The World's Largest Gathering of Chevron Maxi Skirts

Time Out for Women
September 13-14, 2013
Logan, Utah

I hadn't thought to blog about this until one of the Saturday afternoon presenters really spoke to my writerly side. I came at the behest of my sister, who has been a Time Out for Women (TOFW) volunteer in Logan for a number of years.  Although I have long loved the work of the presenters (I even follow Hilary Weeks on Facebook and enjoyed her vacation-pictures-with-washing-machine meme immensely), I was a little hesitant about the event.  It seemed like the same sort of crowd that was lining up the day before the Twilight Marathon at your local Cineplex.  I love my Twi-hard friends but we obviously have very different opinions of what constitutes a fulfilling day.

I'm glad to report that this was a babysitter-worthy event, with no domestic-violence-promoting vampires in sight (though it was a little disturbing to witness the pandemonium when the Hudson Lights cuties came on stage.  Ladies--we are not pre-teens at a Beatles concert).  The whole thing was a great mix of serious and fun--with general hilarity casting extremely poignant personal and spiritual moments in high relief--and even though it was a little odd to clap after saying "amen," somehow it worked.

My first "ping" as a writer came when Mary Ellen Edmunds talked about praying and asking Heavenly Father for time to think and ponder.  I know this isn't unique to my situation but as a single mom it is very difficult to carve out time for thinking, pondering, and writing.  The time I do find seems like a miracle.  Praying for that miracle was a light bulb for me (I had forgotten that I used to do that!). 

Likewise, Jennifer Platt Brinkerhoff's lecture resonated with the writer in me because I do actively try to find the parable in life experiences in my poetry and creative nonfiction pieces.  I loved how she would tell stories and then remind us (multiple times) to not get so caught up in the story that we miss the message.  That trained us in a small way to step back and see the meaning.  It gave the audience several opportunities to feel what it was like to do what she was advocating (thus making it more likely that we would be successful trying this at home).  I also loved the idea of asking if our routines reflect what we claim to value.  Coupling that with the idea of ritualizing your routine (finding meaning in the small things we do every day) brought home the fact that I need to spend my time doing what I most value: working because I value independence and want to provide for my children, baking because I want us to be healthy, creating art because it delights my soul etc.

As for the rest of the day, I don't think I can do it justice in a short review.  From Sandra Turley's heart-wrenching journey to motherhood and soaring soprano voice to Kris Belcher's self-deprecating humor and emotional honesty (my favorite line: the problem with going blind is that all of the hot movie stars have lost their looks), it was a day full of the sorts of things that squeeze your heart.  We heard from Brad Wilcox (who never fails to be both funny and insightful), Terryl and Fiona Givens (whose thoughtful discussion challenged common notions of the "Dark Ages"), Hudson Lights (easy on the eyes and easy on the ears with their flawless harmonies and winning smiles), and Sheri Dew (who always manages to be both a person to look up to and a person you could lock arms with.  If I ever fly through Africa I'd like her to be my traveling companion!).

All of this was punctuated on Saturday by the music and musings of Hilary Weeks.  Her music was the impetus for a couple of really cool moments on Saturday.  The first was when she was singing "Dancing in the Rain" and mentioned a polka dot umbrella.  Halfway up the auditorium someone opened up their polka dot umbrella and began waving it.  This led to umbrella after umbrella opening (it was a rainy week and people were prepared for inclement weather).  It was such a lovely expression of the joy bursting through the room.  I wish I was the sort of person who is prepared for inclement weather!  I opened the umbrella in my heart instead.

The second moment was when she sang "I Will" and invited us to join her on the chorus.  The third time we all stood and the entire auditorium sang:

"I will stand.
I will not fall.
In a world that's weak,
I will be strong.

I'll be true.
I will choose His way.
Yeah, I know what's right
And I will not change.
In a world where so many will not,
I will."

I was tempted to pull out my phone and record it, but decided I wanted to experience it without a filter.  Because of that you'll have to just take my word for it: that kind of unity is powerful.  A huge auditorium of faithful women audibly and directly affirming their desire to stand up for good brought the Spirit flooding in.  If the umbrellas were visual joy, this was audible and visual faith.  As a writer of faith, this was tremendously strengthening in both a spiritual way and a writerly way.

I love those times when a large group seems to beat with one heart.  I remember being in a regional conference in Ohio when the Columbus temple was announced.  So many of us who had sacrificed and driven hours to be at the conference were the same ones who had sacrificed and driven hours to go to the Washington DC temple regularly (the closest temple: 6 hours away).  It felt like we all had the same reaction in the minute following the announcement--like the entire stadium was one person, bursting with joy.  I count myself lucky to have experienced that moment and I count myself lucky to have been in Logan, Utah on a Saturday morning when a group of women with different lives, different tastes, and different backgrounds became one person bursting with faith.

A note to Deseret Book, though: maybe you should start doing some marketing specifically geared to hipsters.  Maybe some ironic chevron products like mustard and navy chevron knee socks a la Mary Ellen Edmunds?  If you make them I'll wear them next year!

Nothing Kills an Evening Like Being Denied a Krispy Kreme

Bedtime Stories

Timpanogos Storytelling Festival

August 30, 2013

Provo, Utah

Nothing could be more pleasant than sitting in the cool canyon breezes and being entertained by delightful storytellers.  Well, nothing except ending the aforementioned evening with a Krispy Kreme donut.  This is why the Bedtime Stories event at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival has been a favorite event for my little family over the years.  Imagine my pain, then, when we wandered up to the donut table as usual and after handing a donut to each of my sweet girls they did not hand one to me. 

“Are there no donuts for Mommies?” I asked jovially (such a ridiculous question, I know!)

The overly cheery reply should have tipped me off that this was no joke.  “We have coupons for buy a dozen get a dozen free at the end of the table!”

“Seriously.  There aren’t any donuts for Mommies?”  This could not be happening.  I know I’m not 5 years old, but I do have a heart.  And a stomach.  And you’re dangling my favorite donut right there in front of my face.  And I’m starving.  And this really isn’t the time of month to be denying me sugar.  (Not to get too personal or anything.)  And, by the way, I have a ticket just like my kids do.  In fact, I paid for all of the tickets.  And the advertising for this event just said that donuts would be served after the readings, not that parents would be arbitrarily denied donuts just because they are old enough to drive their children to this event, pay for the tickets for this event, supervise their children at this event, herd their children through the long line for this event, and keep their children from throwing their napkins on the ground after this event.  I think I’m a person you want to keep happy, folks, and this can be accomplished by GIVING ME A DONUT.

Bigger smile: “We have coupons at the end of the table!”

“Are you telling me there are no donuts for Mommies?”  Yes.  That is in fact what they were telling me.  Move on, sister.  The pain was compounded when I discovered that the other mommies in my group just took a donut without waiting to be served one and therefore only got the stink eye from the volunteers.  I should have been more brazen.  (In fact, I was more brazen when they were packing up the MANY MANY boxes of leftover donuts at the end.  I walked right up and said, “NOW are there donuts for Mommies?”  There were.)

I feel better now that I’ve gotten that off my chest.

Like I said, I love this event.  I love the venue.  I love the smiles and the laughs and the look of sheer delight on my children’s faces.  Love it.  My daughter is a budding writer and I feel like I am feeding her start too by coming to something like this.

The Bedtime Stories event is aimed at kids and features a mix of adult storytellers and kids.  I asked my kids which was their favorite and we all agreed: the little boy who told the story “Don’t Let the Pigeon Ride the Bus.”  It’s no surprise, really, because we love the book.  The little boy (Bridger Backus) was so tiny—five?—but he certainly held his own on stage, especially considering the storyteller he followed (Carmen Deedy).  She was from Cuba and was the most engaging of all of the storytellers.  Her story, a call and repeat tale about a rooster and his diamond button, was hilarious because of her asides and the opportunity we had to be a part of the story.  Each of the little girls pounded their fists with gusto: “Give me back my diamond button!” and we learned the important lesson that “he who has the king’s underwear has the king’s attention.”  I get the feeling she wanted us to apply this to current events and instigate a Political Panty Raid.  Or maybe she had just read one of my favorite British children's picture books, "The Queen's Knickers."

The little boy’s story also included audience participation but because it was a well known story, no instruction was necessary.  We all knew to shout out “NO!” every time the pigeon made his request.  He was so cute in his pigeon costume and didn’t seem to have even one misstep (or maybe just one).  We were all quite taken with him. 

Two other child storytellers (older) performed as well as two more adults.  My older daughter and I were engaged the whole time, but my 4 year old lost interest after the pigeon (she and her cousin had a delightful time shooting plastic arrows at my head for the rest of the evening).  Leah Jacobsen and Mason Watts were fun storytellers with stories that had a humorous twist.  Laura Pershin Raynor told a delightful story of growing up by a zoo and dreaming of lollipops that were “bigger than my head.”  I loved the image of falling asleep to the sounds of lions roaring and the visceral image of biking home with the sticky mess of a lollipop under her arm.  I think there was a collective shudder along the entire row when she told us that!  Ed Stivender told the sweet tale of “The Man in the Moon in Love” and ended with the crowd-pleasing 50 Ways to Fool Your Mother (moral of the story: you can’t fool your mother.  This went over well with the Mommy Crowd.  Also, you can’t go wrong when an older white guy really commits to performing a rap.  It’s just funny.  I’m sure someday I will tire of it, but this was not that day.)  My daughter was especially pleased with Ed’s performance because he also came to her school earlier in the week and did a special assembly (which she tells me was equally funny and wonderful).  Thank you, Ed, for taking the time to go out to the schools!

It was after this that, full of laughter and smiles, we wandered down for donuts (see above rant).  But after the donut debacle we had a pleasant end to the evening, chatting in the beautiful park while our kids played tag, pleased to have heard people play with language with just as much wild abandon.  We must go to more events next year!  And I’ll bring my own sugar.