Vacation here I come and random pics of the Canyon

I am leaving for vacation on Monday for 11 days. I can't wait. I am going on my annual girls cruise Monday through Friday. I get off the ship then stay in California until Thursday. Ryan is meeting me in Cali on Saturday. We will go do Disneyland and hang out at the beach. It will be a nice vacation. But there is a lot of work leading up to going. I will be busy folding laundry during conference. I can't wait to watch conference. I'm always uplifted by the speakers. I swear sometimes they are talking just to me. Can't wait and I should get packing.

Here are some random pictures of the Grand Canyon.
The entire crew on the North Rim before we started out. It was the only time Luke was seen until the South Rim.
The group: Uncle Jim, Penny Bauer, Cami Hunt, Kourtner Garner, Pam Sarbo, Katy Vermilllion, Dad, Dyan, Karynn and Billy Rowley, Duane and Royann DeSpain, Ryan and Kelli Brown, Matt, Jodi, Jeremy, Chuck Melser, Steve Patience, Richard Garner, Ryan Alder, Craig and Nick Willis, Luke, Sherry. 25 crazy hikers

My dad coming out of the canyon, Jake hiked down a little and carried his pack out and now Jake had the itch to go.

Karrie high fivin me, I am done and it is the best feeling in the world.

Me, Kelli and Penny. Funny story I asked Kelli if there was room for my friend Penny and there was only to find out about 3 months later that Kelli and Penny are good friends and there girls play ball together. We had no idea we were all friends.

The view of the Canyon. If you look close you can see the trail. It's nice to look back and see how far you have gone.

The Grandest of the Grand

I did it!!! After taking a year off I returned to the Grand Canyon to hike from the North Rim to the South Rim in 12 hours. It is such a great feeling of accomplishment for me. I love knowing that I can do hard things and that I want to do them. We had a incredibly large group with an incredible planner behind it all. There was a total of 25 hikers and 3 drivers. And my cousin Kelli kept track of everything from who rode in what car and where we slept. Thank you Kelli for doing that. We got to the North Rim on Friday night had a great dinner and an okay folk singer entertainer. Then off to sleep to start the hike at 5:15am. To be completed by 5:15pm. It was so nice to hang with my dad for a day. Being one of eight kids I don't get a lot of one on one time with my dad but I had an entire day. I loved it. It was his 65th birthday and he spent it hiking the Grand Canyon. Incredible. I think my favorite part though was coming out and trying to race Abby. Karrie had made the trip up and Jake and Abby hiked down about a half mile. Abby had way too much energy and kept saying she was going to beat me. I tried running with her for about 30 seconds and then decided yep, she is going to win and beat me out. I also loved having everyone at the top cheering for me as I came up. I felt like a champion. I had such a great time even though as I type this the bottoms of my feet hurt, my calves ache and I will have trouble standing up. I will go back next year and push myself. I want to go in under 10 hours.

Random pictures from the trip. I tried to put them in order and it wasn't working.
The Goodman hikers: Aunt Diane (driver), me, Matt, Luke (he finished in 5 hours 48 minutes, wow!!), Craig, Dale (my dad), Jodi, Kelli, Ryan (who hiked about 17 miles on a broken foot, once you are in the canyon there is only one way out and that's up, he is amazing), Uncle Jim, Nick and Jeremy.

Most of the hikers: Steve, dad, Katy, Jodi, Matt, Jeremy, Luke, Nick, Craig, Ryan, Pam, Kelli, Richard, Cami, Kourney, Chuck, Dyan, Ryan, Uncle Jim. We are only missing, Billy and Karynn, Sherry, Penny, and Duane and Royann



The North Rim of the Grand Canyon with my dad, Jeremy and Matt. It is one of my favorite places in the world. It is so incredibly beautiful and peaceful. I love it.


The bridge over the Colorado River, the bottom of the Canyon. Me, dad, Penny and Jeremy.

Matt and Katy left a birthday message for my dad. It either says Dale, Happy birthday to you or Dale, How bout them Yankees. Not sure which one it is.

Temple blessings

I have been thinking lately about how truly blessed I am. This past weekend and then yesterday I got to go to the temple with people who were going through for the first time. On Saturday there was a missionary from my ward going through and on Tuesday Karrie's old roommate, Cheramie, went through. I love going and witnessing what the temple means to others. I love being in the celestial room with people from my ward and family members and thinking to myself this is truly heaven. I want to be with these people forever. I like them. I loved, loved, loved, watching Cheramie be sealed to her husband Cory and then to their little boy. What a true blessing it is to have the sealing power here on earth. I know that if we live the way we are supposed I can have my family with me forever. I take great comfort in that. I am glad I have a temple close by and can go. When I got home last night, Jack was awake and asked "how was it mom." I told him there is no greater place than the temple and I hope he always strives to go there someday to be married. I told him that to be sealed to your wife is the greatest thing he can have. I hope he remembers this and makes it to the temple. I really do "Love to see the Temple" and know I can go inside and take advantage of all the temple has to offer me.

newest nephew

Congrats to Mark and Kristin on their new baby boy. Benjamin Mark Louis Goodman born August 31, 2011. He he so cute and I can't wait to see him grow up.