Day 2: School Days

Today we will start out with some random Buddy Holly facts.

Buddy was tall & lanky at 5'11½ , and weighed 145 pounds.
Hair: dark brown
Eyes: brown
Born: Sept. 7th, 1936 to Lawrence & Ella Holley in Lubbock, TX.
One sister Patricia (deceased), two brothers Larry & Travis. His brothers reside in Lubbock, TX
Religion: Fundamentalist Baptist
Hobbies: Leatherwork, water-skiing, hunting, fishing, painting, playing guitar
Favorite Foods: thick steak, fried okra, pizza, peanut butter sandwiches
Favorite Clothes: T-shirt and jeans
Pets: Booker T. (cat) and Alonzo (dog)
High School Girlfriend: Echo McGuire

In 1949 Buddy made a recording of Hank Snow's 'My Two-Timin' Woman' on a wire recorder "borrowed" by a friend who worked in a music shop (not, as is often reported, a home tape recorder), his first known recording. During the fall of that year he met Bob Montgomery in Hutchinson Junior High School. They shared a common interest in music and soon teamed up as the duo "Buddy and Bob." Initially influenced by bluegrass music, they sang harmony duets at local clubs and high school talent shows. In Lubbock, Holly attended Hutchinson Junior High School, which has a mural honoring him, and Lubbock High School, which has numerous features to honor the late musician. His musical interests grew throughout high school while singing in the Lubbock High School Choir.

Throughout high school Buddy dated a girl named Echo McGuire.

"I first remember meeting Buddy in fourth grade at Roscoe Wilson Elementary School. At that time, he was just another boy who liked to tease me and pull on my long braids," McGuire reminisced.

Holly attended a different school beginning the second half of fifth and sixth grades, but both attended J.T. Hutchinson Junior High for seventh, eight and ninth grades. McGuire remembers the assemblies in which Holly and his best friend, Bob Montgomery, played their guitars and sang.

"It was during the ninth grade that the three of us became good friends," McGuire said. "When school was out for the summer the guys would come by my house, when they weren't working, and we would play ping-pong in my backyard and then go get a Coke."

In the fall of that year when McGuire, Holly and Montgomery began the tenth grade at Lubbock High School (LHS), McGuire began dating both Buddy and Bob.

"I attended a LHS football game on my first date with Buddy. It was kind of awkward because both of the guys wanted to date me. My mother was firm about not 'going steady,' so I dated both of them – usually, to the football game with one on Friday nights, and to a movie with the other on Saturday," recalled McGuire, who by the spring of that year had quit dating Montgomery.

McGuire believes that Holly was a genuinely good guy, likable, had a good sense of humor, and was talented in many areas besides music. Once Holly made her a leather belt and chaps to wear to LHS "Western Day"—they even rode horses to school. "He came from a musical family, and also from a conservative church background; he had a great respect for his mother, and she usually set a curfew for him."

The pair dated through the rest of high school, graduating in 1955, and into McGuire's college years. Her first year of college, McGuire attended Abilene Christian University (ACU) which was about three hours from Lubbock; this was convenient since Buddy had stayed at home to work in his father's business and pursue his musical career. However, McGuire and her roommate at ACU decided to go to a small liberal arts school, York College in Nebraska, the following year.

"Being so far away from Lubbock put a strain on my relationship with Buddy, but we kept in touch by mail. During the fall semester, he drove up to visit me in York, which helped to 'break up' the long term away from home. Then, of course, we were together while I was in Lubbock for the Christmas vacation," McGuire said.

However, when she returned to York that spring, she met Ronald Griffith, another musician and the man she would eventually break Holly's heart for.

"Since I was the receptionist for the registrar's office, I was the first girl Ron met at York. When he inquired about me, several of the boys told him that he was 'out of luck' because I was Buddy Holly's girlfriend. He was a bit intimidated when he found out that it was true, but when we began to date later that semester, we found that we shared many ideas, goals and interests," McGuire said.

Holly was already growing famous by this time; he had recorded several records, been on the Ed Sullivan Show and had toured in the United States and abroad. He and Montgomery had opened for Elvis Presley’s show in Lubbock. Following the show, Holly took McGuire backstage to meet Presley. When he asked if he could kiss her, she turned him down. "I wasn't that kind of girl," she explained.

Having been raised in the Church of Christ, McGuire believed that she should marry within their church framework and Holly was a Baptist. So that presented a major obstacle in their relationship. By the time she went home for Christmas in her junior year, she realized that they were headed in two different directions, and she broke up with Holly. Unknown to her at the time, he had been planning to give her a gold necklace with his name in script. After they broke up, he gave the necklace to his mother to keep, and many years later, when Griffith met Larry Holley, Buddy's older brother, he gave the necklace to her.

Echo and Ron were married Feb.14, 1958, and eventually had three children.

Buddy performed bluegrass on the radio station KDAV, usually with his friend Bob Montgomery. Several recordings have survived and they resemble an adolescent Flatt and Scruggs. They played the roller rink and on station promotions, opening for Elvis Presley in 1955. Sonny Curtis comments: "It was Buddy and Bob's group, and I played fiddle. We played country music, but when Elvis came along, Buddy fell in love with Elvis and we began to change. The next day we became Elvis clones." Larry lent Buddy the money for a Fender Stratocaster.

Holly turned to rock music after seeing Elvis Presley sing live in Lubbock in early 1955. A few months later, he appeared on the same bill with Presley, also in Lubbock. Holly's transition to rock continued when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets at a local rock show organized by Eddie Crandall, who was also the manager for Marty Robbins. As a result of this performance, Holly was offered a contract with Decca Records to work alone, which he accepted. According to the Amburn book (p. 45), his public name changed from "Holley" to "Holly" on 8 February 1956, when he signed the Decca contract. Among the tracks recorded for Decca was an early version of "That'll Be The Day", which took its title from a phrase that John Wayne's character said repeatedly in the 1956 film, The Searchers.

Buddy's School Days


1949 - Grade 6, age 13


1949 - Buddy & Barbara Denning
"King & Queen Of The 6th Grade at Roosevelt School


1953 - Grade 10


1953 choir - Buddy is on the far left, second from the top




1954 - Grade 11 (top photo is unused alternate)


Second alternate for Grade 11 (note his bad teeth)






1955 - Grade 12 (bottom photo is unused alternate shot)


Buddy graduated at Lubbock High School
May 27, 1955

"Buddy Holly Week"

In a weeks time it will be the 50 year anniversary of the tragic plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Big Bopper and the pilot Roger Petersen. Which is also known as "The day the music died." About this time last year I have really took a liking to Buddy Holly. I really have no idea where it came from but in my opinion Buddy Holly is a Rockstar. Right before I moved to NZ I was reading books on Buddy which I never did get a chance to finish but I will one day. I said to my mom that it probably wasn't a good idea to be reading about him just a few weeks before I was getting on a plane for a long flight. Since I think Buddy Holly is the coolest I have decided to make this "Buddy Holly Week" on my blog. I just read an article that says the Surf Ballroom (the last place Buddy performed) is doing the same thing. They have all these cool activities and I REALLY wish that I could've gone because it would have been the coolest thing in the history of all things cool. Today I will start with Buddy's childhood and a look around Lubbock TX.

Buddy was born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock Texas on September 7th, 1936. The youngest of four children Buddy grew up in a modest environment. His father Lawrence Holley worked various odd jobs and throughout 1930’s and 1940’s was employed as a tailor and salesman in a local clothing store. His mother Ella Drake Holley was a full time mother and housewife. The “e” in Holly’s name was dropped due to a spelling error on his first recording contract. Excited, and not wanting to jeopardize his contract, he simply signed his name as Buddy, a childhood nickname, Holly.

Buddy Holly was raised in a musical household. His mother Ella was an excellent vocalist, having sung duets with her sister from an early age. Oldest brother Larry studied classical violin, Travis played accordion, and Pat played piano and sang. Buddy's father, "L.O.," was the designated listener. "He couldn't carry a tune in a bag," Travis recalls.

Buddy, however, was quite another story. As a child, he showed a quick aptitude for music, taking violin and piano lessons, and later steel guitar lessons, before losing interest. It wasn't until brother Travis returned from the Marine Corps with a $15 pawnshop Harmony that Buddy took up guitar. "I taught him a few basic chords - - G,C,D,A,E," recalls Travis, "and before long he was telling me, 'No, Travis, you're playing it wrong, it should go like this.'" "Buddy was very quick to learn. Mother used to say it was a shame that he wasn't so quick in applying himself to arithmetic and spelling."

He told his parents he wanted to play the guitar, and even though they were struggling financially they still found a way to grant his request. It wasn’t long before Buddy was entertaining his friends on the school bus and contemplating a musical career.

Tour of Lubbock

Buddy's First Home



1911 6th Street
Lawrence and Ella Holley lived in a small one-story home when their fourth and last child Charles Hardin Holley, was born. Nicknamed "Buddy," he chose to adopt the spelling" Holly" when it was first misspelled on his first record contract in 1956. The house has since been moved from the original lot, which now stands empty.

Lawrence & Ella Holley's Home

1606 39th St.
Buddy Holly married Maria Elena Santiago on August 15th, 1958 in a private ceremony at his parents home. The Holley's family pastor, Ben Johnson conducted the ceremony, and Joe B. Mauldin and J.I. Allison attended the small affair, along with several friends. As soon as the service was over, Joe and J.I. played the record "Now We're One/" The Holly's & Allisons honeymooned in Acapulco for a week after the wedding.

J.I. Allison's Home

2215 6th Street
This area has since been leveled for redevelopment, so there's nothing to visit anymore. Buddy Holly and The Crickets often rehearsed in the back room of this home, which still belongs to J.I. Allison of the Crickets. This is also the house in which the name "The Crickets" was chosen, inspired by a musical group called "The Spiders." Buddy Holly and J.I. actually wrote. "That'll Be The Day at this home. Some documentaries have featured color footage of the group in front of this house.

Tabernacle Baptist Church

1911 34th Street
Buddy Holly and his family attended church at the Tabernacle Baptist Church. Buddy Holly's funeral was later held in the sanctuary on Saturday, February 7, 1959.

Roscoe Wilson Elementary School

2801 25th Street
Buddy attended first through the middle of fifth grade here before his family moved to a different county, where he then spent a year and a half at Roosevelt.

Hutchinson Junior High

3102 Canton
Buddy Holly entered 7th grade here & became friends with Bob Montgomery. The duo quickly became known for their musical talent and lack of stage fright. Buddy, Bob, and J.I. began performing together at school functions. Holly's mother recalled one parent's night the duo dedicated "Too Old to Cut the Mustard" by the Carlisle Brothers to their teachers.

Lubbock High School

2004 19th Street
Buddy Holly graduated with the class of 1955 of Lubbock High School. Holly was a member of the Lubbock High Choir and performed in the Lubbock High Auditorium in various talent shows and concerts. While attending Lubbock High, Holly studied leather working, and blueprint reading. Buddy was also involved in his first fender bender in his mother's car in front of he school, when the teen was waving to friends as he drove.

Hi-D-Ho

3rd St. & University
Drive-in restaurants combined America's love of the automobile with their desire to socialize and dine, becoming a classic part of the 1950's American culture.

The Hi-D-Ho Drive-in restaurant was a favorite gathering place for most Lubbock teenagers including Buddy Holly and The Crickets. "Circling the Ho" meant driving around the Hi-D-Ho in order to be "seen" and to socialize with your friends. Besides spending free time at the Hi-D-Ho, Buddy and The Crickets performed at the establishment for promotional events. Unfortunately it's been demolished long ago and a new burger stop "Tommy's is in its place.

Lawson Roller Rink

2nd & University
A matter of blocks from where The Hi-D-Ho once stood is another once popular 50's teen spot, The Lawson Roller Rink. It later changed into a youth center and is now a warehouse for Bell Dairy (across the street also). It was almost recently demolished until a handful of Holly fans, friends, and nostalgic citizens asked the city to make it a historical landmark instead of tear it down, which was approved by the City of Lubbock.

KDAV Radio Studios (presently KRFE AM 580)

6602 Martin Luther King Boulevard
The KDAV Studios began operation in September 1953 and may have been the first full time country music station in the U.S. "Pappy" Dave Stone gave Buddy Holly and Jack Neal a chance to perform on the air during the "Sunday Party." this later evolved into a regular slot at 2:30 p.m. every Sunday for the trio (Buddy, Bob Montgomery and Larry Welborn). The Segment was called "The Buddy & Bob Show.

Venture Recording Studio

1926 19th Street (a few doors down from Lubbock High)
In late Nov/early Dec. 1956 Buddy J.I. & some unknown musicians thought they'd check out friend Bobby Peebles' recording studio. They recorded 11 rock & roll standards & 1 guitar instrumental (now known as "Holly Hop") in front of a few friends 3 3/4 ips tape. Most of these can be heard on the Vigotone Box Set. Now a vacant building, but some rock & roll history was made inside of it!

Mears Mazda Dealership

1211 19th Street
Lubbock businesses often had live entertainment to attract customers to their establishment. The Womble Oldsmobile car dealership hired Buddy Holly and The Crickets to play at one of their sales promotions. To attract greater public interest and increase the visibility of the event, Buddy and The Crickets performed on the roof of the building.

Fair Park Coliseum



Ave. A & 10th St.
The Fair Park Coliseum was the host to many of the popular musicians of the era. Buddy was "discovered" here and performed many times during the 1950's. This is also where he opened the shows for many musicians including Bill Haley and Elvis Presley.

The Cotton Club

Approx. 15 miles East of Lubbock on Slaton Highway 84
This is the spot where the original Cotton Club was, which burnt down in the early '60s. This is the rebuilt version.

It was 1955 that Buddy saw Elvis Presley perform at the Cotton Club and Buddy forever changed his style from country standards to rock & roll. Almost torn down in 1978, the building was sold and turned into an Adult Club/Bookstore and a sad story is that all of the stars that performed there had signed one of the club walls. When it was sold, the new owner simply painted over the wall!!

Color backstage film footage of Buddy, Sonny Curtis, Don Guess, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and the earliest film footage of Elvis exist from his performance at the club in 1955.

Thanks to www.buddyhollyonline.com for pictures and information.

100th post or possibly 107th?

Woohoo 100 posts!!Well actually I think this is more like my 107th post! whoops! I was planning on doing this on my exact 100th post but since I found videos from the conference and it kinda put me over 100 before I could do this post! So here it is just a tad bit late! I was going to tell 100 things about myself. On Sunday church we had a lesson on gratitude. Since this is my blog I thought it would benefit me a lot more if I changed it to 100 things I am grateful for. so here it goes...

1. Gospel - I would be completely lost without it!
2. Mom
3. Dad
4. Jared
5. Caleb
6. Nana - if she had never joined the church I wouldn't have it in my life today! She is a true pioneer in my family!
7. Extended Family/Friends
8. Music
9. Education
10. Living in New Zealand
11. The beach
12. Having a healthy functioning body
13. Technology
14. Laughter - {if you are feeling down google laughter and click on images. you can't help but smile when you see so many happy faces!}
15. Joseph Smith
16. Thomas S Monson and all former prophets
17. TV and movies - they do a good job at keeping me entertained :)
18. Having cars that work! - it is so much nicer when this or that isn't wrong with them.
19. Getting letters from Elder Ball - It's like Christmas every monday!
20. Teaching sunday school
21. Growing up in AZ
22. Water - I would be dead without it!
23. Piano - I love having one and playing it everyday!
24. My laptop
25. My parents have always been able to provide me with the necessities.
26. Facebook - awesome for keeping in contact with people while I am living down under!
27. I have always had clean water to drink and food to eat - very essential
28. The wonderful future ahead of me
29. I figured out what I wanted to study in college when I was only 16.
30. I can read and write
31. Being alive
32. Sunshine
33. Books
34. My ipod - I never go anywhere without it. It's literally attached to me.
35. Listening to rain on the roof while lying in bed.
36. Skype
37. Conversations with others (short and long)
38. Sunsets and sunrises
39. My bed
40. Sleep - lots and lots of it
41. Having two different countries to call home
42. The smell of my dior perfume! Delish!
43. My sight
44. My hearing
45. Having the opportunity to learn something new everyday
46. Summer
47. Road trips
48. Opportunities to grow and learn - because I am so not perfect.
49. Lazy days - I probably need more productive days though
50. Learning asl and nzsl
51. This beautiful world that i live in
52. Waking up early and realizing I still have a few more minutes to sleep.
53. Random acts of kindness
54. I have the support of my family in whatever I choose to do - unless it's a bank robbery. That might not go down so well.
55. The feeling you get after finishing a working out.
56. I have an optimistic outlook on life
57. I have always lived in a safe and stable environment.
58. My clothes and shoes
59. Experiences I have had in my life.
60. Pictures
61. Prayer
62. Scriptures
63. Cell phones
64. Holidays - Christmas, Thanksgiving etc.
65. Ability to think - even though I seem brain dead at times.
66. Children - They are so adorable!
67. Planes - They are so much faster and I love flying!
68. Wishing on shooting stars - yes I still do it!
69. Hugs
70. Memories
71. Trying new things
72. Learning about history - I am currently obsessed with the 1940s- 1950s.
73. I have a working shower and toilet. - very essential
74. My hair is a tad bit longer now than when I was 17. - That means it is the longest it has ever been.
75. A full moon when it isn't cloudy - I have the perfect view from my bed.
76. Compliments - They make me happy :)
77. Fireplaces in winter
78. Flowers - especially gerber daises
79. A brand new year - 2009 is going to be amazing. i can feel it in my bones.
80. Guitar hero - it is great fun
81. Family History and also that I have been able to be a proxy for several family members.
82. Google - it is amazing. you can find out anything by typing in a word and hit enter.
83. My Savior Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father - this really should be at the top but I just thought of it. I know shame on me.
84. iTunes - greatest invention ever. except for maybe electricity and the internet. Nevermind it isn't the greatest invention ever, but it is still pretty darn awesome
85. Music videos - I love watching them. Except the sleazy ones.
86. Driving with the windows rolled down.
87. The opportunities I have had and will have to travel
88. Winter
89. Dreams and my imagination - Corny I know.
90. Getting emails or messages from friends - they make my day!
91. My testimony
92. A soft cool breeze when it is hot outside
93. High speed internet - SO much better than dial up!
94. Smell of fresh bread, cookies or anything coming out of the oven!
95. Fall - it is my favorite season!
96. comments on my blog - hint hint. if you feel the need go right ahead I won't complain :)
97. I am going to see Taylor Swift in 1 month in Aussie!!!!
98. Life and all the roller coaster of emotions and experiences it brings.
99. my blog that I am able to type this list on - which rocks hardcore! {I mean the blog. not that this list isn't totally awesome as well}
100. and last but not least you for taking time to read my blog, for which I thank you!

Tons of stuff!

I found clips of the ysa conference variety show on Youtube! Of course! haha. I put up some of my favorite ones which is actually quite a few! I suggest watching all of them but if you can't then you HAVE to watch the beginning of the first video. It is crack up! You will not regret it! You also should watch the Haka which is the one below, the dedication to mum. It is so sweet and also the How Can I Be. That song is amazing. You SERIOUSLY need to listen to it. I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it the beginning of last year. Also don't forget to read the post under all of the videos! If you don't have much time now definitely come back because I have alot of stuff on here to waste your time! haha!

JUST FRIENDS - NATIONAL YSA CONF 2009

TIKA TONU - NATIONAL YSA CONF 2009

I'M YOURS - NATIONAL YSA CONF 2009

DEDICATION TO MUM - NATIONAL YSA CONF 2009

BANANA PANCAKES - NATIONAL YSA CONF 2009

HOW CAN I BE (LIKE THEM) - NATIONAL YSA CONF 2009

NEW YEARS EVE DANCE - NATIONAL YSA CONF 2009

I'm Back!!

So I have been MIA for quite awhile and that means I have heaps of stuff to blog about! yay! Unfortunately I was a really bad picture taker and have zero pictures. So it's going to get a little wordy. But first things first:


Yay for 2009!! I am definitely excited to see what the exciting things this new year will have to offer!

The reason for me being absent is due partly to laziness but mostly because I spent a week in Hamilton at the national New Zealand YSA conference! It was amazing. It was the biggest one they have had ever! There were a little over a thousand ysa there. Insane! There is so much I could write so I will try and sum everything up!

I went up with my stake on the day before. We had two vans that were rented from piggy packers. funny name i know. There were about 20 people total that went up with the vans and then there were a few that brought up their own cars. The van I was in had three different rows. The back row that fit three. the middle row had two single chairs. The the front row was a bench that fit another three but it was facing the back not the front. I was sitting on one of the single seat there was pretty much no leg room between the two. Luckily I have short legs so I don't need much leg room. But I felt bad for the guy sitting in front of me!

We left at about 10 in the morning to go up to Hamilton. It is about a 7 hour drive but we stopped off in Taupo for lunch and swimming so we didn't get to Hamilton until about 9 that night! Our first stop in Hamilton was actually the temple! While accommodation was being figured out. They had Christmas light up around the temple! It wasn't as extensive as the Mesa Temple but still just as amazingly gorgeous!

Wednesday morning we thought that registration was at 10 but we ended up having to wait for about an hour and a half because of technical problems. But I also don't think that they were ready for us because we came early. My uncle was one of the main people in charge of the whole ysa conference. I was able to see him and my auntie and cousin lara. I hadn't seen them in years! So it was awesome to see them. Once I was registered me and lara took off to go see my nana! Which was really lovely. I visited with her for a couple hours and had lunch with her. I headed back to the college (just an fyi when I say college I really mean high school. High schools are called colleges over here.) I was wandering around campus when I met some lovely girls from Auckland who were doing the same. So I hung out with them. We had to wait what felt like forever before everything actually started. About 6 pm is when we went into the auditorium to have the first "official" meeting! Then we split into our assigned groups and met everyone! After we headed out to the tennis courts for dinner and the new years dance! I met the coolest girl from England named Charlotte! She had just moved to NZ 2 days before the conference! Since neither of us knew too many people there we kinda stuck together the whole conference. The dance was pretty cool. They switched back and forth between a DJ and a live band. At midnight (although I am pretty sure it was 12:05. Normal ysa time! haha) They let off some amazing fireworks! Seriously they would rival 4th of July Fireworks. I totally wasn't expecting something that huge!

Every morning for those staying in the dorms (which meant me!) could go and have breakfast at 8 and then we had our team meetings at 9. Around 9:30 we had devotional in the auditorium. Then it was off to whatever the day's activities consisted of. We had Brad Wilcox as our speaker! He was incredible! I will have to do another post of things that were discussed during devotionals otherwise it would be WAY to long of a post!

On Thursday after devotional was finished they had all of the boys exit the room and they had all the girls fill up every other row. Then they brought the boys back in and had them fill in the empty rows. It turns out they were doing speed dating! haha! That was pretty cool. I met some people who I probably wouldn't have otherwise talked too. The only bad thing about that was there were a ton more girls than boys! So some of the girls sat and talked with each other! After speed dating they had set up this huge maze! It was pretty amazing! They gave you these cards and once you got a certain activity finished then you had it punched to show that you had completed it. They had some crazy tasks that included, Dancing, Being hit with paintballs, eating a small raw onion, driving bumper cars, climbing up a ladder and crossing a bridge, being blind folded and trying to walk a plank, 3 ball toss, slip n slide, a HUGE blow up slide and a few other I can't think of. But it was so much fun! Minus being hit with paintballs that hurt quite a bit! Also the waiting in between activities. Some people had to wait hours for some activities. It was insane! Luckily I didn't have to wait too long. Later that night we went to a water park. Which compared to the water parks in the states was not very impressive. But they had huge swimming pools and a slide! Once we got back to the college they had Karoke and they showed Kung Fu Panda!

The next day was the workshops! I actually only went to the morning ones! I know I am a sinner. But at least I didn't take off to the beach like quite a few ysa did! Me and Charlotte were super tired and we slept pretty much the entire afternoon! Around 4:30 they did this thing where they served pizza. But there was a catch, you had to have a date to be able to get some and then you were supposed to go off and eat and get to know each other. Me and Charlotte and Lily actually didn't head down there until around 6. By that time they were handing out the pizza so we grabbed one and took it back to our room! That night was the Ball! Once we finished eating we started getting ready! We headed to the dance probably around 9ish since our dorm mum came and kicked us out. Luckily we were ready but there were some girls that were just getting in the shower. I don't know what happened with them! The Ball was decorated awesome! The theme was a winter wonderland. So they had bubbles coming down to look like snow. It was amazing. Probably the best thing about the dance was that guys were actually asking girls to dance! So for the first hour me and the girls I came with were out dancing with different guys! Brother Wilcox kinda lectured them about that and it looked like it worked! I spent the night dancing away!

Later that night me and charlotte were ready for bed and our next door neighbor lilly came and chatted with us for a bit! Apparently when she went to go back to her room she had jammed the door! So she couldn't get back into her room! It was probably about 2 in the morning. She went to go find the dorm mum to help her out. About 3:30 we heard this drilling outside our window. We were thinking what the heck is that. Charlotte got up and looked out the window. She said "Excuse me what are you doing" The people down below were like " Oh there's people inside the room! A girl in room 19 jammed her door and we are trying to open it for her." Charlotte said " Oh well this is room 20" They said "Sorry Wrong room!" Finally about 4 they got their door open again and we were able to go to sleep!

Saturday morning we had service projects! Me and Charlotte chose to do the ysa choir. Apparently that was a service. We were one of the first ones done so we went down to the temple. We ended up playing the piano and singing hymns with some other ysa for a couple hours! It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me! That night we had a variety show! Which was fabulous! There are so many talented ysa in NZ!

Sunday morning we had testimony meeting. They had some RM's Pre mish and converts come up and speak. It was really good. But also really long. I think it was about 3 and a half hours. After that conference was over! We had packed up everything and one of the vans had taken off. My van was a little slow on getting going because we were trying to figure out who was and wasn't going. We were just about to hit the road when we got a call from the other van and they had broken down. It turned out that they had blown the engine so we had to stay in Hamilton for another night! Which I actually didn't mind because I got to go stay with my nana!

The next morning a new van was brought up and we were able to get home without any problems! So there is pretty much the whole conference in a nutshell! I may or may not add a few more posts about it! But overall it was amazing and I had a fantastic time!