CLICK HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES »

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Salamander hunting with Derek...


Trevor and his friends found a little pond out in the orchard near our home. It has become a favorite place for the kids to hang out, explore, and try their luck at capturing salamanders.


Lauren, Trev and his friend Josh.


Derek, the salamander lover, came with us to try his luck at finding a new pet. Immediately after I took this picture, Derek slipped and fell into the water! SOOOO FUNNY!!!


"Hey...I'm already wet...might as well make the most of it!"


Now...that's something you don't see every day! Nice mud butt you got there! My kids teased him unmercifully for the rest of the evening. Lauren, my fearless 8th grader, was the only one who caught a salamander that night. She gave it to Derek for his trouble.

As always, thanks for the laughs, Derek!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Boingo concert 1990

Reading Brenda's recount of 1990's 50/20 sparked a memory with me that I thought I would write about. I think this was probably the very next weekend. Oingo Boingo was coming to play an outdoor concert in Park City on May 26, 1990. It was going to be a couple days after school got out for the summer. A few of us guys decided we wanted to go, including Chris Walker. He would have just graduated.
When the evening came Chris drove us all there in their family's van, and I always thought it was cool that he offered to do that. It was me, Chris, Kyle, and our other friends Jim and Brian that went. We drove up to the concert in Park City, and I remember it being a cool and clear early summer night with the fresh mountain air. I had only been to smaller venue concerts until that night. It ended up being a bit of an eye opener. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were one of the opening bands. While they were playing I remember every so often you would see girls fly clear up in the air above the crowd because people would hold a blanket tight and use it as a sort of trampoline to throw somebody and then catch them. (I also remember a couple going at it under a blanket right there on the hill. I guess you see it all at concerts.) That night there was also some dumb-ass standing by us on the hill that was mouthing off, but I knew that with Kyle and Chris there we were well backed up by good friends if he had tried to start anything.
Anyway, Boingo started playing with the sounds of the horns on Dead Man's Party right as it was starting to get dark. They ended up playing for around three hours that night, and it was an incredible concert with the combination of the music and the mountain air setting. That night really added to me becoming such a fan of Oingo Boingo. After the concert we drove down to Salt Lake to get something to eat, and then KJQ played Boingo music on the radio the rest of the drive home.
I know that this whole experience probably don't sound too life changing, but to me it was such a great night that it was a highlight for me in that time of my life. We were young and felt truly alive and free, and we were all at our best back then.

Monday, August 18, 2008

A "Keyan" memory...Labor Day, 1989

At our most recent gatherings, I have appreciated Dennis, Derek, and Rhett's fond memories of Keyan Riley - "The man whose flatus smells like roses..."

(yes...I said it!)

This memory goes back to 1989. After we marched the Payson Onion Day's parade, apparently, it was Keyan's birthday or close to it. The girls had planned a picnic lunch/hike up to the Grotto with Keyan, to celebrate his bday. I say girls, but I only remember Afton and Marianne - I am sure Synthia was there, Kate? Anyway, back then, the trail was horrible and very steep in some places. We lugged this big ol' heavy cooler up the trail. My memory is a little fuzzy here, but I think Keyan actually rode on TOP of the cooler as we carried it, with Marianne leading the way, throwing rose petals onto the ground (heheh...sorry - in the spirit of fun, I threw that in for my boys - Rhett, Dennis, and Derek - Cheers!). So yes, a crazy hike to the Grotto. Once there, I believe it was quite flooded, unexpectedly. We ate; it was quaint. I think Marianne got hurt somehow? Somebody did. Anyhow, they have since made the trail leading up to the Grotto an easy one, traversing the stream with log planks and such. To this day, when I hike up to the Grotto, I am reminded of this memory.

A 50/20 memory...1989-90?

I have many memories, but reading Synth's post sparked a memory of her that I want to share:
In 9th grade, I walked the 50/20 (the only year I ever FINISHED!). I don't remember who I started walking with; they eventually quit and I ended up tagging along with Jill Kent and Cami Burton. By about Goshen, Chris Walker caught up to me and, of course, wouldn't hear of me quitting. Throughout the night, Synth and her brothers drove by, bringing me new shoes, giving us water, etc. Around the point of the mountain that early morning, Julie walked briefly with me past the fields with the new baby lambs. By the time we reached Synth's house, Synth had cooked us a big breakfast of eggs and bacon, probably pancakes. I was so dehydrated, the smell was nauseating. I remember Chris digging into a huge plate of food and I couldn't figure out how he could stomach it? I continued to walk. Synth appeared...I was so sick and in physical pain...she carried me, literally cradled me in her arms. I used that memory in a talk I had in sacrement many years ago...how good friends will lift and carry you through your darkest hours, giving you the strength to keep going. I bawled and bawled as I recalled that moment...the symbolism was incredibly powerful.

Friday, August 15, 2008

I think I am posting this on the right site.  I guess I will see when I post it.  I love reading what you all wrote.  As for memories, I can't believe you all remember the details so well.  I have never been very detail oriented.  I am still working on that. 

I would say that camping while singing "Cecilia" and finding the"fountain of youth" certainly was one of my favorite memories. I also loved going out to Red Bridge at any time of day.  I liked playing broom hockey at the church in Spring Lake.  I liked hanging out at each of your houses, singing at Kate's and Jen's or Afton and Brenda's, fishing a Judd's, sitting in the window at Steve, Chris and Ben's house, sitting around trying to decide what to do...  I could go on forever.  It was definitely a fun time of life.  It is crazy that some of our kids are getting there.  Weird, huh?
Well, I need to get Celeste to bed.  Thanks for letting me post.  Oh, really quick.  For a talk in church once I used the story of hiking up to the "fountain of youth" at night.  It got dark on us and we couldn't see anything so we linked arms so that nobody would fall off of a cliff that they couldn't see.  That was a cool memory.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Hike up Timp

Here are some photo's from our famous hike up the backside of Timp. Whose idea was that anyway? I think we went on this hike about a week or so before Dennis left on his mission. We got up early (like, 5am) and drove up Provo canyon to... (searching my memory) Aspen Grove? I remember being pretty excited about the hike. Probably because I didn't know what we were in for.

All smiles starting out.

Demi, Synthia, Kate, Derek, and Dennis. (Afton taking the picture)

Not too far up the trail was this beautiful waterfall. This was when we were still smiling and laughing - hiking is so much fun!!!

Kate, didn't you slip and fall here and pass out or something? Isn't that why you look so spacey in this photo?

Did anyone know how HUGE of a hike this really would be? I remember looking back down the trail that we had come up - all the switch backs - then looking up to where we still had to go and thinking we'd never make it. And then those two ranger chicks that just clicked on past us like we were standing still. AMAZON WOMEN. I wanted to be like them...

We finally made it up to ... (ugh, my memory sucks!) Emerald Lake?? Crystal Lake?? Anyway, the place where we stopped. Finally. And drank the last of our water and went to the bathroom (yes behind a bush) and contemplated just how much more we wanted to endure.

At the top. Sort of.


So we called it good at this spot. Congratulated ourselves and began our descent. I can't quite recall now when I started hatin it. All I remember is that I was wearing hiking boots that I THOUGHT would be perfect for the trip. But they turned out to be like LEAD weights that had RAZOR BLADES sewn into the heels and toes. Every. Step. Was. AGONIZING. You would think that coming back down would be a cinch. An easy task compared to what we had just put ourselves through. No sirree. This was almost worse. Almost.

-This is the part in the story where I weave in some really good thoughts about perspective and what going on this hike meant symbolically on the road of life... But this post has taken too long already, I'm typing with one hand while I hold my sleeping baby, and I really gotta go to the bathroom so here's all the wisdom I can come up with-

Downhill ain't all it's cracked up to be.

Friday, August 8, 2008

favorite memories for real....

I guessed I messed that one up...anyhow. My favorite memories, wow so many...for us girls...I remember driving in Afton and Brenda's care we name "peanut brittle" we had so many laughs! We used to drive by the guys we currently had a crush on and laugh and try to hide if anyone saw us...like that care wasn't totally visible and original.

I remember spending the night at the band's fundraising booth at the park and watching a horrible recording of The Highlander...by the way...I watched that a couple of weeks ago and bawled my eyes out...it IS a sad movie but I cried for the youth I was when I first saw it...

I will always remember all of the times we spent at Camelot...what a cool place. And senior ball...how cool was that.

I will always remember my jr. prom when Kyle took me and Rhett took Julie...I remember what gentlemen they both were and how fun it was to dance with Kyle and Rhett..
I have tons of more memories...really I could write a novel, but it will have to wait...

I am hoping to see everyone this weekend for Dennis' welcomehome dinner.

Love and light to you call, dear friends.
Kate

Favorite memories

Monday, August 4, 2008

Some Favorite Memories

Since I read Afton's post about her favorite memory from the old days I have been thinking quite a bit about my own. It is a little hard for me to settle in on just one, so I will list a few that came to mind.

Some of my very favorites come from the band days around my Senior year in 1990. Specifically, I highly regard the band parties that we had during band camp that summer at the park and also at the West Mountain church. Shortly after that I remember the Labor Day weekend of that year as one of my all time favorites. I recall that some of us went up to watch the fireworks on that Friday night, and then afterward we walked out to Red Bridge in the dark. The next night me, Kyle, Rob, and Steve Lindsey camped over in the park at the band's food-stand and watched videos until very late. That whole weekend was very memorable. On October 29th of that year a bunch of us went up the canyon and hiked up to the Grotto. I believe we were out of school that day for some reason, but I always remember that as being a memorable time. Of course shortly after that came the California band trip that seemed to cap off everything from that fall. Anybody that went on that trip can remember all the great stuff that took place then.

Well, now I will leave the band centered memories because I know that not everybody from our group was included in them. There were a lot of great memories from us all hanging out in 1991, but I will try to list a couple of the stand-outs for me. I really thought that our Senior Ball was a good time. We kept it simple by just eating at the Spring Lake Church with our parents doing the cooking, but I think that also made it a very personal occasion for our group. A few months later was when many of you went on the trip to see Steve Lee's graduation. I didn't go because of work, but I have regretted that over the years when hearing what a great trip everybody had. I think another good time was when we had the surprise birthday party for Derek that year out at Camelot Forest. That was another very personal occasion for our group when we were all very close and at our best back then. We pulled off the surprise well and made it a great night for Derek and everybody else there. (I seem to recall somebody or two even wetting themselves there, but you tell me.) Another big highpoint for me was that October when quite a few of us went to see Oingo Boingo play at the Delta Center. It was also the first ever concert played by anybody at the Delta Center. That was another occasion when those of us there were very tight as a group of friends and just had a hell of a fun time together.

Rob was the first one to leave on a mission in December of '91, but during 1992 we still tried to make great memories with whoever of us was still here. I remember a bunch of us all piling into Dennis's truck one Sunday afternoon that spring and driving up Payson Canyon. (There are some good memories with that old red truck.) On Friday the 13th of March several of our old friend and acquaintances were camping up at the mouth of Santaquin Canyon. That was when Derek, Dennis, Kyle, and myself all sneaked up to their camp with Derek disguised as a mummy. We hung out for a while around the campfire and that was a memorable night. About a month later a bunch of us went up to Trumbolt in Santaquin Canyon and had another bonfire. I remember that night that we just hung around and talked and really had a great night. Then in July shortly before Kyle left on his mission we all had a get-together at my parents' house. We had a cook-out in the backyard, and then later those left went ice blocking on the Peteetneet hill. What an incredible night that was. Shortly before Dennis left on his mission I remember that a bunch of you went to hike Mt. Timpanogos. Again I didn't go because of work, but I wish I had went from all of the stories I have heard from those that did go. It sounds like it wasn't a time when everything went smoothly, but it was a time when everybody there was very tight and looked out for each other as friends.

Those are just some of my favorite memories with you all. I still really enjoy when we get together these days. In recent times there have still been favorite memories being made of getting together with our old friends. A couple stand-outs were that time in June of 2004 when we had a get-together at the trout farm because Synthia was moving to Boston. That was just a great time for everybody there, and I thought it was cool to see the fireflies in Utah that night. In December of 2005 we had a get-together at a church and then we went over to the Furniss house to visit some more. That night came shortly after a difficult trial in my life, and I really was strengthened by associating with my old friends at that time.

Sorry for the novel I wrote for you all. Hopefully it won't take too long for you to read all this. These are not all of my favorite memories with our group of old friends, but they definitely are some of the highpoints for me. I look forward to reading some of yours. Another interesting idea may be for people to write about some of their biggest regrets or "what ifs" if they feel so inclined. I talked about a couple of mine as being times that I wish I would have been there with everybody when I wasn't. I would be interested to see what other people have thought about our old times together over the years since then.