HEFY - Belize #2 - Day 1

Let's get started. Humanitarian Experiences for Youth (HEFY) is NOT affiliated with the LDS church. However, all their directors are members, the trip leaders are usually returned missionaries, the adult coaches (parents) must have a current temple recommend, and the youth (at least on my group) are all members. The program is geared towards teenagers. In fact, you must be between 16-19 to go on an expedition. Adults (parents) are only allowed to go if their child goes with them. And on my expedition, there were only two parents. Our group consisted of two parents, two trip leaders, and 20 youth. We hailed from New York, Virginia, California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, and Utah. We had never met before this trip but quickly formed a tight bond. Ready for the story? Here it comes.

Day one is a travel day. Fourteen of us met at the SLC airport at 4am to check in for our 6am flight. That was the first time most of us had met. We played some get-to-know-you games and went on our first leg of the trip, Dallas. At the Dallas airport, we met up with the rest of the group minus the trip leader that was already in Belize. More games to get to know everyone and then we were off. Next stop, Belize! The flights were not that long and we ended up the same time zone as Utah so for Kaitlyn and me, it was not a big deal.

In Belize, we met Peter and Herbie. Peter was the other trip leader and Herbie was our bus driver. Here we split our luggage and sent our big bags on to Corozal were we would stay the majority of the time and grabbed our smaller bags for our weekend venture to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. From Belize City we took at a 1.5 hour taxi (boat) to San Pedro. Right off the boat, we ran into the church on San Pedro and met the missionaries. That was a surprise! A quick dinner and then we were off to our weekend resort, the Royal Caribbean Resort. Our first devotional and then off to bed. It almost 11 when we said good night, which made for a long day.

 Our first dinner. The first of many burritos. :)

 Go ahead and sing with me! Getting to know you. Getting to know all about you. Getting to like you. Getting to hope you like me.

Random tower in the middle of the ocean. Maybe a lighthouse? Maybe just a random tower in the middle of the ocean.

a peek at who i am and what makes me tick :)

My Personality

Neuroticism	36
Extraversion	58
Openness to Experience	66
Agreeableness	55
Conscientiousness	43

You are a calm person who is considered almost fearless by some, however you feel strong cravings and urges that you have difficulty resisting. You tend to prefer short-term pleasures and rewards over long-term consequences. People generally perceive you as distant and reserved, and you do not usually reach out to others. You tend not to express your emotions openly and are sometimes not even aware of your own feelings. You are willing to take credit for good things that you do but you don't often talk yourself up much, however you are not affected strongly by human suffering, priding yourself on making objective judgments based on reason. You are more concerned with truth and impartial justice than with mercy. You are not an overly cautious person.  You will think about alternatives and consequences but make up your mind fairly quickly.

Free Personality Test

sr. prom....last high school dance...ever!!

Kailtyn was asked by a good friend to Logan's Sr. Prom. They decided to go in garb instead of fancy formal wear that neither of them would wear again. This decision started a flurry of decisions, shopping, and sewing. It was excruciating. I had to share my sewing machine for two whole weeks! :)

But the story goes a little further than that. Several garb enthusiasts decided to hold a Disney challenge within our Kingdom later this year. The challenge is to create period garb inspired by a Disney character. Kaitlyn went through several choices and decided to go for a female, Tudor version of Captain Hook. Red coat, gold trim, fluff at the sleeves and neck, big hat with puffy plume. She totally nailed the underdress and thank to some awesome help, nailed the coat! We quickly sewed some gold ribbon on it to make it more Hook-like and give it a more finished look, and I think she is still planning to actually applique a ribbon design on it.

So, first the dress...

Then the hair...

And finally, the date...

The date was actually very eventful getting stuck on the mountain with a totaled four-wheeler and all. But that is a story she will need to tell. :) 

it's a beautiful day to go to the temple

Yup, it sure was. It was Wells's day to go through for his own endowment. He was super nervous but did a fabulous job. Grandpa Martineau came up to be his escort, Grandma Martineau, Aunt Marcie, and Aunt Nadine & Uncle Bill all joined us for the session. By the time he got out, he was grinning from ear to ear! Sure do love this kid. :)

 We laughed at their tie choices. Grandpa (the evil companion) was wearing a black tie and Wells (the angelic companion) was wearing a white tie. 

 And afterwards, we went to Charly's for ice cream. It was a great day.

i will

Several weeks (well more like months) ago, I was asked to help on the program committee for the Stake Women's Conference. This year's theme is all about how by itself, one bee does not really do anything special. During their lifetime, they literally make only 1/12 of a tsp. But, as a hive, they produce a LOT of honey. By ourselves, we really don't make a huge difference in the world, but as a group of women serving each other and those around us, we can change the world. It really is a beautiful message. The program is based on a talk by Elder Ballard (http://www.lds.org/church/news/elder-ballard-urges-members-to-be-anxiously-engaged-in-a-good-cause?lang=eng) and is really beautiful. Sprinkled with amazing music and stories of service from women in the stake, I know it will impact those who attend.

On Sunday, my cousin's husband passed away unexpectedly. He has been ill for a while but this was still very unexpected. He was only 44 years old. His funeral was yesterday. One of my cousins (Ruthanne's brother) gave a talk that was not necessarily focused on Kyle but more about life in general and how Kyle's life affected those around him. He mentioned that Kyle was always the first person to say "I will" when anything needed to be done. It was an amazing talk about how we said "I will" in heaven and now that we are here, we should continue to do so.

I know, random post here. But, I was really touched by that talk. And this morning, I sat through the dress rehearsal of the Stake Women's Conference and listened, for the first time, to the entire program. The very last song in the program is I Will by Hillary Weeks. This was the first time I'd heard that song and today it makes me cry, coming straight from the funeral yesterday.

If you want an inspiring moment, read Elder Ballard's talk and listen to this amazing song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgOp-Ze1oZo

NOT a 13 in 13 project - #1

So, I just can't help myself. I have other projects I'm doing that don't count toward my 13 in 13 goal. Here is the first of said projects. For my feasting gear, I needed linens. I wanted to do some embroidering that would help me advance in the Loch Salaan Needleworker's Guild. I decided to do some blackwork napkins. I did them in red to match my plates and tried to make the design a little bit more free flowing than normal to also fit the design. I think they turned out fabulously. I will take them to a guild meeting soon and hopefully pass them off. :)

at long last...we got the white envelope in the mail!!!

I think I'll just let the video and pics speak for themselves...