Heber Valley Girls Camp

We were the Airforce at B.O.O.T camp (Build Your Own Testimony)

Candy bombers in blue camo.

It rained every day except for hike day, but that didn't stop anything.  We did the challenge course in the rain, paddled canoes in the rain, did skits, made fires, cooked food, crafted, and sang in the rain. 

Our lovely weather hike to Look Out Mountain.

My new besties.
5 days of go go go, 4 nights of 4 hours shut eye = delusional fits of laughter and immediate friends for life. I felt 16 again....and 80 at the same time.

Thinking of Grandma

This is a Grandma Rasmussen meal. 

I think I offended some family members when I once stated that Grandma Rasmussen couldn't cook.  It was a mistaken statement, because I don't actually know if she could cook. What I should have said was I never experienced her cooking.  Every holiday we spent together, grandma and grandpa either came to our house up the street where my mom would do the cooking, or they took us out to eat.  This makes sense when I think about it.  My dad was the youngest child, we were some of the youngest grandchildren, and my grandpa was really sick most of my life.  By the time I have solid memories life had begun to slow down for them.  I think Grandma let go of some things she didn't love so she had the energy to do the things she did.  In my limited memory that was writing, and gardening. 

Most of my memories of grandma are of her in the garden, or sleeping on the back patio after gardening.  I remember summers of picking cherries, tart apples, raspberries, currents, grapes, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, all types of squash and beans. Sometimes the broccoli had tiny worms in it, and the apples usually did but my mom always pulled them out and said "they don't do any harm" (except...true story, I once found only half a worm from my bitten apple...gag). My brothers and sisters worked in grandmas yard/garden our whole lives, each of us growing from the weeding position, to lawn duty to being able to work the small tractor (actually only Erik, and possibly Mark were given that duty). I have so many memories of grandma pointing out lady bugs and chanting the poem about their house being on fire. She often wore a hummingbird pin from Avon, and season permitting she had fresh fruit and veggies washed and waiting in the kitchen. It seemed like there was always a bowl of vinegar dill cucumbers waiting in the fridge.  I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole...tomatoes either.  That probably broke grandma's heart a little bit.

Wish I could share some cucumbers and a tomato sandwich with her now. Tomatoes and basil I grew myself. Cucumbers I didn't, but she would love my Swiss/German neighbor who grew them, and she would be proud of how neighborly I am.  She once told me that smiling and waving to neighbors was a rule at her house.

Here is the recipe that I have been using, I think I only tried grandma's dill cucumbers once but these remind me that one time, as well as the smell and look of them.

• 2 English hothouse cucumbers (1 1/2 pounds total), unpeeled, very thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Just another glimpse...

What in the holy heck am I doing blogging 12:10 am?

I have stuff to accomplish tomorrow!

I need to go grocery shopping/gear gathering/pack for girls camp tomorrow morning, find my camp schedule (where in the world?), finish the laundry, pack the kids, get together a Sunbeam lesson, figure out a skit, and make a dozen phone calls. 

But you know what I did tonight instead of tackling any one of those things on my list?

I went to book club and ate French cheese and fig jelly with nuts, fruit, and crackers.  We discussed English literature, and life, and laughed at high school reunion stories (it's that time of year after all).  Meanwhile back at the ranch, Darin was putting our 3 littles down to bed.

When I got home, Darin and I watched an amusing movie.  After IMDBing the whole cast we talked about this and that while getting ready for bed.  We opened windows, checked on kids, snuggled until his breathing was heavy and even....pretty darn near perfect evening till my brain turned on. 

My mental list is now officially recorded, so hopefully after I post this I will be able to sleep.

Until then, here is a glimpse of July

SUMMER REC

Iddy Biddy Ball for Soren

Basketball for Bub

Bub is fairly hesitant to get in there and play, but he is always observing and with Bub that is key.

I can't really tell if he likes something or not until he has observed for quite awhile.

Case in point: I have been encouraging him to try a kart wheel for 2 summers now, he profusely refused every time....I walk into the living room one spring day and he is doing kart wheels across the floor.

You just never know with that kid....he keeps you guessing.

Lacrosse for Miriam

(I have never in my life worn a mouth guard)

She is one of only 3 girls who signed up for the entire session.

She says she loves it.

Soren usually gets out earlier than the other two, so we sit and watch for awhile.

SWIMMING LESSONS

They have all improved by leaps and bounds!

Bub made the largest gains since last year.  That boy became a fish.

Soren as always charmed the teachers.

They are all excited to sign up again next year...but there is a snag.  We got the bitter sweet news that Miriam has officially graduated from Cynthia's swim school.  She is excited to move on but doesn't want to take lessons anywhere else.

I am going to go try that sleeping thing again...

Time Keeps on Slippin'

So this happened over the weekend.  

and look what 18 years does!

{4 of the kids not included in the picture!}

Thanks for hosting Eric and Laura!!

Just Stuff

Every summer I look forward to dinner with 2 of my Boston Mission sisters.  Sister B married a really great Elder from our mission who grew up in Centerville so when her family flies in, Sister P drives up from Utah County to meet us at Gardner Village for dinner.

We shut that place down....laughing and crying and laughing.

I love those ladies. I love the fudge at the candy shop. I love the fried green tomatoes

It's some serious good times.

This last move put us right down the street from Sister B's in-laws so we are now even closer, which wasn't an accident.  After years of driving to pick her up for these get-to-gethers, I noticed how nice the area was.  Everyone waves to you, it's beautiful right down from the mountains, the homes are well taken care of but not pretentious {well, maybe a few are, but the owners are super nice!}.  The area is within walking distance of the kids school {which is also right by the Police Department, AND the Fire Department another reason I love the school}

Home buying in this area of Davis county is hard.  Homes are on the pricey side and when you do find a gem you have to put an offer right away because they go fast! Darin and I are NOT go by the gut kind of people...we are search ponder and pray {or meditate} then search some more, go on a jog,  a bike ride, talk about it some more kind of people.  

This home got me in the gut.  I loved it no jogging needed, and I already knew I loved the area, and the school. AND it reminded me of my childhood home.  SOLD!

So this year when Sister B came, we still went out to dinner and laughed until the place shut down  {why don't we ever take pictures?} but we also got our kids together a few times during the week.  

They hit it off too which is always such a relief!

We went swimming.

We took them to the Natural History Museum {of course...}

To Beyond Glazed for donuts.

...for the Black Hole challenge!

Then they came to our house so Elder P could reminisce about trading his markers for a pack of Garbage Pail Kids at our new house {which his mother made him return} and jumping the fence from neighbors yard to neighbors yard.  It was fun to hear stories of him growing up around here.

So here is to many more years of mini mission reunions! 

Antelope by Moonlight

Darin and I signed up for the Antelope by Moonlight bike ride, which meant I needed a new ride!

Still loving the Madsen {with the kid hauling bucket} for family rides, but if I was going to keep up with Darin for 24 miles in the middle of the night I needed something new.

{I not only needed a bike, I had never ridden more than like 8 miles, never in the dark}

So I blew all my fun money on a matching bike! 

Darin laughed when he saw the bike that worked with my short-legged body, it kind of does look like a child's bike....but I am in love! I have never felt so comfortable on a bike! 

AND THEY MATCH, which I dearly love, and Darin tolerates with affection.

They forecasted rain....but nope.

Clear skies and a full bright moon to ride with.

This ride gives prizes for crazy lit up costumes.  Very entertaining to watch, but really not our {Darin's} scene...but he did put on the matching t-shirt I had laid out for him! 

Compromise, one of the many reasons we work so well.

I heard an estimate of between 1500 and 3000 riders being thrown around that evening.

I don't know for sure, but there were a lot of people there.

Darin and I got in our groove passing people and finding our own pockets of solitude among the other riders.  Some had music playing, everyone was super friendly. 

Finished! 24 miles of beautiful Great Salt Lake views, while the moon shone down!

We are so glad we did it, we needed some bonding time amidst this crazy busy summer.  Although Darin is faster than I am, and much braver downhill, I would say we are compatible riders.  It's fun to add to the list of activities we enjoy doing together.

THANK YOU Alicia for staying over with the kids, only to be awoken at 1 am because we forgot our house keys.  Soren woke up later in the morning, when he saw me he crumpled in disappointment and said "WHERE IS ALICIA?!" I reassured him she would be here when he woke up so he turned over and went back to snoozin. Alicia is dearly loved around these parts.

The rest of the weekend....

The boys making Grandpa's birthday fruit pizza.

Playing at the cabin.

Grandpa taught Miriam to drive the dirt bike.

FIREWORKS!

{it did not rain, apparently my lens is super dirty}

We snuggled in the back of the truck while....

these guys huddled in the trailer.
{this picture made me laugh really hard}

The Second 4th of July Parade

We reserved a good spot....

Made Madison's boyfriend match us.

Waved at the Miss Pleasant Valley contestants.

Nabbed all the candy we were thrown!

{it's probably still at the cabin and will stay there until Christmas when Grandma finally just throws it all away}

Grandpa getting hit with water...he asks for it!

There are mixed feelings about water from parade floats...I am personally in favor of it because it's always so hot! I got hit this year as well because I yelled "Go Utah!" to a BYU fan.

Calculated taunting.