Play Date

July 15, 2011: First of all, I must apologize that some of you have tried to comment and not been able to post. Even I couldn't post to my own blog! Weird. I asked the invisible Help people what the problem might be, and they suggested that when you log into your account below the comment box - mine is a Google account - that you don't check the "Stay Signed In" box. I unchecked mine - and voila! - I have a comment on the last post. Thanks, Chels, for trying to figure things out, too. We knew it couldn't be something too hard, right?

Now, I have to tell about my super-fantastic play date I had yesterday with my darling baby girl (who is officially taller than I am - wow!). Our church youth had an activity planned, but didn't have enough adult leaders to attend, so I volunteered to go for half a day (my conscience prodded me into believing I must work the other half of the day, especially since the pay period was ending today - and I guess a part of me also thought I wouldn't have the stamina to play the WHOLE day). The day began very early for us summer loafers - we had to meet at the church at 7:45 AM. I slathered on my sunscreen (decided to leave my hat home) and grabbed a water bottle on the way out. After an agonizing moment in the garage when my ultra-reliable car decided not to start right away, Janessa and I bowed our heads in a prayer-plea and the engine roared to life. Waiting at the church were 4 other adults and 12 teens, aged 12 to 17 - 7 girls and 5 boys. We prayed again for "a fun time" and "safety and protection" and were off to Salt Lake City. I'm a "cool mom" - letting my 14 year-old be in charge of the radio, where her favorite boy band, "Hot Chelle Rae", gets air play about once every 15 minutes! But the thing that cracked up both of us on that 15 minute drive to SLC was when Adele came in crooning with "Rolling in the Deep" and both our 12 year-old passengers began to sing along in FULL VOICE! No, not some quiet "I'm-in-someone-else's-car-so-I-better-not-sing-too-loud", but with enthusiasm (and more than a few sour notes!). It was hard not to belly-laugh, but J and I kept our cool for the little darlings...

We met our group on the beautiful Temple Square and the activities began. First was a tour of the temple grounds by two wonderful sister missionaries, both converted at age 19 - one from Florida and one from Germany. I reveled in the Spirit and counted my blessings to be there. Stop No. 2 was a tour of the amazing Conference Center across the street. Our 80-plus year-old guide was the best! She could run laps around the rest of us. She led us up and down the escalators, gave us insights on many of the wonderful works of art in the building, and encouraged us to walk right down in front of the auditorium to look up at the 21,000 seats. Someone (Sister Margetts?) was practicing the organ. Glorious! We climbed our way to the roof and looked down over the new City Creek project, under construction, but moving along. It was a beautiful day - warm, but not too hot; breezy, but not enough to blow us away. Stop No. 3 was the organ recital in the Tabernacle and the awesome acoustics display - the sound of a straight pin dropping onto a wooden block was louder than a silver spoon on the kitchen floor. Richard Elliott was the organist. He is so very good! He opened up those historic pipes and let the music ring from the bow-shaped rafters. I loved every minute - not sure about the (drowsing) kids. Stop No. 4 was lunch in the famed Lion House pantry. Oh my. I chose the Asparagus Chicken. Janessa chose the Artichoke Chicken. We also got two sides (she chose mashed potatoes, I chose mixed vegies and we both grabbed a bowl of fruit) and a warm, flaky roll and dessert (we shared a huge slice of chocolate cream pie). I could taste the chicken! I could taste the watermelon in my cup, but not the other melons. I could taste the broccoli, but not the cauliflower. And I could taste the first two bites of the chocolate pie, but not the third. Still, it was enough to satisfy and make me happy.

After lunch, one of the adult leaders had to leave our playtime to go to work. I should have gone, too, my half day coming to an end. But, for some reason, I couldn't pull myself away. I asked if I could stay, and I could see my girl cheering excitedly inside her head. "Forget about work," I told her. "I'll just work harder tomorrow." She was ecstatic. So...there was my reason. The play date happily continued.

Stop No. 5 was a cooking class in the Joseph Smith Memorial Bldg and I had a moment of deja vu to see our class would be held in the same room Chelsea & Rob had their wedding reception! It was wonderful. The young male chef showed us how to make the famous "Smith Chicken", JSMB's version of Chicken Cordon Bleu. I think maybe I could do it myself! Yummy smells and even better tastes, and I think that I can chop an onion and a clove of garlic like a pro now. We even learned how to "fan" a strawberry for a pretty accent. Who knew we'd be learning such useful stuff today? Stop No. 6 was a scavenger hunt in the beautiful new Deseret Book flagship store across the street from the temple. A short walk, but a walk just the same. I felt strong. The food had rejuvenated me. My only complaint was that I wasn't drinking enough water, but at least I had my water bottle - the others were scrambling to every drinking fountain along the way. Janessa and I were one of the first "teams" to find all the clues to the scavenger hunt. She turned down the piece of chocolate they offered, but I grabbed an old-fashioned striped candy stick. Wonder if I'll be able to taste it? We were given a short introduction to the art offered for sale at the store. One of my favorite artists, James Christensen, was featured (his puzzle art is framed on my walls - I can't afford his real prints!). I saw several inspiring works I'd love to have in my home someday. One was "A Song of the Heart" by Jay Richards - beautiful. Another is the close-up of the SL Temple with the red-bud branch in front of it - stunning - and a third was a piece, called "Faith, Hope, and Charity" of three beautiful young women - so symbolic and stirring. (sigh) Stop No. 7 was a walk BACK to the JSMB (okay, now I'm getting tired) to have each youth sit at their own computer in the Family Search department and play a "Jeopardy" game, where the answers were found by searching the Family Search site and the Ancestry.com site. So fun! One of the helpful missionaries told the kids, "I challenge you to turn off Facebook and Twitter for one hour a week and devote that hour to searching for your ancestors on Family Search or Ancestry.com." What a great idea! I need to try it...soon. Stop No. 8 was back across Temple Square (now we were grumbling just a little that we had to criss-cross so much!) to visit the Church History Museum. That one we could have skipped. It was a little juvenile - geared more to 5 year-olds, I think. The kids felt it. I felt it. But, I still thrilled to see the old things that belonged to the early pioneers and church leaders. How did they ever get their pianos and desks and favorite things across the plains? Pure willpower...and a lot of luck. Stop No. 9 - and the final stop on our play date - was dinner BACK in the JSMB. By now, my feet were hot and tired, I was dying of thirst, and I just wanted to sit and enjoy the surroundings. We had another wonderful meal - the "Smith Chicken" we loved and an ice-cream/cookie sandwich - and then listened to a great speaker encourage the kids to "lift, not drag" (like on an airplane) and to follow the example of our Savior. An excellent ending to a wonderful day.

Sometimes, you just have to play instead of work. Sometimes, you just have to listen to your heart instead of your head. The smile on my little girl's face all day was priceless and meant more to me than anything a paycheck could bring. Yes, I was exhausted when we got home a little before 9:00 PM - even had a hard time falling asleep, I was that tired - and my feet, legs, and back ached a bit from all the walking back and forth across Temple Square. But, my heart was full and my spirit was revived. Precious memories that will live on forever. I couldn't have asked for more.