"Stadium of Fire" - 2012

We had a pretty fun, but relatively low-key 4th of July this year. We decided not to attend the parade this year. We didn't know of anyone going and didn't want to venture into the throngs by ourselves. So we all slept in instead (definitely okay with me). Then in the afternoon, we went to Brian and Norma's for a BBQ along with Ross's mom.

But the highlight of our day was being able to go to Stadium of Fire. A friend  called me the night before and said she had been given a couple of tickets from work and wouldn't be using them. So she gave them to Ross and me. I have enjoyed the Stadium of Fire a couple of times in the past, but Ross had never been before. So it was fun to be able to go and enjoy that together.

I love all the great patriotic components of the Stadium of Fire. They do a great job of celebrating the American spirit of the 4th of July. Here's a picture of representatives from each of the military branches bringing in flags for the flag ceremony.

 I always enjoy seeing the young local talent in the dance and musical numbers.

The opening musical guest was Scott McCreery. I didn't even know who he was before going to the concert (sorry to all you "American Idol" fans out there). But Ross and I were both pleasantly surprised by his songs and great voice.

Celebrity Sighting! Here's a picture of Steve Young and his wife climbing over everyone to get to their seats six rows in front of us. (Later in the evening, The Beach Boys dedicated their song "Barbara Ann" to them. So they both got up and jammed out during that song along with most of us around them.)

Stan Ellsworth from "American Ride" made an appearance to talk about some of Provo's first 4th of July celebrations.

The main attraction for the night was The Beach Boys. This year marks their 50th anniversary tour. I have to admit, I really didn't think that The Beach Boys would bring much of a crowd. I thought it was silly to bring in such an "old" band. But boy was I surprised! Granted, I'm sure they didn't have the same moves and level of energy that they once had. But it turned out to be one of the funnest concerts I've ever been to. Beach balls were bouncing all around, and it seemed like everyone (young and old) knew the songs and enjoyed singing and dancing along. They are such icons in American music, that afterward I thought it was a great idea to have them sing at a patriotic event like the Stadium of Fire. It was also great because I felt like it was a nice family-friendly atmosphere that people of all ages could enjoy together. This picture of them is not great, but it is my proof that I saw The Beach Boys perform live in concert.

And of course there was my favorite part of the night...THE FIREWORKS!!! (I have always loved fireworks!) This year they did a tribute to James Bond since it has also been 50 years since the first movie starring "Agent 007." The fireworks were synchronized to music from the movies.

These pictures clearly don't do the event justice, but I wanted to include them anyway. I love fireworks!

I also want to send a big shout out to Ross's cousin, Katie, who was willing to take Leah that night so we could enjoy the concert without a restless two-year-old in tow. Leah had a great time with Katie and Julie. They bought her Coldstone ice cream, took her to watch some of the fireworks, taught her how to roll down grassy hills, and let her watch "Up" until we came to pick her up. I know Leah had a lot more fun with Katie than she would have had stuck on our laps for three hours. Thanks Katie, you're a life saver!!!

Familiy Photo Shoot 2012

I hired my wonderful cousin, Britta, to take our family pictures. She has just gotten into photography in the last few years, but obviously has a natural talent. Plus, she is a whiz at photo editing, touch ups and restoration.

We went up Big Cottonwood Canyon and she took some great pictures. And I definitely credit how great these pictures look to her skill and talent because the subjects of these photos were not easy to photograph. Ross and I will both admit to not being very photogenic. And even though Leah is naturally cute, she was not a very cooperative two-year-old that night. With those odds against her, Britta got some great shots. Here are just a few of them.

Thanks again Britta! You are as sweet as you are talented!

Young Womens Girls' Camp 2012 - "Light the Torch"

I had the great opportunity to go with our Young Women to girls' camp again this year. Planning for girls' camp is always such a HUGE task, but when I see the fruits of our labors, I always feel like all the hard work was worth it.

This year, the Stake theme was "Light the Torch" based on the 2012 Mutual theme "Arise and shine forth that thy light may be a standard for the nations." (Doctrine and Covenants 115:5) and the scripture Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Our focus was on strentthening testimonies through good works and service.

Each ward chose a country to represent and also to provide some type of service for. Our ward's country was Germany. I loved learning about Germany, particularly about the great faith that the saints in Germany had, even through their many war-torn years. And for our service, we contatced a ward in Germany and sent them a package with letters, pictures and a variety of church items. And through a tender mercy of the Lord, a package back from them arrived in the mail the night before we left for camp...What an answer to prayers! The girls were SO excited to read their letters from their new pen pals and couldn't wait to write them back again. And I really enjoyed the yummy German chocolate they sent in our package!

I got to serve with some amazing Young Women leaders again this year. For three of them, it was their first time going to camp with our young women. By the end of the week (or probably even before that--like when we got there), all the leaders were exhausted. But I think they all had a good time, and like me, were glad they went. Here's some pictures of the amazing leaders I served with.

We had a lot of fun with our German theme. We made mini pretzels out of clay for our trading pins. And we handed out pretzels and played the human pretzel game at the Stake Mix 'n Mingle. Here's a pictures of a few of our girls wearing their German hats and suspenders.

On Wednesday, our ward went on an early morning hike. I didn't like getting up so early, but the hike was fun and beautiful. Here's a picture of the sunrise shining through the trees on some of our girls and also a group picture (minus the YW President who was taking the picture).

The girls (and leaders) loved playing the team-building games on the confidence course.

The girls loved it when the leaders were willing to join in the activities. Here's a picture of me getting ready to fall backwards into their hands in the Trust Fall. I also let them guide me blindfolded on the Stump Walk.

I love this picture. I think it is a great illustration of our theme, "Light the Torch."

While the girls and other leaders were out hiking, I set up a little "spa" for them to come back to and soak their feet. They loved it.

No girls' camp would be complete without lots of fun crafts.

Here's group picture taken after our ward did our flag ceremony presentation on Germany. We did our presentation at the Stake Morningside. We had to get up at 5:15 am that morning (sigh) after being up until after midnight for singing trees (double sigh). It was a great morningside, but needless to say, everyone was pretty grumpy later that day.

I wish I could have got more pictures at the waterfront, but my camera battery was dying on the last day of camp. But here's couple pictures of our girls canoing. Some of us leaders joined the girls in the canoes later for games. I had a great time chasing other canoes around the lake trying to pop the ballons tied to them.

Here's a picture of all our girls after their skit. We did a twist on the story "Little Red Riding Hood" where Sister Red, Sister Riding, and Sister Hood help convert the Big Bad Wolf.

It was an exhausting week, but I am so glad I got to go. I love being able to spend so much time with these girls that I love. And I especially love seeing them grow so much spiritually while they are there. Girls' Camp is a great way for the girls to get the "spiritual booster shot" that they so desperately need during their teenage years.

4 Years Together

Last week Ross and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. It was on a Wednesday, so it was harder to do too much. But we still had a good time. We dropped Leah off with her Grandma Leslie and then went out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. We've wanted to go there for a while, but it is always so busy that we haven't bothered. However, going on a Wednesday evening was a good idea because we waited for a minute or less to be seated.

The food was good. We both took half our dinner home to finish later. And I of course got the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake, which I enjoyed over the course of the next several days.

The week before, we did get to spend two nights without Leah. So that was like a pre-anniversary treat. We dropped Leah off at my parents' house, went to a Bees baseball game, and then left the next morning to take the young women in our ward to their camp kick-off overnighter.

Our June has been crazy and full so far. We've done enough things to fill a whole month and it's only half over. There were even some things we didn't do. Plus, we still have a lot left for the rest of the month.

So far this month we :

• Went with the young women on their camp kick-off overnighter
• Had Ross's mom over for dinner
• Had dentist appointments - we even took Leah for her firsts dentist "experience"
• Attended a funeral for a family friend, Cheryl Edvalson
• Celebrated our anniversary
• Went to a dance recital
• Went camping at Heber Valley Girls Camp for our Tucker family reunion
• Went to a birthday party
• Tried to have an Elder's Quorum BBQ (it had to be postponed because of weather)
• Had dinner with the Millers
• Prepared like crazy for girls camp
• Plus we also had all our usual Young Women and Elders Quorum meetings and responsibilities

I wish I had gotten more pictures from our adventures, especially from our family reunion. Oh well, I guess. I did get a few pictures from the dance recital Leah and I went to. Some of the dancers included my two sisters, my niece, my cousin and three of Lesley's nieces. Leah loved watching the girls dance on the stage. Her and Kynee even danced danced with them in their seats. But by the end, both of them were done sitting for so long and just wanted to run around.

Here's a picture of my sisters and my cousin performing their trio dance. They did a great job!

Here's my niece, Megan. Isn't she a doll!?! This was her first year of dance lessons. She had a lot of fun and also did a great job!

Here's to hoping that we survive the rest of our busy June!