Linx Lake Trip

This is no Fish Tale

Oh the joyous occasion that is family camping! Sometimes I wonder why we do it to ourselves…no showers, smelly bathrooms and lurking critters in the shadows. It’s ironic, we put our food under lock and key every night and yet we sleep outside, where the only thing to protect us from them is meager threads of nylon and a maglight. And we are supposed to be the smart ones? Hmmm…

Anyway, back to camping. On Wednesday evening Tyler, James and I ventured up to Linx Lake (near Prescott) to join the remainder of the Smith crew for some good old fashion Camping. Thankfully, they had already set up camp, complete with a delicious dutch-oven dinner and roaring campfire. The following morning after some authentic chorizo burritos (compliments of Monica and Tyler) we were off to the lake to catch us some fresh trout. But, first, as always, we had to stop by the local Wal-Mart. Nowadays, no camping trip is complete without one…or two visits. I believe, our three -day-excursion totaled three different trips! Outlandish you say? I concur! With fishing license in hand, and powerbait on hook we were primed and ready to reel those bad boys in. If you are unfamiliar with powerbait, it’s akin to a kindergarten craft gone terribly awry (glittery specs, neon colors, foul odor)!

In our modest efforts to track down the superior fishing spot James, Ethan and I traveled to the other side of the lake. After a bit of a hike, James and Ethan decided to go ahead and check it out. I stayed behind with all the gear. I got a little weary and decided to rest my legs. Unannounced to me, a small section of some incredibly prickly shrubbery had found its way into my pants. When I realized what the perverted little bush had done I quickly jumped to my feet to scorn that thing for violating me so. Silly me…what was I thinking? Following my simple-minded move to stand up, gravity stepped in and did its job and all the little spikes started making their way down my pants- passed the thighs, to the calves, and eventually excavating their way into my socks. With no shelter in sight, I proceeded to disrobe while my trusty husband gently removed the bristly tyrants from my once unscathed legs. After the foliage debacle, we ventured to our seemingly perfect fishing spot to score us some dinner. But to our dismay, by days’ end our fish total was a mere 3 (Tyler-2, Dad-1). We headed back to camp a little discouraged, but determined that Friday would be better. After a rousing rendition of “stare at the campfire” it was time to hit the sack.

Friday morning we headed back to the lake and started fishing again. Finally, we found a fish dumb enough to take the bait. F.T.R. (for the record), because James didn’t have a fishing license I caught the first fish of the day, and then legally and legitimately caught the second as well. These 2 little buggers were currently costing me $16 a piece. Meanwhile, three little brutes and their portly grandmother plopped down beside us and just start reeling in the fish. One after another the little tike's went well over their trout limit. The rest of us were becoming quite enraged. We wanted to snip their lines and shatter their poles. However, we endured the day and withstood temptation, although James may have accidentally and inadvertently slingshotted a few rocks near their lines in the lake! Oops- blame it on bad aim! Eventually, we left and decided to come back in the evening when the bugs are out and the fish are feeding.

A few hours later, with our lowly poles and humble tackle boxes in hand, we challenged the lake one final time. We even strategized by varying our weights to hooks to bait ratio. Low and behold, within 10 minutes and first cast, Ethan had a fish, and then I reeled in fish #3, followed by fish # 2 for Ethan. This was unparalleled to our two previous fishing endeavors. Joshua soon caught wind of our fish nirvana and joined in the fun. By nightfall our fish total was up to an admirable 13 beautiful rainbow trout. We victoriously headed back to camp to show off fishy accolade. After the five of us cleaned and gutted our baker’s dozen, and a few upchuck reflexes from Monica watching us (she was the designated flashlight holder) our fishing event had come to a close.

After four days in the woods, we were ready to head home and hit the showers. What an eventful voyage! Monica had her first up-close encounter with multiple javelinas, skunks, a tarantula, and mounds of fish entrails, which meets the requirements necessary to officially be a part of this family. But alas, no camping trip is absolute without a stimulating game of ‘choices and chances.’ So, in true L. Dale tradition, we introduced James and Monica to the “game”. And I do use the word game loosely. It was basically a way for all the kids/grandkids to get a hold of some chocolate from their dear old grandpa. Oh tradition! The whole outing was a superb way to spend the last few days of my fall break. No broken bones or burnt extremities; just a bunch of dirty relatives with a stockpile of appetizing trout…and that’s no fish tale.

Columbus Discovered America, and I Discovered the Solitude of Fall Break

Oh the glorious occasion that is fall break has finally arrived; one complete week of unadulterated harmony! No foolish questions, HSM (highschool musical) chatter, or hormonal raids brought on by the latest Myspace debacle. A Monday without the reverberation of the “minute bell”! What on Earth will I do with my time? So far, here is my TO DO list:

• Temple session with my Ho, Holly
• Make super-cute fall craft with super-cute Elizabeth
• Apply for graduation (I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am running)
• Register the Lancer
• Make dinner for the Missionaries
• Pack for family camping trip
• Study for the AEPA exam

If you have any suggestions about what I should do for the remainder of my week feel free to drop me a note. In the meantime, what’s next on my list…

Happy Columbus Day!

Ode to the Curtain

The other day James and I watched our little nieces and nephews while their parents (Amy and Justin) spent the morning at the cannery. As I went to take a shower I noticed no shower curtain in the guest bathroom. Being the silly girl that I am, I pressed forward with my curtainless shower. Have you ever taken a shower without a shower curtain? It’s one peculiar encounter! Aside from the flurry of water that builds outside the shower, the entire experience was almost jarring. All the other appliances are judging you- just staring at those extra pounds, and there is no retreat. In that past, I have always felt that my shower curtain demonstrated a sort-of curtain-patient confidentiality. Not so true with the other gadgets in the room. All my life I have been completely unaware of the requisite curtain. This post goes out to shower curtains everywhere. Huzzah! Huzzah indeed.

My family is like Hooter's

We spent this past weekend in the big house (Casa Grande) visiting James’ extended family. Literally though, we stayed in the grand casa. Amy and Justin live in a quaint 3900 square foot monstrosity with their four beautiful children, and smelly sausage-dog, Lucy. Grandpa arrived early Friday from El Paso. Saturday night we ate mounds of delicious pizza and watched the all-inspiring Freedom Writers. I’m not sure how many of you have ever visited this town they call Casa Grande, but you must take extreme caution when selecting where to dine. They advised us to steer clear of KFC, Dominos and almost every other restaurant known to man. Oddly enough, they never rebuked the local Filiberto’s…maybe the Casa Grande location uses pure-breed dog/cat! Either way, we survived the night!

Grandma Susan and Amy (aunts) traveled all the way from Sacramento (James stomping grounds) to visit. They arrived mid-Sunday. After some quick hugs and hello’s we hurried them into the kitchen so Grandma King (featured below) could supervise the making of her illustrious fried rice. Her fried rice is unsurpassed and probably the finest in all the cosmos! P.F. Chang’s aint got nothin’ on Grandma King. James made his delicious beef, curry and rice dish and shrimp and vegetable tempura and then we dined…and dined some more. We finished off our night of authentic Japanese cuisine with some bona fide Dreyer’s ice cream (Rhett’s choice). What a night!

I had never met James’ Grandpa and it’s been a while since I’ve seen his Grandma and his aunts. Even though his grandparents have been divorced for years, they sat and talked like old friends. It was also neat for them to meet their great grandkids…even if they are mischievous and insufferable at times! That was the bulk of our weekend. I love family and think they are the greatest things since sliced-bread! James often recounts about the outrageous and harebrained antics of his past family get-togethers, but I am eagerly anticipating a future Zamora family reunion to see for myself. Besides, he has yet to go to a Jensen reunion… family reunions of the highest caliber. My family is like Hooters; Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined!

Don't Embargo the Childless

Where in the handbook of life does it suggest that parents + children = above the law. Just last week a bunch of us were at Amazing Jake's celebrating 21 wonderful years of my super cute sister in-law, and following our seamless transition from salad bar to pizza buffet this group of rugrats with their supposed parental unit felt that they were entitled to cut right in front of us. And cut they did!! Are their adolescent tummies superior to our 20-something stomachs? Am I jeopardizing today's youth of America by snagging my slice of pepperoni pizza before them? I certainly hope not! In fact, should they be eating that crap anyway? Isn't childhood obesity on the rise? We'll leave those spellbinding queries for later.

Parents with children may have the right-a-way at the jungle jim and day care, but not in my pizza buffet line, grocery store or even Disneyland. Don't get me wrong, I am a strong advocate of children and their rights, but as parents, don't assume that your child needs that slice of pizza more than me- sans offspring. All you parentals out there already get to shop at pottery barn kids, and each child you bring into this world comes with an excellent tax break package. Just remember that the next time you're contemplating cutting me off at the dessert bar...I want me some soft-serve just as much as your little angel!

Carly's First Blog

As unsettling as this may sound, I have been extremely selfish and kept the cyber-world from my uber extraordinary life-stories. Yes…the WWW (world wide web) is tremendously Carly-deficient. I feel that I would be doing a disservice to the totality of the cyber-world by not blogging. And so it begins… My first blog!

Disclaimer: certain blogs may be inappropriate and unsuitable for persons with IQ’s under 70 and/or Dwight K. Schrute. Read at your own risk...Cheers!