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Summer plans and my sister is getting married

Eye of Kali Hibiscus
Thomas picked up this gorgeous Eye of Kali Hibiscus recently. He got into gardening last summer, which has elevated our yard from worst on the block to not too shabby. Picture by yours truly.

 

I’m about to get on a plane so I’ll keep this brief. A few days ago I revisited my list of goals for 2016 and was pleasantly surprised with how many of them I have either reached or am on the path to. I set 36 goals with the premise that if I accomplish even a third of that I’ll be satisfied.

So this all ties in to my summer plans. Kind of. I’ve got some travel plans coming up and I’m going to try to take the GRE later this summer. I also got accepted to participate in a writer’s retreat next month, so go me. The third Catahoula comes out next month and I’m staying on at my current job for at least another six months. Writing for a living badge? Unlocked.

Things I haven’t been so great at: weekly Spanish lessons haven’t happened, no plans on traveling abroad anytime soon and hitting the gym hasn’t happened in a long time.

Whatever.

In a few hours I’m heading out west to the Grand Canyon for my sister’s wedding. I went to there last summer (to Havasupai) but this trip will be different. Aside from Christin’s nuptials, this will be the first time in five years that I will be there with my brother and sister.  What’s the significance? Here ya go, cut and paste from my Facebook because I’m feeling lazy.

June 7, 2016: Today marks 15 years since my dad died. The last thing my dad wanted to do was hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon before he died. He never got the chance.

So all three of his kids did it for him.
The year after my dad died, Thomas and I hiked to the bottom for the first time. The next year, we spent a summer working on the South Rim, then we got married at Havasupai.
After Katrina, Chris and Ruben moved to the Canyon and eventually both got jobs working at Phantom Ranch (aka the bottom of the Canyon). Thomas and I landed in Scottsdale after the storm, so we went to the Canyon every chance we could get.
Christin graduated high school in 2006 and her graduation present was a trip to Phantom. She had never been hiking before, so we brought her ass down there in the pitch dark. It wasn’t even a full moon; I’m talking total darkness save for a headlamp.
Fast forward to this week; I’ve hiked to the bottom 10 times, Christin has hiked down several times (5 or 6?) and Chris lived down there. And now my sister is getting married on the South Rim at Shoshone Point this Saturday.
I think Dad would be rather proud.