Just trying to walk.....

Hi everyone,

I'm sure this month has been eventful, but right now I'm focusing on my sore muscles! For Labor Day Val, Ashley, Mike (Ashley's boyfriend), Ryan, Jeff, and I climbed Mt. Timpanogos (not Timpanogos Cave--it is QUITE different). It was truly beautiful, and I think everyone should do the hike once in their lifetime; however, ten hours (nine hours hiking and one hour for resting, lunch) and 18 miles of constant up and then constant down with no relief got a little much when the last hour rolled around. We were all thinking, "Just get me off this mountain!" My legs and hips stopped working, and I was using my stomach muscles to walk. Ryan carried me on his back for a few minutes, and once we got to the bottom Jeff and Ashley supported me on both sides while we walked to the car. Jeff had gone ahead and was waiting for us near the bottom. I was trying to be brave for everyone else, but when I saw him I burst into tears and started hyperventilating.

Then once we got into the car, I realized a little too late that Jeff was in Hypoglycemic Shock. I thought he had just gone ahead of us wanting the hike to end, but he was just truly wandering as he wasn't in his right mind. We didn't have any food left except fruit snacks and granola bars with nuts in them (allergic), so Dad sped down the mountain, and we stopped at the first place we saw (Subway). The drive through was not working, so Jeff, in his state of mind, literally fell out of the still-moving car, and staggered inside. Ashley went into mother mode, and yelled, "Melanie, go inside with him!" "I'm trying!" I said as I scrambled to half-way put my shoes on while falling out of the car myself and limping inside. Ashley followed us in as well, and we found Jeff draped over the sneeze guard. Ashley oversaw the sandwich-making while talking to the Subway worker about his experience with herbs for curing hypoglycemia, while I held a straw to Jeff's lips and fed him Lay's potato chips one at a time. Then I started eating Jeff's food. Ashley brought the sandwich over and stationed herself to the side of the table. She would occasionally keep me in line and remind me to, "Give Jeff another bite." I offered her some food, and she said, "No thanks, I'm in mother-mode at the moment. I'm not hungry." I wasn't really either, but hey, the food was there so....

Once we got Jeff out of his slumped-over position, we got back in the car and headed for dinner for the rest of us at Porter's Place in Lehi. Dad was complaining that they don't have refills on the drinks, so he ordered two. Ryan ordered two meals from the menu and two drinks. Everyone contributed more food to Jeff, and so he ate off of his paper placemat. Ryan dared Mike to eat the huge 50 lb. (or whatever it was) hamburger, so he was pretty involved with that the whole meal. Our waitress said that she had just started her job and that we were only her second table to wait on. I told her if she survived us, she could survive anything!!

So there you have it! Our beautiful, eventful hike. I actually think Ashley and Mike fared the best, youngins' that they are. My dad says I have to do it at least once more--on my fifty-third birthday! Dad was such a trooper!!

I don't have any pictures yet, but here's a website that will give you an idea of beautiful it is up there. http://utahpictures.com/Timpanogos.html Please ignore the hiking times listed on the website--I'm sure those people are professional hikers to do it in 7 1/2 hrs. :O) There were actually 1,000 people on the mountain when we climbed it, and so we had to stop to let people by almost constantly (lucky for us we got to rest a lot that way!)

Okay, what else is happening. Jeff started school at BYU yesterday. He's teaching two classes this semester and will be mostly working on his thesis so that he can graduate in December. He'll also be applying to doctoral programs, so he'll be super busy.

I was just released after more than 2 1/2 years as the laurel advisor in our ward, and I've been called as a ward missionary. Jeff's a ward missionary as well, so it will be fun to work together.It will give us the opportunity to see each other a little bit as our schedules are completely opposite and we're never home at the same time.

For the next few months, I'll be filling in as the assistant manager at my library while our regular assistant manager is away. It'll be nice to have a little extra money for a little while and also to get some more management experience.

Brooke--they're oldies but goodies, but try "The Giver" by Lowry or "The Lottery Rose" by Irene Hunt. I also liked "Flipped" by Van Draanen (funny), "Whittington" by Alan Armstrong, any of the historical fiction by Gloria Whelan or Eva Ibbotson (NOT her ghost stories), Franny K. Stein books are short and funny.

Well, that's just about it. I love you all!! Thanks for those who have contributed posts so far!!!

Melanie & Jeff