June 2025

 CAMP MEETINGS
I got to take part in a couple camp meetings this week.  Getting all ready for camp.  It was cool to see the whole committee working together and going the extra mile on their individual stewardships.  Very cool.  This camp is so inspired, I'm excited to see how it goes.  6-1-25

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KELLY!
Kelly's birthday came and went!  We were glad we got to talk to her, but again, it's always so weird to celebrate without the birthday kid.  I think she enjoyed the pizzas we got her and Devan for dinner, Devan was kind enough to help me with that surprise.  Then he spoiled her with a cool date as well.  So that was fun.  Kelly is a blessing in our lives.  We definitely wouldn't be us without her.  6-2-25

RACHEL'S FAREWELL
I was really happy we were able to make this happen- we have not missed any of the Idaho Maynes's farewells.  I think we missed Isaac's homecoming, but not the farewells.  So that was cool to be there for her.  She did awesome on her talk- she will be a great missionary!!  We got to see their new house as well and that was pretty fun.  I like the roadtripping nature of these trips and that we get to spend some time together with Nate on a Sunday!  Rare!  6-8-25

GIRLS CAMP- FUEL YOUR FLAME
I felt so privileged to be able to go to Stake Girls Camp this year!!  This is my sanctuary.  The theme was amazing I loved the way they planned this, I was really excited for all of it.  Since I am writing this about three months later, I am going to have to summarize.  I wish I'd been more diligent with my journaling though, because it was such a great experience!!
Some of the Highlights:
- I got to ride up and back with Martha- that was pretty fun. We found out we have very similar issues with sisters and parents.  Kinda funny.
- I loved meeting all of the stake camp leaders and having a whole new group of friends. 
- President Emily Belle Freeman randomly showed up at our camp and bore her testimony!
- Having Pierce Morris come and perform for the girls and their hilarious reaction to having a cute guy at camp!  Grace Layton was SO MUCH FUN that night.  
- Meeting all the girls over and over again as I served food each meal.
- Playing Fishbowl with the Shadowbrook ward girls.  They were so sweet to invite Christa and I up to their camp.  
- So much time with Erika and being able to be there for her.
- Late night chats in the tent for a little bit before going to sleep.
- So much opportunity to serve.
- Feeling my Heavenly Father's love for me and for all the young women.
- Meeting Izzy and her dad and talking Celiac.
- The funny snake prank at Shadowbrook camp
- Martha's giant hand from her bee sting

Some of the things that were not my favorite:
- Having to end our games with the shadowbrook girls early.
- Not getting to use our brand new tent- and having to reprimand Erin for trying to take it down herself.
- SO MUCH WALKING and FOOD PREP!!  I was SO exhausted when I got home.
- Not enough time with the Young Women
- Not sleeping very well the first night
- Not wanting to take a shower but having everyone tell me I should- felt a little weird.  
- Feeling really out of place at Ponds Park Ward Camp
- The Ponds Park ward trailer and truck getting stranded on the way to camp- Erika didn't get up until a few hours after it started
- Not feeling connected with Martha and hearing about all the things she was doing and fixing and not really being a part of any of that.  
- Not loving my devotional.  The mic wasn't turned on at first, so I had to yell and then they turned it on and it just felt weird.  I ended it too soon and didn't bear strong enough testimony.  I wish I'd put more into that.  

Overall it was an awesome girls camp!!  I loved it!!  6-9-25--6-12-25

THEY DID IT!! CHARITY AND HUNTER ARE ENGAGED!!!
Sunday night, Charity showed up randomly, pretty late too, but only a few seconds in to the visit, she announced that Hunter had proposed and showed us her beautiful ring!! This was a fun night, we all sat around and listened to the whole story of how Hunter had been trying to surprise her and she kept kind of interfering, so finally their friends helped out a little and planned a picnic to the Saratoga Springs temple.  They were able to take a little private walk and he popped the question!  She has a cute video of all of it, so that was fun and we were all so excited for them!!  They are planning on getting married on Friday, August 22nd.  It's time to really start planning!!

NOAH AT FSY
While I was at girls camp, Noah was at FSY.  He had another great year!  This time he went without a friend for his roommate and I think it went really well.  I should have him write about it.  But it has been three months.  6-9-25--6-14-25

EVAN AND HANNAH RECEPTION
We were not able to make it up to Idaho for the sealing, but Nate made a huge presence with the sliders he made and showing up with the kiddos.  I was so exhausted from girls camp that i didn't make it, but it was cool that Nate was there.  The girls liked playing with Ainsley.  6-12-25

NATE CATERING THE HORSE SHOW
Nate and a few of the kids sold sandwiches at the horse show over by the gardens.  Pretty cool opportunity.  I don't think he came out with as much business as anticipated, but still cool.  6-13-25

FATHER'S DAY BREAKFAST
I have no idea where we went for breakfast, somewhere in Provo to accommodate picking up Noah and being closer to Charity, but I was so happy we did something different for Nate this year.  6-14-25

FATHER'S DAY 
This was a great day!  We spoiled Nate with breakfast in bed and all the love in the morning.  We had put together this really cute book- each kid got to make a page in the book with either memories or pictures.  It turned out really cute!!  I was so happy with it!  I even got Brad and Luke to contribute.   I think Nate felt good and spoiled.  6-15-25

ERIKA FSY
We took Erika down to FSY this week!  She went with Kate this time.  She REALLY loved her group and had so much fun with them all, she's met up with a few of them to do baptisms and stuff since then.  So this was a really great FSY year for her.  6-16-25--6-21-25

YOUNG MENS CAMP
Nate took the young men backpacking again this year!!  This was a much anticipated event.  Not just for Nate.   Jack was pretty excited and Noah was all geared up.  They did a little more to get the other young men ready and planned out the meals a little differently than last time, so it was going to be even better!  I think they ended up having a really great time.  Nate's pulled pork meal worked out great.  They had done an easy enough hike for a lot of the leaders to participate.  It was just a good time.  I was so happy that things went so well with Jack's diabetes stuff and he and Nate took good care of him.  Kinda stressful for me to not have any contact with them at all, but we all survived.  Jack had a really good time.  6-18-25--6-21-25

ELIO, SWIMMING POOL, STRAWBERRY FLUFF
While the boys and Erika were gone, we got a new swimming pool to play with in the backyard and made good use of that.  We saw the movie Elio which was super cute and we all loved it.  Molly and I made some strawberry fluff that didn't really live up to the hype we had created ourselves.  6-18-25--6-21-25

CALLING THE STAKE YOUTH COMMITTEE
I was asked to sit in with Brother John Pohlman as we called new youth to serve on the Stake Youth Committee.  This was interesting. I wish I had come at it with a different expectation.  But it was good.  Very cool experience really.  6-22-25

WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING WITH CHARITY
This was a highlight!!  Charity invited Erika, Molly, Sadie, me and her two friends Barb and Grace? (I might be getting her name wrong) to go dress shopping with her!!  We went ot the same place Kelly went to.  Charity picked out all the features she wanted and proceeded to show us a few dresses!  I think it was about the 2nd or 3rd and she just came out beaming.  We all knew it was the one.  She looked beautiful in all the dresses she tried, but this one especially!  So gorgeous!!  This was fun for all of us to be a part of it. I think we went to cold stone after. 6-24-25

BACKPACKING WITH ALL THE KIDS!  SADIE'S FIRST TIME!!
Nate and the kids planned a really simple backpacking trip so that they could take Sadie this year!  This was an incredible experience for all of us!!  I heard that Sadie walked about eight miles on their hike and that she carried her own pack the whole time!!  Pretty impressive.  Everyone did really well, including Jack with his diabetes management.  I was so relieved to hear how well it all went!!  I'm always a little jealous of the stories they all have from it and wish I could be there with them, but I am also very happy to have some time to myself.  Plus I think it's good for them to get time with just their dad!  6-25-25--6-28-25

TOO MUCH ME TIME
So, this was a first for me- I had three days basically to myself.  It was going to be interesting for sure.  I had a lot I wanted to get done and so much planned, but when it came down it it, it was not possible to do it all.  I did get a lot done in my closet and bedroom/bathroom which made me happy.  I was able to get out with different friends and people and I did have some fun as well.  It's never as productive as I want it to be, but I was literally going the entire time.  It was not lazy time.  It started with lunch with the Barbaras.  We met up at Barbara Noriegas, they had picked up all our food.  This was nice!  I loved chatting with them.  Then I was able to go up to Marianne's school for a face peel- pretty awesome and relaxing.  Thursday morning I had breakfast with Charity for our date, then lunch with Steve a little later.  That was funny because we met this lady in a wheel chair because I had helped her get into The Habit and she kind of stole our whole conversation time.  I was a little bummed about that, but we got some good laughs in.  That evening, Marianne and I went on a REALLY LONG walk up the bike trail in west kaysville.  This was nice too and I was so happy to have that time with her.  Lots of talking and eating Tru Fru!  Friday I made it to the temple and I had dinner with someone.  I am drawing a blank on who it was for some reason.  Saturday morning was the Stowell Reunion and I had to go by myself.  It was kind of a bummer to not have the kids and Nate there.  I brought Izzy and Aria home with me to greet the kids and Nate when they got home!!  LOTS OF STUFF!!  So crazy!  We were so excited to have the Hatches here too!  6-25-25--6-28-25

GRANDPA'S HOUSE WITH THE HATCHES
We were invited to the Hatches' hangout with Grandpa Saturday night.  That was a lot of fun.  We got some pizzas and went and invaded grandpa's house.  It was a lot of fun to catch up with Sarah and hear about all that they are doing. Sadie and Aria are soul mates again.  6-28-25

PINEVIEW WITH THE HATCHES
This has become kind of a fun new tradition.  We didn't have a ton of time to hang out, but we wanted to get up to the lake.  All of Brent and my other ideas were too expensive or difficult to pull off, but this one was fun and worked out.  It was fun to sit and talk with Sarah and I got to hold cute little Lilly. We came back to our house after and played a bunch of our fun games- the couch one and fishbowl.  Lots of fun. 6-30-25