Hiking and a Rattlesnake

On Saturday we decided to take a hike up in the mountains. It was so nice! The weather was beautiful, it greatly improved my mood, and it gave all of us some really good exercise. We hiked over 4 miles. My little guy Logan who is 5 years old, did the whole hike as well. What a trooper.

One exciting and scary thing happened though. We were on a path that was very narrow, so we were walking single file. Logan was leading the way with Tanner behind him, then Miguel, Emerald and me. All of a sudden we heard "chkchckhckhkchhckhckch." Tanner quickly pulled Logan back. There was a HUGE rattlesnake right in the middle of the path. We all crowded around and waited for it to move. It SLOWLY slithered into the bushes, and we went on our way.

I have never seen a rattlesnake in real life, except at the zoo. I was amazed at how loud the "rattle" sound was. I am also very grateful for the warning to stay back. It would have been an extremely scary and dangerous hike back if someone had been bitten. We were about 1 1/2 hours up into the mountain. That means another 1 1/2 hours back down, with a lot of rocky terrain. Not the kind of thing you want to run down.

This experience also made me think of how blessed we are to have a living prophet. Heavenly Father did not leave us here on this earth to just flounder around without further guidance and direction. He gave us the First Presidency and a living Prophet. When we are on a narrow path, and danger comes our way, IF we look to the Prophet and follow His counsel, he will pull us back, away from danger, we will be safe. The Prophet, lives in our day and time, and knows the struggles and trials of this day and age. He can give us direct counsel, even revelation to what we all should be doing. Do you see what a blessing that is? Do you see the magnitude of help that brings into our lives. Do you see the Father's love in giving us this gift? I am so grateful.

Moisture

Okay, so I need to get back on my "positive attitude outfit." I am thankful for the moisture we have had this winter. It has been nice to have cooler (COLD) weather, so I don't have to complain about the heat. White snow looks pretty. Green grass from all the white snow, looks even prettier. I am thankful for a home with heat, electricity, running water, and bathroom facilities. I am thankful for potatoes. (just thought I would throw that one in there.) I am thankful for the extra "stuffing" I have gained over the winter, to keep me warm, and for all of the good food I have consumed to gain this warmth.

That's all I can handle right now. I am feeling ill.

SMILE!

I feel I need to explain my choice of topics. Exercise: because I need to, Frustration: because I took off that outfit, Fun: because this was a little sarcastic, (if you didn't notice), Gratitude: because I really am thankful for potatoes, Healthy Eating: because I have been EATING all winter long, Personal Growth: because I have grown, with all of the food I have been eating.

I LOVE being outside!!

The last few weeks we eat dinner, HURRY and clean up, then go to the dog park and tennis courts. It has been so nice. And to think, I was going to buy a Wii, so we could spend more time together as a family. I am so greatful I couldn't find one in the stores.

The problem is, we have a 13 year old boy and a 4 year old boy, so sometimes it is difficult to find an activity that everyone enjoys.

We take our dog to the dog park, and let her run around for about 30-40 minutes. Then she's happy, and not so annoying at home.

We then go over to the tennis courts and we all play tennis, and run around, so then we are not so annoying at home. We get exercise, fresh air?, and play. We usually play tennis for about 30-40 minutes as well. It is GREAT!!! We all look forward to it everyday. Right now we are going about 4 nights per week, because of other activities on the other nights, or we would probably go more.

There is just one problem with this scenario. I REALLY want to live somewhere, where we can spend time outside all year long, without freezing to death, or burning to death. Does a place like that exist?