10 things

10 things I did this summer:

1. Went on Jeep and 4 wheeler rides in Moab.

2. Went to girls camp.

3. Survived the camp swine flu scare.

4. Went to yellowstone. Favorite part Mammoth Hotsprings.

5. Took a lot of pictures with my new camera.

6. Grew a garden, made bruschetta chicken with my tomatoes and basil tonight.

7. Youth conference. We had a great time staying at my parents house and going to the Martin harris Pageant.

8. Grew shorter than my oldest. Or she grew taller than me.

9. Watched 2 of my daughters get up on wakeboards at Lake Powell. Their smiles when finally getting up were priceless.

10. Had a great and wonderful time vacationing, laughing, and enjoying my family.

And now that summer is officially over I will miss it. School starts in the morning. And Wednesday my baby goes off to preschool.

Wow!

So it's been an amazing summer. We just got back from Lake Powell last night. Traveling to Moab, Yellowstone, and Lake Powell this summer has truly made me recognize what a beautiful world God has given us. I look at the mountains and beauty I am surrounded by differently now. I see the beauty more clearly.

In all of the business and traveling this simmer I also have come to see God more clearly in my life. I have come to see His hands in my life in the small and simple things, and tender mercies he offers me. Lake Powell was incredibly relaxing. I was worried about spending that much time in closed quarters with my family, so I prayed for help to get through the week. I know those prayers were answered. It was like the things that have always bugged me about family members just didn't matter and I was able to be myself and enjoy the fun. I was having such a good time I called Patrick who was home working and convinced him to come down for just a few days. He got to the lake Thursday night. Friday morning my mom fell waterskiing and broke her femur. Although this was a traumatic ordeal we have all embarked on I have clearly seen His hands watching over us. See we only had 2 cars and 13 people but because Patrick had come down the night before we had 3 cars, and my dad was able to drive his car to meet the helicopter in St. George. My sister Kim was planning on going home on Wednesday but her boss sent her an email telling her to stay. If Kim and her hubby had left I would have been on the house boat by myself with 6 kids all day. Also we had parked the house boat in a spot that had cell signal, that can be hard to come by on Lake Powell, so I was able to call 911 and let them know that my mom was coming in the ski boat and they met her at the dock with an ambulance to transport her.

Saturday the rest of us packed up and headed to the marina. We knew a storm was coming but the weather channel didn't sound like it would be that big of a deal. The winds hit hard and fast. We were blessed to have all of our equipment in just the right spot at just the right time. The waverunners were out of the water and on the trailer. The houseboat was tied up to the sewer dump area and perfectly secure and the ski boat was on a beach that was behind a hill that was protecting it. The kids were in the car. Everyone was safe. After the storm calmed we were able to get to the houseboat to the buoy and get the ski boat out of the water just before dark. I am so thankful that it all went ok. We later heard that a houseboat had rolled in the cove we had left earlier that day.

We headed to St. George and spent a few days getting my mom a place to stay for the next week until she can come home. She was released from the hospital last night and is slowly improving. I hope she can sit back and take care of herself and let us take care of her for once. Anyone who has ever heard me talk about my mom knows what an amazing women she is. Always there for us, always taking care of us, and everyone else. She is the most giving person I know. My dad said she started to cry in the hospital and he asked her if she was hurting. She said no that she was crying because she needed to be able to help my sister Jan paint her house. That's my mom for you always thinking about everyone else. Love her.