Graduation and Girls Camp

I counted and we have officially only been home about two weeks so far this summer and I am pooped!

Alex graduated from high school on May 27th. It was a bittersweet day because he has been asking me when he doesn't have to go to school anymore since he was in first grade, so it has been a long twelve years! It was so fun to see him so happy and having fun with his friends that day. That night we went to the high school and helped with the all night grad night party. The kids had a ball! I am so grateful for the wonderful people who put it all together so the kids had somewhere to be instead of out getting in trouble.

Girls camp was amazing! We took the girls to the Relief Society building in Salt Lake and one of the general young women board members, Sister Sagebin, gave us a tour of the building. The spirit was overwhelming in that building from the minute we walked through the front doors. Sister Sagebin talked to us about giving one hundred percent of reading our scriptures for five minutes each day, saying our prayers twice a day and attending our church meetings each week so we could be worthy to go to the temple. Then she had each of the girls sit at the General Young Women President, Elaine Dalton's desk with a crown and had us take pictures of each one of them. It was a wonderful experience for everyone. We toured temple square and made sandwiches in the park to take to the homeless shelter. Several of the girls were really bothered when we saw two homeless women begging for money outside of the temple. We don't have homeless people begging on the streets in Vernal, so this was new for them. One of the girls saved a couple of the sack lunches we made and gave them to these women on our way back to the car. It made me happy that she realized she could do something to help.

I took the fourth years to the Bonsai Steak house and made them try octopus sushi then we went to Scuba Utah for their high adventure experience. Several of them were very uncomfortable with the idea of breathing under water and taking their masks off etc., but one of the girls, took off like crazy and wants to get certified now. It was fun to see them do things that took them out of their comfort zone.

Tuesday we spent the day doing camp certifications and crafting. Wednesday we spent all day at the Park City Ski Resort playing on the Alpine slide, Alpine Coaster and the zip line. Several of the girls were terrified to even go up on the ski lift, but once we got them to the top and they went down the Alpine slide, we couldn't stop them from going up. It was wonderful to see all of the older girls cheering the younger girls on who were struggling and watching them conquer their fears.

We had a great testimony meeting that night then the next day we got up early and drove down to BYU to meet with President Samuelson. He talked to the girls about getting an education and the requirements to get into BYU. He had just come from talking with President Monson at the MTC and he was glowing! RoseAnna Batty said, "He still had Prophet dust on his hands!"

We were given a tour of the BYU campus and then treated to lunch in the Cannon Commons. The girls absolutely loved it! President Samuelson gave each of the girls a presidents pin - which made them feel VERY special and they wear them proudly now!

Last month we went to one of our neighbors houses for an Eagle Court of Honor. Sherilee Woodward made these yummy tarts for refreshments and they were gobbled up in a hurry.

Sherilee's Tart

Using a cup, cut circles out of your favorite pie crust or in my case, the premade pie dough and put them into greased cup cake tins. Bake at 350* for five minutes. Then carefully spoon a dab of raspberry (or your favorite kind) of jam in the center. Pour a little cake mix - prepared according to the directions - just until the jam is covered and bake according to the cake directions on the box. When they are cooled, cover with a little powder sugar frosting and enjoy!

Annual Powell Neighbor Trip

You would think after spending four days at girls camp with the Peterson's and ten days in Navuoo, we would have been sick of each other but we were having so much fun together we decided to hit the road four days after we got home from Navuoo and go to Lake Powell. Our other neighbor's - the Baum's and the Caldwell's met us down there on the Caldwell's house boat and we had a ball! We have spent the last two years doing this trip and it is always full of laughs.

Dar took us one hundred and fifty miles on an adventure and we ended up in a cool slot up Anasazi canyon. It was fun to stop at Dangling Rope for caramel ice cream and a little break.

We got everyone up on the surf board - except Ken,(maybe next time he said). Russ Baum doubled with Logan Peterson and got him up which was very exciting.

Rob Caldwell rode by the back of what he thought was our house boat and sprayed what he thought was Dar fishing on the back deck. Ooooppps! Wrong house boat. So he sprayed a poor stranger trying to enjoy a few quiet minutes of fishing. He said he realized it wasn't Dar when the guy let loose a whole string of explicit swear words. He should have known it wasn't Dar in the first place because he doesn't fish!

Friday night we had Margaritaville night. None of us drink, but we love to use the Caldwell's Margaritaville drink maker to make non-alcholic drinks. Rob Caldwell's nephew Andrew had the music jammin' and everyone was dancing and laughing and having a great time! My favorite drink was Carrie's pinacolada.

Carrie's Pinacolada

Fill up the blender pitcher half way full with pinacolada drink mix, add in pineapple juice and sprite to fill it up the rest of the way. Blend with a bunch of ice and enjoy after a long hot day in the sun.

Summer Road Trip

Four days after we got back from girls camp at the cabin, we left with a bunch of our neighbors to go to Navuoo, Illinois. We were going to stop in Nebraska at Winter Quarters, but had a little mishap on the way. One of the front tires on the McCormicks motor home came off while they were driving down the road and it took a long time to get a tow truck to come get it. They ended up having to rent a car and we put all their bags in our trailer so they could stay in a hotel. We called AAA to help with the towing cost. Earlier that morning we had called AAA to unlock the door of our other neighbor's truck because the keys were locked in, so thank goodness for AAA!

Navuoo was beautiful and the spirit was strong there. Saturday morning we got up early and took the kids to do baptisms for the dead in the Navuoo temple. All of them enjoyed it and we had a great experience! That afternoon,the kids road their bikes around and went to the Fudge factory for treats. We visited the brick shop and got a brick and the blacksmith's shop to get a handmade ring. We went to several shows but my favorite was Brigham Young's home. I haven't ever had a connection with that prophet until that day. He was a great man!

We went to a concert that night put on by an accapella men's group from BYU called, "Vocal Point." They were amazing! Sunday we went to the Navuoo ward and it was fast Sunday so several people stood up and bore their testimonies. One of the people was my favorite high school seminary teacher, Brother Quiltor. He is an amazing man who helped me through a hard time in my life. He is a sculptor who has made all but eight of the Angel Moroni's for the tops of the temples around the world. I ran up to talk to him and another guy was standing in front of me talking to him about how he was his seminary teaching eleven years before he taught me. It was fun to see him even though he had no clue who I was. That afternoon, we drove to Carthage, Missouri and visited the jail where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were shot and killed. It was heart wrenching to see the bullet holes in the door and the fireplace mantel. It was a very humbling experience.

Monday was the fourth of July. The guys got up early and went golfing. They had a blast! Dar and Mark Peterson couldn't quit laughing when they told us about "Obi One" (Mark) hitting the ball so hard that he fell on his butt. Then Alex hit poor Josh McCormick square on with a golf ball and he had a huge welt on his leg. We went to a buffet in the Old Navuoo hotel and then watched fireworks over the Mississippi River. It was a wonderful day!

Tuesday, the adults got up and went to an endowment session. WOW is all I can say - it was amazing! The boys went golfing again. Jordan Peterson lost the truck keys somewhere on the golf course so the Dad's spent all day driving back and forth between the nearest city to try to get keys made. Finally a lock smith had to come to the truck and cut them a key. The twelve girls and one guy shopped and rode around in the only car we had left. I'm sure if anyone saw us all pile out of the car they would think we were polygamists. It was quite the sight!

Wednesday, we got up early and drove to Kansas City where we visited Liberty Jail, Far West and Adam-ondi-ahman. I loved Adam-ondi-ahmen. It was so peaceful and beautiful. We had a little fireside and the spirit was very strong.

Thursday we spent at an amusement park called, Worlds of Fun and a water park next to it called, Oceans of Fun. The kids loved it and it was a nice break from all of the traveling.

We got up at 4AM and drove all day to get home that night about 10:30 PM. It was quite an adventure on the way home. Darren ran out of gas a couple of times and we had two flat tires on the camp trailer so we were extremely glad to get home!

Every night on the trip we took turns cooking dinner in the dutch ovens for the whole gang. My favorite dinner was the night Mark and Julie made their dutch oven potatoes and fried chicken.

They made the fried chicken with a mix called Dixie Fry. Then we used the extra batter to make blooming onions that were to die for!

Blooming Onions

Place a package of Dixie Fry in a large plastic or paper bag. Slice an onion down most of the way but not all the way through. Get it wet then put it into the bag with the Dixie Fry. Place the whole onion into hot oil and fry until it is crispy. Serve with this dipping sauce:

Equal amounts of your favorite barbecue sauce and mayonnaise.

No More Braces!

Last week was an epic week in many ways. Brayden finally got his braces off! So now he has a beautiful smile with straight white teeth. I can't wait to see how long he can keep his retainer before it gets thrown away or lost and I have to buy a new one!

The boys went to a father's and son's camp out on Friday night where they did guy things like barbecuing, fishing and shot at clay pigeons. I think they all had a great time. Alex came home with a nice bruise on his shoulder from the gun kicking back and hitting him.

My friend Dee Ann came out and stayed with me on Friday night because her little boy had a soccer tournament in Vernal on Saturday. We stayed up until 1:45 AM catching up on life. We have been friends since fourth grade so we had a lot to talk about.

Saturday night, I threw a "Honey Do" shower for one of Alex's friends, Brandon Woods, who is going to get married right after he graduates. We had all the men bring a tool or gadget that would help Brandon get his honey do list done after he is married. This was a totally new experience for me! The guys carried their presents in Ace Hardware bags or just handed him their gifts. There were no frilly bows or cute bags involved. I wanted to decorate the house with bee hives to go along with the "Honey Do" theme and make cute bee hive cakes with sugar bee's on them but Darren told me not to bother because the guys wouldn't appreciate it. There weren't any cute foods involved, they just ate barbecued stuff, chips and cowboy caviar. Instead of playing games, the guys went riding on their motorcycles and four wheelers in the hills by our house. They had a great time, but it was definitely a "guy" night!

Cowboy Caviar

Combine one can of corn - drained, one can of black beans - drained, 1/4C. sliced onions, three medium tomatoes - diced, one bunch of cilantro chopped and 1C. Italian dressing. Refrigerate for a couple of hours, then add one chopped avocado right before serving and stir in 1/2 package of dried Italian dressing. Serve with tortilla chips.

Ken the Fish

On Saturday, we spent most of the day in the community pool in Rangely, Colorado helping Ken pass off a lot of his scuba stuff. He was sooo.... excited to finally get to do this. He has been asking when he could scuba dive since he was eight or nine. I dare say we have found his calling in this life... to be a scuba man! He loved every minute of the lesson. He acted like an eighteen year old when he demonstrated that he could take off his mask under water and put it back on and clear it. The only thing he struggled with was being able to take off his b.c. vest and put it back on in deep water, but I struggled with that as well. Next month we will take him to the crater in Midway so he can do his final two dives. This whole experience has been wonderful for him. He made a list of all of the sea creatures he wants to see when he gets to go scuba diving in the ocean. So he actually wrote a report without having to be told to do it. He has been reading his scuba manual and dive magazines faithfully so we have logged tons of reading hours for school.

I wonder if he loves to be under the water because he doesn't have to talk and struggle with his "bumpy" words?

For Mother's day yesterday, I got breakfast in bed, waffles for lunch and steaks and potato's for dinner. My wonderful husband surprised me and had my wash sink in our mud room finished while we were gone to Salt Lake on Friday for a friends wedding. It was such a nice surprise to come home to!

I'm grateful for my Mom and for the amazing lady she is! She gave me this wonderful poppy seed salad dressing recipe a while ago and I can't wait to try it.

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

Put the following ingredients into a blender and blend well:
2/3C. vinegar, 1 1/4C. sugar, 1C. olive oil, 2t. salt, 2t. mustard, 1 green onion (chopped), 1T. poppy seeds.

Chill for an hour before serving with your favorite lettuce and toppings.

Sam and Me

seniors walking across america: DAY 97: HIGHWAY 62, COLORADO DESERT - VIDAL, CALIFORNIA - PARKER, ARIZONA

We came across a man named Bruce Maynard who is walking across America on our way to Mexico. He was a riot to talk to. He has a little cart thing he named, "Sam" that he takes with him everywhere. He is walking across America raising money to send to villagers in Africa so we had a common bond with our love for the African people. He was quite the character! Go to his blog: seniorswalkingacrossamerica.blogspot.com and look at his blog from April 21st. He posted a picture of us and talked about meeting us.

Easter Break in Mexico

We just got back from a ten day trip to Mexico. Everyone freaks out when I tell them we went to Mexico over spring break because of all of the violence that has been happening on the border. We stay in Darren's Dad's beach house which is in a little village called, Puenta Bufeo in the middle of no where and we didn't ever feel like we weren't safe. In fact every night we slept with all the doors wide open to cool off the house.

Right before we left Sancho, the horse, decided to play linebacker and knocked me down hard from behind when he was trying to get through a gate that was closing to be with his buddies. I had a few bruises on my left hip and my whole left side was sore. So the nineteen hours in the car was brutal going down. Dar kept loading me up with muscle relaxers which helped make the trip go by really fast!

The weather was perfect! It was in the 80's everyday and 60's at night. The boys had a blast riding their motorcycles on the beach and around the sand dunes near the house. One day we got the wave runners out and toured all of the islands in the bay. One of our favorite things we did was go to an island full of sea lions and snorkel with them. Then we went to another little island with a hidden bay we named, "Bikini Bottom," so Ken could go snorkeling.

We had our annual Easter egg hunt on the beach. Some birds tried to steal a couple of the eggs and took the contents. I wonder if they can digest skittles and jelly beans? Darren had brought some bubble wands, which were a huge hit. It was pretty windy that morning so everyone stood up on the upper deck and let the wind do the blowing. It was really fun to watch!

One of the boys favorite things to do while we are at the beach house is to go to a nearby village and eat fresh fish and shrimp tacos at a place called Alfonsina's. I'm not a fish eater so I stick to the refried beans and quesadillas. They serve a wonderful white sauce with all of their food so I asked our waiter how they make it. He told me it is made with a little mayonnaise, milk, consomme (I'm assuming he meant chicken broth, he didn't speak a lot of English and I don't speak a lot of Spanish)and some finely chopped green stuff called, "perejil." When I got home I asked my Spanish speaking friend what that was and she said parsley.

At night, Ken's favorite thing to do was to go out into the ocean with everyone and play games with a beach ball. It was nice having the water warm enough to get in. Last year we went during March and it was icy cold.

On our way out of Mexico, we stopped at a little taco stand and I got to love this little three month old colt. He was so tame it was amazing! It made me miss my caballo's back home!

After the wonderful weather we got to enjoy, it was hard to come home in a snow storm. We were all wearing our flip flops, shorts and short sleeved shirts. The roads were a sheet of ice near Strawberry reservoir and several cars had slid off the road so we stopped to see if we could help one poor man who was clear down an embankment. The boys toes and legs were freezing when they helped him up the steep hill so we could give him a ride to his home in Myton. It's always an adventure with the Christenson's!