Snow Camping 2011

I went snow camping last night. For all you initiates out there, snow camping is when a group of boy scouts go out to some high-altitude camp site where there is a whole lot of snow, pitch tents on top of that snow, and try not to freeze their tails off while attempting to sleep in sub-freezing temperatures.

Well, last night was just like that, except for the sub-freezing part. The temperature was actually in the upper 30s, but the wind chill, I think, took it below the line.

Being the First Counselor in the Young Men's Presidency puts me in a position of responsibility for the boys in the ward who are between the ages of 14 and 16. The scouts go on this snow camp every winter, but this year their scout leader, to whom I am the assistant in all things scouting, couldn't go. No problem, I originally thought, I could handle that.

Then I was informed, the Sunday before the trip, that the plan was to have each group do their own meals. It took me about two seconds to begin panicking, as I have never been responsible for feeding half a dozen ravenous teenage boys before, and had no idea what to prepare. In theory, the boys are supposed to plan and prepare for themselves, but at the last minute that wasn't terribly practical. I called the leader of the priests (the 16-18 year-olds), the Young Men's President, and told him that it was just silly that we were doing meals separately and, in very clear terms, I told him that I desperately needed his help.

He was reluctant at first, but I was quite insistent. In the end, he did all the planning and purchasing and preparing for the meals. I am very, very grateful for that, and, having now seen how it can be done, I will be much better prepared next time.

We gathered at the church starting at 3:30 pm, and by 4 we were on the road. The drive was about an hour long, so by the time we got there, twilight was upon us. We drove all the way to the top of the road towards Mt. Pinos, and found an almost empty parking lot. It seemed not many people planned to sleep over night in the winter conditions.

The wind was blowing, and it was bitterly cold. We later found that the temperatures were in the low 40s, but with the wind chill I'm certain it was below freezing. We started loading our gear out of the vehicles and all the adults and boys carried several loads of stuff from the parking lot about 500 feet off the road to a camp site that we barely recognized as one. The snow was 2 to 4 feet deep, but the top of the snow was frozen into a slippery and hard crust. On occasion our feet plunged through the surface layer, but most of the time we remained atop the snow.

Once we got things loaded to the camp site (I only slipped and fell once, and that was far better than most), everybody variously went off to go sledding (yes, in the dim light), putting up tents, starting a camp fire, and eventually starting to cook dinner. I was greatly surprised to find that none of the boys were particularly skilled in the art of fire-starting, and it took us a long time to get it going, and then only after using some lighter fluid.

Despite the temperatures, we weren't exactly roughing it. One of the leaders brought a generator to power a spotlight, and several propane tanks, one of which he used as a standing heater to keep warm.

Dinner commenced chaotically, with garbage going in every direction. (That said, in the finest scouting tradition, the next morning we did indeed leave things cleaner than when we arrived, packing out quite a bit of garbage that we found upon our arrival.)

For dinner, we had barbecue chicken on hoagie buns, with potato chips and trail mix as sides. It didn't even approximate a balanced meal, but the boys ate it up, and I didn't have to prepare it, so I'm happily counting it as a blessing. S'mores rounded out the evening, though I was surprised to find that many of the boys were rather indifferent to them.

As people wound down for the night, the cold started making itself felt. The boys began filing away to their tents for the night, with three of them deciding to sleep out under the stars. Keep in mind that the temperature was hovering around 40 degrees, so it was cold. By about 9 pm, most of the boys were headed to bed, and I went that way myself, finally going to sleep by 10 pm.

I slept in my little tent that I've had since I was a boy scout. I have a lot of fond memories with that tent, which is no stranger to cold temperatures. Once when I was a kid I actually slept on Utah Lake, and I remember that being much colder than I was last night.

Last night I slept well enough, and was actually quite comfortable, despite the slightly lumpy snow upon which my tent was pitched. With the wind whooshing through the treetops and a gibbous moon waxing above us, it was very peaceful, even with a tent full of boys inanely yakking away about cars 30 paces away.

The next morning, I woke up at 6, but it was too darn cold to get out, so I went back to sleep until about 7:30. At that point, I supposed I should get up and be helpful, so I did and helped get breakfast started. We had "eggs in a bag", with bagels and pop-tarts also available.

Many of the boys spent a lot of time sledding, the conditions being nearly ideal: steep hills, icy snow, and windy pathways. Actually, when all was said and done, it proved to be a little too ideal, as several of the boys got spooked by hard landings and decided to call it quits before they got hurt. I think kids these days are less resilient (or more wise?) than I used to be, because I'm pretty sure I would have kept sledding until somebody actually did get hurt.

Later in the morning, several of us went snow-shoeing up to the top of Mt. Pinos. One of the leaders rented 10 sets of snow-shoes. With 15 boys under foot, I was really worried that we wouldn't have enough to go around, but very few of the boys actually wanted to go snow-shoeing, something I couldn't even fathom. For all of these boys, snow-shoeing is so far outside of their normal experience that I thought they'd all jump at the chance, but most of them actually complained about how they went last year and how they wanted to go sledding and how they didn't want to walk all the way to the top of Mt. Pinos again! Granted, this was the older boys talking, but I was still surprised, and quite a bit disappointed in them.

Nevertheless, with only 5 boys actually agreeing to go, there were snow-shoes to spare, so I decided to go, too, because, really, how often do you get to do things like that? I most certainly wasn't disappointed, either.

The hike up Mt. Pinos was about two miles each way, with a well-formed trail to follow. With the snow as deep as it was, we were a little concerned we'd have trouble finding our way, but there were plenty of tracks to follow and some of those in our party had been there before. In truth, we were able to actually make the trip shorter because we didn't stick to the trail but instead went over the intermediate hills towards the top.

At the top, it was beautiful. We found large open spaces that made me yearn for a snowmobile, a solar-powered radio antenna (which, oddly enough, wasn't distracting), and amazingly wide vistas. I was happy to be there, and when we got to the bottom, all who went were glad they did.

Those lazy boys who didn't? It was their loss. Apparently they spent most of their time just sitting around doing nothing, watching other people who showed up in the morning to recklessly go sledding. They reported seeing several ambulances arrive to take people off the mountain who had head injuries and the like. Thankfully, none of our boys shared that same fate.

We finally left to come home at around 1 pm. I had 5 boys in my van, and they were all fairly muted during the drive home. The one in the passenger seat to my right tipped his head back and immediately went slack-jawed as he passed out, his neck kinked in a weird swan-like pose. It was quite funny.

Even with my initial fears of being "in charge", it wasn't that intimidating. Most of the boys were helpful (though a few were downright lazy, actively seeking ways to not have to help), and they were very respectful to each other, to their leaders, and to those around us.

So, a few final thoughts. One time when I was moving something from the camp to the van, I walked by one of the young men, a very tall and sturdy athlete. He was standing beneath a tree with a shovel and digging the snow out from beneath it. Stacking the snow chunks up in a pile around the tree, I was at a loss to know what he was doing, so I asked him. His reply? He was building a snow fort. Why, you ask? His reply was heart-warming: "Ever since I was a kid I've always wanted to build a snow fort, so I'm building a snow fort." I was moved because here was a kid from Southern California making good on a childhood dream. It was, to my dismay, short-lived, though, because his peers mocked him and he soon gave it up. Such a pity.

Another time the boys were sitting by the cars watching others sled down the hills. It was hazardous sledding, which they had learned by experience earlier in the morning. One of the boys, who has a well-documented history of adrenaline-sport-related accidents (he got a fairly severe concussion a month or so back), was shouting out warnings to people who were doing things that were clearly unwise. At that moment, one of the boys deadpanned, "Listen to him. He's like the Holy Ghost, saying, 'Don't do it!'" The boys and I looked around at each other, and then we started laughing. We all recognized the irony.

All told, I had a very good experience, and I'm very glad that I went.

Utah Trip 2010

A quick post because I keep starting one and hating how it goes, so I'm just going to type ...

We went to Utah the last few weeks. The snow seemed to chase us from place to place. We brought home the flu. We exchanged presents with family members, and saw a sister of mine that we hadn't seen in years (which was great). We had family dinners (with fewer than expected people due to the snow), and had a great time.

It was very cold, mostly staying in the single digits. In one part of our drive, the thermometer in the van read 0 degrees. COLD! Our children were more than happy to go out and play in those temperatures, though, the novelty being a powerful motivator. My oldest son quickly wised up, but the younger two children had a wonderful time. We made snowmen and a snow fort, and the kids actually wanted to shovel the walks (yeah, I know, they're weird).


We ate all sorts of bad food for us, and I put on 2 pounds -- a smaller weight gain than I feared. We had a great time visiting with both sides of the family. We spent some good quality time with both sets of grandparents, a privilege that is not lost on my wife and I, even if the children don't know how lucky they are.

We took with us boxes full of baby clothes, both boy and girl clothes, to give away to relatives who have new babies, having decided that five years of storage (eight for the girls clothes) is long enough. It was emotional to let it all go, and both my wife and I tried our best to just deliver the goods then turn away.

It was a whirlwind trip, and we slept in four different places in the eight days we were gone. We were very tired and very satisfied to return home, which is still in disarray after Christmas. All our lights are still up, and my wife still plays Christmas music, and we're expect Saturday to be the day when all that is undone.

As it is, most of us are suffering from the flu or a cold. I think I have an eye infection, which I think I caught from my daughter. Children = carrier monkeys.

Fricative

AWESOME new word I stumbled across. Seriously. Look it up. (Or you can be lazy and watch this.)

Random Pictures from My Old Phone

A few months back I got a new phone, a DroidX, which I absolutely love. (You still know you want one ...) When I happily dumped my old Blackberry phone, I copied all the files off it and found that there was actually quite a random collection of random pictures. My wife suggested that I blog about this stuff that I discovered, so that's what I'm doing here. I tend to avoid "photo blogging" as a general rule, but as sharing the pictures is actually the point of this post, so be it.

As you look through these pictures, be aware that there is no theme. This is just a collection of memories that, at the time I took them, I wanted to capture in pictures. Out of context, they are rather meaningless, but on the whole, I think they provide an interesting display of what is important to me in my life. I've sorted the pictures by date taken, and this is only a sampling of the stuff I found on the camera. So, here goes ...

My wife being silly in the car when we were going to the Los Angeles Temple on 27 Feb 2009. I think this was actually one of the first pictures taken with that Blackberry:

My youngest son, with a messy, chocolatey face on 7 Mar 2009:

My wife and I on a date in one of our favorite eating establishments, a small Thai restaurant here in town on 21 Mar 2009:

My youngest crouching down in the church cultural hall on 28 Mar 2009:

Me and my oldest son at a Dodger's game on 6 Aug 2009:

My daughter at the same game on 6 Aug 2009:

My wife sailing a pirate ship at Finz Glo-Zone, a black-light miniature golf place nearby, on 23 Oct 2009:

This next picture is actually one of my all-time favorites. It is of my lovely wife, looking stunningly beautiful, taken when we were at Six Flags on 7 Nov 2009:

The Saturn V rocket outside the space museum in Huntsville, Alabama, on 28 Apr 2010:

My youngest son so tired during a campout that he can barely eat his s'more on 14 May 2010:

The airplane I flew on to Germany for a business trip on 16 May 2010:

Some cobblestones in Darmstadt on 17 May 2010. I'm not sure I meant to take this picture, but whatever:

A Viking-looking dude at a park in Darmstadt on 18 May 2010:

My oldest son getting his awards in cub scouts on 26 May 2010:

My daughter all wet at a swimming pool during a trip to Utah, where we stayed with my sister in Mt. Pleasant on 5 Jul 2010:

The greenery during a hike with my oldest son's cub scout group up to some a waterfall on 9 Oct 2010:

My daughter with her hero, Wonder Woman, at Six Flags on 9 Oct 2010:

My daughter being a superhero outside of the Goliath roller-coaster at Six Flags on 9 Oct 2010:

Well, as you can see, it's quite an eclectic collection. With cameras being ever-present in our lives, it's interesting to look back at the detritus that's left behind. Some of these pictures tell stories, some just ... are. Even so, you can see the flavor of things that I've captured, and glimpse a little peek into what is important to me in my life, my family (not that it isn't fairly obvious to anybody who knows me at all ...).

Something Totally Cool

I like numbers. I'm becoming increasing convinced that I need to be an economist (as statistics still annoy me) in my next career ... assuming I ever tire of the one I have. As it is, I stumbled upon this video, which made me have warm fuzzies all over for a variety of different reasons:

On Snow Storms and Being Cold

Apparently Utah, where much of my family lives, is getting hammered with harsh snow storms right now. This reminded me of the fact that I tell people an "Oh, yeah? You think you've experienced cold weather?!" story when they tell me how cold something is. Well, I did a little research, and sure enough, my story has basis in fact!

For all my doubters, here goes the story with the evidence to follow:

Many of my older siblings went to the same university that I eventually attended. As a kid, they had always told me that the winters were harsh and when I was preparing to go, they suggested that I be ready for very cold times. So, I went there with "low" expectations, and wasn't disappointed.

I distinctly recall one morning waking up and it being bitterly cold. Not just cold-cold, but so-cold-your-face-freezes-solid-cold. My only means of transportation was a bicycle, which I used to get to and from class. That morning, I got up as usual, showered, then headed off to class. The snow that morning was (and I am totally not making this up) up to my waist! Biking wasn't really an option in that weather, so I began to trundle on my way to class on foot, pushing my way through the deep snow, leaving a collapsing trench behind me. The wind was blowing harshly out of the canyon above campus, with bitter cold air biting at every part of my body that was uncovered. I was too foolish to wear a hat, so my hair, slightly damp from my morning shower, literally froze solid. My face and cheeks went numb, my lungs hurt from breathing the cold air, and snow was sticking to my clothes, only breaking away where I was bending as I made my way toward my class.

Being a dutiful student, and also somewhat oblivious, I didn't notice that I was pretty much the only one headed to class that morning. It took me twice as long to get where I was going, but I was still on time! Upon arrival, I was most pleased to get inside and went to my classroom. There I found many of my classmates had also made it to class! (You go, unflappable and reliable engineering students!)

I took my seat and began to thaw out. I couldn't feel my nose and ears, but soon the numbness turned to pain as they began to warm. My hair started to drip as it thawed out, and my clothes began to soak through as the snow frozen to them began to melt. I was chilled and miserable, but I was present!

The only problem? The professor was not. The usual 20 minutes elapsed (again, we were engineering students, and we liked to learn, so we extended the traditional 15 minutes to 20 ...), and then we finally, slowly decided we should leave. I was not terribly happy to do so, and was perfectly content to stay at the engineering building, but alas, it was one of those days where I didn't have any more classes until later that afternoon, and I knew I wanted to eat sometime.

So, I steeled myself against the cold, and made my way back to my apartment. The trip home was worse than the trip there, because all the water that had melted and soaked into my clothes began to freeze. It was horrible. When I got back to my apartment, I stripped down and headed straight for a leisurely shower, where I enjoyed the hot water. I think I ate Raman noodles for lunch that day (hot) and probably macaroni and cheese for dinner (hot) and eschewed all things cold. What a day!

The funny thing was, I didn't know that the miserable weather was anything out of the ordinary. My siblings told me the winters were harsh, and so I just expected it to be that way. Because of that, to this day, I don't have a lot of sympathy for those who complain about the cold. I've been there, done that. And notice where I live now: sunny Southern California. I don't miss the snow. Sure, it's nice to visit and go sledding and all that, and it sure is pretty, but I actually have a choice, so I'll take the sand and the sun instead.

Okay, now the evidence: At this link, there is an article about the coldest winters in Utah. There, it states:

1993: A whopping 23.3 inches of snow fell at Salt Lake City International Airport, the greatest single storm total, between Jan 6-10. For the month of January, 50.3 inches of snow fell, an all time monthly record.

At this link here, check out the winter of 1992-1993, where it indicates that between November and February a total of 71.3 inches of snow fell on the city where my school was located. And here, it indicates that the total average temperature for those months was 24.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yeah, it was cold. And I had no car, so I walked or biked everywhere. Ah, the memories ...

On Chickens

There is this very weird phenomenon going around the country today where people are "getting back to basics", or other such rubbish, and deciding to get chickens. Phenomenologically, I don't understand it, but the recent salmonella scare certainly hasn't hurt its spread. (By the way, I heard somebody use "phenomenologically" in a sentence the other day, and I, first, wondered if that was a real word (it is), and second, realized that I just had to find a way to use it!)

A few years ago, my brother-in-law-in-law came home with a chicken or two, and, to put it kindly, since that time he has gone loco for el pollo. Living in a place where people have big backyards, over the past few years he has slowly been evolving his yard into a chicken paradise. A full quarter of it (something like a quarter acre, but since I don't really know exactly what an acre is, I'll just say it's something like that) has been allocated for the exclusive use of his chickens. What was once just a few chickens has exploded into several broods of chickens, of varying kinds! (I had to look up what a group of chickens is called, and got various answers, including "clutch", "flock", and "peeps" -- I'm absolutely sure he knows which is the right word to use ...)

Is he a chicken farmer now? I'd say yes. Does he live on a farm? Most assuredly not, but his neighborhood is zoned for that kind of stuff as it is a very old neighborhood. Happily the chickens are quiet, clean, and mostly odorless; otherwise his neighbors would probably go buy pitchforks. The chickens, of course, produce massive quantities of eggs. With four teenage boys living in his house, this is not usually a problem, but he has so many chickens that even with four ravenous boys under his roof, he still has enough eggs to give or sell away.

Now that he has made himself into That Chicken Guy (he even subscribes to chicken magazines!), he never lets pass an opportunity to extol the virtues of having your own chickens. Salmonella is never a worry, you get free eggs (well, not quite, there is a cost ... but he doesn't talk about that), they're recession and inflation proof, and when the chickens stop producing eggs, you can have a good chicken dinner. He is regularly suggesting with a wink and a nod that my wife and I would be wise to get chickens.

However, we live in Southern California, with something like 1/100th of an acre available in our backyard. I always used this as an excuse, which suited my needs well, but to be honest, I just can't see ever owning chickens. We are definitely not zoned for chickens, but a good friend from up the street has had several for many years and it has worked out well for them.

So, imagine my surprise when I find out that my wife has been talking with said neighbor and discussing the possibility of taking her chickens off her hands! I love my wife dearly, and my first reaction was vehemently against it. But I love my wife, and she finds a way to get what she wants. Soon she had sold away the kids play yard/slide (which they didn't play on anymore), and pointed out to me that since the grass was already dead underneath that, it wouldn't be a big deal to put a chicken coop there.

I told her I had no interest in taking care of chickens (but think of the fertilizer for the garden!), and that I wasn't going to feed them (the kids are excited to do that!), and that we didn't have the space for them (but it will fit right where the play yard went!), and that we aren't zoned for them (but our neighbor has had them forever and they are quiet and not smelly), and that we'd have to buy food for them (but we already buy barrels of grain to make our own flour!). Drat, she had thought of all of my arguments against it.

I gave my grudging approval.

So, imagine my delight when I asked said neighbor about it on Sunday, and found out that it turns out that she hadn't actually spoke to her husband about it, and that he actually is rather fond of them and wanted to keep them. She seemed rather embarrassed by the situation, but I assured her with all the feeling of my heart, that it was totally okay with me. My wife and kids? Not so pleased.

I still can't even fathom being an owner of chickens. We have a hard enough time keeping our fish alive, and gave up on hamsters a few years ago. Also, consider for a moment that the focus of my professional existence is on the care and maintenance of robots that have been hurled to other planets -- that's a far cry from taking care of chickens.

Well, in any case, I may have dodged a bullet this time, but I'm pretty sure I haven't heard the last of this, because the kids are terribly disappointed and that dead spot in the grass is still there.

Worst of all, if we do end up with chickens, I will never live it down with my brother-in-law-in-law.

Mother Appreciation Night

Tonight the Teachers Quorum had a "Mother Appreciation Night". Each of the young men contributed in one way or another to putting together a dinner, and they all sang a very silly song, which turned out rather well.

Each one of them had an assignment to fulfill relative to the evening. One young man put together a presentation of photographs that each young man contributed of him and his mother. He set this to music, and it turned out rather well. Another was responsible for putting together invitations and a "program" of the event:

Others had different responsibilities for the food that was to be served. The boys served their own mothers a three-course meal, starting with a Caesar salad, followed by the main dish of lemon pepper chicken over pasta with a lemon sauce with rolls and buttered corn on the side. Dessert followed, which consisted of red velvet cupcakes, which a few of the boys made the night before. Each of them contributed supplies, and collectively they did almost all the labor for the evening.

My wife volunteered to help in the kitchen, and she was basically the boss, telling them to do this, then to do that. It went very well. The other adult leader and I, we also wandered around and pretty much made sure everything was in order. We tried our best to not actually do anything, but instead to direct the boys to do the work. Now that it's over, I'm tired from all the directing, but I am very pleased with the results of the evening and I think the boys felt ownership and pride in how well it went.

During dinner, each of them got up and shared some reasons why they love and appreciate their mother. The true miracle of the night was that these young men, all between the ages of 14 and 16, stood up and told their mothers that they love them in front of each other. Between that and the unabashed singing, it was truly a marvelous night. I am very proud of each one of them, and I feel grateful that I have the calling that I do where I can work with these young men.

It was a good night.

A Bad Combination

Tonight after dinner, my youngest son was sitting at the table drinking some blueberry juice, which he absolutely loves. I turned my back to do something else, and behind me I hear him happily state, "Chocolate milk!" I didn't think anything of it, as his sister was drinking chocolate milk, but when I turned my attention back to him I see he is stirring some Nesquik into his blueberry juice! He took one sip and the most hilarious look of distaste came across his face, then he started to cry!

Being the totally awesome Dad that I am, I told him he shouldn't waste the juice, and that he needed to drink it. He asked if he could have some new juice. I told him he already had some juice. He asked if he could have some chocolate milk. I told him he already had some chocolate milk! He was not amused, and cried even more. Of course, I reminded him that juice and chocolate milk is not cheap, and he had just wasted a whole glass, and, again, he was not amused. I was, though.

In the end, I relented and let him go to dump it out, and then I poured him a fresh glass of juice. I went "from zero to hero, just like that!"

It was a funny moment, and, yes, I did try it, and, yes, it was awful.

The Best of EFY

My calling in the Young Men's program at church is kind of weird. Most of the time, I don't really need to do anything, except be where the youth are going to be. Today was one of those days. Every year, our stake participates with 8 other stakes in something called "The Best of EFY".

EFY is "Especially For Youth", and is basically a summer camp for youth in the church to attend for a few days to hear speakers talk about gospel topics and to spend time with other fellow youth in the church. It usually happens in the summer, and usually caters to those who live along the Wasatch Front in Utah. However, on a rotating basis, one of the 9 stakes will sponsor a few of the EFY speakers to come to Southern California to visit with the youth and share with them a few topics on a given Saturday. It's rather small in comparison to the real thing, but it is wildly popular to the local kids and they love attending.

Today, our stake sponsored two speakers to come down, and coupled their talks with dinner and a dance, as is tradition. My wife had been asked to lead a youth choir between the two speakers, so she was able to be in attendance through the first talk. We sat together, which was great.

The first speaker, a fellow named John Hilton III, gave a talk titled "Dare Not to Compare". He spoke about how we need to be less concerned about what others have or what we look like. He cited several things that the kids seem to be focused on, such as grades or clothes or makeup. For the boys, they also tend to be worried about who is most athletic or who has the best skateboard or who has the newest gadget.

He shared the story from Matthew 13, about a householder who hires people throughout the day, each for the same wage, and how at the end of the day the ones who labored the longest complained that they didn't get paid more than those who arrived at the end. This he likened to the "It's not fair!" syndrome that is so easy to identify with. Each of the laborers had happily agreed to the terms of the work and the compensation to be received, yet at the end of the day, those who saw what others had received for their work felt that it was unfair. We each would probably feel similarly, but this comparison to others can be destructive.

He also said that pride can also lead to unwise comparisons. When we compare ourselves to those who may be "below" our standing, we often fail to realize that less is often expected of those who have received less, and thus we feel "better" than them. Conversely, when we compare ourselves to those who are "above" our standing, it is easy to fall into the trap of not appreciating those things which we do have because another may have something that is nicer.

A few interesting comments or references he made that I noted:

• If we break the rules, the rules can break us.
  
• The Lord looks on the heart (1 Sam 16:7)
  
• The grass is almost never really greener on the other side.
  
• We should avoid the traps of "can't wait until ...", "I wish I was ...", or "Wouldn't it be great if ..."

He encouraged the youth to not put themselves down, but instead remember who they are as children of God. He indicated that we should each work to build ourselves and others up, rather than wreckers who pull both ourselves and others down. Then he issued a final challenge: we should each try to spend the next 48 hours not comparing ourselves to anybody, and see how that goes. Hmm, interesting!

The second speaker was a man named Hank Smith. He was really quite funny and, ironically, compared his own name as being somewhat unsophisticated to that of the previous speaker, John Hilton III. It was rather silly, and I'm not sure if it was intentional, or just plain ironic, that he would spend the first few minutes of his talk comparing himself to the previous speaker. He also made a joke about how tomorrow, the first Sunday of the month, is going to be fast and testimony meeting, but how it would be totally awesome if there was an "e" in the fast, to make it "feast" and testimony meeting. If that were the case, I'm certain that many people would happily and eagerly pray and "feast" for others' well-being, something a little tougher to do when prayer is coupled with "fasting".

He then began talking about great break-up lines. A few samples:

• We need to talk ... (You always know where that conversation is going ...)
  
• It's not you, it's me. (Ditto.)
  
• Roses are red, violets are blue, trash is dumped, and so are you!
  
• I think it's time you know ... I'm Batman!
  
• How will I know if I want to spend eternity with you unless I date other people?
  
• (This one's to be sent via text.) Welcome to Dumpsville. Population: You!
  
• You're like a lava lamp. Fun for a while, but not very bright.
  
• There's only room for two guys in my life, Ben and Jerry.
  
• (This one is a scripture reference.) You draw near unto me with your lips, but your heart is far from me.

Then he started talking about how, to the culture of the world, you can never have enough. You can never be pretty enough, or rich enough, or smart enough, or strong enough. There is always some way, in the eyes of the world, that you will be found inadequate. Compare this to the Savior, who always accepts us as we come to Him, and "hath purchased [you] with his own blood." (Acts 20:28)

Then he spoke about sacrifice. He shared the story of Abraham and how he really had only one thing that was so special to him that it would be difficult to give up: his treasured son Isaac. And yet it was this that the Lord asked him to sacrifice for Him, not because He needed him or even wanted Isaac to be sacrificed, but because He wanted Abraham to demonstrate a willingness to give up anything that the Lord may ask of him.

In this same way, we are asked to give up things as well. Not our children, as it may be, but instead we are asked by the Savior to give up our sins. The speaker challenged us to find something in our lives that is inconsistent with the teachings of the Gospel and to give it up, whether it be some form of clothing, music, media (pornography especially), energy drinks, moral behaviors, etc.

By giving these things up, we make a commitment to ourselves and to the Lord, hopefully permanently, that we will never do these things again. He shared the story of the Lamanites, who were a bloodthirsty and war-making people, who buried deep their weapons of war once they were converted unto the Lord, and committed that they would never take them up again, even when faced by enemies who would not have mercy on them and would slay them. This kind of commitment to turn our backs on our sins is what the Lord really wants of us.

The speaker reiterated that the Lord does want each one of us, unlike the world that will always find us wanting. He paid for all our sins, and calls us His people. The speaker urged us to not buy into what the world says, that looks are everything, for the world offers nothing but loneliness and sorrow, where the Lord says in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Good words.

It was a great evening. Following these two speakers, it was about 6 pm and they sent everybody outside to each sub sandwiches (I had a turkey sub). The youth swarmed the food tables, and there wasn't anything left by the time the dance started at 7:30.

For me, being at the dance was an interesting experience. The last dance of this nature I'd been to was back in college, almost 12 years ago. There, I was with my wife and we most certainly were being goofy. Here, though, I was an "adult leader" (when did I get old enough to be that?!) and expected to monitor the kids.

Truth be told, there wasn't anything for me to do. I'm kind of a mother hen to the boys in my teacher's quorum, though, so I wandered around and challenged each one of them to dance with somebody they normally wouldn't dance with. I'm not sure if they did, as I ended up leaving just after 8 pm (again, there wasn't anything for me to do and there was plenty of adult supervision), but my heart was warmed as I witnessed each one of them out on the floor dancing (and with girls!). One of the boys did arrive late, showing up after the dance started, but he immediately waded into the fray and found people to dance with. I was so proud I was grinning from ear to ear. My boys, dancing with girls!

A few observations, though:

• Teenagers today dance differently than we used to. They gather in groups (even the boys), and don't ever really pair off unless it's a slow dance, and even then sometimes they don't.
  
• It was quite funny to see people flee the room when a slow song started, both boys and girls. (However, each of my boys stayed in the room!)
  
• I'm not familiar with much of the music of today's youth. Apparently much of it was from Radio Disney, or was Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift, or other young artists.
  
• It was so loud I could hardly understand the words, but the kids were singing along to it and seemed happy.
  
• They raise their hands over their heads when they dance. I don't get the purpose of that.
  
• There was a TON of cute girls there. Being who I am today, I would've been in heaven having all those options to ask to dance with me. However, I get that the boys were shy -- I was, too. What they say is true, "Youth is wasted on the young ..."

All in all, it was a very interesting evening. I am very glad that I went, and I look forward to more of this kind of stuff with the youth in the future.