What happened to the month of May?!

Well, for anyone that has or hasn't talked to me, there is definitely good reason for the lack of updating the blog...sometimes I look at my life, and think there has definitely got to be reason for the madness, yet the madness doesn't seem to stop. We can't seem to slow down, and although I love being busy, I must say it makes for a slightly crazy mother. I must apologize to all those who have wondered if I'm really just a flake lately, or just a really uncaring friend. I don't know how my mother did it day in and day out with all of us children, and the chaos always swirling around her. Maybe she just accepted and embraced the craziness for what it was and knew that it was better than complaining about it. Let's start at the beginning shall we?

We left the day after Mother's Day, when we learned that my (step) grandfather, Melvin Carlile had passed away. We didn't have much time to think about the consequences that we would be paying later on for this, since being there for my grandma and paying tribute to Melvin seemed like such an obvious choice. Melvin was the only grandfather I had known and was always such a hoot to be around. We learned so much about him in the two hour funeral than we probably knew about him while he was with us, because his quiet sarcasm didn't seem to ever have the desire to share a whole lot with us. He was a dear person, and will be missed.

A few days after being in Heber, we all left and headed south to St. George for my brother, Kacey's wedding, for what we thought would be a little more relaxing vacation than anything else. We were proved to be wrong once again, when Jackson landed up in the hospital splitting his head open yet again, and receiving 10 stitches. (This was more devastating to him since ALL he had wanted to do for DAYS was go swimming with his aunts and uncles...poor guy.) He was brave, but I have to say this was a little more traumatic than the last time we landed up in ER with him!

The wedding itself was beautiful, Kacey and Nikki were extremely happy and glowed the entire day. They were married in the St. George temple, which was followed by a luncheon, which was followed by a reception. It was a L-O-N-G day, especially for the kids, and we were pooped by the end of it. The Anderson's were a very fun family, who have a yard that is straight out of a magazine, and it was a nice celebration for Kacey and Nikki. We wish them nothing but happiness!







Sunday morning after the wedding, Russ drove the boys to California, where they met their Papa Walker, who took them back to San Diego for the next four days, while Russ and I went on a four day hike to Havasupai Falls....

Let me start by saying that even while we were packing up for this trip on Sunday, I was NOT convinced that I really wanted to do this trip. I really consider myself a good sport, however, hiking 10 miles down into a canyon, packing everything that we need for the next few days, sleeping in a campground with no running water, no bathrooms, no ice/coolers, just to see a bunch of waterfalls did NOT sound all that appealing to me. My brother, Kyler had planned the trip, and my sister and her husband were going with us, and I really kept relying on the fact that my sister is pregnant, and would end up backint out and then I would not have to be the party pooper! But off we went, first thing Monday morning...all five of us, piled in Russ's car, trying our hardest to not be so exhausted from the last week we had just all had.

The 8 mile hike to the Indian village was pretty uneventful. It was a nice enough hike, not too hard, just long and a little boring. We made it down to the village, where we were happily greeted by a little convenience store that sold ice cream, which we all but inhaled. The two mile hike after that to the campground didn't seem so long after that!

All I can say about this place is that it is proof of a true and living God who creates some things for the sheer purpose of pleasing the eyes and leaving us as His children forever in His debt. This place is literally in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon, in the middle of desert, and is more beautiful than anything I have ever seen before. Within 4 miles of each other, stands four unique and breathtaking waterfalls... Each time you see one waterfall, you are thinking to yourself that there is nothing more beautiful than what you are witnessing right then in that moment. And yet, we would hike to next one, and were never ceased to be completely and utterly dumbfounded once again. The pictures will never do this place justice, and going once in your lifetime will not be enough. The hikes to some of the falls are crazy, gripping the rocks with your hands, and carefully placing your feet on just the right ridges, and thinking to yourself, "am I really doing this?!" but are so worth it when you get to see the falls. We had a BLAST hiking to the falls, playing in the water, jumping off the cliffs, and using the rope swings, but the turquoise color and the clearity of the water is something that I will always remember.

 

We also got to go hiking into some amazing caves and mines, which are not far away from the campground...hence, the headlight in one of the pictures. Truly, this was one of the most fun and amazing trips I have ever been on. Although next time, we will eat a little bit better, and not eat "crap out of a bag" which is what I learned to call the freeze dried food that we ate. We had so much fun all together, amd I'm excited to do it all again. Oh yes, and did I mention that the hottest it got was 108, and by the time we hiked back up to the top on the last day, it dropped clear down to 36, and was raining/hailing/snowing??!! No joke, it was the craziest thing ever...
Look, we are even still smiling after it was all over!