Brag Time

This last weekend I had the awesome opportunity to hike the Grand Canyon with some of my in-laws, my father in law, Delwyn; my mother in law, Flo (she didn't hike, she was our driver); my sisters in law Monika & Alisa; and brother in law Jason (Alisa's husband). (There were also about 30 people there from my in laws stake in Glendale and some from Peoria.) It was such a great experience and I still can't believe I did it. We left early on Saturday morning and hiked from the South Kaibab trail head to the North Kaibab trail head, twenty one miles! It took me 10 hours and 10 minutes! It was definitely hard, but I felt so excited when I finished. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face! From the North Rim trail head my mother in law took me back to the lodge were we stayed. When I got to our room, I couldn't find my overnight bag anywhere! So I hung out for about an hour in my nasty sweaty clothes until we could locate my bag! And of course, by the time it was my turn to shower, the water was COLD! We stayed on the North Rim Saturday & Sunday nights. The lodge sits right on the edge of the canyon! There were so many gorgeous views, I took lots of pictures, but just added a few. They had a really nice restaurant, quite pricey, but when your hungry...who cares, right?! On Sunday we were able to have Sacrament meeting then we just relaxed and walked to some of the scenic lookouts. Monday morning we hiked back from North to South (I was one of the few women to hike back!) When we got out of the van at the North Rim trail head (at 6 AM) the temperature gauge read 28 degrees! Coming back it took me 9 hours and 40 minutes and was actually easier for me than hiking the other way. Anyways, I have an awesome sense of accomplishment. I trained for quite a while but still didn't think I would do as well as I did! Now I'm proud to say that I'm one of the few that has hiked the Grand Canyon "Rim to Rim to Rim"!

Delwyn, Me, Monika, Alisa & Jason @ S. Kaibab Trailhead Saturday morning

The lodge where we stayed is right on the edge of the canyon.

Monika, Me & Alisa at a North Rim lookout.

A couple of good pictures of the trail. On the left is the north side, the right is the south side.

I did it!! Me on Monday afternoon, back where I started at the South Kaibab Trail head, 42 miles in total.

Map of the trail we took.

Six Years

Chad & I celebrated our sixth anniversary on Saturday. We went out to dinner to one of our favorite places, Julio's Too. The original is Julio G's in Scottsdale, but Juilo's Too is closer (Val Vista & Baseline) and almost as good. Sometimes it's almost like I can't remember what it was like not being married to Chad, and other times, like when I look at these pictures, it's seems like just yesterday. Crazy how time just gets away from me...