New Calling and Fishies

Wow- two posts in a week... let's not jinx it. Well, I got a new calling. I mentioned it last time- I just got called as First Counselor in our Primary Presidency. Hooray! I'm super excited about this calling- I am intimidated by it and a little overwhelmed but totally ready to go to work and have a blast! Our ward seriously has the best Primary I've ever visited, and I know the amazing presidency that came before us will be hard to live up to- but I LOVE primary. Oh so excited.

However, I'm still technically also the Webelos Leader. So off to scouts we go today! I'm assuming they will release me next Sunday once they have a chance to call someone to fill my spot. I'm a little sad about leaving the Webelos- we only have two boys but they are great. I was looking forward to growing into that calling. However, I'm also relieved. Cub scouts is a TON of work that I'm not even close to accustomed to- I would have had to do a lot of outside work and learn a lot of things myself so I could teach them to the boys. I know I could have done it, and I'm sad not to be working with them anymore... but I'm also kinda relieved. It was a very overwhelming calling for me. But now I have almost 100% more knowledge than I did before about how the cub scouting program works, and I have a lot better appreciation for it than I did before. I can definitely see how it's prepared me better to accept this new calling- and I feel like a lot more part of the ward now than I did before I was called into Webelos.

Our ward situation is interesting because of the boundaries. We have about half our ward living in the trailer park (consisting of mostly older couples/families, students or recently graduated students with 0-1 child) and the other half living in the more well-off subdivision up on the hill (established families with more children, professors at the college). Because of this, all of the people that are non-student are all really good friends and know each other quite well. Because students get married, need a place to live, decide to rent a trailer, move in and out usually within a year or two, they all kind of look the same to everyone else in the ward who can't usually remember who is living where. It's just an endless parade of students that are always changing... and as a result they don't always reach out and befriend them instantly. Not that they aren't friendly, it's just hard for them to remember who you are and keep you straight from the other 5 couples that just moved in that have a baby. I think they are just hesitant to form real friendships with people that will be gone in less than a year. I have always felt so welcome in the ward, and people are always so friendly, but it's taken a year and some of being here, and several different callings for me to actually break into the "established family" circle of people and to be able to say that I have friends in them beyond just knowing their name and saying hi on Sundays. But now I really feel so much more welcome- it makes a difference when I have some friends that aren't students. I'm not a student, so I look to those women for friends and it's just hard to find them because they all assume I'm a student and will leave in the spring or whatever. I don't know if I would behave differently if I was in their situation- I completely understand it. It's just an interesting ward dynamic.

We had such a fun weekend! Saturday we decided to be spontaneous and to shirk housework and homework to go do something fun as a family. We went up past Ashton to a little place on the Warm River where they don't allow fishing and you can buy little fishy pellets and feed the fish! It was really cold and snowing so we all bundled up good and went out to do it. It was so cute! Audrey loved seeing the fish thrash around after the pellets- she would laugh and smile every time. She was very fascinated by the snow and ice- wanted to touch it and figure out what it was. She thought walking in the snow was different but ok, however she did NOT like falling face first in the snow. At all. It was a very fun trip though- overall very successful, a dollar very well spent on feeding the fishies. And it didn't take all day or a lot of planning- which was nice!

Audrey modeling her fashionable snow pants before leaving the house.

A picture of snowy fields on our drive out there.

Audrey took a nap...

Daddy drove...

And Mommy just chilled!

...and took pictures. :)

Audrey checking out the water!

I feel glad to know we supported something with our dollar.

On our way home Audrey got a little warm, so she pulled off her hat, but realized it did actually belong on her head, and tried to put it back, and left it there.

Again, she really hated falling face first into the snow.