June 1, 2008 [written by David]
This past week was fairly hectic. Dad was gone from Tuesday morning to Thursday night midnight to Pennsylvania. I went and got him from the airport. Jan mowed lawns, Garrett was busy reading and things were generally crazy. Lincoln threw up once, Mindy got the stomach flu, Camille got shots. End of school was okay. Memorial Day it rained. Jan and I got soaked at the Orem Cemetery with the band. After that, we sat around and played Boggle for a while. Family meal at Grandma's and general goofing off. I got everyone together and we made a 2' tall trebuchet. Our best throw ever was about 75' and by the end of the week we can regularly get about 50 feet with 40 to 60 lbs. throwing a tennis ball. Talk about adding on to the house has become common. Jan trims lawns and babysits, Garrett sometimes mows but only with complaining. He does a good job anyhow. There has also been a good amount of running around the cul-de-sac as a consequence for yelling and contention (mostly Everett and Susanna). Mom declared Talmage old enough to start reading in family scriptures. Saturday, Mom and Dad did garden work. Gas is $3.81 with a Maverik Card. Today was my interview with Pres. Kenison to see about being ordained to the Melchezidek Priesthood. I pass the interview and I can be ordained any time after June 10 which is a stake priesthood meeting. More information to come about summer jobs, chores, sports, and plans!
Sunday, June 8, 2008 [David]
Tuesday was the ward social with ice cream. Susanna won the "most serious" award with 100 ten thousand dollar bills of play money. Camille's eyes look good. Retinas are good. Stake youth conference was this week.
Sunday, June 5, 2008 [David]
What's the best part of summer vacation? T: playing with Levi
Mom's jobs for summer? T: I have to set the table and I don't really like it.
Favorite scripture story? T: Nephi and the Lamanites. No. The one where he's in the lion's den and the angel shuts the lion's mouth.
This week Garrett planned a campout. I was sustained an elder. Dad went to Hawaii for a conference and brought back shirts. He left Tuesday morning and came back Friday morning. Jan and David and Matt Brown hiked Baldy and camped overnight. Dad and Mom are working on the vacation. The extension plans are awaiting city approval/permits. For Father's Day, "we" gave Dad pants, underclothes, 2 shirts, a tie, and David O. McKay's bio.
This week also ended my streak. Starting June 1, I had a meeting every night until June 12. Tonight I will be ordained an elder. Wednesday-Saturday is the teacher priest Super activity. Friday-Saturday is a deacons' campout.
July 13, 2008 [David]
I'm sneaking in one last time of writing! I don't want to encroach on the next person's month, so I'll leave out most of the family reunion. Jan is at On Belay Wednesday-Saturday. He marched in the 4th of July parade. OHS was the last band, just like always. We helped Aunt Heidi and Uncle Aaron move out from the Fergusons then came home and set off fireworks. D, J, G, and L drove up Dry Canyon and watched fireworks across the valley on top of the Saturn. David, Garrett, and Lincoln also went mountain biking up the steep road to the water tower then across to Baldy Trailhead, and several other places then eventually home. It was a very traumatic experience as they kind of wimped out and Garrett started hyperventilating just before we started the descent. I think we scared the couple who offered us their water before they drove home. The rest of the ride was fine--next time we'll take water. The whole trip was almost an hour.
The teacher priest Super Activity was very intense. [hiking Robbers' Roost I think] The first day was down very narrow slot canyons; 5 miles took almost 5 hours. The second day was all flat but long and hard. The third day was easy--3 miles and we just hiked out. The whole thing was very thirsty and strenuous. We saw 3 rattlesnakes the first day and killed 2 of them. My camera got a cracked screen but still works. Jan and I hiked with the fast advance group. The first day, the people who had hiked it before said there would be water all along the way but we found none the whole way. At the last drop of 10-15 feet, Jan and I were so eager to get down that we jumped. I was first and it was an adrenaline rush like none I've ever felt. Everyone else rappelled the 15 foot cliff. The jump was into soft sand, so I didn't feel anything. My pack was 33 lbs. to start; Matt Brown's was 48. Each individual did their own food. The second day ended with walking a mile with no shoes through the Dirty Devil. It was all sandy and muddy so it felt good except for some rocks. We slept in Angel's Cove, a 300 degree enclosed but open top toilet bowl with a spring. Dallin Heath had an IV for hydration [from Phil Groesbeck] but other than that we survived.
Yesterday we took out the deck. Matt Brown helped. We went through a saw blade, a power saw and a hammer but we got the job done. I reserved 6 11' 2x12's and 10-15 4 ft 2x6's for my trebuchet. Even though I wanted all of the wood and I even reserved it before we started. That's what I got--less than half. It sure helps, but we might need some more wood.
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