School's Out! June 3, 2016
I loved that Ava and Grayson got to be at Rocky Mountain Middle School together for her 8th grade year and his 7th grade year. Katrina and Mallerie never got that chance. I told them before the last day, "Make sure you get a picture together!"
Mallerie's 18th Birthday! June 3, 2016
Mallerie spent most of the day with friends shopping Park City. That evening a few came over for some fruit pizza and some pizza pizza.
Lindsey was wearing the most darling shade of lipstick at Katrina's farewell; Shocking Pink. Mallerie was dying to have a shade for herself. I was at Ulta and picked a tube. It is funny how a color can look amazing on some (Lins and Mal), and absolutely wretched on another, (me!) We all laughed when I aged 10 years after I put it on.
Matt and Callie taking it outside for their own private party.
To say Mallerie is a go-getter is an understatement. She never stops, nor does she have any desire to!
She helped a candidate for city council by pounding the pavement from dawn to dusk. She is always looking for another way to make a buck.
Now that Mallerie is 18 the reality of her leaving has really set in. I relished the time she was home with us during the summer and the times I would catch she and Ava together. 
Sweet sisters.
Callie getting her summer on
Planting the garden! June 7, 2016
I am usually so overrun with zucchini by the end of the summer that I decided to only plant one zucchini plant. However, it never came up. Lesson learned, too much zucchini is better than no zucchini at all.
Utah Valley Marathon June 11, 2016
Mallerie was SO excited to run her first marathon with Josh and Vickie. It started 8 miles past the Wallsburg turn off. We decided to wait at the turn off and watch for her. I pictured the canyon being packed with cars and didn't want to get stuck in traffic so we were at the turn off by the 6:00 am. We had to wait quite a while for the runners but it was exciting when we got to get out of the car and cheer her on!
We clapped and hollered at Mallerie, Josh, and Vickie along the way. One runner yelled desperately to me as she approached, "Do you have a hair tie?" I had one in my hair and yanked it out to hand her as she passed. Binnie had two hair ties so she gave me one of hers.
The wild flowers were out in full bloom.
It was hard to believe people can run for that amount of time without stopping. It was amazing to see them and realize, "They are still running! They have been running this whole time!"
At the Riverwoods Kei was waiting to run with Mallerie for moral support.
This was the first time during the marathon that I saw pain on Mallerie's face, "I can't breathe!" She was having a really hard time. It was hard to watch.
Mallerie is always telling everyone "You're fine." It has become a bit of a joke. If someone is distraught, hungry, tired, agitated, "You're fine." Ava had planned on calling to Mallerie as she passed, "You're fine!" But as we got back in the car before going to the next stop Ava said, "I decided not to say that."
By the time Mallerie crossed the finish line she was hurting bad. It was emotional for all of us.
She was taken right to the first aid tent and given an inhaler so she could catch her breath. At a follow-up doctors appointment she was told she has asthma. (But it seems to only kick in after she has been running for twenty miles!)
I felt bad for the brides coming out of the City Center Temple. Throngs of people were gathered and Michael Jackson's Beat It was barring.
We were so proud of her for accomplishing such a hard thing. Her goal was to come in under four hours. She ended with a time of 3:50. Josh and Vickie also made it though they all crossed at different times.
Mall's support team.
Heber Valley Girl's Camp June 13th-17th 2016
I had been attending stake camp planning meetings since January, which made for an easy transition when I became YW president. I understood the theme and sub-themes, because I helped come up with them!
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| Ready for a week of the unknown |
Each day we added a poster to go with,
- My Covenants give me Direction
- My Covenants give me Tools
- My Covenants bring me Joy
- My Covenants give me Power
Coloring their own Plan of Happiness
Lunching
A Surprise Tea Party in the Forrest
While I was reading in Enos vs 2, I came up with the idea for a tea party in the woods for the day we talked about, "My Covenants bring me JOY."
2. Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart. My soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer.
The girls were working on their skit at the amphitheater while we madly set up the surprise in the forrest (hey, like a mad tea party;) As I led the girls down the path to the secret party I heard them giggle with delight.
One girl is gluten free so we had some extra food made just for her. During testimony meting she said that was when she felt the love of the Savior for her the strongest during the week. It reminded me of the importance of reaching out to the one.
Different leaders spoke during lunch about our journey through life and the role our covenants play: Joy in Confidence, Joy in Missionary Service, Joy in Marriage, Joy in Motherhood.
The girls had time afterwards to find a quiet place and write down their future goals that we would seal in Temple Time Capsules after camp.
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| Ava at Girls Camp |
For our stake service project we worked on Days for Girls Kits. My Aunt Linda has been to Uganda to deliver the kits personally and was able to come to one of our pre-camp activities and share first-hand knowledge about the value of the kits in the girls lives. What better way to honor our baptismal covenant of bearing one another's burdens?
Above the chalkboard you can see posters of "The Living Christ." As a Stake we issued the challenge in January for the girls to memorized it by girls camp where we would stand and recite it together. I was nervous about memorizing because it has been awhile since I have memorized anything and, quite frankly, I didn't think I even could. Then one day the phrase, "We are beloved spirit daughters of God and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction. As a worldwide sisterhood we are united in our devotion to Jesus Christ, our Savior and exemplar. We are women of faith, vision, virtue, and charity, who increase our testimony of Jesus Christ though prayer and scripture study..." This is the Relief Society Declaration that I memorized FIFTEEN years ago. I haven't said it since but I realized it has been tucked away in my subconscious. As soon as I started memorizing The Living Christ, my brain pulled out the Relief Society Declaration! It was fascinating to me and gave me the confidence that I actually could memorize.
The first evening of Girls Camp the Stake Leaders asked if I would be the one to lead the Stake on Wednesday night in reciting "The Living Christ." Of course I accepted, but I was very nervous about it. The speaker that night would be Bonnie D. Parkin, so she would also be in the audience. I got a text from my old presidency just hours before I was to recite and it gave me the strength I needed (along with a lot of prayer and practice). Oh, and I also had Ava up there by my side. We did it!
This document, written in 2000, has hung on the wall of my dining room for years. It has now taken on new meaning and feeling for me. It is pure doctrine.
Can you even believe how gorgeous Heber Valley Camp is? Here we are ready for Testimony meeting our last night there. One girl shared that this is the first time in her life she has felt the spirit. 
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| After: We now are bonded on a whole new level with inside jokes and a renewed love for the gospel. |
Fairyland
I didn't want to leave the littles out of some mountain adventures of their own so I took them up Mirror Lake Highway to Fairyland one afternoon in June. We had a good time cooling off in the river afterwards.
Sunset Safari
June 21, 2016
With only two months left on my zoo pass we decided to try out the Sunset Safari one evening while Matt and Grayson were at Priesthood Encampment.
The zoo pass allowed us into the sunrise and sunset safari's, which meant we could enter the park an hour early or stay an hour late on certain days.
As you can see our adventures didn't necessarily involve the animals. We hoped that by going in the evening they wouldn't be as docile. Look how close Leo was to the glass!
That's fur rilz!
Short Hike
With the Taylor family Reunion scheduled to happen over the fourth of July I took some of the kids up to check out a short hike by Guardsman's Pass. We didn't even make it to the lake when we had to turn around and take Ava to work :(
Car Show on Main
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| We took a bike ride and discovered the antique car show on Main Street. Summer bike rides were such a highlight for all of us. |
BUILDING. I saw a shelf in a catalog that I decided to order. It needed assembling when it arrived. Graham and Callie very much enjoyed the process. Graham even got to use the real drill, "I love doing stuff like this!"
Coach Pitch
So much for waiting till the last game to snap some great photo's, it was rained out. I asked Graham if he would like to play again next year. He said, "No! All anyone cares about is the treat at the end."
Temple Square
Mallerie needed a ride to the airport the morning of June 28th for her FBLA trip to Atlanta so we headed downtown afterwards. We hadn't been to the newly remodeled Church History Museum before and really enjoyed it.
After we came out of the First Vision movie we looked at the displays. Two guys were reading the plaque telling about the roll the seer stones played in the translation of the Book of Mormon. I heard them say, "Can you believe that people are buying into this stuff?" I wanted to say, "We know it is unusual, we get it!"
Graham and Callie were volunteers during the pioneer artifact presentation.
The Beehive House
We got to tour the lower level but I was disappointed we didn't get to go upstairs this time.
The kids have never taken this tour before so they didn't know the difference.
Inside the South Visitors Center is a model of the interior of the Salt Lake Temple. I love looking at miniatures and stayed for quite a while after the kids wandered off to other displays. I took a picture on my phone so I could look at it some more later.
"Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer." I did!
Temple square on a glorious day is heaven.
We lunched out of our cooler at Memory Grove while the kids waded in City Creek. I discovered that if you mix lemonade and limeade in club soda with a squirt of black cherry it creates happiness in a bottle.
We had just enough lunch left over to make one more plate of food. We gave it to the homeless guy in front of the Tabernacle on our way back.
We walked through City Creek Mall very briefly at the end of our day. We didn't have shopping money with us so the kids just splashed around a bit. It was a real nice day.
Real nice.
Meanwhile in ATLANTA
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| Wasatch High FBLA |
Mallerie and her roommates were delighted to discover that their room key worked for the concierge lounge. This was a huge blessing for her especially since she was pinching her pennies when it came to food. They would go in the morning and load up on breakfast and water for the day. In the evening they would fill their tummies again. They didn't want to make a scene about it to the others but were asked several times by the group, "Are you sure you aren't hungry?"
"We're fine."
