CRAZY FUN!

This summer has been CRAZY FUN. So crazy fun that thinking about journaling the months events sends me into a catatonic stare... "Mom...what are you looking at-why aren't you answering me?" "Dad! She's doing it again!...." Okay-maybe that's slightly exaggerated.


I have over 300 pictures documenting the past 30 days events...Where should I begin...

Camp

Camp was really great. Better than I anticipated. I was a first year leader which meant I spent my days overseeing the first year camp girls activities that the Young Women Camp Leaders taught. Basically I hung out got to know the girls and made sure no one got lost or burned camp down.

Sunrise on Mount Lemon

I loved getting to know the other leaders and having the opportunity hang out with the amazing women I know from my ward at church. The Young Women of today are amazing. I came home feeling renewed, inspired and spiritually uplifted. Camp for me was a gift from the Lord. A gift I needed more than I knew.

UTAH!

We began our trip in Cedar City, visiting The Colberts. Rand and Jared have been friends since they were boys. I'm so grateful we have been able to stay in touch all these years. We really enjoy their family and feel blessed that they are a part of our lives. It is of great consequence to have friendships that time and distance have no bearing on. Sniff sniff... They showed us an amazing time. Here are some pics from our Taylor Creek hike in Zions Canyon.

SALEM!

We look forward to this trip every year. The kids can not wait to play with their cousins. In fact when we leave I can always count on at least an hour of wailing and gnashing of teeth...We have a couple traditions that we count on when we go. The Freedom Run, The Balloon Festival and the Stadium of Fire Fireworks. This year we purchased tickets to go into the stadium due to Miley Cyrus, the Blue Man group and our niece performing. We also fit in a trip to Park City to watch our nephew play Rugby, a hike to the Grotto, installing a toilet, a trip down citizenship lane, swimming swimming and more swimming, and lot's of shopping. I love shopping in Utah. I don't know what it is-but they seem to have better sales and selection. Maybe it's just that it's the only time I ever spend 6-8 hours straight browsing the mall. At any rate it is quickly becoming a favorite tradition when we visit. The kids are totally set for school!

The Freedom Run

When I signed our family up for this back in April, I thought it was a fabulous idea. The we started training... Uh Oh, I thought. What have I done... BUT, the kids were so excited about the race, I figured well the excitement will propel them along. I was right. We had so much fun! Noah was awesome. He and Jared took off- Noah ran full force for two miles, then took a couple short walking breaks and finished strong just over 41 minutes. Hannah ran the first mile straight then ran and walked alternating blocks. When she caught up to Aunt Sorena she opted to stay with her while I ran ahead to catch the boys. This was really hard for me... Was I abandoning her? Shouldn't we stay together? I really didn't want to miss Noah crossing the finish line. Sorena encouraged me to go on ahead, and Hannah nodded all to eagerly. So I ran to catch them, and was able to get pictures of everyone at the finish line. Hannah was able to spend some special time with her Aunt Sorena having fun dumping water over their heads- creating memories with her that will last a life time. I am so grateful for the family we have.

The Balloon Festival

The road to citizenship...

We were able to spend some time at a "Ellis Island" festival in Orem. I was able to pick up some great teaching tools, and the kids thoroughly enjoyed the production about early immigrants and playing in the restored army jeeps.

The Grotto Hike

Park City

Every summer, I can't believe how much my nieces and nephews have grown. This year was no exception. My nephew Kage is no longer a boy-at all. He is a low talking, rugby playing, muscle of a young man. And boy can he run...

Stadium Of Fire

This is what Noah thinks of Miley Cyrus...

Is grandma having fun yet?....

Of course she is!

Bajios and shopping-what more can a girl ask for?

What shall the men do while the ladies are at play?

Install a toilet. Jared installed a toilet downstairs with his dad. He asked me if I wanted to flush it...How about I take take a picture of it instead. :)

With our trip coming to an end, we drug the night on as long as we could. We played with fire, and ate dumpster dive donuts well past midnight.

On our way home we stopped in St. George to see the Whitney's.

They fed us a very yummy lunch (BBQ chicken pizza, check her link for the recipe). We loved getting to visit with them.

It has taken me several hours to finish this entry. I am so grateful for the family and friends we have been blessed with. I had the opportunity to talk with my niece who was just married a couple of years ago and is graduationg from BYU. She mentioned how each year keeps getting better and better. I couldn't agree more.