I Did It!

At the saddle with Katie, Tim, Gwen, Em, Zane, Timo & Megan

At the summit, in the shack signing our names in the book! 

We saw lots of mountain goats and this one walked right next to me!

This moose was eating on the trail and stopped us for 20 minutes or so. There was a big group of us waiting for him and his family to move. This was about an hour from the end of the trail.


Hiking Mount Timpanogos

     Two years ago I made the goal to hike Timp for my 50th birthday! I had never cared about hiking Timp the whole time I have lived here but my oldest son, Taran said,"Mom you really should hike Timp. I think you would really like it." I do like hiking but Timp never appealed to me until he said I should do it. So I decided I would work towards that goal. Well, a year later I did some hikes like we do in the summer with the goal to do harder hikes over the summer so by August I could hike it. Part way through summer my back started bothering me and walking was painful. I decided I was not going to be ready to hike Timp that year because of my back issue. I started doing yoga every day consistently and running on the elliptical and my back got better. I even was doing a 5 minute plank routine 3-5 days a week. These all helped and when this summer came I felt like my back was stronger. I wasn't totally sure until July I had this major desire to really train/prepare myself to hike it. I looked up tips on the internet and I found some great ideas. I would walk up hill for 3 days a week. I started at 30 minutes and worked up to 1 hour. I would go up and down the hill above my house as many times as I could in the amount of time. Tim came with me most days. the other 3 days I ran on the elliptical I started out at 45 minutes and got up to 2 hours. Endurance is what everyone warned me. They said that I was strong enough and I would be able to make it but that I should be mentally prepared because it is long. We planned to go in August but we had to postpone it until September 1st. It was the best day for all of us and even then Taran and Lisa couldn't come, they were sick.

   The night before the hike we tried to go to bed early. I took some cold medicine because I felt like I was getting a cold. It wore off and made me wired. So I didn't sleep well. Tim did give me a blessing the night before because I was anxious. I felt like everything was going to be fine but I would see that I could rely on Heavenly Father that I could do hard things. We got up at 5 AM and we tried to leave by 5:30 AM but by the time we got to the trailhead after parking far away it was 7 AM when we started. It was the perfect day, it started out a little chilly but with layers we were all fine. It was beautiful. Gwen, our 11 yr old, had a rough time at the beginning. She was back with Tim and I and he was ready to take her to the car. I asked her if she wanted to have a blessing so Tim gave her a blessing right there on the trail. After that she went up with her siblings and was totally fine. We just bring out the worst in her , jk. Tim and I both like taking pictures and taking in the scenery so we lagged behind but they would wait for us when they took a break. We made it to the saddle by noon. That was pretty cool. We ate lunch at the saddle and took pictures. I felt great! We decided to summit. This is where I was challenged. I am afraid of heights. At the saddle I barely looked down because it made me feel like my legs were noodlely. The first part to the summit wasn't bad until we turned the corner. I had to hug the rock and I was crying I was so scared. I asked Tim, "Do you think I can do this?" As I looked up at the crazy summit ahead. It terrified me and he said, honestly,"I don't know." Well, thanks honey for the confidence. I prayed and Heavenly Father reminded me that my friend WendyJo, who was bedridden at the time, would love to have a choice to even hike let alone summit. My mom had given me a green t-shirt to wear because she wanted to come but it was not physically possible for her. The other thought I had is I would regret not doing it. So on I climbed singing the hymn, "I Need Thee Every Hour".  I would think of my friend and my mom, make deep yoga breaths and climb on. People kept saying, "You're almost there!" who were on their way back but we were still a ways off! It became annoying. I told Tim that I wish they would stop saying that! He just laughed. Tim helped me and we made it. I don't remember what time but I was so proud of myself! I still can't believe I made it. The way back was faster. And I told people, "Keep going! You got this!"When we got stopped by the moose that is when the endurance also had to kick in. My legs became like lead because we had to just stand around waiting for it to move. It had a baby so it made it scary we didn't want the bull or mom to charge us. Once we started back it was slow going for me. It was another hour and I had to concentrate on going forward. Tim stayed with me, he's my best guy! 

  I am so thankful to Timo, Megan, Emily, Zane, Gwen and my sister-in-law Katie for coming with us. It was great sharing this goal completion with them. I am so proud of Gwen for doing something challenging like this at her age. She told me that she did it because she loves me. That made my day! I was only a little sore the next day and I only lost one toenail! It's the one I lost on trek too! My shoes are great it's just that this toe is the longer one so it gets all the downhill pressure.

  I grew up afraid of failing and so I didn't try very many things that I couldn't succeed at. Now that I am older I have found greater satisfaction in challenging myself in ways that I can fail and that is okay and it's okay to say maybe right now I can't do it but maybe later. I know my Savior and Heavenly Father were there with me on that mountain inspiring me to keep going. I know that if they can help me climb a freaking mountain they can help me with any problems I face. My husband Tim is my rock always, even of he didn't know I could do it because he knows how afraid of heights I am! I have the best people in my life. I am so grateful for this opportunity and I am trying to think of what I can do next year to learn or challenge myself....

Pew Family 2017 Year in Review

Pew Family 2017 Year in Review

Here we are again counting down to Christmas and a New Year...this year Tim and I turned 50. That definitely makes one stop and ponder what you have done, experienced and goals for the next 50 or so. Honestly, as I get older I really don't want to live to be 100 just healthy until I go, right?

We hope this finds you happy, healthy and where you want to be at this time in your life, If not, that is the beauty of Jesus Christ. He makes it possible for each of us to change, heal and progress. May you find his peace and love this holiday season.

Here's some of what we've been up to:

Gwen is 11 (5^th grade) and still likes hugs and snuggles which we are grateful. She started sewing lessons this summer and has continued to take them this fall, She really enjoys it and made her new nephew an elephant. She still plays the piano and continues to progress in that. She was in gymnastics until she injured her foot this summer—stress fracture. She is not interested in anything competitive but hopes to start doing a musical theater class in January. She loves being an auntie and pirates (as in Caribean) and animals.

Zane is 14 (8^th grade) is one of our consistent kids at doing what he supposed to when he supposed to do it! He has loved playing on the Lone Peak Ultimate Frisbee Middle School team. They won the state championship last spring and won all their fall tournaments. He tried out for the U15 Utah YCC team for Ultimate Frisbee and made it. He and Tim traveled to Washington to play in a West Best Tournament. This is the first year Utah has had a team for U15 and they took 2^nd only losing to the championship team. He had a great experience despite the bad weather.

Micah is 15 (10^th grade) looking forward to 16 to drive and date! He is enjoying high school and making new friends, going to parties and sporting events. He enjoyed playing on the 9^th grade basketball team at Mountain Ridge earlier in the year. He also plays Ultimate Frisbee and played on the Lone Peak boys B team last spring and enjoyed traveling with the team to a tournament in Colorado. They had fun and played well. This fall he made the boys A team which he's pretty happy about and was on the Mixed (Co-Ed) B team. They did pretty well despite injuries. He looks forward to this spring playing with Izak.

Izak is 17 (12^th grade) and he is looking forward to graduating. He spends most of his time playing Ultimate Frisbee on the boys A team and this fall Mixed A team. He is one of the 3 captains and truly cares about his teammates. They traveled to Oregon and Georgia for tournaments and had a great time and did well. They came in 2^nd at state which was disappointing but Ultimate Frisbee has become more popular these last few years and made it much more competitive. Their mixed team also came in 2^nd at State. He also works at Little Caesar's with half the Ultimate Frisbee team. He also enjoys the school dances and dating in general, he is very social.

Emily is 20 and serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is having a great experience overall: sometimes hard and sometimes funny or both but very rewarding. She is currently training. If you want to read about some of her adventures check out her blog at: sisteremilyrpew.blogspot.com

Timo and Megan exiting the temple

Timo is 23 and married! He got married last spring in the Portland, Oregon temple to Megan Gunn. He met Megan in his BYU ward his first year after his mission. Magic happened last fall friendship turned to more and they decided within a couple of weeks after Christmas they wanted to get married. We love Megan and are happy to have her in the family. They are both in school at BYU. Timo is applying for a bachelors/masters program in Stats (I am not sure of the exact name you can ask him). They both work as teachers assistants in their majors.

all the siblings minus Emily

4 generations

          Taran is 24 and a dad! Taran and Lisa recently became parents of the cutest baby boy Adrian! Adrian was born November 2^nd, 2017. He's growing healthy and Lisa is recovering well from her c-section. Taran is currently working full-time for Nu Skin and a team leader. They gave him a month paternity leave paid which has been really nice. Lisa was also working at Nu Skin until Adrian was born. She is hoping to stay home and be crafty and take care of Adrian. They both were going to school until the fall anticipating the birth of Adrian. They plan on returning to school next year.

Adrian and Mommy Lisa

Rachelle, I am enjoying being a grandma but I prefer to be called Mimzy. I know it might seem weird but I like it. I finished last spring being PTA president at the Elementary school and luckily someone stepped forward to be the president this year! Somehow I knew it would work out. I stayed on the board as the Legislative VP and organized a Meet the Candidates Night for our City candidates. We had a great turn out. I have been able to do more Family History and humanitarian projects which has been very satisfying. I also enjoy helping in Gwen's class and going to the temple. 50 isn't too bad-so far thanks to daily yoga and vitamins!

Tim is enjoying his Mormon Tabernacle Choir experience so far. You can look for him each Sunday in Music and the Spoken Word. They can be accessed on YouTube if you miss it live. He is usually on the first couple of rows on the right side. He has been great at balancing home duties and practices—FYI they have MANY extra events and practices you may not realize. (I didn't have a clue but I am totally good with it.) He plays sports at lunch at work. He continues to work for Family Search and they just moved to their new building out in Lehi by Thanksgiving Point. He is also the best grandpa or G-Pa.

We have had a lot of fun this year seeing Tim in concerts and the Spoken Word.

After Tim's first concert as an official Mormon Tabernacle Choir member

Lots of Ultimate Frisbee games which we enjoy—we love our Ultimate Frisbee family. They have blessed us greatly! Hikes, picnics and snowshoeing close by up the canyon. We had a fun trip to Oregon for Timo's wedding, We got to go to Voo Doo donuts

, a lighthouse, the ocean, Multnomah Falls, Tillamook Cheese Factory cafe (the factory usually has tours but was closed for remodeling) besides the Portland temple. It was beautiful. We also enjoyed visiting Thanksgiving Point, The Aquarium and Seven Peaks. We also had some downs like a broken collarbone, stress fractures, leaking bathrooms and other challenges. Challenges make us notice our blessings and draw us to God our Father and His son Jesus Christ. Our greatest treasures are our relationships which we have been richly blessed. The Gospel of Jesus Christ actually is the greatest blessing which brings meaning to our lives and relationships.

Cape Meares Lighthouse

Much love to you! The Pews

***Check out /www.youtube.com/user/7yipspew

to see videos from Emily's mission, Izak's greatest and other stuff we save there!

Pew Year In Review 2016

Pew Year in Review 2016

Another year BAM! Why is it when you are a kid you feel like the years take forever? I am pretty sure first grade was almost 2 years. But maybe that’s because Mrs. Roman didn’t like me. When you have a bunch of kids or I bet even one kid or a just a dog, life can get pretty crazy. Most of the time it’s a good crazy. I am grateful for a husband who is helpful and supportive because it’s usually me volunteering for craziness. We took some breaks for pure fun by heading to California with my family the day after school got out. We rented a Ford Transit Van (just for our family), it was sweet! We went to my paternal grandparents’ graves in Camarillo. It’s a lovely place and I had never been there. We also went to Naples and kayaked to some moon jellyfish. They aren’t poisonous so some people in our group touched them. Not me. We also went to Huntington Beach, the water was still pretty cold so we briefly played in the water. Timo brought his Spikeball game so he and the guys played that a lot. We went to Disneyland

 two days and Universal Studios one day.  The point was to see Harry Potter’s wizarding world that had just opened. It’s not as big as the one in Florida but still was magical. We hope they add to it in the future! We went to the Hollywood Walk of Fame but we ended up going to the Santa Monica Pier instead. It was less sketchy. We stopped in St. George on our way back and enjoyed relaxing at the pool. And drove home early Sunday morning so we could return the Transit Van on time! We had fun during the year visiting Thanksgiving Point Gardens, the Museum of Curiosity, The Museum of Ancient Life (Dinosaur) and the Farm too. Seven Peaks waterslide park with cousins and also Trafalga for mini golf, lazertag and rides. We also went up the canyon for fun adventures. Not to mention all the sports and shows the kids were involved in. We have a lot to be thankful for. If you want to keep reading here is what each of us has been up to in 2016:

Gwen (10) is in 4th grade this year. One of her highlights this year was being in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Lone Peak High School. They had a children’s chorus from students from the elementary schools in 5th and 6th grade that feed into the high school. Her director of Singer’s Company invited her and other Singer’s Company girls to be in Joseph because she was the musical director for Joseph. Gwen knows a lot of the students at Lone Peak in drama because of Emily so it was super fun for her to be in it with Emily. The show was fantastic, and I am not exaggerating because I saw it at BYU over 25 years ago and thought ,”That is one strange musical.” And never desired to watch it again. It was so funny and fun. Gwen is still taking piano and does well with it. She is still doing gymnastics but is no longer doing Singer’s Co. because Miss DeLayne isn’t doing it anymore. She did a little song and dance with girls from our neighborhood for a church variety show and loved it--they did Hard Knock Life. It was so cute and well done. She misses being in a show so I may need to find a group for her to join. She loves singing show tunes (as in musical show tunes) with Emily, and playing with dragons. She is fun and full of love and hugs that never get old.

Zane (13) is in 7th grade and started junior high and I think he’s almost enjoying it! I think some classes he likes and others not so much. He is still taking piano lessons which he doesn’t like but he’s diligent and reliable to do it. He’s the one kid we don’t have to remind: he does his homework AND turns it in! He started playing on the Lone Peak Middle School Ultimate Frisbee team this fall and loved it. It’s been so good for him to learn to be positive and have good sportsmanship. He also has skills so it’s been a good thing for him to participate in. He went on his first scout camp this summer and had a good experience. He works hard on his merit badge stuff and everything even though he really doesn’t like scouts. He will be a Life scout soon. He’s in Men’s Hip Hop and I look forward to their dance recital in December. He’s still the biggest BYU fan. And he still loves Legos. So if he’s not playing Ultimate, football or basketball he’s playing Legos. He’s a funny kid and I love how responsible and good he is.

Micah (14) is in 9th grade. He is now the tallest in the family. He flaunts the fact enough to bug all of us. Owell.In other news he made the 9th grade basketball team at Mountain Ridge. He’s not a starter but he’s grateful to have a chance to play. He also played Ultimate Frisbee this fall. He is currently on the boys B team for Lone Peak but there are 2 spots open on A team still and he would love to be on it. He’s pretty young so we’ll see. He’s made some new friends this year and having lots of fun with them. He went on a week long scout camp to Wind Rivers Wyoming last summer. They actually got up to the Continental Divide! He said that it was hard but it was worth it. He’s a good student when he isn’t being the class clown. He’s the first to help me when I am bringing in groceries or super busy. So with all the goofiness he has a nice good side.

Izak (16) is in 11th grade. He also is playing on Lone Peak’s Ultimate Frisbee team and he is on the boys A team.  He’s pretty excited about that. He loves his teammates and coaches and enjoys the girls who were on his mixed team this fall. The season just ended until February. It’s been fun for him to have both his younger brothers playing. He got his license last spring so it’s been nice to have him drive them to practice. He went to Camp Helaman this summer for scout camp and they built a raft out of milk jugs and some other cool stuff. He also went to Southern Utah with the youth his age from our church. He had a lot of fun on that and Emily went with him. He also has a job at Arctic Circle. It’s growing on him now that he has made friends and he knows what he is doing. He’s enjoying school dances. He went to Homecoming and Sadies. He has a lot of fun whatever he is doing. He’s taking AP US History and Honors Math but I think his other classes are pretty low key overall. He’s just been so busy but now with ultimate frisbee being done for awhile he is going to play Jr Jazz and have time to organize his eagle project, I hope! He’s a good friend and cares a lot about his friends so sometimes scouts and keeping his room clean are not priorities!

Emily (19) graduated last spring from high school. She had a fun senior year! She had a musical revue with her Drama Productions company and had to stage kiss--I laughed every night. Her brothers were disgusted. She was in movie knight with the chamber choir kids--no kissing there. She went to New York City with Chamber Choir and loved all the shows she saw: Wicked, Phantom and Matilda. Matilda was her favorite. She got sick but awesome parents on the tour helped her out.They sang in Carnegie Hall while they were there, very cool. I am glad she was well enough to do it. She got to go to Florida to Universal Studios (spent all day in the Harry Potter part)  and Disney World with her Drama Productions group and they performed at DisneyWorld. They had a workshop with Disney World and they wanted her to audition to work there!  She had decided she was going on a mission this fall so she didn’t. She made some great friends this year that helped her through some tough things. After our trip she got a job at O’Crowley’s Irish Tacos. The food is good and she likes the people she works with. She turned in her mission papers and it seemed like forever until they came back. Her mission call actually came while she was doing some fun hiking and stuff with the youth from our church down in Southern Utah. So she waited until the Sunday after she got home to open it. She is called to the Columbia, South Carolina mission. She had the original Missionary Training Center date of November 9th but she had it moved back because she ended up having surgery on her ankle the end of August. After hiking in Southern Utah she felt like something wasn’t right and she should have her foot checked before leaving on her mission. They found a divot in her ankle bone caused by trauma--it’s hurt her off and on over the past 2 years so we aren’t sure when the trauma happened or if it was multiple traumas. Anyway, the surgery went well and she was healing well, ahead of time but she decided to delay because she felt like it was too weak. I was relieved when she shared her decision. She was reassigned to December 14th. We all felt good about that. So at this writing she has less than a month when she will be leaving! She went back to work as soon as she could and has been going to physical therapy and doing yoga and walking to strengthen it. My parents were in Kauai for 3 weeks in November and she went over there and spent time with them. She had a great experience and feels ready for her mission more than ever. It was hard to put off when she just wanted to GO! But I think she is learning some great things during this time. She’s going to be great because her testimony of Jesus Christ is very strong.

Timo (22) is in his 2nd year at BYU. He earned a full tuition scholarship after last year for his hard work. He is still working at BYU Mail Services. He saved and bought himself a used car. His major is Stats with a minor in psychology (I think). He made lots of good friends last year and then moved out with his high school friends in the spring to an apartment off campus. He has made new friends and is still having fun with his friends from last year. It was fun to have him with us on our trip to California. He missed last time we went so he got to have fun with us until he had to fly back for his roommate, Gabe’s, wedding. He went camping with friends and to St. George with friends.After finals he’s flying to San Antonio to visit friends from his mission, the day Emily goes into the MTC. He has a tough schedule this fall and hopes to keep all his scholarships when it’s over. We always enjoy when he comes home with his friends for dinner and we play games after.  

Taran (23) did not go to school this fall. He’s a senior who is still figuring out what he wants to do. He got a fulltime job at NuSkin after going full-time at BYU last year. His band was busy with different gigs and venues including Battle of the Bands. We can’t always go but it’s fun to watch them. He and Lisa are doing well and just moved into a bigger apartment. And then their car died so they are saving up for a vehicle. That’s what they are getting for Christmas :). They were able to come with us to California. Actually Taran had to work the first part of the trip so he flew down. His wife Lisa went the whole trip with us. She had never been to Disneyland so it was fun to take her. He is signed up for a class next semester. I think he’s settled on Spanish. He and Lisa helped Emily take care of the kids while Tim and I were out of town. They are lots of fun to hang out with.

Tim (almost 50) what??? So ya we turn 50 this coming year. He continues to keep active playing tennis, basketball and ultimate frisbee at lunch. He is a manager of QA for Family Search. He just found out a couple of weeks ago that he made it into the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! He will start out in the Training Choir in January, they rehearse Tuesday and Thursday nights. These are mandatory through April. Look for him during April General Conference he might be singing! By the way, it was a three part process which was grueling and I am so proud of him!!!!  It’s one of the few things he’s ever really wanted to do. We celebrated our 25th Anniversary this summer. Well, actually I am not sure if we really did do anything that day exactly because we knew were going to Disneyland! Tim had a conference in the fall for work at the Disneyland Hotel! I had a free flight from my Delta AmEx. So practically free. We paid for our Disneyland tickets and other things we did. We had a fantastic time and if you want to know more of what we did ask us!

Rachelle (also almost 50) so this year has been interesting. I had helped with the Drama Parents group at the high school and that came to an end with Emily’s graduation. I enjoy being involved. Well no worries I am the PTA President at our elementary school.  It’s been great I have great people to work with. My president elect had to step down and I haven’t been able to find anyone to replace her. So I may be president one more year. Luckily most of my board is willing to join me another year so that’s a twist I wasn’t quite ready for! I still help with the choir at the high school and in other things as I can. I am still doing cub scouts but now I am in the WEBELOS den.They are the same boys I had last year it’s so fun! Hopefully they aren’t sick of me. This summer I realized that I needed to get into better shape and stop being lazy. I am active but I also came to find out I was eating 3 times the suggested servings on most things--YIKES. I am lucky I wasn’t bigger and in worse shape. I enlisted God’s help and He came through. He inspired me with a lifestyle change-- not a diet or special exercise for a limited time. Something I can do FOREVER. And it’s working. I am so grateful. I have lost over 20 pounds since I started on July 7th. This has been handy because my back has been having problems and after an MRI I found out I have a bulging disc same one I had to have surgery on 9 years ago. I had an epidural and it’s helped some. The chiropractor has also been very helpful and my daily yoga. So I am hoping no surgery this time. My Aunt Bev, my dad's sister passed away in September. I feel blessed to have been with her before she passed with my sister and cousins. She will be missed but she was suffering so it was a tender mercy.

Well that’s it for a year. I have personally felt lifted and guided during my challenges this year by Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. I know they love us and want to help us we just need to reach out to them. We hope you have a great Christmas and fantastic New Year!

Much love, Rachelle and the rest of Pews

50 and Fit?

Mount Timp in the fall (PC: Me)

So I started this post awhile ago and it looks like it got deleted. Owell.  It's mostly for me. I think there is an inherent need to express ourselves.  I miss blogging but I started it when I had back problems 8 years ago and continued during a super busy time. It was not helping my family so I backed off and only post once a year. Life isn't less busy but my kids are older and don't need as much direction on Sunday as before. One thing I wanted to do by posted here is hold myself accountable. I made a body lifestyle change in July. I kind of wish I had a before picture. But I decided that I needed to change how I was taking care or not taking care of my body. 

For me and a lot of moms I know taking care of us is LAST priority. We put our families and others first. But I think it's a big mistake to let our health suffer while we take care of others. In the end we won't be there or at least in a healthy way with our families if we don't take care of ourselves. I enjoy exercising that isn't the issue, my issue is food. I love to eat.  I enjoy cooking and baking so it's been a challenge to eat healthy.  I like healthy food but I eat too much of it and everything else. I have hypothyroidism which means I have a slower metabolism than I should.  I honestly should be HUGE as it is I was on the obese side of the BMI table. I know so gross. 3 things we don't talk about sex, money and our weight right? But here I am. I was looking at photos from a recent family trip and I looked so fat and then I went on a hike that was 3 miles and I felt so heavy and out of shape. My oldest son Taran had wanted me to hike Timp with him and his wife the end of summer. After this 3 mile hike I thought that I would never make it up there and back at this fitness level. One of my friends from high school posted on Facebook her goal to be healthy by her 50th birthday.  So that's when I decided to set the goal  to climb Timp next summer after I got fit.  So 50 and Fit was born for me. I was going to start a Facebook group but my daughter thought it was weird but I know that it is easier if you have support of others to reach a goal not just a fitness goal. I haven't started a group because I don't want to be a goober. But maybe I still be a goober and make one!

So I am down 16 pounds. It's been fun people are noticing. So what I did was I had been reading and gathering info on healthy eating and exercising over the years. I put together something simple that fit my life. And so far it's working. I have a free app Lifesum that I track my eating and exercise and weight. I actually went off of refined sugar for 3 weeks trying to get rid of my addiction to sugar. The last time I went off sugar I got so sick I was going into withdrawal. I had a horrible headaches (are there any other kinds of headaches?). I was nauseated and lethargic. It was horrible so I went back to sugar.  But since then I had read more and found out if you eat lots of protein, eat every 2 hours and drink lots of water you can get rid the addiction with less withdrawal symptoms. It totally worked. So the app had me put in my desired weight and my current weight and suggested the calories I should have in order to reach my goal over a certain amount of time.  The app helps me stay on target. I also tried to eat every 2 hours and stop after dinner what ever time that is. I also drink lots of water. I also changed my exercise a bit by adding Tabata or sometimes it's called metabolic training. I do at least 4 minutes of Tabata (if you go to YouTube you can find lots of workouts)it's supposed to jump start your metabolism. So if I have a lot of time I do 30 plus minutes. I have been also doing yoga lately but usually I walk or run on the elliptical. I do this before I eat breakfast and after I drink a glass of water. I was putting fresh lemon squeezed in it which is supposed to stimulate the liver which helps clean toxins from your body. I have modified my eating, I eat healthier, usually but I also enjoy a bite or two or a whole serving of dessert.  I have made some amazing recipes I have found. I found some high protein snacks to make that are delicious, my kids, who are the pickiest, eat them and want more!

I know that I could not do this without God. I know he inspired me and showed me what I could do for me. He helps me keep my resolve. Have I messed up? Oh yes, I have but nothing like in the past where I would binge after depriving myself. I have feel like I am making better food choices and I know I am eating way less than before. It was eye opening when I starting measuring my food! I had been eating enough for 3 people! I know God and His son Jesus Christ care about our health and happiness and when we are ready to make changes in our lives they are ready to help.

Anyway, I am super excited about my new "lifestyle". I hope it helps me be fit enough for Timp and for turning 50!

Pew Year in Review 2015

Pew Family Year in Review 2015

I remember when people told me to enjoy my little kids because they grow up fast. I was very skeptical. Days seemed like years and sleep seemed like a dream of long ago. So for those of you with little ones or those who are just embarking on adulthood, enjoy each moment you are living. Sometimes you might have to search for the joy but do try. It will add to the memories and you will be grateful you noticed it. So here are some of our moments. I usually don't share the downs, there were downs and there were super tough times. There were sleepless nights and days full of worry but looking back we made it through, a little wiser and maybe a little more humble. And that is life, we hope all our experiences make us a little bit better than we were.

Gwen (9) tried out some new things this year which was big for her. She tends to be a little timid. She joined Singer's Company which is an all girl singing group and they learn songs, a little choreography and acting. They performed at our city's Family Festival. She loved it so much in the spring that she is doing it this fall and we look forward to her performance at the Festival of Trees in December. She also took horseback riding lessons this summer with her friend Molly and loved it. She would like a horse, of course. She tried gymnastics this summer with her cousin Holly and loved it and is still doing that as well. She loves her 3^rd grade teacher. She still loves piano and does well at it. And she doesn't miss soccer at all. We are hoping she will someday learn to do her chores on her own. We can wish right? She's really sweet , fun, funny and distracted.

Zane (12) looks forward to being a deacon the end of November. He is in 6^th grade A.L.L. The gifted program at our school. He works hard and does well. He comes home excited to tell me some new thing he learned. We love that! He enjoyed Jr Jazz last year and will play again this winter. He tried out Ultimate Frisbee this summer. Izak and some of his friends were the coaches. It was good experience overall. His flag football team did pretty well this year. An improvement over being DEFEATED last year! He still takes piano, not his favorite but he practices anyway. He's our very responsible child! He passed off the swimming merit badge after taking the class 2 times. What a trooper! Can we tell you how happy we are that he's our last scout? Scouting is great it's just a lot of work! Not just for the boys! He is enjoying being a deacon and even gets up early to shovel snow with the older brothers for the older people in the neighborhood.  He's fun and funny too and focused!

Micah (13-1/2) enjoyed Jr Jazz last winter, they got 2^nd place in tournament. He played well. He tried out for the 9^th grade team this fall and didn't make it but was upbeat about it and hopes to make it next year. He tried out the track team last spring. That was a new experience for us! He and his fellow runners were fun to watch. He also played soccer spring and fall with his same competition team. This will be their final year together as they will need to go AAA. He isn't interested in that but he loves his teammates most of them he has played with since he was 8. He does well in school. He went to Ultimate Frisbee practices all summer with Izak. He had fun at scout camp, they camped and fished in the Uintas. He enjoys serving in his deacons quorum. He is trained to be a Family History Consultant so he's found a ton names to add to our growing box of names. He enjoys going to the temple as much as possible. He also plays the piano and is interested in accompanying in choir. He found the Temptations Radio after dancing to "My Girl" with his brothers at Taran's wedding.  He is a lot of fun when he doesn't take things too far. He is anxious to work on his eagle project. Let's get the science fair project done first. Next year we may have 2 more eagles in the family!

3v3 Ultimate Frisbee Team 2nd place Middle School Turkey Bid Tournament

Izak at the Mixed State Tournament for Ultimate Frisbee

Izak (15-1/2) passed his permit test FINALLY. Yes, it took multiple tries. So now that the weather is turning nasty we can start practicing! YEAH. Feel the sarcasm? I like teaching driving as much as I liked potty training. It stinks! Anyway, he's had a lot of changes going on this year besides driving. He decided to try out Ultimate Frisbee with some of his friends last February. Honestly I got sick of him sitting around and I had heard about it from other people and finally made him take the leap. It helped that he had 3 other friends come with. They all loved it and were immediately the top players of the lowest team. This is a whole new world to us, like track! We love it though! It's a fun game and Izak and his friends are now on the B team this fall. They moved up from D. They stop practicing for winter soon and will start up again in February. He has made new friends and they are great kids. It's fun to be a part of the Lone Peak Ultimate Frisbee family. They played in several tournaments in the spring and then practiced all summer in the mornings M-W-F for 2 hours. Pretty fun way to start the day! He also went to a camp put on by BYU CHI the Ultimate Frisbee club which he enjoyed. He started high school this fall as a sophomore and is doing well even though he is taking honors classes. Hopefully proving to himself he isn't a total goof off! He is a lot of fun but he is also very smart but in a family with lots of smart people it is sometimes hard to feel like you are smart at all. Comparison kills. He continues to take piano. He went on a 100 mile mountain bike scout camp last summer in Southern Utah. He did fine until the last day his knee gave out so he couldn't ride his bike anymore. What great scout leaders to take these young men on such an ambitious ride! Hopefully he will work on his eagle project stuff while Ultimate Frisbee is on break. Maybe he can get it done before he's 18! I'm not holding my breath.

Emily as Mary with her stage family from Secret Garden.

Emily (18) just finished playing Mary, the lead in the musical Secret Garden at Lone Peak High School. It has been her favorite musical since she was 9 when her Granny took her to Cedar City to see it! She is a senior and busy as can be. She is also in Chamber Choir and Drama Productions. She worked at Zupas up until the end of October so she could pay for her tours. Chamber is going to NYC in February and performing in Carnegie Hall and Productions is going to Disney World in Florida and performing there. She loved going to DC last spring for her Drama/Choir tour. She also cleaned house for people and taught voice lessons to earn money. She did the choir yard sale with a lot of help from Mom and Dad and neighbors. She also earned money from the Disney concert that the Chamber Choir put on. She has a few more opportunities to earn money so it's looking good! She also was asked (actually begged) to join the Floral Design team and went to a competition they had at Snow College. She already is the VP for Drama Council but her Floral Design teacher REALLY wanted her to. Owell. She has enjoyed going to all the school dances and is trying to enjoy this senior year to the fullest. In October she was able to be on a Face2Face with the Piano Guys. She was one of the interviewers! Yes, it was an amazing experience. Her fellow interviewer got her the audition. If you haven't seen it go to:www.lds.org/youth/activities/spiritual-strength/face-to-face-with-the-piano-guys they were great. The Piano Guys are great examples of followers of Christ. She has applied for college but plans to go on a mission next fall as soon as she is 19. She is an amazing person, not perfect but she is a source of strength and light to many. If she cleaned her room, I mean really cleaned it, she'd be perfect. LOL

Timo (21) is in his first semester of college at BYU-Provo. He went on a mission straight out of high school and returned this summer, 2 days before Taran was married. He seems to be doing well in school. He works at BYU mail services. His Granny worked there many years ago but some of the people she knew are still there. He has a ROC pass (sports) and goes to all the BYU home football games. He tries to go to other sporting events too it just depends on his homework load. He does a lot with his Family Home Evening group. They seem like a fun bunch. He was able to go back to San Antonio the beginning of November and go through the temple with a man he had taught that was baptized. That was a great experience for him. He's a serious student but I think he is managing to have some fun. We hope anyway. It's nice to have him home even though we don't see him a whole lot.

Taran (22) and his wife Lisa were married last summer. Sorry if you didn't get an announcement. It was not intentional. They met at BYU, he was her home teacher. By Christmas it

was getting serious. They got engaged in the spring. We are glad they waited for Timo to get home! They went to California on their honeymoon to Morro Bay. From the pictures it seems beautiful. He is still working at NuSkin. Recently he was rewarded with great seats and food at a Jazz game. He says he likes all his classes he has right now. He and his band Emissary are competing again in BYU Battle of the Bands. It's a great creative outlet for him and his music talent. Lisa is going to LDS Business College in SLC. She is working as a TA there. She has some tough classes this semester. But she is still her happy, cheerful self. It's still a little weird to think we have a married child. It's surreal but then it's also a natural part of life. You want your child to find someone they love who appreciates them like you do! We are happy for them in the adventure of marriage and being a student. It is definitely the easier way to go through college—less distractions!

Rachelle (getting older) continues to work on organization, budgeting, healthy food and whatever needs her immediate attention which usually involves driving somewhere. She helps with PTA at the elementary school, drama and choir booster committees. She hasn't figured out how to fit Family History research into the schedule yet. But she has a ton of names to do so she tries to get to the temple each week—it doesn't always happen. She has 11 Bear scouts keeping her busy but she loves them. She and Tim enjoyed being a trek ma and pa. It was a great experience and we had some great kids in our family! We loved them!

Tim (also getting older) is solid as in dependable, he keeps healthy with his lunchtime sports and

eating lots of fruits and vegetables. He is still working at Family Search and manages some good people. He spends his “free time” coaching flag football and Jr. Jazz and getting kids to their stuff and watching them too. He also tried to keep the cars running and the house from completely falling apart! He got to “spot” for our friend who PAs for BYU football and basketball games. He spotted 2 football games—he'd find out the defensive player who made the play. He thoroughly enjoyed that. He takes good care of us all and we are blessed by his good works. He was a great pa on trek. He would be a great pioneer.

Louw Family Trip to Idaho, Sawtooth Mountains in the back.

We had a great time going to the zoo, Thanksgiving Point Gardens, the Museum of Natural Curiosity, the Dinosaur Museum,, Trafalga, Seven Peaks Waterpark, and up the AF canyon. Our family trip to Idaho was a great experience. Rachelle's mom showed us around where she grew up. We ended up at the Sawtooth Mountains in a cool log motel. We enjoyed time on Redfish and Petit Lakes. It brought back great memories of trips there when Rachelle and her siblings went as small children. We hiked to Goat Falls which was much harder this time than when Rachelle was 10! Tim and Rachelle were blessed to be flown back to DC by their friends the Butlers. They were there 8 days seeing the sights. They were great hosts and they loved interacting with the Butler kids. They even got to go to visit Tim's sister and her family who live in Maryland. It was a great trip and we were so grateful for Rachelle's parents for taking on our busiest week while we were gone!

We have nothing to complain about but maybe our government, hahaha. But I guess it's not really that funny :( Our blessings truly come from the source of all good, our Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father who sent Him. We are so grateful to take time out from our busy lives to reflect more upon what He means to us. We are so grateful to know that we can turn to them in our time of need and they will guide us and that all things work for our good if we are faithful. May you feel their love in your life and may you enjoy the peace this season brings despite all the craziness in the world. 
Much love &  Merry Christmas! & a Great YEAR! Tim, Rachelle, Taran & Lisa, Timo, Emily, Izak, Micah, Zane & Gwen