Seriously! Can it get much better than that?! Uh, I doubt it!
I fell in love with Nauvoo the first time I went there when I was 10 yrs. old. I have had many personally sacred experiences involving Nauvoo and my love has only grown as I've had the opportunity to go back so many times throughout the years. The ultimate, for me, was in seeing a lifelong dream fulfilled with the rebuilding of the Nauvoo temple!
My passion for EFY came as equally natural when I first attended, at the age of 15. As a youth, I sucked up every minute of that marvelous week and would look forward to it with anticipation all year long. I was able to attend 5 times as a youth and I dreamed of being a counselor someday. I was blessed to have that opportunity in the Summer of 2004. Little did I know, that wouldn't be the last time.
I once said to a friend, "I love making plans for my life, it gives God something to laugh at." I stand by that statement because little did I ever know or expect that I would still have the excitement and enough energy for those crazy EFY dances after all these years and be doing the counselor thing once again this summer. LUCKY ME!
Here are my 6 beautiful and wonderful girls (Kristin, Jenessa, Miranda, Erin, Marissa, and Megan) with whom I was blessed to spend my week. I can't think of a more fitting background to represent our time together.
We were named the "Hyde Family" for the week. Here are most of my youth, on our way to FHE to play games infront of the temple.
We used the Nauvoo Stake Center for all of our indoor activities (Classes, morning devotionals, fireside, variety show, musical program, etc). The dances were what you could call a "packed house!" I don't think my kids and I ever stopped dancing.
Brother Matthew Richardson was our session director. We were so lucky! He is an incredible teacher. His whole family came to Nauvoo with him and we LOVED learning from them. They made everything so spiritually fun!
We had lunch on the lawn outside Carthage Jail. It was a precious experience to be there with the youth.
Here are some of the other counselors and me outside the jail.
My long lost "little brothers."These are two of my boys in "the Hyde Family." All the girls at EFY were crazy about them. All I could do was laugh and give them a hard time about it. Oh, but don't worry, you can be sure they had their fair share of teasing me as well!
The last day of EFY was the 4th of July. Sadly, due to the costs associated with the recent flooding of the Mississippi River, Nauvoo could not afford fireworks this year. At first we were all disappointed, but that didn't last long. We went to see the Nauvoo missionaries perform in "Sunset on the Mississippi." The youth had a blast and were totally hyper and crazy, just as any good crowd should be! (note-the sister on the left in the blue dress, with just one arm out was actually one of my EFY girls back in 2004)
The week was beyond anything I could have imagined! I was blessed to not only have incredible youth in the "Hyde Family," but all of the youth in the session, as a whole, were fantastic! It was a week never to be forgotten. That's for sure!
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