Easter

Darn, already I'm falling behind.
The day before Saturday we decided to do the unthinkable- participate in a community Easter Egg Hunt. Typically we have avoided these events as candy frenzied parents frantically shove treats and prizes into their infants Easter basket, but we decided that maybe things would be different here and wanted to give it a try.
Upon arrival there were some striking differences. From a central trailer Christian Rock music was being played and flyers were available to inform community members of Easter services available in the area. There was of course an undercurrent of competition as parents and children stalked the fenced off area in search of the infamous "prize eggs" that contained tickets to claim awards such as bikes, Easter baskets, etc. Prior to the actual "hunt" everyone was gathered together for a prayer and spiritual message from the Mayor reminding us that Jesus Christ is the reason we are celebrating. He told parents that just as they made an effort to bring their children to an egg hunt they should make a similar effort the following day, Sunday, to take their children to church to worship. He said, "I don't care which church you attend, but be in church tomorrow." WOW! That doesn't happen in Utah. Everyone is so worried about offending their neighbors by suggesting something as simple as attending church. (Of course I haven't been to a community egg hunt for a few years so maybe things have changed). It was refreshing. Of course that moment of inspiration was quickly set aside as the anxious parents shoved their children to the front of the egg area and stood on the side screaming instructions. It was like we were at some sort of significant sporting event.
I was laughing as I observed the confusion on my children's inexperienced faces- I think they need a little more training in competition. Ben of course caught on quickly and being one of the older kids in the 3-5 year old group did pretty well. Katelyn didn't seem to grasp the concept initially, but after quick observation realized she could have the eggs on the ground and promptly proceeded to collect any and all eggs in the pink color scheme. Dallin took time to shake each egg, just to be sure there was something in it, and was blown out of the water as the experienced egg hunters gathered eggs by the armful. Lauren was the youngest in her competitive age group of 9-12 and being a little timid/passive didn't get many eggs, but seemed okay with that.  She had been inspired by an article in the Friend Magazine and was searching for some sad child that didn't get any eggs with whom she could share.

Sunday morning we did our typical non-competitive egg hunt at home (which we may need to modify as per our observations the previous day).  The kids requested that the difficulty of the egg hiding be increased so the Easter Bunny did a stellar job and it was a good challenge for the big kids to find all 10 of their eggs. 

That morning our neighbor stopped by to invite us to church- so cool! It was so casual and comfortable, he just said, "Hey I know you just moved in and there are a lot of churches in the area so I thought I would check and see if you have a place to go to church today.  We go to the Oaks Fellowship on .... if you'd like to come with us." I love that the people here are so open and willing to share their faith with others.  We attended church at what we thought was our ward, but unfortunately it was the wrong one.  There are a lot of great people here and of course Rusty "ran into" someone he knew- well two people.  One of the physical trainers from work and an old friend from BYU. Everywhere we go he meets someone from his past.  After church I got my Easter gift, a nap.  We missed celebrating Easter with our extended family, but it was a nice weekend to remember and celebrate the gift of our Savior and his love and sacrifice for us.