Peterson Family Take on PNW

The Peterson Family Reunion was in Washington this year! I loved having it in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and showing my family some of my favorite places. I planned lots of fun things to do and we loved our time together.

I loved the kids gathering on the street as we waited for everyone to arrive. It was so much cousin time for the girls, and they loved it so much.

Monday evening we went to the lake to enjoy some swimming, kayaking, and paddleboarding.

We watched the sunset at the lake, and it is always so beautiful. It was a fun way to kick off the reunion. Derek and Amy's family stayed at our house and then everyone else stayed at Dale and Margaret's house. It was so kind of them to let us use their house as our Airbnb this year. It was wonderful having our two houses and the kids just walking back and forth and enough space for everyone.

Tuesday, we had a lazy morning and then back up a lunch and went to Dash Point State Park for low tide and a fun afternoon at the beach.

We always had extra girls with us, and it was a lot of singing Benson Boone at the top of their lungs.

It was wonderful being there at low tide. We had lots of beach to play on. The kids immediately got in the water and had so much fun splashing, swimming, and finding shells.

McCall did have a swimsuit on but then got cold and wanted to get her clothes back on but of course she got wet with her clothes on too. :)

The kids had so much fun digging in the sand and just being at the beach.

Juliette and I made such a cool sand castle, and it was such a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

Once we got home, everyone painted a gnome inspired rock for our adventure for the next day.

Then we ended the day with some Oreo taste testing.

Wednesday, we went on two "hikes". First up was the gnome trail in Maple Valley. Everyone had a gnome rock to hide on the trail. Everyone enjoyed seeing all the different gnomes, and we even saw some deer.

I painted everyone as a gnome on a big rock with their first initial on the hat. It turned out cute but was pretty heavy to carry around. All the grandkids got a picture with the rock before I found the perfect spot for it on the trail.

Then we got home and had pizza and fish and chips from Ivars for lunch, and then we had some water balloon fun.

Emily's reaction on the left is pricless. :)

Tired girl from all the fun.

My cousins came to visit for the afternoon. Cameron lives in Seattle with his wife, and they have a little one. His sister, Heather, happened to be visiting so it was fun to see them.

Then we all enjoyed some snow cones.

Then after dinner we left, and the plan was to go to the Green River Gorge. We drove all the way out there and we were told there was an accident earlier in the day, so the trail was closed for the rest of the day. It was a bit disappointing but then we just decided to go to Flaming Geyser State Park and it ended up being my favorite part of the whole reunion.

The trail to the bubbling geyser is always so pretty and embodies what a hike in the PNW is like.

Then the real entertainment happened when a whole bunch of us climbed up to the big tree with all the roots and made the steep trek up and around. The took a lot of encouragement from adults to the kids to make it up the initial hill. There were a few tears because of fear but they all overcame their fear and made it to the top. Then the tricky part was sliding down the hill because it is so steep. I ended up going first with Emily, Baylor, Bria, Parker, and Tannin all behind me. I was afraid that it would be too steep for them, so I had them all line up behind me in a train. It was tricky and I went really slow down and with their weight I had to use all my strength to just keep them all in control. There weren't a lot of footings so I had to dig my heels deep and grab any roots I could to keep us all from crashing down. We were all laughing and those that didn't go were all taking videos and pictures. At another point, Amy saw a mouse that ran right by her, and we all laughed as the adults navigated their way down the hill, and at one point Mom got off balance and almost fell down into the bushes, but Charlotte and Michelle caught her. We were all laughing at the end of and even though it was messy and chaotic it was so fun and was so memorable for all of us.

We made our way down to the river and the setting was gorgeous. We stayed there while the sun set. The kids had fun throwing rocks in the water and exploring. The dads and kids were all skipping rocks together and Paige caught a little fish in a bag. It was such a wonderful way to spend the evening with some incredible views.

The sunset while we walked back to the car was stunning!

Thursday everyone was pretty tired, and they aren't quite used to my energizer bunny ways. So, some people stayed home, some went to the Goodwill Outlet, and my dad and I took a few kids and decided to go hike the Green River Gorge.

We had Parker, Bria, Baylor, and McCall and the hike was so pretty. The kids did great and Parker and Bria both said this was the best hike ever. They loved going behind the waterfall, climbing over the rocks, and exploring.

Then we stopped in Black Diamond to get a donut which was delicious like always.

Then almost everyone drove to the Sounder train station and we got to experience the fun of public transportation to go up to Seattle to a Mariners game.

The game was so much fun! Our girls got some cotton candy and others got other snacks to share. The game took a bit to have some excitement but then the Mariners started really played and there were some home runs and stolen bases to home. We tried so hard to get on the jumbotron with lots of dancing and yelling. It was so much fun, and the Mariners won! We were some of the last to leave the stadium because we were enjoying the incredible views of the Seattle skyline at night. The train ride back to our cars was crowded, but it was an experience and everyone had so much fun.

Friday was our ferry ride day. Originally, we were going to go to Vashon Island but as I looked at traffic there was a road closure because of an accident so it would have taken us hours to get there so I made a last minute decision to go to Bainbridge Island. So, it was back to Seattle and we didn't get there in time to get on the ferry I wanted but we were able to park our cars at the ferry terminal and enjoyed walking along the Seattle pier and we all went to the Curiousity Shop. Nate even got pooped on by a seagull and it was a good thing he had a hat on, or it would have been way more disgusting. Everyone enjoyed the ferry ride across. Ferry rides are one of my favorite things about living here. The day felt a little rushed since we didn't get on the ferry I thought we would, and Nate had to get back for work, but it was still a good day and we saw some cool stuff on the island.

Our first stop was the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial which is always pretty memorable to look at and read about their stories. Then we walked down to the beach to enjoy some time on the water.

We made a quick stop to see Pia, the troll on the island, before getting in the ferry line. The ferry ride back into Seattle has a million dollar view and is always one of my favorites. 

Saturday everyone packed up and left and I helped make sure Dale and Margaret's house got cleaned up. It was a wonderful reunion! Karlton and Michelle ended up staying with us one more night, so we went and walked along the Soos Creek Trail Saturday evening and had smores to end the night. I loved having my family in Washington and showing them why I love living here.

Young Women Camp 2025

Camp Week! The young women kicked off this great week by going to High Trek Adventure. This is our third year in a row doing this activity and it is always a hit and so much fun! It is great way for our young women to do something hard but also something really fun. We connected, cheered each other on, and brought unity to our group. Then we had a short discussion about our experience and how it connects to the gospel. I’m always impressed with what they come up with and I love it! 

• Just like we had to completely trust the equipment to keep us safe, we have to completely rely on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They can help guide us and keep us on the right path.
• There were many different paths and obstacles you could go through, and in life there are many different paths and challenges we will face. Some are easier than others and some are more difficult based off the choices we make. We all have the same goal, and it is okay that we take different paths.
• For the entire time, you always have one claw clip connected and this is like our Savior who is always there and reliable. He is always connected to us and wants to help us through life.
• Take time to dance and find joy in living. (Bella would pause in the middle of an obstacle and do a dance! It was so fun to watch.) Life can be hard so find joy in it especially the little things!
•  Each time we moved to a different path or obstacle, we had to reach out and connect to it. Our Savior is always there ready to reach out and help us as we move through each path in our life. Just take His hand, He’ll lead you there!
• This experience and the experience of life is more enjoyable when done with other people. There are times when we feel so alone, but we can reach out or we are the one who is being reached and both of those are beautiful parts of life. We can strengthen, lift, and encourage each other through life. (This is my favorite part of this activity because I get to witness these group of amazing young women be there for each other and encourage those that are scared or unsure in the moment!)

I did the course and zip lines for half of the time and then took the time to take lots of pictures. It was so fun to watch the girls do hard things, conquer their fears, have fun, encourage each other, and they would always find me when they were on the zip lines and smile and pose for the camera. It was such a fun way to spend the afternoon and a great way to kick off our camp week. It was a bonus to have Juliette with us and it was great for her to connect with my young women so she was comfortable with them when we went to camp.

Camp Rock was incredible! Doubt Not, Fear Not, Christ is our Rock! Young Women camp is a little piece of heaven on earth, and our girl’s had an amazing time. It brought them closer to each other, helped them feel the Spirit, and build their testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Wednesday the campers arrived, and it is sweet to see the YCL’s take care of their girls. The girls had fun on the slip and slide and in the lake. There is uncertainty at first and then the magic and fun starts to happen with skit night. They start to unite and work together. I got to see the care and love of leaders as we worked together to clean up our cabin from an unfortunate situation and care for the one. There is such love for each other at camp, and I love it!

Lake and slip and slide

Games with the Brethren that were there for the week

Skit night

Thursday’s morning started with such a sweet spirit as two YCL’s sang, “A Daughter of Light”. Tears filled my eyes as I thought of the girls in our ward and the light they bring to my life and  to the world. The girls learned some great life skills with some classes and did some service for the military. The girls loved floating down the river over and over again. They tested their knowledge in a fun relay race. Then they had such amazing spiritual rotations learning from our wonderful stake leaders. The girls feasted on the gospel as they learned about patriarchal blessings, the importance of their self-worth (the audible shock when the leader tore up at $20 bill!), and scripture study skills (with the sweetest bookmarks that the leader personally made for each girl). Then of course a favorite of the night was ending with Hoopla! It is such a fun way to end the night, and Brother Santos even joined in!

Some girls were brave enough to do the polar bear plunge to kick off their day.

Miltary service project (making some lanyards and writing some thank you cards) and survival rotations (they learned about self defense/awareness, first aid, and PNW plants).

River Float! A highlight for a lot of the young women.

Relay races to test their knowledge of the survival classes they had earlier in the day.

Minute to win it game at the evening roll call/flag ceremony.

I knew that Carly was also up at Ensign for the week for her first young women's camp experience. Their camp happened to be right next to ours. Oftentimes when we were not doing anything, I didn't see anyone at her camp but one evening, I saw them eating dinner and so I walked close by and found her. It was fun to see her and she was shocked to see me there at the same time. She was having a wonderful time which is awesome.

Hoopla- Such a fun dance party and an amazing way to end the day!

Juliette ended up with a stomach ache and not feeling well after Hoopla. So her and I ended up in our own cabin which was great for both of us. It was nice to be in a nice quiet cabin for one night, and we both slept a lot better than the night before.

Friday was a day that was filled to the brim with the Spirit. The girls started the day at the lake and the slip and slide. Then it was time for a highlight for lots of the girls which was an incredible faith walk. I know the girls felt the Spirit as they walked through, talking about finding peace in Christ especially a part with a mirror that was covered in affirmation. I know this touched so many of the young women since they mentioned it in their testimonies later that evening. Each of the girls took a rock through the faith walk that they wrote a letter on at each stop. P- Peach During Trials, E- Endure, A- Affirmation, C- Carry Each Other, and E- Eternal Savior. They ended with a gorgeous picture of all their pictures combined together to create a picture of Christ. They were encouraged to see themselves in Christ. The girls had some solo time to connect with God in nature and with personal letters from home. We loved ward time together for dinner and for some great conversations. I love our girls! Then we ended with the sweetest testimony meeting. Our girls hugged each other and were touched by each other’s testimonies, which was the best thing to watch as their leader and as someone that loves them dearly. It was the best time with the best young women!

Juliette had bit of a spill on the tube and it was so funny to watch! Then of course Paige was going right behind her and ran right into her.

Faith Walk

PEACE in Christ

Ward time with my girls!!! They are the best!

Roll Call/Flag Ceremony with the Bishops from each ward

Most of my young women got up and bore their testimonies. It was so sweet, especially one who was so brave and vulnerable and shared some things about her home life. I had tears running down my face as I listened to her. All of our girls rushed her when she sat down and gave her so many hugs. She hugged me multiple times and told me that she loved me and it melted my heart. It was such a sweet evening with the young women of our stake. Some things from the testimony meeting that touched me:

• Pray & Feast to keep the light
• Where did I see Christ today? When I look into each of your eyes and see your souls and in the trees.
• You are wanted!
• The Lord loves effort.
• Choose Him!
• Turn to Christ in the darkest of times. He's the light!
• Jesus loves you!
• When you look for light, He is there.
• You are an answer to prayers.
• The Son (Sun) is always there, even if we can't always see it.
• You are trying. You can endure because you are a child of God.
• God has a plan, and we are all part of it.

What a wonderful week with such an amazing group of people! Life is good!