Rock Creek, Moon Lake, Family, and Roomates

June 24th I took my roommates home. We visited Rock Creek/Upper Stillwater Dam, Moon Lake, and of course my family. Mom made some dinner and it was delicious. Carol and Meg came over for lunch as well. After dinner we headed for the mountains. Meg, Mary and our dog Rozy came with us to Moon Lake before we headed over to Rock Creek.

By the end of the day we:

• Drove through 6 canyons and only 1 was a repeat
• Saw cows on our way to and from Moon Lake
• Saw 20ish deer on the drive back to Provo
• Had a white flying object hit the car and take out one of mom's fog lights ( I couldn't avoid it because either I could drive into oncoming traffic or Strawberry Lake)
• Did a Chinese Fire Drill (Leiema cheated)
• Took lots of pictures
• Made some great memories

Dinner with Friends

Back Row: Yovmara, Kjrsten, Carly, Leiema, Cassy
Front Row: Delaynie
(Names are probably spelled wrong)

On June 17th Leiema, Carly, and I invited our Ministering Sister's over for a dinner. We minister to each other's apartments and we thought this would be a fun way to get to know one another better. Plus, I was craving chicken enchiladas and this gave me the perfect excuse to make them. Shout out to Carly because I was at work all day so she assembled the enchiladas.

The dinner turned out great! I haven't laughed so hard in quite awhile. Thank you ladies for a wonderful evening.

Father's Day Weekend

Happy Father's Day! I took the train up to Ogden to see Dad and John. Mandy and Mary were all ready there. Meg surprised by coming up that night. It's been several years since we've all been in Ogden at the same time.

I'm grateful for all the father figures in my life. You have helped shape me into the woman I am today. Thank-you!

Provo Temple with the Roomates

I had to opportunity today to go the Provo Temple this morning with my roommates before heading to Ogden. It was nice being in the temple with my roommates. I am grateful for temples and the peace and knowledge they bring me. I am also thankful for my roommates who help me be a better person every day.

House Sitting

May 30 - June 3 I went to house sit for Dad and John. The weekend didn't start out so great because I was in a little car accident, but I think my car is fixable and it doesn't look like it did too much damage. After I got to the house I found thank you candy bouquet, some cash, and tickets to see
School of Rock and the Eccles Theatre. That was very sweet Dad and John, so thank-you.

The first night was a little rough because Sasha (one of the dogs) howled most of the night and she wouldn't stay in the bedroom with me. I didn't get much sleep.

Then next day, even though I was a little sleep deprived, turned out to be a great day. I was able to meet up with Kelsey Bailey, a good friend I've had since Jr. High, and we had a girls night. We went to eat at Olive Garden and then went to Salt Lake to see School of Rock. The performance was fun! I was so impressed with all the kids on the show. They really do play their instruments. My other favorite character was the principal. She did a great job as well! After the performance we went to McDonald's for some ice cream.

The second night was rough again because Sasha still howled, but I don't think she did it for as long as she did the first night.

The next day was quite. I had to drive to Orem to go into work. Then I just chilled and studied a little for my test, watered plants, and watched some TV. This night was the best night of sleep I got. Sasha stayed on my bed with me and she didn't howl once that night.

The next day I went to church at the closest building. It was a much smaller ward than I was expecting. I drove back down to Orem to check on the quarters and soap. On my way back from work Kelsey and Kurt invited me over for Sunday Dinner, which was very sweet of them. We had roast and smoothies for dessert. Thanks friends! Then I came back and watered the plants and watch a little TV before heading to bed.

That night Sasha didn't do well again, but eventually she made it into her little dog house bed and was there until Dad and John got home. I visited with them for a little bit before leaving for Orem to go back into work.

Thanks Dad and John for the tickets and Thanks Kelsey and Kurt for dinner and a girls night out.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I'm grateful for all the mother figures in my life. You have helped shape me into the woman I am today. Thank-you!

This talk was shared in church today and I thought I would share it here.

A “Mother Heart”

Julie B. Beck

First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency

By developing a mother heart, each girl and woman prepares for her divine, eternal mission of motherhood.

I have often heard my father describe my mother as a woman with a “mother heart,” and that is true. Her mothering influence has been felt by many hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, and she has refined the role of nurturer to an art form. Her testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and strong sense of identity and purpose have guided her life.

She took longer than most women to find her husband, but during her single years she had devoted her life to progress. Though it was uncommon at the time, she was university educated and advancing in a career. Following her marriage, children arrived in quick succession; and in a short span of years, she was the mother of a large family. All the knowledge she had acquired, all her natural abilities and gifts, all her skills were channeled into an organization that had no earthly bounds. As a covenant-keeping daughter of God, she had prepared all her life for motherhood.

What is a mother heart and how is one acquired? We learn about some of those qualities in the scriptures. To paraphrase Proverbs: “Who can find a … woman [with a mother heart]? for her price is far above rubies. … She … worketh willingly with her hands. … With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. … She stretcheth out her hand to the poor. … Strength and honour are her clothing. … She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness” (Prov. 31:10, 13, 16, 20, 25–27). A woman with a mother heart has a testimony of the restored gospel, and she teaches the principles of the gospel without equivocation. She is keeping sacred covenants made in holy temples. Her talents and skills are shared unselfishly. She gains as much education as her circumstances will allow, improving her mind and spirit with the desire to teach what she learns to the generations who follow her.

If she has children, she is a “goodly parent” (1 Ne. 1:1) who lives and teaches standards of behavior exactly in line with the teachings of living prophets. She teaches her “children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord” (D&C 68:28). Rather than listening to the voices and partial truths of the world, she knows that gospel standards are based on eternal, unchangeable truths. She believes that to be “primarily responsible for the nurture of [her] children” is a vital, dignified, and “sacred responsibilit[y]” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Liahona, Oct. 1998, 24; Ensign,Nov. 1995, 102). To nurture and feed them physically is as much an honor as to nurture and feed them spiritually. She is “not weary in well-doing” and delights to serve her family, because she knows that “out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33).

Oh, that every girl and woman would have a testimony of her potential for eternal motherhood as she keeps her earthly covenants. “Each is a beloved … daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine … destiny” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”). As spirit daughters of God, women “received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth” (D&C 138:56) on the earth. They were among the “noble and great ones” (D&C 138:55) who “shouted for joy” (Job 38:7) at the creation of the earth because they would be given a physical body with the opportunity to be proven in a mortal sphere (see Abr. 3:25). They wished to work side by side with righteous men to accomplish eternal goals that neither can attain independently.

Female roles did not begin on earth, and they do not end here. A woman who treasures motherhood on earth will treasure motherhood in the world to come, and “where [her] treasure is, there will [her] heart be also” (Matt. 6:21). By developing a mother heart, each girl and woman prepares for her divine, eternal mission of motherhood. “Whatever principle of intelligence [she] attain[s] unto in this life, it will rise with [her] in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through [her] diligence and obedience than another, [she] will have so much the advantage in the world to come” (D&C 130:18–19).

In my experience I have seen that some of the truest mother hearts beat in the breasts of women who will not rear their own children in this life, but they know that “all things must come to pass in their time” and that they “are laying the foundation of a great work” (D&C 64:32–33). As they keep their covenants, they are investing in a grand, prestigious future because they know that “they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever” (Abr. 3:26).

I was recently at a park where I met a group of women with mother hearts. They were young, covenant-keeping women. They were bright and had obtained advanced degrees from respected universities. Now they were devoting their considerable gifts to planning dinner that evening and sharing housekeeping ideas. They were teaching two-year-olds to be kind to one another. They were soothing babies, kissing bruised knees, and wiping tears. I asked one of those mothers how it came about that she could transfer her talents so cheerfully into the role of motherhood. She replied, “I know who I am, and I know what I am supposed to do. The rest just follows.” That young mother will build faith and character in the next generation one family prayer at a time, one scripture study session, one book read aloud, one song, one family meal after another. She is involved in a great work. She knows that “children are an heritage of the Lord” and “happy is the [woman] that hath [a] quiver full of them” (Ps. 127:3, 5). She knows that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily mothering is far more lasting, far more powerful, far more influential than any earthly position or institution invented by man. She has the vision that, if worthy, she has the potential to be blessed as Rebekah of old to be “the mother of thousands of millions” (Gen. 24:60).

Covenant-keeping women with mother hearts know that whether motherhood comes early or late; whether they are blessed with a “quiver full” of children here in mortality or not; whether they are single, married, or left to carry the responsibility of parenthood alone—in holy temples they are “endowed with power from on high” (D&C 38:32), and with that endowment they received the promised blessings and are “persuaded of them, and embraced them” (Heb. 11:13).

Every girl and woman who makes and keeps sacred covenants can have a mother heart. There is no limit to what a woman with a mother heart can accomplish. Righteous women have changed the course of history and will continue to do so, and their influence will spread and grow exponentially throughout the eternities. How grateful I am to the Lord for trusting women with the divine mission of motherhood. Like Mother Eve I am “glad” (see Moses 5:11) to know these things. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Henry George Mathis Reunion

I had the opportunity to go to St. George for the Henry George Mathis Reunion. It was so much fun! I got to meet a lot of relatives I didn't know. Unfortunately, I don't remember their names. The good news is we are having another reunion in June 2020. That will be held in Price, UT.

On Thursday we drove down. We were suppose to get there for the 4pm Temple session, but we didn't make it. We had some other obligations come up. Once in St. George we spent some time chatting with Aunt Ann, Uncle Lee, and Anna. Later, Mandy. Mary, and I went swimming. The water wasn't very warm but the hot tub felt great. Funny story from swimming: There was a little boy, I would guess to be around 3. I don't think he realized how wet he was going to get while swimming. Pretty soon he was trying to strip off his swimming trunks and underwear. I could here a family member of his telling him, "Well they're suppose to get wet." They ended up taking off his swim trunks, but left his underwear on. Aunt Mary and Uncle Boyd joined the party while we were swimming.

Friday was a busy day. We started out at the cemetery, where we learned about our ancestors and visited their graves. We then went and visited the pioneer homes of Casper Bryner and Wallace Brigham Mathis. We could only visit the outside because the homes are no longer in the family.

We had a break for lunch. The Murray Mathis Family went to Icebergs for lunch. My family was the only ones who had heard and been to Icebergs before. Uncle Wayne couldn't get over how big the shakes and his onion rings were.

After lunch we went to the St. George Tabernacle for a tour. It was really interesting. John Menzies MacFarlane held a Catholic Mass their in it's early years for the early catholic settlers because they did not have a place to worship. The organist also played a hymn for us so we could see the pipe/shutter movement. We requested Dearest Children, God is Near You. At first I don't think they thought it was a hymn until we told her the page number and she was able to turn to it and play it. At the end of our tour we got to listen to a piano/organ duet. It sounded fun!

We had some more free time after the tour. My family went back to the hotel. Mandy, Mary, and I went swimming. The water was still cold. It needed to be just a few degrees warmer. The hot tub still felt nice.

We then went for the dinner/party at Mathis Park. Wallace Brigham Mathis donated part of his land for this park. We got to here some more about our relatives and what life was like for them. I chatted with a cousin (I can't remember her name either) who is currently in a French immersion school. We had a fun time chatting in Franglais. Someone brought photo albums and there were several pictures of Grandpa Mathis and his brothers. It was fun to see them! Another funny story was there was this really cute photo of one of my grandpa's brothers and a girl hugging. It was a really cute photo. The daughter looked at the photo and said, "Well, that's my dad, but that's not my mom."

On Saturday we were suppose to go to Brigham Young's winter home, but due to the Iron Man Race, it was cancelled. Many of us went to Silver Reef and visited the museum there. H.G. Mathis was a teamster there. I even learned that Joseph Ellis Johnson had a pharmacy there. He is the brother to George Washington Johnson, my Great, Great, Great Grandpa . Aunt Mary, Uncle Boyd, Mandy and I did the walking tour. We got to see the sites were buildings and houses were, including the pharmacy.

On our way home we stopped in Beaver at this little Mexican Taco place that was tasty for great prices. We then went to the creamery and bought cheese, honey and ice cream. Mom accidentally got a coffee flavored ice cream called the Jolted Cow. Aunt Ann and I enjoyed ourselves finishing it for her.

It was a great trip and I can't wait for next year's reunion.

The St. George Pioneer Cemetery 

 John Menzies MacFarlane's Headstone

 Casper Bryner Home

 Wallace Brigham Mathis Home, he is actually the youngest

 Giant Beehive at the W.B. Mathis Home

 St. George Tabernacle

 Mathis Park

Photo Credit to the internet because I forgot to take pictures at Silver Reef

 Jail House at Silver Reef