Stake Conference

So this weekend was Stake Conference out here in the heartland. The stake center is an hour and a half drive away, so we always drive down Saturday afternoon for the potluck dinner and the adult session, then spend the night at a hotel nearby. My brothers and parents all love spending time at the pool. I would too, except I've already packed away my swimsuit. Both sessions were amazing. The Sunday session was a regional broadcast from SLC with President Eyring, Elder Cook, and others speaking. It was really good.

Despite how wonderful the speakers all were, I was falling asleep during most of Sunday. The hotel room we got had two beds and a bed-couch. Since last year the youngest and I had been delegated to the couch, this year I had insisted on the bed. I got hardly any sleep last year, so I thought having the bed would make a big different. Unfortunately I was still stuck with the youngest, Danny, and he is a violent sleeper. So about every twenty minutes I got his knee in my behind, or a foot on my knee. But it doesn't end there.

In order to get my brain to stop thinking enough to go to sleep, I need to have music playing, as a distraction. So I had my mp3 player going, set to go to sleep after an hour. But because Danny kept kicking me, I couldn't fall asleep. Then, when the music turned off, I tried to go to sleep without it, since I was tired enough that my brain was sluggish anyway. However, both dad and Joe snore, so without the music all I could hear was wood being sawed from both my left and right. So, I turned my music back on to drown it out. It gets worse.

Mom had been cold earlier, so she had turned the room heater on to about 79 degrees. By bedtime, it had been forgotten, so we had the heater set at 79 degrees all night. And I normally sleep in a room that is cooler than 65 degrees at night, so I was boiling to death under the light covers. So I still couldn't get to sleep for another hour of music. This went on for about four cycles of music, before I finally gave up and left the music off, but kept my earphones (Skullcandy earbuds) in so that I couldn't hear the snoring. Not the most comfortable way to go to sleep. So all in all, I think I got maybe three hours of sleep before waking up at 7:30 to shower.

So on the way home I rode with Joe in his car, since he had come about an hour after we had because of work. I tried to stay awake, since he was talking to me, but the last half an hour of the drive I was dozing like crazy. Finally, about fifteen minutes from home, I let my head fall back against the headrest and I went to sleep. I didn't sleep very long, because about a minute later Joe shouts in my ear as loud as he can. I think I jumped a foot before the seatbelt stopped me. It was quite an entertaining way to wake up, and we both had a good laugh.

I am so glad I won't be here for next stake conference. I don't think I would survive another sleepless night in bed with Danny.