Huntsman Senior Games

On Saturday, October 3rd, all the old ladies that would be carrying the flags in the Huntsman Games met at Diamond Talent studio to learn our stuff.  One of the ladies, a grandma to one of the dancers at the studio (Sadie Wier) had just battled breast cancer and was talking to Jana. (Yes, Jana came down this year.  So much fun to have her here for 5 days while Charlie was in Colorado helping Steph with her house.) I was listening to them.  Dahlva had a very strong accent and I found out that she was from Brazil.  I mentioned I had been to Brazil in 1973.  Her eyes got really big and she asked if it was with the Young Ambassadors.  Oh man!  I love when that happens.  She and her 2 sisters were trying to find the "American boys" and ask them about their church.  The missionaries tracted out their house while they were at Carnival.  They had begged their divorced mom to ask them to come back if they ever knocked on their door while she was home. Their Mom did!!  They were all baptized and joined the little branch in Sao Paulo that met upstairs a store.  She and her 2 sisters were not allowed to do much so when we came and put on our show, they were sooooo excited and very proud to be Mormons.  She says that they came up after the show and hugged everybody jabbering away in Portugese.  She met her husband the next year when he came to Brazil on his mission.  She followed him back to the states and they were married.  Her sister now lives here as well.  Her daughter is a teacher at Diamond Talent for Melinda.  Her granddaughter, Sadie, is a triple threat, talented dancer, singer, actor at the age of 13!!  btw - There are now 7 stakes in Sao Paulo and 50 stakes in Brazil!!  That seemed almost impossible until I realized it has been 42 years.

Back to the Senior Games.  What fun.  The dress rehearsal was on the field on Monday night. Two and  a half hours squeezed in between 4 or 5 very powerful rainstorms.  Brian and Melinda were pretty stressed.  But the performance on Tuesday night was brilliant!  The weather was perfect.  Seventy degrees and calm.

The athletes come in waving flags grouped by sport: Badminton, race walking, tennis, pickle ball, softball, bridge, etc.

The flag ladies get to line the field as they walk by, high fiving, yelling, dancing, etc.  Gorgeous sky, huh? I probably should have taken a selfie.  I was dancing, yelling, high-fiving, and carrying on.  I was having a little bit too much fun, but hey!  The music just made me go crazy.

 After everybody is in their seats, we all put these flags away and put on our big flags for the Parade of Nations.  I was Albania and Jana was Armenia.  I took a picture while I was on the field while the other flags were coming down the ramp and getting set on the field.
 Melinda's students were amazing as always.  Melinda sang the encore "You'll Never Walk Alone" and then the torch was lit and the fireworks went off.  At which time we totally just ran around the field waving our flags like idiots!  It was beyond fun.!.!

Jana on the left, and my neighbor, Trudy with the India flag on the right.  Jana's daughter-in-law, Malika, was born in India.  Married Alan.