Hike to Secret Lake

Driving up to Salt Lake was an adventure in and of itself! Here are the driving arrangements:


I really wanted to take the family hiking ... thanks to cousin Lindsay and Aunt Pam's inspiration ... so I did some research and decided that the Secret Lake hike would be just right for my "unlikely to adventure" family. Here's some info that I found ... word for word: "...easy hike ... relatively flat ... very short ... 20 minutes to reach ... more of a stroll than a hike ... suitable for small children." Perfect. So, we head out enthusiastically ...


After about a 15 minute stroll (slightly sloped ... so we are a little winded) ... Krystal is done.


But ... we're only 15 minutes into it - and really - it's only a "20 minute" hike, right? We're thinking - this lake must REALLY be a hidden secret. With energy to burn - the kids climb the biggest rock they can find.


Well ... Aaron climbs ... Marissa is boosted, shoved, and supported - groaning the entire way ... er ... 1/4 of the way :):


Okay. We have now been hiking/not so much strolling for 30 minutes and there is a hill up ahead. To do: find some walking sticks ------ scratch that ----- carry Krystal:


Yes!!! We made it up that steep hill (after another 30 minutes and much huffing and puffing) ... where in the WORLD is the damn lake!?!


At this point we can look even further up the mountain and see several steep switch backs. This is certainly no "relatively flat stroll"! We have to sit down and seriously discuss what we should do now. Pros/Cons. Well - scenery and determination convince Tyler, me, and Aaron that we have to finish no matter what. Marissa is done. Krystal has been done for more than half the hike so far ... and Melynda has no regrets if she doesn't see the lake. :D!


Sooooo ... Melynda takes Krystal back down to the car. We convince Marissa to continue. We sit and rest for a good 10 minutes more. This is where we were ... M and Krystal are little specks back down on the "slightly sloped stroll" part:


Aaron felt pretty amazing since he thought "the hike isn't too bad" - and he "must be a really good hiker like his Uncle Kent" - and he flexed his muscles every now and then and what not. Me, Tyler, and Marissa continued to huff and puff every step of the way. And ... really it was only 4 steeeeeeep switchbacks to the top ... and the view was amazing and serene:




All in all, we're glad we went. Thank heavens M took Krystal back, though - 'cuz her little heals and toes all had sore blisters. Thanks M! We will be much better prepared next time for this "more of a stroll than a hike" hike. :)

Game Night

After our big day at the zoo, we swung by Brandon and Tina's for a game night. It. was. so. FUN!! Honestly - we just don't play games like we used to ... We had a great time. Thanks Brandon and Tina!


Marissa went to the movie with M that night (M is definitely on Marissa's best friend list) ... and our littles were in heaven hangin' out with their cousins:


Thanks for a fun night, guys!

Zoo Day!

We took advantage of our 3-day weekend last week and (instead of going camping) ventured into SLC for some day activities. It was a FABULOUS (albeit tiring) weekend. We decided to hit the zoo Friday, because only our school district was out of school, and we were hoping to have the zoo more or less to ourselves. NOT THE CASE. I think ALL of Spanish Fork was there ... and then some. But, we were able to see every animal - and it was really a pleasant day.


Definitely the hit of our zoo day was all of the baby animals. We just couldn't get enough of the cute baby elephant ... and sat and watched her play - and ooohed and awwwwed and laughed - for probably 30 minutes. Isn't she just the cutest thing ever? She had so much energy - and was rolling in the mud and running everywhere and splashing water out of her water bucket ... and when she would fall over or trip - she would run and hide behind her Mom's legs. Awwww man - she is a QT!



As you can see ... I took EVERY picture possible ... and humored EVERY single one of the kids' "Take a picture of this, Mom!" And I'm so happy I did. Good memories. Even Krystal throwing a fit right smack in the middle of the path is good memories. We just love our sassy baby!


The baby giraffe was also a favorite. He was so sad, though - 'cuz he would reach and reach with all his might to eat the leaves off of the bushes - and, not being able to reach, would finally plop himself down next to a pile of hay on the ground. :( We were so sad for him. But, he was super cute.


The baby jaguars - very fluffy and sweet:


We were super lucky to have M spend the day with us. My kiddos will do ANYTHING to please her. She's just the best EVER!!


Both Marissa and Tyler love the wolf. It is their favorite animal ... both of 'em! We always seem to get lucky the few times we've been to the zoo - and get a beautiful view of the wolf.


Aaron hasn't been to the zoo since his was like 2 years old - and I think he really loved it. He was SUPER excited to see this Ram, because his school mascot is a ram. Look how teeny his hand looks next to the gorilla print! The gorilla is the only animal we didn't see. I'm not even sure if the Hogle Zoo has a gorilla right now??



I took plenty of pictures at this playground. We all had a great time hanging out here after we had been walking ALL over the zoo:





What a wonderful way to spend a day off of school. OH! We also got to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. SOOOOOOOO deeelish. Just a great day!

Crazy for Cookies

Getting together with the Merrills for cookie decorating is an Autumn time favorite!! I love this time of year - where getting together for treats is just a must! Several masterpieces:
Mmmmmmm, mmmmmm good.
We've still got a whole month until Halloween ... so, let's FOR SURE do this again! :)