From Scott: Some of us went canyoneering Friday and Saturday. On Friday evening, we explored the Middle Fork of Maidenwater Canyon ( https://www.roadtripryan.com/go/t/utah/north-wash/middlemaidenwater ). It's in the North Wash area and whatever water might flow in this riverbed drains into Lake Powell. But I've never seen any water in it. They say that this area of Utah has been especially dry this winter. The approach took us just over an hour, and the canyon itself took another two hours. They say that the entire canyon can be down-climbed -- and we did a lot of down-climbing -- but we enjoyed rappelling a few of the trickier spots. We started hiking close to 6 pm. Partway through the canyon, the sun set and we finished in the dark. It was a pretty cool experience. The dark tunnel that runs under the Hwy 276 at the end is a highlight. Saturday morning we were in the Poison Spring area, exploring Slideanide Canyon ( https://www.roadtripryan.com/go/t/utah/north-wash/slideanide...
I've been thinking a lot about Easter lately and how we can better prepare for it and make it a bigger holiday since it really should be the most significant holiday according to our religious beliefs. Jesus Christ's Atonement and Resurrection are the centerpiece and that should make Easter HUGE! I definitely don't want Easter to become like Christmas with all the gift-giving obligations (Christmas is way too much work, especially for moms) but I would like the Easter season to be frequently in our minds and hearts instead of the afterthought it sometimes feels like. So after seeing some ideas about Easter advent calendars, I decided to come up with one and here it is. I borrowed heavily from this website: https://www.cranialhiccups.com/2012/03/the-living-christ-a-30-day-easter-countdown.html but simplified A LOT. My goal was to make it very doable, easy and short. I want it to fit easily into our life instead of feeling like a burden. My version is for older kids. You...