Our Go-Getter Gal

While Talia was off at Girl Scout camp this summer, Brooklyn found herself in a myriad of other places, beginning with a church Youth Conference.  Our Avenues neighborhood in Salt Lake is a bit unique because, contrary to the Utah stereotype, we aren't surrounded by huge numbers of Mormons.  This is particularly true for young people.  Our ward (church congregation) joins with another ward for all of our youth programs, just to get a critical mass.  Youth Conference is usually reserved for those aged 14 and up, but our group is small enough that youth are invited beginning at age 12.  I have to say, it was a bit nerve-wracking sending my 12 year-old to hang out with teenage boys.  Fortunately Jason was there, so I worried less.


Brooklyn loved all of the high rope activities at the Great Basin Station near Snow College.  She and her partner had to work together to scale this giant rope ladder.

She was pretty proud when they made it to the top.

Here's Phia gearing up for a morning of high adventure.

Jojo looks set to send someone sailing as part of the Flying Squirrel.

Jason's favorite activity was balancing on these milk crates.  He and the bishop both managed thirteen.

Way to go, Bishop James!  (As his counselor, I think Jason's favorite meetings are the ones where they go mountain biking together.)

The youth enjoyed a nearly private performance of the Manti pageant when they went to watch a dress rehearsal.  Definitely a memorable experience.

Even though she didn't go to Girl Scout camp this summer, Brooklyn still hung out with some pretty amazing scouts.  Her former Girl Scout troop drove all the way from Nebraska to visit all five of Utah's National Parks.  We joined up with them at the end of the trip as they explored the Salt Lake area.  Here we are on our way to Timpanogos Cave.


Golly-gee-whillikers, sometimes I pinch myself, Utah's so stunning.

Unaccustomed to the altitude, the girls and leaders alike were challenged by the steep climb.   From left to right, these fearless leaders are Amy, Angie, and Renee.  I have tremendous respect for these women.  This trip required dedication and courage in abundance.

At long last, we made it to the mouth of the cave.

The Great Heart of Timpanogos.  Pictures certainly don't do this formation justice.

Another couple thousand years, and this stalactite and stalagmite should meet.  Do you like all the dangling soda straws?

These spiraling helictites, formed by capillary action, are pretty amazing too.

A photo of the girls with the ranger.  The girls were super sweet about including Brooklyn, even though it had been an entire year since we moved.

Everyone was pretty bushed after Timpanogos.  It was cute to see them all zonked out.

In the afternoon, we headed to Antelope Island to explore the Great Salt Lake.  While not commonly visited, the lake has a dramatic beauty all of its own.

I expected to be grossed out by the brine shrimp, but I actually enjoyed wading through the shallows.  It felt like the water expanded forever.

Okay, so I was grossed out by all the gnats on the shoreline.  The smudge of black at Brooklyn's feet is actually an enormous swarm of bugs.

Another successful adventure, Angie.  Well-done!

In the evening, we all rode the Ghost bus for a ghoulish tour of Salt Lake City.  (It kept circling back to 700 East, a frightening place indeed since night or day, you can never escape the stop lights.)

The next morning, we fed everybody breakfast at our place before heading down to Temple Square.

It was neat to hear the troop talk about how often they'd felt divine protection during their trip.  After getting their van stuck in the mud in the middle of nowhere, they were miraculously helped by a good Samaritan who happened to drop by with a semi-truck and tow cables at just the right moment.  While horseback riding, one of the horses fell, yet the scout slid off without injury.   When river rafting, they found themselves in the right place at the right time to help rescue some rafters who had lost their raft completely.  I am comforted to know that no matter what our faith, God is there watching over us.

From Temple Square, we took Trax to Gateway where they were holding a chalk art festival.  I loved how this one featured so many of my favorite stories!

Hey, the Hobbit made it to Salt Lake!

A scout does a good deed, courtesy of Norman Rockwell.  Incredible artistry.

Last but not least, posing with my favorite emojis.

We grabbed lunch together before the girls started back to Nebraska.  Brooklyn wanted to go to Cafe Rio but Costa Vida was much closer.

Angie designed this adorable tee.  It was perfect for Brooklyn as she headed off for a week at Brighton Beehive Camp.

 I know I hike like a girl...

Try to Keep Up!

Brooklyn had a fantastic time at Brighton, despite the fact that she got the same stomach bug that knocked out Talia, Eli, and I.  She was so sick the first day day, but had a great experience the rest of the week.  She connected particularly well with her counselor Boots, an aspiring singer/song-writer.

She likewise had a great time during her week at Girls Camp in Heber Valley.  While I wasn't there, I heard tales about her giant compass cookie.  Apparently the compass she's holding once saved three men when they got dreadfully lost on the mountain.

Jason went up for 24 hours and snagged the following pics.  If they had that this fun in one day, imagine playing at Heber Valley for a whole week!  Here are the girls stamping away.

Brooklyn made a good friend, Fa.

Here's Fa on the high ropes course.

Brooklyn's turn.

I think she liked it.

Here's her Young Women's leader, Lisa Evans, flying down the zipline.

Gorgeous hiking through the aspens.


Blindfolds made their expeditions quite a bit trickier.

When it rains in the mountains, it pours!


And a gorgeous sunset to end the day.

With so much summer traveling, you'd think that Brooklyn would stay put for a while.  But no, at the beginning of October she's traveling to Columbus, Ohio for G.I.R.L. 2017--the National Girl Scout Convention.  The "G" stands for Go-Getter.  Can't think of a work that describes our Brooke better.  Now to just keep up!