Subbing

I am a Relief Society teacher.

And I adore my calling!

It is a once a month calling (I know, awesome!) and because of that -- I have had the opportunity to substitute for a bunch of different classes. I have substituted for Sunday School classes, Primary classes, Primary Music Chorister, and I was subbing as a Relief Society teacher before they called me, officially. I have even worked my way into Young Womens and Young Mens a few times, just for fun. (During Trek season, I just wanted to be close to the Youth.)

It has been a super experience for me -- getting around to all the different auxiliaries.

I had been in Young Womens (which I adore above ALL things!) for 3 years. However, when you are in the YW program you get to know the ladies you work with REALLY well, but you find yourself wondering who everyone else in the ward is!

I have really enjoyed "getting around" in the ward. I have been able to see the full scope of amazing people that I am lucky to be surrounded by. I have been able to bask in the glory of the "older women" in the Relief Society -- who I am learning to really admire and love. I love teaching them (or rather, learning from them!). They are so sweet and some are sassy, which I think is great. You never know what kind of comments you are going to get in our Relief Society . . . I love it. (Keeps me on my toes!)

What is also awesome are the lessons.

These are my lesson titles to finish out the year:

*The Post-Mortal Spirit World

*The Signs of the Second Coming

*The Second Coming

*Exaltation

Yeah, I am one lucky girl. I get to teach the GOOD STUFF! We are going to have some fantastic conversations!

Though I thought I would be teaching just once a month, I find myself hopping here and there subbing in different places, almost every week. It has been unique and I have learned a lot and interacted with a bunch of fabulous people! Just last Sunday I watched the new Primary President doing sharing time. I have never spoken with her, but just watching her -- I can tell she is adorable! There are SO many marvelous people in our ward, I look forward to getting to know them better!

Subbing has been a blessing.

Who would have thought?!

*On a side note: Charles and I have given talks a few times in the last few months. I spoke, then bore my testimony a few weeks later (requested after Trek). Charles also shared his testimony (per request) and he spoke a few weeks later. It had been less than a year, since we had given talks. It seems like we keep finding our way up there. I know there might be some people in our ward wishing they could be so lucky to speak over and over. I have a suggestion: Sit on the FRONT ROW (like we do) . . . you become easy targets! :-)

A Little Quieter At Home

Last night the kids could not sleep . . . they were too excited!

The way the kids were acting, you would have thought we were going to Disneyland, or something amazing like that. (Hmmmm . . . Disneyland. That sounds fantastic. Somebody send me there, please?? Pretty please?? )

Nope, we are not heading off to see Mickey today.

Even better . . . School! First Day!

A day of utter excitement, and squealing -- around our place.

Daniel woke-up at 5am and I could hear him saying, "I am overly-excited, I am overly-excited!" When I finally rolled out of bed at 7am he was still chanting to himself. At one point I thought he was going to hyperventilate! It was unusual and weird. I had to tell him to calm down and breath in and out.

He is not normally SO dramatic?

But really, they have both been NUTS! You should have seen them BEFORE we FINALLY got their school supplies -- talk about one-track-minds! That is ALL they would talk about.

Silly children.

Sammi

(Otherwise known as "Hermoine")

Said she is really excited about homework.

Yeah, not sure where that came from?

Daniel

Is excited because he has Sammi's third grade teacher.

Daniel loves playing hard at recess (often obtaining injuries), and friends.

He also loves school and homework.

Who are these kids??

William

Is my buddy this year. He will be homeschool-pre-schooled. I am his BEST teacher, after all. Plus, why would I ever want to send this little cherub anywhere . . . I need his adorable face, and he needs me. I could just squeeze this boy to pieces!

We will have some great fun, laughing and learning.

I love this time of year. I just wish it was not so gal-dern hot!! I'm melting!

Here is to a SUPER 2011-2012 school year!

May the teachers be excellent and the homework enjoyable. :-)

Dog Etiquette

That's it dog-people . . . there are limits!

I had just stopped to let the kids play at a park, after a run. It was hot, our water-bottles were empty, and we needed a refill at the water fountain. I sent Sammi to do the job. She did. Water-bottles filled. Super.

A few minutes later, a lady with a dog comes walking into the park. "Are you thirsty boy?" she asked her dog. "Yeah . . . you are thirsty," she confirmed in puppy-talk. I watched and wondered what this lady would do to remedy her dog's thirst. Would she let him drink from a puddle? Would she take him to the over-spilled water under the water fountain? Would she take him into the bathroom and let him drink from the toilet?

NO.

The lady took the dog and had him stick his NASTY-SLIME tongue . . .

ON THE WATER FOUNTAIN!!

AHHHHHH!!!!

I suddenly felt ill. Barf. Hurl. Ugh.

The "fresh" water in our bottles looked toxic.

The lady walked by me with a BIG smile and said, "Yup, he was thirsty." She nodded her head as if I would approve of her thirst-quenching solution. WRONG.

Of course, in my usual style . . . I said nothing.

Yep. I'm a coward.

I have always KNOWN you do not put your mouth ON the water fountain -- everyone knows that! (Well, I thought everyone knew!)

AND FOR GOOD REASON!!

But really?? COME ON dog-people.

IT IS A DOG -- NOT A PERSON!!!!

Just FYI . . . think twice before getting a drink from the fountain.

Jury Summons

I received an official Jury Summons in the mail.

Though extremely inconvenient, I think it would be "interesting".

But what are the chances of the Prosecutor wanting ME on the jury?

It will go something like this . . .

Prosecutor will ask:

"And what does your spouse do for work?"

I will smile and answer:

"The opposite of what you do."

Prosecutor's response:

"Goodbye."

Darn. Pretty sure I'm out. :-)

That is, if I even make it that far! Chances are, I know the prosecutor . . . or at least they would know Charles and recognize our not-too-common name. Anyhow, my chances are slim to non-existent -- unless they can overlook my family connection. :-)

*I must say, in my defense, I think I would make a totally unbiased decision. Charles has worked on BOTH sides of the court room (defense and prosecution). I respect and appreciate the judicial system and I have a well-rounded perspective of both sides. I might even consider myself a super candidate for a juror. I am typically fair and level-headed. I think I would do an excellent job. I MIGHT have a chance . . .

I will know in a few weeks.

It would be fascinating. You never know what you might witness . . .

(I have posted this before, but it still makes me giggle)

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people ACTUALLY said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.

____________________________________________

ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?

WITNESS: Yes.

ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?

WITNESS: I forget.

ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?___________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?

WITNESS: We both do.

ATTORNEY: Voodoo?

WITNESS: We do.

ATTORNEY: You do?

WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.

____________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?

WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?____________________________________

ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?

WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ.

___________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?

WITNESS: Are you kidding me?

_________________________________________

ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?

WITNESS: Yes.

ATTORNEY: How many were boys?

WITNESS: None.

ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?

WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?

____________________________________________

ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?

WITNESS: By death.

ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?

WITNESS: Take a guess.

____________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?

WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.

ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?

WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.

_____________________________________

ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?

WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.

______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?

WITNESS: All of them.. The live ones put up too much of a fight.

_________________________________________

ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?

WITNESS: Oral.

_________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?

WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.

ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?

WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.

____________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?

WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?

WITNESS: No.

ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?

WITNESS: No.

ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?

WITNESS: No.

ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?

WITNESS: No.

ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?

WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar

ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?

WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

Who knows . . .

Maybe a "12 Angry Men" scene is in my near future, not likely, but maybe.

It will be an interesting experience either way!

Bigger IS Better

YIPPEE!!!

This may be a "duh" moment for some, but for me it is HUGE! After looking over a bunch of different blogs, I discovered that the "best" blogs have BIG pictures. I am not trying to compete with the best blogs, but I do want to make my blog better! So, finally, after sitting down for a minute and doing some research -- I figured it out! From now on the view from here will be a little easier to see!

If you would like to make your pictures larger (these are REALLY large, you can adjust the size) just let me know -- I would be happy to help!

Freak Me Out!

There was a time when I would giggle at people afraid of spiders.

How could they be so silly? It is just a spider, what's the big deal?

Had they not seen Charlotte's Web?

Spiders are friends. Everyone knows that.

I knew people that would LEAVE the theater during the spider scene in Harry Potter. Some practically peed their pants when Shelob snuck up behind Frodo.

Really? What's the big deal, people? They are just spiders.

He, He.

Silly, jumpy, arachnophobic, people.

And then . . . I moved away from Alaska.

Alaskan spiders were squish-able, harmless, daddy-long-legs. I used to pick them up as a child and remove some of their legs. (I know, horrible me.)

I was not afraid of spiders.

There was no reason to be.

But now . . . I laugh no more.

As I dwell in the lower 48 -- with a variety of poisonous spiders -- I find myself TERRIFIED of the eight-legged monsters! I mean, to the point of anxiety, panic, hyperventilation, etc. The little boogers could cause some real damage!

*Just a little side note.

I found this image from 3 years ago, dated Aug 22. This is the time of year when the big, whopping, spiders start working their way inside. Ick!

So, on THAT note . . . yesterday, I was doing the laundry. I asked Sammi to bring in the towels that had been outside overnight (not recommended). She brought them to me. I grabbed the towels and put them in the laundry basket, at which time, a BIG NASTY SPIDER crawled on my arm! I flicked it off and screamed, of course. And then I noticed a BUNCH of little spiders, scattering out of their towel-haven -- all over my laundry room! AAAAHHHHH!!! I thought quickly and grabbed the vacuum and began sucking away as fast as I could. I think I got most of the little ones.

But the big one got away.

It is dwelling in my laundry room, right now.

I could barely sleep last night, I kept feeling things crawling on me.

How can I be at peace when I KNOW it is there, in my laundry room, lurking, waiting.

Now the laundry will never get done!

To those of you whom I might have teased before -- for being arachnophobic -- I am sorry. I truly am.

I have not beaten you. I have joined you.

Charlotte's Web is a fantasy.

Spiders are NOT friends.

Shudder

FAMILY TIME

Sisters

Kary 43, Beth 33, Mari 31

This summer has been full of people!

Along with Trek we have also had lots of family visits. I have had both sisters and their families in my home and we have visited family in Utah, too.

I feel like the summer has been a whirlwind of activity and I have barely had a chance to breath! I am ready to slow down, get on schedule, and get things in order for the school year!

Lately, I have been having surges of excited feelings about Fall and holidays! I am ready for some peace, quiet, and movie nights! Summer is glorious and everything -- with it's commotion and excitement -- but I am a calm Fall-season girl myself. :-) I love fall smells, baking, early nighttime, being cozy, and lighting. It is coming!

We are ready for calm

BUT we sure had fun with all of our family . . .

Sammi, McKinley, Blake

My Nan

Sisters and Children

(ignore Daniel's PJ pants! Silly boy.)

McCall

Wee!

We visited with my brother's family (Johnny and Mindy) but we did not take any pictures! These are from last year. We had lots of fun with them playing games. We got to see Kevin and Tanya, too. Lots of fun!

We are laughing because I had just tried to pick-up Kary . . .

it did not work out like I had planned.

Fun in the water!

Cousins

Popsicles have been a staple around our home this summer. Yum! Yum!

Lots and lots of family, cousins, and fun!

I have to say A SPECIAL THANKS to Beppy . . .

for coming all the way from Alaska, to watch my children during TREK!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

And thank you, James, for letting her come! I know you missed her!

We sure appreciated it!

Love you guys!

Beppy, James, baby Blake

I will miss my baby Blake.

I was thinking of just keeping him and adding him to my family, but I had to send him back with his mama.

Darn it.

He is so nice and squishy, just like my kids. I love it!

Sure love ALL my family!

It was a great summer!

(Now on to the peace and quiet!)

Courage to Continue

TREK was fantastic.

I am going to do a quick run-down of what we did.

When I have more time, I will put together a video.

We met at the church at 8:00 Wednesday morning. We gathered as families, we had a quick devotional, and then we loaded up the buses.

We sang on the bus and our bus driver was an awesome yodeler. :-)

After a dusty bus ride we made it to Camp HyCliff. We unloaded and set up at our base camp.

After lunch we loaded our handcarts and set out on our first leg of the TREK. I was surprised how challenging it was to pull a handcart. It looks pretty easy in the pictures, but the handcarts are heavy and NOT easy to handle!

I was amazed at how organized 300 people were!

One of MANY water/gatorade stops. We had to stop every 20 minutes, or so, to stay hydrated in the heat. We were ALL sweating like crazy! When it was your turn to pull the handcart your sweat-flow increased 100%!

Our company went farther then we were supposed to, so we actually added some mileage to our journey. (Someone missed the mark!)

Going uphill in a handcart is no easy task! It takes the pullers AND the pushers to make it up!

We stopped for a river crossing. We were told the story of the pioneers trying to cross the Sweetwater river in the winter. A few brave young men carried most of the weary travelers across the river. They kept going back and forth all day to get the company across the freezing water. The water we crossed in August was cold and my feet were numb, I cannot imagine the conditions that the pioneers faced. It was beautiful, they had violinist playing, "Nearer my God to Thee".

One of our daughters (Alyssa) fell in -- poor thing!

Pa and Ma van Ormer

The bathrooms were fairly nice -- but if you were a girl you had to wait . . . ALWAYS!

We often had stops where we would be out in the blazing-hot sun. Charles decided before we left that our family would have shade. We had our handy tarp and pole creation, it helped A LOT!!

Gathering for family time

It was cute that a bunch of the kids from our ward would often gather together for food time.

The food was great, but the rations were SMALL! But nothing compared to the few ounces of flour that the pioneers lived off of! Funny how we all expect the loads of food that we are accustomed to.

Yum! Yum!

Getting ready for the square dance after a day of trekking

After day one, there were many blistered feet, twisted ankles, heat exhaustion, chaffing, and headaches. I was told that chaffing was BAD this year! Lucky for me, I was chaff-free! Charles was not so lucky! A bunch of our girls and boys had to visit the chaff-healing doctor. Ouch!

The morning was BEAUTIFUL! The red rock lit-up and it was magical.

One of the greatest things was how everyone was dressed modestly. Girls AND boys! It was amazing how modesty affects the spirit. You are not there to show off your body, and flash as much skin as possible. We were all completely covered. It made the girls and the boys SO MUCH more beautiful. You could see them for who they really are, without the distraction of worldly clothes. Some of the young women who might normally wear skimpier clothes, looked a million times MORE gorgeous -- covered from head to toe! I believe that modesty was one of the major factors in the spirit that was there. If only the world would embrace modesty once again . . . it would make ALL the difference!

There were many musical numbers and they were all fantastic.

There WERE snakes -- but luckily there weren't any rattles on the end of them!

A couple of cute pioneer boys from our ward.

We had a "Trail of Trials"

On our pioneer bracelets we had a few words such as: courage, service, faith, endure, love, hope, etc.

Every ten minutes we added a new trial.

We shared true pioneer stories and then if you had the corresponding word, their trial became ours.

• Indians stole our baby and some supplies
• 2 of our children were "blind" (They spent the rest of trek blind-folded, in the dark, hanging onto the back of the handcart.)
• 1 of our kids had "internal injuries" and had to ride in the cart
• 2 of our kids had to go barefoot
• 2 of our kids died
• Only 3 of us were left to pull the cart (Charles, me, and Brayden -- normally it takes four)

I must say the blind and barefoot children seemed to have it the worst!

Ouch! Goat-heads in the bottom of their feet!

I must say the internal injury was the best trial to have -- a free ride in the cart! But it made it harder to pull!

I felt so bad for Karlee and Ethan who spent their last day of trek in the dark!

Here is Pa saying something profound, or telling a joke . . . most likely telling a joke. ;-)

After the long, hot, 10 mile day -- everyone collapsed. Blisters, chaffing, headaches.

The heat was the real challenge. At one point I felt a great pressure in my shoulders and I hoped I would not collapse. I worked through it though, and I was able to move forward.

We whipped out the moleskin and duct tape along the way. Duct tape made all the difference with blisters!

This point seemed to be the hottest point. 3 o'clock out in the exposed desert. Lots of sweat.

We felt blessed to have our tarp when we stopped for over an hour, in the open, without any shade.

Our boys thought it would be cute to wear bonnets. :-)

The bonnet is a life-saver! I did not burn!

Stopping for one of our MANY water breaks -- we drank A LOT!! And we sweat A TON!

It was a long journey!

The Women's Pull

This was one of those special moments. We knew this was coming, and we knew it would be special. Our family was amazing and I had NO DOUBT that we would charge up that hill with ease. Before we left other women were saying, "Quick! Unload the water and buckets!" I told my girls, "No way!" We had to do the full-load! Also, the cart behind us yelled out, "Come on ladies, we can do hard things!" and I yelled out to my girls, " We ARE hard things!" My daughters were extraordinarily strong. I just had no fear whatsoever that we could have done the hill and beyond!

We made it up the hill and though it was hard, we felt super-strong. It was really neat because one of my girls, Rachel, was representing my great, great, great great, grandma Wee Granny. At one point I yelled out, "Push Wee Granny!" and there was a sudden burst of strength from the back of the cart. It was a sweet experience.

Too much info

I must also add this bit of too much information. I spent TREK with an added and unwanted family member: "Aunt Flow". Yeah, it was perfectly timed for me to suffer and endure. I was not alone in my suffering, however. There were others in my family with the same issue. I just wanted to say that women are amazing. Despite the added pain and discomfort -- we did it and did it STRONG. Women are amazing creatures. Beautiful and strong.

One of the most impressive sights I observed was not an act by the women, but an act by the men. As we made our way up the hill, the men lined both sides. As the women went by pulling their handcarts the men took off their hats and placed them over their hearts, to show respect. They were NOT allowed to help, they could only watch. Many men were crying. I was holding back tears. Men honoring women. What a beautiful thing. There is nothing more fantastic that a man who respects women. It was a truly powerful moment, I will never forget it. Before the women's pull the men had a lesson on the sanctity of womanhood and the women learned about the power of the priesthood. It was a really beautiful experience.

Setting out for the day . . .

Brayden, our oldest and strongest, had to take a break from pulling (he pulled almost the WHOLE TIME!) He got to love on baby William and hang in the back for awhile. So cute.

Blistered feet. A common sight.

Charles looks so good with a beard . . . it will be hard to shave it!

Gathering in the morning as a family. We were all a little nervous about day 2 -- the long day.

Yee-Ha!

Before we left we had a few games, including tug-o-war.

Notice that our RED COMPANY rocked it! :-)

By the end of the trek, we were ready to go home and shower. Our trusty-buses showed up just in time.

On the way home we played brain games like "Bang!" and "Bounce the Shoe". Awesome.

The van Ormer family boys

The van Ormer family girls

Our family became so close. I adore each and everyone of our children. I spent most of Sunday with heartache and tears, just thinking about them. They are mine, forever. Count them . . . nine. (We had a last minute daughter show up.) 9 van Ormer children + 3 van Ormer children = 12 van Ormer children. My prayers for 12 children have been answered. Miracles happen in amazing ways! And IF we ever have more children, I will consider my cup overflowing!

It was an amazing experience, that I will never forget. I know we were meant to be there. There was an indescribable feeling that existed. I can only think of one word to adequately explain it.

ZION.

I will keep TREK in my heart forever!