TheNyeLabs.com

end of an era

So I’m all finished up, it’s saturday morning and once again, I sit awake before I get my kids up for checkout, and can’t help but wonder at the idea that this is my last time.  Three years of my life have been spent loving this job of EFY Counselor, THREE YEARS!  Thats a serious investment, and to look forward to my summers each year, be able to associate with some of the best people I’ve ever met, be them participants or counselors, and grow so much as a person, teacher, and friend just through sheer experience has been amazing.  So last night, I stood in Geneva New York, not 30 miles from the Sacred Grove, the spot where Joseph Smith (first prophet in our time) saw God the Father and His son Jesus Christ (read the blurb) so a pretty significant spot for me, and I stood there playing with my guys at an outdoor dance, as the sun slowly set, and looked around and thought, so what now?  What do I do with my life?  This has been so fulfilling, my job makes a difference in kids lives, I’ve seen young people come away from every bad thing in their lives imaginable, and become better people, I’ve seen young people love themselves after seeing how much others love them, testimonies of the gospel have been found, self esteem has been salvaged, and chocolate milk has been chugged.  After a job like this, what do you follow it up with?  So as I sat there thinking, I felt good, but I don’t know what could be on the horizon to follow this up.  Pretty much I’m just grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such amazing friends, and youth, and to share years of experiences with those I love.  Every picture has a wonderful memory or story attached to it, every journal entry carries meaning, and because of that I can honestly say I can’t think of anything else I’d have rather been doing.

So in closing, I love kids, the gospel, and EFY.  It’s been a great run, and though very nostalgic and loving life right now, I’m excited for what’s in store.  We’ll see.

wrong turn in albuquerque

So I’m rolling through the summer, barely keeping up with life and the what not, but I am really loving it.  This summer has been very kind to me, especially seeing how I’ve had some great times at home, in the short time I’ve been there, followed up by a few great weeks of EFY (Especially For Youth) and the opportunity to work with some great kids.  I’ve been through Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and now today I’m heading to Geneva New York for my last EFY session, probably ever. 

We packed up this morning after searching out a meager breakfast that was surprisingly unavailable for a college campus, and then packed a van full of 8 of us counselors, our luggage, and the office luggage for the 4 hour (max) drive to Geneva, NY, ie Rochester area.  Well we’d been driving for a while, just following our google map directions to a T, and not paying to much attention to the time.  So we take a step in the directions and go north on highway 89, waiting for exit 42, after a few hours, there comes a sign that says 5 miles to Canada.  Christy, our driver begins to question our positioning, and pulls over to confirm our route.  We hit a Mobil gas station in Champlain New York, and Christy and Steve go in to check on the route, then Christy comes out doubled over in laughter yelling for all of us to come in and see the map for ourselves.  We walk in and the lady at the register is patiently explaining our plight.  Where is Geneva we ask, she points to a spot a little bit in on the left hand side of the atlas, to which we nod and reply so where are we now, and her finger dramatically traces a line across the page and up to the very top right corner of the state and stops in Champlain.  Still not quite grasping the gravity of the situation, we ask innocently, how far away is that?  6 and a half hours she replies, at which point all 8 of us begin laughing hysterically taking pictures of the map with fingers pointing, some running out to the parking lot and renting our clothes in dramatic fashion calling for ashes, as we hysterically begin to realize our 4 hour drive and day to catch up on rest has turned into a 12 hour drive and a scenic route unsurpassed.  We laughed and laughed, then get in the car and begin driving, Steve takes over to ensure no more mistakes.  About 30 minutes later we get pulled over, and despite our best attempts, we begin laughing hysterically again.  The cop asks innocently “So, where you coming from?” Massachusetts we reply, where you headed he asks, Rochester New York we reply, and were rewarded with a quizzical expression which elicits another round of hysterics from the car.  He had to have been wondering about substance abuse or alcohol consumption, but Steve, bless his heart, explains dutifully, “We’re counselors for a youth camp for our church, see my name tag (points to his tag that says Steve as if to prove his innocence)” then the cop asks him if he know why he pulled us over, and again, bless his heart, Steve ventures in with “cause I was going 20 mph over?” the cop replies “well my radar didn’t get you that fast but yeah” the cop then “when do you have to get there?” steve instantly responds “tomorrow by 7pm at the latest” unknowingly condemning his case of need or even reason to be speeding, but all the same, grins respectfully at the cop as the 7 of us act like hyenas laughing and rolling around at every comment.  In the end, Steve got his first ticket, and we’re currently on hour 12 of the drive, still hoping we’re heading in the right direction while waiting for our destination to arrive.  In short, we’ve been rewarded with the ever elusive adventure found only in upstate New York while traveling from Massachusetts. 

Good times.