Oh Hai

What have I been up to lately? Well, blink your eyes and it's time for another YSA conference! Wasn't I just at one? Geez, a month goes by fast!

This one was called Gathering in the Grove and held in Palmyra over Memorial Day weekend. The Kirtland conference is always the same weekend and I've always gone to that one, but this year the group decided to break tradition and check out GIG. GIG was a bit cheaper and the featured guest was Alex Boye, who sings in Motab which won over Janice Kapp Perry. I really missed my fabulous catered meal that is Kirtland's tradition, but had a good time.

There were some concerns about the weekend, namely:

1) Tent camping.
2) Smushing seven people and all our crap into a Yukon
3) Tent camping!!!

You see, I've never had a great experience with tent camping in Palmyra, and I've tried it three other times!
But it was cheaper than getting a hotel room, so I succumbed.

I kinda have mixed feelings about this conference. I enjoyed being able to go to the temple and do a session (it doesn't happen that often with the temple being so far away) and Alex Boye was spiritual and funny to listen to (I'd recommend him if you have the opportunity) but the rest? Meh. No one terribly interesting to talk to. Got stuck watching my group in choir practice during free time. Got ate up by bugs and got no sleep. It was miserably hot and humid. And I didn't like all the raucous laughter/applause that happened in the chapel when we saw Alex Boye. It really should have been held in the gym. And I'm not really sure that having to be dressed up (temple,church) as well as trying to impress the opposite sex while camping in heat/humidity really meshes. 

But I survived, and it was probably better than whatever I would have been doing at home. 

A tangle of girls in the backseat!

Raelena's comedy act during the No Talent Talent Show. We all helped her come up with groaner jokes. 

Our leaning tower of tent.
It gave way just as we were packing the car!

Nice hood ornament, Raelena

I don't know how we fit everything in!

Our Gang

My girlies

 Moving on...

The plan for Memorial Day was for a bunch of us to meet up, go hang out at Presque Isle and have a photo shoot. It was actually my idea, but stuff happened and people couldn't find each other and the stuff that I had wanted to do (photoshoot and sandcastles) didn't happen. And we were all irritated with each other that night too. It was also real hot and humid, well into the 90's, we were miserable. Real fun, huh? Ugh.

I did get a few pics with my sis and our friend Hannah, that was it.

Hannah!

The gang at Perry's Monument

What else? Well, I glued scrapbook paper to about 80 big washers for camp necklaces....

....and I survived a major hailstorm- the stones were so big that they shattered on my windshield and left dents on the hood! I had no way to get out of the storm!

There's about 20 big dings, you can see some in this pic.

Life goes on. Hope you're doing well. 

Stay tuned for more fun!

Faline, Our Deer Friend

Right in the middle of boring everyday life, life gives us something amazing. One morning when my sister was walking dogs, this tiny little deer appeared and came right up to her and even nosed the dogs. Mom saw this little deer too. They were able to snap a couple of photos before she disappeared. I heard about it later and we all marveled at such an unusual occurrence. You see, there are lots and lots of deer here in Pennsylvania, and we see them quite often on the property, but nothing like this had ever happened before.

Well later that evening, when it was starting to get dark, little Faline (yes, we named her after Bambi's girlfriend) showed up again, just came right down the driveway. I grabbed my camera and Mom and I went outside and I got to see Faline up close and personal.

"Oh, hi. Can I come over?"

Om nom nom nom

Hello there!

The grass is always greenest right behind the car. 

Shh....don't tell her that the Jeep behind her has hit four deer!
It's our little secret. 

So cute!

Bye Liz, it was fun hanging out!

It was so amazing to have her so close, she even came and stuck her nose in my stomach and sniffed my pants. She ate grass from Mom and I too. She didn't care when  Mom yelled for Laura, she wasn't afraid. She munched here and there and went back up the driveway, and didn't care that I followed her.

Eventually she mosied off into the forest and I went and ate my dinner and left her to eat hers. The next day we saw her behind our ponds with her mamma, guess she'd gotten a scolding about talking to strangers.

Told you our place was magical.

Now What?

The weeks that follow a major life event are usually kindof strange, especially when that major life event isn't so fun. The weeks that followed my grandmother's death were hard, and kinda strange. What do you do? There's no real protocol for this.

I held down the fort while my mom was gone for two weeks in CA. She went to attend the funeral with my father, and visited her own family as well. I was glad she was able to see my dad and spend some time with him. It took two tries to get Mom from the airport- she was delayed in Detroit overnight due to fog in Erie, and I spent all day in Erie for nothing trying to pick her up and having to make the drive the next day to finally get her. It felt like quite the accomplishment when the two of us were both home!

A week after my grandmother's passing, I attended the YSA conference in West Virginia. I already had things lined up to go, and there was no sense in not going. Laura wound up staying home alone over the weekend to take care of her dogs since Mom was away in CA. Not to mention, I had somehow been volunteered to be in charge of carpooling and ticket purchases and I didn't want all my hair-pulling work to be for nothing! 

We met at the church building and smushed 10 people into two cars- gas is expensive and it's a four hour drive! I succeeded in not having to drive, that was a real accomplishment! I had to fight for that. My car ride down was cramped but fine, and we ate at Outback- good thing cause I didn't want the pizza provided. Friday night was the usual horrifying get to know you games- I politely played Two Truths and a Lie with a group before ducking out. Later that evening we had a bonfire and listened to Jack Rose speak to us- it was very good. He talked about how you have to have courage to have faith. His words were very timely for me.

Saturday brought classes- I attended one about art appreciation, car maintenance, creating your own title of liberty (with fabric and sticks and everything!) and also one on dating etiquette. They were all really good, better than a lot of conference classes.

Here's the art appreciation class, held in a sweet little chapel on the camp. 

We rock! 

We played Ninja!

We got ready for the dance!

The dance was a lot of fun, I got asked to dance a lot (don't get your hopes up, none of that's gonna pan out!) and I even asked a guy to dance when it was Ladies Choice- can you believe it? I was proud of myself for not being a wallflower. I tried not to take it too personally when said guy didn't want to talk to me anymore after I danced with him. Sigh.

Also on Saturday we got to hear more from Jack Rose, and again he was good.

Sunday was Sacrament Meeting and it was nice to hear from the speakers and testimonies. Overall the weekend was really great and uplifting, I felt very comforted. It was hard to say bye to my friends that don't live near me. I'm really glad that I went to the conference, I really needed the pick me up.

Since the conference, I:

Played with sidewalk chalk with the YSA

Observed a foggy day at Presque Isle while unsuccessfully getting Mom from the airport

Saw this cute aqua bike decor...wish it could come home with me!

I helped clear brush at camp and figure out where stuff will go. 

And I played Nerf Wars with the YSA! 

We played in the dark with two teams- each side had a different color of glow necklaces to wear- really fun!

When Mom came home, she brought home a few things that belonged to my grandmother. Not really important or sentimental things, but some things that my dad and grandfather thought we could use and no one else was really gonna care about. I got a couple of long sleeve Ts, brand new. Also this skirt, still had tags on it. Mom also brought home some RS magazines from like the 60s and some plastic dust covers for clothes. 

It didn't bother me a lot to see these things, but it did give me a little pang in my heart that she wasn't ever going to use these things and also that I was never going to get a care package from her again- she often sent us boxes of various goodies. Sigh.

And that's the news from Elizabeth, stay tuned for more. 

Grandmother

This was taken when my grandparents met me for the first time. 

I don't know where to begin in writing this post, I've waited a bit so that I could bear to write it. My Grandmother Chaney passed away on Sunday, April 15th, at about 9:00 in the morning California time. She hadn't spent very long in her new care home, just a few days. Her health had been in steady decline since she had multiple strokes earlier this year, so we all knew this was coming, but it was still hard to realize that she's gone for now.

My grandmother Carol was born in 1933, she would have turned 79 in June. She was a middle child and she loved her family. I can only imagine her happy reunions with her parents and sister and other loved ones. She grew up in Utah and met my grandfather at a USO dance in the early 50's. Married in 1952, (thankfully they got to celebrate their 60th anniversary right before she started having strokes) they had three children- my father and his two sisters. They did a lot together as a family and took trips to Yosemite. They were and are, very family oriented. Their family set the pattern for my own happy family.

I have lots of happy memories with my grandmother. I remember her visiting when I was about 5, and she had me come over to her and close my eyes and she presented me with a pair of silver shoes for dress up, those were some magic shoes. Her favorite color was green, like an apple green. She loved vintage green things and loved receiving green depression glass to add to her collection. I collect pink, and she was going to swap me some pink depression glass for green. It's hard now when I go antiquing, since I see all these things that she would love, and I cannot buy them for her. I always liked to visit her in CA and feel special. She was a wonderful cook and we're all thankful that my dad learned from her- he cooks very well for us. I'm so glad that we were all able to get together in the summer of 2010, that was a great visit. It was so fun to all go to the zoo together. I already loved the family photos that were taken then, and now I love them even more.

Both of my grandmas are artistically inclined, it flows in my veins. Grandmother loved fabric and quilts. She and I both loved quilts from the 1930's. I loved to send her pictures of what I saw at the quilt shows I went to. She often sent me quilting books and magazines and goodies in care packages. She was always interested in what I was doing project-wise, and always encouraging. Oh, and she was a wedding planner and good with flowers and receptions- must be where I get it from.

My grandmother was one of the kindest, sweetest people I've ever known. She would send cards and call if you were the least bit sick. I hated worrying her with my various illnesses. She was always a sympathetic ear. She radiated love in word and deed to all of us. She ended every phone call with "I love you." I'm so thankful for this example in my life.

I was not able to attend her funeral in California, but I hear that it was all very nice. It took place at the cemetery, and the missionaries spoke about the plan of salvation. My aunt sent me a photo taken at the funeral- there was a large, beautiful moth on the ground. I found that was fitting since winged things like butterflies are supposed to represent the soul returning to heaven.

I have done some soul searching over the last couple of weeks as to how best honor her memory. Really, the best way is through my own actions. I want to strive to be the kind of woman my grandmother was. I want to be sweet and kind and thoughtful like her. I want people to know that they are loved. What would my grandmother want me to do? She'd want me to strive to be happy, to develop my testimony, to love my family, my friends, and those around me. She'd want me to be creative and progress in my artwork. She'd want me to use my sewing machine a lot. And if I ever have a family of my own, she'd want me to be a strong woman and love them all very much in my words and deeds. If I can be half the woman she was, I'll be doing well. 

And oh yeah, she'd want me to have a retro kitchen. 

It's been a hard few months, watching her decline and slowly losing my grandmother. And it's been hard losing her, knowing I won't see her for what seems like a long time. When I took my mother to the airport, I watched her go through security and remark to another lady, "You wait here and then you wait there", meaning having to wait on either side of security before your flight. But that's pretty much how it is- we wait to see our deceased loved ones, and they're waiting for us too. Someday there'll be a happy reunion. 

I miss her, and the problem is that she would be the one to tell all my heartaches to. She'd know how to fix this broken heart. I'm so thankful for the Holy Ghost and the peace and healing that has taken place in my heart. 

I'm glad that she's not hurting anymore, and I know that she's in a better place. I'm so thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ that allows us to be together as families after this life.

I now feel reawakened, all of this has been a sort of distraction the last few months. I really like this quote that I came accross:

"When compared to eternal verities, most of the questions and concerns of daily living are really rather trivial. What should we have for dinner? What color should we paint the living room? Should we sign Johnny up for soccer? These questions and countless others like them lose their significance when times of crisis arise, when loved ones are hurt or injured, when sickness enters the house of good health, when life’s candle dims and darkness threatens. Our thoughts become focused, and we are easily able to determine what is really important and what is merely trivial."

—President Thomas S. Monson, "The Race of Life", General Conference, Apr. 2012

It's time to wake up and get going, all this has been a good reminder of what is really important. 

Grandmother, we love you and miss you so much, more than words can describe. Thank you for being the wonderful daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend and for touching so many lives. Thank you for working hard to have a good family- thank you for raising me a wonderful father. Thank you for your example of kindness and love. We know Christ because we knew you. Someday we'll be reunited and I hope to make you proud.

XOXO, Liz

Our Easter

How was your Easter? Hope it was wonderful. I had a really lovely weekend.

Saturday night my mom and sister and I dyed Easter eggs- normally Dad is in charge of this, but he's still in CA. Mom and I had to figure out how to do the dye!

We did our traditional eggs dyed with onion skins- they turned out dark and lovely this year!

Usually we're a little more creative with the colored eggs and use crayons and stuff but they still turned out well.  

Here's my three- I had fun layering dyes (I love color theory!)

Lime green= green and then yellow

Purple= pink and then green and then blue

Aqua=yellow and then green and then blue

The gray eggs in the basket were boiled in pickled beet juice, which turned the eggsells grayish (made me think of the goose eggs we used to get when I was a kid!) and they are pink inside!

And the pink goes all the way through!

Mom hid the eggs in the house and my sister and I found them. I love being a big kid!

I somehow had the urge to make a cake this weekend too. 

And like all good Easter eggs, it's chocolate inside. ;)

Church today was very nice. I am our branch chorister, so it was fun to pick out some lovely Easter hymns to sing. We had a lot of people attend today- 43 is pretty good for our little branch! It was so nice to have people visit, and some of my favorite little kids showed up today and it made me very happy. We had some nice talks and the Spirit was strong. I wound up drawing an olive tree on the blackboard for the Sunday School teacher- nice to know my years of art school were good for something! I had a nice YW lesson with my girl about the priesthood.

After we got home, we had our egg hunt and munched some eggs (after playing "points and butts"!) and chocolate (the Easter bunny was good to me and brought me several Cadbury eggs!) and I got a nice nap. We had a roast with potatoes, onions and carrots, it cracked me up to be eating bunny food today! I heard that my mom's cousin is also keeping the "points and butts" tradition alive with his little kids, that's great. Did some research with Mom and found out that that game came from my great great grandparents who were German Swiss. Fierce Easter egg competition is in our genes!

The only thing that would have made today better would be for my Dad to be with us.  I miss him. He sent me a really funny Easter card, it was very sweet of him to do since I know he's very busy. This Easter has had more meaning for me, what with my grandmothers and all. I'm so thankful for the gift of our Savior and what he did for us. He lives, and because He love, I can live in love with my family. Death has no sting.

"Our Savior lived again. The most glorious, comforting, and reassuring of all events of human history had taken place—the victory over death. The pain and agony of Gethsemane and Calvary had been wiped away. The salvation of mankind had been secured. The Fall of Adam had been reclaimed. The empty tomb that first Easter morning was the answer to Job’s question, 'If a man die, shall he live again?' To all within the sound of my voice, I declare, If a man die, he shall live again. We know, for we have the light of revealed truth."

—President Thomas S. Monson

Happy Easter. 

Youth Conference

A few days after I got home from CA it was time to get packed up again and head on up to Palmyra for Youth Conference! It was pretty funny having to unpack just to repack again. Theoretically I wouldn't have had any YW at this- Youth Conference is typically for those 14 and up and I don't have any girls that fall in that age range- but this conference was for all youth because it was taking place in Palmyra and the youth had the opportunity to do baptisms. 

So I had y 12 yr old YW with me and we survived the 3 and a half hour trip up! Friday night started with games for the Under 14 crowd and a dance for those 14+. Yep, life's not fair sometimes, I know those younger kids would have much rather been at the dance than playing silly get to know you games. I can't blame them! So there was a bit of refereeing involved to make sure that kids weren't where they didn't belong.

My YW wasn't interested in what was going on in the gym, and when we went outside for her to get a book she was admiring the beautiful lit up Palmyra temple down the street. We decided to drive over and see it all lit up for ourselves- why not?

We walked around the temple and enjoyed it's beauty- I've never taken photos of it at night and I usually don't see it like this. 

The windows were lit up and glowing so beautiful. My YW really enjoyed the experience and so did I. Temples are beautiful sacred places. Later that evening we had a Q&A session with the Palmyra Temple President (they asked good questions- phew!) and we figured out rides for the next day. Late night by the time that all of that happened- none of us females got to the hotel and to sleep til 12:30 am at the earliest!

The next day, breakfast started at the crack of dawn- 6:30 to be exact! Yeah, basically no sleep that night! We had breakfast and went to our designated areas, I believe we were split in 3 groups to do the tours and baptisms. Our group started off at the Joseph Smith farm. It was cold out and we got snowed on, but it was neat to see the farm and the Sacred Grove in a beautiful dusting of snow. 

Thankfully it warmed up a bit when we headed into the Sacred Grove- if you don't like the weather out here, just wait 5 minutes!

Here you can see the Smith farm barn:

From there we went to the temple- my girl got to do baptisms inside for the first time and it was so neat. She was so excited. I handed out towels. It was so great to see the youth perform these ordinances. 

From there it was our group's turn to go see the Grandin Press, where the Book of Mormon was first published. I've been there a couple of times now, and it still amazes me all the things that "just happened" so that the Book of Mormon could get published (wink wink) and all the work that was involved in making the books. 

I tried to show some different photos than I have in the past of this place- this marked the first time I photographed the Grandin Press with my DSLR so it was nice to get some better photos in the dim light. 

What it might have looked like where the plates were buried:

Our Sr missionary tourguide- she was great and I loved her skirt!

Inside the room where the pages were sewn together:

We ended our trip with a drive up the Hill Cumorah and a quick look at the church bookstore. Fun stuff!

Well it was a good weekend for my YW and a good one for me as well! 

It was very spiritual and very memorable for the both of us. 

We had a very large turnout of youth for this conference, it was great!