Released

I was released today from my calling in the Relief Society. Strangely, I was too busy in December to post my contribution to our monthly Relief Society newsletter - so at the gentle prompting/reminder of a friend, here it is, short and sweet.

As the seasonal celebration of our Savior’s birth commences, we as a Relief Society presidency wish to express our love for Him and for all of you. Hundreds of prophets assured countless people down through the ages that He would come as Savior and Redeemer. And He did! Just as the song by Hillary Weeks says, “It was like there’d been a drought, and every word He spoke was rain...” He truly brought life, hope, love and the only way back home. Please know that our testimonies of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ burn as brightly as the Christmas lights on our trees. We may be small individually, but together we can light the world! We love Him. We strive to serve Him. We testify of Him and know that He not only lived long ago, but He lives today as well.

In his name, even Jesus Christ, Amen.

Wrappin' it up for 2011

Happy Holidays!

Hopefully this finds you all enjoying life and loving those in it. Our blessings are being counted and we are truly grateful that you are one of them.

Mayflower (13) is in 8th grade at Orion Junior High School. Her choir teacher chose her as student of the month last spring. Her braces came off and she flashes that smile around all the time! She continues her voice lessons, YW activities and babysitting jobs. She hiked 17.5 miles with me, Rock and Uncle JT up and down the infamous Half Dome in Yosemite with what appeared to be a smile on her face and a skip in her step. Upon further questioning by myself and the benefit of hindsight, she just wanted it to be over:) We then headed to St. George and hiked through the breathtaking Subway canyon with sisters, cousins and friends.

Michex (19) just finished her 3rd semester at Weber State. She has become a valuable employee in our office at Wasatch ENT & Allergy and it was hard filling her shoes as she took the summer off to go to Camp Sugar Pine in California with Scout as a camp counselor. We also nicknamed her “the Destroyer” as she took a sledge hammer to the side yard fence I wanted taken out and basically took the whole thing down herself!

Scout (21) has just finished her 5th semester and has completed her Associates Degree at Dixie State College. She took on the challenge this summer of accepting the position as ART Director at Camp Sugar Pine and had to assess, order supplies, clean, stock and then manage and teach all the art classes in the Art Barn at the camp. She was maid of honor for her best friend, Karli (technically our daughter #5) so we were all able to celebrate that day in September with the new Mr. and Mrs. Nick Brophy in Panguitch. Scout is now heading out on a new adventure as a nanny for a family in Glenview, Illinois. She leaves January 6.

Shematite ~(23) has kept herself either on the stage or in the garden this year. Both of which are her passions. She played one of the stepsisters in Into the Woods, was a chorus member in Curtains and now has a small role in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum which opens New Year’s Eve. I have given her free reign in my flower gardens and they are always beautiful and well cared for. Moving into a small house in Washington Terrace with some dear friends/roommates in September took her closer to her Terrace Playhouse and her job as Dr. Major’s nanny.

Rock ~ has finally given in and told the girls that boys are still yucky, but that they have to date them anyway in order for some grand babies to eventually show up. It was an interesting conversation:) Just to let him know that they were all on board with it, the 3 eligible ones had a group date at our house last weekend complete with spaghetti dinner and gingerbread houses.

We enjoyed our nephew Bid D staying with us for the summer, helping us with the “honey do” list. Many hours were spent with the chainsaw taking down the much too tall maple tree in our yard this summer. It’s a good thing we took it down on our schedule rather than having the BIG WIND Storm take it down for us. Rock loves being the Teacher’s Quorum advisor and was able to take the 14 & 15 year old young men in our ward on a canyon adventure I am sure they will never forget. Best. Hike. EVER. He and I also got to sneak in a quick trip to Mesa, AZ to visit his parents and their new house.

Desertbound ~ I love my calling in the Relief Society and being able to serve the sisters in my ward in some small way. After meeting a sweet, beautiful lady coming down the trail of Half Dome in Yosemite who had just completed the Lake Tahoe Ultra marathon (yep - 100 miles) and watching her stride, my goals as a runner shifted a little bit. I will take endurance over speed any day. But for my stage of life right now, I do what I can. That includes running a 15k on July 4th with my brother-in-law Wildman, several 5k’s and the funnest one of all so far...The Dirty Dash 10k! Rock, Michex, nephew Kyle and several friends from work joined our “GOT SNOT ENT” team in September and had a great time playing/running in the mud at Soldier Hollow. I am looking forward to many more happy miles!

It was probably not a good thing that all my preparation for Half Dome was physical rather than mental, because it was the toughest mental challenge I have faced in a long time. Go ahead and google some images of the Half Dome cables. You’ll know what I am talking about:) Thanks JT for going ahead of me and being my inspiration.

Our hands and heads may be busy with work and school but our hearts are always full as we count our blessings, renew our faith, grow our testimonies and serve others in the Gospel.

Our Savior lives. We joyously celebrate His birth and life.

Scout leaves January 2nd for her new job as a nanny for a family in Glenview, Illinois. For a year!

More later:)

Yosemite

Yes - Our trip to Yosemite was clear back in August, but it still needs a belated mention in the blog archives. So forgive me because here it goes...

Jaw - dropping.

That is the the reaction I had when JT, Rock, Mayflower and I turned the corner in Yosemite Valley and saw El Capitan for the first time. This is one of those places where pictures are worth a thousand words and yet just don't do justice to the scope of the landscape. I was simply speechless at times.

The first day in Yosemite Valley (hereafter known as "the Valley") was spent leisurely sight-seeing, taking photos and gathering some last minute trail beta and tracking down some gloves to use on the chains of Half Dome. We camped outside the park in a campground called Yosemite Pines. It was about an hour away, but the accommodations were much cheaper than in the Valley.
August 8th - Half Dome Day ...8.5 miles up to the top....which means 8.5 miles back down:)
Start time: approx 6:20 am
Rock, JT, Mayflower and I (DB).
Waterfalls - 2 major falls plunging hundreds of combined feet. Mist, moss, rainbows, weeping rocks, etc.
Breathtaking views - numerous at every corner.
Towering granite formations - always in view.
Trees stretching to the heavens - a forest full of them.
Until we got to the "shoulder" of Half Dome, Mayflower was the youngest person on the trail that I saw. Out of 400 permits for hikers that day, I saw only 2 boys younger than her.
Now about our little Mayflower. I am pretty proud of her. She was literally the energizer bunny (thanks in part to a little Zipfizz in her Camelbak) that kept bopping along the trail in front of us, waiting patiently as I took pictures and never whined or complained. She wanted to turn back twice (1. as she made her way up the granite steps cut into the shoulder of Half Dome and 2. when she first saw "the cables" to the peak. Her fear of heights and the exposure put tears in her eyes. It turns out that her fear of being left behind to sit and wait was greater), but only when her strength literally gave out and she could not safely pull herself up the cables did she wisely turn back. Rock turned back down the cables with her to make sure she got down safely and I was left to follow JT and pull myself and the camera up to the top and document his bucket list check mark. I had not prepared my upper body for this at all! Legs and cardio were no problem, but the dozens of pull-ups required while trying to keep my mind focused on putting one foot above the other while keeping a tight grip on both cables was one of the toughest things I've done in a long time. I kept thinking that if I turned around, JT would have no one to take his picture at the TOP! That, and the thought that I just might not get here ever again. ( A sad side note here - for some reason I can't get my pictures of Half Dome to upload here. Please see them in my facebook photos).

So, I hauled my sorry carcass up those blasted cables, never looking down, and blessing my garden gloves the entire way. I am extremely grateful that Mayflower wisely decided not to continue up the cables. She pushed herself past her limits as it was and I am very proud of her for knowing her abilities. JT and I enjoyed taking photos on top of Half Dome and marveling at the view of the valley. The "shuffle-slide" back down the cables was much easier for me. It felt like rappelling:) Only with much more concentration required seeing as the "rope" was missing. It was still very slow going, though, because those people coming up the cables have the right of way, so those going down scoot over as much as they can and let those pulling themselves up go past.
As the 4 of us made our way back down the trail, our water ran low. But knowing that we brought a water filter eased my mind. As we came back to the river to filter water, it was discovered that a small crack in the filter we noticed that morning had grown to the point that it was virtually unusable. The nice couple that we told to meet us at the river and we could fill up their water bottles were sadly out of luck as well, but extremely kind and forgiving. It was fun getting to know June and Brian from LA.

So we hustled down the trail, JT and Mayflower taking the slightly longer but less steep way we had come up, while Rock and I ventured down the Mist Trail to see another waterfall. We all met back up together near the end and finished the hike in just over 12 hours. Thirsty, hungry and tired never felt so good!

First of all, special thanks need to go to Little T for her amazing permit-getting skills. Without her, this special trip never would have happened. Next time for sure!
Second - My big bro JT rocked! It was so fun to share this adventure with him. It was because of him that I made it to the "TOP".

And last - My Rock and my Mayflower. You amaze me. You both made this adventure ...priceless.

August Relief Society presidency message

Here is my quarterly contribution to my Relief Society's monthly newsletter....(was that confusing enough?) I love my calling:)

One day this past week I found myself alone, laying in the warm sand of Zion National Park next to a hidden waterfall in a beautiful side canyon with some very rare “alone time” on my hands. I took the opportunity to meditate and pray in gratitude for the love that I felt from my Heavenly Father for allowing me this precious gift. We all feel our Heavenly Father’s love in different ways, and for me, I often feel it the easiest when I am enjoying His creations. I am reminded by Elder Bednar in the October 2009 General Conference that ....”Love is the motivating principle by which the Lord leads us along the way towards becoming like Him, our perfect example. Our way of life, hour by hour, must be filled with the love of God and love for others... It is love of God that will lead us to keep His commandments. And love of others is at the heart of our capacity to obey Him.”

Remember the challenge to look for and acknowledge the ways that you see God’s love for you in your life. Record them. Share them when appropriate. And not least of all, please know that as Relief Society sisters in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you have all of our love as well!

I won!

In reference to my post of May 23...I won! It certainly wasn't easy, but it will be well worth it. I am so grateful that through fasting, prayer and the work that I do for a living, I have been given the knowledge and understanding to know my way around health insurance companies, policies, procedures and appeals. I was notified yesterday by my health insurance company that my visits with the "Voice Doctor" will be processed to my in-network benefits:) I receive my next treatment on Friday July 15. Happy Day!

2 for 1

Last Monday, Scout and Michex ventured forth for a summer at Camp Sugar Pine, a Girl Scouts of America sponsored resident camp. They spent a night in Panguitch and picked up best friend Karli and then spent the next night in St George visiting cousins and Aunt Bethany and Uncle Brandon. They reached camp safe and sound (as far as I know) because Scout called me Friday night and told me all about how she had spent the day cleaning out the Art Barn. She swept, dusted, wiped, inventoried, cleaned out shelves and drawers and then swept and mopped again. She was planning on painting some of the bulletin/cork boards the next day. They can only get cell phone service about a half mile away from the camp, so once the campers arrive, Scout and Michex won't be leaving the camp to make phone calls or anything. So.......! Here is the mailing address:) They would both love to get letters from anyone!

Jet or Jazz
Camp Sugar Pine
Box 4398
Camp Connell, CA 95223

For the protection of their staff members, the camp has them go by a nickname.

Scout = Jet

Michex = Jazz

Karli = Smalls

It would seem that my house is quite a bit quieter and somewhat empty for the summer. Not so! Rock's nephew, Dallin (Big D) has taken up residence in Michex's empty room. Since he graduated from Ben Lomond high school a couple of weeks ago and is currently under employed like a lot of people in today's economy, the "rent" of $200.00 he was being asked to pay at home was too expensive for him. So he happily helps around the house and especially in the yard in exchange for a bed, pillow, food and shower. I think I am getting the best end of the deal:) He is sweet, cheerful and gracious so far and Mayflower loves doting on him. He has helped dig out unwanted fence posts and railroad ties, mow lawns, re-stack wood piles, clean out the shed and fix broken sprinkler pipe. We also enjoyed having Rock's parents parked in our driveway for a couple of weeks with their 5th wheel. They have gone up to Idaho to spend the summer and will stop by again on their way back home to Mesa, AZ in the fall. We sure love having them!

Shematite's play, Into the Woods opens this coming Friday, June 17th.

Get your tickets online at www.oldbarn.org

So that is what is going on in our neck of the woods!