Falling into Winter....

We have been busy!!!! Hence the lack of "blogging" on my part in recent months.

The first item of business is Cameron's triathlon he did in Sept. He was very excited about completing it and wanted to make sure I put a picture on my blog. He did it with Rylan and they had a great time. They swam 3 laps, biked 2 miles and ran 1 mile. We were very proud of Cam in wanting to take on this endeavor.



Transition.





And he finishes...




Cameron and Rylan.

Cam also ran a 5K with me in October...we both survived. He also ran 6 miles with Jill as she finished off her olympic triathlon. He is the Energizer Bunny!

This last week we took a family trip to Moab which turned into the young adults all coming along. We were so glad they did...we had a great time. I never get tired of going down there. Last year when we went, we explored Arches (and the local vehicle repair shop) so this year we decided to see Canyonlands. We are blessed to live in a place with such diverse beauty. One wouldn't even recognize southern Utah and northern Utah as being in the same state. So here are the highlights:


Tony and I at "The Windows"



Lisa, Dusty, and Holly at Arches. Dusty served as our guide while we were there. He has already captured the heart of my youngest daughter and is quickly becoming the hero of my oldest son (he is an Eagle Scout, you know.)



The boys at Canyonlands. The views were amazing. You really do feel like you are watching a movie or looking at a painting....it doesn't look real.



All of us at Mesa arch.

As for the rest of our life:

Ski season is coming upon us as we try to get our gear together for that. Holly Grace has a season pass this year so she will be moving up the ranks (and leaving her mother in the dust with the rest of the kids, I suppose.)

The boys are wrestling and the middle school coach has asked Cameron to be on his team. They are really learning to love this sport...we see lots of improvement from last year.

Both the boys are in basketball, as well. Something their wrestling coach doesn't look too kindly upon.

Aub is taking on another paper route. You just can't keep a good girl down!

We will spend Thanksgiving visiting Grandpa & Dad in Colo. Springs.

Happy holidays if I don't get on here again before then.

Celtic Festival

Last Saturday we went to a Celtic Festival here in town. It was very educational and we all learned a great deal about this unique culture with it's music, dance, and athletics. Frankly, the whole thing made me wish I was Scottish.

While we were there, Cameron (which means "crooked nose" in Scottish, by the way) wanted to buy himself and Caleb a new sword with his own money (not that there is any shortage of them already in our home.) As I drove the boys home, they were talking of nothing but the conquests they would have and how each sword was better than the other in different respects. They paused their discussion only for a moment as we were coming up the hill to our house. When I stopped the car, Caleb declared, "Whoa...I almost forgot how cool my sword was!" It really was a close call...I had to chuckle. Boys will be boys, I guess.

Sailing and Jamming with Grandpa

Right after Lee and the girls left, we got a visit from my dad. He came to camp and sail with us at Bear Lake. We've been to Bear Lake lots of times to swim but have never been able to get out on it in a boat. Dad was impressed with the beauty of the lake (as most people are) and plans to come back whenever possible. Here are pictures and comments of the events during the week.




The first thing on the agenda was, of course, getting in a jam session with Aubrey. The two of them can play together for hours. Aubrey cherishes these times she gets to spend sharing their love for music.



This time Dad attempted to include everyone in the jam session instead of just Aub. He bought Cam, Caleb, and Holly drumsticks which they have not stopped "playing" with since we got home (thanks, Dad!) After much frustration about lost rhythms, he tried another tactic....

He decided we needed to have a Hawaiian celebration with authentic masks...the boys doing the acoustics. The boys (this is Caleb) thought it was great! I'm not sure if this improved their rhythm, however.



Once the winds picked up every day, we decided to take the boat out for a sail. It was a bit chilly so the kids put on some wetsuits. Cameron (as usual) had no regard for his appearance. He loved the hat and wanted to keep it to wear regularly....what a goof!



Here are the kids and my dad's dog "Bonnie" on the boat. The wind was a little heavy so he didn't bring out the genoa. They had a great time! I only got one turn to ride when Tony came out with us one night. It was a great ride...bringing back memories of my childhood (minus the tip overs and turtles.)



And last but not least, Grandpa (being an Eagle Scout himself) helped Cameron with his "Rain gutter Regatta" sailboat for Cub Scouts. Cam didn't win the race, but had a great time with Grandpa building his boat and decorating it.

Thanks, Dad, for the visit...we all had a GREAT time!



In August, Cameron completed his requirements so he could move up from "Bears"to "Webelos." This is only one step from the actual Boy Scouts and Cameron, again, is thrilled.

It's been a busy but fun summer. We are back into full swing with school, regular chores and responsibilities, but that is good too (sort of.)

Great Basin...again...

We enjoyed Great Basin so much the last time, we decided to go again. This time, we talked Heath and Kendra into going with us...they were promised great celestial views that did not end up coming to fruition. They both now consider themselves "campers" so...mission accomplished. We drug Lee and the girls with us as well...they had no choice, they were visiting and we said we were going. They didn't protest....


Here is our family by a bristlecone pine tree. They are the oldest living things known to man.



We did alot of hiking. Here are Lee and the girls on our hike up to the arch. These Comer girls are made of some tough stuff. It started raining right in the middle of the hike, but we all endured cheerfully (as you can see.)





Lee and the girls stayed for nearly 2 whole weeks while Stephen was gone on a mission trip to Haiti. We all had a great time...we miss them all dearly.

Wellsvilles...again?

Well, I decided to hike the Wellsvilles again this year...completely forgetting about the pain it caused last year. But this time I took Lee with me...we had a great time. This is a 8.5 mile hike along the steepest mountain range in North America. Very fun.



The wildflowers were gorgeous! These are some forget-me-nots we saw along the way.


Lots more Pirtle adventures to come.

Glacier 2009

I have included the year in this title because I hope to have many more posts of our family going to Glacier. So far, this is my favorite place on the earth. We spent a whole week camping and had little desire to get back home. I have TONS of pics but will only post my favorites in case anyone has an attention span similar to mine.

This is my perfect postcard picture I took on our last hike the day before we left. On the top right is the Glacier we hiked up to. Being a photographer is easy up there.




Tony and the boys at Avalanche Lake...a popular trail. Holly did the whole thing on her own.


This was on a 2 mile ranger led hike (the kids had to do several of them to earn their "Junior Ranger Badges"). The ranger was going a bit fast for Mom's pace, but we all made it and had a great time...the views were just non stop beauty. There is never a dull moment...there is always something more glorious right around the next bend or over the next mountain.

Mom and Emery met us there and they took Aub back with them for a tour of historical sites including Mt. Rushmore. Lee will bring her back. (Yes...a week and a half without my Aub has been a bit tough....she's just growing up.)



Here's all of us at St. Mary Falls.



Among wildlife highlights, we saw a moose, bear, lots of mountain goats, squirrels, ants....

I could not get my mind off of our awesome Creator the entire time we were there. Nothing that breathtaking could be done by accident. He has put it all there to show us how magnificent and powerful He is....and this place is just the tip of the iceberg (no pun intended.) He has placed it all just how He wanted it to make us seek Him. If He can do this...He is certainly able to handle my life and the problems therein. It encourages me to trust Him more.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

Summer is Here!

We went camping in Great Basin National Park over Memorial Day. We had a great time! It is not a very popular park so very few people go there. Due to it's high altitude, low humidity, and low light pollution, this is supposed to be one of the best places to star gaze. We were hoping to get some star gazing in and took our telescope to no avail. It was cloudy just about all of the nights we were there. However, we did lots of hiking and checking out the area...hoping to get back there soon. Here we all are with a view of Wheeler Peak in the background.


In June, John and Jill watched the kids and Tony and I got away for the first time in a few years. We went to Snow Basin. We continue to be amazed with the beauty we get to enjoy so readily here in Utah. Here we are together...(we couldn't find anyone on the trail to take our picture.)


Then it was John and Jill's turn to get away....which meant 10 kids for me for a few days. We kept a pretty busy schedule with sports and various activities but we all had a great time. We are blessed to be so close to their family. On Friday we all went on the Crimson Trail (about a 4 mile loop.) Holly & Joshua (3&4) whined just a tad but made the whole thing. Dusty Vaughn took this beautiful picture on the trail of Indian Paintbrush (my favorite flower) per my request. I had to post it on here. He is a great photographer! Thanks, Dusty!



Then all the Pirtle and Schadegg kids sat through Aubrey's recital patiently. She did great. I know the video is dark...we have limited technology.


On Saturday Tony and I loaded nine of them up in the car and went to the Air Force Base to watch the Thunderbirds. Although he and Cameron were blown away, the rest of us were mostly hot and tired. Here is Tony, Holly, & John...also Cameron and Simeon.



As you can see, Cam is in heaven watching the Thunderbirds. Holly and Caleb are also fascinated, taking a nap on the nice, hot, cozy, concrete.



This next picture is totally unrelated. Here is Caleb taking a nap with our cat, Apollo (MY birthday present.) The cat CANNOT stand me but adores Caleb who harasses him endlessly. Anybody want a free cat?


It is only the beginning of June but summer is in full swing...My Shannon comes to visit tomorrow, Aub is currently in Orchestra camp, the boys will be going to wrestling camp, Cam just went to his first Scout camp, and Aub made one of the competitive soccer teams in town and is thrilled! More to come with all of that.

That's our family for now. Lots more coming this summer....Glacier, visitors, more camping. Pretty exciting stuff!
God is so GOOD!