Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Memo From My Missionary~ Chilling Sustainability

 Elder Simpson, my companion Hanssen, and I. Hanssen and my previous
companion Elder Nash were companions with both me and Simpson. The
only black Elders In The OEM so Hanssen demanded we get a picture to
capture the moment haha.

 Chilling like a villain!
  Elder Ballard of the Twelve
has authorized our mission to assist in the World Track Championships
held here on campus on Eugene. That will be fun. My comp and I will be
there Friday doing sustainability...whatever that is haha. I will be
excited to meet world class athletes! I met the Ireland team, and saw
Mexico team. And our Zone Leader Elder Anderson is technically a
Spanish speaking missionary, but he is now serving as an English zone
leader, anyway he talked to the Argentina team and told them he was a
missionary and they just busted out laughing at him...apparently the
argentines are prideful people.Oh and they gave us free full Adidas outfits. Warm ups
socks hat everything it is awesome! Other than that we have just been
doing the same old stuff.....


 Dinner in paradise with our WML. (Ward Mission Leader)
 Portland Temple





Final Play Day With the Johnsons

I told Harris to get the chairs washed up for our fire-side that night.

   
Kamryn jumped right in and took over. I didn't get pics of that night, but we sang songs and roasted sugary stuffs. It was nice; stayed up late talking til we ran out of wood.
We went up to Intermittent Spring. Here is Morgan climbing up the face of this hill for the first time. Usually, they go up the back which is not quite as steep and has a very well-worn path. He got this high and I stopped him. I'm not that confident in my first aid skills!

That's Konnor at the top. He took the back way and his mother nearly had a heart attack. Ha.

There had to be a hundred butterflies out that day! Yellow, green, these beautiful blue ones, orange ones, and a pair of black and white ones.

Catching butterflies.
Then we went to the ward party for dinner and dancing. Here is Bishop Hastings giving instruction.

This was so much fun. All of Jen's kids danced, even little Kamryn.

There were quite a few mix-ups, but they just added to the fun.
Rylee was able to complete their Wyoming experience with a horse ride.

They were LOVING this.

Kenna took this job so seriously.

Saddle her up!

Rylee's warming up the horse.

Both of them are tall.

She's still adjusting to neck reigning.

Rylee just loves this.

Elbow, elbow, wrist-wrist-wrist...

January is a really great horse; very well-tempered. Although, right before we left her, it was dark and some people were lighting fireworks right outside her pasture and boy did she get scared. We had just gone out of the gate by then.

The boys were doing "the disco", as they put it.

Nice moves.

There was much documenting going on. Isn't she adorable? Jen! Where's the pictures!

Kamryn kept talking to the horsey.

Jen even braved it. Wonder what January thought of her screaming. Ha.

Catching grasshoppers to put on us. Yuck.
ThanKs fOr vIsiTinG, guYs!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

if your friend jumped off a bridge, would you?

 Jumping off the Grover bridge is a longstanding Star Valley tradition. Well, when you live in a rural area, and you're young...




So, Kiki had this on her list of things to do with Kaylee. Only, Kaylee could not be convinced that it was way fun and worth getting her hair wet.

But the boys liked the sound of it and the very first to do it was Konnor. He is now our bridge jumping champion having jumped six times!
 Next was Morgan. You could tell he was afraid but he did it! Twice!
 Don't be deceived by the beautiful weather. That water is cold.
 Fortunately, you swim in with the current, not against.
 Our next jumper took many, many minutes to motivate.
 I don't know how he finally made peace with it. No, not peace, really, everyone was pretty much yelling at him.
 But he did it. Even if he never does it again he can say he did it.

 
 Our youngest jumper was little Kenna. I can't believe her spunk. She had to swim with all her might,too.
 Finally, Kiki couldn't fight the urge any longer. She decided that if Kenna would, she would, clothing and all.
I'm proud of all of them for facing their fears. Some day I'm going to do it. Harris said next year he is doing it. My baby!!!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

How to Double the Fun at Bear Lake

First trip to Bear Lake 2014. 
After running a bunch of errands that I was not planning on, we finally get to the beach at one in the afternoon. Ugh!
I lather up the kids and let them loose, then settle down under my 'brella with a new book when a foreign couple walking by start talking to me: Do you know you have a...? (He points.)
No! I didn't know I have a... ! Thanks to Hubby lovingly running home from work to research how to get to the spare, and the *coincidence* that Derek the Napa guy was in the group of beachers right next to us, the very hardy donut was put on and we made it home.
Second trip to Bear Lake 2014.

Great way to spend the day with our visiting friends, the Johnsons.

Sand and sun equals fun. Well, it's better with water as these New Mexico residents well know.

Jen said I could only take her picture if no one could actually identify her. Here ya go.

I told her this was going on my blog. She didn't believe me.

Don't you love sand castles? Then we drive down the beach to go home and we see a couple of extremely elaborate castles; five feet tall with spires. How do they DO that!?
These boys are on a cruise. Complete with food. (Which they put in large ziplock bags.)

These two were born one week apart and that's how Jen and I became friends. Misery loves company.

Designer clothing.
On the way home, at the top of South End, I pulled in to the scenic look-out to ask if Jen wanted a picture there, and she said my tire was low. WHAT! I tried to change it myself, having learned how to access the spare LAST time. But then, I couldn't figure out where to put the jack. Thankfully, Jake was just finishing the 9th hole of his golf game and came to rescue us. We had everything ready for him. Rylee even got the lug nuts loosened. Back on with the hardy donut.(Double the fun!)
In the end we were rewarded with this bright red bulb illuminating the beauty of Star Valley.
WilL the 3Rd TiMe bE a CHarM?