Favorite Moments of Summer 2014

Oh my goodness… did we ever have a full and fun summer!  For Family Home Evening the other night the kids and I made our ‘Favorite Moments of Summer’ list.  We started out thinking we’d list our top FIVE… but then we got going and listed our top TEN and then when we heard what other people were listing we just threw away the whole notion of limiting our favorite summer moments and wrote down however many we thought of…

MOM

• Running from Spruce Mountain to the van in an afternoon lightning and thunder storm
• Summer points for the kids
• Solo Experience at Girls Camp – Being there with Katie
• Seeing my “Maryland Friends” for a 4 hour lunch at Brick Oven
• Hanging out with Amy for the day before she moved
• Seven Peaks Waterslides with my excited boys
• Watching Matt swim like a fish at our community pool
• Traditional post-EFY IHOP breakfast with the Astons and Gillespies
• Going to the Lego movie with the boys on either side of me repeating every line
• Dress Shopping with my Mom and Amy at Guilford
• Watching 24 with Chris and Ryan every week.
• Driving to the top of Pikes Peak with Dan and Sarah and finding great places to climb and beautiful stormy sky views
• Camping at Smith and Morehouse with Chris’ family – so fun
• Hearing about all Ryan and Katie’s fun dances, parties, crushes, dates, EFY and swing rehearsals
• Watching the scavenger hunt pictures at Ryan’s 16th Birthday party
• A hilarious game of hand and foot with Mike, Nikole, Ashlyn and Lindsey
• Out to a Thai place and movie with Dan and Sarah
• Being with my Dad in Canada on Father’s Day
• Katie and I birthday shopping at the outlet mall
• The Provo Food Truck Roundup with Amy, Chris, Scott and Elisha
• Catching up with the Chuggs in Utah

RYAN

• Aaron’s Camp – Turkey, The Spirit, No Phones, No Girls – HOLD TO THE ROD
• The first Dance of EFY – ‘Be a Man’, GIRLS
• Grandma’s House – Board Games, 7 Wonders with Aunts and Uncles
• Babysitting siblings and watching Pokémon episodes with them
• Temple Trip with Friends
• Missionary Tag and Night Games with friends
• That one time – Nacho Libre
• That other time – Lord of the Rings
• Swing Dancing Group A, B3 and C
• Playing Dominion with Dan and Sarah
• Hiking with my Family – Guns and Grenades, Pokémon Theme Song, Running in the Rain
• My 16th Birthday Party –Watermelon, Kisses on the Cheek, Games
• Going to How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Awesome.
• Lego Movie
• Hanging out with Tate – Pokémon Rumble, Frisbee, Basketball, SSBB
• Watching World Cup Soccer – USA!!  Germany!!!!!! vs. Brazil at EFY

KATIE

• Going to the Colorado Springs Zoo with Dan, Sarah and kids
• C Swing Dance rehearsals and the other swing classes and dances!
• Night games with friends
• FIRST DANCE at EFY
• Girls Camp – The Bear Spray and the Rain
• 4th of July – Singing and Dancing right in front of the Speakers
• Staying up really late with Cousins for my birthday
• Skyping Scott with Annie, Leah, Emily and Megan
• Jane Silva saying ‘AWESOME’ seeing the boys glow in the dark stars
• Camping and fishing with the Johnsons
• Hiking Spruce Mountain with my family
• Reading the letter from Dad during my solo experience
• Shopping with my Mom at the Outlet Mall
• Seeing movies at the Movie Theater: Maleficent, How to Train your Dragon 2, The Lego Movie, Mr. Peabody and Sherman
• My 14th Birthday Party with Friends

EMILY

• Playing with Jane in Canada
• Seeing Maleficent at the Movie Theater with Annie and Leah
• Making Smores while camping with the Johnsons
• Watching Pokémon with Ryan
• Going to 7 Peaks with Molly, Foster, Annie, Leah and James
• Sleeping in our room with Annie and Leah
• Playing with Jane at our house
• Running in the rain and thunder at Spruce Mountain
• Watching the teenagers at Ryan's Birthday Party
• Seeing cousins at Grandma Johnson’s house everyday

MEGAN

• Roasting smores while camping with the Johnsons
• Holding Peter
• Watching Pokémon episodes with Ryan
• Catching my first fish
• 7 Peaks with Molly, Annie and Leah
• Making Disney dances with Molly
• Going to Maleficent with Annie and Leah
• Playing at parks
• Going to the Zoo with Dan and Sarah
• Playing on the trampoline with Annie and Leah
• Making clubs with Annie and Leah
• Hiking Spruce Mountain
• Watching Peabody and Sherman at the Dollar Theater with Katie
• Watching the scavenger hunt pictures at Ryan’s birthday party
• Movie nights
• Pine Creek Soccer Camp
• Singing and dancing in front of the stage with Haylee before fireworks
• Playing with Jane
• Watching the Lego Movie
• Nate – He’s awesome.
• Camping in our backyard even though it didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted it to turn out
• Driving to the top of Pikes Peak
• The Girls Club while camping
• Damning the water with Annie and Leah
• Watching the World Cup Soccer games
• Grandma Walton’s pie
• Playing O Heck with Grandpa Walton

LUKE

• Playing Wii
• Pine Creek Soccer Camp
• Camping with the Johnsons
• Watching Pokémon with Ryan and playing with the Pokémon figurines
• Watching Matt do cool tricks at the swimming pool
• Jumping on the trampoline
• Going on the waterslides at Seven Peak – especially the green one

MATT

• Playing Wii on Wednesdays and Saturdays
• Learning how to ride my bike in front of the house
• Swimming at the pool and taking swimming lessons
• Going on the waterslides
• Watching the Lego Movie

 

Girls Camp 2014–Come Unto Christ

We met at the church at 7:30 on Tuesday morning and then caravanned to Camp Joseph in Rye, Colorado – the Church property about an hour and a half south.  It was beautiful when we pulled into Camp Joseph.  We knew that the weather was going to be horrible – rain, rain and more rain for the entire week so it seemed a real blessing that we were able to put the tents up with blue skies and a little sun. 

We got everything set up, ate our sack lunches and then headed to the main pavilion for the welcome, first flag raising and then opening games.  Right after instructions were given it began a heavy downpour.  t was crazy and all the girls ran back under the shelter of the main pavilion.  The girls line danced and had a great time.  Our girls were so happy and excited to be there.  I don’t know how many times Katie said, “Oh, I’m so excited for camp.”  Wonderful things happen at camp… strengthened relationships, great memories, great people, meaningful ways to serve and strengthened testimonies.  I love camp too!

My happy Beehives and a few that just turned 14… Katie and Brooklyn.

The girls were always playing camp games whenever they had a spare minute… Big Buddha, Froggie and Bunny Bunny! 

We picked up our dinner from the camp kitchen and headed back to our ward camp to eat… pulled pork sandwiches, grapes, chips and chocolate cake. 

Brother Ogden came up to give us a FHE lesson.  First we played a fun game called ‘4 on the couch’ with everyone switching names.  It was really fun.  Then he spoke of VIRTUE and that Christ is the one who sees us the way we truly are and who we can become.  Almost as soon as we said the closing prayer, it started to downpour again.  After running to the bathrooms in the pouring rain we got the girls all tucked in and headed to bed.

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Wednesday it rained steadily ALL DAY LONG. After pancake breakfast we split up into years and did our hikes.  I went with the first years and we hiked for 3 miles around Camp Joseph.  Everyone was SOAKED when we got back and we encouraged everyone to change entirely so they would be warm and dry.  Tents were leaking, clothes were soaked and people were cold – but we were happy to be together. 

After lunch we practiced our skit and went to the main pavilion to perform them.  I just loved watching the girls prepare.  We have some fun kids and they were cracking me up.  We had to do a skit based on the fairytale “Princess and the Pea” and the wrote the skit about 12 princes looking for their true loves.  One found a princess who loved gossip, money, tattoos, bad music, immodesty etc.  And the last prince who was looking for Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth etc.  It turned out really funny and the girls loved putting it all together and practicing. 

After the skits we stayed in the pavilion to stay dry and played Phase 10 for an hour or two until dinner.  Wednesday night we had a Fireside with some special visitors – a guys choir and some guys and brethren who spoke.  It was really good.  Unfortunately I missed most of it sitting in the car and drying some of the girls jeans and sweatshirts with the heater. : )

Finalizing all the hair braiding and getting ready for hikes.

All the first year girls on our 3 mile hike.

Cordera girls eating lunch in the pavilion

Thursday we ate breakfast and headed for our assigned stations:

1. Archery and Rifle Range Stations

Katie – aka Katniss, with her hair braided and everything.

Golf Ball Team Building Exercise – our half of the Cordera girls came in first place of all the Stake.  They’re awesome!

Swinging to the Island without falling off… Team Building Exercise.   So funny!

After lunch we had ward free time and we spend a good portion of the time setting up huge tarps over the fire pit.  It provided three areas where we could hang out without getting wet – which was really nice.  A group of us played Phase 10 again and had fun talking.  Lots of other games and hair braiding going on as well.   It was fun to be there with the other leaders too – Leah Russell, Paula Leishman, Christina Abbott, Courtney Smith and Kera Hudson.

Several of us had the exact same pair of rain boots.  Boy those things were a lifesaver.  I never took them off the whole camp.  The rain was constant but the MUD was a huge issue too.

 

Dinner at the pavilion was quite the event because of a little bear spray incident.  Sister Smith, pulling on her backpack which got caught on something, accidently sprayed her bear spray.  Within seconds the girls and leaders in our area started coughing, gaging and running from the pavilion.  It must have been quite the site to the rest of the Stake but it spread quickly and soon all the girls were evacuating the building.  It got in some of the girls eyes and then wouldn’t stop watering.  For me it went straight into my lungs and I coughed and and coughed and coughed.  Nothing like a little drama to make Girls Camp absolutely memorable.  It’s funny that after Girls Camp was over the girls couldn’t stop talking about how awesome Girls Camp was because of the rain and the bear spray.

After dinner the rain stopped just long enough for us to have our Fireside and Solo Experience with a dry sky – a great blessing.  It was a neat experience.  Unfortunately we don’t give time to do that enough.  Katie had letters written to her by Chris and I, and after her solo experience she came to find me to give me a hug.  I know those letters meant a lot to her… especially her Dad’s.  Around the campfire the girls bore their testimonies and shared experiences from their Solo Experience.  Then we met with the Stake for Singing Trees before going to bed.

Our turn for Flag ceremony on Friday morning.

Friday morning at Breakfast the Stake leaders announced that we needed to pack up and head home on that day instead of Saturday.  The unpaved roads leading up to the camp were mudding and people were sliding off the road.  With a bit of clear sky that came on Friday morning and forecasts of another huge rainstorm that afternoon and evening they decided now was the time to get everyone out safely.   Even with all of the rain and mud and cold, it was devastating news to all the girls.  Immediately girls started crying and hugging each other.  We had a few girls moving right after girls camp so it was especially hard on some of our beehives – but equally hard on some of the YCL’s who had put so much into planning the camp.  We had learned how to survive and be happy in the rain.  I was kind of bummed too.

We started to pack up and take down tents (filthy muddy tents inside and out) and then headed to the outdoor amphitheater for our last Fireside.  It was a WALK WITH CHRIST and during the whole thing we were blindfolded and they placed things in our hands while we listened to a recording of music and words about the life of Christ.  It was neat.

We ate lunch, watched the slideshow of camp, finished packing up and headed home.

 

Love these girls! Such a great group of positive happy girls to camp with! Especially loved being there with my Katie girl.