Manti Pageant

We were all excited that our AZ trip was earlier this summer! We thought we would jazz up our drive down with a stop in Manti to see the Pageant. The gorgeous Manti Temple is the backdrop for the Pageant. The story of the Pageant is based on the pioneers, Joseph Smith, and events from The Book of Mormon. It was impressive to watch hundreds of participants run all over the hill. It was long, because it covered so much, but we loved it!We got their a few hours before it started, so we were able to save some great seats while we enjoyed the little town!

Matthew bought himself a new shirt and wore it proudly!
Kenzie sure loved her ice cream!
We hung out at the park near the Temple for a while. The kids had fun racing each other!

The Slider Girls

I love this picture! It never takes much for Kenzie to convince Matt that she is too tired to walk. She always ends up in her favorite spot! I think the ice cream made her a little goofy, because this was her intended pose when I told her to smile...hilarious!:)

We patiently waited until 9:30 for the Pageant to start. We were told that it gets pretty cold, so we were sure glad we brought sweatshirts and blankets. Kenzie fell asleep almost 1/2 way through. It was about 2 hours long, so by the time we drove to our Motel it was super late, but we had a great time!

Since we were headed to Show Low, the route we were taking brought us within 40 miles of Four Corners. We journeyed over there to find that the site was under construction! This picture shows our "happy" family as close to the Four Corners site as we could get, but this is how we really felt...

...disappointed that we drove out of our way for it to be under construction!:)

Summer Is Officially Here

My first couple of weeks of Summer have been busy, but I have loved being on a "spiritual high" from attending Girls Camp, Youth Conference, and not to mention speaking in church. Ya, I didn't have much time to prepare, which was stressful, but I know I had the spirit with me. I spoke on "How A Testimony Anchors Our Souls", which in it, I incorporated our Testimony Walk experience from Girls Camp. The talk went great! I got lots of compliments, and felt like it was the perfect ending to the past couple of weeks and really longer if you include the months of preparation!:) What a good looking, silly bunch of youth! Youth Conference was amazing! We had a great experience doing Baptisms in the historical Manti Temple. We stayed at a gorgeous cabin in Fairview for a couple of days. The rain didn't stop us from having fun! The leaders put together group games like: Fear Factor, Where's The Warrior/Capture The Flag, and The Amazing Race. The youth had a blast and got along so well with each other!

So, now it feels like Summer is officially here and I am looking forward to doing some fun things with the kids! After many cold and rainy days I couldn't wait to soak up the sun on a picnic in the park with family! The kids love the rope swing hung from an enormous Cottonwood tree at the park! Matthew loves having his cousin, Kaej, up here. They were determined to make a raft to float out in the lake. They cut pieces of rope and tied several bunches of dry reeds together. These boys worked hard! The next morning they took their raft to the dock to test it out. Preparing to launch! Will it sink or float? It floats...just not so well when someone was on it!:) The cold water didn't keep Matthew from having fun!What a stud! Warming up their cold bodies in the hot tub...oh ya! Thanks, Carolyn and Kaej, for coming up and visiting...we love you!

First Sprint Triathlon

I got home from Girls Camp the day before my Triathlon, and I was tired. I prayed that night that I would sleep well to have the energy I needed for the race...my prayer was answered! I felt fully rested that morning! Will, a veteran triathlete from my Ward, offered to pick me up and help me arrange my Transition area. With everything in place I was ready to go! The race consisted of a 600 meter swim, 12 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run. I finished in 1 hour and 35 minutes; 64th out of 100 contestants, but 14th out of 37 women! I'm happy with the outcome and hope to have a chance to participate in more Sprint Triathlons in the future!

Matt worked the night before, so I was grateful to him for coming with the kids to support me. They got there just before it started and gave me the "Go Mom" cheers that I needed!
The swim was in the cold Utah Lake. I prepared for this by renting a wet suit, which was a chore getting on and not flattering at all. I was most nervous about this leg of the race. First of all, I hadn't trained in open, dirty, cold water. Secondly, I was afraid of swimming with a lot of people near me. Thankfully, the swim was done in waves of about 20 people...I was in the 4th wave. Adrenaline helped me get right in! The wet suit worked great with protecting my body from the cold and also making me buoyant, but the cold water on my face was a shock. Every time the water splashed my face it took my breath away. I struggled to control my breathing, so I swam the best I could while alternating the side and back stroke (which I got the idea from many others around me), instead of freestyle like I had trained. I was frustrated and exhausted when I finished, but thrilled that I wasn't the last one out!:) Plus, my time was just under 16 minutes, which was right in my target zone...yay me!

My 1st Transition took me about 2 1/2 minutes, which is long for those who are pro, but I was happy with it being my first time. I had to take off the wet suit, slightly dry off with a towel, put on my clothes, socks, shoes, and helmet, and get the bike off the rack.

The biking leg was my favorite part! I finished it in about 46 minutes and was thankful that I didn't get a flat. I rented a road bike and picked it up the night before. I could tell in the little bit I rode it that night that it was going to make a huge difference in my time compared to my mountain bike I'd been training on. Having a road bike knocked off nearly 15 minutes, which made it worth it! It was light and rode smoothly. There were some tough hills, but for the most part, I felt like I was flying during the race!

My 2nd Transition was fast. I hung my bike up, and replaced my helmet with a hat...bam!
I was so surprised at how good I felt when I started the run. Running is my least favorite of the three legs, but I have built up the endurance for it. Although, a little ways into the race there was a long, gradual hill that kicked my butt by the time I got to the top! I was barely moving, but I kept going and ran the entire way in just under 31 minutes. I sprinted to the Finish Line, never being so excited to cross one. What an accomplishment!

Now let me paint a picture that was only taken with my eyes. I was so grateful for my cheering squad - Matt, Matthew, Kynlee, Karley, Kenzie, Tim, Donna, and Carolyn - who were rooting for me at the beginning and end of each leg. When I ran around the last corner, heading for the Finish Line, and saw my loved ones cheering me on, I had this amazing spiritual experience. I pictured my loved ones who have gone before me, who are cheering me on in the Race of Life that we are all a part of. They want me to train hard, finish, and make it back home! The Savior said in Matthew 10:22, "He that endureth to the end shall be saved." I will continue to build my spiritual endurance, so that someday I will cross the eternal Finish Line. I am thankful for my support group here on Earth and in Heaven!

Step By Step

I feel so lucky to have been able to attend another Girls Camp! Life has been crazy, busy, and stressful with getting ready, but well worth it in the end. Each Ward was given one of the YW values to base camp off of. Ours was the value "Faith". We learned a song, "Plant A Seed In Your Heart", and sang it acapella in front of the Stake during a morning devotional. The girls harmonized beautifully! My favorite line from the song was: Watch and wait patiently, till your faith grows mighty as a tree...plant a seed. I love each of these sweet girls and have learned so much from them! There is nothing like the bonding of friendships and spiritual growth that Girls Camp has to offer! Since it was a Stake Girls Camp, the leaders each had a Stake assignment...mine was to ride on the bus with the girls. Yay me!:) These girls were ready to have some fun!Angie and I were "Bunk Buddies" and had 12 YW in our cabin with us...we were goofy and laughed the whole time! I love her and I am so thankful for our friendship! I was over the craft and since the theme was "Step By Step", decorating flip flops was the perfect idea. We scored by hitting the Old Navy $1 flip flop sale. This is a picture of what the girls could choose to do: tie on strips of fabric, assemble flowers and gems to glue on, or tie on water balloons. The girls loved it and they all turned out cute and unique! My decorated pair are the purple ones with fabric...love them!:) Each YW had a secret sister that she got fun things from everyday...I just had to try on these fun purple glasses that one of the girls received!:)One afternoon, the girls went through the Challenge Course. Afterwards, the leaders were able to try. With the girls chanting "Slider", I tried to be brave as I climbed up the rope ladder, crossed the ladder bridge, and raced across on the zip-line. It was scary, but a blast!So many fun memories are made at Girls Camp! My favorite one this year was our "Testimony Hike". The setting for our hike was gorgeous! Periodically along our hike, we would stop and one of the leaders would discuss a foundation point of a testimony. The girls would then quietly write their thoughts and feelings in their journals. The spirit was strong and I know the girls felt it. As we progressed on our hike the talking of the girls got quieter and quieter and the spirit noticeably got stronger and stronger. By the time it was my turn, I was overcome with emotion as I bore testimony of our prophet, Thomas S. Monson.

Later that evening, we had our Testimony meeting around the campfire. It was so neat to watch each Young Woman, some of whom it was their very first time, bravely stand among their peers and bear witness the things that they knew were true. The spirit was felt and it testified to us individually the truthfulness of each testimony that was born. The girls found that when they share their testimonies, it becomes stronger. I am forever grateful for the experience of Girls Camp!