Camping Addict Trip #1: Cedar Mesa

If you didn't already know, Ben LOVES LOVES LOVES to camp. He craves it like I crave Wendy's when I'm pregnant. And lately, his craving has worsened, nigh unto addiction. I'd like to attribute it to a quarter-life crisis, but I think it has to do with his job. Sitting behind a computer a large portion of the day makes him crazy for time outside. So I, being a mildly sympathetic wife, thought it might be good to let him indulge a little once the weather got warm.

Before I knew it, we'd scheduled three camping trips for our family in May alone. That's after two camping trips Ben took in April. Do you see a pattern here? Am I setting myself up for four trips in June?

I can't decide whether to be apprehensive or excited, especially when you consider our trip this last weekend to Southern Utah. It was a little bit more exciting than I like camping trips to be.

 We went down Thursday night to camp in Goblin Valley. We drove out to the middle of nowhere and camped on BLM land. It got a little cold- somewhere in the high 20's, low 30's. Thankfully I bundled up Nayeli well enough and she pretty much slept through the night. Too bad I can't say the same for Ben and I. We're currently looking into 0 degree sleeping bags. Seriously.

Eating breakfast. The next day warmed up well and the weather was great.

Nothing like dirt and a toy car to make a little girl happy.

Nayeli loves toy cars. She even makes engine noises when she plays with them. 

I think it makes Ben feel like a proud papa.

 Nayeli's favorite activity on the trip? Placing rocks on the bumper. It kept her entertained for hours.

Our major setback came Friday morning when we packed up the car, got in, turned the ignition, and nothing happened. Our battery was dead. Luckily there was a guy camping about 3/4 mile from us who came and jump started our car.

 Too dirty? Never.

However when we stopped at a gas station in Hanksville to make sure the car would start again if we turned it off, it didn't. We then realized that if we wanted to continue on our journey, we needed to find a new car battery in the middle of southern Utah.

To sum it up (and save you from hearing about the marital/family angst experienced) we drove to Blanding, Utah then 20 miles further to Monticello. Six hours later we had a new car battery.

By 5pm we finally arrived at Cedar Mesa and set up camp. We decided to do a hike that night.

 We went to a Anasazi fortress called The Citadel. It's out on a peninsula of rock- a little bit of a scary hike to get there but amazing to see.

Their homes were built into the cliff. Please ignore the double chin caused by the camera angle :)

Family shot!

We camped on the edge of a beautiful canyon. Dinner was a pretty big bust (think freeze dried soup and bisquits on sticks- burnt on the outside, doughy on the inside). Nayeli had a large desire to play in the campfire, so it was an early to bed sort of night. And honestly, I think we all just wanted the day to be over as soon as possible.

Besides another bust at breakfast (Ben ... we forgot to bring butter or Pam to cook the pancake batter :) ), Saturday was a great day and made up for Friday. We packed up the car then hiked down the canyon by our camp. We went to see "Seven Kivas". They were religious dwellings for the Anasazi.

One of the kivas. We were the only ones at the site so it was great to take our time and look around. We even ate lunch right next to the kivas.

The top of the kiva

 Ben and Nayeli. He carried her on all the hikes. What a stud.

Overlooking another kiva

This girl was so good for our trip, especially since she was confined to her car seat for so much time.
She was such a trooper and took great naps in our Kelty backpack. Best camping tip ever:
don't worry if your child eats dirt. We're a few days out and she's still strong and thriving.

Before hiking back up the canyon. The weather was perfect that day. Not too hot or cool.

And just one more because she's so cute.

As we drove home Saturday afternoon Ben said, "Wasn't that fun?" I couldn't say "Yes" yet. Even now, I'm still a little traumatized from the eight hour search for a car battery in the middle of nowhere. But when I look at the pictures, I'm glad we went. Fun? Yeah, we had fun. But better said, it was a good experience. And good experiences don't always have to be fun to be worth your time.

Something Inspirational

I saw this today and just loved it. Every woman should see this video.

The Truth About Missions and Motherhood

Last night at about midnight I was awakened by Nayeli screaming from her crib. I found her feverish, and as I was just about to give her some Motrin and nurse her back to sleep, I felt a sickening splash on my face and shoulder. A quick flick of the light switch revealed last night's dinner on my cheek and shirt. Ugh.

Thankfully (insert sarcastic tone here) I have a husband who is a complete zombie when awakened in the middle of the night (remember how at 1:30 am he was driving to the hospital going 5mph under the speed limit while I was having contractions every 2 minutes?). However, in Ben's defense, he was able to get a grasp of reality long enough to hold the screaming Nayeli while I cleaned up myself and changed her. He then retreated back to our bedroom while I rocked our sick girl. Before sunrise I had changed my shirt three times. Needless to say, it was a long night.

By this morning, I had drafted an idea in my head on how to prepare those who are contemplating parenthood. I'd like to introduce it by way of an analogy. I'll call it the Sister Missionary analogy.

Lately, numerous LDS girls are going on missions and I think it's amazing. But for me, there's a caveat. Everyone tells them, "Oh it's wonderful! It'll be the best 18 months of your life! You're going to love it!" And they're right. It is all those things and more. But where is the person who sits each one down and says, "We need to have a chat. Has anyone told you how hard this is going to be? Has anyone mentioned that there will be MULTIPLE TIMES that you will wonder why in the world you went on a mission? That you will give anything for a plane ticket home?"

For me, it was my sister Christina. She served in the Dominican Republic in the 1990's. To say she had a taxing mission would be putting it mildly. She bathed from a bucket and never had a shower, was constantly battling parasites, lost a large portion of her hair, and had companions who hated and refused to speak to her. She even told me that at one point she prayed she would break her leg so she could be sent home.

Like the others I've described, she told me about the good of the mission. But because she took time to tell me about the bad, it helped me a lot. I knew it would be great, while at the same time knowing that it would be really really hard. And I did encounter a lot that tested me to my max, physically and emotionally. But I always had Tina's voice in my head saying, "It's okay. It's normal for it to be hard. It will be worth it".


Just for fun, here are a few photos of a few things that tested me physically (as to not incriminate former companions, investigators, or members, I will not be posting pictures of the things that emotionally taxed me :) ).

Giant cockroaches

 The ants and mosquitoes were vicious. My legs were covered with bites like this my entire mission and I had scars for a year or two after. Also, please marvel at my amazing tan lines from my shoes.

 Washing my clothes by hand in the shower (thankfully I did have a shower in all my areas).
This typically took almost all of our preparation day.

 The lizard I had to chase out of the house with a broom

 The spider I killed in our house. My nametag is on the ground to show it's size. 

 It jumped at me as I went to spray it. Note the huge pincers on the front of it's head.

But back to my idea. What if we apply the "chat" I received before my mission to motherhood? Wouldn't it be nice if a seasoned mom sat down with each girl who was considering motherhood and said, "We need to have a chat. Has anyone told you how hard this is going to be? Has anyone mentioned that there will be MULTIPLE TIMES that you will wonder why in the world you became a mother? That you will give anything for a plane ticket to Hawaii or anywhere else for that matter?"

It would be even more effective if the seasoned mothers were wearing shirts with spit up on them or pants with the remains of a blow-out on the thigh. And then, when times got hard for the new mom, she could remember the words of the seasoned mother saying, "It's okay. It's normal for it to be hard. It will be worth it".

Initially, when I woke this morning, I felt robbed. Where was the person that could have told me I would be awakened in the middle of the night only to be vomited on? Where was the seasoned mother who would let me know what it was really going to be like?

Then I realized that it doesn't matter. It wouldn't have diminished my desire to be a mother. Just like my sister's talk never lessened my desire to be a missionary. In fact, last night, after the mess was cleaned up and I held my daughter snuggled against my chest, I felt there was no where else I'd rather be.

In both the mission and motherhood, the sweet greatly outweighs the trial. The sweet is what keeps you going. There is nothing harder, but there is also nothing better.

 

*Note: My example is specific to sister missionaries because in my opinion, the mission is an entirely different battle for the sisters than the Elders. Both face similar problems in the mission, but my observation has been that the sisters deal with the stress and difficulties in the mission in a different way than the Elders. And, of course, I was never an Elder so I can't speak for what helps prepare them for a mission. I am just speaking from my own observations and experiences.

Nayeli's First Birthday & Easter

We've been celebrating Nayeli's first birthday for weeks now. Last Friday Ben had the day off work so we went to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy. Nayeli wasn't really into the fish, but she liked the otters and penguins. It was a great place for somewhere as land-locked as Utah.

 

I'm pleased to announce that I got both a nurse shark and the sea turtle in this shot

Then last Saturday we had a combined birthday party with Nayeli and Ben's little sister Chelsea. We gave Nayeli a cupcake to let her dig into...

 however she daintily ate it and hardly made a mess at all.

That wasn't exactly what I was going for :) I wanted some mess pictures!

Opening gifts with Grandma Jane

Helping with gift opening. I love her chubby cheeks in this picture.

Sunday we celebrated Easter at my mom and dad's home. Four of my siblings were there with a total of 18 kids. It was crazy, but so much fun!

Of course my mom went all out on the table decor. It was beautiful. And this was only the adult table. There were also two other kids tables decorated equally as beautiful.

 

  Each place was even complete with a nametag

 I made a banner of 12 months of Nayeli. Each picture was from a month of her life.

My amazing and hilarious sister Julia. Oh yeah, and there's a banner in this picture too :)

One year old and as cute as ever

 We gave her a piece of strawberry pie complete with whipped creme. 

 A recipe for a mess? Perfect.

 I think she likes it

 Sometimes when she's eating in a high chair, she sticks her foot up like this and relaxes. 

We call it her mob-boss pose.

She ate the entire piece of pie, no problem. This kid LOVES to eat. 

The cherry on top for the night was found when I lifted Nayeli out of her high chair to put her in the tub. Unbeknownst to us, she had had a major blow-out while enjoying her strawberry pie. Thank heavens she was headed for the bath anyway. And yes we took some pictures as we laughed, but I'll spare you. We'll save those photos to show her first date. 

One year later...

Today our sweet Nayeli is a year old. I can't believe it has already been a year. I don't realize how much she's grown and changed until I look at pictures.

 Birth

 4 months 

(I love this precious picture that I just got this week. 

It was taken at my dear friend Cassidy's wedding)

 8 months

12 months

Being a mother has by far been the hardest thing I've ever done... but also the most rewarding. Nayeli has made my world brighter, better, and more beautiful.

We love you Nayeli girl. Happy Birthday!

14 Fundamentals to Remember

This morning, as I read the news, I became a bit discouraged by some of the current events taking place nationwide. With so much confusion, I sometimes feel confused myself and question what I believe and why.

Then I remembered this talk. It was given by Ezra Taft Benson when he was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It is entitled, "Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet". Although it was given over 30 years ago, it is a message that is as applicable today as it was then. I have listed them as they are given in the talk, although he expounds on each one wonderfully.

FOURTEEN FUNDAMENTALS IN FOLLOWING THE PROPHET

First: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.

Second: The living prophet is more vital to us than the Standard Works.

Third: The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.

Fourth: The prophet will never lead the Church astray.

Fifth: The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or diplomas to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.

Sixth: The prophet does not have to say “Thus saith the Lord” to give us scripture.

Seventh: The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.

Eighth: The Prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.   (This was the one I needed the most this morning so I thought I'd include what President Benson put after it).

"There will be times when you will have to choose between the revelation of God and reasoning of men—between the prophet and the professor. 

Said the Prophet Joseph Smith, “Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof until long after the events transpire.” (Scrapbook of Mormon Literature, vol. 2, p. 173)."

then later...

" 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.' (Isa. 55:8–9.)"

Ninth: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter—temporal or spiritual. 

Tenth: The prophet may well advise on civic matters.  

Eleventh: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.

Twelfth: The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.

Thirteenth: The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—The highest quorum in the Church.

Fourteenth: The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.

Now I remember why I believe what I do. What a great reminder to me this morning that Jesus Christ has called a prophet in this day and age so that we can have a beacon of truth and reason. We need never feel discouraged, confused, or lost, no matter the circumstances that surround us.

Ben's Latest

This is Ben's latest video. It's for the new store opening at the company where he works.



When people ask what Ben does for work I like to say, "He makes videos for an online knife store". But Ben simply says, "I make YouTube knife videos". We're both right, but he's more right.

Often we get such a laugh out of the fact that videos like these made it possible for me to be a stay-at-home mom. It's ridiculous, but it pays the bills, and we can't complain about that.