Mom's Campout Birthday!

We went camping at McCormick's Creek State Park, in "enemy territory" (about 17 miles out of Bloomington--IU country! :).  I think it is my favorite state park in Indiana.  There's a cute little waterfall that, had I brought other shoes/flip flops, I would have TOTALLY been in.  There's a pool (but you have to pay extra).  Lots of campgrounds, trails for all levels of hikers, and best of all, HORSEBACK RIDING!  It's only $16/person, and you get to ride a trail for about 50 minutes.  We had a great guide that made the horses trot a lot, too, which was fun.  I've been on a few of those kinds of trails before and this was the longest, prettiest, and most fun one ever.  The park also has caves, picnic areas/playgrounds, a little camp store, a nature center, tennis courts, fishing (if you're into that sort of thing), and a restaurant.  Also, it's all VERY clearly labeled as you drive around, and I loved how organized everything was.  (It's also right outside of Spencer, so if you need to run into town for anything, you can, no problem...we made a few McDonald's drink runs!)

We set up Mom's three-room tent, went and did a little hiking (mostly to the waterfall), then explored the area a little before going to ride horses.  After that, we made a little campfire and cooked over an open flame--my favorite part of camping!  All food tastes better that way.  It's just a fact.  When it got dark, none of us liked ghost stories enough to tell them and none of us play guitar, so we mostly just sat and chatted quietly before going to sleep early.  But I use the term "sleep" lightly, because it was in the eighties even after midnight and there was NO breeze, so we were all boiling and suffocating and Paul discovered he's a little claustrophobic in the tent.  THEN, we had a huge thunderstorm...I mean, HUGE...the thunder was right on top of us and even knocked over a few trees right next to the campsite!  Once again we got wet, although it was a welcome change after all that heat...but still.  I only slept a little after the thunderstorm and I think Paul slept even less.  Hahaha, Paul was certainly NOT converted to the joys of camping (not that he really tried), and I had to promise I'll never take him again...even though that makes me super sad because I LOVE IT!  Ah, well.  There are always my sisters and my mom.  And maybe someday, when we have our own expensive, weather-proof gear and there is only sunshine predicted for a whole week and it's in the middle of October when it's beautiful and dry and cool, MAYBE I can convince him to do it again, for me, out of love.  But probably not anytime soon.  Next time, I'll also make a whole three-day weekend out of it or something...being on a tight schedule, we had to forego some of the things we would have liked to do, and we had to pack up camp super early and head home in time to teach primary!

I still had fun.  And it WAS my mom's birthday celebration, after all!  :)  She had fun, too.  So it was worth it.

And now the pictures...the fun part.  :)

Our tent(s).

BEFORE...notice how most of them are up-and-down?

AFTER the storm...a few more trees are sideways.  :)

Waterfall pictures...

Horseback riding pictures...

Campfire pictures:

Mom's Campout Birthday Cake!

Want a super-cute, super-EASY cake for your next campout or camping themed birthday party?  Try THIS RECIPE from FamilyFun!  I love how it looks...I didn't know whether to eat it or set it on fire.  :)  It really IS easy...you don't even have to bake anything.  Although, the flames didn't work nearly as easily as the directions stated, and I folded it over TWICE...so you need it pretty thick if it's going to stand up on its own for long.  But it all was still yummy, and everyone was unreasonably impressed.  Served with s'mores ice cream, it was a hit!

We decided to go camping for Mom's birthday this year...we leave in the morning...pictures to follow!  Linking up HERE and HERE.

Thankful Thursday

1. I am particularly grateful that after a long, long time of feeling like I've been selfishly attending to my own needs, opportunities have arisen that have allowed me to serve others in various capacities.  From taking in Cerene and Caida for a while (they're trying to move into another apartment of their own in this complex next month) to helping a friend clean and move to being a walker for cub scout day camp, I find myself rarely having more than a few hours alone to do what I want and need anymore--which is wonderful.

2. I'm grateful for silent car rides.  Call me crazy, but a few months ago I decided to turn off the radio when I'm in the car, whether on the way to church or running errands.  If someone is with me, it seems to initiate conversation more.  But often I'm alone, and, even though I probably *look* crazy, it's a great time to think (often aloud) about important things and work my way through some of the feelings I have.  It's also a fabulous time to pray vocally to God about things that I'm concerned about and to really have a conversation with Him that I know will not be interrupted.  Sure, I end up talking to myself and that's a habit that's hard to break, but I don't really care.  :)

3. I'm grateful for my mom, whose birthday is tomorrow.  She is one totally unappreciated and misunderstood lady who goes about doing good in a quiet way, in her own sphere.  I know that she is STILL helping all of us kids out, financially and otherwise, and even more importantly, she is a really cool person.  I wish I had a million dollars so I could get her out of her crappy job and get her to travel and do something for herself for once.  But I am grateful that I have her in my life, and I can't imagine having another mom.

What are you thankful for this week?

Why I Believe Wednesday: Logic

I know that there are some spiritual truths that simply can't be learned by reason alone, but I have to admit that a big part of loving this gospel that Christ restored to the earth is knowing how much sense it makes.  Sometimes it is SO CLEAR to me.  I mean no disrespect to other faiths, or to those who don't believe in God, but sometimes when I learn what others believe I come away wondering how they could settle for not knowing so many things that seem critically important to how--and why--we live our lives as we do...here are some of the things that just make sense to me--truths I literally couldn't believe in God at all without knowing.

1. God didn't create something out of nothing; we existed before this life as sentient beings called spirits, and the world was organized for our needs.  While I DO believe the Lord has knowledge of scientific truths and laws we haven't discovered yet, this whole notion of a "magical" God who just created billions of people and a planet by just speaking the words into thin air is kinda hard for me to swallow.  Equally difficult is the idea that the Big Bang happened (with no clear catalyst) and somehow single-celled beings evolved--on a planet that was coincidentally the perfect distance from the sun to sustain life--over millions of years into human beings like us with complex chemical emotions and curiosity and sometimes inexplicable desires and reason...and our brains!  I'm sorry, but the odds of that happening are waaaaaay less than it simply being by design.

2. The purpose of mortality is to prepare all who will to become like Christ, not just because he's a god and therefore we have to obey, but because it's in the Plan of Salvation that we become joint-heirs with him, as gods ourselves.  I've been pondering a lot (mostly as I drive without any music on) about what the point of commandments would be if we weren't trying to develop godly attributes.  A God who demands such perfection simply because He is God and says so isn't really a God I'd want to follow.  But knowing that there are fundamental principles and laws that the whole universe is ruled by, including foundational spiritual truths, and knowing that the commandments are built upon eternal laws that enable us to grow and develop and reach our fullest potential?  That's a God I can understand and have loyalty for.  Even if you believe God loves His children, without the understanding of what happens after mortality, it all seems more like someone who's on a power trip and wants a billion people to love Him so He feels good about Himself and isn't lonely up in His clouds in heaven forever.  I love knowing that there is SO MUCH MORE going on there, and that our purpose is to become even as He is.  I think we all feel that tug of divinity inside of us, and that desire to always better ourselves.

3.  We have a right, and a responsibility, to question things and to seek personal revelation.  This is probably one of the most important truths of the gospel--the idea that we are each responsible for learning about it and for building a personal relationship with Christ, and that asking questions about things we don't understand isn't a sin.  No one else can keep the commandments for you, and the idea of just sitting in a pew and listening to someone tell you how to live your life without ever experimenting for yourself is kind of foreign to me.  I don't believe in blind obedience, nor do I think God asks it of us.  This is not to say that we always understand everything He asks of us, of course.  But "we are not obedient because we are blind; we are obedient because we can see."  (President Boyd K. Packer).  And we see by asking for ourselves, studying out the gospel in its fullness, and experimenting on the word of Christ.  To expect otherwise of us, again, would seem like someone upstairs is just on a power trip.  Thankfully, the gospel tells us we have the right to know, and the responsibility afterwards to obey, because it will help us become the best versions of ourselves.

I have more thoughts like these, but maybe I'll save them for another Wednesday.  The point is that I don't think I could live without faith of any kind...it would be too bleak, too difficult, too lonely, and, frankly, wouldn't really make sense...there are too many holes and things left to be explained.  And I don't think I could belong to any other faith, either, because their ideas about the nature of God and the nature of man are sometimes too contradictory or just don't quite make sense if you're trying to understand the BIG PICTURE. I am grateful to be LDS, a Mormon, and to know that the gospel of Christ, in its fullness, explains everything and gives a purpose to my life.  And in those moments where maybe I can't see that, I have a thousand other moments where I *did* see, so I can comfortably exercise my faith-obedience, knowing the God in whom I have trusted--and that whatever He requires is right, for a reason.  That is why I believe.

10 Things Tuesday: Mint Tins

I don't have a ton of these around, but I have really loved the ideas I've found...so maybe I'll start buying them again!  The fact that these are small and magnetic means that they can be used for a great many things!  Granted, most of these involve holding small things...but who doesn't need more small-things-holders, anyway?  :)

10. Mini survival kits!  Put together a few essentials--a small compass, some matches or a lighter, small LED light for signalling, pocket knife, water purifying tablets, some fishing wire on a bobbin, a couple of small hooks, and whatever else you might need.  Then, keep it in your purse or in your car in case of an emergency!

9. Small sewing kits, first aid kits, etc.  Since you can store small things in these tins fairly easily, you can make them first aid kits--with bandages, pain killers, allergy meds, gauze/tape, alcohol pads, cotton swabs, ointment, and tweezers--or sewing kits, with needles, buttons, bobbins of thread, safety pins, and a seam ripper.  Or you could stow away other small things--hair pins and ponytail holders for a beauty kit, etc.

8. Travel games!  (Educational or not...)  Because they are magnetic, these tins make great travel games!  You can print off miniature gameboards and make game pieces out of small magnets, or paint the insides of the tins and make habitats for animals, etc.  You can print off words or letters and put them on adhesive magnetic strips for an educational travel activity.  I've also seen these with silly faces--like a 2-D Mr. Potato Head--which sounds like a TON of fun!

  

7. A new wallet!  It doesn't take much to make a wallet--a few minutes if you want, or you could paint and add decals to really make it your own.  If your tin opens and closes too easily, you can wrap a rubber band around it to keep it closed.  But these are the perfect size for cards, cash, a few coins, and even a USB drive.

6. Travel Paints!  I love this idea, even if I probably wouldn't actually use it much, because you can glue other trash--upside-down bottle caps--into the tins and add dry tempera or watercolor paints.  Add a small brush and a few scraps of watercolor paper, and you have an art kit anywhere you may have water.

5. Mini Zen garden!  Paint the outside, add some sand and rocks, and you have an instant zen garden!

4. Small toy car!  This is cute, probably because I love LEGOs! 

3. Pinhole Camera!  Wow, some people are amazing.  You can find a dozen how-to videos on youtube if you're really interested, but this is out of my area of expertise, so I won't say much more about this other than...awesome!

2. Mini Speakers!  Another great idea with lots of how-tos on youtube...people are incredibly creative, yes?

1. An awesome mini "toolbox" gift box!  Brandy over at Gluesticks made this ADORABLE toolbox gift card box for Father's Day!  I love it a ton...you can fill each compartment with small candy, a gift card, coupons, or any other small gifts!

If not a single idea here appeals to you, then you can just recycle them.  But hopefully something here inspired you to reuse them instead!  Well, that's it for today!  :)  Hope you enjoy getting creative with these!