GIVEAWAY: Arise & Shine Forth EFY 2012 CD

This blog ran off and grew up before my very eyes. I posted about getting to go back to EFY a while ago, and ever since getting to visit during a session, I have been wondering how I can have the same feeling in my everyday life that I enjoyed while I was a counselor 4 years ago. I was so dang excited to get an e-mail from LDS Radio asking if I'd be interested in reviewing and giving away this year's EFY CD on my blog. Um - YES. I love ALL things EFY. And man, this CD is a good one. [oh, and Your LDS Radio streams music like this 24/7 online or on your phone. Rad.]



As soon as we put the CD in our player for the first time, I turned to Cam and asked "Why don't we just listen to music like this all the time? It makes you feel so good and you don't have to worry about any of the garbage that sneaks its way into the rest of the media." Part of me honestly wonders what I'm afraid of. Am I afraid of missing out on something if I just decide not to listen to popular music? Am I afraid of being "too good?" Regardless, the EFY CD for 2012 is awesome. For real. Good enough to make me even question needing popular music? That's pretty good.

I am a lyrics person. Cam is a music person. Together, we appreciate songs in all their glory. I have to say, though, that the styles on this CD are pretty varied. It was really refreshing to jump out of that Janice Kapp stereotype and into something more modern. The theme song is great - Arise & Shine. But I think my favorite track at the moment is the song "He'll answer back." It has a Missy Higgins vibe and invokes confidence in your personal testimony. I love it. I could listen to it over and over again. And every time I hear the chorus my heart just burns. I love the reminder that my God has confidence in me.

He sees the heart inside me.
He knows the strength I have.
He's always there beside me.
When I kneel down, I know He'll answer back.

The gap between followers of Christ and followers of the adversary is widening. The gray area is almost completely gone. It will cease to exist before we know it. Sometimes I panic because I don't know how I'm going to be able to raise my boys in a world that is so evil. Sometimes I smile with a confidence that comes from a higher power because I know He is watching over us and that we are steadfastly on His side. Anything to help me keep my feet firmly planted on His team is exactly what I need in my life. The lyrics from the Arise & Shine Forth CD help empower and remind me of the responsibility I have. I love that.

There's a song called "All Great Men" on the CD that also just brings me so much peace. I hope my boys will listen to it and understand it and strive to live up to its words. I feel like young men nowadays are either rockin' or total losers. Cam is rockin'. Lucky me. :) I hope my boys will be rockin' too. WANT to get married. WANT to have a family. WANT to work hard to provide, preside and protect. Having media around that encourages that can only help.

I know the CD is aimed at the youth. Maybe I'm immature, but I couldn't help but connect with it on a totally personal level. It came into my life during a bit of a rough patch and it was exactly what I needed.

So, want a copy for you? I thought so.

Enter below and I'll pick a winner next Friday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Full Disclosure: I received compensation for this post in the form of a CD to keep and a CD to give away to one of my awesome readers. All the opinions are completely my own. I'll tell ya if it totally stinks! Don't worry. :)

4 Years & Counting

4 years ago I met Cameron Call at EFY [an LDS church camp for youth 14-18]. We were counselors. And we were bought, sold, and paid for before we'd known each other 5 days. We enjoyed 2 weeks of a whirlwind summer romance that should probably be written into a novel. And that summer romance turned into an everyday love that I still can't get enough of.

Friday, we were driving up to Flagstaff for an open house so all of the Flagstaff peeps could meet the boys. On the way there, Cameron said,

"Do you realize that tomorrow is exactly 4 years since we met?"

I am always blown away by all the little details he remembers. We kept talking about how fun it was to meet at EFY, how the Flagstaff EFY session was probably going on right at that moment. We realized it was Friday, which meant there was a dance. And then we decided we HAD to stop by and just see if they would let us in.

We strapped the boys into their carriers and walked, hand-in-hand, past the dorms we stayed in [and the stairwells we'd make out in after lights out...], past the cafeteria where all sorts of flirting through our participants happened [One of Cam's boys sat across the table from me, asked me my name to be sure he had the right girl, winked at me, stood up and walked away], through the parking lot where we took our very first picture together, and up the stairs where I heard Cameron play the piano for the first time. I tracked down the session director because I knew asking a counselor would just result in a "no."

I introduced myself and said, "I know you don't normally do this because I used to be the counselor that kept everyone out of that dance...but my husband and I met here 4 years ago. We were counselors at this session and we were wondering if we could just dance to one song. We'll keep to the back and try not to attract any attention..."

The session director's wife clapped her hands and was so excited. We got permission to head upstairs to the ballroom for the next slow song. I.was.giddy. We danced to a Rascal Flatts song. And Cameron kept his hand on my shoulder blade like he was supposed to. And then he kissed me quick at the end of the song like he's not supposed to. And the lyrics "...this life becomes all that you want it to..." kept playing over and over in my mind.

I am seriously the luckiest. What on earth did I do to get this handsome man to look at me like that?

Also, my boys were swarmed by the ladies. Camera flashes were everywhere. So much for not attracting attention. They're already lady-killers. Watch out stake dance circuit. You have 14 years to prepare yourself.

And for kicks, here's that picture from 4 years ago. :)