St Helens High School Homecoming

      My beautiful Niece, Megan, and her sweet friend, Hannah, were both chosen to represent the high school as Homecoming Princesses.  They are the kind of girls who live what they believe and it is so rewarding to see how much others respect that!  Homecoming was a fun day.  I was able to attend the assembly at school that afternoon.  I even pulled Cameron out of school early so he could watch the Seniors dance to Thriller in their skit.  He's obsessed with the Thriller song and dance lately.  After school we spent a good amount of time getting the float transferred to the High School and set up. Then the football game followed. All of the Princesses were escorted onto the field by their Fathers, and Jillian was crowned Queen. I love this text between Spencer and Megan after the game:

 

  Spencer: "Well you're class did it, they finally got first place! 

But the truth be told, I would have traded it all away

for you to be Queen."

 

Megan: "Thank you, and thanks for all your help! I wouldn't

have changed a thing.  It was all so fun and I don't need a

bigger crown to know I'm awesome!

I love you Uncle Spencer."

 

          

Senior Class Float

      Megan's role in Leadership Class landed her the task of designing this year's Senior Class Float.  Once she announced to the family that she was in charge, Spencer offered her his help, which she gladly accepted.  Homecoming Floats are new to me.  We had Spirit Week at my high school, but we never went to such great lengths as they do here.  Homecoming Floats are a big deal in this town.  The Theme this year was "Survival of the Fittest".  Megan & Spencer sat down and brainstormed ideas until they finally came up with the one they chose.  The concept was to create a larger than life football player standing near a goal post representing our school.  On the bed of the float was paper mache helmets representing each team in our league.  They did a good job of painting each helmet adding the schools mascot.  The finished product of the scoreboard looked real.  They poked white Christmas lights inside the boxes to create the numbers and the Seniors incorporated the #13 as much as they could seeing as they are the Class of 2013.  It's hard to tell in the picture below but they added the same concept of using Christmas lights, red ones, to make the football player's eyes glow.  Setting up the float was the hard part.  The wind decided to pick up right when they were trying to get everything secured and so they had a difficult time with the player and the scoreboard.  The Judges luckily started down at the Freshman Float which gave us just enough time to tie up loose ends.  Luckily fate was on our side and everything stayed in tact during the judging, but shortly afterwards, our player fell over.  So for the remainder of the night, our players head sat in front of him, which still looked pretty cool!  The big announcement came during half time when they announced which class won the float competition, and luckily, it was the Seniors!!!   I was very happy for them because they worked really hard on it.  Kids showed up almost every evening for a week to help get everything built.  Way to go Seniors!               

A New School Year Begins ...

      The kids went back to school on Tuesday, September 4th after a fun-filled summer.  This year Austin went into 5th grade and Cameron into 2nd.  Andrew is in his 2nd year of preschool, which he just loves.  All of the boys were really excited for school to begin.  I am loving the fact that our school district went back to neighborhood schools because both boys are in the same building this year.  Austin joined the Pony Express club (aka. Cross Walk Guard).  It's a club that the school takes very seriously.  The members get special privileges, awards, and parties for fulfilling their role.  At the end of summer I told the boys that I had some new expectations for them.  They are to set their own alarm for the morning, get up and dressed, and brush their teeth all on their own.  I will then meet them downstairs for breakfast.  To my surprise, they actually do it!  Our morning routine has been running so smoothly, it's just fantastic.  Our only set back so far has been Cameron's morning anxiety about walking into school.  I think he's a bit thrown off by our new schedule because I'm working this month which isn't our normal routine.  I drop him off on my way to work and have been picking him up after school on my way home.  I don't know why me working would bother him since I have the same schedule as he does, but that is the only thing I can come up with.  He says he misses me and gets all worked up about being away.  I think in the last couple of days we have finally turned a new corner and all seems to be well.  I met with Austin & Cameron's teacher last week at parent night and I am impressed with them.  I hope to volunteer in both classes this year while enjoying my free time while Andrew is at preschool.

 

My Home Away From Home

      Especially in the summer it feels like our local fitness center becomes my second home.  Between my workouts, regular daycare night, subbing for spin instructors, subbing for daycare, and using the outdoor pool, I spend a lot of time there!  It's not uncommon for me to make up to three trips in a single day to the gym.  And the crazy part is, I love it!  I love the facility, I love the small town people, I love having a free family membership, and I love earning money to workout! 

 

      A couple of years ago I started earning my free family membership by working 2 hours in daycare on Tuesday evenings.  Not a bad trade!  Then about a month ago I was able to slide into a gig as a spin instructor in place of my daycare night.  One hour less, and I get to workout too ... I was all over it!  I love instructing.  I love creating my own playlists that motivate me and it's fun getting to know new people.  Yes, I love our local fitness center!  Old equipment and all.

Our Day in Pacific City, Oregon

      Last Friday we had the opportunity to spend the day at the beach in Pacific City just south of Tillamook.  Dave, Spencer’s boss, invited us to join him during his family vacation and offered to take us out crabbing and bottom fishing. There was no way Spencer was turning that offer down. It was our first time to Pacific City and I feel like the town is a hidden treasure. Definitely an ideal place to have a vacation home in my opinion. 

      Launching and loading the boat was a first for me.  Dave drove the trailer right into the waves of the ocean until the boat came free. Then when we were done he drove the boat as fast as possible and launched it as far up the sandy beach as he could. It was really cool. We had 8 people on his 23’ boat and all but 2 got sea sick. I got sick, but I never tossed my cookies. I did take a couple tablets of Dramamine while out there which I think saved my hide.  

      Later that afternoon we returned to the beach house, cooked our crab, and enjoyed the company of everyone there. We met a lot of new people and everyone was so welcoming and friendly. Dinner was absolutely 5 star.  Dave has a pretty good reputation when it comes to his cooking and I was able to enjoy it firsthand. We had NY steak with fresh crab and asparagus piled on top then covered in hollandaise sauce. It was heavenly!  All day long we ate well, a great perk when you party with an owner of a grocery store. We ended up leaving late that night and admittedly I was kind of bummed when we did because I had so much fun I wasn't quite ready to go. 

Sleeping on the Trampoline

      The kids slept on the trampoline Sunday night but it came at a high price - lots of mosquito bites!
Each one of their little backs got chewed alive.  Apparently it was worth it though because they all wanted to sleep out there the next night too.  Kids are so resilient!

The Revolving Door at the DA's Office

      Last month I received an email from Dawn, the office manager at the District Attorney's Office.  It said, "are you ready to come back to work yet?"  My instant gut-reaction screamed, "No!"  Shoot this is the first time in my life that I don't have to work, so there is no way I wanted to come back, even part time.  I tried to ignore the invitation but there was something in the back of my mind that kept bringing it to the front.  So I sent back an inquiry.  Would you be willing to let me work one day a week from 8:00 a.m. till 2:00 p.m. on Grand Jury day, my favorite day of the week?  And the answer was Yes!

      Once my offer was accepted it was darn near impossible to turn the position down.  I am still in awe over this and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world because I have always had a revolving door open to me within that office.  I have now worked a couple of times and I just love it!  I love the work, I love the people, and I love the adult conversation.  My plan for now is to just work that one day a week and maybe once all of the kids are in school full-time I may pick up a few more days.  Who knows?  
   

Get Away Trip To Birch Bay, WA

      Getting out of town the week following the Trek was wonderful!  No email, No phone calls, No more trek stuff, No worries!  Just pure relaxation.  My get-a-way trip was to Birch Bay, WA right next to the Washington/Canadian border.  It was an opportunity to spend the whole week with my parents from Utah and my brother from New York.  My oldest brother and his family from Seattle were able to spend a couple of days with us as well.  Sadly, I honestly can't remember the last time my 2 brothers and I, along with our Dad, were together.  But the great quality about siblings is the fact that you can always pick right back up where you last left off.  The bummer part was leaving Spencer back home so he could work!  I appreciated his kindness in letting us go without him, and him not giving me a hard time that we played while he worked.

      We made two trips across the border during the week.  Our first trip was on Tuesday to White Rock.  We mostly just walked along the boardwalk.  We also had lunch, did some shopping and Uncle Cory bought the boys ice cream cones.  He knows how to win them over!

      Our other trip to Canada was on Friday to Vancouver. The Vancouver Aquarium was really cool. It's kind of like Sea World, but not quite as extravagant. Instead of a Killer Whale show they offered a Beluga Whale one. I felt it was worth the money and I know the kids thoroughly enjoyed it.

         On Thursday we parked my car and walked on to a WA State ferry that took us through the San Juan Islands.  The weather was fantastic and the islands are beautiful!  I have a strong determination to camp next summer on Lopez Island and bike around the islands.  In the picture below you can see quite a bit of Mt. Baker.  

      The rest of the trip was pretty low key.  We swam in the swimming pool everyday.  We played on the beach a couple of times.  We went to the ice cream shop down the street, and we watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics together.  It was so great getting time to spend with my family!  I have been fortunate enough to have spent time with all of my siblings and parents this summer, with the exception of my sister Brittany.  I love my family dearly!  They bring a lot of joy to my life.  I love creating new memories with them and I love it when my own children get to see me interact with my siblings. 

Pioneer Trek - Day 4

      The final day of the Trek.  In continuing with the emotional roller coaster of a journey this one was definitely the topper!  I felt RELIEF for the end; SADNESS that it was over; JOY in all that we accomplished; GRATITUDE for the hard work and positive attitude everyone had; and a sense of PEACE that only the Spirit can bring.  I can't even begin to explain the sense of unity that was present among all 200 participants.  This was our last morning as Trek families and I was so impressed by the closeness I saw when I roamed through camp.  We had our final baby burial that morning and I was so relieved to find the situation, while special and positive, much more light-hearted than the previous one.  The Winkel's did a fantastic job playing out their loss.      

      After camp was taken down we had several activities going on: Stick pull, Tug-a-War and a Survivor-type activity that looked like an absolute blast!  Everyone seemed to have had a great time.  The picture below is of the Rickenbach trek family, the one I assigned myself to for meals and such.  One of the cool things they did as a family was to hold family scripture study at the base of the waterfall.  I am so sad that I missed out on this because I heard from several of them what a neat experience it was. This family was an absolute blast!  

      Then came Testimony Meeting; and our location for the meeting was incredible!  To the right of us was the lake and to the left, or behind us, was that 40' waterfall.  It was beautiful!!  Testimony Meeting for me was the icing on the cake.  Everyone shared such heartfelt stories and talked about the things they knew to be true.  To hear how this experience touched and influenced the lives of the youth was the largest reward I could have ever hoped for.  I heard boys make a commitment at that moment to serve a mission.  I heard promises to make home life easier and I heard lots and lots of gratitude for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am not entirely sure how long our meeting lasted, but I know I cried the entire time.  The Spirit was SO strong!  I will forever be influenced by the Spirit of this Trek.  I still have such an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all of the behind-the-scene workers who helped make everything come to fruition.  The last thing I'd like to share is about the rewards we are given in this life if we can stick out the not-so-fun parts.  The saying, "I never said life would be easy, I only said it would be worth it" is true.  That is how I felt about this Trek.  It was definitely not easy, but it was definitely worth it!       

Pioneer Trek - Day 3

      In the 4 days that we were on Trek, Day 3 was hands down the one that produced the most surprises for me.  The first surprise began the night before at bedtime with an amazing thunder and lightening storm.  The whole sky lit up, followed by roaring thunder that continued all night.  It was too cool!  Not too long after I went to bed the rain started.  I thought that the loud volume of the storm would have kept me up but I was so tired it had more of a lulling effect on me and I slept like a baby.  Most people I talked to the next morning did too.  The next surprise came around 6:30 a.m. with a phone call from base camp.  One of our young women had been having severe kidney pains during the night and had been taken to the Emergency Department.  Thankfully she was able to receive the help she needed, which required surgery, but everything was able to turn out okay for her.

      In the morning there was still some moisture in the air so we gave everyone plenty of time to take down camp and get breakfast completed before we moved out.  Once we got on the trail the rain had mostly stopped and we only had one more short run in with it before blue sky appeared for good. 

      What happened at lunchtime was the biggest surprise and by far the most emotional event on the trek for me.  I will never forget the emotions I felt at what took place.  In order to give this story justice I have to lay the foundation leading up to it.  When planning the Trek I felt very strongly about giving a handful of families baby dolls.  I wanted the dolls to be as realistic as possible and I was a bit worried about them being a joke so I tried to pick families that I felt could pull it off.  I also hand picked two families whose baby would die along the trail.  Once again, I didn't want this hardship to turn cheesy so I put a lot of thought into which family this hardship would fall upon.  On the morning of the first day I approached Sister Barbic, one of our Ma's, and told her I had assigned her family a baby and that on the third day her baby was going to be buried.  I asked if that was okay and she said, "as long as it's not today" that would be just fine.  I lowered my brows and asked what she meant and she told me that 9 years ago today (the 1st day of Trek) she and her husband had lost their newborn baby.  After hearing her heartbreaking story I assured her that we could pass on this, but she said it would be alright.

      When Friday came along she decided lunchtime would be the time to break the news about the baby to her family.  This is when the floodgates of emotions began for me.  I remember her approaching me with the doll in her arms and I looked at her and said, are you ready?  She nodded her head and then I saw tears starting to fall down her cheeks.  My heart broke!  I started crying too and while hugging her I once again told her to forget about the idea.  She said it'd be okay so I told her to go around the corner and that I would get her family.  As I was walking up to their handcart I noticed that her husband had seen our embrace and he obviously saw me with tears so with a somber tone he asked in more of a statement kind of way then a question, "Is our baby dying?"  Oh my goodness, I lost it even more.  I told him I understood the situation, I tried to tell her we didn't need to do this, and he said, "she's a strong woman!"  He called his family in and said there was a family emergency and that they all needed to go find Ma.  The reality of the situation, even though it was only mock, was too real!  Sister Barbic told the kids that their baby didn't survive the journey and told them her own personal story about their loss.  A couple of the boys took turns digging out a grave and then they all poured handfuls of dirt until the baby was covered.  I bawled the entire time and for about an hour afterward too.  The last thing I ever wanted was to ask them to relive such a heartbreaking experience, but she put my mind at ease and said that it was good for her.  Never in my wildest dreams when I planned this activity did I think it would have the impact it did, I only hoped it would!  I sincerely appreciate the Barbic's and their willingness to open their hearts up so freely.   Through this experience I am reminded how precious life is and how each moment counts.

      After making it over that hump, the rest of the day was fabulous as well in it's own right.  Our activity station was a ton of fun!  We had Archery, Sling Shots and Axe Throwing.  The Pony Express came before dinner and then we had a great fireside.  The real fun began at our Hoedown once darkness fell.  It was so rewarding to see everyone, adults and youth, having such a fantastic time!  I really couldn't have asked for a better ending to a wonderful day.