The Whitney 6

Inkubook Photobooks

2009-08-31T19:00:00.001-07:00

Inkubook Photobooks

2009-08-31T18:53:00.001-07:00

Inkubook Photobooks

2009-08-31T18:51:00.001-07:00

Inkubook Photobooks

2009-08-31T18:49:00.001-07:00

Be thou an example of the believers...

2009-08-12T15:36:00.001-07:00

Bryce and I were asked to be a Ma and Pa for our stake pioneer trek in June. It was a wonderful experience and we had a great time. Below is the group of kids who became our family for three days. What a great family! Each person in the family received a name of someone who actually crossed the plains and a story that told of their struggles and journey.

Don't we look awesome in our pioneer outfits?

Our son Brigham was in another family but we were able to still get lots of great pictures of him.

Preparing the handcart we would be pulling and pushing for the next three days. I should rephrase that, the handcart that the youth would be pulling and pushing. We weren't aloud to help as ma and pas.

We hiked four to five miles and then stopped for lunch. The weather was great. Usually in the St. George area we are experiencing 100 degree temperatures, but we were blessed to only have it in the 70's.

Out lunch was supposed to be meager I think, but we had tons to eat. Johnny cake (no one cared for this), homemade cookies, fruit, beef jerky, trail mix. In fact all three days of the trek we ate very well. I was hoping to lose five pounds but think I gained five instead. Thanks Martin and MaryNell. You guys did awesome.

Every family had a baby to take care of and a story to read about that babies experience on the trek. Our baby was Josephine Ephermine Wickland. We would find out the night before the trek was over if our baby survived.

After lunch we continued another mile or so where we were greeted by a member of the Mormon Battalion. We rested here for a little while then all the men of the group were gathered and taken away.

One of the girls were sitting on this scorpion during the battalion speech.

We hiked 8 miles the first day and set up camp in a beautiful meadow.

We met each morning as a group for a fireside. What a remarkable site, over 250 teenagers coming together sharing song and testimony. Day two - we had a morning devotional and then divided into groups of four. We played kickball, threw horseshoes, pounded nails into rings, stick pull, and played tug o war.

We were given three challenges. First, we had to walk barefoot for 1 mile. That was extremely hard. My feet are like a babies. The youth then had to carry someone on there back, and lastly the guys were given a peice of fruit and had to give that to someone else in the group to eat and they had to go without.

At the end of the second day the youth participated in some square dancing. They really kicked some dust up.

Saturday morning we gathered for a testimony meeting. It was inspiring to hear and feel of their strong spirits.

As we came into the Pinto valley I was overcome with much emotion to see 2-3 hundred people lining the road to welcome their youth back. It is an experience I will never forget.

Touching the void

2009-07-31T14:45:00.001-07:00

Touching the void

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Recent scenes from the ISS - The Big Picture - Boston.com

2009-07-26T07:59:00.001-07:00

Recent scenes from the ISS - The Big Picture - Boston.com

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Caleb - Track

2009-05-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

We are big track enthusiasts and Hersheys Track and field tryouts began for the 6th and 7th graders. He came in 2nd in the longjump and 2nd in the 200 meter race. The Distric meet is Friday May 8th. This is where all the school finalists in the area compete. He is in the 13 and 14 year age group this year, and will be racing 7th graders. Wish him luck.

Run Fast!!!

These are the days

2009-04-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

I am the advancement chairman for our boyscout troop. For our last Court of Honor we gathered all the pictures together from the boys campouts and mock disaster. I put together this DVD so they would hopefully get excited about this summers camps. What boy doesn't love camping in the great outdoors?

2009-04-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

Chase, Zack, Mike, Sinjin (from left)
I have never watched a game until this year and it is a crazy game. That is if your used to watching football. I guess if you grew up playing rugby it wouldn't be strange. It's kind of like soccer and football combined.

I have yet to learn the rules. After 15 years of watching Zack play football I still haven't learned all the rules. I swear they keep adding them. So with rugby, I may never learn them.

I know there is this group huddle called a scrum and they pass the ball backwards. It's a try instead of a goal or touchdown. They don't wear any pads and it is very, very, very physical. I guess that's what guys like. The games are shorter. I do like that. And the parents don't seem as hostile. I enjoy watching my boys play any sport and the fact that they are staying active.

Warming up before the big game against a team from Canada

To view more pictures on other Rugby games, visit Our family photo gallery!

Observation Point - Zion Canyon

2009-04-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

A great day for a hike.

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

Bryce and I headed to Zions for a hike. We had determined ahead of time we wanted to do something a little lengthy for some good exercise. No one else was able to come along so we enjoyed the day by ourselves. Forgetting about Spring Breaks and a huge race that had just ended when we arrived, it was very, very busy. The hike we picked out mentioned that because of the uphill climb you would see few other hikers. Wrong! It was pretty busy. You start the hike at the weeping rock stop, and as you head up towards weeping rock it splits and you head on up that very steep mountain (in the picture below). It's a pretty sweat breaking hike - for me anyway, Bryce has always been in better shape. He doesn't even huff or puff.

I about stepped on this little snake. And of course Bryce tried to pick it up so he could throw it at me. I know that was his intention. He loves to here me scream! But he wasn't quite fast enough.

It was a pretty steady incline for 4 miles. And then you had to come back down. So it was a great 8 mile hike. Perfect weather - 7o's.

About halfway

We made it!!!

From way up here you have a fantastic view! You look down on Angels Landing. You can actually see little people walking around. In the other direction you can see Cedar mountain with snow still on them. These little chipmunks were eating everyones crumbs from there lunches.

They are cute. But when I zoomed in with my camera - wow there eyes are weird looking.

Lots of animals and reptiles along the way. I love my new camera. Isn't that a great shot?

I love Zion Canyon. I could hike there every weekend. My legs were pretty tired as we approached the shuttle bus. Coming down is worse than going up, especially on the knees. But we had a great time!

You should hike up to Observation point sometime. It's beautiful!!!

To see more pictures visit our photo gallery link.

The Big Island of Hawaii

2009-04-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

The Big Island of Hawaii

September 2008

The City of Refuge as locals call it, or more correctly Honaunau Bay, is rated one of the top snorkeling places in the world. It is fabulous. One of our favorite snorkeling spots.

An eruption in the caldera at the visitors center.

Steam Vents - Rainwater sinks through the ground and is warmed by rocks which carry heat from the lava below. Hot water then rises through fissures to condense in the chilled air. The steam also contains sulfur dioxide and hyrogen sulfide. They sure stink.

Kilauea's eruptions tend to be spectacular but not explosive. We were lucky to be here when this was happening. We sat and watched it for about an hour. It truly is one of those remarkable sites you don't encounter often, if at all.

Thurston Lava Tube, also called Nahuku, is located in the rain forest ecological zone. The abundant rainfall contrubutes to the lush growth of the forest.
trees and the thick vegetation.

Hilo is always lush and green due to an annual rainfall of over 70 inches a
year and is the wettest city in the USA.

The Big Island is also the site of the world's first commercial macadamis plantations,

Mauna Loa named after the volcano.

Lava can be seen through 5o foot wide skylights. Now thats a big opening! Skylights are formed when peices of the tube roof collapse

Lava continually pours into the ocean, creating new land within a few weeks. If you look real close you can see the red along end edge of the rocks.

The rural communtity of Kalapana is covered by lava.

Wailuku River, where numerous waterfalls cascade into beautiful emerald pools.

Hilo Airport. Quite small.

So much for our picture. Larry made sure he got one with his cell phone. Good timing.

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach is near the Southern tip and is a nesting place for Hawksbill and Green Sea turtles.

The Banyan tree has got to be one of the strangest looking trees in the world, and Hilo is bursting with them.

Akaka Falls plunges 442 feet into a stream eroded gorge.

Located along the Haakua Coast on the Northeast shore is the Pololu lookout.
This outstanding view displays the raw, untamed side of the Big Island. 400 feet below

is Pololu black sand beach.

I just loved this picture of these cows. The grass was so green and

those black cows graising there in that beautiful field, was a picture waiting to be taken.

Maybe you had to be there yourself.

Windmills generate electricity for the Island

Located on the Kohala coast of Hawaii's Big Island, the Hilton Wailoloa Village lets you experience breathtaking tropical gardens, abundant wildlife, award-winning dining,

shopping, art and culture, and an array of activities ranging from golf and tennis

to an interactive dolphin pool. My cousin Carma and her husband

Larry spent 4 days with us on the Big Island.
We had the best time. I love you guys!!

I highly recommend a trip to see this remarkable Island. We've been to Hawaii 4 times and this is one of our favorite islands!

Madison

2009-03-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? Maddie is 20 this year. Isn't she beautiful! She is in her second year of college and working at the Pizza Factory. Her boyfriend has been out on a mission now for 5 months, serving in Missouri, but mostly Kansas. I think this might be the guy she marries, but 2 years is a long time.

Before he left in October they celebrated both Halloween and Thanksgiving together. They had a big halloween party - Cute costumes!

Canyon Creek Kitchen and Bath

2009-03-14T08:11:00.001-07:00

In November of last year we took over the Whitewater branch in St. George, Ut.
We changed the name to Canyon Creek Kitchen and Bath. We still carry Whitewater product and use there logo along with ours. We anticipate a successful year and hope for the best.

Check out the website for Canyon Creek Kitchen and Bath.

www.canyoncreekkb.com

2009-03-12T13:22:00.001-07:00

Take a look back at 2008! What an exciting year and many great memories were made.

We hiked to Timpanogas cave in June. Notice Madison is not with us again. Oh well, she's missing out!

Our first big snowstorm of the year. And it actually stayed on the ground a few days this year instead of hours. As you can tell Caleb was loving it.

The palm trees are not loving it though.

The week before Christmas we toured the conference center and temple square.

What a great year with some major changes at the end. We took over Whitewater here in St. George. Check out our new company name and logo. We were very busy in December with all the changes. But everything has gone smooth so far and we hope for the best. Our family is growing and changing and we won't be together to much longer. We look forward with anticipation for what 2009 will bring.

What a great family I have!!!

Salt Lake City Temple 2008

2009-03-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

It was a little bit colder than we're used to. The snow was beautiful on the temple grounds.

Schofield Fall Colors

2009-03-01T16:32:00.000-08:00

We spent the weekend at a friends cabin overlooking Schofield Reservoir. A little hunting, fishing, 4-wheeler riding, it was all very relaxing. Brigham was the only one who wanted to spend any time with his mom and dad, so just the three of us had the cabin to ourselves. The rest of them missed out.

Bryce and Brigham were hunting on this trip for deer. We walked down to where there was a watering hole and sat on the side of a hill for about a half hour when we started to hear elk bugeling (not sure if that's how you spell that) anyway a couple of big 5 - 6 point elk came in and rolled around in the water hole until they were covered in mud. It was way cool. But of course I had exhausted my battery and did'nt have my video camera with me. Not something were likely to see again real soon. Sorry to say there are no pictures of the elk, only the mightly hunters.

I thought this was kind of a funny picture - all these sheep butts.

Schofield weekend / Allison Birthday

2009-02-28T21:34:00.000-08:00

We rode from St. George with my cousin Carma and her husband Larry Werner. We arrived about midnight Friday evening. It's a good 5 hour drive from St. George. The roads were pretty good but the snow banks were piled about 6-8 feet high.

Saturday morning we slept in and had a nice breakfast then headed down to the lake for some fishing. What a beautiful day to be ice fishing. It always makes me a little nervous to be out on a fozen lake, but the ice was about 18 inches thick. The fishing was very slow and pretty small as you can see. We're also here to celebrate my 44th birthday. Brent and Effie joined us Saturday to fish and as you can see they were pretty tiny. I think we only ended up catching about 3 or 4.

Carma and Larry Werner

Brent and Effie Kitchen from American Fork. We have been friends for about 20 years. Effie used to babysit Maddie and Zack when they were little. Great friends!

Allison, Effie, and Carma.

Martin Lundquists brother Jared and his wife Jen.

MaryNell and Martin Lundquist. Good friends from St.George. They live up the street about 3 houses away from us and we've known them now about 12 years.

We played this game called spoons. Maybe you've heard of it. Quite fun and entertaining.

Especially when your husband knocks over the chair lands on Carma, still trying to get

the spoon to his nose. Very competative game. Maybe you don't want to play spoons with Bryce

Oh, by the way for those interested, we did get the chair fixed!!!

To the rescue!

We thought we'd better leave a day early because a storm was supposed to hit Tuesday. But as we tried to pull out we became very stuck. And the more we tried the more stuck we became.

After about an hour Bryce finally rode up to another cabin where some guys were working and asked them if they would be willing to help us out. So here came this huge tracktor. They pulled us right out - no problems. It was a great birthday weekend, cvery relaxing and great company.

We ended up going to a hotel in Payson and driving up to Draper to see the new Temple.

See Draper temple post.

Cabo San Lucas 5-07

2007-09-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone- Here are a few pictures from our trip to Cabo back in May. We stayed in this beautiful home overlooking the ocean on the Pacific.

Our view from the back of the house. See the house with the little round domes on top.
We were told by the locals, that is one of Brad Pitts homes.

We spent a lot of time in the pool looking out at the ocean. We saw whales jumping one morning.

That was pretty cool!

Cousins - Carma & Larry Werner and Vickie and Brian Otoole went with us. And some friends from American Fork - Brent and Effie Kitchen.

We spent one day parasailing and scuba diving.

This is the farthest point on the Baha California. Lands end.

The guys all went fishing one day and Bryce caught a Dorato and Larry caught a Blue Marlin

Larry couldn't keep his fish but they filleted Bryces and we bbqed it for dinner one evening.

This beach is called Lovers Beach -as you can tell!

We had a great time. I got very sick one evening. I've heard that can happen in Mexico. I didn't drink the water so I'm not sure why I was the only one. But luckily it only lasted an evening. It was a very relaxing much needed trip.

The summer went by very fast here in St. George. But we're glad
to be out of the 100 degree temperatures. Let us know how your doing.
Brent Whitney I love your blog- it's great to be able to see the kids and all the fun stuff you guys are doing. You inspired me like Jen inspired you. Thanks.

Check out more pictures on our photo gallery link.