Girls Camp 2011

Mady and I had the pleasure of going to girls camp together this year.  It has been a long time for me, 17 years to be exact,  since I had the pleasure of going to girls camp for the whole time.  The last time was when we lived in Pocatello, Idaho and I was 22 and the ward camp director for the Pocatello 12th ward.  I had such a difficult time then because I didn't have any other leaders go with us.  It was just me and my youth leaders, and later found out that I was pregnant with Austin and suffered from morning sickness the whole time.  (I thought I had food poisoning because Doug and I had such a hard time getting pregnant. Funny huh.)  I swore I would never do that again, but 17 years and five kids later I decided to give it a go again, this time with lots of leaders and my darling daughter with me.  It turned out to be VERY fun, and a good time to share with Mady.  We decided this was a bucket list girls camp for me, and you will see why as you read on.

The theme for the Stake camp was "Mission Possible".  Each ward was called on a mission and we were called to Africa.  We made drums, shake sticks, wrappers and head pieces to wear, and lots of signs.  Here is our main sign and our first chant for roll call.  Twice a day all the wards gather for roll call and give some sort of chant, our first one was a rain dance from a tribe in Africa.  We really hoped it didn't actually bring rain, but it was really neat to listen to. 



This is Mady and her friend Rachel Nielson.  Having your hair done at camp is a great tradition.  Rachel already had hers done, and Mady fluffed hers up to match.  This was only the beginning of the fun. 



As part of the fun the stake leaders had some high adventure activities for the girls to do.  On day one we went to Kolob reservoir and paddled around in canoes.  My neighbor Cliff Barnum was the one in charge and we had a great time with him.  They let the leaders go out after all the girl had gone and Bobette Green and I had a very peaceful, serene time paddling around the lake until Mady and Rachel came along and splashed us.  Still, we got them back and kept the canoes upright.  The girls also did some certification at each high adventure station.

Mady and Rachel Colson getting out of their canoe ride.

Back at camp we had downtime so the girls painted their nails, made necklaces and bracelets out of beads, slept, and jumped rope.  We also practiced out skit for the following morning.  Our skit was a dance called the "WACAWACA" from Africa.  It was very fun and good exercise too! 

Mady (red shirt) and me (blue shirt) practicing the WACAWACA. 

Mady and Jessica Green

Mady and Jess playing the cup game. 
Jessica is so fast at it that her hand is
a blur. 

Braiding Cami Reynolds hair with Bobette
and Cathy Reynolds.

Here are all my beehive girls getting ready for the traditional "snipe" hunt.  Mady got
to lead them this year (she is in the back).  They have toothpaste under their eyes so the snipes
won't eat them.  Some have mustard on their noses for the same reason.  Our camp saying became "Snipes
are friends, not food".   They were all good sports about the whole thing. 

The next day we had our skits and lunch before we went to our high adventure activity, which was a rock wall climb and more certification.  The girls used pocket knives to whittle on a piece of wood and did a tug of war rope activity.  After everyone had gone they let the leaders try the wall.  I'm so proud to say that I made it to the top!!!  I didn't know if I could, and I'm so proud of Mady for doing the same. 


Me at the top.  The bell didn't ring, but you can see
it just above my head.  Woohoo! 

Mady and Rachel Colson were climbing together.
Look at them go! 



This pretty much sums up how we all felt after our adventure.  Bishop Dave and Bea took a nice moment, and few of the girls played pranks on them. 

Day three was hikes in the morning and more adventure stuff in the afternoon.  For our ward we made necklaces out of a quarter and zip lined.  I took a movie of Mady coming down the zip line, but it is too high a resolution to load onto this blog, but she did get a still shot of me coming down.  It was soooo fun! 

I nearly drug the ground, but made it non-the-less.  Wooohooo! 

That night the rest of the bishopric came up and after dinner the stake had prepared for us a walk with Christ that applied parts of the atonement into our physical lives.  They gave us each two hand sized rocks, which represented our burdens, to hold and not put down while we did the walk, then had us go to four different stations where a member of the Stake Camp leaders would teach us a concept, then have us do the obstacle to apply it.  One station was about helping each other, so after her story, two of us stood on a high table and lifted two others up, then they got down and the person on the table pulled the next person up onto the  table, then got down, all with our rocks in our hands.   The second station had a concept of balance, and the obstacle was to place wooden blocks under our shoes, like stilts, holding onto ropes that were thread through them, and walking over poles, up and hill and down the other side, and around tires.  It was very difficult with our rocks in our hands, and I found going up the hill difficult, but so did everyone else.  Our girls were good to cheer each other along the whole way.  The third station was about having faith in prayer, and the obstacle was to shimmy along two boards nailed into the ground facing a partner, keeping your rocks in your hands and your hands together until you reached the end.  The only trick was that the boards got further apart as you went, so you had to lean into each other and work together.  The fourth obstacle was a wood post path that you had to walk up while holding onto a rope above your head.  Wooden posts were placed in the ground several feet apart from each other and not any order. Holding onto the rope above was helpful until the others holding on leaned, and it pulled you off the steps.  It was so great to see all the girls cheering each other on, then coming back to cheer us along as the leaders did it too.  The final obstacle was a blindfold rope path that the girls were blindfolded and told to hold onto the rope to find the heart of Christ.  It was short but difficult with the rocks in their hands, and us leaders were there to help them all along the path.  After the obstacles we went up into the high meadow where the stakees had a life size picture of Christ where we were to drop our rocks(burdens) at his feet and go back for testimony meeting at our camp.  I think it took a while for the whole experience to sink in, but by Sunday the girls understood the significance of the Walk with Christ.  Our testimony meeting on Friday was nice, and everyone was so tired because it was so late that not many shared their testimony's, but it was still a nice way to end our camp experience. 
Saturday morning we were all up early and packed up ready to head home by eight o'clock.  It was so nice to have a shower and a nap.  I think my confidence in Girls Camp has been restored.  I'm grateful to have had a lot of other leaders and priesthood up there with us this time, and some fabulous girls there too!  Mostly, it was awesome for me to share it with Mady.  She is such a great daughter, and I enjoyed seeing her with her friends and how she is with the younger girls.  Everyone loves her, and I do to.  :)

Grandpa's playground

We love to go to Idaho and visit Grandma and Grandpa Beutlers farm.  My kids look forward to our family reunion every year and this year is no exception.  We got an extra treat this year and was able to go up early to Doug's class reunion, so the kids were able to visit and play in "Grandpa's playground" before the big reunion!  Grandpa owns a farm in Dayton where he and Grandma used to milk dairy cattle and grow an assortment of crops.  He has sold off a portion of the acreage, but has kept what my kids view as the most important part, the gully.  Grandpa has a dozer and has made a circular trail through the trees next to the stream in the bottom of the gully and up along the edge of the fields, then back down to Grandpa's fish pond, which the kids love to take their motorcycles and four wheelers on.  He has made a pond where he has planted trout for the grand kids to fish.  It is a child's dream and the kids love it.  In addition to having the trails, he also has motorcycles, a four wheeler, a "put-put"  (old time) tractor (which he uses to pull 1/2 water barrels with grand kids in them) and has recently added a jeep to his collection of toys that he lets us go down to the pond in.  It is quite an adventure for us all. 

In the beginning, on the trip up it is tradition to stop at Smith and Edwards south of
Brigham City.  They have a little bit of everything, and they have some of the best treasures for the kids to
find, and the best prices on canning supplies and western wear around.
It is a must stop every trip!!!

Happiness is. . . . Cody and Mady getting along.  Cami and  Dalyon
are riding in the back of the truck on a mattress and watching movies,
and this trip I get to ride shotgun with Doug driving.   Austin usually takes this spot,
but he had to stay home thistime to take the ACT
and Eric had to stay home to work on his Eagle project. 

This is part of the trail that Grandpa has made with his dozer.  It goes in
a circle so you can get some good riding in.  There are lots of hills and
trees and dips.  It give the kids good experience on their bikes.

Dalyon standing by Grandpa's fish pond.

Dalyon climbing on his dozer, parked by the fishpond.  Grandpa and
Uncle Brett and Uncle Mike and their kids were cleaning out the pond and cutting
down old trees in preparation for the up and coming reunion.  They work very hard
so that we can all have fun.  While we were there Cody, Doug and
Dalyon helped out too!  We really appreciate all the hard work! 

More of the trail that goes around.  It is so cool and beautiful.  The
tempreture was quite cold this trip, but by July it should be just
right.  Sometimes you can see deer or other animals down here, and
always you can see their tracks. 

There must be several hard working beavers in the gully because every spring
there are various beaver dams in the stream.  Grandpa tries to get rid of them
so the water can flow better.

Cody, Dalyon, Kyle near the fish pond. 

Doug and I went down in Grandpa's jeep.  I'm not a skilled
four wheeler yet so Doug drove us through the trail, but I
jumped in the drivers seat as soon as we were up on pavement. 
I have wanted a jeep Wrangler since I went to Rick College but it never
seemed practical.  I'm grateful to Grandpa for letting me drive his. 

Here we all are in the living room watching Sunday morning cartoons before
we came home.  There is Grandma, Doug and Cami, Katie and Whitley, Cody and
Logan (new best friends), Mady on the couch in the back, and Grandpa and Lilly on
the side couch.  What a relaxing time.

Here is Grandma and cute little Whitley.  She wouldn't
come to me so I taught her to say "Hi Aunt Tonya" and blow me a
kiss instead.   I should be her favorite Aunt soon.    Hahaha

Dougs 25th Class Reunion

The West Side High School class of 1986  held their class reunion on Saturday June 11, 2011 in the Dayton Park, Dayton Idaho.  Doug and I took the four younger kids and went up to attend, leaving the kids at Grandma and Grandpa Beutlers for the day.  It had been raining a lot in southern Idaho, but the weather cleared up the the day and they had a good time.  Dougs class graduated only 33, and ten came, so that is 1/3!  When they have reunions I get to see some of my family because my brother Troy married Berni, a classmate of Dougs, and my cousin Jody married Mike, another classmate.  I'm directly related to 10% of his class!   That is funny, only in a small town! 

From top to bottom:  Kristin Matthews Oak, Nancy Green Love (Dougs cousin)
Loraine Lutz, Janet Bingham, Bernie Purser Winn (my sister-in-law), Allen Westover,
Zan Nash,
Across the bottom:  Doug Beutler, Mike Balls (my cousin-in-law), Steve Powell,

This is the view from the park over Oxford Peak.  Cache Valley is so
green and beautiful this year! 

A surprise in the flowers

As I was watering the hanging flowers on my back deck last week I got a big surprise!  A bird had made a nest in the hanging geranium and the babies were chirping for their mother.  I'm sure glad they were chirping because I may have watered them without knowing!  Mady took the pictures for me.  Soon they will be flying away, but for now we get to check on them often and enjoy them.

Tonight while I was typing this the kids were checking on them and said they have their adult feathers now.  One tried to fly out of the nest and the cat nearly got it, but we saved it and it is safe back in its nest.  That was a close one.  Whew!

Swimming in the River. . . Redneck style

Last Wednesday Austins friend McCarty invited the kids to go hiking from her house in Anderson Junction into Toquerville by way of the river.  Cody and Mady were way excited to be included in the venture, and they invited Kris Wilson along for the fun, who invited his not-girlfriend Kimber Hawkins.  I tried to take a picture of Austin before they left and ended up chasing him around the house before I got some.  It all looks pretty fun.

Austin is running away from me, but his dad
is coming around the front of the house with a different camera.
Gotcha!!

Austin and Kris are ready to go swimming
Redneck style.

Cody is ready to go too, only in hiking boots instead
of cowboy boots.

Loading up. . .

Crossing the river, trying to stay dry.

  Austin and McCarty did not succeed in staying dry
but did have a lot of fun. 

Drying out on a rock.

After they arrived in Toquerville Dixie (McCarty's mom) came and gave them all a ride back to McCarty's house.  They all came home with tall tales to tell. 

Life's a Beach! Disneyland day 5

Friday morning of our trip we all slept in.  It had been a full and exciting week and we were all exhausted.  I couldn't sleep past 7 California time, so I got up and started packing for our trip home.  The night before we stayed at the park until it closed, and usually when Disneyland closes its rides, they leave main street open for shopping for an hour after the park closes.  However, Thursday night was Grad Night for southern California and they closed everything at nine o'clock, and hurried us out of the park.  Dalyon wanted to shop for a souvenir that night and we weren't able to, so I promised him I would take him to Downtown Disney in the morning to do his shopping, so that is what we did.  While everyone slept in, Dalyon and I snuck away and went and to Downtown and had breakfast together then went shopping.  We had a great time together and he was able to get exactly what he wanted, and I was able to finish getting what I wanted to take home too. 

With our purchases in hand, we hurried back to the hotel to load up the car and head to the beach for a few hours.  We decided to go to Newport Beach because it is a straight shot from Disneyland.  It was a beautiful day and I laid out my towel on the warm sand and fell asleep.  The kids played in the water and dug holes in the sand.  The weather was perfect, a cool gentle breeze came off the ocean, and in spite of the sunscreen, we all got a little sunburned. 

Heading up to the beach. 

Cami and Chet in the water getting their feet wet.

Mady and Grandma catching some rays.

Chet, Tagert, Kora and Cami.

Dalyon showing off his sword skills he learned
at Disneyland.  I would love to rent bikes and ride up
and down this walk.  It looks so relaxing.

Cody, Cami, Tagert and Chet.

Cody and Chet got all the way in the water.  Too cold for me!

Eric pretty much sums up how we all felt on the way home.
It was a quiet ride home, for the most part.

Eric had left his laptop at the hotel when we had checked out, so after the beach we went back to get it and used the showers at the pool to clean up from the beach.  The drive home was slow because of all the CA traffic, and I got lost a time or two, but we found I-15 and stayed on that until we hit the Hurricane exit at about 1 o'clock in the morning. 

Overall we had a great time.  Here are some of the favorites:
Mady: rides- California Screemin', Splash Mountain, Grizzly Rapids, and Space Mountain.  (all roller coasters)   characters- Goofy and Pluto
Cody:  rides-  Tower of Terror, Space Mountain, California Screemin',   characters-  Brier Fox and Tigger
Dalyon-  rides-  all of them.  He went on all the rides, scary or not, but his favorite California Screemin', the Bugs Life 3-D movie,  the Matterhorn and Space Mountain.  Character-  Goofy
Cami:  rides-  A Bugs Life rides, the Disney Train, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo Submarine   Character-  Minnie Mouse, Pooh Bear and Tigger and of course the Princesses.
Eric-  rides:  California Screemin', Tower of Terror,  character- Pooh Bear
Grandma:  rides-  Splash Mountain,  The parade, Fireworks,  Character:  Princesses
Me:   rides-  Finding Nemo submarine ride, Peter Pan, Fireworks, Tower of Terror, California Screamin',
characters- Sully, Pooh Bear and Tigger and Rabbit, and I saw Peter Pan, which is a very uncommon sighting at Disneyland.  He climbs on the railings and hides behind poles and is hard to get a picture of in a crowd.

Look closely or you may miss him.  He likes to stay hidden. 

 
Some of the most memorable things from our trip: 
My nephew Tagert when he was with Rapunzel, he was all shy and she kissed him and he blushed (he is 5).  Cami going on the rides and screaming/crying after.
 Losing Cami, and finding her OK. 
Seeing the excitement on the kids' eyes when a character came out. 
Eric yelling "Grandma!" at my mom to keep track of her.
Cody always being hungry. 
Me walking like a drunk woman after going on California Screemin' with Vickie.
Driving all over the place looking for a good place to eat and having to settle on DENNY'S again.
Cami with Cinderella who told her that they could be sisters. 
Bishop Dave making good his offer to buy Eric a Churro. 
Tagert asking the Ferry God Mother where her wand was, helping her try to find it, and asking her how to use one, then buying himself one because hers appeared to be broken. 
Tigger teaching Kora how to bounce.
Kisses from Goofy.
Wyat and Dalyon being inseparable, you would think they were twins, the same hat, sword, giggling like girls.
Bubble blowing contest on the trip down, Cody telling us he will never chew gum again in his life.
Bumper to bumper traffic and missing my exits.
Eating dinner at the Outback Steakhouse and all of the kids falling asleep with their heads on the table before the food could come.  We ended up taking a lot back to the hotel for the next day. 


What a fun way to start our summer!   I can't wait to go again because I love Disneyland!!
   

   

The day of the performance Disneyland day 4

Today we took the opportunity to sleep in a little bit and get the girls ready for their performance.  The whole reason we came to Disneyland this year was for the girls to perform there.  The past few days we went over to the park as it opened, but today we slept in and went over about 10:30 instead.  We were to meet the group at the entrance to Toon Town at 11:00 am and they had to have their hair and faces done when we got there.  Cindy Metcalf, our dance instructor, had everything else packed in her truck so we didn't have to bring any costumes, shoes, tights, or anything else into the park.  We only had to bring the girls in with their hair and faces done.  Disneyland officials met us at the entrance and took the girls back single file to get ready for their performances.  My mom went with me to get the girls there, and after they were gone we took a minute to relax and enjoy ourselves without the kids with us.  Cody and Eric went off to ride space mountain, and Dalyon stayed with Wyat at the hotel.  Mom and I enjoyed a presentation by the princesses of Disneyland before heading off to find the rest of our group.  The Princesses performance made me feel like a little girl again.

The Princesses Aurora, Cinderella, and Snow White showing the
little princesses on the floor how to walk and move like princesses.

An up close picture. It was really nice to sit and relax and enjoy
a performance.

We met back up with the rest of our group and went on a few rides while
waiting for the performance which was at 12:30.  This is Dalyon and I in front of the Matterhorn.

Dalyon trying to pull out the Sword in the Stone. 

I have a lot of pictures to share of the girls' performances and the rest of the day but half way through their second dance my camera died, so I had my niece take pictures for me the rest of the day.  When I get them from her, I will finish day four of our trip.

The All American Cloggers.
 Cami and Mady are together towards the left side.

Cami dancing to Anchors Away, and the finale, The Grand 'Ole Flag. 
Mady is standing behind her.