Anchored to Christ - Girl's Camp at Lake Powell

Rainbow Bridge - I think this is such a beautiful natural wonder. I was totally awestruck as I approached this amazing monument.

I didn't know If I could do this climb. It is the most steep climb I have ever done. We actually had a 73 year old woman with us that climbed clear to the top. She is my hero and I want to be just like her when I am her age. She has been doing camp for 35 years. I love you, HughLene.

This is a shot of the "Big Dog" - the largest boat they even allow on Lake Powell. It was such a beautiful boat - truly a floating hotel, and our own commercial kitchen.

This summer, I had the opportunity of going to Lake Powell for Girls Camp. It was Becca’s first year, so I was even more excited to go with her. We had such a great time. We were lucky enough to stay on some gorgeous and luxurious house boats. The girls stayed up top, and the leaders actually got to use a cabin with a real bed! I was over the 4th year girls’ certification program, so I got to go on a little overnight hike and stay out under the stars with the girls. We cooked foil dinners (yummy!) and had a fireside meeting. The girls seemed to have a really great time. During the week, we worked on certifications, hiked “Hole in the Rock,” which was amazing, and walked in to “Rainbow Bridge.” They had some really nice touring boats that took us to these locations. We had some great cooks that made sure we had plenty of good food. The morning and evening meetings for the girls were meaningful and spiritual and the girls were very responsive to the theme “Anchored to Christ.” Earlier in the year, when I knew about camp being at Lake Powell, Becca and I wrote a really neat camp song. Becca can play it on her guitar. Here it is: We’re the crew from the ship Peoria, sailing off to Lake Powell. Sunscreen, sleeping bags, and some junky food hidden in our towels. Yeah, we are “Anchored to Christ.” He’s our harbor and light. Yeah, we are “Anchored to Christ.” We will choose the right. Fill our sails with the winds of faith and we can ride out the storms. Reading scriptures and having prayer time leads us back to his arms. Yeah, we are “Anchored to Christ.” He’s our harbor and light. Yeah, we are “Anchored to Christ.” We will choose the right. I taught the song to my 4th year girls and the seemed to enjoy it. Becca taught it to our ward the last couple of days and they sang it on the bus on the way home. I was impressed with all of the Priesthood support we had there. The men who came worked so hard and made sure that things were in order and comfortable for all of the campers. They burned trash, anchored boats, emptied latrines, hauled supplies, carried food and worked tirelessly each day so that the girls could have a good experience at Lake Powell. What a great blessing it was to attend this special girl’s camp!

Time to Take a Step Back

This is me at age 18. I thought Katie would enjoy seeing these photos. She knows why... This is me at age 49. I am doing one of my favorite things - hiking. This is at Mt. Timpanogas. We took Becca and Nick to the caves. It was such a fun day! (I think Labor day of 2004) This was the fall before we moved to Phoenix. Katie, do you think I look much different with30 years and 50 pounds added?? Today I have had to just stop. The last 4 weeks have been so full and busy running here and there, starting kids in school, busy at work, busy at church, serving others, having company, Dr. appointments, Orthodontist appointments, taking the dog to the vet, open house at school, battling a bad back, working overtime, cooking, cleaning, laundry, having PMS and wanting to eat constantly, substituting in nursery, substituting in Sunday School, playing a piano solo in church, practicing for standards night on Sunday, daily tasks, preparing lessons . . . EEEEEEK! I woke up at 2:30 AM worrying about how I was going to fit everything in today (plus I was too hot!). I finally got up at 4 AM and worked on my Relief Society Lesson. It is now all done. I usually have it done a week before and I am presenting it tomorrow! I was really feeling the pressure. I also copped out on a hike I wanted to do this morning. I told Rod I just needed to stay home. I did not want to leave the kids alone again and I need this day to recoup. I mean, it has been so busy that I did not even get Julie's birthday card mailed, and her birthday is TODAY! But at least I got her presents while I was in Utah this summer, so I hope she will forgive me for being negligent of her 25th Birthday. But now . . . today is mine! I am going to rest a little and play some catch up with home and family. I want to run my life, I don't want my life to run me!

Squaw Peak

View from part way up Squaw Peak. The Phoenix skyline. You can see in all directions from the top of the peak. Squaw Peak is inside the Phoenix City Limits. It is 1.2 miles high and has an incline of about 100 feet per 1/10 mile, so it is VERY steep. The whole trail is groomed with rock steps and in a couple of places there are hand rails to help pull yourself up. There are many people that climb up and down the mountain as part of the work out regiem. There are some folks that daily run up and down several times. I guess it makes them feel "macho." I was just glad I could make it up and down without loosing my footing and falling to my death in the valley below. We climbed it about 6:00 PM. We got to the top and just sat there with the breeze blowing and waited for the sun to go down. It was a cloudless sky in the west, but the east was beautifully colored as the clouds picked up the sunset hues. The whole horizon in the west turned golden and then orange. It was so beautiful! As the sky got darker, the lights in the city started coming up. We enjoyed the solitude and peace. We had our headlamps, so we could hike down in the dark. It was quite an adventure! Just as the sun went down, this beautiful little creature stuck its head up. I have never seen anything like it and did not know what it was. Then another one came out. They scampered and played around the rocks and crevases. We had to come home and look it up on the internet. It is called a ring-tailed cat. Also called “ringtail” and “civet cat”, the ring-tailed cat is not a true cat. It is about 30 inches long, and half of that is tail. Although this animal has many of the customary habits of cats, it is most closely related to raccoons. Its long, bushy tail is its most conspicuous feature and the only outward resemblance to a raccoon. Its tail has alternating bands, eight black and eight white, and the tip is black. Its back is yellowish gray and its belly whitish. It is found in rocky canyons, foothills, peaks, caves and attics; and its den is typically found in rock crevices, shallow caves, hollow trees, and even in abandoned buildings. Even though it is an excellent climber, it spends little time off the ground, taking to the trees only to hunt roosting birds or their nests. The ring-tailed cat eats small mammals, birds, insects, lizards and fruit. In season, it does eat various fruits and berries. It is nocturnal and not often seen.

We got a dog!

Roxy is getting leashed up for her first walk down the block. Look at those happy faces! All three! Roxy is so beautiful and the kids are so in love with her already! She gives great doggie kisses.

The kids have wanted a dog ever since we became a family. I think they each wanted a dog even BEFORE we became a family! We have talked about it for quite some time and I have protested that I just cannot take care of another living thing. It is enough for me to work, take care of my home and family, and do my church calling. However, I have relented because I know it is so good for the kids. They are so excited! We picked out a name even before we saw the dog. We started out looking on websites. We thought maybe we would get a doberman or a labrador. We settled on a lab. There is a breeder right in the city of Peoria. We placed calls yesterday and could not get a response. She finally called back today while I was on my lunch break at work and I made an appointment to go see the puppies tonight. Nick and Becca were so excited! We warned them that the right dog might not be there and that we were looking for some particiular traits. We want a dog that is friendly, sweet, smart and beautiful. We actually found the right one. When we got there, the golden lab that we really wanted to see had been sold that morning. There were three black females left. We observed the way the pups reacted when we extended our hands. One was too big, and one was totally too hyper and nippy. The other pup was just what we were looking for. She was happy to see us and she licked away, but did not nip at us. She has very bright and intelligent eyes. She has the cute puppy body and will have to grow in to her feet. We brought Roxy home and the kids are so in love with her already. I know it will be a great addition to our family, even though I do not want her in the house, I do not want to feed her or clean up after, I do not want to SMELL her, and I do not want to listen to her whine. Oh well, I guess I am in love with her, too. She does come over to me for some mommie loves. We are looking forward to taking her on our hikes and plan on taking her camping with us over Labor Day weekend. Welcome to the family, Roxy!

Huntington Beach

Becca and Nick are looking for the perfect wave to ride in. Nick finishes up a good ride! Grammy tries to stay in the shade as much as possible! Becca is having a great ride. Look at her face! Surfer Rod. All summer long we have anticipated our annual treck to the beach. We left Friday night as soon as Rod got home from work. Becca and Nick had all their chores done and their bags packed. We loaded up the beach umbrellas, our suit cases, beach towels, sun screen, cooler, and a big blanket. It is about a 6 hour drive. We stayed in Buena Park, which is right by Knott's Berry Farm. We did not like our accommodations very well. Needless to say, we will not be staying at the Red Roof Inn located in Buena Park again. However, our afternoon at the beach was lots of fun. The kids tackeled the waves immediately and enjoyed the water with the boogie boards we got them last year. We only stayed a couple of hours this trip. It was extremely windy and that made it just a little bit miserable. Becca got tumbled by a couple of big waves (it must have been the moon!) and was ready to go first. Nick stayed in and just challenged wave after wave. We all had a really good time. We drove home Saturday night so as not to miss church on Sunday. When we got home, it was really good to get in the shower and wash off the salty, stickey residue that is part of the beach experience. I love sitting on the shore and just watching the waves. It is therapudic and renewing to the soul. We hope to return to the coast in October when we have our fall break.

Driving Lessons

Thursday night we all piled in the car so Nick could have his first driving lesson. We found a big empty parking lot. He was very excited and had anticipated this experience for a long time. He drove around and around the parking lot, trying the signals and trying turns in different directions. When a car came we had to tell him to "stop!" He thought we were just kidding and we really had to tell him to stop. He learned that when another car is coming you must drive defensively. Now he wants to drive all the time. TEENAGERS!