Jamaica Video

This is the video report for Peter's recent Jamaica project. It talks about their work there, and shows Peter in action a few times.

October

This past month I have been way more flaky than usual. So I wanted to start off this post with an apology to the world in general for all the things I've been supposed to do that haven't gotten done. Hopefully this next month things will go better.

In the beginning of the month, my mom's mom passed away. I was able to go home for the funeral, which was really nice. My sisters, dad, and I played a few songs at the funeral and the luncheon afterwards. I saw lots of family. I was able to see my best friend's new baby in the hospital right before I left to come home. It was as nice of a trip as a funeral trip could be. Unfortunately, it also left me somewhat behind in school.

Peter also went to Jamaica for 2 weeks this month. He just got back last night, which was a miracle because he flew through JFK. They closed the airport after because of a snowstorm, but thankfully he was able to get out before they closed. We all missed him a lot, but he had a good time. I'm not sure if he took pictures or not, but if he did I'm sure he'll post some of them so we all can be jealous. :)

My sister came home from her mission in Hong Kong last week. It has been really nice to be able to talk to her whenever I want to. I'm excited to see her next month when my family comes out for Thanksgiving.

Friday night was our ward trunk or treat, and Michael and I went as lumberjacks. A little girl who was sitting at our table was very concerned that we "didn't have costumes" because I guess to her lumberjack clothes look just like regular ones. I told her that we were supposed to be lumberjacks, and she said, "oh, apple jacks! I love that cereal. We buy it sometimes." It was super cute.

Happy Halloween to everyone tomorrow!

Our Summer

Now that the summer is over and school has started again, here's what we did. We don't have any pictures (sorry) because we either forgot our camera, or we brought it and we didn't have a memory card, so it was useless. Oh well.

1. I got to participate in a dig at Fort Harmony that was a lot of fun. (Click on the link to read a news article and see pictures. I'm the one in the white hoodie looking away from the camera, and I'm not from SUU. Only one of the photos has people from SUU in it, even though 3 of them say that they do).

2. I went to Oregon for a week to visit my family, and mostly to visit my grandmother who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She's actually been doing really well, but in June we didn't know if she'd even live to the end of the summer. It was wonderful to spend time with her and with all the family.

3. Peter went whitewater rafting with the young men in our ward, and had a blast. And came back with knees so sunburned they could barely bend.

4. We were Ma and Pa of a family on our stake pioneer trek. We got to go to Martin's Cove in Wyoming and walk on the actual Oregon Trail/Mormon Trail. It was a fabulous experience, and we had the best kids in our family. No whiners, no accidents, and everybody was happy to be there. And it was really special to be learning about the pioneers, and see the actual places where the stories we heard had happened. Very cool. Martin's Cove is worth a visit if you happen to be in Wyoming.

5. Peter's youngest brother has moved in with us and is living with us and attending high school in Utah for the year. So we have a teenager before we have a baby, but that's okay. We're one week into the school year, and so far so good. We're happy to have him with us, and we'll see how things go.

6. My sister is a new freshman at BYU this year. My family was in town this past week moving her in and getting her settled. I'm really excited to have her out here and to get to see her more often.

7. Peter's sister gets married on Saturday. We have lots of visitors in town this week, and lots of wedding-related things to do. Congratulations to Elyse and Jordan!


So. Now you're caught up on everything you missed while I wasn't blogging this summer. Hopefully it won't be Christmas before my next post. :)

Forgiveness

This story inspired me. In case you aren't inclined to click on the link to read it, or better yet, listen to it, I'll summarize. It's about a woman who forgave the man who killed her son (the perpetrator was a teenager involved in gangs, drugs, etc. at the time) and who has now sort of adopted him as her own son. It amazes me and inspires me to know that people can forgive something so terrible so completely. I sometimes struggle to forgive people for rather insiginificant offenses, but I know that there is healing power that can help me (and anyone) to forgive. That healing power comes from Jesus Christ. I am thankful for His sacrifice that makes forgiveness possible, and for inspiring stories like this one that remind me that I can forgive.

Nine Mile Canyon

Before we get to nine mile canyon... here is a picture from my birthday. We went to look at the tulips on temple square, which were gorgeous, and then we went out to dinner. I had no idea that temple square had such beautiful flowers, but if you happen to be in Salt Lake in the springtime you should definitely go and check them out!



View from our campsite

This past weekend, Peter and I went camping with my friend Juli and her husband Jordan. We camped at Huntington Lake. It was beautiful. Not very crowded, although the campsites weren't as secluded as any of us had expected them to be. We were awakened Saturday morning by the kids in the campsite next to us screaming about fish. I guess they were fishing on the lake, and were really excited about it. :)


We spent most of Saturday in Nine Mile Canyon. It's just outside of Price, Utah, and the rock art is incredible. The road through the canyon was pretty horrible- it's a dirt road, but truckers use it for some reason. And it had been raining a lot during the past week, so there were some giant mud puddles that were a little scary to drive through. But the hiking was fun. A lot of Nine Mile Canyon is ranch land, and Callie had fun barking at all the cows as we drove by them. She even scared away 2 very large bulls that had decided to take a nap right in front of one of the rock art panels we wanted to look at. It was a really fun weekend, and we're excited to do more camping throughout the summer!

Come see my new exhibit!

For the past year, the students who are in the museum certificate program with me have been working on an exhibit of Mayan textiles and clothing. The exhibit opened this week, and it will be up for 2 years. It was a lot of work, and it turned out to be a really cool exhibit. It looks even better than I thought it would. Mayan clothing is really colorful and vibrant, and we covered the walls of the exhibit hall with black fabric so the pieces really pop.

So, if you happen to be in Provo for any reason, you should stop by the Museum of Peoples and Cultures to see it! The address is 700 N 100 E, the exhibit is free, and there is free parking right across the street from the museum.

Safari photos

There are hundreds more photos from Peter's safari that we could post. Here are a few. Notice all the baby animals- that's one positive about going on a safari in the springtime! Peter told me that during the most popular time to go on safari, summer, you get to see the animal migrations. He said the coolest thing about watching the migrating herds was to see the crocodiles eat as the herds crossed the rivers. I'd rather see baby animals than feasting crocodiles, personally...