Birthday Wishes

Chocolate (Check! Thanks, everyone!)
A new plant for my polka dot pot
A button sewn onto my skirt
Edward Cullen (Check! Thank you, Camille!)

















Apple Store gift cards
Digital Camera
32GB iPhone 3GS

A new hair drier (Check! Thanks, Shelly!)

Detailed car washes
And, of course, world peace

Dreams

I had a dream the other night that a friend of mine was a famous singer named “The Hood.” He wanted his true identity to be a secret so he wouldn’t be hounded by fans and paparazzi, so he always wore a big, red hoodie to hide his face. In my dream I was out running errands when he and his entourage passed by with a crowd of screaming fans following him. I asked someone who he was and what the big deal was, and an astonished girl (how could I not know who he was, after all?) told me, “That is The Hood! He’s only the greatest hip hop singer EVER!”
Then, as he got in his limo, I somehow got a look at his face and was so confused. “But that’s my friend,” I said.
The crowd froze and stared at me. Then they all went crazy again and started yelling things like, “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you know him!”
Strange dream. My two other dreams that night were about my boss not saving me seats at a concert just to be mean to me and people changing into fish when exposed to intense heat. So having a friend who is a hip hop star with a secret identity doesn't sound so strange after all.

Kiss Me! I'm Irish!

No really... I'm serious.

Choking on Soap

It snowed again today after a week of wonderful, sunny weather. Of course, my phone told me this would happen. As Brian put it, my phone does everything including cook breakfast and project holographic images. It's true. Well, it has its own campfire at least.

While it snowed, I folded laundry and listened to music. Then I worked on my homework. I chose to work on my Web 2.0 assignment, which allowed me to search through fun online tools like del.icio.us and Peer Trainer. I updated my blogs as well (check out the updated links on the side bar, including "Sassmaster's Bookmarks").

You may or may not know that I have been called as my LDS stake's women's sports director. As such, I am in charge of getting help for the young women's regional basketball tournament this week. I tried and tried to get people to help, but no one called me back. I've actually been calling people all week, and I've only gotten two of the six volunteers I need! Frustrating. I need score keepers and referees, but everyone must be avoiding me. Fortunately, at Shelly's birthday party tonight, Becca said she would be willing to help tomorrow if I can't get anyone else. She's not even called to do it, but she said she'd do it for me. What a pal! :)

As I prepared for bed tonight I washed my face with pineapple soap from Bath and Body Works. It must have smelled good because I breathed in right as the soap was lathered up. It went up my nose and down my throat. I started choking on the soap bubbles! Yuck!

Finally, I watched "Vertigo" on TCM. It's a bit of a strange movie, what with the flashbacks and the blinking green, blue, and red light, but I like Alfred Hitchcock movies. And I like Jimmy Stewart. One of my favorite movies of all time is "Harvey". Jimmy Stewart was great in that movie! He and Cary Grant are my favorite old movie actors. I love movies like "Philadelphia Story" that star both actors.

Following "Vertigo" a movie called "Night of the Lepus" aired on TCM Underground. I didn't watch the whole thing, but it's a horor film about overpopulation of rabbits. The opening scenes were filled with rabbits running all over the place while people tried to round them up in nets and bags. I guess the rabbits were causing major problems eating all the crops. One man's horse tripped in a rabbit hole and broke its leg. The man had to shoot his horse. Yes, I know. A disturbing movie. But, it gets much, much worse when the rabbits are genetically altered, grow to be the size of ponies, and eat people. This picture should give you an idea of what the movie is like:

You can go to The Agony Booth for a review of this movie that is far more entertaining than the movie itself. Here is a quote from the review:

"How often have you seen an awful movie and said to yourself, 'What were they thinking?' Well, after watching Night of the Lepus, the question you'll be asking instead is, 'Were they thinking?' This is one of those rare films where a person doesn't need to view a single frame to realize that the very concept (giant killer bunny rabbits! I mean, for goodness sake!) is spectacularly misguided."

Now, just so you don't think the movie is a total waste, it does star DeForest Kelley of Star Trek fame. Also, it was produced by MGM studios and is based on a novel. "Who would write a novel about such a topic?" you might ask. Well, the author was Australian. So, there you go.

Perhaps there are only two things more strange than the movie itself:
One, the fact that the reviewer on The Agony Booth wrote on and on about the movie for 7 pages!
Two, the fact that I have gotten such a kick out of this whole thing!

And that sums up my adventures for today.

Letter to Nicaragua

I wrote this letter to Emery in Nicaragua to update her on the happenings here, so I will include it (edited for content, of course) to update all of you as well.

Hi! So I miss you. I realized yesterday that I talk to myself a lot when you're not here... out loud... I'm actually quite witty.

So much happens when you go away, so I'll fill you in on some important things while I still remember them. And, if you prompt me when you get back I will elaborate.

Oh, and I know I'm totally butchering the spelling of every name and a lot of words in this email, but I'm too tired to worry about it. Forgive me? Please? Thanks.

Today in the "good news minute" (which I walked in late for - long story - I'll tell you about that later in this email), Krista announced her engagement to that guy! What's his name? Hold on, I'll text Brian...

Waiting...

Waiting...

Waiting...

Steven.

Also, Tami announced her engagement to Jimmy during her talk today! (That sounds funny, but it wasn't strange of her to say. It fit in her talk.) Crazy!

Tami told me I looked HOT today. I love that girl.

Ben was called as the assistant mission leader, Jessica was called as assistant librarian. Heidi was called as the ward women's sports leader, and Lee was called as the men's.

Nataley, Tami, and Teona spoke in sacrament meeting about self mastery and bridling your passions.

I met with the bishopric about my many callings. We're all very sad that I won't be able to continue with everything I've been doing because of my new calling as Stake Women's Sports Director. I think I'm going to remain the webmaster, but be released from calendar, public relations chair, and gospel doctrine. I think I will be the official unofficial gospel doctrine substitute. Bishop, Marlin, and Aaron were very nice and complimentary to me. This stake calling will be good. By the way, do you want to play basketball on Saturday mornings? :)

Ok, so why I was late despite getting up at 7:30:
I must admit, I agree with Tami that I looked rather cute today. :) I had on my black, short GAP dress and tall boots (ok, YOUR tall boots...). Today was ward dinner, and I made pork and sour kraut. I was on the way out the door and managed to tip the tray with the food just enough that a line of pickled cabbage juice went onto my dress right across my boobs. Yuck. What could I do? I was determined to not have to change my entire outfit, so I dabbed off the sour kraut juice, ran upstairs, and got the Febreeze bottle. I sprayed myself with the Fabreeze and ran back downstairs. So, now my bust line smelled minty fresh with just a hint of stewed pork and sour kraut. But hey, I was only a few minutes late and I looked GOOD. ;)

Friday:
Dennis and I went to Kristine and Adam's music party. I had a very fun time. I had a LOT of fun! I have a cough, so my voice was quickly dying, but I managed to sing quite a few songs. They demanded Adam and I sing "The Prayer". It was not so good. My voice was too gone. I made them promise to request it next time so I can redeem myself. Adam defended me, and so did his mom, saying that I really was sick. I sang a song with Maurine, Adam's mom, accompanying me. I sang a couple songs with Keith. And I sang "Home" from Beauty and the Beast, "Whistle Down the Wind", and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" with Dennis accompanying me. Dennis played very well. Several of the other ladies asked him to play for them too. He is better than I realized, and I found out he has only ever taken a year of piano lessons - and they were Suzuki lessons! So, he basically taught himself. Cool.

Well, have you had enough? Ok. Stop reading email and go play a game with your family and then take a bubble bath not with your family. See you on Tuesday. If anything great happens between now and then, I'll let you know.

Guacamole Snowcone

I went to my friend Andrea's birthday dinner tonight. Walking back to the car, I noticed that the ground was very icy. Unfortunately, I did not realize how icy until I could feel my feet sliding around out of control. I could not stop those feet from sliding right out from under me! Down I went, crashing to the cold asphalt while my bowl of guacamole shattered and splattered next to me.

I heard Emery and a couple other people ask, "Are you okay?"

"Ya, I'm fine."

"I'm glad you're okay. But, I'm really upset about losing that great guacamole."

A hand reached down to help me up. "Hi. I'm Dean. I didn't get to meet you inside at the party." The same hand then reached out to shake mine.

"Um, nice to meet you, Dean... Sorry, I have guacamole all over my hands."

Emery and Dean helped me collect the pieces of broken bowl. Another friend emerged from her car with a bag to put the ceramic pieces in. Dean promptly grabbed a chunk of snow and plopped it down right on top of the pile of guacamole so no one would step in it. My guacamole-covered clothing is now soaking in the washing machine. Fortunately, I landed on my hip and bum, so there was plenty of padding and my landing didn't hurt. Now, I'm just praying that my back doesn't freak out again from the jolt it received. Ah... life is full of fun adventures.

Happy New Year!

Over the last few days, each time I was asked what I wanted to do on New Year's Eve my reply was, "Kiss!" And what do you know, I did get my New Year's kiss! Ok, so it was on the cheek, but it was from a guy I had just met. That's enough adventure and romance to last me till, you know... whenever.

Thanks to Andrea, Emery and I went to a fun party for "mid singles". A lot of the people there know each other from LDSLinkup, so it was a little odd to hear people saying things like, "Hey aren't you CampfireBug? I looked at your profile today." Nevertheless, there were quite a few nice people. The house was packed, actually, and I was reminded how many singles there are that are my age. Some of them are single for obvious reasons, some for not so obvious reasons, and some for no particular reason at all. Is it comforting to know there are so many? Or is it more depressing? Not quite sure.

Karaoke was going on down stairs at the party, so that's where Emery and I headed. We sang "Goodbye Earl" by the Dixie Chicks. It was fun, and many people complimented us. One guy, who said we were great singers, looked so familiar to me that I finally asked his name. Brian, as it turns out, is my friend Sarah's brother! I know Sarah from my hometown. She moved into my church ward toward the end of high school. He gave me her number so I could call her and catch up. Fun!

The Karaoke room was so full of people that everyone had to get cozy. I managed to snag a chair (good thing because my back was ready to die!) but there wasn't much leg room. I didn't mind, however, because the lack of leg room meant that Andrea's friend Mark, whom she met in law school, had to rest his arms on my legs and eventually squeeze in next to me on the chair. Mark and I became very close friends very quickly as a result. We're tight now. He is the one from whom I got my kiss. :)

Well, happy New Year, every one. I hope 2008 brings wonderful things to your lives. May all your wildest dreams come true!

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!

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.

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!

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!