Girls Camp 2011

I can't believe another girls camp has come and gone. As always, we had a great time and the girls got along splendidly. This year we used all things pirate to complete our them, "Treasure Island." With 29 girls, we had a record number go this year with 11 if those being new girls (7 new beehives and 4 new move-ins). I was a little worried that with bigger numbers it might be difficult to keep things as harmonious as they have been in the past. Silly me...these girls are awesome! This year we were in tents and had no showers....so we were roughing it more than last year. In these rustic surroundings, there are a lot more chores to be done the girls did great job stepping up. One thing I hope to improve on next year is our hike. Our success rate wasn't as good as it should have been so maybe we need to do more to prepare them emotionally and physically for the exertion. Some of the highlights this year were: the newspaper fashion show (a tradition of dressing up the YCL's), seeing the Bishop sing and dance with the girls and doing the zipline. We had a particularly touching moment when one our young women (who is partially paralyzed from a recent stroke) was able to  participate in the zipline. Everyone was cheering as they hoisted her up to the platform. How wonderful to feel the love and see the big smile on her face. Yay young women....yay girls camp...and most of all YAY for my incredible camp committee amd YCL's!!

What runs in Vegas, Ragnars in Vegas

Chad and I must be gluttons for punishment or we just needed to make our schedules more complicated. We just ran the Las Vegas Ragnar with our South Jordan Slackers team. After this summer's Wasatch Back, our team was lured into signing up for the Vegas Ragnar with the promise of a special "Saints and Sinners" medal. The temptation was too much and we all caved. It all seemed like a good idea....back in June. As the weekend of October 23 approached we found this time of year to be much busier to arrange family schedules. The distance also complicated the logistics of pulling it together. We all wondered what we had gotten ourselves into and if we could pull it off. However, once we were actually in the car, we quickly remembered why we did this and why we love our team so much. As was expected, we had an awesome weekend. Not expected, was the non-flatness of Nevada. You thought Vegas was flat, too, huh? Well, it's not. It's quite hilly actually. There seemed to be a disconnect between the printed elevation gains and losses given to us in our race manual and what really was really in front of us. We also found the overall crowd to be much younger (and more crass...to say there were some interesting team names and vans is an understatement) than the Wasatch Back. It was like a weekend fraternity race...we felt old! We may have been the "senior team", but we kicked some young booty. We came in 29th out of 276 teams in our category. We beat our projected time by over an hour. Our time was 28hrs and 38m. And yes, we got our "Saints and Sinners" medal! Go South Jordan Slackers!

Fun now...sleep later

I don't think I could be anymore pleased, excited and uplifted with how girls camp went! I will admit my stomach was in knots before camp. I was well aware that this would be a singular opportunity for the girls (and leaders) to bond and set the tone throughout the rest of the year in Young Women's. I have heard of many girls camps that have gone awry with pranks and drama. In our ward, we have a strong policy of "no drama...no pranks." I don't know why I thought this year would be any different. The girls were amazing! No pranks, no drama...just lots of togetherness and fun. Sure there were a few very minor complaints and some minor sickness, but nothing that was unreasonable. We had 18-24 girls at camp (depending on the day), with 10 being their very first time (and these "first years" did great). We even had a non-member join us! (Damiana had only moved into the neighborhood from CA 2wks prior and  she came...it was amazing!)

This year was stake camp and we went to the Heber Valley Camp. It has the reputation of being the "princess camp" and for good reason, too. Our pavilion included a walk-in pantry, hot/cold running water, two gas camp stoves and....a refrigerator!!! For real. Yes, I enjoyed a few cold diet cokes during the week. The large main pavilion had a kitchen where stake meals were prepared and...a water and ice station for the girls to fill-up water bottles. This camp was planned by President Hinckley and apparently, the water/ice machine was Sister Hinckley's touch. This camp also included great hiking trails (we say a baby owl...very cool), a lake for the girls to canoe on and challenging ropes courses. The entire camp has several campsites (we were Camp Sariah) and can accommodate up to 2400 girls at a time. There are service missionaries that run the camp and keep it secure. 

We had so much fun playing several "Minute to Win It" games. Eating Oreos off our faces by only using our facial muscles and picking up cotton balls with Vaseline on our noses were our favorites. We even got President LaMunyon to do it! The girls also loved making friendship bracelets...yes, just like the ones  we did when we were younger. However, the games and songs definitely are not like the ones we did when we were younger. They are much more physical (man, you get a workout) and more complicated. 

If there was one (and only one) thing I did not love about camp, it was sleeping on the wood bunk. I am too old and my double layer of foam pads did diddily squat. Air mattress next time for sure. That being said, the cabins are very nice and clean.  Throughout the week,  the weather was wonderful. We had one afternoon of rain and hail, but we were still able to complete all our scheduled activities. If you ask me, a bit of rain just makes things a bit more exciting and interesting. Only bummer about that was it was on the night Chad came so we didn't get to do much hanging out...we were in the cabins and he was in the priesthood tent. 

I came home with the biggest smile on my face. I was practically skipping down the halls at church the following Sunday. I could hardly wait to see the girl's parents to tell them how wonderful their girls are and how much fun we had. I truly feel so lucky to have this opportunity to be with the girls. I love them. 

By the way...pack an overnight bag

I knew Chad had made dinner reservations and arrangements for the kids to stay at my mom's on Friday night. I was looking forward to a quiet night at a clean home (it doesn't stay clean for more than 10 min at a time) after dinner and a movie. However, Chad had made different plans. As we were discussing the plans to get the kids to my mom's house, he casually said, "You might want to pack an overnight bag." Well okay! I was totally surprised and couldn't wait to hear about what he had planned.

We had dinner reservations at Tiburon in Sandy. It was delicious. I had the lamb and Chad had the roasted chicken. We will definitely go back sometime. Next we headed to the Grand America dowtown. Have you ever stayed here? This was my first time and wow, it is amazing. Our room was just beautiful. It had a sitting area, huge bathroom and a gorgeous view of the east side of Salt Lake. After check-in we headed to the Gateway for to see the movie, "Salt." After the movie, we enjoyed an evening walk throught some of the gardens at the hotel. When we returned to our room, we found our bed turned down with a robe, chocolates and music softly playing. In the morning, we had breakfast on the patio next to the beautiful grounds.  As if this wasn't enough, Chad made spa appointments for us at Sego Lily Spa. We both had 90 min treatments. What an indulgence! This was such a relaxing fun weekend with Chad. I can't thank him enough for going out of his way to surprise and pamper me.

Been practicing...

Last Christmas, Chad got me a camera. He bought Heather's old Nikon D70. I've been having a lot of fun learning how to use it. However, the more I use it, it's clear there is a lot more I need to learn! There are a few things I've learned so far; good color is hard to get and group shots are much harder than individuals. I have also found (by way of Heather's much needed and wanted constructive criticism) that I tend to shoot really light. Clearly, I need to work on getting a better understanding of my settings. Heather will start spouting off some photog speak and much of it still sounds like a foreign language to me. I have had fun practicing on anyone that will let me. I've about used all the patience and smiles from my own kids and am now resorting to friends! Anyway, here are some fun shots I've gotten over the last two months. This has been a fun, new challenge and I'm looking forward to learning much more.

It just keeps getting better...

Chad and I just did our second Wasatch Back and it was pretty awesome! We had a great time with our team...no surprise there...we pretty much have the coolest team! ;) It was so great watching Chad run this year...injury free. His last run was a killer and he pushed through like a pro. As for me, I was a bit faster this year which always feels good. I felt like a rockstar on my 2nd run...the best I've felt on a run. It was really nice for a change. Lest you think I'm getting cocky, dont worry, my level of rockstar is still far below most. This year we were in van 1. This means we get a better sleeping time, which consisted of  3 1/2 hours in a church parking lot in who-knows-where. The sprinklers went off and Chad didn't wake up...he got soaked. Good times. I think I am already looking forward to next year. However, I'd better not get too happy about it or our team captain just might up grade my runs. I am perfectly happy with having the easiest legs in each van! :)

Puffs of miracle and Wasatch Back year 2

I can't believe it's been a whole year since last year's Wasatch Back race. I can remember the sleepless induced nausea like it was yesterday. Other than the lack of sleep part, I'm actually looking forward to it. Did I just say that?? Don't worry, you won't be seeing me run any marathons, but my love (ok, love is much too strong of a word here) of running has increased ever so slightly. What might you asked has changed? THIS.....

Let's just call this miracle puffs in a tiny little can. Did you know I had asthma? Yea, I know...I didn't either. When I posted about my 1/2 marathon I did not fully convey how miserable that was for me. I didn't want to sound like a baby. I cried when I got home. It really sucked. After all my training, I was so disappointed with my performance and it felt really awful (just ask Alison). I thought the way I felt physically when I ran was due to a) I'm just not a natural runner and b) the air this winter was really, really bad. Both are true, but there was more to it. In the weeks following the race, I expected to feel better when I was indoors at the gym. Nothing improved. After talking with the doctor, we concluded I had developed EIA (exercise induced asthma). I didn't know there was such a thing, I didn't know it was so common and I certainly didn't know I had it. From the first time I used the inhaler, I couldn't believe the difference. I can still remember my first run using this...I actually had a smile (a smile!!!) on my face. Who knew how good air in your lungs could feel. Go figure. Would you believe my pace has improved well over a minute from my 1/2 marathon pace?? Believe me, I am still considered a slow runner, but can I tell you how good it feels to see some improvement. It was so frustrating last year to be working so hard with no improvement...and even decline. Now, I can feel so much better about my (slow) pace....because it feels better and it is better than it was before. So, if you ask me if I am excited for the Ragnar, Wasatch Back this weekend I'd have to say yes. I'm looking forward to the crazy misery that comes with this type of race...all while breathing a little easier. 

Just coming right out and saying it

I got a new calling. I was initially stunned and it took a couple of weeks for my eyes to return to normal from the deer in the headlights look. I thought I was going in for one calling and was shocked to receive another. I have been called to serve as the Young Women's president.

I've served as a counselor a couple different times...just enough to know I'm always glad I'm not the one in charge. We all take turns being stretched in one calling or another and apparently it is my time to stretch. I am accustomed to taking on my assigned responsibilities; not giving out the responsibilities, knowing all the answers, making the decisions and doing my own assigned responsibilities all while meeting the needs of 30 young women. Luckily, I have wonderful counselors and advisors in which I have confidence and trust (and gratitude, lots of gratitude).

This should be interesting! I am taking consolation in the fact that I can take it one day at a time. However, I will also have to accept that I won't always have the answers, I won't always meet every need and not everyone will love me.

It's a good thing I had a couple of weeks to accept this. I was torn between running for the hills and wishing the Second Coming would happen. When I knew neither would happen and it was not appropriate for me to even wish they would, I decided I had no choice but to suck it up and dig in.

I survived my first activity night and my first presidency meeting...I haven't been fired yet! Here's to a new adventure and lots of prayers that I will accomplish what my Heavenly Father wants me to. I will also be offering prayers of patience and love and support from the girls and ward.
Deep breaths...deep breaths.

What have I been doing

I think sometimes stress can manifest itself in different ways...like the previous post. ;) The last couple weeks have felt really busy. Giving two baby showers, decorating chairperson for the stake women's conference(decorating 30+ tables on a tight budget), birthdays, race training, scouting (Good job Andrew on your Arrow of Light), 3rd grade art show (Good job Sarah on having your work choosen for display), reupholstering my couch (with help I might add) and a "rockin" ward talent show (go Chad!). Here are just few pictures to illustrate.

I can have my cake and eat it, too

And, the calories don't count on your birthday, right?! Talk about a cake. Check this out; red velvet cheesecake. Holy cow. Delicious. Of course Chad went out of his way to spoil me. He never fails to surprise me and make me feel so special. He loves doing things for me and I love that he does things for me! I'm one lucky girl. 

On Sunday, I asked my primary class how old they thought I was. One child exclaimed, "Fifty-nine!!" Today a girl came to the door selling magazines and asked if my mother was home. I think she was hoping for a sale and proceeded to tell me she thought I looked fourteen or fifteen (is that even a compliment?). So, let's just split the different and call it good at 37. Not that I'm having a hard time with my age advancing, but I will say that saying this number felt like a bit of a jump. You know how some birthdays just make go, "Hmmm, I'm getting older." Clearly, the best solution for any uncertain feelings is...CAKE! And, I enjoyed plenty of it.

St. George 1/2 Marathon

Well, I did it. Fifteen weeks of training all culminated this last weekend in 13.1 long miles. I will spare the details of nerves and anxiety hampering my running abilities, but they did and I still finished. I think there were a number of factors in play that morning. Simply put, it wasn't one of my better runs which makes the victory well earned. It was hard and I conquered!

The whole weekend was so fun. There were about 30 women in our group (between 2 wards and various friends). It was really cool to be part of such a big group of cool women...I loved seeing the mass of purple shirts at the race. We had a so much fun training and planning. Our ring leaders, Lisa and Becky did so much work; from accommodations to t-shirts it was a great success.We even had a catered luau after the race!

It was awesome to have my dear friend Alison join me on the race. She is an incredible runner and graciously agreed to be support during the race. I gave her fair warning that all social chatting would have to be

saved for lunch after the race....running and talking don't work for me. We had a fabulous time after talking as much as we could while eating delicious Thai food.

Fast....slow....run or walk, we all pushed ourselves to new levels this weekend and that was really exciting.

Shift

Do you ever realize just how much you get set in your ways. Sure small things change, but overall, you just keep plodding forward just like you did yesterday, last month...last year? Recently, it seems my life has shifted...just slightly, but wow, enough to leave me feeling a bit off kilter.
There's been the small things. Take running for example. For something that I don't particularly love, it's taken over more time and thought than I'd care to make room for. I've committed to doing a 1/2 marathon in January. I'm thinking this wasn't the best choice...all my spare cold weather-holiday packed schedule time is getting filled with runner's guilt. "Today is slightly warm...I'd better run," or "I need to meet another milestone in my training...I have to go run."  I'm as slow as ever and I'm not even shedding any winter weight either. Grrr. I did hit the 8 mile mark....big milestone!
Then there's been the changes at church. Total change of pace going from Relief Society to Primary. I'm not saying this is bad...just different.  My friend told me to think of it as "spiritual cross training." I love that. I've also had the opportunity to be a small part of a neighbor taking the discussing and attending church. Something else that weighs heavily on my thoughts; "Am I doing enough," "Did I say the right things," or "How is she feeling about this." A lot to take in.
Then, I've had moments of change with my kids. More accurately, I would say moments of realization on my part. Realizing where I am totally lacking as a parent. It takes work to be totally aware of each facet of  their life. From social issues at school, to work ethic at home and school,  to lesson schedules, to individual desires and emotions....it's just hard to stay on top of. We recently had a disconcerting parent teacher conference....a real eye opener. Parenting is just A LOT of work. Constant re-awareness. Constant starting over (how many times do you re-start your family scripture reading or re-teach your kids how to clean the bathroom?) I feel like I am constantly falling short. I do the best thing I know how....start again.
Then, the biggest change in my life right now. Work. I had planned to start some sort of job when all the kids were in school, but not for at least a year. I'd been thinking what will I do? What can I do? Missions, college and weddings will be here soon...let alone the basement we dream of. Well, a couple weeks ago an opportunity came my way. The timing seems a bit premature, but they are totally willing to take me when they can. I am working for a retinal specialist. At this point only about 10+ hrs a week (in office and at home). Initially I thought I would be doing trascription and receptionist duties. I was a bit overwhelmed on my first day when the doctor walked out of the exam room and said, "Oh, will you re-numb his eye?" What? You want me to get in his personal space and put something in his eye? It was made clear to me that everyone is trained in everything. In addition to scheduling, phones, insurance, and trasnscription, I am also learning all the tech stuff. That means I will be the one that does the initial patient exam....accuity test, eye pressure, numbing, dilation, scans, surgery tray prep, and charting.  Oh and throw in the handling of syringes and medications that cost $2000 a pop. Ummm....don't I need a degree for all that? My brain has never felt so atrophied. All the acronyms, abbreviations, latin terms, medical terms....all very overwhelming. Oh, and I had have to dress professionally?! I only have one pair of non-denim pants. See what I mean....a total shift from where I've been. Right now, it feels like so many more hours that it is...this steep learning curve is mentally exhausting. I'm reserving total judgement until I'm feeling more settled in a couple weeks (or months), but I think I kind of like the challenge and patient interaction. We will see how this all settles in. Until then, I will continue starting over each time I fall short.

Little gems from the past

   Don't you love it when you unexpectedly find something?  Five dollars in the jacket you haven't worn since last fall? A lost necklace, for example? How about a photo you forgot existed or a letter from a g'parent that is now gone? This afternoon I found those very things. One made me laugh out loud, this other made me thoughtful and pensive.
   I am working on a Christmas gift for my kids (hopefully I can pull it together!)and I've had to sort through old photos and papers. Besides finding that my photo taking and paper keeping is a bit lop-sided between the kids (you know: oldest child vs. middle child vs. the baby!!), I've also found some wonderful gems from the past. Forgotten Mother's Day cards done in nursery, primitively scrawled names and great photos. Among these things, I found this letter from my G'ma Jensen. I loved coming across this letter talking about what was going on in her life. I loved seeing her handwriting. I loved seeing an article she knew I'd love. (about my dear great uncle Merrill). I even love the little pink post it attached to article. So glad I kept it all.
   Next, the laughter. I came across this  random photo taken at work. I was working for the Sears calling center in Provo. How old do you think I look in this photo? Now before you look at the date and do the math, give it a guess. I've shown this to a couple people today. Fourteen was one reply, and sixteen was the other. Nope, I'd be 24yrs old...pregnant with my second child. Yes, I can hear you laughing now. The bangs. The glasses. Oh, I thought those were so cute and made me look older. The shirt. Yikes! the shirt....an oversized courderoy number...so 90's, right? No wonder I got looks of pity when I went to the grocery store....looks of pity from everyone assuming I was a teen mom.
   Often going through old things just makes me melancholy. I get sad seeing that time relentlessly marches forward leaving loved ones gone and little ones grown up too fast. And then....and then....I find something funny like this that just laughs those blues away!

I did it.

Yesterday, I ran my first 10k. I have been running 5 miles at a time fairly consistently now, but wow, that 6.2 miles felt so much further. Why do I have a smile on my face? Why am I flashing the love sign (although I meant to do the rocker sign) like I just had the time of my life? I'm really not sure because truth be told, it was kind of hard and I kind of didn't have fun. I guess 1 hour and 12 min (I know...not a great time) of misery was worth a free (yes, the race was free!) Nike dry fit t-shirt! I don't know how race courses are ranked, but I'd say this one was not an easy course. We started out going up hill to Sugar House park. As soon as we reached the park, we ran on grass. For about a mile. Dodging pine cones. Once we circled around and finally hit some pavement, the hills started. Cardio wise, I felt fine. It was my legs that felt so fatigued. I guess I could blame it on week of climbing up and down a 20 foot ladder (painting my dining room), but the bottom line is, I just need to train more. Knowing that I've been sucked into a half marathon in January weighed heavily on my mind yesterday. I kept thinking, "...and this isn't half of what I will have to do then."  Yes, it looks like my winter days will filled with running. Ugh.

And the "Mother of Year" award goes to....

Just in case you were competing for this award, I'm pretty sure I've got the title secured. Yea, having another one of "those" days. Again. I seem to have a lot of these.

Today was Josh's first day of school. I bought Dunford doughnuts for breakfast (see I really am trying to be mother of the year...or not, if you're a healthy mom....ha ha!). I set the alarm bright and early to give us plenty of time in the morning. Alarm goes off (Chad is out of town btw, so I do have another person's awareness as insurance). I look at the clock and think, "Eh...this is too early. I will wake up in 10 minutes." Next thing I know, I'm being awakened by pounding on the front door. Carpool is here!! I throw on a robe and send carpool on their way and then get Josh out of bed. Luckily, being a boy, it doesn't take much to get ready. I even had time for a quick 1st day of school photo. AND...he even got breakfast. I knew I bought doughnuts for a reason! Just after I drop Josh off (he was on time!) I realize he has no lunch money. I will have to drop some off later.

Still more.

As I'm leaving the gym, I notice a call from the elementary school. I quickly realize that today is picture day. I even had this one written on the calendar (I swear calendars don't work...oh, yea, I have to actually check the calendar). My mind flutters with resolutions. Run to the school with a brush, go home get new clothes...or, do nothing. I concede to do nothing. I am going for authenticity in the school pictures this year. The kids just as they are...no cute hair, no clean shirt....heck, I don't even know if their faces are clean. It's all good. There is plenty of time later for perfectly presented children in photos, right?

Still more.

I have no brain. I wonder how many blog posts have egregious spelling errors and grammatical mistakes (I'm sure many in this post alone). I had done a fun little photo collage of a recent relief society activity. I was asked for copies and emailed them out. Last night I got a couple emails.
"The Higland 1st Ward Summer Salad Social." A few problems: we are not the 1st ward we are the 9th. So a totally fumble around photoshop and somehow change the number and email the new copy. More emails this morning. Ummm....Higland is spelled Hig*h*land. Whatever, it's already been emailed to the ward. I give up.

A little spontaneity ...

Last Saturday, after a beautiful (hard!) trail run up Draper canyon we decided we needed some more girl time. We being myself, Andrea and April (who kick my rear in trail runs!). After cleaning up, we headed to some of the homes featured in the Parade of Homes. However, looking at homes is a lot of work and we needed to fill our stomachs. ;) A philly cheese steak was just the thing. While we were at lunch we noticed a farmer's market going on and decided to wander through. After picking up some produce, we continued our home tour. (Isn't that front door amazing btw?) Sometimes, it so much fun to have NO plan. I know I am guilty of needing a plan so it was really nice to let loose a bit and do whatever we wanted as it came our way. Sometimes simple things like this can be really refreshing. What a fun Saturday!

Sharing with others....

I am convinced that one of the biggest contributors to hate, racism, war, labels, contention and a general lack of progress and peace is a lack understanding. Either we don't care to understand each other or we don't try to understand each other. Ignorance is not always bliss. I think sometimes we avoid people that are not like us...it takes a little more effort to reach outside our comfort zone. Yes, I am getting a little deep here...stay with me. And, I bet you are wondering why there is an orange flag next to a picture of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. I will tell you!

The street we currently live on has very diverse neighbors... ethnically and religiously. Sometimes it is a challenge but mostly, I think it is wonderful to be surrounded by so many that are different from me. There is one family in particular that I've gotten to know fairly well. They are a Sikh Indian family. We have had the opportunity to talk on a number of occasions. Several of our conversations have centered on their beliefs and my beliefs. I've learned a lot about the Sikh religion. Did you know it's only about 500yrs old? Did you know they don't remove any hair from their body? (yes, the girls are sad to not wax their eyebrows once they fully convert) Did you know they are vegetarian?

This last month, I invited them to the temple open house and they excitedly accepted. About two weeks ago, Boneeta came to my door with her sister Jasmine to tell me they were having a 3 day prayer and that there would be lots of cars on the street. They also invited me down for some food. I politely declined (why would I put myself in a slightly uncomfortable situation??lol). While they were at my door, I asked Boneeta what she thought of the temple. She said she loved it. I thought it was interesting that she specifically commented on the baptistry. Her sister, Jasmine (who lives out of state) expressed that she'd love to see the temple, too. That could be arranged easily enough! I told her that I would get the tickets and bring them over that night. I ran down the street to get some tickets from our mission leader. As I came to Jasmine's house, the garage door was opened and the garage was filled with beautifully dressed people from their group. As I gave them the tickets, I was asked if I'd like to stay for some food. Once again, I politely declined. After talking for a few more minutes, I was asked again if I'd like to stay. Feeling the sweat building, I thought to myself, "This is exactly the thing I need to do. What the heck, I will join them!" And join them I did! Yep, little miss whitey, feeling a little under dressed (and immodest) in my shorts, surrounded by a group of beautiful Indians, gorgeously dressed in their traditional Indian clothing. They were so gracious and even looked a little pleased to have an outsider join them. Yes, I felt sweaty, anxious and out of place but I loved that I took this step outside of my comfort zone. So there I sat with a plate full of delicious Indian food, listening to them speak Punjabi and learning more about their religion and culture. Boneeta then asked me if I'd like to see the prayer. "Sure!" I said, feeling a little more adventurous. I would have to take my shoes off and cover my head with an orange scarf. I entered the house to see a beautiful canopy in the living room with an older lady reading from their scriptures. You see, with this 3 day prayer, they are not allowed to stop. That is why there are so many people coming and going...they all take turns.

I can't tell you how invigorating this was for me. I like to think of myself as a nice person. However, even a nice person's mind needs a little expanding now and then. Growing up in Utah didn't offer me many mind-opening experiences and this was just the kind of thing to help counter that. I left feeling like I had gained a new confidence and ability to show my love for those that are different than me and to not be afraid to ask about or surround myself with those that are outside my normal circle. What a wonderful, wonderful experience!!

Girls Camp. No drama. Just a good spirit and fun.

19 girls and no drama. I am serious. I expected to come home exhausted (and I did), but I didn't expect to be so blown away by these awesome girls. How is it possible that this many teenage girls can spend 4 days in the wilderness and not have any problems. It was a truly wonderful experience to be a part of.
I was asked to be the assistant girls camp leader this year. I was very nervous and a bit overwhelmed. I have never been to girls camp in this capacity or for this length of time. Heck, before this, I wasn't even sure how to set up our tent! I think it's safe to say that I'm not a wilderness girl, but I rose to the occasion and the reward was big. The oldest girls are asked to be YCL's (youth camp leaders) and ours were leaders in every sense of the word. They are given a huge amount of responsibility; certification, devotionals, tent leaders, songs, skits, you name it they did it. I was over the food and crafts along with two of the YCL's. I was a bit stressed thinking about food for 25 people. I must admit that my YCL was probably much more calm in approaching this than I was. The devotionals they put together were so well thought out. Most impressive is how they took ownership for the girls in their tents. The girls are mixed up...no separation of ages. I think this contributed greatly to the unity that was felt. It was such a wonderful sight to see the fears and anxiety of the younger girls soften as they were accepted and included by the older girls.
Our theme was a nauctical one: Camp S.O.S. With the meaning of s.o.s. changing each day. Strengthening Our-Selves. Serving Our Savior. Showing Our Standards. It was so fun to see the theme evolve. One of the YCL's changed the lyrics to the ABBA song S.O.S. It was perfect and the girls couldn't stop singing it. We had plenty of lighthouse and life preserver references, too. We kicked off camp with a walk to the temple and a devotional. The talk was wonderful and it was beautiful to be next to "our lighthouse on hill," the temple.
It was funny to see how the songs and games have changed since my camp days. What happened to clapping along to the songs? Nooo, these girls are a moving and shaking. It was hard to keep up! They had a song for everything and they had so many fun games. Not to mention the creativity of the songs, skits and raps they made up! It was fun to join in...Chad even joined in the night he was there. Other highlights were:
1. The Snowbird activities; I did the zip line, bungee tramp and bull riding all for the first time. Yes, bull riding. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.
2. The hike up Bell Canyon; Harder and longer than any of us expected. The girls were troopers and didn't complain. If you look at the photo, notice the steep, rocky creek bed we hiked up. Apparently it's called the "stairmaster" and my glutes can certainly attest to that!
3. The leaders I worked with; each one brought something different, but equally necessary to contribute to the needs and success of camp.
3. Seeing Chad be more crazy than I care to remember. He didn't hesitate to jump in on the games and the girls repaid him by throwing him in the pool.

We did it. We survived. It was HARD. It was fun???

South Jordan Slackers finished with the very respectable time of 28:17:42.6!

It just dawned on me last night why you train. Yes, you train so your body can do it. But, more than that, you train so that during the race you don't have to think about what your body is doing and you can focus on the mental part. This was seriously hard. It wasn't so much the distances you had to run, it was that you had to do it 1- crammed into a car (just when your muscles have cemented into position, you have to run again), 2- no sleep, none (yes, there are periods of rest, but you try to sleep in the car or in some crazy campground with hundreds of people) and then 3- you have to do it three times.
I am so proud of Chad who ran two of his legs with excruciating IT Band knee pain. Seriously, he's amazing. 30 yards into his 2nd run he was crumpled over and we had Terry (the Superman of runners), ready to jump in. Then Chad stood up and kept going. For 7.8 miles. No kidding. He ran with a great little, stiff-legged hobble, but he did it. AND...he barely lost any time off his predicted time!!! My husband is cool.
I can't decide if this was as hard as I thought it would be or harder than I expected. Either way, it was dang hard. Like, I started my third leg with tears in my eyes hard. Yep, brought me to tears. This is when I realized what a mental thing it is. I can't tell you how much I DID NOT want to run at that point. I was SO done. But, I did it. I even sprinted to my finish.
I guess you could call it miserable fun, which is exactly what I had hoped for. We had such a great time with our team. I was so impressed with our team...what animals. Feeling as good as I did with what I accomplished, made me that much more impressed with what they did. Wow. The distances, the up hills and the down hills...really, really hard stuff. We bonded over laughter and a whole lot of sweat. Our motto..."what happens at Ragnar stays at Ragnar." Chad's already talking about next year. Me? Ask me in 6 months.
(pictures to come)

When "taking it one day at a time" is NOT a good thing....

....when you forget your child's preschool graduation.

I don't even know why I am posting this because if you know me, this really is no surprise. I guess I'm just posting this to document my senility. I've gotten in the (bad) habit of checking Jenna's preschool calendar right before school each day. This has caused us to miss a few field trips and now her little graduation. Basically anything that is outside the normal day and time of preschool I have missed. I do stuff like this far too often. What's the deal??