Slate Canyon to Slide Canyon August 28, 2010

Last August (2010) Christina planned a hike from Slate to Slide Canyons. We'd done the other loop from Slide to Rock Canyon and vice versa several times, and we'd been up Slate quite a bit, but never the loop to the other Canyons, so this would be a new experience. The 3 of us on this hike were Christina, her friend Mike, and me. We parked cars at both canyons so that we could do a shuttle. (Slide Canyon parking is the trailhead to the Y.) The total mileage for our hike was 6.8 miles. (There is an option to walk 1.6 miles of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail back to Slate Canyon if you don't want to or can't park cars at both locations, which would make this an 8.4 mile hike.) The hike also has a 3000+ foot gain and then drop in elevation. With our 6.8 miles and that kind of elevation gain, that's pretty dang steep! No matter how you figure it, it's close to 1000 feet per mile both up and down. But was it worth it? YES! Enjoy the pictures below. (As always, I've included links in album and slideshow formats.)

Slate Canyon to Slide Canyon

Catherine Pass August 21, 2010

Last Summer Christina orchestrated a hike from the Albion Basin at Alta over Catherine Pass to the main Brighton parking lot. Our small group included her, mom, dad, and me. We were also very happy to have Mignon and Gary join us. It was a beautiful hike at a beautiful time of year. Below are links to the pictures both in album and slide show formats. Enjoy, and if you ever get a chance, make sure to get yourself up there sometime!

Catherine Pass (Alta to Brighton)

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Ever since Grandpa passed away, I’ve been enjoying reliving so many memories of him. During the following couple of weeks after he died, it seemed like each day I came up with 100 more. I’ve been wanting to write this post for some time, but it’s been hard to make myself do so. I guess I just haven’t felt quite ready to accept that Grandpa is gone (for now), and maybe writing this forces me to accept that reality. But, today is Grandpa’s 96th birthday, and it feels like a perfect time to write this post and pay tribute to him by sharing just a few of the many hundreds of memories that have been floating in my head for the past few months. As a preface to this blog post, I refer you to Erin’s and Jill’s blog posts about Grandpa, which were so amazing to read, along with my earlier posts called On Death (Tues, June 16, 2009) and Sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa’s House! (Mon, Aug 24, 2009).

When I think of Grandpa, one of the first images that comes to mind is Grandpa ice-skating. He often spoke of his love of ice-skating on Redmond Lake. I’ve visited Redmond Lake several times, and I can remember standing by the lake on a late warm summer’s day, imagining teen-age Grandpa ice-skating like a pro. Fortunately, I also got to see this pro-skating first hand at the cabin many times. This picture was taken in December 1987 at the cabin when he was 72. To this day, I can still see Grandpa gracefully gliding along the pond and canal, doing turns, and then coming to a perfect skidding stop. It was so awesome! After Grandpa stopped skating, there were many times when I would be on the pond and canal almost aching for those old days when he would come skate with us, but also feeling so grateful for the memories of those days. I can only hope that I’ll still be skating well into my 80s some day.

Another fun memory I have of Grandpa was in late June 1992, the week of John’s farewell and possibly even the night before. We were all out on our back patio on a beautiful summer’s night. At some point in the evening, someone brought out our old-school jumprope, and we started taking turns jumping. I don't know if the grandparents were already there or had just arrived as we were jumproping, but Grandpa decided he wanted to join in the fun, so at nearly 77 years old, Grandpa jumped right in and didn’t miss a beat! I'm so glad that dad captured this moment. I don’t think I have laughed so much. It was amazing!

In December 2001, Libby Aagard’s mother, Ruth Enke, passed away. Shortly before she died, the Aagards called Grandpa to come give her a blessing to release her from this life. He was also asked to speak at her funeral. A few days before her funeral, I went over to visit the grandparents. Grandpa was in his study working on his talk and so we started talking about our philosophies of death. Sort of a weird subject to be discussing with someone who was within less than 10 years of dying, but the weirdness quickly passed, and it became kind of a spiritual experience. Grandpa told me about his experience with Ruth during those last few hours. He said that she started having a lot of serious questions about life after death and whether she really believed everything she was taught. Before he gave her the blessing, in response to her growing fears about dying, Grandpa shared with her these beautiful and unforgettable words: “I think death is a sweet experience of exploration and new discovery.” After he told me that, I just stared into his eyes, tearing up wondering what I did right to deserve such an amazing grandfather. He had no idea what a gift he gave me by sharing that experience, but now, anytime I feel sad about him or anyone dying, I repeat to myself those comforting words.

In May 2006, I had a laparascopic surgery, which, by today’s standards, was pretty much a run-of-the-mill surgery. I was mostly just really tired and in some pain as my body was trying to get rid of the carbon dioxide gas that was necessary for the doctors to perform this procedure. The pain from the gas mostly affects your shoulder and upper back area and can be as painful as any disc flare-up you’ve ever had. It comes and goes, but when it’s there, it’s kind of excruciating. Following the surgery, mom took me down to Orem to spend a few nights there. Once we got home, I was feeling well enough for a few minutes to walk around. I remember standing in front of the grandparents’ house talking to them along with mom and Pat Shaw. The gas pains started up again, so I announced that I needed to go lie down. Grandpa insisted that I come rest in their house and escorted me to his special chair. He asked if I would like something to drink. I told him that the doctors recommended that I drink soda to help the gas get out of my system, so Grandpa promptly disappeared for awhile. I had no idea what he was doing, but at this point, all I cared about was trying to find some comfortable position while the gas pains were moving around my upper back. Maybe 15 minutes later, Grandpa re-appeared with a tray in hand, two different soda cans opened, each with straws prepared for my sipping. I realized then that he had been down in the basement carefully and thoughtfully preparing these sodas, not sure of which I would prefer, so he brought them both. He made sure that the tray was set where I could reach it, and then he quietly exited the room, leaving me for a few hours while I got some much needed rest. At 90 years old, he was starting to get used to everyone doing everything for him and telling him to not do this or that, but this time he got to be the one doing something for someone else, and for his 29 year old granddaughter, no less! You could just see the joy and delight and excitement in his face as he waited on me that afternoon. Selfless to the end.

The last memory I want to share was from sometime in the last couple of years. Grandpa’s memory was at the stage where names no longer stuck with him and he began to need reminders of who his own family was. By this time, I was kind of used to him not remembering my name, but for him to need reminders that I was his granddaughter was a new thing and it definitely upset me a bit. So on this one particular Friday night (maybe in 2009?), I slept over at the grandparents’ house. I was planning to make an early escape Saturday morning, but you know, the best laid plans.... So I ended up sleeping in and joining Grandma and Grandpa for breakfast. While Grandma was preparing oatmeal and toast, Grandpa and I sat by the island talking. I was pretty sure that Grandpa knew I was someone in the family, but I wasn’t so sure he knew exactly what our relationship was. Grandma may have told him who I was sometime that morning, but not while I was present. Grandma finished breakfast and then asked Grandpa to bless the food. During his prayer, he said the usual things about gratitude for the beautiful day, for the gospel, for the food, and then he said, “And we’re grateful that our granddaughter could be with us today.” I somehow managed to not start sobbing right then and there, but I couldn't control the tears. Thank goodness his prayer went on a bit longer so that I could collect myself before everyone opened their eyes again. Even as I’m writing this I’m sitting here crying all over again. That may have been the last time he really consciously knew who I was. I’m so grateful for that memory, and probably hold on to that one more than any other.

Grandpa, I love you and miss you. I’m so grateful that circumstances made it possible for you to be a part of almost every day of my life. I hope you are having a happy birthday today with your mama and other family members. Maybe they'll even be up for singing you the long song! :)

Much love til we meet again,
Susannah

Mesa Verde July 17, 2010

Still continuing my goal of catching up on photos from last year! :)

On their way back to Texas after Pear and Travis' wedding, D&K and kids wanted to stop by Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon. Mom and Dad and I decided to join them for the Mesa Verde part of the trip. This was my first time back to the park in 26 years, and it was as fun as ever! Below are links to the pics in album and slideshow formats.

Mesa Verde

Erin and Travis Reception Pics - Better late than never!

I have somewhat recently decided to stop posting pictures on Facebook and have instead opted for posting Picasa albums on my blog from now on. I've finally figured out how to do this, thanks to lots of help from Amanda and Erin, and also Nate, who sat with me over Thanksgiving and helped me put together the following album of Pear and Travis. Hopefully I'll get better and faster at this and can finally post all of my albums from the past year. Until then, please enjoy this album that is already more than a year overdue, but still really fun!

Erin and Travis Wedding Reception

34

March 19, 1977 was a long time ago. I'm afraid to grow old, but I like the idea that with each year's unique experiences, challenges, triumphs, and tragedies, maybe I'm a little more grown up and a bit wiser each year. So, at best, I'd say I'm conflicted about this aging business. But rather than stray into these boring philosophical conversations with myself (ample opportunity for that in future posts), how about some fun trivial pursuit instead?

On this day in history*: March 19
American Revolution: Thomas McKean is born, 1734
Literary: Balzac botches a publicity stunt, 1842
Old West: Artist Charlie Russell born, 1864
Civil War: Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina, 1865
World War I: First U.S. air-combat mission begins, 1916
General Interest: Nevada legalizes gambling, 1931
World War II: General Fromm executed for plot against Hitler, 1945
Cold War: East Germany approves new constitution, 1949
Hollywood: First Academy Awards telecast on NBC, 1953
Hollywood: DeMille wins Oscar, 1953
Music: Elvis Presley puts a down payment on Graceland, 1957
Sports: Texas Western defeats Kentucky in NCAA finals, 1966
Vietnam War: Seoul agrees to send additional troops, 1966
Vietnam War: National emergency declared in Cambodia, 1970
Disaster: Peruvian town wiped out, 1971
Miracle: Susannah Thomas born in Provo, Utah, 1977
Crime: Bodies found in Yosemite serial killer case, 1999
Presidential: Bush announces the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003
Automotive: Maverick auto exec John DeLorean dies, 2005
*stolen from the History Channel at history.com

The meaning of 34**
34 (thirty-four) is the natural number following 33 and preceding 35.

In mathematics
34 is the ninth distinct semiprime and has four divisors including unity and itself. Its neighbors, 33 and 35 also are distinct semiprimes having four divisors each, and 34 is the smallest number to be surrounded by numbers with the same number of divisors as it has. It is also in the first cluster of three distinct semiprimes, being within; 33,34,35, the next such cluster of semiprimes is; 85,86,87.

It is the ninth Fibonacci number and a companion Pell number. Since it is an odd-indexed Fibonacci number, 34 is a Markov number, appearing in solutions with other Fibonacci numbers, such as (1, 13, 34), (1, 34, 89), etc.

This number is the magic constant of a 4 by 4 normal magic square


Thirty-four is a heptagonal number

It has the aliquot sum, 20, in the following descending sequence 34,20,22,14,10,8,7,1. and it is the 6th composite member of the 7-aliquot tree.

There is no answer to the equation ?(x) = 34, making 34 a nontotient. Nor is there an answer to the equation x - ?(x) = 34, making 34 a noncototient.

In science
The atomic number of selenium

Messier object M34, a magnitude 6.0 open cluster in the constellation Perseus

The New General Catalogue object NGC 34, a peculiar galaxy in the constellation Cetus

The Saros number of the solar eclipse series which began on 1917 BC August and ended on 384 BC February. The duration of Saros series 34 was 1532.5 years, and it contained 86 solar eclipses. The Saros number of the lunar eclipse series which began on 1633 BC May and ended on 335 BC June. The duration of Saros series 34 was 1298.1 years, and it contained 73 lunar eclipses.

In sports
In baseball:
The number has been retired by the following teams:
The Minnesota Twins in honor of Kirby Puckett.
The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers in honor of Nolan Ryan.
The Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers in honor of Rollie Fingers.

In basketball:
The number retired by the Houston Rockets in honor of its most famous wearer, Hakeem Olajuwon.

In American football:
The number retired by the Chicago Bears in honor of Walter Payton.
The number retired by the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans in honor of Earl Campbell.

In other fields
The traffic code of Istanbul, Turkey

Rule 34 of the Internet, a meme which states that "If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions."

Rule 34, a novel by Charles Stross due July 2011[3]

"#34", a song by the Dave Matthews Band

34 Skidoo, the 1970s magic square puzzle

In the title of the 1947 movie Miracle on 34th Street, remade in 1994

The number of the French department Hérault

+34 is the code for international direct-dial phone calls to Spain

The lucky number of Victor Pelevin's protagonist Stepan Mikhailov in the novel Numbers, published as part of DTT(NN) [Dialectics in Times of Transition (from Nowhere into Nothing)]

Request for production, Rule 34 of the U.S. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Historical years 34 A.D., 34 B.C., 1934, 2034, etc.

ME! (The more I say it, the more I'll get used to it :) )
**Stolen from Wikipedia at wikipedia.org

A Christmas Greeting From Me to You!

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas!

I love Christmas time. It is so magical and beautiful. As Kermit “Bob Cratchit” sings in The Muppet Christmas Carol, “The world is at her best, you know, when people love and care.” I have seen and felt much love and care this year, and I have seen how love can change lives for the better.

The many challenges and experiences I have had throughout this year, including heartbreak from a failed relationship, the sudden passing of a dear friend, intense service opportunities as the Relief Society president of my LDS ward, and most recently two ankle surgeries, have all brought many emotional and physical ups and downs, but in the end, I feel so blessed to be alive; to be in the care of great doctors and therapists who help me improve each day; to know that when I heal from the emotional and physical wounds I’ll be better than ever; and especially to be surrounded by my wonderful family and friends who truly are “people who love and care” and have supported and helped me with EVERYTHING. I am also especially grateful at this Christmas time for the birth of Jesus Christ and His atonement that makes everything we do possible.

One of my all time favorite stories is Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Following a harrowing night of being haunted by the ghosts of his past, present, and future, Ebenezer Scrooge awakens to a beautiful Christmas morning, a changed man who “became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. . . . [I]t was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!”

Love and peace,
Susannah