Gauley Marathon ft. Kendra

And now-- a guest post from Kendra!!!    

    Over the summer, the Young Women went white water rafting in West Virginia. While there, our guide mentioned that in the fall they have Gauley season which involves more intense white water rafting and I desperately wanted to go. I started pestering my parents about it and looking at possible dates and things. The Gauley is split into two sections, the Upper and the Lower. The Upper is super intense with five highly technical class 5+ rapids. The Lower on the other hand is comparable to white water rafting we have done in the past. I originally argued for the Lower Gauley since I'm pretty sure Mom would not support me and Dad doing the Upper. Then, when dad was looking at prices he was offered a discount where you could do the entire Gauley for less than it would cost to do half the Gauley. With that offer we decided to commit to 26 miles of white water rafting aka the Gauley Marathon. 

We made our down payment in August and one month later we headed out to the wild and wonderful state!

    We drove down Sunday evening and spent the night camping in a Boy Scout camp. This was very bare bones camping. We showed up, set up, ate dinner, slept, and left. We didn't even make a fire. 

Dinner was really good though!

     Instead of making a fire we opted to star gaze and yap, which was also really fun. We went to bed and woke up the next morning at the wonderful hour of 5 am. The one upside to this insanity was that the stars were out in abundance. 

You can see Orion over our tent! And this was taken on my phone! And Orion is our favorite constellation so we were feeling pretty hyped 

    We needed to be at ACE at 6 am so we broke down camp as fast as possible and ate muffins in the car on the way there. We got to ACE and signed in and listened to a brief safety lecture before being dismissed for ~1 hour to take care of any final business.

Wet suited up!

After that we got on a bus and headed to the start of the Gauley! 

Dad and I are in front with the yellow helmets

     The rafting itself was really fun but definitely scary at times. I fell out of the boat. Twice. Luckily our guides were very well prepared for emergencies and everyone was ok but it was definitely alarming. The first time our boat hit a rock at the wrong angle and completely tipped over. This was double fun because the boat right after us also tipped over so we ended up having 11 people in one boat that is really meant for a maximum of 7. I was kneeling in the boat and the water was up to my waist. Both the guides quickly flipped over their boats and we all dispersed back to our original boats. 

You had to high five Pillow Rock with your paddle

There was actually a reason for this-- the goal was to weight the raft on one side so we wouldn't tip over as we hit that rock, which we totally succeeded in doing!

Unfortunately, right after that we were supposed to go to the left of Volkswagon Rock, but somehow we went right over it, which was NOT the plan...

There's us on top of Volkswagon Rock 

And there's me shoving dad into the rapid as we flip over... Oops?

Everyone in the water!

The second time I fell out was on a rapid called "Box of Fluffy Kittens" and it was very deliberate of our guide. Like, this rapid is known for tipping people out and could have easily been avoided. This time was fun because I ended up going under the boat, which I wasn't prepared for but I'm pretty good at holding my breath and it was really only a second where I realized that there was something on top of me and then I was out.  

See Dad fell out on his own too!

     We stopped for lunch around 11ish after going down a (tiny) waterfall. This was fun because we got to watch other boats go down the waterfall and not all of them made it through without tipping. After lunch it was incredibly chill, just a lot of itty bitty rapids and paddling. After we finished our adventure we hopped on the bus to head back to ACE and got there around 5pm. We were told that they would be showing the video of our trip at 6 so we decided that if we hadn't left we would go watch. And then they didn't show it and we decided to head on out since we were driving home that night. The drive home was uneventful, we called different family members to tell them that we were alive and had a ton of fun. 

So yeah it was a super fun trip and I'm really glad I dragged my dad into going with me!

P.S. from Alanna-- I could not BELIEVE it when Craig agreed to do this!!!  I spent the whole time praying that they would survive.  I was honestly very nervous about it all.  But now that it's done, I'm very glad that they had so much fun.

Braces, Temple Trips, Ouchies, and Plays!

The big day for Camille finally arrived!  She went from this:

To this:

Yup, she got braces!!!  She's actually had upper and lower expanders for quite a while now, and had been waiting on pins and needles until the big day when they'd put the braces on, too.  I kept telling her that it wouldn't be a surprise, that we'd need a longer appointment, not just the five-minute check-ins we've been doing every 6 weeks.  But I don't think she really believed me.  So finally she got so desperate she was actually praying that they would decide it was time.  And she was so happy when the orthodontist said she'd get her braces at her next appointment!  I've never seen someone so excited for such a thing!  Anyway, she's been handling the pain like a champ and is very proud of her braces.  (And for those of you keeping track, that's 4 out of 5 kids with braces so far-- I'll be glad when we're finally done paying for that!!!)

That same evening (after much planning and rescheduling), Wendy and I took Kendra and McKinley to the temple!  Oddly enough, the day we could finally go was a Tuesday night, because our normal youth group activities were canceled so they could all go to the temple on Friday!  This landed on the same week that I was teaching seminary AND working extra hours to fill in for Corinne while she was on vacation.  So having a late night was kind of a lot for me.  But that didn't stop us from getting ice cream afterwards!

While we were at the temple, Craig somehow got roped into helping out with the Elder's Quorum service project (since the youth activities were canceled, they figured any youth who were bored could come and help?  I guess?)  So my other kids were up late stacking firewood and helping people get ready for winter, which is a nice thing to do.  Unfortunately, Camille got a tiny sliver of wood in her eye and was in so much pain she couldn't sleep that night and we had to take her to the doctor first thing the next morning (when I needed to get to work and Craig was teaching seminary that morning for me, but I was still supposed to be there as the second adult) and it was all extremely busy.  So.  Busy.  Craig ended up working from home while Camille mostly sat around with warm washcloths on her eye so I could go to work.  (<--- This is the thing I need to remember if I ever get it into my head that I should be working full time!!!)

The good news is that her eye is fine.  But I think she was in more pain from that than from the braces!

And then on Thursday of that week, we headed over to Staunton and got to watch the dress rehearsal for Sarah's Harry Potter-adjacent dinner theater that she wrote and directed for the Mischief and Magic Festival (which was a Harry Potter Festival until they got in trouble for copyright issues).  Apparently I didn't take any pictures, but it was super fun to see and I was very impressed with all the work Sarah and her actors put into the show!  (Ironically, we'd been planning on watching Deathly Hallows that night since Camille just finished reading the book, and had to postpone for a different Harry Potter activity!  So much magic!!!)

Part of the reason we were okay with a late night on Thursday was because there was no school on Friday (I still had to go to work, but at least I didn't need to teach seminary!) and in the evening Camille and I stayed home while Craig took a van full of youth to the temple:

Gideon, Cedric, Ryder, Sawyer, Daniel, Jason, Kendra, Marianne, Colton, Jayden, Alex, and in front, Truman and Topher

Also that Friday, Emmett officially asked Kendra to homecoming.  He'd actually already asked if she would be around and willing to go with him since there was talk of us traveling that weekend.  But then he also asked if she wanted an official invite with the poster and all the stuff and she'd said Yes, so he very sweetly complied!  Apparently this is called a "HoCoProPo"-- HomeComing Proposal Poster?

They'd been taking turns stealing each other's windshield wipers-- so the poster is decorated with extra wipers!  How cute are they?

I really enjoyed myself the next week not having to teach or go to work!  I got a little solo hike in at the new Biscuit Run Park near my house!

I live in such a pretty place!

And I ended up going to Staunton again, this time to see Two Gentlemen of Verona at Blackfriars with Sarah!  She'd gotten free tickets from the library (is this a thing???) and we had so much fun!  It's not my favorite play, but the actors did such a great job with it (and getting Tex Mex beforehand was pretty fun, too)!

Unfortunately, I missed dinner and ice cream with Craig's parents to celebrate Tom's birthday.  There just isn't time for everything!!!  Apparently the Boo Batter was a popular choice-- and it made Ryder look like a Goth!!!

Oh, dear...

(Later on, everyone was troubled to learn that this ice cream turned their poo blue?!?!  Is that okay?  Maybe I'm glad I missed out after all...!)

And then it was General Conference weekend, and Craig and I were so happy to not have ANY OTHER PLANS.  We stayed home watching all the sessions, and making lots of yummy food, the way God intended Conference weekend to be!  Kendra and Ryder had a band competition at JMU for most of Saturday and had a good time.  One of these days we'll convince Ryder to wear sunscreen at these things...

Also that same weekend, Camille was kicking her stuffed animals down the stairs and accidentally dragged the top of her big toe across the steps-- there was a loud pop, and we figured she had broken it.  Kind of a rough month for Camille, now that I'm typing it all up!  She was supposed to go to a birthday party Saturday afternoon, but as soon as we walked into the house she burst into tears because her toe was hurting too much, so I just took her right back home.  Poor girl!

Craig ordered her a boot right away, which has helped

Ouch

Worn out and taking a nap during conference

And here she's actually awake, but trying out one of those face mask things.  They look so creepy, though!!!

And one last picture that Kendra took-- who knows why?-- so we can end on a happier, less creepy note:

Next up-- New York and Homecoming!

Teamwork

Recently at work, Craig was asked if he helps with the cooking at home.  He answered, "Alanna does about 95% of the cooking, but I usually help out whenever it's stuff that needs to be flipped."  His coworkers were understandably confused by this, so he went on to explain, "You know, like pancakes, grilled cheese sandwiches, or quesadillas.  Alanna doesn't like cooking things where she can't see if it's done or not."

Truer words were never spoken.  But I certainly had never thought it through in such clear terms.  But I honestly do hate cooking flippy stuff*.  I always get worried that it's burning on the bottom, so then I end up flipping it too soon and making a big old mess.  Seriously-- if you flip a pancake or a quesadilla before it's ready, the ingredients fly all over the place and all the bits and pieces burn all over the pan and it's just the worst.  I hate that.  All that work and you're left with a burnt mess.  

I will also point out that if Craig is around, I like to make him grate cheese or shred meat.  Those chores often make my wrists hurt and I hate that.

But Craig is the best sous chef ever!

*The one exception is when I make fried ramen, which is basically a ramen pancake-- similar to Okonomiyaki, except with ramen noodles instead of cabbage, so obviously WAY yummier; I can usually see the egg cooking around the edges and get a pretty good idea of when to flip these babies.  I don't know why they're so much easier for me than anything else!

UVA Stuff, the Rodeo, and Everything In Between

A couple weeks ago it was "Paint the Town Orange" night, so we donned our best UVA swag and headed to the downtown mall to watch the festivities-- welcome back, students!!!

We ended up being right next to where the drums were playing, so that was fun!  (But could Craig have gotten a worse angle on me???)

Which reminds me-- this video that UVA released a couple years ago was so great!!!  (And goodbye, Jim Ryan, sniff!)

And then the YM went to a fire station for their weeknight activity:

Craig was super excited to see how the jaws of life have changed since his firefighting days

There's Wylan showing them stuff

And now all the young men (and half of the leaders) want to be firefighters!  Success!

We went to another football game, just to watch the marching band!

As they marched past us, Camille commented, "Ryder looks taller in a uniform!"  They all do, Camille, they all do...  (That's Ryder in the back, holding an FSY bag in one hand!)

Camille was very proud of this sunset picture that she took

There's Kendra playing the bass drum

They held a multi-ward YM/YWs activity to watch a church broadcast.  Everyone watched it outside at a member's home, and I love the young men all grouped together being adorable:

And there's a pretty sunset!

Can you read their shirts?  It says, "I read the whole Book of Mormon and all I got was this T-shirt...  And a testimony"  😂

Camille got a Costco hotdog with her father

Craig and I had another temple date (I'm wearing the same dress as last time!) and then went to Torchy's after-- a lovely evening!

Tracy sent me this awesome picture of the family-- 

My Aunt Ann, Tracy, Cora, Adam, Dad, and Bentley!

To celebrate Adam's birthday (my friend, not my BIL), we joined him and the Holbeins for a little kayaking!

But then Hazel was offended by something (probably me asking her if she wanted to get in the kayak?) and had to go sit and pout at the end of the dock....

THAT FACE!!!  No one can hold a pout like Hazel!!!

Adam with two of the Holbein children on the paddle board

Craig and Camille took a spin in the double kayak

They rowed so perfectly in sync!

Camille really likes paddle boarding

She decided this little hideout should be called Camille's Cove

Oh, look, I got in the water, too!  (But not for very long-- I'm pretty happy sitting on the shore letting everyone take their turns)

Colton went home with the Huffs after church one Sunday, and then after my nap Craig and I called Bentley and were chatting with him when we suddenly realized we should probably pick up Colton!  So Craig headed out and I texted Megan to let her know Craig was on his way, when she suddenly called me back to inform me that she had dropped Colton off at our house a half hour ago!  Somehow we'd missed him!  I felt terrible, until I went looking for him and this was what I found:

Well no wonder we hadn't seen or heard him!

Parents of the Year, right here!

Within a week of arriving in Seattle, Bentley started his new job at Ace Hardware Store on the island!  We were very proud of him for finding work so fast.  It pays slightly less than the job he had here at the SPCA Store, but they give him way more hours AND overtime pay, so he's making more (and keeping busier), so that's all great stuff!  In the same vein as first day of school pictures, Tracy sent us a first day of work picture:

The really funny thing about this is that Tracy has always thought it would be really great working at the hardware store on the island!  She was literally telling me this as Bentley was on the plane flying to Seattle and I was like, "Actually, I'm pretty sure he has a job interview there this week!"  You can't plan stuff like this!  A few weeks later Adam stopped by and got a couple pictures of Bentley working so we could see!  

I'm not sure what he's doing here, but I DO know that sorting out all the screws (in the foreground) is the bane of Bentley's existence these days!

And THIS is a very Bentley look!  I'm glad he gives it to his uncle, too, and not just his parents!!!

A couple more Bentley shots-- here are he and Cora enjoying some time on their electronics.  Cousin bonding at its finest!

And here the Nilsen's decided to go out in their boat one evening-- it looks very windy!

This picture makes me laugh

Meanwhile, back in Virginia, we hosted another new member open house (I feel like this was the third one we've had, but there could have been more and I've just lost count).  It was...  not well attended: several people who said they would come just seemed to forget or something.  Which is kind of annoying because I cleaned the entire house and made a ton of food for it.  But the good news is, that should be the last one we ever do!  (Fingers crossed...!)

But the bishopric was all there, and they were all wearing blue polo shirts!  How cute are they?

Kendra loves calling people "silly little guys" so this random bumper sticker that I saw in a parking lot made me laugh

Gotta love a girl using power tools!  Craig has been taking down the wreck of our deck stairs...

Colton manages to grab my phone when I'm not looking...

Oop, and he did it again at home!

And THEN, on another night, we decided to go to the rodeo in Orange!  It was the last one of the season, so even though we were all really tired, we decided it would be a shame to miss out.  And I'm so glad we went-- I LOVE the rodeo!!!  (It was two nights in a row sitting on very hard bleachers since this was the day after a football game, but our tushes survived!)

(Ryder was at a friend's house, and Camille spent the entire night standing by the fence so she could see better)

Like so

Watching the horses warm up for the barrel races

At one point they put out a line of candy and then let the kids race for it.  But who wants to eat a tootsie roll that's been sitting in that dirt???  (Camille threw hers away)

Craig lucked out and video-ed one of the best rides of the night!

This is the absolute craziest thing ever, right?  But it's so awesome!