Now this is how you do Disneyland

I love Disneyland! Wait I need to say it one more time, I LOVE DISNEYLAND! This place is magic! I mean I've been like a bazillion times but never like this. I got to go with 74 other EFY counselors and spend 3 days at the happiest place on Earth! Did I mention that I loved it! I got to know some people so much better, not to mention I got to know a bunch of new people. I had te opportunity to jump around a little bit so I wasn't hanging with the same people the entire time. I tried not to ride with the same person twice but failed miserably by day two. Here are some awesome pics from the 5 day adventure :)

Space Mountain :)

Just my roomies having a big spooning session.

Who doesn't love Tower of Terror!

My new friend Liese and me in line for Screamin!

Sterling and I showin are Astro blaster skills.

Some of my favorite things about this trip:

• I met some of the coolest people ever
• I loved being with first timers and seeing their faces after/before each ride
• Flash dance parties in Tomorrowland with 74 EFY counselors is the BOMB
• Being able to give away a pass along card and the articles of faith
• Eating at the Mexican Resturant in FrontierLand
• Riding the train and seeing the dinosaurs
• TOWER OF TERROR (we road it like 4 times)
• Watching people fall in love
• Holding hands
• Going body surfing at Huntington Beach
• Eating at In N Out Burger
• Overheating in Death Valley
• Sharing everything
• Denny's ice cream and hashbrowns and 1 am
• Tinkerbell face cards
• Driving for the first time in Orange County (we all survived!)
• Indiana Jones is still one of my favorites
• Smiling and laughing for 5 days straight with some of the coolest people I've ever met

EFY: "Ponder Still"

My sixth and final week of EFY...

Games Night the whole company

McKell, Some girl I don't know, Belle, and me making the Cingular bars ;)

Check out their skills with roller coaster!

I can't believe how awesome this week was. I know I know, I say that every week, but I couldn't think of a better way to finish off my summer of EFY. These girls were so fun and talkative! Pizza night was a definite success. The boys and the girls really clicked well together and I've never had a company that listened as well as this one. Are you ready for this...? I actually had so much fun at games night this week! They actually listened and didn't talk when I was explaining the rules! It was amazing! Not to mention they actually listened to each other when they did their cheer for games night. My girls actually ate breakfast with me and dinner too. It was a lot of fun. And I did something I've never done before! Music program! I loved it. I even got about 8 of my youth to do it with me. It was a lot of fun and I really felt like it was worth it. Singing hymns is amazing, even if I am partially tone def. What a week...

My last list of lessons learned at efy:

• No matter what I end up loving my roommate
• Wheat Thins aren't as magical as I thought they were
• Games night can be fun!
• There is a group of 38+ youth that can listen: miracle
• I get dehydrated when I don't bring a case of water
• BBQ pizza is definitely the best... but only from Papa Johns
• Jumping pictures are freaking cool
• You can get along with anyone if you pray a lot
• The $9 watch from Wal-Mart was priceless
• The tent is still pretty rad
• Its a lot more fun if you don't care what anyone thinks about you
• COW's can ruin an entire summer of efy if they get out
• Playing cupid isn't always a good idea
• I love spirally bound conference issues of the Ensign
• Country Time Strawberry Lemonade is delicious
• The shaved ice place across from Helamen Halls is delicious
• The more you teach, the better you get at it
• I LoVe EfY!
  
  
  

The co's: Jared, Me, Lauren, and Greg

My girls: Taylor, Danielle, Kenna, Miranda, Allie, Brittany, Me, Taylor, Maddie, and Marissa

SisterS! Elyse and me.

The whole company: Ponder Still

I was really sad starting this week thinking I would be incredibly depressed once my summer of EFY was over, but its weird, because I'm not. I loved EFY as much as one person possibly could, but I'm so excited for what the future holds. I'm excited for this fall and graduation, but most importantly for my mission. Its so close, I feel like a three year old on the edge of their seat in primary singing Jesus wants me for a sunbeam! I know I keep saying I'm excited, but the excitement has intensified so much with each week as I've seen multiple friends get their calls I think, "That's going to be me!"

100th Blog Post

So you know when your in Kindergarten and you make those cool little crafts with random things on it? When you get that little colored half sheet of paper asking you to bring in 100 of something. Whether its penny's, macaronni noodles, or cotton balls. It's super exciting, or at least you thought your 100 toothpicks were cool, until someone else got to bring in 100 tootsie rolls. What is it about 100? Its not just kids either, adults have a strange obsession with 100 too. There are 100 pennies to a dollar, we even make a big deal out of the first 100 days of a new presidential office. Why is it that 100 is special? I've pondered on this question for the past few days as I've logged on to my dashboard to see that it said "99 posts" under my blog title. As I thought about what I would do for my 100th post I questioned, why is it special? And then it hit me. 100 is a unique milestone. You start at 1 and then it took me two years to hit 100. The next big milestone is 1,000, it will probably take me 10 years or more to hit that milestone. Then the next big milestone is 10,000, and we alll know I'm not every going to get there. 100 is special because it is a milestone that we can reach in a relatively short time. Nobody notices when your at 247 or 385. 1,000 is special too, just not one we see very often because its such a big number. I think 100 is special, maybe I'll do an ode to 100 sometime.

Bonus Video

EFY: "Beareth all Things"

Another week at EFY....

Yay for the shaved Ice place that gave counselors free shaved ice:)

Pretty sure half my kids called me Lafonda, and the other half called me Aunt Shaniqua...

Yay for 3D glasses!

Tim's beautiful EFY chalk artwork.

This week was so awsome that I had to put up twice as many pictures to cover all the awsomeness that it was. It was a swelteringly hot week, as you can see by the fact that Tim tended to roll up his pants everyday, which is totally against the rules, the little rebel. This week was actually a week of some firsts. We had about 900 youth and the session was in a tent... yes a tent, a very big white air conditioned tent. It was in "tents" haha. Despite the fact that if you got caught in the middle of the tent with hundreds of youth between you and the air conditioner it wasn't that bad.

The whole EFY counselor thing has become such second nature to me that I can't even remember what its like to not be at EFY, this was my third straight week and I have my fourth and final straight week next week, bringing my efy experience to a grand total of 6 glorious weeks! Its been a crazy summer. I haven't had much time to do anything really, but all that aside I think I've had the time of my life as a counselor.

See this is how tired we get, we have to sleep in the back of classrooms while classes are going on... poor Bro. Beecher, he is a good teacher.

See this day we found the sunshine faces in the nursery and had to sing to Sarah on her really bad day :)

Here are some of the things I learned and loved this week:

• Team algae is the bomb
• I love having dances in the JFSB square
• Jumping for three songs straight is a bad idea
• Jesus wants me for a sunbeam :)
• You need to drink 6 bottles of water a day and get 6 hours of sleep
• Bubble wands are an instant cool factor
• Kids love 3D chalk
• Sometimes its not worth 15 minutes of sleep to have to drag yourself back out of bed.
• I LOVE the Cannon Center
• I finally learned all the dances!
• Still no lock box duty :(
• Eric D. Stokes + girls batheroom + plunger = priceless
• I'm always better friends with my roomates than with my co's
• I love the little fridge in Helamen Halls
• I know a kid that can balance a vaccuum on his chin
• I'm still known as the weird girl with the jacket
• Disneyland is in 3 weeks!!!!
  

Fantastic Four Co Counselors: Tim, Me, Tyler, Dani

Those studly GQ boys.

Me and my girls going James Bond style ;)

"Beareth All Things"

EFY: "Might Be"

This week was amazing! I always think it can't get better and it does! Each week I learn how to teach better and get to know my youth even more. I'm completely in awe of these kids. They know how to have fun and do it in a way that is in line with the spirit.

Banner/Cheer off/Games Night

Ashley's Birthday CakeMe and the co co's Aimee Jo, and Kip Aimee Jo and her girls

Just the counselors being awesome

Me and my lovely girls

Kip and the boys GQ-ing it

Just some new things I learned this last week...

• Your life experiences are more interesting then random peoples stories
• 8 girls cannot even finish 3 pizza's
• Kids like to be in their element when they teach
• The green fan rocks my socks
• I LoVe ASL (I re-learned how to do my abc's)
• Straightening my hair is a waste of time
• Yay for Polka Dots
• Cruiser duty is the best!
• Set an alarm for head count
• John Hilton the III is basically awesome
• Girl drama doesn't have to be drama if you don't give it attention
• My brain has a limit when it comes to learning new names...
• Pray, pray, pray
• Getting to bed on time will make a world of difference
• I still can't do the PB&J properly
• Slow dancing is over rated
• Dance duty is bomb
• Using different kinds of media for devotional is fantastic
• I can live off Wheat Thins and Beef Jerky
• Dasani water is the best water
• Uncrustables are still gross
• Wear aviators and Converse and your instantly cool
• Sticky notes and note cards are a must have
• Everybody loves colored pens
• It's a small world after all

This week was basically magic. I wouldn't say it was better than past weeks, but it definitely was a lot of fun. Only three more weeks left, my heart is already breaking a little on the inside. I sometimes wish I could do this all the time... then I remember I would die of lack of sleep, but the desire is still there. I love teaching and realizing the words that flow out of my mouth are often not mine. I love seeing the image of Christ in my girls countenance as the week progresses. I love listening to their insights and learning how far ahead they are of me in spiritual maturity. I love seeing the change of heart they have. I love seeing them excited to read their scriptures. I love listening to their testimonies and having mine strengthened in the process. I do wish I could do this all the time, and then I realized I get to do 18 months of this. The desire I have to go on my mission has intensified 10 fold. The urgency I feel to have my papers in is surmounting. I'm excited more than words or pictures can express :)

Manti, Miracles, and Midnight

Notice: This is me being a slacker blogger and attempting to catch up :) A few weeks ago, my wardies and I trekked it down to Manti to watch The Mormon Miracle Pageant. This awesome two hour event takes place on the hill of the Manti Temple in Ephraim County where people from all over come to enjoy music, history, and culture.


The Mormon Miracle Pageant takes place on the hill seen here where locals re-create history. With stories intertwining from Joseph Smith, to Samuel the Lamenite, and a sweet story of Robert and Mary. It was really fun. I haven't seen the pageant in full since I was really little and couldn't remember hardly anything. Despite the fact that I laughed a little at some of the dancing and funny moments with the pre recorded audio it was a great activity.




Some of highlights of the trip:

• Learning how to play contact
• "Kick trash yo... did that just happen?"
• Having the torrential rain stop minutes before we arrived, a true miracle
• Playing jello in Casey's back seat
• Rocking out to Weezer for over 100 miles
• Hanging out with Besties, Wardies, and Roomies :)