Shopping and the Zoo

A couple of weeks ago, Walter went with me to the Layton Hills Mall. Walter discovered the riding toys at the mall and had a lot of fun riding one. He was really good as I got my eyebrows done. Here's a story I shared on my facebook about the experience:

After getting my eyebrows done today the lady asks for my phone number. Ugh, I hate that. Instead of just being normal and saying, "No, thank you." I reply:
"I actually don't have a number right now."
She breaks eye contact and looks down at Walter...who's playing with my phone on which I had threatened him earlier to not call people on...
"Yeah...it's more of toy than anything else." Then whispered to Walter, "Run, run, run!"

 He loves reading books to himself now. 

 At City Creek with his girls

 He loved the fish

 There's a stray cat that starts wondering around come Springtime every year. We're pretty sure the previous owner of our condo just moved away without it. Anyways, Walter and Francis have a blast playing with it through the window. 

 I got my first Bountiful Basket last week! It was so cool to get a ton of produce for only $15. I feel like it's a bit of a game, because I have to now come up with dishes for the veggies I wouldn't have bought. It's lead us to broaden our palettes and eat more of a variety. I've really enjoyed it. 

 Walter had his first party-filled-college-Saturday this last weekend and loved it! I had a roomates reunion up in Logan and then we went and hung out with some friends from high school.

 Our newest obsession is In-N-Out. They make the best lettuce wrapped burger.

 I asked Levi to get a cute picture of us reading. Mission failed.

 "Walter, smile!"

 We went to the Zoo yesterday with cousins! It was "free zoo day" so we got what we paid for, haha. The parking was horrendous (took us half an hour) and it was so crowded, we hardly saw any animals. But Walter had a lot of fun with his cousins, and that's what matters. 

 He kept getting concerned if he couldn't see Esther.  He was constantly saying, "Esther, come on!" Elisabeth is always more prepared that I am. She kept sharing Esther's snacks with Walter. Once they were all out, Esther started making pretend soup and Walter would pretend eat it. So cute! They then started fighting about whose soup it was and we had to remind them it didn't actually exist. I'm loving Walter's imagination!

Here's a cute video of Walter. We got a really good view of the Elephants and he went nuts! I think he wanted to Elephant to come play, because he kept yelling, "Elephant! Come on!"

Values Mall-New Beginnings

   Being in young women's is more stressful than I bargained for! I have to keep reminding myself that I am actually almost 10 years older than the girls, so stop getting all nervous! It's been a lot of fun though. They're so bright and exciting to be around. This is also such an important time in their lives and I want them to know they have allies who love and care about them.

   Most of us leaders are new to YW so it's fun to start new traditions with the girls. For New Beginnings this year, we found a fun idea online about doing a "Value's Mall." It looked like a lot of fun! I said that I could ask my mother-in-law for help making fake credit cards for the girls. Jolene is awesome. I went to her with the idea and then just a few hours after I left her house, I got an email showing me she'd already finished them! 

   All of the planning got a little stressful, but I think it turned out great! Most of the girls showed and I think they had a really good time.

   The girls showed up, got a "Master in Charge Card," and a paper sack with the program on the back. We had the new beehives get spotlit by the older girls and then each of us at a station gave a little shpeel on our store and how it relates to a certain value. After we were done, the girls got to go around to the different shops and receive a little gift.The cards were individualized and laminated. They were a total hit.

This was a sign at every shop.

Faith was a flower shop and her gift for the girls was a planted mustard seed.

 (not pictured) Divine Nature was a costume shop and she gave them a little mirror with a cute quote.

Individual worth was Jared's Jewelers. She talked about how each diamond is different but they're all special. She gave them cute gold rings and some candy.

 Knowledge was Barnes and Noble. She gave the girls a book mark saying, "Come Unto Christ."

 This is the front table.

 Choice and Accountability was a soda shop. She gave them orange crush soda.

 Good Works was a bakery. She gave them pumpkin bread.

 Integrity was Dick's Sport Goods. She gave them foam sports balls.

 Mine was Virtue. It was an organic makeup shop. I made some chapsticks for my gift.

 Afterwards they went to the food court for some cookies.

 One of my big pet peeves is when "Virtue" and "Chasity" are use interchangeably. It drives me crazy because they are not the same thing, and I think it's damaging (from experience) to teach a young woman that the whole of her virtue lies in her obedience to chastity. So I wanted my talk to focus on the breadth of Virtue--becoming like Christ and being ethical. Here's a copy of my talk:

   Virtue is an interesting value, because in reality, it's an accumulation of all the other values. To be virtuous is one of the main goals of personal progress. The Virtue project is reading the Book of Mormon, because the hope is that you girls will get insight on our Savior and how you can apply his teachings to your life.

   The company I picked to represent Virtue is 100% Pure. 100% Pure is a California based cosmetics company that prides itself on the fact that its products contain no carcinogens, formaldehyde, coal tar, parabens, artificial perfumes, and petro-chemicals. Their products are animal cruelty free, mostly organic, and only natural ingredients—like fruits and vegetables—are used for coloring.

    What does this company have to do with Virtue? Virtue means choosing to live an ethical lifestyle regardless of the norm. In the beauty industry, makeup is loaded full of toxins. And for many reasons. They're easy to obtain, cheap to produce, and they create a sought after look. For a beauty company to go against the norm is very hard, because it's much more expensive. 100% pure chose to find ways to color makeup without using fake dyes, they also chose to not test their products on animals—a practice that is repulsive and tragically very common. This gets expensive because a cage full of rabbits costs a lot less than artificially growing human skin and finding organ donors. But 100% pure decided not to choose the easy way, but to choose the moral way.

    This relates to you girls. In life you have many opportunities to take the “low road.” The world if full of wonderfully mindless garbage that you are more than welcome to waste your time on. But I would suggest you find things more meaningful. More fulfilling. More selfless.

   One of the most beautiful parts about our religion are the temples. They are gorgeous buildings, but even more extraordinary are the ordinances that take place inside. The first time you go through the temple and get your endowments and sealed, you do it for yourself. Every time after that you're doing it for someone else—including baptisms. What a beautiful example of Christ-like love. I would highly encourage you to make this a desire that you can one day enter the temple to receive the blessings that await you and those you will serve.

    Christ did not fit the status-quo. He was different.  He chose a higher moral code—virtue. I challenge you girls to find ways you can show the world your desire to live a vitreous life everyday. Look for the lonely, the disregarded, the forgotten, the annoying even. They need you. They need your service. They need your love. And in the end, that's what virtue is really about.

So yeah, a really great activity!