Ward Searching

It has been a very exciting couple of days, and the tale that was Sunday must be shared as well. :)

We pulled ourselves out of bed bright and early so that we could find out which ward we are in. We attempted to be there by 9, but it quickly became 9:30. Jessica had called the Stake office to see if they could help us and so we found directions to the church. Once we got there sacrament was about to begin and so we just went to the nearest chapel and sat down. We had no idea what we were doing, but at least we were attending sacrament somewhere.

We wandered around and tried to find someone that knew what they were doing. The stake offices were empty and so we were left to our own devices. We found a map that designated the wards, and deemed ourselves part of the 24th ward. Luckily we had gone to the right time, but the wrong chapel. We found our ward and filled out lovely pink sheets. And lo and behold we discovered that Justin and Mike are in our ward too! Finally, familiarity! There was rejoicing.

We discovered that our ward is very much established and very very much older. As long as we keep our ages a secret we should be fine. But the people all seemed nice, and Jessica and I both felt really good about it. Sadly enough though the entire block seemed to drag on for an age, and my hunger was only accentuated by each passing minute. It was one of those Sundays.

The afternoon was spent in angst without the internet, for we didn't have the password yet. We took naps and I finally watched Guys and Dolls--my own movie. I'm still very in love with Frank Sinatra's voice. :) All I have eaten in the past few days has been peanut butter sandwiches, ramen noodles, and cereal. We don't have any other foods, and so we eat the same thing for every meal. But I'm not sick of them yet! :)

That night a wonderful thing happened. Stake prayer was held at the amphitheater on campus! My very boring post in April was on this special place that has captured my heart. I was so excited to learn that it has a purpose! Our stake uses it for stake prayer in the summertime! It is not forgotten, and it is not wasted. It's used for such a wonderful purpose too! It was so beautiful with the valley in full view and the trees finally green. A few trees on the hill had bloomed a beautiful shade of pink and when you looked right above them the temple was in view. A prettier setting for ward prayer doesn't exist.

Right afterwards the congregation enjoyed social time. Not mandated, but universally understood and assumed. The boy sitting next to Jessica started a conversation and we soon realized that he was in our ward and lived right next to Mike and Justin. He was Bill--well established in the ward. We talked for a long time and we met our bishopric, executive secretary, and all sorts of people. Bill and his roommate decided to hold a game night at his apartment and invited us.

We stopped by our apartment to grab warmer clothes and then traveled to Maple View. Our escort showed us the much loved shortcut which made me love the ward even more. We squeezed through a fence, stepped on cinderblocks, jumped another fence, and ducked under bushes to get to the designated place. Things like that are just magical. I loved it.

While at this "party" we met three versions of William that live in the same apartment--Will, Wally, and Bill. We met Jared, Lorraine, Mary, Alyssa, Becky and many more names. The intention was to play get to know you games and so we began with "I've Never." Hopefully you have all played it, because it is much fun. It definitely helped us get to know each other, and also step on each others toes. :)

When we ran out of things to say we debated on other games and the general consensus decided on "Baby, If  You Love Me Smile." I have never played this game before, but I've definitely heard about it. I didn't quite want to play, but I was coerced. It was extremely funny all night, and my comfort zone was stretched, but being with them was comfortable. By the end of the night it felt like we had all known each other forever.

The most epic part of the night though, was temporary insanity on my part. Jessica broke me before I even began, and so it was my turn to break someone else. I got a quick reminder of the rules, and then I was given the task of choosing someone. I looked at all the faces and tried to find someone that hadn't been broken. Jared and Bill were both free game. After several minutes of indecisiveness I decided to try Bill. I had no tactics, and I didn't want to do it again to someone else, so I decided to go all out. Faster than my brain could comprehend it I spun and knelt in front of him in one flowy movement and with a straight, adoring face asked him, "Do you love me?" I apparently surprised him completely and he tried to look stoic but the corner of his mouth kept twitching upwards and he broke.

My face turned red instantly and I laughed so hard. I honestly can still not imagine where that came from because I am certainly not an actress. All that thinking took barely a millisecond, and then it was over. I surprised everyone, especially myself in how outgoing that move was.

It was a great night full of fun. I'm so happy that we have made new friends and that we love our ward so much. It's going to be a great summer, and we're off to a wonderful start!