Prayers and Bears

While we were in Island Park for our family reunion we all went to Yellowstone for the day. We started out at Old Faithful and ate lunch at a picnic area there. My eight year old nephew Carter said the prayer on lunch and asked in his prayer if we could see some animals that day, especially bears. After seeing Old Faithful, we headed off to see other parts of Yellowstone. As we were driving in the car we saw bull elk, deer, bald eagles, buffalo, and lots of beautiful scenery. We saw no bears. Often as we were driving I would look over and see Carter with his arms folded, his eyes closed, and his head bowed. I could tell he was saying a prayer. He told me he was praying to see a bear. Well, the day went on and we had seen everything we were going to see and needed to head home. I have to admit, I also said a prayer and basically said, "Lord, you cannot ignore the prayers of this precious child, please help us to see a bear". I also have to admit that I desperately wanted to see a bear living in the wild. I have never seen one before except at the zoo or the Grizzly Discovery Center and I wanted to see one almost as badly as Carter did.

As we were driving to leave the park, we passed some bull elk that we had seen earlier in the day and they had changed their positions so we wanted to stop again and get some better pictures. While taking pictures, I turned out of the blue to one of the rangers that was there and said to him, "do you know where the bears have been seen in the park today?" And he says to me, "actually there is one about 2 miles from here and I am headed there now. If you want to follow me I will take you there right now".

So we ran back to the car and headed to where the bear was, and sure enough, there he was!! It was a big grizzly bear and he was just grazing in some wildflowers enjoying himself.

What an absolute miracle! Carter was in complete amazement, and I have to admit, I was too. A lot of things had to come together just right for us to see a bear that day, and only the Lord is capable of making them happen. It was a small thing for Him to do, but a huge miracle and teaching moment for us. It is amazing how a bear can turn into a huge blessing and testimony builder. I am so thankful for the tender mercies of the Lord and this faith building experience.

Island Park-Family Reunion

This past week my family had a reunion in Island Park, Idaho. It was absolutely beautiful there! My parents rented a cabin that was at a place called Bills Island over a causeway on Island Park Reservoir. I had so much fun. The scenery was absolutely amazing! We were completely surrounded by water and pine trees. Weirdly enough, I think I could live in a place like that. It was really cool. It smelled absolutely fantastic in the morning with the fresh pine trees everywhere.
While I was there I went on a bike ride every day. It was so much fun. I loved to ride around the entire island and really decided that I could become an avid bicyclist. Plus, there were wildflowers everywhere and so I took my camera on my bike rides and got some shots of the beautiful wildflowers.
On Tuesday, we went down the road from where we are staying to a place called Macks Inn. They have a place called Big Spring where a spring comes out of the ground and into this huge river. They are rumored to have huge trout and bass there. We were not disappointed There were some huge fish in there. It was pretty amazing that so much water could be coming from the ground. We also went into West Yellowstone and went to the bear and wolf center. It was pretty much a waste of time. I did enjoy looking at the Grizzly bears and the wolves, but felt bad for them that they are basically in captivity for all of their lives.
On Wednesday, my Mom, Dad, Spencer, Caden, Chase and I went on a river rafting trip. We had a lot of fun. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was amazing. We also had our own entertainment courtesy of Chase. The water along the way was incredibly cold (52 degrees ish) Well, Chase wanted to feel the water and was reaching down to touch it when he lost his balance and fell in the river. He was screaming bloody murder (with good reason) and Spencer had to go in to grab him. We took off his life jacket and warmed him up and he was happy again. After the life jacket dried off, I attempted to replace in on his body and he says "oh no, I am not going in that water again, I don't need that" Of coarse all of the adults told him he did need it so he let us put it back on him. Not fifteen minutes later, Chase is having the time of his life rowing the boat when the oar gets stuck on the bottom of the river and literally catapults him like a pole vaulter back into the river face first. It was honestly one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life! My mom and I were laughing so hard that we could not help him back into the boat so into the water Spencer goes for the second time to get Chase. The poor kid absolutely hates water and so it just made it 10x worse. The rest of the float trip was rather uneventful and we had a good time looking at bald eagles, other birds and wildlife. I had a really good time. It was so beautiful!
On Thursday we all went into Yellowstone for the day. We started out at Old Faithful. It was just our luck that it was spouting off as we were walking up to it from the parking lot. So, we waited around for an hour and a half for it to go off again. The kids and grandpa all went and got ice cream and played around while waiting. I have to admit, it is a little anti-climactic. Afterwards, everyone went back to the cabin except my mom and dad, Carter, Allison and I. We decided to head to yellowstone falls and the grand canyon. We had a great time and saw several animals and some beautiful scenery. It was a very enjoyable day.
On Friday and Saturday we enjoyed the day around the cabin. I went on several bike rides and went for some spins on the 4 wheeler. We went waterskiing at Island park reservoir. The water was bitter cold, but it sure was fun to ski.
What a fantastic trip! I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The worst part about the trip, is that it came to an end far too soon. Island park is a beautiful place. I can't wait to go back!

The Birds

I have a fantastic walking trail behind my house that goes on for literally miles. I absolutely love it! It is a place where Jack and I go almost on a daily basis and take long walks. I can watch the beautiful sunset from where I walk and I just love it. It is a fun and peaceful place to be.
I don't know if any of you have ever seen the movie 'The Birds' but it is a great Alfred Hitchcock movie from 1963. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it.
As we walk, there is a group of birds that follow us every single day. They chirp and squak and literally circle over our heads for at least a mile. I cannot help but think of that movie every time we are on a walk and hope that I don't suddenly have a bird swoop down on me. I also can't help but think how painful that beak would be as it was was pecking me to death!! The birds are actually very beautiful and I really enjoy listening to them. I have absolutely no idea what kind of bird they are, but love to watch them while I am on my walk and hope that they don't suddenly go psychotic on Jackie Wackie and I.

4th of July

Happy 4th of July! This is honestly one of my most favorite holidays! I love to celebrate that we live in the most amazing country on earth. I love that it is in the summer and you can spend the day swimming, playing sports, and having a BBQ. I love seeing people be absolutely patriotic. I absolutely love our country! We are free!! We are very blessed to be here in this country and to be Americans.

Today, my family and I had a get together at the condo. It was so much fun! We played the Wii, went swimming, talked and enjoyed one another. We had a delicious BBQ. My dad bought everyone delicious steaks for dinner and then it was just a pot luck of Katie's homemade baked beans, Darlenes homemade pasta salad, and my costco bought veggie platter and the most delicious white peaches ever. Valorie was in charge of drinks and chips. I had a great time celebrating with my family our freedoms and remembering those who fight for our country.

Also today, we remember one of the great ones. My friend James Taylor lost his battle today at around 1130 and went home to our Maker. He is a true American hero. He fought in the military, and also was an ER nurse and flight nurse. I don't think it a coincidence that he died on the 4th of July. He was a great American!

Count Your Many Blessings

So, I am sure most people heard about the two helicopters that collided in Flagstaff, AZ on Sunday. Six people died. The only survivor is a friend of mine from the hospital here in SLC, and he is in extremely critical condition. I can only count it as a blessing and absolute miracle that he is alive today.
He is the third friend of mine to be involved in a medical helicopter crash. This has become an unfortunate epidemic. The first one was killed and then the last two have survived with life changing injuries. (I pray James will somehow get better)
Flying in a helicopter has always been in the back of my mind as the ultimate job that you can have as a nurse. It was my dream when I was a kid. I have had many opportunities to apply for jobs where I would be a flight nurse, and I have always passed them by....due to fear. Now, I can only sit back and know that it is probably not the right job for me.
I can honestly say that these medical professionals are heros. They risk their lives everyday to save the lives of others. It can be the ultimate job, but also can unfortunately become the ultimate sacrifice. To sacrifice your life in the service of others is truly heroic.
I pray for James and his family and know that it is in Gods hands, for he is the ultimate healer.