Utah Valley - a great place to live

For the first 4 years Chris and I were married we lived in the Utah Valley. First we lived in Springville, a quaint smaller town that was just down the road from Provo where we were going to school.  We didn't want to live like everyone else did, in Provo.  We wanted to be different so we decided our first abode should be in Springville.  It was with much surprise to find out that 6 of the eight of us living in that 8-plex were going to BYU anyway.  So much for different!  It was a great place to live though.  I loved the ice cream shop on Main Street, the fact that 7-11 was a few blocks from our house and that we had a drive-in movie theatre.  Who could want more I tell ya'.  And I love that when my oldest is asked where she was born she gets to say "Payson, Utah" not "Provo." 

Each time we go to Utah she wants to make the drive to Payson to see where she was born.  Each time we make the drive I notice all the changes that have occurred.  There is now a huge shopping area right next to the freeway in Springville.  The small town it once was is no longer.  Provo has folded over it's boundaries and crept in like a meringue oozing over it's pie shell.  But meringue is sweet and so it's not a bad thing in my opinion.  Many people are moving to the Utah Valley to go to school and are deciding to stay because of the wonderful things it offers.

This is a list of the things I miss from the years we lived there:

*  4th of July in Provo
*  The mountains bursting with red stinging color each September
*  The dry summer heat
*  7-Peaks
*  BYU creamery
*  Scones from "The Family Tree" in Santaquin
*  The Y on the mountain
*  Going to the Manti Pageant

*  Camping up Hobble Creek

Have you ever done or seen any of these things?  Tell me which one!

Girls Camp 2010

Girls Camp is a place where the young women of our church ages 12-18 can go and let their hair down so to speak.  They can have fun and at the same time grow spiritually in a way that does not happen anywhere else.  I guess that is why I love it so much.  It is an amazing experience to see the growth that occurs in these girls.  I love to see the girl that is super shy all week, barely cracking a smile, get up on the last day and pour her soul out in testimony as to her divine nature.  It's that incredible moment that I love.  The one that keeps me begging to come back another year.


This year the theme was "We are all enlisted."  Each group was a different branch of the military or non-profit service organization (like the Red Cross).  It was fantastic.  So well thought out and prepared.

Makenzie was a campfire YCL and Emma was a 1st year in the Coast Guard cabin.  Emma had wonderful YCLs that ensured that each girl had a great time.  She made new friends and I think her testimony grew as well.

Makenzie was part of an incredible cast of girls that planned entertainment for the troops.  Her energy was contagious and I had a blast watching her up there on stage.  And did it remind me a bit of myself?  Yes.  Once upon a time in a land called Lobster Creek in Gold Beach, Oregon I was up there on stage too doing my fair share of the entertaining. 

Here is a video of Makenzie and her crew doing their Stomp.


Campfire Stomp from Darilyn May on Vimeo.

I was never as good as this though.

Summer 2011

As summer 2010 is upon us I am thinking actually of summer 2011.  You see, 2010 is planned.  It's done. There isn't that much more thinking to do about it.  And I like to think and plan about all that is good in the summertime; Trips, family time, gardening, county fairs to mention a few.  So I have moved on to 2011.  And it's not premature either because we want to do something big.  These are our options:

1.            Family Camp at Aspen Grove, Utah

2.            Thailand

3.            Cross country trip visiting church and U.S. historical sites

Now for the pros and cons of each one.  Well, there really aren't any cons just lots of pros.  Let me start with

Aspen Grove

We have never been before and i've heard it's tons of fun for every family member.  There are activities for every age group and it is a fun family time.  It is beautiful there and it would be nice to see family that live in the area as well.  The other plus to this is that we would be going with a couple other families from our ward.  It's not that far and we could drive there and back.

Thailand

Ever since I went about 5 years ago I have wanted to take Chris and the girls.  I have said that I won't go back without them.  My dad and his wife go there every year and are very familiar with how to live like the locals.  They are considered locals in all actuality and that appeals to me.  I would love for my girls to experience a foreign country and to see what life is like outside of their little world.  It is cheap, everything in Thailand is inexpensive compared to here in the States. The downside is the cost of the airfare, that would be the expensive part.  Another downside is that we would need to go in the summer and that is not the best time to go to Thailand.  I have thought about going around Christmas break, that may be an option but then would that be weird to be somewhere where the main religion is Buddhism during Christmas?  Another downside of this trip is the political unrest Thailand has been having. I obviously want my family to be safe.  Chris says, and I agree, that with our trip being a year away a lot can happen in a year.  Also, having my dad and Ladda with us helps us to avoid the areas that are dangerous.

Cross Country Trip

Chris and I have been talking about doing this for as long as we can remember.  He served his mission in Boston and would love to show all of us the sites in that area.  I love that Washington D.C is free and wonderful for families. Visiting Nauvoo would be cool as well as go to the Hill Cumorah pageant.  The problem I see with this trip is that there is too much good stuff to do and see.  We would fly to the east coast and drive back in a rental.  This = EXPENSIVE.  With my rough estimates, the cost of this trip would equal going to Thailand and the expensive airfare for that.  The girls would learn so much about the United States and seeing church history would make it come alive for them. And, I would be able to cross off 3 things on my 50 Things I want to do in my life list

So there you have it.   The Aspen Grove trip needs to be booked pretty soon, like as in right away.  That's why I've been thinking about it. 

Decisions, Decisions......

What do you think?

Where would you want to go?

Lessons learned from a prophet

During the 3rd year hike for Girls Camp this year I wanted to include something that went along with the theme for camp, "We are all enlisted."  In my search I found lots of talks and articles about being "enlisted" but somehow none of them seemed just the right fit.  I was looking for something that would convey to the girls what being 'enlisted' meant. That they should be enlisted in doing good things and being examples of righteous young women.  I finally found the perfect talk and it was from President Monson.  It was from a General Conference Address that was given several years ago. It is the story of him telling a story at a previous General Conference about his friend Arthur Patton and the after effect of him giving that address. 

The girls read the talk during the hike and then each of them had a yellow and blue star to remind them of the story and what it means to be enlisted in the service of God. 

A couple of weeks after the hike I got an email in my inbox from lds.org that there was a new Mormon Message.  I hardly ever take the time to actually watch these.  Usually if someone recommends it to me I will but not typically.  But for some reason the title got my attention, "Until We Meet Again."  I opened it up, clicked on it and there to my amazement was the same story we learned from on the hike.  I love President Monson.  I love his way with words and how he can tell a story like no other.  He puts such a vivid picture in my head of the events he is describing.  I feel like I'm watching it unfold from a window.  I also am grateful to the Holy Ghost.  It felt like a testimony to me that I was led to include this talk in the hike.  What were the chances that this one lone talk would be chosen to have a video made of it?  It was wonderful to watch and I hope you enjoy it.

Dr. Rood

I love this guy and no, my husband doesn't mind.  He loves him too.  For the past four years we have had the privilege of getting to know him better as he has been going to medical school at OHSU.  I am not his mother or his aunt.  I am in fact his second cousin ( his dad and I are cousins) in my family it just means we are cousins.  But I feel a little possessive of him, like he is my little brother or my nephew.  Over the past four years he has done laundry at our home, eaten meals with us, played board games with us, been to our girls' recitals, played a bank robber at Heidi's western-themed birthday party a few years ago and shared about 100 diet Pepsi or diet cokes with me.  Before he moved here I loved him because he was a member of my family.  Now I love him because I know him.  For mother's day he spent the day with us, calling his mom from our house. He gave me a big hug and told me Happy Mother's day and then thanked me for being a "mom" to him. Sniff, sniff, see what I mean?  He is great.

Today he graduated from OHSU school of Medicine and can officially be called Dr. Rood.  He is doing his residency in Albuquerque, New Mexico in Pediatrics.  I can think of no one better to help ailing children and parents of these children cope with their child's illnesses.  He is kind, gentle and knowledgeable.  And I'm a proud cousin/aunt/older sister.


Four years with Corey from Darilyn May on Vimeo.