The Garrison Family: Hiking Mount Charleston

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Hiking Mount Charleston

On Friday, May 23rd, Matt had the day off (it was a 'Family Day' for the Memorial Day weekend), so he and two friends, Bohdi and Wedge, decided to go hike Mount Charleston. Bohdi needed to hike the mountain that day for his training schedule (he's going to go climb Mt. Ranier in early June), so Matt and Wedge went with him. The weather wasn't the greatest at our house that day, but the guys were going to hike rain or shine. They only assumed that there would be rain up on the mountain, but it ended up that in addition to the rain, there was also snow--and LOTS of it.

Matt said that he would be done in the early afternoon (they left the house at 6am sharp) but the hike ended up taking 10 straight hours (6 hours up and 4 hours down). I started getting worried about him at about 2 or 3 in the afternoon, as I hadn't heard from him yet. At 6:30pm, I finally got a text message from him saying that they were getting into the car to come home.

When Bohdi's truck pulled into the driveway, it was still covered in snow. All three guys were shiverring, cold, wet, and tired. Once I saw these pictures I got a bit mad at Matt, as they should have turned around when it started to snow (logic would tell you to do that). Had they not had a GPS (because the trails got covered in 6 inches of snow) or had it snowed a bit more, they could have gotten stranded up on the mountain. But, they had their manhood's to defend. I'm just glad they all made it back home safely...although Wedge still hasn't regained feeling in one of his hands.

The ascent...

(Left to right: Wedge, Bohdi, and Matt)

Almost to the top...

After 6 straight hours of hiking uphill, they made it to the top...

Time to descend...but where's the trail?

The trail is around here somewhere...

Ava Holt was waiting in the driveway for her Daddy when he got home. She was sad that he was gone all day and couldn't wait to play with him. Since Matt was half frozen, Ava Holt got to play with her Daddy while taking a nice hot bath to help him thaw out.

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About Us...

Matt and I met on April 14, 2001 in Glendale, Arizona. I was in college at Pepperdine University and he was in F-16 pilot training at Luke AFB. We met through my brother, Matt (Goat), who was also going through pilot training at Luke. The two Matts met their freshman year at the Air Force Academy where they were assigned to the same squadron and lived next door to one another. Despite Matt being friends with my brother since 1995, we had never met one another before 2001. I fell in love with Matt at first sight and he fell in love with me shortly thereafter. We were married on October 4, 2003 in the Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy-it seemed only fitting. God has blessed us with almost 5 busy, exciting, and wonderful years of marriage. In that time, we have lived in 3 states, 2 countries, run in over 20 races (combined) in 6 different countries and 5 different states, traveled to almost 30 different countries, and have have been blessed with the most precious and beautiful little girls.

Ava Holt was born at 3:05 AM on November 1, 2007. At 2 weeks early, she weighed in at 7 pounds, 11.4 ounces and was 20 inches long. Ava Holt is a dramatic yet easy going little soul. She loves attention and is always happy. She is incredibly observant, freakishly strong, very independent, and a very fast learner. Her curiosity fuels her day, as she fills her hours getting into anything and everything under 5 feet in height. As much as she loves me, she loves her Daddy even more. She is the epitome of a 'Daddy's Girl' and the highlight of her day is when Matt gets home and she gets to perform, laugh, and squeal for him. Then, when her Daddy gets in her way, her favorite person in the world is her baby sister, Myla Grace. From the moment she met Myla Grace at the hospital on the day we came home from the hospital, she was smitten. There wasn't a jealous bone in her body, only pure love. We are beyond blessed to have the miracle of Ava Holt in our lives. Oh, and did I mention that 'You Are My Sunshine' is her FAVORITE song? The apple didn't fall far from the tree, as it's mine too.

Sweet Myla Grace was born at 5:04 PM on December 2, 2009. At 3 weeks early, she weighed in at 7 lbs, 0.4 ounces and was 19 inches long. Myla Grace is so disgustingly sweet. She is our cuddly little one who prefers to be carried and or held when at all possible. While sweet and cuddly, she also loves to destroy, dismantle, and disassemble most things within her reach...all while flashing the most precious of smiles. And through all of her sweetness, she has the uncanny ability to make you laugh all day long. Maybe it's the mullet she's had since birth, the gummy grin (which is starting to blossom with teeth), or her serious smirks, but whatever it is, we can't get enough. Although Myla Grace was a complete surprise, we can't imagine life without her. She is absolutely Ava's little buddy (whom Ava affectionately calls, 'the little one,' 'Mywa Grace,' and 'Mah-la.'), Amy's cuddle bug, Matt's giggling partner, and the most beautiful little blessing.

Harper Lee was born at 3:28 PM on May 31, 2013. Also arriving 3 weeks early, Harper weighed in at a hefty 6 lbs, 15 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. From the moment she entered this world, Harper has been the happiest, calmest, smiley-est {if that's even a word}, sweetest, and easiest baby we've ever had. She NEVER cries and is so incredibly easy going...to the point that I thought something was wrong with her. And unlike her big sisters, Harper has always been on the tiny side of small. After several rounds of tests when she was 6-months old to make sure she didn't have any development or growth problems, the Doctors came to the conclusion that she is just going to be "petite." So despite being in the 5th percentile for her age, our precious Harper girl is absolutely perfect as the tiny little package that she is. Oh, and did I mention that she is the BEST eater in our family? This sweet girl can mow through food like a 10yr old! I am a believer in miracles and Harper further confirms my faith. Her existence is a pure miracle (not to mention an ultimate surprise) and we thank God all the time for giving her to us. We thought our hearts were complete but we had no idea how big of holes we had until she joined our lives. Her laughter, giggles, rambling babbles, smiles, and 2-finger sucking are constant reminders that we are recipients of so much undeserved grace. At 21-months old, Harper's favorite things are cats (she calls them "nows"--her way of saying meow), dogs ("uf-ufs"), Ava ("aw-buh"), and balloons ("boons").