It is finally finished!

Well my long anticipated journey is finally over. I will say that it was much more difficult than I could have imagined it to be and I am glad to be home and sleeping in my own bed again. It was a great experience and I would not trade it but I am glad to have it behind me.

We began our journey in Yosemite Valley on Labor Day and ended at the Summit of Mt. Whitney (14, 500 ft.) on September 11, 2008. It was fitting that my legs felt like they could explode at any minute that day. My legs began swelling about four days prior to that and by the time we got home had about 18 lbs. of fluid collected in them. (Exactly what you want when trying to backpack through some of the most difficult terrain in the country).

With a few exceptions the trip was great and we all had a really fun time together. Most importantly, no one sustained a major injury and we all summited and made it home safe and sound. We all did so well that we were able to complete our goal five days faster than we planned. We sumited in 10 and 1/2 days which was quite a feat. Everyone we talked to was amazed at fast pace. Most people we ran into were doing the same trail in about twice the time we did. I must say we were pretty proud of ourselves.

The scenery was amazing and it was great to be in the fresh air and cool weather. It was also a nice surprise to come home to cooler temperatures.

Overall it was a great experience I will always remember and appreciate having had the opportunity to complete.

I have not had time to check out every ones blogs since I have been back but I am anxious to catch up on what everyone else has been doing for the past two weeks.

My new love

I know most of you will be shocked that I am doing two posts in one day but I just got back from meeting my newest love. His name is Carson Craig Meacham and he is the most adorable 5.2 ounce baby boy ever. He was born at 4:20 this morning without much warning. Mama BARELY made it to the hospital to have her new cutie 20 minutes later. Mom is doing well and looks fabulous. Ryan looks fabulous too, I might add. (so he does not get his fragile feelings hurt).

I gave little Carson a pep talk yesterday and asked that he please get here before I left for my trip. He was obviously very inspired by my pleadings. Welcome to the world Carson, we are sure glad you made it here safe and sound and healthy!

T minus 2 and counting

Well after a year of anticipation it is finally hear. We leave for the John Muir Trail on Saturday afternoon. I cannot believe after all this training and anticipation it is really going to happen.

I have to admit that I have been feeling a LOT of anxiety over this trip. For a multitude of reasons but mostly I think just the unknown. This is going to be the hardest thing I have and probably ever will do in my life, physically. I have attached a map of the trail including pictures that my friend Brittney put together. It will give you and indication of the difficulty of the task ahead of us but also shows the incredible views we will have.

I have read and heard many people talk about this trip and they always talk about how difficult it is but also how incredibly beautiful and serene it is. It will be a great challenge and a wonderful experience.

I will be completely out of contact with the world for 15 days so I will be very excited to catch up with everyone when I return.

Date Night

Last night Matt and I accompanied his Priests on date night. Most of them have barely turned 16 and this was their first date. They were so funny! I loved observing the awkwardness of those teenage years. After we dropped off all the boys dates, Matt asked the boys how they thought it went. They all gave an enthusiastic positive response. He then asked if any of them would be asking any of these girls out again. One kid pipes up and says no but I might ask your date out. I just about fell out of the car laughing. Matt then threatened the kid with his life if he ever tried... jokingly of course.

Sunny San Diego

Our surfing trip to San Diego was a blast. Bryce brought two of his friends, Trevor and Zane who are great kids and between the four boys there was never a dull moment. We took surfing lessons on Friday afternoon in Encinitas and then went to Pacific Beach on Saturday and rented our own equipment. I stuck with body boarding the second day ( a little easier for the balance challenged). The boys all did a little surfing in the morning and then decided to trade in the surf boards for body boards.

We also played wiffle ball, football and spoons at night. Spoons was definitely the most dangerous activity we had all weekend.

We were all exhausted by the end of the day. It is amazing how much energy you expend swimming against the waves. It was a great workout.

The crew will all be leaving tomorrow morning and I will be sad to see them go. We have had so much fun together. These boys are a riot. Three pre-teens and a 9 year old going on 21! It is total and utter CHAOS! Just the way I like it! :)

Long time no Blog

It seems like it has been a long time since I have blogged or even looked at anyone Else's blog. Life has been a little hectic the past couple of weeks. I will just hit the highlights.

We officially started boot camps this week and I am teach ALL the classes this month since I will be backpacking most of September. I tell you these two a days are tough but I am definitely excited to get in great shape before I leave for the JMT.

Matt got back from Alaska on Monday and then promptly came over with his lawn mower and cut my lawn. Have I mentioned how wonderful he is?! You will notice from the picture that my lawn was more like a jungle, so I felt really bad that he had to work so hard in the heat but he was determined he would get it done right then.

Amber and the boys and two of their friends will be here tomorrow afternoon and we are going to go to San Diego early Friday morning. I am really excited about it! It will be the last weekend we have to do anything before they all go back to school.

It seems like time is just racing. I have less that a month before I leave for the JMT. I cannot believe after nine months of training it is finally here! It is a bit surreal. I am anxious for it to get here and be finished. It will be great to get over the nerves of not knowing if my body can handle such extremes.

Nothing much else is too exciting in my life. Work has been really really busy and church responsibilities are going to be really hectic this next couple of weeks but of course all of those things are positive and for the most part enjoyable.

Weekend on the West Side

I left work early on Friday and went to Surprise to spend the night with my friend Toni and her two sweet little girls. Toni's husband Shawn was out of town so it is was an all girl's slumber party and boy did we have a good time! We ate Chinese food, swam, watched the Bee Movie (don't tell me the ending I fell asleep) and we made rice crispy treats. It was so much fun to spend some quality time with Shawn and Toni's girls. Lexi is 5 and a smart little thing! She is quite the conversationalist and always makes a strong and methodical argument for whatever she thinks we should do. Delaney is 2 and she is just happy running around the house and playing with the new baby kitty. I had a great time being with them! Thanks for a fun weekend girls!

Happy Birthday Jen

Last night a group of girlfriends and I got together to celebrate our dear friend Jennifer's Nielson's birthday. Jen is one of my favorite people in the whole world. I have never been with Jen that we did not end up laughing hysterically and drawing attention because we are so loud together. Jen is one of those people that is always smiling and cheerful and a blast to be around. She makes everything more fun!

We began our evening at PF Chang's where our generous friend Susan had a table reserved for us and comped our dinner as a big shot with the PF Chang's organization. Then we went to see the independent film "Up The Yangtze" about the three gorges project and how it is affecting the lives of so many poverty stricken Chinese. It was thought provoking and really made me appreciate the life I have.

What a great night spent with some wonderful friends! We really missed having Maribeth and Hillary there to complete the posses though. I love you girls!

I have attached pictures of the birthday girl and the whole gang (Marci, Janis, Susan, Jennifer and me)

Great Quote

Don't aim at success - the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue... as the unintended side-effect of one's personal dedication to a course greater than oneself.
Viktor Frankl, Man's Search For Meaning

Man's Search for Meaning is quite possibly my favorite book of all time. I have read it three times and have gained more each time. I saw this quote this morning an wanted to share it with all of you.

The Ranch

This past weekend I went to the Barney 13 Ranch with five other friends and we had a blast. We left early Saturday morning and after I missed the turn off and took a 45 minute detour we got to the ranch at about 10. Louis graciously had the horses saddled and ready to go for us. We rode all day and helped gather cattle and move them from one pasture to the next. At the end of the day it poured rain! They were the biggest rain drops I have ever seen. We got soaked and then headed back to the Ranch House. After putting the horses away we headed to the house to changes clothes and get some long over due lunch. It was wonderful to sit out on the back of the huge wrap around porch and eat our lunch while enjoying the view of a green meadow and fishing pond. It was hard to leave after such a fun and relaxing day, but we finally had to head home about 5. It was a wonderful day of great scenery, great weather and great company.