Schuylkill River Hike

We did it! Stuart and I are machines!! I walked and he rode ALL day yesterday as we accompanied the Latter-day Saint youth on a 22 mile hike!! It was amazing. We hiked from Valley Forge to Philadelphia. We met together at 6:30 am, started walking at 8:30 and hiked all day, stopping every 7 miles for food, rest, and water. We got home around 10 pm.

Our destination in Philly was the appointed site where the next LDS temple will be built. The walk was in honor of Brother John Moyle, a Mormon pioneer and stone cutter on the Salt Lake City temple, who walked 22 miles twice a week for over 20 years to fulfill his calling. After an accident that caused him to lose part of his leg, he still walked the 22 miles on a wooden leg he crafted for himself! After yesterday I appreciate more intensely my Mormon heritage, which is full of strong, sacrificing heroes like John Moyle.

My one-time 22 mile hike was a sobering experience:

• I can do anything I put my mind to, even when my body is done.
• I am getting old.
• Stuart is honestly a heavenly being because he was happy the whole way. The youth and leaders are in love with him!
• Goals motivate me to perform past my abilities.
• I have nothing to complain about compared to people like John Moyle.

The last 2 miles felt like torture. Every step hurt my entire leg, from my toes to my hips. Especially my right side after an injury I suffered 3 years ago. My mind took over, my legs went numb and I was on autopilot. I was tired and sore, but I didn't have to suffer what my ancestors did. They walked across the continent day after day. They didn't have my comfortable running shoes. They didn't have the full belly I enjoyed. They couldn't guzzle clean water any moment they desired. They didn't have an awesome jogging stroller. They walked in much worse weather, both hot and frozen. They walked on after burying children, parents, and spouses. I just had to chat with pleasant people the whole time, knowing I would enjoy a full meal in an air conditioned building and a ride home. Like I said: a sobering experience.

In the beginning

a scary bridge

my monkey child, sipping water using his hands and feet

wonderful people including Stu's uncle Matt

I love people

In the distance are some of the teens in my group

turtles

ducks

Philadelphia Museum of Art. Most of the group ran up and down the steps after 21 miles. Some said they weren't even sore but all were tired. Just rub it in already.

Beautiful cemetery that stretched a couple blocks

There were a lot of crew teams practicing

Almost everyone that made it. There were only a few that didn't finish. Some were sun burnt, others very hurt, but all happy and satisfied at the end. We had a beautiful discussion at the final destination, lead by the stake president (a regional church leader), about the experience and the significance of our personal journey to the temple. The building over looked the grounds where the temple will be constructed. I look forward to the time when I come to the site again and go into the temple.

Favorite Fiction

Peace Like a River by Lief Enger and Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card tie for the title of "Favorite Fiction This Year." At least so far this year.

Peace Like a River follows a family of four: father, two sons, and a feisty nine-year-old sister. The story not only touches on family love and broken law, but is quite spiritual. The father works miracles, the daughter writes poetry and the boys make sense of growing up as they all run from the law to do the right things. I could not put it down. The characters captured me from the first scene.

Seventh Son also chronicles a family, but a much larger one. This science fiction story also mingles spirituality with wilderness adventure and history. Well, I also read Red Prophet, the second book in the series, and that one incorporated more history.

I hate to quote wikipedia, but they summed it much better than I could. It hardly gives justice to the excitement of the story, however:

"It is the first book in Card's The Tales of Alvin Maker series and is about Alvin Miller, the Seventh son of a seventh son. Seventh Son won a Locus Award and was nominated for both the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards in 1988. Seventh sons have strong "knacks" (specific magical abilities), and seventh sons of seventh sons are both extraordinarily rare and powerful. In fact, young Alvin appears to be the only one in the world. His abilities make him the target of The Unmaker, who recognizes Alvin's powers as those of a Maker—only the second ever, and it had been a long time since the first had walked on water and turned water to wine. The Unmaker works largely through water, trying to kill Alvin in his early years, before he can master his abilities."

The comment on the book cover captures it well: "Come fall in love with a magical America that might have been..." I have enjoyed many historical fictions before, but I've never considered myself a fan of science fiction. This one, however, has got me hooked. There are several books (7 I believe) in this series and I intend on reading them all. I couldn't wait more than a day to get my hands on the second book. Once again, I could not put it down. I recommend this one for anyone who wants a book they can get lost in. It transplanted me into an alternate world, like what happens when reading of Narnia. Just Fantastic!

Have you read these books and what did you think of them?

Reading

One luxury of being out of school right now is that I have the time to read more books. And these are not text books. Since graduation in December I have read several excellent selections that I'd like to recommend.

First I read some educational/parenting books since that topic is now a pressing one. I started with Boys Adrift and Why Gender Matters by Leonard Sax. Exceptional reading for parents, but hardly a just-for-fun read. My immediate family members read Boys Adrift also and I enjoyed their insights on the topics: video games, teaching methods, prescriptions drugs, environmental toxins and the devaluation of masculinity.

How do you see these five factors "driving the growing epidemic of unmotivated boys and underachieving young men"?

(more to come on the others books I've been reading this year)

Teeth

Stuart's getting so big! He has two visible teeth, although they are still budding. He eats more and more food and a wide variety. He seems to love zucchini now that he has had it a few times. He eats lots of fruits, veggies, and grains: apple, pear, banana, orange, raspberry, prune, mango, squash, red potato, yam, green bean, pinto bean, carrot, pea, bell pepper, tomato, broccoli, onion, avocado, oatmeal, rice, and quinoa. I'm just surprised he's not bigger for his age.

He also tries to talk to us everyday. He regularly says dad, mama, up, and at. He tries other sounds that end in "at" like bat. He says "hi" when waving to people, which he does A LOT. He often waves with both hands. Uncle Matt says he heard Stuart say Matt. Aunt Jenn says she heard him say "Hi Laina" and sometimes Jared and I hear him trying to make sense of and copy what we say. He also claps his hands regularly in excitement.

He scoots around on his butt, rolls everywhere, lifts his upper body on his hands, and we're working on lifting his butt more when on his tummy. He lost interest in that hard work quickly when he started a few months ago. :( The path of least resistance appeals to many people, and Stuart appears to be one of them.

LOL

Jared and I laughed a good long one last night after seeing these pictures for the first time. Look at that little boy! He's the happiest human being I have ever met. If you can't see his face, click on the photo. You can't pass up that smile. Poor kid, has my squinty eyes.

Besties

I love this girl! Thanks for the visit FOREVER ago. (I am so bad at blogging regularly.) You are the best friend a girl could have. Did you know that this beautiful woman holds the record as my longest-time close friend? Almost 17 years now. Outside of my family friends, of course. So many people have friends that they knew when they were babies and they still keep in touch. Well, I've lost close contact and close friendships with most everyone, but not this lady. I still love her like I did when we were fourteen, inseparable, and out of control. I love you, my RLPP! I wish the entire continental United States did not separate us. Lucky for me, time doesn't have to separate us.

Curls

Stuart's hair is officially curly most days. It takes just the right circumstances for his hair to get brushed straight and stay straight, so most of the time it's curly.

Unruly. Voluminous. Gorgeous. Curly.

Swing low

Stuart's first swing time. A few weeks ago. He loved it. So did I.

L and A's First Photo Gallery

The result when my camera is left in the hands of my sweet - and surprisingly talented - five-year-old niece and three-year-old nephew:

Trust

I have been listening to both old and new broadcasts of General Conference this week, while taking care of things around the house. I just listened to one by an apostle of Jesus Christ, namely Henry B. Eyring. This part motivated me to act more quickly on the inspiration I receive:

If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer in this conference, you will find it. And if you then go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you.

What a thought! That the very God of heaven and earth, the creator of all living, the Father of all mankind could trust me! Wow. What an honor worth acting upon.

I'm doing my best. In the last few months there have been many, many moments to act upon inspiration. Some I have acted upon quickly, some I have eventually gotten to, and other thoughts I ignored and missed a great opportunity. With the success comes confidence, and with the failures come regret, repentance, and motivation to be courageous. I must. Because like the prophet Spencer W. Kimball said, "It is a greater compliment to be trusted than it is to be loved."

frog in the throat

The last couple of weeks, Stu has been making this growling voice. It sounds like he has a frog in his throat and it makes Jared and me laugh so hard. It sounds like he is playing a character and putting on a show for someone, but he does it when entertaining himself. In the end, he ends of entertaining us.

And check out this tongue!

Unruly hair

I tried. I really did. I combed his hair with a part and everything. His hair is meant to be wavy.

Month of Millers

For the past month my sister and her son have been living with us. :) Except for visits to our brother's house for a couple days at a time, we had these wonderful people around:

The cousins really enjoyed getting to know each other. There were lots of smiles when they were together. We're so happy to have family around. Thanks for learning and growing with us during this month, K & B. I hope we're all better for having spent this time together.

Too cool

Too cool for Dad's glasses....

Lent observance failure

My attempt to abstain from dairy has miserably failed. I did well for about a week. Then I had to try the brie and chutney. Then Jared and I had a get away weekend, and I had to try the Greek & Moroccan restaurant. That of course includes feta. Then there was the day I was on my way home from a friend's and had a long drive ahead of me. What better treat than a free junior frosty to tide me over? I didn't even THINK about there being dairy in it until Jared pointed it out much later. Duh.

Unfortunately, the same unwanted consequences followed my eating dairy products. My belly aches, my bowels ache, my head aches, my ears and throat ache, and my poor baby aches. He spits up more when I eat dairy. I really need to learn self control.

So, I here confess my sins and deepest failure in my attempt to give up something that I know is harming my body. The good news is that I am more self aware. Duly noted: I suck at abstaining from dairy...