OH MY HECK! OH MY HECK! OH MY HECK!

Sadness reigns no more.

Today I got a letter -- the most exciting letter I have perhaps ever received in my life. Maybe besides my mission call - but I knew that was coming - so this could be more exciting...

I know - you're thinking - "Oh Amy. You're such an exaggerator."
But! I am not! Ever! :)

Today - the letter. From President Cecil O. Samuelson, President of BYU!


I thought he probably wanted money - but nope.

Maybe he wanted me to be a "mentor." Nope.

Maybe he wanted me to buy season tickets. Nope.

He wanted to invite me to "serve on the 2009 Women's Conference Committee!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

(That's only an exaggeration of exclamation points.)

So! Apparently -- I get to help with the planning of Women's Conference for the next two years!

Guess who speaks at Women's Conference....

Yep!

Well - she did this year anyway and it was WONDERFUL!! (That's her March 2008 CES Fireside which was seriously awesome and life changing for me - see post just posted.) And lots of other wonderful women speak too... I love it, love it, love it!

It's seriously my dream come true to get to be involved. And it came true. Oh. My. Heck.

And it's on May 1, 2009. I love May Day!

So Rise and Shout! And come to Women's Conference next year!

I've got two months until meetings start to get perfect! (I'd better go to bed, so I don't need a cherry coke in the morning!) (maybe I shouldn't write that... maybe they'll read this and officially un-invite me! uh-oh)

Happy! Happy! So, So, So, Happy!!!! Out of my mind super excited happy! So. So. Happy.

"Amy, No Cry..."

Well -- it's official. I've been released from my calling. There's a new Young Women President.

It's a long story that I won't bore you with... but I've decided that it's the right thing for me to go to a single's ward again. So I will.

But before I do, I just must say that being the Young Women's President in my ward for this last year and almost a half has been the greatest blessing and happiness in my life.
(And sometimes a pain - for sure. But just sometimes.)

I have had the opportunity to become close with the best girls in the world. They are just fantastic and we have had so much fun. Some of my best memories with them:

#1 - Of course - meeting Sister Beck with them. Come on. Awesome.


#2 - Pool Parties. Helping Natalie learn to swim.
#3 - My Dad being here to set me apart.
#4 - Singing "I Walk By Faith" for Sister Jack when she came and spoke to us.


#5 - Riding Trax downtown to watch Young Women's Conference and finding those lost scriptures. (Anyone know how to turn something in to lost and found on Trax?)


#6- When Laceey told me she had saved up her birthday money from when she turned 14 to buy a skirt so she could come to church.
#7 - Movie nights and sleepovers.


#8 - Abelskeevers and General Conference.



#9 - Sydney's miracle of getting off work early enough to come to YW Conference. (And when the nice boy put his jacket on Sydney due to her wardrobe malfunction!)


#10 - Carolyn's miracle of making her goal for the month so she could get her vacation.
#11- Popsicles, junk food and other food that may be beyond the expiration date at my house. Christy Lee was the best at checking the dates.
#12 - Going to the Humanitarian Center with Lindsey and seeing the "Head Butt" boxers that were for sure headed to Africa.


#13 - The car dance. (danced to the tune of Cascada's "Everytime We Touch")

(this isn't it - just a fun dancing camp pic. They all have on Marjorie P. Hinckley wigs.)

#14 - "We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him."
#15 - When I made the chalk scrape so loud on the chalkboard and we laughed so hard the other class moved so it would be more reverent at church.
#16 - When my Mom came and taught us how to decorate cakes.


#17 - Being in the right place at the right time.
#18 - Feeling the Spirit with them.
#19 - Camp. Vegetable master.

Youth Conference. Going over the wall in a boot. (Not that wall)

"Bands Up!" (I wore that band for like 6 weeks too! Sick!)
#20 - When I spotted Voldemort.
#21- Being in the Temple with Lindsey and Natalie. And then having hot chocolate at Starbucks.
#22 - The Fundraiser. "Flag meetings." Ha!
#23 - Going to anything they were participating in - especially musical concerts almost always with Carolyn.


#24 - Anything London.


#25 - Planting our Salsa Garden!


















#26- Going to the Temple with Lindsey for her birthday and going to eat after but she didn't like any of her food - she's so cute. So having ice cream instead.


#27 - Texting.
#28 - Being in the ER with Debbie after I hurt my foot and seeing those crAzy guys with their shirts off.
#29 - Sydney making up songs about everyone.
#30 - Seeing Les Miserable with Carolyn and the electricity went out for two hours! So fun. So stuffy!
#31 - Anytime I got to be with them, talk to them, text them, sing with them, pray with and for them, hug them, learn with and from them... They have been so good to me - letting me learn and forgiving all my mistakes. I love them so so so much.

I feel like I've decided to give 8 girls up for adoption.

So - I'm sad. But still... having the chance to strengthen my little corner of Heavenly Father's Fort and the memories of those girls will forever make me... So Happy.

Hey Everybody it's Family Night!!

Can you sing the rest of the words to that song? (Tamra?)

Well, my friends, I did it. And I am proud of myself. And it was fun! Who knew!

Tonight - I went to my first "single adult FHE" (well - without my group of friends with whom I usually attend FHE (when I can (which is not very often))) and it was GREAT!

I just want to say I believe in FHE - (even if you're a "family of one"(stuff like that makes me laugh - like saying "special interest." especially it makes me laugh when people 1. ask me if I'm married. then 2. ask me how old I am when I say no. then 3. tell me - "oh that's ok. you're young. you have plenty of time." Plenty of time for what? Plenty of time until my eggs dry up or I grow a beard or until I die or what? That is always such a funny conversation to me. Just don't ask people! (back to happiness (apparently parentheses are happy!!!)))

So the point is - yeah for FHE. Not only are you spiritually uplifted with people that you care about - or in my situation, potentially care about, you get to have good treats and a fun activity. Love it! Tonight we ate so much yummy food, learned about Joseph Smith and mingled - which can or cannot be a fun activity. But I made it fun - for me anyway. Hopefully others too! :)

So what I'm saying is that I'm publicly acknowledging that I'm committed to participating more often and giving Heavenly Father a chance to help me out by actually talking to human men.

Being obedient makes me So Happy!

Sometimes you gotta dance

My friend's son was talking to his son the other day and the conversation went something like this.

Dad -- "Next week at this time we'll be on a cruise."

Son (about 8) -- "Excuse me, Dad."

Son goes out of the room for a moment and then returns.

Son -- "Sorry Dad. I just had to go in the other room and jump for joy."

So sweet.

What makes you jump for joy? How long has it been since you've actually done it? I'll think on it too.

Children (happy, witty, sparkling, lovely children and Aidan at any stage) make me So Happy!

And jumping for joy -- well, come one. Just So Happy!

A Butcher, A Baker, A Candlestick Maker or Just a Baker.

So this weekend I felt a little overly-focused on all the disadvantages of having a physical body.

My wonderful, dear friend, EJR, always tells me that I need to live the advantages of being single, since I don't really have a choice about living the disadvantages.

She lives with so many disadvantages of a physical body...

So I decided it was time to experience some advantages!

And what are the advantages of having a physical body? Well, one for sure is... EATING! YUM!

With this in mind I looked through all my cookbooks (yes, I have cookbooks, don't act so shocked) and came up with four decadent recipes that I decided would make life worth living.

And I was right!

I only took pictures of two of them (because my camera battery died and I was running late and forgot to take my camera after it was charged) but all of them were scrumptious!!

Just listen to these happy names that make your mouth start watering! Rolo cookies,

S'more bars (Ryn's recipe), Apple Crisp (Mom's recipe) and Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie (Lion House receipe). YUM!

And the crowd went wild!

All the desserts were a definite success... Tell the truth, isn't your mouth watering???

Having a physical body (and eating) makes me, So Happy.

If you want to destroy my sweater... Hold this thread while I walk away!

Not only so happy - but so funny.

Last Thursday my oldest, and soon to be graduating, young woman had her final choir concert of the year -- so good. She even had a solo - her first ever! So proud.


She also stole the stage... when she had a little wardrobe malfunction! It was taking a little while for the choir director to come on stage after a "costume change" and when she did she said, "You just wouldn't believe what happens backstage..." and then who was following? My lovely holding the back of her dress closed! It was wide open about down to her waist and she was trying so hard to hold it together behind her back -- it was not working too well!

So I couldn't resist... and everyone followed suit - we all clapped and laughed and yelled and she was so gracious and graceful -- taking a bow and curtsying and being generally adorable.

THEN! The adorable, quick thinking and modesty-loving young man standing behind her took off his jacket and gave it to her! And the crowd went wild!!!


So for the rest of the performance, in that dress, she wore his jacket. So cute.

(Here's a little 30 second sample of their great concert!)

My modest little Young Women make me, So Happy.