Sunday Speaking

The Superman spoke in Church today...Since he's the one who assigns speakers each Sunday, It was a self inflicted burden....

I'm sure three weeks ago it seemed like a grand idea but the fact that Grant's on day 7 of a 9 day stretch at work and has had only a few hours at home made talk prep difficult...

Around the dinner table Saturday night (it was Pizza Hut and a case of Root Beer, does Root Beer count as a vegetable??) We were teasing Grant about having to speak...

"Careful Alex, I'll just assign you a talk" Without missing a beat Alex (13) says "As long as it can be on Dating or Sexual Purity!?!" {topics from the For Strength of Youth} Nice {something about that kid scares me ;)}

After days of bugging Grant to at least put "something" on paper...My scholar come home from work at 11 pm last night  and hands me a piece of paper with the word "something" written on it. Joy, every body's a comedian....

This morning I was actually impressed with the talk Grant managed to deliver....I would share quotes but they are on his i pod that died 5 minutes after Grant finished speaking :)

Grant has now served in the bishopric for nearly three years now and the calling has really changed his heart and today I could truly see and feel that. It is true that you come to love those whom you serve . He and our family are blessed for the opportunity to serve....

Olympics Back In The Day

We still lived in Southern California when the 1984 Olympics came to Los Angeles....

The Olympics were a big deal for our family...My Grandad competed in the 1932 Canadian Olympic trials for Track and Field and would have competed in the 1932 Olympics held in Los Angeles if not for the depression. They only sent one team member to the Olympics and Grandad missed the oppurtunity...Something he deeply regreted...

So when the Olympics returned to LA in 1984...Grandad came down and Mom and Grandad went to every Track and field event they could get tickets for.

Kelli and I got to go to a couple of swimming events and the closing ceremonies...

Even as a nine year old, I knew we were experiencing history. I remember standing in long lines, the Olympic pins, the closing ceremonies with a million balloons and flash lights that we had to change the colour from red to white to blue on singnal, creating amazing light pictures around the stadium

It was awesome....Expreinces of a life time especially for my Grandad. Maybe that's why I'm such an Olympic nerd now. Doesn't everybody watch it non stop :)

Mental Illness: Breakdown.

Alright, this might be a bit of a soap box post...so consider that fair warning....


Have you ever come away from a situation and thought, dang it I should have said something, why did I say this or Why didn't I stop them. Well it happened to me last week and I was disappointed in myself for not having the balls courage to speak up....

So consider this my courage:

It was a casual social setting, acquaintances but mostly friends, people were invited to share experiences on a specific topic....

Mental Illness was NOT the assigned topic.

For reasons completely unclear to me....Someone decided to share experiences they had had with people behaving badly...bizarre, weird, unkind, misunderstood behaviors in a group their peers...

"Well you know they were MENTALLY ILL." "They had to be MENTALLY ILL" "They were CRAZY"

The monologue went on for several minutes with increasingly worse behaviors experienced, all being attributed to mental illness and not one person stopped them. I locked eyes with more than one who acknowledged my discomfort...but it just continued. Why didn't I say something or why didn't someone else, at least why didn't I get up and walk away....

It wasn't my activity, I wasn't in charge....but that shouldn't have mattered.... I should have said something....

20% of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime. {Facts and Figures here}

Okay, Our family has been hit a little heavy handed {statistically} in the mental illness department, so no worries we have some of y'all covered ;)

I know the heart ache and triumph of mental illness and would just like to clarify one thing....

Behaving badly means you are behaving badly.

Behaving badly does not mean you/they are mentally ill....You can be mentally ill and your behaving badly might have nothing to do with your illness and everything to do with your choices. All most all with mental illness do not behave badly. They win a daily victory over a devastating illness.

Anxiety....Depression....Bipolar type one....Bipolar type two....These are no longer illnesses on the pages of a medical text book. These are faces with beautiful smiles, with eyes that light up the room and strength measured against Olympians....

They were  my mother, they are  my husband,  they are my many dear friends.

So please in the future be kind and careful with your words....for you know nothing, for that which you speak. 

{behaving} badly [ˈbædlɪ]

adv worse, worst

1. poorly; defectively; inadequately

2. unfavourably; unsuccessfully;

3. severely; gravely

4. incorrectly or inaccurately

5. improperly; naughtily; wickedly to behave badly

6. without humanity; cruelly

mental illness - any disease of the mind; the psychological state of someone who has emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to require psychiatric intervention...

First Kiss Flashback

"Mom, Its not a date! and Mom, he's not my boyfriend!!! " said with disdain topped with the best eye roll ever.... As I stood there starring at my un-named daughter, I had an instant flashback....

My seventeen year old self:

Northern Reflections hot pink, purple, turquoise green stripped rugby shirt, with the white collar (that I stole borrowed from Kelli.

My acid washed Guess jeans.

Spiral Perm.

and my knock off Doc Martins complete with scrunch socks.

It was 1990 something and I. Was. Awesome....

The only other guy I ever "dated" was dropping me off after dinner or a dance or I really don't remember...

But I do remember before he walked me to the door he...He...HE kissed me! My first kiss. Under the street light across the street from Mom's house.{I actually thought it was slightly on the gross side, but was thrilled for the bragging rights, cause I was positive Kelli hadn't been kissed yet}

I went in the house on cloud nine, but left out the kissing detail for my over inquisitive mother and sister.....

Over the next few days my Mother and sister kept pointing out street lights..."That's a nice streetlight, don't ya think, Robin?" "That would be a perfect streetlight, Robin?" What???

Then. It hit me like a freight train...Oh NOOOO!!! You saw me kiss him, didn't you!!!!

We watch the whole thing, Robin. Maybe you should pay more attention to streetlights, Robin. Kelli just grinning and nodding like a Cheshire cat.

I turned every shade of red possible while my matriarch and my womb mate reveled in their glory....

I have never lived the street light kiss down...{right Kelli}.... I'm still leery of street lights.




Back to reality....So when did I become "the Mom"....

I get a text from un-named daughter..."I will be home by 11...you don't need to wait up"

Reply: But its way more fun that way ;)....

Reply: Mom!!! ...fine I guess I'll see you later.

Reply: Can't wait...I <3 U (it apparently annoys teenage off spring when you use the {heart }and you're over thirthy five) <3 <3 <3 <3 kay, I'll stop :)

Our un-named daughter arrived home alive and on time and I gratefully climbed into bed.....

Daughters and dating, sigh

Sad Money

I know it tends to be taboo to talk about money...well unless you're broke, then complaining about it seems perfectly acceptable....

Everybody knows the joy of payday....(yeah we made it another two weeks ,without starving or having the power shut off).

Or the realization that you forgot about the $300 HST check that has just been deposited in your account (kids we're going to the movies) Oh happy day!

But did you know there is sad money too?

Not long after my mom died eight years ago, I came home to a Canada post pick up notice on our door step...I signed for an unexpected envelope. Inside a check. Not tons of money by today's standards. But more than the Superman and I had seen in a while. Grant had been laid off for the winter and the money saved our bacon literally....

But I felt so sad, Benefiting from a death was so morally wrong for me. I hated that money.

A few weeks later, we pulled into an acquaintances drive way, in a new to us Jeep Cherokee...."What did you win the lottery?" the woman asked....No my Mom passed away.... The woman literally threw her hands up in the air and cheered. "Yay for inheritances!"

I was devastated by her callus reaction....

"So how much do you think you'll get from your Mom/Dad??"

Also a stupid insensitive question, Yes. I have been asked (more than once) and will always refuse to answer.

Was, a certain bank balance supposed to help me work through my grief faster??? Money in no way honoured or represented Mom's legacy or Dad's. It was sad money.

Fast forward to today...

Another envelope for a Dad this time....Again sad money. The fact that I had a bank teller who could use some sensitivity training(I'm sorry for your loss , just saying?) and another (I think) bank manager site US check policy over and over again like I was hard of hearing...Made for a pretty emotional morning {My check policy problem is fixed for now (thanks G)}....grief especially sucks in a crowded bank

  I sure miss him and would gladly give up all the money in the world just to tell him a few more times, how much I love him.

Sad money  kinda sucks, really.

I'm a {fabric} Hoarder

It's official I'm a {self-diagnosed} fabric HOARDER...It's rather alarming really. But the only reason I am still sane (well, kinda sane) is my new obsession with sewing....I got my first sewing machine in November and after the superman said I'd never use it...It's never sat idle for more than a day or two....

Anybody can go to the fabric store, but I love the challenge of creating things from pieces of fabric I find at the second hand stores...It's more fun that way, but really it's that I'm cheap, really cheap...

Here is my find from the second hand stores in Parksville today..... 

More than thirty pieces of fabric (most at least a meter) for the grand total of....

$19.48

Yeah,  I'm pretty proud of myself.

Let the creativity begin :)

In the last week I've made....

A puppy (with the help of Amy :)

A monster .

An apron (for Superman, I mean his boss' birthday)

Three messenger bags

Four, Any chair a high chair, things

You get the idea.

and, two infant car seat covers...

It's an addiction, but way cheaper than therapy :)

{I've decided to stock pile my projects and start selling at craft fairs in the fall...(I have to keep the habit going some how :)

Every project is and will be, one of a kind and

made from re purposed fabric.}

So if you see something you like or have an awesome idea for a project, let me know....I'd love your feed back and the creative challenge :)

 

{Backwards} Headstones Revisited (it's funny)

My sister's from Nephi, not originally, but the quaint and quirky city (village/town, by anyone else's standards) as become her adopted home town....It's also the place we chose to bury our Dad.

"We are going to have to drive "from heck to breakfast" to find it" ....WHAT did you just say, I asked her last weekend?!? You've never heard that before??? Nope, pretty sure its a Nephi, thang!....

That isn't the first time either...."We was at the rodeo last night..."   Nephi-speak is rather charming and funny all at the same time.

We spent two weeks in Nephi in April....

It reminded me much of our five years in Raymond, Alberta.

More quads (four-wheelers, in Utah speak) than vehicles

A gas station with more deer heads than, Slurpee flavours.

A funeral director that shows up in his western shirt, wranglers, and cowboy boots (he was awesome!)....

And a cemetery with almost all the headstones facing the wrong direction (kinda)....

Let me try to explain....(it took several times for me to get it myself)

The head of dad's grave is between the grey "Nielsen" stone and the large blank stone.

Okay so I've always thought of graves in a cemetery as "beds" with the head stone being the headboard....So when you stand at the foot of the grave , you can read the front of the headstone....


Well apparently not in Nephi....

When we buried Dad here, I couldn't figure it out.(Do they stack graves here??) The headstones are flipped backwards....still over the head the grave , but opposite from convention...

A dyslexic cemetery planner....nope just Nephi, and no other explanation is known or needed :)

Never seen this anywhere else. Just a quirky part of Nephi....Quirky just like Dad was.

............

So through an all-day game of phone and e-mail tag....Kelli and I finalized Dad's headstone....

A much simpler process this time. Within 30 mins the designer had a mock-up of something we were happy with....

Front, with a jazz, not rock drum kit and a little robin bird, cause I'm the favourite daughter....

The Bird....

The story for all the prudes among us: Dad loved nature....

The Real Story: Putting the middle finger on a headstone, is considered tacky, especially in Utah :) The designer told us they did it once and the cemetery made them take it off , later...
The middle finger was my Dad's most universal way of communication...it was rather endearing really. And just as much him as his blue eyes...so the  little bird, is really "the bird" ...

Back, Oh and Kelli and I without our last names just in case we get divorced (well you never know, and it has less awkwardness than sneaking into the cemetery late at night with a chisel and hammer :))


Dad made no excuses or apologies for who he was or how he lived...He was the pure definition of genuine...

I think we simply honoured him.

And yes his headstone will also be "backwards".

Run or Embrace It ?....

*** If the mention of bras (twice) scares you, don't read this post***

Superman walked in the door yesterday from work..."Nice of you to get out of your pj's today, sweetheart ?!?"....Good thing I realized it wasn't an insult, quickly!...But it was the truth, 5 pm and I was still in my pj's. (I also realized I hadn't had a bra on since Sunday, TMI sorry).

I got nothing, no legitimate excuses...no screaming infants at 3 am, no I'm not recovering from swine flu, no wayward teenagers I'm on the midnight hunt for...nothing.

"Robin, you haven't even left the house since Sunday" Well, the Superman is just a wealth of useless knowledge, isn't he...

It's not like I've done nothing...The house is spotless clean, all the laundry is done and I have finished a ton of sewing projects...

"Robin, when you are down or worried, you're actually super productive..." Oh great now he's a shrink"

Scary thing is even though I've spent no more than 4 waking hours with the guy in the last week. and He can read me like a book....(annoying, but also awesome)....

{Life is good (really, I'm not lying)....but the reality of the last year has left some battle scars

Over the last two weeks I've had tons of time to think (yes, it hurt)

Why was this year so hard? Why so much at once? Answers I don't have...(no matter how hard I think)

The last year has challenged my faith, it has broken my heart, it has made me question every part of my life....I have run a gauntlet and felt the heat of a refiner's fire...

Here's where all that got me...

I (We) had two choices...

Run from my faith ....or embrace it.

I chose eventually to embrace it.}

"Let"s go for a drive" Superman suggested...

(I rolled my eyes just like the Kramer offspring do, when we corner one and say let's go to DQ....Dairy Queen is our chosen place when we need to talk about, boyfriends...choices...the bird's and bee's, they are less likely to run screaming with ice cream in their mouth)

Fine?!? I got dressed (put on a bra ;) and we drove and watched a beautiful Island sunset...

My sweet superman just listened and told me how much he loved me. We stopped at our dream house and had that if only we could win a million dollars conversation...We stopped at Bates Beach and watch the sky fill with vivid orange and purple...It was exactly what my heavy heart needed....

My life is full of blessing and miracles, this last year has taught me that...

I am much stronger than I thought

Love is worth the heartache of goodbyes

Hearts and minds and Supermans can be healed

Family {& those we choose as family } is everything.

I am loved.

Faith is stronger than fear.

......So glad I chose not to run.

Picking Headstones {Sucks}

It's me and the daughter dumb enough not to escape, home all day...Said daughter is still sleeping and I have spent the morning sewing, perusing pinterest and contemplating the energy needed to get out of my pajamas...I love quiet, lazy, summer days.

Then I got a message from my Sister (the smart, organized, together one) that made me think climbing back into bed, with my pj's on might be a great way to spend the rest of the day.....

Kel's Message:

I have made an appointment for Friday with American Monument to begin the process of designing Dad's headstone. I thought we probably wanted to have it in before winter. Please tell me what you have in mind/thoughts so we can give her an idea of what we want. I told them we likely wanted something custom revolving around music (drum kit possibly). I was thinking that since his plot is surrounded by other upright headstones maybe that might be the way to go.


Oh yeah the headstone...sometimes being an adult kinda sucks....I'm glad Kelli's so on the ball and that we have always (well, as adults) shared a great relationship. We have been able to work together through some pretty challenging times.And Have always remained sisters but more importantly friends. So grateful we can make decisions together......

It's not that I can't take life seriously...It's just that I'd rather laugh than cry or at least laugh and cry at the same time. So this is the message I sent her back...

My Message:

I was actually thinking a life size sculpture of Dad behind his drum kit that has a motion sensor that plays Summertime, every time someone walks by it. That's totally doable right??? {I'm totally kidding, sorry I couldn't stop myself}


 your thinking is totally in line with mine....Drum kit for sure...upright makes sense...some quote or something about music and teaching...proofs are fine I hate Skype...but honestly I totally trust your judgement....full name and full birth and death dates....


In poor taste maybe, but my Dad would want us to laugh...

It was a little creepy, when I followed the link Kelli sent me, for the Memorial Monument company and I realize all the markers pictured had my name on them. (pin point marketing gone a little too far). Kay, I'm in my late thirties and have no intention of dying anytime soon... I really don't want to see Kramer on a headstone unless I'm doing my Family history (which I of course I am doing as soon as I finish this post, no really I am?!? ;))

Headstones are hard (no pun intended). Its the last decision we make for dad in this life. A monument to his legacy...a life not forgotten. A reminder of how fresh this still is and how much I just miss him.

Laughing is great and crying is okay too.


****Kel's Respose and why I love her.....

perfect

Oh and very funny-almost peed my pants (thanks for making that possible). Dad would love anything motion sensor and or loud because it would scare the crap out of people expecting a serene cemetery experience :). Setting up a hidden video camera would be especially fun.

They're So Funny.

Here's just a small sampling of yesterday's verbal geniuses....


Me: Ya know Alex, you don't rule the World! Without skipping a beat she replies "Not YET!"

Later that day in frustration I say to Holly, "Why, did I ever teach you to speak?!?"  Without breathing my angel says "So I would understand you when you say "Make me Chocolate cake" "Go get my laptop" "I need ice water"....Okay stop.

Then when Dallyn calls home, I say, " So you missing me?", man child replies "Not really, Grandma only feeds me candy and Grandpa lets me drive his truck"..."


Oh joy, so I've raised a bunch of smart a$$es....

This is when being a mother with a PhD in sarcasm comes and bites me in my big stretch-marked hiny. It's kind of annoying, when they take such joy in out-funny-ing, the woman who gave them life. Such disrespect :)

Only six more weeks of Summer vacay It's pretty clear that duct tape is the only way we might survive this summer ;)

Making Monsters and Miracles

I haven't shared much on this blog about our courageous friend James and his amazing family....James' journey back from a traumatic brain injury that nearly took his life, six months ago has been a deeply personal one for him and his family and a journey that is still very much in its beginning, it is only with their permission that I share my small experience in their journey.....

James`Monster

The call came from the Superman that James had been in an accident, not long after our day started. I needed to go pick up his brother and sister and wait for word....My heart sank and I immediately began praying for our friends. Telling two teenagers that there had been a serious accident and their brother was being life-flighted to Victoria, broke my heart....

Word came in bits and pieces over the next 36 hours....James made it through surgery....was in ICU...only time will tell...I couldn't even imagine what his sweet parents were going through

It was an honour to help with the immediate needs at home, looking after a few extra teenagers, pet care, phone calls, anything we could do...It was humbling watching so many to reach out and help...things always fell together, tender mercies...

A few days later walking into James' ICU room took my breathe away. How can any mother go through this...I couldn't imagine and marveled at my friend's quiet strength. There was a sense of peace and comfort in that room and I almost immediately felt the spirit...I knew were her quiet strength came from....

Over the next days and weeks and months James' recovery could only be measured in the tiniest of triumphs....His parents faith and hope was astounding and humbling to me.

The Superman and I saw James a handful of times in Victoria and stopped at the hospital to see him before we flew out to Utah in April...His hair had returned and no more treach, but he still had limited awareness. Word had come though that they were ready to transfer him back to Comox, that night, after ten weeks in Victoria...At least everyone was closer to home now....

Weeks past, my Dad passed away and I was overwhelmed with my own heartaches...I stayed in contact with my dear friend, but hadn`t found the courage to go to the hospital...My friend was so sweet in her understanding...so just over four weeks ago, while Holly and I were driving passed the Hospital...I said drop me off and come back in an hour....

James was in the same kind of unit my Dad (and Mom) had been in and I prayed for courage as I walked through the coded door....

I entered James` room and had no idea what to expect....

James sitting in his wheel chair, looked at me, gave me his awesome crocked smile and I watched as his fingers formed an ``H`` and then an ``I``....My heart melted and I knew I had had a front row seat to a miracle...James smiled and laughed as we visited for the next several minutes...It was James.

Recovery is still a very long road for him and his family and they will all need our love prayers and support for a while longer...He is now in rehab and the transition there has been challenging as he is working hard on the basics. As I listened to his ever patient mom describe his latest antics (he`d been quite the little monster) ....I had to smile as I thought even little monsters are great big miracles.

So I decided to make him his very own little monster :) And will always consider it a great blessing to have such amazing friends.

NO!.....Chores!!! :)

Sunday, is day of peace and rest, right??? Well the day had been completely uneventful...until I hear what sounds like a cat fight coming from the kitchen...except we don't have cats. But we do have teenagers.....After a minute or two and cause all the windows were open, I realized an intervention was in order...

I yell for the two offending parties to.... Come. Here. Right. Now! (Parenting genius). They had interrupted AFV and my serene illusion of Love At Home (the Kramer family theme song ;)) Now I'm really annoyed. Their screaming match continues all the way down stairs, Lovely!

At decibels worthy of a rock concert....I decipher that offspring B is being oversensitive and offspring C is being a control freak and why their fight erupted to the volume it had was beyond my level of parenting expertise....

Offspring B retreats back upstairs, but C figures its in her best interest to continue arguing her point now with me....And by now, I am in fine form to calmly listen and understand and reason with my reverence challenged teenager...

"Go. To. Your. Room!" was all I had left in my parenting arsenal.

NO!!!!!

"Turn off the TV and go to your room!"

NO!!!, I don't care what you say, I'm NOT MOVING!!!

{My kids will never talk back to me, like that! My naive mind thought when I had small preschoolers and watched older friends struggle with their teenagers....}

And I thought parenting toddlers was hard, silly, silly, me!

Now I resort to the only thing I have left, CHORES!!!!!

You will now mop every floor in this house, before Dad gets home....

"But, Mom Its Sunday!!!" {Like all of a sudden keeping the Sabbath day holy is at the top of her commandment list}

"Go mop the floors!!!"

NO!

"Now you're scrubbing the kitchen too!"

MOM, You can't do that!!!

"Watch me," sometimes I think I revert to a teenager, right along with them.

The list is only getting longer....

She get up grabs the bucket and slams every door on her way upstairs.

After more than an hour, she comes down and apologizes....

The Superman comes in the door that night, a few minutes later "Wow the house looks great, why did you scrub the floors?!?"

Why don't you ask {offspring C} why the floors are scrubbed?

He looks at {offspring C}???? "Cause I ran my mouth." She sheepishly says.



I'm no parenting genius...but cinderella turns into a princess, right??? :)

Soaking up the Peace and Quiet {and Sun}

It's so HOT!!!! I've heard that statement a hundred times this weekend, mostly from the weather challenged rug rats. It's exactly 26C (79F). Kelli stop rolling your eyes. I know by Utah standards, that's still sweater weather. But when you live in a rain forest and your heat still kicked on last week and you nearly froze to death at Girl's Camp....26C is a scorcher. Worthy of Freezies, Swimsuits and never turning my oven on 'til September :)We waited a long time to welcome the sunshine, so I will enjoy every single scorching minute of it.

It's really quiet around here, the man child is with his grandparents for most of the Summer. The girls days include sleeping til the crack of noon and/ or working at real jobs, and covertly watching the entire Lost series on Netflix, before I realize no body's done the dishes/laundry in two days and I put them to work. Needless to say I have a lot of  quiet time on my hand....

Something I was really afraid of and have spent months praying for....Quiet and Calm...weird eh???

The last year has been a perpetual whirlwind of breakdowns, crisis, change, transition, loss, heartache, death.....mixed with courage, strength, hope, acceptance, peace. We have been pushed again and again to the brink but with the help and faith of many we have managed hold on tight. And I can gratefully stand here now and say "We Made It!....and the beautiful view from here has been well worth the climb"

Calm and Quiet is all I've wanted for months...Calm and quiet means finally facing the grief and change and disappointment...the part I was fearing. There are still tears, lots sometimes...but spending time at girls camp with dear friends, perfectly timed phone calls those who love me....mean finding strength and knowing with certainty I am loved. Somehow it isn't has hard as I was expecting.....

So just like I am determined to soak up every drop of sunshine while its here....I will also be quietly grateful for this quiet time to enjoy the view.

YW Camp, I, I Mean They, Survived ! :)

About ten days before the start of Girl's Camp, I was volun-told asked to take the YW to camp. All their YW leaders were strategically out of town ;) I said yes out of a duty because I love them. We figured it out and this was the 18th girl's camp I've attended in my short life.

It poured on us and nearly blew out tents down, but the girls never whined our complained. I was amazed at their ability to have an awesome time regardless of mother nature hating on us.

The sun came out just long enough to go swimming :)

The three musketeers :)

So thankful for happy cheerful girls.

Them's some skills!!!

Normal :)

Love these girls!

And she DOES smile :)

How do you really feel ???

Freezing my hiny off :)

Our beautiful MOAB (mother of all bras)...California tradition brought north.

Now that's a fire, Pres. VH!!!!...... Fire rules by gender: Women, small, dainty fire. Men, must see fire from space!

And Maddie with the best skills of all, being able to but the tent back in the original bag!!!! She's like a ninja, its amazing :)

Best part of camp: Spending three days with amazing women, my dear friends and laughing 'til it hurt.

Worst part of camp: 3 am and you realize your tent is too far from the outhouse to make it....You start your very own potty dance while you find your shoes in the dark AND unzip the tent, all while trying to convince your bladder (who has other plans) NOW is not the time....You make it 30 feet from your tent ....and now pray no one will realize there are two moons at night....GOOD TIMES!!!

Camp was awesome and exactly what this weary soul needed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. for all those in the Nanaimo Stake for providing a place to build friendships and testimonies.

Side note:

Alex came runnig towards me the first day of camp,

"Mom, give me the camera NOW!"

See comes running back 5 minutes later...

"I got the best wildlife shot ever!!!"

and showed me this...

Wow's kid is that, anyway ?!?!

Girl's Camp or Bust

It's 11:35 pm Sunday night and my girls are currently setting up our ten man tent in our back yard to make sure we have all the peices....I'm the world's most organized Ward camp director in the world, can you tell? But that's how I roll this week :) We leave for camp in exactly 10 hours.....

I've been focused on more important things, like making sure I don't go into DR Pepper withdrawl....I thought putting a brown paper bag over the bottle was a little tacky :) So my very own special drink cup will have to do....

 

Plus I thought we needed a camp mascot , so I made one...a snipe, we have tentatively named Kevyn :)....the important stuff :)

Thank heavens for my slightly OCD daughters who have made sure we have everything. Camp is going to be awesome,  I have promised to remember at all times that I am the one in charge and the adult, wish me the girls luck ...see you in 3 days...maybe