I grew up in Vegas

And the strip is just not that cool! During the youth session of our stake conference last weekend one of the girls who spoke talked about how weird it was to go on an Orchestra trip to Vegas. She talked about the nasty smoke smell in the casino, the cool yet evil flashing lights on the gaming machines and the general feeling of unease that she experienced walking through it all. And that's pretty much how it is. Having lived here in Mesa for 3+ years now, it is strange to walk back into a casino (to get to the movie theatre inside...tell me that wasn't strategically planned!) and cough and gasp for fresh air again. That's one of those things that is easily and happily forgotten.
But I LOVE that I grew up there. Although my parents probably cringed a little more than some just to send me off to high school, I am so grateful that I had to learn to be an example of what I believed instead of "just another mormon" who could justify anything they did wrong because some other "mormon" did it too. Just like standing on the west side of the Vegas Temple grounds and looking out toward the Strip and the evil that it represents, I had to be set apart from the evil that was there in the school. Vegas is black and white. No gray.
I don't mean to say that I grew up in a better place than anyone else, but that it was the best thing for me. We are told "someone is always watching" and I always knew that was true. I learned at a young age to be the example the Lord needed me to be (and I hope I didn't blow it too often) and it helped me form habits that have made me the person I am now.