pioneer day

two years ago, with the help of my mom, i made a pioneer dress, packed my toothbrush, sunscreen and first-aid kit in a bucket {that doubled as a chair} and went to pioneer trek to be the ma to nine teenagers.

i would go into further detail about our trek, but on the scale of pioneer treks from a cake walk to brutal abuse, ours was definitely closer to eating cupcakes... but still full of physical and spiritual growth.

highlights of the trek included:

an afternoon at martin's cove. i cannot fully express what it was like to be there in part reenacting their journey in the exact same spot. there was a sweet reverence in that little cove.

leading the womens pull. wow. {not going to lie, i still can't talk about without tearing up a little bit.} i had three 12 year old girls with me, the biggest of which probably weighing about the same as a cabbage patch doll, and a good friend shelley. and we were the lead handcart. all of the men in our trek left all of the women, and we had a little devotional. truthfully, i was nervous about it. you see, i may be strong willed, but i'm not very physically strong. {i'm not helpless, just not freakishly strong.} and i had tiny, tiny girls to help me. and our trail consisted of a huge steep hill. we're talking super steep. and i live in utah, i know what steep hills are. {apologies to the midwest.} so we began, i had a constant prayer running through my head, asking for as much help as possible. i knew we needed it. so we began, nothing but rocks and dirt in our path. we pulled and pulled our absolute hardest. after pressing on for what seemed like hours, i looked up to see all of the men lined up on the sides of our trail, marking the last stretch of our journey. i had held my composure very well until i looked up and saw my brothers and dad - - - i will never forget the look on their faces. i have tough brothers. super tough. but they looked so helpless. i've never seen them so upset. {i'm not sure if i'm allowed to say they cried, so for the record, they may or may not have cried. hard.} i was so touched - in my family, we all know that we love each other. but it was that moment that it hit me like a train, how much my brothers loved me. i lost control of the tears i was holding back. and by the time we reached the top, i was shaking with emotion. it was the most overwhelmed i think i have ever been. and i'll never forget it.

bribing a fellow trekker with cookies for the use of his guitar, to give to kalai, {also a youth leader in our stake} who entertained us for hours with his awesome songs.

i definitely gained a deeper appreciation for pioneers, even though we didn't have to kill a turkey, or bury and of our children. i completely respect the pioneers, and am so grateful for their sacrifices and their journey to this lovely place i call home.

so, pioneers, thank you. happy pioneer day.

scouts

brans went to scout camp last week. not just any scout camp - a six day venture up to bear lake.

i interupt this posting to clarify my stance on scouting, for a moment...
ahem. i am fully supportive of the boy scouts of america. i even participated in cub scouts as a young girl. yes, cub scouts. not girl scouts. please don't be confused. (this may be in large part because i was the only girl in the neighborhood, and my mom was the den mother. and i didn't want to feel left out. but it served me well. at yw camp, i set the record for starting a fire the quickest - 2.7 seconds - with only flint and steel. and i may or may not have held the title of best knot tie-er in the land.) i have helped two of my brothers earn their eagle. i even help with scout fundraisers every year - from putting up flags at 6:00am on the 4th of july to spending a little too much money at our troop's silent auction. but all in support of a good cause. see, i am quite in favor of the scouting program.

i am all for supporting branson in his calling as assistant scout master. i continue my support through monthly overnight campouts - yes, monthly. as in once a month. twleve times a year. i'm still a little bitter about the christmas campout... why? why do you have to take fourteen scouts and their leaders away for a weekend the week before christmas? is there a valid reason? is it imperative to being a scout? i have a very strong argument that it is not. but i digress. i buck up and handle a night on my own once a month (ok, so maybe i stay with a friend, or have a sleepover with my sisters... but that is not the point.) but a six day camp about killed me.

literally, k i l l e d me.

in the two years and some months that i have known branson, the longest amount of time that we have been away from each other has only been a few days. even when he went home for the holidays - it was only about three or four days that i didn't see him, but we talked on the phone for several hours to bridge the gap.

so, a six day scout camp with basically no communication (he called me one night and the conversation went like this: "hey shan! my phone's almost dead but i just wanted to call and say i lov----" dead. so really, no communication) was a really, really, r e a l l y long time.

oh, don't worry - i survived. but just barely.

in the time he was gone, i got done several loads of laundry, had a few girl's nights, felt the most sick i have ever felt, encountered a rat in our backyard, drank sour milk and almost threw up, got nearly ran off the road by a bus, stayed late at work a few nights, and didn't sleep very well.

now, i'm not asking for a pity party - i know many have it far worse. like wives of men in the military. or single mothers. or widows. or michael jackson's children - but truthfully, i had a hard time with it. why the camp had to be six days is beyond me. i think a four day camp would suffice.

branson returned home safely... and tan. and he had a great time. which i'm grateful for.

but next time, scouters, can you please not keep my husband for so long?
thanks.

one year later

i have officially been an employee here
for one year.

some days it seems like
i've been around a whole lot longer than that.

other days, i still feel like the new girl
who is just getting the hang of things.

regardless, {not to be confused with 'irregardless', which happens to not be a word...seriously} i feel like i have a really great job. i enjoy what i do - even when i'm so busy that i can't seem to think straight. i genuinely like the people i work with. i've created some pretty good friendships here - ones i hope will last far beyond my working career.

but i feel pretty lucky.
and yet, lucky doesn't seem to be quite the right word.

i am blessed to have such a great job and work with such great people. i have learned so much in the last 365 days. and looking back, i find it wonderfully comical at how well things have worked out for me. sure, there have been moments of frustration. and a few hard times here and there... but the good definitely out-weighs the bad. and how can i be upset about that? i've been treated far better than i deserve. after all, i am just a twenty-something girl who has a lot to learn.

so, pathway of mine, thank you for leading me here. i appreciate the opportunities and the lessons i've learned. thanks for not leading me astray.

independence day

we had a lovely time celebrating our independence here in america.

we both had friday off, so we began our much-anticipated bathroom remodel. i should clarify: we began out bathroom destruction, prior to our remodel. we ripped off all the tile from the walls, pulled out the vanity, toilet, bathtub and existing walls around the shower. we worked super hard, but thanks to a few of my siblings, we got more done than i anticipated. we're still a long ways off, but it will be great when it's gone.

friday evening we went to the real salt lake soccer game with nick and kadee. have i mentioned how much i love kadee? for so many reasons, not the least of which is her instrumental role in branson and i getting together. she is one of my favorites. the soccer game was fun - nice kept us entertained by throwing a mild fit when a drill team came on for halftime. the night was made complete by a fantastic firework show following the game.

i love fireworks. they make me so happy.

saturday morning, we went to the annual mock 4th of july breakfast. the food, as always, was delicious and the company was just as good. we had fun visiting with alex and sarah, and several other brickyard ward members. after the breakfast, we continued working on the bathroom.

we hosted a bbq for our family - and spent the evening with branson's parents (who are in town), kendyll's family, cousins, grandma and grandma lowman, my family and grandma. it was a nice party. the weather was quite nice, and the food was excellent.

after dinner, we ventured over to the jr high field a few blocks away to watch more fireworks. i think it was the longest firework display i've ever seen. it was wonderful. seriously, we're talking about 35 minutes. thirty five! incredible. and of course, branson had to light off a few when we got home to complete our celebration.

it was a good holiday weekend. it ended too soon, but weekends always do.

but, i forgot to break out the popcicles at our bbq (we had cake and rootbeer floats, too) so i am getting through this week with orange dream bars. because what's summer without popcicles?

july

i'm pretty sure i say this at the start of every month... but i honestly can't believe it's july!

things i'm excited for this month:

the oquirrh mountain temple open house
branson's parents in town
a complete bathroom remodel
the REAL (ree-al)Salt Lake soccer game
fireworks
the annual 4th of july breakfast at the mocks
a family bbq
house sitting for my aunt and uncle
harry potter and the half-blood prince
fireworks
pioneer day
the parade
did i already mention fireworks?