4th year hike

In our Stake we have what is called a 4th Year Hike.

It is for the girls that are about 15 and have attended camp for 4 years.

They could complete their hiking certification at camp,

however, the Stake Presidency and the Stake Young Women's leaders have felt that the girls needed more.

So our Stake does a 4th year hike.

The purpose is to allow the girls that have attended camp for 4 years, the chance to go on a campout and a hike that is specific just for them.  

They can get to know each other better,

they can get to know their Stake leaders better,

they can do hard (and I mean HARD) things

and they can prepare for future leadership.

All 3 of the leaders were from our ward.

And 3 of the 6 girls were from our ward.

We are one tough ward!!

(2 girls and 1 leader did not make it to the top)

Our first night in camp we were really roughing it--we ordered pizza! 

Natalie, McKenzie, Courtney, and Alyssa

Fearless Leader:  Sadie

Making snow angels

At the top, Kelli, Natalie, Alyssa, Courtney, McKenzie, Sadie

Kelli and Sadie

10,500 feet

Lunch break at the top of the Mountain

Camp fire after our 11 hours of hiking

Maple Mountain

taken september 2010

I'm heading up here for a couple of days

with 2 fun ladies

and 7 fifteen year old YW.

More pictures to come.

Tokheim 39 Short

When we were in Montana to visit Glacier National Park, we found this place in Columbia Falls:

 It was a gold mine of junk.

Rick was already on the lookout for a vintage gas pump.  

Well, out behind the antique mall, heading up the lane behind the 2 dead pine trees was a ghost town of old gas pumps.  Dozens of them.

This one had been there for a while.  It was covered in pine needles and cob webs.

And we paid $300 for it.

We loaded it up and brought it home from MT with us.

I liked the color just the way it was.

But, it was Rick's project and he said that the grey stuff was primer and it all had to go.

So, this gas pump has now been disassembled and is currently being restored.

Rick's been doing his research on how this pump looked in it's original condition.

Tokheim 39 Shorts were made in the 1930's to early 1950's.

Old gas pumps take me back to my childhood in Circleville to Kenz store and the old gas pumps in the lot next door.  

They're probably long gone. 

They were taller pumps, probably made by the Wayne Co.

 Here are all of the parts.

I hope Rick can remember how to put it all back together.

Ideal 55 Slider

After Rick completed his Vendo 56 restoration, he was on a quest to find another project (no, it's not that pile of junk sitting in the driveway ((another story, for another time)).

He found this lovely pile of metal on ebay in California.

It arrived while we were out of town for 24 hours taking care of things in Scofield.

So, the delivery guys left in in front of the garage and informed the neighbors that they had made a delivery.  

When we got home, the neighbor said, "you got a delivery.  looks like a cooler.  DOES IT WORK?"

So, I said, "Yes, yes it does work.  Brush aside some of those cobwebs and grab yourself a cold one."

No, it doesn't work.

 Let the restoration begin...

 I realize that this doesn't appeal to most people.

But here is the story of the Ideal 55 Slider:

This particular unit was $425.

Made from 1949 to the late '50's by the Ideal Co.

They were made for several different companies.

This one was made for the Royal Crown Cola Co.

 This is the back side.

And the restoration begins.

When it is complete, it will be valued at approximately $3,000+

If any of you find a Barq's Ideal Slider 55, let Rick know...in about 2 years.

Vendo 56

OK, Here is Rick's recently finished project:

 This is a completely restored Vendo 56.

What does that mean?

It means that this is a Vendo Slant Shelf Coke Machine .

Made for only one year (1958-1959)

and made only for Coke.

It is the most rare of the vintage style Coke machines.

I wish I had a picture BEFORE it was restored.

It was a mess.  And Rick paid $1,200.00 for it.

2 years later, with a complete restoration it is worth about $6,000+

And it works, just in case you are wondering.

 oops, this photo didn't rotate--just tilt your head.

 And the door opens to revel the bottles of Coke (or rootbeer or water)

 The coin mechanism is currently disabled so if you came to my house you could actually enjoy a cold one--for free!

Have a Coke and a smile.

This reminds me a lot of my Grandpa Dalton...

Good Luck Elizabeth

Elizabeth is Cole's girlfriend.  Seriously.

He's had a crush on Elizabeth for a few years now.

Elizabeth is Teresa's younger sister.

Teresa is married to Jon.

Jon is Rick's brother.

Everybody clear?

 Elizabeth is leaving in 3 days for a mission to Argentina.

Last weekend they stopped by to visit one last time before the MTC.

 Elizabeth is in the middle in the light pink shirt.

Cole was having a hard time finding a place to sit for the picture.

I think it is because he secretly wanted to sit next to Elizabeth.

 It took several tries to get a good picture.

Eventually, I just gave up.

This is as good as it gets.

Good Luck Elizabeth.

We will miss you.  And by "we" I really mean "Cole".

Trust your Training

I was asked for a copy of some of my quotes from the talk that I gave in Church a few weeks ago.  FYI, the topic was strengthening our testimonies, so I compared strengthening a testimony to physical training (Utah Valley Marathon) and threw in a little snippet about Girls Camp.

The ones in bold are the ones that were on posters on the side of the marathon route.  Yes, I actually did stop to take pictures.  Here are some of the quotes:

“Trust your training.” 

Elder Cecil O. Samuelson said that one of the steps to gaining a testimony is that we must “learn to trust the things that we believe in or know to sustain us in times of uncertainty or with issues where we struggle.”  

"Everyone who is willing to pay the price may have a testimony.

“if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.”

Tough times don’t last forever.  Tough people do.

“Cultivate an attitude of happiness.  Cultivate a spirit of optimism.  Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine.”   

Gordon B. Hinckley

“The next time you feel unhappy; remember where you came from and where you are going.  Rather than focus on those things that dampen your thoughts with sorrow, choose to focus on those things that fill your soul with hope.”  Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“What is this life for if not to make life less difficult for one another.”   George Elliot

“Reach out to help one another.  All of us need help from time to time.  We need encouragement.  We need friends who will stand by us through thick and thin.  I ask each of you to be that kind of friend.”   Gordon B. Hinckley

“You are creatures of divinity; you are daughters of almighty; limitless is your potential.  Magnificent is your future, if you will take control of it.  Do not let your lives drift in a fruitless and worthless manner…Never forget that you came to earth as a child of the divine Father, with something of divinity in your very make-up.  The Lord did not send you here to fail.  He did not give you life to waste it.  He bestowed upon you the gift of mortality that you might gain experience, positive, wonderful, purposeful experience that will lead to life eternal.  He has given you this glorious church, His church, to guide you and direct you, to give you opportunity for growth and experience, to teach you and lead you. “ 

Gordon B. Hinckley

“You are very precious, regardless of your circumstances. You occupy a high and sacred place in the eternal plan of God, our Father in Heaven.  You are His daughter, precious to Him, loved by Him, and very important to Him.  His grand design cannot succeed without you.”  Gordon B. Hinckley

Heber Valley Camp June 2011

I will be going on the 4th Year Hike this weekend with our Stake as per the Stake President's request as he was in the meeting where I gave this talk.  We are going to use some of these quotes through the 10 mile hike to keep the girls motivated and happy--well that and carbs to keep 'em happy.  Pictures will come...

What do you know, Rick was right...

You CAN drive all the way to hospital in the middle of the night without stopping for a red light.

Even if you cannot see out of one eye.

I know, because I did it.  Last night.

I was out doing yard work last evening.  Cutting down the rest of the tree that blew down in the wind a few weeks ago.  And I got a limb  right.  in.  the.  eye.

It kinda hurt when it happened.  But the longer the night went on, the more it hurt.

And so when Rick got home from work at 10ish, I had him look at it.

He said, "oh, that's too bad.  good night."

When he got up at 1:45 am to go back to work, he looked at it again.  

He said, "oh, it looks the same.  bye."

So, I called him a few minutes later and asked him if I should come down or wait and see if it was busy.

He said, "do what you want."

So, I drove myself to the hospital with one eye.  And I never had to stop for a red light.

He called me as I was driving and said, "Just so you know, ALL of the rooms are full and there are 7 people in the waiting room.  But do what you want."

So, I kept driving to the hospital.  I mean, where else was I going to go, you know?

He was right.  It was a mad house.  Of course it was.  It was overnight on a holiday weekend. 

So, Dr. Symonds took care of me.  He was so sweat and kind and sympathetic.  Probably like my husband is when he takes care of OTHER people.  And probably because Dr. Symonds was on his way out the door and didn't have 15 other patients to worry about.  It's weird calling him Dr. Symonds.  It's just Cameron to me.

Anyway, I got all fixed up and drove myself home and hurried and got to bed as quick as I could because the numbing drops were wearing off and I was beginning to hurt.  

I woke up at 8 to take Sierra to her parade and then off to the pharmacy.  

In both pictures, you can see the injured area, the round spot just below and to the right of the pupil.

I had stain in my eye so the injury shows up as green in the top photo.

I might be wearing my sunglasses next time you see me and I certainly will be wearing eye protection the next time I do yard work.

Emil

We've been reading books by Astrid Lindgren:

The Children of Noisy Village followed by

The Emil Series.

About Cole, oops I mean Emil:

Emil Svensson lives with his family on a farm called Katthult, set in the village of Lönneberga a few miles from the town of Vimmerby. His age ranges from about five to eight in the books.

He has fair hair and blue eyes and looks like an angel, but is not, as he also has a prodigious knack for getting into trouble. Contrary to what most people around him think, Emil is not malicious, but does not think about the consequences of his actions. He even states at one point that "you don't make up pranks, they just happen".  The pranks come from kindly actions gone wrong, childish games, curiosity, bad luck and simple thoughtlessness. For example, he gives away food meant for visiting relatives to the poor because in his view they need it more. Other pranks involve his locking his father in the outhouse thoughtlessly when he was locking other doors, hoisting his willing little sister up a flag pole to see how far you could see from there or making everyone believe they are infected with typhus while playing pretend. (from Wikipedia)

We loved the story about the outhouse.  However, it was all I could do as I read these stories out loud to not say "Cole" every time I read the name "Emil".

I have even resorted to calling my youngest child "Emil" from time to time.

We loved these books and wished there were more in the series. (there are just 3)

Now, we have moved on to Pippi Longstocking.

(but, our favorite is still the Children of Noisy Village)

Can't you just see the resemblance?  I won't mind if you slip up and call him  "Emil" like I do

EFY

Summer completed her week of Especially for Youth on Friday.  

She LOVED it.

She is technically not 14. 

However, the Church has set the cut-off at if the Youth turns 14 by the end of September, allowing the poor, unfortunate youth with summer birthdays to attend with the kids in their same grade.

We started asking around back in January if any of the young people in our neighborhood who are the same age as Summer if they wanted to attend the (newish) 

Stay-At-Home EFY.

Summer attended with Porter, Jared, and Tanner from our ward, as well as Katie, from school and some other friends from the area...Shelby, Braxton, and Alex.

I am happy to say it was a huge success.  

The theme this year was "Believe.  Hope.  Endure."

I anticipated that most of the attendees would be local and that Summer would surely find people from Orem that she had gone to school with up there.

That was wrong.

There were kids from ALL over the place.  

Most came to stay with family or friends to attend this session of EFY at UVU.

Summer even met 2 girls from the Grand Blanc, Michigan Stake where we lived years ago.

I think stay at home option is great for a few reasons...

way cheaper than regular efy--especially if you have more than 1 child attending,

it's nice for the younger crowd to be able to go back home (or to a grandparents home) each night,

and I don't have to pack ONE MORE BAG for an out of town event!

The purpose of EFY is to help the young people of the Church to "Come Unto Christ"

After listening to the comments from Summer and the others this week, I can say that I believe it was successful on that account. 

Regular EFY began in 1976 with 172 youth.  

The next year attendance was 863.

By 2005, the total number of EFY participants was 409,484.

Sadly, I never knew what EFY was until it was too late for me to participate.

The stay-at-home program is new, beginning in 2009.

EFY programs have been held in over 27 different countries.

Another EFY option is the EFY Express which involves a 1-day program and because of that, they can be held throughout the year.

WARNING...as soon as Sierra turns 14, and Summer is 17...I think we will be looking into the EFY session at BYU--Hawaii.  (it's the most expensive of all the sessions, but I'm going to start saving NOW)

Fall Baby Boy Quilt

I made this for a baby boy to be born this fall.

The problem is that I totally love it.

I'm not sure I will be able to part with it.

I worry about doing boy projects because there are so many more cute pink/girly fabrics that it's hard to find boy stuff.

But, I had the fabric in the bottom right corner with the cars and I decided to use it even though I have been hoarding it for months.

I hope this works for the intended recipient. 

I am trying to get my house clean and organized before I start my next quilt like this.

And for me....so I remember how to do this next time...

Each square is about 11 inches square.

So, with 4 of them, it ends up being 44x44.

I started with 16 different fabric choices.  (some were from the scrap bin!)

Cut them into 11+x13+ pieces.  

Then cut off 3 1/2, then 2 1/2, then 1 1/2 and you have the big piece left.

leave the big piece on one end and the 3 1/2 on the other.

Mix and match the 2 inner pieces until it looks good.

Sew them together.  

Trim to 11 inches square.

Mix and match the squares and the directions of the stripes.

Done.

Halle turns 8

This is my niece, Halle.

She turned 8 a few weeks ago and was baptized on Saturday.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Halle:

 And here she is with her Sister, Hunter.

I only have 2 nieces.  Aren't they cute?

capitol reef family reunion 2010

Capitol Reef 2010

Pirate Island 2010

Scofield, July 2011

JCW's 2011

Halle's Baptism:

Saturday, July 9, 2011
Summer played the guitar and Sierra played the violin while the girls sang, "when I am baptized"

July 9, 2011

Congratulations Halle!! 

the desert bar.  Nan made the cupcakes and the girls made the beautiful flowers.

Summer found a friend.  This is the first time we met Cora in person.
She is Halle's cousin on the Hawkins side.

And the sparkly clean Halle

Cole was trying to decide how to eat his cupcake

BK, Becky, Cora, and Rindi

I have to admit...I was quite impressed with the support that Halle received on this special day.  There was a lot of family that attended.  Some aunts and uncles and cousins live out of state.  They were missed.  However, I was shocked at the support of neighbors and friends.  I remember when I lived in MS when Summer was baptized.  Some of my family was able to fly out for Summer's special day, but we certainly missed most of the family.  I was worried that it might not seem like a special day for Summer.  But, we had a lot of friends come support us.  Lots and lots of people from our ward attended, even though it was a long drive for many of them.  My bestest Non-LDS friends were there.   There were 3 girls who were baptized on that day, just like Halle's baptism day.  But, since I have lived in Mapleton I have not witnessed that same kind of support.  I have had a few young ones on my street get baptized since I have lived here.  I don't hear a word about it until Church on Sunday.  The first time it happened, I kind of felt bad.  I thought I had been forgotten.  then as time went on I realized that people in my area don't really involve their friends and neighbors in this type of event.  So, I've learned to live with it.  I ALWAYS went to baptisms in the other wards that I lived in.  I went to support my ward members.  I also went because I wanted my children to witness this special event in the lives of their friends.   When Sierra was baptized, it was just a family thing.  It's sad to me, because I have such a small family.  It would be nice to have the support of those who live near me and share in my beliefs.

So, I was certainly impressed with the Highland neighborhood.  Way to go.  Maybe I will have Cole baptized in Highland.  And maybe Nan and BK's neighbors will support us.  who knows.  Anyhow, super impressed with the neighborhood... you guys are lucky.

Nanners and Brybry