Little Miss Smarty Pants!

My cute little Ashley pulled a 4.0 hr entire 7th grade year.  We told her that if she she could be responsible enough to get a 4.0 that she could prove to be responsible enough to have a cell phone.  She thinks life is so much more wonderful!   Ahh the things that make life great!

Silly Brinney!

This is my silly niece Brinley pulling faces.  She is so cute!

Memorial Day at Goblin Valley

Goblin Valley

Kyle posing on a goblin with his dad

Over Memorial Day we went to Goblin Valley with some friends.  Although it rained most of the time the company was great and the views were beautiful.  I learned how to make the perfect marshmellow and how to trust in things and fear things more powerful than myself. 

On Sunday we went to Goblin Valley.  We played and hiked through the goblins which were beautiful and amazing to look at, and a mystery and amazement to me.  After Goblin Valley we  hiked through a slot canyon nearby and saw more or God's beautiful creations I will continue to be in awe of.  The slot canyon had walls that were carved from years of water pressing through the rock.  Their were places in the canyon that you could reach out both of your hands and touch both sides of the mountain walls.  We hiked for about a mile and decided to turn around but my son Kyle as well as our friend Brent and his dad kept on for the rest of the 2.5 mile hike.   As we hiked back the mile to our car,  the beautiful blue skies began to darken then we felt a sprinkling of rain over head.  We all piled in the car and drove the 2 miles back to the camp sight at about 3 pm. Ron dropped us off at the camp sight and went straight to the end of the trail to pick up the hikers.  By the time we got back to the sight there were big gusts of wind, we quickly put away the awnings and then ran into our trailers as it began to furiously rain and then hail. 

 There were hail stones about the size of marbles.  The sound of the rain and hail crashing down was magnified by the tent trailer I was in.  As I sat in the trailer by myself I began to hear water, a lot of water.  I unzipped a section of the trailer and could see that it had hailed so much it looked as if it had snowed.  I looked down at the ground and could see at least 6 inches of water running beneath my trailer, then unzipped another side of the trailer to see at least 5 feet of water in the larger wash to the side of the area where we were camping.  There were waterfalls of water rushing off the sides of the mountain- there was water everywhere.  My son was in a slot canyon!  I began to worry and cry.  I felt helpless.  I fell to my knees and begged my Heavenly Father to keep Kyle safe.  I felt peace wash over me and knew he would come back soon.  Four o'clock passed, then five rolled around,( it took forever for them to return) then six.  We heard a car coming and then a cheerful honk.  

Ron came back with 3 VERY WET men.  We ran to hug them  and express thankfulness to see them.  The men changed their wet clothes, then we all sat around the fire for them to warm up and listed to what they had just experienced.  It seems that while they were running for cover from the hail storm they came upon a mother along with her 3  young children.  This mother I am sure felt helpless and scared and likely offered up her own prayer to the Lord for help.   Brent told us that Kyle put one of the children on his back, walked through the fast flowing wash and  got the that child to safety.  Hearing this news made my heart soar with pride!  My Kyle was so brave and I am confident he helped answer another mother's prayer.    I am SO thankful for this communication with my Heavenly Father.

This will be a trip I will never in my life forget.