2009 Quilting Retreat

We had our annual Barrett family Quilting Retreat in Mendon this past Thursday. I don't know exactly how many years we have been doing these retreats but I think it's been at least 8 times. Our very first retreat was in the Amalga City Building where we learned how to do 4 patch pinwheels. This year our retreat was held in the Mendon Station which has so much history behind it. It used to be an old train station.It was remodeled into an old-timey General Store when I was young which my parent's co-owned. It has also been used as a preschool and a restaurant. Now it is remodeled again into a lovely building that houses reunions, receptions and of course, the Quilting retreat.
We all worked on varying projects this year. Some of us did the assigned table runner and others worked on things that needed to get done. We had an amazing potluck lunch complete with pulled pork, meatballs and various salads. I could have just eaten the entire day, the food was so good. I helped Matt get his lunch. He told me exactly what he wanted by a series of head nods or shakes. We ended up with 2 blueberries, a little dump-it salad, a meatball, 2 pretzels and absolutely NO GREEN SALAD!!! He was adamant about that!
It was such a fun day and good to see all of the family. We had a blast together.

My sister, Mary, who organizes and plans the entire retreat. She does an amazing job.

My mom, working on the binding for her table runner.

Our cousin Eileen came with her sister-in-law, Flo and her daughter-in-law, Karen.

My Aunt Denice flew in from California.

Matt, sound asleep on the hard floor.

Heather with our newly adopted sister, Darla. She is a wonderful addition to our family.

My sister, Heather, ironing a skirt she was making for Sydney.

My sister, Carolyn and Aunt Patricia in front of the goodie exchange table.

My prize from the goodie exchange made by Carolyn.

Heather's daughter, Maria, helped babysit Kit so Rosemarie could sew.

Heather's daughter, Sydney, made this entire chef set at a 4-H sewing camp this summer.

Rosemarie made her table runner out of Christmas fabrics she already had at home. It was lovely.

I finished the top of my table runner. Now I need to add the backing and quilt it up.

Matt, carrying his sack of salt water taffy. I could eat him up.

My heart is still in Moab......

The sky Thursday night after the most completely drenching rain during dinner. It just POURED!! Then when everything was cold and wet, the rain stopped and the sky turned the most beautiful pink. Alyssa and Jenny went up to the foothills behind the campground and did some exploring and picture taking.

Friday morning after breakfast we had everyone pack a lunch and get ready to go to Arches National Park. Boyd had 3 different options available for the day: no hiking, some hiking and some driving, or all hiking. Boyd and I chose the hiking and driving option. We drove through the park and saw some beautiful sites then did a little hiking. The hike to Delicate Arch was pretty strenuous particularly for Boyd whose ankle is still healing.

Alyssa and Jenny on their way to Double Arch.

A good shot of Double Arch with Boyd and I in the foreground.

Alyssa and Jenny sitting at the base of Double Arch. The final climb to the base is about 10 feet straight up of slick rock. When you get to the top, looking over the back side is a sheer drop off. I did manage to get a couple of smiles in between sheer terror on the girl's faces. They had to have help getting down because it was so steep.

North and South Window arches. We climbed up into the North window which is on the left. On the other side is a steep dropoff with a mountain range in the distance. It was an awe-inspiring view.

Delicate Arch. Man, that was a brutal hike coming right off of an all day river trip. I was getting close to the top and thought to myself, "This had better be worth it." I rounded the corner and there it was, standing in all of its beauty and starkness.
It was DEFINITELY worth it.

Part of our group sitting on one side of Delicate Arch. It was the most amazing thing to see that arch perched on top of a slickrock mountain.
Boyd is wearing his Father's Day present.......prescription sunglasses! The fact that he is there sitting at the base of Delicate Arch is a miracle, thanks to Dr. Richter fixing his ankle.

I really wanted a picture of Alyssa and Jenny holding up balanced rock. The photography was a little tricky, particularly with the bright sun making it hard to see my screen.

Jenny, holding up the tip of balanced rock.

After we saw Balanced Rock, I was so worn out. I didn't want to see any more of the park at all. Boyd told me there were some Indian Petroglyphs that we could walk by and I told him I didn't care. I was done.
We went back to camp and got dinner going. I stepped outside of my comfort zone and became the dinner Nazi. I walked around and handed people stuff to do to help or asked for volunteers to do certain chores. With everyone helping, it made dinner prep go alot faster and we were in a better frame of mind when it came time for testimony meeting.
I jokingly asked the bishop if we could skip the testimony meeting because everyone was so dead-tired. He said that this was the reward after all of the pain. As I sat there in Moab Rim Campground listening to tender testimonies of these Young Single Adults my heart was touched and I realized that the bishop was right. This WAS the reward. I listened to person after person open their heart and share their feelings including 2 of my own children and my soul was filled with gratitude. As tired as I was, the Spirit reenergized me and I felt great.
I am so grateful that I could enjoy this time with these young people. They have imprinted themselves upon my heart and I will remember this time forever.

I left my heart (part of it) in Moab

Boyd's YSA ward went on their summer activity this past week. They drove to Moab on Wednesday and stayed through Saturday. It was one of the most delightful experiences I have ever had camping (which is saying alot since I don't really enjoy the whole camping thing). There was a total of 86 people who came to this activity....one of the largest groups our stake has ever had. The food was fabulous, the activities were memorable but the best part was getting to know the young adults. I spent alot of time with them and got to know them so much better. They were cheerful, well-behaved and willing to do anything we asked of them. It was a little different going to camp with 18-30 year-old people than going to Young Women camp. There is a level of maturity that these people have that made a trip with them completely enjoyable. I am putting this trip into two separate posts because I have so many pictures.

Our tiny backpacking tent. Their was only room for 2 sleeping bags and 2 suitcases at the bottom. We were cozy but quite comfortable.

Alyssa and Jenny moved right in to their tent and set up housekeeping for 4 days. They had their own tent and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.


We went river rafting on the Colorado River on Wednesday. It was a cool, cloudy day but still nice. We got a light rain in the morning but during lunch the clouds went away and the sky was gorgeous. We were pretty excited for sun during the second half of the day.

The young adults boarding the bus to get to the river. It took 2 busses and 3 vanloads to get all of us there.

Preparing the rafts plus 8 kayaks for 86 people. Canyon Voyages did a great job with organizing and being ready for such a large group.

One of the few pictures of Brock I have because he wasn't with us the whole trip.

Excited and a little nervous.

The people on our raft, plus Boyd and I and our guide, Mallory.



We stopped about 1:30 for lunch and boy, had we ever worked up an appetite. The rafting company had the greatest lunch for us. We could make our own sandwiches, eat all the watermelon we could stuff in our mouths and then, of course, cookies galore for dessert.

Starting round 2 after lunch.

Boyd bailing water out of our raft.

The second day of camping......I still looked somewhat presentable. Riding a raft all day is somewhat like riding a horse all day. I have the most incredible case of saddle soreness.

A typical Court photo........he loved the river.

Alyssa and Jenny after lunch. They just sat in the middle and enjoyed the ride while everyone else rowed.

Brock manning the oar.

These pictures were the last of the sunny landscape. Shortly after we got going, the sun went behind some wicked looking clouds and then the rain began. The first rainstorm wasn't too long and we just got a little wet. Then, as we were getting ready to go through White's Rapids (a class 2-3 rapid) the rain began again in earnest. It was cold, wet and rainy.
When we hit the rapids we were already wet so the water splashing all over our raft wasn't too shocking. However, one of the rafts in our group hit the rapids wrong and the raft totally lifted straight up in the air and then went over backwards. Everyone in the raft was thrown out. Some of the kids were OK with it and some were NOT. Fortunately no one got hurt and we told them that they had a great story to tell when they got home.
Unbeknownst to me, the bishop was in a kayak and when HE hit the rapids, the force threw him out of the kayak and he was underwater for a long time. He told us later that just as he was on his last bit of air, he bobbed up to the surface. I was so grateful that he made it out of the rapids in relatively good condition.

Our guide, Mallory. She was so fun.

The beautiful Colorado River.

A Temporary Fix

Have you ever seen Extreme Home Makeover or Trading Spaces? Well, the kids and I got a crazy idea on Friday. We had some new furniture delivered that we got in trade. The new furniture in our old, outdated family room just looked awful. I pulled Court and Alyssa into the family room and told them we needed to put our heads together and figure out how to make this room look presentable for now.
The paint was a faded peach color and had ugly marks on it from our couches. The kids asked if we could paint the room. I really didn't want to start painting but we had the paint, we had brushes; all we needed was a roller and a liner for our paint pan.
Court ran to the store and got a roller and liner and Alyssa and I got out drop cloths and tape and began taping the walls. It was our goal to have the entire room done before Boyd got home from work at 5:00 p.m. and we started about 12:30.
We were all working together and having a total blast. Every time Boyd would call they'd say that we needed to be really quiet so he wouldn't suspect anything.
I had a box of lamps in the basement that we had bought years ago and never used. I had Court bring them upstairs and he and Brock put them together. I took them outside and spray painted them black. We put two coats of green paint around the bottom of the family room and rearranged the furniture.
We were working so hard and so fast that we felt as though we could be a part of "Trading Spaces", or "Extreme Home Makeover."
We finished putting everything away just as we heard the garage door start to open. The kids hurried and sat down on the couch and started playing MarioKart and acted as if nothing had happened. I was still in the bathroom scrubbing out paint brushes.
Boyd walked in and said, "Have you guys been painting?" and then "Wow!"
We were all so excited about this fun fix to our gross room. I know the couches don't exactly match but that's OK, we'll get new ones eventually.
The best part? This entire makeover cost $4.48.

A picture of the entire room.

My favorite wall.

A lot of cardboard, and a LOT of duck tape

In Court's physics class at school they were given the assignment to make a boat using only cardboard and duck tape. Then toward the end of school they went to Cherry Hill and had to row their boat across a pool. The teacher gave them points depending on if their boat was completed and how far across the pool the boat went.
This is a picture of Court's boat. He got really, really thick cardboard from Bowman's and 3 large rolls of duck tape from WalMart andcarefully planned what he wanted his boat to look like. It was amazing to watch him put the boat together.
When they went to Cherry Hill, Court rowed his boat completely across the pool and got 100 points for the assignment. I didn't go to get pictures of him rowing because he told me that parents just didn't go.


The other day, we got some furniture delivered and one of the delivery men saw the boat and asked about it. He told us he gave his kids cardboard from his deliveries and they made all sorts of things out of it. Court told him he could have his boat and take it to his kids. The man was so excited. He picked that boat up and carted it to the delivery truck. I hope his kids really enjoy it.

Ode to the Last Day of School

Well, here we are. We have officially entered into summer. School is now over for the year and I am looking at a few months of lighter schedules, teenagers at home, a trip to Moab, EFY and Kalie visiting later in July. Alyssa is going to Arizona for a couple of weeks to visit Kalie and then they are driving back up to Utah.

Alyssa tried out for the school's boy/girl singing group, "Rhapsody in Blue", and made it. She is looking forward to participating with these kids next year.

Court will be be a senior next year and has some fantastic classes he will be taking.

All in all it looks to be a fun summer with a fabulous school year following right behind.

The list of people who made "Rhapsody in Blue."

Alyssa's yearbook from Fairfield Junior High.

Court's yearbook from Davis High.

This picture shows the opposite emotions that our children feel about school ending.


Happy summer to everyone!!