Summit County Fair

This weekend I was able to go home to my parents’ for the Summit County Fair. I have been going to the fair since I was 9 or so, and I can’t bear to break tradition. The main attraction of the fair for our family is the sheep show. When I told my coworkers that I was going home for a sheep show, I got plenty of blank looks. I don’t blame them, a show consisting of sheep doesn’t really sound like that much fun, but it was an integral part of my life growing up, and it is something that I haven’t been able to give up since. 

I started showing lambs when I was 10. The first year I had four lambs. One we had raised ourselves from a ewe my dad bought from his uncle, and the other three were from three different sheep breeders in the area whom my dad was (and still is depending on the day of the week) friends with. I grew very attached to those lambs, and I named all of them. Their names were Alvie, Jumper, Snide, and Licorice. My first real livestock show was at the fair, and I placed third with Alvie. I honestly didn’t know what the heck I was doing, but I was pretty excited to place so high my first year. Then I had to sell him. I wasn’t too happy about that part, but I was excited to deposit my $400 or so check in the bank. It was the most money I had ever seen.

I continued to show lambs for the next eight years. There were many ups and downs, and through the process I made quite a few memories. We branched out to shows in Tooele, Vernal, and Cedar City, as well as the State Fair. We began to make a name for ourselves and many friendships and business deals were made. Our family vacations consisted of going to sheep shows. Through the process I was awarded with numerous ribbons (the rosettes were particularly cherished because $20 was usually attached), ego boosts, and enough money to pay for two and a half years of living expenses at BYU.

Some of the highlights of my livestock exhibiting era include: winning the Summit County Fair and placing second the next year, placing in showmanship a couple of times at state (the competition was about 50-80 other people, and winning showmanship at the County Fair my second year. FFA was also a highlight, but that is a whole other post (or ten). Some of the low points include: red ribbons at state my first two years, receiving a red ribbon in showmanship right after winning the county fair (that lamb was possessed and I had planned to use a different lamb for showmanship), and having our herd attacked by dogs (we lost like 7 or 8, including some of my favorites). 

Every year that I go back to the county fair, these memories are brought back to the surface, and I miss sheep. I always feel a renewed desire to move home to Kamas and have my kids continue the cycle of sheep showing. (I should probably have kids before I plan their extracurricular activities.) However, there are a few hitches in that plane. First off, Kevin does not like the idea of having a bunch of sheep (and depending on the day, living in close proximity to my parents). Second, I have the complications of having/wanting a job where I take care of babies exclusively, and such a unit does not exist in Park City or Heber, and I hate to drive, so working in Salt Lake while living in Kamas isn’t really an option right now. However, someday, I want to be a nurse practitioner, and as such I would have more flexibility to work in Park City or Heber because there are plenty of doctor’s offices there, and I want to be a Family Practice Nurse.

I guess my best course right now is to enjoy the stage that I am in. I don’t have kids yet, so I really shouldn’t worry about something they can’t do until they are 9. That is at least 10 years away, and who knows where or what we will be doing then.

Milo Update

Last weekend, Kevin and I were able to visit Milo again. This is the first time we were able to go since he was a few days old. It is crazy how much he has grown. He is now close to 7 pounds and while I held him, it felt like I was holding one of my babies at the hospital, except he was a lot more interactive than they are. He is now PICC line free, and is getting all of his food through his G-tube (a feeding tube surgically placed in the stomach). He is currently waiting for surgery to fix the esophageal atresia, and other than the fact that he has a suction tube down his mouth, he looks like a normal newborn. He is definitely cute and developing a personality of his own. 

Part of the reason we went to see him was so Kevin could take some pictures of him, so enjoy:

Youth Conference

Last weekend (August 4 & 5) was our stake’s Youth Conference. I ended up being the only young womens leader going due to unforeseen circumstances. I was a little nervous about that (okay, I was on the verge of breakdown the night before, but I am a drama queen), but it all turned okay because the girls were awesome.

Along the theme of things not going as planned, we also got rained out (or mudded out, depending on how you look at it) at our planned location (Camp Timberlane near Price), so we went to a Church property in Taylorsville. The two girls I had with me were very bummed about the fact that we were going “city camping,” but I was feeling pretty excited about it because it meant no rocks and less ways for my girls to get hurt. We set up camp on a large grassy field and then commenced with the activities.

I didn’t get any pictures of anything (except the tent I put up by myself, with a bit of help from one of my girls) because I was having too much fun participating in the activities. Our first activity consisted of different sports (volleyball, basketball, baseball, and soccer). I was pleasantly surprised when I actually hit the ball in baseball, apparently I am developing hand eye coordination in my “old age.” We also did other activities like two-person baseball and Red Rover. I think the Young Women I was with for the two person baseball was forever traumatized that she had to wear a U of U shirt (we were connected by two extra large shirts sewn together) for the two-person baseball game, apparently she was a bigger BYU fan than me because I was just joking when I said I couldn’t wear it. 

We had a fireside that night, which our bishop, his counselor, and our Young Women’s president (who just had a baby) were able to attend. After the fireside we played a game of tag in the dark where you had to find people and bring them to jail. I was it, and I was horrible at the game. Apparently the bishop was following me around the whole time. Of course I was oblivious to this. Eventually we were finally able to end the game as it was lights out. 

Sleeping in my tent, I realized that one of the downsides of being the only leader is that it means you have to sleep all alone in your tent. It was nice to have the extra space, but thanks to the wind, it constantly sounded like someone was breaking in. I didn’t get much sleep that night, and I was wishing I wouldn’t have been too lazy to blow up my air mattress. (I was definitely sore.) Fortunately I decided against being too lazy to set up my tent as it rained also.

The next day we cleaned up, played a few games, and then left for our stake center to attend some workshops. All of the workshops were good, and I thought they all covered relevant topics. After the workshops, we went to a park nearby for dinner and skits. Our skit was really random, and somehow I got cast as a gorilla with the other leaders (the Young Men’s leaders), but the kids enjoyed it, so that is all that matters.

After I had dropped all of the girls off, one of the moms went to pick up the extra food with me because I had no idea where I was going. I was mistaken as her daughter. It honestly took a bit of convincing to convince the person that I was really in the Young Womens presidency and in my mid-twenties. Oh the joys of looking young. I will appreciate it when I am older. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

I was continually amazed at how adaptable the stake leaders, as well as the youth were during youth conference. Our plans were constantly changing, but everyone went with the flow, and I know my Young Women enjoyed their time there, especially any time spent with their new friends, who were exclusively of the male gender. I enjoyed myself as well, and I am glad I went, even if it meant that I kept getting in the middle of water fights.

Expanded Job Description

Recently I was informed that I was selected as one of the “guinea pigs” for the new Level II/Transitional Nursery at work. I say guinea pig because only two of us were selected, and we are the ones who will get to discover what does and doesn’t work with our new format. I am excited for the change and I am excited to learn more about babies and focus on them rather than bouncing back and forth between the nursery and postpartum. Babies are what I enjoy the most out of the various things of my job.

While we will be doing a lot of the same things as we are doing currently, we will have more responsibilities. Our largest responsibility is that we will be attending all of the healthy baby deliveries. I am excited about this. I think that was my favorite part of my Labor & Delivery preceptorship back when I was in school. So far, I have enjoyed attending deliveries, and I have found that they are not nearly as terrifying as I thought they would be.

My training has mostly been spent in the NICU, and I have loved that. I have mostly been following a nurse around and helping her with her cares, except when there is a delivery or a more exciting procedure going on. I have been exposed to a lot of new experiences in the past few weeks. It has been amazing. I love to learn, and all of the NICU nurses have been great teachers. Someday I would like to work in a NICU setting, and this experience has helped to solidify that desire. I don’t know when that will happen, but at least I know that I will most likely enjoy it because so far I have been in heaven.

Girls Camp 2011

July 12-15 was our ward’s Girls’ Camp. This was the first time I have attended girls camp since I was 18, but I was pleased to find that camp as a leader was almost as fun as it was when I was one of the girls. We went to Timpooneke Campground up American Fork Canyon. It was a very beautiful, forested area. There was a small stream (or at least it should have been a small stream, but it was pretty full and moving very quickly because of the late run-off) nearby, and it was comforting to hear the sounds of the river (at least as long as the girls were not anywhere near it). We did the regular girls camp stuff, such as certification, preparing and eating camp food, and incorporating spirituality where we could. 

The highlight of the camp was our hike to the Timpanogos Cave. I last made this hike when I was a Beehive, and I remember it being somewhat difficult, but I am apparently in worse shape than I was when I was 12 or 13. Two wheezing episodes and quite a while after we started up, I made it to the top. However, I did not lack for entertainment, as I hiked it with our youngest Beehive. She apparently has no fear of heights and would frequently veer towards the side of the trail closest to the edge of the mountain. I was constantly steering her back to the “safe side” of the trail. I think she honestly just got too wrapped up in her stories and wasn’t really paying attention to where she was going. The cave was beautiful of course. I wish I would have had our big camera, but I feel I got some decent photos of the inside.

I am really grateful for the opportunity I had to go to camp this year, and I am grateful that I get to serve in Young Womens. I was pretty terrified of the whole thing when I first started, but I am slowly growing more and more comfortable with the calling. I have grown so much in the last year, and while there is still plenty of room for improvement, I am grateful for the progress I am making. I have truly grown to love the girls and I am constantly looking for ways to be a good example to them so that they can rise up to their full potential. I hope I get to spend plenty of more time with them.

 Three of the girls sending the raft "off to sea." It was in memory of all the flood victims from this year. We all signed it.

Stretching in preparation for our ascent up Timpanogos

Although this is only a 1.5 mile hike, it is a very steep hike. I think I was more tired than when we were on our temple walk. I also angered my IT band hiking it. My knees just aren't fans of Young Women activities.

Once we got to the top, the girls started showing off their flexibility skills.

The fearless leaders: Anne, Jodi, Misty, and Megan

I don't think Anne was quite ready for the photo. I was prepared for the cave, I didn’t really wear my jacket while hiking up the mountain.

The next few pictures are from inside the cave. This is where I especially wish I had the new camera, but mine did pretty good considering the lighting. 

The young women and their leaders, plus the two dads who were our "body guards."

The view from the cave exit. We even saw a fire burning off in the distance.

Briaunna and her watermelon vs. Tia and baby Beckham. Baby Beckham was born three days after this photo was taken. We missed Tia, but we understood why she only came for the testimony meeting.