Last year, seven months pregnant I loaded up my kiddos and joined a bunch of other crazy mom's (I think there was 16 boys(!!!!) and Hadley between us) for some mid-week-campground-to-ourselves- let the children run-a muck-camping, that despite horrendous nights of heartburn, and children who refused to sleep which eventually resulted in me transferring everyone to my mom's house, it was a stupendous time, and I'm pretty committed to making it a yearly summer tradition.And this year, I brought my camera and basically took pictures the whole time.
I've been meaning to put these photos up for the last week and a half! But I also wanted to take the time to write a bit about my friend Desi.
I could write for days about how much this girl means to me.
She is (and I sat and pondered what word I wanted to use for a a few minutes, before with a lump in my throat I typed out what is so much more than a cheesy metaphor) sunshine to my soul, and man do I need my regular doses of vitamin "D"esi (she likes corned jokes like that too, so I'm keeping it! Groan away)
With crazy schedules we only went out a couple nights and on the second night Levi and I went on a little flashlight-lit stroll before bedtime. I was saying how lucky we were to have good pals, and mentioned that I'd been friends with Desi since I was younger than Jaci (we put everything in terms of Jaci:)
"Will you be friends when you're grandmas?!?!?"he asked.
"You bet ya!" (we talk about it regularly, gonna find us some great purple hats!)
"How about when your dead!?"
Despite his teasing tone, his question made me get a tad emotional as I replied, "Ya know what Levi, I'm positive we'll still be friends in the next life."
Because it wouldn't be heaven with out my Desi.
We're very different in all sorts of fun ways, but our core desires are so aligned and our mutual admiration and trust is such that we know each other so well that we just take turns reminding one another--it's okay. You are wonderful. You are doing your best. God loves you. I love you. It's just a bad day. What you need is a nap/more vitamins/a good laugh/a good sing-a long/ to watch a good documentary (her) some silly tv (me). We know and cherish each others differences as much as our commonalties. When I watch veggie tales I love the cheesy jokes even more because I know she would. When she listens to Julie B Beck she loves her intensity more because she knows I'd love it too.
It was funny. As we set up camp (well, while she set up camp and I took pictures of her setting up camp) Des was having a hard time transitioning from some stressful stuff earlier that week (the girl is a freakin pioneer, and not just camping) She was trying to relax, but just hadn't quite got there, when I called her on it and she said how did you know? Well you keep doing this little sigh, when if you were relaxed you'd do that big deep breath, suck in your nostrils with a big grin thing you do when you let nature do it's thing. We laughed that we know each other that well.
We once drove to Boise to visit a friend and we talked all 12 hours there, the whole week and then the whole 12 hours back, and not just chit-chat either. Full figure-life-out-talk-over-each-other-as-we-make-connections-and-have-epiphanies talk!
We are both external processors, who like to have a good sounding board to get all our feelings and thoughts out in the open instead of all crammed up in our heads which means we are constantly just getting it all out, there's is such liberation in such a safe knowing place. Plus we manage to get all these life changing conversations squeezed in around, park dates and grocery trips and holding each other's napping babies and dishing out snacks and wiping down kitchens (usually mine...she's a bit more of a doer if you couldn't tell)
She has strengthen my testimony, talked me through soooo may problems, helped me understand my own thoughts and emotions, got me going again on stagnated projects, totally taken over baking projects (thank goodness!!), reminded me of my need for nature, sat in the van with my kids while we took turns getting groceries, shared insights from her scriptures, helped process major and minor losses and celebrate little successes and monumental break throughs! We've complained our way through pregnancies over the phone, and helped each other survive subsequent periods of post-partum with all the havoc it reeks on our minds and bodies. We stressed over our kids, gained insights into our marriages and just are always working at the complicated work of attempting to untangle life.
Since high school, we have over and over again experienced my favourite emotion:
crying until we laugh, and laughing until we cry (and inevitably quoting Sister Hinckley when we do!)
We both agreed long ago to sing "Each Life That Touches Ours for Good" at each other's funerals (which will obviously only work out for one of us;) It really dies express exactly how I feel about her:
Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;
Thou sendest blessings from above
Thru words and deeds of those who love.
What greater gift dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.
For worthy friends whose lives proclaim
Devotion to the Savior's name,
Who bless our days with peace and love,
We praise thy goodness, Lord, above.
I am so grateful that our Heavenly Father blessed me with such a friend.
Love you Desi.
Thank you for enriching me every moment we spend together, in not only helping me see my blessings but in being one of thee greatest blessings I have to be grateful for.
Yup, we're just gonna hafta be friends our whole lives and on into eternity.
"Master plan" :)
Now then! On to the ridiculous amount of pictures I took of our couple days playing in the woods.
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| Jaci came too....thank goodness! |
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| Running from Kenny the bridge troll |
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| Dirt really is thee best toy Well maybe after a good big stick! |
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| Desi's boys are so lucky to have her as a mom. |
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| Jaci took the kids on a pretty long hike (motivated by Pokemon go) |
Once the older boys finally woke up it was off to Glenwood
for some time on the slide and some icecream
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| Sammy wins for best face on the bog Glenwood slide |
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| So, I usually only get my kids the baby or the child's scoop at the Pioneer Parlour in Glenwood, but Desi get's her kids the big cones!!!! She says it's worth the reaction...I think I agree. |
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| I love how McKye know s how to ham it up |
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| I love Kenny's ripped jeans...my fav part of this photo:) |
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| It was so hard to get a candid of Josh, he would always spot me and give me a nice smile. What a nice kid |
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| Aaron decide the muddy river wasn't for him, especially when there was a perfectly good concert swimming pool right there! |
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| Kenny caught a fish!!! He wasn't even trying to, it just bit at his stick! |
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| Make your mom laugh again Kenny.... |
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| She's so cute, even if we were at that point in camping that pants were optional |
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| Strawberries and powdered donuts guys, I'm telling you. |
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| Our second night was a little rougher...but just like life gives us some "rough nights" we can still look forward to "beautiful mornings"..or something like that, me and Desi made some analogy work. |
The van was packed, we were ready to head out, but I couldn't resist one more group pic on the bridge to remember our little group of campers.
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| until next year!!! |
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