Jumping

This is not a depressing post despite what this picture may imply.

I am failing at keeping my blog updated (what's new). You know that moment when everything you've been balancing so well in life finally catches on to gravity and topples over? That's what the last couple of months weeks have been like. I've juggled a few term papers, a calling, part time job, exam or two, an awkward almost-but-not-really relationship with a seemingly uninterested man, and being away from my family (and that's just to name a few). It's come to the point where I feel like that guy at the circus who balances on metal cylinders stack on top of each other while perched on the edge of a three foot wide rickety table, and everyone watching is holding their breath waiting to see what will happen. Will Bailey be able to balance it until December 16th, when she can escape it all underneath the palm trees of her beachfront home town, or will she crack and give into the desire to drop out of school and become a mountain-dwelling hermit. Probably the latter.

This blog post was not meant to depress, but rather explore the manner in which I've been handling and escaping my stress: jumping. I jump into things. Not like walls and buildings and people, but things like projects, relationships (both romantic and unromantic), papers, service, activities, etc. I want to share with you one of the project that I recently engulfed myself with to escape the worry of writing a 7 page research paper I would later get a C+ on because I forgot the MLA formatting for ellipsis.

The LDS church believes in setting aside one night a week for the enrichment of the family. It is known as Family Home Evening, or FHE. Usually families will gather together (typically on a Monday night) and edify one another both spiritually and emotionally. One person will give a lesson on something like faith, charity, or service, and everyone will participate in an open family discussion. This is followed by some kind of activity/board game/recreational sporty thing and a treat. For example, around Christmas time, my family would focus on the life of Christ and then we would bake cookies and take them to our neighbors or go and look at christmas lights and sing song in the car together.

Out here at BYU, where many aren't able to see their immediate family more than once a year, let alone once a week, they implement FHE on Monday nights through groups of apartments that become a sort of mock family. Some people think it's weird, some people love it. I use to think it was weird. I mean, these people don't know me, so why should I dedicate my Monday nights to them? Then I was called as an FHE mom (a 'calling' is a position in the church that members will fill for free. For example being a bishop, or an activities planner, or a seminary teacher. My mom currently wakes up every morning to teach the high school aged children in our congregation about the Old Testament. It's known as early morning seminary and is optional, but highly encouraged. I did 4 years of it in high school and I loved it). Now I love it, and look forward to seeing these people every Monday. Some of them have become dear friends of mine.

As an 'FHE mom', along with the 'FHE dad', I hold the responsibility of planning and preparing spiritually edifying lessons and enjoyable activities for the apartments assigned to my 'family'. We do various things, like play night games, paint twister, bake cookies, etc., but every once in awhile we do something grand. This last week, it was a Harry Potter themed Halloween party. All of the FHE 'families' were assigned to Hogwarts houses and the FHE 'parents' were in charge of helping to organize some way for each house to show their spirit.

Naturally, I got stuck with the Hufflepuff house. At first I was afraid (I was petrified. ha) because I knew that my group wouldn't get really involved with such a lame house, but then I really jumped into this project, and it turned out to be one of the best nights of my life (I'm not even joking right now. totally serious). Here's what we did:

We became the Hufflepuff Hipsters.

We attended classes and competed for house points... and won.

(sort of)

Potions

With Professor Snape

Defense Against the Dark Arts

Dementor!

 With Gilderoy Lockheart

He signs arms

Broom Races

With Madame Hooch

& Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid

Announcing the Winners

And we even made desserts! In the end, Hufflepuff came in second place, losing only by 10 house points (beat out by Ravenclaw who only won because they were really good at drinking chocolate milk and mixing drinks). So, overall Hufflepuff proved that they were just as good as the rest of the houses, especially when it came to making desserts ;)

xo,

bailey

Pictures thanks to Clint Calder, Natalie McChesney and Myself! Haha!