Story Trail and Camel's Back Park-March

Keaton wanted to climb the hill. Cody told him they could do it but Keaton had to walk up the whole way by himself. He did it. In the last picture they are at the top of the hi waving.

Deer Flat Wildlife Refuge-March 10th

Progress

2013 has been a year of progress, trying something new, disappointments and hope.

After 4 months of Clomid, a month of nervousness and a month waiting I am a few days away from my appointment with Dr. Slater, the Reproductive Endocrinologist. I am excited and anxious but ready for some answers. Ready to have a firm plan, hopefully progress that can be monitored with the future of a baby. 

Thank you for all the love, support and encouragement. It has been an emotional and hormonal journey. The most enlightening part of the journey has been the stories that I have heard from others struggling. Many friends have sent private messages sharing there successes and failures.

I know that whatever happens there is a plan. I struggling trying to understand the plan but know that I can't always see the big picture, the eternal view.

I have always loved these words from Elder Oaks.

The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith means trust—trust in God’s will, trust in His way of doing things, and trust in His timetable. We should not try to impose our timetable on His. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said:

“The issue for us is trusting God enough to trust also His timing. If we can truly believe He has our welfare at heart, may we not let His plans unfold as He thinks best? The same is true with the second coming and with all those matters wherein our faith needs to include faith in the Lord’s timing for us personally, not just in His overall plans and purposes.” ¹

Commit yourself to put the Lord first in your life, keep His commandments, and do what the Lord’s servants ask you to do. Then your feet are on the pathway to eternal life.

Working on Faith...Trusting!!!

Stranded on a River Beach for Four Hours at Night

It is amazing the situation that we find ourselves in and the steps we do to remove ourselves from these situation.  Looking back on our lives gives us a great opportunity to learn and become a better person.  Whether it is the best or worse situation in our lives, we can always learn something.  We would be fools not to.  The situation that I found myself yesterday night and this morning has taught me a few great survival lessons on what to do and what not to do. 

                Living in Idaho I have a great many opportunities to be on streams, rivers and lakes.  Last year I went down the Banks run on the Payette River at midnight with no lights or moon… and it was amazing.  Growing up in Boy Scouts I was costumed to expanding my comfort zone in the wild and going above and beyond what I would normally do.  With this ever expanding adventure attitude I have prepared myself or so I thought, to survive in the wild if needs be.

                On August 6, 2013 our family friends, their friends from out of town and my family decided to go tubing the Main Payette River in Emmett Idaho.  The estimate time to tube the Main Payette River is anywhere between one and half to three hours.  Sunset for that day was 9:00 pm; we launched our tubes and raft around 7:30 giving us only exactly an hour and half for tubing the river.  This would work perfectly if there were no incidents, accidents or lollygagging around but a strait shot down the river.  Although I am not afraid of being on a river after dark it is not the best idea because of water hazards.

                Experience is a great, but when your experience of tubing is going about one or two miles per hour down a river with what would be consider a class zero rapid, you don’t have much compare too.  Add the elements of dark night, a river you’re not familiar with, rapids that you consider dangerous and you have a perfect equation for fear.  Fear stops people from acting and puts them at danger.  We encountered fear on our rafting trip and this lead us to spending four hours on a beach, stranded and waiting for relief. 

                9:00pm. “We’re done.”  This statement stopped three adults and a child from finishing our tubing trip.  After wading up to the beach through a rough current I informed the other two that our common friend would be back to get us.  Instantaneously I had thoughts cascading through my brain on survival such as: how long would that be?  How much would the temperature drop that night?  Are there any poisonous snakes, bugs or plants on this beach?  How are we to get protection? Can I build a fire?  Are there any animals that can harm us out here?  Are the other children ok?  Did everyone else make it out ok?  Can I walk back to civilization?

                Despite my fear of being laughed at I started trying to make a fire by the Bow Drill and Fire Plow methods, neither worked despite my constant struggle and prayers.   Realizing that was getting colder and the mother and child would only be in their swimming suits for who knows how long; we tore a hole in a floatation tube and dried it by rubbing dirt, sand and grass all over until it became dry and warm.  Placing the mother and child parallel to each other for warmth and against a dirt wall for reflecting body heat, we placed the deflated tube on top of them and started breaking off branches with leaves to place on top of the tube, mother, child and wall to create a natural enclosure.  Once they were covered to their shoulders we packed dirt, sand and grass underneath the tube to fill in the gaps.  This natural enclosure helped capture their body heat and trap it.  We also eventually took the remaining inflatable tubes and build a “wall” between them and the river stopping the cold breeze from the rapids hitting them.  The child eventually said that he was warm and had stopped shivering.

                After I started shivering I rubbed dirt onto by body to help trap in body heat.  We saw flash lights (same ones in the My Survival in a Bottle) shortly afterwards across the river looking around and trying to see across to the other side.  The flash lights were bright enough that we were able to see the light a couple hundred yards away.  We got up and started waving and yelling to get their attention.  We knew they had seen us because they pointed their lights at us and flashed them multiple times. 

Staying next to the rapids the entire time while we waited was a good and bad decision.  The good part was that is where we got out of the river and didn't move.  Allowing our friend to know where we were to entire time.  The bad part about staying by the rapids was that it is loud and we couldn't hear very well.

An hour later a rescue party came up behind us following our friend’s flashlights from across the river.  They had followed our friend’s flashlight from the across the valley where they started to get to us.  Using signals flashlights signals our friend and rescue party were able to communicate to where we were. 

After walking through a couple fields, bogs and ditches we were sore footed, blistered, scratched and poked from trees, barbwire, goat heads, thicker plants and rocks.  We arrived at a dirt road that led us through a thicket of tree, over another part of the river and up a hill.  If we had walked without the rescue party we would never have made it.  Between the plants, bogs and rocks there were also water wells, sticks, barbwire along the ground, cow manure, logs, pipes and other obstacle that could have caused us to fall and injure ourselves. 

2:30am. “Are you ready?”  The statement said between my wife and I that stated I was done with our tubing, camping and hiking trip with the other family and ready to get home after we had arrived at the cars the rescue party had brought.

The total time out in the elements was seven hours.  This may not seem like a lot of time and it really isn’t if you are used to Idaho and all that comes with this beautiful state.  Having been studying wilderness survival, boy scouts and starting My Survival prepared me immensely for this trip in the way of knowledge and know how.  Although we were only a couple miles from civilization on a river that is well traveled we were not prepared and not safe.  The worse issues that could have happened would have been hypothermia, poisonous plants and animals, broken body parts, slept all night on a beach, and dehydration.  Do you know how to combat these?

I would like to consider the negative things we did to lead us to this situation:

·         Not enough daylight if anything happened along the way

·         Did not stay together as a group

·         No plan on “what if”

·         Expectations for what was ahead not clearly stated

·         People did not stay calm

·         Ego got in the way of safety with being warm

·         Improper gear for traveling over ground

·         No survival kit

I would like to touch upon the things done correctly:

·         Knew how to create a shelter to trap body heat & barrier against cold front

·         Rescuers had flashlight codes for signaling

·         Rescuers had a rescue plan

How My Survival in a Bottle would have help:

·         Build a fire quickly with matches and fire starters

·         Build a shelter out of blanket and trash bag

·         Been able to use a flashlight to signal and/or walk to civilization

·         Use a whistle to sound location

·         Use water powder to make water drinkable

·         There are more ideas but there were the most important things My Survival in a Bottle could have helped accomplish

I will never leave home, go on a trip or do anything again without My Survival in a Bottle.

Fertility Struggles...the next step

Warning this includes personal information and girly content. If you are troubled by this subject matter stop reading now.

After 4 months on Clomid. I am still not ovulating. The next step is seeing Dr. Slater, the Reproductive Endocrinologist. Good news is that I have heard and met many great babies that she assisted on their journey to their families. Bad news insurance will no longer covering anything...All Cash from here on out.

I am really nervous to set up my appointment with her. I am thinking that I will set it up for the first of September? She is booked out until the 1st of August....I'm nervous just thinking about it right now.

I am still having a hard time understanding timing but believe that I need to do all I can... I am trying to move forward with complete faith, "nothing wavering." Sometimes it is so hard to completely let go to trust in the plan that the Lord has for me.

While I wait I pray for understanding and guidance. I know that all things will work out in their correct time. For now I will wait.

Natural Light Week 4

I'm so sad this is the last week. Sadly I wont be able to take the next class for a while...I need to save up some money. :)

This week we studied tricks with light. Silhouette, Star bursts and and white balance tricks. It is fun to combined a few in one.

So glad I have such a great husband and son.

f/29     1/1250 sec   ISO 640  Tungsten

f/29     1/1250 sec   ISO 640

The original. I liked the light pole but felt the image was better cropped...Maybe not. I like it both ways.

These classes have been great personally and have help my skills as a photographer immensely. Brooke and Sarah have been great. Thank you!!!

Natural Light Week 3

I had a really hard time with this weeks assignment. I was stuck with the idea or sun burst, once I reread the assignment I felt that wasn't exactly what I was suppose to be doing. I was glad that my classmates were having some of the same concerns. Today I finally had an idea, I should just create the dramatic light.

The Original 

I know there is a little blur on his hand and the corner of the book but I picked it because I love, love, love his expression. We highly recommend the book... "Llama Llama Misses Momma" 

f/2.8       1/10sec   ISO 500 

  

 I cropped the picture and adjust the lighting a little using PicMonkey. 

Using PicMonkey I also turned it B & W. I think I like it better in color.  

I love that this expression made me think. I have actually been thinking a lot about being intentional.  I find this  helpful in my personal life too.  Overall I am please with the photos, minus the blue angry bird, the truth is you can see Woody, fish and a Lego Dump Truck.  :)

I should also mention that I was holding the camera.

ENJOY!!!

Natural Light Week 1

f4.5     1/60      ISO 400

 

I love this photo. My little man has the brightest eyes. They always catch light!

 

Week 1

Assignment:  1 photo with Catch light

 

f5       1/50 sec    ISO 400  

 

One with out.

f5     1/20sec      ISO 400

 

 

 

After taking a closer look-there is light in her eyes. I also feel like I exposed the photo poorly.

 

 



Natura Light: Brooke Snow photography class

 

 

Both photos were shot at f5  and ISO 400.  The top photo is 1/50 sec and the bottom 1/60.

 

What picture do you like better? I like the top photo better. Is it a little over exposed? Thoughts?



Photographing everyday life-Week 4

This picture was taken in our backyard on a cloudy but sunny day. I was sitting on the patio under a balcony.

f/5     1/60    ISO-400

 This picture when was taken during our BBQ tonight.The weather was suppose to be 81. Nope, we had dark clouds and a thunderstorm.

f2.5    1/25    ISO-800

These were taken while making frosting for our cupcakes, chocolate, yummy...and of course Buzz and Woody had to help too. We live in a town house with people on both sides, very bad lighting. However I did change the white balance in the camera to indoor lighting and the picture was better.

f/2.2    1/30    ISO-200

f/1.8    1/80    ISO-200

Overall I feel like I have a good understanding of the concepts I have learned. I feel most unsure about ISO-when to to raise it, when to keep it low???

I need to save up money to take another class. I enjoyed this class so much and feel like in a few short weeks I have grown so much. I love the freedom of M mode, LOVE IT!!

Composition-Week 3

This shot is blurry but I added it because I like the tunnel look that the bridge gives.

Here are my photos for this week. I had over 100 so it was hard to narrow it down.

f/14    1/30   ISO-400

f/3.2    1/640    ISO 400

f/13    1/80    ISO-400


I really like this last photo. I think it breaks some of the rules but I  think it works.

Shutter Speed-Week 2

This was the hardest week. The shots are not as artistically thought out as I would have liked but I think they illustrate the concepts. 

PANNING- this photo was taken behind my windshield. I was hoping to get a jogging photo but  this will have to do.

29    1/30      ISO 400

FROZEN ACTION- Look no hands!

9.0    1/1000    ISO 400


IMPLIED MOTION- I couldn't decide on one, so I picked 2 photos. I love this first photo because it shows his excitement-his expression in perfect.

32    1/50    ISO 400

36    1/50     ISO 500

I love this tree photo because even though it was super windy the leaves are crisp while the "helicopters" are blowing.

Aperture-Photography class Week 1

f/22     1/200    ISO-640

f/9    1/800    ISO-640

   f/1.8    1/8000    ISO-640

  f/1.8    1/8000    ISO-640

Infertility or Timing

Just finished my second month of Clomid. Let's just say I feel
extra hormonal and a little crazy.

This is something we have just started recently sharing openly. I have been private about it for many reasons-I'm afraid of crying every time I talk about it, I get nervous about what people will say and think. Not sure why I care. Also I think if I don't admit it out loud it isn't true. Sometimes I think it is more of a timing issue and something I just need to be patient about.

I was told when I was 14 I would have a hard time getting pregnant but at 14 that was the last thing I was thinking about. Now I have been thinking about it. Thinking what I should have done to make myself more fertile. What I need to do now? Sometime I feel like I am being punished but I know that isn't true. 

I just keep telling myself it will happen when it happens. Timing is essential in our Heavenly Father's plan and I truly have a testimony of this principle but sometime it is hard to have patience for thing I want. 

I feel like I put this big secret out in the open.

 "I am Rebecca and I struggle with infertility." 

Opening Up

I have not been doing that great with my New Years resolutions. I am working at them but have been side tracked many time. I am going to start a all girls bunco night. I'm excited for this. I was making cards today and realized I miss all the parties I use to throw during college. My friends and coworker and I use to have cookie exchanges, salad exchanges and Pampered Chef parties. I miss that. Who is to say I cant do it now. Last month I participated in and FHE exchange. We now have 2 months of FHE lessons. 

February was a busy month at work. We also got an acceptance letter on a house we have been waiting on since October. We found out our offer was excepted on Monday and on Tuesday we learned that a pipe had frozen and then burst flooding the master bedroom and the family room. Two weeks later we withdrew the offer....sad...Cody an I both feel that everything happens for a reason. We had made a decision, moved forward with faith and then were forced to make the course correction when needed.

I find that once again I get to learn to Trust the Lord and Trust his timing. Apparently this is a life lesson I will be learning over and over again.

Twenty-thirteen!!!

Almost to the end of day one for 2013!!!  

I want to share my goals for the year.  The reasons are completely selfish.

Reason #1-Increase accountability

Reason #2-Create a support group

Reason #3-Open up. As I get older I am finding that I keep things personal, maybe a little too personal, almost like secret. I am afraid of being looked down upon, being judge or maybe just opening up a flood of emotions.

Resolution #1...Be Healthy! 

This is probably the most positive way to state lose weight. But the WHAT is to lose weight and the WHY is to be Healthy. I personally think that why is super important in making a goals.  

My awesome friend Jerusha and I started a group-Join Our Journey-to help motivate and encourage us. The Davey family is also having a Biggest Loser contest hosted my dad. The contest started today and goes until June 1.

Resolution #2-Positive Reflections

At the end of each day write down 4 things after reflecting on the day

TM: Tender Mercy or Tender Moment

G: Something I am grateful for

Heart: Something I love about Cody

S: A service rendered

I will go into more detail about each goal later but that is a good starting point.

Happy New Year,  Rebecca

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas.

 Hope everyone had a great celebrations with your friends and family. We had a wonderful time celebrating. Here is a sneak inside our festivities.

Thanks to everyone we now have an "angry bird" and "batman" living at the house.