We have been traveling of late. Some reportage concerning our recent trip is here and here on my brother’s blogs. To those unfamiliar with BYU’s Aspen Grove Family camp, it’s located just up the canyon from Sundance (Robert Redfords ski resort area). Concerning the camp itself, Tami likes to think of it as a land-locked cruise. All-you-can-eat meals are served 3 times a day, with all-day babysitting for the kids and plenty of activities packed in between for adults.
I worked there for a summer when I was going to school _8_ years ago!!. While it doesn’t feel like 8 years ago to me, I can already tell by the glazed look in my son’s eyes (and Tami’s) that it will always be ancient history to them. If we continue going back (following our families pattern, this is forecasted for 2015 — Jake will be 12) I know that they will be just as impressed then as they were this time as I pointed out the sod I laid, the pavers I sweated over, and the sprinkler lines we installed.
In my defense, my job on the ropes course was much more exciting, but doesn’t really have the tangibility of bricks. The ropes course consists of a 30 foot log that you shimmy up, followed by a 12 foot metal climbing wall. At the top you get to gambol around on some wires before you’re back to the wall to rappel down. So, while that was completely awesome for a summer job, it’s not something that anyone really appreciates except when they do it. At one point, I was the fastest person at climbing the ropes course — a blistering 13 seconds… Now, they tell me that a person (3 years ago) has the record at 8 seconds. 8 seconds, how is that even possible??? I demand another summer so that I can get in shape, with Kim and T.J. training me. Young whippersnappers breaking records, not respecting…
Did I mention that I’m going to be a cranky old person?
But this week was fun. Despite starting a family feud with a family that shan’t be named, over some shady basketball (it’s silly when you get down to it, but I doubt that our families will ever allow our children to interact socially) I thoroughly enjoyed our vacation. Of course I uttered my fair share of when-I-was-here’s and I’ll try to control myself better next time, but in my defense I was asked a lot about how things worked when I was there. Surprisingly, I recollect very little of the day to day activities and remember mainly relationships (I made some awesome friends). The family camp essentially compresses the same experience into 6 days. I don’t know how much I’ll remember about this trip in the future (besides vague recollections of a bruising basketball game) but I know that the interactions with our extended family like this was awesome for establishing and renewing our ties. We loved getting to spend time with everyone. There are plenty more pictures here.
From Tami
Top 5 Things I Learned While Vacationing at Aspen Grove:
- Stinging Nettles: What they look like, where they are located, and what they feel like when you run through a field of them, twirling around like an idiot, in order to recreate the opening scene from The Sound of Music. (see stupid picture above)
- Danny can break dance.
- Contrary to popular belief, neon yellow is a very flattering color – especially when worn by the Finlayson’s. Yeah, we looked GOOD.
- I am still afraid of heights. Brent talked me into doing the ropes course – where I actually did pretty good climbing to the top. The fun factor quickly plummeted however, when I next had to literally walk on wires through the trees about 50 feet up. My hands were shaking everytime I had to switch my carabiners from one cable to the next. Next came the supposedly fun part – rappelling back down. Well, Brent certainly made it look fun. (Let it be stated for the record that my husband is a stud – he can get down in about 1.2 huge flying leaps.) Anyways, having to lean straight back into thin air took about all the faith and concentration I could muster. Which is why I found it nearly impossible to control my own descent at the same time. WAY too much to think about. Let’s just say it wasn’t the most graceful rappel you’ve ever seen and I was extremely grateful to NOT have an audience. I am glad I did it, just so I can say I did. But will I be doing it again? Doubtful.
- After a week so full of family fun that it was exhausting – when it comes time to say goodbye to the people we love the most, but seem to see the least – you realize that (as my mother-in-law so accurately put it) family really is our greatest treasure. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for a wonderful week.
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