All by myself!

Almost all of my posts that contain pictures have been fixed or worked on by Andrea, Riley or Katie but today I changed my background and all of the details by myself! Yea! I am finally getting this (or so I think.)

Wake up call

This past week was girls camp for our stake. Friday was the last night of camp and the girls had the usual end of camp testimony meeting. Our stake president and his wife were there and spoke to the girls as well as bore their testimonies of Christ and the gospel. On the way home at about 2am President Wood and his wife were in an accident. Kathy died instantly and President Wood is in a coma in critical condition. Needless to say our entire stake is in shock. What a reminder that we never know how much time we have here. Today at church one of my friends who is related to them and knew them well made the comment that if anyone was ready to go it was Kathy. She had her life in order and truly loved Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. What an astounding comment and compliment. It made me take a step back and ask myself am I ready? Would those who know me best say the same thing? I am so grateful for a lovnig Heavenly Father who watches over us and gives us opportunities to learn and grow. Our hearts go out to the Wood family.

A few of my favorite things

We love to camp but have not had time to get away so we decided to take a day hike instead just to get out in nature for awhile. Last week we decided to hike out to Hidden Pond on the Dead Truck Trail (don't you just love the name?) which was supposed to be a 5.3 mile moderate hike, however we took a wrong turn at a fork in the trail and ended up hiking an extra mile and a half by the time we were done. To be away from the noise of life and enjoy some of God's creations was such a blessing. Here are some of my favorite pictures from that day.

Kaitlin, Katie, Kevin, Brian, Tyler & I on the trail

The view across the ravine

Brian helping Katie down from the trail to Hidden Pond - yes it was as steep as it looks

You can onlly see this waterfall by climbing down from the trail and crossing the rocks surrounding the pond. Definitely worth the trip!

Looking down the river away from the pond

Kevin & Kaitlin debating whether or not to put their feet in the icy water

Tyler & Gran enjoying the view & the sun

Tyler with Papa Joe & Tank

Our cover girl Katie ready for her closeup

The water was very cold & Tyler wouldn't put his feet in but his head was okay!

Brian & Tyler putting shoes on to begin the climb out

The only way out is up!

Even though we were all sore for the next few days it was a wonderful day. I'm so glad we went.

Quiet house

We are down to six in the house which is funny if you think about the fact that 25 years ago we added Greg and became a family of six. It has been 13 years since there were only six of us in the family. 1996 began our journey with foster care and adoption, our house has been filled to capacity and often overflowing ever since. Greg & Carinna have both started online classes so they are out of sight most nights, Brian, Katie & Ty are still in Idaho hanging out at the ranch, Riley has moved into her dorm and is beginning college life in Rexburg and Kelly has moved up to Alaska to become an Eskimo with Amanda, so the house feels pretty quiet. If we could get Tank & Harley to quit barking everytime they hear a noise the silence would probably be deafening!

Britt and Derek's Wedding

(click on the pictures to enlarge them)

Joe and Brittney before the wedding

Walking down the "aisle"

Bonnie, Brittney, Derek, and Joe

Avery, Brittney, Kaeden, and Tyler

Kaeden and Great Grandma Johnston

Kaeden and Great Grandpa Johnston

Bye-bye Ri-Ri

So Riley is all grown up (or at least pretending to be) and has headed off to college. After attending Britt's wedding she headed off to Idaho with Katie & Brian for a two week stay at spa Smith, aka Katie's parents house in Preston, after which Brian & Katie will take her over to Rexburg & get her moved in to her dorm. Classes begin on June 4th and I know she will be a wonderful addition to BYUI. Here are some of the things we will miss most about Ri Ri:

1. Her mischievious smile
2. The wicked glint in her eye when she's up to something
3. Her willingness to help with anything
4. Her company
5. Her sense of humor
6. Her "professional" driving skills
7. Her help in understanding what's funny and what's not
8. Phil
9. Her loving nature
10.Her example

Good luck at school. We love you Ri!

Weddings, weddings & more weddings

So we have now survived our third wedding in 7 months. I would love to say that I hope we are done for the rest of the year but everytime I voice a comment along those lines I am proven wrong! Brittney and Derek's wedding was beautiful. They chose a really beautiful location in St. George UT where we were joined by family and friends. It is always a sweet experience to be with those closest to us on special occasions whether in person or in spirit. Hopefully I will become more competent at adding pictures to my posts and you will all get to see how nice things turned out for both Brittney and Alex.