Memorial Day

I have never claimed to be the world's best (or happiest) camper; however, I am happy to say that this weekend I had a blast trekking around North Eastern Utah! Friday marked the beginning of a four day adventure in The Allegro (massive RV, see below) The allegro was indeed a good time, complete with four kids and their parents, two experienced camper grand-parents, two college co-eds, and a very small dog named Toby (often referred to as "Tobes").

THE ALLEGRO--we also referred to it as the Mo-Ho (Motor Home)

Day 1 started out by exploring the fossiliferous terrain of Vernal Utah. Who knew?

(Side note: Perhaps it is just the profound impact that Jurassic Park had on me during my younger years--being my first PG-13 movie--but I was a fossil finder enthusiast.You could say I was an aspiring Paleontologist wannabe...? Me and the neighbor kids would meet up after school to "dig for dinosaur bones" (in my front yard). Isn't that adorable? I'll ensure that my kids have enough creativity to be thrilled by something as simple as wiping dirt off of rocks and 'finding fossils'...

We took a giant golf-cart to the remains of some of the preserved fossils. I have to say that looking at the fossils was very interesting food for thought. It was interesting, and to be frank, it caused my mind to race a little bit. I started to think a little bit more about the creation, and how dinosaurs fit into the grand scheme of things.

I did a bit more reading on the subject of dinosaurs and the creation. Eventhough I was a bit perterbed by it all, the more I thought and studied it out, I eventually felt at peace with it all (enough to ease my curious mind...)I have to say that this discourse from Morris S. Petersen, a professor of geology at Brigham Young University really helped me to have a bit more perspective. Here are a few of his comments 

"The sequence in the occurrence of fossils repeats itself in sedimentary rocks throughout the world. Furthermore, whether they were in Australia, Africa, the Americas, or elsewhere, the various forms of life on earth appeared and disappeared at the same time. To the faithful student of the scriptures, this precision reflects the ordered processes of God, the divine Creator. The sequence of the creation of life on earth as recorded in Genesis—first plants (Gen. 1:11–12), then animals (Gen. 1:20–23)—is duplicated in the fossil record: plant fossils precede the appearance of animal fossils.

This agreement shouldn’t be surprising because the God who created this earth is the same God who inspired the prophets. A conflict arises only when we assume that God has revealed all he is going to reveal on the subject or forget that scientific theories change as new discoveries are made. (This is what really resonated with me) We also need to remember both the purposes for which the scriptures were given and the objectives of the scientific method.

Foremost, the scriptures testify of Jesus Christ and how we may receive the blessings of salvation and exaltation through his atonement. They reveal why (not necessarily how) the earth was created, and what laws and principles a person must follow to obtain eternal life. The goal of science, on the other hand, is to learn how (not why) the world was made and to understand the laws and principles governing the physical world.

The different roles science and religion play is illustrated in a study of the dinosaurs. From the fossil record we learn that the dinosaurs were the dominant animals on earth between 225 and 67 million years ago. Some were carnivorous, others herbivorous. Some were small, while others were gigantic, weighing up to eighty tons and growing to lengths of more than ninety feet.

The existence of these animals is indisputable, for their remains have been found in rocks all over the earth. What eternal purpose they played in the creation and early history of the earth is unknown. The scriptures do not address the question, and it is not the realm of science to explore the issue of why they were here. We can only conclude, as Elder Talmage did, that “the whole series of chalk deposits and many of our deep-sea limestone's contain the skeletal remains of animals. These lived and died, age after age, while the earth was yet unfit for human habitation.” (“The Earth and Man.”)"

Sunday afternoon we drove a bit further, to Flaming Gorge. 

Now this was an incredible place.

beautiful scenery.

The Geo Tracker.

I'm pretty sure it would come far from passing any sort of safety inspection, but that didn't stop us from wearing our seatbelts and having a great time cruising through nature.

The Vernal Temple was beautiful. I had a reassuring feeling as I stood briefly outside it's walls, that there is indeed a God in heaven who reveals eternal truths to His children--line upon line. Sometimes I think we just get antsy for more knowledge than God can trust us with. If we knew the answers to everything, we would lose our motive to rely fully on Him. Here is one last exerpt from Morris Petersen that I absolutely love!!

"...Patience and humility will eventually resolve all questions—if not in this life, then in the next.

Fortunately, we need not know all the details of the Creation to take advantage of the essential saving ordinances of the gospel and conform to divine standards of progression. The scriptures and the inspired counsel of the prophets are sufficient to lead us back to God.

But this does not mean that science has no place in our eternal pursuit of truth. The more we learn of God’s handiwork, the more we come to know him and love his works. As a Latter-day Saint geologist, I consider myself fortunate indeed to have the opportunity to study rocks and fossils as evidences of God’s creation of our earth. Everything I have learned of the grandeur of the Creation has strengthened my resolve to learn more of our Heavenly Father and live as He would have me live."

On a lighter note, one of my most recent favorite discoveries is this: REESE'S S'MORES.

If you haven't tried this, you simply have yet to experience heaven on earth. I'm now converted. It's simply delectable.

 

This is the turquoise ring I bought at a little store in Vernal. I'm obsessed with it. It's a treasure with a story behind it.

View from the back of the tracker. Not too shabby...

Iowa/Illinois

I had to spend two weeks in Coralville, Iowa for work, but it conveniently worked out that one of my best friends from my senior year of High School lives IN Coralville! Small, small world. She headed out there for school a few years ago, met her husband, and they have been there ever since. Luckily her husband Traegan is just about to finish up his residency for Dental School, so they will be coming back to Utah in a few short months. Anyways, I would have never survived two weeks out there if it weren't for her! SO happy we were able to have such a fun reunion!!

This beautiful addition is new! (well, nine months new..)

Kim, Lindy and me going to the State football game.

 (for some reason we thought it was normal and cool to dress up like this...? #donthate)

Throwing it back to 2006-- WOW.

love this little thing!

Sweet Little Hensleigh is already on track to be  just like her Mamma (soccer extraordinarie)

I was able to experience the Mid-West's famous "Walking Taco" at our company pot-luck on thelast day I was there. I first saw the Walking Taco on a menu at a small, local cafe--  didn't ask questions (clearly I was ignorant, and didn't bother to question it's validity.) So here you see, the brilliance of Walking Taco. Basically a taco salad made inside of a bag of Doritos. On point.

Here is the Vivint team. What an incredible group of people. My friend Teresa (to my right, in the orange shirt) knitted me that gorgeous scarf! I was amazed at the kindness they showed to me!

 DAY-TRIP: NAUVOO

Since I wasn't able to make it home for the weekend, I made sure I made the most of my time there. I drove 2 hours to visit Nauvoo, Illinois. This is a very special location for my religion. Most of you know that I'm Mormon. The actual name of the church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is actually the exact same church that Christ Himself established when He lived on the earth about 2,000 years ago. It's easy to see that today there are thousands of different religions out there. In essence all of the different religions out there are split off's of Christ's original church.  In 1820 a boy named Joseph Smith was really confused about why there were so many different religions. Makes sense right?  He prayed to God just that he would be able to know which church he should join. He had a vision where he saw God and his son Jesus Christ. They told him he was to be the next prophet (jsut like prophets in the Bible) and he would be responsible to RESTORE back to the earth, the original church of Jesus Christ. Shortly thereafter, the authority that God had given to previous prophets (just like prophets in the Bible) was also restored. All of this occured in New York, but because the early church members were severely persecuted, they were forced to leave and re-locate. Nauvoo was one of those places. I am very grateful for the sacrifices that Joseph Smith and all of the early church members made on my behalf. The church of Jesus Christ and the knowledge and perspective on life that it gives me has provided me with so much peace in my life. I would love for ALL of my amazing friends to learn more about what has made me so happy in my life! (click here to learn more about what I believe)

Above is a temple that they built in the 1840's. It sits atop a gorgeous bluff that overlooks the Mississippi river. The temple that is currently standing is a reproduction of the original temple which was built in 1848.

This is a statue of Joseph Smith (prophet) and his younger brother Hyrum. The statue is supposed to replicate their last moments in Nauvoo. Before they even finished the temple, they were forced to leave and go further West. There you go....That is why there are so many Mormons in Utah! Hopefully this is all making some sense to you now :)

Eventually Joseph Smith was martyred when he was falsely accused and put in the building you see above (Carthage Jail).