PRE CAMP

I had a week full of snow, snow, snow! but most of all Love.  our theme this year for Brighton Camp is "Love one Another".  That is exactly what we did.  I have never made that many friends that quickly! I am so looking forward to this summer.  Here is a quick run down of my week.
monday: staff party, made music videos, zipline
tuesay: legend ceremony, bear sighting, 
wednesday: returning staff night, shoveled the rock, had a dutch oven cookout, watched a giant pine tree get cut down, repel
thursday: wrote our creed, testimony meeting, worked in the craft shack, did the lifeline ropes course, hiked to twin lake and silver lake
friday: pinecone ceremony, slideshow, HEADED HOME

every day things:  morning flag, night flag, creep, breakfast, lunch, and dinner :)

a fish is a woman's best friend...

this thursday evening, my beloved fish "Panama" passed away. 
Bryce game him to me the day before he left on his mission.  I LOVED that fish.  friends can attest to this.
i cried the first time I forgot to feed him. 

when i saw that he wasn't moving-I crumbled to the ground in tears.  once i found the strength to go to my bed-I cried myself to sleep. 

in the morning my dad got rid of him so I wouldn't have to look at him again.

it really made for a rough night and morning.  but my sister Trisha and her two kids saved the day.  her kids loved Panama as much as I did and they cried when she told them the news.  Her daughter Kaylee replied with "so dogs are a mans best friend and fish are a womans best friend?" and when I saw Jaxon he said "I'm sawwyy Panama died aubwee" 

They picked me up with lots of love-took me to the pet store to get me a new friend.  I now have a friend that is a Black Lotus Beta named Panama Jr. (shocker right?!) 

He is adorable.  He's got some big shoes to fill.  If this fish lives at least a year like Panama did-he could make it to Bryce's Homecoming! that is the plan! come on P.J.-i believe in you! 

R.I.P. PANAMA

take that step...

this week.    *warning-this post is ALL over the place
have you ever had one of those weeks where a mental blog is running through your mind?
well this has been one of those weeks for me.

i made sure to get in a pool trip with my sanji, sandwich loft with the fam, bachelorette with my girls, girl dinner at mimi's cafe, and saying goodbyes to a few others.

these events were surrounded by and filled with a roller coaster of emotions.

let me just say, i LOVE roller coasters, upside down, high, fast, you name it.
however, EMOTIONAL roller coasters are the ones that leave you light headed and nauseous for hours.
with that said... that's what I was on this week. 

I had to get packed for move ins, make my TNT(creative chore chart for the campers), make my Indian costume(which i still haven't gotten to yet), get things ready for my best friends wedding shower (which was tonight and it went so well), not to mention my bank account has now been DRAINED. 

after all of that it was time to MOVE UP TO BRIGHTON! (just my stuff, i move up officially sunday night)
my sister KETCHUP helped me!
I am so anxious, nervous, excited, curious, and so many other emotions.
I know that I will never be the same person after this experience.  I am so grateful that I get to experience it.  and even though this roller coaster i've been on is only going to keep going throughout the summer-I will learn to stomach it. that's what life is about. not changing what is happening, it's changing how you deal with it. so bring it on roller coaster... i'm a BRIGHTON girl now!



Grandpa's 91st Birthday Party



you can call me shades from now on :)

where you can find me this summer...my humble abode!

got my keys and walkie-its official!

so I will take that step...
that step out of my box, out of my comfort zone, out of the valley, out of social media, out of electronics, out of the world, into brighton, into the gospel, into the lord's arm, into the scriptures, into the love.
peace and blessings:shades

walkin in a WINTER wonderland?

so after rain, cold, and SNOW.... today it hit the 80's....
so naturally- i pulled on my snow pants, laced up my snow boots, and headed up big cottonwood canyon.
ok.. not BY MYSELF.. BRIGHTON'S LAST WORKSHOP!!!!!!

we parked in the lower bowl (upper bowl not reachable by car yet), grabbed our shovels and headed up the mountain.  we reached the base, glanced at the measuring light pole..... 7 ft.

7 FEET OF SNOW!  JUNE 4TH!

 

regardless of the snow.. it was warm up there. it was a sight to see 20+ girls decked out for the snow from the waist down and in t-shirts.  we toured camp(what we could see of it). nibbik (a cabin) was COMPLETELY covered in snow.

we went on a candy hunt to find out who our roommates will be for the summer and where we'll be staying. 
tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick boom DYNAMITE IS MY ROOMMATE!!! we are living in columbine (which is up the hill)

after we toured we ate some lunch and got to work.  shovels in hand we dug our way into nibbik, hovel, the craft shack, the cafeteria, and a few other key areas.  the snow was NEVERENDING, the temperature was RISING, and the friendships were GROWING. 

even though winter is NOT my season... i feel so blessed that i got to walk in a winter wonderland with these amazing girls today. so brighton... bring on the rain, snow, sleet, or hail! HERE WE COME!