What Dad calls "God's Country"

My Dad calls Ibapah "God's Country" and I do have to admit it is beautiful and peaceful. I really do love it! We headed back out there shortly after trek for a vacation from the vacation. We took the whole family, including all 7 dogs! As you can tell, we took family pictures. It was really hot that day and we thought we were going to die! But, I think we may have gotten at least one good picture. It was nice and relaxing, as always. Well, except that the boys went rabbit hunting one night and Phil was carrying Don's gun in his 4-wheeler. They got a little crazy trying to run over the rabbits rather than shoot them, and the gun fell out somewhere in the hills of the Deep Creek. We spent a few hours the next morning searching for it, but no such luck. I think Don is going to take his metal detector out and search for it that way. Some creature probably took off with it...hee, hee, hee.

Trek

Trek. Words can not describe our outing as pioneers. I gained a great love and appreciate for those who endured the hardships and trials while reaching Zion. They answered a call to leave all they had and travel thousands of miles to a desert wasteland to build a new home. It is still unbelievable and even more unbelievable is the fact that they lived to tell the tale. I know why God sent me in the Era he did, because I could not have done it.
Each person on trek was given a name of someone who had passed through the trail in either the Willie/Martin/Hunt/Hodgett companies. Phil and I were given the names of Jens and Elsie Nielsen with the Willie company. We also were assigned a baby, Elizabeth Barton with the Martin company. We were given their biographies to read up on and find out their situations on the trail. We also got our "kids" about 2 weeks before leaving. We were so blessed with great "kids." I can't complain. Our kids and ourselves got together prior to leaving for a little party. It was a fun time and we got to know our kids fairly well.
It rained almost the entire time we were on the trail. We wore our rain ponchos A LOT. The first night it rained so much we had a number of tents flood and I swear when you have a fairly newborn child you hear EVERYTHING. I couldn't sleep. I could hear the kids getting up finding their sleeping bags, tents, pillow sopping wet. The crying, the chattering of teeth. We ended up moving around 30 kids to warmer and dryer areas through out the night. We put them where ever we could find a spot. Needless to say, Phil and I got 3-4 hours of sleep and some ma's and pa's never even knew that anything had happened throughout the night! We were so wet that we had to stay in the same camp area to dry out stuff in hopes that nobody had to sleep wet the next night too. It stayed dry long enough for tents to dry, but the rain started again. Luckily, we had the sleeping bags, pillow, clothes hanging on ropes under large canopies and they dried that way. The next day we couldn't trek to the next campsite, so we trek about 3 miles up and then went the 3 miles back. Because we didn't get to the second campsite the next day, it meant that on the 3rd day we had to make up the difference. We ended up hiking 12 miles, in the only good weather-very hot, and this included our women's pull. This is where trek really got to me. The woman I trek in behalf of, pulled her husband, by herself, over Rocky Ridge and then another week after that until they were rescued. I couldn't help but think of this as I pulled. My heart was full and so were my eyes. It was an incredible experience and one I will never forget. I also hope it is one I get to experience again in my life time. My "girls" wanted to help some other families who were struggling with the women's pull. It was a good experience for them and we actually ended up do the women's pull three times. This made trek. It made it a reality and real. I can't describe my feelings, but even as I type the tears well up and I can't help but shed them. On the last day, we were given the biography of the baby that our family had carried for the last three days. At this point, if your baby lived you would continue toward "Zion." If yours had passed away along the trail you were asked to place it under some sagebrush and walk away. This was also extremely difficult. I can't even imagine the sorrow of those who lost loved ones along the way.
Ahhh, it makes me want to do it all again.
We made it home in one piece and I would suggest it to anyone if they asked should they go. It is a very spiritual experience and one I'm so grateful to have done. I will tell you it is NOT easy. I don't care how many miles you walk in preparation for it, it is NOT enough. It is a completely different story once you start pulling a handcart. You work muscles you never knew existed. It was a great opportunity and it has strengthened my faith in the gospel even more. We liked it so much that we are planning a trip to Wyoming next year to do the actual trail with my family. I can't wait!

Memorial Weekend

It has been a tradition in the Ware family to golf on the Saturday before Memorial and then again on Memorial. For those of you who don't know my husband this is more torture than having to go clothes shopping with the wife. So, this year, when we realized he didn't have to work at all that weekend and we could head out to Ibapah (God's country)instead of golfing, Phil jumped all over it. Most of you have no clue where Ibapah is, and that is a shame, because if you want complete solitude, (no phones) and complete silence, this is the place. There is such an air of peace, it's magnificent. This weekend was busier than normal in little Ibapah, it was branding, castrating, dehorning, vaccinating, and deworming time. We went down to the Bonamart and watch the Lee and Bateman families work the cows. The kids thought it was so cool and wanted to be right in the mix of it. We are already planning next year's trip because Kyle Bateman asked us to help. I'm way excited. It's like being back working at the clinic all over again! When we go out there we mainly ride the bikes and ATV's, go rabbit hunting, and play the famous dodge ball game in the gym at the school. This trip was no different except, we didn't sleep in the school because my parents are renting a house out there for all of us to stay at and utilize when needed. It's a modular, but very roomy and nice. Phil and I know that every time we have a short weekend that we need to get away, we'll be heading to Ibapah. Our traditional dodge ball game was a rough one. Little miss Becca has one wicked through, but 3 parents against 8 kids,what do you expect... oh yeah, us Parents kicked trash! Fun, fun weekend, can't wait to do it all again....

You Can't be a Pirate Sitting on a Seat!

This year Jaycee started dancing with Pamela Giles at Dance Attitude. She has thoroughly enjoyed every minute of dance. The girl can't get enough. She loves to dress up and boogie all around the house. In fact at the current moment she is WAY into Beyonce's "Single Ladies." And yes, she does ALL the moves from the video. The songs she danced to are both from the Backyardigans. One was called, "Can't be a pirate sitting on a sit" and the other was "Hush my darling." Yes, costumes are more than they need to be, but I'm a reuser and just guess what Jaycee will be for Halloween this year....
I love dancing with Pamela because she only does 2 dance comps. and the recital. The only downfall, all of these are right in the middle of track season. The first comp was at Taylorsville High and the same day as our huge Tooele Invite, felt like the suck mom because I missed that one and Phil was also unable to go, so my amazing sisters stepped up and helped out. THANK YOU!!!!!!
The second comp. was at Lagoon and scheduled on the day of the BYU Invite. Jaycee danced at 8:15 a.m. so I ran her up to Lagoon in the POURING rain, trying desperately to keep her hair remotely curly watched her do her 5 minute dance and then raced home to drop her off and the off to BYU for the track meet. It rained almost the entire day and was horrible. However, Jaycee was a doll. My sisters had told me how good she was at her dance and knew where she was to be and every step. Her whole class looked so cute up there on stage. Pamela's choreography was excellent! They even did a move with one eye closed yelling ARGH! while swinging their arm as if they were holding a sword. IT was darling, bummer though, they only got a 3rd place at both comps. Still, they got a medal and she thought that was a okay!
It never fails that dance recital is ALWAYS on the day of State Track, but this year the schedule had it a week earlier which meant on the one Saturday I don't have a meet. I was so relieved thinking God actually liked me, and then his funny sense of humor came in and Pamela changed it back to the week of State. It was tough because the last race of the day is 4x400 meter relay and our girls were close to braking the school record and taking first, but it was also close to the time I would have to leave Provo to make it home in time for the recital. Amazingly enough, I was able to see the race, jump in the car, drive a little faster than I wanted to, and made it for the recital. I didn't get to see her in her ballet outfit because all the comps were in her pirate outfit, but she looked just like a princess. She loves that outfit and how it has sparkles. Luckily, my sis got some pics prior to the dance which was way too dark for me to take the pics.
She was ready for dance to be over, but now, 2 months later, she's asking when she gets to go back. She is such a girly girl. I just know she is going to be either a Sha-Ron or a Cheerleader. Heaven help us it's the first one, I can live with that.

Sorry some of the pics are so blurry, they aren't on my computer, I'm just retarded and can't figure out how to fix them on the blog....

Brief update

So you all know how I haven't been posting and it's not because I don't want to, so I'm going to do a brief recap of the last few months, and then I'll do individual posts of all the BIG stuff.

Track season came and went. Our girls 4 x 400 team did awesome at state. They broke the school record of like 15 years and took 2nd. Watch out next year because they are all coming back!! Our banquet was a tough one with all the changes that will be made for the upcoming school year, but I got through it with only one box of kleenex's, Yeah!
Kyson grew a ton. He loved the johnny jump up so much he lulled himself to sleep...

We went to the zoo, which isn't uncommon and took Mason and Amanda. Amanda found her favorite animal...cougar. We rode the train had a great time, but Mason wasn't as fond of the zoo as Amanda had hoped. I think he was just way overwhelmed. Kyson loved it and the day after we were there the golden tamarian monkey had twins...dang it!



Mothers day, awwwwwwwwwwwwwe. Actually it wasn't so bad, we had dinner with my family and I got the best present ever this year.....

I really needed a new one! Happy Day!

Jaycee had dance competitions and her recital. She was one cute pirate and ballerina. I'll post more on this later.

Memorial Day weekend: We normally don't get to do anything on this weekend, because Phil usually has to work, but we got lucky. We headed out to Ibapah to play and it watch the branding. More to come....


Now on to June..
School ended...yuck. One day into it, I hear the famous I'm bored statement. At this rate, I'll kill myself within a week. But we suffered through it and came out on top. Still can't wait for it to start back up.

Poor Mason, we just wear the little guy out in a day. He's not use to having to keep up with our crazy schedule......

Ky finally decided that if he actually crawled he could make it around to all his stuff and be in the thick of everything. Now there is no stopping him.

Uncle Ty treated the kids to a ride on a Fire truck around the neighborhood. Tenille was most excited.


You don't have to push a handcart......More on this later.

Back to God's country for what we do best....

Lastly a trip to Cali to see Aunt Evie and celebrate the fourth...more to come on this one to.

Here is our life in a brief update on the last few months. I'll post more specifics later.