April 2026

 We got to start April with Easter and General Conference in the same weekend! It was very lovely.

We went up to the Ranch for Easter dinner. It was good to see my family. I hadn't been able to really be up at the Ranch since Christmas. I knew my Dad was having some vision, balance and falling issues, but this was the first I could see how bad it was. He had to use a walker to get to the dining room for dinner. He seemed happy though and particularly chatty at the table. Looking back I can see that was a bit of a personality change. I wish I would have taken pictures with him. If only we had known what was to come so quickly. 

We did a little egg hunt outside with the cousins that were there. I think my mom put money in the eggs instead of candy.

Brian asked his friend Liv to Prom with a couple of hay bales.

Mark's Bonsai trees are so cute especially when the sun shines on them from the sky lights.

I helped with some things at Culture Night at the school and enjoyed watching my students perform.

Then it was Spring Break and we had the most epic slot canyon photo chasing adventure planned by Brian. Since he would be heading out on his mission soon, we let him decide what he wanted to do. He wanted to find some of the best slot canyons and photo ops in Southern Utah. This adventure required us to take the truck and not the RV so that we could go offroad to access most of Brian's planned activities. We packed up and headed South. First stopping at a short easy canyon in Orderville called Red Hollow Slot Canyon.

Then we headed further down toward Kanab and went off road to get to Peekaboo (aka Red Canyon) Slot Canyon. Most people pay companies to take them out to the canyon in razors. We took the Tundra and accidentally went on the wrong path and got stuck for a few minutes in deep sand between two sand dunes. But Mark knew exactly what to do and just aired down his tires and soon we were back to the more drivable path.

You drive right down into the wash and to the slot canyon opening.

This canyon is super cool. I am so glad we went to check it out!

I liked seeing the Moki Steps (Native American carved notches) on the canyon wall.

It was evening when we got out of the canyon so we found a place to camp for the night.

Cup of Noodles and left over Thai curry was on the dinner menu.

The next morning we headed out into the wild expanse of Grand Staircase-Escalante on a long dirt road (Skutumpah Road) to check out Bull Valley Gorge. A very deep beautiful canyon Brian has wanted to visit.

Bull Valley Gorge is incredibly deep and dramatic. There is a a pickup truck from the 1950s wedged between the walls still visible in the canyon. In 1954, 3 men were crossing the one-lane wooden bridge. The truck reportedly stalled, rolled backward and plunged over the edge. All three men were tragically killed. The truck remains in the canyon.

The hike skirts along the edge of the canyon and then you can descend into the deep.

After hiking through the canyon for a bit and looking up to the wedged pickup truck, we came upon some pretty deep muddy water. I didn't want to slog through it. So I watched the boys go through it and I turned around and went back out alone while they continued on.

The guys legs were caked in mud after their hike.

They tried to wash off with the water jug water, but were not very successful. Luckily we came upon a stream on the drive out for them to wash in more fully. It ended up being kind of a cool stream a little further down to explore!

Then it was back into the Tundra for some more adventuring!

We made a quick stop at Kodachrome Basin State Park.

Our favorite part of that stop was the ice cream we got at the visitor center. It was just what we needed!

We decided to make the half hour drive out to see Grosvenor Arch while we were in the area. It was pretty spectacular!

Mark needed a nap, so while he napped in the truck, the boys and I explored around the arch and took some photos.

Then the boys wanted to try to get around the backside of the arch, but I was tired and wanted to preserve my energy for the big hike the next day, so I found a bench to enjoy the view.

Brian and Timmy went on their explorations.

As I sat there enjoying the view, thinking the boys were just exploring behind the mountain, three older ladies on the benches next to me started pointing and saying "Oh look! There are some crazy people way up there on top of the cliff! Oh my goodness!" I looked up and I knew immediately it was Brian. All I could do was pray that he and Timmy were safe and wait for them to come down. The old ladies were super awesome and they knew I was stressed. They started just chatting with me to distract me. They were three best friends from college and were on a cross country adventure trip together. One was a doctor and assured me she would help if we needed medical assistance. The yellow arrow in the photo below points to Brian.

Meanwhile the boys were taking picture up on the cliff. Timmy was thoughtful and did not go where it seemed too dangerous.

Gratefully they made it back with no issues and we were on our way again. This time heading to Escalante town for the night. Brian and I wanted to chase the sunset, so we stopped at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. Brian and I hiked up the hill to see the petrified wood and the sunset while Mark and Timmy rested at the car. They ended up playing volleyball with campers while waiting.

I was trying to soak up as much time with this kid while I could. I will miss chasing sunsets with him. But we promised to send each other our sunset photos while he is on his mission.

Because the guys had gotten so muddy in Bull Valley Gorge that day, Mark did not want to sleep in the tents that night. He found us a cabin with showers in an RV park for the night. Before heading to the cabin we were in desperate need of good food, so we went with the long wait at Escalante Outfitters for their delicious pizza.

After great food, long showers and a nice night's sleep, we headed down Hole in the Rock Road to hike Spooky and Peekaboo Slot Canyons. They are so much fun! We had to test if we could fit through the slots before hiking.

Some of the hike is on the open desert. I loved the white flowers in bloom.

The canyons just kept getting better and better.

And smaller and smaller.

Spooky and Peekaboo are truly the coolest slot canyons in the state! I'm so glad we made it down there before Brian's mission. On the way out we stopped at Devil's Garden. It's not far off the road and super fun to play around in and explore!

Then we left Escalante and drove up through Capitol Reef to Brian's desired camping spot on the top of Moonscape Overlook. 

We set up camp (not close the edge like all the roof top tenters that were there) and took so many pictures as the sun went down. 

Then we went to sleep. Well, I tried to sleep, but I had trouble with it all night. You see, there is this really sketchy narrow piece of land that some people walk out on and climb up a pinnacle with sheer drop off on each side just for a photo. I knew Brian really wanted to do it. I would not give him permission or watch him do it. I knew he would be wanting to get up early for the sunrise and that he would most likely go out to that point on his own. I had nightmares all night and said many many many prayers to keep him safe. I came out early in the morning to find him sitting in a chair on a safe place overlooking the moonscape.

The sunrise was just as beautiful as the sunset.

And I hoped Brian would be satisfied with this photo I took below. It looks like he is on a dangerous edge, but there are other ledges just below that spot so he would not die if he fell.

I went back to camp and while I was gone, he went out on the scary pinnacle. He asked someone else there to take a picture of him. I am glad he waited for me not to be around and I am oh so grateful that he made it back safely. Here is the photo he risked his life for.

After the sun came up fully, we packed up and continued North through Hanksville.  We were driving so close to Goblin Valley Sate Park that we decided to make a quick stop. 

The boys did a lot of climbing around. Some of it also a little scary for me to watch.

So I headed back to the shade at the top while Mark took pictures of them. They called these levels they climbed up below the Stairs of Mordor

All ended well and we were on our way home after really one of the best Spring Break trips ever! What incredible adventures and Brian got to check off so many things on his bucket list!

Back at home, Liv recycled the hay and answered Brian.

Tennis continued on! I am glad Brian played this year. He is fun to watch!

Student Gov was in charge of the Talent Show at school and Brian ended up being the curtain guy back stage.

During the Talent Show we announced the class officer winners from class officer elections as well and watched the talents. Class Officer Elections are super busy for me because so many students run for office. I had over 70 kids run this year! It was easy for Timmy though because he was running unopposed as Stampede Officer. Here are the new Junior Class Officers!

Here are the new Junior Class Officers with the old Junior Class Officers.

Here are the new Sophomore Class Officers with the old Sophomore Class Officers.

Mark fixed the sprinklers at his mom's house.

And he cooked some Yakitori Ribeye.

To bring to Luke and Sunny's house for a delicious meal!

Brian ran a CHOICE Junior meeting at our house. We talked about fundraising and the gala that was planned for September. Little did we know that CHOICE was going to need to shut down in a few months time. Brian did such a great job as the Jr. Board President. I am very grateful he had that opportunity.

Tennis Senior Night happened. I had the Class Officer sweater fitting scheduled that day and I missed the event, but I'm glad Mark was there as coach and got some pictures for Brian!

Up at the ranch my dad continued to have problems walking and with balance and the doctors could not figure out what was causing it. He also was not sleeping much at all during the night and falling down and needing my mom all night long. So one day I went up to the ranch to talk to him and try to keep him awake for my mom with the hope that it would help him sleep that night. I had a very nice talk with him and showed him pictures from our Spring Break trip. I kept him awake for a bit longer than he would have without me there and I helped my mom with a few things. He would fall asleep randomly on the couch and the second he fell asleep his body would start twitching and spasming. There was definitely something going on. He had a sleep study scheduled the next week and more appointments with doctors scheduled. We really wanted to know what was happening with him. Again, I wish I would have taken pictures with him that day. I only took pictures of my little walk up on the hill before I went home.

Mark took Brian to buy his mission clothes and things started to seem real as we moved toward the end of April.

We went and helped with the beautification day at Cottonwood. 

We had another youth EFL meeting at our house.

More tennis matches. Maybe this was region.

The end of April we prepared the decorations for Prom.

And we found a VERY delicious soup dumpling place in Chinatown. We are so happy about this new place!

Not Pictured In April 2026

-Dentist appointments

-Timmy dislocated his knee, saw a doctor, got x-rays another day and was referred to a specialist at Primary Children's hospital

-Timmy played the organ for Sacrament Meeting.

-I met with the new SBOs for meetings.

-I tried to stay on top of all the senior things and mission prep for Brian plus all the crazy end of year things as a Student Gov advisor and Geography teacher.

April 30 - My Dad's Hospital Admittance

The last afternoon in April, we got word from my mom that my dad could no longer walk at all and that she was able to get him into Dr. Bryce Peterson in Bountiful (son of Denny, my dad's best friend). Bryce told my mom to take him immediately to the ER and it had to be at the University of Utah hospital as they have the best neurology team in the state. So they packed my dad back into the car and my mom drove him up to the U, arriving there about 5:00 pm. She took my dad in a wheelchair into the ER. Unfortunately, that night was extremely busy in the ER. There were so many people waiting and no seats even open. It had already been a long day for both my parents and they had not planned to go to the hospital or had much to eat. So, I went and picked up McDonalds for them and met them at the ER. I tried to distract my dad who was getting antsy and wanted to leave. 

We waited and waited and waited. My dad was so tired and uncomfortable and all he wanted was to just lie down and sleep. He knew from the disaster sleep study earlier that week that if he fell asleep in the wheelchair he would jerk and fall out to the floor. He was miserable. The waiting room was just a long hallway that we walked him back and forth in the wheelchair trying to pass the time. He started to get very grumpy and angry telling us very loudly to just get him out of there and take him home! My mom asked the ER desk if she drove him around in the car for a nap for a little bit if they would lose their place in line and they told her she could not leave the ER area or they would need to start all over again. 

By this time it was almost midnight. My parents had been in the smelly crowded ER waiting room since 5:00 pm. I felt so bad for them and didn't know what to do. Finally, my dad just started moving himself in his wheelchair toward the door and told us he was leaving no matter what we did. We decided then that we better just go home and come back tomorrow. I stayed with him while my mom went one more time to the desk to see if we were even close to being admitted. It really was a miracle at this point. They said he was next and someone came out right then and took us back into the ER. 

They got my dad into a private room and into a bed. He was so relieved and fell asleep while waiting for a doctor. It was a long night after that with so many questions from the doctors, but we were so incredibly grateful that we stayed in the waiting room as long as we did and that we were able to get in right at the last minute. They admitted him to the acute neurology floor and got him up to his room about 3:30 am. I was tired, but so glad I could be there to support my mom and dad that night. The nurse made up a small chair bed for my mom in the room and I went and fetched an extra sweater and blanket from the car that she had and then I went home. That hard night at the end of April was the beginning of some of the hardest and most traumatic times I think I will have to experience in this life. It will not be easy to write about, but important I feel for me to record. My dad was not able to make it home again after being admitted to the hospital before he passed away in May.