Girls Camp 2015

Because my calling in church is in Young Women, I got to go to Girl's Camp this year. This was my first time going as a leader. My calling is the Beehive Advisor, meaning I teach the lessons on Sunday to the 12-13 year old girls. I loved getting to get to know all the other girls better too. I have some very cherished memories of Girl's Camp and the wonderful girls and leaders I went with, I hope that these girls will remember me as well and that I can make a difference in their lives. I was impressed with girls' willingness to work and help each other, and it was so wonderful being around their wonderful spirits and hearing and seeing their testimonies.

 I was in charge of 2 crafts for the girls to do while we were there. Surprise! I cut out the words "Be YOU Tiful" on my Cricut and brought them each a piece of 2 x 4 and some paint. They painted their wood and then modge podged the words on. They loved it and they turned out really cute. 

A couple days later we did the second craft. I brought them all a picture frame, a knob, and some lace and they painted the frames, and the glued the knob and lace on, with some ribbon to hang it on the wall. It is a jewelry hanger. They also loved that and I think they had lots of fun.

One of the days the girls did a challenge course. They went through different team work obstacles. We didn't get to go with them, because they wanted to girls to work through them without their leaders' help, but we did get to do that last part while we waited for them, which was a ropes course. We climbed up a pole, walked across a log, and then slid down on a zip line. It was really fun and I was really proud of all the girls who did it. Some even did it blindfolded!

One day we went on a 5 mile hike with the whole stake. It was fun walking and talking with he girls and the view at the top was very worth it.

 There was a moose and her baby wandering around our campground the whole time and we saw it a few times pretty close up. 

These girls are so silly and fun, but so spiritual at the same time. Our theme was about being a virtuous woman, and I know they all already are, and will grow up to be great examples to those around them!

Memorial Day Weekend 2015

Last week there was a carnival in town so I talked Chris into taking me down and riding the ferris wheel. I love ferris wheels, don't know why. I guess I think they are romantic. :) Love my cute husband!

We decided to go home for Memorial Day, and after the fact we realized that no one was really going to be there for most of the weekend, but we went anyway. Chris' mom and step dad went to Yellowstone and came back Sunday night. His dad and stepmom were gone and came back Saturday evening. None of my cousins came and my aunts and uncles were leaving town. But we really needed to get out of town. Saturday we did a little shopping in the morning, and then we saw Chris' brother Robby and his girlfriend. Then I went and saw my friends Sarah and Melissa who I worked with in Twin. I miss them so much. Melissa's daughter was having a birthday was having a birthday party at the new park in Twin so I went down there and hung out for awhile while Chris went and saw his brothers and cousin. I'm mad I forgot to get a picture with them. Later we had ice cream with my roommate Amy who is from Twin and was in town. It was really good to get to see friends who we normally don't have time to see. 

We went to Chris' grandparent' house and visited with them, and then swam for awhile in his Aunt and Uncle's new pool, who live next door. That night we went and had dinner at Chris' dad's. Sunday we went to church and then saw his mom later when she got home. Monday we met Chris' family at the cemetery to put flowers on graves. We stopped in Burley to see my brother Kelby and his family. 

 

 Before we left town for good we stopped at the Heyburn Cemetery and saw my Grandma and Grandpa Hellewell's graves and my mom's three sisters. It wouldn't be Memorial Day if we didn't. 

Definitely not a Memorial Day I am used to, but it was fun anyway. I'm glad we got to spend so much time with Chris' family, and whit people we don't get a lot of time to see. 

Seattle Trip

Well it has been awhile since I have blogged. I wanted to catch up for journaling purposes. As most of you know, back in March my mom was diagnosed with 3 ependymal tumors-two on her spine and one on her brain. She had surgery at the University of Utah to remove the biggest one on the spine. As a result of the surgery, she lost all feeling and movement in her legs. She was in the rehab unit there at the U of U for about a month, and from there she went to Seattle to do radiation therapy. She went there because they have a special kind called Proton Therapy where the radiation actually stops at the tumors. Because she would need it to her whole brain and her whole spine, this was the best option, so that it would not affect her other organs and cause severe short and long term side effects. She was there for about 2 months and then came home. She is currently staying with my brother Kelby and his wife Amy in Burley during the week, and then the rest of us rotate weekends and we go home and take her to her house and stay with her. She is going to physical therapy and regaining some feeling and movement in her legs, and we are hopeful that she will eventually be able to walk again, or at least stand and transfer herself. We have so appreciated the prayers, support, love, service, and donations. They have helped tremendously. She has been in a lot of pain lately, probably for many reasons-nerve pain from regaining her feeling, back pain from a compression fracture caused by the radiation, UTI's, rib pain, etc, so please continue to keep her in your prayers. 

While she was in Seattle, we each took turns staying with her. We rented an apartment from a lady who only rents to people who need to be there for medical reasons. My sister-in-law Stephanie (Kyler's wife) and their little boy Josh, and I stayed with my mom for the first 3 weeks she was there. It took them almost 2 weeks to have everything ready to start the therapy, so we were able to play and see a few things before that. It was lots of fun being able to spend time with them all. Josh learned to say my name and grew to really like me. :) Here are some pics from that trip. 

He kept putting this bowl on his head-he looked like Charlie Chaplain. So cute.

He loved the Aquarium. We couldn't tear him away from this wall!

We went to Pike's Place Market one day. Josh fit in this guy's hand just perfect!

When this pic was taken he actually leaned over and wanted to come to me from his mom. Now that is love!

He loved the park!

At the end of May he came and stayed with us for a weekend while his dad worked and his mom had a girls weekend with her mom and sisters. We loved it! 

Baby Blessing

Two weeks ago we went to my brother Brock's house in Wyoming. He was blessing his new baby girl who was born in January. This was the first time we met her. She is such a doll and I loved every minute I got to hold her! 

We got there late Friday night and Saturday we went to an indoor pool they have and swam for a couple of hours. I didn't get any pictures of that though.

That night we celebrated Porter's 6th birthday, which was the day before. He is so smart and so fun. I was playing Qwirkle with him while we were there, and he kept adding up his score before I could. He isn't allowed to answer math questions unless no one else in his Kindergarten class doesn't know the answer. Haha.

His mom accidentally bought trick candles. I was hilarious.

This beautiful girl in her blessing dress. 

We had such a fun weekend and it was nice that we were only 5 hours away. We really love living closer to family! 

I am getting so old!

I feel like we are constantly eating out and eating cake for a month between Valentine's Day and Chris' birthday, but it's a fun month. For Valentine's Day we went out to eat a place in Myton (town even tinier than Roosevelt) called the Hideout Steak House. It's literally in the middle of nowhere but it's really nice and really yummy! We ordered "steak on a stone," which meant our stead was brought to us raw on a hot stone, and we cooked it ourselves. This cook was right after they brought it to us. I cooked it pretty well before I ate it. It was fun and tasted good too. 

Valentine Flowers

On actual Valentine's Day I did a craft fair in Vernal. My little hobby is actually growing into a business and it seems like I always have orders now. I am thankful for everyone who has given me a chance to make them something. I will also be at a boutique in Burley in April. So excited!

The weekend of my birthday we ate at the Hideout Steakhouse again because we still had money left on our card. Saturday we ended up going to Salt Lake to try to get our computer fixed at the Apple store (which failed), but that's ok. We did a little shopping and ate at one of our favorite places there, The Melty Way. Sunday was my birthday and Chris made me a cake with flames that were different colors. It was a low key day but but ver nice.

Last Sunday was Chris' birthday. We went and had dinner at some friends' house and played games. I brought some candles but we ended using some that they had. They didn't have a 2, so Chris turned 31 for the second time. :) We didn't frost and eat the cake till later, so that's why it's still in the pan.

I am so thankful for Chris and all he does for me! Here's to many more birthday's and Valentine's Days together!

Here Comes the Bride

Last weekend we went to Salt Lake for my niece Kelsi's wedding. What's that you say? I have a niece who is married? Why yes I do, and it makes me feel really old! It was a fun weekend and everything turned out really nice. 

We stayed at my brother's house in Springville, so I got lots of hugs from this cute guy. :)

My nephews waiting for the happy couple to come out of the temple.

The bride's little sister. She loved her "princess dress" and crown (which you will see in other pics further down).

Here they are coming out of the temple. She was (is) so beautiful!

Having fun at the reception in Utah Friday night.

Mother of the bride, my sister. :)

The sign I made for them. Kelsi loves this quote from the movie Sweet Home Alabama.

Saturday we drove to Twin Falls for the reception there. They had dancing near the end and Halli and Luke (cousins) danced with each other. SO CUTE! Note Halli's crown. :)

Love this girl to death! She was born on April Fool's Day when I was 7 years old and I remember I didn't believe my dad when he said my sister was having her baby. I was determined not to be fooled. :) I also remember riding in the car with my Aunt Bev and Aunt Shirley and they asked my how it felt to be an aunt, only my 7 year old mind thought they meant "ant,", like the bug. I was so confused but realized it after a minute and I really was excited! She has been my friend ever since and I am so happy for you Kelsi!

Christmas and New Year's

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Again, it was a short trip. We could only be gone the weekend. We got there late Christmas Eve and stayed at my mom's. We were the only ones there Christmas morning, so it was kind of quiet. We slept in. Chris had to drive to Twin that morning and deliver something to his sister so it was late by the time we opened presents. Probably the only year I was showered and dressed when we opened presents. Well I take that back. Two years ago when I had to work at the hospital on Christmas morning we didn't open presents till I got back. Anyway, here is picture of our cute tree. I loved my wrapping paper this year. I love putting a bow on every present. So fun!

We woke up to this on Christmas morning. I don't think I've ever seen the windows frosted like that in real life. It was definitely a white Christmas. Luckily most of it waited until we got there. It only snowed the last half an hour or so of our drive. Remember last year how it snowed the whole way from Spokane? That was awful!

 Some pics of opening presents. I made this sign for Chris' office. A WSU Cougar. :) He loved it.

My new coat that I ordered myself. I had been waiting since October to wear it!

My momma and I! Love her!

I think it was Friday night when we had our gift exchange with my siblings. The first time that only 3 of us were there though. :( But it was still lots of fun. We had a little talent show this year where some of the kids showed off some of their musical talents. And I played the piano at my mom's request. It was my New Year's resolution to practice more this year but I have not been doing it. Going to try harder!

We stayed in Roosevelt for New Year's and went to some friends' house. We played games and ate all night. This is the treat we brought. Yummy!

Chris' little sister who lives in Pennsylvania didn't come home until New Year's Day, so we weren't there the whole time she was home. We still wanted to see her though, so we went to Salt Lake the day before she flew and met her, Chris' mom and stepdad. It was such a fun day and I'm so glad we went. We went out to eat at Olive Garden and then walked around Temple Square. We also went to the City Creek mall for a little while. We still had some time, so we decided to go the Planetarium. We watched a movie about how space was formed and then played with all the cool displays at the museum. It was very cool.

Here is our Christmas card this year. We were lame and just sent out an electronic one, but at least we sent one. I thought it was cute. :)

For my records, here is a copy of what we sent with it:

We wanted to send a note and say that we are blessed to have such wonderful friends and family members in our lives. We love you all and hope that you had a great year. 

         As some of you know, Jill had surgery last year on December 5, 2013, and was still recovering at the beginning of the year. So this year started out a little rough for us, with an emergency room visit on January 3, but quickly improved. She was on TPN (total parenteral nutrition) until the end of March, but during this time she was able to gain weight and start to feel much better. We hope she will continue to do well and that there aren't any more surgeries in the near future.

         Chris graduated with his Masters Degree in Health Policy and Administration from Washington State University in May and in June was offered a job in Roosevelt, UT as a DME (Durable Medical Equipment) Supervisor. It was a big change for us, moving from Spokane to a town of about 6,000 people, but we have really grown to like it. Chris enjoys his job and says that the days fly by, and he always looks forward to the coming week. Jill is not currently working as a dietitian, but has stayed busy with her Etsy shop and Facebook page, PolkaDotPansies, making and selling crafts, and babysitting in the afternoons. We both also stay busy with our church callings. Chris is the Teacher's Quorum advisor and Jill is the Beehives advisor. We both really like working with the youth, and it has helped us get to know more people. 

         As another year closes, we are thankful for all of our many blessings and feel fortunate for all we have. With Jill's health improving we hope that the coming year will allow us to grow our family-and hope that the coming year will bring you joy and happiness as well. We are thankful for the birth of our Savior and this time of year to celebrate it. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!