Island Park

So...my first jaunt up to Island Park was this past Saturday (July 21). A rather large group of us got together to canoe...some river up there. (I really wish I knew what it's called!) We met at Cameron's family's cabin in the evening and got on the river around 9:30 or 10pm. There were 11 people scattered among 5 canoes; it was a jolly good time. -The thing about canoeing at night is that you can't really see the beautiful nature around you; however, the night was clear and crisp, and we had an amazing view of the stars. Very nice! It really was nice and serene...except for whoever it was that had their rap music thumping, blasting the night air. Very annoying. -I was in the canoe with Cameron, and we were supposed to get out a little bit early so I could drive Cameron to his Amigo (jeep), and then we'd go pick up the canoes and our friends afterward. Well, right as we were pulling to the river bank, I realized that I had left my keys in Cameron's Amigo. Can we say "Woops!" all together now? So what ended up happening is that Cameron went back to the cabin (not far off) and hopped on a bike instead of into the passenger seat of my car. That's right, he rode the 4 or so miles in the dark (at midnight, no less) back to the Amigo. -At this point, Jeremy jumped into Cameron's spot (out of Brooke and Lisa's canoe), and he became my friend for the remainder of the trip. -Considering that Cameron had to make it back to the cabin and then ride a bike to the Amigo, he made pretty good time to the end of our journey. Now here's the absolutely amazing part...there were 11 of us (me, Cameron, Brooke, Lisa, Jeremy, Jason, Jayson, Trevor, Jemila, Erin, and Billy). And all of us squished ourselves into that tiny little Amigo! Now if that's not impressive (or else just plain stupid), please tell me what is! -During the time while Cameron was gone, and we were all out and waiting for him, my friends never really stopped giving me a hard time about leaving my keys in Cameron's car in the first place. Oy! What an embarrassing life I lead! Sadly, it really doesn't shock me that I did such a foolish thing; embarrassing, but it's totally something I would do. Woopsy-daisy!

So...at this point Cameron (safely) drove us back to the cabin, and I swear we resembled a circus attraction, where millions clowns of various sizes just keep on exiting the tiniest of cars! Anyway, a couple of the fellas left after some hot chocolate. The rest of us stayed up for a while longer to visit. Then it was off to bed! I'm pretty sure everyone got to sleep on a bed, or at least a couch. It was very comfortable and nice!

Next morning, we woke up at the crack of dawn and drove us back to Idaho Falls and got ready for church. -I even stayed awake through all the meetings! It really was a good time. Now I just need to make my way back up there during daylight hours, so I can see what Island Park looks like. :)

And...here's a picture of an Amigo...
so you can picture 11 adults of various sizes squeezing themselves into it.
It's an image I won't soon forget!

la familia...

Following the night hike adventure, Brookey, Lisa and I made our way back to Brigham City to shower at my folks' place. Then we made our way to Lindsey Park in Brigham to my family reunion. There, we ate some REAL sustenance (more than just cinnamon bears, granola and trail mix). We supped with the family and then I let Brooke and Lisa slumber under the shade while I caught up with the fam. The Allens left with gramma fairly early, and the Barlows were right behind them. I had a good time chatting with Uncle Kurt and his fam , who came from Vegas. (Welcome home Skyler!) We didn't get a group shot of everyone...so there's just some pics of my immediate family.

July 7, 2007
R. FAMILY REUNION

This is the O. clan minus Brent (who we miss!)

And here's a cute pic of me with my darling little Sethington.

Crash and burn!
Jackson didn't get much sleep the night before.
When Seth woke up from his nap, Jackson climbed into Seth's stroller.
Dad took him for a walk and he fell asleep fast and hard.

I was so nice to my roommates...I let them sleep in the shade until 4:00! And they were nice to me...they let me have the backseat to sleep most of the way home. NICE! It was a fun weekend.

Hiking Timpanogos...

My cute little friend Lisa decided a while back that she wanted to do something pretty cool to ring in 07/07/07...so we decided on a hike (because that's what we do). However...to make it special, we hiked all through the night so we could watch the sunrise. And that's what we did. We (Lisa, Brookey and I) went to Brigham City so we could chow down on some excellent grub at Maddox (Lisa's fav restaurant). After dinner, it was only 10pm, so we went to my folks' place to chill for a bit. Then we made our way down to Utah Valley and searched for the Timpooneke Trail Head. -This took a while, since it was well past dark when we got to Alpine Loop...and we weren't exactly sure where we were going. We didn't start our hike until 2:30am on 7/7/07. Lemme just tell you, I was tired and a little...ah...snooty when we started the hike. This hike was probably the most mentally difficult I've ever been on, and here's why: my brain knew that it was 2 in the morning and that I ought to be in bed. Also, my body really wanted to be in bed. This is why I started out a bit ornery. (I'm not gonna lie--there was much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. From me). Anyways, we started off dressed in layers, but had to strip down pretty quick 'cause the night was hot. YUCK. So...off we went, hiking into the night. I'm thinking that it's probably good that my tired eyes couldn't see how steep it sometimes got, 'cause most likely that wouldn't have improved my bad attitude. -As we hiked, hoped to wake up a bit, but I think it was too warm for that. I hiked ahead of Lisa and Brookey a little bit, and near 5:00 I found a nice rock to sit on and eat something to keep from passing out. This is really when I noticed my attitude improving. (I'm pretty sure it had something to do with sustenance.) -I could keep going, but I think the pics will tell the story better...

MT. TIMPANOGOS

This pic was taken in the dark at the trail head.
The flash nearly burned our eyes out of their sockets.

This was right around 5am when we had our 1st breakfast.
I'm not lying to the camera; I wanted to be asleep!

And here we have Lisa being honest as well...

And Brookey...
She kinda looks dead; YIKES!

And here are some pics of the beautiful sunrise...

As sleepy as I was, the sunrise was definitely worth it!

There were so many pretty flowers along the way...
which I could actually appreciate once the sun was up!

And here we are at the top...or at least near it.
That's Utah (or "Happy") Valley behind us.

And here we have a silly picture.
It's called, "How I Really Feel"
(After Hiking a Strenuous Hike on NO Sleep).

And this one's called "What I wish I was Doing Right Now!"
(I've gotten pretty good at the self portrait thing.)

We took this picture because I can't resist
this stance when I'm up so high...

This is what they call "the saddle" that we hiked
before we got to Timpanogos Summit...

Beautiful nature along the way...

...because I love waterfalls...

We actually arrived at the top at 7:00am on 07/07/07. No lie; it's for real. Kinda cool timing, eh? So...the trip up ended up taking us 4.5 hours (including the 30 min break we took to watch the sunrise). At the top we had our 2nd breakfast and stayed there for about 30 minutes. The trip down took us 2.5 hours, and I kinda got grumpy again 'cause my body was so tired that I kept tripping. Woops. We got back to the car around 10am and I had Brooke drive for a bit while I slept in the back. Overall, a great trip! I'm not real keen on hiking all night on no sleep any time soon, but the view atop was gorgeous, and it was a fun "bonding trip" with the roommates...

A slumbering ginabean in her own backseat...

And now...a poem on the experience:

HIKING IN THE NIGHT

-by Gina Orgill

Three cute girls (crazy were they!) decided to hike all night

To the peak of Timpanogos, guided by the moonlight.

These ladies had driven all night long from South-East Idaho

To Timpooneke Trail Head in Utah Valley, don't you know?

These loony girls started their sojourn up the hill at 2:30am--

A magical quest up this large mountain was awaiting them.

The seventh day of the seventh month in the year 2007--

The tallest of these three ladies thought sleep sounded just like heaven!

But too bad for her; sleep was still several hours away...

The goal was to conquer the mountain before the break of day.

These girls that I'm speaking of are good friends and roommates;

Brooke and Lisa, Gina too--all born in different states.

But anyway...back to the hike--the dark and steep-ish one...

It sure was hot in the dark, even without the sun!

These girls thought at first it might be nippy, but it wasn't so-

The earth was hot and slightly muggy--it made the girls say, "Whoah!"

The littlest gal of the three let her eyes adjust to the dark;

She rarely used her flashlight and did well to stay on mark.

Several times near the beginning of this nature walk

They stepped across small streams, and at five sat on a rock.

Yes, at 5:00 they stopped to eat their breakfast number one--

After the tallest ate some food, her experience became more fun.

Upward these gals continued, one step at a time--

They stopped to watch the sunrise while Lisa continued to climb.

(Yep, she got stuck for a little while, hoping for a shortcut...

At first the trail seemed easy, but then it wasn't. WHAT?!)

But Lisa found her way up to where her two friends sat...

They took some pictures and then hiked to the peak--stat!

7:00 was when they reached the "top"--good timing, if you ask me.

Their second breakfast was enjoyed above Utah Valley.

Lisa called her mom to say, "Happy 7th of July!"

According to these lovely girls, it was cold and windy up so high.

They stuck around for half an hour to take pictures and eat...

The one called Gina wasn't ready to get back on her feet.

The descent down this large mountain was prettier by day...

The gorgeous flowers and waterfalls were visible--HOORAY!

And if these three chickadees were warm the night before,

They were in for a sick surprise--the hotness increased more!

The lack of sleep was getting to these girls--it's really true.

Hallucinations were surfacing--but just a few.

Gina stumbled and nearly fell a few times down the hill--

She caught herself just in time...her prayers were fulfilled!

The girls that I'm speaking of made good time on the way down;

Two-and-a-half hours later they were driving through a town!

Their sleeping schedules now are out of whack; it screwed them up a bit--

It took a while for them to want to do more than just sit.

These gals had guts and gumption too-but were they lacking brains?

If you ask any of the three, they'll say it was worth the pain!

Independence Day!

July 4th has always been a bit of a family holiday for me; we don't do much besides a BBQ and just chill together. However, Independence Day fell on a Wednesday, so I stayed in IF to play with friends. Here are some pics of our celebration by the greenbelt.

Me and Brookey...

Briant and Brookey listening to his iPod to pass the time...

Me and Tracie...

This fellow is sporting the coolest mullet since 1986.
Notice the steps buzzed into the side of his head.
I was very sneaky in acquiring this picture...

Brooke and Tracie...

Independence Day inspired another poem. Here goes...

BELOVED LAND
by Gina O.
America the beautiful; blessed land of the free!
Brave men and women risk their lives to defend our liberty!
Long ago our Founding Fathers declared Independence
From any other nation who would threaten with offense.
They shared a vision of a land where freedom would unite!
For justice and for liberty they stood and fought with might.
A Constitution was constructed by those awesome men;
Among them was George Washington, and John and James and Ben.
They called their precious beloved land the United States;
A democratic government was formed--now open for debate.
Many wars have come to pass since we declared ourselves a nation;
Soldiers fight to keep us free out of love and determination.
They love this land, these cherished people in uniform;
And we enjoy our lives of leisure while they fight in the storm.
No other country can compare, America is best!
Abundant is the life I lead--I am considered blessed!
My precious flag--red, white and blue--inspires love and praise;
It makes me glad I'm in this land to live my lovely days.
Our Anthem brings tears to my eyes--I know this is God's land;
He blesses us so gracefully with His Eternal Hand.
So beautiful, this country dear; mountains, rivers, sky...
A melting pot of culture--and homemade apple pie!
All thy freedoms I enjoy upon thy lovely shores;
America, my country home, I couldn't love thee more.

Quick trip home...

I got to play with my nephews a bit this weekend. I got to Farmington Friday evening just after Seth fell asleep, but Jackson was up. The boy has got me wrapped around his little finger! I played with him on Friday evening and started tickling him; I stopped for a minute to focus my attention on his parents as we were talking, and Jackson (apparently) wasn't done with the tickle fight...At this point, he grabbed my hands and put them on his tummy and waited for me to start tickling again. It was good fun. He's got this cute little fake laugh that made me chuckle a bit. :) After a while, Amy decided Jackson really ought to go to bed. Not much later, Seth woke up to eat. Afterwards, I got to play with him a bit; he really is such a cute, happy child! He's got this new look--very Zoolander--which you will see below. Every time I pulled the Zoolander face, Seth would giggle and then imitate. I pretty much love being an aunt!

Amy said getting this picture took FOREVER. Aren't they so handsome?!?

Aaron calls this look "Blue Steel."
If you've seen Zoolander, you understand...

This was lots of fun!

You should've heard him giggling...
It really is one of my favorite sounds in the world.

So...much of my weekend was devoted to the boys, which was terrific! Saturday I went to the SLC Temple with Dad and Aaron, and it was lovely. (I had never done a live session before). Hung out with the folks Saturday evening. -Overall the weekend felt quick and kinda rushed, but it was excellent seeing the family, for sure!