Ben had FSY this week! I took him to check in at BYU on Monday. He really had no idea what would be happening all week, but he did know that Bethany loved it, so he just sort of rolled with it. He was truly like Nephi not knowing beforehand the things which he should do! He was game, though, and he ended up having a really fun week! He scored it a 9 which is impressive! He went to devotionals and classes, toured the MTC, participated in games and activities, bore his testimony on Thursday and danced with girls on Tuesday and Friday. What an experience. It's so incredible that the church has made this possible for every teen in the church! Ben came back with good memories and a determination to stay closer to God. Priceless.

Meanwhile, back on the home front, our house was very quiet without Ben! We missed him a lot! 

Bethany had a quiet week. She didn't have anything planned during the days this week and she was able to rest a lot. Her medicine made her feel pretty sick especially toward the beginning of the week. She felt a little better in the evenings so she had Claire and Annaliese over a couple of nights as well as her friend Macie on Saturday. It's fun to hear her laughing with them. She also made it to karate on Thursday and Friday and that is always impressive because it is hard hard work.

This was my last week of work since my field hours class ends next week. I have really loved doing counseling and I am going to miss it! So this week I finished up with some clients and gave double time to my homework so I can have some days off next week. I also cut and painted the baseboards for the kitchen and got the upstairs carpets cleaned.

Kevin has been working hard with developing his online content and being the YSA bishop. On Wednesday night he and I went to the University mall and watched their fireworks show celebrating pioneer day. Bethany gets the credit, though! One of the friends she made at FSY wanted to have a double date together and we were her ride. Beth set up Hailey with a guy she knows and Hailey set up Beth with a guy she knows. They all had a really fun time--and Kevin and I did, too!

It was a beautiful albeit hot week in Springville this week! We had some good chances to be outside, too!

For work, I helped with a teen morning camp on mental health Monday thru Thursday. I got to bring Beth and Ben for free! Plus, they upped our numbers. (The small group of 6 or 7 was nice but 4 would have been small!) It was held in a beautiful park by the river. We did group games and skits and even a couple of art projects. For one art project, the teens filled egg shells with paint and wrote things on the eggs that make them angry. Then they got to throw them at pieces of paper. The result was very colorful! I thought we went over some good stuff and Beth and Ben were good sports. I loved spending the time with them in the beautiful outdoors!

The other day we spent a big chunk of time outdoors was Saturday. We wanted to get together with our married kids so we planned a picnic in the park. A major bonus is that Ammon is back from boot camp! We all missed him but not nearly as much as Meg did and we are so happy for them to be reunited and to have him back. So, we ate food and Ammon brought some MREs for us to try (which is what they fed him at boot camp--lucky guy!). Then we played some basketball and played in the creek. Megan brought some waterguns to turn against the boys. We tried to rap with McKay and also played bocce ball. It was a super fun afternoon!

So, in the afternoons this week, Ben worked on tearing out the tile floor in our kitchen. He worked hard every afternoon of the week. He had two friends who came periodically and helped, too. On Friday, Kevin joined the group and finished getting the last of the mortar off the subfloor, install the underlayment, and get the new planks in. By Saturday at noon, they were finished! What rockstars and what a lot of work!!

Bethany's days also were not over after teen camp in the mornings. She had her driving range hours scheduled for the evenings Monday thru Thursday 6 to 9! She reports that it wasn't too bad and actually kind of fun as long as you had someone in your car that was fun to talk with! So, only one day was kind of hard and I think her driving confidence improved a lot! Friday night she went to karate and Saturday night she went to her friend's house for a movie so she's had a full week!

Rainbow over the driving range.

Deer on the way home.

Bethany went to FSY this week! (FSY=For the Strength of Youth). Megan drove her to BYU and helped her get settled into Heritage Halls on Monday and we didn't see her again until Saturday morning! She reports having an amazing week! She met new friends and had a great time hanging out with them everyday. She went to classes and devotionals and learned things about herself and God. She sang. She danced. She cheered. She says she was tired everyday but she was able to do everything. We are so grateful for that strength that was an answer to many prayers in her behalf. We are so happy for her amazing week!

Benjamin forged on for most of the week without Bethany, but he, too, got to go on an adventure come Thursday. The young men in our ward took a trip to Flaming Gorge. Ben slept in his own tent and sleeping bag. They went cliff jumping on Thursday and Friday and Ben loved it! He came home with his fingers scraped from climbing the rocks over and over again. On Friday they floated the river and did some rapids. Ben said it was beautiful. (Well, I asked him if it was beautiful, and he said, "Yeah. It was really pretty.") He had a good time with the other young men and even considers them his friends, and that is a win!

On Saturday, Kevin and I got to go see his brother, Michael and wife Aftyn and see their boys race in some BMX races. It was so fun to see them again and to see the BMX world and learn more about it! It was a fun morning!

I also helped with a kids camp for work Monday thru Wednesday this week every morning. It was fun and in a beautiful park next to the Provo river. I liked being there, but it was hard to be away from Ben and know he was home alone and it took a lot of time. I also had a few other appointments and homework. Somehow, Ben and I managed to get the blinds and decorations put back up in the kitchen before he left on his trip. That was also a win!

On Sunday, we celebrated Beth's birthday as a family. We had hamburgers and funeral potatoes, Beth's favorite! We opened presents and sang Happy Birthday and blew out candles. Sixteen candles do make a lovely light especially for our lovely Beth.

It was fourth of July this week! We had a hard time making plans, but our neighbors, the Kogers came through for us once again! They invited us to take our paddle boards to the lower Provo river, a thing they've done often. It was so fun and so beautiful and not even crowded! We brought our canoe and two paddle boards and Beth, Ben, and Mariah. We paddled up to a spot that had a rope swing and we watched the younger crowd swing into the water. That night we went to the Kogers for a barbecue and watched hundreds of fireworks cover the valley from their back porch! Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik came, too!

In other news, Ben painted my kitchen for me this week! It took two coats, but he kept at it and it looks great! We still need to take off the tape and put the blinds back up so no pictures yet. He is making steady progress and I'm super excited for my new kitchen!

Saturday evening, we went to the temple with Sarah, McKay, and Megan to do sealings. Going to the temple is always special and I always feel close to heaven while I'm there, but this time was extra special because we got to do work for someone we know and love and that was super cool.

Bethany turned sweet sixteen this Saturday! We listened to Sixteen Candles five times, went clothes and makeup shopping, and decorated for her party with friends that night. I would say, "Can you believe she's 16?" but she's been through a lot of hard things this year and has shown a lot of maturity and growth. She's an amazing young woman and I'm so glad she's with us! We had such fun shopping together on Saturday. Her sisters took her shopping on Friday, too! She is very loved. Beth also finished the class work for driver's ed this week. Hurrah! She still needs to do the driving course and the road hours, but the academic hurdle has been crossed. Way to go my brand-new sixteen-year-old!!

This was Benjamin's last week of Springville tennis league. He had a match on Tuesday morning that he was losing 4-7 (they were playing to 8) and he came back to win it in a tie breaker! He and his opponent were playing really well and it was fun to watch. Unfortunately, the next day at the end of practice he fell skinned up his knee and hurt his hand. The swelling in his knee went down but we've had his thumb in a brace since Thursday. He tried warming up for the tournament on Friday, but his hand was giving him too much pain (it is his left hand or I wouldn't have had him try) so he missed the tourney. It would have been good experience for him but it's ok. These four weeks have been good for him either way and I think he's become a stronger player! The other sad thing about him hurting his hand is that my kitchen is still brown--he couldn't paint my kitchen for me! That's ok, too. There's always next week. :)

Savannah worked this week. She's also been a great help picking up Beth from driver's ed this week, getting the house clean for the party Saturday, and also babysitting for Sarah. She also replaced the door knob on Avery's door for Sarah when she heard they've been getting locked in her room. Sweet girl! Her car is in the shop and needing a new transmission which means lots of money and lots of tears. Aw life and its curveballs.

Kevin is busy with the YSA ward and work and online projects. He and Ben did a lot of work in our back wilderness clearing dead branches and cutting the grass that grows to knee high in the spring and then dies and becomes a fire hazard for the duration of the summer. Also, Ben has discovered an online version of Risk (the board game) and has roped Kevin into playing and that's been fun for them.

I've had work and homework this week and I'm still enjoying it. I'm super excited because Kevin and I signed up to go on a cruise with my parents to Mexico this fall. I love summer and the warmth and the green life all around me. I love it when my daughters who have moved out stop by and visit. I also love spending time with Avery and Lyla. Avery helped me wash my car on Saturday and it reminded me of helping my dad wash the car when I was a kid. Good memories to make and to relive. Life is good.