"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.