Girl's Camp 2009

I completely, 100% LOVE Girl's Camp.

It is my favorite week of the year.

No makeup, no hairdryers, no fussing about your looks or your outfit.
No TV, no radio, no internet, no distractions.
Just nature and adventure and spiritual experiences and fun.
And hanging with some of the coolest, funnest girls around.



This year, our theme was "Rubies" from Proverbs 31:10-31
Radiantly RighteousUnwavering in Virtue
Brilliant and Beautiful
Young Woman
Our cabin was the "jewelry box."And the girls were the gems inside. They all picked gemstone nicknames.Our skit was about a fair maiden who went on a quest to find jewels for her crown (representing her various virtues, of course.)



Such talented ladies!

Hike day was awesome. We hiked for 5 miles through Clifton Gorge. It was gorgeous. (Ha ha! Get it? I'm so funny.)

Happy Campers!

We made hygiene kits for the Church Humanitarian Center to distribute to those in need.
We ate together.
We made jewelry in the cabin.

We danced the funky chicken.
This is how I know the girls love me.(my shoe)

(my bed)

(my crazy girls)

We played Ninja.

We played Buck Buck.


We are the Buck Buck Ninja's and we rule!
Our last evening together, we had a very special activity. We recreated Lehi's Vision for the girls. They were blindfolded and told to hold to the Iron Rod. There were tempters trying to deceive and angels to support them on either side.
I was so proud to watch the girls be so valiant in holding to that rod and not letting go!

At the end of the Iron Rod was the Tree of Life. A beautiful tree with white lights and white envelopes containing letters for each girl from their parents.

It was a special moment that I hope none of them ever forget.
(To learn more about Lehi's Vision, click here.)

We ended our evening with a testimony meeting and eating ice cream the the Bishop brought for us.

Before we went home, Michele and I couldn't resist taking a picture of our "camp feet." I'm so happy she went with me this year - we had a great time!

LOVE THESE GIRLS!!!

Happy 4th of July

We spent July 4th with our good friends, the Daniels family.




*Here we are (minus Teddy, who stayed home and hid under the couch, like he does every 4th of July. He's not a fan of fireworks.)*

*Brandon and Rebecca*
*Adam and Amanda*
*Melinda and Rebecca*
I made an American flag jello salad, like my mom always did for 4th of July, and had to chuckle when I saw something similar on many of my girlfriend's blogs. I guess great minds think alike!

After dinner, we were treated to our own personal fireworks show in the backyard.


***Happy Birthday, America!***

Trip To Omaha - Part 5

Omaha has an amazing zoo.

We spent the entire day there with the family, including Josephine's brother Josh, their dad, his wife and their kids who had come to visit. It was such a fun group!









Josephine's little brother got this big stuffed alligator that he carried around all day.
When we approached the tiger's cage, the tiger was VERY interested in that alligator. She started stalking him with her eyes and pacing back and forth. She even acted like she was ready to pounce at one point. Thank goodness for wire cages, right?

One of the highlights of the day was the butterfly house. You could walk through amid all the butterflies as they fluttered around. One landed on Tyler!
He thought it was great! He stood there so calmly and examined the butterfly for several minutes until it finally flew away.
My favorite animals to see are always the primates. At this zoo, many of the monkeys are housed in an indoor rainforest. It is amazing because as you walk through, you feel as if you are interacting with the animals while you are viewing them in quite a natural setting.


As we were wandering through, this little golden tamarind was scampering along within arm's reach!

Tyler thought it might be fun to grab his tail. Luckily it was just out of his grasp!
Here's a really cheesy shot to illustrate just how close I got. I really wanted to touch him, he looked so soft and cuddly. But I didn't want to risk a bite!
My mom has been having some problems with her feet and so we all ganged up on her and made her get a wheelchair for the day. My sweet husband chauffeured her around and took care of her all day long. He even gave her a few thrills by pretending he was going to let her roll down a hill!
Mom got out to stretch her legs and Ben decided he was tired of pushing the stroller, so he took Mom's seat.
All aboard the wheelchair/stroller train!
This made baby Claire giggle.
We didn't get to take a picture at the zoo with the whole group, but we got one the next morning (everyone minus Josh, who had just woken up, had bedhead and therefore volunteered to be the photographer.)

It was a wonderful trip and I'm so glad we went!

The end!