Thursday, June 19, 2014

 Happy Birthday to our beautiful
daughter-in-law Tricia!

Let Your Light

So Shine Before Men, That

They May See Your

Good Works, And Glorify

Your Father

Which Is In Heaven.

-Matthew 5:16

The theme for this year's camp is "See the Light, He is the Light."  Each day there is a morning devotional and the YCL's handed out card with quotations or scriptures about light.  The above one was today's handout.  The girls could clip these on a necklace they were given with a clip on it.  I loved this aspect of camp.

Everyone was just finishing up breakfast when I arrived back at camp.  These was an unfortunate incident with a mouse.  One of the stake leaders, Linda Pearce, squished the mouse with her foot which was very upsetting to many girls including some of ours, and our assistant camp director Amy Reynolds.  Our girls were assigned to clean the eating area after breakfast.

Hope sweeping and Kelly trying to get out of the picture.

Kyah was a good worker.

Next the girls broke up into groups for certification classes.  Amy, Diana, and I attended Julie's class on clouds and trees and vegetation.  Julie also taught compassing and water purification.  She is really an asset at camp.  She was also the hike leader for the stake as well as our ward camp director.  She works for the forest service and loves the outdoors so she is a great resource person.

I especially loved the tree boring class where she bored into the tree to count the rings to determine the age of the tree.  The girls loved it too.

Julie counting the rings of the tree she bored.

Amy, Diana and I had to leave class a little early for kitchen duty.  The cooks, Sister Crandell and Sister Jackson had left on a hike and were late getting back.  Our job was to cook the noodles for the macaroni and cheese but we couldn't find them.  We told Sister Crookston, a counselor in the YW's stake presidency and finally after about ten minutes she found them in a box hidden away under the counter.  We already had several large pots boiling water on the stove.

Diana stiffing the pot.

At one point while adding the noodles to the water I spilled noodles all over the floor.  Also, the pilot light had gone out on the oven and there were several people trying to light the pilot so we could cook the garlic bread but no one was successful.  Somehow we managed to get those noodles cooked and our kitchen leaders made it back from hike and lunch for 150 people was brought about.  We had macaroni and cheese, ham, salad, bread, and fresh fruit.  Sister Crandell was so grateful that we had started without her.  

Back in our camp Julie and some of the other girls took Hope's stuffed bear and hung him from a tree.  We had a memorial service for Teddy and Jordyn even played taps on the harmonica.

 Teddy handing from the tree.

Hope was a good sport.

Jordyn playing taps and Julie

bowing her head.

Rescuing Teddy.

Alice during journal and scripture study.

Heaven

Amy, Kilee, and Diana taking a break.

Enjoying some down time.

LeeAnn painting Kelly's nails.

We were assigned to help with dinner.  I was proud of how most of our girls responded and came to help.  Dinner was green chili chicken burros that were absolutely delicious.  It was bishop's night but since our bishop is working out of town Brother Wilhelm and Sandra came.  They had dinner with us and then afterwards we gathered at camp for our testimony meeting. Afterward Sister Wilhelm handed out cookies.  It was a nice evening.  I was tired again when I went home.  I was surprised to find James had come home so I was not alone.

Earlier in the day James attended Aaron and Kari's sealing.  Gail and all of his kids were there and so were Darrel, Trina, and Jared.

 

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

 Happy Birthday Miss Ruby!

5 yr. old cutie.

Up at 5am.  I overslept!  I scramble to get ready, bake the cinnamon rolls and get to the church by 6am.  I am there by 6:10.  Most of the girls are already there.  I guess Maddie isn't coming.  She is still in Payson.  Her cousin Kyah is especially disappointed.  
I went back home to get some ice and met the rest of our group up at the camp. Before the girls go on their hike we raise the flags over camp.   

 Brother Curtis stayed to set up our two tents.  Diana and I try to help.

We can't have fires but we wanted some light so we strung solar lights in our firepit.

 Diana Curtis, Amy Reynolds, and Shelly Applegate.

This is the stake's fire.

 

 I want James to make us some of these benches.

Our girls: 

Jordyn and Shelly Applegate who were both YCL's.

Kelly Reynolds, Hope and Heaven Lootans,

Alice Wilhelm, Kilee and LeeAnn Hunsaker 

and Kyah Westbrook.

We are missing Maddie Carroll, Trenda Wilhelm

and Coty Iannoli.

This is our service tree.  Whenever someone sees someone else perform an act of service they write it on a paper flashlight and hand it on the tree.  At the end of camp this tree was full of flashlights.

These three girls, Heaven, Hope, and Kelly, along with Kyah Westbrook gathered pinecones.  Julie Wilhelm, our camp leader gave them the idea of dumping pinecones in the entrance of people's tents while they were sleeping.  

 Kelly and Hope

 Here is their stash.

Our first meal here at camp was delicious.  Thanks to LaShell Crandell and Victoria Jackson and all their helpers.  For lunch today we had taco salad, fruit and cinnamon rolls.  The girls were especially hungry after their hike.  After lunch I had a nice visit with Heidi Hastings who is the stake young women's first counselor over the Mia Maids.  She and her husband who is a doctor along with their family are moving to Frisco, Texas.  She seems a little sad to go but feels like it is what the Lord wants them to do.  

This afternoon the girls divided into groups and rotated to different activities.  There was first aid, archery, games, and journal and scriptures.  Here are some pictures of our girls at archery.

 

That's Hope in the foreground.

Kelly was the best shot.

I think she got two bullseyes.

Kelly, LeeAnn, and Kilee

This was one of the games.  Someone walks on the

poles and those with the strings try to balance her.

For dinner we had grilled pineapple, rice and teriyaki chicken.  Afterwards we had kitchen cleanup.  I helped and then headed home.  Sister Boone, the stake YW's secretary used a laser pointer and talked about the stars and constellations.  I guess she was excellent.

I'm glad I went home.  I stopped a cow elk from attacking one of the trees James planted.  I took a whirlpool bath and went to bed.  My feet really hurt.  

 Kim and Brian in San Diego

Joe, Brian, Kim, Chelsea, and Michael

Sheri and Ian's family at Disneyland

 

 

 

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

I urge the husbands and fathers of this Church to be the kind of a man your wife would not want to be without.  I urge the sisters of this Church to be patient, loving, and understanding with their husbands.  Those who enter into marriage should be full prepared to establish their marriage as the first priority in their lives."

-Pres. James E. Faust

 This is a picture of the cheesecake

that Audrey made me.  Delicious!

When I asked James how his pour went he said "perfect."  Now that doesn't happen too often.  Here are some pictures:

 Finished product.  James had to do all the cutting himself

after being up all night on the pour.  He's going to sleep like a baby tonight.

I made two trips in to town today after being their yesterday.  Diana needed me to run off a picture of Kyah Westbrook and I had to go into town to get photo paper because I forgot it yesterday.  The picture is for a photo board Diana is making for camp with pictures of all the girls.  Here is Kyah's picture.

Kyah won't be 12 until August but the stake allowed her to go to camp.  

I couldn't make my Verizon wifi device work.  I called their technical support and he couldn't help either so I went back in to the Verizon store in Show Low.  The girl took the battery out and put it back in and it worked.  She said sometimes they "go to sleep."  Why couldn't the tech on the phone have told me this and saved me a trip into town?

This afternoon I went visiting teaching to Linda Diewald and then to Rosa Westbrook.  Rosie Lauritzen my partner joined me at Rosa's.  I had a cute handout but I forgot to take a picture of it.  Rosa had a dachsund named Spikey.  He laid on the floor by us and Rosie rubbed his tummy.  You could tell he was thrilled.  

I came home and watched "Signed, Sealed, and Delivered" then went to bed.  I have to be at the church tomorrow morning at 6am for girls camp.

 

 

Monday, June 16, 2014

Ammon to the Lamanite King:

"I will be thy servant."

James left around 6:30 am for the valley.  He has a huge pour (20 loads of concrete) around midnight tonight at the Chandler Airport for Hatch Hanger.  He left with no simvistatin and he also forgot his computer.

My blood pressure was a little high today.  I took a walk and check it again and it was much better.  

Congratulations to Wendy and Shaun Kellar.

This is baby Kaytee.  Wendy is Dave's daughter.

Audrey Guerrero made me a cheesecake today.  I picked her up and we went to town around 4pm this afternoon.  She said she needed to pick up some medicine and I was making a trip to Walmart to buying the groceries for the dinner I am fixing for the missionaries on Sunday.  I knew I would be pretty busy the rest of the week.  After our shopping we stopped at Panda Express and got some dinner to take home.  When I dropped Audrey off I picked up my cheesecake and cinnamon rolls she had made for girls camp.  The cheesecake was delicious with Heath candy bar crust.

Sheri, Ian and their boys made if safely to California today.  Tricia is there with Emmy and Molly so they all had dinner together at Seal Beach.

Sheri and Molly

When Sheri told Molly that I said hi to her Molly said: "I don't say hi to her, I say I love her."  What a sweet thing to say.

Group picture on the pier.

Molly and Evan.

Kim, Brian, Joe, and Michael seem to be having fun in San Diego.

Not sure what that is on Michael's head.

This evening I wrote a letter to Michael, Joseph, and Alex.  I have not yet mailed it.  Most of it is based on Brother Ridd's talk from General Conference.

 Happy Anniversary to

Terry and Evans Farnsworth.

Terry was my secretary when I

was the Stake Relief Society President.

 

Sunday, June 15, 2014

 Alma 17:3

...they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.

Happy Father's Day!

James got: new shoes, two new pair of jeans, two new shirts, Nutella, a Bass Pro shop card from me and Kim and Brian, candy and a sweet card from Sheri, and a book from Jared about Abraham Lincoln and the Book of Mormon.

Sy Westbrook, Collin DeWitt, and George Wallace were the speakers in sacrament meeting today.  We especially enjoyed Collin's talk as he interviewed several of the children in our ward about their fathers.  It was quite entertaining.  After sacrament meeting the Relief Society handed out bags of cookies to all the men and young men too.

In Sunday School we learned about Ruth and Hannah and Sandra Wilhelm gave the lesson in Young Women's on the keys of the Priesthood.  We also had setting aparts for our new class presidencies for those who were here.  Alice Wilhelm is the Beehive class president and Heaven is her secretary.  Kilee Hunsaker is the Mia Maid class president and Maddie Carroll is her secretary.  Trenda Wilhelm is the Laurel class president and Jordyn Applegate is her secretary.  Kilee, Maddie, and Trenda were not here today.  

I sold my iphone 4 to Alice Wilhelm for $10.  She is so excited about it.  I know it's worth alot more than that but it was worth it to see her so happy.

James's special meal for today consisted of potatoes and eggs. I wanted to stop on the way home yesterday and get some steaks but he didn't want me to.  He was very happy with the meal.  Sometimes the simple things are the best.  We had a long nap today.  It was wonderful to be able to spend the entire day with my sweetheart.  He is such a good husband, dad and grandpa and I love him!

A couple of other great dads,

James's brother Gail and his son Aaron.

Molly's in California, can you tell,

she's gone gangsta.