Thursday, August 4, 2011

July 2011

Have I become a monthly blogger? Eek. What is happening to me?! If no one is still following this blog I will understand. No hard feelings. There's just a whole lot to say right now. Just know that this has been a summer of miracles for this little family. First of all, many employment opportunities have come our way in many crazy forms and those opportunities have been opportunities of learning, growth, and love.

The studio that I teach at, On Broadway Academy, was able to fill two huge Broadway Summer Camps. I spend a whole week teaching the wonderful children how to sing, dance, and act and the children spend a whole week teaching me about friendship, kindness, stretching out of your comfort zone, and really going for things. I am so grateful for them. This first picture is just some of the kids from our first camp. They decided to climb in the cubby holes, turn out the lights, and scare me when I walked in the room. They certainly scared me alright!
See the little girl in the third cubby from the left? Blue shirt? One day during dance class she came up to me and said "Will you pull out my tooth?" Her tooth had been loose all morning and it was just driving her crazy. I told her that I had never pulled out someone else's tooth before. She assured me that I'd be fine. I asked her if she needed someone's hand to squeeze while I did it and she said yes which brought all the girls scrambling around and Naomi ended up with lots of hands to hold and squeeze. That sweet little girl was so brave as I wiggled her tooth a little looser and gave it a good tug. Out it came and thus, my first tooth extraction.

During the same week as Broadway Summer Camp (BSC) I was able to be a counselor for the BYU Young Ambassador Camp (YASE). It was such a special opportunity to take a step back in time a few years and be a Young Ambassador again. My years as a YA were completely life changing in many aspects and it was such an honor to be able to relive that a little. I will remember performing the Young Ambassador fireside again during the two weeks of camp as one of my favorite Young Ambassador memories. I think you appreciate it more when you are on my end of the YA experience.

BSC and YASE were wild to do at the same time. I would begin BSC at 10 am at the north end of the valley. I would finish teaching camp and voice lessons between 4 pm and 4:30 pm at which time I would race down the valley to be with my YASE girls by 5 pm. I would stay with them, in the dorms, all night long until I would leave the dorms around 8:30 am, race home to shower and get ready, and go pick up the little girls I was driving to BSC with me and all before 10 am. There wasn't much spare time but who needs spare time anyway?

Here are my girls from the first YASE week. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love these girls. I ended up with an older group of girls which was so relaxing. Our devotionals at night would turn into big discussions in which I learned so much. I really looked forward to that time at night to focus our minds on learning more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a safe environment would be created in which questions could be asked and personal thoughts could be shared. These girls really were awesome.
This is Laura and on Thursday of that week she had a birthday!
We celebrated with birthday cake, gratitude journals, and staying up late.
My second week of girls were also so wonderful! This week I ended up with the 13-14 year olds. Can I just say something? I had no idea how big the difference is between 17-18 year olds and 13-14 year olds. Holy cow. Talk about a totally different experience. These girls were MUCH more difficult to get to sleep each night and were full of endless energy which served as a harsh reality that I am no longer 14. Thanks to them, I know almost every word to every Lady Gaga song and I can tell you a whole lot about almost all the young men participants at camp. They were obsessed. By the first night they had all decided which YASE boy they were each going to marry and what state they were going to live in. {Nothing like the awkward-family-picture-shoved-in-the-fireplace look.}
On top of YASE and BSC, I was asked to be the vocal instructor for the BYU Theatre Camp. I taught 4 group voice classes which was another HUGE learning opportunity for me. It really was a blast. It's just really weird to think that I am on the instructor end of BYU camps now. How did that happen? If you're wondering if the Mister and I have seen each other recently, the answer is no. Out of 27 nights from June to July, I only slept at home in our bed for 7 of them. Thanks heavens for that one hour in the mornings where I got to see him :)

On much more random notes:

This is Parker. I love him so much. My husband and Parker's Mommy and Daddy (my cousin) played in a very intense kickball tournament over the 24th of July holiday. Parker and I watched from the sidelines very intently. Actually, I watched Parker very intently and Parker watched his ice cream very intently. Anyway, there was a lot of intent watching going on.
Here is the only picture I have from the 24th of July holiday! This is my brother-in-law eating his first funnel cake as we hung out at the carnival in the pouring rain. Nothing like soggy people eating soggy funnel cakes!
Dad wore this head lamp as he mined coal the other day. Oh wait. Dad wore this head lamp as he wrote notes during the YASE camp shows. I nearly died laughing every time I looked his direction. I can't even begin to express how much I love this man. While dad was wearing his head lamp, I was at the back of the theatre doing manicures. I'll be honest, I'll pretty good. I do a mean french manicure.
I did it. I gave into the feather extension trend. What I actually mean is during the Summer Scholars Camp (see previous post) another one of the counselors raided her parents home for her dad's old collection of fly fishing lures (aka feather hair extensions). So, we did them ourselves. For Free!!! Did you know that real feathers can be curled with a curling iron and they hold curl really well? I just keep imagining a duck with it's feathers all curled walking around the pond. Hilarious. Did you also know that women are now ban from buying fly fishing lures in Jackson, Wyoming? All of the women wanting feather hair extensions bought out all of the outdoorsy shops in Jackson of their fly fishing lures which left zero lures for the actual fly fisherman. Also hilarious.
Lyric and I threw a nautical themed bridal shower for our friend Amberly. I just had to show off how simple and adorable the decorations turned out. Almost everyone showed up in nautical attire which made for an adorable group picture which I'm really hoping someone else has because somehow I missed that photo opp.
You're probably wondering what in the world is happening with the Mister. This has been a summer full of odd jobs and job interviews. Big news coming soon!

Are you still reading this? You are awesome. There's another long one just around the river bend so stay tuned.

4 comments:

  1. I read it all and it just made me love you more and miss you even more than that! Sounds like you are going crazy with all the things going on but loving it all the same. YA and YASE days...oh the memories. Love love love you!!!! Can't wait to hear the big news about the Mister. Hopefully you'll be coming out my way!!

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  2. I love reading your blog and seeing what you are up to. You are amazing! What a fun summer :)

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  3. I love fun long posts, especially yours! We're anxious to hear where your and Javi's adventures will lead you next!

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  4. I love this post. Looks like you have been a crazy busy women but having so much fun. Love it!

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