Sunday, February 24, 2008

Tagged at a Church Dance

Me and Dane MacDonald at the junior prom. It wasn't a love match but our mothers were happy. Please notice my eyes. They're closed.

I got tagged by Marie. I thought I'd do a stake dance version. If you ever went to a Mormon stake dance, you'll feel my pain.

10 Years Ago?

Ten years ago I was 27, but ten years before that I was 17. Slightly bored with youth dances, I had discovered young adult dances. As Ariel once said, it was a whole new world. At my first young adult dance I met a recent rm named Matt. He had long hair and skated. We went out a couple of times and I didn't see him again until I was engaged to Carl. Turns out they were mission companions and best buddies. Weird.
5 Things to do before the stake dance?
1. Get a ride with Courtney and Kim and Spencer and Brad in the brown station wagon. Hope I get to sit in front. Listen to Wall of Voodoo even though I don't really like it.

2. Harrass any bishopric member to obtain a current dance card. Good practice for getting a temple recommend as an adult.

3. Make sure black mini-skirt is pulled down to my knees so I can get in.

4. Blow dry my bangs nice and high. Use lots of spray. This is the eighties, people.

5. Hope that they play Forever Young by Alphaville as the final song. Hope I have someone good to dance with.
3 Bad Church Dance Habits?

1. Sneaking into classrooms with friends and getting in trouble.

2. Pulling black mini-skirt up so it is short after entering.

3. Not having the width of a BOM in between me and the boy while slow dancing.

Places I have gone to church dances?

If you are going to meet new boys, you've got to travel a little. I went to dances all over the place, like Concord or Oakland or Antioch or San Rafael or even Palo Alto a couple of times. They had good boys in Palo Alto. I'm surprised my mom let me go.

Things Most People Don't Know About Me?

Judge me not, dear reader, but I have a story. There is a building in Walnut Creek called the Overlook building. It is old and not the standard building type. Over the chapel and gym, there were classrooms. Once my girlfriends and I decided to have a sleepover at the building after the dance. During the dance, we sneaked sleeping bags and food upstairs, and then when the dance was over, we hid there. We thought we were so sneaky. Being teenagers, we overslept in the morning and woke up to discover that church had already started. Luckily it was stake conference so there weren't any classes being held, but we still had to hide upstairs until the meeting was over.

And that was the worst thing I ever did. I promise.

35 comments:

Jessica said...

Now I cannot do my planned church dance post because yours is so incredibly much more awesome. Thanks a lot.

I mean, really, A SLEEPOVER AFTER THE DANCE??? Who can compete with that?!

Caroline C. Bingham said...

I love that getting fa dance care is practice for getting your temple recommend. Because it SO. IS.

Audry said...

That is so funny. I never would have even thought to have a sleep over at the church. That is great.

Lauren in GA said...

Oh, hearing about the bangs took me back...way back to those magical days...*sigh*

So, did your parents notice that you weren't at Stake Conference?

Bridget said...

COOL. The Overlook building. That was MY building. I'm with Jessica, you take the cake with a sleepover at church. Did your parents not notice you didn't come home? Or was your curfew like 9am the next day?

Ashley said...

I love it! I also started going to single adult dances as a teenager. My friends and I thought it was HA-larious to be there with freakin old 30-year-olds. My best friend and I also had grandiose plans to sleep over at our middle school. You and I should be friends. And I love the picture! I wish so dearly that I had been a teenager in the 80s.

Courtney said...

Thanks for the flashback! Dane! What a guy. You didn't mention Napa, but I'm sure we went to a dance in Napa, didn't we??

What I want to know is, why wasn't I invited to sleep over in the church. Were you worried I wasn't rebellious enough, or that I would tell on you?? Ha ha! I probably would have been too chicken to sleep over in the church anyway. That's funny though!!

Lorena said...

Naughty, naughty...that's it...my girls are either not ever reading your blog or not ever leaving the house. Let me think that one over.

Paige said...

Nice homemade dress that matches the faux roses behind. A sleepover after the dance is just so brave- but you know there were boys there too and you just aren't telling because mom reads your blog. THERE WERE BOYS THERE. If Celia did anything at all, there had to be boys.

Now tell about when you ran away to the Casita Ct. house.

Ilene said...

My stake dance memories involve: Hiding out in the bathroom because all of your friends were asked to dance except you.
Avoiding that guy who danced with a folding chair and tried to 'accidently' brush up against your butt.

Isn't funny how there are cool dance locales? Our cool ones were the West Covina, Hacienda Heights, and Glendora stake dances.

crystal said...

Oh, you rebel. There are no words.

And hey! I used to teach at Los Cerros Middle School in Danville!

Jenibelle said...

When my dad was Bishop he used to let us "play" at the church. We would go down to the church and play "sardines". The closets are really small at the Orangeburg chapel, they only fit two.

Celia Fae said...

MOM: there weren't any boys there. Just me and Heidi and Janna and Kim. We were good girls. And I didn't lie. I really was having a sleepover with one of them. Just not at their house. You don't have to call me. That is the whole story.

Crystal, we were neighbors. The parents still live right up the street. Small world.

Christie said...

I so would have been BFFs with you at that age. Only if it were me, there WOULD have been boys there. Nothing would have been happening, but they'd be there all right. Oh, and I'd get caught. That always happened to me. My mom had her own network of spies and people tattled on me for EVERYTHING.

Hollyween said...

I have nothing to add to this that's nearly as exciting as your story. I remember wanting to dance with Spencer Barney and everyone told him that I wanted to and I ran away when he finally came to ask me. Yeah, I used to be shy. I don't know what happened.

I'm impressed with the sleepover. Oh, and that pic with your eyes closed.

the wrath of khandrea said...

i'm with christie. this is why we all get along so well without ever having met... because if we DID meet, this is the kind of insane stuff that would happen.
maybe i should use some past tense verbs in there. no more sleepovers at church with boys.
you get the picture.

Shannon said...

OMG... that picture is hilarious. I think I had a dress almost just like that. DANE MACDONALD. I think I went to one of those dances with him too... good fall back guy... not much of a date though. And, what a rebel you were sleeping at Overlook... it's hilarious, but WHY? AND why I wasn't invited?

Also, my blog DOES suck, but thanks for saying it doesn't... I can't make the letters all stay the same size... It's not cute... etc. Can you come give me lessons?

Ellie said...

I'm sending your blog to Rob Mc D so he can send it to Dane and experience all your church dance glory.

Wendi said...

How adventurous! It would have been fun to be friends with you as a kid!

♥Shally said...

I bet my bangs were higher than yours. AND I had a perm. AND I put Sun-in (do you remember that stuff?) in my hair so it gleamed a nice ORANGE--dark hair and Sun-in don't mix. My hair was FRIED. I don't know how I even have any hair left.

Ahhhh...Those were the days.

Loved Forever Young...but hate that it is now going be in my head all day.

the wrath of khandrea said...

oh, and BTW... this is why you didn't get to go to USU. the girls who DON'T invite boys to church break-in sleepovers have to go to BYU.
but as long as we all had the same utah claw in our hair... there's plenty of love to go around.

Paige said...

PEOPLE- Celia has ISSUES. Do not feed the crazy and vote in her poll.

Tristan said...

Love the 80's picture! Made me laugh! I can't believe you had a sleepover in a church! That is so funny! I would be so scared.

I have seen you comment on other blogs that I read too, and I also might be going to blogapalooza. I don't know anyone but I kind of know Denae. I hope to go and meet all these fun women whose blgos I have been reading! :)

Jenibelle said...

Are you doing the poll because I told you that Paige was a "must read" and that I had a running scoreboard for who had the funnier blog that day?

FYI
Paige wins on Ruby's tragic death
The church bag
Celia wins on Housekeeping
Babycide
Nor wins on Handsfree Cellular devises

I can't vote... it would be like picking a favorite child. You know, like Alice being yours and Bea being Paige's. And Camille being your mom's. You understand. Although I am totally loyal to you. You personally are MY favorite.

Heather said...

Don't forget about the love for Ellie.

Also Brad was baptized at the Overlook building. Do you think its still valid?

Hazen5 said...

Love your "Come Hither Look" in the picture!

Michelle said...

Good to know that Stake dances were similar in CA as they were in UT! Is that one of the beauties of the church? Not sure! You forgot about holding the hair to the sides of your head out and spraying and blowdrying inorder to create wings. Or was that a Utah thing? Great post, I am truly shocked at the sleepover. Hysterical! If that is your worst thing I think you are probably okay with the mother's curse.

Jenibelle said...

oh, and you win points with the Sacrament meeting post. Hysterical.

Marie said...

How are you so clever? I tag you with a boring old post and you come up with this? Where did your mom think you were when sleeping over at the church? I'm still laughing, so funny! I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are my blogging mentor!

Aubrey R. said...

I just got a call from my sister who asked me if I've ever slept overnight at a church after a dance?!!I immediatley thought of you. Thanks for outing me!
Your timing is impecible. I just got back from chaperoning at a tri-stake dance and was reliving the past until 2:30am. (I'm usually a really great sleeper so that is saying something.)
Let me know if any of you would like some more stories acout Celia Fae and other dances like Ivy Tower, Freshman BYU dance, The Palace, DV8 or perhaps what went on after would be more entertaining...need I go on?
I love you Celia. Kim

Wendy said...

cruisin in the brown stay-wag - love it!

Camille said...

that is a fabulous idea.

angie said...

ha ha! You rebel- i only wish it wasn't stake conf! and a bunch of people saw you guys in your pj's! i know one of the girlfriends involved...I'm telling!

Anonymous said...

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Linda Austin Hart said...

Honey, you haven't died until you've attended a Single Adult dance. There you will meet the walking wounded, the almost dead or ones you wish were dead, the truly creepy, needy, the tire kickers, and just as it was at the SND of your youth there are the unjustifiably arrogant. HOWEVER, I met some good friends (most of them female) there as well, just no one I'd want to go on a date with, let alone see me in my p.j.'s.
If you attend one of those, do it to improve the quality of the SA program,i.e. to help others & hopefully make friends. And if you do go to one, blog about it for laughs - or tears.
I'm soooo glad to be out of that scene.