Lucy is 8!

I can't believe my little girl is 8!  Lucy's birthday was earlier this month. She was actually born the day Barack Obama won the election in 2008.  It was lame for me because I had just given birth and the only thing on TV was election coverage and then of course I live in conservative Katy so everyone at the hospital was completely depressed about the outcome.  I was disappointed too- I really wanted Mitt Romney to win.  But snuggling with my sweet Lucy cheered me up a bit.
Anyway, for her birthday I told her she could have a very small party while the boys were at a scout campout so she invited a few girls over and they swam, ate donuts on a string, played pin the tail on the rabbit and ate bean burritos and cupcakes.  Girls are so easy.  I kept waiting for it to devolve to wrestle-mania but it never happened.  Lucy's BFF's at church are quite a bit older than she is.  It's so funny but she is very drawn to older girls so we had a wide range of ages at the party.

I have been looking for a couple of months for a baptism dress for Lucy.  Every search seemed to yield either a super nerdy and painfully expensive option or something that like a mini wedding dress- often even a bit sexy.  Seriously!?  Then I started finding pictures of communion dresses that I loved but all of the links were in Spanish and I never found a single one for sale.  So I finally decided to find a way to sew my own.  I am no seamstress.  I hate following patterns and whenever I sew something new my seam ripper gets a lot of use.  This dress was no exception.  I spent 2 hours at Jo Anns picking out fabric and embellishments (that part I LOVED).  I spent $37.  Then it took 2 full evenings of sewing to get it right.  But I was so happy with the finished product.  Lucy and I took a trip to the temple and snapped a bunch of pics. So fun.  I brought along a Book of Mormon and about 10 minutes into the photo shoot when Lucy became completely bored with smiling, she suddenly became very interested in reading.  I got a few good shots of her that are very Pride and Prejudice like.  :)  Yes!

So we were assigned the date of Nov 19 for her baptism.  I read on a blog somewhere that it is easy to assume a baptism is short and easy and to underplan.  It's worth it to carefully plan all the details.  So I did that this time and was so glad I did.  It helped that I didn't have babies or toddlers at my feet.  :)  We wanted it to be simple and just were hoping that people would feel the spirit there and that Lucy would feel loved.

My brother Jim and his family made the trip from San Antonio, which meant the world to us.  Also my awesome sweet Uncle Bill, Aunt Robin and cousin Jeff came down from Jersey Village.  When I got up to speak and looked over at them I just about choked up.  Curtis and I have been orphans our whole marriage so it is always so special to have some family members come and support us.  Lucy, Isaac and Daniel and the Allen and Hansen younger kids all sang "A Child's Prayer" together.  It was beautiful and just so sweet and really helped to bring the spirit right before Lucy was baptized.  Jonah performed the baptism and he did a great job.  Our awesome home teachers, Shane Jasperson and Greg Sorensen were the witnesses.  We love those guys!  While Lucy changed, Curtis played a couple of short videos.  I'll link them below because they are so well done.  "My Joy is Full" is probably my favorite church video ever.

Lucy was given the gift of the Holy Ghost by Curtis, Jim, Bill and Dale Smith in our bishopric.  It was just sweet.  Then her teacher, Mel Fillerup and our Primary president, Katie Park both gave simple testimonies.  Lucy requested that these two speak- she loves them both and they have done such a wonderful job of teaching and loving her!

We sang "When I am Baptized" and "I'm Trying to be like Jesus" with my dear friend, Jana Rice leading and Mary Tait on piano.  I realized at I looked around at the room that the Katy 2nd Ward has truly become our family and we just love them so much!  We ate muffins and fruit and donut holes afterward and took a few family pictures.  It was a perfect day! :)

The Coat

My Joy Is Full

Baptism of Jesus

Half Marathon #7

So happy this is a yearly tradition in my life.  I wish I could say I run year round but I always seem to get busy in the winter.  But for some reason every July or August I agree to train for an October race (in the blazing summer!!).

This was a new one for us since we didn't love Corpus Christi last year.  We went to Austin for their Halloween half.  It was awesome! We definitely want to go back although the timing is terrible and we are all always struggling to get away!

But we managed to and had a fantastic trip.  It was a good race even though each of us had something random come up.  Sickness, injury, too busy for last 2 weeks of training, etc... Curtis and I were in the middle of a serious detox so I wasn't eating much except for vegetables, fruit and oats.  But we all had a good race and yes stopped by "In N Out" on the way home.  I forgot my detox for the day and yum it was good.  I love those ladies.  Such a positive, kind , talented group of women.  I sometimes forget and take for granted how blessed I am to be constantly surrounded by women who are not catty, who think deeply about important issues, who aren't the jealous type and don't take themselves too seriously.  So grateful I get to be around them all.  :) 

DC with Daniel

So Curtis and I are always staying up late or going on long walks and most often the topic of conversation is our kids.  Do they know just how much we love them and want them to be happy?  It's so hard as a parent of teens.  I really felt like I had the answers when they were younger but these teen years are tough to navigate.  I just feel myself losing control and have come to realize that the main thing I can control is my love for them and my example.  Of course we can also work to make our home a safe and healthy place and can provide appropriate boundaries.  But sometimes it just feels overwhelming.

Anyway, we have noticed that our kids fight a lot but one on one they are amazing.  Just really awesome people whose company I truly enjoy.  So we have been trying to enjoy more one on one.  I found an amazing deal on Kayak for tickets to Baltimore and knew Daniel and I had our trip.  Daniel is my museum kid.  He loves space and history so I've known for awhile that DC would be right up his ally.  My sweet nephew and his family live right out side of DC (Michael works at Arlington National Cemetery) and so we asked if we could crash there.  This trip was only going to work if it was almost free.

Anyway, we have noticed that our kids fight a lot but one on one they are amazing.  Just really awesome people whose company I truly enjoy.  So we have been trying to enjoy more one on one.  I found an amazing deal on Kayak for tickets to Baltimore and knew Daniel and I had our trip.  Daniel is my museum kid.  He loves space and history so I've known for awhile that DC would be right up his ally.  My sweet nephew and his family live right out side of DC (Michael works at Arlington National Cemetery) and so we asked if we could crash there.  This trip was only going to work if it was almost free.
So I took Daniel out of school for 3 days in October and we flew to Baltimore.  Then we hopped on a train that went right the Union Station in DC.  It was so fun to be on an adventure together.  We flew spirit airlines so we brought hardly any luggage and what we brought was stowed at Union Station while we walked over to the museum district.  We ate at Steak 'n Shake and then headed to the Air and Space Museum.  The weather was absolutely perfect and there were no crowds at all!  We had views of the Capitol Building as well as the Washington Monument for much of our stroll.  The museum was so interesting.  We especially enjoyed learning about comets and space probes.
We really enjoyed our time with Mike and Shalyn and their darling children.  What a great family!  They were so generous with us and made us so comfortable.  Shalyn made these delicious pumpkin pancakes and a chowder recipe that I'm actually making this week- so good!  Daniel had a lot of fun playing with their children, Naomi, Kaytlin and Charles.
We also visited the Natural Science Museum, Ford Theater, Jefferson Memorial and the Holocaust Museum.  All just incredible and inspiring and interesting.  Ford Theater was actually my favorite.  I did not know all those details about Lincoln's life and assassination.  Boy it looks like opinionated actors are nothing new.

We stayed until Saturday morning, hit Duck Donuts on our way to the Union Station (A.mazing.  Best warm, light, cake donut ever and they frost it right in front of you!) Then Daniel and I took the Amtrak to Baltimore and caught our flight home.  The Amtrak was awesome- super comfy, wifi and plugs, a food car and plenty of restrooms.  I'd love to take a longer trip on one someday.  Ours traveled 60mph but there was another that goes 100mph.  So cool.

Overall this was an excellent trip.  I loved just chatting with Daniel as we walked along.  He is such great company and just a very thoughtful person.  I love to hear the ideas that come out of his head.  He will be a great problem solver one day.  Curtis was so sweet to hold down the fort while I was gone.  And as always, it was nice to be back home.

California & Saturna Island

There's too much to write.  And these pics are out of order but it's a huge pain to move them.  This trip was incredible!  We've been planning it in our minds for over 10 years.  We finally just did it.  It was so wonderful to see so many people we adore.  My BFF Naomie and her sweet family in CA, my aunt Karia in Sequim, WA, my oldest friend from Keith Elementary, Kate Pippinger (aka Cheryl Geelhood) and Curt's Dad Bob and his family.  The scenery was breathtaking.  Reunions were lovely.  There were plenty of tears and fists on the long drives.  Lots of hot tamales and Pringles.  Some scary moments with no GPS.  Traffic and worry.  But right now all I can remember is that it was a beautiful reminder that this earth was created for us to enjoy and God is a great lover of beauty and diversity.  And I love my family more than I can say.  The older I get the more I realize that money spent on time together (especially in nature) is so much more precious than any toy or the gadget.  

Crater Lake.  All I can say is I want to go back!!  We didn't get to do the hike.  It is apparently pretty strenuous and takes a couple of hours.  Also everyone was fighting.  But.  Look at that water.  The only source is rainwater so it is crystal clear.  Definitely need to go back.

Victoria on Vancouver Island.  This whole place is like a postcard.  It was quite crowded but then we were there on a Saturday.  Lots of great places to eat and walk.  

Curtis paddle boarding after a tutorial from his brother, Grayden.  But really look at that water (I took that picture- yes!)

Totem pole in Victoria

One of many ferry rides.  And this pic was taken right after Lucy drank Mountain Dew.  Oh boy

Hiking around on Saturna Island with Errol and Ozzie the dog. Coolest dog ever.

Bob is a kayak guide and we spent an afternoon kayaking around the island.  Lucy and Curtis were partners.  It was not easy going.  Jonah and Isaac each kayaked alone and it was really hard work.  They started complaining towards the end and I got a little annoyed with them.  Then Grayden told me that he leads these sorts of trips all the time and that all our kids did amazingly well. :)  Perspective always helps.  Errol and Grayden later said they couldn't believe how good Jonah in particular was being about the whole visit.  I thought he was being such a grumpy teenager but they thought he did great.  This reminds me that too often I expect too much from my kids and think they will enjoy everything this 40 year old mom does.  Good reminder.  The boys earned their kayak merit badge.  (We did Nature, Pets and Geneology too.  Summer trips are a great time do work on scouting)

These rocks on Saturna Island are some of the most photographed in all of BC.  They were just stunning and we spent hours climbing and playing on them.  A seal was swimming alongside us for a long time.  We also saw wild goats and several different kinds of shellfish.  

The sunset from the ferry pier.

Reunited and it feels so good.  Dang I adore this woman!  We literally became friends the minute we met and were pouring out our hearts to each other within hours.  Naomie taught me so much about taking care of people, attending the temple, serving others, working hard, enjoying art and fashion to name a few.  It was so incredible to catch up and just enjoy her laugh again!!  Time is such a funny thing.  We've seen each other like 4 times in the last 20 years.  Sheesh.  Hoping it's not too long before we can hang out again.  Oh and her house is a.mazing.  She designed every bit of it and in typical Naom fashion it is seriously a masterpiece.  And she fed us so well and just made every one of us feel at home.  My kids were so sad to leave.  

 We tie dyed for hours at Naom's house.  So fun.  And here is Curtis rolling up that sassy Isaac in a blow up mattress.

Redwood National Park bear house

These hydrangeas were in the yard of the house we rented in Trinidad, CA.  Oh I miss these flowers!

Hangin out in the Redwoods

Moonstone Beach in Trinidad, CA.  The water was freezing!  But we had fun and Curtis bribed the kids to get all the way in the water so they did. Not worth a dollar if you ask me!

 Mexican food with the Demartinis.

Oneonta Gorge in Oregon.  Actually we thought we were hiking Oneonta and I'm still not exactly sure where we went but it wasn't what we had planned.  The signs were not particularly clear.  But we ended up climbing up a river bed and got to the end with a waterfall and we had the whole place to ourselves.  We had packed some french bread and lunchmeat and veggies and berries. So yummy! 

The girls hanging out on a rock after our long hike.

A visit to Sequim on the Washington pennisula with my mom's baby sister.  It was so fun to see them and enjoy their neck of the woods.  Sequim (pronounced Squim) is so lush and green but apparently it gets a lot more sunshine than Seattle.  The population is pretty small and it's an hour from Vancouver Island and Seattle.  We loved catching up and visited their Farmer's Market before we left.  My cute cousin, Leah sells soaps and bath bombs and they are THE BEST!  I bought several of them and I need more.  Her scents were so good too: grapefruit, spruce, citrus, lavender.  Hmmmm....

Playing Quiddler on the ferry ride to Saturna Island

An afternoon with my old bestie, Kate.  It was so fun to meet her younger, adopted kids.  Shay and Lucy are the exact same age and had a great time together.  We picked up right where we left off.  She is as bubbly, talented and kind as I remember her.  And she lives in the dreamiest place on Bainbridge Island.  I'm so happy for her!

A visit to Pike's market.  I could have spent a whole day here.  The Dahlias and artwork and food... it was awesome!  And aren't Curt's shoes cute?

My Saturna Island Video
And our trip movie trailer

Warning: Political Rant

Like most other Americans I am so disappointed at the choices for US President 2016.  I am not a super politically active person, largely because I feel like the process has become such a joke.  The person with the most money often wins the nomination and it is so hard to be informed when candidates have no qualms about lying.  I honestly don't know how to sift through all the distortions.  I know that our culture is often politically apathetic and at the same time obsessed with reality TV so it should really come as no surprise that we have a criminal (Hillary) and a mentally unstable egomaniac (Trump) on the ticket.  It seems like most people I know are voting against one or the other.

What is frustrating to me is that I actually believe Americans agree on more than we disagree on.  A perfect example is the immigration issue.  It's in the best interest of media and politicians to keep us all divided on this important issue so it appears that there are only two extreme options:
1) you are a racist who hates all Mexicans and wants a giant wall built  (Cue Donald saying "It just got 10 feet higher!"  sigh)
or
2) You are for wide open borders and literally millions of undocumented people streaming over the border each year.

Really?!? These are my options?  What about the Rule of Law?  How about we appreciate the immigrant contributions and work to make the process of coming to America easier/more affordable but at the same time we secure our borders so that criminals and terrorists don't have an open door to just walk in?  Is that so unreasonable?  I mean, would you leave one side of your home completely open for just anyone to walk in?  I think most Americans and in fact most humans would agree with this.

And for people who say we can't afford it, well I don't know.  When you add up the costs of education (the cheapest school districts spend about $9000/year/student on education.  If only 10% of illegal immigrants in the US are children in school that is still one million extra kids.  Multiply that times $9000 and the number is pretty big).  I haven't even mentioned the costs of imprisoning illegal immigrants.  The internet says 5%-37% of our federal prisoners are here illegally.  No idea why we can't get more accurate stats than that, which brings me back to my point about being an informed voter.  Good info is hard to come by.  But even if it's only 5%, that's still a lot of money.  Our prisons are expensive!

But please don't think this is a rant against illegal immigrants!  The truth is that if I lived in Mexico I would break laws to come to the USA too.  And living in Texas I have had the opportunity to meet many Mexicans and I think they are terrific.  Hard working, family oriented, the kind of people we want in America.  But having a wide open border just seems crazy.  What other nation does that?  Not Canada.  Not Australia.  Not Sweden.  (Naming all the "nice" countries out there).

It's also interesting that at this same time, many democrats are pushing for universal healthcare, more money for schools and free college.  Basic math tells me that an open border with millions who are not paying taxes and who are sending much of their earnings back to Mexico AND expanded social programs is the perfect way to bankrupt America.  And maybe that's the idea.  I know there are many, including our current president and his wife who are not proud of our country and who want to fundamentally change it.  This is literally the only reason I have considered voting for Donald Trump.  I  worry that our country will be completely bankrupt if we continue on this path of high spending, raising the debt ceiling and not securing our borders.

Having said that, I just don't think I could pull the switch for Trump.  I have images in my mind of him making fun of Marco Rubio's sweating and the disabled journalist and then... well honestly there are too many to name.  It's everything.  I think he has turrets and is very quick to lash out if he ever feels threatened.  Not great qualities for diplomacy.  And the fact that Vladimir Putin seems to like him should tell us all we need to know.

But then Hillary is seriously a criminal.  She will do whatever the highest bidder wants.  Yuck.  She has no respect for the law and is only interested in money and power.  I personally am not a fan of big government and she is definitely on that side of the isle.  And I hate that she is fine with abortion anytime/anywhere.  Have we really become so hardened as a nation that we don't care that 3rd trimester abortions are happening as a rule now?  I mean it is pure infanticide and we are all looking the other way.  I am strongly opposed to abortion and it has nothing to do with choice or freedom or women's bodies.  It's that other body that I feel protective of.  That baby.  But even with feelings that strong, I could probably endure the concept of 1st trimester abortions, as a compromise.  But babies at 8 months gestation?!  I'm just blown away that everyone is fine with this.

I can talk all day about poverty and education and healthcare and housing prices and wages.  At the end of the day, this country became great because it's citizens were largely moral and hard working people.  America was founded on Judeo-Christian values and as we turn our backs on those we will see more of the same.  True change will come when individuals care once again about concepts like steadiness, integrity, loyalty, impulse control and charity.  Our massive social problems would all but disappear if families were committed to each other.  The crude, vulgar tone of this nation will change when we return to God and remember to pray to Him and to honor His Sabbath.  And no politician can make any of those things happen.    

Guess I will get on my knees.

Philmont

For a couple of years now, our scout organization has been talking about going to Philmont. To be honest I had never heard of it but have learned that it is basically Boy Scout Mecca. It's a camp located in NE New Mexico. Scout organizations can choose what kind of hike they are up for. One troop from our area did a trail that was 40 miles long. Ours was 80+!

Curtis and Jonah made the decision to go and our troop was planning to send 12 people, 4 adults and 8 boys. Preparing the gear and working out the logistics took a lot of work. They had to decide whether to drive 22 hours to get there or to fly to Denver or Albuquerque and drive the rest of the way. They decided to fly and catch a 5 hour shuttle to Philmont.

They spent a lot of time walking and backpacking around Katy (wearing their hiking boots!) to prepare. Curtis was a little nervous and spent many mornings driving Jonah to seminary and then walking/jogging during the class.

A week before they were set to leave, we had a terrible shock. One of the adult leaders, Craig Meldrum, was out walking with his family when he had a heart attack. He passed away almost immediately, while his wife and 14 year old son tried to revive him. We were all devastated. Craig was truly one of the most Christlike men we've ever known. He was only a few years older than Curtis and very close to his son. His funeral was held a few days later and so many tears were shed but we were all strengthened as we reflected on his life of service and obedience. I believe without a doubt that he is back with Heavenly Father and many loved ones, doing work on the other side. Craig's son decided to stay home from Philmont and the others in the group continued with their preparation. The adult leaders in particular were so affected by this turn of events but tried to remain positive and hopeful.

Philmont, trail #30 is an 80 mile hike (if you don't get lost) over the course of 12 days. There is a shower half way through the trek and each night they meet at camps for dinner, activities and much needed sleep. The ground is very rocky and almost never flat, so they said sleeping was an adventure, even though they were exhausted each night. Some days were 6 miles, others more like 12 or 15. The food was mostly freeze dried and not great. In fact, when they came home Jonah absolutely scarfed my dinner of Teryaki chicken and brown rice down. He's not a huge eater so that was unusual. I think he appreciated my cooking after Philmont. :O

There were different activities available, like mountain biking and rock climbing. Halfway through the trip the boys had the option of using a couple of burrows. Apparently this is a bit of a gamble because some are more work than help. Thanks to Jonah, however, the burrows they got were wonderful. They were able to carry about 100 lbs of equipment so the men and boys could get a little bit of a break. Jonah's new nickname is BW (Burrow Whisperer).

They made it to the top of Mount Baldy at 12,400 feet elevation! It was quite windy and the air was thin so they didn't stay long. Curtis said the boys were amazing on this climb. It was very steep and they were carrying heavy packs. They were positive and strong! All of the leaders were hopeful that they boys would catch the vision that they can do hard things. I think they did. Curtis said that the hike back to base camp from Baldy was actually the hardest part. Psychologically they felt like they were done or almost done but they still had 2 days of walking left.

They loved showering and washing their clothes back at base camp. The next day they took the shuttle back to Denver and flew home. When I saw them standing on the corner at the airport I couldn't believe it. They all looked so rugged and grown up (and Curtis so cute in his mountain man beard!). They had lots of stories to tell and we had such a wonderful reunion. I am so happy they were able to do this and hope that Isaac and Daniel can go in a couple of years.    
 

Katy Stake Trek Spring Break 2016

Curtis and I were asked to be a ma and pa for Trek this year.  Our stake puts on a Trek every 4 years so each teen gets an opportunity to go once.  This year everything was set.  So much work had gone into the preparation for this event.  Then it started raining.  And Texas received record flooding.  The areas where we were supposed to hike were under 8 feet of water.  There was talk about cancelling.  Then it went down to 4 feet and then 2.  Our fearless leaders decided we should go ahead but change the route a bit.  

Preparing was a lot of work, even for us mas and pas.  We had to get our gear together.  We spent a lot of time worrying about shoes but in the end just wore tennis shoes and brought an extra pair and lots of socks.  This worked perfectly.  We were also supposed to hold activities and get to know our kids.  We had 13 of them, which is a little larger than ideal.  Our group was amazing.  Honestly the best kids ever.  We loved them all and just had a great time getting to know them.  They were kind to each other and patient.  No complaining at all and lots of singing and friendly roasting.  And yes we had a rice bag baby.  It was actually quite tiring holding that little baby.  We all took turns- wish I had thought to bring one of my old slings.  :)  Each baby was based on a real baby who traveled with the pioneers.  Some did not make it.  Ours had a miraculous story of dying but being revived.  

Another special moment was the women's pull.  The boys and men were called away during the most treacherous parts of the trail.  It was a silent pull so there was no talking.  Some of the girls from our family went back to help another wagon that was stuck.  There was a steep hill where only 3 of us were pulling (plus carrying the baby).  We almost went backwards but managed to hang on.  Curtis said it was very difficult to watch but not be able to help. 
One afternoon we had games and a square dance.  So fun!  There was a bull ride and archery and a hair washing station, taffy making and races.  We all had a great time.
The weather could not have been more perfect.  Not too hot or cold.  And no rain, except for a little right before we left.  Roughing it is a great reminder about how much we have to be grateful for.  It also gives us a small amount of empathy for the early saints of our faith.  We heard many powerful stories of faith and fortitude.  In a day when college students can often be found in footed pajamas and arrested development is pretty much a pandemic, I think fortitude is a trait we could all work on. 

















There was great music (including an awesome rendition of "Down to the River to Pray" and "Come Thou Fount") and we all enjoyed singing together. Jonah was in a different family but in our same company so we got to see him. He had a great time.  I honestly didn't hear any kid say anything other than they loved it.  No one complained about it being too hard either.  I think these young people enjoy being challenged.  They feel respected when they face a difficult task and rise to it.  I'm so thankful we went.  Curtis and I were definitely blessed to be a part of it.  I love my church.  There are so many inspired programs and activities that I get to participate in.  I wish everyone had access to this kind of network that we Mormons have.  

I'm grateful for faithful early latter day saints who were unwavering in their belief and constant in their obedience.  These are not traits that are admired today.  Words like sheeple and blind faith get thrown around whenever you talk about obedience or submission.  But they've missed the whole point of Christ's message.  He submitted to the will of the Father.  He said again and again that the servant is the greatest and the first would be last and vv.  He could've confounded those who put him on trial but remained quiet.  His humble birth and life was no coincidence.  He was always teaching us how to be.  Reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures:

Alma 37:6
"...behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise."

And a Tolkien quote that I LOVE: