Fishing with Uncle Tom

Our last stop before the family reunion was to stop and visit David's Aunt Beth and Uncle Tom (Aunt Beth is Walt's Sister). Beth fixed us a delicious breakfast at their cabin.

Then Tom took us out to experience his favorite past time, fishing! We got geared up and headed to Navajo Lake. David was the only one that caught anything. It was great to be fishing the waters that David's Dad and Grandfather before him fished.

Bryson found a rock that made a perfect fishing pole holder.

We went back to the cabin for lunch and McKay gutted the fish. We really enjoyed the trip and need to try to make time to fish more in NY. The problem is, I grew up trout fishing in Utah. I know several ways to cook trout. I haven't even heard of the fish in NY. I wouldn't know what to do with them if we caught them.

Goblin Valley

On our way to our Family Reunion in Southern Utah, we detoured off the beaten path to Goblin Valley State Park. It was named for the resemblance of the rock features to Goblins. What do you think?

Isn't it amazing?

If you noticed the absence of Parker, it's because he had some educational responsibilities (summer school) so he had to stay home.

On the way to a hotel for the evening, we stopped by a gas station whose convenience store was hollowed out of the mountain. It goes way back in.

Since their wasn't a really defined closet at the hotel for Bryson to sleep in, he had to improvise.

This is how we found him in the morning. He's so strange.

5 Years!?!

Where did all the time go...and yet it seems like we've been married much longer. We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary while we were in Utah and returned to the spot where we were married, the top of Hidden Peak at Snowbird Ski resort. I surprised David with the short side trip and we were able to take the tram to the peak. It's just as breathtaking as when we were married and so is David. It's been quite an adventure and we're looking forward to so much more.

Top 10 things I love about David:

10. We think alike so much, we are actually perplexed when we don't immediately come to the same conclusion and agree on topics.

9. He's a hopeless romantic. Far more than I am.

8. He'll drop anything to stop and help the kids with something or answer a question.

7. He's really good at giving a presentation and getting people excited. He was designed to address a crowd.

6. He is so much like his Dad in a lot of ways. One endearing trait they both share is they both love to sing out loud and strong at church, even if they weren't blessed with angel voices.

5. He's incredibly smart. One of the smartest people I know (another thing he gets from his Dad).

4. He is devoted to his Faith, his family, and his work and takes all of these responsibilities very seriously.

3. A little known fact...he's really cuddly.

2. Quoting a country song, "I hope [my boys are] at least half the dad, that he didn't have to be".

1. He loves me more than I deserve sometimes.

What a difference an "a" can make

We got a good laugh out of David misreading a caption on a newspaper. He read:

"Join the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society

for a Feline Feast to assist in reducing the excess cat population"

What it actually said was,

"Join the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society

for a Feline Fest to assist in reducing the excess cat population"

The extra a David added to fest really changed the way we could help control the cat population! Yikes! Haven't laughed that hard for a while.

Hangin' with d'Niece and d'Nephew

My sister, Peggy, and I have been plotting a get together with my brothers and sisters for 2 years, now, and we were finally able to put the plan in motion. So we rented a vacation home in Southern Utah, near some of our family history sites, and sent out the notifications. The only problem was that my brothers couldn't make it. Luckily in planning to be in Utah, I added a little extra time to the trip to visit some other family. So I visited Scott in Salt Lake before the reunion and we chilled for a day.

So what do you do on a Saturday when your favorite Aunt's in town? Laser Tag! Danielle (d'Niece) and I made a great team, but Scott and Ethan (d'Nephew) dominated. Scott is remarkably good at laser tag. Probably the best player that didn't cheat. Here is a picture of Danielle ready for battle-that's not her battle face, though. Trust me she can be fierce.

We played a lot of air hockey, which is good for me because it's something I can beat my big Bro at after he cleaned my clock at Laser Tag - several times.

After dropping Danielle off at her friend's house, Scott, Ethan, and I went out for pizza then to an arcade. I'll let you in on a secret...I love skee ball! I'm not very good at it, but I can't walk past a machine with out dropping some quarters.It was great to see my big Brother and his kids. It's been too long...come and visit me in New York!

An "Enriching" Evening with a Few Friends

I had the chance to host an Enrichment Activity for the ladies at church. My friend Stephanie thought it would be fun to have a bonfire. I thought, maybe we could cook over the bonfire. So we decided to cook tinfoil chicken dinners, s'mores, and a dutch oven cobbler. It attracted more than a couple of ladies from church even though we're on the far end of the ward.

Since I don't get to spend a lot of time with the adults (I'm always in with the Young Women), it was fun to spend time with some old and new friends.

That's the way to see the Ballet

We are fortunate to have the New York City Ballet spent a couple a weeks doing performances just a half hour from our house in July. I really have grown to love going to the Ballet and since I have a niece that may be performing professionally soon, it's a good thing. But nothing can beat going to SPAC, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and getting lawn seats. I mean really, how many chances do you have to see the New York City Ballet while wearing shorts and flip flops with a picnic lunch and get to play frisbee and eat ice cream during intermission?

Our budding photographer, Bryson, set up the camera using the delay so he could jump back in next to us. The Amphitheater is not crooked, the camera was; just tilt your head to the side to get the straight effect.

In my opinion, that's the best way to see the Ballet.

We took a short hike after the Ballet to see some of the "Saratoga Springs". Bryson tasted one of them. You have to do it once. It tastes really nasty, kind of sulfury (I think I invented a new word).

Then we walked down to the Island Spouter. That is some serious hard water build up.

Just down the path you run into this mountain of mineral buildup.

Of course Bryson had to climb it (he is a boy after all). While he was climbing I noticed something odd...

My poor youngest child is, yet again, a victim of cheap parents and I hadn't even noticed. You see, I try to only buy sandals for the kids every two years (among other cost saving measures) to keep the clothing budget down. So I buy a size bigger so they can use them two years in a row most of the time. Bryson had a pair of sandals that I bought last year that he was happy to wear again this year. A couple of weeks ago one of the straps on his sandals broke and I haven't had a chance to glue it together. So after going to the Ballet and on a little hike, I notice as he's climbing the mineral mountain that he has two different shoes on! Apparently his left crock broke and his right sandal broke. This was lucky because it left him with a pair (even though his toe is busting out of his crock). He was perfectly fine with it and hadn't even mentioned anything!

What a cheap, bad mom.

Hill Cumorah Pageant

Call me crazy (won't be the first time, I'm sure), but when the Bishop asked if we wanted to take the entire Youth out to the Hill Cumorah Pageant this year, I gave an enthusiastic, SURE! What if we have to drive out and back the same day arriving home around 2 am? Why not! Many of these kids may not get the opportunity otherwise. So off we went. We were able to fit a few younger brothers and sisters so whole families could go, so Bryson went with us and the Homer boys were there as well. Here's a picture of Joshua Bassett, Dalton Homer, Bryson, Duncan Homer, and Parker and McKay behind sitting by McKay's friend Mike VanOmmeren.

The weather was great, the picnic was perfect, we all travelled safely, and the show was amazing. Well worth the trip.

Let Freedom Ring!

Independence Day brought with it the usual parades, barbecues, and fireworks. We started off the day with a parade in our friend's, the Homer's, neighborhood. Bryson was able to be in the parade with his friends Duncan and Dawson riding their rip sticks (imagine a skate board with only one wheel on the front and one on the back and both wheels freely swivel - it takes some practice). Dawson is in the gray shirt, Duncan behind him in the red shirt, and Bryson following in the navy blue t-shirt.

Then we went the Homer's neighborhood 4th of July party where they had, get this, a climing wall, a big blowup slide, dunking booth, BBQ, snow cone machine and 2 bouncy bounces. That is a serious block party.

Here's Bryson on the climbing wall - don't worry he made it to the top.

Bryson took his turn in the dunking booth. Even though both Mom and McKay tried to dunk him, we missed the target. Just when Bryson didn't expect it, one of the neighborhood kids sank him.

McKay and I raced up the rock wall. We were neck and neck up until the end when I pulled ahead.

David was the next adventurer up the wall. None of us wanted to race him, though. His arms and legs are too long. We don't stand a chance.

Then we picked up Parker (the teenager had finally emerged from hibernation for the day) and headed out to Dorothy's for a BBQ, walk along the Erie canal to see the steamboats on parade, and fireworks.

Parker and McKay went out on one of the docks. In the picture, McKay is trying to rock the dock and scare Parker. It didn't work, though.

We went back to Dorothy's and played Yahtzee to pass the time until fireworks. Usually we go into downtown Albany and watch the fireworks on the Plaza, but it's crowded and the people can be kind of obnoxious, so we tried the fireworks in Waterford by Lock 2.

We watched fireworks along the bank of the Erie Canal just below Lock 2. The boys sat on the rocks at the water's edge.

You could see the reflection in the Erie canal. Cool!

The more I travel, the more I realize how fortunate we are to live in a country where life is valued, happiness is achievable, safety and security are taken for granted, and where a belief in God still dictates how many people live their lives. There is no place I would rather live than the good ol' USA.

Girls Camp

Going to Girl's Camp in the cradle of the Restoration is just amazing. When you can take the Young Women on day trips to the Sacred Grove, Hill Cumorah, and the Whitmer Farm it adds a new dimension to Camp that the Young Women completely take for granted.

The camp, which I call "The Seneca Lake Village Resort", is located on an old farm with beach front on Seneca Lake in New York (one of the finger lakes). At the time of the restoration of the Church David Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, and Hyrum Smith were baptized by Joseph Smith in Seneca Lake. Christian, Anne, Jacob, and Elizabeth Whitmer and Hiram, Katharine, Mary Page, Mary and Peter Whitmer, Sr., and their daughter Elizabeth Ann, William, Elizabeth, and Vincent Jolly, Ziba Peterson, and Parley P. Pratt were baptized by Oliver Cowdry in Seneca Lake, among many others. It really struck me this year how lucky we are to have the opportunity to camp there (lucky in more ways than just the flushing toilets, hot showers, cabins with electricity and bunk beds, beach with kayaks and canoes, and a restaraunt quality kitchen with dining hall).

Lisa Rubilar and I manning the registration table.

There's never a dull moment at camp with more than 100 people and almost 90 of them teenage girls!

This is half of a group we took to Fayette to visit a replica of the Whitmer home.

With only one emergency room visit, one girl going home sick, lots of time spent in the craft barn, hiking, playing ninja (a fun group game), good food, cooking over the fire, rain everyday, fantastic leaders and youth camp leaders, the Survival Challenge, and ending with an amazing testimony meeting, it was a great year at camp.