Sigh...

Patience is a virtue I don't always have. I consider myself rather patient when it comes to people, kids, weirdos, long-winded phone talkers, bad singers, that kind of thing. But, when it comes to things I want in my life, I find it hard to have patience. Ironically, those are the things for which I have no other choice but to be patient. The long-term, maybe-it-will-happen-someday types of things are hard.

I'm tired.

I don't like working out, but it is quite necessary. An aching back and tight jeans make that quite clear.

I don't understand men.

I am working on figuring out why my professor gave me a grade lower than I think I deserve. I am also working on getting him to change it.

I have somehow run out of time off and go back to work Wednesday not having accomplished anything I planned on. I did other important things, and I had time off to do these unexpected things, so I'm certainly not complaining. But still...

Sigh...

Time to go to bed. Tomorrow I will work out, organize, set goals, smile more, and see my mom. Life is good.

Humility

humility |(h)yoōˈmilitē|
noun
a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness.

humility |(h)yoōˈmilitē|
noun
when your three-year-old nephew gets a better bowling score than you do.

It's a good thing winning isn't everything...

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a great holiday filled with family and friends. I arrived at my mom's new house Sunday evening and was able to see the renovations that have been done and the plans that are still in progress. The house is very nice, and I love the trees and yard.

My brother Bobby, his wife, Katrinka, and kids, Teleya, Lochlan, and Torin, were here when I arrived. I was able to spend time with them on Monday which was great fun. I had never met Torin before. He is a beautiful, sweet, mellow baby boy. Loch is a funny little man. A highlight of the week was when Loch asked me to help him put on his shoes. Teleya is a smart little girl with a good sense of humor. And, thanks to Bobby, she is tough! I had a wonderful time with them.

Christmas Eve was spent with Mom, Ron, Blake, Matt, Andy, and Davie. We had mini build-your-own pizzas and watched "The Nativity." Then Andy and I did a repeat performance of the song we sang at church on Sunday. It was very nice. We had family prayer, then each faded off to sleep one by one. I did help Mom wrap some presents that still needed to be placed under the tree before I went to sleep. I particularly enjoyed wrapping Andy's presents. One had candy cane wrapping paper with a Halloween ribbon and a fat angel baby tag. Another had wrapping paper with flowers and berries, a plaid ribbon, a cherry, a pine cone, and a Woodstock tag. Stylish.

This morning we had the traditional opening of stockings from Santa. Two highlights: a book of funny road signs and a giant blow-up bouncy ball... what do you call them? Well, you sit on them and they have a handle and you bounce. We all got one, and we all enjoyed bouncing on them, hitting each other with them, playing volleyball with them, and being gladiators with them. After stockings, we had scrambled eggs, sausage, and E.O. Rings. Yum! We opened presents - I was elected to be Santa and hand the gifts out. My "secret person" from the family drawing was my mom, and she got me a new laser printer/copier/scanner/fax machine! So cool!

Maggie and Wade arrived with their boys, Cohen and Ethan, later this afternoon. Andy and I enjoyed playing with Cohen on the swings. Cohen convinced Andy to come back and swing in a variety of styles (backwards, standing up, twisting, extra high) by pleading with him, "Uncle Andy, I NEED you!" We also enjoyed peeking in the "haunted, old playhouse" in my mom's yard. According to Cohen it has ghosts, snakes, spiders, cobwebs, and lions in it!


As the evening winds down, people are dropping off to sleep again. I am sorting through the potential plans for the next couple of days and trying to determine what friends and family I might be able to visit and what family activities might be happening. I'm happy to be here, and not just because I hear there are blizzards all week at my house. (By the way, it's been in the 60's and 70's and sunny here. We played on the green grass today in shorts and bare feet. :)

Stormy Weather

I am sitting on a blue couch wearing all blue. A blue shirt, a blue sweatshirt, blue sweats, and blue slippers. Outside a blue-colored storm is brewing. It's been windy and clear and wonderful all day, but about 20 minutes ago the clouds rolled in, the sky turned dark, and little pieces of hail started falling from the sky. (Little pieces of hail, as opposed to little pieces of heaven. :) Now, the thunder has started to roll and it's getting exciting. I would like to snuggle up next to the fire for the night, but I cannot. I have things to do, I have a music rehearsal to go to in two hours, and the gas for the fireplace is too expensive. But, I will still enjoy the evening.

I saw Mayor and Sister Gray at the mall today in Bath and Body Works. I went there to run errands with Emery. It's just so crowded! I think I'm done with any shopping until January.

Today I cooked chicken, wrote a couple emails, and took out the trash. Technically, Emery took out the trash. She loaded it in the back of my car so we could drive it all over to the dumpster. (We have a habit of letting bags pile up in the garage. Don't tell anyone - so embarrassing!)
Unfortunately, we both forgot in the one minute it took us to get in the car that there was garbage in the back of the car, and we drove off to the mall. Yuck! It was in there for something like two hours! Yuck! But, it's in the dumpster now.

Well, time to get back to work. I've got videos to edit, gifts to wrap, cookies to make, and a song to rehearse!

Tis the Season

Friday night was Emery's mom's annual gingerbread house party. Emery and I drove with our new friend Dennis to eat soup, listen to entertaining conversations, and build this year's gingerbread creations. Emery made a city skyline, Dennis made a rest stop, and I made something that Dennis decided was reminiscent of the Globe Theatre. As always, the party was great fun.

Saturday night Emery, Kristine, and I boarded Trax to travel down town for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert with the King's Singers. Thanks to Kristine (and her husband Adam who sings in the choir) I was able to see the wonderful concert. We had a great time, despite the strange girls who decided to provide a spiritual experience for all the southbound train passengers by singing Christmas songs the whole way home. As Kristine said, they completely wiped out our lingering thoughts of the beautiful music we had just heard. Sigh... :)

Dennis and another new friend, Andrew, came over and played a game called True Colors with Emery and me tonight. After that game session, Jerry and Sherry came over to play Probe (a word game) with us. We actually ended up talking with Jerry and Sherry for hours, but managed to fit in a fun round of Probe too. I was also able to find an accompanist for the song Andy and I will be singing at church next Sunday and scheduled rehearsals in the midst of all our fun visits. It was hard to find someone to play who didn't already have a million other songs and musical numbers they were committed to, but I think I've found a good pianist.

Christmas is coming! Are you ready? I thought I was, but now that I realize I have little time left, I'm not so sure. I am excited to be singing on Sunday and then traveling to Mom's house for the holiday.

Funny Friend Quotes

I need your help! I have created a list of funny friend quotes on my side bar, but I need you to help me remember other funny quotes to add to the list! Comment on this post to offer your suggestions!

Mom's Diner

When we were kids I remember many times my siblings and me saying to my mom that she ought to open a diner because her cooking is so good. As I was eating breakfast this morning I began musing about what that diner could be like. I decided that the entire menu could be set up based on the members of our family - my brothers and sisters. Each of us would have our own section of the menu, thus providing 7 different styles of food and preparation for customers. If we add on Mom and an in-law menu we could provide even more options. There would be the Bobby menu, the Erin menu, the Andy menu, etc. People would order by saying something like, "Ah yes, I would like the David breakfast please." which would include something matching David's eating habits/preferences. In the case of "The David Breakfast" this would certainly include Cocoa Crispies. So, while I take breaks from working on my final project for grad school today, I will update this blog entry with more ideas of what each of our menus would include. If you have suggestions of menu items, please comment and I will add them if I agree that they fit.

Mom
Breakfast: Mints
Lunch: Half a salad and a cup of chicken tortilla soup
Appetizers: Mints
Dinner: Stir-Fry
Dessert: Mints
Drinks: Mints

Bobby
*Every meal includes beans and rice.
Breakfast: Pancake Competition! Compete with someone at your table who ordered the Brittney Breakfast! (You've got your work cut out for you since you also have beans and rice to eat.)
Lunch:
Appetizers:
Dinner: Beans, Rice, Chopped Green Peppers, Green Beans, Bread, Bread, Bread, Bread
Dessert: Fruit Popcicle
Drinks: Sparkling Lemonade

Erin
Breakfast: Anything but eggs
Lunch:
Appetizers:
Dinner:
Dessert: chocolate, caramel, macadamia nut cheesecake
Drinks:

Andy
Breakfast: Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, and your choice of E.O. Ring or Coffee Cake
Lunch:
Appetizers:
Dinner:
Dessert:
Drinks:

Katie
*The lactose-free menu - every meal made with soy or tofu substitutes as needed
Breakfast: Eggs Benedict
Lunch:
Appetizers:
Dinner:
Dessert: Chocolate
Drinks: Water

Brittney
Breakfast: Pancake Competition! Compete with someone at your table who ordered the Bobby Breakfast!
Lunch: Salad
Appetizers:
Dinner: Salad
Dessert:
Drinks: Herbal Tea

Maggie
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Appetizers:
Dinner:
Dessert: Baked Goods (to share with everyone else, of course)
Drinks:

David
Breakfast: Cocoa Crispies
Lunch:
Appetizers:
Dinner:
Desserts: Pumpkin Pie or Funfetti Cupcakes
Drinks:

Emery
Breakfast: Granola
Lunch: Saltibarsciai
Appetizers: Crackers with Stinky Cheese
Dinner: Rabbit Food
Desserts: Pots d' Creme
Drinks: Water

In-Law Menu:
Katrinka
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Appetizers:
Dinner:
Dessert:
Drinks:

Cordon
Breakfast: Fruit Smoothies
Lunch:
Appetizers: Fruit Salad
Dinner:
Dessert: Ice Cream Topped with Fresh Fruit
Drinks: Fruit Smoothies

Casey
Breakfast: Breakfast burritos
Lunch:
Appetizers: Double Cheese Nachos
Dinner: Steak, well-done
Dessert: Candy
Drinks: Yum Punch

Wade
*Everything on the Wade menu is served in half portions. We recommend the Wade menu for those with tiny tummies.
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Appetizers:
Dinner: Venison Stew
Dessert:
Drinks:

Back to the Snow

Thursday I got the bad news that a good friend of mine passed away. Saturday I flew to San Diego to be with my friend's family and our other friends. It was a weekend filled with every emotion, interesting experiences, and great opportunities for reconnecting, reminiscing, laughing, crying, and hugging. I was so glad to be able to spend that time with friends.

I love my friend Kristine. I love my friend Ché and his new girlfriend, Stephanie. I love my mom. I love the Foster family. I love my friend Emery and the fact that she welcomed me home and let me talk for hours on Tuesday. I love all my family and friends. (I'm so full of love!) And I miss my friend Darin. It had been a while since I had last seen him, and now it will be a long time until I see him again. It was very calming to talk with people about where he is now and what he may be doing. I would not trade the nights we had this weekend to remember Darin and laugh and smile.

I was asked by Darin's mom to sing at his funeral on Monday. I was so grateful for the opportunity. I sang "Where Can I Turn for Peace?" The song was requested by Darin's brother, Devin, and it was the perfect choice. Where can we turn for peace in hard times? The Savior is the only one who truly understands all our sorrows and is always there to help make our burdens light. Devin hugged me several times and let me know how much he appreciated my singing. The look in his eyes told me we both know how true the message of the song is.

It's Been Too Long

I'm back in the blogging game! Things have been so busy with work, school, church, and of course my thriving social life ;) that I haven't had time to update my blog. But, I am off-track now, so I'll have a little bit more time to do some things I want to do - between homework and study groups, that is. So much has been going on, I hardly know where to start...

Emery and I have been singing up a storm again. Saturday we sang at our LDS Stake Conference. We performed "I Will Stand as a Witness of Christ" by Sally DeFord. It went very well, and we loved the opportunity to sing, as we always do. Elder Cecil O. Samuelson - member of the 1st Quorum of the 70 and president of BYU - presided over the meeting.

We were blessed to have our dear friend Clara Neu accompany us again due to her recent foot surgery that has prevented her from leaving to serve a church service mission in London, England with her husband. I suppose it is very selfish of me to say her breaking her foot in two places was a blessing, but I admit I was thrilled when I learned she would be here just a bit longer. She will be missed when she leaves in a couple of weeks.

We met some new friends on Saturday night at Stake Conference: Kristin, Andrew, and Dennis. They came over last night to watch the LDS First Presidency Christmas Devotional with us. We cooked s'mores and hot chocolate. Yay! Emery and I love new friends!

Friday night, Emery and I had the unique opportunity to be fairy godmothers at our friend Shae's wedding reception. Yes, Shae had a princess themed wedding. Yes, we did dress up as fairy godmothers - blue prom dresses, pink feather boas, glittering wings, crowns, wands, glitter everywhere, the works. (I'll have to post a picture when I get one.) We sang the song "Impossible! It's Possible!" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella". Later in the evening I sang "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Disney's "Cinderella" as she and her husband, Dave, danced. At one point in the night, Shae sang a solo which was followed by an elaborate, very fun dance performance by Shae, Dave, their siblings, and friends. It was actually a very entertaining evening. Shae did a great job putting together the program. We had a good time, despite the fact that everyone was staring at us (and yet, avoiding eye contact).

Saturday, Emery and I also babysat three of my nieces - Kersee, Mandie, and Heidi - while my sister Erin and her husband attended a convention for the business they are involved with. It was fun to spend time with the girls. They are very cute. Kersee is so smart - she wrote a story about the snow storm we were having, how her mom's car got stuck in the snow, the four men who helped push the car, and her mom yelling "¡Gracias!" out the car window. Mandie is a crack up. She managed to only fall off the chairs she was sitting on twice. (No permanent damage, Erin, don't worry.) Heidi loved seeing the snow falling out the window, and I loved hearing her babbling attempts to tell me all about it. By the way, the snow storm was fantastic! I don't know if I've ever seen the Salt Lake Valley look so incredibly beautiful!

Friday was my last day teaching for a whole month. My class and I went off track. We had a little holiday concert after lunch at which I sang "Jingle Bells?" (as performed by Barbara Streisand). The kids and my teammate Mrs. Simmons demanded an encore. It was a good time.

Oh ya - Thursday night I rushed down the hill from class to watch Kristine perform in her graduate student concert! She was great - the culmination of so many years of dancing. She is almost done with her master's degree in modern dance - just her thesis to go.

This is my last week of classes for the semester. I have one final next week as well, then I'm off for a couple of weeks from both work and school. Grad school is going well, but it is definitely keeping my busy. I don't know how some people get through all the readings assigned. But, I'm doing my best. I have a couple of projects, some online discussions, and my Instructional Design blog to work on this week, so I actually better get to work.

I will update again as soon as I am able! Until then, I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season!

P.S. I tried to add some links to topics mentioned in my blog in case some of you don't know what I'm talking about or would like more information. I'll try to do this frequently in my blog from now on, so keep an eye out for that.

Surrealism, War, and Rice

Last night Emery, Brian, Derrick, and I went to Kristine's PDC dance concert. It was Derrick's first experience with modern dance, and I think he had mixed feelings. :) I thought it was a great concert. There was a dance based on the art work of surrealist artist René Magritte. It was so intriguing. They also showed a documentary film of a movement workshop involving two modern dancers and two Iraq War veterans. I loved it. I was very interested in the part of the film when one of the dancers presented stereotypes of soldiers and the veteran reacted to her statements. One of the veterans also told of his experience marching on Baghdad. Very emotional. Kristine's dance was the last in the concert. It was titled, "Ghost Ship" and involved 100 lbs of rice being poured onto the stage. Visually it was so cool! I had a great time seeing the concert and spending time with Kristine and Adam.
Check out the University of Utah's Department of Modern Dance.
Check out Wikipedia's article on René Magritte.

"Alas for those who never sing,...

But die with all their music in them!"
~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Kristine and Adam had one of their fabulous music parties on Friday night. Emery, Brian, Derrick, and I all went to join in the fun. I had a great time singing! I sang several Carole King songs with my new guitar-playing friend, Doug. He mentioned that we ought to do so a couple of parties back, and we finally had the chance to practice a bit for this party. Together we performed "It's Too Late", "Where You Lead" and "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow".

Later in the evening, I had the opportunity to sing accompanied by Marc, a Russian concert pianist. He was incredible to watch as he performed Chopin and Rochmoninoff, and it was a pleasure to be able to sing with him. Accompanied by Marc, Emery sang "Goodnight, My Someone", after which Emery and I sang "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man of Mine". Marc also accompanied Adam and me singing "The Prayer".

As the night went on, Brian sang "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" and "Cruella DeVille". Derrick played a few blues numbers on his saxophone. Emery sang "On My Own". I sang a couple of jazz songs with a man named Keith and "All I Ask of You" with Doug. Emery and I managed to fit in our famous rendition of "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad" and Brian, Emery and I attempted "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and our Cole Porter medley of "You're the Top" and "Friendship". Adam performed several of his own songs, including a very comical new one entitled "You're the Best X I Ever Had". We had a fantastic time at the party!

Speaking of singing, Emery and I have been asked by our LDS stake leaders to record the song "In That Holy Place" - the song we have sung for several ward and stake events recently. We are excited at the opportunity. We will have to act quickly, as our accompanist, Clara, and her husband will likely be leaving on an LDS mission within the next couple of weeks!

I begin teaching again tomorrow. I think I am ready to have the kids come back on track... :) It should be good to be back on a more regular schedule, although I certainly had no problem filling every moment of my off-track time. There are always a million things I would like to be doing! But, I can't complain. I will only be on for about 2 months, then I have the whole month of December off. I even have a four-day weekend in October in addition to Thanksgiving break in November. Not bad at all. I have also registered to go to a technology conference toward the end of October, for which a three-day substitute will be provided. So, a lot of fun and exciting things ahead!

Rain or Shine!

Hey everyone!

A final decision has been made:

We will have the party at my house whether it is raining or not. We just don't think the church is as fun a spot. Plus, if it decides to clear up, we can go outside easily if we're here. I still think if everyone prays we can get this storm to blow on out of here by 6:00. :) But, if it doesn't happen, we'll just move the furniture aside and have everyone pile inside. We're putting up a tent outside to put the BBQ grills under, and the band is prepared to play unplugged if needed. It'll be fun!

We've got extra hot dogs for those of you who are unable to bring your own meat. There will be plenty of treats. And you don't want to miss the giant birthday cake my brother put up to surprise me this morning!

Hope to see everyone at the party rain or shine!

Birthday Cake, Anyone?

At 9:30 this morning I woke up to the doorbell ringing. (Yes, I slept in until 9:30... I was up late, okay?)

I looked out my window in my sleepy state, and I saw what appeared to be a candle as tall as my house sitting on top of a cake! I wandered down the hall and said, "Emery, do you know anything about a giant birthday cake?"
"No."
"Get up, and get some clothes on. We're going outside."
I went quickly down the stairs and spied my brother Andy. He signaled toward the backyard, and this is what I saw:
























Nobody says, "Happy Birthday!" like Andy!

30 Years Old

Well, today was the big 3-0! Here's how my day was:

I got a card and a nice breakfast surprise from my friend Brian this morning, and a birthday email from Garth, my principal. I then headed to CostCo with Mom. She helped me get some items for Saturday's party and headed back to SanDiego. I loved having her here the past week. The rest of the day was spent running errands, then watching "Marnie" on AMC. (It's "7 Nights of Hitchcock" this week! I watched "The Birds" on Tuesday.)

This evening I went to dinner with Kristine, Brian, and Emery at Epic restaurant. I had a great time. Good friends & good food. When I got home there were chocolates and flowers waiting for me on the porch and an eCard from Jerry and Sherry waiting on my computer. Very fun.

So now it's late and I'm tired, but somehow reluctant to go to sleep. I think I always want my birthday to last and last. I guess it has! My family was here a week ago, we went to dinner, hung out, played games, my mom stayed all week, and I still have a party on Saturday. I'd say I've been very successful at dragging out my 30th birthday! :)

Thanks to everyone for their birthday wishes online, in person, and via cards and email. I have great friends and family!

Birthday Plans!

It's been decided! I will be having a 30th Birthday BBQ Bash on Saturday! If you want to come, email me or give me a call.

Blogging

I finally decided to start my own BLOG! I have been sending mass emails to friends and family for over a year now, and realized this would be much more convenient for all involved. So, here goes...

I went off track (year-round school) last Friday for the first time in a long time! For the past few years I have been teaching in the school computer lab almost every time I have been off track. I was very excited about this time off until I realized I would need to spend most of it doing assignments for grad school. Oh well, I'm still glad to have the time.

Grad school is going well. It's an adjustment to get used to scheduling time for assignments. I have very little free time as it is, and now I get to use it to read, read, read! I am enjoying the program, though, and I am excited about the things I will be learning.

I am also enjoying being the chairman of the Public Affairs Committee at church. I get to manage the ward website, teach people how to use the site, etc. I like it. I am still making the ward calendars and teaching Gospel Doctrine classes every few weeks. It does keep me busy, but in a good way.

I am looking forward to my 30th birthday in one week! I have decided that 30 is going to be a great age! Emery and Kristine have been haranguing me for months about what I am going to do for my birthday, and I still have not decided on anything. Here are some of my ideas:

I have ruled out:
Visiting a farm
Riding the Heber Valley Railroad
Taking a four day covered wagon trek

I am still considering:
Having a BBQ
Going to a Karaoke bar
Going High Country River Rafting
Taking a cruise of the Greek Islands
Doing nothing

We'll see... Money just might play a role in this very important decision.

So, that's all for now, I guess. I don't know how often I will update my brand-new BLOG, but I think this will be fun!

First Try

I am trying this out for the first time! Let's see what it's like.