Donnie Osmond Said It Best

A lot of what I blogged last week about Girls' Camp and my apprehensions about sending Tristan to Cub Scout camp may have been a little misleading. I mentioned frequently that I don't feel like I particularly fit in with the Relief Society crowd and that I fretted over sending my son to be among women who I knew didn't always approve of me. What I failed to mention, is that in the 15 years that I've been a member of the church; there have only been a handful of people who ever truly made me feel bad. Most of the women I have encountered have been strong, amazing, competent women who I feel blessed to know. Unfortunately, it only takes one or two people to make insensitive comments or to misunderstand you before you feel like it's you v. "them." Because I have so many lovely LDS women who read my blog, I just felt like I had to clarify that when I say that people have been unkind, I really only have about 2 or 3 names in mind when I say "everybody" and that is quite unfair. But, as Donnie and his brothers once sang "One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch."

As a new convert, I was immediately welcomed by other LDS college students. Within the year I was baptized, the Young Single adults were called together for a meeting that took us from the two family wards here in town and organized us into a singles' branch that is now a ward. Between Institute classes, Lambda Delta Sigma (LDS sorority), and that Singles' branch; I had quite an enjoyable social group from the time I was baptized until I left on my mission and again when I returned home. I still cherish many good friendships from those days even though marriages, families, and many re-locations have scattered us throughout the years. The only person I didn't fit in with during those years was my very first mission companion in the MTC who opined that my life's experiences made me "really weird." But out of 9 mission companions, she was the only one who felt that way.

My marriage to Dave was when things became more difficult. Dave and I weren't married in the temple immediately. Apparently, this was a Big Deal. He was baptized over Thanksgiving weekend and the wedding was less than 2 months later. You have to be a member of our church for over a year to go to the temple, so that wasn't going to happen. At the time, I was a little disillusioned with church (whole 'nother post worth of writing there) and I wasn't sure how active we were going to be as a married couple; so I was likely less concerned about the whole temple marriage thing than I should have been. When I found myself pregnant with Natalie three months later, I changed my tune and started attending meetings regularly. Of course, Dave and I had a commuter marriage with me in Arizona and him in Oklahoma we saw each other every other weekend (which was plenty enough to bring about Natalie's existence), but didn't share a home until June. By then, I was already visibly pregnant, and several confused people in the Norman ward where we attended thought the very worst of the situation and didn't realize how long we had actually been married. (Not that this matters, of course, but in any church situation...it just does.) Gossip was, of course, encouraged by an old boyfriend who had since married himself and was in the ward with us. Apparently, having a wife of his own wasn't enough to keep him from being mean. (The wife and I would, with NO plans on either side for it to happen, become very friendly which pretty much killed the gossip by the time Natalie was born.)

And so, I was very hesitant to make friends and never was quite sure who to trust or with whom I could really be myself. I was friendly with many people over the years and things got better as people moved in and out of the ward. Dave and I were sealed in the temple, more children arrived, and we both served faithfully in our callings. Still, those friendships were mostly superficial. We were never invited over to socialize back and forth as we saw other married couples doing, my kids were never included in any of the joy school groups, and there was a host of moms my age (with kids my age) who got together weekly at a park down the street from my house and never once thought to invite me. (I used to want to hide behind my steering wheel as I came home each afternoon after picking up Natalie from pre-school.) People were always kind and friendly, but not very inclusive. Over time, I learned to live with it. After all, I already had Chris, Lanie, and Wendy and they thought I was great fun no matter what I did or where I went to church. So, who cared if those silly Mormon women did? And yet, looking back on my days in Norman; there are a handful of women from church who I still call friends and who I did really get to know and who really knew me as well. So saying "I never fit in before I moved and met Deborah and Lauri" is really unfair to the good friends I had before them.

So, the next time you hear me have my pity party about not fitting in with Mormon women, feel free to ignore me or to know that I'm only referring to the 'bad apples' in the bunch. The one who gasped audibly when I mentioned I loved the movie "When Harry Met Sally" (Didn't I know it was rated 'R'?!), or the one who said my life experiences made me "really weird" (but who asked me more questions about alcohol and sex than I was comfortable answering-especially in a place like the MTC), or the one who said "I looked at your blog once or twice, but I'm just really not interested in what you have to say." (Good thing she's not in the YW program in her ward, she would have to listen to me twice a year at leadership training meetings.), and the one or two who dropped me from their blog rolls or even the one who flat-out banned me from her blog (though I read that she has "quit" blogging yet again-no doubt waiting on her adoring fans to beg her to come back). And then there's the one who said "Oh my" when I talked about flipping the kid off in Italy who tried to knock me off of my sister missionary bicycle with a 2x4. (I felt really bad about it-even though the Italians use an entirely different gesture for that and probably didn't know what I was doing anyway.) But that's only four or five women and in the light of the very many wonderful LDS women I've met in person and online in the last 15 years; it's high time I stopped letting "them" represent an entire church population. Especially a population whose number includes me and many treasured friends. I know that I am also a daughter of my Heavenly Father, that I too am a Sister in Zion, I am acceptable in the eyes of God, and in the eyes of most of His daughters and I love them all, friends or otherwise.

*But I am very thankful for Lauri and Deborah-I haven't had this much fun at church since I was single. Woo hoo!*

Shows in Review

All I did this week was go to shows, so we'll just toss out the rest of the usual Week In Review stuff and focus on those:

Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour-

As I mentioned, my good friend Wendy bought tickets thinking they were for the Journey/Heart/Cheap Trick concert on July 23rd. She had a baby last week (there's a lot of that going 'round lately) and there's no way she could have managed this concert too. So, I was happy to buy the tickets from her. The show featured Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Andy Bell from Erasure, the B-52's, a stand-up act by Margaret Cho, and Carson Kressley was the emcee. I had a GREAT time and Dave was, well, a great sport about the whole thing. He came home from work Monday and as we were changing to go said "Did you know that PFLAG was a BIG sponsor for this tour?" And I was all "Uh, yeah...did I not mention that?" I think he really did enjoy himself but the crowd was just a little more colorful than more poor, straight-laced (pun intended) husband is usually a part of. As for me, I got to use the men's room with all the gay guys when they saw how long the ladies' room line was and invited me in-I thought it was hilarious, but Dave wasn't as amused. Oh well. Carson Kressley was hilarious and so was Margaret Cho. Joan Jett still rocks as does Andy Bell and Cyndi Lauper was amazing too. Of course, as I stood there watching her sing and thinking "Wow! I've loved her music since I was 12 and she is RIGHT THERE six rows ahead of me. I love her. I love this night. This is the best thing I've ever done...Wait a minute! Somebody close to me MUST be smoking pot for me to feel like this." And yes, they were. Watching the security guard trying to figure it out was funny too. The point of the tour was for all of us to have a great time and think a little harder about being friends no matter what our differences our. That is kind of the point of my whole life, so I enjoyed being a part of that. I think Margaret Cho put it best when she discussed her experiences as a former Sunday school teacher (who knew?) and said "I've read the Bible and what God is saying is 'Don't be an a$$hole.' And because of Jesus, all we have to do is try not to be an a$$hole." It was a great show! (Even if it was about a million degrees outside.)

Willy Wonka Jr.

Miss Caroline made her stage debut singing for about 45 seconds in the "I've Got a Golden Ticket" number. She was very cute. The all-children's cast musical was amazing, as usual. Sooner Theatre certainly has talent. I was worried Natalie wouldn't enjoy the show or would resent not being in the cast. I was wrong on both counts. She had a great time congratulating her friends after the show. And, even though I knew it was just a play and just actors on the stage, I still get tears in my eyes every time Charlie finds the golden ticket in his Wonka bar. I just can't help it. I'm a dork.

The Lyric Theatre: Sound of Music-

As if season Civic Center tickets weren't enough, we also bought tickets for Lyric theatre's summer season. Natalie's Intro to Musical Theatre class did a Sound of Music medley for this spring's showcase, so I was really excited to take her to the actual play. By a lucky coincidence there was a ticket for Caroline to go too. She pretty much attached herself to Lanie and Natalie latched onto her Aunt Chris. If there's one thing I enjoy more than being with my kids for something like this, it's seeing how much they love my friends and vice versa during a show like this. It was a long, crazy week and seeing a show we all knew and loved was a nice way to end it.

Weekly Winners

Me and a one-time DG sister turned fellow theatre mom at our little girls' big debut!

Mom, Dad, and brand-new baby

Time for his close-up!


A rare moment of sibling harmony

Some cute ones taken by my husband

Look Who's Here!

Gabriel James Steven (insert last name here)

a.k.a. "Baby Gabe"

D.O.B. 06/27/08

7 lbs. 13 oz.

19 1/2 inches long

He joins big brother Keagan and a large number of other excited aunts, uncles, and cousins-myself and my kids included.

Off to the Hospital

In a few hours, I hope to be holding my new nephew. Details will follow when I actually have some to report! Hopefully there will be pictures too.

Accentuating the Positive

This week is so jam-packed that it's Wednesday and I'm already feeling that Friday exhaustion. BUT it's a good kind of tired. So, rather than complain about driving three kids to three different day camps while having to pay to keep the 4th one at pre-school so that I can keep working or how I ran out of cereal three days ago and have had to buy breakfast for my kids at every grocery store and gas station between here and any of my five morning destinations because I keep forgetting to buy more, or how my house can possibly be this messy when none of us are ever even here until almost bedtime; I'm going to focus on what has been good this week:

• Tristan at Cub Scout camp-My little sister-tormenting, DS/Wii addicted, pasty-white future tech geek son has spent each day this week in the great outdoors hiking, fishing, swimming, playing flag football, golfing, turning his Dad's lovely shade of tan (sure doesn't get that from me) and basically just being a boy. With three sisters and a self-confessed over-protective mother; it's been great to see how much he enjoys his time with the guys. I was even afraid to send him because camp is sponsored by some of the church moms who liked me least before we moved out of Norman and I feared that would trickle down to the way they treated my son. After the first ten minutes of the first day, I knew he would be fine, but was in no way prepared for how much he would thrive. I may never be BFF's with some of the women who run the show, but I love how happy they have made my son.
• Finding my groove again at work-I spent all last week's Day Camp feeling like "the old mean teacher." I was ready for last week to be over by Tuesday and dragged myself through the rest of the week. I dreaded teaching this week because I feared I had lost my touch. Apparently, spending Monday with my kids helped because midway through my first class on Tuesday, I felt my usual energy and enthusiasm come right back as if I had never lost it. Since I'll be teaching until August, that is a very good thing.
• Both my daughters are going to be on stage this week and next. Miss Caroline debuts tomorrow and Natalie makes a return next Wednesday and Thursday. As sick as I am of driving to practices here, there and everywhere right now; I know I will love the payoff in the end.
• Lauri is back from vacation!! She was gone all of one whole week, and we squealed like teenagers when I saw her this morning. She and I are both going to be in a world of hurt when Deborah moves in August.
• Elisa finally got a water-play day at school! Between me not taking her on Wednesdays and weather cancellations on the Wednesdays she is there, this was the first time she got to do one this summer. It's also the first day this summer she hasn't clung to my leg when I dropped her off in the morning. Coincidence? I think not.
• The big concert last Monday! It's getting a post of its own, but it was likely the coolest show I will see for the next few years.
• The fact that dinner was waiting for me when I got home tonight, and I've spent most of the evening in my pj's
• My new nephew who is slated to be born on Friday (scheduled induction-just like all four of my kids were)
• AND on that note, the fact that I am officially NOT pregnant! (my friend Wendy gave birth last week and I always seem to get pregnant just after she has a baby-and vice versa.) Woo Hoo! I'll try not to rejoice to much though because while the Wendy curse doesn't always work (I didn't get pregnant after her last baby either), God's sense of humor is endlessly vigilant and I'm one of His favorite targets when it comes to practical jokes.

Four Words (And then some)

Three hour presidency meeting.

Will write something tomorrow.
(And the meeting was very productive, so this isn't a complaint about the time spent. Just an explanation for why I didn't post tonight.)

Fun Monday?

Tonight, Dave and I are off to the True Colors tour at the Zoo Amphitheatre. On the schedule are the B-52's, Joan Jett, one of the guys from Erasure, Margaret Cho, and of course; Cyndi Lauper! I've been excited about this concert since April and if my good friend Wendy hadn't originally purchased the tickets (before she realized she would have a baby less than a week old at home and sold them to me) I might not have bothered.

I spent the day shopping for clothes and shoes with my three girls while Tristan had his first day at Cub Scout Day Camp. I'm off to pick him up soon. It's rare that life hands me a good Monday, but it seems that today really has been so far. My only regret for the day is this: RIP George Carlin

Thanks for all the secret laughs when my friends and I used to sneak your albums out of my parents cabinets and listen to them on my record player in my room. And thanks for Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure too. Sadly, one of my generations biggest contributions to film making.

Week In Review

Watching-

Battlestar Galatica-

I put off watching those last two episodes because I knew that once I had seen them, it was one big wait until January 2009. But, fearing Dave giving away spoilers, I eventually gave in and saw them both in one sitting. Wow! I had no idea they would give us any big moments until the bitter end, so this was a pleasant surprise. (For me if not the cast of characters) Was I the only one not surprised at the condition of their big discovery? Because I really wasn't. I've wondered about what things would be like for the entire series and wasn't really shocked when they were less than ideal (to put it mildly). Seriously though, what were they expecting?

30 Rock-

I just started watching again last night because I've been distracted by another show all week long. What show? This show:

Sex and the City-

Having seen just a handful of episodes before the movie, now I'm addicted to whatever re-runs TBS throws my way. I would ask "How did I miss this show?" But I already know the answer. Once upon a time, Melessa got married and had a baby. She was someone's mother. And good LDS mothers did NOT watch shows like SATC. Unless it was rated PG, she had no business being involved with it. Melessa carried on like this, trying desperately to fit in with other LDS mothers until one day shortly after the birth of her 3rd child (right around her 30th birthday) that she realized not only would she never really fit in with them, she no longer recognized herself either. I wouldn't have appreciated the show before that, and it only had 2 seasons left by the time I started feeling like myself again. I was intrigued by it then, but I knew I would be lost jumping in after four seasons. So, I waited for it to start running in syndication. By then, I had no problem with its content, but I do have a problem keeping my eyes open much after 10:30 p.m. After loving the movie so much, Tivo has been my best ally at getting caught up on the series. Here are a few thoughts after about 10 more new episodes:

• Were we, as viewers, ever supposed to think Aidan and Carrie were going to make it? Because even though I did start at the end, I'm not particularly impressed by their beginnings. He's kind of like that nice outfit that you find on sale and hang in your closet because the designer, price, and style seem "just right" but it never really looks good on you. I hated the way he was always trying to change her under the guise of "improving" her. I can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke and I think it does terrible things to your body both inside and out, BUT I hate that she would try to quit 'for him.' That never works. He came off as very nice, but I felt like he was a bit self-righteous underneath it all and that is a huge pet peeve for me. Sadly, the quiz at TBS.com says of all the SATC men, he's my perfect guy. Bummer.
• I think I'm the most like Charlotte without the amazing body, pretty face, or sense of style-but I definitely see myself in her more than the other three characters-though I love them all.
• The "My Motherboard, Myself" episode makes me cry, in a good way.
• So did the episode when Steve and Miranda get married and Samantha finds out about her cancer.
• I need to visit NYC sooner rather than later.
• The Russian dude creeps me out, did series viewers like him when those episodes were new?

I'm sure I have more to say, but that's all I can think of for now. By the way, since then, I've met Deborah, LDS mom and #1 SATC fan. So it turns out I wasn't alone after all.

In My Netflix Queue-

Tara Road-

Definitely deserving of its lukewarm reviews, but I guess it could have been worse too. At least it attempted to be true to the book and it had a good soundtrack.

Extracurricular Activities-

Day Camp-

I came straight home from Girls' Camp to the annual Day Camp at work. It was hard to keep any energy after coming into it while still feeling tired from the previous week. It was further complicated by the fact that it was all boys this year except for Caroline. I definitely play better to the 12 and older crowd and that's all I've got to say about that.

Epilogue

The drive home on Saturday was pretty uneventful. Deborah talked the older girls into eating at a local Italian place by promising later trips to Sonic. The food there was excellent and very authentic. Right in the middle of small town Oklahoma. Who knew? I drove home with Lauri's daughter Lizzie. After a week of fretting over whether I do, indeed, use my new calling to interfere; she put it all into perspective for me. After letting me know she knew all about the issues in our local branch, she asked me what my calling was. I said, "I'm the 1st Counselor in the Stake YW Presidency." To which she answered, "Then why are people surprised or upset that you're still hanging around. It's still your job. And it's not like you ever come in and try to take over on Sundays." She used that infamous 12 year-old "Well, duh"' tone of voice with me and it reminded me exactly why I love the youth so much. They have a way of putting in simple terms the things that we "adults" can make very complicated.

On Sunday, I apologized to the YW President for any wrongs she may have perceived on my part and I explained a few misunderstandings between us. I told her that I had talked to the girls repeatedly and that I felt we were all on the same page, but that if we weren't she had my full support. I reminded her, as I had already reminded them, that the focus of my calling was to help her in her position; not to let them get away with anything. I think that helped a lot. At least I hope it did. Then, I went to the Branch President with Deborah. She had a lot more to say than I did, but I did manage to let him know that I work hard to fulfill my calling, not abuse it; and that I hoped he knew me well enough to agree with that. He said he did. I had my yearly temple recommend interview with him this week and I have to say that I believe that now.

All in all, things turned out as well as I could have hoped. Camp wasn't perfect, but I did manage to do a respectable job of doing each thing on my to-do list. Everyone who went to camp was happy when we came home, and I hope fences are mended with those who stayed behind this time. Very little of what I did during camp or last Sunday fell within the bounds of what I would call my "comfort zone" as I'm not one for leadership or confrontation in times of conflict. Still, I handled it all, survived it all, and can even say I'm satisfied with the outcome. And that, my friends, is what I call success. Every once in awhile, even I can accomplish it.

Girls' Camp Day 5: All's Well that Ends Well

I woke up Friday morning so exhausted that I wasn't sure I was going to go to the morning devotional even though it had been our idea as a Stake Presidency to have them in the first place. Frankly, I was so out of sorts by the time it started (thanks to some morning 'drama' with one of the campers) that I probably should have skipped it. Someday, I will figure out my limitations. Today's devotional was done by Sister H and was, of course, far superior to mine. Did the Priesthood come to hers (or the good one that Sister K did on Tues?) of course not. I think the point was just to make me squirm. And it worked. Of course, had Pres. K spoken on the topic he said he was going to do, I wouldn't have had to re-do it after midnight the night before...but was I going to point that out? I think not. Anyway, it was a very good devotional that I wish I had been awake enough to appreciate. The good that came from it is that it was held very close to the parking lot where my cell phone had been charging overnight. As soon as it was over, I went and found three messages waiting. They were all from Deborah. Pres. Clark had cleared her to come to camp after all and she was already on her way! I called her back immediately to make sure she could find it AND to tell her not to take it personally if I started crying the minute I saw her. It had just been a long week.


From that moment on, Lauri and I became women AASD (Anxiously Awaiting Sister D). Lauri forgot her hat at the pool the day before, so breakfast entertainment included her having to dance and sing to get it back. (Oh yes, there are pictures.) After breakfast, I managed to get a shower and listen to someone else (Sister J) do a wonderful follow-up activity. Just as she finished, I saw a very familiar car pull up to the cabins. It was Deborah! I didn't cry and neither did Lauri, but we were both pretty quick to run and hug her. So, for the only time ever, after hoping for it for three years; it was all three of us together at camp. It was worth it. Still, Lauri was anxious to get back to town. She had a birthday boy to hug and a baptism to get ready for, so she wasn't able to stay much longer. We all hugged goodbye way too soon.


I dragged myself and my folding chair over the the 4th level area for lunch. Even the girls noticed how worn out I looked. After we ate, Deborah and I took M and A to their cabin for yet one more long talk about how we can make things better at Blanchard. Deborah had them list all the things that bother them and we talked about ways to make amends with their new(er) leaders. (They've actually been in the calling for several months.) This was not easily done for me or Deborah. There are so many things that are done differently and it is so hard for us not to interfere, and while I don't think we ever have to let go of the girls (teen aged girls need as many adult listening ears as they are comfortable with) we probably did need to remind them that we aren't in charge of them anymore, as much as we love them and miss having that job. I think it went well. I had to rush off for leader's meeting before it was all said and done, but you do what you have to do.


After leader's meeting, I did one last walk through of tonight's ceremony with the older girls. On our minds was the fact that we still hadn't found the perfect place to do the ceremony and that we still didn't have the torches we were promised to do it with-it was called the Daughters of Light, so it was kind of important. So, without torches and without being 100% sure where we would actually do the little program; we did our best to practice it. Why? Because it was the last thing on my to-do list and 16-17 year-old girls rock! I told them we would know everything by dinner time and the rolled with it. I love them (and that's good because next month we're all taking a big bus trip to Nauvoo-my back hurts already just thinking about it). Break time found Deborah headed to the pool to try to finish our conversation with the girls from earlier this morning. I had already spoken to them a couple of times and felt like I had said all I needed to say, so I left her to it. I wound up in an unexpected, but very enjoyable conversation with three other leaders that I don't know all that well. One of them was the one whose Pepsi case I had carried in at the beginning of the week, like the 6-pack of Diet Cokes that Sister H had brought back for me after a quick run into the closest town; they had gone untouched all week. Until now. So, we grabbed our water bottles, filled them with ice and re-charged for what was going to be a long day. At some point, one of my favorite leaders (the infamous Sister A) stopped to tease me about 'what was in my bottle.' I told her and said I had more. She pointed to her yellow bottle and said "Diet Mt. Dew! It's all about the camouflage." I shouldn't be glad she came to camp because she has a broken foot and really shouldn't have-but it isn't camp without Sister A.
And now I know the secret to her non-stop energy.

During break, the Stake President's wife arrived with the torches and we drove around looking for the perfect spot. Between Sister H's recent knee surgery and Sister A's broken foot, it had to be close-but I wanted something special. In the end, we picked a small clearing halfway between the flag pole and the lake. I told the girls at dinner and then we all got cleaned up for the evening's events. We like the last night at camp to be spiritual and one of the best ideas I've ever seen to ensure that is before our testimony meeting, we do a "thank-a-mony." This is so the girls can get all the "I LOVE my bunkmates" and "remember how we tipped our canoe over this week?" and all the other fun, but not so spiritual memories out of their systems. Once this is done, we do some type of spiritual program (what I had been working on all week) then we proceed from that to testimony meeting. The thank-a-mony meeting was fun! One of the girls from Blanchard went up three times and busted Deborah and I the third time by saying "I'm so glad Sister F and Sister G are here, even if they are whispering to each other instead of listening to me!" (Which we were-but it was her 3rd time up there, hello?!)

After that, the older girls and I slipped out while the camp leaders led the rest of the girls in singing and other activities. Suddenly, every adult who came with me and had nothing to do with the writing, prep, or practice of anything; wanted to tell me how it should go. One of my biggest weaknesses, is that I easily let other people take over. But I had worked so hard on this that I really didn't want to do that this time. Since one of the people with lots of 'suggestions' was the Stake President; I had to loosen my grip a little AND to be grateful because he gave the girls a way better lesson in torch safety than I could have and even though we had to re-do the floor work(?-that's what we called it in Rainbow, not sure of another word for it) and it started several minutes later than I thought it would; it all turned out really well in the end. (Which reminds me, I still need to email a copy of it to Sister A) The girls held the torches just like Pres. K told them, they burned as long as they should have, and they were the only things that burned. (We wanted an area with a fire pit to set them in, but never found one.) It set the tone beautifully for testimony meeting and the final number on my 'action item' list was finally checked off and finished. As we made our way back, President K reminded me that it's not about whether or not things go the way we plan them at camp, but how many times the girls feel the spirit that really matters. A little while later, sitting there with Deborah and hearing all three girls from our branch bear their testimonies; I knew what he meant. The "spiritual high" I referred to last week? It didn't come from being 'in charge' of anything, surviving leaders' meetings, or heading up devotionals or follow-up activities; it came from hearing several young women speak what was in their hearts and knowing that whether or not I had done anything right that week, the goals we had in mind during all the planning of this camp had been reached. Not because of us, and perhaps in spite of us; because the Lord has a plan and will work with us and through us to achieve His purposes and I feel blessed to have been a part of it.

Girls' Camp Day 4: Hitting My Wall

I dragged myself out of bed the next morning absolutely dreading my devotional. I grumbled to myself that I might as well "get it over with" because we all know that's the level of spirituality we were looking to cultivate when we added these early morning devotionals to the camp schedule. I headed for the meeting spot while Sister K went to get Lauri who she said "would never forgive herself if she missed it." For someone who had only seen us hanging out a couple of days, Sister K is amazingly perceptive. Actually, Sister K is just downright amazing. When I got to the spot, just one girl was there, but all of the Priesthood leaders were waiting too. Great. Weren't they supposed to be sleeping after patrolling the camp all night protecting us? (In addition to Jimmy, at least two men from church come up each night and stay up all night in shifts on watch.) So, I had one camper, Lauri and Sister K, and the Stake President, my former bishop, AND (just for good measure) President Eyring's son-in-law. (Don't get me started on how I didn't realize his wife was President Eyring's daughter when I first met her and how I acted like my usual goofball self in front of her. And THEN found out who her dad was. Then again, she and I have always gotten along well. So there's some decent food for thought on my "worthiness" to be in the church.) So there I am with a re-written, last-minute devotional, presenting it in front of men who make me extremely uncomfortable in their presence in the first place. (Not because they aren't good men, mostly because they are. And I still deal with 'unworthy to hang out with you if you're too nice a guy' issues even now. Thanks a ton high school boyfriend.) I'd like to say the devotional went well despite all the obstacles, but let's face it. Three more girls joined us, I felt like I was mumbling in the presence of people who exist on a much higher spiritual plane than I do, and I basically "got it over with" in front of all three of them; plus two really good friends. What was more encouraging was to see how excited the girls were to stay and read their scriptures after my part was done when they could have taken off immediately for showers if they chose it. So it wasn't a complete failure on my part.

Once the devotional was done, Sister K and I had to set quickly to work to set out clues and prizes for a Scavenger Hunt-which was to be today's follow-up activity. The prize was the March issue of the Ensign which was completely devoted to Christ. A perfect follow-up to a talk about The Atonement from the night before, if indeed that had been the topic that was actually discussed. Oh well, it was still a good prize. We got the clues taped up to the various spots and went to some unused cabins to hide the gift boxes with the magazines inside for each level of girls to find. (This was a really cool activity because it involved less listening and more action from the girls.) Then, we got all crazy and decided to open up the wooden shutters that cover the windows. That's when we found the wasp's nest. Sis K must have smelled better than I did because they swarmed her and I didn't know what to do to make them stop. If I slapped at them, I could get stung or swat even more into her. I stood back and said a little prayer. She only got stung once. Still no fun. We lost our enthusiasm for the window-opening project after that and we missed flag raising and we were late to breakfast. Once we finally got our food and sat down, Sister J teased us about this. The looks from each of us, even though we knew she was joking, probably weren't very pleasant.

Still, the scavenger hunt was fun and well-received by the girls. It was my favorite follow-up activity not only for that but also because it was the last one I had to do at camp. So, in three hours I had checked two more of my big to-do items off the list and only had one remaining. But it was the big one. In the meantime, I took my new copy of the Ensign to my empty cabin and alternately read and dozed for the next hour. It was too hot to really think of it as quality rest, but it was pleasant and certainly better than nothing. Once I felt coherent again, I wandered over to the 3rd level area and had another great lunch with Sister S, Lauri, and the girls. I was glad they were so willing to share their cooking with me and wasn't as bothered as I had been the day before about not having helped with preparation. I was doing other preparation that was just as important, and now I realized it.

After lunch and Leader's meeting, I read through the script for Friday night's ceremony with the older girls. It struck me as funny to realize that a) after all the years I spent as a junior and senior counselor at Camp Fire camp, I was still doing pretty much the same things in my 30's and b) while the church isn't big on the ritual ceremonies I knew and loved as a Rainbow girl, here I was with one I had edited, and I was the coordinator for its presentation. Sometimes, it almost seems like God really does have a plan and that there is rhyme and reason to what we do here. And that makes me smile.

The rest of the day is pretty much a blur. Lauri was a WSS (Woman Seeking Shade) today and spent most of it at the pool. I closed up the snack shack an hour before closing time and spent some time there myself chatting with Sister K who is not only a counselor in the Stake YW and an awesome elementary school teacher; but also a lifeguard. I opted to leave my swimsuit on under my clothes for the rest of the day to keep cool. It was a good call. The speakers for the last fireside were great, if only I could have stayed awake to hear everything they said. It wasn't even that I didn't want to listen, it was just that I got to sit in a chair while they were speaking and that was kind of a problem for as tired as I was. I'm sure that we went to bed late again on this night and that there was probably some sort of drama that I'm forgetting, but Thursday was a tired day for me and that's all I can remember of it.

Day 3: No Shower for Slow Women

I surprised myself by prying my eyelids open at the required time. (I surprised myself even more by never making late night treks to the bathroom through spider webs any night that week, but it was probably because I never got to bed before 11:30 with a 6 a.m. wake-up call every day I was there.) The other stake YW counselor (known here as Sister K) had asked me to make sure that she was up too. I don't like messing with people in the morning and I was glad to see her dragging herself to her alarm clock without my interference. It was her turn to do the sunrise devotional, mine would be on the following day. We saw lots of girls awake, but we also saw a corresponding line for the shower. Who knew how many of them would come to our little program (offered for the first time this year by request, but also labeled "optional")? With such a long line at the shower stalls, I knew there wouldn't be time for me to take one before I had to meet for the devotional. Even just waiting for Lauri to get dressed after hers made us both a little late. Lauri and I were pleasantly surprised to find her daughter Lizzie headed in that direction too, even though she had not been told she "had" to be there by anyone.

We were late to the meeting spot, but followed the crowd ahead of us to the boat dock. Sister K started the lesson just as we sat down. (Smart Liz brought her folding chair. Her mom and I sat on the actual dock.) It was probably the best of the three that we did at camp and definitely had the biggest attendance of about 21 of us. (In my opinion it WAS the best, but Sis H's was really good too.) She finished her remarks and gave us scripture time. There is just something about being out in nature whether on the water or in the mountains that inspires me much more than at home. I really enjoyed my time there. My plan afterwards was to grab breakfast, watch flag raising, and take a quick shower before I did a follow-up activity with the 2nd and 3rd level girls. These were supposed to piggyback on the fireside topics of the night before and this one fit perfectly. Unfortunately, I kept running into people who "need(ed) to talk" to me. I grabbed my supplies from Sis H's room just in time to walk to the pavilion to meet the girls and do my lesson. Since the girls spend from 9:30-12:00 certifying and cooking lunch over the fire, I knew that my 9-9:30 activity had to be prompt to give them the time that they needed. The activity was fun. We discussed some of the Christ-like attributes both discussed by Patriarch Jack and found in the scriptures. Then, I asked the girls to choose 2 they felt they had, 2 they were working on, and 2 that they hoped to develop before leaving this life. (Attributes=patience, love, kindness, charity, etc...) Then, I handed them each an envelope containing a printed copy of pictures Sis H took of each girl upon arrival that we had then cut up into 6 puzzle pieces. We had them write the 6 attributes or qualities on the back of the pieces and reassemble them on clear contact paper. When it was done, we trimmed them, tied ribbons on them, and turned them into bookmarks for their scriptures. I was hoping to finish early-at this point, I really wanted that shower. But we finished up right at 9:30. The girls left to certify and I took the supplies back to Sis H's room for a brief planning meeting. The problem is, once everyone else knows where the leaders are; there is nothing "brief" because the interruptions and digressions are constant. Before I knew it, level leaders were telling us to get to the girls we were eating with before the food was gone.

When I was an assistant level leader last year, we always knew to make enough food for us and about three more adults so that the Priesthood leaders, Camp directors, cooks, and Stake YW leaders could join us. I never minded this because I knew they were busy elsewhere while we were cooking. On the other side of the fence this year, it was really hard for me just to show up and eat something that I knew others had worked so hard to prepare. (Just me being me again.) But I was excited to be eating with Lauri's level. I went over there, told them how badly I wanted to get cleaned up before eating, and was told that food would be held for me even if everyone else was finished eating before I got back. (I mentioned that Lauri rocks my socks off at least once a week, didn't I?) Unfortunately, Jimmy had other plans.

Jimmy is the camp caretaker. He's been there for years and lives on the property. As someone who grew up with the aforementioned Girl Scout murders on her mind, I've always felt safer knowing his house was at the front gate of camp. While we have the girls do the cleaning duties all week, he does make the rounds daily emptying bathroom trash, refilling soap dispensers, tripping the switch on the hot water heater when it goes out (which it does...often), and otherwise helping us out as much as he can. We love him. But today, I was not loving him so much. No sooner had I returned to my cabin, gathered my supplies, realized that I forgot shampoo and conditioner and begged some from a 1st Level leader (Thanks Sister C!) than I noticed Jimmy's Girl Scout truck parked right next to the bathroom. "No worries" thought I, "he's just there to empty the trash." But that seemed to take an abnormally long time. So, I walked over to the bathroom and peeked inside. It looked like Bob Villa gone wrong in there. Light fixtures were disassembled, power tools were all over the floor, and Jimmy and his assistant appeared to be taking a break on the other side of the room. Apparently, I wasn't showering now either. So, I walked my stinky self back to the Level Three campsite and had some beef stew and biscuits, all the while apologizing to the girls for my intrusion. The other Level leader (Sis S who I have known since she was about 16) took pity on me and made me a foil-baked apple. She rocks too! (No really, she does. Have you heard her play the guitar?) No sooner had I finished it than I saw Jimmy's truck FINALLY pull away from the bathrooms. I rushed off to take my shower before something else went wrong, but aside from the usual ickiness, dirt, and bugs that are always a part of those camp showers; nothing did.

That was probably the highlight of my day. Once that was out of the way, I could stress about having to conduct that night's fireside. The stake president was speaking and I was nervous. I fretted through free time while working at the Snack Shack and fighting with the stupid sno cone machine. The one at the School Store will let you pretty much pour an entire bag of ice down it and shave it all happily and quickly. This machine wanted 6 pieces of ice at most, and shaved it pretty much when IT felt like it. Fortunately, I was assisted by Lauri that day. She declared herself a WOA (woman of assistance) that afternoon. She told me all about her life, I listened and made sno cones one or two at a time. I was relieved when Sis H went back to Norman and promised to bring back Popsicles so I wouldn't ever have to do it again. At least not this year. (And it is a testament to how much I hated that machine that when Sis H asked if I wanted to use it the rest of the week and rather than my usual "It's not so bad" or "I will if you need me to" answers, I told her flat-out "No, I don't want to do this again.")

That night's activities and fireside were all held in the same spot and I was so nervous about conducting that they both run together for me. It was dance night again, but I took my pictures this time than I did any dancing. In addition to being nervous, I was also wearing a pair of shorts I bought at Wal-Mart on my way out of town. I was in a hurry and I didn't try them on. I should have. My next purchase is going to have to be a belt if I ever want to wear those shorts again. And so, I conducted. I was terrified and I'm quite sure it showed. Fortunately, I pronounced everyone's names correctly and before I knew it Pres. K was speaking. On a topic completely unrelated to what we had asked him to discuss. I know he's the boss, I know he's inspired, and I truly know he speaks by the spirit. These are all things I love him for...usually. But when my morning devotional and tomorrow's follow-up activity were all completely tied into the originally assigned topic, I must admit that I began to panic just a little. With another planning meeting for leaders after lights-out, when exactly was it that I was supposed to re-write my devotional?!

This is where I'd like to say that our meeting was brief, my inspiration was great, and I had a new one hammered out by the time I fell asleep at 11:00 p.m. Instead, after eating enough snacks from the kitchen to count as another meal, after taking care of business with the usual amount of outside interruptions, and finally getting everything squared away by 12:15 a.m.; I flipped through my scriptures, found one of my personal favorite chapters from the New Testament (John 17, the intercessory prayer), and fell asleep hoping just not to sound like an idiot in the morning.

Dear Entertainment Magazine,

I really don't need to read about Mike Myers less-than-perfect behind the scenes behavior while filming Wayne's World or So I Married An Axe Murderer. Both are big favorites here. I do not need to know he didn't enjoy the "Bohemian Rhapsody" scene and I especially didn't want to read that he and Dana Carvey aren't BFFs in real life. There's reporting the truth and then there's just being mean. Way to burst my bubble, guys!

No Clever Title, Just Camp Day 2

No one had to wake up particularly early this morning as it was just the older girls and the stake leaders. Following my chat with Deborah of the previous evening, I sought out the-girls-formerly-known-as-ours and had yet another conversation with them about loving all their YW leaders old and new. I pointed out that, much as we loved them, Deborah, Lauri, and I also loved our new callings (Lauri is in the Primary Presidency, Deborah is the Primary music leader) and then we made an amusing list of leaders that they wouldn't want right now to remind them that they really have a good thing going. The thing is, it was TOUGH to have both the conversations that I did with those girls; because part of me LOVES that they want Deborah and I back so badly that they are misbehaving. BUT, it had become such a point of contention that it was time to move on and I hope that's what happens now that we are all home (hint, hint to those of you who are lurking).

For the rest of the day, I was working on action item #5 on my list. It was actually the last thing I had to do at camp, but it required the most preparation. We were doing a little torch-type ceremony before testimony meeting. Other leaders found it on the Internet and we determined it to be circa the 1970's. A couple of us updated it for 2008 and volunteered the older girls to do the speaking parts. On Tuesday I divided the parts among the girls. It was hard to get all 12 of them together at any one time because they all wanted to prep for the rest of the arriving campers. In fact, we didn't actually accomplish it until dinner-but getting it done was my goal for the day. For the rest of the day, I was watching for Lauri. While I hoped for my shower shoes, it was my friend that I couldn't wait to see. I raced towards her car as soon as I saw it (after mistaking a couple of other minivans for her first-I'm sure the conversation was "Look, there's Sister G! Why is she running at our car like that and why did she walk away as soon as she saw us.")

Soon enough, I was unpacking my backpack from home, wondering when a good time was to retrieve my muddy towel from the washer and dryer in the Priesthood cabin (why did it have to be THERE of all places), and hearing all about Lauri's undeserved ticket for rolling through a stop sign in a town so small that was probably the only public traffic signal in it. Poor Lauri! That's what she gets for pausing to look at the map and taking her foot off the brake as soon as she read what she needed. I was so glad she was there. I have missed her every year at camp and finally she got to come! I helped her daughter L find the first year cabins. L is one of Natalie's good friends, very independent, and wasn't my #1 fan when I taught the Valiant Girl class for a few months before getting this calling. Once she was unloaded, I asked if she was OK. She said, "I don't know. Can you stay with me a minute?" I was so happy. L loves me after all. Once she felt settled, I ran to tell Lauri that her kid liked me, she really liked me! Lauri's response? "Well, duh!" It makes me wonder if Natalie would cling to Lauri if the situation was reversed. Probably.

Once we were settled and caught up on chatting, it was time to go back for dinner. I don't remember when I ever became heat sensitive, but by the time we lowered the flag; the ground seemed to be rippling-and no one else could see it. Not good. I spent the get-to-know you activities sipping ice water in my chair wishing that I was playing along with everyone else. Or so my vague memories tell me. Once the sun went down and the breeze kicked in I felt much better. That was a good thing because we still had a lot of preparation to do for tomorrow night's activity once the first night's fireside had ended. On this night, it was Patriarch Jack. I was still flagging enough that I didn't hear everything he said (also, he speaks fairly quietly), but I do know that I want Dave to get his Patriarchal blessing now that I feel better acquainted with "Brother Jack" (what he prefers to be called). Once the girls were sent to bed, it was off to Sister H's room to put together tomorrow's follow-up activity. This required me to cut up the girls' pictures like puzzle pieces. I felt so bad using scissors on their pretty faces that I had to turn the pictures over to the back. (It's been long-established here that I'm a dork.) Needless to say, it was pretty late when I finally found my bed and as we added early morning devotionals to the mix this year; I was going to be waking up very, very early. Could I do it?

Lucy, I'm Home!

Just a note to first thank Chris for filling in for me while I was gone, and second; to let all 10 of you know that I made it safely back from camp. Because we use a Girl Scout camp that is basically "unplottable" for security reasons, I can't go into too much detail about its precise location. I can say that it's about 2 hours from here. You drive through several itty bitty towns and then when you get about ten minutes SE of nowhere, and you've hit the spot where there is virtually no cell phone reception whatsoever-you're there. This is the part where I usually write a self-deprecating post in which I make fun of myself and the thought of me ever being any kind of spiritual leader or good example to teen aged girls and laugh about all the things that went wrong during the week I spent in the woods. I loved those posts and I don't apologize for them, but this year things feel a little different. I've come home on a bit of...well...a "spiritual high" as some call it. This is good, but definitely unfamiliar territory for me and I'm not sure how exactly I want to re-cap my camp experiences this year. Also, how many "Day 1, Day 2, Day 3..." posts can I write before it gets boring. So, give me a little time to gather and organize my thoughts. Rest assured all manner of silliness will still be included in the final draft, I'm just not sure how I'm going to write that yet. In the meantime, I'm home safe and sound and only a little bit sunburned. Stick around, there are good things to come...

Gone Fishin'

Okay not quite. Actually this isn't even Melessa writing this. It's her evil counterpart Chris. Melessa couldn't get online before she was sent to parts unknown.... well, at least by me. She's at summer girls camp for her church. I got a message on the batphone that she needed a ghostwriter, so BOO! I can at least write this although if anything interesting happens this week I might share. Except for the occasional smartypants comment, I'm definitely not a writer.


So since she's on "vacation" (must have the quotes since I know she's working her tush off there) let's play what's your favorite vacation? I've never had a really fun dream vacation since for me that would require unlimited $$$ and although I do enjoy camping, that's not the dream vacation for me.

So far the girls-only trip we took to Mexico last fall would be the closest. I made myself not worry about money too much and just enjoyed, we sat on deck and sipped frothy drinks, dressed up for dinner, went and boogied in the evenings, shopped a little bit in Mexico but really just wandered around. Next time the husbands get to go with us. They better not ruin it either!!

So? How about you? What either has been your favorite vacation or one you plan to take in the next 10 years?

Chris
ctina1973@gmail.com

Week In Review

Watching-

30 Rock-

Since it's available for instant viewing on Netflix, and I was told I would really like it; I gave it a try-and it turns out I love it. At least the first two episodes. Then again, I adore Tina Fey, so loving this show was probably already a given. Did I spot a very brief Jimmy Fallon cameo in the pilot episode (one of the doormen that took a hot dog from her)? Just wondering...

Battlestar Galactica-

Shh! I may not get to see Friday's episode before I leave for camp, so no spoilers-PLEASE!

In My Neflix Queue-

Dan In Real Life-

I have mixed feelings about this one. I knew Steve Carrell could do serious because I saw and loved Little Miss Sunshine. But this one I didn't love as much, although I did like it in the end. It was just kind of an odd little film to me with the occasional enjoyable scene. The outtakes seemed to make more sense to me than the film. Maybe that's just me, though.

Sesame Street Old School Disc 1-

Saw Jim Henson, got a little teary-eyed. Saw bald Big Bird and orange Oscar and admitted that even I didn't remember them looking like that. I loved that my kids enjoyed it so much. I'm raising them right. Of course, they will have to wait and watch the next one when I get back from camp next Saturday.

At the Movies-

Sex and the City-

We bumped up our June Girls' Night Out plans when Dr. R. bumped Wendy's due date. So, we just got back from seeing this. I never really followed the series when it was on, I watched a few episodes in the weeks leading up to tonight and knew who everyone was; but I still felt like I was just tagging along to be with my friends. I was wrong. As I type this, my cheeks still hurt from laughing and crying-and we went out to dinner after the movie. We girls will have many more nights out and we will see many more movies; but rarely one that hits as close to home as this one did. I read a review that said the bottom line of this movie was love, forgiveness, and friendship and as I think those things are the bottom line of why we're here on this earth in the first place; how could I not love a movie with the same message? Now I have to watch the whole series...

On Broadway-

Spamalot-

I looked forward to it all week, but as we sat down at the theatre and the curtain rose; I was suddenly very nervous about what they might have done to my beloved Monty Python. It's been many years since I last watched The Holy Grail, but it turns out I still have a pretty good grasp of the dialogue. I sat by Chris and we kept looking at each other and laughing at all the familiar places. We loved this one and rate it right up there with Lion King! And now I need to dig out my Holy Grail DVD and watch it. It's been far too long.

And the Winner Is...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

24

And that entry belongs to...

Liz :) from Getting Crafty

Like me, Beauty and the Beast is her favorite Disney movie, but I promise I let the Random Integer Generator do the choosing for me! After reading over all the favorites here and enjoying all of your blogs over the last few days, there's no way I could have been objective.

Thanks to Swistle for paying it forward to me! And CONGRATULATIONS Liz!

Finally...FRIDAY!!

Some weeks just seem to go a little slower than others! I'm sure the time drag had everything to do with the fact that we are going to see Spamalot tonight! I've been more excited about this than all the other musicals of this season put together! And so, for your entertainment and mine, I give you a little reminder of how we should all live our lives (and sorry-I sacrificed picture and sound quality for the pure bliss that is seeing Tim Curry himself as King Arthur.)



Have a good weekend, a Happy Birthday, and remember "Always look on the bright side of life." And if you can't, just "run away!"

Thursday Thirteen #47

Thirteen Things Accomplished Today Sometimes I feel like I'm accomplishing nothing. So I'm making a list of 13 things I did manage to cross-off of today's to-do list: 1. Ran the dishwasher twice (typical for this family). 2. Cleaned up the pantry. 3. Washed a load of towels. 4. Straightened up the living room, dining area, and kitchen. 5. Threw away all the junk accumulated in two of my storage ottomans. 6. Took a shower and put on clean clothes. (And so far this list is pretty much in chronological order...sadly.) 7. Made a good dinner. 8. Made sure the table was completely cleaned and all leftovers stored in their appropriate Tupperware containers (and as a former consultant, I've pretty much got one of everything). 9. Fixed and stored a lunch to take to work tomorrow. (Already-as opposed to 5 minutes after we should have left the house, like I usually do.) 10. Turned the dining room table around so that both the pedestal storage drawers are accessible-one had been shoved up against the wall previously. 11. Designated one of those drawers for party items (paper plates, napkins, decorations, etc...) and the other for leftover school supplies. 12. Watched the first Sesame Street Old School DVD (it's all about priorities) 13. Timed all my kids' computer turns so that no one spent hours playing on there today. *Bonus List of Things I Hoped to Accomplish This Week* 1. Organize Master Bedroom 2. Move old desk to girls' room 3. Put my things away properly in my new desk (I've had it for a month now) 4. Deep clean downstairs bathroom 5. Put away and organize books and other items stored on 2nd floor landing 6. Clean out mudroom now that we have kitties using litter box in the garage instead 7. Sort and toss toys and outgrown clothes in the kids' rooms 8. Make strawberry jam (yes, I actually enjoy doing this) 9. Get packed for girls' camp next week. (Realistically, I can't do this until Saturday, but it would be nice to have it all done right now.) 10. Clean out my car. 11. Buy niece's birthday present (party is Saturday) 12. Enjoy new fire pit that Dave dug at random last night. 13. Shop at Atwoods and Ross because I have a little money right now. I guess it's not too late for some of that! What have you accomplished this week? Leave me a comment and tell me all about it.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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How to Make Me Feel Old

Since I knew the Mtv Awards would air repeatedly throughout the week, I didn't get around to watching them until today. Why did no one tell me Wayne and Garth we're gonna reunite?! It caught me completely (and pleasantly) off-guard. So, I'm watching and laughing and clapping (and wondering to myself if an SNL Wayne's World top 10 list in the mid-90's would have included what this one did) and as it ends, Natalie wanders in and says "Mom, who were those weirdos?" And it hits me that Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Wayne's World, George Bush the first, and even the original Austin Powers* movie all happened BEFORE SHE WAS BORN. Wow! I'm old. But I still like the Mtv Awards.

*Though she definitely existed when the first Austin Powers film was out because I remember that I spent most of the evening we went to see it in the theatre restroom feeling nauseous and horrible and really not liking Dave much at all for insisting on going out that night.

It's More Like a Tweet than a Blog Post

I guess that's what I get for being so Twitter-addicted. Anyway...here it is:

Oldest two children behaved horribly at otherwise much-anticipated family dinner out tonight. Much grounding and loss of privilege abounded when we got home. I am the most hated human being in this house right now. Sought comfort in the slice of homemade lemon pie I ordered 'to-go' and back-to-back Bio Channel features on Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. I'm more of a Matt fan. But either one is OK by me.

Had a fun chat with Chris while typing this. Life is good. Even if kids hate me. Good night.

Time to Pay It Forward

Last week, I received this in the mail from Swistle:



It also had Smarties and fudge, but well...I have kids and we all love candy so that never made it into the picture!

These are my favorite items of all, and I meant to have the cool vase full of flowers before I posted its picture. However, it's been a week since I got the package and didn't want to delay anymore. I'll post a pic once I use the vase.



In a previous post, I joked about giving away a Disney DVD. Since then, I haven't come up with any better ideas. Instead, I decided to use this one (brand-new and unopened, I promise) as a theme for my Pay It Forward prize! One lucky winner will be getting this in the mail from me!



I have looked high and low for other cute Dalmatian items to include until I realized I had received my prize a week ago and that I needed to get the ball rolling on my own giveaway! IF I find something between now and the end of the contest, I will throw it in as well.

To win, leave me a comment telling me your favorite Disney movie or your favorite movie snack and be ready to pay it forward yourself! I will take entries until Friday at 6 p.m. and then use the Random Number Generator to choose a winner! Be sure and leave your actual email with your comment instead of the noreply@blogger.com default so that I can contact you and let you know you've won!

Good luck!

Music Monday: Summer Rerun Edition

Since I am now in love with the movie, I'm replaying this year's Best Song Oscar winner! (from Once, for those of you not quite as Oscar obsessed as I am.)


I know I posted it before, but it's my blog and I love the song...so there.

Week In Review

Reading-

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd-

This was pleasant light reading for me. I bought it last Monday to read all week...and finished it the same day. With all its hype, I guess I was expecting something a little, I don't know, bigger maybe? It's not like it disappointed, but I'm glad I bought it used and can pass it along to other friends without worrying whether or not it comes back to me. And I must be getting old-fashioned as I approach my middle aged years because I felt like she spent most of the book making kind of a fool of herself, and I really liked how things ended.

The Essential Mormon Cookbook by Julie Badger Jensen-

I bought this at the last Time Out For Women and am really just now starting to try things out. This week, I made Sunday Pot Roast, Five-Cup Salad, Rocky Mountain cookies (the last two were for Friday's church cookout), and I purchased the supplies for the infamous Green Jello. That's on next week's menu along with French Dip sandwiches, Glazed Carrots and Peas, Taco Soup, and maybe the Chocolate Oatmeal Cake. (I haven't baked in quite awhile, and I'm not sure if I even have baking chocolate or if what I have is still any good.) I do like the bigger recipes and that many of them incorporate food storage items as I'm trying to cook more with those and make them part of our weekly diet.

Watching-

Battlestar Galactica-

This was pretty much a bridge episode. Even I will admit that. But, it was heavy on Lee appearances which made it OK with me. I am a little confused though. I thought Starbuck was on the cylon ship when it jumped, and I'm still not sure if Sam was or not. I thought Athena deserved her jail time, but was glad she was reunited with Hera. I thought Natalie crying out to "Dear Heavenly Father" was very interesting (but both the old and new BSGs have always been laden with not-so-subtle LDS references). And I always knew Lee was the right man for the job-even if his first name really is Leland. (Hee!) And props to his father for realizing it when things went from professional to personal. I hope he gets back to BSG safely. And think chances of that happening are way more likely than ever seeing Apollo and Starbuck making out again, which I personally feel is very unfortunate. (Guess I'm not so old-fashioned after all.)

In My Netflix Queue/At the Movies-

Now that I'm no longer PTA President and most of the other after school activities are on hiatus, I've been able to get serious about my movies again. I've got quite a list here:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull-

OK, I'll admit the disappointed critics have a few points. This was not near as good as the last Indy installment, but hello-was ANYTHING going to measure up to that one? Of course not. I did enjoy the way it took us into the 1950's movie genre just like the earlier films took us into the 30's and early 40's genres. (Well, I don't know about Temple of Doom so much...) I did not much care for Cate Blanchett's character and felt she was a little too one dimensional for an actress with that much talent. I also thought Shia LaBeouf was trying a little too hard to invoke The Fonz in his performance. BUT, I love, love, loved having Karen Allen back, and seeing Harrison Ford in the fedora one last time. Best lines: "I've got a bad feeling about this." and "You want to be a good archeologist? You've got to get out of the library." All in all, it was a good ending to the series, even if it did go out a bit more quietly. (As a mom, I was grateful that it wasn't as violent or sex-scene laden as the earlier stuff.)

Iron Man-

I was actually a little more disappointed in this one. I love Robert Downey Jr., but the plot wasn't strong enough for even him to carry. Ditto for Gwyneth Paltrow. I did enjoy Jeff Bridges, though. Still, I was expecting more than I think this one delivered. Of course, this was the second film at the drive-in double feature and I may just have been getting tired.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason-

I didn't like this one as much as the first one, BUT I didn't dislike it as much as I feared I would. It was cute and also wrapped up their story pretty well. And anytime spent watching Colin Firth and Hugh Grant fight like British men is time well-spent.

Chasing Amy-

My sister warned me that this one was the saddest of Kevin Smith's earlier movies, so I stayed away from it until I saw everything else he did (including Jersey Girl) and went into withdrawals. Even with the sad ending, this and Clerks may be my all-time favorites. As usual, I loved all the cameos and inside jokes, loved Joey Lauren Adams character, but I don't think Ben Affleck's character really and truly loved her in the way he thought he did-or none of her past would have mattered. Or maybe that's the difference between being 28 and 36. Still, it felt very real, very good, and quite bittersweet which is apparently how I like my endings because...

Once

Was brilliant and perfect in every way possible. And that's all I can say about it. I absolutely loved it.

Extracurricular Activities-

Stake Conference-

I got to see myself sustained today-this time by the whole stake rather than just my little branch. Standing up was intimidating and I'm glad a lot of us were standing at the same time. I'm also glad they called up the Stake YW Presidency at the end, because I didn't have to stand very long. I think I'm fairly good at this calling, I may even go so far as to admit that there really was inspiration involved in putting me in there, but I DO NOT LIKE standing up in front of lots of people. Fortunately, the speakers were wonderful (Bro. Swaim and the Fife's among them-it was OLD SCHOOL), the spirit was strong, and I came away feeling more re-charged than usual. That was good because stake conference also means stake presidency meetings and I just returned from one. I can't believe Girls' Camp is in just a week. Time to start packing...