Camp 2009 (with a few pictures now)

As you know, I was out at Young Women's Camp in DeLand, FL last week. I was the leader over the 12-year-old, first-time campers and it was an experience. I had some real...how shall I say it?..."quirky" girls that made the week amusing, spritual and fun, and not just outrageously sweaty and hot. Plus, I got to hang out with my girlfriends and have a sleepover 5 nights in a row- when do you ever get to do that as an adult, right? (Me and Michelle are pictured at left.) It was a great time. I laughed so hard all week long. There were so many classic moments- most of them are the "you had to be there" kind of thing, but, I will share with you now how truth is stranger than fiction. I brought home a totally true Top Ten list for your enjoyment. (Thanks Erika for the picture!!)

***I do need to say first that despite the humorous intent of the top ten list below, the testimony meeting was very spiritual and the girls really did grow a lot this past week. The testimonies were sweet and touching. Many of the girls got up and bore testimony for the first time in their lives. It was a great success. However, looking back on that meeting Friday night, the only way to describe it is to say that I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat! Truly this was one for the ages...

TOP TEN FAVORITE WORDS/PHRASES FROM TESTIMONY MEETING AT YOUNG WOMEN'S CAMP (these are all totally true!!)

10. Mini gangster
9. Crap
8. Hunger strike
7. Spinal cord wrapped around its head
6. Chunky
5. Little balls of joy
4. Cardboard box
3. Wait, pretend I didn't say that
2. The guy with the stones
1. Crying midget baby

I still can't read number one without laughing. It's a jewel. Anyway, camp was a huge success- lots of laughing, singing, canoing, swimming, crafting, hanging out, searching for things that got stolen, attending classes, you know, the usual stuff. We even had a cute little baby gator (Joe) that we got to see pretty much every day out under the dock on the lake. Good times. And Jacob was a pro the whole week I was gone- the kids were well taken care of and totally survived. Even though when I called home on Monday night, Cindy did throw up on the phone while I was talking to her. A nervous moment for me, but she recovered like a champ and a had a good week. I really did have a good week too. I loved being around the girls and I even did get to go running two mornings and swam laps on another. Not bad for being away from home and anything that remotely resembles your own normal schedule! I did not take my camera to camp so as soon as I find out what President Padgett's blog address is I will steal some official camp photos off of it and post them for you. Until next time, campers!


The lake and the dock. Stole this pic from one of my Beehives, Brandi. :)

Zonked!

Cindy and I were up at the Church a little while ago for a girls camp activity and when we finally got home I noticed that the camera was sitting out on the counter in the kitchen. I knew I had not left it out, so I picked it up to see the last few pictures on the memory card. Sure enough, I found this:



Jacob was in the living room playing Halo (shocking, I know) and Luke became very quiet in the other room so when he went to go and find him, this is what he found. Poor little guy was just plum tuckered out :)

Now that's a Sunflower!

Whoo-hoo! Cindy's sunflowers have finally started blooming. We went out and measured the big one from tip to root and it came in at a whopping 6 feet. I am totally shocked it grew that big- even though that is exactly what the seed packet said. So they ain't whistlin' dixie about the size!

Cindy was, apparently, shocked by the size too.


"Oh my sweet sunflower, will you be my BFF?"

Top Ten Rejected Young Women's Camp Themes

10. Bacterium ahoy!
9. Journey to the center of a casino
8. Inside the MTC laundry room
7. Come Follow Me....to Mulberry
6. Hornets, chiggers, and mites, Oh My!
5. A week with Scooter, the Rodeo Clown
4. Oh the pit bulls you'll tickle!
3. A big crappy field and some tents
2. Computer-generated animations of quantum mechaninal phenomena
1. What Would Oprah do?

(I am out at Young Women's camp even as you read this and am I having fun yet??? As Troy would say in High School Musical 2- "Bet on it!"

Triathlon #1- Childbirth is easier than this....

That was the exact thought I was having as I was getting off my bike to run in this triathlon. No lie. It was a killer! Truly one of the more challenging things I have ever done. But, I survived and did much better than I expected. And honestly, I truly had FUN! (What? Is that even possible?)

My official stats are as follows:
6th place for my age group (30-34)
Total time 1:12:57
Swim time: 8:27
Bike time: 28:30
Run time: 29:31

I am happy with those times, but my run time really needs an overhaul...

The swim was 200 yards shorter than my previous triathlon race and that was such a bonus. I could actually tell it was much shorter. Although this time I was running into people left and right! Mostly kicking people and getting kicked, I couldn't get a clear shot at the bouys. And to make matters worse I totally sucked in a gigantic faceful of water right at the beginning, so I had to stop and tread water for a minute to catch my breath. (Improvement spot #1 for next time) But I got over it and kept on going. As Dori says, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

Then it was bike time. After a scare with my bike tires the night before the race, I got Lightning in tip top shape and he was looking like a champ. Lightning did great on the ride, it was the rider that needed a little work because there were some HILLS around that place that kicked my fanny! Holy cow, I was not prepared for that. But I did make all of them without walking, including the one at the very end that was, just as the lady riding right next to me said, "A very mean trick." (Although you can't argue with the speed you get by going downhill right afterward. That is an awesome feeling.) At the end of the bike part, I saw the dismount area and it took me a minute to get off because my thighs were completely numb. I could hardly lift my legs over the middle bar of the bike without falling off. I thought I was a dead man and there was no way I could now run 3 miles. But like a robot, you just keep moving and don't think too hard about it.

So I was off on the run. It was in the hot, direct sunlight of the morning along Lake Minneola (which is a beautiful area of Clermont). Every time the run feels sooo long. I always think they measured it wrong and I am actually running into the next county. Good thing my friend Davina was a few minutes ahead of me and so when I ran past her on her way toward the finish, I knew that the endpoints were not too far ahead. Davina even came back and ran with me at the end making me sprint a little faster. That was great- I appreciated that a ton :)

So as my new countdown clock indicates, I am due up to do this again in 20 days. Same triathlon time, same triathlon channel. Wicked! I am totally stoked to see if I can make any headway in my time. My goal now is to place in the top three by the last one in August. It might be a stretch, but having a goal is way more fun.

So here are the pics you have been waiting for....

Body marking and check in. This time I got the big 30 on my leg. Ouch.

Finishing the swim

Me, Susie and Erika. Girl power!

Finished at last!

Look at us, we rock!!!


The best part of a Triathlon :)

Your turn, Dads!

NAME: Michael Bingham
HOMETOWN: Somewhere, CA
AGE: Born in the 50's (you do the math)
NICKNAME: Claude
SIGNATURE MOVE: Bingham Ball

UNKNOWN SUPERHERO POWERS: The ability to always have breath gum with him somewhere, have any cat love him more than my mom, and the ability to sense when my mom has a $5 bill in her purse

HOLDS THE RECORD FOR: Owning the most surf music held in a private collection within North America

WHY WE LOVE HIM: Hard working, funny, gracious and kind, optimistic, helpful, never complains, killer of spiders, roaches and creepy crawlies, unequaled bedtime storyteller and top ten list writer, certified Eagle Scout maker, and he has some mad omelette-cooking skillz




NAME: Karl Sweeney
HOMETOWN: Somewhere, TX
AGE: Unknown, questionable if he was ever a child ;-)
NICKNAME: Spock
SIGNATURE MOVE: Brainbuster

UNKNOWN SUPERHERO POWERS: The ability to almost never check a piece of luggage when flying, cooking the most perfect Japanese rice on the planet, and the power to walk in during the only inappropriate part of a movie that anyone is watching

HOLDS THE RECORD FOR: Whitest grout in Polk County

WHY WE LOVE HIM: Generous, smart, focused, hard working, Stake President extraordinaire, great public speaker and fearless leader, gardening guru, fair and wise, thrify, and can analyze a cash flow statement like nobody's business!

Well, not only do I have two amazing Moms, but my good fortune continued and I have two Dads that are second to none. They are the best! We love you and Happy Father's Day :)

(p.s. Triathlon Results and photos tomorrow afternoon :)

Freaking out....a little

I'm not gonna lie, my last triathlon in October totally scared me to death. I had no prior experience to prepare me for such a thing and I didn't know what to expect at all. So this time around I thought I would be way more calm about the whole thing, but I am still really nervous! Wednesday night's dream had me walking the run part of the race and we were all carrying gigantic camping backpacks, complete with rolled up sleeping bags and dangling canteens- but, I digress.... Anyway, I just spoke with my soon-to-be sister-in-law and triathete extraordinaire and she says I can just wear my real biking shorts the whole time. Suh-weet! No horrible mismatched hodge-podge clothing for me! Because as we all know, how we look while doing this is the most important part. Ha! I will most definitely put the results on here by Sunday and then come Monday morning I am off to Young Women's camp for 6 days! But alas, never fear! I got your back. Through the magic of Blogger's "Post Options" feature, it will be as if I never left! So check back in often (your regular 4 times a day is just fine) and I will have just as much earth-shattering, crucial blog fodder as normal. I gotta go pump up some bike tires and find that helmet I never wear....

Experience #12- Learn to play a song on the piano (with both hands)

I do not play the piano. I have never taken lessons or leanred notes. I have plunked around on pianos all my life, a little "Happy Birthday" here or "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" there, but that is the extent of my musical knowledge. So I decided to challenge my ever-aging brain and learn a song on the piano that required two hands. Something I have never done! So after a little research on YouTube (Is there anything greater than how-to videos on YouTube?? I think not...) I found the perfect little 2 minute song I could learn. So, Misty- this one's for you: (Oh and Ellen! this is a much better version for you...)

******Disclaimers:******
1. I do not read notes! I can't read notes! I learned this song completely by watching a guy on YouTube. Don't shoot the messenger.

2. This definitely may not be the exact version, with the exact notes, straight from the Twilight sheet music, but again, I was at the mercy of the guy on YouTube so I think it sounds close enough. And it was simple enough for me to learn, which was the more important pre-requisite.

3. I need to thank Cindy and Luke for their endless patience in going to the church with me day after day so I could practice there and learn this song. I also need to chastise Cindy for being a total maniac when I filmed this- she was throwing chalk, crawling down by my feet, making noises, etc. It is a miracle I was able to film this at all. Also, if you have noticed my car at the church at all hours of all days- this is the reason why. The secret is out- Enjoy!

Jessica plays Bella's Lullaby from Twilight



P.S. At the beginning I was saying "Take 3,222" and Cindy says, "Kidding?" It was a long evening....

Experience #11- Make a Souffle

I like to think that over the past 3 years or so I have really come into my own as far as cooking goes. Looking back at when I first got married, it is a miracle Jacob didn't take away my oven and ban me from the kitchen. I knew how to make about 5 things and they were all marginal, at best. At that point I always wondered how it was that there were people out in the world that could just cook something from scratch, "eyeballing" everything, and have it turn out completely tasty. How did they do it??? Impossible, I said! But I now know that it just comes from good old-fashioned experience. So 8 years later I can now make basic white sauces, soups, pies, meats, etc. from scratch with no real recipe. And I am shocked that I can do this! But there is one culinary concoction that I had never yet attempted (more so because I have not made a concerted effort to do so rather than because of fear or intimidation) and that is....(dum dum dum!) the Souffle. I chose an easy recipe from FoodNetwork.com and they turned out excellent.


Part of me didn't really know what the consistency of a souffle is supposed to be, however, (cakey? gooey? in between?) but they looked great and puffy, and that much I knew was right. I used the See's brand chocolate chips that DeAnne gave us (thank you!) for my semisweet chocolate, which helped it taste all the more amazing. So cross this one off the list- I came, I saw, I souffled!

Ah, my sweet souffle, you were gone too fast...

(Yeah, yeah, no makeup, looking a little rough, I know. But it was after working hard all day outside in the heat, so I earned it :)

Happy Birthday to Daddy

Yesterday was Jacob's 31st birthday. I don't want to dwell too much on the number he turned because, for one, he looks even better now than when we were dating and also because, according to the Internet, his "RealAge" is 23 (and if it is on the Internet is must be true). So I did decide to at least do a cake for him, but to do a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake. It was rated five stars and it WAS five stars :) Just FYI, chocolate chip cookies are Jacob's favorite dessert.

I ended up taking the 3 candle from Cindy's cake two years ago and the 1 candle from Luke's cake last year, and voila! 31.

Luke was a great helper in trying to blow out the candles. We had to hold him back and sing really fast, but he finally got his moment.

Happy Birthday, Jacob! You just keep getting better :)