Deja vu

I have seen this before. Hmmmmm.
Frank actually was in a fender bender on I-15 last Saturday. This is deja vu because Reggie had this same accident in January. I hope I can survive teenage drivers. Actually, I probably should say that I hope they survive.

Tender Mercy

I remember Elder Bednar speaking of Tender Mercies. I love this talk and I have been thinking about it a lot lately. He said, "I believe I have come to better understand that the Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, the Lord suits “his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men” (D&C 46:15)."

"Recall how the Savior instructed His Apostles that He would not leave them comfortless. Not only would He send “another Comforter” (John 14:16), even the Holy Ghost, but the Savior said that He would come to them (see John 14:18). Let me suggest that one of the ways whereby the Savior comes to each of us is through His abundant and tender mercies. For instance, as you and I face challenges and tests in our lives, the gift of faith and an appropriate sense of personal confidence that reaches beyond our own capacity are two examples of the tender mercies of the Lord. Repentance and forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord. And the persistence and the fortitude that enable us to press forward with cheerfulness through physical limitations and spiritual difficulties are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord."
(April 2005 General Conference)

I was recently involved in an accident while riding my road bike. I feel so blessed because I know that I was given a tender mercy of protection. I won't go into details of the crash other than a swerved to miss a car that didn't see me. I ended up going over my handlebars and landing in weeds and wild grass between the road and an irrigation ditch. For whatever reason I didn't put my hands out to catch me. I just did a forward roll landing on my back. I remember the landing. First my neck, then shoulder and hip. I remember feeling my neck kind of crack like when knuckles pop but nothing really hurt as I lay there. Needless to say the adreniline was pumping and the soreness and stiffness came later. I was able to get up and get on my bike again.

When I went back to the spot to take the pictures it really hit me how lucky I was to only have bruises. I didn't land on the asfault or in the water filled ditch or even hit my head on the metal piping in the ditch. I truly had experienced a tender mercy of the Lord. I am so grateful.


Crash Site - (You can't really see the ditch but it is off to the right.)


Landing Site

Words of Wisdom

This video is of our last few minutes before we got to the MTC. I asked if there were any last words of wisdom before Reg headed out. This just makes me laugh. It is actually a good representation of a ride in our car. Especially the teenagers that are plugged in. :)

Elder Reginald Phillip Pack

On June 16th, Reggie entered the MTC. We pulled up to the curb and there was a Host Missionary there to help Reg with his bags. We gave him our last hugs and away he went. This is a picture of his last wave good-bye.

Jenna got a Build-A-Bear for her birthday. She calls him "Reggie Bear". On our way home from the MTC we stopped and bought a missionary suit for her bear. It even came with a little, stuffed Book of Mormon.

Some of these pictures were taken on the Sunday of his Farewell and the other pictures were taken just before we left to take Reggie to the MTC. We are so proud of him and we are sure going to miss him. The adventure begins.

Hiking and Skiing the Wellsvilles

We are so lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. We are right at the base of the Wellsville Mountains. This winter Phil and some other guys hiked up the Wellsville Mountains (didn't quite make it to the peak because of bad weather) and then skiied down. They had a great time.

?, Riley, Roger, Rob, Brian, and Phil

Reunion & Birthday

The Pack Family Reunion was held at Camp Morrison in McCall, Idaho on June 10-12. Camp Morrison is famous in the Pack family. It has had special meaning for many years. Phil's brother ran this camp for many years and many Pack relatives have worked there. Phil spent many summers working there himself. Even after we were married we worked up there together when Reg was just a few months old. It is beautiful up there and the perfect place for so many of us to gather. There were over 100 Pack relatives there at the reunion. Phil is the youngest of 9 children and there are 68 grandchildren and I couldn't begin to tell you how many great-grandchildren there are. It was great to reconnect with so many. It was also our last time to camp and be with Reggie before his mission. So glad we had this time together.

• Camp Fires
• Games, Skits, and Songs
• Giant Marshmallow
• Latrines
• Birthday Cake
• Hot Springs
• Volleyball
• Boat Rides
• Sand Castles
• Fishing

Jenna had her 9th birthday while we were up there and she was pretty excited to have so many people sing "Happy Birthday" to her. She had it all planned out what she wanted and how she wanted us to "surprise" her in the morning. She also wanted to fish on her birthday because it was "Free Fishing Day" in Idaho. Phil's sister Vurvian and her husband, Doug, live in Council which isn't that far away. On our way home, we stopped by a lake and Doug took Phil, Rob and Jenna out on his little boat to fish. It was a comedy of errors. The wind was blowing and it was very cold. Phil had to work pretty hard at rowing just to stay in the same place and any wrong move they would have tipped over. Each time Jenna would touch the real it would turn in to a giant knot. It definitely didn't turn out quite like the fishing experience we thought it would be but fun still the same.

Family Pictures June 2010