We hiked the dogs on Webb Hill this morning and it was fantastic. They love to go cross country adventuring and that is just what we did--there were a ton of other people and dogs enjoying the beautiful Spring Saturday morning so we blazed our own trails to avoid them. We loved checking out the mountain bike jumps that some crazy guy has built all over the hill! I wouldn't try any of them, and Jas would only try a few (in fact he has done a few, but his bike is not a down hill type bike...I blame the bike, he doesn't) someone has put a ton of time into building these monster jumps, I would love to see them fly someday!!!

We also found petroglyphs! SHHHHH, don't tell anyone. We have been hiking that hill for 12 years and just found the glyphs today...I got some pics on my phone, but since we are just about to head out with the Airstream to Cedar Hills I can't post them now, maybe when we get home tomorrow.... AWESOME! Jas "discovered" them, what an eye for detail, must be all the screen printing.

Love you all! So excited it is SPRING!! It is my favorite time of year. Can't wait to start railing on the bikes and hikes and just enjoying this beautiful place we call home. Even better we will get to do it with friends. I must also comment that I am damn glad to be heading up north rather than biking 100 miles today with Cindy and Rachel- they will rock the Zion Century, but I was not ready!

Fantastic day! I have for the most part finished the power point presentation that I will be using to present to the Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. I also got to process with a family and I feel pretty hopeful that it will help keep everything going smooth over the weekend in their home...
Regarding the power point--I don't think I have mentioned that one of my staff conned me into presenting about our work to the St. George Chamber... one day Bear asked me if I would help him in a presentation to the Chamber. I said sure. A few days later he said, there will be about 150 people there, I said, "Nice to know, OK." About a week after that he emailed saying "Oh, BTW did I mention that they will be recording it to be broadcast over the local channel?" At this point I went into his office and called him on the convenience of neglecting to mention that part in the initial conversation! Now, come to find out, he has another obligation that day and is not certain he will get there in time!
I am on my own, in front of a large crowd, and on TV! All of this and I have braces to top it off!
I decided I better do a power point to keep myself on track and coherent...so today I finished most of it and though it may be boring at least they will know what JJS does in Washington County!
I am actually quite excited to be able to reach this large of an audience to let them know what we can do to help teens and families--though I am also quite apprehensive and don't want to look like an idiot! Here is the affirmation that is making me feel better "I hold my own hand as I work through any fears I encounter" . I can do it~it will be fun!!

Also we are heading out tomorrow to go up North to watch our niece Taylor star in her school play! We are way excited, she will be great.

Additionally the blog of note for yesterday (I think) was very cool- check it out: dearplanetaryastronomermike.blogspot.com

One more piece of great news: Our friend's Boarding School--Red River Academy in Louisiana is full and 150 plus youth are being helped by some of the best!

It was foggy this morning in St. George, this is quite rare so was really nice. Down by the river it even smelled a bit oceany...
The fog makes things seem mysterious and romantic somehow...it makes me think of discovering something in Ireland or Scotland, like a hidden castle in a secret garden covered in mist...
Weird, I know, but I do love it!
Plus I am so grateful that grey sky here means fog, not smog!

How about 55 miles to break me back into Road Biking?

We left on a long ride this morning at 9am. It was chilly! Thankfully Jason brought a back pack to shove all of our cold weather gear in when it got warmer. We rode with a group of 8 and it was awesome. I was bringing up the rear most of the way, but some of the guys kept turning around and coming back to pick me up, drafting is so much easier than riding alone!!! We started off at the Man O War trailhead and rode the trail out to Riverside Drive, then kept to the roads out to Sand Hallow Resevoir. We rode around the lake (up the neverending hill- Thanks Eric for torturing yourself and sticking with me) then out through Hurricane, back up Highway 9 where we had 2 flats (read as a nice break for me) and back through Washington to the trail and home. I tell you what, that is by far the longest ride I have done since October! Thank goodness I have been on my mountain bike or I'd have never made it. I think we will now be riding the road bikes more frequently...

One thing I must remind all you non-bikers out there... If you are coming up behind a person on a bike you must give them 3 feet of space between your mirror (or whatever sticks out furthest) and them. If there isn't room to pass safely you are supposed to slow down and wait for a safe place to pass. I know it looks like there is a big shoulder (Highway 9 was the example today), however there is a ton of debris on the edge of the road that makes it unsafe to ride a bike, so we get as far over as safely possible. Remember if you hit a biker it will change both our lives forever, so share the road!

zoom a zoom zoom

OK, got through all of my emails and voicemails and in box today...that is more than I would have hoped for after being out of the office since Thursday of last week...1 week out of the office yet I still got my job done, kind of.

I went to a Zoomba aerobics class at the St. George Rec Center tonight with Sandra! It was actually very fun, kind of a cross between hip hop and salsa...
I would hate to watch myself on video, but doing it (or trying) was very fun as well as an awesome workout! You know how Elaine on Seinfeld danced? I think a large part of her problem is stiffness, rigidity, up tightness, failure to be able to relax and flow...well I have been accused of throwing the Elaine in while dancing....it was true today in the class, but what the heck, I was sweating and my muscles are going to be sore so it was AWESOME!!! (fun, laughing, exercise and $2=GOOD!)

Plus I have all my hours in for the week at work so I won't be going in tomorrow...I can get some serious house cleaning, laundry, and sleep in! Great way to start a weekend.

FANTABULOUS WEEKEND!

What a fantabulous weekend!!
Friday and Saturday went to Brianhead with my sweetheart.

Sunday morning went to CHURCH!!....Church Rocks that is. A great ride. An amazing view!

Sunday afternoon went to Las Vegas and took my mom out to dinner at PF Changs then to MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL!!! it was hilarious! We laughed and laughed. Happy Birthday mom!
This morning spent time with my mom, she helped me make some bean bags for a work project- I never could have done it by myself! We had some great discussions about spiritual things, life, love and mom/daughter stuff. I love my mom and really enjoy spending time together.

On my drive home I listened to Darren Weissman's workshop from the I Can Do It Conference and it was very interesting...the main thing I came away with is that our subconscious mind is more powerful than we can imagine (just think there are trillions of cells in our bodies and they all work together to keep us optimally healthy and happy and well without us really thinking about any of it!!) His words will now become one of my mantras- "Infinite Love and Gratitude!"

This afternoon went on a mountain bike ride- Paradise- the first time I've been and though I hiked my bike a bit, I also did some technical stuff that was challenging and FUN!!
I can hardly wait for all the fun and wonderful things this week will be full of!

We spent last night at a beautiful cabin in Brianhead. Thanks so much Mr. Smith!! We had an absolute riot, enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and went to sleep at 9:30 pm. I love Jas and could spend 24/7/365 with him! I love my life. I am blissfully happy!

Then today we picked up my dad's MGB and brought it home so Jas can swap out the motor. He wanted to get it done while Braxton is here so that Brax can do a ton of the work...Jas hates that car, but he is such a good guy that he is going to do as much of the work to swap the motor as possible to help out my dad. Hopefully we can have it running again by the time the Spring weather is in full swing.

DOGS = JOY

I love my dogs! We had a great hike this morning on Webb Hill.Is she a mini-me or what? They may be opposite colors, genders and ages but otherwise they are very much the same.

We haven't done this hike in a few months because Herc was limping by the bottom and couldn't keep up...the Glucosamine and the puppy must be reversing the aging process because Herc handled the hike beautifully, no limping or slowing down!! He has been asleep the rest of the day, but he seemed to really enjoy the walk. Harli did too, she was leaping and bounding and tumbling, though every time we stopped she jumped on me asking to be picked up and carried, I think Jas has spoiled her into thinking she really is a princess! Oh but the joy they bring just by being around!

OK so I can't seem to add the blog mentioned below to my bloggoramma so here it is:
http://wisdomofyourface.com/blog/
Enjoy.

Day Trip to SLC

Gratitude is typically not included in days on which I must leave home before sunrise to get on the road to travel the 300 miles to Salt Lake City, where it is cold and often snowy, only to attend a meeting and then travel the 300 miles back home, often arriving after sunset. Today was one of these trips, however today was filled with things I enjoyed immensely!
Last summer my mom took me to the I Can Do It Conference in Las Vegas. I had a fantastic time spending time with my mom and being spiritually and emotionally filled. We attended several workshops that were interesting, fun, and did I say interesting? My mom also bought the CD recordings of the entire weekend and has been sharing them with me gradually--there are like 75 CDs in all!
Today I listened to 3 that I really enjoyed- and I had time to do that because I was in the car, all by myself, for 9 hours! The time flew, especially for being alone and the driver (time flies in the car when Jason drives and I can read, or we are talking, or when I am traveling with a friend and we are able to talk the whole time, but typically drags on and on when I have to drive by myself). I'll just tell you about one of the workshops I listened to today...I am going to also add her blog to my list!
Jean Haner, author of The Wisdom of Your Face. Face reading is actually a practice that has been a part of Chinese medicine for thousands of years--WOW!! This "ancient Chinese secret" really appealed to me. I can see so many amazing applications--I work with troubled adolescents and if they could only see how beautiful they are, just as they are, because of the unique things about their faces--how powerful! My favorite thing I learned today was about the "Purpose Lines"--what validation that I have them, and now I have a new appreciation for those wrinkles. Purpose lines are the lines that run from your nose down to your mouth. I think mine are the most noticeable wrinkles on my face. According to this "wisdom" those lines mean that you are aligned with your purpose or in other words you are doing what you came to this earth to do! If this intrigues you at all take a look at the blog...its in my list. If you'd like to hear more I would be happy to loan you the CD of the workshop and would even be happier to discuss and share ideas with you about it!

OK gotta tell you about one more...It was actually a recording of one of the Keynote Speakers that I was there for. The guy's name was Robert Cohen and he is from England so the humor and the accent helped, but the topic was the Land of More and Culture of More that we live in. It was a very thought provoking and inspiring message (again I'd be happy to share and discuss). This guy runs a program called The Happiness Project in England...amazing!

SNOW!! It snowed again this morning. Huge white flakes, like God's dandruff getting shaken all over my beautiful, supposed to be warm town. Thankfully it stopped and didn't stick. No bike ride in days and days. I am jonesing for my bike! Maybe tomorrow. It'll be muddy, it'll be a mess, I'll really have to clean my bike, but that means I will have ridden my bike!

On the brighter side we did go for a hike with the dogs. It has been so long since I've hiked the back side of Webb Hill, I was breathing heavy in no time flat...it felt great...right up until the wheezing started and I realized I forgot my inhaler. Still Beautiful and we all survived- Herc even did well, we haven't been on that hike in months because he had started to limp on the way back down, but no limping today. The baby has re-energized the big boy!!!

What a fun day yesterday! We went to our cousin Adam's son Dylan's Birthday Party at one of those bounce house places. We had a riot. It was way more of a workout than you would think. My arm is sore from kicking Jason and Braxton's trash at airhockey! There was an obstacle course that Jason and Brax raced through, Brax kicked Jason's butt! Jason even ran right out of his sock trying to win.

It rained all day, it smelled fantastic, that is absolutely my favorite smell.

There was a double rainbow on our way home too, this pic doesn't do it justice. It was very bright and we could see every color! I love rainbows too. What a terrific day.

My Birthdayweekmonth

What a fantastic January! 35 truly is the best year yet.

Here are a few pics that capture some of the fun I had for my birthday...
Thanks so much to my friends and family for making my day/week/month.

I call it my Birthdayweekmonth because Jason has always been amazed at how long I can stretch out the celebrating for my Birthday. It usually begins right after the new year celebration is cleaned up, though I must be getting more mature because this year it didn't really start until the week of my Birthday!

Sunday 1-18 dinner with my Dad, WSmom, Chris, Michele, Brax, Kaden, Kurk, and Preston at Red Robin.

Monday 1-19 lunch with the Chronic Sonic at Pasta Factory.

Tuesday 1-20 lunch with Kim, Sharlie, Chrystal, Sandra and Les at Pizza Factory.

Then Cake at my team meeting with my friends at WCYCC ( I usually try not to work on my birthday because it is after all a HOLIDAY! (hello I was born!) So what a great surprise when I didn't really want to be there for Caron to have made me a cake!

Then dinner at Jasonson's on our back porch- fantastic steak!

Wednesday 1-21 Lunch with Darby and Jason at Red Robin!

Thursday 1-22 Lunch at Durangos with the girls from work.

Chronic Sonic

This is a group of friends from my neighborhood- 5 of us have January birthdays! Thanks for making mine special and FANTASTIC friends.

This is the group of friends that I went to lunch with on my actual Birthday! Thanks for being life long friends girls. I have riden bikes for hours and hours and/or hiked for hours and hours with each of these amazing women.

Then on Saturday 1-24 we went ice skating at the Sobe Ice Arena in Vegas!

See Kim, Jas and Brax in this pic? I'm sure Brax is having more fun than it looks like.





Ice Queens Sandra, Tami and Kim.
We were also joined by Kori and Zach on the ice, way fun! Troy couldn't join us on the ice so he hung out in the Casino and had fun watching us.

Then we went to dinner at Cheesecake Factory! Delicious.




It was fun to celebrate with my Mom and Larry- they skipped the ice skating too, but joined us to watch for a while and for dinner.

Tons of time off this time. But I am just as grateful! I've got a lot to add and so will be a happy poster over this weekend I hope. I have such a terrific life filled with wonderful people, beauty, fun and enjoyment...add to that good health and you just can't wish for much more.