Girls Camp

As the brand new Young Women President in our ward, girls camp became a very important event.  Here it is in pictures.  The girls were amazing, fun, good, kind, and capable.  My love for them is growing!

Grateful:
675 Girls camp
676 the young women of today are strong and valiant!
677 I felt the support and love of both the girls and the leaders of our ward and stake.
678 Divine Nature, Come Unto Christ, Here Am I Send Me.  The daily themes of girls camp.
679 Our stake leaders main goal of girls camp was to strengthen testimony. They gave us many great opportunities and I know our girls were strengthened and grateful.

my baby's baptism day

Debbie's special day began with time with her grandparents and a special gift of a really soft blanket (comforter - reminder of one of the blessings of the Holy Ghost)

 Glad to have some special cousins to share this day

 Debbie was baptized by her father and confirmed by her Grandpa Peterson.

 We just had to hold her while we still can, she is growing up so fast and wonderfully.

 We actually had lots of great support.  I have noticed that sometimes for these younger kids schedules get too busy for family to participate.  I sure appreciate all those who were able to be there and testify of the importance of this sacred first ordinance and covenant.

I want Debbie to always know that I, too, am grateful for the opportunity to be baptized a member of Christ's true church on the earth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and to have received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  I am grateful for the power of the atonement that makes forgiveness possible for the many mistakes I make and enables me to forgive others and to move forward in doing good in this world.  I know it is by the power of the atonement through the Holy Ghost that I am able to help in building the Kingdom of God, to raise a family up to God, to love and reach out and assist in the rescuing of Heavenly Father's children and to share in the work of feeding His sheep.  His plan of happiness brings me joy every day.  I am so grateful to have the role of wife and mother and to share this earth experience with the very best people and I get to call them family.

Grateful:

672 at 8 years old a child is capable of choosing between right and wrong, listening to the whisperings of the Spirit and growing in testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

673 for my neighbor who came and took pictures for us for Debbie's special day

674 My own testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice for me.

Independance Day 2014

Another favorite holiday celebrated well with family, fun, and a birthday for Debbie.  She's turning 8! We always begin the day ringing the Legion Hall bell before 7am

These crazies ran the 5k and did great.  Then the rest of us did a family 5k bike ride.  It was really more my style.  They were sore that day but not me.

Back for birthday fun and breakfast of Dad's waffles and butter syrup.

 Then we headed back to the park for patriotic speeches and lots of fun games.  The footraces,

 3 legged races,

 sack races,

 spectators,

 and egg toss.

 By the egg toss we had the Gunters and Grandma and Grandpa join us.  After enjoying sun and free watermelon at the park we headed to our house for a BBQ and water fight.

 Blowing out the candles

At the stadium we played games, (minute to win it and twister and hola hoops), Mr. O competed in the Mr. Man contest where he shared about hill billies and

we enjoyed the fireworks.  Loved it all.  Thank you family for making our day great.

Grateful:
669 for the United States of America, land of liberty
670 small town celebrating in big ways.
671 irrigation water is back on.

Pageant 2014

We again were able to participate in the Mormon Miracle Pageant and had a wonderful time.  The pageant is a special tradition for us as we enjoy performing in it, inviting people to come and watch or be in it, and help with the behind the scenes of setting up, scenery and chairs, feeding the masses and putting it all away.

 This year we were able to have some fun principle parts.  Isaac has been looking forward to portraying young Joseph Smith and was very pleased to have the opportunity.  I was able to portray his mother, Lucy Mack Smith.  Together we did a scene in Lucy's kitchen where Joseph explains that he knows his mother's church is not true because he has seen God the Father and His son Jesus Christ and they told him that the true church of Jesus Christ was not on the earth.

When I first married Mr. O and we were in the pageant together his mother told me of one of her favorite pageants when he had played young Joseph and she had been Lucy and what a sweet experience to share with her son.  I feel very grateful to have followed that tradition and shared this special moment with my son as he spoke the words of Joseph Smith and we both felt our testimony strengthened.

They cast 3 Joseph Smiths to be able to do all the different parts.  Isaac shared this role with Josh Peterson and Mitch Russell. Two more really great boys.

 Dane and his best friend, Mark Bishop, played the parts of Zarahemna and Captain Moroni.   There are the best parts for the boys and they all hope to get it.  These two young men are sharing July 13 for their farewells and will leave on full-time, 2 year missions in July.  They got to address a youth group that was here for pageant and Mark, as Zarahemna spoke about slothfulness and Dane, as Captain Moroni, spoke of being a man of preparedness.  They both did an amazing job.

But they still had a lot of fun playing around.

We had 3 girls from Idaho, Elizabeth, Cassidi, and Abby, stay with us for the month and participate in pageant.  

We also participated in our regular group scenes with Sim and Debbie.  They still love portraying Christ in American, handcart pioneers, and this year we did the New England scene where we are in various congregations with young Joseph wondering which church to join.

This is Jeremy.  He is legally blind but still regularly is in the pageant.  This year I got to walk with him in the first pioneer scene in case he needed any help 'crossing the plains'.  He did very well on his own but I felt a special closeness because of my own family history.  I have a grandfather, Thomas Davis Giles, who joined the church in Wales, 4 years later was a victim of a mine accident in which both of his eyes were crushed from his head.  He lived but was of course blind.  He had a hobby of playing the harp and continued to develop this talent.  Eight years after his accident he and his wife with three children left Wales to emigrate to Zion.  In Chicago their year-old daughter died.  They reached Iowa City and joined the Bunker company where Thomas pulled his handcart.  Not long after they started, his wife gave birth to another daughter who died soon after.  A few weeks later his wife died. He was left with his two sons, ages seven and nine.  The boys were sent back to some family friends in a later company (which ended up being one of the wagon companies that traveled with the Martin and Willie companies).  Thomas continued on with his hand cart and through incredible odds and trials arrived in the Salt Lake Valley and there he reared a righteous family.  The woman that cared for his sons eventually married Thomas and it is through Thomas and Hannah that I am descended.  So it was this grandfather that I imagined and thought of as we performed together over and over.  It was another sweet moment in pageant.

Grateful:
665 community hard work for a good cause
666 great families coming together and giving so much time and talent.
667 testimony building as we performed and visited in the audience
668 sweet friends and family that came to see us perform.