unity.

some of my best memories from high school are the summer weeks i spent at young women's girls camp with my church friends. not just because i luved those s'mores, and obviously still do, but it was a time in my life where i had the chance to strengthen friendships, learn skills & more about myself, and do things that i probably wouldn't have done otherwise. memories like...tipping over in the canoes with my cousin carly, tenting with angie-melissa-hilary-and all those fun girls our YCL year, tight braids & wavy hair, hikes up into the provo canyon before camp for skills check offs, cooking around the stove, first-aid mock disasters, no showers, lots of singing around the campfire with those amazing girls & their guitars, sister norton and her positive + positive attitude, lots of beautiful hikes up around camp Mia Shalom, being away from the day to day distractions, and all that comes with those great outdoors. my journal records of pretty dear moments that strengthened my relationship with my savior jesus christ. in a world of mostly chaos, with temptations & severe distractions facing teenagers...what a blessing to have a program that provides safety, love, values, friends, and a path that can lead you to happiness if you choose to follow it.

in january cam & i were called (asked) to head-up the 4th year stake church young women's backpacking trip. here in highlands ranch, all the 4th years do not stay with the main camp but instead leave camp for a big backpacking trip. the past few years they have gotten away from the backpacking and instead have done things like canoeing, a river raft trip, and hiking a 14er but this year they wanted to go back to the true backpacking trip it is suppose to be. so after months & months of planning...we headed out this week with 35, 14 to 15 year old girls, for a 3 day backpacking trip...we hiked up around the beautiful colorado trail in leadville, co and camped next to turquoise lake & then hiked to both bear lake & timberline lake...

mountain man cam really came through...

we hiked some tough, tough terrain (even for the adults). we did 30 miles in 3 days with our backpacks...most of these girls, their backpacks were bigger than they were.

roasting hot dogs...the food was pretty hardcore roughing it and the girls had pretty good attitudes! day 2 they had packed bagels & the leaders carried the pb&j....they all swore pb&j never tasted so good :)

these chicks were no wimps! those who dared, jumped into this 50 degree lake...the photo below is the face they all made to the reaction of the cold when they jumped in - hilarious i have them all on video!

the things you get excited about while camping...yeah chili mac with beef sounds gross but i am telling you it was pretty awesome.

the theme for camp this year was unity...Moses 7:18

"And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind and dwelt in righteousness." it was amazing to watch the girls helping each other over these different streams, lifting each other up ("sister kesler, i really wanted to cry on that last hill...i wanted to give up but then i turned around and saw alex behind me and i knew if i gave up that maybe she would...so i just kept going."), and pushing through the challenging times...the rain, the hills, the blisters, the "gross" oatmeal in the morning. it was a testament to me that this younger generation is really more capable than they even know. i think sometimes as parents we think our children are "too small & young", "that's too hard for them", "they just aren't into that sort of thing"...but the truth of the matter is that doing hard things, makes us stronger people. and the thought is true, nothing in life that is worth it, is easily obtained...whether it be schooling, relationships, goals, mothering, serving, forgiving...

we were definatly in the right place.

we left back to camp after taking this picture...the girls walked 7 miles back into camp...it was like a movie, as we turned the last corner, there were the other 150 young women waiting for us...epic...each group of girls started screaming and running towards each other. how sweet is the reward.

we really couldn't' have been working with better couples. ryan & dana moats and laurel & mark plumb. WE had some great times together over the past 3 days and i am grateful for these new friendships. and smash burger was awesome on the way home.

LUV me some...

LUV me some "sharp hips" and seeing Vannah in

her dance recital outfits!

LUV me some sweet Lucy Lu looks...

LUV me some amazing father's that i know and

was thinking about on their special day!

LUV me some cute, cute jilly smiles!

LUV me some Loveland, Colorado where i did my first olympic tri with my cousin kristine!

the girls helping me finish strong...the 1 mile swim was my favorite...the 30 mile bike brutal...and by the time i got to the 6 mile run, well you just run. i didnt break any records by any means but it was a really great experience!

LUV me some orange slice smily faces!

LUV me some j. cam who found me twice on the race, had the radio blasting & cheered me along. thanks for being my #1.

jilly bean turns ONE!

time flies when you are cute & chubby!

jillian's ONE year birthday bash!

happy day of birth miss jill!

nanny sent her this cute little book with their pictures placed in the cut-outs...hysterical! she also luved her outfits & swim gear from her aunts!

three sisters "cheese!"

she luves her car daddy put together for her...

so now she can cruise in backyard while the

sisters are playing on the swing set.

"it's my party!"

can i fit my whole hand into my mouth...

oh yes i can!

heading to beddy..."sugar diabetes" (luv you gramps!) sure preps for a good night time sleep.

JILLIAN's Top 12:

1. She now offically has one tooth!

2. A crawling machine.

3. Super sweet snuggle bug.

4. Luvs to wave "hi" to everyone.

5. Easy going & now luvs her big girl car seat!

6. Luvs playing "barbies" with her sisters.

7. Beautiful blue eyes.

8. Strong heart even with a little pulmonic stenosis.

9. Thighs you want to eat like the ones at KFC.

10. Luvs bananas.

11. Giggly & smily!

12. Brings lots & lots of "alofa" to our family.

family news...the latest addition...

meet nancy.

actually nancy d. kesler.

9 months old.

rescued from the denver dumb friends league.

really sweet & playful.

the girls are in heaven.

so excited to have her in our fam!

happy mothers day to all the women in my life,

who mean so much to me.

super girl.

so ive been swimming alot lately. i was feeling kinda bored & lazy with my workouts so i signed myself up for a couple triathlons this summer. so ive been swimming. its interesting. and i kinda luv it

(except for the chlorine in the hair thing).

its like i might be having a day when i dont want to workout out but then i jump in that cool water and its just refreshing. im weightless, which is nice, but then there are so many factors that are involved...the other day as i was counting down my 35 laps (yes that is a mile, holla) i started thinking...what other sport is there where you:

1. can't listen to music while you are doing it

2. can't chat with your friend while you are doing it.

just me & my thoughts. and my mind totally wanders...

to a pretty wide range of topics...

- how i feel about my body.

- my family...alot about my girls.

- spirituality.

- what i look like while i am swimming.

- shoes at nordstroms.

- jaws.

- friendships.

- to who stole my minivan when i was in high school.

- the race im training for.

- my to do list.

- the dentist...name one person who likes going.

- south africa (im going in exactly one month)

- what am i going to cook for dinner

...okay you get the idea...

but the other day, i was thinking about why i luv swimming so much. and i pin pointed it down to the fact that simply, it reminds me of when i was little. i grew-up in a small town in southern indiana...and while my parents couldn't give us cell phones, handheld video games, ipads, or computers...they gave us something much more priceless...a summer pool pass...and countless childhood memories.

so i let myself remember...days upon days, hours upon hours of swimming at the local pool in sellersburg with my sisters. literally i can see it all...my blue & yellow swimsuit, the bright pool towels, my wet bob of hair plastered to my face, the concession stand, the swim meet flags, the green oak trees hovering around the pool from the outside...almost like it was yesterday.

so i share this picture that to me is so very priceless. every summer my parents would rent out the pool one night for our church ward summer pool party! it was a blast. well, sometime during the night...you never were quite sure when it would happen...my dad would sneak up onto the high dive with a swim cap, goggles & a towel wrapped around his neck...then he would hollar "super man!" catching everyone's attention and as kids, we would just laugh & laugh. well one summer, i kept bugging dad that this was my year to be his "super girl"...so he got me prepped...and sent me climbing up that ladder to the high dive. i still remember the thrill i felt as i yelled "super girl!" and made the big jump.

luv. luv. luv.

i had the girls pictures taken over valentine's weekend and just got them back...pretty cute. i had them taken here...

i'll admit...it wasn't looking good...

so i pretty much wanted to punch march in the face for the first two weeks...let me explain...i just got off my birthday "high" (refer to picture below)...

and it was like bam...march is here to rock your world and bring you to tears :) okay so i am a little dramatic but seriously, it's been rough. i had two nursing exams i had to take at the beginning of the month...they are these new "speciality certifications" and it's like you are in college all over again. studying, anxiety, irritable bowel, sweating, etc. bottomline i failed one miserably and passed the next one. it hurt bad and ill have to re-take the other one in the fall but what can i do...i just found myself really overwhelmed and frustrated...does anyone out there feel me? it's like i am trying to be 20 different things to 20 different people all with a smile on my face and an A+ by my name. and sometimes i just feel like no one understands. i feel like "hello, anyone out there? anyone else want to scream to the top of thier lungs? anyone else want to eat this whole carton of ice cream in one sitting while watching biggest loser? anyone else out there want to be able to give their opinion and have people respect? hello, hello are you there?" it blew up on me. i am so lucky and blessed and extremely fortunate to have people close to me that give me great advice, listen to me, and remind me why i shouldn't be so hard on myself. i luv you guys and i know you know you who are. so i went back to the basics and march really did turn around for me...

...i just luved this picture of lucy...she always makes me smile...

...and my little jilly bean who let's just say...is perfect!

my sweet, sweet cousin bethie drove from iowa with her husband and little lily to visit us for spring break! i have so many fun memories of growing up with my cousin beth...playing school & pretend for hours in grandma's basement, terrific tuesdays, rice cakes :), riding bikes, 4th of july's, school projects, piano playing...the list goes on and on. we had so much fun while they were here...

one afternoon we took the kids to this big bounce house...i don't know who had more fun...the kids or cam & me! little lily was going down the big slide all by herself before the end of the afternoon!

we went to some great parks, this is my favorite one in greenwood village, it has a tree house, a slide that starts at the top of a hill and slides down into the playing area, among other things! the girls wore their matching st. patty's day tshirts! we had a great time together...made some yummy meals, introduced beth & noah to whole foods, enjoyed noah's yummy peanut butter popcorn, lots of talking & laughing, beth helped me plan savannah's birthday party!, and just luved being together!

*also had a quick weekend visit from janae and her fiance! sterling...don't you just luv, luvbirds! we are so happy for them...it was great getting to know sterling and we know they are a perfect match!

savannah turned 6...don't know how that happened but i luv her and luv watching her grow. im proud of the little girl she is...she is a great big sister, truly a helper to me, sensitive, energetic, thoughtful (last night we were reading a story on easter and as we talked about the crucifiction...i paused a little and she let out a sigh and said "i just can't believe they would do that to him."), she is loving, she is a good bike rider, luves her couins, makes her bed every morning, she luvs to "workout with me", a great reader, i luv her funny faces & beautiful eyes.

she had a pizza & swim party with some of her closest friends...she even jumped off the diving board for the first time!

she'd been eyeing this cake for awhile now and when i asked her what she wanted for her birthday...all she said was this barbie cake! lol. *bethie, it was worth it right!?!?!

i luv you vanny j.

things just kept getting better! i drove with the girls home to utah for savannah's spring break...although the drive was dreadful and exhausting for numerous reasons...i made it and it was worth it! i sure luv my mom...talking with her, spending time with her, watching her favorite shows with her! i luv her spirit and her laugh. i cant wait to live closer to her.

vanny had another birthday celebration when we got to utah...she got all the princess barbies from her aunts, nanny & poppy.

a birthday breakfast and the one & only birthday check from her "great"!

a build-a-bear trip with her nanny & cousins!

other spring break happs:

having poppy pull a loose tooth, #3!

jilly cuddling with uncle chris, doing patty-cake for everyone, and working on her crawling...

cousin time..."nothing can split us up" lol

being part of the walbruch neighborhood easter egg hunt...we hear about it every year and this year we made it! a family in their neighborhood puts in on every year and it's like halloween without having to go door to door, it's AMAZING!

kites, stuffed animals, stickers, cute purses...

aunt linny helping lu...

luv those mountains!

luv these girls!

a movie afternoon...

spending an afternoon with my friend summer...check it out we had a total of 7 girls with us at the park!

i also got to hike the "Y" in provo when i was home with summer. it is one of my favorite things to do in provo and brings back so many memories for me. i luv the view from the top...thanks march for bringing me back to the top!