Christmas Party!

We went to several Christmas parties this year, but my favorite one was the Ward party at our church.  I swore off mall Santas several years ago after deciding it's not worth waiting in line for 2-1/2 hours with cranky kids, only to find, when we finally get our turn, that they gouge you on the picture prices, and Santa doesn't really have time to listen to what your kids want for Christmas (why else would they have waited so long to talk to you?  Do you think THEY care about the pictures??).  They just snap the picture and herd them through as fast as possible.  No, thank you!

It may be less formal, but I sure do enjoy the atmosphere of the "church Santa" so much more than the mall version.  It is WAY more memorable for my kids, and I am allowed to stand close enough to hear what they are asking Santa for.....(Just because I like to know).  Plus, I always know who's lap my kids are really sitting on, and that's a comfort to me!

Aren't they cute?  Another great thing about the church party this year is that Tom cooked all the food, and he did such a great job!  We had pork loin and roasted baby red potatoes, along with a yummy veggie medley, salad, and freshly baked rolls (Those were ordered in).  Everyone raved about the food.  It made me so proud of him.  He's still got it!

I didn't get a very good picture of Mikey this time, so I'm hoping my friend Dani got a better one, since she was taking pictures of all the kids on Santa's lap that night.  If she did, I'll try to update this.  Danny sat on Santa's lap, but didn't want me to take a picture of it, so I can't post it.  Teenagers are strange that way, aren't they?  Not too old to sit with Santa, but too old for anybody to have proof of it!!

Youth Conference!

"I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I know who I am.  I know God's plan.  I'll follow him in faith.  I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ.  I'll follow his plan.  I'll do what is right.  I'll follow His light.  His truth I will proclaim!"

Since I am a counselor in the Young Women's organization at my church, I was fortunate to participate in this year's Ward Youth Conference over the weekend.  A Book of Mormon marathon.  It wasn't easy, but we read the entire Book of Mormon from cover to cover over a 2 day period.  I am so proud of the 22 kids between the ages of 12 and 17 who valiantly showed up early Friday morning and stuck to a brutal schedule with minimal breaks, taking turns reading aloud until almost midnight, only to turn around and be back at 7am for another day of the same!  I'm not kidding about the brutal schedule....We even listened to it during meals! 

At first I thought that it would just be a fun challenge (do you really think we can do it in 2 days?), but that we wouldn't get much out of it, since we wouldn't have time to stop and discuss what we were reading.  I was wrong.  As for me, I gained a new understanding of the Book of Mormon as a whole.  It seemed to flow so well together and I feel like I got a real sense of the timeline and history of the Book by reading it straight through.  I don't think I've ever seen it from that perspective before.  I am grateful for the opportunity I had to participate in this memorable event, and I hope that everyone gets the chance, once in their life, to feast on the Book of Mormon as we did.  HAZAA!