Girl's Camp 2011

My husband, mother and sister in law all attended Girl's Camp 2011 last week. We all had different jobs (my sister in law was a camper) but we were able to hang out some. My job was to help the girls have fun while cleaning. (I was co-in charge of the CAPERS.) I am proud of myself because I did a few things I didn't think I could do. Namely the following:

• Climbing a mountain after a break from exercise. It didn't feel bad at all.
• Repelling. We all did it - I am especially proud of my mother in law.
• Kept up with the pace of camp. I am glad I got time for naps.

I went to Church the next day and it was nice to have the girls recognize me. It made me a little sad that I don't work with them (I am in the Primary).

Our Washington D.C.Trip

Last week I returned from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Washington D.C. Matt invited us out and we gladly accepted.

During the trip, I was amazed at how much I didn't know about our nation's history, yet at the same time, I was amazed at how much I knew. When we visited the Jefferson Memorial, I was struck by how much the men and women who founded and continue to mold our country, define themselves by and dedicate themselves to the cause of freedom and liberty. I wish I could go thank them all personally. God bless America!

Here are a few though not all of the things we saw.

To get to Matt's apartment, we traveled a lot via the "Mormon Temple Loop" as the natives call it. The Washington D.C. temple is front and center once you get on the loop and slowly recedes behind the trees. Majestic.

The lobby of a Masonic Lodge we visited.

The whole gang outside the Washington Memorial.

We saw the Navy Memorial. As a tribute to my dad who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, I include it here.

We saw the Hope Diamond on display in the Museum of Natural History. It had it's own personal guard.

It's a girl!

I am 20 weeks pregnant with a little girl. She is due October 31st, which is actually kind of cool. And here are some pics! Honestly, it still hasn't really sunk in that I am going to have a baby. Though I may try to deny it, Steve assures me that I haven't just over-eaten a ton.

We are both very ready for this step and I am again reminded how much God loves and cares for me and knows what is best for me in my life. I am grateful for the opportunity to raise a child, though simultaneously scared stiff!

On to the pics!

The classic standing pose

Looking down - Hi there little girl

Chilling on our new couch and chair (Steve found these amazing pieces)

Our little girl about a week ago. She is a thumb sucker and a little shy. I was afraid we weren't going to find out the gender!

And lastly, my mother and sister in law found a big bag of baby clothes and cloths for $5. They were girl clothes so it is lucky that we are having a girl. Though I like them all, the ones below are my most favorite.

A High School Graduation

Last night my in-laws, Steve and I went to a graduation for his younger brother. It was a very fancy graduation. They released doves, they sang a few choreographed songs and they put off fireworks! My high school graduation definitely did not have those things. The students were very coordinated and it was a nice ceremony.

Filing in - about 550 students!

Filing in - very formal and professional. They had girls in white dresses which kind of made the processional look like a wedding!

Everyone gathered together

Fireworks!

It made me think back to the days when I graduated high school seven years ago and how much has happened since then. College, marriage, a full time "real" job, bought a house...I feel like the early 20s had a lot of decisions for me. My father-in-law agreed with me that those high school days do not seem so far away.

$10 a month for Internet

This post in an ode to all good deals that come into people's lives. Mine is currently $10 per month internet. We got a promo deal of $30, then we were a returning wireless customer so we got it for $20 per month. Then, we called in to see if we could get them to inexpensively run a cable to the family room (they can't, it is cheaper to do ourselves) but there has been a lot of complaints in the area, so they gave us a refund and as a result we will pay $10 a month for internet this year.

Woohoo! Now if only I could figure out where I put my keys...

Hanford, California

This last weekend the boys were at a fathers and sons camp to commemorate the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood. Basically, it was really cold. We have been having a cold spell in Fresno - weird! So my mother-in-law invited me to a sleepover at her house with her and her 16 year old daughter - a girls night!! We did some fun things and had a delicious smoothie in the morning. On Saturday, we went to Hanford for a day trip.

Hanford was fun! We got there via train. We where all ready for a hot day, but it was a little cool initially. We went shopping, and as we were walking to the Superior Dairy for a tasty dairy snack, we ran into a little outdoor market! It had nicknacks, food, a dunking station, a carousel and food. Well, and one more thing - really cool old cars!

We then found a consignment store and we all found things we wanted. Even I spent $40 on needed clothes - I got a great deal!

We followed this by our treat at Superior Dairy (very tasty) and the train ride back was very relaxing.

All in all, it was a very fun girly weekend and day trip. Hurray for girl day!

Our First Fruit

We have four kinds of fruit trees - cherry, apple pear, plum and fuji apple. The fuji apple, plum and cherry are all bearing fruit this year - and cherry is our first crop! I love that we can have food from our yard (saves gas money!). I look forward to the many hours of drying and canning that I am sure are to come in the next few years.