Golden Hills Ward Youth Activities

So this is Erik with his girlfriend of three months, Berlyn. Neither of them wanted to have their picture taken but I did it anyway! We were at Central Park in Tehachapi for a picnic with the youth from our ward on July 19, 2008.

I even took a picture of all the leftover food. We sent some of it home to feed the missionaries who live at Ron & Dianne Miller's home. Nothing says "picnic in the park" like watermelon and hot dogs!

The girls planned a picnic and water fight activity for July 9th, 2008. This photo of Stan was taken at the Ward building that night. It ended up being the last time he was with the youth in his role in the Bishopric.

This photo of Erik was taken that same night.

Imagine That!

We have a friend (pictured) who would always says, "Imagine that!" whenever someone was asked to do something that he found to be a no-brainer. For instance, "you want us to arrive at church 5 minutes early?" Imagine that. "You want us to sacrifice our time" (even though it's for service to the Lord - or to others...) Imagine that.

We're going to miss Mr. Imagine That (Bryan). He and his family of a wife and five boys (!) are moving to Wyoming this week.

Time for a Change

Our Bishop, R. Bryan Hoggan, is moving to Wyoming, so he was released today (July 20, 2008) which means that Stan (and John Handy) were released as his counselors. I didn't think I'd cry, but I did as Bryan spoke. I'm happy for his family to have this new opportunity but I'm sad to see them go. I hugged each of he and Janel's 5 boys and Janel had tears in her eyes. She and I have become friends. Change is part of life and part of serving in the church.... we'll get used to this in time. The new Bishop is Gary Eisenzimmer, who is a great man and a great choice for what our ward needs. His counselors are Wayne Jepson and Ted Hobart. They will make a great team!

Old Endings and New Beginnings

Tomorrow, my mom is coming to stay with us for awhile. Her bones are so brittle she doesn't even realize that she's breaking them by twisting and turning. It's so hard to see our parents age and eventually, die. They were invincible to us as children. The things we consider "normal" have to change - to ebb and flow into the healthy fluidity that is required to keep up with life. Two years ago when my husband had a serious torso trauma in an ATV accident, this fact came through to me loud and clear. We are still getting used to the "new normal". Part of any loss is the process through which we accept the changes that occur. My husband, Stan, will never be the same. My mother will never be the same. Stan will always have some limitations. She will always be in pain. I just want to help her through her journey of acceptance - and give her some dignity in the winter of her life. Our lives are filled with family, church callings, service, horses, outdoor recreation, art, music, and the everyday happenings of life. .



And YW camp is in less than 10 days away and other ward changes are coming. I am in the process of delegating some responsibilities to those around me. I need to remember to take care of myself - through swimming, riding, journaling - so that I can better serve those who need me.

(I didn't draw this artwork - it's from a free clipart collection).

Random Rumblings

We had a good July 4th. We went to breakfast with our ward family, which was cool. There was even an mini-airshow put on over the skies of Tehachapi. After coming home, Stan took the engine out of the '64 Chevy Malibu (i.e., the Chevelle, the tin can, etc.) The engine is literally in pieces. (sigh) Anyway after BBQing chicken, we joined the Peterson's in the Home Depot parking lot to watch the small annual fireworks display that is put on from the airport. We had a good time. The traffic coming home was backed up - but that's life in a small town. Most folks come out to support the local activities, which is something that I like!

There are so many fires burning in California right now. There's one (the Piute fire) in Sequoia National Forest that isn't too terribly far from us. The last report states that the fire has burned 28 square miles and it's *only* a week old. I say *only* because there are other fires still burning which started on June 21st from the 6000 lightning strikes that hit Northern California. Today, from our bedroom window, I can see the brown smoke in the air from the Piute fire. Last week after church, we could see plumes of smoke, but the wind shifted and the smoke has been drifting in a more northerly direction. The photo at right shows about how it looked last Sunday.

This is a pic of the fire that was taken on July 7, 2008 from closer to the fire line. It gives me an eerie feeling.

After nearly two years as a Family History Consultant, last February, I was released. Two weeks later, our Bishop (R. Bryan Hoggan) called me into his office to give me a new calling. Since February 23rd, I've been the Young Women's President. I've been in a presidency before (Primary) but this is my first calling as President. I was speechless at the time! With Stan in the Bishopric, our lives have been busy, and now they're even busier. We're preparing for Stake Girls Camp, which is a big deal. I'm still camp director as well as YW President. I love my calling and I love the girls! I'm learning so much and I have much more to learn. Back in May, the Young Men did a "Fear Factor" activity which ended up being a lot of fun. One of the "events" was to pull raisins out of tapioca pudding. As you can see in the photo at left, more tapioca got on the participants than stayed in the trays! That's our son, Erik on the left, Sophia Barraclough in the center and Kendra Harris on the right. Our friend, and neighbor, Ryan Anderson is directly behind them, with Bishop Hoggan and his son, Brayden (in the orange shirt) farther back.