Why 5 Days?

I'll admit it - I don't get a lot of things and if I'd just have more faith, I'd probably not worry about stupid stuff quite so much. But, here's something I really do not understand...

Why is YW's Girl's Camp 5 days long out here in Utah? The few years I went in Wyoming, it was about 2 1/2 days and that was plenty long enough. I mean, it's not like we were out there doing survival training or earning merit badges or anything like that. We had enough time to be in nature with friends and have a few really good, sometimes spiritual, experiences. Then we went home.

But, what do you do for 5 days? And, who has time to take 5 days off and go make sure a bunch of teenagers don't get into trouble, or hurt, or do something stupid? I don't and I can guarantee those leaders that have little kids don't either.

It doesn't make any sense to me. I suppose that I just need to trust that the stake and regional leaders knew what they were doing. I'll work on that...

We moved it up a month...

And I'm scared...

Okay, scared isn't the right word... Nervous, anxious, a little fluttery in the stomach area, hopeful...

The Strength of Youth

About 3 or 4 months ago, I was called to be the Laurel Advisor in my ward. I wasn't so sure about it - I've been so tired recently, the last year had been pretty tough, and I just didn't know if I had the emotional reserves.

I accepted, cuz that's what you do when extended a calling, and it's been a good time thus far. The girls are good, the leaders are great, the Young Women President is pretty grounded.

Tonight we had the New Beginnings program for Personal Progress. The Church has added a new value to the Young Women Theme - virtue - and I was asked to introduce it. It was a pretty spiritual experience (and I bawled like a baby).

These young women are incredibly strong and have really great testimonies. The world is putting a lot of pressure on our youth to be anything other than a strong son or daughter of God. It's so easy to slip and commit serious sin. I pray that the youth today can stay strong and understand their true worth.

He's a good kitty...

A scaredy kitty, but a good kitty. His name is Schwammi and he's about 6 years old now.

Mike found him at a job site in Spanish Fork about 5 years ago and, after asking around to see if anyone was missing a little kitty, he snuck him home and put him in the little shed in the backyard. (His dad didn't want another cat after their last one, Trigger, had died.)

Schwammi was about 6 months old when Mike found him, but looked more like about 2 months old because he was so undernourished. He's grown quite a bit from the little, cute, somewhat pathetic-looking little kitty with a really sad meow.

Now, he's big and well-fed and curious, and yes, scared of everything. He runs away from all strangers, but is curious enough to watch from around the corner. He will try any food - if he's in the basement with us and we have dinner plates, he'll come up and put his face right next to the plate. He enjoys yogurt, Lifesaver sours, mashed potatoes and gravy from KFC, and tuna - of course.

The funniest thing he does is plop on the floor and roll over onto his back and spread his legs - all the better for you to scratch his belly.

He's an outdoor cat right now, but when we move from Dean's place, we're going to find a place that will take a pets and make him into an indoor cat. So, all you allergic family members out there, bring your Benadryl with you when you come to stay!

Update - just saw something else funny. Mike and I are watching "Dogs 101" on Animal Planet right now and had paused it on a close-up image of a dog. Mike grabbed Schwammi and held him up next to the TV. Schwam immediately let out a hiss and reached out with his claws. Mike started to put him down and Schwam again let out a hiss and then bolted for the living room door where he peaked into the room with his back all arched up and his fur extended. Pretty hilarious.

Winter Wonderland!

The snow has been falling... and falling... and falling...

The weekend before Christmas we had a crazy storm that brought in large amounts of snow. Right before Christmas, we got another load of snow dumped on us. Mike had a hard time getting out of our culdesac with his car - he got stuck 4 times just trying to get out of our neighborhood. Yep, 4 times. This storm gave us probably 8 inches of snow.

The last couple of days we ended up with another 12 inches or so. Really light, dry, powdery snow, but still crazy amounts. The ski resorts around the Wasatch Front are loving it because the base is so fantastic right now, but it's a different story down here in town since we aren't seeing the snow plows very often. I don't know that they plowed our neighborhood once around Christmas. We had to get a guy in the ward to do that for us so that we could at least drive around without getting stuck.

Here's a picture of a little kid's picnic table covered in snow. The green thing is the top of the table and that's about 18 inches of snow piled on top of it:


Hopefully all the snow will help with the drought situation that Utah's been in for a while. It was looking like a dry winter, but fingers are crossed that we'll continue to get good amounts of moisture throughout the winter.

How do I get used to having a camera?

So, my husband gets me this fabulous digital camera for Christmas. It has exactly what I want, it's not super-tiny (like the cell phone in Zoolander) and it's just all-around wonderful.

The problem? I forget that I have it. So, I'm not taking any pictures (not that Mike and I are all that exciting but still).

The question? How do I get used to having a camera around so that when something exciting does happen I'm ready for it?

I'm open to all suggestions.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I just want to tell everyone Happy New Year! 2008 has come to a close - it was a long year, full of many trials, but it also had some great times.

Here's hoping that 2009 brings you all the joy, love, opportunities, and wonderfulness that you each deserve.

Love you all!