The FABulous M3YW

SNOW CAMP!!!

2008-02-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

Here he is again...

2008-02-07T10:15:00.001-08:00

Okay, so here's what I want to know:

What do you do with a boy?

Marissa has the secret --

YOU HOLD HIM AND CUDDLE HIM AND LOVE HIM TO PIECES!

And then you throw a baby shower for the new mama!

(Stay tuned for further details... :)

Introducing ....

2008-01-30T09:21:00.001-08:00

Tavis Conrad Dalton!

He comes home today! Hip, Hip, Hooray!

(We'll share more details as soon as we get them!)

Line Dance Instruction 101

2008-01-24T09:28:00.000-08:00

Attention all Stake Dancers! For those of you who have always wondered how to do all those traditional line dances that are SOOOOOOOOOO popular at stake dances, wonder no more! That dynamic dancing duo, Alex and Erin Ebert, have joined together to perform two of your all-time favorites on film for your dancing and dining pleasure! Now, in this one time online offer, and for the low, low price of 10 percent of your monthly income, you, too, can learn to line dance in the privacy of your own home!

Enjoy such Hill Billy favorites as "Cotton Eyed Joe"....

And the perennial favorite, "The Best Years of Our Life"...
(Kaylisha is my hero! She can really shake a leg!)

Watch their form and style, and see how easy it is to learn! (Go Kate and Amanda!)

One more time, by popular demand! (this dance took three video shoots to capture all the moves!)...

So practice now and make your reservations for the next stake dance, February 16, 2008! Medford Third Ward will SHOW 'EM HOW IT'S DONE!!!

SPIKE GIRLS ROCK!

2008-01-18T10:01:00.000-08:00

WHAT A BLAST! This has been the best year for volleyball -- thanks to our fearless (or is that cheer-less?) leader --and our cosmic, Spike Girl uniforms! So far, we have won one game against Gold Hill, and lost to Central Point. But I ask you... WHO'S HAVING MORE FUN????!!!!!!

Hey, here's an extra bonus challenge for the month: how many of you know all your teammates' numbers and nicknames? If you can make a list (without peeking!) you can get a bonus prize!

Here's some action shots sent from Bro. Nistler -- I love the shirts, but the pink socks really make the outfits! (We apologize for the blurriness, but you can't miss the excitement on everybody's faces!)

Our Tithing Dollars at Work

2008-01-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, Girls, here's a lesson in service:

It doesn't matter when,
it doesn't matter where
When you get a flat tire,
The Bishop's always there!

Forget the brand new shirt
Or his Sunday pants
He always loves to serve
When he gets the chance!

So cheer up Sister Howard-
Your situation is not dire
But I really think it's
time
To buy a brand new tire!

(Sorry, Bishop. I couldn't resist.)

New Bees in the Hive!

2007-12-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, it has been way too long since we updated this blog, but here's a quick ward update:

First of all, we welcomed the Activity Day Girls for a Wednesday night Beauty Bruhaha. Of course, I failed to get any more pix, due to a forgotten-battery-charging brain lapse. Thankfully, Sister Broesder saved the day and captured each and every beauty transformation.

(I think they were all beautiful to start with, but it's always fun to glam up!) This activity was memorable for one of the girls for one particular reason above any other. This activity was the last Primary activity and almost-first YW for our newest Beehive, Anne Q. (I'm not proud, or anything. Just remarkably grateful that the waiting is over and I don't have to listen to incessant complaints about Primary any more. Not that Primary is terrible, by any means. I loved Primary!)
We also have another new face to welcome ~ Sister Marci Hudson has joined our ranks as the Beehive Counselor! She is super sweet and lots of fun and looking forward to getting to know our girls. Here's a few things you need to know about her (if you haven't already read the S.W.I.N.G.):
1. She grew up in Oregon, having lived in Bend, Redmond, LaGrande, Salem and McMinnville.

2. She likes math. She is studying to become a math teacher and working at Harry and David's in their pension office.

3. Her birthday is in April.

4. She loves animals. She has a black Labrador and a Maine coon cat.
5. She went camping in a tent last year for the first time. She almost made it to dark before getting home. (Evidently, she is quite the outdoorsy type!)
6. She likes to go to the movies, read and eat sushi.
7. She likes to go to the temple. Her favorite temple is in Portland.

8. She likes to ride bikes and play tennis.
9. She just got back (like, two days ago!) from Hawaii where she risked her life daily (or at least it seemed like it). She biked down a mountain, hiked through the rainforest, got sick on a teeny-weeny boat out on the ocean, swam with dolphins and fishes, and golfed while being eaten alive by mosquitoes.
10. She loves polar bears, especially coca-cola polar bears. She has quite a collection of them.

We're excited to have her on board and look forward to getting to know her better!

Meanwhile, Anne got to celebrate her birthday in YW last Sunday. I don't think I've ever featured one of our birthday dolls (aren't they absolutely adorable?), but Anne got a double birthday whammy by also receiving the Personal Progress Blankie from Jena on Sunday as well. As soon as we got home from church, I went to change my clothes and came out and saw this:

Okay, now I'm proud.

She couldn't wait to dive into her Personal Progress book,
and she's already completed one value experience! I love Young Women's!

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's....

2007-11-07T22:39:00.000-08:00

YOUNG WOMEN IN EXCELLENCE!!

ShAzAaM! KaPOW! ZoInKs!

Okay, dahlings, what an incredible group of young women we have in our ward!

I'm sure there's absolutely no greater calling in the church
than to work with the youth, and our youth are FABulous, dahling!!!

Here's Incredible Erin welcoming our Stake visitors by flexing her rippling biceps. Ooh, aah! What strength--what power! It just makes my spine jiggle like the jell-o, you know?

Super Woman's got nothing on this girl! Leaping a whole city of tall buildings in a single bound, it's Alicia to the rescue!
SuperAnne is a super helper -- and she can't wait to join us in DECEMBER! I just love the sparklies--it brings out the twinkle in her hair, you know?
You better watch out, all you villainous Bad Guys! It's the Unstoppable Dalton Three!

~Super Girl, Sponge Girl, and Lucky Girl~

Oooh, they're so delicious, dahlings! I could just eat them all up head first! (Except for the feathers, dahling -- they always get stuck in my teeth, you know?)

Staaaaaaaaand back....the Incredible Folsoms are on the loose! If you don't watch out, they'll bake you up a batch of cookies before you can say, "Gadzooks!"
(But dahlings, I don't think super suits were meant to go with Birkenstocks -- we'll have to talk. Come for lunch on Thursday, yes?)
Fashion Police, step aside...Miss Match is on the case to rid the world of bad fashion and poor taste! (This girl is really a work in progress herself, dahling, but I love the sparkly furry stuff -- it works for you, dahling!

Representing the standard of hilarity, here is our FABulous Icon of Reality:
The Statue of Insanity! (I wish I could take credit for her design, you know, but it really works for her, don't you think?)

Well, there's no doubt about it, Super Sleeper has the legs I've been dreaming about all my life! (Actually, it's the socks I want!!!!) The bedhead 'do is simply breathtaking, dahling, and I especially love the super bear and blankie accessories. All in all, this was one my FAVorite ensembles! Lurking in the shadows of the night....waiting for her moment to pounce on the foo-foo multi-tasking housewives of America when they least expect it....It's SUPER-CRAZY! (Normally, I don't approve of capes....but her cape doubles as Saran Wrap for leftover casseroles, you know. It's simply MAHvelous!)
Get out your Personal Progress books, girls! SUPER KNOWLEDGE is out to empower, to educate, and to enlighten every last inch of you! (And green IS her color! Isn't she simply aDORable?)
Super Shaye doesn't skimp--she's got super style and she'll keep you hip! (I love the polka-dots, dahling....they're the new stripes, you know)

Lurking in the shadows behind Super Crazy is the next greatest hero of all housewives:
CONFUSO!
Wherever confusion reigns...wherever just desserts are served...she'll be there!
(But how many times have I told you? NO CAPES!!! They keep getting caught in your computer, dahling! That's why it never works, you know?)

Okay, just so you all know, Cat Woman was unable to join us this evening. However, she did send her personal secretary in her place. She apologizes for her mentor's absence.
(Personally, I think they're the one and the same! This 'Emily' person is just a cover-up -- her secret identity and alter ego, so to speak. We'll have to keep her under surveilliance...)Isn't she MAHvelous, dahling! Incredible Erin is out to rid the world of sloppy chiropractors! (Cancel my appointment next Thursday, and sign me up with HER!)
Madeline the Marvelous -- isn't she, though? I love her costume -- the green stripes really set off her BUFF muscles! (But the crossed leg look doesn't do much for me, dahling. Unless you have to go visit the Little Super Girls' room?)
Watch out for Miss Addy Tude -- don't sass her, 'cause she'll sass you back! And she'll win! She's soooooo SASSSY! And sassy is the new cute, you know? I just want to scrunch up her cheeks!
Well, dahlings, it's been deLIGHTful once again. You know you can always count on me for a running vocal commentary on any fashion show you may have, or if you need to alter your super suits, you know I'm just a phone call, three guard dogs, ten uzi's, sixteen fazers, two polygraph tests, a fingerprint verification and a hallway full of random laser beams away!

A little bit of heaven...

2007-10-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

We are so blessed to live near a temple! Our youth can go whenever they want to, and we get to go as a ward at least every other month. We have such a great group of kids in our ward, and it's an honor to be able to share in this experience with them. (And sharing the donuts is just the icing on the cake!)

New faces!

2007-10-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

We'd like to extend a big hip, hip, hooray for new faces and birthdays! Welcome, Jena and Kaitlen! We're so excited to have you in our ward family, and we're looking forward to getting to know you better!

And the Beehives have a new teacher! Welcome, Tamara! She gave a most excellent lesson today (despite the fact that she was shaking in her boots -- but if she hadn't told us, we would never have guessed! You would have thought she'd been teaching for years...)

We're always excited to get new, fresh blood in young women's. It helps shake things up a bit!

PERSONAL PROGRESS MAKES A COMEBACK!

2007-10-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

Hey, girls! One more thing on today's agenda: We want you all to get excited about Personal Progress! You remember -- that little periwinkle-edged, pocket-sized book with a picture of the YW medallion on the front? The medallion that EVERYONE wants to earn???

But I bet you also remember all those goals and all that work you have to do. And then, of course, you have to remember to get out your books and actually read them once in a while to see if you've done anything that counts as a goal. And then you have to keep track of everything....

WELL, SUFFER NO MORE!!! YOUR PERSONAL PROGRESS SALVATION IS AT HAND!!!!

If you will just refer to the list of "Links" in the right hand column of our blog, you will notice a new link called, appropriately, "PERSONAL PROGRESS." Some brilliantly inspired person in Salt Lake has made your PP lives so much easier! In this new site, you can check off your progress all on one page, and you can see what you've done and what you need to work on, and you can write notes about what you did and what you're working on currently. ISN'T THAT THE MOST AMAZING WONDERFUL THING EVER???!!!!

Well...I think so. Let me know if you need a hand getting on the website, and how to input your own information. We really want to utilize this site to help us keep PP organized, so good luck and get to work!

Bishopric Olympics

2007-10-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, October 3rd will go down in Medford 3rd ward history as the First Annual Bishopric Olympics! (Insert drum roll and fanfare here.) It was thrilling, exciting, riveting, and completely rigged for the young women to take the bishopric down. But the joke was on us -- the Bishopric won, 25-20! What was THAT about??!!

The Young Women challenged Bishop Folsom, Brother Berry and Brother Broesder to a series of challenges, including a scripture chase, a purse-scavengar hunt, a putting-on-nylons contest (over their clothes!), a text-messaging race, a free-throw toss, and a math quiz. I took some awesome pictures (which have to be approved before we can post them) as well as videos (I'm not sure the world wants to see the Bishop with nylons on), but we can fill you in on the S.W.I.N.G. challenge of the month. If you missed out, here are the answers (as far as I can remember them!) to the Bishop Quiz:

Which man...
1. can stand on one foot the longest? Broesder!
2. has lived in the most number of states? Berry - 7 states!
3. has spent the most years in college? Bishop -- 12 years!
4. got the highest G.P.A. in high school? Berry - 3.7!
5. can speak the most languages? Bishop and Bro. Berry tied, but Bishop rattled off something in Chinese on the spot, so he won this question, hands down.
6. would be first if they were alphabetized by their middle names? Jason Coe Broesder!
7. has been a high priest the longest? All three were ordained on the same day! (What were the chances?)
8. has had the most broken bones? Bishop -- with four, I think?
9. is the tallest? Broesder, by an inch
10. has the biggest shoe size? Broesder again!
11. can play the most musical instruments? Bishop plays the guitar, and Broesder plays a tuba. (I think I see a special musical number for sacrament in the making...)
12. got married at the youngest age? Broesder, at 22
13. has the most illegible handwriting? Broesder, the lawyer
14. most recently changed a diaper? Surprisingly...the Bishop! (he has a 2 yr. old grandson)
15. celebrates his birthday first in the calendar year? Berry, in June (but Bishop's birthday was two days ago!)
16. has the most number of pets? Bishop, with 14
17. has the youngest sibling? Broesder -- his youngest sibling is 20
18. does the most housecleaning? Okay--we had to restate the question: who most recently cleaned a toilet? The answer was Berry, at 6 days ago! (Bishop was six years ago, and Broesder couldn't remember ever having cleaned a toilet.)
19. can quote the entire 13th Article of Faith? SADLY...none of them could! But they were all close...
20. can blow the biggest bubble? Weeeeellllll....using the disclaimer that the appropriate bubble gum was not provided, we have to state that Broesder was the first to blow a bubble, but Berry's bubble was bigger. (Try saying that ten times fast.)

Whew! What a challenge! This month's winners were Alicia and Erin, who tied with 15 answers correct, and the grand prize was: An autographed copy of a picture of the Girls Camp Bishop Rap!

Thanks for an awesome activity, Mia Maids! Keep your notes ... we might want to do this again!

If you could give Sister Ebert anything for her birthday, what would you give her?

2007-09-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

Sister Ebert ran her marathon YESTERDAY and her birthday is in just a few days, so we wanted to dedicate today's journal entry to her. Happy Day, Sister Ebert!!! Here's what the girls had to say:

Kate - I'd have a Pride Rock in our Sports lime green bras run, and then a party with a lot of FOOD!! Healthy and junkie -- yeah, I'd really enjoy that!

Manda - So, basically an amazing party! Yeah Boi! Lots of music, food, water, soda and we'd all be flying to...Europe! ha ha. Jk, ldk where?

Marissa - I would make her the biggest 40 layer cake ever! I would deck it out with loads of icing! And yummy gummy worms!

Kaylisha -- I would give her a great big hug!

Sister Howard -- How about I take over all her errand running, meal making, etc, and give her a day off!

Alex -- I would send her to a hotel with a body spa and get a cool spa set for her use only!

Sister Phair -- A trip to every temple in the world!

Sis Q -- I... would finish her house for her! And I mean, FINISH! Carpets, curtains...every last little throw pillow and kitchen utensil. And THEN -- I would throw her the biggest housewarming party in the world!

Sara - I would give her a few hours off and give her a full body massage -- arms, legs, feet, hands, head! (I might actually do that!)

For anyone who missed adding your journal entry, or for anyone that would like to share their potential dream present with Ann, send it now! Just click on her name and type away!

Beehives have a Blast Broadening their Skills!

2007-09-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you put seven people, an iron, three sewing machines, one serger and an embroidery machine in a room full of fabric? PILLOWCASES! That's what the Beehives discovered this week when they all gathered at Sue's Custom Sewing School. Most of the girls had never touched a sewing machine before, and a few of them were even brave enough to master the serger. (But there has to be a speed limit set for Sam...) Here's a few shots of the girls in action.

Sweet dreams, girls! Remember, Sue's casa es su casa! (Translation: my happy place is your happy place!)

Pajama Party goes wild!

2007-09-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

We got the school year off to a good start with a great pajama party hosted by the Beehives. Here, Kate shares her turn with the blankie with Amanda. It's slowly making it's way around the ward, and the girls are enjoying having all kinds of adventures with it. It's a good luck blankie, too -- Kate studied for her drivers' test and passed! On the first try! Way to go, Kate!

We began our p.j. party with a revealing round of truth or dare (but everything that happens in YW stays in YW!). I did get a few good videos of a couple of musical dares, and ...well, I have to make an exception to our "stay" rule. Alex's dare was too good to miss...

That's Brother Broesder's bike, by the way. It started the night being parked on the west side of the building...
...and here's the bike on the east side of the building.
And here's the proud prankster, displaying her handiwork!
We followed this up with an impromptu "Ha" game.
There's really no way to explain this. Suffice it to say, we all got a good laugh.

After this surprisingly aerobic experience (it's a great game for tightening your tummy muscles!), we turned off most of the lights and played a totally awesome game of Sardines. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any pictures of this because I was too busy running around trying to find everyone. Plus, it's hard to take pictures when it's dark. But it was a great way to get to know the building, let me tell you! We finished that off with a basic round of hide and seek, and we nearly lost Sara who found the best hiding place in a little forgotten closet down by the Bishop' office. (We won't forget it next time, though!)

Before we called it a night, there was one last thing I've always wanted to do: get a shot of the perfect human pyramid. It took a few tries....

...but we did it! Isn't that awesome? I'm blowing this up poster size for everybody's bedroom!

The best part of the evening came when it was time to go home. We all sauntered out to the parking lot, and tried to act innocent when Bro. Broesder came outside looking for his bike. Of course, I was the first to cave in. The video was just too funny! He was a great sport, though, and he drove his bike through the parking lot covered in t.p.
Then, when Jason wasn't looking, the Bishop got in on the act and stole the bike. (No, just kidding -- I would never malign our honest and upright Bishop by unrighteously accusing him of any wrongdoing. Except for the fact that he didn't wear a helmet.)WHAT A FUN NIGHT!!!!!

Busy, busy, busy week!

2007-08-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

Since school is rapidly approaching, we tried to cram as much as we could in our last few weeks of summer -- a Temple trip (last time with Danielle before she heads off to school!), bus washing, and another FAB Reality night for those who needed some catching up.

Bus washing was a blast -- we had almost 30 people in the first hour alone! I don't know how many buses got scrubbed, but they were filthy gross, and we worked hard! Or hardly worked. It was fun reuniting with friends from camp! Sister Beasley looks like she's having too much fun. Will somebody please hose her down?
Okay, just for the record: For those of you who keep getting us confused, the person on the left is ANN and the person on the right is SUE. We wanted to record this for posterity, and to clear the slate. I've counted at least 32 times this summer somebody called me Ann. Don't get me wrong -- it's a compliment, but I'm starting to have an identity crisis!

Laurel's go all out with SPA NIGHT!

2007-08-05T13:26:00.001-07:00

Whoever came up with this idea -- I think we've started a yearly tradition! The combined activity for July: Laurels organized a fun and relaxing evening complete with foot baths & massages, nail painting, face masking, and general pampering of every kind! It was HEAVENLY!

Here we are checking out the nail polish. Too many pretty colors to choose from!

Alicia approved of Kaylisha's choice -- although, I don't think she went with blue fingernails. I thought she got a french manicure?

Brittney gets the full treatment from Sister Ebert. She has hands of steel!

Amanda got a taste of Claire's magic fingers, while Claire and Ada got an early taste of what they have to look forward to... in about five years!

The Dueling Dorks strike again! (You know the only reason we did this was 'cause we knew we'd get our picture on the blog!)

Aaaaaaahhhhhhh...............well, it was a wonderful experience, and just in time, too, because now we've got to gear ourselves up for a month of PEAR PICKING!!!

Our New Blankie!

2007-07-29T18:02:00.001-07:00

Here it is..our one and only ward blankie! I couldn't make one big enough to wrap around all the girls at once, so we're all gonna have to just take turns!

Okay, so here's the deal: everybody gets it for two weeks, and during that time you can sleep with it, have a picnic on it, spill food on it (even if it goes against everything Sis. Q believes in), and generally just love it to death. But here's the catch...while the blankie is in your possession, you have to accomplish at least one goal in your Personal Progress. At the end of your blankie time, you will return and report to the rest of the ward what you accomplished, and you will get to tie a ribbon through one of the squares on the blanket for each goal you achieved. By the end of the year, we should have at least 20 squares tied -- but we may get lucky, and every square might get tied! You never know!

Our first contestant....Sara Quackenbush!

FABulous!!

2007-07-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to have our very own YW web site. What a great tool this will be. Fabulous!!!!

Speaking of Fabulous - how are your Fabulous Realities journals coming along? I love mine, but am needing a night to catch up putting everything in it. So, I am thinking that we need another "FAB reality" night. Maybe sometime other than a Wednesday. A good movie and some popcorn might also have to be included. We are putting our August calendar together and I will let you know a date soon. So gather all of your FAB reality papers, wrappers, stickers, handouts, etc. and get ready for a good excuse for a party!!!

Much love!

Ann

How do you spell RELIEF?

2007-07-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

We keep a ward journal, with a new topic every week. It's a great way to take the role!

July 8, 2007 Journal topic:

I relax by swimming all alone ...relaxing water and warm sun. Wonderful, wonderful!! ~ Alethea

Sometimes sleep, sometimes a quiet walk, sometimes just sitting alone in a quiet place and listening and pondering...sitting quietly in the temple ~ Mindy

Reading, praying, and sleeping! ~ Mel

I read sometimes and I sleep and listen to books on tape and sometimes just lay down and think. ~ Kaylisha

How I spell relief is it reminds me about relief society because it is a place where the women get together and learn the gospel. Its a place where you step in and it is white and quiet and it is called the temple. ~Alicia

Relief to me is relaxing any way I want to, esp. reading, sewing, making things and doing anything else. ~ Sara

Relief to me is relaxing like when I read. ~ Sydney

I think relief is relaxing, when I lay down or something. ~ Megan

C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E. ~ Alex

There's nothing like my own bed and my own shower after a dirty, filthy week of Girls Camp! ~Sue

I love the spring and summer months. I feel like when the sun shines and flowers bloom, it is a relief from the cold, sometimes harsh, winters. I prefer sunshine and when I smell sunscreen or when I'm at the lake I feel complete relief from anything and everything. Kind of weird, I know. ~ Ashley

Youth Celebration!!!

2007-07-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

The Youth Celebration was an awesome experience for everyone involved! Stand on Higher Ground was the theme and the youth from the entire region all came together to produce an amazing masterpiece. Lives were touched, testimonies were strengthened and friendships grew.

Allison Nadauld and Val Harmon were amazing and amazingly patient through it all. A lot of preparation and organization went into the program and we are very grateful for all who participated.

The dress rehearsal with the stake. Once it all came together, it made everything worth it!

Betchya didn't know that we some pretty talented Hula dancers in our ward!

Practicing the final number.

Latinas enjoying a well deserved break!

As we can see, Sister Ebert is in complete AWE of what is going on! :)

Loving every bit. Beautiful smiles!

Introducing...

2007-07-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new Medford 3rd Young Women blog!! We are excited to share our memories with you and looking forward to expanding our abilities to communicate with everyone. Please check back often for updated posts!!

Presenting our FABulous president Sister ANN EBERT! (This picture was taken just before we did a Chinese Fire drill while delivering flower surprises for mutual).

Sisters Ashley Stahle and Lee Siemers are bouncing around in the front of the Big Red VAN, with the rest of the gang in the back. We can see the lovely Dalton girls directly behind them, and I think half of Kate Folsom and Kaylisha Harmon, but that's as far as we can see clearly. :)

It's obvious that the Beehives have a blast! L-R: Sister Lee Siemers, Sara Quackenbush, Sister Melanie Bilbo and Megan Bernardi.

Here are some of our Laurels, can you tell which ones are Laurels and which ones are leaders? ;)
L-R: Sisters Mindy Folsom, Randi, and Ann Ebert, Emily Morril, Erin Ebert.

Ahhhh... Sister Phair with Alex Ebert and Kate Folsom. Gotta love it!