A Night with the Stars...

 This week for Mutual, the Mia Maid class put on a "Night with the Stars" for our graduating seniors.  And it was quite the production!  Starting with this amazing invitation...

We were greeted at the door by the paparazzi...literally!  Cameras flashing in our faces as we walked along the red carpet into the cultural hall!  There was the "walk of fame" with each graduate's name on a star...

 The decorations were amazing...this is just the dessert table...stars on everything, the brownies were even cut in start shapes!  There was also a salad bar table and stars hanging from the ceiling.  They had old hollywood type music playing...it was the perfect atmosphere!  The tables were gorgeous in gold, black and red...I didn't get a good picture (I tried!).  Everyone was dressed up in their award winning attire...lots of glam and glitter!

 During dinner each graduate was spotlighted with prearranged information from their parents, and then they were asked a couple of questions on the spot...it was fun to hear their answers.  What was your favorite memory of mutual days...most of the boys, including Joel said scout camps were among the favorites.  And what temple do you want to be married in and why...Joel was reasonable in being married to in the one most convenient so people don't have to travel too much.

 Then there were awards for each of them...Joel's was for YM basketball...they each got a trophy.

 And then of course they all got a gift bag...the boys got their mini Preach My Gospel book (they actually got them earlier, but it was part of their gift), they also got a key chain for consecrated oil and a bunch of candy. The Young Men's president and the Young Women's president each gave a few remarks and then a representative from the Young Single Adults Ward invited them to come and enjoy that ward as soon as they graduate.  It was a lovely evening and so much work and effort!  We were very impressed!! Here is Joel on the red carpet with his trophy... 

 Then the girls had come out, but not the other guys yet, so the paparazzi took advantage of the situation and helped Joel turn as red as the carpet.  It was fun...4 of the girls weren't there that night...Wendy, Elizabeth, Dannah and Mallory...we missed you!

 Then the guys showed up and about 20 minutes of crazy picture taking ensued...I call this one "Just say no to the paparazzi!"

 They did a bunch of poses and really had a fun time...what a great group of kids!  Joel grew up with all of these kids and will have fond memories of their times together.  

 Back row, Ty Kennington, Ashley Wilcox, Chloe Thompson, Rachel Burnett, Amber Winiecke, Joel, Steven Brown.  Kneeling in front, Garrett White and Austin Kincade.  

 I didn't get the one of the guys holding Austin and then pretending to drop him...it was funny.

I think our seniors felt really honored and it was fun to be there to witness it all.  Congratulations to all our Clovis 2nd ward seniors!  We wish them all the best as they move on into the next chapter of their lives!  Thank you to the Mia Maids and their leaders who made this such a wonderful night!

May the Force Be With You...

It is a well known fact at my place of employment, that my boss is a Star Wars geek...nerd...whatever term of endearment you care to use.  Well, it turns out this weekend he turns 40.  We could not let this pass...so I made him a 40 Sucks bouquet.  With 40 dum dums....aka suckers!

 Then the amazing Cupcake Stef made me some Star Wars cupcakes!  They were a hit!  Everyone took out their phones and took pictures of them!  The Chewbacca one was the favorite (the hairy guy on the bottom row).  The Darth Vaders and Yodas were pretty cool too...not to mention, Han, Princess Leia and Luke.  There were some light sabers and a "May the Force Be With You" sign...and my personal favorite, "Happy Bday Dark Lord James."  Oh my goodness, it was like she knew my boss!  We always know when he's in a good mood if he's whistling the Darth Vader music!

 He was pleased with the cupcakes and even posted a picture of them on his facebook page.  And of course there's all the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters...change "Carry On" to you favorite passion ("Keep Calm and shop at Target, Quilt, go to In-n-Out...whatever you like) so when I saw the Yoda version, I had to print it up for him.  I laminated it and wrote on the back for his "card."  Sometimes he does need to be reminded to breathe deeply.  ha ha...

It was a very Star Wars day at work...we had lots of food and fun!  He feels so old and I just laugh because I have 10 years on him!  Happy Birthday James Taylor...and may you live to be as old and wise as Yoda.  I will miss you when I move to Utah...not my job, but the people...I will miss some of them  a lot.

Yosemite, the conclusion...

Upper Yosemite Falls...isn't it beautiful!  So much water!!

Our last stop of the day (before the gift shop!) was Yosemite Falls.  The "hike" to Lower Yosemite Falls is just a little walk and it's tradition to go there, so we kept the tradition!  We had trouble finding parking and ended up back almost where we had parked that morning, and took the shuttle to Yosemite Falls.  As we were driving around looking for parking, we saw our friends Linda and Tom walking along the path (they had probably just come from the falls).  They didn't see us, but we knew it was them!  Linda had her camera strapped on and I'm sure she got some great shots that day as well.  After the shuttle dropped us off we took the familiar walk to Lower Yosemite Falls.  Again, the water was roaring, and the wind was blowing the mist everywhere...it made it hard to take pictures, but it sure is amazing to see and hear! 

 Some people were crazy enough to hike up onto the big rocks, closer to the water...they must be drenched!    It was the perfect ending to our beautiful day!

 After the gift shop (my last chance to get a Yosemite t-shirt!) we stopped for a couple more shots of Half Dome...beautiful shot Joel! 

 And we can't forget El Capitan...so much granite!

 Beautiful!   It was a wonderful day in the park and I am so glad we went!  We might have to squeeze in one more trip before we leave...it is just that beautiful there!  We want to drive to Glacier Point, but the road was still closed...it was supposed to open May 1st, so we might just take a drive up there one more time...

And my bum leg only had one bad cramp on the drive home...we did have to stop so I could get out and stretch it...but other than that, I was no worse for wear from my hiking.  Yosemite is beautiful and we highly recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors!  It is fun to think about Dave's dad being born there.  His dad (Clifton McKinney) worked at the Ahwahnee Hotel back in 1931.  Terry was born in the park!  What a beautiful place to be born.  Thank you Joel for taking such beautiful pictures and Happy Birthday Dave!

Yosemite continued...

As we got further up the trail, the wind was blowing the mists from the falls directly onto the trail...Joel had to put his nice camera away so it wouldn't get wet!  So I took a few shots with my cell phone...they aren't as good, but I wanted a few...we were getting SOAKED.  Totally wet...through.  It was crazy!  Here's Clark taking some pictures with his cell phone...

 Here are some of the steps up tot he falls...I would look up and see all the people at the top and think, "I just can't make it clear up there!"  The trail was no longer paved, it was dirt and rock, and then steps, and steps, and more steps, carved out of the rock...we just had to keep climbing.  All the while getting wet and being cold!  It was not what we expected at all!

 This picture is blurry, but it's more of the rock steps...from the bridge at the bottom up to the top is a 1,000 foot gain.  Believe me, I had to stop even more than before!  About every 20 feet it felt like!  Wet and slippery rock stairs...I was sure I would not make it to the top!  Then Clark would say, "You can't come this far and not finish!"  So I would keep climbing...and resting...a LOT.  I am happy to say that I was not the only one stopping along the way...MANY people were doing the same thing!

 We stopped off to the side and sat on a rock to rest and eat a little snack.  The squirrels were totally wanting to join us!   We had to keep shoo-ing them away!  One guy was sitting on the ground with his back pack and eating a sandwich..the squirrels would climb onto his pack and he had to practically push them away...it was nuts!  This picture shows one of the pesky squirrels and also Dave's pants that were wet from the ankles up...lots of water being blown on us!

 Beautiful, roaring, wet water!  

 Looking down below...if you zoom in, you can see the bridge at the very back of this picture...we had come a LONG way...and straight up it seemed!

 But guess what...here is the top of Vernal Falls!  YES...we MADE IT!!!!  And it was totally worth every painful step!!  So beautiful!!

 As you come up over the last steps, this is the sight you see, granite rock everywhere (and people!) and the water flowing along...

 We were drying out a little, but still pretty wet, and my hair...oh my goodness!  

 Clark at the top...

 Me and Dave...still can't believe I made it!

 And Joel, the photographer who barely let me take his picture at the top!

 We ate our lunch up at the top and rested for awhile enjoying the beautiful scenery.  It really was breathtaking and we cannot believe how long we have lived here and have only seen a tiny portion of what Yosemite has to offer!  I highly recommend the Vernal Falls hike.  If you are more of a hiker, you can continue on to Nevada Falls and eventually arrive at Half Dome.  But we had pushed as far as we could and now needed to start our descent...it was just as pretty, and just as wet (the second time getting soaked through!) but a lot easier going down!

 We made it back to the footbridge and the rest of the hike down was quick but painful.  We had to keep putting on the brakes so we wouldn't fall down!  I have a few more pictures of the rest of our day in Yosemite...but will save them for one more post...

Joel took a couple hundred amazing pictures...and I tried to pick and choose, but there is still a picture overload here...so will save the last few for one more post.  We did it!  And as Clark said, "Old folks can hike!"  

Yosemite National Park...

Saturday, April 27, 2013

We celebrated Dave's birthday by going to Yosemite.  The weather was gorgeous and we wanted to see some of Yosemite that we have never seen before...so the adventure begins!

Here is the overlook at the beginning of the drive down into Yosemite Valley...You can see Half Dome in the back, El Capitan to the left, and Bridal Veil Falls to the right.  The waters were roaring for us all day!

 I must preface these pictures by saying that I didn't do my hair because I was going to wear a baseball hat...but Joel needed a hat, so Mom sacrificed hers and went hatless.  Bad hair day...especially later, and you will see why...but still a beautiful day and I was happy to be there with the handsome hubster.

 And with these two additional handsome hiking companions...Clark and Joel!

 Joel was our photographer for the day and needless to say, he's not in very many shots because it was hard to get the camera away from him!  Isn't it beautiful?  A perfect day!  Wish more of the family could have been with us!  We decided to do the Vernal Falls hike.  It was listed as "moderate to strenuous" and 3 miles round trip...we had never been to this part of the park before and were excited to see it!  This is just a pretty picture Joel took as we were driving in the park, it is not Vernal Falls.

 After we found parking and were walking to the trail head, we saw five or six baby deer just sauntering through the camps...they weren't bothered by us at all!

 Here we are, almost to the the trail head...excited for our adventure!

 This water is coming from Vernal Falls which is where we were headed...

 We walked along the water most of the time...it was really roaring, wish you could hear it.  The trail was paved and very nice...a little steep in some parts, but we couldn't complain.  I had to stop quite a bit...every so often to catch my breath and let my bum leg rest...didn't have to rest long, just often.  I'm sure Clark and Joel got tired of stopping, but they never complained and always waited patiently.  We told them they could go on ahead, and Clark did sometimes, but Joel stayed right with us.  Probably wanting to make sure his old parents could make it!

 As we were hiking up and people were coming down, they would say, "you're almost there."  We really weren't, but it gave us the energy to push on....here we are at the bridge!  You can see Vernal falls in the background.  Silly me thought that we had "made it" but the trail actually goes to the TOP of Vernal falls!  The "moderate" part of the hike was to the bridge.  That would have been a 1.4 miles round trip hike, but we decided to move on to the "strenuous" part and go to the falls...

 The temperature was in the low 70's and beautiful, but we were a little warm from walking uphill! So yes, I have a red face! Here is Clark at the bridge...

 and Joel...they don't look as hot as I do!  It was more of a "stroll" for them I think...

 This is further up the trail, looking down on the path behind us...it was hard to believe we had already come this far...

 But there is always more ahead!  This was the "easy" part...before the "steps" to the falls.  That is Clark running there at the bottom of the picture in the red and black...carrying my pack as well as his!

Did we make it to the top?  Stay tuned for more pictures of our adventure!   

Update on Disney World...

No Mickey Mouse sightings that I have heard of yet...but here they are ready for the Magic Kingdom!  

 With Aladdin and Jasmine...

 They have also been to Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios!  Here's a few from Hollywood...

 I love the "Cars" photo...and this green army man is so cool!  I think David thinks so too!

 A Bug's life...I'll take the Oreo!

 And a hot and tired Jacob with the cutest Mickey Mouse pretzel!  

And my favorite boys in my favorite shirts...cute with the little black shorts!  

Glad they are having fun!  Wish I was there!!