Caitlyn's surgery and Bridget's debut into the world

In the last newsletter I showed Dan and Nick with a huge mushroom.  I didn't realize it was heavy.  I was told it probably weighed 10 lbs.  Dan was brave and fixed the mushroom for eating:  He said it was all right, but I didn't get the impression he'd be out looking for more.  The reason he is researching mushrooms is for an App he is developing for  people to photograph and identify mushrooms.  He said that at first they were going to have "edible" and "not edible" as the first identifier, and then decided that the liability would be too great.

 Last weekend Roy was involved in his annual HAM Radio camp and contest.  He's always takes a lot of responsibility upon himself.  He brought all the meat, all the breakfast, and helped cook everything.  He's chaired this event every year for several years, now.  Nick and Dan and their families, and Caitlyn and I, went up to the camp for dinner Saturday night.  Most years they camp at Monte Cristo, because it's a high point where they can work to get lots of radio contacts.  This year there was still snow in the usual camping area, so they went to Hooper, which was a lot closer for us to visit.

Roy and Effie

My daughters are all very creative with their cake making abilities.  For Max' birthday, Elise followed a Mine Craft theme.  She invited all Max' new primary friends (thank goodness for the church, you can make friends wherever you go).  Max is 6!

This past week has been very intense.  Caitlyn went into surgery on Tuesday afternoon.  They told her 12:30, but big surprise, her surgery didn't actually start until 4:00.  Roy took the day to be with her at the hospital while I went to Costco and Smith's to try and find food she could drink when she got home.  The surgery was over around 7:30, but we didn't get to see her until she was out of recovery and assigned a room.  She told us that when she woke up she was mad and tried to get up and out of the bed.  They had to restrain her.  I'm surprised she remembered.  All we were told was that she had been emotional.  When they brought her to the room we almost cried she looked so beat up.

She was in high spirits in the morning.  We took one last before picture.

Still feeling fine

Not so fine, here.  This is when we first saw her
following surgery.

           1st day home

2nd day home (Thursday).  Her face is much less swollen.

I am not sure everything that went into the surgery but I know she has 24 screws in her jaw now, along with Titanium plates and a new chin (not sure what that's made out of).
Caitlyn spent the first 12 hours following surgery throwing up the blood that was in her stomach.  It was heartbreaking.  It's pretty hard to throw up when you can barely open your mouth.  Roy was the saint that spent the night at the hospital with her.  After 10:30 Wednesday morning her stomach settled, until Friday, when she spent another day throwing up--probably because of all her pain meds. Maybe  her antibiotic contributed as well.  Roy called the doctor in the early afternoon and we were able to get some things to help her nausea.  Saturday she seemed much better, but today (Sunday) she has been a little discouraged that she is so weak and that her diet is sooooo boring.  We hope that the surgery will fix her bite so that she won't have so much tension in her jaw--then maybe that will help with the arthritis as well.  If so, all this will be worth it.

Even with all the difficulties of Caitlyn's week, we had a wonderful blessing thrown in!  Bridget Carina Vance joined our family--2 1/2 weeks earlier than expected.  She was 6 lbs. 11 oz. and 20 inches long--TINY compared to Ruby and Greta, both over 9 lbs.  She is absolutely beautiful and already adored by everyone.  Obviously, I was a little disappointed that I couldn't be available to help Crista at this time, but thankfully, Jana Vance came up and tended the girls while Crista was in the hospital.

Apparently, Ruby has been calling the baby "Watermelon Leaf." She informed us Saturday that the baby's first name was Bridget Carina Vance, and her middle name was Watermelon Leaf.  I thought maybe she got Watermelon from the size of Crista's stomach, but maybe not, since there was a Leaf added to the name.

Greta, Ruby, Bridget and Jana Vance

Nick and Sara were able to meet her on her birthday!

Roy and I drove to Logan Saturday afternoon to see the baby.  Nick came over and took care of Caitlyn.  That was much appreciated!  I think they may have had a little too much fun.

The video above was really just a moving picture Sara sent us.  Avie was really enjoying the raspberries in their garden.  She must have not have been fed fast enough to make her happy, because she took matters into her own hands.

Trek

Happy Father's Day!  I don't spend a lot of time on social media, but I read Christine's Instagram post and I loved the scripture she quoted.  Since it applies to Roy as well, I will re-quote it here:

"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is his reward.  As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.  Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in in the gate."  Psalm 126:3-5

Roy is a wonderful husband and father.  He was always happy to welcome another child into our family.  He is forever thinking of ways to serve others, and he has always treated me like a queen.  

Roy and Catharine on Trek

The day before Trek, Sara told us to watch TV the next day to see Ori and Effie help Good Day, Utah, show off some great summer toys.  We missed it, but she sent us the link.  It was fun--and especially fun since they got to keep a bunch of the toys.  They got the dinosaur (below), a beach ball, some sand toys, a blow up pool and some bubble guns.  Sara's neighbor (and member of her YW presidency), had arranged for them to be on the segment, she works for Good Day, Utah.  Afterwards, Ori asked her, "When can we be on TV again?"

Roy and I left for Trek early Monday morning a couple of hours before the youth left the Stake Center.  He was in charge of hauling all the buckets and then helping to set up the kitchen and food tent, etc.

Church parking lot prior to departure.

Roy (in the red shirt) helping to set up the "kitchen"

The guys set up everything while the few women mostly watched and visited.

When it was time for the kids to arrive, those of us who were trail walkers set off to meet them at the trail head.  Our first day was supposed to be seven miles.  The historic "Brigham's arrow" was just a short way from the trail head. Well, somehow we missed it, even though it was enclosed by a fence, so we just kept walking--getting off track right from the beginning :)  After about a half mile of trekking the wrong way, we realized our error and turned around.  I had been at the front and was now at the back.  We were lucky that the temperature was only in the low 70's, because with the sun shining it felt really hot.
After we had walked at least the 7 miles, we headed off in the wrong direction once again.  Again, I was in the lead (I needed the bathroom and was anxious to get back).  My phone rang and since it was Roy I answered it. "You're going the wrong way," he said.  I called out to the trail boss who was a little ahead of me, and told him that the camp could see us and we were headed the wrong way.  We corrected the course, and...I ended up in the back again.  After about another mile, I was in desperate need of a bathroom.  There was sage brush everywhere, but no cover.  I hailed the medical vehicle and told them I really had to go.  "That is a medical emergency, get in." he said smiling.  So I rode the last half mile and beat everyone to the porta-potties.  I had still walked at least 8 miles.  I heard that we ended up hiking more than 9 miles because of the detours.

On the first day, the main challenge was "Gravel Hill."  The youth had
to turn the cart backward, attach a rope, and hang on.  The gravel
consisted of small boulders, and they really did make the course
hazardous, as it was hard to get a foothold.

Tammy Mederios (my 2nd counselor, myself [great picture!]
Kathy Hurst (my 1st counselor) and Tiffany Shaw, another trail walker.

  This is Philo Dibble rock.  Philo Dibble carved
his name and date in the rock while he was stationed here, watching
for Johnson's army.  It was an extra short but steep hike to see this.
 (I'm obviously not close enough here to show it off) This was on the trail
on the 3rd day.

The 2nd day was shorter.  We hiked about 3 miles to lunch, and then hiked a little ways to where there were more trees so the kids could have solo time.  I sat down in the shade and was immediately surrounded by gnats.  I decided it wasn't worth it, so, after finding that Travis Johnson and his wife (Stake YM president) were heading back to camp early to help fix dinner, I joined them.  It was a very relaxed afternoon and evening with games, dinner and a square dance. The dancing looked fun, but I decided I needed to save my feet for the 7 + miles on the following day.  It was fun watching, though.

The days felt hot, but the nights were cold.  

Ready to head out--2nd day (I'm on the left by my counselor, Tammy Mederios
She and her husband were a ma and pa.

Fireside (1st night)

How much are you roughing it when it takes 6 huge trailers to
haul everything needed for a 3 day trek?

Roy and I ran one of the games on the 2nd day.  The Trek leader that gave me the hula hoops for my game gave me the hoops and said, "sorry."  Sorry because the idea was to roll the hoop with a stick and make it a race.  It didn't work because she had purchased the cheapest hula hoops she could possibly find.  They were adjustable hula hoops.  They came apart, and they had ridges underneath so you certainly could NOT roll the hoop with the sticks.  We changed the game up so they would work, and the kids had fun anyway.  

I must have been pretty tired the last day, because as we had our last rest stop, maybe the last mile or so of the journey, I sat down on the little camp stool I'd been carrying.  I started thinking that maybe I should put the stool in the cart so I didn't have to carry it.  Then I realized it wasn't in my hands and I said, out loud, "Where's my stool?" in that panicked way I talk when I think I've misplaced something.  My counselor, Kathy, who was walking with me said, "You're sitting on it."  We laughed, and then the trail captain jokingly called out, "MEDICAL!"  

Final stretch.  Notice the train on the left.

An eagle's nest close to our camp on the 2nd night



These pictures that Elise sent us brought back a lot of Georgia memories.  We used to take the kids to Krispie Kreme
in downtown Atlanta about once a month when we first lived there.  When they built a Krispie Kreme closer to
home, it lost some of it's specialness, so we didn't go nearly as often.

I meant to put the above picture in a couple of weeks ago.  Matt was awarded a Partnership award by the Logan Police department for all the work he's been doing to get people to support their department.

And Dan's mushroom search continues.  He's going to cut this open tonight, and depending on what he finds, cook it up.  Yum yum!

Slow week for me

This was a slow week as far as family news goes.  At least, I don't feel like I did very much (I did have a fun fall on my ice skates on Monday--right on my tailbone.  It really hurt but I was fine by Wednesday).  Roy was out of town on business, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  He was in Chicago.  Usually all he does when he's on work trips is work, but this trip he decided to go watch the Chicago Cubs.  He said there were something like 36,000 people there.  Parking was anywhere from $40 to $100.  We are lucky to live in Utah.  

Roy watching the baseball game

As I said, nothing much happened in my life, but I received some cute pictures from others in the family.   

 Dojin's artistry kept him occupied for hours.  I said that I hoped when he ran out of room he wouldn't make the wall his next canvas--so she sent me another picture:

Then she admitted that he had originally started on the wall.

Caitlyn's had a busier week.  She flew to Georgia to help Elise get situated in her new home.  They did have one day to go sight see a little bit.  In the pictures below, they are taken at the Savannah Rapids.

 Dan went hiking with his kids--all four of them--without Jieun.  He survived with only kneeing one child (Yuna).  Dojin took care of injuring himself by falling onto a branch.  I guess he scratched his back up pretty well.

For some reason, unknown to me, Dan has been interested in mushrooms lately--and there are a lot of them this year with all the rain (Dan--what is a slime mold?)  He asked for pictures and Jennie sent him this one--labeling it "fungi"  I thought she was really rude to call her boyfriend that, until she explained to her slightly slow parents that she was really saying "fun guy."

It's been a little bit of a hard week as I've painfully realized that I have some things I need to work on, and a few areas where I need to repent.  I guess that's an ongoing thing for all of us in this mortal existence.

Next week should offer more in the way of interesting news as Roy and I leave for Trek tomorrow morning.  I'm sure I've mentioned that when Roy found out I was going on Trek, he immediately volunteered his services and was put on the logistics committee.  My responsibilities are considerably less than his--I'm a trail walker and, along with my presidency and the Young Men leaders, am in charge of running some games--which have been pre-planned by someone else.  Roy, on the other hand is hauling bags, handling radios, and is generally helping wherever needed.  He'll be super busy.  We get back Wednesday night and he leaves the next morning on another business trip and won't be back until Saturday-late morning.   Coming up we still have Caitlyn's surgery to look forward to, as well as Jennie's wisdom teeth removal.  These, along with all our church responsibilities, are thwarting most of our summer camping trips this year.
I hope the next letter will be more exciting and I'll have some interesting things to share.