WHITE ELEPHANT????

We know it will be CRAZY (to say the least) on Christmas Eve, but we thought we would suggest a White Elephant gift exchange somewhere in between Trisha's birthday dinner and before the more serious Christmas Eve traditions like the Nativity. We just had a few good ideas and thought everyone would get a kick out of it!!! Would anyone else like to do that? Could we fit it in? We just wanted to give everyone a heads up and a few weeks to look around their houses and find some good stuff. Comments???

Some fun pics from Thansgiving Weekend at Temple Square. We had so much fun!!!!

Bart, Brayton, and Clancy finished the day off by going to the Jazz game and Tiff and I took 6 children on Front Runner and home and put the kids to BED!!! Then Alex, Tiff, and I enjoyed a GIRLS night with ICE CREAM, A CHICK FLICK, and TREATS!!!

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Lets Decide!!!

Hi Everyone!
So, as we were looking up cruises, we tried to pull up our Southern Carribean cruise we are currently booked on and it wouldn't even come up... meaning it is full (we figure) We origionally thought we'd wait till Jan. (as long as we could without penalty) till we made a for-sure decision about changing cruises. But, we just got thinking that the 7 day-Mexican Riviera cruise that we mentioned will be filling up as we speak and the best rooms are being taken. SOOO, that being said.... we wanted to know if everyone wants to change cruises and we can call and switch now (or at least by Thanksgiving) and then assure we have rooms, etc.... Same thing goes though, we can cancel any rooms until Jan. without any penalty.

We are anxious to decide sooo.. We'll call everyone in the next few days and try to make a decision.
Note: we checked the almanac for the average weather conditions and temperatures for Mexico in April. The average high was 85 degrees and in the night about 58.
Link for Mexican Riviera Cruise:http://carnival.com/Itinerary.aspx?embkCode=SDG&itinCode=SD2&durDays=7&shipCode=SP&subRegionCode=MR&rateCode=B&sailingID=44690&sailDate=4/5/2009

Lonny's progress

Seventeen down, Only eight more to go. . . .before he sets a new goal for himself!!

How are you doing, Bart? I don't see any updates for you. . . . .

Lonny Less 8

Lonny has Lost 8 pounds. I am so proud of him and he is so proud of himself. Way to go!!!

Girls Weekend???

Mom, Tiff, Taniel, Trish#1, Meg, Trish #2:
I was just thinking it would be so much fun to get together for the weekend and go to this WHAT A WOMAN WANTS show at the South Town Expo Center and just hang out and have a fun dinner!! We talked about planning a girls trip when we were at the family reunion but we haven't really talked about it lately. So...... Here is an idea. Check out the website and leave a comment. One of the pics has moms with their daughters so it got me thinking it would be fun to have Alex, Mikala, Halle, Zhoee, and Bella with us. It would be fun for me to take Zhoee and let her browse through all the clothes, jewelry, and make-up. She'd be all over it!!! Or we could just leave them at home, whatever!!!! We could Hotel it, or we could all stay at our house. (we'll make Bart, J, and Bossy go stay with Clint:)
http://www.whatawomanwantsshow.com/home.php

Oh Yah! Bring it on Lonny!

It's on! C'mon Clint, Garr, Boo, and Pa. We all need to be able to fit in our speedos!!

**Recipe for 6-Pack**

6 Days per Week.....3 x 50 Ab Leg Bike / 3 x 30 Obliques / 3 x 60 seconds Bridge Hold / 3 x 30 Crunches / 3 x 20 Bench Press / 3 x 40 Lat Pulls / 3 x 20 Butterflys / 3 x 12 Tricep Pulls / 3 x 20 Preacher Curls

4 Days per Week.......Treadmill - run 3 miles

Game on!

THE CHALLENGE;
Lonny has to lose 25 lbs, Bart has to go from 12 pack to 6 pack abs. First one to get it done gets a drink card, courtesy of the loser, on the cruise ship. Anyone else is welcome to join in the competition. 210 lbs, 46 in waist

Here's a little clip just to get you excited for the cruise!!

Miracle cruise ship

Carnival Miracle at port in St. Kitts
Carnival Miracle has many different activities onboard. Some are:
mini golf course
a running track
a water slide
a children's facility for kids aged 2 to 14
two pools and hot tubs, plus an adult only pool in the back and a hot tub in the front (for crew members only)
a party room, Dr. Frankenstein's lab
an arcade, Wizards arcade
Mr. Lucky's casino


Passenger capacity -2,124 Total crew -934 Officer's nationality - Italian Tonnage - 88,500 Ship length - 963 feet Registry - Panama

8 day Southern Caribbean

Get ready to set sail aboard the Carnival Miracle.

Panama

Bart and I thought this cruise might be fun!!! We thought it would be very cool to see the Panama Canal and Costa Rica and Belieze look absolutely beautiful. It's 8 days too!!! This route is only taken in March or October so it leaves Thurs. Mar 5, and comes home Friday March 13th. .So then you have the weekend to get unpacked and play with our kids we'll miss so much!! Leave a comment.

Cruise Info

How sad that the camping, playing with cousins, 4-wheeling, sitting around the fire.. and all that fun stuff is over. On the way home our kids were so sad and continued to tell us they wanted to go back camping to be with Nana and Grandpa and their cousins. They had such a great time. Sooo..... all our clean laundry is stacked on my be ready to be put away(it took me till Friday to get it all clean), which is the only sign left that we spent 10 days camping. I'm so sad it's over. Thanks everyone for making it such a great trip.

Bart and I went over some cruises the other night and wanted to know what everyone thought.... I emailed detailed info on 4 different cruises. So look it over and then vote on which cruise you are most interested in. OR- post other info if you have found something else for everyone to look at. We are so excited!!!

Friday Dinner

Hey Taniel, Mom, Tiff, Trish's, Meg...
What is our plan for next Friday when we are in charge of pot luck main dishes???
I didn't know if our family would provide the same thing or just do our own seperate dishes. I was thinking I would do teriayki chicken kabobs???? Or is there another plan?
Let me know. We're doing our big trip to Costco tomorrow. I LOVE that store!!!!

Time to Start Packing!!

Tiff called this morning and asked that I make a few notes on the blog. . . .

She said it is very cold in the morning and nights. Jacket/sweatshirt required and lots of blankets for the night.

They did the ride to Butch Cassidy's then continued on to the Pines. She was happy to have dad's fourwheeler, so big thanks to dad. She also said the ride is very worth it. It was BEAUTIFUL! Any hesitations she had about the ride were diminished. We should plan for a 1.5-2 hour ride. It took them longer but she had Spence with her and he fell asleep and was hard to hold on to.

Lonny does not get home until 7pm Thursday night so we plan the leave at 3am Friday morning to make it to Panguitch in time for the ride. Tiff made it sound so fun!!

(Bart) Tenter's FYI

Hey all you TENTER'S, I was noticing on the Posey Lake website that Posey sits at an elevation of 8,600 feet. Even though it may be roasty-toasty during the day it may get a little chilly at night for the baby's. So remember their Woobies.
See you all soon.

Word Up Yo!!

I called the Escalante Forest Service this morning to inquire about FIRES! Posy Lake is still in the clear and camp fires have not been banned. . . yet!! Taniel

DINNER IDEA??

What is everyone doing for Dinner while we are in Panguitch for the 4th??? Eating out??? I just didn't think we were unloading anything so......let me know. I prepared our menu last night and we're getting so excited to leave. Just another week and 1/2. YEA

Tiff--- Megan had an idea for another dinner together we could do this one on thursday. She said her family likes to do boneless pork ribs in a dutch oven with barbQ sause over them. We couldn't decide how to have everyone bring them. Do any of you want to do this together? Does anyone have any idea on how to separate the meal up? She said maybe 1 person buy all the meat and everyone just pay that person. I think it will be a great dinner. I would like to do it. let me know we could do some other kind of potato for a side, Megan said maybe a ceaser salad with it. Let me know.

[Clint] Sunday Suggestion

Would anybody be interested in having a short church meeting on Sunday at Posey??? I would make some small assignments to mostly the kids. We could have some short talks and a musical number by the grandkids. The meeting would be about 20 minutes long and could be fun. It would be a good learning lesson for the kids. Here's a tentative program outline:

*Opening Hymn
*Opening Prayer Taniel
*Talk Jadon
*Talk Haydn
*Talk Alex
*Musical Number All Grandkids
*Talk Nana Tucker
*Closing Hymn

*Closing Prayer Lonny
This is meant to be light and casual so keep talks short and fun. If you have any suggestions or are opposed to the whole idea then let me know.

Tiff----I am going to bring my gott water cooler and keep cold water in it. I just wanted to let you all know so we didn't all bring one. Maybe we could take turns buying ice for it. You will also need your own paper cups. We started packing today we made it through about half my list and we are full up. We are so excited !!! I am so glad so many people are going it will make it that much funner. And Bart you are weird...

[Bart] Just a Thought

Am I weird, or would it be fun one night to have all the kids each read one short educational blurb about the areas we’ll be seeing while we’re all sitting around the ‘fake’ campfire???? I could just print a bunch of them out and then pass them out when we’re there. Or would that be boring?? Here are a few examples.

Escalante, Utah
Escalante is a city in Garfield County, Utah, United States, along Utah Scenic Byway 12. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 818. the town was named after Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, a Franciscan missionary and the first European explorer of the region. In 1776, Escalante and his Spanish superior Francisco Atanasio Domínguez left from Santa Fe, New Mexico on an attempt to reach Monterey, California (EarthMetrics,1989). During this journey, usually referred to as the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition, Escalante and his companions passed by the Grand Canyon and were the first white men to enter Utah.

San Juan Expedition
The San Juan Expedition (also known as the San Juan Mission or the Hole-In-The-Rock Expedition) was a group of Mormon settlers intent on establishing a colony in what is now southeastern Utah, in the western United States. Their difficult passage through the deep canyons of the Colorado River represents the ingenuity and determination needed during the country's era of western exploration and settlement. After arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, the Mormons had expanded their settlements throughout central and southeastern Utah. In 1878 the leaders of their church decided to establish a new colony in a remote area to the east of the Colorado River, in what is now the Four Corners Area. They scouted possible sites, deciding on the fertile valley of Montezuma Creek just north of the San Juan River. Routes to the new settlement were also scouted, including the established path of the Old Spanish Trail and a long route around the southern rim of the Grand Canyon. The expedition decided, however, to use a more direct (but largely unknown) route that would be hundreds of miles shorter. They would travel through the relatively benign terrain near the...

Box-Death Hollow Wilderness
The Box-Death Hollow Wilderness is located in south-central Utah, USA, on the Dixie National Forest. Vertical gray-orange walls of Navajo sandstone stand above two canyon tributaries of the Escalante River in Box-Death Hollow. The name Death Hollow gives reference to a number of livestock that plunged to their death trying to cross the steep canyon. Running north-south through a steeply dipping monocline, Pine Creek forms the box canyon (a canyon accessible only at the lower end) known appropriately as "The Box." Death Hollow Creek, east of The Box, has carved its way through a gently dipping monocline. Raging waters often flood these canyon narrows after a rain. Pinyon and juniper cover many of the plateaus above the canyons. Brown and rainbow trout are plentiful in Pine Creek and in portions of Sand Creek. Along the creek banks, you may see mule deer, an occasional cougar, or even elk in winter. Nine miles of trail run the distance of "the Box", while hiking in the remainder of this wilderness requires following drainages or undesignated routes. The larger Phipps-Death Hollow Outstanding Natural Area, a Bureau of Land Management wilderness study area,...

Meal Assignments

For the majority of the trip individual families are responsible for their own meals. We did think it would be fun to do a big breakfast. We also can't pass up dutch oven dinner and Navajo Tacos. Sunday we will have the group breakfast and the group dutch oven dinner. We are thinking Tuesday night would be a good Navajo Taco night. A letter will go in the mail today with a schedule of events.

Sunday Breakfast:
Pancakes--Tiffani
Scrambled Eggs--Megan
Bacon--Taniel
Sausage--Ashlee
Butter, Syrup, Jam--Mom

Dutch Oven Dinner:
Potatoes--Tiffani
Chicken--Everyone bring enough chicken for their family. It will all be combined in one dutch oven and you won't get your exact piece of chicken back. We just want everyone to contribute.

Cobbler:
2 cake mixes--Taniel
2 fillings--Megan
2 fillings--Mom
Coolwhip--Ashlee

FOOD

Are we going to plan a menu and have everyone be in charge of a dinner and breakfast or should we just take care of our individual families every meal??? Anything is good with me, I just wanted to start planning and watching the ads for what is on sale. Ideas anyone????

No Fires?!

Tiff
Hello everyone only 16 days to go. Well just a little up-date the Talbots are leaving the 27th of June to head to Panguitch. We will stay there all week and wait for you all to arrive. Brayton is changing jobs and has extra time before he starts his new job. So I leave next week I hope I am ready you have to pack so much stuff.

[Bart] Lower Calf Creek Falls

This is short but purty! Can't wait to hike there again!

Showering

Ashlee we got 5 gallon solar showers.You fill them up in the morning and the sun warms up the water. We will get at least 2 for are family. Megan said she was going to get one also. She said they work really well. We are also going to get the shower tent from Cabelas. So anyone is welcome to use it after me.haha We just bought a solar shower from Kmart for 10 bucks last night. We havent seen them at Walmart. It will be nice the boys can shower off after a ride and we can wash our hair. Tiff

GEOCACHING

N 37° 47.300 W 111° 37.648

Escalante Petrified Forest State Park.
The CacheThe cache is about a 15 minute hike up and 10 minutes down. You hike up a maintained trail then a short walk off the trail. After you have found the cache, PLEASE RETURN TO THE MAIN TRAIL. This is in a fee area. Please do not leave trade items in the cache. Just take a small souvenir and sign the log book. Stop back often to check for other souvenirs.
Please Note
This is a no-trading cache. Just take a small souvenir and sign the log book.
All applicable state park fees and rules apply.
After you have found the cache, PLEASE RETURN TO THE MAIN TRAIL.
A State Park fee is required to access this cache.
This cache is available between sunrise and sunset.
Learn about State Park Passes
Additional Hints ( Decrypt )
Decryption Key
ABCDEFGHIJKLM
-------------------------
NOPQRSTUVWXYZ
(letter above equals below,
and vice versa)
Vs lbh guvax lbh unir gb pyvzo hc gur pyvss lbh unir tbar gb sne.(Decrypted Hints)

N 37° 45.478 W 111° 34.193
(Off hwy 12 just outside Escalante)
Every location is right off the road, except the cache itself, which really isn't that far. It is sort of sandy and you might require 4WD, but if you don't have it, it really isn't that far of a walk. Takes you to the same as Playboy Point Boulder
The container is normal rubbermaid, but it is covered good so don't get discouraged. Its original contents include:MRE, bandana, seeds, discount cards, nerf thing, blank tape, sharp sticks, log book and pen.
Additional Hints ( Decrypt )
Decryption Key
ABCDEFGHIJKLM
-------------------------
NOPQRSTUVWXYZ
(letter above equals below,
and vice versa)
1. Lbh jbhyqa'g jnag gb trg ybpxrq va. (pybfr tngr)2. Na Vzcbffvoyr Gerx3. Vs lbh unir n crg pbj ur'yy unir gb jnvg.

The Good Old Times

We need a trailer

All that talk about not showering for 10 days and sleeping on the dirt got me a little freaked out. JK, NO, I'm really just great with camping for that long, I actually can't wait. But, I am a little jealous of those who have trailers though, it would be nice to bathe my kids every night??? Just when we thought we could get a trailer Bart says he'll also need a new truck to pull it so.... I guess we're not ready yet... Maybe next year. Are there any pre-pay showers in the area we'll be staying? Just wondering (for Bart)ha ha

Bryce Canyon

Hey family can you believe it I am blogging !!! I did some checking on the cost of going into Bryce it is 12.00 a person to do the shuttle and 25.00 per car. The shuttle would be nice but probley to pricey. If you want to check it out the web site is www.nps.gov/brca We are sooooo excited !! We can't wait to sleep on the ground for 10 days and not shower for a week. Use an outhouse. Are we all crazy or what!!!! What we really cant wait for is sitting by the fire laughing, playing with cousins, all the awesome places,the smell of the great outdoors,not having to be anywhere for 10 days..and building memories... Tiff

[Bart] Listen Up Boyz!

Gentlemen, I would like to propose a serious Air Soft War. So.....everyone make sure 1. your firearms are up to snuff, 2. you have sufficient ammo and 3. you have the appropriate eye protection...........cuz YOU'RE GOING DOWN!! Camoflauge and face paint are recommended and some spare backup clips would come in handy. You've only got one month to get prepared so get out and get yourself that new pistol you've been wanting. See ya'll soon!!

Meal Suggestions

I think it is a good idea for everyone to be in charge of their own Breakfasts. We all get up at different times of the morning. My kids won't wait until 8 for their bacon and others don't want to get up that early. Lunch is also up to individual families. Who knows where you will be and what you will be doing. Dinner on the other hand, we thought would be fun to eat together. Suggestions: We can all provide a little something, potluck style, each night. Or also be assigned to bring something. Or, option 2, be assigned a night and you provide the meal that night and you are only responsible for the one meal. You get to be fed the other nights!!

Turkey Sandwiches may get old after 9 days camping so I thought I would make some suggestions.

Sloppy Joes (brown your beef before you leave home)

Tacos

Chicken Salad (in a wrap or on a large crescent so you aren't having bread again)

Egg salad

Pita

We also like StirFry (frozen stirfry veggies and precooked rice--super fast)

Fajitas

Breaded chicken patty on a bun with Moz cheese

My family doesn't mind cooked, warm food in the summer. Food is food. But I would love to hear others suggestions. Things you eat on a hot summer day.

So let's hear it people. What do you want to do for dinner and what are some good lunch suggestions.

Agenda

The tentative plan:

Leave on Thursday, July 3 and sleep at

Meet up in Panguitch for the 4th of July Parade and fireworks show.

Sleep in Panguitch on Friday night then visit Bryce Canyon Saturday on our way to Posy Lake.

Head to Posy Lake on Saturday. Stay at Posy on Sunday hiking and resting, ride 4-wheelers and site-see on Monday, then head to Lake Powell on Tuesday. Activities are not manditory. Come and have a good time and participate when you want to do something

Posey Lake

Posey Lake is a picturesque mountain lake located 15 miles northwest of Escalante. The lake is popular for trout fishing and has a Forest Service campground. Dirt roads that connect with other lakes, reservoirs and campgrounds in the surrounding Dixie National Forest make excellent mountain bike rides. Closest services from Posey Lake are in Escalante. For the duration of the summertime months at Posy Lake Campground temperatures are commonly in the 90's while night lows are frequently in the 50's.

Campsites 6,7,8 are reserved for the Tucker's!! The picture starts with sites 4 and 5; the small dots. Site 6 is in the corner where the two roads meet, then site 7, then the bathroom, and then site 8 on the bend in the road.

Site Details:
Site Type: STANDARD NONELECTRIC
Site Reserve Type: Site-Specific
Checkin Time: 2:00 pm
Checkout Time: 12:00 pm
Type of Use: Overnight
Minimum Number of People: 1
Maximum Number of People: 8
Pets Allowed: Domestic
Maximum Number of Vehicles: 2
Driveway Surface: Gravel
Driveway Entry: Back-In
Driveway Length: 35
Maximum Vehicle Length: 25
Shade: Partial
Capacity/Size Rating: Single
BBQ: Y
Campfire Allowed: Y
Fire Pit: Y
Food Locker: Y
Looking For Category: RV Site,Tent Site,Trailer Site
Picnic Table: Y

Altitude is 8681 feet
Fee: $8/ individual; $35/ group

Fifteen miles east of Escalante, Scenic Byway 12 descends to Calf Creek Recreation Area. This Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument facility is a perfect place to wade in the creek, have a picnic, or take the six mile round-trip nature hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls. The sandy trail ends at the 126-foot falls and an enchanting grotto with a deep pool surrounded by shade trees.

Visitors to Anasazi State Park Museum will go back in time to 1050 A.D. when the Fremont and Kayenta Anasazi occupied the area. An estimated 200 people once lived at the site, making it one of the largest Anasazi communities west of the Colorado River.
Take a self-guided tour through the partially excavated village and visit the museum to view the artifacts and exhibits.

The Burr Trail travels through some striking scenery. Visitors will drive through the bottom of Long Canyon, a colorful gorge. Views of the Circle Cliffs, the Waterpocket Fold of Capitol Reef, and Henry Mountains (the location of the only free roaming herd of buffalo in the country) can be seen from the Burr Trail

Escalante Petrified Forest State Park is located one mile west of Escalante along Scenic Byway 12. Visitors to the park may want to fish for trout, boat or swim at Wide Hollow Reservoir, or examine petrified wood dating back 160 million years. An interpretive trail that winds through the park’s foothills provides information about the colorful mineralized wood and dinosaur bones. The park’s campground is open year round. All services including public and private campgrounds are available in Escalante.

Magnificent salmon pink and red colored pinnacles and spires can be seen from viewpoints along the pine-covered rim of Bryce’s natural amphitheaters. There are more than 50 miles of hiking trails. Interpretive programs and trail rides are available. The park has two campgrounds, and the visitor center has an excellent museum and a 22-minute award winning video.