We had our Annual Young Women's Retreat at the beginning of March. It is something I look forward to like Girls Camp - it is so much work, but so much fun, and oh so exhausting! I LOVE spending oodles of time with the young women and just soak up their spunky personalities!
At the Retreat, each leader takes a YW Value and does a little 30 minute blurb on it. This year's theme was a cruise ship. We were EMBARKing - since that is the youth theme for the year. I was one of the leaders that drove around in my big car and picked up girls like a cruise shuttle. It was so fun! So the leaders dressed like cruise attendants and did a little dance for the girls first thing. It was funny! We had dinner and then started our Ports - each Value was a different "Port" that we stopped at. We made passports with the girls to keep track of the Ports that they visited at the Retreat, and then for the rest of the service things that they do throughout the year.
This Port was Integrity and Virtue - Tara did Say Yes to the Dress with the girls. They got into teams and made temple worthy wedding dresses. Loved it!
Our Bishop and his wife crashed our awesome night party - we were playing Just Dance on the Wii - I swear those girls could dance for hours! Bishop Mullins and Sister Mullins shared a spiritual thought with us, and then we kept on partying! We eventually settled down (like midnight) and put on a movie. :)
We had a cruise worthy breakfast spread and then started hitting some more Ports! This is the one on Faith I think. Throwing marshmallows into buckets.
We played lots of little games in between Ports for fun. This was a silly one. Trying to get the person next to you on the "park bench" to feel so uncomfortable that they get up to leave.
My Port was Individual Worth - we played a Jelly bean get to know you game. I read them The Crayon Box That Talked, and we watched David Archuletta's song from Meet the Mormons. No pictures - I was talking the whole time. ;)
This activity was our Knowledge boards - we made magnet boards for our church handouts and things we want to remember.
Sister Neen and Alivia taught us about photography for Divine Nature, and we took a nature walk and took pictures.
Avorie, Payton, Me and Bailey
Me and Rachel - another leader and close neighbor friend
Our leader group - Me, Sister Fox, Rachel, Heidi, Chris and DeDe - best ladies ever! I am so thankful to be a part of this awesome group of girls! What fun we have!
Sadly, this was the Saturday that they found a car in the SF river. It was a super sad story, and our community was deeply impacted.
A few of my camera pictures from our nature walk.
We have beautiful girls! Madi and Bailey
Payton
Alivia
Kamryn
Rachel
Bailey was such a trooper! She had knee surgery a couple days earlier, but still came!
What an awesome, spiritual, fun weekend! I really love my calling in young womens!
