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Teri Arnold; A story of trial and triumph

WRITTEN BY LACIE KOFORD Western Wasatch Contributor

Overcoming trials and showing triumph seems to be a common occurrence in the local community here in Utah. One such story of trial and triumph is that of Teri Arnold, the wife of Brian Arnold, Saddle Strings band lead singer. Teri’s trial began on May 7, 2019 when her colt lost his footing in the brush, falling to his side with Teri still atop, resulting in the colt landing on Teri’s leg and her head hitting the ground hard. The colt fell over sideways, which launched Teri off, causing her to hit her head and right side hard on the ground, causing a traumatic brain injury. This all happened while the couple was participating in the Golden Spike 150th Celebration Wagon Train she helped organize. She was unconscious for fifteen days and in various hospitals until July 11, 2019. She has had to relearn how to walk, talk, and feed herself, but has regained enough strength to venture back onto her horses a few times. At the time of her release from the hospital, Brian was able to bring her home and become a caretaker for her. Although she has regained many of the skills to get back to her normal life, she still struggles with dizziness, double vision, unsteadiness on her feet, and isn’t driving yet.

Teri grew up always around horses and the western lifestyle. Her parents provided many opportunities for her to learn horsemanship and she honed that skill as she grew older. In her adult years, Teri has had many experiences to continue to develop her equine skills. She worked as a guide at Beaver Creek Lodge for 18 years, she has provided equine counseling services for troubled youth homes, and been on dozens of wagon trains. One such train she was able to join in 2009, where she rode from Council Bluffs, Iowa to

Salt Lake City, Utah over a stretch of five years. Every summer the wagon train would take six weeks to ride as far as they could between the two destinations, covering thousands of miles. Teri is also very experienced in starting horses and has always started and trained her own. Right now, Teri and Brian own two horses and one mule. They are in the process of training the mule to pull a buggy.

Teri and Brian continue to work on restoring her health and still have goals they are working on to get her back to full function. Along with some of the symptoms she is still experiencing, numbness in her limbs and tongue has been a challenge. They continue to work with medical professionals to improve her physical conditioning and stamina, improve the circulation in her hands, feet, and brain, and they are working on correcting the numbness. Teri and Brian both relate that their mule is very much emotionally and mentally in tune with Teri’s health and

is very careful and steady when he is around her.

The couple has known each other for seven years and have been married for four of those years. They were able to meet through Teri’s daughter who also performs cowboy music. Before the accident, Teri and Brian were cherishing and taking in the love and experiences they had as a newlywed couple, but that love has only grown on both of their parts throughout this trial. It has truly brought them together as they have had to figure

out new ways to accommodate Teri’s health and her recovery. They have been so grateful to have loving friends and family rally around them in their time of need this past year. Many acts of service, gifts (both anonymous and known), financial and physical support, and just the wonderful support from friends and family has been received very graciously. They both want those who have helped in their time of need to know how deeply grateful they are for the continued and past support.

Alisha and Dustin Siddoway and Shaelynn and Ali Harash enjoy hot chocolate on a cold morning while camping at Tony Grove.

Photos by Stephanie Chambers

How to make camping with kids less stressful and more fun

The last time I went camping, I spent the whole night staring at the stars, taking deep breaths and muttering positive affirmations. No, I wasn’t doing meditation. I was trying to keep my temper while my angelic 3-year-old wandered around the tent, poked her sisters and sang long, rambling songs about unicorns, bad guys and puppies.

Kids and camping can be either a disaster or a really good time, depending on perspective, preparation and parents’ (and kids’) attitudes. Here in Northern Utah, we have plenty of great places to camp with families, but even a great place to camp can be spoiled without a few preparations.

Here are a few tips on how my husband and I survive (and sometimes enjoy) family camping with our four kids age 3-10.

Simplify

The idea is for the kids (and adults) to enjoy the natural world around them. You don’t need to bring a basketful of toys or plan entertaining activities for the whole day. We used to do that, but found that it made our kids super whiny, so we did away with the toys, left the electronics at home, and scaled back the schedule. Amazingly, they found that sticks and rocks made great toys, too. We also found that we enjoyed just being with them, walking around the lake, making makeshift bows and arrows, and watching them jump on logs and play.

Sleep later, like another night

I used to try to stick to bedtime while camping — that was funny. Now I let my kids cuddle by the fire and stay up roasting marshmallows until they are practically begging to go to bed. Once they are in their sleeping bags, the older kids tend to pass out, but the littlest sometimes crawl onto our air mattress, wander around, whisper to each other and generally do all of the things they probably do at home, but I don’t know about since I am in a different room, blissfully, peacefully sleeping. I don’t even pretend anymore that I’m going to get sleep at night while camping.

Camp with friends

Some of our best camping adventures have taken place with friends and their families. The kids entertain each other, adults can take turns keeping an eye on them (while others recover from their lack of sleep with a nap),

Hannah Chambers enjoys a s’more during a family camping trip. and if you forget matches, someone has some somewhere. Meal-sharing is another great thing about camping with friends, not to mention that having other adults around helps maintain a sense of sanity and fun.

Be prepared

A first-aid kit for the inevitable owies, a regularly stocked camping box, and plenty of snacks and water make everyone so much happier while camping. We have a box of camping gear such as cooking utensils, clean-up supplies, a tablecloth, and other camping necessities that we keep and stock regularly. It’s easy to just throw it in the van for our trips and know that we’re prepared.

Scout out the toilet situation, do what you can to remedy it

Growing up, my youngest sister refused to use public/camping restrooms and while camping would hold it for days. My youngest child seems to have inherited this characteristic. She hates dirty toilets, and this is a common theme of camping. We’ve adopted a “Don’t look down or even at the toilet” policy, and this year I’m going to try bringing our own toilet seat to see if we can stop her from having the inevitable “I-held-it-too-long” accident. Because cleaning up an accident while camping is about as gross as it gets.

Relax and share the work

Camping is a lot of work for parents; we’ve had some success in having the older kids, ages 8 and 10, prepare meals, help with cleanup and suggest activities, but in the end it’s still Mike and I who do most of the work. It’s worth it, though, when you hear your child telling their friends about that time they skipped a rock five times, or when they say, “Remember when we hiked to the top of that mountain? It was awesome.”

This story was written by Stephanie Chambers and originally appeared in the the Standard Examiner’s 2015 Outdoor Guide.

Kenzie Chambers and Kandelyn Brown gather dandelions while on a family camping trip.

Mike Chambers introduces Norah Chambers to the water on the beach at Bear Lake. The shallow water makes Bear Lake a great family camping destination.