The "Summer of Fun"

This is a phrase which was coined a number of years ago to describe the summers of ward members who have sons and/or daughters in the Young Men and Young Women's programs plus kids in the year around school.  That meant that all of the camps and youth conferences were squashed into July as much as possible so that everyone would be able to attend.  (It calmed down after a while when people figured out that only the items which 12 year olds attended were really impacted by year around schools.  But the term stuck and you can often hear parents and leaders ask each other if they are ready for the summer of fun.)  Well, as this is Jena's last year in Young Women's this is also our last year of "Summer of Fun" as parents.  We no longer have to arrange our vacations and day activities around YW camps, Youth Conferences, and the rest---and it is somewhat sad as Jena does these things for the last time as a youth.

At least, she is having a great time doing it.  June 17-20 she along with 80 others from our ward went to a cabin up in Island Park in Idaho for Youth Conference.  She came back tan and smiling.  Her favorite part was "Kayaking with Sis. Nemelka" and the testimony meeting.  We got reports that she was busy helping everyone and making them laugh---and she apparently quite the dancer as well.  They had a dance with a local ward in Island Park and she danced the night away including leading the whole group in a line dance.  I wish we could have seen that!

We have gotten her clothes unpacked and cleaned--now we will be packing them up again for her week long camp at Camp K up Emigration Canyon in Salt Lake which is next week.

Jena got home and had a couple of days when she slept in--trying to catch up from Youth Conference, but she didn't have much time off as her volunteer job at Centerpoint Theatre started on Monday the 22nd.  Right now she is an usher for all Monday performances (except for when we are out of town).

Jena with the program for
The King and I"

Then she got to spend Wednesday through Saturday at the theatre as well as they had two days of dress rehearsals and two performances for Friend to Friend "Beauty and the Beast".  That is a fun week for Jena.  I think she enjoys the practices almost as much as the performances.  She loved seeing so many friends every day and laughing and having fun with them.

Waiting for practice to begin

Kaitlyn, Jena, Brooke, Emily

Being silly

Dress rehearsal

 Jena played a "silly girl" who followed Gaston around and also a "cookie" in the castle for "Be Our Guest".

"A Silly Girl"

A cute cookie!

This is Holly who played Belle.  She did awesome and required no cueing for her songs and most of her lines.  Everyone in F2F has some type of disability.  On stage you can see that there are coaches who will help them with their lines if needed and general movement on stage.  It wasn't perfect but it was magical in its own way and we loved it all. 

Prior to the "Beauty and the Beast" production, they have a pre-show done by the younger class.  They sang three songs from "Annie".

Watching these young girls mostly in wheelchairs singing "The Sun will come out tomorrow...." is very touching and I know I wasn't the only one with tears in my eyes.  That is one of the great truths about life--the sun does come up tomorrow.  Things change, we can change, and we get that new start each day, each week, and each year.

I was sitting a bit far to get a good picture.

It was party time after their Saturday performance and theatre is done for the summer.  Jena will miss it and her friends she performs with.

Summer of Fun continues with Camp K next week and a couple of weeks later--her last Girls Camp.