goes (there are bolts in the rock every 6-10 feet to clip your rope into with carabiners), so when he climbs above his last bolt before he clips the next one, there is potential to fall 10-15 feet before the rope catches him. When I "follow" (also called "top-roping") the climb, the rope is already attached to the anchors at the top of the climb (hence the name top-roping), so if I fall I only drop a foot or two before the rope catches me.

Sum-up: lead climbing = scary. Top roping = not that scary.

Anyways...... that's all just a round about way to get you all really impressed with my bravery when I tell you that I lead climbed for the first time!

The route that I led wasn't as hard as the ones that Chris normally has us climb, but it was a really good one to lead for my first time considering how petrified I was at the thought of a real fall. All in all we were both thrilled with how it went and it was an awesome day climbing! (Primarily because I didn't actually end up falling). Oh! And Chris gave me my valentines gift that day - a chalk bag and new carabiner - for climbing of course. You know, sometimes I wonder if his "gifts" to me are really gifts to himself.....

Friday we decided to celebrate Valentine's Day because Chris had class all day Saturday morning and I had to work Saturday night, plus, if we want to get romantic Friday also happened to be our 2 month anniversary (or as Chris keeps track, two months since he's shaved). We started the morning off with a run in the canyon and then scarfed down some waffles covered in strawberries, whip cream, and bacon. What a perfect morning.

That evening we went out for Sushi.

We went to the Banff Mountain film fest - it made even us feel like we weren't at all outdoorsy.

And we went to Zeppes to get frozen gelata - it's frozen Italian soda and custard. Yum.

On Saturday Chris surprised me between class and work with some cupcakes from Temptation Cupcake. Honesty moment - I'm obsessed with cupcakes. They might be one of my favorite indulgences. They're even better than flowers because not only do they smell good and look pretty but they taste delicious! That's a whole lot of win in one little package! Second honesty moment - I'm pretty sure the real reason Chris got me cupcakes was to prove that he could surprise me because I guessed all his other surprises before he could give them to me (down to the color of the chalk bag and what we were ordering for dinner). He even told me he got the cupcakes because I was expecting flowers (which he originally had planned), so surprise, no flowers! I also gave him his valentines gift - two new carabiners for climbing and a total of 8 beard oil samples from 2 different suppliers. He's been trying them all out to figure out which one is his favorite.

Wow, writing out what we gave each other as gifts makes me realize how we're a really strange couple. Good thing we found each other: not that many people would get as excited as we do over things like carabiners, chalk bags, cupcakes, and beard oils.

Saturday night was when the plague hit Chris, I lasted until Monday morning. But there's not much to write about since then....

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew

A Wrap to Our First Full Month as Newlyweds

Can you believe it?! January is already over! It seems as though life is flying by, and we are just loving every second of this newlywed journey.

The good news for this week is that I got a new job! Subbing just wasn't working out as far as getting the hours and the money that we need, so I started looking for something else. This week I had my second interview at Texas Roadhouse, got hired, and went to orientation. I'm really looking forward to training this coming week. Chris and I really believe this is the best job for me and our family right now. All of his classes are in the evening as well as on Saturday, and as a server he also works nights and weekends. With the new schedule at Texas Roadhouse we will have similar schedules, and similar time off. Which means we can see each other more than to say goodnight and goodmorning!

Chris is still loving his classes and has been getting excellent scores on all his quizzes and exams so far. Having labeled posters of skeletons above our kitchen table and a bathroom mirror covered in post-notes full of EMT acronyms and definitions is really paying off. Just beware, if we see you anytime in the near future there's a good chance he'll have his stethoscope and blood pressure cuff and he will be ready to take your vitals.

On Friday we were able to have an AWESOME date day:

we went to get two doughnuts to celebrate the opening of Dunkin Doughnuts and ended up enjoying a full dozen (whoops...),

we braved the cold and tried to go climbing up at Betagraph in Logan Canyon,

I got to wear my new climbing shoes Chris got me for my birthday for the first time (LOVE them!),

but it was a little too cold for my hands so we spent a lot more time hiking around then actually climbing,

we went and explored the Hobbit Caves - also in Logan Canyon,

and we found a sweet mini-waterfall!

We had a great Sabbath day and are both loving our new ward. I am especially touched by the kindness of the Relief Society sisters. I am so grateful to be in a ward with women who are so strong, and I love hearing about their life experiences as well as their testimonies.

After church we had dinner with our friends Todd and Jame. It was great to be able to catch up and we were also way excited to break out our new grill to make some burgers! After dinner we came back home and had our friends Saren and Dallin over. They just got engaged this weekend, and we were glad to have an opportunity to celebrate with them. It was kind of fun pretending like we knew what we were talking about when giving them advice on being engaged, planning a wedding, and the whole married life. We had a lot of fun comparing stories and just laughing about how exciting and new this time of life is for both them and us.

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew

A Slow Week And A LOT of Pumpkins

This last week I was feeling under the weather, so we had to slow down our normal adventures. However, we did take this opportunity to celebrate fall with pumpkins, pumpkins, and more pumpkins. 

On Monday we went to our Stake FHE activity where we helped carve pumpkins for the Pumpkin Walk. The Pumpkin Walk has been a tradition here in Cache Valley since 1983! This event has between 2,000 and 3,000 pumpkins each year - all donated by members of the community. Our stake volunteered our time to help carve 500 of these pumpkins. Well, neither of us are artists, so we are sure the 10 pumpkins we carved will be hidden in the back or maybe will be donated to a new game of pumpkin smashing.

The bonus of volunteering our time to help with the pumpkins is all of the pumpkin seeds we were able to take home. We spent hours on hours cooking around 20 cups of pumpkin seeds! The six flavors we tried were Seasoned Salt, Sea Salt, Garlic, Chipotle, Cinnamon and Sugar, and Honey Roasted. After some great taste testing we settled on Seasoned Salt and Sea Salt as our favorites and made the bulk of our seeds with these flavors. Now we have plenty of seeds for snacking on!

Continuing on with our pumpkins we also met up with our friends Andrew and Jessica to have a pumpkin carving date. Both couples carved a pumpkin, and the themes we chose for the pumpkins just show that we were made to be friends. They went with trees and a river and Chris and I tried using some of the technic we saw others using on Monday to shade some snow-capped mountains. After carving the pumpkins we made some snacks and watched "Where the Wild Things Are". Any guesses on what we ate for snacks? Pumpkin cookies and more pumpkin seeds made that night.

Forgetting the pumpkins for a while we also went to the Gossner Cheese Factory. Being from Wisconsin, I felt kinda guilty visiting a cheese factory in Utah but couldn't deny that they made some great things. Can we just all agree that everyplace should have as many free samples as Gossners? The highlight was probably all of the flavored milk! While Chris was sticking with his favorites of Rootbeer Milk and Cookies & Cream Milk, I was a sucker for the Strawberry Milk and Mango Milk. Of course we bought some milk for later (after all, we need something to drink with all our salted pumpkin seeds). 

Since I was feeling a bit better that day, we were able to venture outside and explore Dry Canyon after our stop at Gossners. While there were quite a few dead leaves we also saw some amazing red and orange colors. There was some really neat rocks in the canyon so we scrambled around and watched an amazing sunset. There really is nothing like fall in the mountains.

Well those are the highlights of our week! Also embedded in there we did get some Pumpkin Smash Jamba Juice and made some homemade pumpkin bread, but we're sure you're already pumpkined out so we will push those nights aside....But have we told you yet that we love pumpkins?

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & (not quite)Mrs. Andrew

PS. WE LIKE TO HAMMOCK!!! WE LIKE, WE LIKE TO HAMMOCK!!!