Goodbye Young Women's!

It finally happened, I got released from Young Womens!

As I was on Facebook turning our page over to the new President, i noticed underneath my name,
it said: first joined Georgetown Ward Young Women November 17th, 2014.
I first got put in 5 years to the day I was released, isn't that crazy?? At least, 5 years to the day I joined their
facebook group :)
I remember when I first joined the group as the personal progress advisor....My first year at camp I spent a
lot of time watching the YW president who was running around like crazy. She had a million alarms on her
phone letting her know who needed their medication, who needed to check blood sugar, take corn starch
etc etc. I don't think she ever sat down..I remember thinking to myself in those moments, I am SO glad that’s
not my calling.
3 weeks later, that was my calling.

Girls Camp 2015 - my first year as an advisor

Photo Shoot 2015

My first girls camp was so awful. Almost all our food froze. Girls were pouring thawed sour cream onto their walking taco’s. I had to have someone bring up lettuce to replace our gross frozen bags. (Also, this wasn't just a simple ward meal, this was the meal we fed the entire stake..) The girls complained about just about everything from the food, to having their tent next to wildflowers because of allergies. One girl was angry when we tried to celebrate her birthday. I had to wake up every 3 hours to help one of the girls with a medical condition, leaving me tired and grouchy especially since I couldn't stop stressing enough to get back to sleep each time I got up. I felt like i carried the entire weight of it all alone, and only because I was awful at delegating, I hated asking anyone to do anything. I felt like I HAD to carry it alone. I remember after a breakfast where everyone complained about the food that was made, I called my mom crying that I just couldn’t do it anymore. I wanted to quit so badly. Here I was working my butt off for NOTHING, just to have everyone whine and complain to me. I wanted to go home. And Satan took this opportunity to creep into my head with an “I told you so, we all knew you couldn't do it.”

Dreaded camp of 2016 ;)

As I prayed for things to get better, for Heavenly Father to just help me get through this, I remember the thought coming into my head: The girls don’t need you to be perfect, they just need you to love them.

Photo Shoot 2016

As time went on, and I learned some much needed lessons, Heavenly Father helped me turn this heavy burden I was carrying into love and compassion. My burden gradually got lighter as I let go of the things that were not important or out of my control and just enjoyed being with these girls. And I really did! I mean, they taught me how to floss for crying out loud! (the dance - not the dental) I have to say, i'm pretty good at it. They kept me up on all the "in" stuff. Now I guess I can just go home and get old. I really do love each and every one of them. I didn't always love leaving the house on Tuesdays, but I always came home so glad I did.

Photo Shoot 2017

Girls Camp 2017

Fast forward to me in the current Bishops office where he began with: "I think you know why you’re here." I couldn't even get words out. All my emotion hit me in that moment, and he and Jeff made small talk as I cried and struggled to get any words out. I forgot all the exhaustion of my calling and immediately wanted to ask for just a little more time. How am I supposed to let go of all these girls I spent YEARS building relationships with?

Photo Shoot 2018

Girls Camp 2018

Sacrament meeting was rough. I spent so much time crying throughout the week, I really thought I got it all out.
One of the young men passing the sacrament leaned down to ask if I was ok. Not sure if they're allowed to talk during the sacrament, but it meant so much to me that he did! Its been hard to leave the boys too!

Girls Camp 2018

A member of the stake presidency came to me after the meeting to shake my hand and said, "Sister Tree, is there ANYTHING I can say to you to get you to stop crying?"

Photo Shoot 2019

Girls Camp 2019

The new president was so sweet and let us all come in to Young Women’s the next week one more time for a testimony meeting. I felt like I got the closure I needed as I was able to stand and bear my testimony one more time, tell them I love them, and say goodbye. They all stood and said the sweetest things. The bishops daughters joked that they hadn't spoken to their dad since it happened. The YW pres told us when she told her daughter ahead of time (to avoid the shock) her daughter screamed "It isn't fair!" And ran out of the room. (She's actually excited for her mom, but its nice that she'll miss us too) At the end we all just wrapped our arms around each other and held each other in a giant group hug for a bit. It was one of those snapshot moments you don't ever forget...

I feel so grateful and blessed that I was trusted to be their leader for so long.
I’m so glad Heavenly Father saw the potential in me that I didn’t see in myself.
I’m grateful I didn’t listen when that voice told me I wasn’t good enough or capable.
I’ve been stretched in ways I didn’t think were possible, and am grateful for every trial and struggle that
landed me here.
I'm grateful for these amazing women I served with, who didn't give up on me, get sick of me,
and made it all work for so many years. Nothing would have happened without them!

And now, you will find me in Primary, playing "Once there was a Snowman" on repeat :)

Youth Conference

Youth Conference 2019

Our Bishopric planned a fun youth conference this year! Provo City Center Temple, Vernal Temple, Green River Rafting, Hiking, Swimming, the Dinosaur Quarry and lots and lots of Werewolf (my new favorite game)  It was a good time :) 

We camped at the Vernal KOA

We hiked to an arch, I can't remember what it was called, but it was really cool. 

It doesn't look super high, but it was, and I conquered my fear of heights again with no harness or straps HA! 

We have some really cute YW!

There was so much sand, I dumped out at least a full cup of sand from each shoe when we were done.

Dinosaur Quarry

Vernal Temple 

I loved the slower pace of this temple. They gave each member a job so we did everything on our own, with no temple workers! That was pretty neat :) I really do have a pretty cool calling!

I wish I had more river rafting pictures, but we all left our phones so we wouldn't lose them. Except for the Bishop, who took his to take pictures, and then lost it when his canoe took on too much water. We all felt really bad. BUT....Funny story, he went back a week later, remembering where it dropped, snorkeled til he found it, put it in rice for 24 hours and it WORKED after a full week in the river! I guess it really does bless being a Bishop! Also pays to have an iPhone :)

Girls Camp

Girls Camp 2019 - Heber Valley

Girls camp was a BLAST this year! We went to Heber Valley, which was a first for me...Cabins, showers, fridge/freezers...it was pretty much camp-leader heaven. Hallelujah!

The stake put on a spa night the first night, complete with facials, massages, hair, and nails. 

Pretty Sunsets!

Loved our hoodies this year. The leaders decided to go the Napolean Dynamite route with our nicknames...We decided the Bishop needed to be Rex Kwon Do. We laughed for a good 30 minutes over his nickname. He was a good sport and wore a bandana and posed just like him. I'll have to find the picture, we have an amazing Bishop!

Canoeing at the lake

Check out this brand spanking new griddle. Our fundraiser really paid off this year! Literally ;)

There were deer everywhere. They weren't afraid of anything!

Challenge Courses

I was informed way back in January that leaders wouldn't get to participate in the challenge courses to give the girls every opportunity to do so. So when our stake's turn came and there was plenty of leftover time, they started harnessing all the leaders and I just about had a heart attack. I'm a giant baby and am afraid of heights. The missionaries asked me what my calling was, and when I answered, they said, Oh yeah...you have to do it. What a great example I am, a shaking blubbering idiot. I literally could not control my legs, they were shaking like crazy. 

We harnessed up, and climbed straight up a pole grabbing onto little metal links sticking out of the wood....also, it was raining, and the links were wet and slippery! Once I got to the top, I couldn't let go of the log I just climbed up. I must've stepped wrong, so I was backwards, hugging the pole and couldn't figure out how to turn around HA! 

Had to walk across the log (so wet...and so slippery!) to the zip line...where we jumped off! The little old men who were belaying us yelled up at me to let go of the rope. I immediately screamed NO! Haha.

I'm so proud of myself for doing it!

Another year down!