Hike - Day One

Honestly, I live in paradise. My town may be small and remote but check out my back yard. Well, not exactly my back yard but darn close...the drive to the trailhead for this hike was a mere 20 minutes. Cindy and Julianne were here this week from Arizona and rather than sit and scrapbook (like we had planned), we took off for the mountains. Remember my last post where I mentioned we could have used some M&M's? Well, this was the hike. We made it on our own fortitude and determination, even though we didn't know exactly how far our destination was (and we had no food). Here's some good old fashioned advice: Don't bother asking anyone on the trail how far the lake is...know it yourself! Ya see, one person will tell you it's just over the next hill and another person will tell you it's another hour. Neither were right on this hike. Then there's my husband who would tell you....."Ah, it's not about the destination...it's the journey." Hmmm, isn't that my motto for this blog? I sort of forgot about that on the trail.

Anyway, we had such a great time together. The scenery was unspeakably beautiful. Bishop is known for its spectacular mountains, hiking, fishing, and year-round outdoor recreation. I think you'll see why shortly.

It took us about an hour to hike to this lake, Long Lake. It's just one of the many beautiful lakes out of Bishop Creek. The trail was uphill all the way, but not as steep as our hike on Day Two. (Seriously, it really was uphill...I promise!) Stay tuned for Day Two...that hike was the bomb!


Do you see Julianne perched on the rock in the background? She and my daughter, Jessica, were pretty funny. Julianne didn't want to go but Jessica made her. What troopers!

Don't laugh at my hat, okay? It's floppy, I know, I know...BUT...it keeps the sun off my face and out of my eyes. (Less wrinkles, I'm hoping!) In my August scrapbook classes, the theme of our layout is "No One Is Quite Like Me." My goofy, floppy hat is what makes me...well...me.

Can you tell we're excited to have made it?? (The girls made me remove my hat for the picture. They're no fun!)

I'll see you in the next post with a few more images from Day Two!

Coulda Used Some of This Today!

A hike on a beautiful, sunny August day seemed like a good idea. So we got a little bit of a late start...what's the big deal? Well...turns out that I don't hike enough. Because if I did, I would have taken some chocolate...or peanuts...or a granola bar...or something to energize my weary legs trekking back down the trail. I'll write more about our hike later...for now, I have a Chocolate Lover's Survival Kit idea to show you! I could have used one of these today.



My friend (and upline), Karen, gave me a darling treat like this one last week when we were attending Leadership. It made me feel thought of and I had a late night treat to munch on. (Isn't it a great feeling to know someone is thinking of you? I need to do that more...)

The ladies in one of my monthly card classes LOVE, LOVE, LOVE chocolate so this little project was the perfect recipe for a fun, chocolate-filled evening this week. Here's the basic instructions to create your own Chocolate Lover's Survival Kit:

Cardstock: 2 1/2" x 12"
Coordinating B&T paper: 2 1/2" x 12"
Cardstock and/or B&T paper: 3" circle for collar

Cut each out and fold in half. Layer the B&T paper over cardstock. Insert package of M&M's. Staple to the top edge of layered cardstock/B&T paper (one of the open ends). Fold circle in half and attach to the back of cardstock/B&T paper with double stick tape or glue dot. Close the packet all together by folding the circle to the front. Secure with glue dot.

Of course, you'll want to add an extra touch of class by distressing the cardstock and/or B&T paper. The cute little poem on the front reads:

The Chocolate Lover's Survival Kit
At the first sign of anger, eat a RED one.
Eat a BLUE one to minimize depression.
To relieve stress, eat a GREEN one.
If you feel a headache coming on, eat an ORANGE one.
Eat a YELLOW one to cheer you up.
You can eat the BROWN ones at any time.
If all symptoms occur at the same time, EAT THE WHOLE BAG!