YW Camp - Canoe Trip

 I will never forget this year's Young Women Camp.  I got to attend with three of my girls - Jordyn, Carlee and Jenna - and Richie was there for the first day and a half too.

Our YW expressed to us a desire to do something challenging for camp, something different.  As we started planning, I knew this camp would be a personal challenge for me because two of my least favourite things in this life are snakes and cold water.  This canoe trip was going to give me a day and a half on cold water, heading right into the heart of snake country!  I did find great comfort in our theme "thou shalt be made stronger" (Moses 1:25).

Tuesday morning, July 9 and we're ready to go.  

We had 19 girls, 3 female leaders, our Bishopric and Richie.

Total of 26 people in ten canoes.

 

And we're off!  Richie, Jenna and I are in the blue canoe. 

I was happy to be in a canoe with Richie, because he's canoed lots before and he assured me that he doesn't tip!  We were towing the large rubber dinghy filled with sleeping bags (it's that green and yellow thing).  We learned at the beginning part of the river how to row together as teams.  And we learned that you can't see anything in this river because it was the colour of pale chocolate milk.  Suddenly you'd be stuck on the bottom of the river because you couldn't see that it was shallow.  We learned that ripples in the water probably mean rocks, but you couldn't see the rocks unless they were sticking out of the water. 

Carlee, Madi and Jordyn were in a canoe together.  Jordyn got to be the "experienced" canoer in the back of the boat, even though she'd never canoed before.  Many of our Laurels took on the "experienced" rower roles, even though they weren't, and they were absolutely amazing.

 

A couple of hours into our journey, I was feeling physically weak.  People were stopped here at this little bank and Rich wanted to go on, but I knew I needed a break.  I needed to drink some water and eat a few chocolate covered almonds (and a few healthier trail mix snacks!).  I didn't dare get my food out of my backpack, that was bungeed to my canoe, while we were on the river.  The food helped revive me a little, but I needed more, and some time on solid ground - I think had a little motion sickness too. 

 

When we arrived at Gold Springs, which was about 1/3 of the way through the days journey and where we were stopping for lunch, I felt like I staggered out of the canoe and up to a picnic table in the shade where I could be alone for a little while because I needed to pray.  I told Heavenly Father how I was feeling and that I needed His help because I didn't know how I was going to get through the rest of the day if I was feeling this exhausted already.  I needed to be made stronger.  We were at Gold Springs for about half an hour, and by the time we left, I felt great - completely rejuvenated and ready to get on with the journey.

 

The map of our river voyage. 

 

After we left Gold Springs, we entered the Rock Gardens - about 43 km of rocks dumped all through the river - and most of them you couldn't see!  The river also got faster and the cliffs got higher (30-40 feet).  The river was constant S turns, one after another, and you couldn't see what was around the corner of the S turn until you were making the corner, which often required some quick maneuvering when rocks would suddenly appear.  But I liked how the rapids weren't constant.  We had a season of rest between most of the S turns, where we could relax for a minute and not paddle, think about what we had done and learn from it.

 

 

We faced many challenges on the river.  The rocks were a constant challenge and we had to avoid them.  On one part of the river there were huge annoying yellow flies.   In another part, birds had built their nests really low in the cliffs, so they were all flying out right in front of my face as we rowed through the rapids.  When the sun was setting and reflecting off the water, I couldn't see a thing.  And when shadows started forming, I couldn't tell if they were rocks or shadows.  I think our biggest challenge though was the rubber dinghy.  Often we would be able to get the canoe through the rocks but the dinghy would go around the rock the other way and the rope would get caught.  So we shortened the rope.  Sometimes we'd get around the rock but the dinghy would go right up on the rock and jerk us to a stop.  Rich would then need to yank on the rope with all his might to free the dinghy, making the canoe rock like crazy while I'd be hanging on for dear life, and probably screaming.  The rapids wanted to throw the dinghy right against the cliff walls, which often had big rocks against it.  One of my least favourite adventures with the dinghy was when our canoe tipped - yes, we were the first to tip.  The water wasn't as cold as I thought it would be and actually felt really good.  When I was able to stand again, the first thing I noticed was that my paddle was floating away.  I went racing after it because I felt like my paddle was my lifeline, my iron rod that I had to hold on to, to safely see me through.  So even though our canoe was swamped, the dinghy wanted to keep going.  I was bracing the dinghy against the cliff, keeping it from going forward, while Richard was amazingly lifting the canoe filled with water up and dumping it out.  Finally we got going again and as we came around a corner, we saw that Bro. N and Bro. B had beached their canoe and Bro. B was walking back up the river bank, coming to make sure we were okay.  I felt such joy in my heart to know that the Priesthood was there for us.

 

 

A while later, we passed by all the other canoes as they were stopped, but we were able to keep going without a rest.  I know I was being strengthened.  Pulling the dinghy made us slower though but we stayed ahead of everyone for quite awhile, right until we found the next stopping point at Coffin Bridge (I was wondering why it is called that!).  By this time it was 5:00pm and we were 2/3 finished our journey for the day.  Our next stop would be Poverty Rock where we were going to be spending the night.  Rich and I left first again, but a bunch of canoes passed us right as we were going through a fast corner.  Our canoe got turned around and we were going through the rapids backwards, with the dinghy beside us, and a canoe on the other side.  This was the most terrifying feeling for me - being completely out of control.  I have no doubt that angels of God were guiding us through.  This part of the river was the hardest and we were all getting very tired, with aching arms.  As we went from one set of rapids to the next, I had a constant prayer in my heart.  I felt very much like Francis Webster who was a member of the Martin Handcart Company, when he said,  "I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other.  I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go only that far and there I must give up for I cannot pull the load through it.  I have gone to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me!  I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one.  I knew then that the Angels of God were there."

 

There were many times when I was sure we were tipping as we were perched precariously on a rock.  Richard would quickly jump to the middle of the boat, and miraculously, we stayed upright.  There was one time when rocks were everywhere and we couldn't get around them.  I was bracing myself for impact when we just kind of sailed right over a huge flat rock, not even feeling it.  The dinghy however, got stuck on another rock.  Once it was freed and we were on our way again, I looked back and saw that we had just sort of sailed over a small waterfall.  I knew that the Angels of God were there guiding us through.

 

 

Poverty Rock was the most welcome sight ever!!!  When we rounded a corner and I saw a big rock off to the right, I excitedly said to Richard, "I think that's Poverty Rock!" As we rounded the corner more, we saw the other canoes beached there.  Bishop H and some young women waded out into the river to guide our canoe into the shore.  And we heard the most incredible sound . . . cheering from everyone else who was already there.  That sound immediately lifted my spirits after what had been the most physically draining, terrifying and yet exciting last few hours.  We got our dinghy unloaded and I was relieved to see that everyone's sleeping bags were still dry.  We were the 8th canoe to arrive and there were still two more after us.  This was the only time I was worried for others as we waited for Sis. E's canoe to arrive, and Bro. N and Bro. B.  About 15-20 minutes later, we saw Sis. E's canoe come around the corner.  The happy cries "There they are!" rang out and we all cheered and went to help them.  Then the final canoe arrived (it was after 8:00pm by this time) and poor Bro. N and Bro. B looked so exhausted and frustrated (Bro. B kicking the dinghy was a good indication of his frustration!).  The dinghy they'd been pulling had it's bottom completely shredded on the rocks and they'd been pulling a dinghy filled with water for a long time.  The tents were soaked so we immediately set them up so they could dry out by bedtime.  We had to throw away some food and others things, including the rubber dinghy.  But we were all there, safe and sound and everyone worked together to get our camp set up.  Our tinfoil dinners tasted so so good that night! 

 

When it was dark, Bishop H led us in a fireside and we talked about what we had learned on the river that day, and how it applied to life.  The girls sang a song they've been learning "Stand in Holy Places" and sounded like angels.  Poverty Rock was a holy place for us that night.  But that didn't mean we slept well.  Between the wind blowing the tent, no pillow or foamy, and my mind replaying the scary parts of the day in my mind, I was wondering how I was ever going to be able to pull the dinghy the next day when my arms were already aching, and my legs were sore, bruised and scraped (from hitting rocks when we tipped) and I could hardly sit.  I was allowing Satan to plant his seeds of doubt and discouragement in my mind.  I just wanted the journey to be over - I wanted us to all be safe and sound at our final destination.  I prayed a lot that night and got up feeling surprisingly refreshed with what little sleep I got that night (I'm thinking 1 or 2 hours).  When Sis. E saw my pajamas, she said, "Oh, you're wearing your Frog pajamas - your Fully Rely on God pajamas."  I had chosen my pajamas well then because fully relying on God was all I could do. 
 

A little while later, Richie came to me and said, "Did you hear the good news?  Bro. N and Bro. B have offered to pull our rubber dinghy today."  What an answer to my prayers!  I cannot put into words how much that news lightened my heart.  Sis. H summed it up perfectly when she said, "That's the Priesthood for you - always there when you need it."
 

 

Poverty Rock - it's the big rock behind us! 

 

Looking down on the mostly packed-up campsite from the top of Poverty Rock.  We had the whole area to ourselves. 

The river is behind us.  Notice we all wore pants that would cover our knees while sitting in the canoes, saving our knees from sunburn.  Everyone wore swim shoes and we were all given fishing hats and bandannas.  I loved my hat!

 

Life jackets too, of course!!!

Getting ready to launch - Carlee and Jordyn with Devany, their new canoe buddy for the day.

 

The closer we got to our destination, the gentler the river got.  The sharp S corners we had gone through became lazy, gentle turns.  But there were some new challenges.  With less rapids, we had to row more, and often the wind was strong and we had to row into it.  There weren't as many rocks so we weren't on such sharp lookout for rocks anymore.  When we hit a rock, Richard said, "What are you doing?" because it was my job to look out for the rocks.  I replied that I was looking at the cows - quite often there were cows down on the river bank watching us go past.  Isn't distraction one of Satan's tools?  I was distracted by the cows and not diligent in doing what I should have been doing - looking for rocks.  

There were some trees that were knocked over and lying in the river, and the rapid part of the river went right under them.  The canoe wanted to go with the rapids, but in this case we needed to steer away from the rapids to avoid the trees. 

At one point, we had to paddle upstream to help some girls who had gotten stuck in shallow waters, and in trying to get going again had gotten their canoe filled with water.  We were rowing hard but it didn't feel like we were getting anywhere.  Sometimes we feel like that in life - that we're working hard but not getting anywhere.  Just keep going - don't give up and you will get there.  We eventually got to the girls and were able to help them get on their way again.

Bumper canoes!

 

The gentler river also meant we could take pictures and videos without much chance of losing the camera's overboard.

 

One thing I learned is that we need to find joy in the journey.  The challenges will always be there but our attitude makes the difference.  It was so fun to see the girls splashing each other, and singing, sharing food between canoes (Madi gave me a Reese's Peanut Butter cup once and I sure needed that chocolate right then!).  Near the end of our journey where the river was very gentle, we came around a corner and there was Bishop H standing up in his canoe, rowing it like a Venetian rower, while his canoe mates were playing in the water around him. 

 

Richie and I.  I was so grateful to have my eternal companion with me in the canoe because he helped get me through. He knows me, and knew when I was panicking, and his voice saying "row hard right, hard, hard, okay, left, okay, that's good, I've got it now" kept me calm and focused.

 

 

As we arrived at our final destination and unloaded our canoes, I felt such relief and joy.  We had all made it through safely.  The phrase "endure to the end" took on new meaning for me as we had to endure the journey - there was no way out except in getting to our final destination. 

 

 

As we reviewed what we had accomplished, we were amazed.  We'd canoed over 70km in 13 hours.  Only 4 of the 10 canoes tipped, and the ones that tipped had at least one experienced rower in them.  Angels were watching over us and the Lord strengthened us as we put our trust in Him.  I wish you could have heard the testimonies of the girls as they shared their experiences around the campfire on the last night of camp.  I know that I prayed more during this trip than I ever had in my life because at times, prayer was all I could do, often praying just to have the strength to do one more paddle stroke, then one more, and one more, and finally one more, to get us through that set of rapids.  When Moses called upon God, he was made stronger than many waters, and so were we.


The canoes were hauled out of the river and drivers came to take them home.  The same drivers delivered our pillows and foamies and more luggage.  So we set up camp again in the group campsite we had reserved and made our "real" beds this time - so comfy!!!  We knew we'd be tired by this time so Sis. C from the Stake YW's brought dinner out to us - the most delicious baked potatoes topped with chili that you've ever tasted!  She also led our fireside that evening and it was just wonderful.

 

 The next few days of camp were considerably more relaxing.  The girls were each assigned a "Secret Sister" that they were to look out for and do nice little things for.  We had mailbags hanging in the trees for the girls to deliver things to their SS.
 

We had a table set up in the camp kitchen that was loaded with craft supplies of all kinds (we raided the YW cupboard for leftovers from past years). There were always girls sitting (or standing) around the table, creating and visiting.  It was a fun place to be.  There was also the river beach for water fun (nice that two of our Laurels were lifeguards!) and the Hoodoos, and also tents for lying around in for chat sessions.  Our camp kitchen had a fridge and freezer, and the freezer was loaded with ice-cream treats that the girls could help themselves to.

One tent had Jenna, Meigan, Sariah, Carlie, Sarah and Alex.

 

Another tent had Bailey, Madisen, Lexi, Jordyn, Shelby and Jianna.

 

 

And the last tent had Janae, Jaelynn, Madi, Macey, Carlee and Devany.

 

 

The craziest thing happened the first morning we woke up in camp.  I could feel that my lips felt really fat.  I asked Sis E if they actually looked fat, or just felt that way (you know, like when you've been to the dentist!).  She said, "No, they actually look fat - like a botox injection!"  As we got up and moving around that morning, a few other girls were complaining about fat lips too.  We figured it must have been sunburned lips from the sun reflecting off the water - sure felt weird!

 

 

Anyway, Carlee hadn't appeared yet that morning.  She had hurt her foot the day before while horsing around on the beach with Jordyn.  This was another miracle - all the injuries that could have happened on the river, and the only one happens once we're all safe and sound at our destination!  So I went to her tent to check on her and see if she needed help walking or whatever.  She rolled over and looked at me and I couldn't help but bust up laughing . . .

She could feel that her lip was fat so took a picture of herself in bed to see if it actually was.  And yup, it sure was!!!  Her lip looked way fatter than anyone else's.  She said that while she was sleeping the swelling in her injured foot travelled up her body and settled in her lip!  Oh it was funny and we all had to laugh at her!  But she's a goofball and handled it so well.  She was relieved to know others had fat lips too.

 

 

Another blessing was the weather at camp.  Our two days on the river were hot and sunny - perfect for what we were doing.  Our one full day at camp was warm and overcast, with a wind - really nice not to have the sun beating down on us again as some of us were sunburned.  But the wind disappeared by evening, so during our testimony meeting, the smoke went straight up and didn't blow in our faces.  Our last day was hot again as we packed up nice dry tents!  The weather could not have been more perfect.

 

 

On our last full day of camp, some of the girls went for a hike in the Hoodoos.

They did not see any snakes!

 

That's Jenna and Jordyn on the ends.  Carlee didn't go because of her foot.

 

Jordyn up in the Hoodoos, with the river we canoed down below her.

That afternoon we played some crazy water games.

Popping balloons in water.

Team relays.

 

Circle games - these girls love circle games!  This one is Signs.

 

 

I laughed so hard watching this game . . .

They fed each other ice cream across the table with the spoon on the end of the long stick.  The person with the spoon was blindfolded and had to feed their partner by the directions the partner gave them.  Oh it was funny to watch!!! 

 

 

Later that night, the girls performed skits - each tent group made up their own.  We told them the theme was "Thou shalt be made stronger" and they had 20 minutes to plan their skit and they could use any props they wanted.  It was so funny to listen to them prepare as the groups were off in different places and we'd hear hysterical laughter coming from each group at different times.  Their skits were amazing - so creative and perfect for the theme.  And we all laughed hysterically too, especially as Carlee did her yoga!!!

 

Later that night around the campfire, our ward YW presidency spoke to the girls, and then we had our testimony meeting.  It went for almost two hours - we didn't end til almost 12:30pm.  It was a beautiful testimony meeting, some even baring their testimonies more than once.  We all had such different and inspiring things to share, mostly from our experiences on the river.  And we appreciated Bro. H keeping the fire burning big and brightly for us.  We ended the night singing our song again - Stand in Holy Places.

 

 

Everyone was still wide awake so finally we had a chance to go snipe hunting (we were all too tired the first two nights).  Then some did some more crafts, some played Murder in the Dark and some visited around the campfire.  We finally settled down by 2:00am.  The last night of camp is always fun! 

 

 

But then the last morning arrived.  I loved that some of the girls said they'd had such a good time at camp that they didn't want it to end.   

 

Carlee packing up her bedroom.  We didn't have to be out of our campsite til 2:00pm so we had lots of time to pack up camp and eat up leftover food. 

 

 

Tents are down and we're all packed.  Doing some final chatting and finishing up ice cream treats.

 

Our final picture before heading home.

And that concludes YW Camp 2013 - one I'm sure we will never forget as we all learned in different ways . . . thou shalt be made stronger.

 



Jasmine Prepares to Serve

During the October General Conference in 2012, Pres. Monson announced a change of the ages for missionaries.  It used to be Elders at 19 and Sisters at 21, but now it's Elders at 18 and Sisters at 19.  Jasmine had always wanted to serve a mission, but she figured she would finish her four year nursing degree first and then be old enough to serve a mission.
 

In mid April, we (mom, me, Chelle and Jas) attended Time Out For Women and it was fantastic.  During Saturday lunch, Jas told me she was seriously considering serving a mission now, after her first year of college, rather than later.  At first I was a little stunned, or shocked because her plan was in place and the RESP was set up, and scholarships, etc.  But by the end of TOFW, I was getting pretty excited for her and this opportunity.  And truthfully, I think I was a little envious too because I had wanted to serve a mission, but got married at age 20.  Jas said not to mention it to anyone yet because she was still tossing around the idea.  She asked me to look into the RESP and see if that could be delayed (and yes, it can be postponed twice, or possibly more).

 

So after much pondering and prayer, she decided she was going on a mission! 

She doesn't turn 19 until mid October, and 120 days before you turn mission age is the soonest you can submit your papers.  So she got talking to her Bishop and started working on the papers and talked to her Nursing Instructors and officially withdrew from the Nursing program.  She'll have to reapply in two years and hopefully get back in.  They said with cutbacks coming to the program, it might not be too easy.  But Jas finished her first year with honours and she will trust in the Lord.    

 

So . . . doing the papers online is actually the fast part! 

 She went to the dentist and had two small cavities filled, went to the doctor with all the paperwork, and went to the lab for bloodwork, x-rays, etc.  Luckily she was up-to-date on her immunization as she needed that done for her nursing courses.  It seemed like she was getting everything done plenty early to have her papers gone by June 18 (exactly 120 days).

 

 

One other thing that was a challenge was getting a decent picture of Jas!!! 

She just has too much fun during photoshoots!  And it needs to have a plain background!

Stop coughing!  Stop laughing - this is serious!

Yay - got a good one!!!

 

She had everything done that she could do and now just had to wait . . .

Every time she saw her Bishop she'd ask him if the medical papers had arrived so she could have an interview.  And he kept saying they haven't arrived yet.

The delay came in waiting for the lab to send her results back to her doctor, and then the doctor sends them on to her Bishop, and then she can have a final interview with her Bishop. The hold-up seemed to be with the lab, but eventually it all worked out.

 

 

Jas came home for Father's Day dinner with her medical and dental papers for me to sign. She'd just had her interview with her Bishop and now just had to meet with her Stake President.  A few days before her Stake interview, we had some torrential rain and her basement flooded and her papers got all wet.  She texted me "Do you think they'll accept soggy papers?"  She spread them out to dry and they're still legible, just wrinkly now.  I'm sure it will be fine!

 

She met with her Stake President on Wednesday, June 26 and he said he would have her papers sent off on Friday at the earliest and Tuesday (July 2) at the latest.

 

And now we wait, and guess, and speculate . . . my top pick for her is the new New Zealand Hamilton mission, followed by Temple Square and eastern Canada (Halifax or Montreal).

 

So exciting . . .

 



General Conference Trip

About every six months, Rich seems to utter the phrase:  "Let's go to Conference!"

Well this spring, it actually looked like it might work out for us to take the trip!  Conference was at the end of our Spring Break too, so the kids only needed to take one day off school.  So we called the Stake Clerk and got our name on the list of people who wanted tickets for Conference.

Since you need to be eight years old in order to attend Conference, we decided to leave Katia and Mackenzie at home, even though Katia had just turned eight.  We planned to take our three middle girls, that way we could all fit in the big, safe diesel truck.

Rich at the start of our journey.

 

Backtracking a little . . . the stake clerk told us that there weren't any tickets available for us for conference.  So we were prepared to wait in the Stand-by line-ups for two-three hours to try and get in.  But then, six days before we were planning to leave, we got a call saying we could have the six tickets that were reserved for our stake president since he and his family wouldn't be attending.  I was so relieved and excited to be able to attend the Saturday afternoon session, and sustain the prophet with him right there in the same room!  I was also happy to know we wouldn't have to stand in line for hours because the forecast was calling for rain all weekend.

 

Now Jas decided that she really wanted to go to Conference . . . and we did have six tickets!  She checked out her college schedule and made it all work out so she could come along too.  Originally she was going to be one of our babysitters, but Chelle and Logan took on the role of babysitters (sure appreciate you guys!!!), with Grandparents as back-up if needed.

 

We were happy to have Jas come along with us, it just meant someone needed to sit in the undesirable seat - middle front.  So we all took turns, although Jas mostly stayed in a back corner doing school work on her laptop.

 

To help pass the miles . . .  

. . . the girls took pictures and edited them.

Avatars Carlee and Jenna. 

 

And Jordyn the quadruplet. 

 

We left home on Thursday morning and stayed that night in Idaho Falls at the Hampton Inn (they have the best breakfasts!!!).  After dinner we had to visit the temple grounds of course.

Carlee, Jordyn, Jenna, Rich, Jasmine

 

While Rich is gazing adoringly at me, our three rugrats are posing in the background.  We didn't know they were doing this until we saw the picture.  I wondered why Jas was laughing while taking the shot!

 

We went into the Visitors' Center for awhile.  A young missionary, Sister Kuhns, guided the girls and I to a display and Rich stayed at the door chatting with other missionaries.  So he was right there when some Koreans came in the door.  Sister Kuhns came back to us after the presentation and was so thrilled to tell us that Rich was able to talk to these people in Korean and tell them a little bit what was going on.  Apparently they all got a laugh when he explained to them that they were going to go in a room and watch a telephone in Korean.  So they helped him remember the word for "video".  I love little heavenly orchestrated coincidents like that!!!

 

We all listened to Sister Kuhns as she showed us a display of prints of the twelve paintings by Arnold Friberg that are in The Book of Mormon.  There are some amazing stories there - we'll never look at those pictures the same way again.  Click here for info on this amazing artist who died three years ago.

We had to leave the Visitors' Center because it was closing.  When we got out, the temple was all aglow.  I love this picture of Jordyn standing in a Holy Place.

 

We continued on our way to Utah the next morning in the rain.  We stopped in Bountiful and drove around the beautiful temple there and hit a store or two.  We decided to stay at the Hampton Inn again in Salt Lake City because we really liked it in Idaho.  Rich saw one off the Interstate and pulled in, and came out again with a reservation for the last available room in the downtown Inn.  So we checked into that Inn and were happy to find that we only needed to walk three blocks to the train that would take us right to Temple Square.  No need to find parking spots!

 

So we set off exploring!  Temple Square (and our Inn) was full of tourists there for Conference.  Lots of happy people there - a fun place to be.  The girls even saw Richard G. Scott while we were on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. 

 

Here we see those magnificent doors on the Salt Lake Temple.  Rich and I had wedding pictures in front of these doors almost twenty-four years ago.  We haven't changed a bit, and neither have the doors!

 

Beautiful girls and a beautiful temple.

Sure looks like rain!!!  Apparently, it had really poured all morning before we got there.

 

We took a stroll through the new City Creek Mall with its retractable roof.  Rich and I couldn't help but notice, as we walked along with our four long haired blond beauties, that they were attracting some attention.  Guys watching them, actually approaching them, and honking made it pretty obvious.  So we whisked our lovelies back to the Inn for swimming and watching some of the final basketball games of March Madness!

 

On Saturday morning we watched the morning session of General Conference in our hotel room.  Then we walked our three blocks to the train, with a little Wendy's lunch stop on the way, and rode to Temple Square.  There were people everywhere holding up signs saying they needed tickets to Conference.  There were also quite a lot of people on the streets playing nice music.  

 

We made it to the Conference Center.  I think this building is an illusion because it looks pretty small on the outside, but on the inside it's massive.  It seats 21,000 plus all the huge isles, and waiting areas and technical places, like restrooms (we learned to call them that - we asked one lady where the washroom was and she had no clue what we meant!).  We had to be in our seats thirty minutes before the event started, because then they opened the empty seats up to the Stand-by line-up.  We were assigned to section 7 in the top balcony.  No seat numbers are assigned - you can sit in any row you want, they just tell you to move all the way to the right.  That way, the empty seats are on the left which makes it easy for the Stand-by people to be seated.

 

Oh, and before we got our seats, we were able to look at all the original Book of Mormon paintings done by Arnold Friberg.  We had only seen prints in Idaho Falls.  Seeing the texture of the paintings made them even more awesome, especially the one of the Savior appearing to the Nephites.

 

We're in our seats now, waiting for conference to begin!  It really was incredible to watch it all fill up.  We were about five rows from the front there in the top balcony.  Before the opening hymn was sung, there were still lots of empty seats around.  But when I looked around after the hymn, it was all full.

 

The view from our seats. 

The BYU choir performed at this session and they were already seated when we arrived.  I loved watching all the General Authorities arrive and greet each other and take their seats.  Dallin H. Oaks was in his seat long before anyone else!  But the most amazing part was about ten minutes before the session was scheduled to begin.  There was noise in the room as people are finding their seats and visiting, but suddenly a hush fell over the whole congregation and everyone rose to their feet as in walked President Thomas S. Monson.  Not a sound was heard as every eye in the Conference Center watched our beloved Prophet walk in and take his seat.  The silence was powerful as the Spirit witnessed to me again, and I'm sure to many others, that this indeed was the Prophet of the Lord, here to guide us in these latter days.

 

In the Saturday afternoon session of conference, we have the priviledge of sustaining all the church leaders.  I found it extra-special to be able to raise my hand in support of these leaders while actually being in their presence.  And . . . it was especially exciting to me, when they were reading out the long list of newly called Area Seventies, to hear the name of my cousin!!!  He will be serving over the Pacific.  I didn't see him or his family, but I was sure looking because I knew they were there, somewhere down in the front!

And since I have the opportunity to serve in the Young Women's organization right now, I also found it special to be there when the new General YW Presidency was called.  It was so neat to watch them take their seats and greet all the other sisters that they had to pass to get to their spots.  They don't show you that on TV, but it took them about five minutes to finally get to their seats!

 

Okay, my last favourite part of this session was the intermediate hymn.  Wow!!!  Singing "Rejoice, The Lord is King" with 21,000 other people was incredible!!!  I mean, it's an incredible hymn anyway, but wow!!!  Especially the last line,  "Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!"  It has never been so easy to hit the high notes!  I really can't describe it - you've just gotta experience it for yourself!

 

After conference was over, it took quite a while to exit the building and crawl down the stairs on the outside of the building.  There were people everywhere, creeping along like ants.  Once we crossed the street onto Temple Square, it was like we were walking a gantlet, only a good one!  About fifty Priesthood brethren, each holding a Hymn Book, were lined up on each side of the street, singing hymns.  It was truly beautiful to walk through this tunnel of men's voices singing the gospel hymns.   

We strolled around Temple Square and went to the Visitors' Center with the Christus.  There were tons of people taking pictures by the Christus, so we just watched.  It's always fun to watch people!

It was such a treat to see and smell the flowers!!!

 

Rich loved the popcorn on the trees.

 

We went in the other Visitors' Center where there was a model of the temple.  I'd never seen that before so that was neat to see what the inside of the temple looks like.  I've been in the temple before, but you can't really understand the architecture - you're too busy looking at all the beauty of the rooms.  It was fun for Rich and I to remember where we sat before we were married, and to see where the sealing rooms were. 

The magnificent Salt Lake City Temple.

While looking at the exhibits and reading the dates, we realized that it was April 6, and that it was the 120th anniversary of the completion of the temple, and the 160th anniversary of when the pioneers started building it.  So many good things happen on April 6th!

 

It was a glorious day on Temple Square!  As we were heading back to our hotel, the crowds were moving in for the next session of conference - the Priesthood Session.  The train was packed with men and young men in their white shirts and ties, all heading to the conference center.  It was awesome to see . . . and the girls sure enjoyed it!!!

 

In our hotel room that night, we saw the weather forecast was calling for blizzards the next day, so we decided to head home earlier than our original plan.  We got all loaded into the truck a few minutes before 10:00 the next morning, just in time to listen to conference on the radio as we began the trip home.  We didn't hit any snow until Idaho, but there was no accumulation.  By the end of the day though, when we were finished driving, the roads were getting pretty slushy.  We got another hotel and did some shopping the next day before completing our final leg of the journey and getting home.  The next day all the girls went back to school and I made the trip to pick up my two littles, Katia and Mackenzie.  I sure missed them!  Mac just wanted to be close to me, and kept playing with my face, stroking my cheeks and pulling out my lips.

 

Now the trip is over and our memories of details are fading already.  But there are special parts that will always stand out in our minds.  I'm so glad we had this opportunity to go to General Conference and have some special testimony building experiences and other good times with our daughters. 

We are truly blessed!

Katia's Baptism

March was an extra-special month for Katia because she turned 8 and was baptized a few days later on March 29, 2013, which was Good Friday. 

 



I took these baptism pictures of Katia in our back yard a few days before her baptism.  The snow around the weeds on the big pile of topsoil that we still haven't spread around yet made a nice backdrop!

 

Our Bishop told us that he'd had an incredible baptism interview with Katia.  When we asked her about it, Katia told us that it was really nice.  That she felt the Spirit and felt really good and happy, and even cried - happy tears of course!

 

Katia worked out her program and did all the asking to all those who would participate in the program.  Then she printed out her program and we photocopied it, added a few stamps, folded them and attached her baptism picture to the front.  The only change to the program was that Uncle Greg was a witness because Uncle Kevin couldn't make it.

 



 

So, our ward mission leader told us previously that he cleans out the baptism font and starts filling it up with water about 2 1/2 hours before the baptism.  Then he stays around and sets up chairs and things, and if we could show up sometime in the hour before to pick out Katia's white dress and get her ready, that would be perfect.  So we went to the Stake Center about 45 minutes early.  There was a car in the parking lot, but the doors were locked and no one was responding to our knocking and buzzing.  So Rich went to his parents house because they have a key.  By the time we got in, it was about half an hour before the baptism was scheduled to begin.  Everything was dark, no chairs were set up, and there was not a drop of water in the font!  So, Rich went to the controls to see if he could figure out how to get the water running.  I ran to the foyer to call someone, but the phones were disconnected as the building had been getting its phone/internet lines worked on that week.  Neither Rich or I had our cell phones - didn't think we'd need them for a baptism!!!  Our stake president was in the gym playing basketball with his son and he tried to help Rich figure out the taps, but neither of them had done it before.  Luckily, Jas and the rest of our girls showed up then and Jas had her phone.  And luckily one of the few phone numbers I have memorized was the bishopric counsellor who would be attending the baptism.  I called him and he came right over and we got the water going.  But it takes two hours to fill the font and our baptism was supposed to start in 20 minutes!  Anyway, everyone was happy and family was arriving, including people who travelled far like Uncle David's family, Auntie Denyse's family and Auntie Rebecca's family.  We got Katia dressed and decided to start half an hour later than originally planned.  When we went to take pictures, my camera wouldn't work because I had forgotten to put the memory card back in after printing her baptism pictures.  Jas ran home and got that for us.  But it was okay - we had lots of time to spare while the font was filling!

My favourite - Katia and her daddy.

 

 

We always line our girls up in order for baptism pictures, and in the past they've made pretty good stairs.

But now we have five that are almost the same size, and then the two littlies.

So they crouched or tippy-toed in the appropriate manner so we could get a good stair picture!

The whole family!!!

 

So by 4:30 we decided to begin Katia's baptism.  By this time, the water was just reaching the top of the bottom step.  Richelle gave a wonderful talk on baptism with an excellent reminder of how we can remember our baptism covenants.  She gave Katia a KitKat candy bar with a new wrapper on it that explained that the KAT part stood for:

K - Keep the commandments

A - Always remember Him

T - Take His name upon you

Since it's also the first three letters of her name, it should be pretty easy for her to remember!

 

One of my favourite parts was the musical number by Katia and her sisters, accompanied by Grampa.  They sang "I Come to the Water" by Janice Kapp Perry.  They all sang it together until the very last phrase, which Katia sang by herself:

"Dear Father please help me remember this day -

I cov'nant thy will to obey." 

It was absolutely beautiful, especially as you could see Katia (and her sisters) feel the meaning of the words she was singing.  I think everyone in the room could feel the Spirit.

 

Then it was time for Katia to go to the water.  The water level was almost to the second step so it was about a foot and a half deep and almost reached Richard's knees.  But Katia is a petite little thing and Rich was confident that he could get her fully immersed in the water.  He said the prayer and then pushed her all the way to the bottom of the font, checking her up and down to make sure her dress and hair were all immersed at the same time.  I've never seen any one in the water for so long, but Katia did great and gave her daddy a huge hug.  Then she came up the stairs to me and I wrapped her in a towel and my arms!

 

While I was helping Katia get changed, everyone else wrote little messages for Katia to treasure.

I especially like the one on top from her friend Keagan, who noticed the bumps on the bottom of the font!  I guess when the font is filled all the way, you don't notice the bumps!!!

 

Continuing on with the rest of the program, we had Jasmine giving the talk on the Holy Ghost.  She talked about some of the roles of the Holy Ghost, including being a Comforter.  Then she wrapped Katia in a new fuzzy blue blanket and compared that to how the Holy Ghost can make you feel - warm, good, comforted.

Then Katia was confirmed by her daddy and received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  I've been to a ton of baptisms over the years, and I've never seen an 8 year old child be so touched by this as Katia was.  She was very emotional as she shook hands and hugged the men in the circle.  She assured me that they were happy tears and that she just felt so good!

 

After the baptism was over, we all came back to our house for Taco-in-a-Bag.  Time for visiting with family and for cousins to enjoy each other again. 

At the end of the day, we have Katia snuggled under her new fuzzy comforter, sharing a futon with cousins.  It was a very special day for our special Katia!

 

The next morning, our ward mission leader phoned and said, "Are we all ready for a baptism today?"  When I told him that we had actually done it yesterday, he felt awful, and so did his wife - she was practically crying.  He just had it in his mind that the baptism was Saturday the 29th - instead of Friday the 29th.  They were so sorry and sad that they missed it because they know Katia well and wanted to be there.  And it turns out, that even if the phone lines had been working and I'd been able to get through, they were on the phone for about an hour then, dealing with a family problem.

 

When I think back on Katia's baptism, all I remember is that it was one of the most spiritual baptisms I've ever attended.  The Spirit was there in great abundance.  I remember that we had lots of little problems on the way to her baptism, but I have to think really hard to remember them now:  scheduling, photo problems, photocopy problems, song practice glitches and the glitches of the baptism day.  The greatness of the day made everything else seem minute.

 

Katia had an incredibly spiritual baptism and she also has the story that she was baptized in 30 inches of water!!!