La Gran Aventura Day 53: Come, Follow Me and Japanese Poetry

Thursday, February 1, 2024

This morning I went for another run with Betty. Her leg is feeling way better, and I’m so grateful for that.

In the morning we went to do baptisms in the Orem temple with Ada and Brooklyn and the kids. I love the baptistry there. The stained glass windows with the sandhill crane are just stunning.

Yesterday the kids missed the Orem High seminary, so we had to make it up by doing a lesson at home. Came back and had a fun seminary lesson where they made Come, Follow Me videos. Really fun.

In the evening, I drove Betty around to run some errands. While she shopped, I sat in the car with River, and I read the introduction to Bashō’s Narrow Road to the Far North. Bashō is a Japanese poet from the 17th century who was hugely influential in the development of the haiku. His best work (IMO) is a combination of prose and poetry about the many pilgrimages he took throughout Japan. It made me think a lot about contemplation and nature. I want to be more quiet inside -- more observant. I want to teach my kids to do the same thing. When I got home, Dad and I had a good chat about this same idea.

Bashō says:

What is important is to keep our mind high in the world of true understanding, and returning to the world of our daily experience to seek therein the truth of beauty. No matter what we may be doing at a given moment, we must not forget that it has a bearing upon our everlasting self which is poetry.

Bashō, Matsuo. The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches (Classics) (p. xxxii). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition.

Also this:

Go to the pine if you want to learn about the pine, or to the bamboo if you want to learn about the bamboo. And in doing so, you must leave your subjective preoccupation with yourself. Otherwise you impose yourself on the object and do not learn. Your poetry issues of its own accord when you and the object have become one – when you have plunged deep enough into the object to see something like a hidden glimmering there. However well phrased your poetry may be, if your feeling is not natural – if the object and yourself are separate – then your poetry is not true poetry but merely your subjective counterfeit.

Basho, Matsuo. The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches (Classics) (pp. xxxvii-xxxviii). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition.


La Gran Aventura Day 52: River in the ER

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Quote of the day:

Anahi: I drank a whole knickerbocker of water.

Me: Do you even know what a knickerbocker is? They are those short pants that they used to wear in old-timey times.

Anahi: Did you were knickerbockers when you were a kid? Back in the 1980s?

This morning I went back to take pictures a the Orem Temple. I’m not sure if the light was right. I also went back to my special spot to see if Timp would look good, but it didn’t. The morning felt like kind of a bust, but we’ll see what the photos look like.

Then I came home and took Betty and River to play at Annie’s, and then I went for a run. While I was running I listened to The Optimal Work podcast, which is incredible. This week Dr. Majeres was talking about how to discipline children. He recommended a book called No Drama Discipline by Dan Siegel. I want to talk to the kids about the podcast, and I’d love to pick up the book. The main idea is that as parents we need to avoid being authoritarian or passive, but rather authoritative. It’s the same principle that’s taught in the church’s Strengthening the Family manual. We need to be firm in setting limits, but we also need to work hard to build bonds with our kids. It’s not easy, but it is the best way.

The church manual puts it like this:

Authoritative parents show the same high expectations for their children as authoritarian parents, but they also show a high degree of warmth and responsiveness. They are loving and supportive. As they guide their children, they “encourage verbal give and take and share with their children the reasoning behind their policies.” These parents “exert firm control at points of parent-child divergence but do not hem in their children with restrictions. Authoritative parents are demanding in that they guide their children’s activities firmly and consistently and require them to contribute to family functioning by helping with household tasks. They willingly confront their children in order to obtain conformity, state their values clearly, and expect their children to respect their norms.” In her studies over several decades, psychologist Diana Baumrind found that children raised in authoritative homes were most likely to be socially confident, friendly, self-disciplined, cooperative, and achievement oriented.

After my run, I was going to take the kids to seminary, but it was an early out day, and we missed it. So we went to Barnes and Noble instead. Everyone got books. Ian: Greek Mythology. Kimball: Michael Vey. Anahi: Unbroken. Alicia: a book on the holocaust. I hope they’ll read them ;)

While we were driving, I had a good talk with the kids about discipline that somehow turned into a talk about our country. The kids asked if there is any hope for us. I think there is -- but ultimately that hope comes from the Savior.

Then we got home and had some lunch, and the girls went with Grandpa to Wyoming to get Brooklyn.

In the afternoon the boys did a bunch of reading. That’s a win.

When I went to get River and Betty, River was not doing well. She really just tanked super fast. Betty was feeling really worried, and that made me feel worried, so we took her to the Instacare. When we got there they immediately put an O2 sensor on her, and it was low. So they sent us to the ER, where they also immediately put an O2 sensor on her, and she was totally fine and already looking better. After lots of swabs and a ton of bravery on River’s part, it turned out that she just has the flu.

After we came back, I went to Walmart and swung by the temple for more pictures. The light still wasn’t the best, but I did the best I could.

After that I took the older kids to a fireside with their cousins, and then Betty and I went for a 4 mile walk.

La Gran Aventura Day 51: Rock Canyon and Back

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

This morning we woke up, and I had everyone do a pack check. It didn’t go terribly, but it could also have gone better.

We left Anahi and River home because they aren’t quite feeling up to snuff, and then the rest of us went for 10 miles -- up to Rock Canyon and back. It was a good walk -- tough, but not terrible. We’re definitely getting stronger. Although the real trick will be when we walk with full packs on again.

In the night, Alicia and River were so cute playing with each other. Alicia was helping River to pretend that she was having phone calls -- and they were hilarious. I love these girls!

• Distance Hiked Today: 16.4 km / 10.2 mi

• Distance hiked on trip: 81.65 km / 50.73 mi


La Gran Aventura Day 50: The Liahona

Monday, January 29, 2024

I slept on an air mattress last night. Maybe I didn’t inflate it well enough, but it was not comfortable. Hopefully River can get feeling better today, or I will just have to get used to this.

I’m going to disappear and get a bunch of work done today. Top of list: sell the Sequoia and get bank accounts for the kids.

I’m reading in the Book of Mormon in chapter 16. Lehi has this preparatory time where he has to send his sons back for the plates and then again for the family of Ishmael. Then, when it is time to really head into the desert, the Lord sends him the Liahona. What is our Liahona?

Combine that with what we talked about yesterday concerning the guidance of the Spirit. Our Elders quorum lesson was great. We talked about the talk by Elder Eyring about the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. It dawned on me that we often expect that if we are following the Spirit it will lead us down an easier path. Nephi teaches that the Liahona led them “in the more fertile parts of the wilderness” (1 Nephi 16:16). But I was thinking yesterday: if the purpose of life is to grow, and we only grow through resistance, then the Holy Ghost would not be doing us any favors if it only led us down the path of least resistance. In fact, we should expect that the Holy Ghost will lead us down the path of most grown -- the path of most resistance. And we see that in Nephi’s journey. They faced all kinds of trials and troubles, even when the Liahona was working for them. So even if we are led by the Spirit on this trip -- which I believe we are -- then we have to expect trials. And the bigger the struggles, the more growth we can hope to have if we take the Savior’s hand. One of the key differences between Nephi and his brothers is that while they complained and looked for every opportunity out of the difficult times, Nephi accepted and was grateful for the blessings of the Lord -- even in the hard times.

In the morning today I had a good talk with Matt Bell on the phone, and then Betty, Alicia, Ian, and I went for a walk down to UVU.

When we got there, Ian said: “I recognize this place. Specifically that wall!” I thought that was the most random thing, but it turns out they filmed a part of an episode of Random Acts right in front of that wall. We walked to see the window of the history of knowledge. It’s amazing! Then we walked to Walmart and then back to the house. It was good to get out and breath some air and stretch our legs.

  • Distance Hiked Today: 6.11 km/3.8 mi

  • Distance hiked on trip: 75.54  km/46.94 mi

La Gran Aventura Days 48-49: Funeral in Clinton and church with friends

Saturday, January 27, 2024 and Sunday, January 28, 2024

On Saturday the kids stayed home and rested while Betty and I went up to Clinton, UT to attend the funeral of the daughter-in-law of one of Betty's dear friends, Shelly.

After that, we went to visit Betty's other dear friend: Mónica.

On Sunday we attended church at the Lakeridge 1st Ward. It was fun to see so many friends in that Spanish unit, including Betty's friend Lupita from Empalme, and Carlos and Reyna Aburto.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxed as some of the kids are still a bit under the weather.

La Gran Aventura Day 47: Bridal Veil Falls to Home

Friday, January 26, 2024

This morning I went and took some pictures of the Orem Temple during blue hour. Afterwards, we went on our longest hike yet: 7.6 miles. And River walked the entire way :)

In the evening Betty went out to dinner with her friends.

• Distance Hiked Today: 11.42 km/7.09 mi

• Distance hiked on trip: 69.43 km/43.14 mi

La Gran Aventura Day 46: A Cold Hike up the Canyon

Thursday, January 25, 2024

After lunch we hiked up the canyon. It was freezing and tough, but I know we'll be grateful for these days in the future.

• Distance Hiked Today: 5.04 km/3.13 mi

• Distance hiked on trip: 57.01 km/36.02 mi


La Gran Aventura Day 45: Timpanogos Temple

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

This morning we woke the kids up early, and they helped chop up nuts for the granola. It’s really selling well!

After that, we went to the Timpanogos Temple for baptisms.

I’m still thinking about what can we do to make the temple visits we are doing more meaningful. The thought I had today -- spurred by Alicia -- was to think about the people for whom we are doing the work.

When we got back, we visited with Diana and Marybeth. They are loving the granola.

In the afternoon, we sent Kimball, Ian, and River out to the street to sell granola. They were super cute, and they did a great job -- even if they didn’t have tons of clients. Alicia did an especially good job on the sign.

While they were out, Betty and I went to Winco, Walmart, and Costco to price out ingredients for salsa and granola. Costco won.