Canyon de Chelly/Petrified Forest

On March 27, the girls and I headed out of town for spring break.  On Tuesday, we drove to Blanding.  When we reached Moab, everyone was ready to stretch their legs, so we stopped in an area with beautiful red rocks and red sand (just across from the entrance to Arches) and played and made sandwiches for dinner.  Then we spent the night at 4 Corners Inn in Blanding.

The next morning, we got up early and drove about 2 hours to Canyon de Chelly.  Canyon de Chelly is on Navajo land, and many people still live in this beautiful canyon.  Each of the girls purchased a turquoise bracelet from one of the people selling items there.  We drove around, stopping at each of the overlooks to enjoy the beauty of this land.

Sadly, I lost many of my photos of our trip to Arizona.  I lost/had my phone stolen this past week and many of the photos I had taken were on my phone and I hadn't downloaded them yet.  But fortunately, I took quite a few photos on my camera and I'd posted some photos from my phone on Instagram.  So I have some.

Canyon de Chelly is beautiful.

This was my favorite spot.  It is called Spider Rock Overlook.  

Spider Rock

I think this was called Junction Overlook.

Look...you can see some of the farmland used by the Navajo.

While we were driving to Canyon de Chelly we saw what we are pretty sure was a gray fox.  While we were in Canyon de Chelly we saw a coyote or wolf.  We didn't get a very good view, but it looked more like a wolf than a coyote.  

There is a slightly better photo of the ruins in the canyon.  There were several other sets of ruins, some could only be seen with binoculars (which they fortunately provide for you to look through).

You really can't tell, but in some of these photos, there are ruins from ancient Native Americans who lived in these canyons and built their homes in the canyon walls.

In about the center of the photo (near the bottom middle of the canyon), there are ruins.

Such cool rock formations!

After we saw all the sights along the South Rim Drive, we got some lunch and then headed to Petrified Forest.  It was about a two hour drive away, so we listened to a book on CD (The Wandmaker.)  Gabby was so excited to see the Petrified Forest.  I can remember (vaguely) going to the Petrified Forest and to Canyon de Chelly as a child, but it was really neat to revisit it now and to share these things with my girls.  And because Gabby is in 4th grade, we have the "Every Child in a Park" national park pass this year, so we were able to enter the Petrified Forest with her pass (as well as Sunset Crater/Wupatki National Monument and Montezuma's Castle National Monument later in the week).

Painted Desert...it's so beautiful...this picture doesn't do it justice...it's colorful and just remarkable to look at!

Historic Route 66 ran right through the Petrified Forest...so the girls got to stand right where Route 66 used to be.

I love seeing ruins from long ago and learning just a little bit about the people who lived here.  So I loved that there were ruins in both Canyon de Chelly and the Petrified Forest.  

I know the photo is not ideal, but there are petroglyphs.  We saw quite a few.

More petroglyphs.

Petroglyphs

Gabby wanted this to look like she was being blown away and holding on for dear life...but apparently it's pretty hard to get both legs up in the air while holding onto a pole.

Look at that petrified wood!

Petrified wood.  On this walk, there were hundreds (perhaps thousands) of pieces of petrified wood. They are different colors based on which minerals are in them.

Not the greatest of photos, but each of those bumps is a piece of petrified wood.

We stopped at the visitor center at the end and saw a couple of truly ginormous pieces of petrified wood...but the photos are on my (stolen) phone, so I don't have them.   It was a lot of fun to see the fossils, the petroglyphs, the ruins, and the petrified wood.

After finishing at the Petrified Forest, we drove through Holbrook, and headed to Flagstaff where our hotel was.  We ate some food (sandwiches and so on from our cooler), and then the girls wanted to swim in the hotel pool.  So they swam, and I sat in the hot tub and ended up talking to two other moms, one from Canada and one from Vegas.

It was a long, busy, but amazing day!

Jordan River Temple Open House/JRT Ready

I am so grateful to be serving in Young Women's.  I love the young women!  So much.  We have such great girls.   And right now, they get to be involved in wonderful activities and events in preparation for the rededication of the Jordan River Temple. 

Last Saturday, my girls and I went to the Jordan River Temple open house.  The temple is so beautiful and there is such a feeling of peace.  I loved being there.

 Then on Sunday there was a wonderful fireside to begin the cultural celebration. The theme for the temple cultural celebration is Ready.  They are encouraging the youth to prepare themselves, to strengthen their testimonies and faith.  I'm so excited for these wonderful young men and young women to have this opportunity to learn and grow, to strengthen their faith and commitment to the gospel.  And I am so thankful that I get to be a part of all these events as I serve and teach them!

At the JRT Ready kickoff fireside!

Updated, 4/27/18:

We attended the Jordan River Temple Open House with the YM and YW of the ward.   We've had some wonderful activities in preparation for the temple dedication...building lego temples and learning about how the temple can bring us peace (a great activity I found on  cranial hiccups.)

Last Sunday we had a panel discussion about the temple where Bishop Carlson, Bishop and Sister Carpenter, Kylee Gustafson, and Jake and Brooke Simper answered questions from the youth about the temple.  

We did a service project at the Wibergs where the youth tore down their old chicken coop and did a lot of yard work.

And there was a concert for the youth of the temple district.  Our youth really spent pretty much the whole concert in line for food at the food trucks.  But they are such good youth and even though we couldn't hear the music super well, I was so impressed and touched by seeing the large crowd of youth who attended and knowing that our youth want to be disciples of Christ, want to serve, want to be worthy.  They aren't perfect, but the young women I serve are responsible and kind and capable and talented.  I love them so much!  And I love the other leaders I serve with as well.  It's truly such a privilege and a blessing that I am able to serve the YW in my ward.

Reserved and Observed

Tonight, I was able to go to a fireside with my dear friends Jami and Andrea.   Jami invited us to her stake's Relief Society fireside where Elaine Dalton spoke.  Andrea and I brought our YW age daughters as well.  It was such a great meeting.  There were several things she said that I personally needed to hear and be reminded of.  And there were several things that will go so well with the next two lessons I will be teaching in Young Women's.  So it's a huge blessing that I was able to attend.  And it was so great to get to see Jami!

Here are my notes from the fireside:

She began by bearing testimony of her deep and abiding testimony of Christ.

She told us that we are not ordinary women.  She said:   You have been reserved and observed.   You showed exceeding faith, not just faith, but exceeding faith in the premortal life.  Christ observed your faith and you were reserved for this time.  You have a great work to do.

We are all struggling with things that may seem impossible to solve.  But if we center our lives on Christ, everything will work out.

When she was serving as General YW President, she'd see Elder Perry almost every day.  She'd say hello and ask, "How are you?"  He'd say, "I'm great.  I'm just great!   I have never had a bad day in my life."   She wondered how that could be...he'd known challenges, his wife had died, he'd had a daughter that died.  She later found the answer in a talk given by President Nelson who said that our joy doesn't depend upon our circumstances but upon our focus.  (See his talk Joy and Spiritual Survival)

She talked about the beginning of Relief Society.  It happened in Nauvoo.  These women of Nauvoo understood the essence, the focus of the gospel.  The men and women knew the temple was everything.  The women saw the men working day after day on the temple and saw them getting ragged.  These women knew they had something to contribute.  So they banded together to sew new shirts for the men working on the temple.  As they began to pattern their organization after other organizations and other women of the world, Joseph Smith said there was a better way.  He taught the women, tutored them to prepare them to be endowed with power.

President Nelson has taught that everything we do in this church leads to the Lord and to the temple.  When he held the press conference to announce the new First Presidency, they held it at the temple and said they would begin with the end in mind...the temple and its covenants.  He asked us each to stay on the covenant path.

Sister Dalton asked us to please read and study President Nelson's talk "A Plea to My Sisters."  In fact, she encouraged us to memorize sections of it...to record all the things that he has asked us to do. 

When a prophet of God speaks, we should listen...especially when they use specific gestures or words to convey seriousness of the message.

For President Hinckley, he would gesture with his hand as he spoke...pointing his finger.
President Monson would say, "I implore you" (such as when he told us to read the Book of Mormon every day...)
President Eyring has said we should be "riveted" on the words of prophets, seers and revelators.
President Nelson says, "I plead with you."

Sister Dalton said she has used President Nelson's talk and created a to do list in her journal with all of the things he pleads with us women to do.  She works to do one at a time, adding on.

Here are some of the things he said:

• We need your strength, conversion, ability to lead, wisdom
• Speak with power and authority of God
• He quoted President Benson who said that women will flock to the church because of the women of the Church being distinct, articulate and different in happy ways.
• President Nelson said we are the women who will fulfill that prophecy!
• Be courageous defenders of morality

Because we know who we are, we will have the strength to stand as witnesses of God and to do His work.  Remember we've been reserved and observed.

We are here to stand as witnesses, to be distinct, articulate and different in happy ways.

Satan is using everything he can to get in our heads, our hearts and our homes.  He's trying to discourage, disenfranchise, and disqualify us.  (This really stood out to me...because I feel like often lately I can feel him trying to do these things in my life...especially discourage me.)

The women who were there at the organization of the Relief Society changed the world...and so will you!

She spoke about virtue and the need for a return to virtue.  She emphasized that return to virtue...that we can repent and change if we have made mistakes.  She also spoke about abuse and said that far too many women have been victims of abuse and if that has happened, then you have not done anything wrong.  She encouraged victims of abuse to seek healing, to see their Bishops because the Bishop holds the keys and can help her heal.  

Virtue is so important because there are broken hearts and broken homes all around us.  Many of these are a result of a lack of virtue.   She says she believes that our economy, our government, our society all suffer because of a lack of virtue.

In addition, we must be pure to be accompanied by the Holy Ghost.   Purity is our power!  When we have the Holy Ghost, we will be guarded and guided.  

Eliza Snow said we live far below our privileges...we could have the Holy Ghost as our companion at every moment...to guide us, to give us access to power and peace.

Be riveted on President Nelson's words in conference.

She showed a photo frame with photos of 5 generations of women in her family and talked about some of the strengths and gifts that each of those women possessed.  They lived the gospel every day and changed her life and the lives of others.

She talked about her education and how it made her more fit for the kingdom.  

We all have challenges.  

Covenants keep us centered on the Savior.  

As we partake of the sacrament, we can become just as pure and clean as we were when we were baptized.  

We are elect women.

She also told of meeting with young women in Ghana.  She asked them to share their challenges.  They were silent.  Finally, a young woman said, "We, the young women of Africa have many challenges." (Sister Dalton paused and said that she knew this was true...she had been in their huts, seen the river where they bathed, seen the many struggles they face daily.)  But, Sister Dalton said, this young woman of faith continued, "But we have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ."   Sister Dalton repeated that:  "We, the young women of Africa, have many challenges.   But we have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ."  That knowledge puts things in perspective for them and brings them peace and joy.  (Why do I so often find it hard to remember this perspective and to find this same joy and peace?)

The Garden: Date Night

Last weekend, Alfredo and I had dinner at the Garden restaurant in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  It is such a beautiful setting.  Alfredo had gotten off work late that night and so we were running late for our reservation.  The light to cross the street was almost ready to turn green again, but I said we should hurry across.  We began to jog across the street.  I was wearing shoes that have an open back and really aren't good for running and Alfredo started to tell me to be careful...when I tripped, fell, and my purse went flying one direction and my shoes the other.  The light turned green as I quickly grabbed my shoes and Alfredo grabbed my purse and we hurried the rest of the way across the intersection (only a few more steps).  I ripped my newest/favorite pair of jeans which was disappointing.  But mostly it was pretty funny.  We will be laughing about it for awhile.  We enjoyed the opportunity to eat dinner and talk and laugh together.  He told me that earlier that day a client had said to another employee, "I like that Alfredo but he's too serious."  The employee turned and looked at Alfredo with shock on her face.  He's definitely not very serious...or at least very rarely so.

After dinner, we walked around Temple Square for just a little bit.  It's so beautiful and it's been a long time since we walked around the grounds, just the two of us.  I sure love him and appreciate all he does for our family and for me.