Memories from Youth Conference

This past week, my family and I went "home" to Boulder, CO to visit my parents.  You may remember, my husband and I met in Boulder and we lived there when he was in dental school, so he likes to go "home" as much as I do.  

I'll post about the visit later but while home, I found this picture.  It is a long "panoramic" one, so I had to scan it as two pictures.  

This was taken in 1989 (I was a sophomore in high school and had a very fresh perm) at the YMCA of Rockies Boulder 1st ward Youth Conference.  At the time, Boulder had two wards.  

This picture shows most of the youth in our ward at the time.  Looking at it, there are some people missing (my friend Elyse is one I have in mind) but for the most part this is everyone.  It felt so much larger to me growing up.  

These people are like family to me.  Most of the people in this picture have known me my whole life.  Our families spent many holidays, attended each other's baptisms, extracurricular events, and ward parties together.  We sat next to each other in Primary, gave talks in sacrament meeting together, sometimes went to dances with each other (even though I can't think of a time when any of us dated one another) and went to early morning seminary together.  We served as "waiters and waitresses" at Adult dinner nights, did road shows and skits at various stake functions, and often outside of church events, did things together on weekends.  (I still feel bad about jamming Alex Spong's leg with the gear shift of my pick-up truck on our way to miniature golf.  He was very nice about it but the cab had only so much room and we had crammed three people in the cab.)  We knew that if we were reprimanded by one of each other's parents, it was like being reprimanded by our own parents.  We were constantly connected and it was so good.  

I look at the individual people and reflect on where we are now.  Most of us (but not all) are still active in the church and most of us are married with our own kids.  One of the leaders, a beloved one I might add,  in the picture as since passed away.  Many of us have been given challenges that we never even conceived back then--children with disabilities, health issues, struggles with infertility, and job loses.  Many of the men have lost their hair and some of us are heavier and some of us skinner.    Not very many of us still live in Colorado and a bunch of us are now in Utah.  We have grown and changed but I love how this picture "catches" us at that moment in time.  We had just finished playing soft ball together and probably were on our way to lunch or the afternoon classes.  (I still remember a great one taught by Brother Lewis about financial goals.  I think of him whenever I pay my tithing.)  

I have enjoyed looking back.  It has been fun and I have learned, looking back can be very sweet.