Rona Hiking

The Rona has made hiking and getting outdoors a big priority and this was the hike of the week! This is Eagle Crags hike just outside of Rockville, UT. We didn't hike the whole thing or even have the whole family but the weather was nice and the afternoon lovely.

It's starting to become a thing on Sunday afternoon! Merril will come out after a nap and say, "Who wants to go for a hike?" We didn't ever hike on the Sabbath but it's helping us feel calm and closer to the Spirit so it's been good.

Date Night Out...

Corona Virus has been a total killer to date night. Merril has always been a huge proponent of date night, even when the kids were babies. This is our second date night out since lockdown. The first date night consisted of me asking Merril out and then I sneaked blankets, pillows, and candles into the back of the Expedition and we ordered take-out and drove up by the old airport in St. George. It was nice, and much needed. 

After that night, we realized that we were missing date night, bad! So the next weekend we got take out in Hurricane and drove up to the Canal Trailhead and Hurricane Overlook. It has been amazing!

Also, we have another little cousin who joined Justin and Rachel Campbell's family. His name is Iain Donald Campbell and is so sweet!

Speaking of birthdays, Merril's 42nd birthday just happened but it was just a small celebration at the house with our family. I made a cheesecake in the pressure cooker and it was SO GOOD! So completely smooth and creamy. I'm totally doing that again! It was Chocolate Caramel Pistachio!

Nights by the fire!

Look how exciting!

A fire!

And s'mores! Why are they called s'mores? Weird name but tasty invention. Daddy was gone and we wanted something to do. It feels like summer. But not actual summer because we're still remote learning. I can't wait for actual summer to start.

The Vortex...

There are a couple of hikes that Merril has hiked during a search call out but wanted to hike with the fam! The Vortex was one of them. It's kind of out by Diamond Valley. There were a lot of rock stacks here. They reminded me of the cemeteries in Japan with their little shrines.

The actual Vortex is this depression in the sandstone that catches water. The boys are way in the background closer to the water. The sandstone swirls downward and it's neat looking.

Ah, the blessings of being outside! Although, staying 6 feet away from people on the trail is annoying. Oh well, it's better than nothing.

Trying to stay sane at home....

We haven't been out to see anybody since Spring Break. No friends, no family, nothing. We've done some Zoom calls and Marco Polos to try to stay connected.

Some other things we've done are puzzles.

I made some strawberry freezer jam.

TV, of course, but we can only do so much of that before I worry that their brains are rotting.

We finished a puzzle!

On a crazy note, check out the price of gas! I haven't seen it this cheap in years! Dana, who moved to North Dakota to be closer to Carson and the oil fields, said that Corona Virus is killing the oil fields up there. So many workers have been laid off and people are moving out because there's no work with no prospect of work.

There are hardly any flights, no recreational travel, and telling everyone to stay home has cut gas consumption. I haven't put gas in my Expedition for a month! 

Easter!

Ready, set, GO!

Inside, outside, upside down.

I found some confetti eggs at the store and they were a surprise hit!

Merril looks dressed up because he is. He was off to a bishopric meeting.

We also had our annual TurkEaster feast! We had Dutch apple pie! The only good apple pie in my opinion. 

And R.O.L.L.S.

So yummy! 

I've been so thankful for home church! It's been a beautiful constancy in all the craziness. I'm thankful for my little family, how healthy we've been, and that our family has gotten along okay. Merril still had some work, although it's been slow. We were blessed/inspired to get a lot of invoices paid in January and February. It has provided a great cushion doing this slow time. We keep hanging in there, like everyone else and know everything will be okay. 

Jeep ride to Mesquite...

We've got invited by some Leavitts and other search and rescue buddies to take some dirt roads to Mesquite. We took the black Jeep. I have a smile on my face but I was pretty grumpy that day. I felt like the Jeep was too loud. Merril said he would turn around and drive us home but I decided to shut my mouth and put on a happy face.

Unfortunately, the Jeep didn't want to cooperate. It made a funny noise about halfway to Mesquite, and then made a big clunky noise when we stopped by a dirtbank. After that we couldn't get the front tires to spin. All the Leavitts jumped out and they started diagnosing the Jeep.

They thought if they could get the differential cover open they'd be able to see what was going on inside and hopefully make the Jeep drive. The bearings for the differential came spilling out. The Jeep wasn't going anywhere. We were able to call Austin Christian and he rescued us. Everyone else went on to Mesquite.

While we were waiting, we went for a walk. We found a horny toad! it's the first time I've ever seen one in the wild that wasn't caught by someone else.

We hiked through a barbed wire fence, and got to the top of a small hill. And then we hiked back.

Then all the kids wanted to take a picture by the differential bearings.

After the pictures, we cleaned up the bearings so we wouldn't litter. And a little while after that, Austin showed up and we got home. Not quite the adventure we were thinking of, but it was still fun. 

Rockets!

Since I'm the teacher around here, I decided we should do a science project! I remember making rockets in physics class and it was fun. We've also made rockets for Cub scouts, and I still have the rocket launcher that Merril and I made.

I made sure to buy the right kind of soda bottles and then we taped fins on them. They are ready to go!

We went to the park by Elim Valley. Some rockets soared better than others.

It was kind of cold. Colder than we thought it was going to be! It was fun to guess whose rocket would shoot the farthest. It was also nice to get out of the house and do something.

Crazy shopping

I have to line up to get into Walmart when they open. Walmart used to be open 24 hours, but now restricts the hours that it's open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. They clean the store and try their best to restock the shelves.

I've been trying not to go to Walmart at all and just staying home as much as possible. We were totally out of perishable foods and so I got up early to try and get the items we needed before they sold out. I had to line up, 6 ft apart and wait to be let in the store. They are only letting a certain amount of people in the store at a time. So surreal.

Going to the store makes me feel like a crazy person. I see people wearing masks and there's a panicky feeling, I hate it. The thing that bothers me the most is how the news changes day by day.

 Masks will keep you safe.

Now it doesn't matter if you wear a mask.

Don't hang out with anybody outside of your household.

We think Corona virus is transmitted by touch.

Now we think it's transmitted through the air.

You should sanitize your groceries when you get home.

No you probably don't have to worry about it.

All the back and forth makes it really frustrating to try and navigate day-to-day life. I just have to keep breathing, and not watching the news. 

My rock

I don't know what to say other than this guy is keeping me sane! And I'm having a really good hair day! Corona makes even crazier about germs than I normally am. I'm suspicious of Merril and whether he has washed his hands when he comes in the door. Yet, he's helping me relax and try not to worry about it. I know I'll make it through, and I'm glad that he supports me. 

Quarantine Rock climbing

During this annoying Coronavirus quarantine, we're still getting out and getting some exercise in nature. We went to some rock climbing that we found while hiking the La Verkin confluence trail the other day. It was really good rock climbing. I even led a climb and did pretty well! The rock formation was this interesting lava rock. Juliet, Jack, and Mark came to rock climb with me and Merril. We had a good time and got some fresh air and exercise.

Mark is getting better at climbing and made it to the top of two of the climbs. He wasn't scared when he got to the top and came right down!