July and August

At the beginning of July, Casey took Lindy, Sean and Zeke on an overnight camping trip (superimposed on a work expedition to look at a job site) near the Blackfoot River in Idaho. While they were away Sophie, Hallee, and I hosted a girl's pedicure night at a local nail salon.

Hallee and Sophie, picking out some prime nail polish colors for their toes.

Sophie started training with the Skyline cross-country team during the summer. The team met Monday through Friday for runs up Millcreek Canyon (Dog Lake and the Pipeline trail), Park City, and all through the streets of Millcreek. Hallee's team (Wasatch Charter school) met up once every week on Wednesday mornings during the summer to run at various local parks and on canyon trails.

Sophie and Hallee also worked a couple of days a week at Millcreek Gardens Nursery in LaRene's sweatshop, sorting and labeling plants and weeding feral planting beds.

Lindy's summer goal was to learn how to ride a horse solo. We tried to get out to Doug and Ilean's house once a week for her to practice.

Zeke, promoted to lawn mower in training at Grandpa Sullivan's house.

Sean, playing at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

The kids went on several Otter Pop consumption fests and nearly cleaned out Grandma Sullivan's garage freezer stash

Another one of Lindy's stellar paper and tape creations: snazzy spectacles. The convenience of taping items to your face is extraordinary.

Our little growing Bear.

July 7th is my Dad's birthday and this year we went big, hosting an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord, highlighting some of his favorite snacks, staged near his Wasatch Lawn "penthouse." We invited Newel's and Kristen's family this year along with my mom. Gretha and Uncle Dewey were also able to come and join in the fun.

My shopping cart--just getting started,

Can't forget the squeeze cheese.

Zeke, hitting the braunschweiger meat. We decided that next year we'll have a competition to see who can down a thick slice the fastest. Paka would be proud.

Lindy at Paka's birthday fest.

The kids loaded up on all of the foods that are normally contraband around here. Sean, drinking an "icy cold beak." We ate ourselves sick with all of the sugary and processed fare.

Grandma, enjoying a hit of German liverwurst. 

Even Uncle Dewey joined in the fun!

We washed it all down with a melting (it was so hot) Klondike Bar--one of Paka's favorites. He'd always complain that he had to divide any of his treat stashes by 8 and could rarely consume the volumes that he wanted.

Nothing but fun times!

Cousin pyramid at the Paka Party.

Lindy with another lost tooth.

On July 13th, Casey and I left on a weeklong trip with the ward youth, paddling down the Green River and through Labyrinth Canyon. Cody Miller, Jeff Buist, and Rob Stoll came to help chaperone. Sophie, Hallee, and Zeke were amongst the youth ranks. I had planned on holding down the fort but at the last minute, a couple of leaders bailed out and suddenly I was in on the adventure team. (Special thanks to Casey's parents for taking Lindy and Sean in so that I could assist.) We spent the first night camped at Green River State Park, where it rained and blustered through the night, then woke up early to drive to the privately owned Ruby Ranch put-in where we loaded our canoes with gear and water containers for ballast and then set off down the river with the plan to paddle 45 miles and take out at Mineral Bottoms near Canyonlands National Park. This had been a summer of extreme drought and the river was generally slow flowing (running at just over 1,000 cfs).   

Mitch and Maddy Morris came to do the shuttling and they were the ultimate pit crew.

Cody, taking up the front position in our canoe. Sophie wrote up an extensive document that detailed our canoe assignments and paddling partners each day.

The first night we started setting up camp and cooking dinner--hotdogs--when an impressive and powerful wind squall rolled through with little warning. We scurried around attempting to save canoes and gear from blowing away. We were sandblasted in the process. Eyes, ears, clothing, dinner, everything was full of sand when the wind subsided.

The big pot of hotdogs blew off the camp stove and the salad was full of sand.

After the worst of the wind was past, we rinsed the hot dogs off in the river and cooked then again, using the bushes to block the occasional gusts and then serving everyone at least a hotdog or two for dinner that night. The wind snapped one of the Stoll's tent poles (and duct tape would not hold the repair) so from that night on, Rob and Skye worked up a little lean-to shelter/biodome with what was left of the tent.

The river was clear and beautiful for the first couple of days, until . . . the debris from apparent side canyon flash flooding started infiltrating the water and it became murky. There was an afternoon when we literally paddled through logs, branches, and thick debris for some time.

Over the first couple of days, we named our vessels and designed flags to post at the back of each canoe. We also had several balls that we tried to throw into other canoes without the occupants knowing. The balls became a great game and motivation for some epic paddling, drama, intrigue, traitors, alliances and river battles along the way.

Each morning, the Bishop (aka Casey Bert), hosted a costume contest on the river bank before we pushed out into the water for the day. With each passing day, the costumes became more flamboyant and even morphed into some live action modeling of the attire and some riverside performances. Cash prizes, red clown noses and eventually permission to wear the Bishop's silk kimono (given to him by Arden for is birthday this year) were the motivators. We also started each morning with a devotional (led by various leaders and the youth in turn), scriptures, hymns and prayer.

Jaiden Buist with Zeke.

Hallee, sporting duct tape, trash bags and river vegetation.

Sophie, topping off three pairs of sunglasses with a sizable cow chip up top.

Skye came up with some epic costumes.

Each night, when we pulled out the canoes and set up camp, we'd watch the clouds blow in and darken, producing another epic wind squall, blowing gear across the sand bars and sending us all running to secure boats and tents and personal items. On the third night, we thought we were safe, but no, it came as it always did, just later than usual.

Our fearless river guide, Bishop Sullivan.

Many a river joke centered around the "groover"--our military grade metal canister (topped with a removable potty seat) that collected our excrement.

Mitch and Maddy met us at Mineral Bottoms, as promised, where they served us lunch before we loaded up and headed back to Salt Lake. One thing that I loved about this trip was the ability to be away from all distraction and really get to know our ward youth better--and see them develop closer relationships. They cooked meals together, play night games after the sun set and talk around the campfire. (Normally I don't see too much interaction between them.)

In July, one of Hallee's classmates invited her to go to Lagoon with a big group of their classmates. I decided to haul all of my kids up there as well. Sophie invited a couple of friends along too and I let the older kids fend for themselves while Lindy, Sean, and I did our own thing on a super hot day.

Hallee, living it up at Lagoon with some of her buddies.

On July 20th, we took Gretha (and Grandma, Aunt Karen, and Maya) on a hike to Sunset Peak above Alta, topping out at 10, 648 feet in elevation. Gretha's final outing request before she headed off to Mexico was one good solid hike in the Wasatch. 

Little Sean did the 4 mile hike under his own power.

Hermana Goebel on the trail. Home MTC was awesome because we could go pick her up on p-days at Oma and Opa's house for lunch and other outings.

Lindy, Grandma White, and Gretha

Sean

Karen, Maya, me, Lindy, Gretha, Grandma, Sean, and Zeke on top of Sunset Peak.

Zeke, Sean and Lindy with Lake Catherine, Lake Martha and Lake Mary below.

The kids are always involving Bear in their antics, this time appointing him with a pair of Zeke's undies. The shame!

This little guy is growing at an alarming rate!

Lindy, enjoying Grandpa Sullivan's horses during the summer.

Conrad Evans, a longtime neighborhood resident, teaching the Activity Boys about growing blackberries.

Zeke at a soccer match with Uncle Noodles.

Zeke had the chance to go to Top Golf in South Jordan to have dinner, play a few rounds of golf, and meet Taysom Hill and Daniel Sorenson, BYU alumni who both play in the NFL. He was out-of-his-mind excited. Some of Zeke's friends came over while he was there and I was telling them that Zeke was at Top Golf for the event, excited to meet Taysom Hill and some other guy whose name I couldn't remember. Sean (who I was holding in my arms at the time) leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Mom, his name is Daniel Sorenson." Zeke is an influencer for sure!

On August 4th, the kids and I climbed Ensign Peak with Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan and some cousins. Sophie and Hallee are absent from these pictures so they must have been at work that morning.

We explored the Utah State Capital building afterward.

Sophie, Hallee, and Zeke hosted their 2021 edition of neighborhood kid's camp again, earning more in a couple of days than they did working all summer at Millcreek Gardens. 

Our back lawn was still a big dirt pile, so most of the outdoor activities were held in our also ripped up (Trent McKay has been installing a new sprinkler system) front yard.

Sophie and Hallee, pulling down at The Front--a climbing Gym near here--for a YW activity.

On August 9, the kid's and I dropped Sophie off at FSY--a weeklong church camp held at BYU.

True to form, Lindy did not want to leave her sister for a week. We took Sophie (along with another girl that we'd given a ride to) out to lunch before we left at one of the all-you-can-eat student dining halls.

Years ago, when Wayne Johnson was still the bishop of our ward, his sons revealed a secret: They had been down in the belly of the church building, crawling through a system of large vents that supply heated and cooled air. We couldn't help ourselves:

An entrance hatch, revealed after we pushed a huge piece of furniture out of the way in Casey's office.

No turning back!

A mom-outing with Lindy and Sean to the Living Planet Aquarium:

They were most excited about the sharks.

Sophie got to meet the General YW President--Bonnie Cordon at FSY.

FSY fun!

Sophie with her cute roommate, Emma.

On August 16th, Sophie started school at Skyline High School, a full week before her siblings.

There it is: the first ever high school drop-off! Isn't she cute?

And there she goes! I'm still trying to wrap my head around this development. We have a kid in high school!!

Sean, with his willow crown, playing in the Fox Park.

My birthday was a big day. Hallee, Zeke and Lindy started their new school year at Wasatch Charter School--Hallee in 7th grade, Zeke in 5th and Lindy in 1st. Bird and I went on an outing after I'd dropped the kids off at school and later that night we had Jill come over to start some dog training with Bear. (I knew that I'd be the dog handler all those hours while the kids were in school and I needed some skills).

Bird and I, hitting the Iceberg after getting our nails done on my birthday!

Lindy on her first day of 1st grade.

 Hallee was upset with me for commenting on her chosen outfit and I'm not sure why I can't locate a photo of Zeke on the first day of school.

Sophie's first high school cross-country meet with the Skyline Eagles--the Spanish Fork Invitational on August 27th.

It's verified. Bear loves cross-country meets.

Sean started preschool two days a week at the Waldorf Creekside a week later on August 30th.

There is no one like him in the entire world.

What a handsome little cuss!

We loaded all of our bikes into the back of Casey's truck for an end of summer FHE at the 9 Line Bike Park. Zeke's summer goal was to ride his mountain bike for a certain number of miles. 

Lindy, working the pump track.

Sean loved the pump track.

The kids rode hard until the sun set. 

One more reason to love the Sullivan kids: they post some exciting public notices on random neighborhood telephone poles. I found this one up the street in front of Shirleen Farley's house.