Day of Bittersweetness

Did I just make up a new word? Anyway, this has been a bittersweet day. I was released today as Young Women president in our church (12-18 year olds). This was the fifth time I have been called as YW president. I have really enjoyed this calling, as I have every other time. I'm going to miss it. That is the bitter part. The sweet part is that I have a new calling as Activities Director. That will be fun, because I enjoy the social part of church, and I hope we can have a lot of activities. One every month would be fine with me, but that might a little much for the others.

Anyway, especially after reading my daughter-in-law's blog (she just got called as YW president in Boone), I've been remembering a lot of experiences in YW I've had over the years. Some good and some bad. And some really funny.

My first time was in Boone also. I had four girls - Jennifer Welsh, Kim Hess, Rachel Larson, and Melissa Willis. After about a year I had Shannon Willis and Marsha Woods. And there were two less active sisters, Loudermilks I think was their name. Anyway, one of the worst experiences was being at church one Saturday for an activity with the young men. I was involved in one of the games we were playing when a very irate mother came in, did I say irate?, a very IRATE mother came in and came right up to me, and in front of everybody asked why her daughter was sitting outside in a parked car with one of the young men. I had no idea she was out there. But I learned from then on to ALWAYS know where the girls were. Another time I had taken the Boone girls horseback riding at Valley Crucis, the Cook farm. We were having a really good time, and I didn't pay a lot of attention to the time. So when we got back to church one set of parents had gotten tired of waiting and had gone back home, and I had to drive their daughter about ten more miles to take her home. I didn't mind that as much as her father, a man I really respected, giving me this really disappointed look that made me feel bad. I learned from that also - to be back on time or call.

Now for good times. Every time I have been YW Pres, I have done this activity that is really good for your self esteem. Especially mine. I guess I'm pretty selfish, but I enjoyed this. I would give out pieces of paper to all the girls, and we would all write our names at the top of the paper, then pass them to the person beside of us, who would write down a sentence or two about the person who's name was at the top. The rule was it had to be true, and it had to be something good or nice about that person. Then you would pass it on to the next person. So by the time you got your own paper back it would have all these really good things written on it about yourself. I think I've kept all these papers over the years. I always had a good time at Youth Conference and Girl's Camp. Those were the times where you really got to know the girls. I would always take my Pit cards and other games. I remember staying up late at night just talking, about anything and everything. It has been fun just watching the girls grow up and mostly doing really well - marrying in the temple and having children.

Some funny things - It seems like the funny things always happen at Youth Conference, like the time the kids from another stake put shampoo in the fountain at Catawba College, and there were suds everywhere the next morning. (Was that Morganton?) And another time at Youth Conference one of our girls got caught standing at her third floor window one night flashing the boys outside. Well, maybe this should have gone under the worst things, but I guess I just thought it was funny. So the next morning we were called in to talk to the Stake President. It was scary being in on that conversation. And there were always certain girls you had to keep your eye on. One in particular was always giving us trouble. One night we were at a dance in Winston, and this girl had met this guy from Greensboro. I really had to keep an eye on her, so when it got time to leave she told me that she was just going to go say goodbye to him. So several of us were watching from our car as she walked across the parking lot. They talked a minute, and then kissed. She came back, acting like nothing had happened, and then asked why all the other girls were laughing. She didn't think anyone had seen her, but she and this guy had been standing right under a street light. Anyway, maybe you had to have been there. And at girl's camp one year we were staying at this 4H camp near Hanging Rock. There was a four storey lodge and then several cabins. So the older girls were all in this lodge. Well, about 3:00 a.m. the dinner bell, which was on a high pole outside this lodge, starting ringing. So all the leaders ran out to stop the girls from ringing it. When they got outside the ringing had stopped, and there were no girls around. So the leaders went back inside. About ten minutes later the ringing started back again. Same thing. The leaders all ran out but no one was there. What had happened was that some of the girls had rigged up some twine from their third floor window and were ringing the bell from their room. It was a great prank.

So, I guess I'm about done. I just have a feeling that I'll probably never have this calling again, but it was fun while it lasted. It's a great calling to have.

Redneck Heaven

I love to watch fireworks, but Bennie doesn't like to go, so I usually don't get to see them because I hate going by myself. But yesterday Quentin agreed to go with me. So, I picked the closest place to go to watch them - Mountain Park. I had no idea what we were getting into. We parked half a mile away on the side of Mountain Park Road (just short of the ditch) and walked up just as it was getting dark. It was almost 9:00, and I was afraid we'd be late. Well, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. They didn't start until 9:55.

So Quentin and I got up to the school and got amongst the couple of thousand people there. All rednecks. Bigtime rednecks. I only saw one person I knew, a girl from church who pretended she didn't see me probably because she was wearing very inappropriate clothing. Which brings me to the next point. Maybe I don't get out enough, but I've never seen so much skin before. And the bigger the girls, the less clothing they wore. Why is that? Don't they have any pride?

So, me and Quentin went over to listen to the band. The worst I've ever heard. They tried to do rock but didn't have a clue. When they sang Pink Floyd this was the way they sang it, "All in all, you're just a brick in the wall". I wanted to scream "A - nother!" And they tried to do Elvis. It was pitiful. And then it started to rain. So Quentin and I go down to the field and get into the dugout - with about five redneck teenagers playing with firecrackers. That was a lot of fun.

Finally the rain stopped, so we got out and walked over to the fence, waiting for the show to start. It was now about 9:30. So we watched some little kids playing in this huge mud puddle. Then, around 9:45, it started raining again - hard this time. I wasn't about to go back into the dugout from hell so we went and got under a big tree. Right beside some smokers, who HAD to just blow their smoke right in my face. Why is that? I don't care if people smoke, but can't they just TURN THEIR HEAD when they blow the smoke back out? Is that too much to ask for? So, finally, the fireworks start. They were beautiful like I knew they would be. The only bad thing was listening to the blow by blow from the rednecks in our little group describing every one. I had just as soon watch them quietly. But anyway, all in all it was worth going for. And I really appreciate Quentin coming and going with me. It's always fun being with him.