June 2013

Strange summer - I think it was because Taylor graduated from high school and the kids are growing up doing different things.  The second  week in June, Kyley had girls camp where she was a YCL of course she rocked it, her personality and goofiness made everyone love her.  She told us about "Tree of  Life" experience all campers participated in and as a YCL Kyley played a part.  She said entire wards got led away from the iron rod by such things as "bishop wants to meet you over here".  Crazy!   Kyley was in charge of the "mist" (fog machine) and she says she could see all this playing out and it front of her and it put our lifes in perspective. I am so thankful our children have these type of experiences to grow their testimony and grow closer to the Lord.

While Kyley was at girls camp  Taylor had orientation at NAU - the same time much of my family was going to Havasuipi Falls and Ty got the invite.  Ricedorffs, Dyan and Jack, Platts, Jerermy, Karrie, Jake, Annie and Hannah, Goodmans Joe, Cassie and  Matt all made the 10 mile hike to the falls.  This is a trip I have been wanting to take my whole life and Ty had a ball.  Matt, Jack, Jake and Ty went out ahead to get a  "good spot" in the shade.  Jeremy rented a mule to carry his family's  stuff (Hannah being only 7) so Ty put much of his stuff on the Mule so the hike in was a breeze.  They jumped swam and had a blast.  Look at that water.  Loren rafted the Colorado River Lake Powell to Lake Mead and one of the days they swam up creek to the falls and he said it was beautiful.  Love this beautiful state.  The hike out was tougher since Ty needed to bring all his stuff out in his pack because he was leaving for scout camp the next day, but he made it and had a great experience.  He got home at 2:00am spend the night at the Ricedorffs I picked him up at 9:00am and he left the next day for his first scout camp.  Ty wasn't too thrilled to go probably because he was exhausted and had just hiked 20 miles in two days and the first days of scout camp was a hike. Loren gave him a choice, stay home and help mom pack or go to scout camp.  He choose scout camp and had a blast .

Jake, Ty and Jack what a memory!

Ty jumping off one of the falls

 

The boys - Ty, Jake, Joe, Jack, Matt I am sure there wasn't' any teasing involved ;)

 While Ty and Kyley were playing, Taylor and I went to NAU orientation.  Lots of classes not fun, but informative.  Taylor met with a counselor, got her schedule, toured the campus, saw her condo and learned lots.  I got the confirmation that this is the place for Taylor.  NAU is a beautiful campus and I am so excited for her to experience college life. Wyatt and Loren went off exploring Flagstaff, hit the museum and Bearizona loving every minute of it.  How often does one kid get a parent all to themselves on a vacation.  The second day for orientation I ditched and hung out with Wyatt and Loren we rode the  ski-lift at Sno-Bowl to the top of the mountain and visited with the park ranger learned of some of the history of Flagstaff.  We picked Taylor up and then headed to the Grand Canyon.  At this trip in June it had been nine years since I had seen the Canyon and they had built so much up around it.  I had forgotten how big and beautiful it is.  We walked the trails, saw couple elks, visited and enjoyed the beauty of the earth.  It was this trip that made me want to take Ty and Kyley up the the Canyon the end of September.  After all our June trips we moved and  since our house had a pool pretty much swam everyday.  We took a short trip to the Graham mountains over 4th of July and the annual Goodman camp-out in July,  but summer isn't as along as it once was and we were back at school before we knew it.