My Skirt

I made this skirt yesterday(with the help of mom) and I think it turned out really cute! We didn't have a pattern, we measured the length and the waistband and we sewed! We got fabric for 2 more and I hope to make them soon.

A book review, with some thoughts!

I just finished the Giver and I loved it. I have read Number the Stars by the same author and I really liked it and I love futuristic books and so I figured I would like this too.


And this book brings out so many good points, why was their society like that? and how did they come to that. It's because they got to where they had a nice, pushing, BRAINWASHING leader/dictator/president etc. and he got them on the wrong path and eventually got them where they were in the book.

This got me thinking.

We could be just like that.

Lets, see, we have the "nice pushing, BRAINWASHING" president, our society is becoming like that, we're on that track!

But, do we want to be like that? Do we want to not have any agency, to all be the same?

Our heavenly father gave us things that can't be taken away. Yet they try. And the Lord is with us and we overcome it again. It happens over and over, but we are weakened, people leave the church, they find less and less value in doing what's right(and hard) and start doing what's wrong(and easy).

YOU ARE OF THE CHOSEN GENERATION, STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR WHAT'S RIGHT.

We can defeat the darkness, but it will be hard, it will take work, but we can do it.

Yet, we don't even try, we are too diluted by the world to even care.

We are just trying to be cool, and blend in, act and dress just like our friends but on Sunday morning we go to Church and we pretend that we did what was right all week, but as soon as We leave Church we change our Clothes(usually into somthing immodest) and go hang out with friends for the rest of the day.

“Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” (1 Pet. 2:9.)

You were chosen before birth to come to earth at this time,

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the ^aLord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest

.

As it says here(above), the Lord is with you.

Moroni 7: 31 angels declare word of Christ to chosen vessels that they may bear testimony of him.

I hope we can all try better to do what is right, to fight those battles. And to contribute to the fight for righteousness.

Our first green beans

I picked and snapped our first green beans this morning, YUM!

Family Visit

We have been enjoying a lot a family lately from my dad's side, Fran is off track at BYU-I and Cameron and his wife Milexis and their kids Alexis and Charlotte are moving from Chicago to Provo so that Cameron can go to school and since we haven't seen them for about 6 years they come up here, their visit was only supposed to be about 36 hours but now it is going to be about 3 weeks. Grandpa flew to Chicago to help move Cameron so he was here for a few days and Glenn flew out from PA to help move them so he was here to. We've had a houseful to say the least. We have enjoyed many hours on the dirtbike (yeah, it's a 50 but all the adults ride it anyway), 4-wheeler and the Wii, here are some pics

This is Grandpa on the dirtbike.

Oh, Glenn!

We rode the horses one night

Milexis Cameron Charlotte and Jared

Glenn

Cameron is HILARIOUS to watch play the Wii, I wish I had taped him doing a flapping game, it was HILARIOUS! this is Hula hooping and is really funny too.

Horse Show

Yesterday was the horse show. Fanny Did really good for this being her first time showing. I got 4th in showmanship the judge was going to place me 2nd or 3rd but Fanny had a cocked foot the whole time and so he had to give me 4th. For Western Pleasure Fanny gave me FIRST place!!!!!!!!! Western Horsemanship (which is usually called Western Equitation) is normally just like Western Pleasure, you ride along the rail, and walk, trot or lope what ever the judge says, sometimes he'll say to switch directions, but this year they had us do a pattern. I didn't do very well, I think I got sixth. The trail course this year was hard but I got 4th. And then I got on Bailey for barrels and poles, for barrels I won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My first time ever but I had a SUPER easy age group, I won with only a time of 26 seconds, I didn't want to go very fast and I kept checking her the whole time and I still won. For poles I got disqualified, on the way home(see pattern below) when I had only 2 poles left to pass by and then the time line I crossed onto the other side(I start on the right so it is the pattern on the right I do) and come the rest of the way down on the side I ran up on ( does that make sense???). Oh, well, at least it didn't happen at a rodeo!

Poles

Barrels

The trail course was not in the arena this year, they were trying to save time and so we just had to do trail in between classes when we had some free time.

Showmanship, my friend Tia has the paint(she's still in the line up to present) and Tanner has the little sorrel mare to the right of Tia.

This is when the judge was inspecting my horse.

Tim Hawkins

This video is soooooo funny and true! He has many others that are very funny also, including Chick-fil-a and Cletus take the reel. I love the part in Cletus take the reel when he says he pulled a muscle in his upper thigh, it is so funny! He has many others but these 3 are our favorites.

Remember to turn the music off at the bottom. Enjoy!

Jr. Rodeo

Yesterday was a Jr. Rodeo. We aced Bailey good and she was perfect! I did OK, but it was fun and I have lots of good memories! For Barrels my time was 23 something and for poles it was 36.125 I think! I would have have a couple seconds knocked off of poles but I had a really bad end turn on one of them. And for barrels I would have have a second or 2 knocked off also but I almost lost my stirrup on my 3rd barrel and so I couldn't get it together and go as quickly because I didn't want to fall off! I went a lot closer to the barrels then I usually do because I wanted to knock off time. And it was worth it, usually I stay a safe distance away because of the penalty.

I looked down to the barrel on one of my turns and my led was seriously 3 inches from the barrel, scary! One time I was practicing and I went WAY too close to the barrel I my leg was used to knock the barrel over. We have Metal barrels and I got hit on the shin by the rim. I still have a bruise!

I can't believe my hat stayed on until the 1st barrel!

Poles

My way home

The way there!

Girls Camp

We just got back from girls camp. It was really fun and I can't wait to go back next year! This year it was at a campground right by a lake up north. On Monday we had our hike and a little free time. And the Stake leaders had a skit. On Tuesday was beach day so we went to the lake all afternoon. It was really fun! The stake had rented Kayaks and tube so that was fun and we had ward skits that night. On Wednesday it was my birthday and we had a faith walk on Joseph Smith in the morning and in the afternoon we pretty much had free time all afternoon.
in the evening we had a slide show presentation and then after clean up the Stake leaders came up and we played a bunch of different trick games and we played WAW! It is the funnest game ever!!!! Then we stayed up till midnight Snipe hunting. In the morning w had our closing devotional (we had one every morning and night) and we cleaned up our cabin and left. It was a great week!


We did this over and over. It is soooooooo fun! On the bridge the railings are zig-zagged and so we would slip into the bottom triangle and we would have one on each side and then we would go down and flip over backwards and grab hands! This is the only good picture I got of it because most of the time your shirt would fall down so this is the only one I have that it didn't. This is of Grace and Jennifer.
Here's a slideshow, don't forget to turn the music off at the bottom.

Our pen pals

The Dads!

Mom and Heather

At Tucanos. They sang happy birthday to Caleb and Z(the baby) because his birthday was last week.

Caleb and J

Jared and Ad

Luke and Al

We Still played in the water things even though we didn't change into our swimsuits

The Bunch at the Zoo

Ofter Chuck-E-Cheese we were able to spend the night at Emily's house. Then in the morning we met up with the boy's pen pals, we were able to go to the Zoo and we had lunch at Tucanos(sp?) YUM! and then we went to Settlers Park for a while. And then we got home and went to the Harris' and were there until midnight. We were TIRED!

A hot but fun afternoon!

Fitting Fanny's shoe

Caleb watching very closely!

This morning I was asking the boys who wanted to be my buddy to go tie the horses up at the land so our farrier could come to shoe them. Caleb then said that he wanted to go and then watch him. So we spent the afternoon watching our farrier. Towards the end Caleb couldn't take any more of the sun and heat and so he sat in the shade doing I don't now what! I'm so glad for the trees over there. I makes working out there a lot more bearable like today when it was 95 out there! Hank loved eating the clippings from their hooves...dogs!

P.S Have I told you that Fanny is TERRIBLE to shoe or trim?

I love the new Fanny!

I finally remembered to bring the camera to the land to take pictures of how healthy Fanny looks now! (Except for all of the cut and scrapes to is continually getting)

Chuck-E-Cheese

For the last time! I can't believe Caleb is turning 8! Our family tradition is that when you turn 8 you get to go to Chuck-E-Cheese: The only time.

We were fortunate to have lots of cousins join us and we were a merry bunch. It was funny because there was a kid there who was having a birthday party and his name was Kaleb and he was turning 8! So there was Caleb and a Kaleb there!

Butterfly

Independance Day!

I would just like to take a minute to say how Grateful I am for this Country, for all of the Freedoms we have here. For all the men that Died for you and me. I Like to recall the words in the Star Spangled Banner

O'er the Ramparts we watched, we so galantly streaming. And the Rockets red glare. The Bombs in Air, gave proof through the night that our Flag was still there!

This is so Beautiful! Frances Scott Key was a man of Talent! Previously I had been singing it without thinking about it. Now everytime I sing it I think of the men that died to keep the Flag still standing on that Dreadful Night. I think how after a Flag Bearer had been killed how another man would rush over and hold the flag until he was shot how the Pattern repeated until there was a piles of bodies holding the flag up. They were proud to die for their Country. I hope we can all be as brave and proud as them.
I am also Grateful for a great state to live in. I love it here and couldn't think of a better place to live!


This fourth of July let us remember:

In God we STILL trust.

He is the one who made us a nation! And now we want to push him out? So say it with me:

In God we STILL trust

Wait! I can't here you! Say it again!

IN GOD WE STILL TRUST

Happy 4th of July!!

Our Family Reunion(Part of it)

The Day before this we had a Hot Dog Roast at the Land and we had horseback rides and Archery Shooting. I don't know where those pics went though