Our week was a little more quiet, mercifully. Phil worked a lot, but that's nothing new. He did his regular 24 hour shifts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then he worked teaching fire academy during the day on Tuesday and Thursday, and then worked a 24 hour overtime shift on Saturday. Needless to say, we enjoyed having him home on Sunday! On Monday Arlo and I went out in the evening and finished his back to school clothes shopping and went to dinner at Chipotle to spend some one on one time. He's done a lot of growing in just the past couple of weeks it seems! I think he's ready for 8th grade!
Helen is diligently working on her online summer school class..."diligently" in that she didn't do much with it the first couple of weeks of summer and is now having to do quite a bit of catch-up. But she's getting there. After teaching Fire Academy on Tuesday Phil came home and he and Jude went to the new splash pad in Sahuarita. Jude enjoyed playing in the water and at the park. He took a nice long nap when he got home.
After fire academy on Thursday Phil and Jude and I went to run errands while Arlo went to hang out with Papa. We did some shopping and stopped at the new carniceria in Sahuarita. We enjoyed some burritos and Jude picked out a marshmallow treat.
I picked up my baby quilt on Friday from being quilted, it turned out so cute! I'll have to share pictures after its gifted. I did a lot of running around and errands on Friday after work. While I was at the grocery store I bought some new crayons and water colors as they had quite the selection on sale. Jude really enjoyed painting on Friday afternoon with his new watercolors. He's since covered the refrigerator door with his art. I still can't seem to get him to hold a paintbrush (or pen or pencil or crayon for that matter) the right way, but we'll get there eventually. He's reticent about staring preschool in a few weeks, but I think he'll love it.
Felicity is wrapping up her last few required hours of beauty school and patiently waiting for her missionary assignment to come in. You'll have to get your guesses ready! I got some fun door prizes to give out to whoever guesses closest to where she'll be assigned to labor. We're planning on doing ice cream sundaes and a soda bar on Sunday, June 29th at 6PM at the ranch where she'll open her call and find out where she'll be serving for 18 months. We'll also do a Facebook Live and Zoom call for anyone that can't come out to the house to be there in person.
On Sunday we all attended church with Uncle Kirby and Aunt Brook as Phil's nephew Zack was giving his farewell talk before leaving on his mission to Ecuador in a couple of weeks. There were a lot of family and friends there! We enjoyed lunch at the Comadurans after and visiting of course. We're excited for Zack and are eager to see all the great things that will come about because of his willingness to serve the Lord and the people in Quito.
The heat has set in and summer is definitely here. We had a full week yet again. Monday was Phil's 47th birthday, but we had to delay celebrations as he was working. I heard the guys at the firehouse took good care of him however, they got him a cake and everything...too bad his piece had mustard frosting that read Happy 74th Birthday. Early Monday morning both Helen and Arlo had appointments at the orthodontist. Helen had her braces removed, look at those beautiful teeth! And it was Arlo's turn to get braces. He was not very happy about it (he thought there might be needles involved). The orthodontist said his teeth aren't too bad and he should only have to be in braces 18-24 months.
After his twenty-four hour shift on Monday Phil taught fire academy until the late afternoon on Tuesday. He taught again on Thursday. He's been grateful for the few extra hours of overtime which allow him to still be able to come at night.
Jude and I ran errands early Tuesday morning before work: getting gas, picking up a birthday cake, grabbing a breakfast sandwich and pop, and then at Jude's request we took a spin through the carwash, his favorite!
In the evening we met my parents at Longhorn Steakhouse and we enjoyed dinner together celebrating Phil's birthday.
After dinner with my folks we went back to the house and had birthday cake and Jude opened Dad's birthday gifts. Phil got some new camp chairs, a swivel backpacking chair for his deer blind, among a few other things. I hope he enjoyed his birthday.
Phil was back at work on Wednesday and that's what I did too. Things are pretty busy with my program, I try most days to stay on top of everything. What I'm not staying up on is the laundry and the housework. Having 3/4 of the kids home all day is not good for the cleanliness of my home!
After I finished work on Thursday I took Helen back to the orthodontist to pick up her retainers and then she and I did her back-to-school shopping. We went to Famous Footwear for a pair of sneakers, Boot Barn for some jeans and new boots, and then to Target for necessities and some more cute clothes. We enjoyed dinner together when we were done. I can't believe she'll be heading into her senior year next month.
Felicity met with her Stake President on Wednesday evening and after conducting an interview with her and going over all her paperwork submitted her missionary application to church headquarters. She can expect to receive a mission call, an email detailing where she will serve her mission and in which language she will teach, in the next two to six weeks, although the Stake President said realistically about 14 days. We will tentatively be having an Ice Cream Sundae and Soda Bar at our house on Sunday, June 29th at 6:00pm for any friends or family who would like to join us to make a guess as to where she will serve and be there when Felicity opens her mission assignment.
Phil worked a few hours of overtime on Friday as the district was conducting an "all bid" and needed some extra coverage. Essentially they were shuffling up everyone's work schedule, station, and truck assignment if they wanted to change. They went in order of seniority and so Phil was second to chose his shift, station, and truck and made a surprise move (even a little bit of a surprise to me, I knew he was considering it, but didn't know he'd decided). He is leaving B shift and going to A shift starting at the end of July and will be the Captain on the type 3 engine at station 154 which is the new station by the McDonalds on Sahuarita and Rancho Sahuarita that the district acquired when Rural Metro left. He'll be covering Rancho Sahuarita and all the way out towards our house. There will probably be a lot fewer medical calls, specifically picking the elderly up off the ground, and likely quiet at night. He has a crew of seven including a rescue truck and ambulance with a couple of senior folks on his crew and some earlier-career firefighters including a couple of probationary firefighters. But he's good at mentoring, so I think it'll be a good fit. He's hoping the shake up will be good for overtime availability. We only have 6-7 months left in our three year plan and he's so close to hitting his goal.
He met me after work and went with me to take Arlo to a doctors appointment and then to take the boys out shopping for their back-to-school clothes. Arlo's check-in with the pediatrician went well. He's grown two inches in the last three months and hasn't gained or lost any weight which is what the doctor is looking for with the medication he's on. So all is good. Arlo was very proud to tell the doctor about his straight As last semester. I'm grateful we have found the combination of medication and assists to help Arlo manage his learning challenges.
Shopping with the boys was nightmarish...Jude was terrible! He and Arlo sometimes get along really nicely and other times just irk each other the whole time. This trip was the latter. Arlo didn't want to be shopping so he was a pain and Jude was ill-behaved in the store and the whole thing was a stressful mess. But we finished and they have new shoes and clothes to go back to school in. When we were done shopping we picked up Helen who was at the mall seeing a movie with a friend and let Jude run off some energy in the play area. After an epic tantrum when it was time to leave, we dropped Helen and Arlo off in Tucson to visit their dad for the weekend.
Phil accepted an overtime shift in Drexel Heights Fire District on Saturday and so it was just Jude and I all day. I worked on grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, writing my Sunday School lesson, and I finished up a new quilt. It was busy! I also brought in some chilies, jalapeños, tomatoes, and a squash from my little porch garden. I tell you what, its hard to keep stuff alive between the scorching heat and every critter in the desert trying to eat it before I can!
Phil got off of work on Sunday morning and made it home before Jude and I left for church which was great because Jude was able to give Dad a new "special" Father's Day tie. Rewind to a few days ago, several of my girlfriends at church messaged me saying that the women were trying to pull a prank on the husbands in our ward for Father's Day by buying them all the same tie from Amazon. So OF COURSE I wanted to participate. Phil very obliging put on the green floral tie before we headed out the door. But the joke was a little lost on him. It was a huge success! I think there were only a very few men at church not wearing the Amazon tie, there were quite a few snickers and pointing as the fellas realized what had happened...except Phil didn't notice. I thought for sure he noticed before Sacrament meeting had started, but he said he didn't realize that EVERYONE in our ward was wearing the same tie until I made a comment in second hour during Sunday School that I had lost my train of thought because I was distracted by the sea of green ties...Phil said he then looked over and noticed, "oh, hey, so and so has the same time as me!"...face palm. Anyway, it was a cute idea and executed near perfectly. He's a picture of the few dads hanging out in the hallway after Sunday School. Our Sunday meetings were great. Jude even got up with the other primary kids to sing "When Daddy Comes Home". My Sunday School lesson went well, I really need to learn to prepare less material I almost never get to the end of my lesson!
When we got home we relaxed and enjoyed a quiet day. In the late afternoon we picked up the middle two kids and took dinner over to my parent's house to celebrate Father's Day with them. We had a great time.
Phil opened his Father's Day gifts and cards when we got home. We love him. He was a little sad Felicity couldn't be home for the weekend, but she posted a cute photo of them on social media. Here's my tribute to him this year:
Happy Father’s Day Phillip! He’s like a premium+ father. First, he stepped in to parent a family already in progress, with no previous experience; a family that included two tween-age girls and an Arlo. Then he was blessed with Jude…who’s like a red-headed, level 5 parenting challenge, who he fathers like a pro. His dad jokes are second to none, he’s always imparting sage advice met with eye rolls, and he teases and irks with the best. They love him. They know he provides for them, protects them, and is an example of Christ-like service as he presides over our family in love and righteousness. I’m so grateful he chose us, I couldn’t ask for a better husband and father for our children.
Helen and Arlo attended a week-long For the Strength of Youth Conference at Eastern Arizona College this week. Phil dropped them off on Monday morning after we did a double check of everyone's luggage. I was a little worried about Arlo. Helen pre-arranged a roommate, a friend from church/school, but Arlo didn't know anyone going so he was going to be rooming with a stranger and probably placed in a group separate from Helen and I wasn't sure how he would do managing himself for a week.
My fears were unfounded, Arlo had a great time. He got along with his roommate and enjoyed the activities and freedom. He may have even come home with a few new friends. Helen had a good time too and they were both glad they went. They were gone from Monday-Saturday morning. After dropping off Arlo and Helen Phil met up with Felicity and took her out for lunch.
Phil worked almost all of his days off teaching fire academy. I can't believe we only have like six more months of crazy overtime until he will have finished his three-year goal. Tuesday we had the missionaries over for dinner which was nice. I asked them what were some things that they wished they had known before their mission or things their parents could have sent with them since Felicity is in the last leg of the application process for her own mission. She had an interview with her Bishop on Tuesday evening and then has an appointment with her Stake President next Wednesday and then, if all goes well, she'll submit her application.
After this week Felicity said she has three more weeks to complete her required number of hours and assignments to finish her program and test for her cosmetology license. I'm proud of her and this big accomplishment. I'll admit I was a little disappointed when she chose to go to beauty school instead of a four year university, but I see the trajectory her life is taking and am proud she had the insight to know herself well enough to pursue her life, not the life I lined out for her. She'll be able to finish up her program, work until she reports for her mission, serve as a missionary for 18 months, and then when she comes home she can finish her associates degree, or work in the beauty industry, or go wherever else she feels inspired. Again, we are just super proud of her.
I threaded my new vintage sewing machine and took it for a test run this week. It sews beautifully! So smooth and practically noiseless. Then I attached the hemstitch foot. Let's take a side step for a second. The only reason I bought an antique sewing machine is so I could use a hemstitch attachment so that I could sew holes along the outside edge of flannel baby fabric so I can crochet around the edge. Modern sewing machines don't have this ability. You can use a winged needle and a decorative stitch, but it doesn't work as well and I've also tried using a skip blade on my rotary cutter to cut evenly spaced holes along the outside, but again, that didn't work well either. The gold standard is to hemstitch and the only way to do it is with an antique machine.
So, back to my story. I attached this beast of a foot...nothing is electronic like a modern machine; its gears and cogs and mechanics driven by the foot bar going up and down move this thing along. The motion causes a piercer to punch a hole in the fabric and then the fabric to shift left then right to stitch on the inside to the outside of the newly created hole, then you go back up the other side so it stitches on the other side of the hole. Anyway, I got it attached and it wasn't working and I couldn't figure it out and its so frustrating because its just a simple machine, just cogs and gears! I made so many adjustments and read and reread the instruction book so many times. It took me forever to figure out that the Feed Actuating Bracket Gib, a tiny piece that toggles in the back was loose and causing the problem. Lucky for me I called the seller and they're going to send me a replacement. So I'll have to wait another week or so to try it out...in the mean time I'm going to have to figure out where I'm going to buy all this flannel that I'm going to hemstitch and crochet on since Joann's has abandoned us all!
Jude missed Arlo and Helen this week. It was mostly just he and me during the day since Phil was teaching. He played with blocks, made messes, ate a ton of snacks, watched a lot of TV, and generally terrorized me. But I love him, so it was ok.
Jude got to go hang out at Nana's on Thursday. He played with his cousin Jaidyn and enjoyed painting and decorating a bird house with Nana.
Phil went to the temple where his nephew was receiving his temple endowment for the first time. Phil enjoyed being in the temple with his mom and brother's family.
Friday was busy. I ended up working a lot of extra time this week as there was a log-jam of work in one of my workstreams that needed my full attention to clear. It meant by 10AM on Friday I had reached my 40 hours for the week and unlike Phil I'm not authorized for overtime so I was off the rest of the day. Phil was off too so we went to Home Depot to buy roof shingles. The ceiling in the boys room leaked last Sunday afternoon when we got a little rain shower so we need to get on the roof and make some patches. We're slated to have a bunch of stuff paid off next spring and replacing the roof on the house is high on the priority list. Anyway, after Home Depot we went to Tractor Supply to get feed...and pet the 6' rooster. Then Walmart, then shopping for our neighbor, and finally to pick up our own groceries. It was a lot of running around!
Felicity picked up the kids from FSY on Saturday morning and drove them all home. There was a lot of mess and laundry...again...I swear I haven't gotten the house back into shape since we got home from trek last week! I worked on making some Father's Day cards.
In the afternoon I caught sight of Arlo squatting down in the yard fixedly staring at something I couldn't see. He sat like that for several minutes. I didn't know if he was trying to catch something or if he was face to face with a snake and was working out how to get away without being bitten. Luckily it was the former. He caught someone's pet parakeet. This turned into an afternoon event that included trips to Walmart and PetSmart to procure a cage, food, toys, and treats for a random parakeet we never intended to have. I have been checking our neighborhood Facebook page periodically and nobody is claiming him. Jude named him DB...I don't know what that means or why, but he was insistent. So now we're the owners of a budgie named "Deebee".
Saturday evening the older kids decided to go to Skate Country. They said it was packed, but they had fun. I'm glad they enjoy going as much as I did as a kid, I wish more of their friends knew how to skate, but at least they have each other!
Phil worked overtime on Sunday so he didn't make it home until 8PM. The kids and I went to church in the morning and I bribed Jude with "Sunday Ice Cream" to be good in Sacrament meeting and it worked! He was pretty awful the rest of the day, but he was an angel in church and earned himself a bowl of Rocky Road and a brownie. I did want to kill him on the way home from church, however. He had gotten a bag of gummy bears when we were out on Friday running errands and evidently left some uneaten in the bag in his seat. He found them, and decided to eat the rest, except they were no longer in solid form...they were a gelatinous, sticky, goopy, stringy mess and he got it all over himself and his seat. Send help, my truck and I are not ok!
We were all home for Memorial Day on Monday and really had a low-key kick off to our summer. Phil and I continued to make final preparations for trek this week. With him being the medical lead for the event I needed to print off all the emergency forms and so I made nice binders with dividers...and I labeled them. Now lets hope we don't have to use them!
In the evening we all went out to dinner to celebrate the end of the school year, Felicity completing her pre-mission requirements, Helen and Arlo's straight A's, and honestly me having zero desire to cook for everyone.
We enjoyed some Red Robin, Yumm!
Between work and everything else involved in keeping a household running and 5-6 humans alive we wrapped up the last of the trek preparations. I helped the kids make ruck sacks for carrying their water bottles and incidentals. I wanted them to have something a little more robust than what they had made at mutual several weeks ago. I had to be a little extra and made a couple of embroidery files inspired by the Oregon Trail game I played as a kid on the school's Apple II machines. I was pretty happy with how they turned out (even though I had to explain them to my kids).
I worked the first part of Wednesday while Phil got everyone packed and all our gear loaded up. As the medical leads, we had all the first aid kits, nurses station equipment, and other odds and ends including both of our canvas tents that would serve as the "base camp nurses' station" and the "in camp overnight nurses' station". We stopped in Benson to drop Jude off with Grandma Sue. He got his backpack and suitcase out of the truck and headed up the driveway. He looked behind him for a moment, said "bye Mom, see ya later!" and continued to the front door like we were just going to watch from the truck. Silly boy. We had a warm handoff to Grandma Sue and then we grabbed some lunch in town before getting back on the freeway.
We arrived in Texas Canyon north east of Benson around 3PM and got to work setting up tents and unloading the truck full of stuff. We set up the base camp tent first, which was a mistake because by the time we got over to the area where the kids would be camping to set up the other nurse's tent the area we had planned to use was occupied, so we had to re-plan.
We enjoyed dinner together with the other adult leaders who were there early in their varying capacities. Our medical team consisted of Phil, a nurse anesthetist, three nurses, and three other folks with EMT experience. The kitchen staff was there and the "Ma and Pa" couples who would be leading their "families" and working directly with the youth were there a day early too. There were also people that would just be walking the trail alongside the kids, photographers, and people who had planned the activities and entertainment. Honestly, it was humbling to see so many individuals come together to make this huge undertaking work, and all of it voluntary.
After dinner we did a quick debrief with the Ma and Pa couples and got them their medical kits and discussed any medical concerns noted in the registration forms of the youth in their "families". We visited for awhile after that which resulted in us setting up the tent we were personally going to use in the dark. Don't worry, our marriage is still intact!
Arlo and Helen slept in our tent with us the first night and then would be moving to their family's camp the second night after all the other youth arrived. We slept pretty well the first night, even though it was a little windy. We were excited to get up early the next morning and meet up with the rest of the Stake to officially kick off trek!
In the morning after an early breakfast Phil and I donned our first pioneer outfits of the event and drove down to the rally point where the 175+ youth between the ages of 14 and 18 were being dropped off. The kids were sorted into their families with their Ma and Pa. Each family consisted of about ten youth. Each family had a "big brother and big sister" and Helen got to be the big sister in the Gifford family. We were super excited she would be traveling with the Giffords, they're awesome humans!
I was excited to find that my dear friend Allison would be walking the trail with us too! Look how cute we were early in the morning before we started hiking and getting dirty!
The kids helped their families assemble their hand carts and loaded them up with their buckets (all their clothes and other personal items), 15 gallons of water, coolers with snacks, among other things. We met our trail bosses and got some instructions and then after a few photos we set off on the first leg of our trek. We had 17 families and made quite the train of hand carts across the Little Dragoons!
The weather was incredible. Unheard of weather for the end of May almost beginning of June in Arizona. It was overcast and in the high 80s low 90s. We had a few scraped knees the first day, a couple of hot and tired kiddos who had to tap out, but otherwise from a medical stand point it was a good day. We visited some caves, stopped for lunch and breaks, and the kids had some difficult trail to navigate with big clunky hand carts.
I personally realized how impractical it was to hike in a skirt. Phil and I mostly walked alongside the trail to stay out of the way of the carts. I'm used to just following him as we hike, but he'd blaze through some catclaw and I'd get stuck so I had to pay more attention to my own path. One of the last legs of the hike included a very steep incline. It was all hands on deck to help each of the seventeen handcarts make it safely up to the top. We tied ropes to the carts and folks jumped in to help pull and push the carts up. I helped three of the carts, let me tell you, it was a workout! I was so impressed to see some of the youth return to the bottom of the hill again and again to help the next family pull/push their cart up the hill.
We took a nice long break at the top and unfortunately had to use the side by side to take three kiddos back to base camp that were struggling to keep up. The first day we hiked 8.9 miles and it took us about seven and a half hours to get to camp. When the kids arrived in camp the ranch owners hosed them down with the water truck. We treated some blisters and splinters back in camp after checking in with our basecamp nurses who were so great. We essentially had to transport a few of kiddos off the trail and the base camp nurses "rehabbed" them with a little rest and water and almost all of them were able to return to their families to continue.
We got an update from Grandma Sue and Jude was having a great time. Here he is enjoying the splash pad with some Richardson cousins.
After arriving back in camp, the kids had lots of options including a trading post where they could trade beans they'd earned on the trail for various goods. Arlo must have had eight cups of pickle juice! They had a hair washing station, archery, some arts and crafts, as well as stilts to play with. The kids helped set up the rest of their family's tents and organized camp and then they cooked dinner together as a family. Phil and I watched with our shoes off from our zero gravity camp chairs situated in the shade of our tent. We ate dinner down at base camp with the other family-less leaders.
After dark the kids learned to square dance and then they may have played some more modern dance music because the kids (and some adults) really got into dancing. I couldn't believe the energy they were able to muster after a long hard day! Our night nurse came on duty next to our tent and did a great job of taking the few kids that struggled with sleeping/anxiety/home sickness (you get the picture). Phil had to get up to give a priesthood blessing once, but I would say that all the kids got in bed and stayed in bed from 11:30 onward. We slept good, let me tell you.
Day two was lovely! It was unfortunately sunny and warmer than the previous day, but still a nice day. The country was gorgeous and I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. I also got to wear my britches on day two, so hiking was a lot more pleasant. We hiked away from camp and headed off into the high dessert. Can I just stop and admire how ruggedly handsome my husband is? Totally in his element. And if you know Phil you won't be surprised that he spotted several deer from hundreds of yards away with his bare eyes while we were hiking.
After lunch on the second day all the men and boys split off from the group and left the girls with the handcarts. During the real Mormon Migration men were asked to enlist in the US Army and fight for the United States in the Mexican War. This became know as the Mormon Battalion. Some of those enlisted left their wives and families to make the journey across the plains without them. We had a spiritual message where Sister Nielson related the story of one of her ancestors who drove a team of oxen across the plains without her husband.
We then proceeded to what we were calling "the women's pull". We had to get seventeen heavily-laden handcarts up a very steep hill where the boys and men were waiting for us. The girls did so good. It was hard! So many of them went back time and time again to help pull and push the next cart up. It was inspirational to watch the women and girls work together to overcome a real challenge. This and the steep hill the day before were really the only times I put my hands on the carts since the medical team mostly hiked along side the families.
After rejoining the men and boys we went off the beaten path to "blaze a new trail". Again the kids had to really work hard and work together to get the whole company and all those hand carts over some tough country without a well-worn trail. They traversed down into washes and up the sides of steep ravines. At one point they had to stand in two lines, lock arms and have everyone pull together to get the handcarts up the side of a steep wash.
We lost a few kiddos by the afternoon of the second day. It was hot and they were tired and a handful weren't able to continue so we shuttled them back to base camp and to our rehab nurse tent via UTV. We hiked a total of 9.4 miles as a company and it took us eight and a half hours to get back to camp.
Again, we had some blisters and sore ankles, one run-over foot, but we were blessed to not have any major medical problems. The kids enjoyed the games, trading post, and down time back in camp. The hair washing station was a big hit as we were COVERED in dust and dirt. I had to wipe the grit and grime off my face when I got back to our tent. In the evening we had dinner together as a company and had a devotional that was lovely. I would say all the kids settled down before midnight, so we were thankful for that.
In the morning the kids packed up all their things, made breakfast, and started breaking down camp. It was windy, which made packing up the three tents we brought a bit of a challenge, but we persevered.
We left our things in camp as we were going to have to come back later in the day anyway. The kids loaded their things up in the hand carts and we were off for the last leg of trek. The weather was again on our side as it was overcast and nice out. They all received their trek shirts in the morning so everyone was 1/2 pioneer and 1/2 blue cotton tee.
The families had a bit of pep in their step as they knew they were a few short miles away from awaiting parents, maybe a little caffeine from the Circle K in Benson, and a hot shower at home. We hiked 4.2 miles back out to the rally point where the youth gathered their things, disassembled their hand carts and said goodbye to their Ma and Pa and trek families.
Once everyone was picked up we drove back to camp and Phil and I finished loading all our gear, tents, and the medical equipment. The medical kits were FILTHY! I will have to wash the bags and make an inventory of what was used out of them that will need to be replaced. This will help the next person called to lead the medical team if its not us (but I kinda hope it will be us). We made it home and headed straight for the shower, we were dirty!
Once we got most of our stuff put away and some laundry going Phil and I decided dinner out sounded good so we went to Texas Roadhouse. We ran into two other families who had just gotten home from trek who had the same idea! While we were gone Arlo came across a rattlesnake in the yard and decided that shooting it was the best course of action. I wasn't really happy he decided to get in the gun cabinet and load a .22 and dispatch a snake without at least calling us to ask first, but was glad I didn't have to do it I guess...one less rattlesnake on my desert homestead.
On Sunday I taught Sunday School, I think it went fairy well. In the evening we helped Helen and Arlo pack for FSY. I was also very excited that my Mother's Day present to myself arrived in the mail!
Behold my 1937 Singer 201 with a hemstitch attachment. It's really heavy. I hope to find some time next week to get it all threaded and take her for a test run.
Both my kids had a good time on trek. Arlo said multiple times, "Mom, that was so much fun". It was hard, I know it was hard, and every time I saw either of my kids they were pulling and pushing and working hard. They had smiles and their Ma and Pa said they had good attitudes and were hard workers. I'm so grateful they had the experience. After having a day to decompress I reflected on what I learned. I certainly gained a greater appreciation for early members of the church who set out for a better life for themselves and their families and faced hardship so we could enjoy freedom from persecution. I think what struck me most was what was paid for the youth of our stake to have this experience. In the temple we covenant to keep the law of consecration, which means that we dedicate our time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed us with to building up Jesus Christ’s Church on the earth. I saw two trek leaders plan and dedicate countless hours to making sure every detail was covered and the event was fun and safe and spiritual. I'm sure they wrestled with just who to ask to help serve on multiple committees to make it all happen. Ranch owners donating their time, horses, expertise, and land for free. Refrigerated trucks, generators, water tanks, and a field kitchen selflessly and expertly set up with no expectation in return. I don't know what it would cost to hire a registered nurse for three days, but we had close to 100 years of medical expertise willing to sleep in a tent, stay up all night if need be, and hike for 22 1/2 miles over 18 1/2 hours, bandage boo-boos, sit up with homesick kids, and take about a dozen vitals along a trail in the desert just because they were asked. Bishops and Stake leaders and their wives who already donate SO MUCH of their time to the youth of the church and the members in their wards walk in the heat, pushing and pulling when needed and cheering kids along. Photographers. My goodness I know what I pay for 30 minutes of photography. We had three photographers, taking drone pictures, impossible group shots, climbing on rocks to get great angles, hiking ahead of the group to be ready with their cameras. Hauling heavy gear unevenly distributed around their neck and back along a grassy dirty trail (and sometimes no trail); and then there will be many many hours of editing. Folks getting up before everyone and going to bed after everyone else, washing, prepping, cutting, and planning delicious, nutritious, and allergy-minded food and snacks for 200+ people. All the folks who transported handcarts and camping gear, portable toilets (what a luxury), and probably a lot of other stuff I never saw; setting it up before I ever arrived and staying after I left to take it down. Couples who prayed about how to best love and serve the kids they were going to "parent" on the trail. They didn't even know which kids they were getting until the night before they showed up. They also took care of boo-boos and tears and frustrations along with sleeping arrangements and helping "their kids" push and pull and cook meals. Think of the all the PTO used and babysitters arranged for. Money spent to pay someone to water the garden and feed the animals while they served in the desert. And you know what? I am so grateful we were asked to play a role in trek, I hope in four years if they do it again, they'll consider asking Phil and I to come back. Why would anyone do any of those things? Why would dozens of people sacrifice like that? I can't speak for everyone else, but I know for Phil and I its because we made a covenant to. Because we love the Savior Jesus Christ. Because we want the rising generation (our children) to have opportunities to feel the Spirit and draw closer to their Heavenly Father through experiences like trek. Because we want to take the talents and blessings we've been given and in gratitude use those gifts to serve others. Joseph Smith taught that “a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.” In the eternal perspective, the blessings obtained by sacrifice are greater than anything that is given up. I have faith that's true.
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