Surviving the Storms

On our way home from Fish Lake a few weeks ago we took a detour and spent the day at beautiful Bryce Canyon. The sky was bright blue spotted with white cotton ball clouds and the eroded mountains were in stark contrast in shades of red, orange, and pink hues. The show was definitely viewing the hoodoos and canyons from the look out points.

But this weathered tree with roots exposed caught my attention and respect. Some might comment about it's lack of life but it was alive with leaves on it's limbs. It stood happily and bravely up on the ridge forever looking over the canyons below. I wondered how many times it's been struck by lightening and yet it still stands and lives.

I had to go to Bryce Canyon to get a picture in my mind of how Heavenly Father expects us to endure, weather, and survive the storms in our lives.

These past few months have been troubling and difficult for me dealing with post cancer issues, even though Peter is cancer free. Every month Peter has to go in for lab work where a blood test is ordered that lets us know if the cancer has come back or if he is still cancer free. The first two or three months of this new routine didn't bother me so much. But with each passing month I find myself dreading to call for the results. When I finally make myself call I wait on hold while the nurse types his name in the computer. I try to have faith that the results will be in his favor and remain cancer free. But at the same time I brace myself for the bad news because I don't know what Heavenly Father has in store for us. Not that I believe He is wanting us to go through such difficult trials or that He's punishing us for something. This is life. I know we have to have the hard, trying times to become the people that we need to be... But, I just don't want Peter go through that again.

I'm just trying to figure out how to live from month to month and lab results to lab results. I want to be that happy, brave tree enjoying life day to day with my beautiful life and stop worrying about the return of cancer that may never come back. Fear is a terrible state of mind. Hope is better.

And I do know what Heavenly Father has in store for us. Everlasting life and joy if we but endure.


on the way to Mossy Cave & the waterfall

Sunset point

Navajo Loop. We're doing this next year.

We finally caught up with Peter. He loved it there.

A bunch of hoodoos.

One More Time Before School Starts

I'm torn. I'm loving having most of the children back in school {just me & Peter at home}. Yet, I miss their company and our non schedule summer days, especially the days spent at Fish Lake.

We made it back to Fish Lake the first week in August. The first day John took us on a walk down to the lake and showed us where the cabin used to sit. This picture shows the exact spot. It was a small tiny wood cabin made by the Dutch owner out of wood. All the interior walls are knotty wood pine panelling. Adorable. The fireplace was made out of lava rocks adorned by a deer head with antlers. I've wondered how real hunters feel about the Hallen use of the antlers??? I'm sure they're offended. My favorite feature of the cabin is the Dutch door. Love it.

Then John's family purchased it from the Dutchman. They had to move it off the lake because the lake was getting too polluted from all the cabins along it's shores. So up it went a quarter of a mile on Vale in a little clearing surrounded by quaking aspens and pine trees. Nineteen years ago, when I first started visiting we could see the lake from the cabin's front windows. Now the trees have grown and we only see patches of blue water. John threatens that the next time he goes up he's taking along the chainsaw to take down the "dead" trees. We could use the firewood but not the hefty fine...

The famous "H" rock shows and reminds us where the old Hallen dock used to pier out over the lake. John spent many summers fishing with cousins for perch and fishing out old grandpa Melvin when he would fall into the cold lake. Grandma Rose always said that the reason they invested in this cabin was to build strong family ties. What a worthwhile and successful investment. This time up we met the Dana side of my family, minus Kenney & his family.

Memorial times with them were: the walk down by Twin Creeks, good food, another walk/hike on the trail north of the lake, making flower clips for our hair, and the endless hours watching the cousins play outside with sticks. Who needs toys when you have good old fashion sticks? And looking for the neighbors. This year it was a mother deer with two little "Bambi's".

Thank you Grandma Rose for your foresight and wanting a place for families to spend time together. Fish Lake. Hallen's Haven.

I'm Proud to be An American

I love how Redlands celebrates the 4th. Very festive. The City goes all out with activities all day and long into the night. What a great family day!

Duane and his family came from across the dessert to celebrate with us. And from John's family, Laura, Rob and baby Harry came from Utah.

Our day started at our Ward Breakfast and patriotic program. I loved hearing from Brother Shaw. He fought in WWII. He was stationed in England with the Army working with the planes flying over to Normandy on D-Day. What a hero! I always get emotional watching the young scouts raise our flag. And this year what a treat to have our own ward's 4th of July band. Meagan played her flute. Next year John promises to be ready to play his trombone and Addie her violin.

Then on to Sylvan Park for the kiddie games. This year the children won four gold fish. Grandpa always loves to get the kids to play that game. He's such a sucker for gold fish. I was relieved to hear that he snuck them over to Gary's house and dumped them into his fish tank. It heated up quick at the park so we went swimming at Grandma & Grandpa's all afternoon while the men saved a place on the field at the stadium for the fireworks show.

And what a show it was...First the skydivers came down. Then the fly over from a squad of some kind of planes - I can't remember. Then the next fly over was amazing. It was a huge cargo military plane. It flew slow and low right over our heads. It was so loud. I loved it when the announcer said, "listen for the sound of freedom." Peter was not impressed. He cried most of the night off and on. I should have left him with Grandma.

"Saturday in the Park. I think it was the 4th of July... " and other songs played in perfect sync to the fireworks. What a great show and reminder of the blessings and privilege to be American and to live in the land of the free and home of the brave.

More on Memorial Day Weekend

Eating breakfast at the Malone's Oak Glen Apple Dumplings Restaurant on Memorial Day is a new family tradition. We took Dad & Corinne up there for a good country, mountain breakfast. So good. And then stopped in at their bakery and couldn't resist the pastries. Yum. Don't you just love that store front picture?

I loved the soft snikerdoodle cookies. We all did.

Memorable Day {Weekend}

Grandpa & Grandma Dana flew over for a visit. We’re so glad they did.














Where to go? What to do? There’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a year and we finally did it. We went up to Big Bear on Saturday in search of the largest lodge pole pine in the world. We found it and more.


When Cabrillo was sailing through California almost 500 years ago this grand pine was a little sapling.

Then we came upon a nice little postcard’isc scene.

or maybe it’s just the way Meagan posed for this picture. Who knew we had this in our own backyard? The beauty rivaled my childhood memories of camping in Eastern Arizona’s White Mountains.

When grandpa visits there’s always an adventure to be had…


I took that picture of Andrew while we were zooming down the hill on the sled. He was controlling the speed and I was trying to get the perfect picture of him by holding the camera out in front of us. It was a difficult and daring task, only a true mommy blogger would attempt. Then I looked up just in time to see us heading towards a turn and we were going really fast. Scary! I took over the controls. He was laughing all the way. Then I was chastised by the guy running the alpine slide. Dumb mommy moment. I just had to get a picture of it though. So don’t try that at home…

to be continued…