Mandy's Bridal Shower

I was the YW president in my ward almost nine years ago.  I can't believe it's been that long! During my three years as president, I had the great blessing of getting to know a darling girl named Mandy.

Mandy and Lisa

Mandy is just one of those girls that everyone seems to love.  She is always smiling, she's sweet and just so fun.  One of my favorite Mandy memories is when she was in high school and on the drill team.  I remember how the girls on the team were told to pick out a shirt to wear as part of their uniform one day.  Mandy was the only girl who wore a modest shirt on the entire team.  She stood out but in a wonderful way.  I love that she stood up for her beliefs and didn't care that she wouldn't look like the other girls.  Mandy has served a mission, is now a college graduate and she's engaged and SO happy.

I made treats for her recent bridal shower and it was so fun to get to hear her talk about her fiance and to see how in love she is.  I have a really cute pic of her with some of her fun gifts (ahem) but I'd better not put them on here just in case her fiance sees them before the wedding!

We had a fun day celebrating a beautiful inside-and-out girl.  I love seeing "my" girls grow up and move on to this next phase of their lives.

I'm including a few party shots for you, dear Kim...thought you'd like to see some of your friends again. :)

Marcia, Lisa, LaWana and Alberta

Louise, Miriam and Terri

Linda, Marcia and Sharee

And the crowd goes wild

Happy ward conference season, everyone! I will basically miss attending my own ward until sometime in March but it's fun to visit the other congregations too.  Our presentation about the 13th Article of Faith (focusing on the "being" and the "seeking") to the youth of those two wards went really well yesterday.

At the risk of sounding "braggy" I want to remember that when I was introduced at each session, I received spontaneous cheers from the girls in each group.  It was so very sweet.  Apparently, going to YW camp makes you kind of famous. No, I did not have to sign autographs, and no I did not need a police escort to get to my car afterward.  However, there are seven more ward conferences to go so applications for cute and, duh, totally single bodyguards are being accepted.

Oh and FYI: prayer works!  The thing I needed to go right at work actually worked out just fine.  Oh happy day. Thank you to everyone who prayed, sent good thoughts, dropped off candy or anything else that kept my head from exploding.  xoxo

Today, I'm better

Okay, I don't know what is up with this daily blogging thing and I apologize to those of you whose readers runneth over but I just have stuff to say.

• I bought smaller jeans today. That was a happy moment. (and yes, I can breathe easily in them.)
• My car window is fixed. It took all day and cost $638.92 but it's fixed. Today I'm grateful for insurance and a somewhat manageable deductible.
• I had an enjoyable morning with Mr. Crushworthy who is still quite dreamy.
• We had our Relief Society Christmas party last night and it was such a nice evening. One of my former Laurels sang and I sat there and cried. How can I love these young women so much? I've been out of my ward YW presidency for two years and still I'm overcome with emotion when I think about those girls and how much they mean to me. I'm still so grateful that Heavenly Father entrusted them to me for five years. And to my former Laurels who read my blog? You make me cry too so don't think you're not as special as the one who sang last night. ;)
• Have you heard Andrea Bocelli & Mary J. Blige sing "What Child is This" yet? They were on Oprah and PBS Monday. Stunningly beautiful. If you didn't get Oprah's free download, it's totally worth your money to buy the song (and Amazon has the entire CD for $7.99 as compared to iTunes' version for $9.99. Love you, Amazon!)
• And finally, I received three wedding invitations in the last week. THREE!

A sweet reminder

All of the meetings
All of the time spent in prayer
All of the headaches
All of the time spent trying to devise meaningful programs
All of the activities
All of the time spent planning activities
All of the worry
All of the nights spent chaperoning dances
All of the tears
All of the staffing challenges
All of the times feeling unsupported and alone at the top

All of those not-so-fun memories are forgotten when a former Laurel called me today to talk about a situation she's dealing with. Now a mature 20 year old and one of those girls who doesn't feel the need to reach out much since she graduated from high school, she called me because I was the first person (after her mom) she wanted to discuss things with and to get advice from.

Phone calls like the one I got today make everything I struggled with while I was a YW leader totally and completely worthwhile. I'm so grateful I've gotten a lot of reminders over the years (and continue to from extra special girls like Chrissy, Jamie, Callie and Kara.)

I am blessed.

Love, love, love

I spent six of the last seven years of my life serving in my ward's YW organization. I was a Beehive Adviser, 2nd Counselor, President and Secretary. I'm in Primary now and it's a good thing. It's nice to do something different, to work with fun, new people and to just have a break from all that goes into serving with the youth of our church.

Tonight I attended our stake's Seminary graduation. As I was walking in, a woman in my ward said "I would think that not having kids would give you a free pass tonight." It didn't come out mean - just a little incredulous that I would choose to be there. But five of the graduates were girls I first met as they turned twelve and became Beehives. I also was their leader for three of the six years they attended YW Camp. I looked at them standing up in the front and remembered them as little twelve year old girls -- nervous and excited about everything. Now they're graduating, all going to Rexburg or Provo next year and then who knows what else life has in store for them.

One YW in particular just impresses me to no end. She had four years of perfect attendance in early morning seminary and got her seminary pin for all four years as well. Oh and by the way, she didn't even get baptized until partway through her first year of seminary. Just amazing!

Today in Sacrament meeting, one of my former Laurels spoke as she prepares to leave on a mission this week. Again, more feelings of pride and a few tears as she bore a powerful and eloquent testimony of the Gospel. She is going to be a fantastic missionary.

I'm incredibly grateful to have these almost-daughters who have blessed my life way more than I could ever bless theirs. They all hold such a special place in my heart and will forever.