Quotes of the day - J.R.R. Tolkien

All you have to decide is what to do with the time
 that is given you.
 -Gandalf, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Even the smallest person can change the course
of the future.
- Galadriel, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien


I really wasn't into the 'Lord of the Rings' that much.
But these are good quotes.

Quote of the day: Jenkins Lloyd Jones

Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed.  The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.  Life is like an old-time rail journey- delays, sidetracks, smoke dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.
The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.

- Jenkins Lloyd Jones

This quote was often quoted by Gordon B. Hinckley, including in 'Standing for Something'.
(One of his books)

A Sunshine Quote for today.....

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others
cannot keep it from themselves.

-Sir James Barrie

Matthew 5: 16
   One of my favorite scriptures.

Quote on Happiness

The grand essentials to happiness in this life -
are something to do, something to love
and something to hope for.

-Joseph Addison

Today's Quote (Poem) - E.B. Browning

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. - I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my live! - and , if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I remember having to memorize this poem when I was in the 7th grade. Of course now, I can only remember the first 3 lines, but I did once know the whole poem by heart. That's something you never forget......:o)  I also remember there's a story to this poem, but I will have to Google it to remember. Oh, well...........it's  just a beautiful love poem.

Quote of the day - Our deepest fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.  Your playing small doesn't serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people won't feel insecure around you.  We are born to manifest God's glory within us.  It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others.

-Nelson Mandela, Inaugural Speech 1994 or it may have originated from Marianne Williamson

After yesterday's post, I thought I'd put out something a little more serious. Yes, I deeply believe that we are all very valuable and are children of a great and wonderful God.

Quote of the day - Dr. Seuss

Today you are you!
That is true-er than true!
There is no one alive
That is you-er than you!
Shout aloud " I am glad
to be what I am!"
Thank goodness I'm not
a clam or a ham or a
dusty old jar of
gooseberry jam!"
I am what I am!
What a great thing to be!
If I do say so myself
Happy every day to me!

Dr. Seuss

Yes,  I'm going to try  posting a quote of the day. I don't know if I can do it everyday, but - maybe every other day. (we'll see)
I thought that Dr. Seuss is always a safe one to start with!  Isn't that a cheery quote? I like it.

I will never complain again.

 Yep, I know sometimes I sound like I'm complaining when I hike a little mountain like Saddle  Rock Mtn.  in Wenatchee.  Well, I'm not going to complain like that again. We took a trip with our son, Rocky the Dr. last week to most all of the Southern Utah National and State Parks. It really was an awesome trip, but he took us on a hike that really could have killed us. It was so dangerous climbing up the rock that they told us they have had fatalities every year!  What were we thinking??
Well, we weren't - we just blindly did what our son told us to do and didn't think it would be as hard as it was. I'm still amazed that Jay and I actually pulled it off. I'll show the pics of the Mountain we climbed later here.  First I'll show you a few that we took in Bryce National Park and Zion's:

 Here's where we started to climb up Angel's Landing in Zion's National Park. It really was amazing scenery.

 Maybe this doesn't look like we are as high up as we are, but let me tell you - we are high up. It took us 2 hours to get up here and the last half of the way we were pulling ourselves up - hanging on to a chain. In some spots there were dramatic drop-offs on both sides.  I'm not exaggerating here....

Do you see Jay in the bottom of that Pic?

That's what we had to climb up!

We climbed to the top of that.

I don't know how this got here, but this is called Delicate Arch and it is in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. That's Jay & I in the middle of the Arch.

Here's Angel's Landing.

Here's Delicate Arch again. That's Rocky in the middle of it there.

I have lots more pictures, but I think I'll stop here. Rock took over 1000 pics and I took more than I have ever taken on a trip before.  It really was something.  I didn't think Utah had that much red rock and unbelievable scenery, but it does.  Really, some of the pictures don't do it justice.  The last place we went to was 'Canyonlands' and the view at the point - I think it is called Dead Horse Point - it was out of this world.  I won't even post my pictures, because they don't look as wonderful as it was. I've seen the Grand Canyon and this looked as great or greater in my opinion.

Fabulouso!

Saddle Rock Mountain, Wenatchee

Today I decided to hike up Saddle Rock Mountain in Wenatchee. I've always wanted to - so I just decided to do it.
  Last night was my Husband's Birthday dinner at 'The Windmill' in Wenatchee and we both really over ate! (no surprise there)  So I felt that I had to do some extra work today to account for all the eating last night. Well, it really was an experience and I learned a couple things from it.  One was that I really would like to do it again sometime and the other was that I should take a friend with me!
It's one thing to walk 11 miles around the river where you feel safe and there are other people around - and it's another thing to walk up hill a few miles with no one around and the last part of it is very dangerous slippery rock under your feet.   At one point I had to tell myself to stop and sit down and think for a minute.  There were plenty of times I could have easily slipped and fell and hurt myself pretty good.
Yeah........stoooooopid......I know.

 The above are some pretty good shots (in my opinion) of my view over Wenatchee.

 Here's a pic of me Happy. (before I encountered the dangerous area).
And below is pic of the Rock - you can see why they named it 'Saddle Rock', right??

 And above is a pic of part of the dangerous area that I climbed, it doesn't look that bad in a pic, but it was straight up, I promise.  As I was coming down, I slid down......sort of.....

 Here's some other pics around the top area.

 Here's a pic looking up from the trail that I was coming down.

 This is one from up at the top.

 Okay, the above one is where I stopped and realized that I couldn't get over that top wall of Rock and that I shouldn't even try......as I don't have anyone around me if I fall.
Then the below one is the one that I took after I slid down aways and thought, 'This may be the last picture of me in this mortal life!'   (Ok......maybe I'm being a little overly dramatic.....:)

But you can see, that I'm a little worried. I think I will stick to my beloved Apple Trail Loop around the river from now on.  Wow.....the polka-dots (what my grandkids call them) on my face are really bugging out!