My Name is Rindi: December 15, 2017

I was in desperate need of a cleaning day. But I just didn't get to it today. I went to our big after-school holiday party at the middle school. We had a DJ and decorations and pizza and soda pop for all the kids. We took tickets and handed out food and tried to encourage the kids to dance. Julia was there with her friends, and she most likely regretted having me there. :) I was really good at urging them all onto the dance floor! In fact, I was ready to bust out the Hooper Elementary School Snow Ball!

I absolutely loved going to roller skating night at my elementary school. It was held on Friday nights, and it was always a hit. We could buy candy and skate around the lunchroom until we had sweat dripping off of us. But one of the best parts was the snowball. I don't know why, but as an elementary-aged kid, I was always willing to hold hands with a boy and skate around. The Snow Ball started with one couple. Then Miss Lloyd would tell them to switch, and they would grab new partners, making it two couples going 'round and 'round. Pretty soon, the floor was filled with hand-holding elementary kids skating our hearts out to Highway to the Danger Zone. I loved the excitement that filled the room when Miss Lloyd announced the Snow Ball. I can still picture the boys lining one side of the lunch room, climbing up onto the tables, roller skates dangling down. And the girls are huddled and giggled on the other side. Once, when an undesirable boy came to grab my hand, my friend Amanda told him "no" for me and punched him in the stomach. I hadn't wanted her to do that. And I still remember it to this day. I felt really bad. Years later, at a youth swimming activity at a waterpark, when we were teenagers, this same boy came up to me and said, "Rindi, I'll rub sunscreen on your back, if you'll rub it on mine for me." I hesitated, not wanting to hurt his feelings, but in the end, I just couldn't do it. "Oh, no thanks," I told him breezily, with a smile, "I've already rubbed mine on." And then I rushed off to the pool. I hope he has forgiven me.

Getting this party started!!

My point is, I completely remember the days of middle school dances. And as an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed being there on the sidelines, watching it all unfold. Oh, good times.

When I got home from the joys of middle school, Greg had been picking up my slack. I was SO grateful. He had straightened up most of the downstairs. I had leftover pizza and pop in my hands, so the boys sat down and got started on the food while I picked up on the housework where Greg left off. I've been surprisingly calm lately about any messes around me. And I'm learning to just keep working and cleaning when I can.

In the evening, we all bundled up and headed to Tuacahn, our beautiful outdoor amphitheater, to watch the Live Nativity. The youth from our ward, including my girls, were the actors in the show. Emma was an angel and Julia was a townsperson. It was so special to see, and one of my favorite traditions. The boys were mesmerized by the show. They munched on churros and sipped hot chocolate while the music played, the camel came on stage, and the little goats bleated in the night. It was cold, but we were cozy there together.