This is it!!

This is it. We are heading in to the home stretch. The conference is this weekend. We are looking forward to meeting all of you this weekend. I am here at work for a few hours before I leave to pick up my dress for Saturday night. Yes I broke down and brought a new dress. ...I couldn't help myself. ....So a final few things to remember:

1. The registration database is closed. We exceeded our numbers and we will not be accepting registrations or payments at the door. If you do come and try to pay at the door, you will be turned away. Please come and hang out at the beach on Saturday, and join us for the Cocoanut Grove party Saturday night.
2. The Santa Cruz stake center is very hard to find. Please allow some extra time to find it. Dinner will be served at 7:30pm.
3. You don't want to miss out on any of the action for the Saturday night party, so please stick to the dress code and arrive promptly. You don't want have to go back to your hotel and change.
   
4. The fireside is awesome, so don't leave early......

Catch you tomorrow night.

Tyra

How not to pack....

So I've started thinking about what to pack for next weekend... I know it's a bit early, but I am leaving Thursday after work...Need to start decorating for Friday, and then I'm planning to spend some time in the hot tub at Seascape. Right now I'm sitting here at my desk at work running through my to do list and starting to mark things off. Yes I actually keep a to do list. I have notebooks full of to do lists. I love the satisfaction of actually scratching off a completed task. Yes I have joined the technology age, I do have a blackberry; however my director did call me out the other day and told me I was behind the time because I didn't have an iPhone. I'm now one of 3 people on my team of 15 who does not have an iPhone (the other two have blackberries so I do feel better) I guess I'll end up with an iPhone eventually.....

So back to my to-do list. My to do list sits on my desk and has all of my many work tasks, (which are long and many and can change on an hourly basis) as well as things like pay the utility bill. I just added packing for singles conference to my to do list. Eventually I'll break it down, and create a packing list. ( I know I'm a dweeb, but I've been in foreign countries and forgotten my tooth brush, and I never ever want to repeat that mistake again). So for your amusement, here is a sample of my packing list. I am really really glad that I am local....I never ever pack this heavy when I fly. I avoid checking whenever possible......It's nice to have my car...Yea!!!! With that said....The ultimate Girl packing list...

• Sunscreen SPF 30 (I know I need a tan, but I am extremely fair and sunburn. I get something my sister Heather refers to as cro-magnon head if I sunburn my face. It's very embarrassing.
• Hat---The fewer wrinkles the better I have this really cool hat I got in Hawaii a few years back....
• Sunglasses
  
• Camera-Don't forget your camera, you're going to want to remember this weekend
  
• 2 Swimsuits--One for the beach and one for the Seascape hot tub
• Swimsuit cover up
  
• Flat Iron
• Hair Pick
  
• Electric Rollers
• Shampoo/Conditioner (hotel shampoo will just not work-- girls you know what I mean)
  
• Blow Dryer (multiple girls one condo, need I say more I have all sisters)
• Makeup
• Jewelry
  
• Shoes---I'm not saying how many I'm packing, it would be way too embarrassing
• 2 Cocktail Dresses (same as above, I need multiple options----Just because I plan to wear something ahead of time, doesn't actually mean I'll feel like wearing it the day of)
• 1 Church Dresses At least this is very easy to figure out--I luckily do have an all-time favorite, oh wait, maybe I need a new dress....DRATS back to the drawing board....Am I upping this number to two as well? Ugh I can't decide...
• Something to wear for Friday---Under advisement...Shopping excursion planned for this weekend.
  
• Jeans/sweatshirts---Sometimes the beach is cold, it's always best to have layers when on the Northern CA coast--Plus there will be after parties...Maybe I should bring my ski jacket as well.
• Beach Blanket, Beach Chair Beach Towel
  
• Reading material for beach on Saturday---I'm reading a Brief History of Time right now, but Stephen Hawking does not seem like beach reading Guess I should bring In style.....
• Beach Bag--Gotta have somewhere to put the towel, the drinks, and the In style Magazine
• Scriptures-- Can't travel without my scriptures
• Oh yes and my tooth brush....Can't forget my tooth brush....
  

Setting Expectations....

It's Thursday night/Friday morning at 12:27am. I should not be up. I should be in bed---A girl needs her beauty sleep, but here I am updating the blog. I'm too wired to sleep. We just had a marathon planning session for the mid-singles conference. Everything is coming together....We have planned creative and interesting ways for people to mix and mingle. Now the rest is up to you. Like I've said in the marketing, this is not your average mid-singles conference. We're doing things differently. Expect to be out of your comfort zone. Expect to meet new people, and expect to try to new things.

Now we are asking you to do your part. The conference will be what you make of it. Come with a good attitude and be ready to party. If you come looking to have a good time, you will definitely have a good time. Don't come expecting to meet your eternal companion, but do come expecting to meet a lot new people. The easiest way to meet new people is to make yourself available. My mom always tells me that I'm never available enough. I'm finally figuring out what that means. Don't be standoffish be approachable....

Women---This is especially for you..I've had many of my male friends tell me this----Do not run around in packs. It's much harder to meet a guy that way. A guy will not approach a woman if she is in a large group of females.
Men---If you see a pretty girl, approach her, take the risk....you never know what it could lead to. She may not be the one but I can guarantee she has friends---Hey she may be the one, you never know. Point being, you never know until you try....

We've tried really hard to create activities that will mix and mingle people. Take advantage of these activities. I know it's hard to leave the safety of a close friend or you wing man or woman, but try it, it may work. You may not meet your eternal companion, but you may meet a lot of new friends, and friends have other friends....You know what I mean.....So look at this conference as way to broaden your horizons, and to extend your circle of friends. Because you can never have too many friends.....

Until Next week....

Tyra

Wrist Bands....Your mini-tracking device.

Remember those ugly green things that we had for EFY, youth conference, and all those corporate events. You know what I'm talking about wrists bands...Yes we are having them again this year. They will be your ticket in to conference events. Yes I know you hate to wear them, and so do I, but they are the most convenient way to identify conference attendees.

Don't you want to know who's a conference attendee at the boardwalk? Think of it as an ice breaker. Guy to girl or girl to guy---"I see you're wearing a green wrist band, look I'm wearing one too, do you want to ride this ride together" I know it's cheesy, but hey it could work.

You will be given a wrist band Friday night at registration, do not take it if, and do not lose it. (You may be one of those people like me who can slip off the wrist band, don't laugh I've done it before, and I've lost my wrist band....) I almost didn't get on the boat last year because I couldn't find my wrist band.

The wrist band entitles you to the fabulous catered lunch at the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk. This is something you do not want to miss. Chicken, ribs, hmmmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it. The wrist band also gets you in to the Saturday night red carpet event. This is THE party of the year. You do not want to miss this party. Make sure you keep your wrist band Saturday day, so you can party with us on Saturday night. So don't lose the wrist band playing in the sand or on the big dipper.

Yes you do need to keep the wrist band for Sunday as well. The wrist band entitles you to lunch after church before the fireside. Just think of your wristband as the key to your conference fun.

Tyra

To Wear or not to Wear...Ruminations of a Shopaholic.

I am heading to New York this week on vacation, and unfortunately it is not fashion week...I am a self proclaimed shopaholic. I agonize over what to wear to each and every event. Sometimes I think about it for days. Dresses are my weakness There is a certain boutique in the Stanford Shopping center that I can't even walk by unless I have a special occasion, it's too tempting for me. The dresses in the window talk to me like they do to Isla Fisher in the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. I only go near the store when I have a special occasion. Unfortunately church has sometimes qualified as a special occasion.... Hmmm I wonder if the mid-singles conference qualifies as a special occasion... It is Santa Cruz, and the Saturday party is in an amazing ballroom...hmmmm....

Speaking of special occasions, and yes I've decided that the mid-singles conference qualifies as a special occasion, I want to look nice, and put my best foot forward. I try to stay away from every day outfits that look like they've been slept in, old jeans, sweats, and ratty tennis shoes. I dress to impress. I wear my heels, the cutest dress in my closet, or my favorite trendy jeans. I'm also a sucker for trendy jeans... The most important thing I try to do is dress for the occasion...When hiking, I wear my hiking boots, ratty cut offs, and a t-shirt. When going to church, or to the temple, I wear a pretty dress and pearls. The most important thing, is to dress to match the occasion.....

This year at the mid-singles conference you will have multiple opportunities to meet others. You only have one chance to make a first impression, so dress for the occasion and put your best foot forward. With that said, leave your mom jeans, dad jeans, and ratty old t-shirts at home...

Friday night is going to be an awesome luau...Think of that favorite Hawaiian luau that you attended and dress accordingly....Girls, find your favorite summer dress, or outfit and guys find your favorite Hawaiian shirt, or best casual outfit.

Saturday night is going to be an awesome upscale party...fashionable attire is requested...Guys, don't let the girls outclass you, leave your tennis shoes at home, and show us what you've got. (Suits are not required but man I love a man in a suit....) There are a few a men in my ward, and then they know who they are who will look good on the arm of any girl in a cocktail dress.

If you must start planning your outfits now...Maybe I'll find something awesome in New York...I am going to Barneys......

Tyra

Surf, Sun, and Garbage Bags???

I asked Tyra last week if I could post something about the beach cleanup on Saturday morning of the conference and she said of course. So here it goes ...

Last week we received our assignment from the Saturday cleanup and it looks like we are going to be helping clean Seascape beach by the resort that many of the people are staying at. We're going to part of the 25th Annual International Coastal Cleanup Day organized by Save Our Shores. After finding out more about this event, I'm excited!!

It reminded me of the old mutual service projects, where we cleaned by the rail road tracks or helped an older couple prep their house for painting. You remember the one's that our mother's made us get up and go to and after reluctantly getting to work we actually had fun. So make sure and get up Saturday morning to help clean up the marine area around Santa Cruz.

Mariann

Temple Attendance, a Real Priority

I returned from my trip to Seattle last night. My friends are now married. Yea Kathryn and Darin!!!!. Kathryn had the best wedding cake that I've ever tasted. If any of you get married in Seattle, I'll get the name of her bakery for you. It was phenomenal, and I've tasted a lot of wedding cakes through the years. My cousins all started getting married at 19, and I have a big Mormon family.

I have visited Seattle a few times before, and did not need to do the typical touristy things. After the obligatory visit to the Nordstrom flagship store, (Why is it that they have way better buyers than we do here in Palo Alto) I headed out to the Seattle temple to do a session.

I had never done a session at the Seattle temple before. It is very beautiful. The Seattle temple can be very confusing if you have not been there before. As in every temple, there were lovely temple workers who escorted me to all the different areas I needed to go to, from clothing rental, to the women's locker room, and up to the chapel.

At the mid-singles conference we are planning to have a temple session Thursday night at the Oakland temple. If you are from out of town, there are lovely temple workers who will help you get acclimated to your surroundings. Every time I do temple work, whether it is initiatories, or a session, I learn something new about the gospel. Hopefully you'll take some time to do the Lord's work as well.

Tyra

Why Mid-Singles Conferences...

I've come to realize that planning a mid-singles conference is a full-time job and that for the next six weeks I will have no life....I have not been sleeping more than 4 hours a night, and have been doing mid-singles planning/marketing and such during the day, and after work. I had a great conversation with Matt Campbell last night regarding conferences in general (Go Matt) and he is a huge asset. He really is the king of mid-singles. I really appreciate his advice.


Thank goodness I'll be at a Bellevue Marriott (Go Marriott) this weekend relaxing and attending a wedding of two my best friends in the entire world...Because when you think about it marriage really is the end goal.....We did find time to take a break over the weekend to take out our friend who is getting married.....This is our dessert before we started eating it.....3 girls, 4 spoonfuls each and it still looked like this...








Now for a few stats.....(Thanks Matt)





50% of the singles over the age of 30 are inactive..


45% of the LDS adult population in California is single....


On average there are 25-30 marriages per year and 100 relationships at the Huntington beach conference. Yes this is true, they all call and tell Matt....Go figure....


There are 20 magnet mid-singles wards nationwide---Magnet wards are wards within stakes that have families and mid-singles.


Church activity tends to increase when people are assigned to magnet wards.


So what can the bay area mid-singles conference do for you.....The bay area mid-singles conference can facilitate meeting new people, and reconnecting with old friends who you met at other mid-singles conferences. I know that a lot of mid-singles can feel lonely and isolated if they are stuck in family wards and don't have the opportunity to meet other people in their own situation. Remember you are not alone. There are others out there like you. I feel like I just want to bust out in to a Michael Mclean Song...........

So if you think that a mid-singles conference is not for you---you're wrong...This is means you too Stanford 2nd ward....You know who you are (I can say that because that's my ward)

To Register or Not to Register? that is the Question

To register or not to register? That is the question on people's minds as the Saturday August 1st price increase looms in a little over 24 hours. I am here to persuade you to register whether it be today or after the August 1st price increase.

The past few posts I've been attempting to woo fence-sitters in to registering by waxing poetic about the activities we have planned for the mid-singles conference. I've blogged about the surf lessons, whale watching, the Friday night luau, and the volleyball tournament. I've also blogged about the fabulous accommodations, hoping those will sway people as well. The accommodations really are wonderful. I'm heading down a day early just so I can enjoy the peace and quiet and fully enjoy the accommodations. The one thing I haven't really blogged about is the opportunity to meet people. Let's face it this is the real reason we come to mid-singles conferences. We are all looking for that special someone.

The biggest complaint we've heard from people who've attended mid-singles conferences is it's hard to meet people. We the planning committee have heard you, and are trying to find methods to get people out of their comfort zones. Most people at singles events tend to spend most of the time with their friends and rarely meet new people. I myself am a very social person and still find myself in a rut and rarely meet new people at large singles events. We are attempting to change this. Hence the tag line---Not your average mid-singles conference.

We will have more intimate ways to communicate one on through speed dating, or mingling games, just not in the traditional way that you've come to expect at singles conferences. There will also be a few surprises. If you do spy that guy or girl that you would like to meet, and you do not get the opportunity, come and find me and I'll facilitate an introduction.

Tyra

Hula Dancing 101

When I was a beehive, I learned how to hula dance. I don't remember who taught us, or why we learned, but I do remember learning the dance. I can still hear parts of the song in my head.


It's not the islands fair

That are calling to me

It's not the balmy air

Nor the tropical sea

It's just a little brown gal

In a little grass skirt

In a little grass shack In Hawai`i


If pressed, I could probably still do parts of the hula dance but I'm sure it would not be pretty. I would probably have better luck remembering my old high school cheers-now that I was good at.

When I was older I attempted Tahitian dancing at one of the luaus I went to. It was not a pleasant experience. I gained an immense appreciation for the Tahitian dancers in their grass skirts. For the life of me, I could not figure out how they did it. I tried for about 15 minutes and gave up. I'll stick to hula dancing, it's much easier.


As part of the entertainment for the luau we will be having Polynesian dancers. These talented dancers will entertain us, and maybe, just maybe, teach us a few things. Yeah I'll finally get to learn how to Tahitian dance, though I'm not betting on it. I will for sure attempt to repeat my infamous hula dance.