The Buzzing of Beehives...

Last year before heading to Ecuador and Brazil for six weeks I turned in my Church standard issue sweat-pant skirt, given to all nursery leaders, and was released from my calling as Official Church Babysitter/Toddler Referee.  (Okay, the sweat-pant skirt part is not true, but I think it should be.)  I knew I'd be in South America for six weeks, followed by a couple of months home, and then a month in India, and I wasn't really sure how long I'd be in S.E. Idaho anyway, so I just thought it would be better to get released and not have to find 2.5 months worth of substitutes.     


After returning from India I was able to stay under the radar for a few months and just got to enjoy sitting in church responsibility-less with my parents.  But then at the end of August my mom and I were called to work in the Young Women Program...me as Beehive Advisor and my mom as the Mia Maid Advisor.     


To be completely honest I was pretty excited to get the calling...and if they'd let me choose which age group I wanted to work with, it would have been the Beehives.  I just find that age of kids to be so funny.  Some of them get sarcasm, some of them don't.  Some of them are still very little kid and others are quite grown up.  It's just an awkward, funny age.  And, let's just be honest, it's an age when they still adore authority figures (like myself)...and who doesn't love being adored?  


I was also kind of surprised to get the calling...I didn't know I was considered to be orthodox enough to work with impressionable young people.  But, I guess I am...either that or the Bishopric doesn't know me as well as I think they know me!  I'll try not to do too much damage.  


So, I was pumped...until I realized that I was 18-20 years old when they were all born!  A momentary "holy crap I'm old" depression set in, but then I just decided that you're never too old to be cool, and that it probably didn't matter anyway that I technically could have mothered a child that age.  


Anyway, even though working in the Young Women program sometimes feels like a part-time job, it has been fun.  It's a little rowdier than Relief Society...much more my style.  And I have super fond memories of my own time in Young Women.  I loved my leaders (most anyway) and enjoyed the activities and lessons (most anyway).  


So, so far so good.  This week for mutual, we had class activities.  My mom had the Mia Maids come to her house for a Christmas party/game night.  After I was finished with the Beehive activity that was held at my partner leader's house, I stopped by my parents' house.  


I walked into their house, and when I opened the door I saw my mom, her co-leader, and two Mia Maids quietly playing a card game, listening to jazzy Christmas music, and eating a variety of Christmas snacks in the most refined manner possible. 


I looked like this...

my mom looked up, and with shock on her face said, "what happened to you?" (Thinking that: 1) it was super windy outside, 2) I'd been attacked by my dad's sheepdog, Big Ralph, 3) I'd been beaten up, or 4) I finally actually saw Sasquatch in that part of my parents' yard where I'm sure he lives.)  

I replied, "Beehives."

She, and the other Mia Maid people laughed and my mom said, "well, were you guys having a hair styling night or something?"

"Nope," I said, "we were tying quilts."

And that pretty much explains Beehives.  Supposedly Beehives are named as such to stand for harmony, cooperation, and industry.  But really, secretly, I think they gave the 12-14 year old girls that name to explain nights like last night...when you feel like you've just spent a couple of hours inside an actual beehive...bees buzzing and bouncing around everywhere around you.  Fortunately, we have really great girls in Beehives and none of them sting.

But don't worry, I wasn't the only one to get put through the beehive.  I'm not sure how it all started but by the end of the night, and 2.5 cups of Paul Mitchell Freeze and Shine Super Hold Hairspray later, we all looked like this:

As we got into the car to leave I said to the girls riding with me (since they all brought scissors from home for the quilt tying), "please try not to poke each other's eye out with your scissors on the way home." 

To which one of the girls replied, "or with your hair!"  

The good news though is that everyone made it home safely and no eyeballs were lost.  As I went to bed with my crispy hair poking my pillow I wondered what it would look like in the morning.  And sadly, when I woke up this morning, my hair looked pretty much like it always does in the morning...completely crazy and standing on end.  So I guess I can't blame the Beehives for everything.  

While we were at my co-leader's house for the activity, her husband and son were frantically working to re-carpet their basement before her other son's mission farewell this Sunday.   At one point they came up the stairs carrying a huge roll of old carpet.  The Beehives stopped buzzing for a minute and one of them asked what was going on.  To which I sarcastically replied, "they've got to get that body out of the basement before Sunday...it's starting to stink." 

I'm not sure why I responded that way...I know, I'm weird.  But that's the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the two men hurriedly removing a giant roll of old carpet from their basement.  I guess I've been watching too much Monk lately.  

But, my weird comment was totally worth it because of the girls' responses.  

One girl laughed and said, "haaaaa I get it...you're funny."

One girl, with a look of sheer terror on her face and a near-tear voice said, "what body?"

And the other 10?...didn't even process what I said and went right on back to buzzing about the new Justin Bieber look-alike at school.  

And that, is why I love Beehives!