turkeyface

HEY!!! TURKEY FACE!!!! you are a big tf

Lindsey's Favorite Hunter!

Did you know that I love to hunt? It is one of my favorite things in the world to do. Some of my fondest memories in the world were hunting in the mountains with my dad, Larry B. Draper. Playing catch in the yard was fun. Cutting trees down in our forest and chopping firewood was hard, but I enjoyed that time with my dad as well. Planting the garden. Going snowskiing. Going waterskiing. Mountain climbing. Going on youth temple trips. Youth conferences. Wrestling tournaments. Letters on my mission. He was always there, setting the best example he knew how, and always taking the opportunity to tell me how much he loved me and cared about me.

I remember watching my dad on the stand at church, and hearing him speak, and thinking, "if I can just be half as awesome as he is, I'll be one amazing man!" Just recently I checked and I'm about 1/8th of the man he is. Which is fairly decent in my opinion, but I'm not settling there. Every day I try to be better, and I try to do what the Lord wants me to do, not just the things that I have seen my dad do.

This last week I had the opportunity to go hunting in the South San Juan Wilderness Area in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. We camped at about 11,000 feet and often hunted in elevations over 12,000 feet. Tyler, my younger brother by just 18 months and one of my best friends, and my dad, who is now 56 and still hiking higher and faster than me, tromped around for 40 miles according to the Garmin GPS device that my dad brought along with him, and we didn't shoot a single deer. To give perspective of just how unlucky that is, my grandpa Jones who is now 80, two cousins, and my aunt, all shot their own deer in one day and they didn't hike more than one mile that whole day!

We will have better luck next time...because you can't have much worse luck than that, right?

One principle that my dad taught my brother and I while we were in the mountains was that if we want to show our wives that we love them, we need to take them to the temple. He said, "kissing, buying flowers, doing the dishes, and playing with the kids so your wife can get things done are all great ways to show you care, but true love to your wife is shown when you take her to the temple to show her that you value and care about your eternal relationship with her."

I love Lindsey. I'm going to take her to the temple more.

I Made it to the Top!!!

Ok so here is my latest adventure. Five months ago I received the calling I have always dreaded-Girls Camp Director!!! Wow- I was trying to find a way to move, get really sick, have a baby, go on a 3month vacation, or have a child get married so I could gracefully bow out. Since none of these options materialized I decided I would just have to dig in and learn how to be a camp director. My first decision was to have the girls go on a hike in the Teton Mountains. Now their are little wimpy hikes and their are moderately difficult hikes and their are really hard hikes. I decided that we were going to do the Grand Daddy Hike-Table Rock! No pansy hikes for us! I had always wanted to do this hike and so now I had the opportunity to inflict my goal on others and make them suffer as well. So I started to prepare, I lifted weights and ran stairs and thought I was doing pretty well until we decided to climb the Butte mountain here in Rexburg. I was pathetic! I was huffing and puffing and really out of shape. I thought -Oh great, Table Rock is only 20 times longer and a lot steeper- no problem for this iron woman. It became necassary to increase my efforts to get in shape and that I did. I ran and ran some more and did 12 sets of running stairs instead of 6. The day of girls camp finally came and I have to admit I was scared. What if I didnt make it to the top. What if I made a fool of myself. What if I died on the trail. Well the first 4 miles were beautiful and not to hard. Wild flowers and waterfalls everywhere! Crossing streams and almost ending my hike because one of my shoes started floating away and a quick young woman grabbed it before it was hopelessly lost in the current. The last 2 miles of the hike were very steep and rocky. The best strategy for me was to just put my head down and keep moving. The goal seemed so far away and impossible but I just thought baby steps, just keep moving. The last few yards were pretty straight up and you used your hands to keep going up. A few of the young women were on top and they kept yelling encouragement to those of us below. It was very inspiring. Well I finally pulled myself on top and it was BEAUTIFUL! You could see forever- the Tetons were so close it felt like you could reach out and touch them. Wow! It truly was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. We had 22 girls make it to the top along with 25 adults from the ward. It was a great bonding experience.
I learned that as we persevere in doing hard things that great blessings will follow. If something is hard, dig in keep trying, pray for help, and the joy and blessings will come. I believe this is a true principle of life and part of our Heavenly Father's plan.
I love you all and I'm so proud of you all and the good lives you lead. I'm so glad I get to be with you all forever.
Love The Mom or Honey (Tate's new name for me!)

Don't get Spued!

So, I sat for a couple of hours thinking of what I should spend me time writing about.  And lest the wrath of the blog-nazi fell upon me for not posting in time, I decided to post about the very same. =D

It was not very many years ago that Whitney and I were married and we began something wonderful.  I always knew that Whitney had some spunk, and good bit of drive, but I didn't realize how wonderfully driven she really was until the past couple years.

I'd say the first few years of our marriage, especially with school, Whit was pretty timid in many ways, and even shy, almost to the point where it would hold her back.  Mostly, she didn't want to offend anyone or hurt feelings...let's just say there were some inconvenient situations she found herself in, just to avoid potentially inconveniencing others...yeah, it killed me! =D  But, I love her for it.

These past couple years though, amidst all of the crazy moving, school, and tests, more children, Whitney has been nothing short of inspirational.  The sheer amount of things she has done (not to be eclipsed by the amazingness),  is pretty cool to think about.  It is so much fun to see her take the creativity that has been sleeping for so long, and watching it transform food & frosting into something amazing.  Or to see her dream up a new design and having to McGyver some mirrors here, and some 2x4's there.  Sometimes I envy her drive, because most of what she does not come out of necessity, but from her intrinsic desire to always be about doing and doing good, and her propensity to create beautiful things from seemingly nothing.

I always knew I wanted a woman who knew what she wanted in life.  And i can tell you that those prayers were answered.  Whitney's passions enrich our marriage and our family more than I ever could have imagined. 

The scripture in Revelations comes to mind, "I would thou wert cold or hot.  So because thou art lukewarm...I will spue thee out of my mouth." (um yes, Whitney is HOT!).  What the Savior is teaching in this passage is that he wants us to choose, and not sit on the fence, and to make those decisions on our own, for "it is not meet that i should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant."

So aside from not wanting to be a sloth, I do want to be a wise servant.  And so it is important that I find a way to have drive in my own life and do thinga not because I have to, but because I truly feel that they are important, and good, and what the Lord wants me to be doing.

I'm a lucky man!  You all are great!  Whitney and I thank our Heavenly Father nightly for the wonderful families that we are a part of. 

I hope all is well wherever you are, and whatever you may be doing.

-ADAM-