Survey Says...

Recently I put together a survey for parents at our junior high regarding the PTSA and how effective the parents generally believed it was this year.  The information is informative for next years' PTSA board, but not so much for me, as my year is done.  But it potentially could let me know if the parents at our school approved of what I had spent the last year of my life doing for their kids.  Well, that is how I imagined in my head.  Then I checked the results.

Here are the results thus far.

More like a big kick in the teeth, if you ask me.  Especially the final fill in the blank question.  I know there are a couple of nice comments, but at the end of a trying and tiring year I was hoping for more appreciation, to be honest.

Summer vacation can't come soon enough.

Catching Up on Friday

I spent much of the day in bed yesterday asleep.  I wasn't feeling too great Wednesday night and went to bed early.  My throat was feeling scratchy and I could feel a cold coming to settle in.  I did my best to fight it off--Airborne, Zicam, you name it I tried it.

My cold-fighting weapon of choice yesterday was sleep.  Not just curl up on the couch with a good book, but take off your shoes and earrings and get under the blankets and sleep.  I feel much better--the scratch is gone but my sinuses are feeling thick and stuffy.  So I am not 100%, but compared to Wednesday night's 50% rating, I am closer to an 85% today.

I do, however, reserve the right to take a big nap once I'm done at the high school's Viking Store today.  Maybe that will give me the last 15% I need.  Saturday I need to be feeling better as it is the HS Swim Team's fundraiser....the Triathlon, and I'm working the registration area with The Girl.  And we start that at early o'clock.

It's All In The Interrpetation

I saw this photo on Pinterest.  And it made me smile.  It really is true, but is that how we think of the commandment to "love thy neighbor"?  I hope I am closer to this way of behaving than not.  It is how I would want to be treated.  And more than that, I hope I am teaching my kids to love their neighbor--all of their neighbors.

Who Answers the Call of the Wild?

Who chooses to have 1400+ pubescent junior high students (one half at a time), one week or so away from the end of school, on a hot sunny day, to swarm you with money and Viking Bucks seeking candy, rewards, validation, and attention during their lunch period and you are the only one to answer their call of the wild?

I'll tell you, since I just returned from this exact scenario unscathed and essentially unhurt.  And I will confess to being a sweaty pig-dog, however, who is very tired.

I do this.  For fun.  Of my own volition.

It was the last day of sucker sales and Viking Store today at the junior high.  (Viking Store, for those of you who don't know) is a rewards station for the kids to bring their teacher awarded viking bucks and redeem them for treats, toys, books, writing utensils, etc. It is open each week on Tuesdays during the two lunch periods and staffed by PTA volunteers.

Except today.  First lunch was staffed by me.  And later an assistant principal took pity on me and came over to help.  I guilted-in some help for the 2nd lunch, but the first lunch is mostly seventh graders--who are closer aligned to Africanized bees than humans at this point int he school year.  I felt like I was the center of their swarm.

Overall the kids are great.  And the rewards system in place is great.  And our opportunity to sell suckers for the PTA fundraiser each week is really great.  But roll that all together and put one tired-because-its-the-end-of-the-year PTA president and I easily could have become their Queen.

Let's just say that it is a very good thing that it was our last day.  I'm too pooped to party.  But it is good to be queen, I guess.

The Spirit Speaks To Me

Yesterday I had a long day of church activities.  The day began with a visit to another ward's sacrament meeting wherein the Laurels of that ward spoke and the YM/YW did a special musical number.  The whole program was centered on the For the Strength of Youth standards.  The girls were fantastic and the musical number was lovely.  Following that meeting, President P of our stake presidency sat down to visit with us--us being three of the four members of our Stake YW presidency.

Long story short, here, but he asked what our plans were at camp in  July when the Bishops came up to meet with their ward YW and provide dinner and have ward testimony meetings.  After some "well, we could go with our own wards..." kind of talk, he asked (but it was already decided, according to his tone) that we meet together as Stake leaders.  The stake presidency would bring up dinner and they wanted to talk to us.  We would not be visiting with our own wards that night.

Following that request/decision, our fearless leader, Pam, shared some connection he has to a new location for trek, possibly, for next summer.  It is off the BLM land, away from missionaries' overly watchful eyes, and on private land where we can run a trek any way we want to.  Oh, and it does actually include a portion of the Mormon trail...and it is in Wyoming.  Jokingly, I jumped in with a snarky comment about "May we negotiate an invitation to trek is Pam gives you this information?"  And President P just smiled his wise, knowing smile at me.  Again.

I regularly ask about trek when I see our stake presidency.  They know I'd love to go.  But they haven't ever said if our presidency will still be serving when the time comes to do that.  That said, let's fast forward to a few hours later.

It was also a ward conference yesterday, so after visiting the sacrament meeting where the Laurels did the program, and then sitting through my own sacrament meeting with The Boy as the other half of our family was home nursing Pink Eye, then I went to another 3 hours of meetings in yet another ward--and another building for that matter. 

Our lesson seemed to go well, and I didn't take quite so much time--I tried to quell the rambling and chatting and stayed on topic.  So far, so good.  Eventually I'll get the time management of this lesson down and we'll be done with ward conferences.  Anyhoo, we made our way into the final sacrament meeting of the day (this was number 3, remember).

We began to sing "How Firm a Foundation" and I recalled a trek moment with that song...and suddenly the tears well up and the I felt the Spirit tell me "You won't be in this calling for long.  A change is coming."

I love this calling.  It is the best in the church, if you ask me.  I get to work with the YW leaders in the six wards in our stake.  I get to see the YW of our stake at the activities we attend, at girls' camp, on planning committees, and for their recognition nights. 

But I also get to work with the cream of the crop YW and YM on our stake youth committee each year.  These kids are the BEST.  And, inevitably, I end up loving them.  I really just adore them.  And that group--though it changes each year--is the group I will miss the most. Well, that and the ladies I have the privilege of serving with in our presidency.  I love them all.  Totally and completely.

Now, I'm pretty sure that President P's insistence on meeting with us at camp may very well be the meeting where they tell us they are going to release us.  As i recall, two stake camps ago, the former presidency I was in got word we'd be released at camp...and Fearless Leader Pam was actually called while we were at camp.  In that case, I got recycled.  I doubt I'll be that lucky this time.

Then to finish off the day--and my personal well of tears and love for these kids--I attended Seminary Graduation last night.   Seeing the majority of our most recent stake youth committee kids graduating...knowing the HS graduation is next week...and that they'll be leaving for bigger and better things (including the Young Single Adult ward) just brought that feeling of the Spirit back once again.  I need to let them go.  And be ready to do it, like it or not.

I guess, knowing how much I love change...the Spirit is just warning me. To be ready.  To say goodbye.  And to be open to whatever comes next.  Dang.  I hate it when that happens.

Video Sunday