I'm Back!

I'm Back!

Update

I haven't blogged in a long time! Life has been busy and good. We had a fun summer and spent a lot of time at Seven Peaks. I also had a good time exercising several mornings a week with some gals in my ward hiking to the Mount Timpanogos Cave. I don't believe I've ever had better exercise for my heart and lungs! It is a strenuous but fulfilling hike! We hope to take our kids soon, and actually tour the cave!

We did, however, take our kids to hike Y mountain in Provo a few weeks ago. That also was a strenuous hike, but our kids did great! Of course we did give them the motivation of donuts once they got to the top.

Alyssa went to Clear Creek Summer Camp for a week this summer and Kayla, Kyle and Rilyn went to Grandma Vala's in Montana for a week with Grandma and some cousins. Tyler got to stay home with Mom and Dad.

Laren is working as busy as ever with his job, which he has now been at just shy of a year! That is hard to believe!! He still enjoys it very much. He works with good people and the work is interesting and intense. He has lots of meetings, in fact I can rarely get him on the phone or cell phone most days so I've pretty much quit trying until he comes home. And last night he didn't get home until about 8:30 or so!

Aside from Girls Camp, I also went with the Youth to Youth Conference up to Camp Williams North of Lehi for 3 days. These youth in our ward are a fantastic bunch of kids! I enjoy all of the time that I spend with them!!

A couple of weeks ago we had a Mother/Daughter Enrichment Activity up at Mutual Dell, a campground/Lodge that our stake owns up American Fork Canyon. I have been busy attending BYU Education Week this week, and I finally got my Utah Drivers License (had to take a written test for that, even though I've been driving 20 years - pretty crazy!), and today our kids started back to school!!

I cannot say enough GOOD about Education Week! It beats out Women's Conference by a mile. The classes are more diversified (different subjects) and very informative and educational, unlike Women's Conference where many of the talks are about being a wife and mother and not to belittle it, because it is great, but almost every class has the same topic with just different stories and a different presenter(s).

So far here is a list of the classes I've taken at Education Week:

Mental Wellness: What is it, How to get it and How to Keep it (No matter what hits you!) by: Carrie Wrigley

Coping With Adversity Through Prayer
by: Barbara Barrington Jones

Filling Your Heart & Home with the Irresistible Light of Christlike Love: Enriching Your Marriage
by: Gary and Joy Lundberg

The Plan of Salvation: The Great Plan of Happiness
by: David J. Ridges - the guy who wrote The Book of Mormon Made Easier, one of my favorite books!

Helping Your Husband Preside in Love and Righteousness
by: John Bytheway

Kitchen Organization: Help Your Kitchen Help You
by: Marie C. Ricks

Listen to a Prophet's Voice: The Process of Personal Progression
by: Scott Anderson

Coping With Clutter
by: Marie Ricks ...LOVE these classes by Sister Ricks. She has a great website on helping with all sorts of housekeeping chores, menu planning, budgeting, etc... Her website can be found here.

And a few pictures...

Our puppy Molly, who is now caught up on her immunizations until she is a year old! She has brought a refreshing joy to our family!!

Laren and I at the "Y" on Y Mountain a few weeks ago.

The kids and I resting on the "Y", the kids eating their donuts and me, my rice crispy treats. (Love those Creamery Rice Crispy Treats!)


At the top of the hike to Timp Cave with my hiking buddies!

Laren finally replaced his wrecked Camry with a Nissan Maxima.

Alyssa and Tyler at Temple Square this summer.

Kyle, Rilyn and Kayla at the airport headed to Grandma and Grandpa's!

Alyssa returning from Summer Camp at Clear Creek.

Citrus Chicken Teriyaki, a newfound dinner. Our dinner Sunday night.

This summer I started doing Deals to Meals, a program where recipes are created for you based on the grocery store items that are on sale. It has been fun for our family to try new recipes and get out of our eating rut!

Smothered Chicken, a dinner we had last week.

Me going to get my Utah Drivers License.

Most of the kids and I attempting to hike to the Timpangogos Cave, but we were too early - the trail doesn't open on the weekend until 7:30 am. It opens during the weekdays by 6:00 am. So this is us about 1/4 of the way up, before the gate.

(Front-Back, l-r) Alyssa, Rilyn, Cara, Kayla My daughters and a friend at Mutual Dell a couple of weeks ago.

And finally me helping Rilyn to paint her block up at Mutual Dell.

I hope you all had a great summer too!!