The Schmidts

Ardith, Melissa, Justin  Ardith - Our wonderful home owner and  friend  for the summer in Vernal.  Thank you Ardith for a great summer!

Just two weekends ago we were catching up with Justin's old roommates in Logan. After learning that I had not found a job one of his roommates asked what I was up to. Without hesitation I said, "I do whatever I want to do". It sounds a bit selfish as I write it now, but it was proof to myself that I had overcome my negative attitude. At the beginning of the summer I really struggled with a completely open schedule. After going to school and working I had been looking forward to the day I could stop and ask myself "What do I want to do today", but when this day came along with 3 months to follow I was wishing I had a job, classes, or something to fill up my time, or make the decisions for me. As with most experiences in life, my attitude was a roller-coaster. Some days I woke up ready to entertain myself and other days I fought for self motivation. In the last month I decided to ask the question, what does Heavenly Father want me to learn from this expe...

As me and six kids filed into church Sunday, one ward member said, "Wow, You guys multiply quick!" We sure did - at least for this weekend. Six nieces and nephews agreed to join us for a weekend in Logan! Yipee! I will mention just a few happenings that made Justin and I laugh: After Michael saw our backyard (about 2 feet in width) he asked, "Are you guys poor?" About 2 hours after meat and cheese sandwiches for lunch a couple kids said they were hungry, so we pulled out the PB and J. :) 8 am Sunday morning Justin and I wake up to whispers and giggling coming from the foot of our bed. We pretend we are asleep, until Raegan and Elsie tickle and doggy pile us out of bed. Me and the kids loved doing the salt art work, and Justin finally joined. We all had dark colors on our fingers when Justin was the first to wash his hands. "Um, this doesn't come off" He was right, our first hand washing did not take off the dark colors on our fingers...

July 22-25, 2011 I have admitted to Justin that I LOVE boating, practically as much as he loves mountain biking! It is a summer favorite! Thanks to the Barfuss family and my dad and brothers for keeping the boat running we have been able to boat quite a bit this summer. One of those times was July 24th weekend. The Barfuss family decided to take advantage of Justin and I living in Vernal by planning a weekend to explore and boat on Flaming Gorge. None of us had ever been before. What a beautiful place! It was perfect. Cool temperatures at our camp in Deep Creek at night, smooth water and hot temperatures down at the Gorge during the day, and gorgeous scenery wherever we went. The vote is to return to Flaming Gorge each year! I hope we can also visit the good people we met here in Vernal as well. Here are a few pictures: boating, the dam, wake boarding, and a sweet rope swing we found!