Howdy Rowdy! Random Stuff about My Family

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Well, it’s amazing how fast 18 years can go by… we celebrated our 18th anniversary this year by going to Zion National Park and hiking Angel’s Landing. I guess it’s a testament to the number of years that we’ve been married that our planning for the trip started just days before; no 3 or 6 month ramp-up on the planning process; no exotic location with 5-star amenities… just a quick drive to Southern Utah and a couple of nights stay in Springdale!

Actually, it turned out to be the perfect get-away and we had a lot of fun doing a few hikes and then taking in some relaxing dining and movies in the evenings.  Here are a bunch of pictures if you’ve got time to kill. 

Below is a track log of our hike to Angel’s Landing with a link to some interesting GPS analysis of the hike. One little tidbit… 2,500 vertical feet from base to summit! Both Natalie and I were a little apprehensive before the hike; we’d read about how many people have died from falling over the edge on the hike. So… if it’s 2,500 feet down… assuming free-fall terminal velocity is about 120 mi/hr, then you’d have approximately 14 seconds of time to contemplate meeting your maker… that’s something to think about!  However, it appears you could pull in your arms and legs, achieving 200 mph, and make the trip in a quick 8.5 seconds!

Posted under Recreation

Ok — we all know what fasting is, right?  Going without food for a while… it builds inner-strength, has some good health benefits, and is a means to increased spiritual and religious enlightenment.  Well, somtimes kids don’t understand the meaning of words they don’t know; so, they determine the meaning from the context in which they’ve heard it used.  Saturday, as we were about to have an afternoon snack with the kids, Porter pulled up his stool to the counter and looked at his food with wide-eyes  then loudly said, “(whew) I’m fasting!”  It was a little out of place… so I asked, “Porter, do you know what fasting means?”  He quickly replied, “YES, It means you’re really hungry!”  I guess he’s heard his siblings complain a lot about being hungry during their fasting attemts.  All I can say is that it’s pretty funny hearing a 4-year-old announce that he’s “fasting” as he digs into his Saturday nachos!

Posted under Family

Over this past weekend we took the scouts to Goblin Valley.  The weather was excellent and we had a great time.  We camped to the West of the main park entrance — campground and all surrounding areas were very crowded be we were able to find a great little spot with some small coves that made a great campground.

Saturday morning we broke camp early and headed into the park.  We had a great hike through the goblins and made a nice loop through the main park area.  After a few hours in the park we had some lunch and then 1/2 of the scout group headed home.  Those of us who could stay a little longer drove over to Little Wild Horse trail head and did a shortened hike through the slot canyon.  That was a great hike!  Would liked to have had a few more hours so we could have done the full loop of Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyon… maybe next time.

Posted under Recreation

This little gem brightened my whole day…  I was on my way to work today when Herbie passed me on the Freeway.  Holy cow, some people must really love The Love Bug!

Posted under Entertainment, Paul

Here’s a little insight into our family and all that has happened this past year…

Porter is now 4 and is a very easy-going, fun-loving kid. He’s very enthusiastic about everything he does and often lets out an involuntary “whoo-hoo” when doing things he likes; like jumping off the stairs, hitting or kicking a ball, or whacking a sibling with a light-saber!

 

Emma (7) has sprouted like a weed and put on some serious vertical this year. She loves crafts and is constantly drawing pictures and coloring. I think she keeps Crayola in business! She loves school and going to the bus each day with Eli. She thoroughly enjoys the “artistic” stuff she learns at school and has really improved with her reading skills. She also enjoys piano, dance, and swimming lessons.
 

Eli (10) has had a fun year being the “big brother” to Emma in elementary school. He’s about the friendliest kid around (his teacher sometimes wishes Eli was less friendly) and is just fun to be around. He has a mind like a steel-trap, memorizing minute details and facts from school lessons and educational TV shows; however, his steel-trap-mind gets distracted easily! This causes no-end of frustration for his parents and teachers alike. Eli has also excelled at piano and magic — just ask him and he can pull of several different magic tricks right before your eyes! I think Eli might be the best singer in the family too; the other day I overheard him singing Broadway-style in his room, “would you rather wish on a staaaar….” He has a great little voice – I was impressed!
 

Thane (13) looks like he might be our tall one. He looks like he’s been on the “rack” getting stretched out. He’s loving Jr. High school and, just like previous years, he doesn’t find many of his classes challenging. We are always asking what homework he has and his reply is always, “its already done.” He tried out for a percussion role with the school Jazz band and made it – so we’ve enjoyed seeing him perform in his concerts. He also got a drum set this year that has kept him busy practicing — thank goodness for basements!
 

Davis (15) is definitely a teenager — he’s a great kid and usually very happy-go-lucky (although there are the occasional “teenager” episodes where he isn’t so happy). He is VERY busy with a tough high school class load and his extra activities – the wrestling team and varsity ballroom dance. He puts in long days and he arrives early and comes home late just about every day. Even with his busy schedule he still gets almost perfect grades. Soon Davis will be driving… that makes us feel old! One highlight for Davis was a few weeks ago when he got to drive home from church (we hit a deer with our car and so we had a rental… so we figured he could practice with that car).
 

Posted under Christmas, Family

The activity was a big success!  Thanks to everyone who came by and helped out.

Here are some pictures of the quilts and hats in the making… they were later delivered to a shelter in Provo.

Posted under Christmas, Family

In early December our family met to discuss how we could bring more of the true Spirit of Christmas to this holiday season. As we talked about it the kids had lots of great ideas that revolved around helping other and giving service to others. We finally decided that we would tie quilts and donate them to local Utah groups that provide for those in need.

We will be holding a “quilting open house” on Saturday, December 20th, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. All who would like to join with us are invited — this is a family event so bring your kids and everyone can help out with tying, sewing, etc. Come for as much or as little time as you can. If possible, bring scissors and any material or batting that you’d like to donate to the cause.

If you have any questions, please call or email (ppearson@yahoo.com).

Posted under Christmas, Family

Well, I’ve been slacking off a bit in writing for the ol’ blog so I better get something down for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Several years ago we started a tradition of going shooting the morning of Thanksgiving Day.  A long time ago I got together with friends and played football on Thanksgiving… I thought about reviving that tradition but there are too many injuries and, frankly, its too stinkin’ much work!  So, we started to go shooting.  My brother, Mark, coined the phrase “Redneck Thanksgiving” — probably because it is just so… well, “redneck.”

The basic premis is first, bring some food to eat and hot cocoa to keep you warm, second, bring as many guns as you can with plenty of ammo, and third, bring cool things to shoot at (boring old targets are fine but think about how much more fun it is to shoot at “stuff”).

This year my Dad was out of town so the only immediate family in attendance was Mark, my brother, and Ron, Nathan and Spencer Smith, my brother-in-law and his two boys.  We met in Cedar Hills to start our trek to the “west desert” where are traditional shooting place is located.  It was raining hard but we decided that we’d make the trip and hope for the best.  To our pleasant surprise the rain quit before we arrived at the destination and the weather was calm and mild for us.  It made for a perfect shooting day!

We setup two shooting stations, one for rifles/handguns and one for shotguns and clay-target shooting.  Here are some of our pictures… click the link to see the original images — enjoy!!!

Posted under Recreation

Well, it’s time again for carving pumpkins – lots if fun for the kids but a lot of work for the adults. Thankfully Davis and Thane are old enough to handle a knife and can carve their own or help the little kids with theirs.

This year the pumpkins were extra special because the kids got to pick their very own from Grandma Smith’s garden! The little kids were amazed that pumpkins actually “grow” rather than just appear at the grocery store.

Posted under Family

I have a lot of great memories from UEA trips of years past. One memorable trip was when I was in high school and some friends and I went camping on Skyline Drive in the mountains above Centerville. It was cold and snowy but we had a blast sitting by the fire, eating pizza delivered from the valley by one friend, and shooting Roman candles at each other.

This year we enjoyed wonderful weather and the company of good friends in Moab, UT. We stayed at an awesome place called the Moab Wilderness House. It is an eco-friendly home located in a remote canyon about 10 miles southwest of Moab. Reaching the home requires an SUV as you travel moderately rough dirt roads and cross two streams.  The setting was spectacular and the remote location provided a real getaway.

During our trip we rode ATVs (thank you Olpins and Tolds), went mountain biking and did some hikes. The kids also enjoyed the brisk water in the pool and alternated between the pool and the hot tub to stay warm.

For me, the best part of the trip was just getting away to a remote location that was peaceful and so scenic. Each evening the sun would set the canyon ablaze with brilliant orange, red and yellow colors. The changing aspens were a nice contrast to the beautiful red cliffs. From the patio we had a spectacular view of the entire canyon.

One funny part of the trip was when the kids were playing music from their iPods and Porter decided he would show us his dance moves — can’t really describe it, you just need to watch.  Pretty good for a 4-year-old!

Posted under Family, Recreation