Bridal Shower, baby, and girls camp!!

This past month has definitely been a busy one! So many exciting things are happening!
Do you see the girl in the middle in the picture below?
Doesn't she look extremely happy?! She's in love and is getting married on Friday!!!

Too cute!!

Linda and I are both bridesmaids for our dearest Anamin and had the privilege of
hosting her bridal shower. It was pretty fun!

Most of our Organ Stop ladies were able to be there. These girls are so much fun!!
If you're not careful, they can easily become your best friends! I love you girls!

This is my sister Brianna. Don't worry, I'm the adopted one. :)

My dear friend Laurilee is getting married soon too!
She is such a wonderful example to me and I highly value the friendship we have.

So much food!
Good thing my mom is nice and helped us get all this food ready! She is an angel!!

BABY!!!
I seriously LOVE this girl! She's so smiley and will always laugh for you.
Thanks Stacy and Erik for having such cute kids and sharing them with us!

Girls camp was pretty fun this year. I had the opportunity to go as staff and work in the kitchen.
It was so fun to get to know the women in our stake a little better!

Alexis was the other YSA that helped in the kitchen. Such a fun girl!

I'm so glad that I could have so much family up at camp!

For the record: Linda told me that her lesson went well.
She had great class participation, and they even got out 5 minutes late!!
It must have been good :)

P.S. I went running this morning! Thanks Marie!!
~Rhonda~

Mothers

Today I am working on my relief society lesson. I teach the fourth Sunday lesson on recent conference talks. This month, in my stake, the talks are all about mothers. As I read the talks assigned for the lesson I was overwhelmed with a great love for mothers.

I thought about all my friends who are such wonderful mothers to their children. How much they love and care for their children. I love to see them with their children and see them teaching them correct values. I thought about my friend who so desperately wants to be a mother, and I cried for her, because although I'm not married, I can also slightly feel the pain that she feels, yearning to be a mother, desiring so much to have a family to raise and rear in righteousness.

I thought of my sister and sisters-in-law who are such good examples to me of righteous mothers. They take care of their families and teach them so well. I love to be with them, their children love the gospel and I know it's because they are taught the gospel in their homes. I love to put my nephew, Jack to bed. I love to sing him the primary songs that his parents sing to him each night, and watch his face as he prepares to sleep.

I thought about all the wonderful church leaders I've had who were not only wonderful mothers to their children, but also to me. They reinforced gospel truths taught in my home, and I could see the love they had for their families, me, and the Savior.

I especially thought about my mother though. I thought about how much she loves me, and each of my siblings. I am so grateful that I've always had a mother in my home who knows the importance of being at home and teaching us. I'm grateful for the friendship we have. In today's world how many girls can say that their mother is their best friend. I am grateful that I can say that. I'm grateful that my mother taught us the importance of supporting your husband in his priesthood duties. She has taught me how to be a mother. If I can be anything like her when I'm a mom someday I will be greatly blessed. She is truly amazing, and she can do anything. I am even more grateful for her as I intern in classrooms. I talk to the kids in my classes and listen to their comments about their family and home and I many times I just want to cry. I feel so bad for these students who do not have a mother who is a good example.

I am so grateful that our church sees the importance and value in motherhood. I'm so grateful that they support mothers and encourage them. I look forward to the day when I can be a mother, what a great and happy day that will be. I know it's not always easy to be a mom, but I know that it's worth it!

While everyone is at girls camp...

Rhonda, Anna, and our mom went to girls camp this week. Our mom was quite worried that we wouldn't survive without her. Here's what we've been up to:

We have been busy! Marcie helped me to cook lasagna in the solar oven for our small group of four. That was an interesting experience. I've never not made that much food. I was so worried that we wouldn't all get to eat, but it was the perfect amount.

We've been doing a lot of reading. We read for two hours while waiting in Big O Tires (Marcie was not too thrilled to be waiting and constantly asked when we could leave). We've been reading in the cool of our house too.

Marcie really wanted her toenails painted. So, we painted toenails while we watched movies. We've been watching lots of movies at night, and enjoyed each others company.

We also made a special trip to Fry's, it was the ice run. I let Marcie pick out any ice cream she wanted. She chose Dryer's Rocky Road. Dryer's makes the best Rocky Road with whole marshmallows instead of marshmallow smears! We also bought a bag of store ice because we're slightly addicted to ice, and because store ice is just better than grandma ice from the machine.

Other exciting things that have taken place while everyone's been away (or not exciting things):

• I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned while Marcie dusted Grandma and Grandpa Huber's house.
  
• I went to Barnes and Noble and bought the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack (best purchase I've made in awhile!).
• We visited Grandma Guthrie on Wednesday for grandma day and she told us all about growing up in Colorado, and about her siblings.
• We got all the flowers watered so they wouldn't die while our mom was gone (she was very worried about them).
• Brad started summer school so we haven't seen him as much. He was rather worried because his teacher hadn't posted the books they needed before the beginning of class. He was pleasantly surprised when the teacher came to class with a lab manual for everyone, lecture notes for everyone, and the password to the online textbook. He told me, "Linda, I only paid $300 for the class. At ASU all the books alone would have been $300." And he wonders why I love MCC so much?
• We're babysitting Jack and Lucy tonight because their mother is at camp and their father has to work.
  

Despite all the things we've accomplished we still really miss our mother and sisters we are so excited for them to come home tomorrow so we can lead a normal life again!!!!!