Spring Break in Indian Creek!

Hovenweep - Indian Ruins

April 1-9 was APA's spring break vacation. I was lucky enough to be invited to travel to Hovenweap with my sister Libby and her cute little family. Brad, Libby, me, Sam, and Max loaded up the camper and Dad's truck! We drove to Hovenweap, which is a national monument that has some of the coolest indian ruins I have seen. We hiked and relaxed and had a great time. Here are some of the highlights:

This is one of the old ruins we were able to look at and wonder about a people that existed long ago in Utah! It was a beautiful day for a hike.

The Sheneman Family! Sam was a great hiker and enjoyed all of the sticks he found.

Max was a good sport for most of the hikes!

Sam wants to be just like his Daddy!

Brothers taking a rest on the bench. 

Could you imagine living here?

Summer Time on my Mind...

I have made it to the end of 3rd term! Wow! I'm impressed with myself and super stoked on my progress and what I have accomplished in my first year teaching again. With that being said, I have a few things on my mind now that I can think about myself for a few moments. That sounds bad, but really I haven't thought about much these days except for my sobriety and my students.

Update on sobriety... it has been over 2 months since my last slip... yes I slip. I'm on the right track and feeling pretty good about it. I think that my sobriety is a little different this time because I have a lot of support and I'm trying to prevent events that would cause me to drink.. aka boy issues, stress, and anxiety. I have been working out as much as I can which includes yoga 2 times a week. I would go every day if I could and I will in the summer time. I have been going to therapy 3 times a week for the past 2 months. I think that I have quite a bit going on!!

I have a lot of ideas about summer, in my mind. I would love to go and visit David and Cicely. Their kids are growing up so quick and I don't want to miss more than I have to. I think that as long as I stay sober I will be able to go and visit them with my probation officers permission. I think that he will and I could really use a fun vacation with my favorite kiddo's!

I'm looking forward to biking daily this summer. I hope to bike at least 2 canyons per week. 12 weeks of summer, that would make 24 hill climbs. It would be super cool if my Dad could do them with me. I also would like to start hiking more. I hiked all the time when I could drive, but it has been 4 years since I drove. I'm also looking forward to the sun, and continuing on making my life good.

It will be a good summer, now that the sun is shining! Bike on!

American Preparatory Academy

American Preparatory Academy

It's been a while since I updated my blog, time to spill what the summer entailed and what my next adventure will be. I am thrilled to say that I will be teaching 4th grade this year at The American Preparatory Academy. I didn't know for sure if I was going to teach again this year, but my brother in law Davey convince me to interview at APA. I'm so glad that he did, because they offered me a position. 

APA is a Direct Instruction school. It is a very different approach than your typical public school that many of us attended as children. I taught in the public school system for four years plus one year of student teaching, and I found myself complaining constantly about what was not being taught and that children were not learning. 

I was fortunate enough to also teach summer school after they offered me a contract for the fall. It was such an awesome experience to watch children come to school each day ready and excited to learn. Although it was summer, I rarely heard a complain about being in school. Teaching over the summer gave me a chance to dip my toes into direct instruction. It is very new to me, and I absolutely love it! 

You can read about DI here:

http://www.nifdi.org/15/about-di

You can watch a demonstration here:

DI Pioneer - Zig Engleman

Over the past two weeks I have been participating in teacher training and pre-service for the upcoming school year. I thought that I knew a lot about DI when I taught summer school and with the little observing I did at the end of last year, but I was wrong. I have gathered and learned so much information and I am thrilled to be a part of it. Carolyn Sharrette and Laura Campbell, founders of APA,  are truly amazing, and have done some awesome things for education over the past ten years. I know that this is the opportunity of a lifetime. I feel so fortunate to have been hired, and I get to make kids smart! 

School starts on September 4th, which is in a week and a day! I cannot believe that school is so close. I am nervous and excited at the same time. Usually when school would begin I would have a mountain of nerves and anxiety. Fortunately I feel very peaceful and just excited to get started. I perform the best when I am constantly busy and challenged and I know that I will find that with APA. I have such a fabulous team to work with and help me along that I am not scared. 

There are a few speed bumps that I will have to get through at the beginning of the year. For one, our school is still under construction. I have a week to really get my classroom ready for the kids to come and be productive learners. I think that I can do it, but it will be a lot of work. Starting tomorrow I am going to try to spend all of my time at TAS (my campus) getting things ready to go. I need to be prepared for at least the first 2 weeks of school. Luckily the teachers on my team are amazing and they have already done a lot of the work for me. Now it is really about me practicing and getting ready to teach the awesome curriculum. We have a pretty tight schedule, which I am so happy about. The kids will be learning so much this year, and I am glad to be the one delivering it!

Here is to a great year at American Preparatory Academy. 

Ms. Cain

Things are Gonna Change.... I Can Feel It!

FINALLY!

After a long, almost 3 year, journey I am graduating graduate school! As of November 7, 2011 I will be a graduate of University of Phoenix with  Masters in Math and Curriculum Education! A little boring, but challeniging.  

Out with the Old (Insure Pro) and in with the New (Last Samurai)

Out with the Old and In with the New!

This last month has been a hard one. For almost two years I have worked at Insure Pro until about a month ago. The day was such a blur that I actually don't remember the date that it happened. I lost my job with them. They have their reasons, which I think are crazy, but in the end it was a very VERY good thing. I love my Insure Pro family, but I am so glad that I don't work their anymore. I was under pressure and inexperienced with what they expected from me. I can say that I tried my best to learn what I could, but it was time to move on. They gave me an awesome letter of recomendation, which I haven't had to use....

I had already picked up a part time job with The Last Samurai. They hired me on as a manager, and I love love love it! At first I was only working about two nights a week because I was full time with Insure Pro. Now that my schedule opened up I have moved to being basically full time! I love my schedule with them. For example: Today I slept in, and now I am blogging. Last night I didn't dream once about Insurance.

At the Last Samurai I am the manager and that makes me feel great! I have had almost every position that has existed in the sushi world.

I do have to say that Lorne is a bit of a dork, and he will get what is coming to him.

Come in and eat at the last Samurai!!!

xoxo

Spiderlicious

Spiders are Nasty! Sorry Spider Lovers:(

My family had dinner on a Sunday and we decided to eat on the patio at my parents house. I am not sure who noticed it first, but someone spotted this:

I know what you are thinking... sick. I kept looking at it, then looking away. I was just so curious and sicked out at the same time. After dinner we kept looking at it, and wondering what kind of spider it was, but we were having a hard time identifying it. It was some kind of garden spider, but the problem was that it was very swollen. Swollen = Pregnant. I think I would die if 1,000 more of these things were running around our yard. She did spin a beautiful web, but let's be honest, she is no Charolette's Web.

We left the spider alone for the night, mostly because none of us dared to get very close to it. It had two spikes on its' back. The next day it was in the same place. She was so fat I don't think that she could move. My dad really wanted us to leave the spider alone. When he was not around we decided that it was best that we send it on its way. My mom grabbed the spider killer spray, and sprayed away. I was not there when this happened, but arrived shortly after.

Mike Sharette had come over, because his motorcycle broke down, and he offered up his assistance. They stuck the dead spider into a water bottle, and we examined it a bit. Then, Mike wanted to disect it and really see what was inside of it. Here is how it played out. . . I still want to puke everytime I see this.

I am officially scare of spiders. More than I was before.

Summer and all that Jazz....

This summer of 2011 has been an intersting one. I have stayed very busy, but I have managed to have a lot of fun in the non-busy moments. Starting in June I moved into the Bell Wines! Yes, the word Wine is in the name of my building. After getting three DUI's people tend to think that is pretty ironic, or a bit hilarious! I like to think of it as "not a big deal." I love my building and I love that I live alone. I love company, but some days it is so nice to just be by myself, where I can eat chips and eggs, and no one says a damn word about it!

Moving in has been fairly slow. I have lived here for four months, and I still have managed to have 20 boxes in my living room + 300 elementary level books. I am; however, slowly getting rid of them. I am selling a bunch of my books to Carolyn Sharette! She owns a school, and said she would buy my books if they were on her reading list. I have a ton on her list! = Yeah!

I've been slowly accumulating "things" and my place is slowly coming together. I love being here actually! I have a real bed and I have cable and I actually have internet! Oh damn, steppin it up!

One of the best things about living at the Bell Wines is that my best friend Layla lives just a hop, skip, and a jump over the balcony. I just have to crawl through the window, cross the weird junkies side of the balcony, and I have coffee on Sunday morning. Layla is the best! This summer she rented some paddle boats, and we went paddle surfing up at East Canyon! I have never had so much fun. It was great! Here are a few of the highlights from out day out and about....

Layla would probably kill me if she knew I posted this, but no one really reads this blog! She looks hot anyhow. So paddle boats, you just stand on, and paddle! They are quite hard to balance on, but we eventually got the hang of it! Here are a few more photos of us....

We had a great time!

I am tired. More to come, I do have many more photos.

Paddle Boating is awesome. Try it.

We like to have fun!
 

Updates from the past 8 months... have quite a few....Get ready to read!

Okay, so the last post I wrote had something to do with a friendly place called Jail. NOT fun. That was in March, well I got released March 18th, Zing! I actually really value my experience there, it was good for me. I met a lot of good friends, including a girl named Wi-Wi, or I like to call her the predator - she is rad. Okay so since I got released I have been trying to get my life back on track, school, yoga, love, and family! Some of those things have worked out, and some haven't. I will try to start where I left off...

March 18th - Released! Started probation and when I thought my trials were over, they really just started. Jail was easy, probation and gaining back some trust is a little more complicated.

I do have my drivers license! I actually got it back before I even went to jail. I choose not to drive. I don't want to buy a car, and it's always a good excuse when I don't feel like going to meet someone. "Tracks doesn't run, it's raining, it's too far to bike!" The winter might be tough, but honestly I did it all last winter, so I'm good.

So after Jail I started working the next day. I think that I was released on a Saturday?? I will have to double check that. I was so excited to be out. Unfortunately the guy I was really stoked on, told me he had a girlfriend through texting. It was cool though, and I wish him the best. I was already single 40 days, so I was fine. Anyways, started work and had to retrain with the girl I trained to take over my position. That was tough but after a few days I was back in the flow of it. I also got a raise, and a new office! Doesn't make sense, but I'm happy. Get 3 DUI's = New office and better pay! Interesting. I am super greatful for my employer though. Insure Pro has been amazing and I will be forever in debt to them for even hiring me.

So I lived at home with the rents until I could afford to move out. That didn't happen until June 1st. My parents wanted me out, and that makes sense because I am 31 and too old to live at home. Moving was tough. Luckily my good friend Antua helped me. He was a saint and helped me move all of my storage unit and all my other crap. I have much more than I thought. I moved to the Bell Wines Apartment downtown. I finally felt home again. I love living alone and downtown. Much more accesible when I'm biking everywhere. I could do without all of the meth addicts that live next door, but hey what can you do.

I was stoked on the Bell Wines because one of my best friends lives here. Layla, she is dope. I love living by her. She is a good example for me, and a huge support. Also when I told the owner that I was a felon he was ok with that and still let me move in. It is really cute. Love my place. One bedroom, and perfect for me. The only hard thing with living downtown is that I am far away from my yoga studio and my yoga family. I have only been able to make it a few times a week if that. Everytime I show up though the whole class is so excited to see me. Marc Linton has been a huge support. Always checking up on me to make sure that I am doing okay. He was the only person that called me the day I was released! I still have the message saved on my phone! It was great.

After I got out I was able to convince my cute baby sister Aly to sign up for yoga. She had temporarily moved into my parents house as well and we were able to go to yoga everyday together. It really brought us close together. The yoga studio and family welcomed her and now she has really established a good rep there. I love being able to share my passion with someone. Unless you do it daily for a long time, it is hard to understand how important it is! It changed my life, and I hope to get back into a daily routine soon.

As for my life right now, I have a pretty tight schedule. Not a lot of room for fun, and dating, and anything else I want to do. I have three major things to focus on: Probation (priority over everything), Work, and School. I graduate from school in 11 weeks with a masters in math, I graduate from probation as soon as my dumb fine is paid off, and as soon as I can get licensed at work, I will get a raise and have more responsibilities. I love working in insurance, which sounds boring, but it is never boring. So after I get all of things done, I barely have time to do much else. I've been trying to make more time, but on the weekends I try to catch up on my sleep, cleaning, and hanging with important people in my life.

This is all I have now. I will post pictures once I get a bit more organized and actually download my pics from my camera.

XoXo
Pants

Annie in the Naughty Corner....

The Worst Place on Earth!

I recently completed a 40 day jail sentence. I was guilty of a 3rd DUI, which is a felony in the state of Utah. My BAC (blood alcohol level was .352) See link for explanation: BAC Chart I weighed 100 lbs. at the time of my arrest. According to the chart I was drunk enough to receive criminal penalties, and I did. I am not proud of this obviously, but I do want to document my experience to prevent others from walking in my footsteps, or should I say driving down my same path?  The following is my police report, it is embarrasing and I wouldn't post it here if it wasn't already published in the dumb and ill informed Deseret News Paper:

DA CaseNumber Defendant Name

10025986 CAIN, ANNE

Charge Title Offense Level

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL AND/OR DRUGS THIRD DEGREE FELONY

Probable Cause Statement

YOUR AFFIANT BASES THIS INFORMATION UPON THE FOLLOWING: THE STATEMENT OF A CLERK AT SINCLAIR LOCATED AT 3900 SOUTH WASATCH BLVD, SALT LAKE COUNTY, STATED THAT ON JUNE 6, 2009 THE A WOMAN CAME STUMBLING INTO THE STORE AND HAD TO LEAN ON THE COUNTER TO STAY STANDING. THE CLERK DID NOT WANT THE WOMAN TO DRIVE AND ATTEMPTED TO DELAY HER BY STATING THAT THE TIRES ON HER VEHICLE WERE LOW AND NEEDED AIR. AS THE CLERK WAS FILLING THE TIRES ON HER VEHICLE THE DEFENDANT DROVE AWAY. THE STATEMENT OF OFFICER C. TAYLOR WITH SALT LAKE COUNTY SHERIFFÏ¿½S OFFICE THAT AS HE APPROACHED SINCLAIR IN RESPONSE TO A CALL OF A POSSIBLE DRUNK DRIVER HE OBSERVED THE SUSPECTED VEHICLE DRIVING OUT OF THE PARKING LOT AND PROCEED TO DRIVE ACROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC WITHOUT SIGNALING. OFFICER TAYLOR INITIATED A TRAFFIC STOP AND IDENTIFIED THE DRIVER AS THE DEFENDANT HERE, ANNE CAIN. UPON CONTACTING THE DEFENDANT OFFICER TAYLOR DETECTED A VERY STRONG ODOR OF AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE AND NOTICED THE DEFENDANTS EYES WERE HALF CLOSED. THE DEFENDANT ADMITTED TO CONSUMING ALCOHOL. THE DEFENDANT ATTEMPTED TO COMPLETE THE FIELD SOBRIETY TESTS BUT REQUIRED ASSISTANCE TO STAND. OFFICER TAYLOR DETERMINED IT WAS TOO DANGEROUS TO CONTINUE. THE DEFENDANT CONSENTED TO A CHEMICAL TEST AND HER BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT WAS .329. WHILE STANDING TO BE SEARCHED THE DEFENDANT URINATED IN HER PANTS ON THE FLOOR NOTICE IS GIVEN THAT THE DEFENDANT HAS TWICE BEEN CONVICTED OF DUI, THEREFORE IS SUBJECT TO ENHANCED PENALTIES: TOOELE COUNTY JUSTICE COURT CASE NUMBER 062505745 AND SANDY CITY JUSTICE COURT CASE NUMBER 095008720.

Disposition of Last Event

Event Title Event Date Event Time Disposition Court Name

FIRST ARRAIGNMENT 2010-09-08 09:00:00 CONTINUED THIRD DISTRICT COURT, SALT LAKE DEPARTMENT

Above it says that my arraignment was continued. The reason it says that is because I was sentenced and I am now on probation. My case will remain open until I complete that probation of 36 months. I was sentenced to a total of 62 1/2 days. I was awarded 16 days for credit/time already served (for my 2nd DUI), and then I also had 7 days of good time (good behavior while in jail.) That left me with a 40 day jail sentence. In this entry I would like to document my experience. I kept a journal, and had plenty of time to do other things there. I'm writing this so that others can get a glimpse into how jail makes you feel. Hopefully you will never experience it.

On the first day of jail Metro Jail, I made a calendar. Every inmate does this because it helps you to not go insane. My was very detailed. Here is a picture of it.



(Coming soon)

Not only did I have a day countdown until my release, but I found other things to count down. I counted down my number of meals left to eat (although I never ate them), hours each day, and during my last week I counted down every hour. I guess you could say that would make things move slower, but it helped to keep me sane. Anyhow, on this calendar you will see that I kept track of my meals, yoga, # of push-ups I did a day and lunges, and I also made other little notes. Filling out my calendar was the highlight of my day, besides getting mail.

Here are a few more of my countdowns:

(Coming Soon)

On this countdown I also listed the books I read. I read 19! A lot of the books are street books. A street book is basically a romance novel for gangster... I felt uneducated after I read them, but they helped the time go by.



(coming soon)

Drawing was another thing that really helped me keep my mind sane. I bought colored pencils from commesary (jail store you can order things through once a week if you have money on your inmate account).

Here are a few of my drawings for you... don't laugh!

While I was in jail I also kept a journal. Not very long and not every day. I actually didn't even think about it until Day 17. I thought about editing out some of my journals but I think if I did you wouldn't be able to really feel what I was going through or how in sane your brain goes. The thing is, you can't control people on the "outs" so there is no need in stressing about it, but it helped to get it out on paper. My journal speaks for itself. Not really much to explain. Again excuse any bad language.

While I was in jail I started reading up on my buddhist knowledge. I read some really great ones cover to cover and felt so inspired. I felt connected to my situation and it helped me to know that the time period I was in jail would pass. And it did. In buddhism we beleive that there is not right or wrong, just "the way." I took a few notes while I read:

I dedided to copy my baby sister and write a list. 101 Things to do before I die. I am going to copy her and put it into a blog as well... my little sister is very cool, thanks Aly!

Besides drawing, writing, reading, and yoga, I loved getting mail! Seriously, mail was the best thing ever! Every night I looked forward to getting mail. My family wrote me and it was awesome! My family visited me every week 2 times, and my friend Sarah Fluhman, and Layla Anderson also visited me! (True Friends). It kepts me going. My family sent these pictures to me, and I literally looked at them for hours on end.

(coming soon)

This is a medical form that you fill out when you want to see the doctor. When you are sick with something, it usually takes 5-6 days for the doctor to actually come and deal with you. I filled out this medical "kite" when I was unable to go to the bathroom for 12 days. It was really miserable. I was really sick, and honestly I don't think my body has gotten back to normal yet.

Medical Kite

Each prisoner is strip searched upon entering into the jail housing. And yes they will search your body cavities. I will spare you the details, but lets just say I've never felt more violated in my life.

I will be on court ordered probation for 36 months. I am not allowed to teach school while I am on this probabtion. It is my hope that in a year I will be able to ask the judge to terminate my probation early. It is very common for them to do this if the rules are followed and I have no further violations. Here is what is expected of me:

This is my first fine payment and probation payment. For the next 3 years I will be paying $130 a month to pay off my $2801.00 Felony DUI fine. It is very very very expensive to drink and drive!

I tried to write a review of the Metro Jail. It is in the top 10 worst jails to be in in the USA. They are rated so poorly because of the way they treat you, the food they feed you, and the lack of blankets etc. So here is what I wrote about the check in process to the metro. It might not make sense, but my mind was in a different place.

(coming soon)

In the end, I have learned FINALLY and HOPEFULLY, that drinking and driving is not a good idea. Actually it is the dumbest thing that anyone can do. Still after all of this and my experience I still have friends that are having drinks at dinner or with friends and they are getting into their vehicles. To them I say, "it's only a matter of time my friend before you kill yourself or worse someone else." I am lucky that I didn't hurt anyone.

I am still practicing Yoga which you can read about in the previous post. I love my life, I love who I am today. I am a better person now. This was the path that I needed to take to appreciate those around me and to appreciate who I am. I am a valuable person in this world and it's about time that I do something with my talents.

Remember don't drink and drive! Please!

In total I will have paid 20,000 towards DUI fines, court fees, lawyer fees, alcohol, counseling, classes, and I will be paying mentally for the rest of my life.

Nameste, Annie Cain

Rescued!!

On January 9, 2011 I went snowmobiling with my brother and 2 of his friends; Spencer England, and Scott Baldaris. We had 3 snowmobiles, David and I rode together on one. This was my first time snowmobiling in the back country! David asked me on Friday night if I wanted to go with him and Spencer, and of course I said yes! I was super excited! We would take our snowboards with us and just take powder runs all day.
This is the area we were lost in. We started in Heber and were lost around Tabiona (about 15-20 miles out from parking lot).
View Larger Map

We got ready in the morning (Saturday) and left to Spencer's house around 9:30 a.m. We had to stop to pick up David's snowboard clothes at Cicely's Mom's house. We made it to Spencer's and took our sweet time. We were watching some snowmobiling video's while we waited for Scott to come and meet us. (I think Scott took a long time because he had told his wife that he didn't really feel like going.) Anyways Scott finally arrived and Spencer gave us a quick lesson on how to use his beacons. It was quite funny actually. Spencer hid a beacon in another room then we tried to find it. Not the greatest practice, but it was a crash course.

We loaded up our snowboard stuff into Spencer's truck, and we were off. We decided to go up to Heber. Spencer said it was fun and he had been there with his friend Jerry. We arrived in Heber and stopped at a gas station to gas up the snowmobiles and truck, and buy some snack food. If anyone knows me I can't go longer than an hour without chips, or candy. (This would be on my mind later in the night). Scott and I both bought some beef jerkey because it sounded pretty good at the moment, and he bought some cracker jacks! Being a girl I thought I would possibly need to use the potty while deep in the woods so I bought some wet wipes too. David and Spencer bought some gatorade and I grabbed a bottle of water.

Once we were back in the truck the boys decided that they were really hungry so we stopped at Taco Time. I remember laughing about this because the guys were joking about the dumb commercial for Taco Time where the mom burns dinner and tells the kids it's taco time! Anyways, we ate enough to fill our tummy's and we were ready to go.

We drove up the little road that heads past Heber and made it to the parking lot where we unloaded the snowmobiles. It was about 1:00 P.M. We only took three of them because one wasn't working well or something. I shared one with David, which I'm glad about because I had never been really. Scott was on his own and so was Spencer. We strapped our snowboards to the snowmobiles and we were off. Just as we took off on the trail, Spencer and Scott were in front, David and I noticed that Scott's snowboard was just hanging by a thread. It was kind of funny because it was dragging and bouncing around and Scott didn't notice. We caught up to him and rigged up the boards again.

We rode along this trail for quite some time until we came to an open area. We could see some pretty rad hills to snowboard down so we headed towards them. We found one that looked fun so I strapped in and took off down the hill. The snow was pretty crusty but still better than being at a resort. I had fun! The boys followed me down on their sleds and picked me up at the bottom. I told them it wasn't that great so we headed to the next set of slopes that looked good to us. We kept going to further spots because once we would get to the one we saw before and up close, it did not look that great.

I think at this time Scott had hit his first tree:) It was actually lodged between a tree and a stump. It was a little hilarious actually.

We dug him out and were ready to get going again. Finally we got to a good hill and David took a run down! I got to drive alone, it was fun! David took a sort of tree run, and so as we were going through the trees and following him I went into a little ravine and my snowmobile got stuck. Spencer and the other boys dug me out this time. We got it unstuck and continued in the direction we were heading before. We didn't get too far when Scott had mentioned he didn't have a good feeling and thought we should head back. He said this at about 3:30 P.M. The rest of us weren't ready to go back yet, but we decided we would at least turn around and go back in that direction. We had to head back up the tree trail that we had just gone down and it was pretty technical. As we were going through the trees I think this is about the time that Scott hit his second tree?? (Scott you will have to remind me) Anyways we dug him out from this one and kept going. I hopped on Spencer's snowmobile to go through the tree trail that was pretty steep. As we were heading up we almost got to the top and Spencer told me to hurry and jump off! I did. He thought I was going to hit a tree. I didn't, but we did get stuck again. We dug out our sled and got it turned around. Spencer went back down the trail while I just hiked up. I was freezing, ready to go home, and sick of getting stuck. Spencer ran his snowmobile up the hill and parked it up at the top. He had David's sled and was driving it up the trail because he was the most experienced. As he started up the hill, Scott thought he was suppose to follow him. Spencer didn't know he was following so Spencer stopped at the top of the hill. Scott turned so he wouldn't hit Spencer and hit, yes, another tree! (Scott you have to admit it was pretty hilarious after the fact). I just remember Spencer yelling something, and the rest of us shrugging. The boys dug out the sled and were finally able to get it unstuck. Spencer was able to drive it up the trail and we were all parked at the top now. It was about 5:00 P.M. now.

By this time we were all ready to go home. It was going to start getting dark and we were all cold and tired. We started heading back and I think this was about the time that we took a wrong turn or trail and didn't recognize where we were. We realized that we had gone pretty far! We kept going in the direction that we thought we had come in, but it slowly stopped looking familiar. It was really starting to get dark, and we were so ready to leave. We just figured that eventually we would be able to find some trail that looked familiar. As it got darker and darker everything looked less and less familiar. We went down hills we thought we had gone up and back up hills we thought we had gone down. It just seemed like a never ending maze. It was about 7:00 P.M. now and we were getting cold. I remember looking over at David and we both had a look on our face that said, "crap, this sucks!" Anyways we got to a place that we thought for sure looked familiar because it was a big hill that Spencer had tried to climb but didn't quite make it to the top. We stopped to get our footing and try to figure out the direction we should be going. Scott had stopped on a bit of a slanted hill and couldn't get his sled going in the right direction. David went over and tried to drive his sled over for him and it ended up rolling over and got stuck upside down. Now we were all annoyed and the guys had to dig out the sled again. It was so dark now, and our dim sled headlights weren't doing a great job.

We decided that we would try all of the directions we hadn't been in yet. Scott had a compass on his I-phone, but we didnt'know the direction we had come from. We knew what direction Heber was in relation to Salt Lake, but that didn't help us. We decided to traverse across this big hill so we wouldn't have to go all the way around. Once we got throught the traverse it led us to a big group of trees. We didn't know where to go at this point. We started in a central place that had a lot of tracks from other snowmobiles. We went South, and came to a deadend, or treetrail. We didn't want to go into the trees because we didn't want to run out of gas where we would be hidden. So we tried a different way and a different way and a different way. It was exhausting. We were all frustrated and cold and just wanted to go home. By this time it was 9 P.M.

We went up this tree trail finally thought we were going in the right direction. It didn't head anywhere familiar and we couldn't see a thing. We could barely see the trees in front of us at this point. We stopped on a slope that was a little open with trees on each side of us. Spencer said that we needed to accept the idea that we were going to be out here for the night. I just about freaked out and told him that I wasn't going to stay the night. He said we probably didn't have a choice.

Scott was really optimistic and kept saying that we needed to keep a look out for a helicopter because they would be looking for us! I thought the complete opposite. At this time David and I both talked about how we hadn't told anyone where we were and that this is how people die. I was so cold that I finally agreed that it would be a good idea to stop and at least start a fire. We found a really good spot right by the trail and part way into the trees. There was a stump that was poking out of the snow

and we thought it would be a good spot to build a fire. The stump would be a good shield from the wind. We started to dig a little pit for the fire to go in then we gathered some kindling. Oh I forgot to mention that as we were looking for a spot for our fire Scott's snowmobile died and wouldn't start. We looked at that as a sign that we needed to stop.

As the boys started to build the fire I started to dig the snowcave. Spencer had a lighter that didn't work, and luckily I had brought a lighter that worked pretty good. We gathered little sticks and Spencer had some flint that was really old. The flint didn't help really and Scott kept calling it lint. It made me laugh. Anyways we needed some paper of some kind to get the flame going. The only thing we had was David's bandana and a few bandaid wrappers from the first aid kit. We burned the gauze and bandaids and alcohol wipes because none of us were hurt and we wanted a fire. We finally got a little flame going. The boy scouts pulled through and got the fire to really burn. As two of us manned the fire, the other guys, Dave and Scott started gathering wood.

 They were awesome! They were climbing the trees and breaking off dead branches. We were really lucky because we were surrounded by a ton of dead dried out trees! The guys brought back a ton of branches and we thought we would be set for a while.

Finally we were feeling warm and the fire was really burning brightly and large. It was too large and it was burning faster than we could gather wood for it. We slowly controlled it and were able to get it a bit smaller. At this point we still didn't think, at least I didn't think, that we would be there for the whole night. Once the fire got going we continued to dig out our snowcave, which never really ended up being much of a cave, but it would've worked if we needed it for shelter. Spencer made sure that we put plenty of green fir branches down to make it soft.

As the fire continued to burn we started to get a little hungry. We remembered that we had brought beef jerkey and a few power bars. I was excited that we had those and we also had our drinks. Once we got a little settled in and had a huge stockpile of wood we waited and sat and tried to stay warm. We were so tired. It was about 11:00 P.M. now and I had finally accepted that we were going to stay the night.

It would be impossible to sleep because once you moved even an inch away from the fire it got dealthy cold. It was about 25 degrees and with the wind chill the search and rescue said it made it about -10 degrees. I believe it! As our fire burned our firepit melted further and further down. The firepit started at about 1 foot by 2 feet. It kept expanding and expanding. By morning we were standing inside the fire pit. As we sat by the fire the wood would slowly burn and quickly we would need more wood.

David, Spencer, and Scott were so good to take turns gathering wood. I went maybe twice. I was really sick and my ankle monitor was hurting my ankle to walk. Yes I have an ankle monitor for those of you that don't know. It turns out that my ankle monitor would partly be responsible for locating us later.

Throughout the night we kept hearing engines out in the distance and we thought they were snowmobiles. Then the sound would go away. A few times we thought we heard a plane. I still didn't think people were out looking for us. David and I knew that Cicely had called the cops by now, and was working on something to save us. We were right. As we sat around the fire we tried to think about what our families were probably thinking. David and I felt so bad for our mom because we knew she was freaking out.

While we sat by the fire and tried to dry out and stay warm (our bums were wet and cold), Cicely had called the police around 8 P.M. She knew we were snowmobiling but didn't know where. David was suppose to call her and let her know where we were going when we knew, but he had forgotten. Cicely drove up to Spencer's house to see if we were there, and at the same time, Anna had the same idea. Anna is Scott's wife. Anna and Cicely were both so worried. Once Cicely called the police they tried to figure out where we were. Scott had told his parents that we were going to Heber. They thought American Fork for some reason though. This is where my ankle monitor came in handy. Aly and my Dad searched through my stuff to find the number for my ankle monitor service and found it. The sherriff was able to call and find out where my last location was. Unfortunately I had left my satelite phone that goes to my ankle monitor in the car. I didn't want to lose or break it. So the police tracked us to the parking lot in Heber.


They also found that Spencer's truck was there, even though he had the wrong license plates on it. They were able to identify it. Search and Rescue set up camp in the parking lot. At midnight they sent out a team to search for us. They didn't realize how far out we had traveled. They traveled and searched around the ridge of the mountains. We were down below the ridge and it WAS snowmobiles that we were hearing.

At 4:00 A.M. Search and Rescue called Cicely and told her that they were calling off the search because there was zero visibility and the conditions were too harsh to keep their team out. Cicely thought we were probably freezing to death.  My dad had called my family members and everyone was praying and not getting sleep knowing that we were out there somewhere. And we were!!! All my siblings knew was that Annie and David were missing:(

 Here we are!

 Frozen.

Meanwhile we were sitting around the fire trying to stay warm and awake. I attempted singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall once, and no one joined in. Oh well I tried. We ate beef jerkey and power bars and said, "this sucks!" about every 10 minutes. I would tell the boys what time it was on the hour every hour. We knew the sun would come up around 7 A.M. and just kept looking forward to then.

 The Sun was coming up!

So tired and out of it.

At 7 A.M. the search was called back on! Aly, my Dad, Davey, and Cicely drove up to the parking lot where our car was parked and the search team was camped out at. They waited and waited. The Search and Rescue people told my dad that they should prepare for an outcome that might not be good. If we didn't have a fire it probably woudn't have been good.

Scott was actually able to catch a few min of sleep here and there!

We made it through the night and were so happy to see the sun come up! Our bodies were exhausted from gathering wood, not sleeping, and shivering all night. It was so unpleasant! As the sun came up I wanted to leave. We had about 1/4th of a tank of gas left. Spencer wanted to stick around until about 9 or 10 because our chances of seeing people out and about would be better. I got so upset. I was so sick of being in the cold and I just wanted out of there. Spencer said he wanted to give one good effort in fixing his sled. He said it was worth 9,000 dollars and he wasn't about to leave it. So he started to fix it. He needed to replace the drive belt. David, Scott, and I didn't help. We stood by our quickly shrinking fire to stay warm. Although the sun was up, it was getting colder. There was probably a new foot of snow after the night and the morning was really pretty. We said a prayer before we were about to leave, and the sky cleared up. We knew this was our chance to leave. We started to bug Spencer and tell him we wanted to leave. He was reading the manual to try and fix the sled. We rolled our eyes and climbed back into the fire pit. Just as we got our fire going again, we heard Spencer yelling!!!! We jumped up and hopped out into the open... Lo and behold it was four snow mobilers in red coats! They pulled up to us and asked if there were four of us. We said yes! They asked if we were okay then they told us that we did everything we were suppose to. We apologized for stripping the trees of almost every branch around us. They told us that we did the smart thing. They helped Spencer fix the snowmobile and we were out of there. As we left we headed in the direction that we had not been going in the night before. We were so far off and so far away from where we needed to be going. The search and rescue crew told us that we had a huge fan club waiting for us. They said our families had been worried sick and they told David that he was in big trouble by his wife.

I hopped on the rescue man's sled! The boys each hopped on their sleds and we headed home. We got about half way back to the trail when they stopped by some other search and rescue people to take our picture. I was shivering the whole time so they covered me in clothing and stuffed hot packets down my shirt and down my pants and in my sleeves. They put new gloves on me and a big ski mask. I slowly started to warm up. We raced down the track towards the parking lot.

All I could think about was seeing my family. I was so happy that someone was actually looking for us and found us. We were extremely thankful. The search and rescue guys and gals were awesome and so comforting. They really knew what they were doing. They had these gadgets on their snowmobiles called GPS. Who would have thought????? What a grand idea!!! They took us right out of there and straight to our car and families.

As we pulled up to the parking lot I couldn't see a thing. The ski mask was covering my eyes. I could hear people and my sister Aly crying. I pulled off my hat and saw Aly coming towards me. She hugged me so tight and was crying. I told her it was okay and that we had a fire. She kept crying. It was really touching and made me realize how important my family is to me. I was so happy to see them again.

David pulled in behind me along with Scott and Spencer. Cicely grabbed David and hugged him and Scott's wife ran to him. Spencer had a little bit of frost bite and they rushed him into the ambulance. The rest of us followed so that they could check us out.

 We took off all of our wet clothing and they checked out our feet and fingers. The boys feet were looking a little iffy and they told them that they needed to get them checked out. We filled out some forms and then shuffled us into another trailer to be "debriefed." We told them what had happened and why we were where we were. They told us that we were so lucky to be alive. They also said that the terrain we were in was difficult and we shouldn't have been there.

Lessons learned: Always tell people where you will be going no matter what. Carry a lighter no matter where you are going! Don't buy Burton - there pants and boots are cold and they melt! Also tell the ones you love that you love them every single chance you get! Avoid trees when you are snowmobiling. Have faith in your family members. Pray. Don't put the wrong license plates on your car. Buy a GPS.

Again, thanks to the Search and Rescue team, we love you! Thanks family for caring so much about us. Cicely and Anna thanks for your great detective work in figuring out where we were. We are eternally thankful to everyone involved. Spencer, thanks for not giving up and being so nice. Scott, you are an amazing woodsman and you could probably be a professional wood chopper, thanks. David, I don't know what I would have done without you. I'm so glad that you are my brother. I love you! You are my best friend and you always will be.

Love Annie