2011 Deer Hunt

Trevon had a great experience this past week. He and Mike both drew out for a deer tag in Southern Utah this year.  Mike was down for the count with his broken foot and word got out that Trevon needed a hunting partner this year.  Neighbors and friends offered to take him out on the hunt if he could work it into his schedule - that was the hardest part for him.  He hates to miss school and other activities at home.  On opening morning, he had to take the ACT test (College Entrance Exam).  He did not think "the hunt" was going to happen for him this year.  Thanks to our neighbor, Joe Holland, Trevon went out one evening during the week for a quick drive.  They did not have much time, but saw some small doe at sundown.  He came home excited and said, "Now, I'm ready to hunt." 

Joe and Trevon arranged their schedules to make one last attempt at it on the weekend (the last two days of the hunt).  Trevon got out of school early on Friday, met Joe and headed east of Zion National Park.  There, they meet up with Kory Wright and a few others that had been hunting and watching the deer all week.  Kory and Trevon got on the four wheeler and started out for the evening hunt.  As they were heading to the planned hunt area, they spotted some deer (just doe).  They continued on and soon, they saw another group of deer.  They stopped and watched as the deer slowly came out of the trees.  Kory was glassing the group (watching through binoculars). He said, "Doe,doe, doe...there's a buck!" Trevon was off the four wheeler in a flash, cranked a bullet into the chamber, put the deer in his scope, and BANG!  That was all it took. Trevon's First Deer!  Trevon said it all happened so fast, he did not even have time to get nervous.

A nice 2 X 3 buck!  The rest of the group caught up with them on the road and could not believe Trevon had already downed a deer.  They were just getting started. "Trevon, you got a full 15 minutes of hunting in," they said.  Trevon could now relax and enjoy the rest of the evening and next day.

Day of Rest

Last Sunday, Sadie and Kristi played some hymn duets on their violins that were soothing for the soul. I attempted to accompany them on the piano and then after a while Sadie played the piano while Kristi played her part on the violin. They played "I Am a Child of God" and a medley of "I Need Thee Every Hour/Sweet Hour of Prayer."

In Sunday School class today, our teacher had a list of items on the board and asked us to remove the items we could live without...until one remained. "Music" was one of the items listed and I REALLY didn't want it taken off the board. For the purposes of the lesson, it was removed though. How thankful I am to have music in my life and in the lives of my family, and that we don't have to live without it.

Trevon couldn't resist joining in while the girls played...you could say the spirit of the music was contageous!

This past week was an eventful one. Cari visited us as she had a break from school. On Tuesday I went to Cedar City and helped her in her efforts to find a job. She turned in some applications and we had lunch together before I headed home. This was the day that Mike's biological grandfather, Clark F. McIntosh, passed away. He was 91 years old. Mike has had some wrestless nights with his foot swelling and leg aching at times. When he keeps it elevated, the swelling seems to go down. Still, he felt able enough and wanted to travel to Arizona for the funeral. We decided to go.

On Wednesday, Cameron received his wolf badge for cub scouts. This was a big accomplishment for him and he will spend the next year working on earning the bear badge next. He thoroughly enjoys going to scouts each week and has some great leaders too.

Trevon ran in the State Cross Country Meet in Salt Lake City. He had a wonderful time. Out of eighteen teams, his came in tenth place. Trevon ran a great race and was pleased with his cross country experiences this year. His personal record for the year was 16 min. 40 sec. in a 5K (3 mile) run. His team was the fastest team that their coach has taken to State. They have made great "strides" over the past few years. Trevon came in 62nd place overall (out of 120+ runners). He plans to continue running in city sponsored races and such. Who knows, maybe next year he will run on a college team but he says it just won't be the same without his friends.

Thursday was the day Mike and I traveled to Arizona with Cameron, Elise and Corban. The older children stayed behind. Sadie had her first private lesson with Dr. Paul Abegg and Kristi had an Orchestra Concert.

In Arizona, we drove to Papa and Grandma Beutler's (Mike's parents) and spent the evening with them. We went to dinner at Serrano's Mexican Food Restaurant and had a treat at Mesa Frozen Yogurt. We visited Mike's sister Amy and met our newest niece, Nicole. It was great to see the Trent family. We enjoyed visiting with our extended family.

We woke early and headed to Phoenix for the funeral. It was good to see friends and family show their love and support for Connie and Lynn and pay their respects to Clark. He was a kind man and I'm so glad we were able to know him. As I looked at him, peacefully lying in the casket, I studied his face and noticed some resemblances between him and Mike; Things I never noticed before, like similarities in their facial features. The previous week I had attended a funeral that was very saddening to me. This funeral however was one that was almost comforting as Clark had lived a long, good life and was now at rest from his ailments. I became emotional when Clark's neighbor mentioned what a nice and wonderful man he was. I wholeheartedly agreed with her and then I felt that pang of missing him. At Sunland Memorial Park and Mortuary, the kids enjoyed watching the ducks and swans swimming outside. Canadian Geese were also on the lawns and the kids couldn't help themselves, having to chase them a little bit!

Clark Froding McIntosh

After the funeral, Connie showed us her new home and then we went to lunch at Arriba's Mexican Food Restaurant. We were glad to spend some time with Connie, Lynn and Rance (Fladeland) and catch up on what has been happening in their lives. It was a good reunion.

We then headed to Prescott Arizona to visit my mom and Doug. I had Mike move to the back seat of the car as his foot was noticably swollen. He just needed to elevate it. He was able to find a comfortable position to travel in and it made all the difference. We enjoyed a homemade roast dinner at mom's and watched a couple of episodes of "SING OFF" together. It was so great to spend time with mom and Doug. We felt right at home and really enjoyed our visit there. I was able to go on a run the next morning before we headed home.

Trevon took the ACT college entrance exam on Saturday morning. We arrived home from our trip at about 4pm. The girls had cleaned the house and it was nice to be home and back together again. I had just enough time to get things prepared for Sunday before the day was over. How glad I was today for a "Day of Rest." It has been nice reflecting on the week: thankful for loved ones, for helpful friends, for the gospel, for safety, for MUSIC and the many blessings that our Heavenly Father gives us daily.

Taking it Easy ... NOT!

The day after my birthday, Mike had surgery. I had a marathon of a day. After getting the kids off to school, I took him to the hospital for his surgery. We were there at 10a.m. and after he was admitted, Corban and I sat with him as he waited his turn.

At 11:15a.m. the doctor had not been in to see us yet, but I had to leave Mike with a kiss as I needed to pick up Sadie for an important meeting she had scheduled for noon.

I dropped Corban off at a sitter and picked up Sadie and rushed over to Dixie State College to meet with Dr. Paul Abegg (her soon to be violin instructor) and Keith Sorensen from The Music Opportunity Network. Sadie applied for a scholarship and the Music Opportunity Network granted her a great opportunity. They are not only helping to pay for violin lessons, but also provided her with a new violin.  At this meeting, Keith had 5 violins for Sadie to try out and choose from. Dr. Abegg and a student from Dixie helped her to make her choice. She will be under a "contract" to practice, attend her lessons, and make continued improvement in her playing. If she keeps her end of the bargain, she will be able to keep the violin for her own when she graduates from high school. If she does not uphold her part of the contract, she will return the violin to The Opportunity Network.  We are so thankful for this great opportunity Sadie has been given to improve her talent and continue to learn and grow in her music. This is the first contract of its kind that the Music Opportunity Network sponsors have offered. We feel it a great blessing. After this meeting, I ran Sadie back to school in time for her last class and headed back to the hospital to be with Mike.

Thankfully, Mike was still in surgery. I waited about 45 minutes and then Dr. Leon Reber came out to tell me how it went. He put a plate and four screws in Mike's foot. He said Mike's foot was pretty busted up, but he was able to fit the joint nicely into place and everything went well. I was pleased with the news. Shortly after talking to the doctor, I was called back to sit with Mike in recovery. He was shaking as the anesthesia was wearing off, and did not make very much sense. He felt terrible and all I could do was talk to him. At one point he mentioned to me that he thought he might stay overnight in the hospital because he was feeling so bad. He said it was the worst he has ever felt in his life. It was hard to watch him in his discomfort. It took almost 2 hours for him to feel ready to go home.

In the hospital, before surgery, he was given a nerve block in his leg. After about 24 hours, this block wore off and made Mike extremely uncomfortable. It took him a couple of days before he felt somewhat "comfortable" and able to manage the pain. The blue Polar Care contraption on his cast is hooked up to a cooler filled with ice and water. The cold water circulates through the loose fitting boot, acting as an ice pack, aiding in the reduction of swelling.

By Tuesday Mike was feeling so good, he went outside and ended up taking a tumble too. Luckily, he didn't mess up the surgery! Wednesday, Dr. Reber removed his cast, checking the stitches and such. I thought his foot looked great.  The doctor put him in a fiberglass cast and told him he would not need to return for two weeks. He would still need to wear the polar care on his foot, to keep it cool and stay off of his foot. At his next appointment, he might just have Mike wear a boot home on his foot, so that he can begin rehabilitation exercises. He will still need to remain off of his foot until the very end of the year. Mike has a hard time "taking it easy." He is not one to lay around and do nothing. Last evening, I found him in the backyard and asked, "WHAT are you doing?" His reply was, "This is how I take it easy!"

He was throwing firewood closer to the woodpile so that it would be easier for Cameron to stack.

Another Birthday!

I had a birthday last week. I really enjoyed the day. My friend, Tonya Beutler, picked me up in the morning and we went to a temple session together. Then, she treated me to lunch. I had a veggie burrito at Bajio - one of my favorites! It was so nice to visit with Tonya. She is a wonderful friend. She also gave me a kitchen apron, dishtowel and hotpad set. I felt spoiled!!! It was a great morning.

My dad sent me some flowers:

Sadie and Kristi made dinner. We had a salad with Italian Cheese Bread (a recipe that Sadie introduced us to. She made it in one of her foods classes last year). Kristi made it for the first time, for my birthday.

She did a great job! It was as irresistible as ever!

The kids shared some gifts of love...

and I enjoyed opening cards and gifts from loved ones far away.

My "cake" was a pazooki (or BIG COOKIE), baked in a round cakepan and served with vanilla ice cream. That was Mike's idea, and it was a good one!

I was able to visit with Cari, my mom, my brother and my sisters on the phone. Sara sent me some sweaters too! It was a happy day. Thanks to everyone who thought of me and made me feel special!

Italian Cheese Bread

2 1/2 c. flour

1 t. salt

1 t. sugar

1 T. yeast

1 c. warm water

1 T. vegetable oil

Combine the first three ingredients in a bowl. Combine water and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes. Add oil to liquid and then add to flour mixture. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface: knead for 2 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes. After rising, punch the dough down and place on greased 12 inch pizza pan and pat into a 12 inch circle.

Brush the top of the dough with 1/4 c. prepared Italian salad dressing. Then, sprinkle the dough with:

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. oregano

1/4 t. thyme

dash of pepper

Then sprinkle with:

1 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Mike's Journal Entry

This is the full story of the hike in Mike's own words.  This was taken from his journal:


Monday, October 03, 2011


It has been a while, and it is not Sunday, but I need to make an entry. This past week, some coworkers and I planned a hike in Zion National Park. The popular trail called The Subway. This is a well hidden slot canyon in the park where you can escape the summer heat and get wet while hiking. We left Wednesday, September 28th at 7:30am. We made it to the trail head and started our hike at 8:30am. There were 10 people in our party. The Costco employees were: Bob Malloy(Whse Mgr), Rob Everett(Asst GM), Greg Avalos(Merch Mgr), Tobin Nelson(Foods Mgr) Mike Sanberg(am Stocker/Driver, and our guide),Myself and 4 other friends and neighbors. The Hike made its way through beautiful forest and rock formations until we made it to the entrance and needed to descend into the canyon a little after 10am. We climbed down without much problem and put on our water clothes. We had to get wet right away and cross a pool. The water temp was around 50 degrees and the temp in the canyon was similar. It felt great! We continued on to the first obstacle on the trail. There are a few of these that require rope and skill. This one had two routes you could take. You could go over the top of this rock, slide down and jump to the sand and water below, or you could go to the right and use a rope and maneuver down a slot against the canyon wall to the bottom. I chose the first, mainly because it looked much faster and I had made similar jumps before. I slid down as far as I could, staying in control, and then jumped. The landing was water and sand, and looked like it would be soft enough to lighten my impact. At 10:30am, I made the Jump. It took longer to hit the bottom than expected and the landing was not as soft as I thought. I landed on my feet hard, bent my knees, and rolled as planned. I felt my left foot make a funny noise as I landed and sat with my feet still in the water. My friends heard the splash and loud landing and asked if I was ok. I said, “Give me a second, and I will let you know”. It did not take long to look at my foot and see the misshaped area around my ankle to know something was not right. I could move my toes and ankle slightly, but I saw a trickle of blood coming from my shoe in the water. As everyone made it to me, the reality set in that my hike had ended. We went into first aid mode. Some of us were Eagle scouts and had been scoutmasters and knew what to do. We took my water shoe off carefully and put my high top hiking shoe back on a.s.a.p. We laced it tightly to hold the swelling in and splint my foot. I had a small puncture on the lower side of my inside ankle, most likely a bone puncture that pulled back into the foot after impact. The pain started to settle in. I was wet and cold and with the pain (VERY BAD), I was starting to show signs on shock. Rob and Mike decided to make the hike back out the way we came and get help while the rest of the crew stayed back to keep an eye on me. They got me lying down with my foot elevated and started to build a fire to warm me up. (The previous night I was lying in bed and was prompted to get my consecrated oil to take with me. I have taken this with me numerous times with no need, but I felt I needed it. I got up and put it with my stuff). As I was lying there in great pain, and shaking, one of the others asked if I wanted a blessing. I remembered the prompting I had that previous night and told him were the oil was in my pack. I had him and my boss, Bob Malloy, give me a Priesthood Blessing there in the canyon. I told them I brought this in case we needed to use it on someone not in our party, especially not myself. I felt the spirit and knew I would be watched over. There were others in the group that were not members of the Church, and I wondered what they were experiencing, not knowing what we were doing. Within the next 30 min, we got a message back that Rob and Mike were able to get a cell signal at the top of the canyon and contacted Zion search and rescue. We later learned that they were able to keep a signal just long enough to contact them and for Zion to let us know the plan and then lost the signal. They sat there at the top of the rim for a few hours, waiting to meet the rescue team, and were not able to get even a slight signal. We waited for the same time and wondered how long it would be. I soon started to feel better and was able to relax and talk to the group to pass the time. I started to feel so good, that we decided to start working our way back out to lessen the time. The main problem was getting back up the 10-15ft drop that I came down with 1 foot this time. We devised a plan, put our rope tying knowledge to work, and went at it. 5 guys got on top, 2 stayed with me and we made a rescue harness. This time we went up through the gap in the rock. The ones on top pulled, and I inched my way back up without much problem. I had enough upper body strength to pull myself up and out of the whole. This, I know, was with Devine help. Just after getting everyone up, we saw the rescue team coming with Mike and Rob at 2:30pm. We discussed the plan with the group and the rescue team and decided there was still enough time for the rest of the group to continue on the hike. That was a relief for me. They were all so great on helping me, and I did not want them to miss out on the rest of the hike. I wished them luck, ensured them I would be ok and sent them on their way. The RT. (rescue team) told me that making it back up that obstacle saved over an hour of time and was amazed I was able to do it with the condition of my foot. They took my vitals and asked how my pain was on a scale of 1-10. I told them it was about a 2 and felt like I had just lightly sprained my ankle. They assured me it was much more than a sprain and looked like it was an open/compound fracture of the foot because of the puncture wound. They offered pain medication but I told them I was ok and would let them know. The plan was laid out to me. The only way I was to get out of the canyon was with a helicopter. Making the 2 hour hike back in my condition was impossible. The RT. was waiting for the confirmation on getting the helicopter. The base called back on the radio to let us know we were not going to be able to get the helicopter that night. “What does that mean? I said. It looks like we will be spending the night right here and get out tomorrow”. They started making preparations for gear to be packed down.(Sleeping bags, food and water) This started to get me a little scared. I knew it was going to be cold, eating MRE’s, and sleeping on rocks with a broken foot was going to be less than comfortable. During these preparations, we got a call back from the base that they were able to get the Grand Canyon rescue helicopter and ETA was 5:30pm. We all had a look of relief on our faces. We had a couple of hours to get prepared. They showed me how I was to be hooked up to the cable and asked if I had any problems with heights or motion sickness. I told them,” No, but would that matter?” They said, ”Not really. You’re going out this way no matter what.” For the next little while I tried to stay comfortable and watched the RT set up some rescue loops in rocks to aide in moving another patient up the obstacle and through a rock field for future rescues. I said a prayer and thanked my Heavenly Father for my blessings and his watchful eye over me, and prayed for continued safety that day. The Helicopter arrived on time and we started guiding it in to our location. They lowered a 150ft cable down to us. They attached myself, one of the rescuers and some gear and started to make our accent out of the canyon. We were just dangling on a rope below the helicopter and made the approx. 10min flight out of the canyon to our landing point on Kolob road. I got a little dizzy during the accent as the downdraft of the helicopter blades caused us to spin like a windmill. As soon as we started to make forward movement, we stabilized and I could enjoy the ride over Zion in a way not many get to see. It was a great view of the canyons with nothing below me but my broken foot and open air. The Ambulance was waiting at the landing area. As I was loaded on the ambulance, I saw part of my hiking group stop and ask if that was me. They then knew I made it out ok. How grateful I am that I have great friends and coworkers that did everything in their power to help me. I felt their concern. That meant a lot to me. They made it out just as I was getting out. On the way to the Hospital, I called home (approx6:30pm) and let Trevon know to tell mom about my accident and to meet me at the Hospital. Shelly was not home at the time but I knew would be soon. I had plenty of time to look back on the day and see just how blessed I was and had a lot to tell Shelly about. I have a broken heel and some other fractures in the same area. I was kept in the hospital overnight to keep an eye on my pain and infection. That night was painful and restless. My recovery time is 12 weeks. On the way home from the hospital, I stopped by Costco to get the paperwork for my L.O.A. (leave of absence) filled out and found out my leave is covered 100% for up to 12 weeks, just long enough for my recovery. I was really worried about this. Another blessing! Yesterday was General Conference. I felt the spirit of many of the messages. Last night, I woke up to some pain. After going to the bathroom, it got worse. I laid there trying to get to sleep, and dosed off for a short time. I had a short dream. I saw myself back in the canyon again. I was lying on my back and was going through my sever pain and body shakes. (The first 2 hours after my injury) I saw a man standing to the side of me. He was dressed in a robe with a cloth draped over his head. He raised his hand and my pain ceased. I could not see his face. I woke up quickly from this dream. A warm feeling came over me and my pain went away. I had to think a little about this. Our group was not alone! I told Shelly my experience and I cried. I was able to get back to sleep with just another blessing in my life. The Gospel is true. I have been given these experiences for my personal growth.

Hiking the Subway

It was supposed to be a beautiful 6 hour hike in Zion National Park.  The Subway  is a popular slot canyon that Mike was hiking with some coworkers and friends this past Wednesday. They left early in the morning.

Mike loved the beautiful scenery and rock formations they hiked through, as they headed towards the canyon.

Below is the entrance to the Subway. It took them two hours of hiking to get to this point. Let the fun begin!!!

When Mike reached this point of the hike, the "FIRST OBSTACLE," he had a choice to make: Go down the front of the rock and jump (10 +  feet) or use a rope to descend through a crevice around the side.

Mike chose the quick route, to jump, and found that the sand below was much harder than expected. He ended up with a broken foot!  

Those he was with took great care of him as they waited four hours for the rescue team to arrive. It took three more hours of waiting for the helicopter to arrive from the Grand Canyon to lift him out. Mike was attached to the cable 150 feet below the helicopter and was lifted out of the canyon in a harness. It was a ride he'll never forget! 



An ambulance met him (and one of the rescuers) at the landing area and he was transported to the hospital around 6 p.m. On the ride to the hospital, Mike called home and told Trevon to break the news to me when I got home. It was after 7pm when I heard about the accident and headed to the hospital.

An X ray and a cat-scan revealed that Mike had broken his heel as well as other bones in the left foot. He also had a puncture wound that was bleeding from his foot. It is estimated that his recovery will take three months. He is scheduled to have surgery this next week and then will have to stay off of his foot completely for it to heal. He is optimistic for a speedy recovery and would like to someday attempt the Subway again, this time without jumping!

Mike will be writing down his experience during the next couple of days, in which he saw many little miracles and blessings happen. I will post some of his words later.

Sadie's Birthday

For Sadie's birthday I made lunch for her and her friends. It was fun having this great group of girls over for a small celebration in the middle of the school day.

Megan, Kyla, Jennifer, Amanda, Rachael C., Madi, Jessica, Ashley, Emily, Rachael D., and Sadie.

I served taco salad. The girls piled their plates with Fritos chips, chili, cheese, tomato, lettuce, olives, onion, sour cream and salsa ... it was YUMMY!!!

Mike made some Lemon flavored cupcakes. We stuck a candle in one for Sadie to blow out and sang her "Happy Birthday."

 

That evening, after dinner, we gave Sadie some presents. She enjoyed the card and money her grandparents sent her, as well as a watch with changeable bands. Mike and I gave her a metronome with blue rosin (for her violin) and a violin mute. She was really pleased as she has wanted a metronome to keep time as she practices both her piano and violin.

A little later, we sang Happy Birthday and had cake (Spice) and ice cream (Cookies 'n Cream).