Fun with some cousins

We had a fun family night at the office with the Twin Falls Leavitt's, the Cambell's and the Thompson's on Monday night. (Thanks Laura Leavitt for organizing!) Myself and my two girls shared some thoughts about the trek and then Greg shared his testimony of the atonement as he told us a story about two girls that died in their ward on a girls camp outing. Afterwards we played games. I think the favorite was hide and go seek and sardines. The office has many great places to hide! We were pleasantly surprised to hear that Laura was coming from Rexburg and bringing her 3 children for a spontaneous visit about 30 minutes before she arrived! We were lucky enough to have them stay with us.
The next day the Thompson's came over and Laura Campbell, Carolyn, Melissa and I went thrift store shopping and to the new Walmart in Twin Falls. Greg and Hannah manned the fort at home. We all found some bargains at "Once Upon a Child" and the D.I. The new Walmart has a complete isle devoted to food storage! It was awesome. Carolyn figured out that Walmart's white wheat was a better bargain than the cannery, so I got a couple of buckets and Laura got one. We were pretty loaded down in the van! We enjoyed an evening together roasting hot dogs and smores and a quick run down the water slide. Kayli really got into the roasting part. She finally found the right hot dog for her.
It was a fun little gathering and we are excited to see the cousins again in Park City next month.

Father's Day

I think that we surprised Alan this year for Father's Day. Every birthday and every holiday we ask Alan what he wants and he says - nothing. Of course I cannot comply with this request so I try to come up with something creative, something he isn't expecting.
This year we woke Alan up with breakfast in bed at 10:00 a.m. We left him to eat his breakfast and watch a video from lds.org about a father. As the video was ending we came back into the room and each of the kids handed him a painted picture frame with a picture of the them doing something that their dad enjoys. On the back of the pictures there was a personal note from each of the kids. Alan was already a little bit teary after watching the video and then the water works were pouring out when the kids came in and he read their messages. I believe he was overwhelmed with gratitude and love. We gave him a few more apologies for his upcoming float trip and then got ready for church.
Jill Crozier gave a fantastic talk on fathers during sacrament meeting that really touched me. I am so grateful for my own father. He is one that I can always call about anything. He has a great listening ear and offers much timely and sound advice. He is so much fun to hang out with and I look forward to many more years with him. I am also very grateful for Alan's father, Leon. He is such a good example to Alan. I know that Alan and his dad are the best of friends. I am very grateful that Alan is such a wonderful father to our children. He would go to the moon and back for them if they asked him to. He loves them competely and unconditionally. Zach told me yesterday that he thinks that if his dad and him were the same age now that they probably would have been really good friends. Happy Father's Day!

Abigail's Birthday

Abby turned 7 on Saturday. Her day started out with breakfast inside the camper because it was raining hard at the Palmer reunion. We ended up leaving the reunion early because of the rain. When we got home Abigail opened up presents and later went out to eat at Maxie's pizza with her.. She came home and had cupcakes and ice cream with her family. Her favorite toy she received this year was a Nintendo DS.
Abigail is growing up too fast for me. She has really emerged from her shy cocoon this past year. She had a most enjoyable year in the first grade and had many little girl friends that called her daily. She is a great reader and enjoys reading Junnie B. Jones with her dad. She is about the only child that likes to cuddle with her dad. She is a happy little girl. We are so grateful that she is a part of our family! We love you Abigail!

Palmer Reunion

This year the Palmers all met at Little Wood Reservoir for a family reunion. The first couple of days were pretty decent weather but still a little bit chilly. We got in some cards, bike riding, fishing and a few brave souls went swimming with Jaime. We didn't bring our boat because we knew it was going to be cold. We feel as if we are living in Oregon with all the rain we have been having. The last day of the reunion it never stopped raining so we packed up and left. It was fun to get together.


Lucas loved hanging out in the puddles







Red-neck Chainsaw


Brave girls

Zach & Track 2009

Zach was so much fun to watch run this year. All of his weight lifting is starting to pay off. He was one of the four fastest kids on his team. He loved the short sprints and the relays although he could run a mean 400 if he wanted to. The 4x400 relay was expected to win state until our fastest guy (Aaron Jackson) pulled a hamstring and after that he ran but he wasn't at his best. They ended up getting 5th at state in this relay. At least they placed! Sorry the video is so wobbly. I was pretty nervous!

Trek

(Standing) Ma Leavitt, Sarah Dixon, Thomas Crozier, Tailynn Lake, Hailey Long, Courtney Beck, Caleb Burk, Brooklyn Lee, Dylan Prince, Chad Hanson (Kneeling L to R) Lois Preciado, Pa Leavitt, and Alyssa Henry.

Pulling up a steep trail.

Alan doing the leg wrestle with Joshua Winterhawk. The only person that could beat Alan was Tom Crozier.

Another family shot. Notice the dark clouds looming in the background.

Zach's team doing the tug of war

Zach came in 2nd in the pie eating contest.

Hannah's family

Hannah doing "cat's cradle" with a friend.

Hannah with Ma & Pa Fullmer

Melissa's Family

Melissa and a new found sister Emma

Melissa and friends

(The first part of this is some of my talk I gave after the trek - the last part is my own experiences with my children.)

The first time that the trek happened four years ago I longed to be a part of it. So I was excited to have been asked this time around and could participate in it with our 3 oldest children.

For several months we had been meeting with other potential ma’s and pa’s to receive training and it was there that I first got a glimpse of the love that our stake has for the youth and their desire to help them become closer to their Savior and to help them gain a firmer foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ through this trek. After attending these trainings I was uncertain if I had what it took to be the kind of example they were hoping for. I was very nervous about what kind of kids were going to be in our family. Could I connect with them? Could I help them feel the spirit?

After much prayer and more training I knew that no matter what came our way the children who were supposed to be in our trek family was who Heavenly Father wanted there.

The theme for trek 2009 was “Come What May and Love it.” That we will experience hard times in our lives but we could push through them and become better because of them.

We started out the trek this year all smiles and giggles as we anticipated what laid ahead. The girls were all dressed in their cute little pioneer dresses that most had a hand in making and the boys were decked out in button down shirts and cowboy hats. We left the stake center all smiles and with few tears.

Upon arriving at our destination we were quickly assembled into families. This was the scariest part for me as I hoped that the kids in our family would like me. As the names were called I knew that we were going to have a great family. We had eleven children in our family. Four from Hazelton and the rest from Jerome. I personally only knew a couple of the kids – the rest were wide open books that were yet to be discovered.

As we headed out along the trail you quickly picked up on those kids who were the natural born leaders, those that might be a handful and those that wanted and needed attention and to be loved. We pushed and pulled for most of the day and arrived in a beautiful camping area in a little valley. The kids were eager to pitch in and set up camp. We slept that first night with nothing but a tarp under us and a make-shift shelter that was sufficient but could have been a major problem if it would have rained that first night. We spent the majority of the first night getting to know each other and sharing a few ancestor stories around the fire.

The second day we awoke early, packed up camp and continued on our journey. We were told that we were not going as many miles as we did the previous day but most of it would be up hill. We were in the green company and we were to take the lead. Because we had just a couple of strong kids in our group Alan and I felt a need to help push and pull and President Tateoka and his wife are not big people but I am here to testify their walk is! It seemed they were just casually strolling along and we were doing double steps to keep up. It was at this point our come what may and loving it feeling began to be put to the test for some. This was not easy but so many reached deep inside themselves to find the strength to press forward.

We had many fun stations that day that were pioneer oriented. It was fun to see the kids compete and have fun with each other. It didn’t matter if you were big or strong or small - nothing was held back as the kids cheered each other on. You really began to see families support each other and you could quickly see friendships forming between members in your family. We were tired but our spirits were high. Sister Tateoka filled in for our absent line dancer guy. She is a youthful lady and quickly had all the kids learning new dance steps. They were having fun and nothing was held back. That evening around our campfire we each went around in a circle and said something positive about each family member. You would think that these kids had known each other for a lifetime because they each had much to say and we only made it around the circle for ½ of our children before we called it a night.

Thursday morning was when our come what may and loving it began to be tested. We woke up that morning wet and because our little children were so tired it was extremely hard to get them moving. We had no sooner sat down eat and then the rain came. And rain it did. We loaded up our stuff dripping with water as we started out again for the day. I will be honest I did spend some time in the port a potty shedding a few tears and praying for strength. We walked at a much slower pace that day as we trudged through the mud and rain. Periodically the rain did stop long enough for us to dry out. The kids were great and honestly never complained once. When we arrived at our last stop we quickly set up our shelter before we started our spiritual activities - the last two activities were again done in a down pour. We were pretty numb as we put on our rain jackets once again - it had become such a routine - you never left without your rain poncho if you didn't want to get soaked. The last station that we went to was Heidi Lloyd's presentation on come what may and love it. I sat there and bawled through it as the rain poured because I was sick of the rain but mostly because the spirit was touching my soul. As we huddled together under a tarp I questioned what we were still doing here but just as we were about to give up the sun peaked back out again and we once again had hope that we could make it and endure to the end.

That evening as we huddled around the campfire trying to start a fire with wet wood to fix our dinner - everybody pitched in to help. There once again was a spirit of cooperation. I gave them their letters from their parents and ward members and watched each child as they read them - some laughing and others seriously contemplating the contents of their letters as they wrote in their journals. It was then that I knew that we needed to finish out this trek and come what may and love it. As we gathered around the campfire that night tears were shed as the kids in our group continued to share what they thought about each other, what the highlight of this trek was for them and then to hear some of their testimonies of the Savior was such an experience.

After the trek I have spent a couple days having several crying sessions as I have reflected upon our experience. Never once did we pray as a group for the elements to be stilled -though I am sure there were several prayers being offered individually. Our theme was come what may and love it as we follow in the Savior's footsteps. That we can do hard things. Several youth commented on how they were amazed they were that they had the strength to do what they did. I think that in order for us to be taught by the spirit we needed to be wet, tired and humbled. After all that we were teachable - we were ready to be feed by the spirit.

I have personally grown so much from this experience. I came away with greater appreciation for our pioneer heritage. Our experience was only 4 days - theirs was greater. They not only experienced rain like we did but snow and death along the trail. Why - because they had great faith - they were willing to sacrifice their own lives if necessary to be able to practice their religion without persecution. They never gave up and took over 3 million steps. Doesn't that bring a new meaning to Alma's phrase "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass." Elder Ballard said this after he had walked in the footsteps of our pioneers along the Mormon Trail through Wyoming and Utah. He wondered why our dedicated ancestors suffered so terribly and yet willing faced such tremendous obstacles. He felt that perhaps one reason they sacrificed and endured was to leave a legacy of faith for all of us to help us feel our urgent responsibility to move forward in building up the Church throughout the world. That we cannot be passive members of the Church - that we need to have the same dedication today in everyone of our footsteps as the pioneers had in theirs.

I have been humbled and taught by the spirit so much this past week and want to do better. I want to try harder. I think that we get so busy with the comings and goings of each day that we don't take the time to enjoy that which we have been given and to appreciate the blessings that we have received. We don't take as much time as we should to listen to the spirit. I am so grateful for the testimony and strength of the Bingham's. I know that if I was Sister Bingham I probably would have packed up. I have such respect and great love for them and know that as they planned and re-planned for this trek that they were following the spirit. I was so grateful to be surrounded by wonderful ma's and pa's from our stake. We learned to lean and help each other in our struggles and our triumphs.

We didn't have any youth from our ward in our family but I observed and heard many wonderful things about them. I saw as some older boys in our ward reached out to a younger boy in our ward and include him in their circle without any prompting from their leaders. I heard of friendships that were made with other kids that they never met before as if they were kindred spirits. I heard of our youth pitching in without being asked and their ma's having to ask them to let others have a chance to work. I saw youth who struggled to walk but went as far as they were physically able. I heard of amazing testimonies being born from their ma's and pa's. We have great youth in this ward and I am so grateful for experiences like this trek to help them realize that they are children of our Heavenly Father and that they can do hard things.

Brothers and Sisters the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I am so grateful for those that came before - to help pave the way. We are all pioneers - our decisions determine our destiny - our future. We may experience hard times in our lives but if we can grow and learn from them we can become better. As Jospeh B. Wirthlin told us in his last talk we will experience sorrow. That no one is exempt. We experience hard things so that we too may have increased compassion and understanding for others. I am so thankful for this experience and I don't think that we would have had the same experience without the rain - so yes I am grateful that it rained.

Things I saw about my own children:

I have shed many tears and I am so grateful for the wonderful ma's and pa's out there who were so great to my own children. Here are some things I witnessed and heard.

After some debating Zach decided to go on the trek 9:00 p.m the night before we were to leave. We were pleasantly surprised when Zach's name was called into the Prescott family. They were amazing with him and I am so grateful for their positive influence. I really feel like we can call on them at anytime. I saw Zach reach out to another boy in our ward who is quite overweight and had several crying sessions about wanting to go home and Zach included him in his circle of friends. That boy thought that he was so cool. President & Sister Tateoka commented to me about Zach's testimony and how powerful it was. He was called upon to bear his testimony after the trek and he looked at me and asked what should he talk about? I told him to talk about his experiences on the trek. Honestly it was the best 2 minutes out of the whole meeting. Many people commented on how much they enjoyed his testimony. Zach had a lot of younger girls in his family who kept after him. Once after he was extremely soaked they were all drying him off and helping him get warm. We laughed as he told us this - he really isn't a touchy-feely kind of guy but he took it all in stride. They were constantly seeking him down after that bringing him his jacket and rain poncho. We are so grateful he went. He even said "love ya" as he walked out the door to attend a BYU camp and that was with a friend here! We are still in shock.

Melissa's ma and pa were Tyson and Valerie Cook. Valerie was four months pregnant and quite the trooper. I don't think I would have gone pregnant! They were amazing and Melissa had many spiritual experiences. Melissa was also nice to this kid from our ward and he told the Schlund's that the hottest girl in the camp was nice to him. Melissa was very touched by her ma - she felt the spirit when she talked. Her family was pretty mellow and worked well together, which was good for Valerie. Melissa became instant friends with another girl from her family and their ma couldn't believe that they had never meet before. Melissa's ma had to ask her to give others a chance to work.

Hannah can't wait to go back. Her ma and pa were the Fullmers. She really got to know Shayla Graham a lot better. She loved everything about her experience!

It was an amazing experience and one that I am grateful to be able to share with my three oldest children. I know that we will always be able to reflect together upon this trek.