Fast and Fun Weekend

So I'm playing a little catch up. Last Friday a group of friends from my ward went to haunt a corn maze in Paradise, UT. It was super fun. We went out to pizza first and then got down there and got to know the maze a little bit before it got dark. It was fun to know the maze in stead of always being lost in it! We got a few really good scares and then there were the groups that were lame and weren't scarred at all. I was the joker face and would sneak up behind a group and join them without them knowing. Then I would get really close to the back two people until they would sense something there and turn around to find me! It was super fun. The maze was really cool and they had a graveyard and all kinds of really fun stuff. We had a lot of fun together and it beats having to pay to go through a maze! 

I drove down to Provo after the maze and Saturday was a game day! I have to admit, football games at BYU are so much fun! The energy is in the air and you can't help but be excited! Cosmo is doing his tricks and of course a football game isn't the same without cousins! I think we have sat together for three years now and it is a tradition. I love my cousins! We won the game even though our defense was rather frustrating. Something is up with the team these last few weeks and I just hope they fix it soon. 

Sunday it was great to see old friends. I felt right back at home in my old ward with old friends. But I'm okay that I'm not down

there right now. I know Logan is the place to be right now and I am loving making new friends. Us sisters went to our cousin Daniel Ostler's farewell talk in the morning and then in the afternoon we went over to the Ostler's to visit. Again, it was great to be with family. Derek and Daniel were both over in 

Jerusalem in the Winter semester so it was fun to remember things from the Holy Land. Derek pulled out some clothes he got in Egypt and we started playing dress up! He is going to use this outfit for Halloween. Well, he's not going to use it but he is going to have a female friend use it and he will dress up in the traditional male garb for Egypt. The clothes there really are beautiful. I wish I would have thought to get myself an outfit like this. I still haven't decided what to be for Halloween.

The drive back to Logan went fast and after ward prayer I went over to a friend's to play games. It was fun to continue to get to know more people in my ward. So there's my fast and fun weekend!

More exploring and Bear Lake

Wednesday of last week mom and I took off in the Expedition to find Millville Canyon. Not knowing the area very well, the directions I received proved of little help and although we did find a canyon, it was not Millville Canyon. However, our trip was still lots of fun. We ended up in Providence Canyon and got to play with the Expedition's 4-wheel drive. I think mom is not used to having a car that can handle a mountain road. We got pretty far up the canyon when we hit a gravel slide and decided we didn't want to get stuck and turned around. At this point I think mom started to really enjoy the beautiful scenery. Both of us were taking pictures trying to capture the last of the fall colors. So many of the trees are already bare. I did get another fun shot of the temple on our way back into Logan though.

Friday night I headed up Logan Canyon to Bear Lake for my first time. A friend of mine has a family cabin up there and it was just what I needed. When we got up there it was already dark so I couldn't really see anything. We talked and ate and tried to take pictures of the moon and watched a movie. The 

moon light was beautiful over the lake but in the morning I got to see just why so many people boast of this place. The warm rays of the sunrise were inviting to say the least. I think it is so interesting how a vista like this can feed the soul. Going through my pictures I realized I took way to many pictures of the same thing but I couldn't stop! Every image was breathtaking and something I wanted to preserve. Sometimes I think I take too many pictures. I miss out on enjoying the real moment when I'm focused on preserving it in a digital picture. A thought I want to remember for the future. There are some things that will never be captured properly in a picture. But if we take the time, our eyes are able to view God's creations in a fulfilling and grateful way. That is probably how God intended it in the first place. Don't worry, I'm not going to stop taking pictures! I just think I'm will do it a little slower now.

Rexburg-The Work of a Child is Play

Monday morning mom and I drove up to Rexburg, ID to babysit the grandkids for a couple of days. It was an adventure from day one! We left in the morning under the Logan haze. I guess Logan is known for its terrible inversions and we experienced it first hand for the first time. It was worse than a heavy fog but as we were crossing the valley on Hwy. 30 things begin to clear and turned into a beautiful morning for a drive. 

We got to Rexburg and relieved the neighbor who had been watching the children. Then the games began! It is always a wonderful adventure with Grandma. She knows all the good games and how to be creative with just a piece of paper. The kids were entertained all morning making "creatures" out of pipe cleaner and crowns out of squares of paper. In no 

time at all, Rachel became the "Queen of Egypt" with her impressive headdress. We also went out back and harvested the last of the garden vegtables. Most of them had been ruined for eating by the weekend frost but they were perfect for fall decorations and we had fun adorning the front door. The kids were so proud of their achievement.

Next was the park of course. I was glad I kept my camera ready to catch some of these candid shots. I love my niece and nephews! Mikael was especially photogenic and 

these shots just make me smile! This one taken through the play set floor is currently the desktop 

picture on my computer and brings 

a smile to my face every time I open my computer! 

It turns out Grant is an amazing soccer player in the making. He

kicks left and loves running after the ball. His current most valuable possessions are his cleated tennis shoes which he must wear everywhere. When we were all tired from running around we played the laughing game and the kids all attacked Aunt Jenn. I must admit defeat as I was most often found on the bottom of the pig pile. 

Day two brought cold weather but nothing that would keep us indoors. We all took a dip in the hot tub before the morning frost melted and then after some reading headed back outside and

 to the famous Porter Park. The ice on the trees bore witness to the temperature but we were not deterred. We had a lot of fun playing tag and enjoying the play ground. I just liked 

following the kids around listening to their stories of how this play set was a castle or a jet or a boat. There are no limits to a child creativity and it was refreshing to be around that again. I think too often I get caught up in the worries of adults. We stress about so many things, especially now, with all the currents events effecting our nation. But two days with these children reminded me that there is joy to be found in color paper and pipe cleaners and that dreams are for everyone. Lets learn a lesson from the children, who the Savior commanded us all to be more like, and learn to find joy in the small things and play hard everyday.

Fast Week and First Snow

This week went super fast! I worked half days all week leaving my afternoons open to get other things done. I got to go to the temple several times and that was definitely a highlight of the week. On Friday, I played soccer with my brothers. Up to this point I have avoided playing with them because they are really good and I don't really play soccer...yet. But they are kind souls and invited me to play with them. It turned out to be super fun and I even made a goal! I'm excited to get better under their tutelage. Will in an amazing goalie and Joe knows every rule of the game. The other boys always ask him about the ref calls when we watch soccer games. And we are always watching soccer games. :) Will and Joe come home from school every day and spend at least an hour outside practicing soccer. They have targets, cones and everything but the real fun is when the boys get some friends together and go play. I hope I can get better and actually contribute some to these team events. I also attended a pretty fun Paul Simon tribute concert on Friday. Just a bunch of local fans and musicians who know how to jam it on the guitar. It was some really good music and tons of fun.

Saturday there was more soccer and the first snow of the season! I really love the snow and I am excited to play in it with my brothers. Joe and I ran out to capture a few shots just moments ago. I can already tell this is going to be a fun winter!

General Conference Weekend #2

After the morning session today and Pres. Monson's advice that we take pictures twice a year, we ran to the Logan temple to take family pictures. It was wet but a beautiful day for pictures. Here's some of the good ones:

The Family

My Handsome Brothers and the valley

The boys again, minus Sam.

Rachel in her beautiful red dress. She loves this dress like nothing else! It is her formal dress and she wears all her sparkling jewlery with it!

Jon and Deb playing around

Christine had to try it out too!

Then Joe got comfortable as well!

Later after the afternoon session the little nephews were admiring Ben's amazing strength. A few weeks ago Ben and the boys started climbing the back side of the stairs. Ben is the only one who can get up to the top. When asked why the stairs Ben said it was the only thing he could find to climb! My little monkey brothers!

Conference was great. It was great to be with family, it was great to hear the inspiring talks, it was great to discuss them with family and plan for change. I'm excited to get my quarterly planning done and implement what I've heard this weekend. It has been a feast. 

General Conference Weekend #1

Friday night the David Weiss family drove down for the weekend. David and Launna were able to join us for the last half of the football game and then Christine drove up with a friend from Provo. We all went out to dinner after the game and then went to bed full. Saturday morning Conference began. It was a great weekend and the children made it especially fun. We watched a session and then we played! Little David was especially photogenic. He loved the big screen tv and found other things to entertain as well. At one point we found him stuck in the crockpot that had been stored on the floor. The other kids loved the ping pong table and the bouncy couches in the rec. room. After the afternoon session we took off up the

 canyon for a walk with the kids while the boys drove down to Salt Lake for priesthood session. They had managed to get tickets for all the boys. It had been raining all morning so the trail was wet but the kids loved it! They ran hard and were super tired when we got back, which was the point. :) 

I found some pretty fun shots up the canyon this time. The rain put a different haze on the mountain walls and that was fun to see. I miss the rain of WA. There is something about the clean, fresh smell of rain that is so energizing. I have to admit I am falling in love with this place. I told someone just Friday that it was a different beautiful than the green of WA but I am beginning to feel that it is a beautiful that I will come to love just as much as the emerald state. 

Little Grant is super aggressive and loves to be active. Rachel is always asking questions and learning with Grandma.

David is just cute! His waterproof space suit made him the perfect candidate for the wet bench.

Sporting the BYU gear!

Mikael is always the caring one. Here he is trying to feed the bird of course.

And at the water. Nothing beats throwing rocks into a stream!

When we got back the kids were all tired so we watched "Little Women." Never thought that a movie like that would need so much explanation for a little child's mind. I love being around these little ones. They remind me of everything that is good and pure. 

"Suffer the little ones, to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven"