and now for my final TRICK: Utah...here we come!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Utah...here we come!

Aaaaaahhhhhh-

For those of you who may not know, I pulled a short stunt as a waitress in Zion National Park a few years ago and It has been far too long since I have visited Utah and my favorite place on the planet. We have rented a cabin situated in the shady thick forest between Bryce and Zion. My dad will be meeting us out there for our first big family vacation. We will be cozy in our rustic cabin with plenty of outdoor freedom for Scout and the kids.

Zion is the first place I visited and Angels Landing is the first hike I did on my first trip to the southwest U.S. in July of 2000. Which in part is why this hike and this place have such a special place in my heart and soul. This hike is spectacular and terrifying. 2,000 foot drop offs while you climb up knife edge cliffs. I think I cried out of fear every time I have done it! While we will not be doing my favorite hike with the kids and my dad, mainly because they would all three die, I wanted to share this link to an e-hike of Angels Landing.

http://www.nps.gov/zion/photosmultimedia/angels-landing-ehike.htm

The River Walk will probably be more of our hiking style this time around, but wait till those kids grow up!

We will also be visiting Bryce Canyon National Park, which is the most unique place I have ever been.

When you hike down into the canyon you feel as if you are in a maze of castles and turrets. The hoodoos spire into the sky for what feels like miles when you are surrounded by them.

I fully anticipate a relaxing sunset picnic up on the rim, bundled up in warm and cozy clothing

Now, the brutal reality of my fairy tale vacation is that this cabin is exactly 9 hours from Denver. Hmmmm. My kids DO NOT enjoy car rides. Actually, they fiercely hate the car and anything that requires them to sit still for very long. Our most ambitious trips have been to Buena Vista, 2 1/2 hours away and a few of them have led me to beg Ian to leave me on the side of the road midway through. We have both avoided discussing the subject because we are paralyzed with the fear of what is actually going to happen.

So, I will gather favorite videos (Nemo, Jungle Book, Toy Story), buy every snack they have shown even a mild interest in in the past three months, make some new kids mix tapes (see previous post "149 minutes"), buy some (tons) of small new trinket toys to bust out as needed, and purchase heavy duty industrial strength ear plugs for Ian and myself, just in case. HaHa Who am I kidding, just in case, it is guaranteed that we will have numerous breakdowns and bouts of crying, mostly from Ev, and we will need the peace and solace only a pair of ear plugs (or being strapped to the top of the car) could bring.

So tomorrow at 6 am we are off to the desert and my sanctuary. I am beyond excited to share this magical place with my dad and my kids. Hopefully, we all survive.

Quote of the Day

"A journey is like marriage.The certain way to be wrong isto think you can control it."

-John Steinbeck

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Recent Reads

Honolulu by Alan Brennert- 4 Stars
A lovely tale told by a Korean woman who came to America as a "picture bride." We learn of her challenging and oppressive childhood in Korea, her journey away from all she knew, learning the new culture in Hawaii, escaping an abusive husband, becoming an entrepreneur, finding love, becoming a mother, and living a fulfilling life. I previously read Molokai by the same author and loved it, which is why I snatched this one up as soon as I heard of it. I think I enjoyed this one even more! The writing is smooth and easy, the tales are gripping, and the experiences are harrowing which keep you wanting more of this woman's incredible story.

The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha- 2 1/2 stars
This book is a collection of vignettes celebrating the awesome things in life. The cold side of your pillow on a hot night, finding money in your coat pocket, popping bubble wrap, when cashiers open up a new line at the grocery store, and watching Price is Right when you were home sick from school. This guy also has a blog where people can submit more awesomness. It was fun to read, but not as great as I was hoping. I will probably read his blog though, because he is pretty witty and definitely made me chuckle and remember to appreciate the small things in life.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson- 3 stars
PAGE TURNER! I read this in 1 1/2 days. The story begins with a woman waking up in a bed, next to a man, in a house and she recognizes none of it. Over the next few minutes she learns that she has amnesia and every night when she goes to be she forgets most of her life. She begins working with a psychiatrist who convinces her to write in a journal, so she can reread it each morning and hopefully begin to build memories. The mysteries of how she ended up in this condition and her relationships with friends and loved ones kept me on the edge of my seat.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - 4 1/2 Stars
Another winner here folks. This book was AWESOME (and a bit shorter than Cutting for Stone). This was a new perspective on World War II for me. The story follows a boy growing up in a Chinese household in Seattle during the war. He befriends a Japanese girl, which is STRICTLY forbidden by his domineering and emotionless father. He realizes he is in love with her just as her family is removed to a Japanese Internment camp for the remainder of the war. The stay in touch through letters and his enormous risks to visit her . I don't want to give away any more, but you simply HAVE to read this book. The relationships between the children and their families and even the public during these war years was an interesting perspective for me. The twists and turns kept me up till midnight and the ending was wonderful!

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese- 5 Stars
Oh my! I LOVED LOVED LOVED it. It was long and delicious and I did not want it to end. The premise is a nun working at a clinic in Ethiopia dies while giving birth to twin boys. The story explores the people and relationships in these boys' lives through the eyes of Marion, one of the twins. He grows up in the clinic in Ethiopia with amazing adoptive parents who were friends with his parents and gives us a taste of the culture, food, and everyday life of an Ethiopian. He heads to America to pursue a medical career and his birth father. We read this for book club and had wonderful and rich discussions...I wish there was a part 2!

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton- 3 stars
This was pretty darn good. It took me about 100 pages to really get into it and the ending was a bit too quick, neat, and tidy. But not nearly as terrible as the ending of Handle with Care by Jodi Piccoult (I threw that book across the room and into a wall as I read the last word). I was hooked and couldn't stop myself once I was into it. It was a book club choice and there was more discussion than I remember in 3 years of book club. We were talking over each other and jumping into other conversations. I couldn't even keep up. This story centered around the lives of three sisters who grew up in a castle in England from World War II to the present. They had an eccentric family and extremely odd and famous author father. The mysteries weave through history and the walls of the castle, revealing themselves to the woman chosen to write a piece about the famed play written by the father. It was very good and I would highly recommend it.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Utah...here we come!

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