Look back at Camp

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Remembering Camp

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Girls Camp 2009

Girls Camp 2009

Mia Maids hike to Donut Falls June 2009

Project Runway

Mia Maids kicked of the 2009 summer by stepping up to a design challenge...they were given wrapping paper, ribbon, tape and tissue to create a modest design for their team model to wear during the runway show....WOW, success and talent!!!!

Laurels Making a Pie for the Bishop's 50th Birthday!

Tying Quilt for Edie

Marrianne and Kristina helping the Beehives with their quilt. The fabric squares each girl brought looked wonderful all together!

Senior Send Off

For Evita, Ali and Kelsey...

Bloom Where You Are Planted

In the bulb there is a flower,
In the seed, an apple tree,

In cocoon, a hidden promise

Butterflies will soon be free

In the cold and snow of winter

There is Spring that waits to be

Unrevealed until it's season,

Something God alone can see

There's a song in every silence,

Seeking word and melody

There's a dawn in every darkness

Bringing hope to you and me,

From the past will come the future

What it holds, a mystery,

Unrevealed until it's season,

Something God alone can see

Bloom where you are planted,

Discover what you will be

Bloom where you are planted

God has a plan for you and me

~ Highland 10th Young Women's Presidency

May 2009

Beehives Serve

Katie and Courtney

Adrienne did a great job ironing the fabric for the quilt. Karli cutting her material to add to the squares on the floor.

Maria and Sydney making cards for Edie


Courtney, Rachael and McKenna

Remembering Our Friends

Johnson Sisters

Johnson Sisters

Alexis


Amanda

Where do I begin? Sometimes events happen in our lives that jerk us from our routines and schedules and start us on a new journey of learning, loving, and often also grieving and healing. One such event happened yesterday. These two beautiful daughters of God, born only 19 months apart and always close to one another were taken back to Heaven together. Alexis, would be 17 next month and Amanda, 15 1/2 years of age. It affects me personally, but also is affecting our family, LDS ward family, neighborhood and community.

Their family had rented an RV and were on their way to Lake Havasu to vacation. Tragedy struck 20 minutes north of Las Vegas as their RV hit a semi-truck. The sisters were taken instantly. Their mother was injured, but we are grateful that she will soon be released from the hospital. As you can imagine the emotional toll on the surviving family members is heavy and we are praying almost constantly for each of them individually. Besides their parents Alexis and Amanda leave behind an older sister, two younger sisters and a younger brother.

My husband Michael described the Johnsons as part of "the heart and soul" of our ward family. They are always willing to do anything for anyone---and do so cheerfully. The family has the hugest smiles and such fun-loving personalities. They actively seek being together as a family and doing good. The father can make you laugh in a heartbeat. In fact my Aly was telling me just ten days ago how Brother Johnson had made her smile.

I got to know both Alexis and Amanda well through working with them in Young Women's. I easily call them some of "my girls" in my heart. As you see in the picture below we have known them for many years. This picture was taken in April of 2002, almost exactly seven years ago. Amanda, my Aly, Alexis, my Maddie, and Alex (another young woman and dear friend of mine) were playing in our backyard on the dirt piles on the way home from school on this particular day. I have so enjoyed watching all five of them grow into lovely young women.



The young women are my friends. Alexis and Amanda are my friends and I look forward to being able to see their smiles and share a hug with them again. Truly they are my sisters in the Gospel. They were both wonderful examples of righteous young women with strong testimonies of their Savior, the restored Gospel, and of eternal families. I too have a testimony of these things. This past weekend I have had strong impressions of the Savior's life and atonement through attending the Mesa Temple pageant and Easter services at church. I know Jesus Christ lives and all of us will also live again! What greater blessing is there to know that you can be reunited with loved ones in the next life? I praise our Heavenly Father for His love and plan of salvation for all of his children.

We have seen the Lord's tender mercies in this tragedy. Those of you who are LDS will understand that it truly is an amazing thing that our stake president, bishop, past YW president, past YW counselor, current YW president and the next-door neighbors to the Johnsons were all vacationing in the St. George and Las Vegas area at the time of the accident and through cell phones were able to connect. They all have been with the Johnson family during this life-changing event. That does not just happen by chance.

I always tell my children how amazing our bodies are and that Heavenly Father made our bodies to be able to heal. I have seen this time and time again in my nursing career. I know that if He made our bodies to heal physically that he also made them to heal emotionally. That healing will come through our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Please pray for the Johnson family to be able to experience this healing.


Friend Alex and Alexis last summer at Girl's Camp

What a joy it has been to be there with the young women the last 2 1/2 years. What anguish I feel in their loss, but what hope I have in the Lord's plan. Tonight my daughter said, "I hope I will always remember their smiles." I think we all will. I love you, Alexis and Amanda!

Leadership Retreat-Oct. 08

The young men and young women quorum and class presidencies spent an evening and morning working in various groups and learning leaderships skills at the Gibson's cabin. We enjoyed a nice meal and had a lot of fun working together. Thanks so much for letting us use the cabin!

This is one group trying to put small paper puzzles together on the floor. If I remember right, you could not talk to each other and it was a race to see which group could do it the fastest.