Cam Project

Florida Keys Ragnar Race

2012-02-11T20:51:00.009-07:00

Christmas in Oregon

2011-12-28T09:55:00.010-07:00

The Gallagher's in Eugen, Oregon.

We surprised everyone with a Lucky Christmas treat. Cameron decided last minute to fly Lucky to Oregon for Christmas. However, Cameron flew a day early so I had to get everything ready by myself on Friday after teaching school... go to the vet, get his bed, take him to the airport. It ended up being all worth it. Lucky had the time of his life playing with dogs and kids, chasing ducks and squirrels, and trail running in Bend. Not to mention he loves his Santa suit so much he flew with it on.

Grandma Rae invited us to an Oregon State basketball game and we sat right on the court. She is recovering from hip surgery and doing really well. It was great to visit with her and share in her passion for sports. Fortunately the Beavers have a great basketball team this year and won the game! I had to protect us from a back-flipping cheerleader and I blocked a loose ball that would have hit Grandma Rae!

Skiing at Mt. Bachelor with the crew. The groomers were pretty good considering they haven't had snow since Thanksgiving, but by the end of the week it was pretty sad.

Brooks and Emily opening up a few early Christmas presents.

Happy 43rd wedding anniversary Jan and Jinx! We celebrated with a nice dinner at 900 Wall in Bend.

Brooks cheerfully conquered his first chair lift ride! The boys had an all boys ski day.

Emily is all smiles.

Cameron and Brooks working on the gingerbread house.

Christmas day! We had a relaxing day opening presents, eating Jan's famous crab quiche, going for a walk, and ending the day with prime rib and good company.

Brandon and Julie hosted Christmas in their new house in Bend. They moved from San Francisco a couple of months ago and are really happy with their decision! We are all excited for them and glad they live closer.

Emily and her new Winnie the Pooh stuffed toy collection. She adores them and now has a whole new group of friends to play with.

We had a great time in Oregon and made it back safely to Salt Lake City. Lucky was so exhausted he didn't have any energy left to play with his Christmas toys.

Pre-Christmas

2011-12-28T09:40:00.007-07:00

My dad loves the white elephant. The star glasses are from last years party.

Chloe is growing up fast. She is showing off her new Turkey basket! She wasn't so sure about it at first but our enthusiasm for the white elephant gift finally wore off.

Ellie in her Christmas dress eating rock hard red vines. Michelle gave them as a joke but the kids thought they were just as tasty as fresh licorice.

I am a little stud!
I am cute and chubby.

Back Porch

2011-12-28T09:20:00.004-07:00

Tate loving the big cement truck.

The twins and Milo made stepping stones out of the extra cement.

We covered our mystery hole with gravel to prepare for the cement.

Dad and Clinton working their magic!

Tim and Lindsay's wedding in Oklahoma City

2011-11-27T16:16:00.002-07:00

Over Thanksgiving, Camille and I traveled to Oklahoma City to help Tim and Lindsay Kapsa celebrate their marriage. We stayed at the Hilton Skirvin Hotel which is supposedly haunted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skirvin_Hilton_Hotel

Our room was on the 10th floor where the ghosts supposedly hang out and we did hear a baby crying in the middle of the night but I was not scared because I had Camille to protect me.

Enjoying the wedding with Tim's older brother Wes and our friend Andy.
Even though Lindsay's family are all Oklahoma Sooners fans, they made a special Oregon Duck cake for Tim to welcome him into their awesome family.

Lindsay and Tim entering holly matrimony.

Gallagher Visit

2011-11-27T16:06:00.003-07:00

Happy Fall!
My folks flew out to watch the Oregon State vs. Utah Football game on October 29th. The Beavers lost but we had a great time cheering them on.
We took a short hike up Ferguson Canyon.
Ma and Pa representing in Oregon State orange.
We also went walked around Tanner Park with Anthony, Angie, Tate, Chloe and baby Milo.

We celebrated my Mom's birthday, only a few days late.
Camille and I took Monday off work and rode bicycles downtown to see the sites. Ma and I hanging out on top of the SLC library.

Dead Horse Point Trip

2011-10-26T20:10:00.011-06:00

Lucky takes his road trips very seriously. In October, we both had a little break from school so we went to Moab for the weekend.
Sunrise
We were camped on a mesa with cliffs on 3 sides.

He thinks he is a hunter now that he caught a goose this fall (and let it go).

The squirrels taunted Lucky on the edge of this 300+ drop.

The cliffs on the other side.

Looking down on the road we biked down to get to Potash Road and the Colorado river.

Camille riding.
The river is at the end of the cliffs. The ride down was great but the ride back up was rough.

We found a great beach. Beaches are rare on the Colorado River because the noxious Tamarisk Trees take over the banks.
View of the Colorado from Dead Horse Point State park.

I think these are leach ponds related to the Potash mine.

The next day we rode a super fun trail near Gemini Bridges called Bull Run/Majestic 7. Camille crushed it. Lucky is in the background drinking out of a water hole.

Lucky and I on Gemini Bridges.

We drove to the same beach the next day after grabbing lunch in Moab for a picnic and a quick dip before we drove back home.

Lucky discovered the foam piles that would float down the Colorado. At first he was scared of them and barked at them until Camille waded out and showed him they were harmless. Then he began biting into them like Jaws.

September fun

2011-09-18T10:06:00.002-06:00

We both ran the Top of Utah Marathon in Logan, Utah yesterday. It rained and hailed on us but we survived. Camille beat me by 10 minutes. We can both barely walk today.

Last weekend we went to Park City to hang out with Camille's brothers Clinton and Anthony and their families. I made the kids eat their ice cream on the deck of our condo.
Nap time while in the other room we watched Real Salt Lake beat the Seattle Sounders in a riveting soccer match. Camille, Michelle and Angie went to the spa while we hung out.

Leo helping me study and Lucky showing off his new back-to-school collar.

Bear Lake

2011-09-03T18:47:00.007-06:00

Monson Family Reunion Bear Lake August 2011.

Cameron is setting up our hammock, monkey style.

Baby Milo loving the water.

We spent the days laying on the beach, boating, and swimming. The large blue floaty you see in the picture is called the "Relaxation Station". Clinton was our boat driver and he had a lot of fun pulling us around on inflatable tubes. We had 2 tubes for tubing wars! Mikey was our tube champion. He would jump from tube to tube mid air while we were being pulled 20 mph.

We also enjoyed some of the towns festivities for their local city celebration of Raspberry Days. We ate a lot of delicious raspberry shakes and went to the best parade I have ever been to. It only lasted about 30 minutes, but the kids got a ton of candy (better than halloween). And we got to dance in the streets and enjoy the small town feel of Bear Lake.

The kids loved practicing their paddling skills. Cameron and I did "physical challenges" with the kids where we would have them swim under the boat, run along the kayak, and climb back into the boat after it flipped over.

Hanging out under the shade tarp.

Playing in the sand.

After dinner movie in the family room. We all stayed / camped in the yard of a house we rented. It was nice to be all in the same location and spend time with our 11 nieces and nephews. There were 4 new babies Sawyer, Milo, Thomas, and Braden to get to now.

Being silly.
Tate and Tyler best friends. They are so cute! They have so much energy!

Michelle and Karin did crafts with the kids. This is Alicia's camp notebook.

Cookie time in the hammock.

Chloe and me.

Tate, Cameron, and Chloe.

Getting ready for a short hike up to a mountain lake called Bloomington Lake.

Angie getting after it on the rope swing.

Cameron swinging.
Cameron swimming back in the freezing cold water!

We had a great time!

Homemade Pho soup.

Strawberry Rhubarb pie. Incredible!

Oregon Trail

2011-07-18T21:22:00.008-06:00

Lucky enjoying the views of the Columbia River during a picnic outside Hood River, Oregon.

My friend John F. was in town from Boston and he joined Camille and me for the 4th of July 10k Butte to Butte in Eugene. It was my first running race ever and my nipples paid for it.

Climbing and rappelling the Butte just around the corner from the finish line of the race.

BALL!

While we were in Oregon, we swam Lucky and Josie almost everyday. On our drive over to Bend along the McKenzie River Hwy, I fell in the river trying to help Josie get out up a steep bank. I soaked my phone but it came back to life.

Camille and I floated the Willamette river through Eugene.

Camille taking a break during our hike around Smith Rock. The dogs struggled with the heat even though we swam them a few times in the Crooked River.

Monkey Face. While we were hiking, some idiot injured two other climbers when he "swung" from the top of Monkey Face. We had to take a detour because of the search and rescue operation. They brought in a helicopter but the two climbers were OK. My folks rode their bikes from Bend to Smith Rock and met us out there.

One monkey, two monkeys.

The view over Monkey Face looking West towards Mt. Washington.

From the top of Smith Rock, looking right to left, the Three Sisters and Broken Top. When we were younger men, John F., Andy K., Nick K., and I hiked up all Three Sisters in one day. We slept on top of the South Sister and then hiked Broken Top the next day. Then we hiked about 25 miles into Cultus Lake and met our buddies for our annual camping trip. While Camille and I were in Oregon, I went to Cultus for one night and had a blast hanging out with my brother and our buddies.

My Uncle Jeff who lives in Salem had been saving furniture from my Grandma Nana Rae and Grandpa Don's old house on West Hills Road. We picked up a rocking chair, coffee table, round table, and a card table. Camille and I visited Nana Rae and Grandpa Don in Corvallis and thanked them for their generosity. Nana Rae's Aunt Lizzie had given her some of these beautiful pieces so they have been in our family for over 80 years.

This card table folds out for game time.

We reorganized our living room to show off our new furniture and Lucky really appreciates the space when he is running hot laps.

Camille made some delicious sockeye salmon eggs benedict on Saturday.
On Sunday, we ran 14 miles for our Logan City Marathon training. Camille and Lucky had to wait for me during the last 5 miles. I am still sore but Camille is teaching me how to stretch.

April in Nicaragua... better late than never

2011-07-06T11:29:00.067-06:00

As most of you know I traveled to Nicaragua in April for 2 weeks as part of a culminating activity for the masters program I did at Westminster College. Three of my girlfriends and I decided to go a week early to see more of the country and culture before our cohort and professors joined us in Managua the capital for another week of interesting adventures.

Here we are at the SLC airport. We couldn't wait to get out of freezing Salt Lake after a long year of studying!

We spent most of the plane ride reading traveling books and figuring out what we were going to do! We had been so busy with school we hadn't put much time or preparation into our travel plans. But just as well, the whimsical spirit of Nicaragua took us on under her wings and everything worked out wonderfully.

We flew into Managua late and since we heard scary things about the city we decided to take an hour taxi ride straight to Granada, a more friendly city. It felt so good to be traveling again! I love the evening air, buzzing around in a taxi, and feeling a little unsure about the situation but ready for adventure. The night was filled with camp fire lights and smells from burning trash. We got settled in a hostel and went to bed!

The next morning we walked around the historical colonial city of Granada. Granada is one of the oldest cities founded in 1524 by a Spaniard. It is a beautiful city! We shortly found out not everywhere in Nicaragua is that quaint and organized. Nicaragua is the poorest country in the America's next to Haiti.

Looking out from the top of a cathedral.

We ate a lot of beans!

These boys are making hammocks. There are several organizations like this one aimed to get kids off the streets and teach them a skill.

We climbed to the top of that bell tower.

Climbing down a steep staircase!

That afternoon we took another 2 hour taxi ride to San Juan Del Sur, a touristy surf town. The main city is in a polluted cove that wasn't as serene as we were hoping it would be. It was also the end of the dry season so the "greenery" if you could call it that was pretty brown. But it was still a nice busy small town with plenty to do.

We found a great hotel with a beach front view.

This was our favorite room that we stayed in. Simple, but clean and safe. We loved the wood floors and the balcony! We also made friends with the hotel owners son who spoke English.

Jessica, Lauren, and Mindy getting ready to celebrate my birthday. It was the week before, but we were all so busy we decided go out in Nicaragua!

Jess found some balloons and decided we needed to wear them.

We went to a fancy dinner with a lovely atmosphere and good food! Although, we found out meat in general isn't very good in Nicaragua. So from here on out we ate a lot of beans and surprisingly a lot of garlic pasta.

Happy birthday dessert. This was a true "girls night out". It was so much fun!

We rented a fish boat to take us out into the ocean and fish and then drop us off at the next cove over so we could spend the day and then taxi back to our hotel. At least that was the plan... but there was a little communication problem. We ended up snorkeling and swimming around and then the fisherman took us back to the cove we started at. Owell, we had fun practicing our spanish even though it is horrible.

Our guides

Swimming in a beautiful cove!

They caught a fish.

Then they gutted it. I think thats the heart or liver?

Back to where we started.

We had pizza that night on a deck overlooking the beach. There are several merchants, mostly children and teenagers, that approach you at dinner, on the beach, or on the streets trying to sell you things. This young boy fire dancing had approached us earlier selling sunglasses and now at night was dancing for money.

This is Nicaragua's Summer celebration. They set up a stage on the beach for this band to play. It was awesome! Typical Latin American style. The men where all dressed in white pants and see through purple tops and the token women on the stage were also scantily dressed.

We were the only ones dancing! The crowd enjoyed themselves by drinking a lot (we were told it is a big problem in Nic.) and spending time with their families.

After a couple of days we decided to go to the Isla de Ometepe.

At the port waiting for the ferry we met the guide who helped Survivor, the TV, show put together their activities. He was very proud of his involvement with them!

After a long taxi ride, a ferry, and another taxi ride on treacherous dirt roads we made it to our new location, right in the middle of the two volcanoes Concepcion and Maderas.

The islanders call the two volcanoes the "breasts of Ometepe."

Lounging in front of our casa.

Walking to the the beginning of our hike to the San Ramon Waterfall.

To get to the hike you have to walk through what they call a "Biologica." This beautiful piece of property is owned by a wealthy Nicaraguan man now in his 70's. We had lunch here on the way down from our hike and got to visit with him. He said universities from all over come and study plant and animal life.

The hike wasn't all that hard, but hot!!!! The humidity was probably the worst part, so we cooled off in this small pool.

We took the local transportation back to our casa and met some wonderful people. This man is holding a baby chick in his arms to bring to a friend. We also enjoyed some sweet bread from a lady selling bread from a black plastic bag. We observed a young teenage couple flirting in front of us and a adorable little girl playing. Definitely a highlight of the trip. We felt like very grateful to be apart of the island life for a couple of hours.

We spent a lot of time on this windy beach. The lake is huge and seems like an ocean.

One night we hiked up to this hostel, which was like visiting what I would imagine a hippy colony to be like... people recycling, conserving water by not showering, lounging in hammocks, and drinking organic rum and beer.

The hostel is owned by Italians that make some well received wood fire pizza! A nice break from garlic pasta and beans.

Iquana lizard hiding behind the wall in the shower.

Saying goodbye to Ulga the owner of the Casa Hotel Istiam. She took great care of us.

Taxi time.

Saying goodbye to the volcanoes.

Bargain shopping in the craft market in Mayasa.

We got to Mayasa late at night and were nervous about finding a decent hotel (within our price range). There are some shady parts in Masaya and they look even worse in the dark! But after talking to some seedy hotel owners we found a cute Nicaraguan family that rents rooms in their home. The rooms were pretty grose, but we felt safe.

The family seemed really happy to have us there and the mom even walked us to a delicious Mexican restaurant. Mexican food is so much better than Nicaraguan food. No offense Nicaragua.

Walking the streets of Masaya.

The end of week one and the beginning of week 2! We made it to our delightful guest house in Managua the city. We checked in early and got all cleaned up before the rest of our classmates joined us from the States.

We had an impromptu jazz dance class, and made up an awesome dance! Jessica has some hidden moves that I have never seen before!

The court yard at our guest house was under a mango tree, which would randomly gift us mangos. The thud on the brick floor was a little startling but the mangos were incredible!

Waiting for our tour bus.

Visiting a school in Managua. Most of these children live near the dump, so the school feeds them a meal to encourage them to keep coming to school.

The ladies with me in this picture are from Nica Hope an organization that teaches women to make jewelry. They also help with the school and teach sex education.

This patient teacher helped me make a bracelet without any verbal communication. I think she was a little irritated with my lack of jewelry talent, but we were friends in the end.

This is a statue of Augusto Cesar Sandino. Sandino was murdered because of his leadership in the resistance against the US presence in Nicaragua during the 1930's.

His legacy continued on and later they formed the Sandinistas (a political movement) that revolted against Somoza. In the 1970's the Sandinistas defeated Somoza. Somoza was a corrupt dictator that ruled for 3 or 4 generations.

But for several years the United States continued to fund the "national guard" which was basically a group of terrorists that went around killing innocent people and vital infrastructure like hospitals. According to Reagan they were Supposedy protecting the world from the threat of communism and socialism and an unstable government. Its an extremely complex history, but the Nicarguans have been through a lot! Hurricanes and earthquakes and now Daniel Ortega one of the leaders of the revolution (who was supposed to be a good guy) has been president for several years and is becoming just as corrupt as the dictator Somoza they fought against. No wonder they are a very impoverished nation.

Juan Carlos are wise tour guide!

This brilliant lady we are standing with runs a health center near the dump in Managua. The health clinic educates and treats Nicaraguans on aids, stds, family planning, sex education, etc... They are a vital resource with very little funding. It makes me realize how fortunate we are in the states. Our health care system is really messed up but at least we have one.

The dump

A grocery store!

An active volcano

A stinky volcano!

Hiking to a look out point.

The smell was so bad we could only stand here for a couple of minutes before our eyes were burning and we started to choke.

That cross at the top is suppose to protect the area from the bad energy from the volcano.

Lisa, my friend.

This ones for Cameron. This guy is on his motorcycle in the back of a truck bed. Ready to go! Or like Cameron would say, "red to go!"

Another school operated by funds and a principal from Spain. Nicaragua receives a lot of aid from Spain. Not sure why?

Recess!

We had a little talent show at our guest house for entertainment. Managua is so sketchy we couldn't go out at night. Lauren, Jess, Mindy, and I perfomed our dance we made up.

Lisa and Emily performing a "Nicaraguan rap".

Lake Apoyo was a treat! We spent the afternoon at this fancy resort. Lake Apoyo is in the hole of an old volcano.

Back in Granada at a cathedral or a church... not sure of the difference.

The mural depicts the native Nicaraguans being invaded by Europeans and then being enslaved.

Our home visit in a mountain coffee growing town.

They first fed us lunch as a group.

Then we prepared dinner so they could slow cook it. Basically chicken tamales wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks.

Walking around the coffee farm. I didn't know coffee grew on a mountain side with other vegetation like banana and other tall trees. They say "shade" coffee is the best coffee.

A coffee plant.

So cool! Howler Monkeys! We got really close to them. They were swinging around with their babies. At night they really howl, and I mean howl! All night! It's the craziest sound you have every heard.

This is the family we stayed with. These 2 boys were are only hope of communicating. They knew some English from school, and with are little Spanish we made it through one night and morning.

Their outside kitchen. Sarah is stirring beans.... of course.

Baby chicks!

Dolores River Trip

2011-06-05T07:28:00.007-06:00

Memorial Day weekend we drove a couple of hours past Moab to the Dolores River on the Utah/Colorado border for 3 days of desert fun with Camille's father and all 5 of her brothers.Tate and Kayden waiting for us to launch our 3 rafts full of 9 adults and 2 kids.
Mike leading the red beaver boat. We saw several beavers and lots of signs they were enjoying the high water level like us.

We went on 1-2 hikes each day up side canyons or up to the rim of the canyon above our campsites.
Hanging out on the rocks. Tate left his shoes in the boat but he never complained even when dodging cactus. Kayden is a mountain goat and Tate is following in his hoof-steps.
Looks safe right Anthony?
Camille's Father Lynn and Lucky leading our exploration. Lucky continued to hunt water-skippers and added lizards to his list of potential prey.
Kayden and me taking a break in the shade.

Camille with her brothers Clinton and Mike.

Hanging out on the steps.

Mike cooling off in a deep pool we found.

The last day we were on the Dolores the wind was so strong we had to pull over several times to let it settle down. Luckily, it was at our backs most of the time so we made really good progress down the river. Due to the wind, the dust, and the crowds at the take out area, we decided to pack up and drive to Moab and camp by Onion Creek. The next day we ran daily river section on the Colorado River.

We had a wonderful trip and Camille, Lucky and I were tired for the whole next week.

Muddy Creek

2011-05-16T15:11:00.009-06:00

Camping in San Rafael Swell with Crow and Lacey and baby Isla.

We found a great spot near the creek with cotton wood trees.

Chilling out... finally back in the desert!

Cameron had a great idea to cool off in the creek during the heat of the day.

Crow, Lacey, and Isla

Isla and Lucky bonded.

Here we go! Cameron and I have been wanting to float this creek since we met, but since it only runs a few times in the spring it is hard to catch. We think it was running at about 150 CFS which is just enough to get down the 15 miles "chute" section. We got stuck on quite a few rocks so I would get out and push us off while Cameron and Lucky stayed in the boat. After about the 40th time I got a little ornery, but we had to team work it to keep Lucky in the boat because he loved to hunt those skeeter looking water bugs.

The scenery at the beginning of the trip was more open and not as colorful. During the middle of the trip we were in a slot canyon with steep canyon walls. At the end of the canyon the creek winded through a variety of brilliant red, brown, and even green rocks.

Lucky is so cute! I love this dog! He liked being on Cameron's lap the best and putting his chin on the pillow. The boat is stuck on a rock here, which is why the water is rushing by but Cameron and Lucky are still.

My legs are so sun burned!

Lucky loved jumping in and out of the boat... a million times!

A cool looking log jam at the top of the canyon. That gives you an idea of how high the water gets during a flash flood.

We started the trip at about 10:30 and finished around 5:30. It was wonderful!

Our new VAN! It fits everything and Lucky loves it, which is the most important part.

Cameron making sure the moto bikes are strapped in tight. We used his bike to run a shuttle so we could save time.

Spring Time

2011-05-09T22:25:00.004-06:00

My cohort friends and I at a celebration dinner after our final presentations. I officially finished school! I technically graduate on May 27th, but I will be on the river so I made this my pretend "graduation".

Me receiving a letter that says I passed! And a cool Westminster mug filled with chocolate kisses.

Cameron trying to act really interested.

Laura, Sarah, me and Lisa... some of my new dear friends. I have been lucky to work with some incredible people.

Michelle, Alison, me, and Lauren.

Kristi was my literacy professor, friend, and resource. Love her!

Carolyn was our science teacher and traveled with us to Nicaragua. She retires this year, so it was a real treat to work with her. She gave me lots of help with my science experiments during my student teaching.

Lucky loves to lay in our tulips while we work on the front yard. I drive Cameron crazy with my gardening ideas, but once we finish a project he appreciates my vision.

For Easter Angie had some great ideas to make the easter egg hunt special for the kids and adults! We stocked up at the Walmart down town, which was an adventure in and of its self! The store is full of Salt Lake's finest crazies, including ourselves. I learned some new moves for my hip hop class from all the gangsters and witnessed an undercover cop in our isle catching someone shop lifting.

Back at home safe and sound we colored eggs with our professional assistants Tate and Chloe.

For the adult egg hunt we emptied the yolk out of the eggs and filled them up with glitter or fruity pebbles. The point of the adult egg hunt is to crack the egg on the closest person next to you and whoever gets the eggs full of glitter wins a special prize. We all had a blast cracking eggs on each other in Clinton's back yard!

Elle is so cute I had to slip in another picture of her!

2011-04-22T19:01:00.004-06:00

Lucky, Leo, and Cam lounging. The dog and cat have come along way from enemies/curiosity to old time friends. I catch them taking naps together on the back porch and sniffing each others you know whats.

Family ski day at the Bird

There goes Lucky again smoking cigars. Lucky has this thing with bones and dry hides where he mischievously sneaks out the back door with them and the next day I find a dirty slobbered bone stuck between the cushions of our couch. So much for the nap I was going to take!

Mint chocolate ice cream cake...yum

Thanks Cameron for my new sleeping bag. I can't wait to use it this summer!

Daddy Anthony with Milo

The kids playing in my parents back yard.

Jan and Jinx came to visit and braved a Sunday dinner with the Monson crew. We had a great weekend. The most memorable part of the trip was skiing at the Canyons during a blizzard and at the end of the day discovering the new orange bubble lift (heated seats, and a see through dome that protects you from the wind).

I am in love with this little girl Elle! I want to eat her up.

Announcing the new Monson baby boys, Thomas, Milo, and Sawyer

Short break

2011-04-18T20:50:00.004-06:00

I am having a difficult time getting into the homework zone since I got back from Nicaragua. Call it burn out, over it, or "hell yes" I can't wait until April 27th at 8 pm when I finish my final presentation. In the mean time, I will be procrastinating by surfing the internet, playing with Lucky and Leo, and taking care of my hubby so he can study.

Volcano Concepcion on the left (active) and volcano Maderas on the right (inactive). These 2 volcanoes form Isla de Ometepe on Lake Nicaragua.

Walking around on Isla de Omentempe

Enjoying a day at Lake Apoyo... an incredibly clean and deep blue crater lake

Markets!
Home stay in Matagalpa

More pictures to come...

Sledding with the twins.

2011-02-27T19:51:00.004-07:00

Today we hiked up Neff's canyon with Tate and Chloe for some fun in the snow.
-By Cameron

Tate warming up on the rope swing before sledding.
Chloe trying out the rope swing.

Tate crashing with Lucky in hot pursuit.

I think we had more fun than the kids.

Washington Vacation

2011-02-27T19:34:00.007-07:00

At the beginning of February, we flew to Seattle to visit with our friends Chris and Stacey who moved there from Salt Lake this fall. The next day we drove up to Leavenworth, a Bavarian town in the mountains. There we met up with our friends Crow and Lacey from Salt Lake and my friend Nate who now lives in Portland. It rained at the ski resort for the first two days, but we had awesome skiing on our last day.
-By Cameron
Nate, Mekel, Camille, Chris and Stacey. Waiting for bratwursts!
Crow and Lacey getting ready to night ski at Stevens Pass Ski Resort. The rain was finally turning to snow.

Crow shredding.

Chris making telemark turns on the backside.Camille hiking up for extra fresh turns.
Stevens was really steep. These trees were fun but there were patches of ice that were scary.
Wow. We are both smiling at the same time! Thanks for the fun weekend everyone.

Food!

2011-02-27T19:29:00.004-07:00

mmm. Camille made wings and artichoke dip for the Superbowl.
Camille had her school friends over for Sushi. The fish was from Aquarius which is where most of the sushi restaurants buy their fish and it was delicious.

Happy Holidays

2011-01-08T12:25:00.009-07:00

Winter Wonderland
by Camille, in reverse chronological order.

On top of the Summit on Mt. Bachelor

This is the ice covered ski lift tower at the top of the highest lift on Mt. Bachelor in Bend OR.

Happy Camille with Jan

In pain Camille from her too small boots.

Waist deep heavy Oregon pow. Pretty sweet... but nothing like Utah's light and dry powder

Beautiful views everywhere

Brooks got the ultimate lego back-hoe toy

Relaxing after the long anticipated Tuesday Christmas

My dad made us a frame with a picture of Lucky, Cameron, and I on the Payette River. Lucky is looking straight at the camera with his paw clenched to the side of the inflatable kayak. My dad surprised us by ordering the picture from a photography company in Idaho, making the frame, and even attaching a canoe to the frame. Nice work Dad! I didn't know he was such a designer.

Sawyer and I enjoying the chaos

Crazy kids on too much Christmas candy

The crew enjoying ham and waffles. Angie and Kendra are both prego!

Christmas morning on a pretty pathetic ski and tour above some houses in Park City (the snow was really icy, packed, and sparse). We picked this spot so we could take Lucky. On the hike up we ran into a man with his dog on a leash. He said a moose with his baby tried to attack his dog, so after that we put Lucky on a leash on the way up to keep him safe.

Lucky chasing after Cameron

Cameron in his new sleek puffy jacket. He loves it!

Cameron surprised me with a new pair of skis! Well, the bindings and poles because the skis are still on back order. But the look awesome. They are a Rossi powder ski.

The result of our white elephant party

Little Eli pushing the boys down. She thought it was so funny.

Lauren making sweet pepper jelly with me before Christmas.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-16T18:06:00.009-07:00

Lucky is a little jealous of Leo so he jumped on the chance to take over Leo's bed.

Christmas Tree hunting with Tate, Kayden and Dominic
Kitty in the snow. He actually enjoyed himself after I threw him in. He has learned to use the doggy door.
We traveled to San Francisco to spend Thanksgiving with the Gallagher's.
Brooks waiting patiently.The food was delicious and the company was splendid.
Sasha and puppy.

We took the metro downtown to experience the Christmas Chaos.

It snowed a couple of feet in town the Sunday we returned from Thanksgiving. I took Lucky running on the g0lf course near our house and while I was crossing a short bridge, he ran full speed into the ditch right next to me and cut open his leg. Showing off his stitches and his rocket.Back in Salt Lake. I call this "Kitty in a hood".

It snowed a little yesterday.
-Cameron

2010-11-15T18:49:00.002-07:00

If you were wondering where Cameron and I have been... we were eaten by our kitchen table

Leo likes to lay in Cameron's hoody

Kindergarten rocks! This was the result of a lesson I did for the little ones. They are so creative. We read the book Leaf Man and then made leaf animals. I have been working in a kindergarten and a sixth grade classroom, and my student teaching in January will be in third grade. So far I like them all!

Rabbit? I think she meant fish (she is still learning English)

Zion with my folks

2010-10-25T20:30:00.008-06:00

A couple of weeks ago my folks flew into Vegas and then drove up to Zion for the weekend. On the way down we soaked in some hot springs. We were the only ones there for almost an hour but when we left six cars had just pulled in. Lucky checking it out.

He wasn't sure about it until we got in and started throwing a stick for him.
Friday evening in Zion

Saturday morning.
Upper Emerald Pool.

The Virgin River.
Ma and Pa checking out the Narrows.
Sweet pool.
We stopped by the old mining town of Leeds. It is supposedly the only place in the US where Silver was found in sand stone.
Airplane sculpture.
Ma humoring me.

Then we stopped by Red Cliff's because we were so impressed when we camped here in the spring. My Dad charging up a cliff.
My Mom stepping carefully.

It started raining and we hurried out of the canyon just in case there was a flash flood.
Camille showing Lucky the way back down. Some guy watching her said "I'm glad she is not my mom."

My Dad taking it all in.

Thanks for the fun!

-Cameron

Fall

2010-10-25T19:53:00.008-06:00

We have been super busy with school and work but here are some photos from the last few months.

Hanging out at the Park City book fair with the cool kids.
Watching sheepdog championship at Soldier Hollow in Midway. This is where the nordic ski events were held during the 2002 Olympics. The dogs would bring the sheep down and up and down the hill on the right through several gates and then try to get them into tiny pen behind the herder.
Moto trip to Woodside with Griffin.
Griffin jumping.

Me looking silly in some glasses and all my pads.
This is our new kitty Leo. Leo befriended Camille at a school she assists at. Lucky and Leo are slowly becoming friends.

I try to get them to touch noses.

Camille showing off the new patio we put in by our spiral staircase. Thanks for the flag stones Anthony!

First Anniversary

2010-09-12T15:22:00.008-06:00

Thanks to our family, friends, patience and love we survived our first year of marriage. We spent our anniversary at Snowbird relaxing. We are both excited about our second year of marriage and we hope to see you all soon.
-Cameron
Last night of Honeymoon in Cancun.
Brandon and Kaleena's wedding in Palm Springs.

Hiking to Horseshoe falls with Camille's family.
Just a typical Saturday night.

Golf Course down the street from our house during my folk's visit last winter.
Hiking up to Behunin slot canyon in Zion. I still have nightmares about that hike.

City of Rocks, Idaho over 4th of July.

Mountain biking in Jackson, WY.
Kevin and Simmi's awesome Seattle wedding.

Oregon Coast near Florence.

Deschutes River, Bend.
Snowbird Oktoberfest.

Oregon Trip

2010-08-28T21:54:00.010-06:00

After the wedding we drove to Eugene to hang out with my family. This is a trip to the fish market. Camille, me, Brandon, Jinx, Brooks, Julie and Jan.

Lucky quickly made some friends.

Walking down to Hobbit Beach near Florence, Oregon.

Josie pointing at Camille, me and ma.

Lucky was disappointed when he went for a drink.

Ma and Camille It was 90 degrees in Eugene this day and about 60 at the coast.

Camille learning why you need a wet suit to swim at the Oregon coast.

A sand hill we climbed up so we could run down.

Camille is darling.

Enjoying ice cream after eating fish and chips. We love vacation!

Visiting with my Grandpa Don and Nana Rae in Corvallis. We love you Grandma!

Lucky had just jumped off this log damn a minute ago but Camille thought he was moving too slow for the camera so she tossed him off.

Tubing on the Deschutes in Bend, Oregon's Old Mill District.

Camille and my mother on a hike.

PINECONES!

Lucky showing off his jumping skills. A few minutes before, he stuck his landing onto the log in front of him and walked back to shore but this time he came up short.

Lucky, Camille, Jan and Jinx overlooking the Deschutes River.

Lucky met Oso, Morgan's 120 pound St. Bernard.

BBQ

Kyle and Tina's adorable girls Hailey and Madison and Sam and Carrie's stud Colton.

Kyle and Jacob.

Camille, Tina, Jacob and Jan watching the girls put a on a dance party.

Lucky has been pretty bored since we returned to Salt Lake. He has to settle with guarding the roof for fun.

Simmi and Kevin's wedding

2010-08-21T00:03:00.015-06:00

Brooks takes Lucky on a walk outside our hotel in Tacoma Friday morning. Cameron and I had just begun our 10 day adventure through WA and OR.

Brandon,(Cameron's brother), his wife Julie, Brooks, and Sasha the dog.
Lucky and I enjoying the park before we are off to one of the many wedding parties.

Tacoma bay viewed from Simmi (bride to be) parent's home. Not too shabby.
The festivities begin. This is one of the many traditions for Indian weddings. It has something to do with one of the three baths given to a person in their life... one at birth, another before marriage, and the last at death.
The women in Simmi's family sang some lovely songs and put yummy treats in the couples mouth. Guests are supposed kneel before them and put money in the couples clothing, and feed them, while their family sings a song.

Lucky's first night in a hotel. He had his own bed and wasn't so sure about sharing.

Ashley, Serena, Stephanie, Harrison, and I dressed in our Indian suits on loan from Simmi's family. This is Saturday morning at the Sikh religion Gurdwara Temple in Tacoma.
Kevin, Andy, Cameron, and Nick looking sharp.
Gallagher family looking good.
Brooks is styling in his Indian suit with matching orange croc sandals.
The boys covering their heads to show respect for the Anand Karj wedding ceremony.

I'm ready to give up my clothes for these colorful pajama feeling outfits.
Kevin the groom getting ready to ride in on his horse. Another tradition of Sikh weddings.

Cameron with his life-long friend Tim.

Family and friends led Kevin's Baraat procession leading him to his bride. Unfortunately the horse did not like the drumming so a relative pulled up his car and played some Bollywood music while we danced. Indians love to party, sing, and dance. They were so welcoming and fun to be around. And their food is so good! There was food everywhere. They provided light breakfast, then lunch after the ceremony, and dinner that night. I like to stick with the lamb and spinach dishes. Their desserts are really sweet and sprinkled with some silver looking decoration.

Before the ceremony starts the family's meet and introduce everyone and give gifts during the milni ceremony.
As you walk into the temple you go up to the front and bow before the holy book and make an offering of 1 or 2 dollars to show respect to the host community.

Girls on the left and boys on the right. You are supposed to sit cross legged so the bottom of your feet don't point toward the Sikh holy book.

The guru in the front talked a lot and there was a crew to the right on the floor who sang songs throughout the ceremony. It was a little ruff sitting for an hour and a half, but the Indians didn't seem to take any of the traditions too seriously. They chatted throughout and let kids run around and even answered their cell phones.

Kevin, Simmi in her elaborate outfit and her father.
After the ceremony we drove a couple of hours to Seattle and shared a room with Brandon and Julie at the Edgewater. It is a pretty swanky hotel on the bay that allowed dogs. There are photos of the Beatles fishing out their hotel window when they stayed here. This modern art park is a short walk from the hotel.

Lucky being artistic.

A quick picture before we jump on the elevator to the top of the building pier 68.

They decided getting married once was boring so here is round two. They did a great job of blending both Indian and Western cultures and therefore their wedding was full of lots of parties.
This is Simmi's second dress of the day but not the last!

Simmi's Henna. We had a great time at the reception after the second ceremony. Of course the food was great but more importantly the dancing was of the hook. Indians love to dance and everyone old and young gets involved.

Lucky's first salt water swim in the Seattle bay.
We had a great time catching up with the Brandon and Julie crew.

Destruction

2010-08-20T23:50:00.003-06:00

After finally installing our sprinkler systems (4 months later) we decided we needed something else to hammer on. This is our guest bathroom that will soon be a good looking tiled bathing machine. It is part of our plot to draw in weary travelers to Hotel Gallagher. More pictures to come, but hopefully not 4 months later.
Cameron likes to smash things including his head

Jackson

2010-08-08T12:39:00.006-06:00

Dirty Lucky trying to look tough with his bow.

Resting with Tyler on the Payette river trip.

We started hiking Table Mountain (12 miles round trip with 4,000 vertical feet to climb) in an evening thunder storm. We reached the summit in the morning and had sweet views of the Grand Teton. The next day we did a long bike ride.

July Fun

2010-07-07T21:49:00.009-06:00

Last week, Ashes stayed with us for a few days while Clinton, Michelle, Tyler and Sawyer went to Southern California.
Lucky and Ashes quickly became inseparable.

My buddy Carlton and his friend Rebeca came to visit on their way from Cincinnati to Los Angeles. After dining out the first night, Carlton volunteered to cook paella. Wow. It tasted as good as it looked.

Erika, Camille and Stacy at our hotel in Boise before the Widespread Panic concert.Chris T, Erika and me enjoying JJ Grey and Mofro's opening set.
After Boise we headed to City of Rocks in Southern Idaho. This was an old building near the California Trail.

Chris M, Stacy and Camille.
We hiked and scrambled up some of the rocks but we forgot our climbing gear.
The water on top of Bath Rock was not inviting.
Looking down the valley.
Our sweet camp site #11. Thanks for the tip Matt.
Sunset from above our camp.
Stacy helping Camille getting ready to retrieve our Frisbee in the thorny bushes.
Kayden, Savanna, Tyler and Tate having fun on the Tramp at Clinton and Michelle's.
Michelle, Camille, Chloe, Savanna and Karin practicing their glamor shots.
Lucky spent the weekend with Ashes while we were in Idaho and he didn't really want to leave. The first night we left Lucky and Ashes in the kennel for a couple of hours. When Clinton got home from California and checked on them, they had broken out of the kennel. Lucky had jumped the fence in the previous picture and was hanging out in their backyard. Ashes was waiting patiently at the gate which was surprising because she often runs away. I don't think Ashes wanted to leave her Lucky lover. Clinton recently adopted Duke so he built a dog palace complete with a draining bath tub. Lucky has his own baby pool but he was still jealous.

Lucky's World

2010-06-10T21:04:00.004-06:00

Lucky dog is still living up to his name. Tonight after school and work we took him to Tanner Park to swim and play. When we got home Lucky had a surprise waiting for him from Grandma Gallagher. Thanks Ma!

We already had a jumbo sized box of biscuits.

WOOF. My Biscuits. I'm a dog.

Lucky's friends from next door, Lola (black great dane) and Jackson (labradoodle), came over to say hello. Lola kept jumping over the garden.Our neighbors directly South of us recently moved out and two other neighbors bought the house to fix it up and raise vegetables and chickens. Lucky was pretty excited about the chickens at first but now he just likes watching the neighbors tend to their flock. This is his new perch with the coop below. Its more like a house but I hope I never have to sleep in there. .

flower-bed

Gunnison River

2010-05-11T10:01:00.006-06:00

Yes, that is a canoe strapped to our car. Let me explain... we had planned on running the exciting class 3 and 4 Dolores River which is a mysterious river that only runs a few days or weeks out of the year depending on the spring run off. The cold weather changed our plans as the mountains decided to hold all the moisture for themselves. Plan B? We didn't have one. So we scrambled and decided to run the Lower Gunnison river. 39 miles of a mellow river near the Colorado Utah border. A few people bailed on us and Dad and Anthony got a flat tire and had some problems with the trailer. Nothing out of the ordinary for a typical river event. Our love affair with rivers takes us through the gamut of emotions elated with fun family memories to frustrating planning, camping in the rain, and a constant change of plans. We all need freshening up on our critical thinking skills right?
Tater Tot loves his uncle Cameron. Tate also loves camping, throwing rocks in the river, looking at the stars, and potty talk.
Lucky also LOVES the river. But even more he loves swimming after ducks and playing with his new buddy Duke.
Anthony practicing his rowing skills
Pulling Lucky and Duke into the boat is a full time job and a wet one!

Day 2 the dogs finally mellowed out

Cameron's smile is so cute

Dad rowing. I wont mention the rocks Anthony and Dad got stuck on.
It was fun to have Warren on the trip. He took lots of pictures with his camera and sunburned his legs.
Best friends
Tate really enjoyed having a break from his twin sister Chloe. I have never heard Tate talk so much. He finally got his moment to shine and have an audience all to himself. That kid has so much energy!

Michelle's Shower 80's Style

2010-05-11T09:24:00.005-06:00

May 1st we threw a 80's themed baby shower for Michelle. Kind of random, but we decided we needed an excuse to be silly, reminisce on good memories, and share in Michelle and Clinton's excitement to adopt another little boy to join their family. We can't wait to meet Sawyer! He is expected to be born anytime now.
Michelle's outfit is so Radical!!!! Notice the fingerless gloves. She also had on leg warmers, tights, and crimped her hair from her original crimper she had stowed away in her closet from the 80's.
Baby Ellie is so chubby and cute
Yummy chocolate dipped strawberries. Thanks Karin for helping me with the food.
Ham, pesto, and muenster cheese paninis.

Chocolate cake pops
Lime cookies
This was the best part... lip syncing to our favorite 80's tunes. Michelle leading her crew in "Jessie's Girl".
Michelle's sister Nicole is next to her in the neon green sweater around the waist. Sweet!

High Fives

The Monson ladies

Some people didn't dress up. I guess will forgive you
Cousin Natalie with baby on board and Michelle

Round Two

2010-04-26T16:06:00.008-06:00

Cameron and Lucky excited to be out of the car and hiking up Red Cliffs Canyon.
Since the Acura was stranded in Cedar City (250 miles from SLC) from our trip last weekend to Zion National Park we had to go back to Southern Utah. We decided to travel 20 or so more miles to Red Cliffs campground near St. George for a family camp out. Here is the bad news, or funny depending on how you look at it, as soon as we pulled off the Cedar City Exit the truck started making a thunk thunk thunk noise. We crawled to the Auto Shop and Mike's diagnosis was that the crank is cracked and basically we needed a new engine. And at any moment the truck will completely break down, meaning another rode side catastrophe. We were thinking we should spend all summer trading off broken vehicles and picking them back up. Good news is that we decided to see if the truck would make it back to SLC so we could deal with it here, and it made it!
Lucky was so excited to explore the red desert terrain.
Curious about a black beetle

Lucky loves the water

Swirly rock

Water slide! The only way out for Lucky was to jump off the waterfall. We decided not to get wet and climb down a steep surface with a fixed rope. By the way I have already purchased my season pass to Raging Waters for the summer. Can't wait! If you buy it before May you get a season pass for $45 dollars. Summer fun in the sun at Raging Waters!
He was not having it. So after trying to get him to jump for 5 minutes. I picked him up and threw him in.

Red Cliff Campground only has 10 overnight spots, so we were lucky to get one. The host hooked us up with a sweet spot near the creek. The hosts were a cute old couple who all but tucked us into bed. We would recommend Red Cliffs to anyone. Its right off I15 near the town of Leeds.

Tarantula? No, even worse, a BROWN RECLUSE. All I know is that is was really big and way to close to my sleeping bag.
Attack of the caterpillars. They were everywhere! We got done with our hike late at night, so we didn't really notice them until the morning. They were everywhere! They fell on our heads all night. You literally couldn't take a step without stomping on one. We had to check our bags twice and we still came home with a few of them.
Their nests in the tree
Ewww, Gross!
Sunday morning, exploring near the campsite.

Crazy Cactus
Anasazi ruins, also near the campsite.
Hard to do, but we wore him out.