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8/4/2016

I'm sorry!

Here I was thinking that I would be a dedicated blogger during the summer months, and the truth of the matter is the summer is almost over and my blog has been left desolate. Life has been busy....but it hasn't been THAT busy.

So forgive me while I try to go back into time to recount some of the summer festivities.

Celebrating America

Our 4th of July festivities were rather tame this year (especially when compared to last year when we almost died on the treacherous "floating" of the Provo River). The afternoon was spent with some family at the pool. Bobby and Heidi as well as Ben and Olivia came over to enjoy a cool swim in the warm July sun. We later went to get shaved ice with Ben and Olivia. And the highlight of the day was when I taught Charlotte how to balance a spoon on her nose. We ended up going to the West Jordan Rec Center park to see the fireworks. They were wonderful, but I fell asleep before the ended.

And that was the end of our patriotic celebration.

The Beach House

Our week in Newport was incredibly relaxing and fun. It is the perfect vacation where people can do whatever they need to throughout the day. We had a tent set up by the water all day, a volleyball net hung in the evening. delicious food, bike rides the the pier, ferry ride to Balboa Island,

Some highlights from the week include:

I got to meet my niece, Cassidy. She is sooo precious, and I loved holding her all bundled up in blankets. There was also that one time where she was taking a nap on the couch and was engulfed in blankets, and Andrew almost sat on her. Yeah.... not one of our finer moments, but I was there to save the day. haha. But really, Ben and Vi did a wonderful job creating such a perfect little girl. She made it extra difficult to say goodbye at the end of the week.
My brothers tried surfing/sailing on an unusual vessel: a giant rubber ducky. The $45 inflatable rubber ducky's maiden voyage on the big ocean blue was definitely something to remember. Onlookers on the beach took out their phones to document as these 2 young men ventured past waves and out into surfer's territory. The surfers were not pleased, let me tell you. But we all cheered when Ben and Jacob and the rubber ducky
Bike rides down the boardwalk, to the pier, and around Balboa Island were my favorites this week. A few times we went as an entire family. I don't know what it was about these bike rides, but they were fun and relaxing and seemed to be the epitome of a beach vacation. When all of us went, we didn't have enough bikes so 2 people would have to take skateboards. That was when we started getting creative and generous, and the bike riders would tow the skateboarders along. It was definitely tough work, but it was worth it so that we could all be together. I loved those bike rides.

Girl's Camp in Heber

Girl's Camp is the last big summer activity I need to report on. This year our stake was able to have camp at the Heber Valley Girl's Camp. It is a camp especially dedicated to serve the young women of the church. There are missionary couples up there who manage the various camp sites, and they told us multiple times how this was a sacred mountain that fulfilled President Hinkley's vision of a special space especially for the young women.

I was grateful for the opportunity to go to camp. I felt like it was a strengthening experience for me as well as for the young women in my ward. Getting up early to start the day with a devotional and personal scripture reading was really refreshing. It brought the spirit into my day right from the start. Then throughout the day we were able to participate in a myriad of activities to strengthen us both physically as well as spiritually. We made crafts, suffered together on hikes, found nature-related scriptures, rowed in canoes on a lake, sang songs together, participated in team-building ropes course games, made and presented skits, learned survival techniques in certification classes, cooked and ate together, roasted marshmallows by a campfire, and shared our thoughts and feelings during a testimony meeting. It was a great week and I felt so privileged to get to know many of the girls in our stake. They are some choice young women. I was rejuvenated by the spirit I felt at camp, and I hope to live so that I can keep that spirit in my life.