EIGHT MONTHS LATER AND WE ARE BACK!!

Cache Valley Century - August 2009 We Rocked!

Salt Lake Century - May 2009

Great riding companions with Scott, Heidi, and Derek.

Heidi a 2009 Utah State University Graduate!

Congratulations Heidi! She already has a dream job teaching kindergarten/first grade at a private school and is loving it.

Cameron all spiffed up for Prom 2009. We were in Logan and he never got me pictures of him with his date. Bad Cameron!

Derek an EAGLE SCOUT finally!

Court of Honor - May 2009

Derek with his awesome scoutmaster, Bruce Cox, and his forever buddy, Eric Armstrong.

VIEWMONT VIKING GRADUATE 2009!

Seminary Graduation

May 2009

Derek and his best friend, Kyle Richens.

The Brookhurst Ward Seminary Graduates 2009. Back row: Derek, Jordan Strong, Taylor Keddington, Cody Bauman, Colby Horn, Bishop Gary Flinders. Front Row: Rachel Moon, Alyssa Henrie, Kailey Johnson.

And enough of Derek already!! Just kidding. . . . .I'm one proud momma.




Cameron was in an accident in my car on the way to our Fletcher Family Reunion. Fortunately nobody was hurt and it WAS NOT his fault. Yeah! I got my car back as good as new about 6 weeks later.

Fletcher Reunion at The Heber Valley Camp - June 2009

Zion's Century in late February 2009. Sooooo many hills. . . . .it nearly killed me.

Matthew's 13th Birthday and Valentine's Day. Mostly Matt's birthday though.

Matthew's winning "Rebels" basketball team at the end of the season. Matt is getting to be an awesome player. He is the BIG guy underneath and looking forward to the next season coming on.

Scout Camp at Bear Lake - July 2009

Park City Trip - August 2009

We had a blast even though people were maimed.

One day we rented bikes and went down hill mountain biking at Deer Valley. Everyone crashed or got hurt in one way or another but what a fabulous rush!

Derek Smith had an awesome crash where his head made great contact with a lot of dirt, rocks, etc. Let's just say it was a really good thing he was wearing a helmet. . . . . .it was cracked!

Cameron won the prize for sustained injuries. After about a dozen crashes and getting back on the bike he had a big one and ended up with 5 stitches on his elbow and lots of road rash everywhere else. I hate to say it, but he kind of deserved it. He was acting like such a GUY!

Welcome Home!

Hi everyone,

Wanted to let everyone know that Cameron came home from his mission Monday. He has been "pretending" that he was doing well when in reality he was coming apart at the seams. In spite of having a good companion he was very depressed and having a tremendous amount of anxiety and the mission president felt it best to have him come home. In less than twenty four hours he was already beginning to feel better. He is embarassed but his anxiety level is so much better. Because of this quick adjustment we are pretty sure that it is the Separation Anxiety that was rearing it's ugly head. He's had that for many years but we thought we had a handle on it by having him be away from home for a week or so at a time and him handling it. We had a great talk with the stake president that helped Cameron feel better. He told him that he had willingly and faithfully served a mission and has done all that the Lord has asked of him and that it doesn't matter where you serve but your willingness to serve. And Cameron was definitely willing. We couldn't be more proud of him!

Over the last couple of weeks I've had a lot of questions, wondering why we felt so good about having him go on a mission when in the end it wouldn't work out. It became clear to me as we spent time together as a family and Cameron shared his testimony and the experiences he had at the MTC and in Washington, that he had the mission experience and that was important. Our stake president told him to consider himself a returned missionary and that he was being extended an honorable medical release. Cameron is a good young man with a strong testimony and I'm confident that he is going to be okay. He did his very best (probably more than that in fact) and fulfilled his duty and I hope he will continue to feel good about that. He may consider a service mission. Lots of things to think about and consider now. I so appreciate everyone's love and support in getting him on his mission and know that you will all understand and continue to support him now when he needs it the most. I love you all!!!

Elder Woodbury in Vancouver, Washington

As most of you know, Cameron entered the MTC on December 17, 2008. Thanks to everyone who came to hear him speak. It meant the world to him and to me. It was really weird having him gone on Christmas. I miss him so much but I'm so happy for him! I'm not going to lie, the MTC was difficult for Cameron. Long days and lots of sitting is hard on him. But he perservered and learned so much. He bears a very strong testimony and is ready to start teaching.

Elder Woodbury left the MTC and entered the Washington Kennewick mission on January 13, 2009. We got to talk with him for about an hour while he was at the airport. He was nervous, anxious, and excited. It was great to hear his voice! We got another call from the mission president's wife, Sister Belnap, that evening. She informed us that he arrived safely and gave us the address of where he is going. Vancouver, Washington! It's just across the river from Portland, Oregon. I guess it's very green and rainy most of the time. He is living in the home of a couple who are members of the church. The short note we got in the mail yesterday says he likes his companion and his Mission President. It is a biking area so he has already bought a bike. Thanks to everyone who has prayed in Cameron's behalf. He is begging for letters so I am posting his address.

Elder Cameron Woodbury

13217 NE 49th Street

Vancouver, WA 98682

Foot Surgery

I thought I'd post some cool pics for Halloween. I hope they don't gross anyone out too bad. I had surgery last Friday, the 10th, to have the bunions on my right foot removed/fixed. These pictures were taken at the doctors office yesterday when he redressed it. I had the left foot done a little over a year ago and had forgotten the worst of it. (Thank Heavens!) It feels pretty good now but for about two days it was uncomfortable. The pain medication helped my foot but made me feel pretty crummy otherwise so I'm now just taking Tylenol. Besides sawing the bone back, they put a couple of screws in each toe. Pretty cool on the x-rays. I can't get it wet for 10 days (yes I am still showering), and get to wear the fabulous black boot for about a month. Then my foot stays swollen enough for about four months that I can't wear any cute regular shoes. So I'll be in Crocs and tennis shoes for awhile, even at church. Oh well, at least it's done and there's no going back. I'm glad I had the other one done and will be glad this one is done by next summer. One big bummer is that I missed my goal for miles logged on my bike this summer. I set my goal for 1500 miles and made it to 1477. So close! I almost took a day off work the day before surgery to get the miles in but just had too much to do. And trust me, I won't be pedaling for several weeks. As it is, I'm going to be behind training for next spring. But I love my bike and I'll be back out there. Anyone up for the Salt Lake Century next May? It could be a really fun family adventure and you have plenty of time to get ready! If I can do it with a bum foot, anyone can.

The pictures below are from last year on the left foot. So, the attractive bunions you see on the right are now GONE! Happy Day! HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

You have been called to labor. . . . . .in the Washington Kennewick Mission!!!!

Cameron's Mission Call

Cameron finally received his mission call yesterday. The Centerville Post Office called at 6:22 am letting us know we could come and pick it up. After a little teasing on his part, he read the letter and informed us he had been called to the Washington Kennewick Mission. It takes in the Southern end of Washington State and part of Oregon as well. It has been a long and humbling experience waiting for this call and it feels so good to know where he is going and when. He will enter the Provo MTC on December 17, 2008. Cameron is so excited and so thrilled and realizes what a privilege and a blessing it is to be able to serve a full time mission. We are so proud of him and have witnessed miracles in his life. I know he'll be an excellent missionary and look forward to his service and hearing about his experiences. Congratulations Cameron! We love you!

Derek's First Car

Derek decided to take on the world of car payments and all that goes along with it by purchasing his own car. We were happy to let him keep driving our 1991 Mazda Protege with over 200,000 miles on it but he wanted more. The car is a sporty 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse. It's in pretty good shape in spite of the age of the car. And look below at the hot chick he picked up for a ride already. Does it get any better than that?

Grandma Fletcher is one hot babe and gets a ride in the new car.

First Day of School

Matthew started junior high at Centerville Junior High School this year and is happy to be out of grade school. This is the first year in 16 years that I won't have a child at Jenny P. Stewart Elementary. No more PTA or room mother. A little sad but mostly just liberating. It's kind of weird to drive by or see events on the marquis and think, "Oh yeah, I don't have to worry about that any more." On the other the other hand I am back to doing junior high car pool and although that's not my favorite, it is afterall what mom's are for. Right?

Derek is a Senior at Viewmont High School this year or as Grandma Woodbury would say, "he's the big wheeler dealer on campus." As you can see, he is extremely cool. . . .especially with his new car now.

It's weird to think that just a few short years ago I was so overwhelmed with little kids at home and wondering how I would make it through the day sometimes. Now I have two married daughters, one son leaving on a mission soon, one son graduating from high school this year and. . . . . . .thank heaven's for Matthew. I'm glad I get to hang on to him for a few more years although I'm sure those are going to fly by too fast. Time does give you a lot of perspective and you realize what is really important and what just doesn't matter much. I love my family very much and am so grateful for them in everyway.

By the way, Matthew and Derek hate that I take pictures on the first day of school. The way I figure it, I subjected all the other kids to it for every school year through High School and it just wouldn't be fair to stop now. Derek and Matthew are almost just as cute as they were on the first day of Kindergarten. And of course, I haven't changed a bit.

Cycling 2008

ULCER. . . . .Utah Lake Century Epic Ride

Scott and I rode in a century bike ride on Saturday, August 9th. I've done a couple of other centuries this summer and I have to say this was a miserable experience. Scott and I think it should be the "Ugly Looking Country Epic Ride". The scenery was pretty much what you see in the pictures, dry and desolate. We went at least 25 miles without seeing a single tree and that's not a good thing when it's 95 degrees. Although we drank a lot, Scott started to show signs of heat stroke with some lightheadedness, chills, and nausea so we only finished 95 miles. I don't think we'll do this ride another year.

Salt Lake Century

This was our first attempt at a century and Scott and I were both proud to finish it. We certainly weren't with the front finishers but we weren't at the very end either. There are approximately 2,000 riders that participate in this ride every year. It starts at the Utah State Fair Park in Salt Lake City and then goes out to Antelope Island and back again in a loop for a total of 106 miles. The worst part is the sore rear end. I was dying from about 50-60 miles but after that it wasn't so bad. Maybe everything went numb at that point. I do love my bike! I feel very free and happy when I'm riding (unless my rear hurts or it's too hot or I'm going up huge hill.) Other than that I'm a happy camper.

I got a new road bike for Christmas so I was very excited and trained all winter to ride a century. I've had that goal for a few years. I pulled Scott in with me because I didn't want to ride the century by myself. However, he didn't work near as hard for it as I did. It took him about 3 weeks to get to the same level of fitness that it took me 3 months to reach. He's always been like that . . . and it's NOT FAIR!!! It is fun to ride together though.

Little Red Riding Hood

I talked my daughter's, Heidi and Amber, into riding with me on this one. It started in Wellsville, Utah and went up through Preston, Idaho and back around the loop to Wellsville. The Cache Valley is beautiful country with nice low traffic roads to ride on. The only drawback is that it was pretty cold for a short time. Fortunately it didn't last long. I had a great time and was proud of Heidi and Amber for finishing. I was proud of me too.