The Summer of 2008 was the best Summer of my life.

It was spent at the base of the beautiful Teton Valley, the green Idaho countryside kissing the famous Rocky Mountain landscape. It was a setting dedicated for spiritual growth and learning, a setting that provided for me the backdrop for which I would forge some of my most treasured friendships.

We were a group of kids, from all different walks of life, with our own unique stories to tell and experiences to contribute. We would later come to find that we each had been “lead” there, by one way or another. We spent the Summer as counselors to countless youth through a program called “OYA” or “Outdoor Youth Adventure,” facilitating various outdoor programs and teaching about the gospel.

It was magical, an experience that will forever be frozen in time for me.

We had one of our many reunions this last Sunday.  My dear friends traveled near and far to wish me well on my journey to Northern California. It was the first time in a long time that so many of us were able to come, two years shy of our 10-year reunion (which we need to start planning!)

The photo below is missing a few faces (all here in spirit), and we’ve added a few others (cute husbands, wives and babies). But the feeling is the same. We’re family. We’re here for each other, through thick and thin. We will always be friends. And we will always be Badgers.

Throwback:

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