the Overlook

Like I said in my last post, I went sport climbing this week at the Overlook with Casey and Shawn. It looks amazing in the Fall! This time we were there in the day instead of the evening but it was freezing nonetheless. There was a very cold wind and I remembered why Spring always makes me so happy. I do love the colors and the feel of Autumn, in fact it's one of my favorite times of the year, it just hurt my fingers to climb when they were practically popsicles. It was an enjoyable afternoon though. This semester has been really relaxing, probably my easiest one ever! On Mondays and Wednesdays I get out of class at noon and I don't usually have obligations until 6:00 so I have plenty of time for homework and adventures. I love having the chance to get outside and enjoy nature!

Casey flashed (lead climbing without falling on the first try...just so we're clear on the climbing terminology :) ) this 5.12 b route called Dwarf Tossing. Climbing routes and boulder problems have funny names. But anyway, he did awesome!

Isn't the view cool?

I led a 5.10a route which is the hardest I've led so far! It was actually a pretty easy one, but fun.

It's such a relief when you finally clip into the chains at the top. Phew! I think the reason I like climbing so much is because of the sense of accomplishment it gives me. I never really felt that with any of the sports I played in middle school or high school. It's nice because it's just me conquering my fears and pushing myself to get stronger and better. I like knowing that I can do hard things that sometimes scare me out of my mind. That just reminded me of a talk I gave in Sacrament meeting a month or two ago about the scripture that says "if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." I used a little climbing analogy and ever since then I am just finding all sorts of metaphors between climbing and life/the gospel. :)

it's a beautiful view from the top

Last weekend we traveled to Logan for the Top of Utah Marathon. Casey's mom, sister and brother were all running it and I thought it was an awesome experience watching it! I'd never watched a marathon, or even a half-marathon, so it was hard to comprehend someone actually running 26 miles, but they did it! It was incredible to me seeing everyone running so far with so much determination. I was inspired. Matt and Parker eagerly waiting and watching for Ashley.You wouldn't guess from her face that she's been running over 16 miles would you?

Cameron pushing to the end!

Ashley approaching the finish!

Barbara making it to the finish line!

They all did an incredible job and I'm so glad I got to go watch them! It was definitely worth the long drive.

Of course we made a quick stop at Logan Canyon for some climbing after the race.

The following Monday we had a cookout with my family at the other end of the state on Cedar Mountain where Grandma and Grandpa left their trailer for the hunts. The leaves were incredible and we had a great time despite the freezing weather. Fall is officially here!

There was a cool little shelter someone had built near the camp. I wonder if they actually camped in it?! I checked it out for evidence and the only thing I found was a Utah Hogle Zoo map....? The only explanation we could come up with is that big foot was being held captive and made his way to Southern Utah after escaping. There is no better way to eat a hot dog than roasted over a fire. Mm mm mm.
After dinner Mike tried calling in some elk in preparation for the hunt this weekend. Unfortunately we didn't see any elk, but I did get this great shot of my mom's face. :) heehee. It's a classic! Don't you just love those pictures that catch the perfect moment we would never even know happened if we hadn't captured them right in time? I do. They are probably my favorite kinds of pictures. I laughed for at least 15 minutes when I uploaded this picture to the computer and saw it zoomed in.


We went to the overlook and saw the most beautiful sunset!!! My camera didn't even come remotely close to doing it justice. I have daytime pictures to post later of the view (we went climbing at the same spot today) so you can sort of get a taste of what it looked like. It was truly awe inspiring with the fall leaves, the glowing sky, and the fading mountains in the distance. In other news, I'm a mom! Not literally of course. I got a calling in my singles ward as a Family Home Evening mom. I'm excited to get involved and feel more comfortable in my ward. I think it will be a good opportunity to get to know people and to plan some fun activities! I am also hoping it will rejuvenate my enthusiasm for ward activities. Sometimes I feel like I've been in the singles ward scene forever.... Speaking of singles wards, I should watch that movie again. I don't think I've watched it since I actually started attending one. They are definitely full of quirks. :)

I'm thinking there is one other thing I wanted to post about but I can't remember.....If I think of it later I will let you know. That's it for now!

Wierdos!

One night last week a friend of ours threw a back-to-school "wierdo party." We dressed up as wierdos and we got some free toast (there were wierd games at the party as well but unfortunately we got there too late). It was very random but also very entertaining dressing up and taking pictures. Casey did my hair and I did his. haha. The toast was quite delicious as well! There were all kinds of bread. And that is the story of our wierd night in a nutshell!

loving the Labor Day weekend

This year for the Labor Day weekend we planned a fun trip with friends and family to Maple Canyon. It is a beautiful canyon full of cobblestone cliffs that are perfect for sport climbing.

Box Canyon is a slot canyon that is a branch of Maple Canyon and I thought it was really cool because I've never seen anything like it. There were huge cobblestone cliffs with lots of caves and overhanging places. Very cool. Casey is working his way back from a finger injury this summer but he is still an amazing climber! This route is a 5.12 a/b that he and Matt (his brother-in-law) were working on. They are really good. I tried climbing it and only made it to the 3rd bolt which was less than halfway up and the easiest part! Casey got really close to redpointing it (climbing the route without resting or falling) but fell on the last move. He'll get it next time for sure. Matt ended up redpointing it! Ashley and I worked on lead climbing together. It was fun having someone climb the same routes as me.

Sunday Aubree and I practiced our culinary skills and ventured a roast with vegetables for dinner. It turned out quite good we decided! :) The next morning we made biscuits and gravy (a favorite of mine). It was so fun cooking with her in her cute little apartment! We were proud of our accomplishments.
Sunday evening when it cooled down we went to campus for some slacklining. For those of you who may not have heard of it, it basically involves tying a rope between two trees and walking on it. It actually is really fun. And really challenging! It takes a lot of balance but it is very entertaining. Casey is a pro.

I definitely haven't reached the pro status as most of my time spent slacklining looks something like this:
Go Aubree!

Did any of you read the Where's Waldo books? This will be a similar experience only we will call it Where's Casey?

hint: remember his love for climbing things...

Aubree took us to her favorite homework spot, the Manti temple grounds. The Manti temple looks incredible at night when it is all lit up. There is a beautiful place I didn't know about behind the temple where there are rolling grassy hills with lots of trees and it is so beautiful and so peaceful! I wish I could go there every day and do my homework with Aubs.

I decided I really like Ephraim and Manti. Going there brought back lots of fun memories from when Grandpa and Grandma Heap were on their mission and lived in Ephraim. We ate at the Malt Shop in Ephraim that was just around the corner from where they lived when they were there. It was just as tasty as I remembered it being! I only wished they could be there too. I think we're going to have to plan another trip there with more of the family involved. Plus, there is a drive-in movie theatre there and I have yet to check that off my bucket list so we've just got to go back!

Monday it was back to Maple Canyon for another fun day of climbing. I worked on my fear of lead climbing by doing three more routes and I feel a lot more comfortable now. Aubree also came on Monday and I loved having her there!

Maple Canyon is beautiful! I am hoping we can make it back in the Fall when the leaves are all changing colors. I can only imagine how pretty it will look then! Casey's nephew Parker is the most adorable little boy!

mmm mm mmm!!

If you have not tried these I would definitely recommend it. I love my creative arts class!! :)

So long textbook, hello procrastination!

I have one more chapter to read for homework, plus assembling a "teacher survival kit" (a long story for another day), and completing my cultural identity portfolio, but my brain is in need of a break. So I am procrastinating.

I was just reading Angie's blog and she shared a little of her testimony. It sparked my thought process. A couple of weeks ago...actually I think it may have been months...my sister and I got to go to my aunt and uncles singles ward with them. They taught a lesson in the temple prep class about symbols. They talked about a scripture, Moses 6:63 which says "all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of [God]..." I've always felt like when I am outside, in the mountains or wherever, it's easier to feel closer to Heavenly Father and the Savior because of all the beautiful creations. I especially love the sky. Sunshine, bright clouds, thunder clouds, rain, snow, sunsets, sunrises...you name it! I love it! Clouds have always been so fascinating. When I was little I use to daydream about how fun it would be if they were giant fluffy pillows that I could jump around in. Anyway, thinking about clouds and about the temple prep lesson one night I decided to change my scripture study up a little bit and just look up all the scriptures with the word cloud/clouds in them. It was cool because almost all of them were about the Savior coming or about leading people, like with the brother of Jared. It was pretty cool you should try it! It adds a whole new perspective when you look up and see a cloud in the sky! I got these pictures one day this summer when we were leaving Cedar City to drive to Salt Lake.