Let the Halloween Festivities Begin!

This picture is from a Ghoul's Night Out (BUNCO) held ealier this month. Unfortunately you can't see the sweet fake skull-n-crossbones tattoo I had on my right forearm!

Youth Conference

Here are some photos from the Sierra Vista Arizona 2009 Stake Youth Conference (Pioneer Trek).

Jared and I represented "Ma and Pa" James & Elizabeth Bleak (pronounced "Blake"), of Surrey, England--one of the very few families from the Willey Handcart Company who did not suffer any family member deaths while traveling along the handcart trail to the Salt Lake Valley.

Through the course of the day, we pushed our metal handcart a total of 8 miles. The youth in our "family" were awesome! We are proud of their positive attitudes and willingness to work.

We were all so grateful to see that sunset--it meant the day was almost over!

Gidi

Our new kitty, Gidi (it means "cat" in Apache) has brought a lot of joy to our lives over the last few weeks. She seems to think she is a dog--she enjoys hopping into my bubble baths, chasing her tail, and snuggling on the couch with us. She eats muffin crumbs, popcorn, and dinner left-overs. The below video is just a taste of some of the silly things she does!

Backyard visitors

"Praying" Mantis



Male Gila Woodpecker