Womaha

 After 4 1/2 years, our Primary Presidency was released for new adventures. Thinking about it, that's longer than a kid spends in high school!  Asher is 18 now, so he was 13 when our presidency was called. No changes, other than losing our secretary when she moved away and she wasn't replaced. In this time we've been through 5 Relief Society Presidents and several YW presidencies (partially due to boundary changes in 2024 that shook everything up... except us, lol). So, it's a great bummer. I will miss the calling and working with Anne Bean and Andrea Virgin.

Speaking of the former, I love Anne to pieces, but one of her personality traits is some very strong opinions about, well a lot of things really.  What she considers appropriate or right can be much more black and white for her than it is for most of us.  For example, she has opions about art, like not liking images of Jesus that are more abstract without facial details, or clip-art kind of style.  Her biggest art piece nemesis however, is this painting depicting the baptisms at the Waters of Mormon:

This paiting has been hanging in the Primary room probably since the building's origins.  And Anne loathes it being there of ALL places, with the scantily clad woman in a wet, see-through white dress.  Anne spent years bringing it up to whomever she could that might help us get approval for better art for the primary room.  She was often told she could swap it for another in the building (she didn't feel right swapping it for the paintings of the Savior that greet us in the foyer, or the other paintings that already suite RS), or she could trade it for something in storage (there wasn't much, if anything). 

Finally, FINALLY, she squeaked the wheel enough that the person who's job or calling it is to furnish art in the buildings of the area got ahold of her and they discussed options. He told her that there was a painting found in another building's storage that she might prefer. It has zero to do with primary, but it is pretty, so she accepted.  During that discussion she also suggested the mother's lounge is totally bare, and it would be nice for mothers to have something to look at while they're soothing or nursing a child in there.  He agreed.

The big day came and the new art was hung in the primary room, with the baptism one removed. Hurrah!  Then her kids excitedly went to check the mother's lounge, and guess what was hanging directly across from the recliner in all it's immodest glory? 😆😆😆

Sometimes you win the battle and still lose the war, what are you gonna do.

A super great trait of Anne's, aside from her discerning taste in paintings, is this idea she has to have a Book of Mormon reading challenge to the oldest Valiant kids, and if they succeed in the challenge, they get to participate in The Book of Mormon Mystery Cafe! For this activity, hosted at her home, we dress up as a Book of Mormon character and the kids are given a mystery menu listing BOM-related things (Samuals' sticks and stones, stumbling blocks, "the queen's quandry", tree of life, etc.) with their scripture reference, and the kids place their orders without knowing what foods will actually represent those selections. (Also includes a mystery drink and mystery eating utencil, like a single chopstick or a butter-knife, etc.)

It's such a fun activity. Us 3 leaders do all the course preparations behind a counter which they can't see past.  They go NUTS over not knowing what's coming, or what random "foods" they get served.

Even though our presidency was disbanded at the beginning of the year, we still needed to make good on the reward for doing the reading challenge.  This will, of course, be our final year doing it though.

Last year I threw some rags on for my costume and decided to be Captain Moroni's wife - just making up a name.  This year I had the idea to go big though.  I hid my costume until all the kids had arrived where I revealed that I was one of Alma's converts at the Waters of Mormon, specifically... THAT girl. 

😂😆😂😆😂

Womaha = Waters Of Mormon-aha

Oh my gosh, Anne burst out laughing SO hard. It was the best prank ever. Her kids and husband even found me at mutual later that night to tell me how awesome my costume had been. Sigh. I will miss working with these ladies. Perhaps someday again...