30 Years and Counting!

What does an old couple do to celebrate 30 years of marriage?

They get away alone to the mountains where they can find no internet, wi-fi or cell service!

(Not on purpose, but it was a nice bonus.)

You might think they went camping....but you would be wrong.

Thad does NOT camp. 

We are resort kind of campers - with soft places to sleep and warm water to shower.

We stayed at Terrace Lakes Resort in Garden Valley

And played 18 holes of golf in the middle of the forest. 

That might not sound like much to someone who golfs regularly, like my dad,

but for us it was a character defining day. It took us 5 hours in 90-degree temps 

100 strokes for each of us - I had 36 strokes before the 4th hole.

We learned:

Patience while looking for lost balls - several.

Temperance when missing the ball completely

Control when making a good solid contact with the ball - rarely for me.

Appreciation for the beauty of flowers, streams, and trees along the way.

Gratitude for the health and physical ability to make it 18 holes. 

Most of all, we enjoyed each other's company. There was no one else on the course.

We took our time, laughed at our ineptitude.

After we woke up and ate dinner, we attended the premier showing of 

the off -Broadway show, "SUGAR" at the STARLIGHT MTN. THEATER.

Can I just say so fun! Way more enjoyable than a movie.

The show was entertaining, hilarious, and a nice way to cap a great day.

DAY TWO.....More activities in the sun!

An early morning walk around a park while taking pictures.

Breakfast at 11 am

A 3-hour nap in the middle of the day to recover from playing 18-holes

the day before. This is our little one-room cabin.

Our idea of roughing it.

Another 2-mile walk, that turned into more of a hike without a cart

to the back nine for more pictures.

An hour of tennis and chasing 13 tennis balls across TWO courts. 

(We weren't that bad - at least Thad wasn't bad).

Dinner down in Crouch at an outdoor grill with live acoustic guitar music

and a cool breeze on the veranda.

50 more golf balls on the driving range.

I could use a few more days of practice with a coach.

Dad?

Parker at BYS!

 What is BYS?

Boise Youth Spectacular (BYS) is a 3 day event that produces a social, educational, and spiritual youth conference. Youth are separated into groups with trained young adult counselors. Together they attend workshops, firesides, eat meals, dance and enjoy musical events. 

THIS IS WHAT PARKER DID FOR THREE DAYS!

This is Derek, his counselor, a recent high-school graduate who is preparing for a mission.

This is Joslin, a new friend he made in his Pink-33 group.

This is Luke, his best friend and roommate. 

This is the first time that both of them attended BYS. 

Their days were filled with speakers, dances, spiritual moments, reflection, 

friends, music, a talent show, good food, and late nights!

Curfew was at 11:30, but they didn't go to sleep until 2 am. 

Parker loved it and wished it was a whole week instead of only three days.

He said he felt the spirit and enjoyed his time alone to pray and reflect. 

He plans on returning every year until he graduates.

I'd say it was a SUCCESS!

Trekking Like a Pioneer

Why do we trek?

We cannot begin to understand the journeys made by those who laid the foundation of this dispensation until we understand their spiritual underpinnings. Once we make that connection, we will begin to see how their journey's parallel our own. There are lessons for us in every footstep they took - lessons of love, courage, commitment, devotion, endurance, and most of faith." - M. Russell Ballard

Caden joined our ward, and two other wards from our stake in a pioneer trek located in Sweet, Idaho, just west of the Boise National Forest. They were organized into "families" with adults and children and loaded all their belongings onto a handcart like this one.

Each person was allowed only 17 lbs of personal belongings, stuffed into a 5-gallon bucket.

They each carried a shoulder bag with water, sunscreen, snacks, and their journal and scriptures.

They set off in their companies which consisted of 3-4 families - 11 handcarts total - and began the long and hot 7-mile hike from sagebrush to treeline on day one. They pushed those handcarts up 1500 feet in elevation by the time they landed at camp at the end of the day. Most of the trekkers said it was the hardest day. They were ambushed by "Indians" who took some of their belongings like their snacks, bug spray, rope. 

The second day was another grueling 7-mile journey of pushing, but this day included the women's pull up a very steep mountain like this one.  

The event simulated the time when the LDS men were all called to fight in the Mormon Battalion and left their women and children to continue on the trail without them. All the men on the trek hiked up the mountain without the carts and stood at the top while they watched the women and girls pull all 11 handcarts up the steep hill without them. The boys were in tears and wanted to help, but it taught them about the power and strength women have to do hard things. A new perspective for some.

This is the day that Caden experienced some of the real life struggles the pioneers dealt with as they crossed the plains. He woke up on day two with stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and cramps. He spent a lot of time in the port-a-potty. The ward families and trek doctor took good care of him, providing him water, medicine, and a modern ride in the food trucks with air conditioning.
(Something the pioneers surely didn't have.) 

He said he realized then that the struggles the pioneers had were harder. They slept on the hard, dirty ground without tarps, they didn't have a spread of food waiting for them at their stops. Sometimes they pushed all day with only 4 oz. of flour to sustain them. 

He trekked for three days and only 7 miles per day. They trekked for three-to-four months and covered 20 miles per day on average. 

Being a pioneer is HARD. 

We had a stopping point each day - the pioneers had to keep walking.

Some walked barefoot. Some walked with broken bones or were carrying others.

Some families buried their children along the trail and had to leave them behind.

This is Caden on the third day of trek. Glad it's over!

He rested and was back to pushing and pulling the handcart with his family.

21 Miles Accomplished!

When we arrived to pick him up in the evening, several people informed us that he'd been really sick.

One good friend of mine, a mother in our ward, said she'd seen a "very mature young man who handled his sickness like a man". He never complained or tried to get out of working. He was back to work as soon as he could be. "You should be very proud of him," she told me.

Caden's words... 

I'm most grateful that I didn't have to trek across the country with the pioneers. 

I'm also grateful for their sacrifice and willingness to pay the price so I can enjoy the blessings of the gospel.