Wednesdays Only Come Once a Week

If you could hear the voice in my head when I say I hate Wednesdays, it would sound a lot like Indiana Jones when he says his iconic "I hate snakes" line. (Also, I sound a lot like Indy when I say "I hate snakes" too, come to think of it.)

I both love and hate Wednesdays. (I only hate snakes.) It's my marathon day. We all have them. But this one wipes me out every week. I go to work, and it's usually a very busy work day, come home, change clothes, go out walking with a friend (which is a priority exercise event for me), go run a few errands, and go straight to the church for youth night. (The errands are almost always related to youth night.) I get home, and usually have one or two things to do for other clients, and then just crash.

Today was no exception. I'm beat. I'm exhausted. But the crazies won't let up for a few more days.

I can make it to the end of this sprint, right? Right?

Trekking On

The summer is flying by all too quickly for me. Last week was the youth pioneer trek reenactment. We took 61 teenagers out into the mountains and woods and pushed handcarts through the rain, heat, bugs, and mud. Trust me when I say we don't do this for the fun. It's all about the "experience."
It's hard work and it's hard on the body. But it is good for the soul.
I've always loved camping and hiking, so it isn't the worst thing in the world for me. I prepared myself physically by walking nearly 5 miles almost every day for 6 weeks in advance. I never suffered from a lack of stamina. (I was so proud of myself!) And my body held up pretty well. After the fact though, oh my word!, it hurts. The stiffness and soreness of walking 18 miles, and sleeping on the ground under a tarp in the rain does take some recovery. (So sore!!)

"Before" with 3 of my 4 Baby Ducks that went 

After - much stinkier, much dirtier, but still smiling

 About 2 weeks ago I had to make the very tough, very adult decision to not go to Europe with Clog America. If I had gone, I would have left today to fly to Zurich. It is breaking my heart to not be there. And it kills me a little inside each time I see a picture one of them posts from their trip.
It was a tough decision to make. I'm still trying to convince myself it was the right call. I couldn't justify going to Europe for 20 days and spending what money I have, when I don't know how long it will be until I have reliable income again. I'm heartbroken, but what can you do?

Settling into my life in Roanoke has been rough ride. Learning to live with my parents for the first time in 20 years has its ups and downs. Living with sister missionaries again has had its ups and downs. Learning to be someone's child, while also being the YW president, start my own business, write a book, and be the unofficial "third companion" to the missionaries has not been easy for me. Just learning how to balance being myself (an adult woman used to living on her own) and being someone's child has been tough. Juggling so many roles, not one of which I asked for or wanted, has really taken its toll on me.

But I'm happy enough. Things are okay. I could still really use a job, or for my business to come together and take off. Just having a routine and semblance of a normal life would be welcome at this point.

Bear with me. (Bare? Bear? I can never remember.) It's going to be a rocky road before it's a smooth one.

Mormon Singles and Sex- a Very Frank Talk

The following was going to run on a different website. At the last minute it was determined that it was too raw and too edgy for that site. I've decided to go ahead an run it here. Some of you will agree, some of you won't. Some of you (non-Mormons in particular) will read this and seriously wonder what the heck is wrong with us.
I'm just telling it like it is.

For the sake of this article I will not use polite alternative language, or pretend we don’t all know what I’m talking about. I will be straightforward and as blunt as possible.
Sex is an incredibly complicated subject. For Mormon singles the subject is even more complicated the more it is engaged in, or the more it is avoided. There is a little secret running through the singles of the Church that the rules for dating and sexual relationships changed over time. No one ever addresses this subject in detail. As a result, many singles have formed their own new rules for appropriate physical relationships that are no longer in harmony with what they were taught at age 16.
When I studied interpersonal communications in college one of the key principles taught was, “everyone is in a relationship.” You may be in a friendly relationship, a married relationship, or a relationship where you do not know each other. Not speaking or avoiding another person, is also a type of relationship. All people everywhere are in some type of relationship with each other. By these same definitions, all people are in a relationship with sex. The type of relationship may change- you actively engage in it, avoid it, have not engaged in it, dislike it, enjoy it, etc. These are all forms of relationships. Everyone is in a relationship with sex.
Mormon singles have the most complicated relationship with sex. And sex complicates all relationships, particularly when sex is to be avoided. To be honest, most dates are planned activities as an alternative to sex. “What can we do to enjoy each other’s presence that won’t lead to sex tonight?” or “How much can we enjoy each other physically before we have to stop ourselves so we don’t have sex?” are the subconscious (and not so subconscious) approaches to dating.) This is what dating is in today’s culture and to think otherwise would be naïve and foolish. You can get to know each other on the phone, through email, etc. Dates are about physical relationships.

What the Youth are Taught
Today we see more sexually arousing images before lunch than our parents saw before their honeymoons. And just like we have been taught since we were twelve years old, the more you are exposed to such things, the more de-sensitized you become.

The Baby Ducks Take On the Harlem Shake

If you haven't yet discovered the Harlem Shake on YouTube, I recommend checking that out before trying to make sense of what the heck the Baby Ducks were up to last night!

"You Heard It Here First" is now available in paperback!

I am so excited, as of 7:45 a.m. today my new book, "You Heard It Here First" is available in paperback! 
For the first week it is available on CreateSpace (the Amazon owned printing company I chose to go through) for $13.99.
It will take at least 5-7 more days before it shows up on Amazon itself, and then longer to show upon Barnes and Noble and other sites. I thought about not announcing any of the book's release until it was for sale digitally and in print everywhere. But, not too surprisingly, I am not patient enough for that! I am so happy that this book is officially done and out there!
In the front of the book, on the dedications page, you will see that I chose to dedicate the book to "Little," the Back Creek Baby Ducks, and the Cave Spring Cuties. If you've been reading this blog for more than the past year, you already know who my darling "Little" is. (Except she's a grown-up, beautiful 15 year old now. I can't get away with calling her 'little' much longer!) The Back Creek Baby Ducks and the Cave Spring Cuties are the young women from the two wards (congregations) I have served with over the past 2 years.
I got the chance over the past few days to tell my baby ducks about the dedication. (And hopefully I'll get the chance to see the Cave Spring girls soon and tell them.) They have all been hearing about this book for a while and were excited to hear I dedicated it to them. (After we clarified it was "for them" and not "about" them!)
Back when I started writing the story I didn't set out with a specific end or goal in sight. I just had an idea for a little scene and wrote it out. It all just took off from there. The story begins with a romance, and before too long I reached the point where in most romance novels either sex would enter the picture, or the girl would change herself to get the man. I couldn't write for days. I didn't want to go there. I didn't want to write a "religious fiction" story, but I also couldn't see myself writing values I didn't believe in.
So I didn't.
I decided to write the main character (Haley) the way I wanted to, and not look back. I knew as I did it that it would mean that chances of getting picked up by a mainstream publisher were next to nil. And I knew that if I left religion out of a book that centers around values, that I would never get picked up by a religious publisher either. The more I thought about it the more I realized I didn't care. I could do this without a publisher. What mattered most to me was that I wrote a character that my young women- my cuties, baby ducks, and Little- could all look up to. 
The book may still be a little grown up for them. I'm not sure that it is 12 year old girl material (which I'm sure my girls will point out to me quickly that they will all be at least 13 in a few weeks). Maybe 15 or 16 would be a more appropriate age to start. But I am glad this book is there for them now, and I can't wait to give them each their own copy soon.

A few of my Baby Ducks!

What will my legacy be?

It feels like a lifetime ago that I attended the LDS singles conference in DC. Really, it was only 10 days ago. Girls Camp can mess with your head that way.
During the conference I had a very unusual and fun experience. There were 4 sets of speakers, of which 2 were couples I knew. The first couple I had not seen since I was 12 years old. The wife was my first young woman's leader (my Beehive teacher- sorry for the odd language to my non-LDS friends), and first Girls Camp leader. I went up and asked if she remembered me. She said, "Oh honey, I may not remember your name, but I sure do remember that face! You were one of my young women, weren't you?" We talked for a few minutes. It was a unique experience to get to ask her for advice just as I headed off to camp myself. I wondered if my sweet young girls will remember me in 25 years? (I told them the story (through numerous tears), and one of them replied, "We're all cousins! We'll still be seeing each other at family reunions in 25 years." She makes a good point.)
The second woman I saw was the young woman's leader I had when I was 17. Her family and my family are still very good friends. (In fact, I highly suspect her daughter is reading this post. Are you there, Katrina?) I had no need to introduce myself to her. We had a nice little catch-up chat.
Both women were speaking with their husbands to the conference. (I talked to both men as well.) It made me think about my own youth. How blessed I was to have such amazing and smart influences on me when I was younger! Today they are sought after speakers, traveling often to address different organizations. I wish I had appreciated them more when I was a youth.
To say they have set the bar high for me would be an understatement. I can only hope to do half the job they did with me!
I can tell you exactly what influences these two women had on me as a girl. The first one was simply a graceful and elegant woman. She was firm with us, but knew how to have fun. She never had a hair out of place, and always looked good- even when we were rough camping.
The second woman taught me many lessons about laughing at life's trials, and not taking things too seriously. She was smart, funny, and kind. When I think of her, I think patience and laughter.
I hope that the legacy and imprint I leave on my own young women is one of laughter and love. Heaven knows it will probably not be patience and grace. I'd like to think I have set an example of never giving up and motivation. But who knows if the girls even know how hard I have had to work these past few years just to survive?
There is one legacy I look forward to leaving with them- my books. Every day as I have written another page in this new series I have asked myself if this is something I would want my girls to read? Is the main character setting a good example for the girls? Would I be proud of them if they grew up to be like the main character (Haley)? I'm excited to be able to leave something behind that they will be able to say, "She wrote that for me!"
Will you help me leave that legacy behind? There is less than a week left in my Kickstarter campaign, and I am woefully short the needed funds. You can donate at that first link, and read the first chapter of the book at this link!
THANK YOU!

Mama Bear Meets Mama Duck (my week at Girls Camp)

We're back from Girls Camp. The picture above is me and my "Baby Ducks" as we arrived back at the church. Actually, we're short 4 Baby Ducks in this picture. "Number Two" is in the picture as well.
Let me explain the Baby Ducks. The nickname came from how often I started to feel like a Mama Duck. Everywhere I went I had a little flock of baby ducks following behind me. All I wanted to do was get them from Point A to Point B alive, and without wandering too far off the path- not unlike a Mama Duck. And sometimes easier said than done.
Much to my own surprise this week I discovered I'm not just a Mama Duck, I'm also a Mama Bear! You DON'T mess with my girls! Don't even think about it! Come to think of it, a Mama Duck will also attack if you mess with her babies. I think the Mama Duck and Baby Ducks are a great name for us!

See the van in that photo? Let me tell you a little story.
Have you ever had a moment where you just knew angels stopped a disaster from happening?
That was me this afternoon. After a week of this Mama Duck keeping her babies alive, and getting them from Point A to Point B and just one mile short of Point A again, our guardian angels put in some overtime. Just 2 stoplights short of getting back to the church, with me driving the big van (5 of the girls were in a different car. I only had 7 girls, but the van was stuffed to the gills with everyone's gear), I made a left-hand turn. Another car ran the light, and came within micro-seconds of t-boning us. I had to swerve hard, in the middle of my left-turn, to avoid the impact. With the van so heavy (and particularly top-heavy with bins stacked up in the back), my speed around the turn, and the abrupt swerve, I felt the van go up on two tires on one side. The other car just barely missed us, but then I nearly hit another car head-on. I swerved again, just barely missing that car by a fraction of an inch.
I felt the force of how close we came to the van rolling over. I know just how close we came to both getting t-boned, and to getting into a head-on collision in the middle of a busy intersection. I have never, ever been so scared in my life.  I have also never before been more sure that an angel had to have been holding up that van to keep us from falling over.
Somehow the girls missed most of what happened. With so much stuff in the back, they couldn't see out the windows to see how close we came on the side. And only the one in the front seat saw how close we came to the other car. By the time we reached the next stoplight they were all singing along again to One Direction. I could barely breathe I was so upset.
We got to the church just 2 minutes later. I got out of the van and absolutely fell apart crying. Both the RS President (mother of 2 of the girls) and the Bishop were right there (it was the Bishop's van), and helped me get my act together. For the most part the girls missed my crying too! (Although it would have been fine for them to see me cry. Heaven knows it wouldn't be the first or last time that has happened this week!)
All in all, it was a great week with my Baby Ducks. I loved being their Mama Duck.
My favorite part of the week just so happens to be caught on video. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Back Creek Baby Ducks Girls Camp Flash Mob!

Although, I do have to agree with Christley (I think she was the one who said it?). Sometimes the best part of the week is the fun and goofiness in the car on the way home. We really know how to car jam!

Into every camp a little rain must fall?

It seems like every summer of my adult life has revolved around Girls Camp. I know this can't actually be true, because when I lived in Utah I didn't go to Girls Camp. So there are at least those 3 summers I didn't go. And I know I didn't go every single year in Virginia, but it sure felt like it.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I love Girls Camp! (For the life of me I cannot bring myself to say Young Women Camp. It doesn't roll of the tongue the right way. Not to mention, there's very few "womanly" qualities about a week in the woods with teenagers.)
In one week from today I take off for another 6 days at Girls Camp. This year is a little different from my past years. I'm really carrying more responsibilities than before, and I'm in charge of more girls (from my congregation) than ever before. That's bringing just a little anxiety into my life. But as I have said many times before, my girls are awesome, and totally worth the effort.
Last year at camp we endured one of the worst heat waves to ever hit our part of the country. To say the girls and the leaders have been nervously watching the weather would be an understatement. I've been watching the 10 day forecast closely. And as of right now, it doesn't look like heat will be our problem. But thunderstorms may very well be! In the five bermillion times I have been to girls camp, I have never had a major rain problem. I think there was one or two times we had a little bit of rain. But I've managed to never see a real storm while camping.
I'm not going to lie to you. I fear my number is up.
Even though I own two perfectly adequate tents already (one of which is in storage in another state), I went out and bought myself another tent this weekend. I couldn't help myself. (The Coleman SunDome to be exact. I paid less than Amazon's price though. It was on sale for $59.) I know what the camping conditions are like where I am headed, and I want to know that I am in a tent that can handle the worst Virginia weather can throw at me.
Just for fun, here's a clip from last year's camp. This is our stake's favorite "song." (Although I personally hesitate to call it a song. A cheer would be a more accurate definition.)




For those wondering if I was affected by the major storms (derecho) that hit Virginia and DC this weekend- no. I heard it and felt it, but somehow no damage. It did pick up a shovel and move it across my yard, but that's about it. Much of my town is still without power, and trees are down everywhere. But up here on top of the mountain, we are doing just fine!

Lessons to be Learned

Every Sunday I feel like I learn something new from the young teenage girls I work with at church. Today was no exception.
All of our girls are wonderful, and each of them for their own special reason. We have one girl who has a heart as big as the world, and one of the most loveable things about her is that she has no idea just how rare she is.
Today one of the other leaders, who is a grandmother of a special needs little girl, announced that she will be walking in a March of Dimes event in a few months. She invited the girls, that if they wanted to, to save their pocket change to donate to her fundraising. That is all she asked of them- pocket change. If you know our girls, it will come as no surprise that immediately they started asking if they could walk with her too. And I strongly suspect that some of them will actually do it, because that is just who they are. (However, I'm sure they don't know the fundraising aspect of it all, and once they find out, it may hold several of them back.)
The minute our church meetings ended, this one sweet girl quickly left the room. Where she went I don't know. But she reappeared just minutes later holding a handful of pocket change. Whether she got it from her own purse, her mother's purse, or the ash tray in the car (that's where all of my change is!), I don't know. But it brought tears to my eyes and I got all choked up at how excited she was to rush back in there and hand over her money.
This same sweet girl asks me regularly about my friends' son who is fighting a brain tumor at St Jude. A few months ago I taught the girls how to knit hats, with the intent of donating our finished hats to St Jude. I told the girls about this little boy, and since then his name has popped up in prayers, and in comments to me. She tells me that she tries to remember to pray for him every day, and always wants an update on his condition.
I've decided to make this sweet girl my example this week- to serve and love unconditionally. There is something to be learned from everyone we meet. And this week, I will learn from a sixth grade, twelve year old girl.

Fasting

I know I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it a thousand times again. But I sure do love working with the young women at church. They just make me happy. I love watching them grow up and change, and yet I want them to stay their precious cute little girl selves at the same time.
Today I was fasting for a personal reason, and for my friend's toddler who has an inoperable brain tumor and is very sick. I struggle with fasting because it puts me in such a rotten mood. Going hungry for several hours on end messes with my blood sugar and just leaves me very cranky (not to mention daylight saving time robbing me of an hour of sleep, and going to bed extra late). Plus even after I do finally eat something I still tend to stay a little off for the whole day (headache, stomachache). But I believe in the power of fasting, so when it is needed I fight through my personal issues with it.
Generally fighting through my issues means I avoid people. I know I can't handle even simple conversations without getting overly emotional, so I just try to avoid being in those situations altogether when fasting. But working with the teenagers means I don't get that luxury of avoiding conversations anymore. Today the Lord must have been looking out for me, and for them. They were just cuter and better than usual. I got hugs and sweet little comments. They just made my day with what happy kids they can be.

We do not suffer from ADD, we enjoy every minute of it

Just another reason why I love working with the teen girls at church.
(In this story I was not the teacher. Also, the teacher was Becky.)

The lesson was about choosing to be happy regardless of circumstance.

Teacher: Does eating too much dessert make you happy?
Girls (Varied answers about yes, but not later.)
Teacher: Not me! if you eat too much dessert you have to buy more fat pants, and fat pants are bad.
Oldest Girl: It's all about the sweat pants.
Teacher: I work at Roanoke College! I can't wear sweat pants!
Oldest Girl: So get some sweat pants that say Roanoke College across the butt!
Teacher: What about my butt?!
Oldest Girl: You have a great butt, Becky.
Me in my head: Oh my gosh, Becky, look at her butt.
Teacher: Thank you, but I don't like my butt.
Me in my head: It's so OUT THERE!

Class continues with more ADD tangents. We thrive on ADD tangents.

Teacher: What makes you happy?
Varied answers.
Youngest girl (mostly joking): Rainbows, unicorns, and sparkly things.
Me in my head: She must be one of those rap guys girlfriends!

We pause to look at a picture of a double rainbow on someone's phone.

Teacher: So in the words of the song, "don't worry, be happy!"
Youngest girl: Wha??
Middle girl: What does that mean?
Me in my head still: I like big butts and I cannot lie!
Teacher: It was a reggae song when we were your age.
Youngest girl: A what song?
Me singing out loud now: Don't worry, be happy now!
Middle girl: It's like an island song.
Youngest girl: I like Hawaiian flowers. They're pretty.

Single Mormon Woman Shares All

Earlier this week I wrote a piece for Meridian Magazine entitled "Where are the Role Models for Single Women?" Today I read a great piece in the Washington Post, "Some people never find the love of their lives. And live to tell about it." It is accompanied by the results of a fascinating survey about single life.
As a Single Mormon Woman I found that I could relate to much of the article, but less so to the survey results. Very rarely were my answers the same as the majority of answers. I believe this is partially due to my Mormon background, as well as my discomfort with my current financial and professional situations (which, yes, are improving, but are far from perfect). It is possible that if those two areas of my life were more stable and secure that I may have different answers.

Yesterday something very interesting happened to me. I have lived in Roanoke for nearly two years, and for the first time since moving here I was invited to a social event [that wasn't with my family members]. Yes, for the first time in nearly two years, I got invited out to play. At first I was just happy to be invited and to attend. It wasn't until a few hours before the party that it hit me- I'm the only single in this town. I'm going to a party that will undoubtedly be all married couples- and me. I've been in these situations before and they can be downright miserable when you are the third wheel. However, I thought about it, and knew that it was very likely that the other guests would all be couples I am friends with. I went to the party, and I had a good time. I was very grateful that someone would think to invite me, rather than exclude me just because it might be strange to have that one single girl there in a room full of couples. Because heaven knows, we singles do get left out often enough because we don't have a spouse.

With all of that in mind, I'd like to expand a little bit on what I read in Meridian, and reference the Washington Post article, as I make a few more points. I have inserted more thoughts throughout the piece below than just what originally ran on Meridian. I have not indicated when I have not done that.


What the Young Woman Lesson Manual Said
“Invite an exemplary sister (preferably one who has married in the temple and has a family), who has been approved by priesthood advisers, to speak to the young women about the joy of being a woman. Ask her to relate some joys and challenges she has experienced, including some when she was the age of the young women in the class. She might tell about specific experiences and choices that helped her stay close to Heavenly Father and the blessings and joy that resulted. She should emphasize the joy of being a woman at every age. Suggest that she take about twenty minutes. Ask her to allow time for the young women to ask her questions and express their feelings.
“OR
“You may invite a grandmother, mother, and young married woman, who have been approved by priesthood advisers, to briefly express the joys of womanhood they are presently experiencing. You might suggest that they also mention joys they experienced when they were the age of the young women. Stress to each that she is allowed only five or six minutes. You might offer to time them and signal when their time is up.”

What I (the single, never married, young woman adviser) Heard-
Single women are not impressive. And we don’t want girls to think single women are role models. Oh and apparently a man is needed to determine what a good woman is, women can't figure that out for themselves.


This is copied, verbatim, from the Young Women Manual, Lesson 5: Finding Joy in Our Divine Potential. And it was the lesson taught this past Sunday to young women around the world. It even included a sub-heading “We Can Experience Joy at Every Stage of Life.” I’m just curious, did anyone remember to include the “stage” of being single? Did anyone explain to the young women how this stage is not the same as your college years? Didn’t anyone mention that while we hope and pray they get married, and have a family, that statistically speaking that for 50% of them “single” wouldn’t be a “stage” of life, it would be how she will spend her entire life?

No? No one. I’m not surprised.

Who Will Be My Role Model?
For the past few years I have used the following description in my professional writing biography, "Erin Ann is equal parts Mother Teresa, Anne Shirley and Carrie Bradshaw.” This description has been met by a few to great criticism. What was an LDS woman doing describing herself with a Catholic nun and as the fictional character from “Sex and the City?” Let me explain- they were single women I could relate to. Carrie Bradshaw was a single woman in her thirties, a writer, and looking for love. In that respect I had a lot in common with her. Of course if someone were to make a sitcom about my life it would probably have the less than tantalizing title "No Sex in the Suburbs.” I may not be Carrie Bradshaw in many respects, but I can definitely relate to her.

Reason 5 million and 99 why I love working with the Young Women

Two of my YW. Who else will come over and have a dance off in your kitchen and sit on your mantle and take pictures?

I have said it before and I will say it again, I love working with the young women at church. Tonight made me love the girls all that much more.
The girls were each asked to bring a story from their family history about an ancestor and read it to the group. Britton was reading a story about her great-great-grandmother from Denmark, Else. She struggled with some of the words and pronunciations and finally settled on pronouncing 'Else' as the normal English word 'else.'

Britton: They lived in Copenhagen, and had a young daughter named Else. 
Under her breath, Ariana adds: Comma first name Or.

I didn't even bother keep a straight face.

Best Calling Ever

I can barely express how much I love working with the youth at church. I've been involved with the teen program at our church in different capacities for several years now. For the past 1.5 years I have had the joy and privilege of working in the Young Woman's Program. I served as the Personal Progress Adviser in my old congregation, and again now in my current congregation. I've also served as the Girls Camp Leader (last summer), and I will be serving again this upcoming summer.
Personally, I think Girls Camp Leader is pretty much the best calling ever.
This week I've had a few moments where I've woken up and realized just how much I love my girls. At our activity last week, we had a fairly simple activity planned for the night. Our oldest girl turned 18, and we had a birthday party for her. We had a few ideas for goal oriented activities following the cake and ice cream, but we didn't have to do them. We played a few games, laughed riotously, and just enjoyed ourselves. There was even a moment where we all spontaneously broke into singing, "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt." Why? I don't really remember. But the laughing afterwards was priceless, as was the look on the face of the woman that walked in in the middle of it.
I love that our girls so regularly give hugs to each other and their leaders. Every time I see the girls, whether at church or out in town somewhere, they give me big hugs and tell me they love me. I have learned so much from them about not judging too soon, and loving unconditionally.
College acceptance letters are coming soon, and I find my prayers including the girls from my past congregation, as well as one from my current, as they anxiously wait to hear from schools. They have grown up so much in the time that I have known them into such beautiful young women with so much to offer. I am so excited for them to take this next step in life! But I'm going to miss them so much when they are gone!
There is so much to learn and enjoy in the YW program. I wish more women would accept the opportunity to get involved with the girls. The next few weeks I will be busier than usual with the girls, and I have to admit, I'm looking forward to it!

Reason 5,432,109 why I love working with the young women

the great slumber party of 2011

This picture is just one of the many reasons I love working with the young women. This week to be the camp leader again. Of course I agreed. I LOVE girls camp! When the girls found out they cheered. When you are having a rough week, nothing beats having a group of teenage girls cheer for you.
I've had such a great experience working with the young women at my church, and with "Little" from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, that my dream and goal of becoming a foster mother to a teenage girl keeps coming back to me. Oh how I wish I had a real, stable, and well-paying job so I could get myself back into a position where fostering would be a reality again. (New to this blog? I was approved to become a foster mother in Utah just a few days before I got laid off 2 years ago.)
I don't do New Year's Resolutions, but if I did, getting back to a position where I could be a foster mother would be my top goal.
Until then, I'm just glad I get to "foster" and witness things like this-

Owling on the fireplace mantel

Monkeying

 

I have no idea

My point, and I do have one, is

Oh the glories of the internet. One minute I have an interesting blog post planned out in my head about how I was feeling all inspired tonight to sit down and work on the book I've been writing, after having talked with the young women at church about virtue and sex and uplifting media. Which lead to me looking for something on Pinterest, which lead to looking at a video on YouTube, where somehow I went from the "Silent Monks Singing Hallelujah" to funny puppy videos, and then coming out of my interwebz daze when I found myself watching an elephant give birth.
And now, while I can remember the topic I wanted to talk about, I've completely forgotten my point. I think it was "we need more good and uplifting entertainment."
Look, cute puppy!
True story, every time I play this clip, my dog gets up and looks around for the puppy. She eventually comes over and sniffs the laptop, but ends up giving me a dirty look, like she knows I'm hiding the puppy from her.

A Day Well Spent

The greatest compliment I can give these great youth that I've had the privilege of serving this past year is that after spending a day with them (a very long day where we left at 7 am and got home close to 11 pm, and drove 500 miles), is that being with them makes me want to have my own kids someday. 

Pioneer Trek

The pioneer youth trek of 2011 is now officially behind us! It was a great experience, and I am so glad I got the chance to go chaperon. We trekked about 20 miles, suffered only a few small injuries, saw a lot of blisters, and had no handcarts break down on us. Overall, I'd call that a great success.
Being a leader is always an interesting experience. We know the little things that went wrong behind the scenes. But it is always great and reassuring to poll the kids later to find out that none of them had a clue.
We thing that "went wrong" was that we walked faster than anticipated, and got into camp a few hours early one night. (This can barely be called a real problem.) So I got called into action to come up with a few ways to occupy and entertain the youth with no supplies, preparation, etc. (I secretly love operating on the fly.) I discovered I can still pull off completely off the cuff event planning. I really had fun pulling a joke on all the kids at one point. I share this so that other leaders who might be reading this can rip off my little idea.
After walking and pulling/pushing handcarts roughly 10 miles our legs, feet, and bodies in general were sore and achy. But alas, we have no chairs, just the sometimes wet, always buggy, nothing but dirt, grass, and rocks laden ground to sit on. So I gathered all the youth into a big circle around me, and told them how "back when the pioneers walked across the plains," that they didn't have chairs either. So when they got tired they would all stand in a circle, then sit in each other's laps, and this was called the "Pioneer Chair."
(I've intentionally made the below picture blurry so that you can't easily identify other people's children. But I think you can get the point.)

If you've ever been to a cheesy teamwork seminar, you've probably seen this before as the "trust chair" or "teamwork circle," etc. Words cannot express how greatly amused I was when a few kids later on asked me if the pioneers really did this!

The trail was muddy at times, dry at times, very uphill at times, and sometimes a little downhill. We were "attacked" by Indians along the way. And on the hardest hill (a 3/4ths mile uphill pull) "angels" (volunteers dressed in white) suddenly appeared in the woods and came down to help push/pull each cart up the hill. As soon as the carts were up the hill, the "angels" disappeared back into the woods.

One of the angels helping push

We also had a "women's pull" to "re-enact" (we actually really worked to not call our trek a re-enactment. We hesitated to call it that. But the English language fails me right now in finding the right word.) The men were called off to serve in the Mormon Battalion. (Which for you non-Mormons out there was when the US Government, that had just barely kicked the Mormons out of Missouri and Illionois, came asking for help. Over 500 men crossing the plains with their families, left the trek to go fight in the Mexican American War. The women and children were left behind to pull themselves across the plains.) The girls pulled their own carts without the boys for about an hour. My favorite quote was upon the boys' return, hearing one of the girls say, "I've never been so happy to see a boy in my life." The boys were greeted with the girls loudly singing, "I love my Mormon Boy!"

The women's pull

All in all, a great experience. I am very glad I didn't find out about the huge bear near our camp until after we had left. I am also very glad that the only snake we encountered was a tiny garter snake some of the kids played with. I'm a little sore (oh my gracious my calf muscles hurt), but incredibly grateful for not getting any blisters. (Thank you $90 Merrill hiking shoes!)

You can check out our great kids on the local Roanoke news- (the embedded video is spotty, so here's the link if you can't see the video - http://www.wdbj7.com/videobeta/7143a87d-9cae-4c4c-9303-f0ba32369e92/News/Several-dozen-children-from-local-Mormon-churches-take-a-spiritual-journey)

Preparing for the Pioneer Trek

Dressed like this (a plump, short, pioneer grandmother in pink) I will be taking off for the next few days as an "aunt" on the Pioneer Trek. (From what I can gather, there are no flattering pioneer clothes good for hiking.)

A Pioneer Trek? Oh yes, a trek.

For my non-LDS friends, I shall explain.

It has become a tradition in our church to take the youth on a pioneer trek reenactment every few years. (This tradition began after I left high school, so this is my first one.) Wearing the traditional clothing of the 1800's, complete with bonnets, skirts, aprons, and for the men no pocket pants, suspenders, etc, we pull handcarts in the summer heat, across "the plains." In our case, "the plains" will be a mountain fire road.

All efforts are made to make it as realistic and rugged as possible. The youth will truly pull handmade handcarts for about 20-30 miles. We've been asked to not bring anything with batteries in it, including cell phones, ipods, and flashlights. We'll be cooking with dutch ovens over fires. Considering the ample amount of rain we have had here lately (thunderstorms for 3 straight days), I'm guessing the fires won't be easily built. There are no "rain contingencies." If it rains on us, we'll just make due, just like the pioneers did. I went up to scout out the place two days ago and discovered our trail looks like this-

No question about it. We're going to get muddy.

To enhance our learning experience, we will be bringing pioneer stories with us to share over the campfire. In many cases the youth will be bringing stories of their own Mormon pioneer ancestors. The purpose of the trip is to gain an appreciation for our Mormon pioneer heritage that made us the church that we are today.

The youth (ages 14-18) will be divided into "families" headed up by a Ma and Pa. In our small town we have about 100 youth attending, many of whom are kin to each other already. I know that I will have at least 1 first cousin, 1 second cousin, and probably 10 third cousins attending. Personally, I think that makes this an extra special trip, as we gain an appreciation for our ancestors we will be able to share it with other descendants from those same people- the people that made us cousins!

Normally there are couples picked to be the Ma and Pa parents. And occasionally a few extra "aunts and uncles" are brought along as additional adult helpers. I'll be serving as the group historian and overall helper. There is one other designated "aunt" for the group as well, and she'll be the photographer. (Thankfully this means if I can get the local paper to publish a story on us no one will be subjected to my bad photography!)

This is my first trek, and I have to admit, I'm getting a little nervous. Walking 30 miles over 3 days is ambitious enough. Add in 100 teenagers, handcarts, and this dang bonnet, and I'm not so sure!

Wish us luck! I'll see you all in a few days! 

Keep on Trekking On

It is official. The Summer of the Teenager is upon me. I will be both attending our annual church Girls Camp (as the congregation "ward" leader), AND as an assistant on the Youth Trek.
Let's talk Trek first. Every few years or so it is tradition that for the summer youth conference that the youth re-enact the trek west of our pioneer forefathers. Back in the 1840s (and then some) our pioneer Mormon ancestors were forced from their homes in Illinois (and Missouri- where an actual extermination order was put upon them), and they took both covered Conestoga wagons (if they had that sort of money) and teams of oxen or horses, OR they pushed handcarts. Most pushed handcarts all the way from the Mississippi River to Utah. That's a little over 1,000 miles, and not over the nicest terrain.
And now, in honor of our ancestors, and to learn more about them, every few years or so our church youth reenact a small version of the pioneer trek. We dress like pioneers, push handcarts, sleep under the stars, and cook over a fire.
The truth is, I missed out on my chance to do this as a teenager myself. I always wanted to do it when I was younger, but the opportunity didn't present itself. So when asked to go along as a helper this week, I said yes.
This is going to require some serious physical preparations. We'll be pushing handcarts in late June, in Virginia heat and humidity, in pioneer skirts, bloomers, and bonnets, across and up a mountain. I need to up my strength and endurance!
So my goal, starting today, is 5 miles a day either outside or on my treadmill. And maybe in a few weeks adding ankle weights. And then adding a few more miles a day.
Ay yi yi.
I got some work to do!