14 Feb
Hyde Park Ward Valentine’s Day Dance
This past weekend our ward had a Valentine’s Day Dance and it was… killer. This ward is one of my favorites ever and I’ll be so sad to leave. (If you come here for UofC, don’t live in the South Loop, live down in Hyde Park specifically so you can be a part of this completely-unique, completely-fabulous ward).
I mad this cake. It was a chocolate beet cake with beet cream cheese frosting. No one ate it. I’m not sure if this is because of the color (did they think it was out of a can and the color scared them?) or because they tasted it and hated it. Oh well, I liked it and I like challenging myself to try new things.
After dinner they brought out a laptop and some lights and we had a little dance. Yes, I was one of the first ones out on the dance floor. I’m not a good dancer by any definition but I love doing it and it was one of the first times I’ve danced since I left BYU (a place where dances are meat markets and you feel like everyone is watching you). Here I could bust out my mom-dance moves and it was okay because I am a mom now. Did you hear that Megan? I can dance with my arms up by my side all I want now because I’m a mom and that’s how moms do it.
That Husband did T1′s hair in a new way, and it was a big hit. We have got to master those cowlicks on either side of his head though.
I have some darling videos of T1 on the dance floor, but my computer is acting up and I can’t open the video editing program so pictures will have to do for now.
He started off shy.
But once he got going he was all sorts of crazy, chasing balloons, jumping, pounding his chest. I was the stereotypical proud mama who considered everything he was doing to be the cutest thing I’ve ever witnessed a child do.
When he went back to picking his nose and staring off into the distance again, I knew it was time to go home.
I have not one, but two Sweethearts this year. I am a lucky girl.
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
You ARE a lucky girl - what a cute family! (PS - I don’t think our ward has EVER had a family dance. Hmmmm… maybe I’ll have to suggest it for next year!)
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1Those pictures of P make me sooooo excited to come in April!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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2Bummer that your cake wasn’t a winner
How did you think it tasted?
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Jenna Reply:
February 14th, 2012 at 3:17 pm
It was nuanced, but good. You could taste a hint of the mustiness of the beet, which certainly isn’t for everyone.
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I love his hair!!! Your cake looks scrumptious. I definitely would have given it a taste.
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4Your dance looks fun and the cake looks good too. No one ate the cake I made for my husband’s graduation either… I was told later that a lot of people won’t eat a cake unless someone else cuts it up. Some mentality that a cake must be there and waiting for a special purpose, or something.
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5My mother-in-laws birthday was the weekend before Valentine’s Day so we celebrated both on Sunday. I made the double chocolate raspberry pavlova someone linked to in your comments and it was a huge hit. It was surprisingly easy and I looked kinda like a rock star. I usually have epic fails when I’m in charge of a fancy dessert so it was a nice change.
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Jenna Reply:
February 15th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Sounds like something I really need to try then. I’m always trying overly complicated desserts and feeling frustrated when they don’t turn out exactly how I had envisioned them
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Bummer about the cake! But at least you guys still had a good time. Cutie Boy T1′s hair is rockin’, so nice job TH. HP1st Ward is phenomenal. I still miss it there. So many wonderful memories for our family.
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7I totally would have tried your cake! mmmm sounds good.
So dances…I went to my first dance post divorce last Friday and it was the scariest thing I have ever seen in my life!!! I thought the age range was supposed to be 31-45….Ummm…ya….more like 45-85! Seriously! Yiiiiiiiikes! However, they did actually play a few good dance songs in a row FINALLY and my girlfriends and I just got out there and went all out. Have you ever been to a Body Jam class? So fun! I totally used some of those moves:)
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Jenna Reply:
March 1st, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Where do you think all of the singles you age are? I feel like they must be going somewhere! You have such a good attitude about things though.
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Your description of watching T1 totally cracked me up! Question - do the members of your ward know you are TW/read the blog/etc. - do they ask you about it or things you’ve blogged about?
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Jenna Reply:
March 1st, 2012 at 4:07 pm
I know a lot of them know about it (I include it in my email signature) but only a handful bring it up. I think people IRL feel a bit embarrassed because compared to the way we converse the things I write are so personal, you know?
But I did have one friend in Church stop me and tell me she had found “the site that shall not be named” and how appalled she was, and how she wanted to make sure I knew that she knows me in real life and doesn’t think any of those things are true. It was very meaningful.
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Ah! With that hair he looks like such a big kid now!
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