We spent the past couple of days fly fishing at the Green River with Jason and Mariella and my brother Bryan and his girlfriend Mary. We had a fantastic time fishing. The weather was amazing–it was in the high 70s both days, and the scenery was breath taking.

The Green River is probably my favorite place to fish. Scott and I used to spend as much time as we could there when we were first dating. We loved to fish the banks, but the best way to fish the Green is with a guide on a float trip. We did it a few times, but we really couldn’t afford to do it very often. This trip we stayed at Red Canyon Lodge in the Ponderosa Cabins. They were perfect! They were right on a beautiful lake with fire pits and picnic tables. We spent 2 nights sitting around the camp fire cooking and making smores. We floated the A section of the river for 2 full days, and it was as amazing as I remembered it.

The river is beautiful. The water is so clear and the fish are abundant. You can just look into the water and see them swimming around. We did a little nymphing and a lot of dry fly fishing. Dry fly fishing is the best. There is nothing better than spotting the fish, making a perfect cast to it, and watching the fish come up and slurp up your fly. We mostly nymphed in the morning while it was still cool, and then switched to dries as soon as it started to warm up.

Scott and I fished with the same guide, Anthony, both days. Bryan and Jason had different guides each day. Our guide was nice and funny, but he seemed like he wouldn’t have much patience for people just learning to fly fish. We figured we should stick with him for both days, since we were the most experienced at fishing.

The whole trip was really a lot of fun. It was nice to get away from the kids for a couple of days, and just spend time with Scott. The drive down with Jason and Mariella was nice. It was good to get to spend some time together again and just enjoy each others company. We stopped at the Spring Chicken Inn and had some great fried chicken and a lot of laughs.

The second day as we floated down the river, I got really sad as we approached Little Hole. I knew that meant that the trip was coming to an end and the fishing was almost over. I had such fun on the river, and I didn’t want it to end. It has been nearly 10 years since I have fished the Green, but this time I know I won’t wait another 10 before we go back again.

Emma woke up this morning and had a change of heart. She came upstairs and asked if she could still go to North Carolina. We called my parents, and they still hadn’t canceled her flight, so she decided she wanted to go to North Carolina after all.. I thought for sure she would come home from school with another change of heart, but she didn’t. She came home very excited about leaving.

She is all packed and ready to go. My parents are picking her up at 8:30am. She will be off on her first vacation without me.

As I tucked her in tonight I wondered if she would miss me. I know I am going to miss her. I have gone on trips without her, but it is different when she is the one going away without me. It feels like she is so grown up!

She has been acting so grown up lately, too. She took a shower all by herself tonight for the first time. I turned the water on for her, and she got in all by herself. I watched her to make sure she did a good job washing her hair and rinsing all the soap out. It felt like a big milestone to me and I was reminded how fast she is growing up. She has been so helpful around the house. She gets herself all ready for school, usually the first time I ask She picks out cute outfits and makes her bed all on her own. I know she is growing up, but her shower today was one of those moments that made me step back and notice.

I am sure my big girl is going to have a great trip with her grandparents!

I forgot that today was September 11th.

I pulled out of my driveway to take Emma to school, and noticed the flags that the Boy Scouts put out in front of the houses on holidays. I racked my brain trying to think about what holiday it was. I asked Emma about it, but she didn’t know of any holiday either.

I turned on the radio and heard the names of all the people who had died in the tragedy being read. It took me by surprise, I gasped and then sighed. Emma wanted to know what was the matter. I couldn’t tell her for a moment, I had to wait, or I knew I was going to go from teary eyed to crying.

When they said that it had been 7 years ago, I was shocked. I felt like it was 2 or 3 years at most. Then I remembered I was pregnant with Emma at the time. I have such vivid memories from that day. I know that most people do. People can describe exactly what they were doing the moment they heard. I can too: I was flying on an airplane.

I was on my way back from Chicago. I had been there for a meeting. I left early on a non-stop flight bound for Salt Lake. About an hour into the flight the pilot came on. He said “Ladies and gentlemen, we are just over Des Moines, Iowa and we are going to go ahead and land here.” We were all confused. Why? Was there something wrong with the plane? Were we going to crash? A few minutes later he made another announcement and said the plan was fine, but there had been a “situation” in the United States.

As we landed, we saw fighter jets and National Guard pilots on the runways. I knew something was wrong, but it was hard to imagine what it could be. Immediately people started calling home, and while we were still on the plane we found out what had happened. Scott and my parents were very relieved to hear from me. They knew about the planes, but not where they had come from.

We deplaned, and everyone ran for the TVs to see what was happening. It was chaos. It was still in the early stages, and nobody was sure what was going to happen next. Were we safe in the airport in Des Moines? Nobody was sure, so they wanted to evacuate the airport. I knew we would be stuck there for a few days, so I decided to rent a car. I couldn’t wait to get home!

People were different to each other that day. Everybody talked to each other. It was like we were all friends. People made deals in the car rental lines, and drove places together. I met a couple from Utah, and we drove back to Salt Lake together. I don’t remember their names, and I never spoke to them again, but on that day it just felt normal to be friends with everyone.

Today when I turned on the radio, I was flooded with the same emotions I felt on that day 7 years ago. I am glad that I remembered. I think there are too many people in our country who have forgotten. Today we were all reminded.

One of the most enjoyable parts of our trip to the east coast was spending the night at my Aunt Linda’s house on Long Beach Island. My mom grew up in New Jersey, and they had a house at the shore. They bought the house in Beach Haven in the 1948. It was a tiny house on the bay side with 4 lots. They paid $500 for it! My mom spent every summer there from the time she was a little girl until she was married.

I can even remember spending time there when I was around 4 years old. There was a little shed in the back of the house that I can remember playing in. My mom’s dad, who died before I was born, and my dad’s dad built the shed together. I think it is so neat that they were friends like that. Everyone always says that they were a lot alike. That makes me kind of feel like I knew him, in a small way. My dad’s dad, Pop-Pop, was a kind and hardworking man. I can still remember how much he liked working in his garage and how organized it was. Everything had its own place, and he knew immediately if someone had moved things around.

All around the house there were these small tan stones. I can still remember the crunch they made under your feet. Those stones still remind me of Beach Haven. My mom said that every year or so they would get a new load of them, and they would have to spread them around. There was a water tower in the back yard, too. My mom said that every summer some neighborhood boys would climb it and get in trouble!

We went to see the place where her old house used to be. We knew that it was gone, my uncle had visited recently and told us that they had torn the house down and built a new one in its place. I felt sad when I looked at it. I imagined the old house there and the fun times that we all had there. I wished that the house was still in our family, and that it still looked the way I remembered it from my childhood. This little house across the street was for sale. A part of me wanted to buy it and recreate the fun beach memories I had for my kids.

This is the house that stands in place of our old house. It is a nice house, but it isn’t our old house. The trees on the lot are the same ones that my grandfather planted. The stones look like the same ones that were always there. The same water tower stands in the back ground. The house was different, but standing there I still had those same old memories running through my head.

Please visit Lotus at Sarcastic Mom to view all the Weekly Winners participants.

Sorry I have been MIA this week! My mom and I were in New York City for a few days of shopping and girl time while Scott is in Ireland. My awesome mother-in-law stayed with the kids. We got back tonight and we had a great time. I’ll be back tomorrow with my Weekly Winners, and I’ll post more about my trip later.

By the way, does anyone know what is going on with my Flickr badge? While I was gone I noticed that there were 5 boxes instead of my usual 4. The first one had no picture in it, and the 5th one was on its own row. I edited the code so that there are only 4 boxes, but now the first one still doesn’t have a photo in it. Any ideas??

Here are a few of the pictures from our beach photo shoot. I was able to tweak them in PhotoShop, and I ended up feeling pretty good about them.

I am back from Vegas, and I came home a day early.

The trip didn’t go quite how I was expecting. I was sick almost the whole time. I had been sick on Thursday night and most of Friday. On Saturday I was feeling better–good enough to take Emma and Ian to a birthday party and do a few errands. I still had the nagging nausea, but I thought I was on the upswing. I left for Vegas on Sunday morning. I got up early, and I still wasn’t feeling very well. I ate a yogurt to try to calm my stomach, and we were off to the airport. I was doing OK, but I was still nauseated, and I couldn’t eat. I figured that it had been 3 days, so I had to keep getting better.

But I was wrong I tried to just forget about it, and have fun. We checked into our hotel room and then went for lunch. The pool cafe was wonderful. The weather was fantastic. It felt so good to be outside in 80 degree weather. We all just soaked it up. But, the menu was another story. I ordered a tuna sandwich because I was starting to get concerned about how little I had eaten. But I just couldn’t eat it. I had a few bites and that was it. We went back to the room and all took naps.

I woke up feeling worse. But, I wanted to go shopping. There was a huge H&M that I didn’t want to miss. We got a cab, and off we went. I knew as soon as we got there that it was a mistake for me, but I tried to stick it out. I just felt nauseated and like I was going to vomit any minute. I did mange to find a few outfits for Emma, but I know I could have done better Vicky and Yori were both understanding and so nice to me. I tried to get them to stay at the mall, and let me go back alone, but they wouldn’t have it.

We went back and I crawled into bed. I felt so crappy I couldn’t even read. We had tickets to “O” that night, and I just couldn’t see how I was going to make it. But, I did manage. Luckily it was in our hotel, so we didn’t have far to go. I didn’t feel great, but I really enjoyed the show. The acrobatics were amazing. It was definitely worth seeing.

The next day we spent by the pool. It was the best day for me. I felt a little better all day. Just laying in the chaise lounge was great. We had a cabana and it was heavenly. But by the evening, I was feeling terrible again. We ate dinner at New York, New York and I just couldn’t eat. I nearly threw up in the bathroom and then I just broke down crying at dinner. I was feeling so sick, and I was so sad and frustrated that I was sick the whole trip.

Tuesday I spent the whole day in a clinic in Vegas. I got and IV and 3 liters of fluid. I was so dehydrated and weak. While I was there I decided that the best thing for me to do was to just go home. We were scheduled to leave the next morning anyway, at 6:00am. I figured I would be better off just going home to sleep in my own bed, so that I didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to travel.

I still had some fun, but the trip wasn’t what I was expecting. I had fun with Vicky and Yori, and I enjoyed both of their company. I was bummed that we couldn’t do more fun things and sorry that I was such a downer. I didn’t even take one picture! I looked at my friend, Katie’s blog and saw her trip to Vegas. It looks like they had a lot more fun than we did. That just means there has to be a next time for us!

Emma spent the whole day today with her Grandpa. My dad had to Washington DC, just for the day to go to a meeting. He had a private plane lined up to take him from the airport just down the street. He asked me if I thought Emma would like to go with him. I knew she would be thrilled. She always loves to go on “Grandpa’s plane”. It isn’t really his plane, but any time we go on a private plane that is what she calls it.

I got her up early–before 6:00am and got her ready. They went to the airport. My dad told me he made sure she had a nutritious breakfast. Emma wouldn’t tell me what she ate, but I finally got it out of her that she had Skittles, Chocolate chip cookies, and Sprite. When they got there they had a limo pick them up. My dad said that Emma’s eyes lit up when she saw the car. The driver was dressed in a black suit and a tie. He said Emma just kept looking at him. When they got in the car Emma said “This is neat, Grandpa.” She told me later that the car had “tissues and water”. She was really impressed with the tissues.

Emma sat in the meeting and watched her movie played while they met. My dad said she was using her headphones and every once in a while she would sing out loud!

After the meeting my dad had the driver give them a tour of Washington D.C. Emma was excited to see “the president’s house”. They got out at the Washington Monument and walked around. Then they went to see the Lincoln Memorial. The plum trees were just starting to bloom.

I think it is so neat that my dad was willing to bring her with him. I know it was extra work for him, and he just wanted to get to his meeting and get back. But, it was so special for them to be able to spend the whole day together like that. I know it is something that they will both remember for a long time.

It is raining here again. Blech. It has been raining for the last week. I know that they are in a drought here, and they really need it. I am thankful to be here, and not at home where it is still SNOWING! Still, I am ready for a little more sunshine!

One good thing about the rain is that I have had tons of time to work out. They finished construction of the fitness center here at Forest Creek. It turned out so nice, just like everything else they do here. It is like a regular gym, just a little smaller. I have been wanting to start a cardio program for months, to start to get in shape for mountain biking. I still remember the burning lungs and legs from the beginning of last season. I am trying to avoid that as much as possible!

I have been riding the elliptical trainer about 4-5 times per week. Last week I met with a trainer and had my body fat percentage and BMI tested and had an evaluation. I was really happy with it. I can’t remember the last time I had my body fat tested, but it was surely before I had any kids. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was 18%. I guess all the running and exercising my dad made me do as a kid really did have an effect. He used to say that if we built a base of muscle then, it would benefit us our whole lives. I don’t know if he was right, or if I just have a genetic predisposition to it, but I have been pretty fit my whole life.

The trainer also gave me a strength training routine to start. It is a lot of flexibility and core strenghtening exercises. It uses very simple free weights, so I could really do it anywhere. I did part of it with him the other day, just to get a feel for the different exercises. It didn’t feel very hard, and I didn’t think I was really getting a lot out of it. Today I know that it was working. I am so sore and stiff I can hardly walk My butt and thighs are so sore.

It makes me feel good when I work out. Now I just need to commit to doing it when I get home too, not just on vacation!