Dana Robb-December, Family Service Projects and Outings

Our family goal this year was to do at least one service project each month and go on a family outing all together.  Usually it's me taking the kids while my husband works, or him taking the kids while I catch up on projects at home.  That's all good, but I knew we also needed that time all together. Not all our trips ended up including dad, but here's what we ended up doing:

January: Natural History Museum of Utah.  One of our favorite places!  Five levels, lots to explore, we never get tired of this place.

February: Discovery Museum.  Another favorite.  Once a year we get the free exploration pass from the Salt Lake City Library System, and get to explore the Discovery Museum, and Red Butte Gardens, NHMU.

March: Family History Library in Riverton.  My first time there.  The girls ended up falling asleep so Chris stayed in the truck with them while the boys and I went inside to learn and print family pedigree charts.

April: Cathedral of the Madeline.  We studied about cathedrals in art this year and made a trip to the Cathedral in Salt Lake and attended evening mass.  It was eye opening for our boys.  We even got a tour afterwards and learned more about the building.  And then disappointed the priest (?) when he found out we were Mormons.

May: NHMU Chocolate exhibit.  Another trip to NHMU.  Free day once a quarter.  Check out the website.

June: Family day at the best park in Daybreak Utah with zipline, creek, and lots to climb.

July: Comedy of Errors, and Cove Fort.  This was a trip for me and the kids.  Chris stayed home working hard in the hot summer sun.  We studied "Comedy of Errors" just over a year ago so when I found out it was playing at the Shakespearean Theatre in Cedar City, I had to take my boys.  We loved it!  On the way home, we stopped at cove Fort, which we had just learned had been bought by a great-grandpa and run for years. 

August: camping with our ward and bonus: watching a cattle drive with real cowboys.  We all love camping and just wish we could do more of it.  Going over night is never enough, but longer trips are hard to fit in.  We were the last to leave and lucked out in watching the cattle drive, which made us feel liked we'd stepped into a John Wayne movie.

September: another trip to NHMU.  This time we focused on our cytology unit. Plus a family hike to our favorite spot-Hidden Falls.

October:  Cabin and four wheelers with some friends.  Two separate weekends.  Warm fall, shooting and riding.

November: Boondocks.  A yearly tradition.  Through the Utah Adoption Council we get seriously discounted tickets the first Saturday of National Adoption Month.  

December: Free homeschool day at NHMU horse exhibit.  Learned a lot about these domesticated creatures.

As for service we enjoyed a variety of experiences.  This was such a great part of our year, I want to keep up the tradition.  My kids have become such great sports when it comes to reaching out to other people.  A book I highly recommend is 52 Weeks of Fun Family Service by Merrilee Boyack.  I just need to get better about documenting with pictures.

January: Grandma Robb's birthday.  We showed up and surprised her with breakfast and each of our kids did some cleaning for her.

February: homemade Valentine's cards for grandmas, aunts, and cousins

March: family history - indexing, finding names, and temple work

April: community cleaning at Sunset Ridge

May: spent a week helping Grandma and Grandpa pack up to move

June: weeding at the neighbor's as secret service agents

July and August are unaccounted for.  There must have been some service outside of our home that we performed, but it's totally slipped my mind!

September: watering a neighbor's plants and getting her mail.  Someone became a little possessive of the keys...

October: working in the neighbor's garden, cookies to a new family in the neighborhood, flowers and card to a sick friend, helped out a friend who was moving by taking her kids to the park

November: wrote to a sister missionary, and took flowers and card to a less active sister in the ward.

December: made lots of cookies and treats for all our neighbor's and shoveled a neighbor's walk.

Dana Robb, October-November, finish projects and rock climb

The summer of 2012 brought on lots of new things and 'firsts'.   A new baby.  Chickens.  Teaching yoga.  And for some reason we didn't feel busy enough so we threw in a few projects.  A clubhouse. A chicken coop.  And finishing the basement.  Needless to say, it was a little too much to take on, and here we are three years later with all three projects in phase three.  I was determined to finish projects THIS year.  And October was a good month.

We got the clubhouse painted and roofed.  We finished the chicken coop.  (But the basement-not so much.  That's a project for this winter.)  

Here's a few pics of the clubhouse at its current phase.  And just for background info: In 2012 we got the platform done.  Then 2013 we added the walls, windows and roof.  This year we finally got the stairs, railing, door, slide, and shingles on.  

As for rock climbing (November's goal), I didn't get quite the experience I was looking for.  I had plans to go with my kids, but that goal has been put off until after the holidays.  Here's the journal entry I wrote the day I did actually get to go:

6 November 2014
Challenging morning.  A few lessons learned.  First, don't try a science experiment with flour, sugar, yeast needing to be quickly mixed and pushed into a straw with two little girls climbing over the counter.  Second, just because I'm excited about a science experiment doesn't mean I'm going to get the same reaction from my kids.  

I texted Chris around 11:30 this morning and said, "please take me rock climbing tonight.  I need to conquer something."  He's offered to take me for weeks and we planned to go tonight but it was all tentative, depending on book club.  The noise, the energetic kids, the whining and crying were all overwhelming me and I needed to accomplish something.  
And now I'm feeling the burn.  10-12 climbs in 40 minutes.  It wasn't quite the rush I was hoping for.  Maybe it was the fact that I felt awkward in LifeTime for the first time.  Maybe it was the fact that I was left alone while Chris had to listen to the sales pitch.  Or maybe it was just the fact that I was on a self-belay system thingy that lifted me as I climbed.  No real threat of falling.  No true destination awaiting at the top.  Not really much a sense of accomplishment.  But rewarding nonetheless.  I love my muscles.  I love what this body can do.  

The following week I didn't get a chance to go climbing because I was invited to help my sister paint a mural at Legend Solar in St. George.  An opportunity I jumped at!  She's amazing and so fun to work with.  Everything lined up to make it possible, but it also meant getting behind in a few other places so the rest of the month was catchup. Rockclimbing will have to wait.  (although I did get to climb up and down lots of scaffolding in St. George!)

Not the best selfie, but I had to show my contribution!

Updated pic of finished mural to come soon.
Go here to see more of her work!

Next month: report on our service projects and family outings for the year.

Dana Robb-August-Food

I planned all of September to get my August post written up, but it just kept slipping further and further down the list.

My plan for August was food.  Originally the plan was geared towards getting more creative about veggies.  We eat lots of veggies at our house-lunch, dinner, and sometimes even breakfast-but usually I'm just slicing or dicing and serving raw.  It gets a little boring.  I've wanted to explore and incorporate more flavor at the dinner table.

I checked out two books from the library: barefoot contessa back to basics and some random vegan cookbook I found.  Barefoot contessa had a few veggie recipes we tried and loved.  The vegan cookbook was full of ingredients I didn't want to bother stocking up on, so that one went back without trial.  And unfortunately that's as far as I got.

What I ended up focusing on and feel I became successful at is the art natural yeast baking. Just over a year ago, a friend shared her natural yeast start with me, gave some basic instructions, a fail proof recipe and I was off to a great start.  I'd make bread once a week, and most of the time it would work out, although an occasional brick would come out of the oven.  Over time though I was getting more bricks and less bread.  Until I was ready to give up.

I have believed for a long time that natural yeast is a lot better for you and really wanted to succeed.  It became very discouraging that even though I was doing the same things, using the same recipe, I was getting worse and worse results.  And then I was invited to a class by Amy Loveless.  She shared her 200 yr old Czechoslovakian start and my first batch was brilliantly delicious.  But again, within a couple months, my bread was not rising.  It was time to consult more experts.  Both starts came from people who recommended The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast.  I decided to check it out.  And it really is an essential book for anyone interested in baking with natural yeast.

August became my trial month of learning how to properly care for my yeast (the author of  The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast, Melissa Richardson, named her yeast "Pita")  I now feel like I'm a general expert, I brought my yeast back to life and learned I hadn't been feeding it often enough.  I learned some key tips and tricks.  I've learned a number of recipes.  And I'm no longer producing bricks.  (Although Melissa has a couple recipes of what to do with bricks in her book!)

But what I really got excited about in September was my new thermal cooker.



This thing is amazing!  It cooks like a crockpot but without all the electricity.  You boil the ingredients for one minute and then set it inside the thermal unit.  Before leaving for road trips we fill it with chicken dumpling soup, or the filling for taco salad, or whatever and let it cook while we drive.  Then we'll stop on the road when we get hungry and we have a hot meal ready to go.  Just today I cooked one pot of dried beans and a separate pot of rice so we could make burritos from food storage.  I'm super impressed with how well it works, and dreaming of the possibilities.  (Pinterest has already supplied many.)

buy one here!

So the end of the month came and went and I still need some more vegetable recipes to try, feel free to share your favorite.

Dana Robb - July - weekly hikes, Antelope by Moonlight ride, and end of school year presentation

Goal 1: End of School Year Presentation

Homeschool accomplishments often go unrecognized so last year we started a new tradition, suggested by Latter-day Learning.  We invite all our family over for a night of ethnic food, culture, and an art show. The boys work all year on a report of a country of their choice.  They focus on all aspects of the mathematical, physical, and political geography of that country.  By the end of the year they've put together a power point presentation.

They really get into it, finding photos, video links, etc.  Then we choose a couple recipes and make ethnic food.  Let's just say that's my favorite part.  This year we studied European Geography.  London chose to report on The United Kingdom. We prepared some shepherd's pie and after much persisting attempted to make a Battenberg cake, recipe here.

Isaac chose the country Greece.  For his report we served Dolmas.  Mmm.  Our favorite.  And learned how to make kok (pronounced coke), the Greek version of cream puffs.

In art, we studied the Medieval age.  We learned about gold leafing, painted on fresco, made our own illuminations, created some mosaics, experimented with egg tempura, discovered metal work, built our own cathedrals, stitched some needlework and tapestries, and played with pottery.  Just to name a few things.

This night has become one of our treasured traditions.


Goal 2: Hiking - It's one of my favorite things to do, especially with my kids.  We had an awesome month exploring some favorite spots like Hidden Falls (Little Cottonwood Canyon) where London caught a lizard.  And then discovered some new favorites, like Catherine's Pass up at Albion Basin where we were surrounded by fields of beautiful wildflowers-Indian paintbrush, catnip, yarrow, elephant head, valerian, dock, wild geranium, etc.  This year's hikes were made all the more rewarding because I could actually identify some of the plants and herbs (thanks to classes from Emily Saddler ) and even harvested a bagful of yarrow and catnip.  Feeling so successful!  Here are a few highlights:

Hidden Falls

Yarrow

London caught his first lizard-she is happily eating up all the spiders and earwigs we find around our yard.

Lamb's Canyon

Lamb's Canyon

Catherine's Pass

Catherine's Pass

Goal 2 - Antelope by Moonlight.  

Where were you Nora??  Oh ya, we didn't get there til after 10:30 p.m. and by then everyone was well on their way.  Did you see the couple on your way back without headlights?  That was us.  So here's the story. Chris and I planned on leaving around 8:00 p.m. which would get us to Antelope Island about an hour before the race started.   But I failed on two accounts.  First, I didn't let Chris no how long it would take to get there, and he didn't feel rushed to go.  Second, I thought the race started at 10:30 - not 10:00 p.m.  We were still packing everything into the truck when I realized it was 9:00 p.m.  By the time we crossed the bridge to the island, we were looking at a trail of bike lights ahead, already on their way  Oh and as we were crossing the bridge, I thought it was raining; we were getting pelted hard.  Only took me a few minutes to realize it was bugs, not raindrops splashing our windshield.  Then we realized that it was probably too late to purchase the headlights they were offering.  We weren't supposed ride without them.  But I didn't drive all the way up there just to give up a few miles away.  So we drove on.  Luckily, they let us go with only the moon to light our path and we rode out of the deserted parking lot around 11:00 pm, a full hour after the race started. 

If those had been the only setbacks, we would have had a great time, but one problem after another got me down til I was practically in tears and wondering why we were even there.  And yet, I was determined to finish the 24 miles.  It was the only accomplishment left.  But even that was taken away from us.  We reached the halfway point at 12:30 a.m. as they were cleaning up the refreshment stand, only to be informed that they were picking everyone up and putting bikes on trailers within half an hour.  The rangers required everyone to be off the island by 2:00 a.m.  I should have given up then, but I am not a quitter.  We headed back, thinking we could beat them.  And we almost did.  It was 1:50 a.m. before they caught up to us.  We were two miles from the finish.  Two miles.  It's a good thing I have such an amazing husband who kept encouraging me on.  

Putting all the disappointments aside, it really was a beautiful ride, and the weather was perfect.  Looking back, I've decided that all those disappointments happened because next year we will have such an awesome time that we will be able to look back and smile. 

So come next year, who's joining me??  (I won't mention that every muscle in my back and and legs hurt the next morning, or that I came home with 25 mosquito bites--including a couple on each butt cheek.  That would just deter you more.)

Next month's goal focuses on healthy eating.  And at this point in our busy summer, it's much needed.

June, Havasupai, Dana

Look at these photos.  

Absolutely grand.  

I've heard about Havasupai for years as my Grandpa Hunt and my mom would tell stories of this amazing oasis in the middle of the Arizona desert, hidden on the edge of the Grand Canyon.  The possibility of a family trip opened up this year.  I made reservations back in February for ten of us, my parents, 6 siblings, and one brother-in-law, to hike down this month.  But from the very beginning, I had knots in my stomach about the trip.  It had nothing to do with the fact that it was an eleven mile hike in, with everything I'd be needing for three days carried on my back.  I live for adventures like this.  I just wasn't sure I should be going.  And I didn't know if the doubts were created from within me, or if they were the gentle nudgings of the Spirit.  Was there some imminent disaster awaiting us?  Or something I needed to be home for?  Or should I be putting my focus or budget somewhere else more practical?  Was it really ok to take a week off?  I knew I needed to figure it out, but I put off the decision making, hoping the anxieties would work themselves out.  

About 3 weeks before our go-date, with the same hesitancy nagging at me, and only a week of leeway to cancel if needed, I buckled down and faced the situation.  I talked to a sister who had some of the same realistic hesitations-cost, leaving kids, time away from home, etc.  We considered some different options.  I put a lot of effort into praying and pondering.  I ended up making a list of possible goals with a list of possible options.  With everything on paper, it finally hit me how much I really wanted to experience Havasupai.  The urge to be there was so strong; I was fully committed.  So the preparations began.  

Let's mention here that in the back of my head, I'd also had the nagging thought that I needed to call and confirm my reservation.  I'd lost the confirmation number, and didn't want to show up without it.  Another action that kept getting put off.  Exactly one week before we were to hike in, I finally got on the phone and asked about our reservation.  Here's the conversation as I've replayed over and over:

"I'm coming down with a group next week and can't remember my reservation number"

"When is your reservation date?" the lady on the other end asked.

"June 10-12"

"What's your name"

"Dana Robb"

"I don't show any Dana Robb in June.  The only Dana Robb I show has a reservation for April 9-12.  You missed your reservation."

"I'm sorry?"  I must have heard wrong.

"And we are booked up this month."

"You're kidding."

"Ok."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"I'm sorry, we're booked in June.  You can't come down"

"I have 10 people planning on this, some all the way from Montana and they're already on their way.  What am I supposed to tell them?"

"Ok."

"I know I requested June 10-12."

"Ok."

"We never even considered April."  

"Ok."

She just kept saying ok, no matter what I said.  I could tell she wanted me off the phone.  But I wouldn't let her go.  I kept pressing.  Hoping.  Pausing.  Repeating.  Waiting for her to offer something (the mistake was theirs).  But nothing.  I hung up and sobbed.  I was angry at myself for not following up on the prompting months ago and getting everything cleared.  I was desperate to avoid letting my whole family know our trip had been cancelled.  And I was confused.  Why was I getting a 'no answer' now?  Why didn't it happen two weeks ago when I wasn't even sure I wanted to go?  I could have easily accepted a 'no answer' then.  But I could not accept it now.  Let me explain a little about 'no answers.'  We've been practicing them a lot in our house.  We even play "The No Game."  The idea being that when mommy says 'no' the child says 'ok.' And then has to be ok with it.  If the child says 'ok,' mommy sings a silly song about 'being ok.'  All in the hopes of training these cute kids of mine to stay cute even when the don't get what they want.  

Here's how the game is played:

Asia: Mommy, can I have some chocolate?
Mommy: No.

Asia: OK.

Mommy: (starts singing) Asia said OK!  Asia said OK!  Yay!  Yay!  Asia said OK!

Then Asia gets to say no.

Mommy:  Can I dye my hair blue?

Asia: No.

Mommy:  OK.

Asia: (starts singing) Mommy said OK!  Mommy said OK!  Yay! Yay! Mommy said OK!

We take turns, it's lots of fun and in fact, Asia will come ask if we can play the game.  

But now, I was getting a really big 'no answer' and I wasn't liking it one bit.  I was not okay with it, and I was not acting okay.  It took me a long time and a long drive to calm down.  I called a sister and we discussed options.  I spent hours looking through my house hoping to find the confirmation number.  I looked at emails trying to prove when I registered.  I had my husband call the Havasupai reservation office.  (He never got through.)  I prayed. I even asked for help from my Grandpa Hunt beyond the veil.   And then finally, I decided to make one more call.  It took all the courage I could muster.  And when a different voice answered the phone, I decided to pretend that that earlier call had never taken place.  

"Hi. I'm wondering if you could look up my reservation number."

"What's your name?"
"Dana Robb"
Pause.

"I don't see a Dana Robb anywhere."

That was different.  At least earlier I was somewhere.

"Would it be under a different name?" he asked.

"Maybe." 

"Or how about a phone number?"

I gave it to him.

"No, that doesn't pull anything up."

Okay.  It was real.  We weren't going.

"What did you say your name was?"

"Dana Robb."

"Do you remember who you talked to when you made your reservation?"

"No."

And then a conversation in the Havasupai language began with someone in the background.  I heard my name mentioned.   

He came back on the line and said,

"It looks like whoever made your reservation put you down for the wrong month."

Ya, I knew that.

"But here's your reservation number."  He gave me a number.  "Just bring that when you come next week."

I wasn't sure I heard correctly.  

"So we can come next week."
"Ya."
"And all I need is this number?"

"Yep."

"Oh, thank you!"

I hung up.  Stunned.  A little afraid to feel excited.  It took awhile to sink in.  But we were really going!

A friend called later that night and we discussed why this had happened.  She'd been aware of my previous hesitations.  And her insights were helpful.  I'd struggled with justifying the cost, the time away, and the time needed to prepare, before coming to the conclusion that this was something I was willing to sacrifice for.  And I had come so close to losing it.  Now I'd be going with a completely different perspective--knowing how close I had came to not having it, would allow me to appreciate it that much more. 

Can I just say how true that was? 

Even after the reservation mix-up was resolved, I had the premonition that this mis-scheduled reservation wasn't going to be the only obstacle to present itself, but I had the assurance of knowing that whatever happened, my Heavenly Father would get me there.  I knew He could overcome all obstacles.   That's why when three of my children came down with high fevers on Friday afternoon-two days before leaving-making it impossible for me to pack or clean my house and prepare to leave for a week, I didn't panic.  Even though when my kids left for grandma's on Sunday night they were still feeling sick.  (I did feel a little guilty, though.)  That's why, when my babysitter called me on Saturday morning to let me know her work didn't honor her request for time off, leaving me without a sitter for two of the days, I didn't worry.  Even though I wasn't sure who would be watching my kids until I was halfway to Arizona on Monday afternoon.

But oh, it was all worth it. 

11 hour drive.  Midnight hike.  5 hours in.  Light breeze.  Clear sky.  Bright stars.  Full moon.  Perfect.  Came on to Havasu Falls as the day dawned.  Breathtaking.



Two days in the most beautiful clear turquoise waters.  Two days without stress, without kids, without responsibility.  Two days of pushing my physical limits and coming out of the canyon feeling more alive than ever.

Three weeks have passed since Havasupai and I can still feel the spray of mist on my face. I can hear the roar of the water falling over the canyon wall.  I feel the wind swirl around and pull me back.  I can visualize the clear turquoise pools caused by the travertine.  One of the great majesties of God's creations, and I feel privileged to have experienced it.  This whole experience taught me to put my trust in God.   It was a personal tutoring session with Him.  A reminder that with God, all things are possible. All of the trials to get there only made me appreciate it more.  Isn't that how life is?  The more we struggle to achieve something, the more it means to us.  The closer we are to losing something, the more we desire it.  

I've learned that we need our challenges:

1. to strengthen us
2. to feel God's mercy through the process and 
3. to truly appreciate the reward, or relief, in the end.  

All I can say, is it's worth it.