but do they have to happen 26 miles away from civilization? We were camping at Warm Lake this weekend and Eli took a tumble. He split his forehead open on the edge of the metal fire pit. Before we got to the ER in Cascade the last thing on my mind was taking pictures. But once he was all fixed up I wished I’d had a before shot. Thank Heaven for derma-bond. No stitches just superglue–medical grade I am told. Of course I am biased but I think he was a trooper. Richard and I decided that with two boys it was bound to happen. I’ve heard that a woman once said that her children never had broken bones and stitches because “you can’t really get hurt tripping on a joystick.” But who wants to live that way anyway? But I think I handled it quite well. Richard says I cried more when he split his lip open on our last camping trip than I did this time. Maybe it’s time to take a break from camping… for Eli’s well-being.

Okay so for anyone who hasn’t visited this blog http://www.seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/ you should check it out. (Thanks Jensie and BTW can someone fill me in on how to make a link without typing the address?) Anyway Richard and I got some good hearty laughs from reading through old posts. Oh and it’s a satire, it took me a few minutes to catch on to that…

So it made me think… am I an insecure Mormon Mommy who blog-brags? I was so sure that I wasn’t. I usually question my motives before posting things and justify by thinking “it’s for family” or “it’s my journal” yeah yeah yeah. Well on Wednesday I posted pics from our 4th of July. We left to go camping for a few days and I was sure when I returned there would be loads of comments! And what did I find? One comment. (Thanks Wendy.) I was so disappointed. (That should be my first clue about my self-worth…letting it hang on comments). I know all my fellow bloggers are addicted just like I am and use our google reader to keep constant tabs on each other’s posts. So I know you’ve been reading… If you don’t use google reader you need a friend like Stephanie to enlighten you. Now I only spend 4 hours blogging instead of 5. (Yes Dad I am exaggerating.)

Conclusion is: I have issues. Blog issues. Time for a hiatus. But first I just have to post one more thing…see above.

For the Fourth we went to Richard’s grandparent’s cabin in Island Park. I usually try to limit the pictures I post but since there were people in these besides my little fam I thought I’d include them all. Aside from what is pictured below we also enjoyed many other things. Namely great food (breakfast paninis, dutch oven pizza and cobbler), lots of time to read and relax, card games, fireworks on the water (oh the stories to tell…), thunderstorms, fishing, 4-wheeler rides at dusk (my new favorite), waterskiing, and just conversatin’.
All it took to entertain Cameron and Eli was a beach with rocks they could throw in the water. Despite a couple close calls, no one was hit by the rocks.
It wouldn’t be a trip to the cabin without Grandpa putting the boys to work.
And Cameron trying to look tough…
We ate a late lunch in West Yellowstone before the Playmill theater and the boys were thrilled to be at a park. Eli loves to swing!
The teeter-totters were a big hit. I guess they are just one of those things you never out grow. To fully appreciate our facial expressions you have to click to get the big picture.

The water was surprisingly warm. And even though I was wearing a life jacket Cameron was practically drowning me. Cameron was cool stuff in his helmet and sunglasses. Periodically he would inform us that he was going for a ride on the 4-wheeler. He would go outside and sit on it and let his imagination do the rest. (You might notice in the picture below that his helmet is on backwards.)

This was in West Yellowstone. The boys weren’t so much into the Playmill. It was Oklahoma and I couldn’t quite appreciate it with these squirmy guys.

I brought a 1000 piece puzzle up to the cabin and Gordon helped me get started on it. Then Suzanne and Laura put in some time but as Richard put it, I was the only one who was “obsessed” with it. I’d like to say that I was determined. Jess helped me on the home stretch to finally get it finished. If you’re wondering why I picked a John Wayne puzzle, you just don’t know my in-laws very well yet. 🙂

Thank you to everyone who made this weekend possible and pleasurable. I really look forward to trips to the cabin and if Cameron and I could have our way we would be there “for a long time ago”. (That’s what he says when he means a long time.)

And my shout out to the United States of America: I love this country. I get chills on the Fourth of July when I think about the millions of people all watching fireworks, or spending time with their families in honor of our blessed nation.

“Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n rescued land Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserved us a nation!” ~Star Spangled Banner

Richard and I spent last weekend in Joseph, Oregon for our anniversary. (Five years!) We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast I found online. Some people are B&B people (me) and some are not (Richard). But I think it’s growing on him… We take turns planning our anniversary. Mine usually involve a B&B and Richard’s usually involve dinner and a movie. Oh well. We can’t afford to travel every year. We were discussing why people drove up and down main street so slowly and then we saw this sign. We were a lot more careful how fast we drove after that. Joseph is small town U.S.A. But very tourist-oriented. Richard and I commented on how many stores and restaurants were closed and I’ve since learned that the economy and gas prices have been hard on tourist communities. So I guess we were just doin’ our part to support the small town folk.

On Saturday we did some hiking. The trail we wanted to hike was inaccessible due to an avalanche (long winter in Oregon too I guess). So we did a couple shorter hikes. This was taken from the top of one. The lake down below is Wallowa Lake. That is where we are in the picture below.
We rented a paddle boat and went for a swim.
This is outside the B&B. The couple who owned it were really great. My favorite part of the B&B experience is the people you meet. It was so nice to get away for a little while. Most of you know how Richard’s job takes him away a bit and this summer it has been so nice to have him around. He hasn’t traveled since May and we’ve tried to capitalize on our time together.

Last weekend we ventured out into the great outdoors and took the fam camping. The weather was perfect and despite having to drive around for a little while we eventually found a fabulous campsite.

Cam and super-cool explora-Misha. (For you Dora watchers…) I think Cameron and Misha finally bonded. He has always liked Misha but while we were camping they went everywhere together. It kind of made me feel better about one or the other wandering around. I never let them go too far of course but there was a hill behind the campsite they liked to run up and down.

Eli was transfixed by the campfire. He really liked these chairs but they were the cause of a great tragedy later on.

I take great pride in building a good fire. Since my girls camp days I have always enjoyed that part of camping. But apparently mine wasn’t good enough because Richard took over and really got things going. What a man.
Once Richard had the tent up Cameron kept saying “The sun went down, it’s time to go to sleep!” He was pretty excited about sleeping in the tent. Lucky for us both the boys slept pretty well once we got them settled down enough to fall asleep. This is one of those expressions most appreciated by clicking on the picture to see it in larger format. It was rough terrain for an amateur walker. Eli’s fanny was well-acquainted with the ground. (Did I really just use the word ‘fanny’?) This was the tragedy. Eli face-planted right out of his little camping chair and bit his lips pretty badly. They actually got worse before they got better. I took this picture before their most swollen point. He was pretty glum after this incident. Poor guy. After a nap though he was a trooper again.

Saturday we slathered the boys in sunscreen and let them play in the sprinkler while Richard and I worked in the yard.
It’s not as impressive in the picture but Cameron’s feet were quite green after running around in the freshly-mown grass.
I was surprised at how much fun Eli had in the sprinkler. Frowns, actually, were the immediate reaction but after a few minutes he was enjoying himself.
Cameron of course jumped right in!

I used to feel that blog postings without pictures were dull and I rarely took the opportunity to read through them entirely. But my feelings about blogs are constantly evolving and now I find that some of my favorite blog experiences have come from the emotions created by fellow bloggers who share thoughtful and sincere ideas. In particular I have admired a high school friend who expresses honest and borderline “taboo” questions and opinions on her blog. Her postings have really caused me to think about things, and that is what brings me to this post today.

The questions my friend raised related to conforming to the status quo of church culture and developing our own testimonies of specific gospel principles. In addition to these thoughts I had my own questions, one in particular. I mentioned the interview I listened to about the church earlier. One of the issues Tippets questioned Millet about was Joseph Smith’s translation of the book of Abraham. Apparently recent study seems to contradict what Joseph claimed. I hadn’t heard of this so I asked Richard about it. That led into a discussion about science and the gospel and Richard told me about people who have left the church over such contradictions. Let me say that this issue didn’t cause any doubt in my testimony but I did wonder “Why do scientific discoveries seem to refute the restoration of the gospel?”

The seed that bore fruit of a wealth of knowledge and testimony for me was Dallin H. Oaks talk this last conference. I could quote the entire talk here because it was so insightful to me but I’ll try to limit my references. He answered my question about scientific knowledge plain and clear. He says ” The idea that all important knowledge is based on scientific evidence is simply untrue…scientific methods will not yield spiritual knowledge.” (See 1 Corinthians 2:11) He talks about how we learn spiritual truth through the power of the Holy Ghost, he then says “When we know spiritual truths by spiritual means, we can be just as sure of that knowledge as scholars and scientists are of knowledge they have acquired…” This idea filled me with a sense of power and confidence. I don’t need to be intimidated by intellectuals who have gained scientific knowledge and use it to try to destroy my faith. As Elder Oaks says “Anyone can disagree with our personal testimony, but no one can refute it.”

Moving on, I have thought a lot lately about the gospel of Jesus Christ as it relates to Mormon culture. What parts of LDS living are doctrine and what things are just part of the culture. For example, the great debate of caffeinated beverages. I won’t get into what I learned and felt because it is personal, but I do want to share my journey. Over the past 10 years I have sat on the fence about drinking Dr. Pepper. After reading this talk I have learned that I can use the principles discussed to form my own “testimony” about that choice. Elder Oaks says “We should remember that acquiring a testimony is not a passive thing but a process in which we are expected to do something. ” (See John 7:17) This applies not only to a testimony of the gospel in general but to each individual commandment or principle. This is another empowering truth I’ve learned lately. I can personally study and pray about anything relating to the gospel and receive my own witness. That was probably obvious to most of you but I’ve felt lately that when I have doubts or I am unsure I can be blessed with personal revelation. If something I want to do or something I feel doesn’t fit the mold of LDS culture I can pray to know if my feelings or desires are righteous and in line with the teachings of the Savior.

So it goes with each of us with all of the teachings of the gospel. Elder Oaks again: “A personal testimony is fundamental to our faith. Consequently the things we must do to acquire, strengthen and retain a testimony are vital to our spiritual life.” Another thing I have felt strongly lately is how individual all these choices are. The best advice I have had lately is to totally avoid comparing myself with others. When I compare myself to the people around me I feel either discouraged or self-righteous. When I look at the strengths and success of other women I feel inadequate and pathetic. When I look at the weaknesses and shortcomings of other women I feel conceited and superior. But when I refrain from comparison I find their strengths are something to admire, not envy and their weaknesses something to ignore, not magnify. Sadly it seems that blogs are another medium for comparison, and I fight those feelings constantly. But hopefully they can be a medium for inspiration as well.

Which brings me to the question “Why am I sharing my thoughts and personal feelings on cyberspace?” The answer (again Elder Oaks) “There has never been a greater need for us to profess our faith, privately and publicly.” I have a testimony of the gospel. That doesn’t mean I never have questions, but my testimony is strong enough to keep me going to church every Sunday and living “in the right as God gives [me] to see the right” (Abraham Lincoln). As I plug along and seek spritiual knowledge I know I will be blessed with confirmations of doctrine and my testimony will grow.

My Mom and sisters (Lori & Adri) took a road trip up to Seatlle/Kent to visit Brittany. (My brother Bryan’s wife.) We left husbands and children behind and probably gained 10 pounds in one weekend. But maybe I should just speak for myself.


This picture definitely requires further discussion. What you are looking at is toast. Yes, real toast. The dark pieces are burnt slices of toast that spell out the brand name “Pucci”. The manequin is holding a very tall stack of toast. It was the most unique window display I have ever seen.
The weather wasn’t that great, but Seattle made up for with it with great food and shopping. This was a crepes restaurant at Pike Place Market. We also had crumpets, mini doughnuts, fresh fruit, and great seafood on the pier. I never thought I would be the kind of person to go to an antique store on vacation but we found a really neat one. I bought a really old camera but more on that later… Great trip- thanks Brit for hosting!

I may have mentioned that for Mother’s Day Richard gave me an iPod. I think I knew that an iPod involved more than just music, but all I really intended to do with it was listen to music. But one day as I was looking for something to listen to while I went jogging I recalled hearing a woman on Dr. Laura say that she listened to Dr. Laura’s show via “podcast” while she exercised. So I clicked on the “Podcast” link in the iTunes store and a whole world was opened up to me.

I have enjoyed programs on NPR before so I started there. For those who haven’t used this technology yet, the way it works is by “subscribing” to your favorite programs and then they are automatically uploaded to your iPod each time you connect it to your computer. This could be radio programs, sports programs, talk shows, you name it there’s a podcast. I have barely just dipped my toe in the water and I’m already overwhelmed. But after subscribing to my favorite NPR programs I was somehow led to other programs including “This American Life” and “Best of YouTube”.

It sounds very time-consuming. When do I listen to all these programs? Some are very short, but some are long and I enjoy listening to them while I clean bathrooms, jog, fold laundry, do dishes, dig weeds, etc. I have to exercise some restraint lest I completely alienate myself from my family by walking around with headphones in my ears. But it makes all those boring tasks tolerable, even enjoyable.

Well I heard about a show from American Public Media called “Speaking of Faith”. I was looking over past episodes and naturally decided to listen to the one about Mormonism first. I figured that if the show accurately represented the way I feel about my religion then that would be a good start to developing a trust that the show accurately represents other faiths. (An important criteria for me when it comes to learning about religion.)

So I listened to the show, titled “Inside Mormon Faith”. It was an interview with a member of the church and professor from BYU named Robert Millet and it aired in January around the time people were interested in Mitt Romney and asking questions about the church. Krista Tippets, who conducts the show/interview didn’t get into the especially “difficult” issues surrounding the church because she felt they had been covered by mainstream media. She was fair and non-agressive but still asked uncomfortable questions. But Millet articulated things wonderfly. I was very impressed. Over the past few months I’ve heard various interviews about the LDS church on the news and references to the church by Glenn Beck and other tv/radio personalities especially with David Archuleta and Brooke White in the spotlight. But this was my favorite. It was almost an hour and there was plenty of time for Millet to really respond and share. I recommend it to all and if you have questions about how you can listen to it, just let me know.

One last thing- to anyone out there who listens to podcasts and has any good recommendations let me know! Not that I am in short supply… if nothing else there are conference sessions from years gone by to keep me occupied for awhile.

On Memorial Day we went on a hike with my parents, my sister Adri and her husband Will and little guy Charlie. It was up in the Boise foothills on a trail called the Hull’s Gulch Interpretive Trail. (Emphasis added.) There was some discussion about why the word “interpretive” is added to names. But anyway…nice view.