Programs

Zealanda, Lacie, and I had the opportunity to attend a primary program today, and the experience really strengthened my belief that the Church should have a primary-rental service.

Seriously.

Our cute little branch totally misses out on the best Sacrament meeting of the year becuase we have no primary. So I think that when our branch presidency fills out the materials request form each year, along with the places to order Sunday school manuals and tithing envelopes, there should be a box to check for a "rental primary." I'm sure most of our branch would be willing to cough up a rental fee...maybe 11% tithing for the month of the program... so that we can enjoy the uniquely entertaining experience that is a primary program. I love the slightly off-key singing, the parent-written "talks" that are only half memorized, and the various levels of zoning out and goofing off that takes place on the stand. Sure, the above description could also fit a large number of brethren from our elders quorum on any given Sunday, but it is a heck of a lot cuter when the kids do it.
We attended the program because our friend and former-fellow-brancher Elizabeth is the primary chorister. We felt that it was important to support Elizabeth in her calling, especially after her recent decision to take up skiing. After all, you do need full use of your upper body to direct music, and ramming your body into a tree at high speeds has been known to effect things like arms and shoulders and spinal columns. So becuase there is a better than average chance that Elizabeth will look like the photo below in the near future, we decided we should watch her conduct while she still can.

Attending the primary program made me a little homesick for my niblets, both of the IF and Utah varieties. Lucky for me, my brother and sister-in-law were in town with their two little girls this weekend. Warren brought Kenna and Kylie over to my place while Becky was helping her family get ready for her sister's wedding. I had a great time playing with the girls. It was fun to watch Kenna get her first taste of Taco Bandito's hot sauce (courtesy of her daddy...Aunt Mindy was an innocent bystander in this taste bud assault) ...




... and it was fun to watch Kylie use her new crawling skills to explore my apartment.


Ooops. Sorry. I did it again.


I am always getting Kylie's photos mixed up with the monchichi photos.



Honest mistake, right?

I have to give another shout out to Elizabeth to thank her for letting me borrow her dog during the girls visit. Kenna's first thought after walking through my door was to look for the woof-woof (a.k.a. Chloe, who spent a great deal of time with me in IF over the summer, and last month over Thanksgiving break) . Poor Kenna looked everywhere for the woof-woof and was so disappointed that the woof-woof wasn't here that I couldn't resist bringing Chloe over for a visit... and a whole lot of snacks (courtesy of Kenna. I was an innocent bystander in the stuffing of Chloe too, Elizabeth. It was all the two-year-old's idea. I was too distracted by the overwhelming cuteness of Kylie Monchichi to object) .

Today's primary program also got me pretty darn excited for our up coming stake Christmas concert. Singing in the choir last year was one of the highlights of my Christmas season, so I was really looking forward to it this year. Our stake choir is really very good...we're like the Mo-Tab of the dairy world. Seriously. Last year people from all over the valley knocked the manure off of their boots to come hear us sing.
But around September-somethingeth, Elizabeth and I went out for Chinese food and somewhere between ordering dinner and conducting three impromptu parent-teacher conferences, I was was asked to write the narration for the program. I was very flattered by the invitation (even though the invitation was followed by five to six reminders that it had to be "serious"...really, why would anyone ever think something I write wouldn't be "serious"?) and proceeded to write what Sister Hobson assures me is a good narration.
What wasn't mentioned in the invitation was that I wouldn't just be writing the narration...I would be delivering it too.
I guess I had better start practicing my "general conference voice", eh?

To to all of those within the sound of my voice: come back. Repentance is possible...

Wait.

In my attempt to get into a good narration frame of mind I must have accidentally started to channel Elder Scott....which is kind of weird since he is still alive...but anyway...

To all of those within driving distance of my stake center, come to our Christmas concert. Even those of you in the Burley Unleaded Stake whose Christmas concert is that same night, feel free to come to the West stake to partake of our holiday spirit. It is going to be good. And serious. And seriously good.

At least it will be if our guest violist doesn't get up close and personal with a blue spruce while attempting to learn how to ski this week. I'd hate to have to change our third number to "O Hole-y Elizabeth" or "Hark, the Medevac Helicopter Arrives" . It would totally disrupt the whole flow of my narration. :)