Cub Scouts

That's right. I am officially a Den Mother. I'm not sure what our bishopric was thinking, but I went to the official Northeast Boy Scout training this morning with a few other hundred people. It was quite the experience. I found myself oddly excited to go buy the yellow shirt, but was also relieved to hear that the other girls I'll be working with are quite happy with their slightly revised uniform- pairing the ill-fitting short-sleeved button down canary shirt with cute jeans and shoes. Heidi Vetter also informed me that the "neckerchief" works much better as a sash tied around the waist.

We left Manhattan early this morning and made the trek to the "Steak Out" as it was called. I have to say that the four of us who went from our ward were probably quite the sight with our designer jeans and heels, mixed in with the knee high socks, badge-covered khaki shirts and hiking boots that everyone else was wearing. A man actually came up to us and said, "Uhm, girls, can I help you find something?" He probably thought that we were terribly lost, as none of us were wearing khaki, yellow or navy, and were all under the age of 30. Our training meeting kicked off with a few "cheers" to get everyone "pumped up". I felt like I was in the twilight zone. This is going to get some getting used to....

Heidi drove us out to the event. On the way, she stopped at a lookout that had a beautiful view of the river & a barely-there view of Manhattan. It was incredible how pretty it was only 20 minutes outside of the city.

Joanna is in town this weekend working with the Advance staff for President Bush. Mike & I are going to volunteer at a service he is doing at St. Paul's Church tomorrow evening for some of the families effected by 9/11. It should be a cool experience.

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Until then- we met Joanna at Union Square today and spent a few minutes watching a guy who possessed the greatest foot-bag talent I have ever seen in my life. I love people watching in Union Square. There is always something bizzare going on- This week it was a strange woman doing some sort of interpretive dance to the music which apparently was only in her head. We walked around around the Farmer's Market & bought some fresh fruit & veggies- a weekly habit we are trying to establish. One of my favorite things is the fresh apple cider. It reminds me of Greenbluff, just a few miles from my house in Spokane.

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We walked a few blocks up to Shake Shack, where I am happy to report that Joanna thought the hamburgers were better than In 'N Out. Victory!! Don't worry Dad- we'll take you there the next time you visit, promise. You just need to come before it closes in December!