Its back to school time! Yay for all of us moms out there & dread for most of our kids (well, I have teenagers, sooooo...yeah!). I teach the young women at my church. The girls are 12-13 years old. So as a good luck this year I put together a little treat for them!
Its just Orange Crush soda and some Hostess cupcakes. I made a tag that said, "This year might not be a piece of cake BUT we know you will find a way to Crush it! Have a great school year." I put them in brown paper sacks like they would have taken their lunch in, you know, to keep with the theme of school, and attached the note to the outside. Then we delivered the treats to the girls!
They LOVED them!!! They also loved the fact that we took time to remember them before going back to school. I love doing little things like this! I think they know how much we love them too when we show our interest in the things they are going through!
My husband is a widower. I married him fully knowing this. I put all of the feelings of him and his first wife aside when I decided to marry him. I wasn't sure if I could handle them all, but I knew I loved him and I knew marrying him was right and what I wanted to do. Sometimes her memory is hard for me. I feel like I am the other woman. I feel like I only got a second chance because she died. I am afraid that I will be alone in the next life, because in my personal beliefs, this life is only part of our eternal existence. Let me be clear, these are my feelings, not my husband's. He NEVER compares me to Jeni. He never makes me feel that he loves me any less than he loves her. These are my own personal feelings that sometimes get the best of me...especially on days like today.
Today is their wedding anniversary. It would have been their 19th wedding anniversary. In some ways it makes me sad and brings up all of my insecurities. However, in some ways, it brings me joy. She helped influence this man that I love so much. She helped him become who he is in so many ways. I'm sure he is more compassionate and loving because of his experiences with her. He is so giving of himself and his time. He understands what it means to truly love someone. He never wants to fight or argue over things. He is understanding and forgiving. He is ALWAYS trying to make me happy. He gives all he has to his family. I know that because of her, he is this amazing person. I also know that whatever comes in the next life, I will be happier than I ever imagined. I know God loves me more than I know and He will make everything right so we can all be happy.
So while I sometimes have these negative feelings eating at my heart, I am thankful for her and her influence...her goodness. Happy Anniversary!! I hope you are dancing with the angels in celebration and wishing you nothing but happiness and peace. ❤❤❤
This year for our end of the summer family vacation we all decided to go to Bear Lake. The kids have never been there and I haven't been since I was a kid! So we packed them up and took a trip! We actually stayed in Paradise, UT because we have a family home there and also because I didn't realize it was Raspberry Days in Garden City and there were no hotel rooms available at a reasonable price! But it was only an hour drive from Paradise to Garden City, so you can't beat free! Even if there is a little more of a drive!!
We started our day off at Minnetonka Cave. We had heard so many great things about this stop.
It did not disappoint! 3 out of our 4 kids had never been to a cave before and they didn't know what to expect. They loved the rock formations and the history of the cave. Our tour guide, Kinzi, was awesome! She answered questions and gave us a great understanding of the cave. Their favorite part was being able to touch the 1 rock that you're allowed to touch in the whole cave! Their least favorite part???...They all forgot jackets and it was a toasty 40 degrees in the cave!! And 888 stairs! And they are slick! We all took our share of almost falling on our bottoms!! Overall, what a great time spent at Minnetonka Cave!
The next stop on our trip was actually on the way down from the cave on the Minnetonka Cave Road, Blue Pond Springs. Its just a little turn off on the main road...if you blink you might miss it!!
It was a fun little shallow pond. It was literally 2 mins off of the road and beautiful. It was clear and clean. Very easy to see the bottom of the pond and fun to skip rock across. We only stayed for a short time. We had heard there was a moose that likes to frequent this pond and bask in the sunshine. Unfortunately for us, there were no moose sightings! But still a nice place to visit.
Next stop...Paris Ice Cave!! We have been told so much about this place too! Some of our friends told us about this quaint little place when we told them we were going to Bear Lake. They told us how much their kids enjoyed it and how cool (literally) it was when they entered the cave. Another friend told me that her Grandfather used to go to that cave back in the day and actually carve ice out of it to take home for his freezer.
I honestly wasn't expecting that there would still be snow there, BUT there was! And it was definitely cooler in the cave. There are 2 parts to this cave...the first one is the room you walk into from the outside, which has a big opening in the rock so its only a partial "cave". You can then make your way around some other rocks to a small opening where it then opens up to another room with more ice and snow. Keep in mind if you are going to do that, be sure to wear clothes you don't care if they get a little dirty and wet. And its slick! There is still a lot of ice covering the unsteady rocks ( and this is August people!!) so BE CAREFUL! I loved this place and knowing a little bit of history of the cave. It isn't a guided tour cave so it made it a little more fun to be able to see it at our leisure! The drive to it took about 45 mins up Paris Canyon and not right off of the main road, but it was worth the drive. The top of the cave was covered in wildflowers and grasses. Very pretty!
Next on our list, and my favorite part of the day, was Bloomington Lake. This fun place is about 12 miles up Bloomington Canyon. The road is very rough and is dirt the entire way. It is a popular spot to go so there was a lot of traffic & the roads are narrow. It took us about an hour to get up to the trailhead, but it was Raspberry Days so I am sure there were many more people than normal. It was about a half mile hike into the lake. The trail is fairly easy though & our 7 year old made it with ease! But check out this view.....
It was so beautiful...this picture does not do it justice! The rock cliffs behind it..the clear water...all of the green grass and wildflowers. And snow!! It was so amazing! This is quite the place for kayaking, paddle boarding, swimming, cliff diving...and there is even a rope swing. Although there were many people there, it didn't feel over crowded to me. There was plenty of space to enjoy some time with your family. I could have spent all day there. It was really fun!!
Last stop of the day was Garden City. We took advantage of being in the place with the world famous Bear Lake strawberries and ate at the Quick N Tasty and of course had the raspberry shake! Then we walked around the town days booths and stopped at the beach to take in some of the lake! Because, that is what we came for!!
It was beautiful, peaceful and relaxing! The kids had a blast just playing in the water & sitting around talking after a long day of exploring! I had forgotten how blue the lake is. And I seem to remember it being very cold...but not so much this time! It was perfect!
This was the perfect getaway for a quick trip! I definitely want to come back to Bear Lake! Its so close and well worth the time to take in all of the beautiful scenery and fun small town feel. I have so much fun with this family of mine and I can't wait to plan the next trip! He's having fun...I promise!!
