It Says What? (Beehives Learn a Life Lesson)

Last night I had an activity for my Beehives. (For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, “Beehives” are 12 to 13 year old girls in our church youth group.)

My activity was as planned:

1) Teach the girls interview skills by having them interview another girl and then be interviewed themselves, and

2) Teach the girls public speaking skills by having them inform everyone on the girl they interviewed.

To make this a little more fun, in between 1 and 2, I gave each girl a dollar and took them to the dollar store to buy something for their interviewee that represented something from her answers.

So, flash forward to the end of the night. The girls LOVED buying something for each other! And now it was time for presentations.

I’ll tell the rest of the story in a One Act, One Scene play:

ACT 1, SCENE 1

Cast of Characters:

- Four, really cute, excited, and loud 12 to 13 year old girls. (Well, really only three are loud. One is more quite than a silent movie.)

- A really tired leader who wanted to go to sleep at 5:30pm, but finds herself with four really cute and excited Beehives at 8:00pm. She’s having a fun time, but she’s exhausted, so her judgment is slightly impaired.

ME: Okay, [GIRL A], you go next.

GIRL A: I had [GIRL B].

(GIRL A then tells us about GIRL B*.)

GIRL A: (continuing...) And [B] said that in 10 years one of the things she wants to do is get married. So, I bought her a wedding card that she can keep as a reminder of her goal.

ME: What does the card say?

GIRL A: On the front it says “Marriage is nice.” (While showing us all a lovely embossed white card with pink flowers.)

(She opens the card.)

(Silence.)

ME: [A], what does the card say?

(Silence.)

GIRL A: I didn’t read the inside of the card when I bought it.

ME: What? (said with concern)**

GIRL A: I should have read the inside of the card before I bought it. It says “It makes all that stuff you want to do decent and legal. Congratulations!”

ME: (Hysterical laughter!) (I mean, HYSTERICAL!!) (I was really tired, and that always makes me laugh like a loon being taken to a loony bin.)***

(All the other girls start laughing.)

GIRL B: (said while laughing) Well, just seal it and I won't open it until my wedding day.

END SCENE


LESSON LEARNED: Always read the entire card before buying it!


Ah, the priceless moments of working with the youth!!


*This was GIRL B's first activity. She just turned 12. Oy vey!

**I know I should have pulled [GIRL A] aside when she seemed hesitant, but I wasn’t thinking straight.

***Seriously, it was one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed.

I've Finished Another One...

You can check it out here!

Flashback to the 80’s, Mormon Style

Hi, my name is Liz, and I’m addicted to iTunes.

And I don’t plan on stopping. So don’t try to organize an intervention.

Frankly, it’s too convenient stop!

I hear a song. I look it up on iTunes. I download it. And in minutes I’m dancing about in my room with glee.

No travel necessary. No wasted money on a CD with 2 great songs and 8 crappy ones. Just pick the one you want and enjoy!

I go to iTunes almost every day. Seriously.

And recently, I’ve developed a habit of typing random names in its search engine to see who pops up. (For example: I now have 4 songs on my iPod by 4 different women named Eliza. Who knew?)

iTunes has expanded my music world! From African chant music to Welsh folk songs to New Zealand “worship” singers, I love it all and have put it on my iPod!

But, something happened to me a few weeks ago that really opened my eyes to the great inventory iTunes holds.

I had decided that I needed a little 80’s, and specifically, some Howard Jones. (You know you love him!) So, as per the usual, I typed in his name and hit “search” and waited for the joy to occur.

Tons of “80’s Greatest Hits” or “Super Hits of the 80’s” popped up. And as I scrolled down through the songs of the 80’s, I saw what I expected: “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “Take on Me,” “Never Gonna Give You Up.” I was in heaven!

But then, as I continued to scroll down, I found something odd. In between songs by Duran Duran were songs like “His Hands.” And right after Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam there was “Like a Lighthouse” and “I Heard Him Come.”

I couldn’t understand what happened! How did iTunes know I was Mormon? Why did it have Mormon songs in its database? And why was it stalking me with Kenneth Cope?

As I scanned the webpage looking for answers (while trying to calm myself down as I thought that perhaps God really WAS trying to contact me through the internet, and all those emails that “God loves you unless you don’t forward this to 12 people” were right), I noticed one of the album titles at the top of the page: LDS Super Hits of the 80’s!*

Yes, I know. You’re as surprised as I was! Someone actually compiled the greatest Mormon hits, put them on a CD, and then iTunes got a hold of it! What a magical world we live in!!

Of course, I had to click on the Album cover to see all of the songs listed. And they were just what you’d expect. (“Hold on, the Light Will Come”, “Greater Than Us All”, and “Win the Race”.)

What was interesting to me was to see what songs had the most downloads.

In a show of solidarity (and in homage to my teenage self), I put the song on my iPod that was the second most downloaded.

Do you think you can guess it?

Maybe?

No?

Don’t care?

It’s “Will He Really Answer Me?”

And the song with the most downloads?

Do you think you can guess it?

Maybe?

No?

Don’t care?

Well, it was “Be That Friend.” Seriously, that song was through the roof with the downloads.

So, if you’re lonely and one of the people who made it number one, take the song off repeat.

I’ll be that friend for you!

And if you have an LDS song that you love or loathe, drop me a line in the comments and we'll reminisce together!

*There is also an LDS Super Hits of the 90’s. (Just passing that along in case you wanted to get a head start on your Christmas shopping!)

Mini Friday Fluff

First of all, this is why I haven’t been translated yet.

Did any of you guys think of this?

Maybe not the holding-hands-in-a-circle-outside-of-a-Chevron part , but the praying-in-gratitude part?

You’re better people than me.

_________________

Second of all, I have a little Q and A for you.

Q: What do you do when it’s hot and you need air circulation?

A: Turn on a fan. (I know some of you thought “Turn on the air conditioner.” But, I live with people who don’t believe in that. (Which then creates contention when I complain about it.) So, a fan it is.)

Q: What do you do when the fan is crappy?

A: Buy a new fan.

Q: What do you do when you realize that you bought the exact same crappy fan?

A: Take it back.

Q: What do you do when you can’t find the receipt and you really don’t feel like hauling the fan back and then “raising cain” with the customer service people over a $15 item?

A: You line up two crappy fan and let the wind tunnel begin.*

Have a great weekend!


Wait!! Before you go, I've decided that I want to add more people to my "Where It's At" link list. So, if you have a blog and wouldn't mind me linking to it, drop me a comment. (Or if you know of a blog that I should link to but haven't, let me know!)

I'm trying to expand my horizons here!

*This now makes three fans in my room. And, yet, I'm such a light sleeper that with all of them blowing, I still have my alarm set to "ocean waves" and wake right up.

Big Bear Bonanza!

5 Things I learned while in Big Bear:

1. The Big Bear zoo makes me sad. All the animals there were abused, injured, or abandoned. There’s like a cloud of gloominess that hovers over the entire place. Yes, it’s a good thing to rescue animals and provide for them. Yes, I was happy to pay the larger fee because I knew it was going to animals that needed rehabilitation. (Like Huckleberry, the three legged bear. Poor old Huckleberry.)

But, holy moly, the dreariness of the place was palpable. All the animals would look at you with eyes that were saying “Just counting down the days until death. Sweet death.”

I don’t know if I’ll ever go back. The nephews liked it. But, they’re just kids, so the despair was lost on them.

2. I love the “House of Jerky.” First of all, due to its name. I think because it reminds me of “House of Pancakes.” Any establishment that dedicates itself to one item, and thrives, is okay in my book. (Well, as long as it’s not “House of Depressed Animals” which I’ve already mentioned I’m not a fan of.)

Second of all, because it makes me feel like a pioneer to leave with a little pack of jerky and think “I could trek across the great Big Bear landscape and survive the harsh clime with my jerky stash.”

I’m not as brave as some members of my family. I stick with the regular kind. I passed on the ostrich, buffalo, and venison.

3. I am now a huge fan of Mahjong! I learned how to play it this weekend from one of my sisters-in-law (Hi Daphne!) and fell in love with the game. (Even though I stunk at it.)

Now, if you’ve ever played a game with me, you will know that I’m not competitive. In fact, I will help other players win if I can. This was not the case with Mahjong. I don’t know if it was because it took me so long to get the concept, but I became set on winning. I didn’t, mind you (even though we played 7 games in a row). But, in my heart of hearts I wanted to be the Mahjong champion.

We’ve ordered two sets for my family, and soon I’m going to announce an upcoming “Mahjong Extravaganza Party!!” You’re all invited. But be forewarned, when I play with you, I’m going to try my best to crush you into dust (in a Christ-like manner, of course).

4. High tea is for me! In Big Bear they have this cute tea shop that is decorated to the nines. It’s like tea cup happiness exploded all over the ceiling. And they offer the “high tea” experience which means that they bring you a plethora of little foods to enjoy with your selection of teas. Tiny sandwiches of all varieties, tiny soup, tiny salad, and tiny scones, cakes, and muffins. I was in tiny heaven!

It was so much fun to go with my mom, sisters, and sisters-in-law and have time away from the boys to chat while using fancy cutlery and raising our pinkies. What a blast! Our only regret is that we didn’t realize (until we were leaving) that the hat rack filled with awesome hats were for the guests to wear during their tea. Oh well, next year!

The price of the whole thing made my brothers and father question our sanity. But, really, can you put a price on memories filled with little delights? Can you? I don’t think so.

5. I love my family!

Even in tight quarters with 7 people to a bathroom and 6 of us to a room.

Even with babies crying and children screaming and parents yelling.

Even with smeared chocolate mouths on new shirts and “Carry me!” on a long walk with a hurt back.

Even with slight disagreements over dishes and fierce competition over Mahjong.

In fact, I love them because of all those things! And can’t wait until next year when we do it again!!

Yay for families!!!!!*

Here are some pictures:







* And speaking of families, could you all do me a favor and say a little prayer for my brother Joe who has come down with a case of the Shingles? Yes, Shingles. Poor guy. It's terribly painful...

Upcoming Posts…

1. Big Bear Bonanza

2. My Addiction to iTunes and what happened when I recently visited it.

3. Changing my World View and how’s that going.

4. Art and spiritual creativity. (Which I’ll probably put on my other blog.)

But, for now, in an effort to do nothing, I’ve been visiting your friends. (You know, the people you have linked to your blog that I don’t know.) Well, I’m looking at their blogs and sometimes commenting in a hopefully non-stalker-ish manner.

I’ve wanted to expand my horizons and your friends are how I’m doing it!*

What I’ve learned from this is that it is a tangled web we live in. I’ll stop by someone that you have on your blog and then swing over to someone they have on their blog, and then the next thing you know, I’m reading about someone’s trip down the Mississippi who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone that I know.

Weird. And a little confusing.

But lots of fun. Give it a try!

*Oh, and if there is a blog or website that you LOVE, drop me a comment so I can check it out! I'm always looking for something to do besides what I should be doing.

Friday Fluff…

…in the news!

First, what do you think about my new blog design? I think it’s bright and happy! Maybe a little busy, but for now, I’m sticking with it.

________________

Can I just say how excited I am about Rachel and Katie’s Olympics party? I have the costume for my country all picked out. And my food representing that country, chosen.

But, I hope and pray that like China, Rachel and Katie institute this rule for any food brought by other party guests.

Cause if not, I’m not touching a thing!

_________________

Did you ever go through a phase where you hated your name? I know I did.

But, I now see that I had nothing to complain about.

What is wrong with people? I’m not a fan of the idea of “Big Brother” monitoring everything we do, but, sometimes I really think people should be forced to take some kind of test before they become parents.

I mean, what kind of a parent names their child Violence? A good one?

I don’t think so.

_________________

And lastly, if you know me, you know that if I don’t have a pocket or purse (and sometimes even when I do), I’ll store something in my bra.

Phone, money, lipstick, keys, glasses, they’ve all been stuffed next to my décolletage.

And, I’ll admit that there have been times when I’ve forgotten that something is in there, only to be surprised later when it falls out.

But, this? A live creature? Come on!

How could you not notice? And she’s so calm about it.

If I found a bat in my bra, you would still be hearing the echo of my screams.

___________________

Well, I hope you have a fabulous weekend. I’m off to Big Bear to be with my family for a little mini-vacation.

And not to worry, since I’m going to be in the foresty mountains, I’m going to be extra careful that what I put in my bra isn’t alive!