El raquetball...

I played raquetball once in highschool, for approximatley one hour, because I ran into the wall, rammed the raquet handle into my stomach and threw up. Yep, no more raquetball for me.

However, we now have a pass to the Orem Fitness center and the boys and I decide to play raquetball. We have no idea what the rules are or how to play, so we watched some other guys for a minute, (who knows if they knew how to play) and then just began.

I am proud to say, I only lost once, that's right...I showed them who was boss. No mercy!! Not really, we just rotated playing to ten. It was a blast and now every thursday night at six we have a court reserved.

When I say every night, this coming thursday will be our second time.

I have also started spinning classes to get ready for the upcoming biking season. In reality however it is just so I can somewhat keep up with my younger brother going uphill, it hasn't worked so far, maybe this year.

Last saturday, there were many new women attending. It seems Zumba didn't start when they thought so the did a spinning class instead. We all gave them suggestions and showed them how to work th bike. Afterword to be nice they invited us to come to Zumba with them. they assured us that other men went. We assured them that we are not.

It didn't happen, and never will.

That would be wrong at every level that I can think of.

Every level.

Seriously.

Oh, and before biking I did the eliptical for 1/2 hour...pointless...I don't know if a more boring, useless piece of equipment could be invented. Well maybe the thighmaster would be a close second.

What to do when you can't sleep...

It is exactly 1:27 in the morning and I am blogging. Why am I blogging so early (or late)  you ask?
Two reasons; 1. There is an app for that, yes I am blogging from my phone, or "Android device".  2. I can't sleep. Normally I go to bed around 10:30, fall asleep around midnight and wake up around three in the morning. Tonight, however, I am wide awake. I've taken unisom,( three to be exact - what, the dose is one you say?) read, counted, and even done sleep relaxation techniques all to no avail. When I lay down at night my mind goes a million miles an hour, this is what I have thought of tonight...to name a few.

I need to paint the bathroom another color.
What if the butler had remembered that Joseph had explained his dream when he (the butler) was brought back to the Pharoah's court? Would he have gone back to his family?
I should scan some stuff to my phone. Is there an app for that? Turns out there is. I scanned some stuff at 1:05.
What does Zaphnath-panaah (or however its spelled) mean?
I wonder if I could put my old fork on my hardtail bike?
Should I change the angle of my fan that blows right on me?
I wonder if my brother in law received the suspension trainer yet? Joseph and Josh need hair cuts. What do I know about the prophet Malach? What does the word Hawaii mean? Why did Lewis and Clark think the best pierce were the most hospitable Indians? What dates am I going to moab? When is spring break? Is my quilt on straight? I need to fix the whole in the outside storage room door. I should put a small brick entrance in front of the shed. How much sand and gravel would I need to do that? How could I fix the tailgate on the company truck? Could it hold sand and gravel? How much is a yard of sand weigh? I need a haircut. Why do I not like brick masonry? Should I be a school teacher? What was he name of that movie with yule brenner and tony Curtis? Taa.... something? How can John Wayne play Ghengis Khan? What was Ghengis Khan's real name? John Wayne's real name was Marion....

And it goes on...and on....and on.

Sometimes I feel like there is a monkey just shouting things out. However, I find one good thing with having a mind that runs like that. Multi-tasking is a piece of cake.

It is now 1:53, I'm going to read some more.

Back Country Snowbaording - Options

In an effort to add more adventure to our snowshoeing trips, we now backcountry snowboard. The idea originally started when we went up past Scofield reservoir near Electric Lake to get Christmas trees. I noticed there were many slopes that would be prime snowboarding or skiing spots, so the tradition began. On different weekends we drive up, scout out a new spot, snow shoe up and the board down. As I had never snow boarded before some of the descents are a little rough, but still so enjoyable.

This time we brought tiny. He loved it until his snowboard broke.

Looking down on Options. We named it "Options" because once you get to the top there are so many different lines to ride, thus Options. The top is very steep, but it mellows out toward the bottom. By-the-way, the guy on the left is not me, just some bum we found up there. The one on the right is "Tiny".

Guthrie heading down.

I may look like I am trying to spray Guthrie with snow, on the contrary, I was trying not to kill him.

Again Guthrie, notice the perfect form.

This is me, half out-of-control but somehow still able to get down the mountain with few falls.

Since we began doing this instead of biking, winter has become very enjoyable again. This day we did the loop 5 times. Snowboard down, snowshoe up, rest for a minute (or two) snowboard down. Repeat 5 times.

Love it!!

Christmas tree Bonfire hot Dog roast

Decoration less, waiting to fulfill it's final destiny.

January has always been such a let down. So much has happened October through December with Halloween, Thanksgiving (Although that holiday has issues) and finally the build up to and final celebration of Christmas. Then the Doldrums. No School breaks (until April) no major holidays, (Unless you count St. Patricks day when I always "find" a leprechaun "treasure map" leading to a cash of shiny, buried one dollar gold coins) there just isn't much happening. Not to mention the tree, we scout the mountains, cut it, haul it to the truck, decorate it, sit underneath it every night, sleep under it's branches on Christmas eve's eve, then throw it on the curb for someone to pick up. What a waste. That is normally why our tree stays up almost throughout January. However, this year we attended the Alvey-Farr tradition of Burning the Christmas trees up the canyon and roasting hot dogs and smores.

There was a good turn out. Kelly came from back east (because I forget in which state she lives) to burn the tree, yes it is that popular. Grandma and grandpa Farr. The Gillings, Alvey grandparents and finally Jake's Brother, Bob (because I forgot his name)

In an effort to get more air to the fire, Grandpa Greg in an herculean effort lifted the tree from the fire and let the flames leap to the sky. This was when all the pyro began, at least with the younger children.

The final glow of the campfire. It was only about an hour and a half but it was a great ending to the holiday season, and a great start to a new tradition.

Let the Doldrums officially begin.

However, this year will be different, we have decided to do something fun and adventurous each month.

February - Goblin Valley (Resurrected tradition)

March - Antelope Island (Resurrected tradition)

April - MOAB (long time tradition)

May - Float the Little San Rafael River (New tradition)

June - Boulder Mountains and slot canyons (Long time tradition)

July - Bear lake (Long time tradition)

These coupled with the monthly Moab/St. George/Arizona/Cali Biking trips my Brother and I do - are going to make for a good adventure filled year.

Do snowshoes really work?

Due to the fact that my family snow shoes quite often, (and perhaps because of my larger-than-average-perhaps-I-should-be-on-the Biggest Loser-size), people commonly ask if snowshoes really work.

Yes they do...here is some proof.

Keep in mind the video is low quality, but you get the point (it was taken by an older version of the waterproof, droproof, olympus camera)

First the Location. Julie Andrews Meadow, about 2.5 miles up from the Bear canyon trail head, much less traveled than the pine hollow freeway trail, steeper(2,000 feet in 2.5 miles), but much less raveled.

Second, the snow depth; Guthrie dug down until he hit dirt at around six feet. The next two are the test. One without one snowshoe, the other with both.

Without one Snow shoe.

With two Snowshoes.

Conclusion, yeah they work.

Fun? You bet.

Hard work? Breaking trail is one of the hardest workouts I have ever done.

Don't believe me? Come try it, you will probably love it as much as we do, just please don't tell everyone about this trail (Big smiley face emoticon).

The Gingerbread house tradition

Every Year we purchase those cheap, pre-made ginger bread house kits, you know the ones. We dive the kids into three groups then let then loose, without parental guidance or help.

As you can see they are focused and determined to get the buildings decorated.

Some are more content just eating the candies. An added bonus; any candy they don't use for decorating they can eat. Thus some of the decorations are sparse.

The finished product; a train. That gingerbread with a green mass of frosting on the train car is santa with green blood, courtesy of little man.

The older boys did a Christmas village.

The final product on the fridge to be displayed then promptly eaten on New Years Eve. The large house the girls made, fell down in a "hurricane". We never fixed it.

We love doing this and the mess is well worth it.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert

Unbeknownst (perhaps not a word, but fun to use) to us, every year Kelly, my sister-in-law-now-residing-in-North Carolina, puts all of the family's names in for the Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert. It just so happened that this year, our names were selected...Thanks Kelly. We invited Amanda and Dallin to go with us, thus keeping it in the family.

This is the set, is was magnificently done, with candles on the trees. The first number was incredible, complete with dancers (which we saw again later) and great music, definitely a get-your-attention type of song. David Archuleta was the guest this year and to be honest I was a little hesitant as I do not normally enjoy his music. However, to my great surprise, I thought he was a wonderful addition and brought a great spirit into the room. Not too mention the screaming young women.

After the concert traffic was horrific so we quickly toured temple square. It was very busy, but worth it. One of the highlights of the night was the fact that Dallin (Amanda's Date) brought little gift bags to give to the homeless instead of money. Some appreciated them, others not so much, but it was enjoyable watching them be passed out.

We make temple square look good, or at least Hot mama does.

A and D, just being casual.

There was a multitude of people there, this was the line to get in. We (I) was a little concerned about getting in after the previous night ( many with tickets didn't get in), but we experienced no problems whatsoever and in fact, there were a few empty seats when it began.

It was a great experience and would gladly do it again if given the opportunity.

It's Christmas at the Gillings...

It was a foggy, humid night and the smell of Christmas was in the air; Chocolate, cookies, seven layer dip, and leftovers from the night before. The children were insane as they anticipated the gift opening extravaganza.

Before the event. Pops is in the chair, fully situated to sort and give out the presents.

Hannah was in the way.

The Spread. My favorite was the three layer jello and the meat and cheese tray

We missed the sister's and Brother in law's, found throughout the world, and their various children who bring so much extra life to the party.

This post in principally for them.

Merry Christmas!

Julie Andrew's Meadow . . . and Beyond.

Two Days last week I Snowshoed to Julie Andrew's Meadow in AF canyon. The first was exploratory as I had never been there in the winter, but we still made it. It was a Beautiful day.

Heading up the Bear Canyon Trail.

My 68 year old Dad, with timpanogos in the background.

Heading into the valley.

Later in the week on Saturday. Myself, Tiny, Dallas, Tanner, Guthrie, Gavin and my Dad all went.

We made it to the Valley, then Dad and Gavin turned back and the rest of us decided to do a little more exploration.

Heading up a 45 degree slope.

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=10150335371820293&comments

The link above is a video of us Climbing.

Me and Tiny at the top. That is Utah Valley in the Background.

Heading along the ridgetop.

We did a lot of jumping on the way down. This is Tanner.

Guthrie

Guthrie

Me and Tiny.

What a great couple of days snowshoeing.



When a Good thing goes . . .Good!

I love to read. If boredom begins to set in, I will read anything that is placed, or happens to be in front of me. This idea came from such an experience as I sat perusing Hot Mama's copy of "Rachael Ray Everyday."

Yes . . . I know.

In the most recent edition was a section for Holiday traditions. One of them was something called, or that I called, service jars.

Here is what we did. One Monday night we gathered all the children and came up with 24 ideas of how they could serve others during the month of December. Simple things, like; opening doors, smiling at others, or hanging out with those who have less friends. Then the ideas were typed  and nine copies printed. Later that night each child cut their ideas into 24 individual slips of paper. These slips were then placed into small individual jars (that we purchased at a dollar store) for each family member.

Every morning as we begin the day we each individual chooses one slip of paper from their Jar. The paper is read, then placed in a small gift box and becomes our Gift to Christ that day. Through out the day we look for any and all opportunities to serve others. The results have been fantastic.

Each day the children share how they tried to serve others. One day, little man pulled out "Smile at others". From then on he had a constant smile on his face, when I dropped him off for school I said "have a good day", he looked back with his biggest smile and said, "Have a much better day"! Squishy, among other things,  changed every diaper yesterday, without being asked, (no small task for a 7 year old) because her's that day was "Help others as much as you can" Tiny invited a less popular kid to hang out. His Highness encouraged those who were down one day. . .

I could go on and on.

It has changed our children from just wanting, to wanting to give. Even the youngest ones are focused more on what their sheet says than on what they are asking for or perhaps receiving this year. The Christmas season is more about Service and love.

All this from a "wasted" moment looking at a cooking magazine, 1 dollar jars, and seven pieces of paper. 

Life can be so simple and wonderful!

Merry Christmas

So Much To Be Thankful For...

This is an amazing song. It helps me remember what this season is all about.

And as a Follow up;

May we all make this a season of Thanks and Giving.

2010 Christmas tree tromp or trudge

How do you get a Christmas tree?

Some search lots for those trees which have been grown for the purpose of lighting the Holiday season.

Others, find a live tree still growing amongst acres of other trees all again growing solely to be a Christmas tree.

Others still may open a box to find a partially decorated tree that holds tradition from previous years.

Not Us. . .those ideas are all well and good. . .but for us, the finding of the tree must include; adventure, climbing, cold and snow. This year brought all three, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

There was more snow than usual as we started out, three to four feet to be exact. Luckily we all had snow shoes so we began the adventure.

Even the Dog loved it.

The Beginnings of snow angels.

At this point some are more enthused than others. They were too anxious to get sledding.

Dawn saw one on the other side of the valley. Down we went then back up, and up. . .

Looking down where we were, from almost the top...Almost

Dragging out the tree. See the top, where the gap is in the trees, doesn't look too far does it? That's what we thought, we found the tree about 500 feet past the very top. By then only Hot Mama, His Highness, Queen and I were left. The others had retreated to the van for donuts, cold (but should have been hot) chocolate and sledding.

The finished product, without decorations.

Is it the perfect tree? No.

But it is perfect for our family, and the memories we created finding this 2010 tree will never, I mean never be forgotten.

I just hope they will all go again,

And I am sure they will, on the ride home they were already talking about next year.

Good Water Rim - San Rafael Swell

In my quest to see much if not all of the state of Utah before I die, it was time to try a new biking location; the San Rafael Swell. Having lived in Utah for most of my life, I was surprised I had never been to a place that is so amazing. The drive out seems lifeless enough. . .Huntington and Castle Dale are anything but "outdoor" cities like unto Moab or Park City, but the pictures we had seen were too intriguing. Before Castle Dale we hung a left and began a 50 mph dirt road through a large prairie "for the lack of a better word".

At a "V" in the road there was a lonely outhouse and map, both of which looked new but contained bullet holes.

There we parked and began riding a dirt road to the "rim" of the swell and a place called the "wedge" or "Good water rim". After a short 15 minute ride, we found the rim, and it did not disappoint. Pictures can never do it justice. It was an overcast day, but the scenery was still amazing. The trail follows the rim for the next 16 miles...all single track...no other people...not too technical...and beautiful.

It only took us three hours to ride and we had cell phone and even Internet coverage the entire time. (at our lunch break I was actually Gmail chatting with a friend in the northern most part of Brazil).

At the bottom of the Gorge is a small river called the Little San Rafael. It is a very popular Kayaking river as it is very scenic and only a class 2 float (that is less than the Provo river). Next May we are floating it.

Another Amazing place, yet much less crowded, to keep the outdoor adventure bug alive.

For a lousy video of our adventure click this link;