Time on the River

I love river rafting. I think I could happily go once a month. Maybe more. Definitely more if somebody was going to cook and do all of the hard work. I love the water (fresh water, I'm not a huge salt water fan), wilderness, backpacking, and camping, and river rafting combines all of those things in this amazing melange of adventure and slow, slow time.

And I am blessed to be surrounded by people who embrace the dirt and the wildness of it all and are willing to sleep under the stars and poop in buckets and bathe in the river and play endless rounds of cribbage under a slowly setting sun. I am grateful that this family is happy on a raft. They are just amazing people to be with out in nature, and they just keep getting better and better at this wilderness thing!

But enough overly sentimental reflections of a proud mom and wife - let's talk about this trip. 

Last week we rafted the Yampa River. The Yampa is the last free-flowing (undammed) tributary of the Colorado River, which is kind of mind-blowing. Every other tributary that is big enough to raft has a dam regulating its flow. Let that sink in. Boy oh boy do we humans love to control our "natural resources."

Being a wild river, the flow is just the natural flow, and one can only run the Yampa in the early summer as the Colorado snows melt and fill the river. It also means that the water level fluctuates dramatically day-by-day with weather and temperature many miles away. 

The Yampa flows into the Green in Dinosaur National Monument. We rafted 72 miles over 5 days through everything from slack water to Class IV rapids. Being people who enjoy letting someone else do the cooking and all of the both hard and skilled work, we booked through Adrift Dinosaur, a great group of folks we've rafted with before. 

One of the coolest things about this trip is that in addition to the oar boats, we also got to bring some small craft: inflatable kayaks and a paddleboard. These were a true highlight of the trip, especially for the teens (and Steve) who loved mastering the rapids under their own power. And, yes, we did have one very scary moment when our stand-up paddleboarder got dunked in a big rapid and pinned for a moment against a mean ol' rock. But we had good fortune, good helmets, and good PFDs and he emerged shaken and cold and tired from the ordeal but a-ok. So, maybe the hard Class IIIs are a little much for this group on stand-up paddleboards... lesson learned. I guess we'll just need more practice.

The trip just felt like magical moment after magical moment, so it feels impossible to call out the highlights, but here's an attempt:

• 
  Annie! This is now the third trip where we've had the pleasure of paddling with Annie, our very favorite guide. The first time was luck, the second was serendipity, and the third is request :) Wilderness friends are the very best kinds of friends.
  
• 
  Butt Dam Falls. Aptly named and well worth the 5 mile hike. A few of you sit in the falls' channel while another reclines beneath. The three lift up their butts. The fourth is doused. Repeat.
  
• 
  Cowboy Camping. The weather was amazing for our trip, the bugs were (mostly) managable, and we were able to "cowboy camp" out under the stars almost every night. Perfect.
  
• 
  Tyler Grant. An unexpected delight was having an amazing musician, Tyler Grant, on the trip as a guide. By day, he rows and leads hikes, and by night he transforms into the most delightful fireside dance and singalong leader and solo musician. It makes me tempted to sign up for one of Adrift's RiverWonderGrass rafting outings... so tempting... Go follow that guy on Spotify, he's great.
  
• 
  All the Other Guides. And, let's face it, the other three guides, Will, Pepper Jack, and Buckley were each such fun, entertaining, generous, skilled, hardworking, kind folks. Seriously, the Adrift staff are amazing.
  
• 
  Bighorn Sheep. Every day we got to share the river with a flock or two of bighorn sheep! It never got old.
  
• 
  Pelicans and Bald Eagles. We also saw at least one bald eagle every day and a whole flock of pelicans!
  
• 
  Stars. Good Lord, the stars at night. It was just amazing.
  
• 
  Costume (and Steak) Night. Our final night's meal attire and shenanigans were eclipsed only by its deliciousness. I promise they were having fun in this photo, they just didn't want to admit it. That or they were impatient waiting for the steak.
  

 

I don't really know how to describe the magic of River Time. It's slow and delightful and beautiful. It's connected and disconnected all at once. And I just can't get enough of it. Now that I've come home and gotten my shower and washed some laundry, I'm pretty sure it's time to go back out on the river...

Never Stop Learning

I was dramatically influenced by the hundreds (thousands?) of hours I spent glued to the TV watching Saturday morning cartoons. Let's be real, Gummy Bears, Snorks, and Fraggle Rock taught me absolutely nothing (although I can still sing the entire Gummy Bears theme song), but apparently those "Never Stop Learning - The More You Know" ads sunk in, because boy do I love school. There are plenty of good and not-so-good reasons for my love of structured education (perhaps we'll get into all of that in a future post) but since graduating 15 years ago with my MBA I always figured I'd go back... I just never quite knew when or what to pursue. 

And, now, the time has arrived! In August I start a M.A. in Counseling: Clinical Mental Health from the Townsend Institute at Concordia University Irvine! 

Reading this, you probably fall into one of two camps (or, perhaps, three camps if we count the, "I don't really care this much about your life, Jamie" camp. Legit. Save yourself 5 minutes and stop reading now, Camp 3ers):

1. Oh, wow, cool
2. Why on earth would you do that?

Fair questions, Camp 2 friends. I mean, I already have an established and successful career. I'm not exactly wallowing in free time. I get to help tons of people in my job today as a manager. Why sign up for more?

The career I've built is amazing - I feel like I've been able to do so much good for so many people and have learned and grown so very much in the 20 years since graduating with my BA. A few months ago I did the math and realized that at the time when I finish this program and graduate, I'll have as much time left between graduation and 65 (if we treat 65 as an arbitrary retirement age) as I've spent building this career. I have so much time left to do and build and learn and grow amazing things! And that got me really excited that it was totally the time to pursue something new.

What's the end game? Honestly, I don't know. That's part of why I love this path so much. I could finish this degree, decide not to license, and keep on doing what I'm doing right now, only better equipped to understand and help others and myself. I could do 2 classes, decide this was not a great idea, and leave grateful for what I've learned. I could finish the program, license, and pursue a whole new career in counseling. I could create a new position in this industry and company I love so much that blends my experience in software and my newfound counseling skills and understanding. The options are endless!

And why Counseling? At the end of the day, I do believe that people are the only thing that counts and the only thing that lasts. And I see this program as an opportunity to learn more about people, what makes us tick, and how to create spaces to help folks live better. I've also been helped so much by my experiences working with a wise and wonderful counselor over the past few years, and I get excited about the chance to make a similar difference in others' lives, especially in the lives of professional women in Utah Valley. 

So, off we go on a brave new journey. Classes start in August and it will take me about 3 years to finish working full time and going to school part time. Adventure awaits!

Reflections on Serving: Sasha

 This was my fifth year down to Mexico, and it was another amazing trip. Went down with a big and wonderful group this year. It was the first year that we brought down a small group from our highschool youth group, and that was a truly amazing experience to spend time with the people I love and care for from my youth group. It was amazing to show them the place that I love, and to show them it and enjoy a week with them in one of my homes away from home. Not only was our small youth group amazing to hang out with, but everyone on this trip was amazing. We had such a big range of ages, and personalities, and for me that made the trip so much fun. Because we got to experience so many different things, just being around a crew for a week almost 24/7 really impacts you. 

The biggest thing I took back from the trip this year that really struck me hard this year is: Be grateful for what you have. As a teenager there are so many things that I want that I don’t have. But there’s also stuff that I do have, and I’m very ungrateful that I have it. When I’m down in Mexico, I see the kids who either don’t have new clothes or don’t have toys or they don’t have shoes. I always feel really sad and I want to immediately give them a new toy or go take them out shopping or try and give them something I have that I don’t need. At that moment, I always have to take a step back and just watch. I realize that they're ok with the things they have. They make it work. When we're down there I always see the kids happy, and it’s always before we give out the donations. It’s when we were first there and they first met us. They don’t care about getting new clothes or toys, or anything. All they want at that moment is someone to hang out with and play, someone to talk to about things they like, and someone to love them. I realize I have so much of that love to share, and at no cost. And in the long run. That is going to be so much more helpful than a pair of shoes that are going to wear out in a week. 

For me Mexico, it’s not only a place to get away, but it’s also a place to learn and take back to America to apply to my life. This year, coming down as a highschool with three others from my youth group, really pushed me to learn and listen, and take back good and hard things from the trip, and to talk about it with people around me and to apply some of those new hard things I learned to help me become a better person in my home community.

I can’t wait to go again next year with another amazing crew and another lesson and story to bring back.

New Year, Same Intention

Last year, my new year’s intention was “gentle” and as I thought through 2021, reflected on all I’ve learned, and thought about the year to come, I feel like an emphasis on gentleness in 2022 is a good focus.

I know that many people really struggled in 2021, but it’s been ok for me. Maybe I’ve just been beaten into submission. I mean, there has been a lot of hardship - my dad’s been ill, our dog died, work had its natural ups and downs, Steve’s been working like mad with all of the changes at Sundance. And those struggles have brought some beautiful growth - Steve and I have been working hard on our marriage, Ben has been transitioning into adulthood, Sam has been finding his way. I’m healing and growing and learning to be gentle with myself and others.

 Here’s the Bible verse I’m focusing on in this new year: 

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Philippians 4:4-5

To me, this verse has it all: joy, gentleness, presence. Everything I pray that 2022 brings. For me, for you, for all of us.