Spring has come to Provo and changed the little town in so many ways. Most noticeable is that the majority of the student body has left to work elsewhere for the Summer. However, that does not mean that the town is empty. No, it fills up in their absence. The campus takes advantage of the available space by holding camps all Summer long for those who want a wholesome BYU experience. Primarily teenagers doing sporting camps or EFY (Especially For Youth, a religious camp for teenagers). I was one of those EFY teenagers back in the day. Twice, actually, and boy was it fun!
For my second attempt of EFY, I went with one of my good friends, Randi Payton (now Smith). As we had been looking forward to this week for nearly a year, we were most excited and embraced the whole experience the moment we arrived. We got our rooms, our name tags, our groups and started playing the bazillion awkward get-to-know you games with gusto(shoot me now). Why were we so ready and willing? Why, it was because it is a well-known fact that a week of EFY brings two things: a week of fun and a week of romance! There were a ton of unknown cute guys on campus and we were not going to miss out on any of them! I mean, why else would I have picked out my weeks wardrobe with so much care (does it hang like a bag or look like it was made for a thirty-year-old frump? I'll pack it! Oh the woes of having no style)?
To start off the week on a romantic note, they held a dance the first night that we were there. Hot dog! We knew what this dance meant. It was the night that would set the stage for the rest of the week. The night to shimmy and flirt our way into various studs hearts. The pressure was on but luckily I had been practicing my moves at all the local stake dances. I could do the Macarena with the best of them!
As the night wore on, Randi and I got separated by being asked to dance (or the lack of that). During one these (many) awkward stand by the wall and wait songs, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I would ask someone to dance. However, I was a little shy about it so I decided to ask someone who looked like they weren't really fitting in and would surely be grateful to accept the offer of dancing with yours truly.
I scanned the edges of the room until my eyes fell on a poor chap standing nearby. Perfect! I walked over and tapped him on the arm.
"Come dance with me!"
"Oh, I don't think you want to dance with me."
"Why not?" I asked while I noticed that the poor guy was wearing a Winnie-the-Pooh shirt. Man, this boy was really in need of my help!
With that, Mr. Winnie-the-Pooh lifted his name tag and shoved it in face. It had the name, Emily, on it. It was a girl! I had just asked a girl to dance! After an awkward attempt to smooth things over, I zipped out of there as fast as I could.
As you can imagine, romance never budded for me that week. I still wonder if it was because I was too busy seeking out androgynous looking females or due to my powerhouse wardrobe? I guess I shall never know.
7 comments:
Oh this story is so great. It makes me laugh EVERY TIME I think about it. And it has come in quite handy for me over the years when people ask for a "most embarrassing moment" story - I can always whip out "well I don't have a good one but let me tell you about my friend..."
You and your EFY romances. Whatever happened to that crusty eyed guy you had a fling with? The one with the tattoo? You know who I'm talking about.... (I hope James isn't jealous)
Ha! Poor Emily. I wonder if she realized her androgynous nature or if she thought that perhaps you didn't *quite* fit in at EFY.
Los del Rio continues to haunt us unto this day. I have many times tried to forget my own proficiency at that infernal dance.
Oh no no no...that is the best...worst...story I have ever heard!
Hi Malinda,
Thanks for your comment on my blog. I DO remember meeting you at my reception, although the only thing i can really remember is that you were short and spunky.
This story is hilarious! I love that you were trying to help someone ELSE feel less awkward. Where is Emily now, I wonder? Maybe still wearing a winnie-the-pooh shirt.. poor girl-boy.
And I have to say that my favorite times living in Provo were the days of summer when all of the students were gone. It was so quiet and peaceful!
Fun to reconnect through blogging. the best of luck to you and your family through this pregnancy!
Oh boy, Nathan and I just got a GOOD laugh over that one. I am so sorry--that's SO embarrassing. As a token of my appreciation to you for sharing these gems with the rest of us, I will quickly relate the following.
Back in high school, my family and a few of our close family friends drove up to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant. At the pageant, before it started, my friends and I were looking around for cute boys (of course). A few rows ahead of us, we spotted one who seemed to have a great deal of potential, but we couldn't get a very good look because of the way "he" was seated. Of course, you may have already guessed, when Mystery Boy finally turned around, we saw very clearly that HE was a SHE, and a very feminine-looking she, at that! Needless to say, we were all traumatized and have never really spoken of the incident since... haha Oh, the traumatic experiences of life as a teenager!
I'm crying right now.. seriously. Tears. I started reading this, thinking it was going to be a bash on the silliness of EFY post (I was gonna whip out a line dance on ya for it) and then I kept reading. As soon as I got to the part about the Winnie the Pooh shirt, I remembered and seriously just started cracking up. This story has ALWAYS made me laugh. Thank you for documenting it!
This is one of my all time favorite Malinda stories! I have told so many friends this story...I even told my family about it one Thanksgiving while we were haging out around the dinner table eating pie. Without fail it always cracks people up. The best part is you are the nicest person in the world and you were just trying to make someone feel good!(:>) You are the best Malinda!
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