Worth the Effort

Over the weekend we took the kids and went up to Zions to do a little relaxing during the free national park weekend we had. Our plan was to go up do a little hiking and then get an ice cream cone and relax for a bit.

We decided to do the Emerald Pools hike and intended to get up to the upper pools. In order to get there you have to first hike up and through the other two pools which we did pretty easy. The final bit up to the upper pond was a little more strenuous than I remember it being years ago, that or I am incredibly older than I used to be. Either way, there were plenty of times that I wanted to quit and head back down for that ice cream cone waiting at the bottom.

The next morning as I was doing a little scripture study in the morning it got me thinking about that hike again. Here I was on this beautiful hike and when it got rough, I didn't want to continue with it. I had been satisfied (I thought I was anyway) with how far we had hiked and the sights we had seen up to that point, how much was I really missing anyway? When we got to the second pool a lady came by and told us not to waste our time going any farther, because it looked the same as the middle one . It did not in fact look anything like the middle one, and we would have missed this fact had we trusted her interpretation of the hike.

At the start of the hike up from the second to the upper pond, the path became quite steep, rugged, and tiring and I remember asking on a couple of occasions whether everyone wanted to turn back and go home.

Luckily on this hike, much like in life I had surrounded myself with people who would not be satisfied settling for less than the best. No one wanted to stop but me and that pushed me on through the rough spots to the end result which I was able to share with my whole family.

While on this hike we had so many little inconveniences and annoyances, from rocks and dirt to these little bugs flying around our heads, to people telling us it wouldn't be worth the effort, yet every time I felt like quiting, those around me wouldn't let me until we finished the hike.

How thankful I am for a family that hasn't let me quit any of the hikes I have been on in my life. I'm a much better person because of them.

Happy Birthday Lou!

Today is our baby girls sixth birthday. Every time I look at her I can't believe she has grown this big. She is such an amazing child with just the right mix of red headed fury and sweet sincere compassion. There are times where we wonder what we've gotten ourselves into but at the end of the day, she absolutely melts my heart and is the shining definition of a daddy's girl. She is the second best, or first best (if you ask her) hugger in the world and I count myself so lucky that she still loves to give them. She can be the shiest girl in the world or the biggest ham when the camera comes out. She has such a big heart and cares about everyone she sees. I love her with all my heart and can't wait to get home today so we can party! I love you Lou!