just like the olden days

today, i was taken back in time. a time b.c., before children.

before we had children, mitch and i were quite adventurous. we spent a good deal of time hiking, camping, canoeing, rock climbing, you know, things that are easy to do without children.

our favorite hike was the narrows in southern utah. if you are not familiar with the narrows hike, it involves hiking through waist deep water for a huge portion of the hike with hundred foot rock walls on either side. it is super challenging and by the end of the hike you are exhausted, wet, and your feet are killing you, but for some reason you just love it!

the other favorite for us is rock climbing/bouldering. before i met mitch, i climbed in hawai'i and in provo. then, after we meet we found we shared the same love of rock climbing and went several times in provo. when we moved to oregon we went once together shortly before i found out i was pregnant with nani. since then, mitch has gone several times, but i have not.

so today, mitch's last official day of his sabbatical (ohh, so very sad!) he wanted to take us on a hike that he did last year with the priests. it's the oneonta falls hike. he picked it because it is a short hike, something the girls could manage, with a beautiful waterfall at the end.

he had told me that the hike was along a creek and that we might get a little wet. so, as we are packing up today, i notice mitch pulling out a change of clothes for everybody and beach towels. i come down wearing jeans and he looks at me and asks, "you're wearing jeans?" i'm thinkin', "uh, yea! can't you see them?!" he says, "you might want to change. you're gonna get wet."

hmmm, ya think? i thought he told us that we "might get a little wet!?" that looks like a lot more than just "a little wet", wouldn't you agree?

it was an excellent hike and the girls did an awesome job. making our way through the trail several hikers commented on how impressed they were that we were making the hike with the three girls. they were excellent little hikers and really enjoyed it, even though they got wet! we met up with a couple of frogs along the way, too!

my favorite part of the hike was when i was able to do some bouldering to stay out of the water and dry. it was a thrill! it made me itch to do it again! i had forgotten how much i loved it!

and this was the reward at the end:

okay, so it wasn't "just like the olden days", but it was a taste of what life was like when we were young and free. we hiked through water, though mitch had to do it 3 times each; once carrying nani, once going back to get lala, and once more carrying lala, i did some bouldering, mitch tried, but it was a little difficult with kawena on his back, and we had a hiking adventure, though it took about 3 times as long.

isn't it great the changes children bring into our lives?!