28 June 2026

It finally happened! A quiet, low-key summer week at Two Jack Ranch. Oh happy day (or week)!  Phil worked every day this week with the exception of Saturday. He taught paramedic class Monday through Thursday, so at least he was home in the evenings. Then he was at the firehouse on Friday and Sunday. It was just Jude and me for most of the week.  We talked to our missionary Monday and she's doing well and enjoying Anderson, IN.

On Monday we went to Jude's swimming lessons, and in the evening he helped me with the obsessive cleaning I undertook. You may recall that last week Arlo turned up with dozens upon dozens of (presumably) bed bug bites. I believe the source was either the Airbnb my mom rented for her grandkid staycation or the big kids' dad's ex-wife's (did you follow that?) condo/townhouse where the kids stay when they visit for the weekend.  Regardless of where the bites happened, I had to make sure no hitchhikers found their way into our house. I spent the majority of Monday completely stripping the boys' room. Every stuffed animal went into a plastic bag and sat on the front porch to cook. I threw away all the sheets, pillows, and mattresses from the boys' room and washed their quilts in super-hot water before drying them and then bagging them in the sun for good measure. I dusted and cleaned every surface, Lysol-ed every non-stuffed toy, and wiped down everything I could find.  I'm sure my husband was annoyed when the Amazon boxes started showing up with pillows, mattresses, and bedding in them, but if he was, he didn't say a word because it meant I wasn't going to burn the house down. I cleaned every other room in the house as well and am happy to report that I didn't see a single bug—or even any signs of bugs.

On Tuesday I had Zerorez out to the house, where they cleaned all of the carpet and the couches. Jude enjoyed getting to play on my phone while we hid in the kitchen as they cleaned the floors throughout the house.  The highlight of Tuesday, aside from the very clean carpets, was the one-on-one meeting I had with my boss. In April, when he announced that our program was going to be ending October 1st, I expressed my frustration that they hadn't made good on their assurance that I had a promotion coming. With the end of the program imminent, I need to find a new program, which will put me with a new boss and new coworkers right around the time of year that evaluations and promotions are determined. No one is going to take on a brand-new employee in October and give them a promotion in December.  Anyway, during our one-on-one my boss mentioned that he was filing paperwork for a mid-year review and promotion. It would be a huge blessing if it comes through before I transition to a new program, especially as we begin preparing for Phil's retirement.

With the house scrubbed down, new bedding in the boys' room, and clean carpets from wall to wall, I breathed a little easier the rest of the week, and I'm happy to report that no one else in our household ever found a bug bite—just poor Arlo.  Helen and Arlo were gone all week. They were supposed to spend two weeks with their dad for summer break. This week they went to California with the aforementioned ex-wife and her family. I presume their dad went too, but I don't know. Anyway, they seemed to be having a good time and enjoying the beach!

Now the house seemed to be bug-free, but evidently not rat-free. Ugh! We have such a hard time keeping the rats from coming up underneath the cabinets from beneath the house. While I was in class on Tuesday evening, Phil poked his head around my office door to show me the bunny-sized rat that had just gotten caught in the trap. Eww!  We probably need to get another cat—or two—until we can build a house directly on the ground.  Speaking of rat traps, have you ever wondered what it would feel like to step on one? Not the little mouse traps, but the giant rat traps that take two hands to pull back? It hurts. I accidentally stepped on the one we have set under the lip of the kitchen cabinets while putting dishes away and not paying attention. It got my big toe and my second toe. I was grateful nothing was broken, but dang, it hurt!

Jude had his last swim lesson on Thursday. He enjoyed going down the water slide at the pool and playing afterward. When they were done, all the kids got popsicles. He learned a lot and had so much fun this summer. I had wanted to sign him up for sessions three and four, but by the time I went to register, the classes were full.

Jude went over to Nana's house on Friday, and they visited the Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter to pet the kitties before heading over to the new park and splash pad at Palo Verde Park. He had a great time.  I got to spend the day sewing and quilting with my friends Tricia, Charlotte, and Amy, which was awesome. I really enjoyed spending time with them. I was able to sew the quilt label onto a quilt I'll be gifting soon, and I also worked on hand stitching my appliqué quilt. It was a great, relaxing Friday.

We received exciting news in the mail on Friday—Jude's kindergarten information arrived! We're excited that he'll be in Mrs. Sheppard's class for the 2026–27 school year. Amy is a lovely friend of ours from church, and I think she'll be a great fit for Jude.

On Saturday, when Dad got home from work, the three of us went back-to-school shopping. We went to Walmart, Target, Boot Barn, and Famous Footwear, and we stopped at El Sur for lunch. Jude really enjoyed picking out both school supplies and new clothes and shoes for the upcoming year.

When we were done shopping, we went to the movie theater and saw Toy Story 5. I will say that it was better than Toy Story 4 (it's a real turd, in my opinion), although I still think the third installment is my favorite. Jude mostly enjoyed it, although I think that because he doesn't really have much access to electronic devices or understands how they all connect to one another, it was a little hard for him to follow the plot.

We stopped and picked up ice cream on the way home, but Jude and Dad didn't last long enough to enjoy any—they fell asleep not long after we got home.  

It was a great week, and I hope next week is just as chill!

21 June 2026

I can't believe we just wrapped up the third week of June already.  It was a much less hectic week.  On Monday, the kids were with my mom at her annual "Grandkid Staycation".  They were having a great time and I'm grateful that my mom took Jude to his swimming lesson as well.  Phil taught paramedic class at Pima and I had the house to myself as I worked on Monday.  I had to catch up on my missed classes from last week.  I'm about halfway done with my certificate program through UCLA.  We talked to Sister Comaduran who is adjusting to her new area, new mission, and new companion.  Anderson, Indiana used to be home to a General Motors plant, but when that shut down the work force left and there are a lot of empty houses and abandoned buildings.  She's enjoying the nice Indiana summer weather and her new ward.

Jude's swimming is coming along well.  Phil went to pick him up from staycation on Tuesday for a dentist appointment (that went well) and then took him to the pool for his swimming lesson.  They went back over to Nana's rental after and swam in the pool and Jude was able to swim across the deep end of the pool.  I think he's a little over-confident, but he is definitely learning and I think he'll be a full-fledged swimmer by next summer.

Wednesday morning the kids packed up and came home, but not before Arlo had an orthodontist appointment first thing in the morning.  He wasn't overly enthusiastic about that.  In the evening we took our mothers to Broadway in Tucson to see Beauty and the Beast.  We'd gotten tickets for them for Mother's Day.  We had dinner at Chipotle before walking over to the theater.  I wish I had remembered the umbrellas because it rained on us for most of the afternoon; glorious!  The show was spectacular, we all really enjoyed it; including Jude even though he slept through portions of the production.

On Thursday I met one last time with my kitchen crew from Girls' Camp to go over the things that went well and the things that we'd change if we ever had the opportunity to serve in that capacity again.  We ate at Taqueria 2 Hermanos and it was really good (I see a date night for shrimp tacos in Phil and my future).  I gave each of the sisters I worked with a slap chopper, one of my favorite kitchen gadgets.  I was so appreciative of all their help and support.  I turned in all my receipts on Wednesday as well, saved my notes, and tucked it all away in case I ever need it again.  Deep. Satisfied. Breath.

Phil took Jude to the pool for swim lessons and then the two of them stayed for open swim after.  They must have really been having fun because they stayed for like three hours!  Jude came home a little sunburned, but loved every minute of pool time with Dad.

Phil was back at work on Friday and I could have really used him at home, it was a little rough!  I took some time off of work to drop off two of my three finished t-shirt quilts with my friend Tricia to be quilted and then Helen borrowed the car to take a friend to lunch.  We are down to two vehicles now, the truck and the little silver Corolla.   The Prius is dead and needing to be sold and "Turd Ferguson", the name I gave the old gold-colored Honda, has something wrong with the door/alarm/lock system...essentially when you start the car it thinks it's being stolen and starts honking the horn and flashing the lights and there appears to be no way to stop it, so you either need to drive it down the road honking and flashing at everyone or leave it powered off in an auto-cocoon in our driveway.  

When I got home from dropping off the quilts Arlo showed me what he thought was a rash on his arms and chest.  Upon closer inspection they were bites!  Dozens of bites!  I don't want to speak it out load for fear of making it real, but I think they're bedbug bites!  Ugh!  Of course coming to that realization made me instantly want to burn my house down.  He either got them from the staycation rental or in Tucson visiting his dad.  It doesn't really matter to me because I had to the spend the rest of the evening tearing his and Jude's room apart and washing EVERYTHING!  I feel itchy just typing it.

Friday afternoon Helen and Arlo went back to Tucson to visit their dad for the next two weeks and Jude and I went into Sahuarita to do our neighbor's shopping.  Jude had been complaining of a tummy ache most of the day and he had an anti-diarrhea medicine and then I bought him some Kaopectate at Walmart while we were out and it didn't seem to help.  As we were pulling into Fry's he said from the back seat "Mom, I think I need to throw up".  I told him, "hold on, I'm pulling into the parking spot right now and then you can open the door and vomit if you need to." Nope, we didn't have that much time, he proceeded to puke right then and there.  He had been playing with the car window shade so it hit that in addition to his clothes and went straight onto the floor and back of the seats.  Oh my gosh, are you serious!  I may not have had my best mothering moment as that smell hit me; I have regrets about what I may have said (or yelled).  I then asked, "do you think you need to throw up more?" which he took as permission to do it again.  Ahhh!  I freaked.  I obviously couldn't take him into the store like that, but I needed to get the neighbor's prescription and groceries and in a panic I called Phil and unleashed on him too.  He very lovingly told me to drive across the street to the fire house and he hosed down Jude, the floor mats, and the back seat.  Enough so that I could get in and out of Fry's and take the Hentges their groceries and get Jude back home to convalesce on the couch.  It was not a fun Friday.  At all.  We did, however, survive.  Poor Jude!

Phil went straight from work on Saturday morning to Pima where he was teaching again and then after work we picked up pizza from Argenziano's and went to celebrate Father's Day with my parents.  We enjoyed the pizza and visiting.

Phil worked on Sunday so we didn't get to celebrate Father's Day properly with him, especially with 3/4 of our kids out of the house.  But I would be remiss in not acknowledging what an amazing father he is.  He is the steady heart of our family. He leads with Christlike love, quiet strength, and unwavering faith. He works hard, provides selflessly, protects us, and leads by example every single day. He loves our children enough to expect great things from them because he sees their divine potential and wants them to become the very best versions of themselves. His love is constant, his example is powerful, and his influence is eternal. I truly believe Heavenly Father knew exactly what He was doing when He entrusted our family to Phil. We love him more than words can say, and we are so grateful he's ours. Happy Father's Day Phillip! 

14 June 2026

What an incredible, tiring, taxing, and exhilarating week! I took the entire week off work, but by the end of it I was ready to go back just for a little peace and relaxation!  If you've been following along, you'll remember that several months ago I accepted the assignment to be the head cook for Young Women's Camp. This is a stake-wide camp for young women ages 12–18, along with a myriad of adult leaders, young adult leaders, and other volunteers. I planned meals for 220 people over the course of four and a half days—that's breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert.

Monday was my final preparation day, and I spent it running errands and picking up odds and ends. First up was a trip to the panadería (the Mexican bakery) to pick up my tortilla order: 28 dozen fajita-sized tortillas and 28 dozen XL tortillas. I also picked out more than 150 Roma and vine-ripened tomatoes and worked on the kitchen crew T-shirts I wanted to make for the women serving alongside me. Because I was finishing them at the last minute, nothing seemed to go right, and they were far from perfect. So much so that I didn't even get a picture of the finished product! I thought the design turned out pretty cute, though. The fronts were all the same, and then each shirt had a different phrase on the back. Can you guess which one was mine?

Before I started my running around on Monday I did have one more thing on my agenda.  For years I have had running the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Disney World on my bucket list.  Last year I missed the deadline to register and this year I have had the registration date on my calendar for months.  I was logged on at a quarter to seven when registration was going to open and everyone in the waiting room would be put randomly in a registration que.  Everyone that joined after 7 am would be put in line in the order they came onto the website.  I had three computers in the waiting room!  At 7 am all three said "Over an Hour" as the wait time when I was randomly plopped into the que.  Eventually it was apparent that the window on my laptop had a spot closer to the front of the line as the "Over an Hour" started to tick down...50 minutes...30 minutes...20 minutes.  Around the 40 minute mark the screen changed to show that the 10K race was full and no longer an option.  At the 35 minute mark the screen changed again to show that the Fairy Tale Challenge had sold out.  I watched the timer tick down.  I got all the way to 12 minutes until my turn to register when the Half Marathon sold out.  I was so bummed!  I waited for 90+ minutes only to have it sell out just before it was my turn to register.  Oh, well.  I guess it wasn't meant to be this time.  I'll have to wait till next summer to see if I can get a spot in the 2028 race.

Phil and I were up at the crack of dawn Tuesday morning to load the truck and trailer with all the nonperishable food we had purchased the week before. It felt a little silly to bring everything into the house only to load it all back onto the truck the next morning, but I wanted to make sure I had everything and didn't have to scramble for last-minute items.  It was about this time that I started to panic.  We loaded all the dry goods into our truck with its 8-foot bed and the trailer, and it already looked full. We still had to load the Blackstone, our camping gear, and ALL of the cold and frozen food we were picking up from Sam's Club on our way to camp.  Phil decided to leave the Blackstone and camping gear behind, figuring we could pick up the cold food first and come back if there was room.  When Sam's Club brought out our order, I knew that wasn't going to happen.  In fact, I really panicked because I knew all the cold food wasn't going to fit.

I called my mom and asked her to bring my dad's truck, and I called my friend and fellow cook, Allison, to come bail me out at Sam's Club. They literally saved my bacon (all 18 pounds of it that needed to make it up the mountain).  By the time Phil, Helen, and I finished cramming things into coolers and strapping everything else to the trailer, my mom arrived. We filled her truck, and she and Phil headed for camp while I waited for Allison to help with the last few boxes. We made it to camp almost on time, arriving around 10:30 a.m., and immediately started unloading.

I was so grateful for all of Phil's help, as well as the wonderful ladies I was serving with in the kitchen. It was also a huge blessing that the Morgan girls arrived early because I promptly put them to work organizing the walk-in cooler.  Once we were unpacked, we wasted no time getting dinner started: Café Rio (Costa Vida-style) sweet pork burritos and salads.  Phil headed back down the mountain to buy the 100 pounds of ground beef Sam's Club didn't have, as well as to pick up the Blackstone and our camping gear. He then stayed well past dark setting up my tent and making sure everything was squared away. Can I tell you that when I finally climbed into my tent past 11 pm my cot was made and the bed covers turned down.  No one else could possibly treat me as good as that man does.  I was grateful he stayed long enough to enjoy dinner before heading home to the boys.

Aside from being a very hectic first day of camp, Tuesday was also Phil's 48th birthday. He spent it helping me haul supplies, running to stores, loading and unloading trucks, and serving others.  Typical Phil.  I managed to get him a birthday cupcake at dinner, and the YCLs helped me sing "Happy Birthday." I love him, and I hope we can celebrate properly after this crazy week is over.

We were up at 4:45 a.m. Wednesday morning to get breakfast started, and that became our routine for the rest of the week. Up at 4:45 a.m. and crawling into bed around 11:00 p.m. after dessert cleanup. We had almost no downtime in the kitchen, although as the girls became more involved in cleanup after meals, we were finally able to sit on the porch to eat after everyone else had finished, and plan the next meal.  Dad and Jude had fun at home, they enjoyed swim lessons and trips to Bass Pro.

The Blackstone was a huge win. I cooked 200 hot dogs and 200 hamburger patties in less than two hours, along with 70 pounds of diced chicken, 30 pounds of breakfast sausage, and 90 pounds of ground beef. We made French toast, cobblers, mac and cheese, pulled pork, and so much more.  We had plenty of everything, and even though every meal was stressful, we received nothing but compliments. It truly was an incredible week.

We were supposed to have a visit from the county health inspector on Friday. When I first heard about it, I thought, "Really?! They do one inspection a year, and they picked the one week I'm in charge of the kitchen?"  Well...they didn't show up Friday after all.  They showed up unexpectedly on Thursday!

It actually turned out to be a huge blessing. They stopped at the camp caretaker's cabin first, which gave us enough warning to make sure everything was in shipshape condition. Better yet, they came immediately after we finished cleaning up from lunch.  We made sure everything in the kitchen, freezer, and cooler was exactly as it should be, then hightailed it out of there while the caretakers walked them through the inspection.  The inspector said he would have preferred to come while we were actively preparing food (yeah, I bet he would), but they didn't have time to stay until dinner or return another day. The kitchen passed inspection, and I never even had to see him.

What a miracle.  I honestly count it as an answer to prayer because I had been dreading that inspection all week, and it couldn't have gone more smoothly.  Later Thursday evening I was so sad to lose one of my cooks. My sweet friend Amy spent some time in the afternoon rappelling with the girls and injured her tailbone badly enough that she had to go home.  Another blessing, however, was that Phil came up to do "bear watch" Thursday night. Bear watch is essentially having a couple of adult men stay awake overnight for safety, and Phil volunteered because...well...he doesn't like being away from me.

I was so grateful he came because he was able to fill in for Amy that evening. He cooked dinner and dessert with us, stayed up all night on bear watch, helped cook breakfast the next morning, took a short nap in our tent, then was back up helping after lunch. He even helped remove a snake from the area where the girls were doing a service project.  Ironically, around the same time the camp caretaker snapped a picture of Phil holding the snake, one of our mouse traps went off in the kitchen and I had to remove a dead mouse.  I had to laugh because one of the other cooks spotted it under the stove and said, "Eww...go get one of the men!"  I said, "I'll get it. It's not a big deal. I'll even put a glove on."  Phil and I really do make quite the pair.

I put Phil in charge of making the pico de gallo for dinner because, honestly, nobody makes it better than he does. Then I had him cook all the taco meat. It was the perfect assignment because he got to stand outside at the Blackstone being productive while chatting with everyone who walked by—which is one of his favorite things to do.

Friday night the bishops joined us for dinner, and I think everyone enjoyed the meal. Phil and I skipped most of the evening activities so we could clean the kitchen, pantry, and refrigerator before our final morning. I wanted everything in good shape so the girls could finish their cleanup assignments without having to work around our mess too.

Saturday morning we served a grab-and-go breakfast and helped everyone get packed up and on the road. Most of the leftover food was claimed. I was a little disappointed that I overbought on the meat, but overall I have to call camp a success.  We served every meal on time, and there was plenty of food for everyone to eat as much as they wanted.  Over the course of camp we used 75 pounds of bananas, 3 gallons of barbecue sauce, 220 biscuits, 200 hot dogs, 500 bags of chips, 62 dozen eggs, and 200 pounds of potatoes.  We fed more than 200 teenagers and adults ten hot meals, three desserts, and countless snacks.  It was a monumental task, but an incredibly rewarding one, and I think we pulled it off.  I was so grateful for the incredible women I worked alongside all week. Their hard work, good attitudes, and willingness to jump in wherever needed made all the difference.  After we got home Saturday, Phil and I unpacked, took long showers, enjoyed a nap, and then he took me OUT to dinner!

Phil let me know that he talked to Felicity on Wednesday while I was at camp without cell service.  They had transfers and it was a special transfer because they were splitting the mission.  The Church created a new mission, the Indiana, Fort Wayne mission in addition to the Indiana, Indianapolis mission.  Felicity was issued a new call and is now assigned to the Muncie Zone in a city called Anderson in the new Fort Wayne mission.  She'll be getting a new mission president as soon as he and his wife get out of the Missionary Training Center.  She was very excited.  She is the senior companion in her companionship and she was tickled to find that Sister Veach, her MTC companion, is in her new zone.  She was sad to leave behind all the people she's been teaching and serving in Eagle Creek, but they are taking over a pretty good-sized teaching pool and already have someone committed to baptism.  She's really looking forward to spending the second half of her time in the brand new mission.

Speaking of missionaries, on Sunday morning we drove to Marana to attend sacrament meeting with Kirby's family, where our niece Lucy gave her farewell talk before leaving for her mission to Brazil. Her talk was wonderful, and we enjoyed spending time together with family over lunch afterward. Lucy is going to be an incredible missionary, and I'm so grateful for her example.

Sunday evening we took Helen, Arlo, and Jude to a rental house in Rita Ranch where Nana was hosting her annual "Grandkid Staycation." She rents a house with a pool, stocks it with junk food, and spends a few days spoiling the grandkids. They were all looking forward to it—especially Jude.  I'm not going to lie...I'm looking forward to having an empty house for a few days next week while I recover from a long, hard week in the camp kitchen!

07 June 2025

I have yet to enjoy a laid-back, unscheduled summer break because this one has been anything but! On Monday Phil was up early to drive Arlo to Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher, where he would be attending a For the Strength of Youth (FSY) conference for the week. Participants spend five days on a college campus engaging in devotionals, scripture study, physical activities, and classes designed to strengthen their faith and build friendships. Arlo was very excited to attend again this year since he had such a great time last year. Phil ran into several familiar faces while on campus, including his EAC band director and a missionary couple from the Institute. I love that it's been almost 30 years since Phil was a student at EAC, yet he can still find people he remembers—and who remember him.

At lunchtime I took Jude to his first swimming lesson at the Kino Pool. I registered him for the first two sessions a few weeks ago, and he was very excited to get started. They met with each child one-on-one to assess which class they should be placed in, and then they continued with the rest of their 45-minute lesson. Jude had a great time and is very eager to learn to swim!

My Girls' Camp preparations continued this week. I was nervous about picking everything up the morning we were scheduled to leave for camp in case Sam's Club or Fry's was unable to fulfill my order, so I spent the week gathering the nonperishable items. By the end of the week, my living room looked like a high-end food bank. I also spent time putting together my camp cookbook and placing my final orders.

I had Helen take the ten boxes of chips I bought and empty all fifty bags from each box onto her bedroom floor so she could mix them up. I had purchased several different varieties and realized I didn't want one box containing only spicy chips or another containing only specialty flavors when I pulled them out for lunch or snack time. She made sure every box had a good mixture of all the varieties before taping them back up for me!

Phil sent me pictures on Wednesday of a small structure fire where he was first on scene. They used the truck's turret to knock down the shed fire and then finished extinguishing it by hand to make sure everything was completely out. I always love getting pictures of him in action during the week!

He attended the fire academy graduation on Thursday and got to meet the new probationary firefighter ("probie") who was assigned to him from the graduating class.  He really like mentoring the new firefighter and I think its a good fit for the twilight years of his career.  I had the opportunity for a break from work and camp prep by going to the salon Thursday afternoon. It was a wonderful reprieve, and I walked away feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of the week as well as a little more blonde.

On Friday we got to have dinner with some of the Comaduran family. Phil's sister and her husband were visiting from Oklahoma, so we met downtown at El Charro for dinner with them, Phil's mom, brother and sister-in-law, as well as his niece. It was excellent, and the company was even better. It was also nice not to have to cook, especially since my house is practically turned upside down with camp supplies.

Phil drove back to Thatcher on Saturday morning to pick up Arlo, who had a fabulous time at FSY. True to form, he didn't take any pictures. I did get one that a friend took surreptitiously and sent to Helen!

That afternoon Phil's college friend Steve stopped by with his little girl. Steve helped Phil put together our new Blackstone Griddle while the kids played.  They visited for quite a while and stayed for dinner. Jude had so much fun playing with Latigo—they were pretty good buddies by the end of the evening. 

I taught Sunday School on Sunday, and I think it went fairly well. In September the Church is going back to having Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society every week. Instead of returning to a three-hour block, however, we'll still meet for only two hours, with Sunday School lasting just 25 minutes. I have no idea how I'm going to teach a class in 25 minutes, especially because I can barely get through an entire lesson in 50 minutes now. We'll manage somehow.  I took the entire week off next week for Girls' Camp—Monday for final preparations, and then we'll load up all the food Tuesday morning and head to Mount Lemmon. Wish me luck; it's going to be a long week!

31 May 2026

Monday was our first real day of summer break! The boys wasted no time staying up late and eating junk food. I found them asleep in our bed on Tuesday evening after we came home late from an evening out.

We all got to talk to Sister Comaduran on Monday, and she is doing well. She's just a couple of weeks away from her next transfer, and she and her companion are having a lot of success. They've had many opportunities to serve and teach. I can't believe she'll reach the halfway point of her eighteen-month mission next week.

On Tuesday, our baby quail hatched! Back in April, the mama quail that had her babies on our front porch last year laid six to eight eggs in my flower pot. On Tuesday morning, they began to hatch, and within an hour or so they had all emerged from their shells. We watched from the kitchen window so we wouldn't disturb them. I knew they must be hatching because I could hear the daddy quail calling and pacing in the driveway. Once they had all hatched, he came up onto the porch and paced around the flower pot, calling to them until they all jumped down. Then he and the mama quail led them off into the yard. I just love watching them, and I'm so glad we caught it because they wasted no time getting those babies out of the nest and off to their new home. I hope they come back next year!

Tuesday evening we were invited to attend the temple, where one of Helen's friends received her own endowment. Many other members of our ward were invited as well, and it was such a wonderful experience to be in the temple with so many of our favorite people. 

Afterward, we celebrated with dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Yum! We're so proud of Isabel and the example she has set, and we were honored to be invited to share in such a special day.

All of my spare time this week was spent preparing for Girls' Camp. With the logistics pretty much locked down, I was finally able to work on the creative side of things. I designed menus and signs to display with the food, including a menu for each day so the girls could see what was being served. I also made instructional signs for the snack table, trail mix bar, and the dirty soda bar I had planned for the Youth Camp Leaders (YCLs), who were coming up early on Tuesday night. I'm really happy with how they turned out, and Walgreens did a great job printing them for me. I also made my first few large purchases for the nonperishable items.

Phil and the big kids left for Youth Conference with our ward on Thursday. The youth, ages 14–18, along with their leaders, traveled to the Flagstaff area for a campout. On the way, they stopped at the Gilbert Temple to perform baptisms for the dead.

On Friday they visited the Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course, where they spent the day on the zipline and ropes course. They had a great time!

Jude had a lunch date with Nana while I was at work and Phil, Arlo, and Helen were at Youth Conference. They went to Chick-fil-A, among other places, and had a great time together.

On Saturday the youth enjoyed a lake day, although I heard the water was really too cold for much swimming. They came home that evening tired but happy after a great weekend, although Helen also came home with quite the sunburn!  We enjoyed our Sunday meetings and are ready for another week of summer!