Birthday Weekend with Birds and Trains

Glen and I have a deal that we don't really go big for birthdays.   We celebrate them, but neither of us has any expectations for anything elaborate.   Good food is required, while gifts are totally optional.   We try to do something fun to celebrate, but honestly what we do is driven more by the birthday person than anyone planning something for the other.   That may make us sound a bit lame, but it works for us.

  Between all of the stuff going on with my family (Heather's injury and my Mom's new diagnosis), the extended family drama (which happily crossed a good threshold in the last couple weeks), Glen winding up working at one toxic job and beginning to transition to a new one (in essence working part-time at TWO jobs currently),  some health stress for our missionary,  and our very busy schedule serving in Provo, I hadn't really been thinking much about my birthday at all.  But when I realized it was on a Saturday, I decided we needed to do something...anything...to celebrate and relax a bit.    

Thus our grand birdwatching and historical birthday adventure began!   

We started the day early by driving up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.    Heather let me borrow her fancy camera for the day, and though most of my pictures turned out a little blurry, I did get a few good ones in the mix.   And I thought that having a good telephoto lens camera along with our binoculars really added a fun element to birdwatching.     Here are a few of our favorite shots from the day.  

These American white pelicans were just chilling in the water and were one of our first "exciting" finds of the day...

This ring-necked pheasant was gorgeous...

We saw several raptors, including American kestrel, Swainson's hawk, a red tailed hawk, and others...

This pretty little meadowlark looked like it was posing for us...

We thought these long-billed curlews were fascinating...
 

We did the auto-tour twice and did a guided walking tour as well, and after all that soaking in the beauty and peace of being out in nature, we journeyed onward to the Golden Spike National Historical Park. 

  The park marks the place where the Eastern bound railroads met the Western bound railroads in 1869.  Apparently Promontory Point became a bustling hub for a while, but eventually the railroads built a new causeway across the Great Salt Lake, which was a much more direct route, leaving it a ghost town. 

We were surprised to learn that during WWII, they ceremoniously UNdrove the golden spike, ripped up the railroad for steel for the war, and officially decommissioned the railroad line completely.   Everything there at the historical site  now is a replica of the original, including the two trains that made the official original trek.  

It was an interesting place to visit, though it was out of the way enough, I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon.  Perhaps someday we'll take Oliver (and other interested grandchildren) to check out the trains, but for now I think the long drive would be too much.  

After all that adventuring in the middle of nowhere, we were ready for some real food!   So on the way home we stopped by Smoked Taco (my favorite)...

And then found Milk Barn Creamery in Ogden for some ice cream.  We love finding independently owned ice cream places when we travel and this one fit the bill perfectly.  We've been searching high and low for Zwahlen's equal (our favorite ice cream ever near our home in PA), and this one was better than average, but still not quite as good!  Definitely a great way to end a relaxing day of adventures.   

After that we went home.   I very much enjoyed these flowers from an apartment of guys in our YSA ward (the Dutch boys) and lots of nice texts from friends, family, and ward members.  

It was exactly the kind of laid-back day of adventuring that I was craving and it made getting older feel not so bad. 
 
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Kristina's Crew Comes to Utah!

Shortly after Christmas, Emma went back to Rhode Island and my sister arrived with her entourage in tow—four of her kids, including Manuel, Isaiah, and Jesus who bring a bit of mayhem with them wherever they go. And right behind her came one of her friends, who brought her teenage triplets, increasing the number of people in our home by 200%.    Within an hour, my house had transformed from a peaceful post-holiday sanctuary into something resembling a combination of a Dave & Buster's and a convenience store after a tornado. Actually it wasn't that bad.  It really was loud...and messy...and a bit chaotic, but I have a good bond with all of Kristina's kids and genuinely enjoy having them around!   

LESSONS IN FOOD: 
  I raised five kids and know a lot about feeding them, however I can never seem to get it quite right with the boys.   I had stocked up on a bunch of their favorite foods before arriving, but I keep learning the hard way with them that there's a lot more to it than just picking the right kind of food for them.   Last time they were here I learned that chicken nuggets cooked in the air fryer were inedible and that soggy microwaved ones were the only way to go.  This time I learned  that different brands of mac & cheese can vary in taste and apparently I picked the wrong one.  I haven't eaten mac & cheese in approximately 40 years or so,  so I was unaware of these nuances, but apparently it's a thing.    Also, much to their happiness, I did manage to remember to get some of their favorite snack in the whole universe before they arrived--Blue Heat Takis.  However they thought I was quite mean for portioning them out into serving sizes for them, as they wanted the whole bag at once!  Ah, well!  I'll try again next time!  

 

THE SNOW THAT WASN'T 
Kristina and her family (and their friends) live in California and came to Utah very excited to see some snow.   Unfortunately for her and the record breaking low snowpack in the mountains this year, snow has been hard to come by this winter.  It's been unusually warm (something I appreciate) and very dry with only a couple little skiffs of snow here and there.  The boys were very disappointed by this and so Kristina went driving to higher altitudes in search of some.  She found the jackpot up at Suncrest and the boys happily played in it!   Sadly the triplets had never been to Utah or seen snow and it was all melted by the time they arrived.  They were quite disappointed.  

A TRIP TO LUMINARIA
One of my favorite parts about people coming to visit us, is that it gets us out of the house to see more of what Utah has to offer.  We went to Luminaria at Thanksgiving Point a  couple years ago and loved it, so Kristina and company coming to town was a perfect excuse to go again!  It was as amazing as we'd remembered and I think everyone enjoyed it!  

A TRIP TO ANTELOPE ISLAND

Another trek we took was to Antelope Island.   To my knowledge, I'd never been there before and I was completely enchanted by this wild and beautiful oasis so close to civilization.   

We saw this great horned owl...

and these beauties, an American kestrel and a starling...

Heather drove and my Mom also  came along for the adventure...

as did Adam and Isaiah.   Kristina and her crew came up an hour or two after us.  

We also saw bison (real ones) and this incredible bird, which was probably our highlight of the whole trip:  

It's a burrowing owl and they're pretty hard to spot, unless you know where to look.  My sister, Heather, has gotten quite into bird watching and bird photography lately and she had the inside scoop.  I totally want to go back  in the spring and see if we can find him again.  

VISITING OUR WARD
My niece, Madeline, and the triplets hope to come to BYU in the next year or two, so they all came to our YSA ward on Sunday to see what it was like.  They weren't very excited that we meet at 9am and had a half-hour drive to get there, but they made it with smiles on their faces.   I actually have no idea what they thought, but it was an excellent fast and testimony meeting and we were happy to share our wonderful ward with them for a week! 

Kristina was happy to see Alicia there too!  Alicia was Kristina's friend first and her husband is now serving as Glen's 1st counselor, so we are all friends now!   

HAPPY DENALI
Denali is 100% a diva.   She loves being the center of attention and there's nothing like more people being in the house to give it to her.  Happily, the boys adore her and she gets lots and lots of attention when they're around.  I daresay she goes into a bit of withdrawal when they leave...

 A FEW MORE RANDOM PICS
I'll finish off with a few more random pics from their stay here.  There's also a few more in this post about the Buttercup Neighborhood game.  

Madeline, Kristina, and me...

Jesus has grown up A LOT over the last several months, which meant a bit more sass, a lot more stubbornness, and a whole lot of silliness. He just got baptized this past weekend and I was super sad that I couldn't be there to join him.  

My sister, Kristina, is probably the only true extrovert of the family and she seriously has the best friends!    I've become friends with a few of her friends since moving here and we went to this gathering one night knowing no one but Kristina's crew, but came out with more friends!  We've even hung out with one of the couples again since then.  

I love when K's family comes to town and somehow even miss the noise and the mess when they leave.  

Happy February to you!  

Reunion, Facetimes, Blood, and Birds...

Here's a  little glimpse at the past week at our house: 

I tried to send a bunch of graduation cards out to graduating seniors and was thwarted when the post office decided that they were "non-machineable" and will cost extra postage.  I'm kind of feeling grumpy about it, but don't know that I have any options other than slapping on the extra 45 cents each.   Hope all the graduates appreciate how much I love them!  😊

Denali got groomed again this past Thursday and we are very much keeping Kiwi and Denali separated again.  We did a soft reintroduction a few days in, but Denali still seemed very nervous, so we are taking it slow and easy!  No more injuries!

Glen and I donated blood last Thursday.   It went very smoothly and it's fun to have someone to go with again now that having lived in England for the two years of his mission is no longer a hurdle to him donating!   I also appreciate not having to stress about my iron levels when donating anymore! 

On Friday, I took my Mom up to Rexburg for a Clarence Joshua & Rose Ellen Hepworth family reunion.  I mostly planned this same reunion a couple summers ago, so my interest was piqued to see another one in action. 

   We were the sole representatives of the Fay/Florize Hepworth family there and honestly the main reason why I made the effort to go was to see Ellie while we were in Rexburg.  Fay and Florize were my maternal grandparents and I have several aunts and uncles and over 60 first cousins that COULD have been there, so the fact we were the only ones was saying something. 

It was fun to spend some time with Ellie and to see some long lost relatives as well.  And when I say, "long-lost," I mean LONG LONG lost...in that I'd never met the vast majority  of them in my life before.  It was fun to be able to see my Mom interact with several of her first cousins there though.   Apparently Rexburg is a hub for other lines of the Hepworth family.  I had no idea. 

While we were gone,  Glen played golf with his brother, Alex, for his birthday and then disc golf with Spence...

Then we celebrated Father's Day on Sunday by looking through old photos and enjoying some yummy food!   I can't believe how little my kids look here!    What was probably 17ish years ago seems like yesterday!  How am I that old? 

I've been enjoying my Lucie Facetimes lately.  The previous few weeks for them have been a little extra crazy with a family reunion with Garrett's side of the family, several houseguests, a  road trip to Chicago where Garrett was giving a work presentation, and Cami back to working full-time.  Additionally, Cam was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, which was a relief in one way to explain all the symptoms she was having, but also added an element of stress to their lives. In other words, for a few weeks they didn't have a ton of time for Facetimes, but just the past week or so, things have finally started to settle down for them and, I, once again, have been eagerly looking forward to my sweet Lucie conversations.  Usually the conversations involve at least one of the following requests:   1.  to see our umbrella, 2. to turn on the facetime filters, usually the octopus or giraffe,  3. to see the lollipops which she requested me save for her and Bear Friend for when they come in August, 4. to have me read her a book.  

 

She is currently obsessed with "Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?" by Eric Carle and "If You Find a Rock," by Peggy Christian... both of which make me super happy!  She is delightful to talk to and a little smarty pants too!   I can't wait to see them in August again! 

I got this awesome postcard from Belarus from my Postcrossing exchange.   It's a great spotted woodpecker and it totally made me smile. 

Speaking of birds, I found this photo of a very pretty bird in  Norway in the camera roll today...where Emma is currently on her public health study abroad.   I haven't kept track of how many countries she's been to, but she is traveling all over Europe and seemingly having a great time.   I hope to be able to talk her into writing a blogpost about it when she gets back. 

 

Here's a random photo of Ellie and her roommate, Claire, from the camera roll this week...

Also, last week was the first week Glen started working remotely from the home office.  I rather enjoyed having him around more...and I think Denali did too! 

This week, he's back to Saint George again. 😑   Only 4 more times (I think) and he will be fully working remotely from home!

So that's it.   A week in the life!    Hope you have an amazing week! 

Adventure in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands

Glen had a few days off of work as he transitioned from one job to another and we decided to go on an adventure.   We found some great last-minute deals and ended up in Ecuador--our very first time in South America!  It's hard to capture in a blogpost how amazing our trip was, but here are a few highlights.

1. The epic birdwatching in the Galapagos and outside of Quito!   We visited the nesting grounds of waved albatrosses and the blue and red footed boobies,  fed hummingbirds from our hands, and saw an incredibly diverse array of tropical bird species (including flamingos).
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   The blue and red footed boobies were among our favorites! 
   
   
   We also really enjoyed watching the waved albatrosses. 
   

   

   
   We found this hawk feather and wish we could have taken it home for Adam, but we weren't allowed to take ANYTHING natural from the Galapagos, so I had to leave it behind.
   
   
2. Seeing so much native wildlife in the Galapagos.  For how dry and scrubby the Galápagos Islands mostly are, it’s crazy that they have the variety of wildlife they do and how different the variety is from island to island.   We explored by hiking, snorkeling, and kayaking.    I look forward to reading a book more about Charles Darwin's travels there. 
   
    
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
3. Meeting Elder Rasband (a modern day apostle) in the lobby of our hotel in Quito.  He was in the middle of a 4 country South American tour and was on his way to play pickleball when we ran into him!  He was kind and easy to talk to.
   
   
4. Visiting the equator and getting to stand in the northern and southern hemispheres at the same time.   I get surprisingly geeky about this type of thing!   We also enjoyed the science experiments they demonstrated at the equator.
   
   
   
   
5. Ecuadorean chocolate!  I had no idea Ecuador (one of the smallest countries in South America) supplies 50% of the world’s chocolate!  We enjoyed sampling different varieties!
   
   
   

   
   

   
6. The Ecuadorean food in general.  I was able to find good authentic Ecuadorean food that was also gluten free.  Yay!
   
   
   
7. The people we met!  We loved our native tour guides, the people we interacted with around town, and the interesting array of  people on our cruise. 
   
   
   
8. The whole city of Quito is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and we loved learning about the culture.  The architecture is a cool mix of European and indigenous style and visiting a museum featuring pre-columbian art was one of our favorites!   The following were scenes we found wandering around Quito.
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
    
    
9. Sending postcards from a country with no postal service!  I literally dropped them in a barrel on a deserted island in the Galapagos and future visitors will pick up postcards addressed to people who live close to them and hand deliver them.  It’s a tradition going back to the 1700’s and I am totally geeking out about it!  I took the only two addressed to people in Utah and I’m excited to deliver them in the next few weeks!
   
   
   
10. We love how open people are about religion here.  We had some great conversations with a few different Ecuadorean natives who clearly love Jesus too!   This photo is of the Virgin Mary at the top of El Panecillo Hill right in the middle of Quito.
    
    
11. Doing a session at  the Quito temple!  We had hoped to get to the temple while we were here, but the weekday hours were too limited and we gave up on being able to go.  Then….our flight home was canceled and we got a bonus day.  It was too perfect!    The temple has been open since November 2022 and it's clear that non-Spanish speaking tourists doing sessions is a rarity.  We wore the headphones and loved seeing that temple filled with locals! 
    
    
12. The stargazing on the cruise was epic.   I took this picture with my i-phone from a moving boat! 
    

13.  The views!   Quito is situated at 9300 feet above sea level and the surrounding mountains tower to 15,000+ feet.   We took a gondola up to Telerifico (about 13,500 feet).  We took a hike around there and ended up at this epic swing overlooking the city of Quito!    The alpacas (I think) were also hanging around up there at Telerifico. 

14.  The hiking in general!   One of the days, we went into the Cloud Forest near Mindo and did some hiking there.   Nambillo Waterfall certainly wasn't the most exciting waterfall we'd ever seen, but it was a pretty beautiful hike, so we enjoyed it anyway! 

Pretty much the whole trip was a HUGE bucket list item crossed off our list and we loved every second of it.     Here are a few more random photos to finish up....

Now, we're back home to reality, struggling with jetlag after spending a night on an airplane,  trying to get the house put back together, and daydreaming about our next adventure!