August came and went in a blink and I can hardly remember it all! My mother's helper Ally came 2-3 mornings a week so I could work on the shop. Ally is a sweetheart but young so sometimes Addie really gives her a run for her money. Still, it was nice to have the help because there was a lot of work to do. Heidi and I have been amazed at the success our little business has had but it keeps me very busy!
Jacob's rotations were pretty good for the month. He had a couple mornings off a week for part of the month which was a nice treat. He was usually home before 7 at night.
Addie and I went to Utah mid month so I could help Heidi get ready for school. Wish I'd have known when I scheduled the trip that A- Jacob would be on a pretty easy rotation and B- Mom and Dad would be in the midst of the worst part of construction. C'est la vie!
Jacob had clinic at the time I needed to go to the airport so I had to drive myself. Luckily the Fresno airport is close and small so it was easy enough to navigate. Got there extra early and we had about 2 hours to kill before the flight, an real bummer since I'd had to wake Addie up from her nap to go. She did ok on the flight between the ipad and the activities/snacks I brought. I had 1 hr. 15 min layover in Vegas where I had to change airlines. What an ordeal. Rushed down to get our bag and check in again. I was 1 minute short of the 45 minute deadline so they cautioned my bag might not make it to SLC (luckily it did.) Then security was a bit slow and they hassled me about Addie's juice and applesauce (which they didn't care about in Fresno). I rushed through the gates, made a wrong turn, finally made it to B12...only to realize it was not my gate. I'd been looking at my line number (Southwest has you line up and pick seats) not my gate number! So I had to rush back out and over to my gate in the C terminal and got there just in time. Because of the rush I hadn't been able to change Addie's diaper and before we were to the point of the flight I could get up and take her to the bathroom her diaper had leaked ALL over her clothes. And of course I didn't have a spare outfit. She also took off her shoes and refused to put them back on. We were so exhausted when we got to SLC and it took forever for the luggage to show up. By the time Mom picked us up at the curb Addie was only wearing a diaper.
The next day there was a lot of construction and mess going on at Mom and Dad's so Addie and I headed to Springville to help Heidi at school (well Addie just made a mess.) Our friend Cassity did keep Addie for a couple of hours so we could work. She didn't nap because we were out so by the time I got her in the car to head home at 7 she'd HAD it and screamed for 20 minutes before passing right out and sleeping the whole way home.
The new room got finished pretty early during our visit and Addie loved to run around up there in the open space. She usually begged Ian to play up there with her as soon as he got home from work. She calls him "Iiiin!" She lives for "Gampy" and he gets all the love! She fell in love with the movie Iron Giant (by accident!) a couple weeks before our trip and Dad had recorded it for her. She watched it like crazy while we were there, and it's so hard to wrap my mind around because it's so not a toddler movie. But she loves it.
I spent two long days in Springville helping Heidi. We got a lot done though! Of course we had fun and got to go to some of my favorite restaurants too. I went down one last time for card night, which is so fun when it falls when I'm in town.
The last day in Utah I dropped my ipad on the tile and shattered the screen. I wish I could blame Addie but it was totally my fault. It was only 6 hours before we needed to go to the airport so I was pretty stressed. I took it in and they said it was irreparable but gave me a nice price for a replacement so I just did it. I was grateful to have it on our LONG flight home. After the fiasco flying to UT I switched my flight plans to fly to San Jose but there was a layover (with no plane change) in Portland! The whole thing was 4 hours and we still had to drive home 2.5 hours from San Jose. We didn't get home until 2 AM. How exhausting. But Addie did really well and the people on the flight were really nice. On the first leg a woman sat next to us and played with her almost the whole time. On the second leg the guy across the aisle kept making silly faces at her and telling her how pretty she was, that she was going to be an actress when she grew up (ha!) She slept most of the drive home and didn't cry at all. What a relief to get home.
My birthday was pretty uneventful. Addie and I went to a Farmer's Market in the morning. Jacob got home at 7 and brought dinner from Cheesecake Factory. Then we decided to go to the mall for something to do. Not very exciting! But it was nice. I wanted to go out on a date but we still don't really know any babysitters so it hasn't happened.
That's all from here!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
I think this is finally going to work! I've tried many times to get on the blog and nothing ever worked. So sorry that no one has heard from me in 2 months. So to catch you up:
In early July we drove out to UT for the Baker Reunion. We picked up Holly in Omaha and stayed the night in NE. We were so excited to see everyone, especially Jacob's family. We spent a day with them before we drove down to Bryce Canyon. The kids looked great. Galen is still not interested in us, but that will come with time. One the way down to BC, we stopped at the Manti Temple to view and then to Circleville, the tiny town that Mom Baker was born in. We went to the cemetary to find Grandpa Simkin's grave and found it. He was buried by his first wife. Then on down to Bryce. The weather was beautiful the whole time, even chilly at night, which suited me just fine as I'm rather warm these days. There were 85 Bakers there, all 8 of the siblings and many of their children and grandchildren. We did alot of touring the canyon area and did many hikes. Bryce Canyon is incredible. I had never seen it before and the views were magnificent. Every night we had one of Jacob's kids stay with us in the hotel room. We loved being with the kids. We also loved seeing so many of the family and catching up. On the last night of the reunion we had a big dinner and then the usual skits from everyone. Jacob did a funny one by himself, and Calvin, Holly and I did the Newlywed Game. We had each sibling pick a couple from their families to be in the game. Calvin was the MC and Holly and I wrote each answer down on boards. It was hilarious. The winners were the most newly wedded! It was wonderful to see everyone and sad to say goodbye.
Later in July, we had a tremendous rain storm which brought alot of water into the basement, again. Poor Colin's room got flooded again. Part of Holly's closet and part of my quilting room was wet too. Calvin moved all the furniture out of Colin's room and pulled up all the carpet. Friends of ours, the Comstocks, came over to help out. Olivia and I sucked up at least 10 gallons of water from Colin's room. Incredible. We pulled out our fans and borrowed a few from others and set them to dry out the carpets for the next few days. We've yet to put the carpet back in place, we're waiting for the carpet guy to come by. That was a huge mess. The problem was because of a backed up downspot outside so Calvin fixed that and it's worked well since.
Calvin was out of town so much in July and all of August, coming home Tuesdays so he was able to go to his Stake Meetings Wed night and then the next morning he was gone again. I don't mind him gone every week, but most of the week gets long for me. His right shoulder started up with alot of pain in his neck which moved down into his shoulder just like it did to his left shoulder 5 years ago. And we knew what that meant: another torn rotator cuff. More surgery. Very disappointing. He finally got into the orthopedic doc who took xrays first and and only saw some arthritis and then had Calvin get an MRI which showed no tear at all. That really surprised us. He does have arthritis, along with bursitis and tendenitis too! All the 'is's'!! So out comes the 3 foot long needle (so Calvin says!) and he got a cortisone shot. Which has helped quite a bit, but he has a ways to go. Thank the Lord there's no need for surgery. We thought for sure he was heading that way.
Later in July I went down to Indy to spend a few days with quilting friends. We've done that for a few years now. I really love getting together with them.
I was released, sadly, from Young Women's recently and called to teach Gospel Doctrine. I was in YWs for 3 years so I guess it was time, but I sure miss the girls. I've taught GD twice now, I fretted a week before my first lesson. I've never taught adults before, except an occassional Relief Society lesson when I was president. This is a real stretch for me. Thankfully I wasn't as nervous teaching this last lesson. I guess each one will help me be more confident.
We're making plans to go to Boston in October for a trip. We've always wanted to go and have found some fun tours to take. Hopefully we can pull it off.
We loved the Republican Convention last week and so proud to be suporting Romeny/Ryan. How anyone could vote for Obama is beyond me.
Poor Ethan broke his arm and collar bone recently while jumping ramps on his bike. Poor thing. He's done well with his recovery. He and Mylyn are in the 3rd grade now, and Clara is in the first grade. They started new schools so it was a bit worrisome for them. Amanda had surgery on her right knee recently too and the surgeon repaired the torn miniscus but found she has no cartilidge left in that knee so after her recovery she will be limited to certain exercises. Jacob and been busy taking care of the family. He started teaching at BYU again.
Kelli found a new job!! Closer to Indy and she's so excited. Especially cuz it's weekend work that's considered full time work so she gets good pay with full benefits. Emmanuel's office has moved to the north side on Indy too so they will both be closer to their work. Kelli will have no work during the week so she can have normalcy. She found a wonderful pre-school for Joseph and he attends twice a week.
Holly had an ESL job in August working with Chinese students. They not only met during the day but did some tours of the state too, like going to Rapid City and seeing all the sites there. She didn't love the job, but it was money and that's always good. She now is teaching at the university, just one class and 2 classes at Briar Cliff College in Sioux City.
Colin flies out to Louisville KY to interview for a job there. That's exciting. A tv station in Tucson has shown interest in him too. So good luck to him.
Sam turns 21 next Sunday and he now has 3 more months to go on his mission. He thinks he'll be home on Dec. 1, but we've received no official notice yet. He'd like all his siblings there to greet him home so I hope it works out.
Recently Calvin and I went out to dinner with the Indiana Mission President and wife. They're allowed a short vacation every year while on their mission but after 2 years, this is the first time they've been able to get away. Calvin talked him into coming up here so we can show him Amish country. We drove them around and they couldn't get over the beautiful countryside. Sis. Collins called it the Garden of Eden. A very nice compliment. We had a great time with them. They stayed overnight in Middlebury and then had most of the next day to shop and look around.
Love to all the family,
Claire and Calvin
In early July we drove out to UT for the Baker Reunion. We picked up Holly in Omaha and stayed the night in NE. We were so excited to see everyone, especially Jacob's family. We spent a day with them before we drove down to Bryce Canyon. The kids looked great. Galen is still not interested in us, but that will come with time. One the way down to BC, we stopped at the Manti Temple to view and then to Circleville, the tiny town that Mom Baker was born in. We went to the cemetary to find Grandpa Simkin's grave and found it. He was buried by his first wife. Then on down to Bryce. The weather was beautiful the whole time, even chilly at night, which suited me just fine as I'm rather warm these days. There were 85 Bakers there, all 8 of the siblings and many of their children and grandchildren. We did alot of touring the canyon area and did many hikes. Bryce Canyon is incredible. I had never seen it before and the views were magnificent. Every night we had one of Jacob's kids stay with us in the hotel room. We loved being with the kids. We also loved seeing so many of the family and catching up. On the last night of the reunion we had a big dinner and then the usual skits from everyone. Jacob did a funny one by himself, and Calvin, Holly and I did the Newlywed Game. We had each sibling pick a couple from their families to be in the game. Calvin was the MC and Holly and I wrote each answer down on boards. It was hilarious. The winners were the most newly wedded! It was wonderful to see everyone and sad to say goodbye.
Later in July, we had a tremendous rain storm which brought alot of water into the basement, again. Poor Colin's room got flooded again. Part of Holly's closet and part of my quilting room was wet too. Calvin moved all the furniture out of Colin's room and pulled up all the carpet. Friends of ours, the Comstocks, came over to help out. Olivia and I sucked up at least 10 gallons of water from Colin's room. Incredible. We pulled out our fans and borrowed a few from others and set them to dry out the carpets for the next few days. We've yet to put the carpet back in place, we're waiting for the carpet guy to come by. That was a huge mess. The problem was because of a backed up downspot outside so Calvin fixed that and it's worked well since.
Calvin was out of town so much in July and all of August, coming home Tuesdays so he was able to go to his Stake Meetings Wed night and then the next morning he was gone again. I don't mind him gone every week, but most of the week gets long for me. His right shoulder started up with alot of pain in his neck which moved down into his shoulder just like it did to his left shoulder 5 years ago. And we knew what that meant: another torn rotator cuff. More surgery. Very disappointing. He finally got into the orthopedic doc who took xrays first and and only saw some arthritis and then had Calvin get an MRI which showed no tear at all. That really surprised us. He does have arthritis, along with bursitis and tendenitis too! All the 'is's'!! So out comes the 3 foot long needle (so Calvin says!) and he got a cortisone shot. Which has helped quite a bit, but he has a ways to go. Thank the Lord there's no need for surgery. We thought for sure he was heading that way.
Later in July I went down to Indy to spend a few days with quilting friends. We've done that for a few years now. I really love getting together with them.
I was released, sadly, from Young Women's recently and called to teach Gospel Doctrine. I was in YWs for 3 years so I guess it was time, but I sure miss the girls. I've taught GD twice now, I fretted a week before my first lesson. I've never taught adults before, except an occassional Relief Society lesson when I was president. This is a real stretch for me. Thankfully I wasn't as nervous teaching this last lesson. I guess each one will help me be more confident.
We're making plans to go to Boston in October for a trip. We've always wanted to go and have found some fun tours to take. Hopefully we can pull it off.
We loved the Republican Convention last week and so proud to be suporting Romeny/Ryan. How anyone could vote for Obama is beyond me.
Poor Ethan broke his arm and collar bone recently while jumping ramps on his bike. Poor thing. He's done well with his recovery. He and Mylyn are in the 3rd grade now, and Clara is in the first grade. They started new schools so it was a bit worrisome for them. Amanda had surgery on her right knee recently too and the surgeon repaired the torn miniscus but found she has no cartilidge left in that knee so after her recovery she will be limited to certain exercises. Jacob and been busy taking care of the family. He started teaching at BYU again.
Kelli found a new job!! Closer to Indy and she's so excited. Especially cuz it's weekend work that's considered full time work so she gets good pay with full benefits. Emmanuel's office has moved to the north side on Indy too so they will both be closer to their work. Kelli will have no work during the week so she can have normalcy. She found a wonderful pre-school for Joseph and he attends twice a week.
Holly had an ESL job in August working with Chinese students. They not only met during the day but did some tours of the state too, like going to Rapid City and seeing all the sites there. She didn't love the job, but it was money and that's always good. She now is teaching at the university, just one class and 2 classes at Briar Cliff College in Sioux City.
Colin flies out to Louisville KY to interview for a job there. That's exciting. A tv station in Tucson has shown interest in him too. So good luck to him.
Sam turns 21 next Sunday and he now has 3 more months to go on his mission. He thinks he'll be home on Dec. 1, but we've received no official notice yet. He'd like all his siblings there to greet him home so I hope it works out.
Recently Calvin and I went out to dinner with the Indiana Mission President and wife. They're allowed a short vacation every year while on their mission but after 2 years, this is the first time they've been able to get away. Calvin talked him into coming up here so we can show him Amish country. We drove them around and they couldn't get over the beautiful countryside. Sis. Collins called it the Garden of Eden. A very nice compliment. We had a great time with them. They stayed overnight in Middlebury and then had most of the next day to shop and look around.
Love to all the family,
Claire and Calvin
Monday, August 27, 2012
Another School Year
It’s hard to believe that school is starting again…summer went to fast. I can’t believe that Adam is in 3rd grade and the “upper grades” of elementary school. He was thrilled to have his first grade teacher Mrs. Lethcoe again, since she moved from 1st grade to 3rd grade this year. He has one of is good friends, Brendan, in class for the third straight year. Sarah was so excited for 1st grade and had a wonderful first day, much different from last year, when it took her half the year to be happy about going to school. She also has two great friends from her kindergarten class, Natalie and Lillian, hope they don’t talk to much. Her teacher Mrs. Spence, seems to be really nice. It’s really hard to believe Isaac started five day preschool. His teacher is Miss Kelly. He made new buddy, Reed, on the first day. He loves preschool and gets really bored in mornings home with me. It will be weird next year not driving down to Imagine and Explore preschool daily after taking one the kids there for the last 5+ years.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Recipes from Grammy
Beef One Pot Dinner
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced thin
1 c. finely chopped potatoes
1 c. water
1- 14 oz. can baked beans
1/2 c. barbecue sauce
1 c. shredded cheese
Brown meat, add veggies, cook 5 minutes. Stir in water, cover and simmer till veggies are tender.
Add beans and barbecue sauce. Mix.
Cook 5 minutes till heated through. Top with cheese.
One Pan Chicken & Potato Bake
4 bone-in chicken pieces
1 1/2 c. potatoes (3), cut into thin wedges
1/4 c. Italian Dressing
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
Heat oven to 400. Place chicken and potatoes in 13x9" pan.
Top with dressing, sprinkle with cheese and seasoning. Cover.
Bake 1 hour or till chicken is done.
Uncover after 30 minutes.
Grammy - August
Monday, August 13, 2012
Van Natter JULY
The truth is that it's now August, and nearly halfway through - but thankfully I keep a journal or I'd have no idea what happened just a few weeks ago. Construction continues, and for the last two weeks, it's been going on inside the house. Noisy, dirty, dusty, inconvenient. But the end result will be worth it, right??
We began July mourning with a family in our ward whose Utah Highway Patrol member son was killed during a search and rescue on Mt. Olympus. He left a wife and 3 children, two of whom are autistic. We watched him grow up since his family has lived here even longer than we have. He and his brothers used to play football with our backyard neighbor's boys, and jump our fence to retrieve their lost ball. (Causing a bend in the fence rail!) I made a salad for the funeral meal which is attached below. It was heartwarming to hear his parents share their beliefs on television (this was big news in Utah) and know that although they mourned, they were confident about where their son now was.
Heidi came up to spend the 4th of July with us. We didn't do anything special, except get Chinese for dinner - our tradition of more than a decade now!! It was fun to spend time with her. And the food was yummy!
John moved our network cables and cords and equipment down to the basement, but it will eventually reside in a small closet in the new laundry room. We've struggled with slow internet for awhile and he's still trying to figure out that issue. He is enjoying this construction project and has taken several days off to be here and help where he can.
I spent a day with Annette when the power was going to be off in the house all day. John stayed here and helped the electrician switch out our long-ago-recalled electric box. (The electrician is in our Bishopric.) The only bright spot is that the box is in the basement, which is cooler than upstairs. They finally finished about 3:30.
Annette and I met at Zupas for lunch. We used to do that fairly often - at least more often than we have in a couple of years! Then we headed back to hang out at her house. She pointed out the things she loves about her kitchen and I took photos so I could tell our contractor what I wanted. And I ended up getting everything I had wanted! Except my pantry isn't as big as I'd hoped, but there was only so much that could be done in the space.
We exchanged birthday gifts - 4 and 5 months late!!! She gave me 4 books, and I am in heaven! I LOVE to read! I got her a little nativity made of hand-molded clay, found on Etsy. Thanks for letting me veg, Nette!
One task I had to deal with before the construction moved indoors was getting the wallpaper off one wall of the kitchen. Thank heaven I had never finished that project, which originally called for papering more walls! It took two full days just getting it off the one wall. And John had to do the top foot since I couldn't reach, and didn't feel confident on a step-stool (with my leg/foot issue.) Now we face the agony of getting the wallpaper border off the entire living room and hallway so we can have it painted to match the kitchen, now that it's all one room.
I was surprised that I had such an emotional reaction to my old stove being removed. It's the original to this house, so 34 years old! For years, I have wanted it to die so I could justify getting a new one. But only a burner and a broiler element went out, both easily replaceable! So when it came time to see it go, I suddenly remembered all the birthday cakes, Christmas cookies, after-school treats, Thanksgiving turkeys I had prepared in that oven. Who would guess a piece of metal would hold such memories!! A favorite photo is of Ian, just turned 6, sitting in front of the oven window, impatiently waiting for his favorite Snickerdoodles to finish baking!
As far as construction went in July: insulation, drywall, electric sockets, fireplace framed, doors and windows installed, new roof shingled, front of garage bricked, siding begun, garage door installed, and kitchen demolished the last day of July. I posted some photos of the kitchen that day. It was crazy time. And now we have one big kitchen/living room=great room!
Here's the recipe I made for the funeral meal. I wanted to do something with fruit, and honestly, I would classify this as more of a dessert than a salad, but it is really yummy whatever you serve it for! Fun find on Pinterest.
Strawberry Cheesecake Salad
by Chelsey W.
12 oz. whipped topping
1 small package of cheesecake pudding (powder)
3 (6 oz) strawberry yogurts (I use Yoplait)
1 lb fresh strawberries, sliced
3 bananas, sliced (add just before serving or they brown)
miniature marshmallows (add just before serving)
Thaw whipped topping and in a large salad bowl stir together whipped topping, yogurts, and pudding powder. Let this set up in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Wash and slice strawberries. You can add strawberries to salad or wait to add them with sliced bananas and marshmallows just before serving. Keep refrigerated.
We began July mourning with a family in our ward whose Utah Highway Patrol member son was killed during a search and rescue on Mt. Olympus. He left a wife and 3 children, two of whom are autistic. We watched him grow up since his family has lived here even longer than we have. He and his brothers used to play football with our backyard neighbor's boys, and jump our fence to retrieve their lost ball. (Causing a bend in the fence rail!) I made a salad for the funeral meal which is attached below. It was heartwarming to hear his parents share their beliefs on television (this was big news in Utah) and know that although they mourned, they were confident about where their son now was.
Heidi came up to spend the 4th of July with us. We didn't do anything special, except get Chinese for dinner - our tradition of more than a decade now!! It was fun to spend time with her. And the food was yummy!
John moved our network cables and cords and equipment down to the basement, but it will eventually reside in a small closet in the new laundry room. We've struggled with slow internet for awhile and he's still trying to figure out that issue. He is enjoying this construction project and has taken several days off to be here and help where he can.
I spent a day with Annette when the power was going to be off in the house all day. John stayed here and helped the electrician switch out our long-ago-recalled electric box. (The electrician is in our Bishopric.) The only bright spot is that the box is in the basement, which is cooler than upstairs. They finally finished about 3:30.
Annette and I met at Zupas for lunch. We used to do that fairly often - at least more often than we have in a couple of years! Then we headed back to hang out at her house. She pointed out the things she loves about her kitchen and I took photos so I could tell our contractor what I wanted. And I ended up getting everything I had wanted! Except my pantry isn't as big as I'd hoped, but there was only so much that could be done in the space.
We exchanged birthday gifts - 4 and 5 months late!!! She gave me 4 books, and I am in heaven! I LOVE to read! I got her a little nativity made of hand-molded clay, found on Etsy. Thanks for letting me veg, Nette!
One task I had to deal with before the construction moved indoors was getting the wallpaper off one wall of the kitchen. Thank heaven I had never finished that project, which originally called for papering more walls! It took two full days just getting it off the one wall. And John had to do the top foot since I couldn't reach, and didn't feel confident on a step-stool (with my leg/foot issue.) Now we face the agony of getting the wallpaper border off the entire living room and hallway so we can have it painted to match the kitchen, now that it's all one room.
I was surprised that I had such an emotional reaction to my old stove being removed. It's the original to this house, so 34 years old! For years, I have wanted it to die so I could justify getting a new one. But only a burner and a broiler element went out, both easily replaceable! So when it came time to see it go, I suddenly remembered all the birthday cakes, Christmas cookies, after-school treats, Thanksgiving turkeys I had prepared in that oven. Who would guess a piece of metal would hold such memories!! A favorite photo is of Ian, just turned 6, sitting in front of the oven window, impatiently waiting for his favorite Snickerdoodles to finish baking!
As far as construction went in July: insulation, drywall, electric sockets, fireplace framed, doors and windows installed, new roof shingled, front of garage bricked, siding begun, garage door installed, and kitchen demolished the last day of July. I posted some photos of the kitchen that day. It was crazy time. And now we have one big kitchen/living room=great room!
Here's the recipe I made for the funeral meal. I wanted to do something with fruit, and honestly, I would classify this as more of a dessert than a salad, but it is really yummy whatever you serve it for! Fun find on Pinterest.
Strawberry Cheesecake Salad
by Chelsey W.
12 oz. whipped topping
1 small package of cheesecake pudding (powder)
3 (6 oz) strawberry yogurts (I use Yoplait)
1 lb fresh strawberries, sliced
3 bananas, sliced (add just before serving or they brown)
miniature marshmallows (add just before serving)
Thaw whipped topping and in a large salad bowl stir together whipped topping, yogurts, and pudding powder. Let this set up in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Wash and slice strawberries. You can add strawberries to salad or wait to add them with sliced bananas and marshmallows just before serving. Keep refrigerated.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Moulton's July
Finally got our pictures downloaded from Exodus so hopefully, I can figure out how to include them in the newsletter.
July was a BUSY month with lots of visits and of course, Exodus. We started the month with a visit from Claire and Calvin. They stayed two nights and it was fun to visit. They spent most of their time loving up the grandkids! Isn't that awesome!!! The next visit came from Cottrell's who came down after their Yellowstone trip. They likewise stayed two nights. We're so glad to have room for family to come visit! Linda and I yakked nonstop and worked on a cute 'yellow ruler' table runner. That night we went to Spicy Thai: a favorite restaurant with Cottrell's and then they treated us to a wonderful play at the Hale Theatre: Crazy For You! It was hilarious and so fun to share with Cottrell's! Thanks again, Guys!! Another fun visit! They left Tues morning and then we finished getting ready for Exodus. We had to be packed up that night so we ran to the stake center with our buckets and bags and crossed our fingers!
We met the next morning at 8:30 with the Blue Team. They staggered the teams to prevent too much crowding on the mountain at one time. Our kids were excited when I gave them each their Moroni pins to wear. Moroni ended up being a bit of our hero all week since he was on our flag and when we got up to the top, 10,500 feet up Ephraim Canyon, we learned that Moroni had walked this area and dedicated the site for the Manti temple. Cool! This Exodus was not considered a Trek. This was not to remind us of the Pioneers. Instead, Exodus was more of a spiritual experience to encourage the kids (and adults) to leave behind things that would thwart our efforts in getting to Zion or our Promised Land. So that was the mindset as we set off. We gathered for lunch and some words of counsel and then we were off!
We had about 26 miles to walk and surprisingly, some was still uphill and we had overachieving kids in our family who wanted to run and get there quickly! Have mercy!!! We had just left the temps in the 90's but up on top, it was actually chilly. Along the trail, they encouraged us to have teaching moments. They had themes for each day: What do I believe, What do I desire, What will I do, and My Journey to Zion. They had different topics they suggested for us to teach so occasionally, we'd pull off the trail and have a few moments for teaching and then of course, some tossing of the football.
When we got to camp, we all set up our tents and had some much needed down time to rest and relax. This is a view of our campsite from up a hill where we later had a 'hoedown'.
Luckily, they had a 'food committee' so we didn't have to deal with cooking our own food. I think there was actually a guy who did catering who was in our stake and you could tell from the menu. Wed nite was bacon-wrapped turkey slices with blueberry pomegranate sauce, spinach salad with a warm bacon dressing and fresh green beans for 600+ people! And it was so organized. we never had to wait long in line! Amazing!
This shows the trail we hiked up after dinner for the hoedown. (Check out the people on the bottom to get an idea of how steep it was.)
Each day, while on the trail, they encouraged the kids to find a rock that could be placed as an Ebenezer stone. When the Children of Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground, much like when they crossed the Red Sea, the tribes of Israel picked up a stone in remembrance of what the Lord had done for them. It became an altar. Later, Samuel placed a large stone which he named Ebenezer after the Children of Israel recommitted themselves to following God's commandments. Ebenezer means, stone of help, so when they looked on it, hopefully, they would remember how the Lord had helped them. (You've heard the song, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing? The 2nd verse says, Here I raise my Ebenezer, Hither by thy help I'm come. This made so much sense after learning about the Ebenezer and quickly became the theme song for Exodus.) So each day, we did something similar. The boys got a little carried away and found the biggest rocks they could find. I assume they wanted to show their bulging muscles to the young women as they carried it to the spot for our Ebenezer. Each rock was to represent whatever the theme was each day. So Day 1 was 'What do I believe?" and that rock was to represent that.
After the hoedown, each ward met with the stake presidency for a special gift. We were given time each night for "Time with the Lord' where we were to go off by ourselves, write in our journals, read scriptures, ponder, pray, etc., for about 30 minutes. During this time, we read our letters from the stake presidency and discovered the "gift." The first was a glow in the dark rock which we were to remember the story of the Brother of Jared and how the Lord provided for his needs and will likewise provide for ours. Afterward, we met briefly with the kids for our final teaching moment of the day and family prayer. I had some bracelets made up for our family which said, Doubt not, but be believing, which is a quote by Moroni. (See why he became our hero!!!) We were to wear them thru out Exodus.
I found out the next morning that none of the "Ma's" slept much. Why? The Women's Pull was first thing after breakfast and we were all nervous. We could see the hill and it was steep. Wish I had a good picture to show but trust me when I say, it was very steep, rocky and a bit gravely in some spots which would make it slick. Here is a picture before the Women's Pull. Not sure why I was smiling! The boys pulled it to the starting point.
I don't have good pictures of us pulling/pushing the handcart up the trail but trust me, it was hard. Apparently, the Women's Pull is traditional at all Treks and ours was no exception. It was originally to remind us of the women who had to pull handcarts alone when their husbands were called off to the Mormon Battalion. But again, this was not a Trek so instead of focusing on the pioneer women who pushed and pulled, the Bishops each read a letter to the girls in their wards about the mountains they might face in life and to help them learn that they were stronger than they thot. It made me cry! My family was first: Surprise! So up we went. The boys lined the trail and sang, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, but could not touch the handcart to offer help. I was on the back with one little gal and we started off. Jess walked beside us for safety reasons but couldn't touch unless needed. One of our girls slipped and fell at one point and the handcart bounced backward. I shoved it as hard as I could till we got settled: up over rocks, over slick gravel and a couple steep steep hills. At one point, I didn't think I could go another step. I couldn't breathe! But amazingly, having the guys sing really bolstered our efforts. It was wonderful to reach the top and then cheer on the girls behind us! This is a picture of another group so you can see the trail we climbed.
And this is a picture of us afterward. Whew! Glad that was over!!!
And we had just started the day! Today was the longest hike: 7+ miles apparently. So off we went: still more uphill. AUGH! Because we were way up on top, we could see the storm clouds gathering. Good thing because then it started to pour. Good thing for ponchos! (Except Cole on the left. He was our Mountain Man! He didn't bring a jacket or a sleeping bag, just 2 blankets. He slept outside each night and loved every minute of it. We was as strong as an ox and we affectionately nicknamed him, The Beast!
We finally started to go downhill and my lungs were ever so grateful! Of course, the kids still wanted to go fast so we passed a few groups and got into camp early. (I made arrangements the next day to make sure we were in the back and a new rule: no passing! Yay for me! The kids were bummed!)
Because we got in early, we still had a few hours till dinner. We had time to set up tents and then the neatest thing happened. Two of our kids in our family brought instruments: a banjo and a violin. (They'd packed them in trailers so they were protected from the weather.) Just the two of them started picking our the tune to, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, and before long, tons of people were gathering. Other instruments were brought over and it was a regular jam session. Awesome!
Day 3 was the shortest hike but the most difficult apparently. We started off after breakfast and the trail was much rockier. It was a slower pace which suited me just fine! We found a little spot to have lunch and then as soon as we were finishing, it started to sprinkle. We all put on our ponchos, except Cole, of course, and headed out for the spot we heard was treacherous. Then it really started to rain and the trail turned muddy because of those who were ahead of us. We actually, were the last team this day. I don't have pix of us specifically coming down the trails but I'll post some others. Suffice it to say, it was very treacherous. We had the rain, lightning and thunder! It was awesome! Ha! The only thing missing was some background music of the Mormon Tab singing, Come, Come Ye Saints, ala` the movie, Legacy, when they were sloshing thru the mud! We had tied ropes to the back of the handcart to use as brakes. Jess was on the back, heels dug into the mud, slipping and sliding down the hill trying to keep the handcart from plunging down the hill or into the streams we had to cross. At one point, they made us tie ropes to trees to control our descent. I wish I had a picture of our shoes! I think I grew 4 inches!!! Here are some pix of the trail:
These girls on the front ended up falling but I won't show that picture!
When we finally made it to our campsite, it was still raining. All the other tents were already up but we had to wait so we crowded under an awning.
We were able to rest a bit when the rain stopped. We quickly gathered our things and set up the tent with just enough time before it started to rain again. Dinner wasn't quite ready so Jess and I just tried to relax and dry off in our tent while listening to the rain. It was awesome! The rain stopped and we waited for the horn for dinner. We were Blue Company and #6 for the day so we knew dinner would be later but for some reason, the stake pres drove around on the ATV gathering people up for dinner. That seemed odd since we hadn't done meals like that before but we gathered along with 600+ others for dinner. Then they started to blow the horns again. What's up with that, I'm sure I thot until I turned around to the mountains we'd just climbed down and saw a beautiful double rainbow. We wouldn't have seen it if we hadn't all been gathered together like that. I thot it topped off the day perfectly and I whispered a quiet, "I noticed", to the Lord! You can't really see the double rainbow in this picture but it was beautiful!
Day 4 was the last day. Lots of us gathered for pix:
Here are our ward's Ma's and Pa's:
Today was our last day so we headed down the mountain trail. Today was quite easy in comparison. No rocky trails, no rutted Jeep tracks. But it was hot!!! Half way down, they passed out Otter Pops and nothing ever tasted so good to my parched mouth!
We finished up at a stake center in Manti. There we had lunch and then they gave each of us white shirts to change into which was glorious since we'd been wearing the same blue shirt since Wednesday! (Part of the experience!)
And that's Exodus!
But no, the visits didn't stop! We absolutely crashed on Saturday but felt better by Sunday. Sally and Sam arrived after Church and we had another fun family visit. We went with them to Brick Oven Monday nite and then they treated us to the Rodeo! Our favorite part was the Mutton Bustin'. They took 5-7 year olds and put them on the backs of Sheep and off they'd go. The top scorers held on longest because they went on backwards and wrapped their arms around the sheep's back quarters and their legs around their necks. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen! But I'd never let my kids do that!!! The next day was Pioneer Day and Sam grilled the most moist-fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs I've ever tasted! Wow! Delish! We even did a few fireworks for the kids and Luke and Sophie had a ball! Uncle Bryce is so much fun to play with! Sally and Sam ended up staying till Sat and Loran came up on Fri because Uncle Ernal passed away. It was his house that we stayed in for a year while our house was being built which we affectionately called, The Dungeon. It was awesome to see the military funeral after the service. Luke jumped during the 21-gun salute but loved it! Ernal was one of the last Pearl Harbor Survivors so it's sad to see an era pass. We love you, Ernal!
And that's July!
Jess and Annette
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