Sister Trip

I have spent the last week with my sister. She came down for a visit, and for a trip to attend my cousin's wedding in Utah. It was so great to have Kary around. It made me realize how much I really miss my family. There is really nothing better than family and spending time together. 

We just had so much fun. We went running together, we stayed up late giggling and talking, we had karaoke nights, and we discussed the gospel and how much we love it. We also went on a road trip to Utah, and we got to spend time with more family that I love. It was so much fun, and a much needed change of pace and perspective. I will likely write more about the trip later. 

Kary is more than my sister, she is my friend, but she is also like a second mother to me. She is 12 years older than me, and she helped raise me to become who I am today. When I was a little girl, I wanted to grow up to be just like her; she was my hero. I used to cry when she would leave Alaska to go away to college at BYU. As time has gone by, that 12 year difference has become smaller; I have grown older, and she just keeps getting younger. 

She is still my hero. 

Family is the best, it really is. I am so grateful to be part of a forever family. I am so grateful that my family members are also my very best friends. 

The Powerful Force of Fatherhood; It Never Dies

From the moment Charles died, his influence has continued to be felt by our family. He is physically separated from us, but his spirit is with us in a more potent and powerful way than ever. It is hard to explain, or to describe, the closeness and tangible reality that he is still here... but I will try with some further explanation. 

Right after Charles died he said, "I am more powerful than I have ever been!" Yes, you read right, he said that after the breath left his body. I promise that is what he really said, and it was a great comfort to me to continue to hear his voice, even after he lay dead in the hospital room. It was clear as crystal to me that he was not dead at all, he was simply separated from his mortal flesh. Even in that moment, my faith was such that I knew he still lived, and I was being allowed a confirmation of my faith, turning it to pure knowledge. At the time I stared at his lifeless body in great wonder, as I continued to hear his voice, and even his continued counsel for me, and what he desired me to do with my life. Upon the moment of his death, his care and concern was instantly for me, and our family. 

Charles continues to watch over and guide us. As we talk of him openly, reflecting on what daddy would do, or say, he remains a guiding force in our lives. He has not left us at all. He still shields, guides, directs, and protects our family. The feeling of his presence is like a force of energy that you can reach out and touch. Sometimes the veil is made so thin for me that I see him in my dreams, but I know what I am seeing is so much more than a dream. 

I did not realize the being "more powerful" reference Charles spoke of, however, until I watched Star Wars the other day. After watching a captivating lightsaber battle, I heard Obi-Wan say to Darth Vader, "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine." At the right moment (when Luke Skywalker was watching), Obi-Wan lowered his lightsaber, and allowed Darth and death to take him. But death was not the end for the masterful Jedi, it was simply a change from physical form to spiritual form. There was not a moment when he ceased to exist. He just shed his mortal husk for a more vibrant and powerful way to travel. He was able to move here and there with ease and quickness, not missing a step as he guided his young apprentice along his imperative journey to save the galaxy. He become more powerful after death than he ever was in life. 

And so it is with Charles. 

Did I mention Charles loves Star Wars? 

I think when Charles died, he was actually super excited. I think he felt like all of his wildest dreams had finally come true. Of course he mourned the separation from us physically for a few more mortal years; mourning more for our sake than his, because he could still see us. He probably wondered what in the world just happened to him; one minute he was mortal, the next he is hanging out in the spirit world. But then I think he was likely thrilled to be free, and I know he is thriving in his current state of being. He was a good boy, and he dwells in a state of happiness and paradise. His vision is not limited like ours, and his power to protect, provide, teach, and guide, has not been diminished, but enhanced by the freedom of spirit that he now enjoys. He can speak with the tongue (dialect) of angels -- which is the Holy Ghost -- allowing for him to still communicate with us freely and effectively; if we listen and allow ourselves to feel.  

He is more powerful than he has ever been. I have felt it. I have seen it. I testify there is life after death. 

If we ever feel sad at the physical separation, all we have to do is call on him, and he is there. He is as involved in our lives as we allow him to be. Sure he is busy -- doing a bunch of important things in the spirit world -- but he will drop it all for his family; as we are still, and always will be, his greatest priority. He is greatly concerned with our happiness and well-being. I know he would do everything in his enhanced heavenly power to help us on our journey back to him, and our Heavenly Father. It is still his calling, he has not been released as the father of our family. He still has obligations and responsibilities to fulfill. He has been doing a beautiful job so far, and I expect nothing less from him in the future 

"A Father's calling is Eternal, and its importance transcends time." - Ezra Taft Benson 

Charles has not, and never will, abandon his post as father of our family. His power in fatherhood has only grown in glory and strength... it is his eternal calling; one which he will never be released from. 

Fatherhood never dies; it is a force too powerful to destroy.

Charles is a beautiful, wonderful, father. We all love him so much. 

William's Arm Update

Just a quick update... it's a miracle, William does NOT need surgery! Hooray! He will be spending a few weeks in a cast, and then he will move into something more flexible so he can keep his arm strength and movement. I cannot tell you what a relief it was to hear the specialist say he was going to heal fast. The first doctor had said he would possibly need surgery, because of how it was broken, so we were worried. William and I did a little hooray dance at the GREAT news! He is handling it super well, and is pretty much normal except for the cast. I am so grateful. Prayers are answered!

Fractured Fun

Sometimes life is funny. You can be out having a great time one minute, and then the next you are rushing off to the Urgent Care, to discover that broken bones will now be putting a crack in your future plans. 

Yesterday, I took the kids with me on a run, they rode on their bikes. It was a beautiful morning, there was a cool breeze making it very pleasant. Everyone was happy, and enjoying themselves. I felt amazing as I ran; very strong, very steady. The kids were doing awesome on their bikes and enjoying the journey. It was just a great time -- the kind of moments I live for -- with all of us together out having fun as a family. 

All was well, and going smoothly, but then William's chain fell off his bike. Daniel was able to fix it, and William was able to keep pedaling along going a little slower than normal, but he was still moving. We got close to a park, and I decided we should stop for a minute, so the kids could get out and play. They were all excited to play, they were particularly excited about playing on the swings. 

William was getting really high on the swings, and he yelled, "Look at me, Mom!" I waved, and said, "Hi, William!" 

Then I had to continue working on a broken bike, so we would be able to keep going. We were at the park for just a few minutes, and then I heard it...

"MOM!!" 

I looked up and saw William on the ground hunched over, clearly in pain. He was not crying, but he was holding his arm, and his face had a look on it I am familiar with -- it was the look of shock. I knew in that moment, I just felt it, that all was not well. I just knew he had broken something. I was not panicking about it, I felt calm as a summer's morning, actually. 

William walked over to me, and he was in agony. I was surprised he was not crying at all, but I think the shock helped him with holding back the tears. 

We still had about 2 miles to go, to get home. I decided to put William in the bike-puller with Henry, while Sammi rode William's tiny bike home. (That was pretty hilarious.) Sam and Dan stayed together, and they had a whole story of their own about making it home, with the bike chain falling off constantly, and Sammi trying to maneuver it home. They even stopped on the path to pray, and they said some people looked at them funny. 

I took off as fast as I could while pulling a heavy load -- way too big for the bike-puller's capacity. I tried to go easy on the bumps for William's sake. At one point I got to a hill, and I had to go up it. I could either get off and try and walk it up, but that seemed to me an even greater challenge. I decided I could pump my tough legs up the hill and make it without stopping. I knew it would be hard, because the heavy load I was carrying would be pulling me backwards, while I was trying to go forward. 

But I am no stranger to shouldering heavy loads; or being dragged backwards while trying to go forward. 

I had to talk to myself. I said out loud, "I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!!!!" I pumped and pumped my legs, round and round they went. They were on fire, but I managed to make it to the top, without stopping. I felt kind of awesome about myself afterwards. I have been running and running, but I never really test my strength, to see what I can really do with it. It felt good to see the fruits of my labors; I could produce super strength when I needed to. But it was not just my strength that got me up the hill. William said he was praying the whole time that I could make it up. 

His prayers were answered. 

I got home, and had William relax on the couch for bit while I got myself ready to go. I knew we would be out for a while, so I had to put myself together. I was covered in sweat and needed to clean up. I waited until Sam and Dan returned, and then William and I headed off to the Urgent Care. 

Apparently we managed to go to the Urgent Care on their most busiest day ever, or so they said. We were there for 4 hours! It was not the best care I have ever received. 

William was being so great the whole time. He also kept his sense of humor. When he went to get an X-Ray he saw the sign "Danger Radiation" on the door and he said, "Radiation? I'm not going in there!" He was afraid he might turn into a mutant or something. Once he stepped into the large, cold, X-Ray room, he said to the Radiologist, "Are you going to torture me?" she laughed and said, "No." And then he said to her, "Is this a torture room?" She said no again, and then commenced in the process of torturing him by making him straighten his broken arm for the X-Ray. Ouch! 

Finally, after 4 hours the doctor came in and told me what I already knew -- it was broken. She showed me the X-Ray and he managed to break his arm in 2 places, and it might just require surgery (we will find out in a few days). Meanwhile, William is in a lot of pain, and resting on the couch. Poor guy. 

I am left trying to take in the fact that we have spent far too much time at hospitals lately.  February-March was Henry's kidney surgery/recovery. April-May was my leg surgery/recovery. Now it looks like June-July will be William's arm adventure. I had almost finished paying off my medical bills, too. Ha! 

During the long process at the doctor William asked the question: "Why me?" 

It is a good, valid, question. My answer was simple: His arm broke because he jumped off a swing and landed on his elbow. Stuff happens. Accidents happen. It is not so important why it happened, what is important is what he will do about it now. What can he do to help himself heal faster... what can he learn from this, like empathy/compassion... what can he do to become stronger from it? The question,"Why me?" never gets anyone anywhere. The question: "What can I do now?" is the one to ask, because it involves action, and solving the problem; rather than wallowing in self-pity. 

Self-pity does not encourage conquering and strength; it stimulates frailty and weakness. It makes it harder to heal. It is good for no one. 

"What do I do now?" is the question I am asking myself. This has caused us to rearranged some of our plans. William needs some special love, attention, and doctor visits. What a lovely way to start out the summer, eh? I thought I might have a break from the doctor for a while... guess not. 

This has been an interesting year around here. Did I mention I am also in the process of replacing my AC and furnace, because our Swamp cooler poured water into our kitchen? Yeah, that will all cost a pretty penny. 

One darn thing after another... 

I sat in the car yesterday, before heading out to get William's new medicine. I was alone. I put my head on the steering wheel, and just prayed. I was exhausted after all the excitement. It just seemed like so much that it was almost funny to me. I was not crying, I was laughing. After my prayer I turned on the radio and the song, "Happy," was on. It is one of my favorites. I felt like Heavenly Father was laughing and smiling along with me. Life can be pretty comical sometimes, especially around my house. 

Sometimes when it rains, it pours. But I have decided to pull out my umbrella and turn it upside down; because I know that with trials come blessings, and I intend to catch every blessing as they come pouring down from Heaven. 

Please say a special prayer for William.  

This was part of the bike ride, before the broken arm adventure. 

 Here we are taking a potty break, not too long before the broken arm...

Ahhhhh... life.

Trusting Him To Guide Me

The word I chose for this year is trust. I was originally going to go with the word "emerge," because I thought I might like to come forth; like a butterfly out of a cocoon. I wanted to leave my shell of grief and sorrow behind and fly. As I considered my word choice more, I realized I am already that butterfly emerged from the cocoon. I have wings, and I have the capacity to fly. I stand on the edge of my cocoon searching, ever watchful for directions, and tapping into my "radar" so that I can know which way I should venture out into the world.

I am a little nervous perched up so high, I am not eager to leave the safety and comforts I have known. I am not afraid of falling, I am afraid of flying. But I know I must spread my wings; I know I must take that leap of faith in order to fly. 

Having already emerged, now I find I need to trust my Heavenly Father to guide me, to lead me where He would have me go, and do what He would have me do. Sometimes that is easier said than done, as sometimes my ways are not perfectly aligned with His ways; as they should be. 

I have found that great power and comfort comes from studying the scriptures. The more I cleave to God and the things He has provided for me to remain close to Him, the more in tune I feel to His whisperings, promptings, and instruction for my life. Sometimes my balances can be off, and I pay tribute to worldly things more than spiritual things, and I find myself more confused, and my ears are less quick to hear Heavenly counsel. I never stop doing the good things daily -- prayer, scripture study, service, etc. -- but sometimes my efforts are less than diligent, and I know the difference diligent efforts can make. 

The difference is falling, or flying. 

I find as I take time to ponder quietly, and study the things of Heaven, my mind is made clear, and my path and future feels full of hope. I have great hope for things to come. Sure the world is slowly spiraling into utter chaos, but we have been promised that: "our future is as bright as our faith." That faith that will light the path for future events comes from putting complete and ultimate trust in a loving Heavenly Father, who knows us personally, and wants us to be happy. The word "bright" refers to The Light of Christ, and it is through Him that all good things are made possible.

I rely on His light, for my light. Without Jesus, I am simple nothing. But with Him my capacity is endless, and my potential is unlimited. The closer I am to the Source of Light, the more Heavenly power I feel in my life. In this time of confusion and darkness, the only way to make it back to our Heavenly home is by cleaving, unfailingly, to the Light. 

Henry B. Eyring said:  

You show your trust in Him when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer... you will find it. And if you then go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you.

I am doing my best to trust God, and listen for His messages of guidance and counsel. Once I know which direction to take, I might just be brave enough to take that leap of faith and fly. 

I Knew it Was Him

I've been thinking about love lately. I have specifically been thinking about how I came to love Charles. How out of all the people, in all the world, did we end up together? Were we meant to be together? Did we make some promise before we came to earth to find each other? Was our love merely the fulfillment of destiny, so our children could come to fruition? Were we pushed together by Heavenly hands? Did we just trip over each other, and make love work?

These are mind-boggling questions, fraught with mystery and intrigue.

Love is a mystery... can you explain it?

Love (romantic love) is an elusive and mysterious force; hard to define, or wrap your mind around completely. Writers, poets, artists, musicians... they all try to unravel the mystery. I think musicians come the closest to capturing the feeling and emotion of love. They also do a fine job of stirring up those emotions with lyrics, and beautifully crafted notes. Just thinking about a love song can send shivers down my spine. Music... love... shivers... wow. So many songs are love songs. People want it. People want to be in love.

But love is complicated to explain in words, isn't it?

Or is it?

Whether it is, or isn't, we still try, right?

Right.

Feeling dizzy? Welcome to love!

I found an entry of my journal from back when I first met Charles. I was very young, just 19 years old. My words are simple, but I can remember how I felt when I wrote them, and how my heart was bursting with feelings towards this man I had just met. There was something more with him, something powerful that drew us together...

Let me take you back to the young girl who was head-over-heels in love with a man named Charles...

May 8, 1999

Mari's Journal: 

I have met a man. His name is Charles van Ormer. He has brought such great happiness and beauty into my life. I am so excited to continue to learn about him and his hopes, his dreams, and desires. I love the way he thinks and treats this wonderful life. Our minds are a perfect match. Our intelligences compliment each other. We have chosen to practice self-control with each other which means no kissing. We are both very determined to be good and I am proud of us. We want everything to workout well and we are at the point in our lives where many decisions and choices need to be made. It is very strange but I feel as though I need to include him in my plans for the future. I want him to be there, or I want to be wherever he is. 

I really feel strongly about Charles. I am so grateful for him. I feel as though we could walk side by side through this life together and I would be completely happy spending eternity with him. All of these years I have always thought it would be more of an explosion -- like I would see this man across the room and I would just "know" it was him. Now I think a little differently. I think you see them, get to know them, and then you "know" and you learn each day what love is. You don't just "fall in love" it is a process where you learn and grow, and continuously grow from. 

I am so pleased with how Charles and I are treating each other and our relationship. It has been 3 weeks now that we have gotten to know each other and I know we have many more things to learn, it could take an eternity! When two people are good and doing good things, good things will surely happen. Blessings come in interesting ways, normally in the form of trials. The little things, the bumps in the road, the interruptions will pass and one day you look back and see, "Oh, that is why that happened!" You will be grateful for those trials, so glad they happened when they did. It seems strange but it is so true. People are too stressed out now, too much in a hurry to die or something? It is time to stop and smell the roses. Take a deep breath and smile, because this life is so beautiful! 

I read that if you practice self-control and individual will that blessings come as greater future happiness. I desire that. With my dear Charles it is not hard. He is such a great man and I respect him so much. It is amazing how you go through all of these different people and then finally one day you meet the man of all men and he is so different then you ever expected him to be, but so much greater. The overwhelming happiness that is there is so awesome, it fills my heart with joy! There is also great comfort and peace to be with him, no fears or worries. Safety, warmth, and contentment is what I feel. I am so grateful to have met him. I know I love Charles. These words have not been spoken, but the feeling and love has been shown and expressed. I know how he feels, I know how I feel. 

I continue to feed myself with knowledge and wisdom so that I can make the decisions which are necessary for my future. 

Charles van Ormer is my best friend and I love being with him, talking to him, and just having him in the room is good enough for me. I am proud of him, I am honored to know him, and to have him in my life. I know our future is very bright and if we both strive for future happiness now, all things will work out very well, the way they are supposed to. 

-Mari Lindquist
Age 19

Ahhh... love. Young love.

I was so innocent, and so free. Of course now I know love is so much more than the original feelings that causes you to find it; love grows with sacrifice, service, selflessness, forgiveness, the list goes on and on...

But what is that spark? What draws certain people to each other?

As I read back over my own words, I was surprised that even then I could feel that loving Charles was a choice I was making; not something forced upon me, without my consent. I did not just see him the first time and "know" it was him, the man I should marry. In fact, Charles and I were in the same Institute class for 4 months, and I had barely even noticed him, until he got up to present a lesson one day. The man I was to commit my eternity to, the man who would help me bring 4 children into this world, was sitting next to me for 4 months -- and I did not even notice him? What? Where was the cosmic force pulling us together? Where were the fireworks? Where was the love song... and the skipping towards each other in total bliss?

Nope, there was none of that.

At least, not at first...

It was not until he got up and spoke during class, and then I saw him. I really saw him. I saw the real Charles. And then it happened -- the fireworks, the cosmic forces, the excitement, the spark -- I was drawn to him like a moth to the flame. His voice... his wisdom... his charm.... My vision turned rosy, like Christmas morning.

What was happening to me? Where had this man been all my life? Why was he suddenly standing in front of me now?

So, maybe it was not love at first sight, but it was love when I was able to first really see him; not just viewing him physically with my carnal eyes, but when I was allowed a glimpse into his enchanting and captivating spirit. I had sat in the same small room with him for 4 months -- with only about 10 other students in the class -- and I did not even know he was there! At a time when I was not even looking for love, he was placed right in front of me. I had to make a choice... would I pursue him? Was I brave enough to go for it? Was I willing to give love a chance?

You bet!

I chose to chase the feeling that was stirring in my heart. I chose to chase Charles!

I was not willing to let my flame and feelings evade me, so I quickly approached him after his lesson and requested his phone number. I asked him to come and give his same message to the seminary class I was teaching the next day. He happily agreed. We spoke on the phone that same night, and became quickly connected. The "cosmic forces" started igniting, and we even spoke of when we would have "our" children, and "our" future together. Talking to him was the most natural and comfortable feeling I had ever experienced. I cannot say I knew it was him for sure then, but I did know something was different with him. We just connected in a powerful way. I had dated enough to know the difference.

We went to a dance the next night, we pulled each other extremely close, and that sealed the deal for both of us.

Fireworks? 

It was like a Disneyland fireworks finale, that was exploding in my heart!

Magic was thick in the air. There was a tangible shift in my soul. If there is a moment of "knowing," then that was our moment.

If I could pick any moment in time to return to, it would be that moment; when we first danced.

So, did I "fall" in love with Charles? Was it merely fate? In some ways, yes, I did fall, and fate had a hand in it. I sort of "tripped" over him one day, like when you trip over a large rock in the road, and it shakes your vision, and makes you more aware of the things around you. He had been in close proximity to me for quite some time. But until he was placed directly in front of me, and until my eyes were opened to him, I did not clearly see him; love was lying dormant between us, because our eyes were closed to it. I did not even know to look! But once my eyes were opened, once I truly saw him, the powers of love were unleashed in their full glory and splendor, and I could not hold myself back from the pursuit of love with him. Luckily, he felt the same way, and we chose to take our love to the next level with marriage and family.

The rest is history.

Marrying Charles is the best decision I have ever made. I am sure he would agree.

And though our story may not seem to have a happy ending, with early death, and widowhood; do not be deceived. This is only part of the full story. Our love is not finished, or over; it will never end. In fact, we have now reached a state of love that others only dream of. The romance of living in two separate worlds produces feelings that go beyond earthly explanation, or imagination. I will not embarrass you by describing such details.

That love I "tripped" over all those years ago, and then nourished over the years, is still in my heart today. Out of all the people in the world we were meant to be together, we were pushed together by cosmic forces/Heavenly hands, we did fulfill our destiny of bringing our children to fruition, and we will live out our eternity together in the mysterious state of love and romance. We will unravel the mystery of love together, one chunk of eternity at a time.

I knew it was him.


Now, just for fun and smiles... here is an entry from Charles' journal about the same time as my entry. It makes me giggle the difference between girl feelings and boy feelings. He was young, and I can tell you his ability to articulate his love for me grew over the years. And even more than writing his love down, Charles was masterful at showing me his love. Oh, and he also learned how to spell my name right. ;)

May 12, 1999

Charles' Journal: 

I have a bit of a girlfriend now. Her name is Mary. She is great. I'm glad I met her. She is a good friend. And she is very good to me. I was supposed to meet her tonight at her house, but she is not home yet. She is a great girl. She sings, and runs. She is very pretty and smart. She is 19, she graduated high school when she was 17. We spend hours talking together. I love it. She is a very special person. I remember the first time I was with her, it was so nice, I felt so good. I would like to continue to hang around her for a long time. 

- Charles van Ormer
Age 22

Charles, you have my permission to hang around me for a very long time...

Speaking of love and music... the words to "our" song say it best:

Oh, my love, my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time
Time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me...

I'll be coming home, wait for me

The Beauty of Idaho

I am from Alaska. It is a land known for its vast wilderness and beautiful landscapes. When we moved to Idaho 8 years ago, I was not particularly impressed by the sagebrush and the color brown. I wondered how long we would dwell in such an unappealing place. We found a lovely spot to live in the city by the river, but once you venture outside of the city, it seemed to be endless fields of nothingness. It was a stark contrast to the mountains, trees, oceans and lakes, that I was used to growing up. I was unaware then that Idaho held some of the most beautiful landscapes on God's glorious earth. 

We have spent the last few days camping in Stanley, Idaho; land of the Sawtooth Mountains. We traveled with our family friends, the Harlins. One of the purposes of the trip was for Tyson Harlin to take the kids on the hike that Charles and Tyson had planned on doing the summer after Charles died. Charles had been so looking forward to the trip, he had mapped it out, dreamed, hoped, and longed for that trip with Tyson and the Sawtooths; unfortunately, that trip never happened. 

Last year Tyson took the boys and some friends to hike in the Sawtooths and pay tribute to Charles. They were rained out and had to come home early. This year he tried again with the kids, and almost made the full loop to the elusive Alice Lake -- but they ran into snow, rain, and had to turn back before dark. Once again, the trip was cut short; I am starting to think it is symbolic of Charles' life journey. Of course that won't stop them from trying again next year. 

We had a really great time on the trip. It started out with a trip to Pioneer Cemetery in Idaho City, where Charles is buried. We were going to fix up his gravesite a little, because the last time we were there the dirt had started to sink over his grave. When we got there it was packed down a little better, and so no work was necessary. We payed tribute to Charles, and the kids climbed on his headstone. It really is such a beautiful place. My spot is waiting right next to Charles'; bought and paid for. I am not planning on ever using it, however. 

We continued on the twisty mountain roads to Stanley. They were very twisty roads, as Henry was so kind to remind us by throwing up. After pulling over to clean up some nastiness, we were on our way again. Carsickness is gross. 

We arrived in Stanley. The girls stayed in a cabin, and the boys stayed in a tent. With the young toddlers, it just worked better that way. We hung out together at the campsite, and then we would head to the cabin when the little ones (and moms) needed a break. Keeping toddlers out of the river, the fire, and just generally safe is no small feat out in the wilderness. Camping and toddlers are not the best combination I have decided. We had two of them running around. It made it exciting. 

The first night we had some amazing dutch oven food provided by Tyson and his camping culinary skills. My favorite was the peach cobbler. I liked it even more than brownies, and that is saying something! We took a drive out to Red Fish Lake, just to check it out, and then off we went to try and sleep. The boys slept well, and quickly. Rachelle and I stayed up until 4:00am talking. Time flies when you are lying in the dark with two minds spinning wildly in conversation. Sammi was trying to sleep, though I think she heard the whole thing. We also heard bats outside, and they kept us awake with their screeching noises. We finally sort of drifted off to sleep, but it was restless sleep; I am used to that though. 

In the morning we got everyone ready to head out for the hike. Tyson took the 4 oldest with him, and Rachelle and I kept the 4 youngest with us. We stayed back and hung out on the beach at Red Fish lake until a storm rolled in and cut our visit a little short. There was intermittent rain and storms all throughout the trip. It was kind of nice, actually. I enjoyed the variety of weather in the skies, it made it more fun. While we kicked back at the lake, the others were working it hard hiking in the wilderness trying to conquer the full loop. I will have to let a child give a full report on that experience. 

After the lake, the moms and littles took a break at the cabin for a bit, and then went back out to a park in Stanley so the kids could play. We made it back to the campsite just a few minutes before our hikers returned from their journey. They were cold and tired, but excited from the adventure. We spent the evening eating Smores and gathering around the campfire for stories. 

It was late when we girls made it back to our cabin, we were lucky the little ones fell asleep quickly. We managed to get to sleep around midnight too, which was good, since we were super tired. It felt good to really rest. 

The next morning we packed up camp, and decided to go back to Redfish Lake so everyone could play in the water. The kids had so much fun splashing and enjoying the lake.  I loved that it was so clear and you could see the bottom. 

After the lake, we all took off to head home by way of Sun Valley; another beautiful Idaho location. The Harlins stayed for food at Sun Valley, and we headed home. Our journey home was also beautiful, we ran into rain and a thunderstorm, which made the trip more exciting and enjoyable. 

We had a great trip, and it was great to be home, except that it was super hot in our house, but we got it cooled down well enough. We unpacked, got cleaned up, and then we relaxed with the movie McFarland USA. If you haven't seen it, you should. 

It really was a pleasant and enjoyable trip for everyone. It was a much needed change of pace from the normal stuff. I can't say it was super relaxing, but you don't go on vacations to relax -- you sleep to relax. Vacations are meant to be adventures, and this was a really fun adventure in Idaho, with friends that are family. 

I found it particularly nice to not have any phone service, or access to the Internet. It was refreshing, and allowed for more clarity of thought, and mind. I was able to purely search my thoughts, and my my heart. I was told to get out in nature to be close to God, and I can see why that instruction was given to me. It is so freeing to soak in God's creations and glory, it allows for a change of perspective. 

I have found that Idaho is a state full of natural beauty and wonders; if you know where to look. I am super grateful we were able to enjoy a little slice of Heaven for the last few days.  

Good times. 

Here are a bunch of pictures from the trip, in random order...