What else did I do?

I HIKED TO THE STAR.

In my hometown of Star Valley, a lovely little star sits on the mountain overlooking

this quaint little town.

In all my 31 years, I have never attempted this hike. Why? Because I couldn't. Well, some things have changed. I must say it felt good. Not only did I run a 5K, but I turned around and hiked to the star. It was a great day. A perfect day perhaps.

Here we are heading up the mountain.

I don't know if you can really appreciate how STEEP this climb really is.

Nicki and Jase

(This picture captures Cadence's rosie cheeks.

Sadly, she gets that from me.

Someday, she'll hate me for it I'm sure.

My cheeks turn red the second I start doing anything physical.

Always have.

Always will.)

I was so proud of Cadence (all the kids really) for making it - and without one complaint. They were troopers.

This is what we saw when we got to the top. The star - in disarray, and the view of my brother's little house sitting in the "raindrop" subdivision.

We sat - very uncomfortably - on the side of this mountain and enjoyed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was delicious.

As you can see, my girls were enjoying theirs.

Ashland never could understand that she wasn't big enough to maneuver around the side of the mountain. It really wasn't a "kid friendly" hike. In fact, it probably wasn't a good idea to take them at all. She got away from us and did a face plant. Thus, the dirty face and tiny bit of road rash - or should I say "mountain rash"? She wanted so badly to be independent and hike on her own. It was crazy. I was a nervous wreck.

On the way down, we started singing primary songs to keep our minds off the descent. Even though climbing up was challenging, it was going down that was scary. Terrifying, in fact. But, we all made it. It could have been a small miracle.

And speaking of miracles, I consider it a miracle to have made it here. I have come so far in such a short amount of time, and it feels great. Great to be fit enough to climb a mountain with my kids - even if I was risking their lives in the process.