Thanksgiving weekend stuff

Our Thanksgiving weekend was a busy one but filled with some fabulous stuff.

Stuff like:
* Date night....just me, Bryan and James Bond. I'm not one who gets to the movie theater as frequently as I'd sometimes like. But would you believe that in the past 2 weeks I've seen FOUR movies? This is unprecedented. Wreck it Ralph with the kids, Breaking Dawn II...a girls night with the ladies in my neighborhood, Lincoln with some fellow gymnastics moms (seriously, it was SO good that I can't get out of my head) and then Skyfall with Bryan.
* A visit to Dr. Lindsay who measured Julianne at 4' 11" and is optimistic that we will likely see 5' before this growth hormone adventure ends in a few months.
* I sang in a recital up at Weber State University.
* Rebekah went dress hunting with friends for the big Christmas dance. (The hunt will continue later this week...)
* Thanksgiving was held this year with my side of the family at my parents new home. One of the main reasons for the big move was need of a different floor plan...one that would accomodate family gatherings more easily. I think this first Thanksgiving experiment was deemed a success. Along with a thanksgiving prayer over the food, family and blessings, my Dad also dedicated the new home. We all got a little bit teary, I think. It was a nice day...a great meal, of course and lots of talk and games and relaxing. (We missed you, Rachel and Spencer and Mary and Ryan!)

(And....I have my eyes closed. Doesn't it figure.)

* Rebekah and Julianne went Black Friday shopping with some cousins. I'm not a big fan of Black Friday but the girls still look at it as a grand adventure.
* Aunt Jana and Uncle Craig's annual Christmas party was Friday night. I look forward to it every year...probably because it holds such sentimental value for me now that it doesn't seem like Christmas without it. But I'm always surprised and pleased that my teenagers, who are so ensconced in the whole friend culture right now, still will easily and happily turn down any and all dates, parties or gatherings in favor of this particular yearly party. They LOVE it. I'm so glad!

(Rebekah and Julianne slept through much of the party....up all night shopping, you know. Oh my...look at my roots that need to be dyed. Maintenance, maintenance ...sigh. Brandon showed off his back flip/tuck for the talent show portion of the evening. I thought the picture, though not stellar, funny all the same.)

 (Look....twinner red jeans! And Julianne, the photo-bomber!)

* A trip to Hale Centre Theatre with friends Heather and Alison.... to see friend Will perform in Oliver, and also meet up with friend Chellie (Will's wife).
* Rebekah received her Patriarchal Blessing on Sunday morning. Oh me, oh my. What an experience. Truly the highlight of the weekend. My sweet Rebekah....oh, how I love her! How proud I am of her! Such a sweet and good and strong and talented and beautiful girl!
* A second Thanksgiving feast was held on Sunday evening with Bryan's side of the family at his brother Kevin's new house. Another experiment in accommodating family gatherings? This one was also a success. It was good to see everyone...even Steven and family coming from Wyoming and Bryan's parents ending their vacation early and coming up from St. George.

Giving Thanks

It's Thanksgiving today...my favorite holiday of the year. And although I've enjoyed thoroughly the season leading up to this day, I still feel like I was so busy the past couple of weeks that I missed a couple of traditions. The main one being our thankful turkey where we list on the turkey's feathers all the things we are blessed with and grateful for.
Lilian at least, is thinking thankful thoughts this season. She brought this paper home from school earlier this week. For those who are not used to reading phonetically, let me translate:

I am Thankful for....
Frend: friend
FaMuLE: family
Haos: house
BRThDa: birthday
JEsEs: Jesus

I too am thankful for Frends, FaMuLE, my Haos and JEsEs. BRThDa....well, seeing as my next one is a biggie, I'm a little less excited about that. However each birthday marks another year of adventures, experiences, lessons learned and life lived and that is definitely something to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for Bryan...my husband, my sweetheart, my life partner, my friend.
I'm thankful for each one of my beautiful children and that I have such good relationships with each of them...
     Rebekah, my mini-me
     Julianne, my fiery drama queen
     Brandon, my energetic monkey
     Lilian, my creative and exuberant little caboose
I'm thankful for music and the essential and integral part it plays in my life.
And for the friends and rich associations I've made through all the musical experiences I've had.
I'm thankful for my family...parents who have raised me and loved me and taught me and who are the best examples of the best kind of people. Also my 4 sisters who are built-in best friends, no matter what we do and where we go.
And also for Bryan's family...for taking me in and making me one of their own when Bryan and I married, and for raising a son and helping shape a brother who would then be the kind of man who is a wonderful husband and father.
I'm thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ....for my knowledge and testimony of and faith in that gospel. For my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

But also....
I'm thankful for good books.
I'm thankful for my computer.
I'm thankful for my beautiful home and the neighborhood in which it and we reside.
I'm thankful for my neighbors and community.
I'm thankful for good food.
And for my exercise buddies who help me work off the calories the next day....
I'm thankful for chocolate blueberries, sushi, Cafe Rio pork salad, and pumpkin pie.
I'm thankful for the rice bag that warms up my feet at night.
I'm thankful for snow and rain.
I'm thankful for holidays.
I'm thankful for my bike.
I'm thankful my children have such good friends.
I'm thankful for my blog and the outlet it gives me to write and share my thoughts and feelings.

 Happy Thanksgiving!

Singing 40's style for Veterans Day

It was a shocker when we got a call from the vice president of publicity for music from Deseret Book a few weeks ago. She had heard of us and got our names from the Davis Arts Council...and was wondering if we'd be willing to dress up '40's style and sing for their Veterans Day Event at their flagship store at the City Creek Mall in Salt Lake City. We were interested and excited just at the invite to perform....but while on the phone she also felt us out for future possibilities of performing at Time Out For Women and Women's Conference and also recording. Well, oh my and holy wow!!

 Needless to say, despite the fact that we had a performance already scheduled for a Relief Society two days later and it would be an entirely different program, we jumped at the opportunity and started some heavy duty rehearsing immediately. That heavy duty rehearsing was a hindrance AND a blessing to our daily lives. It was a little overwhelming at times to make arrangements for the extra rehearsals, to plan and prepare two entirely different programs. There were a few tears shed here and there. But the spirit we felt as we buckled down and dug into our music and the messages we planned to share was equally overwhelming in a truly wonderful way. We knew we were being aided in what we were trying to accomplish and our families were being blessed for their sacrifices.

The Veterans Day program was also the DVD release of Saints and Soldiers Airborne Creed. The program consisted not only of the seven numbers that we performed but also messages from the director and actors of the movie, the author who wrote the book the movie was based on, and speakers Representative Curtis Oda and Congressman-elect (and author) Chris Stewart. But the true stars of the day were the veterans. A few even from as far back as WWII, the room was filled with them. I'm not even sure I have the words to express what it felt like to sing The Star Spangled Banner with all those veterans, most in their dress uniforms and medals, standing at attention with their hands in a salute. Veterans Day took on a whole new meaning for me...a more deeply appreciative one. And even if nothing else comes from this opportunity with Deseret Book other than this one performance...it was still incredibly worth it!

After the performance was finished, the meet and greet was concluded and all the pictures had been taken, we headed across the street to the Blue Lemon Cafe for lunch. The Saints and Soldiers group had the same idea. They teasingly and often called out to us from across the room to sing. "Hey....flash mob in 5 minutes. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Okay?" ha. ha. ha. We had fun joking around with them. But as we were getting ready to leave, they directed our attention toward a table in the corner where a newly returned missionary was enjoying lunch with his family for the first time in 2 years. Stephanie marched right over to welcome the missionary home, understanding well that first day home feeling, she having served a mission herself...albeit many years ago. I'm sure the family was rather surprised to have a quintet of women all dressed up in bright red lipstick and '40's garb come over to talk to them....and even more surprised when we broke into a 5-part harmony rendition of "I'm a Child of God." Surprise or no, they were all in tears, the whole family, when we finished. And as we walked away we decided thatIt was the frosting on the cake. What an amazing day!

Brandon's newest toy....

These are Skyrunner jumping stilts. Doesn't that totally look like something Brandon would be into? Once I discovered his interest in them, my first thought was "CHRISTMAS PRESENT....YEAH!" But no, he insisted on buying them himself. Used all his money, plus did chore upon chore to earn the last $20 so he could get them ASAP.

Apparently you can jump wicked high and run like the wind in these babies.  I knew Brandon would take to them easily seeing as he is a athletic gymnast with an amazing sense of balance.

About the glasses...yeah, I have no idea.

Favorite Photo Friday

March 2012

This little girl has been sleeping in my bed all week long. Bryan has been on a business trip since Sunday afternoon and like her big brother before her, Lilian has decided that when Dad is gone, she gets to take his warm and cozy spot in bed with Mom. Truth be told, it's kind of nice to have a warm body there. Though I'm thankful that Bryan doesn't travel anywhere near as much as he used to, I still really don't like it when he goes. Oh I've learned to be all sorts of independent when he is gone. I'm pretty good at doing the single mom thing. But there is still that something about late nights after I've sent the kids to bed and shut down the house....quiet. And every creak and bump that the house makes as it settles, the shadows down the hall, the dark windows looking out to the black nothingness of the field behind the house. Well, it all still has the ability to make me a tad jumpy, even after all these years. So to cuddle up with a warm little Lilian as I go to sleep is rather comforting.

Bryan should be walking in the door any second now. I'm so glad....even if Lilian is a little sad to lose that coveted spot in my big bed.

Unitas Per Harmonium (Unity Through Harmony)

I'm not sure I have ever been this invested in an election before. I've always followed the campaigns closely, always had opinions, always voted. But never before have I wanted SO BADLY for my guy to win. I cried, literally cried when Mitt Romney pulled out of the primary race heading into the 2008 election. Because I felt so strongly that he, over all other candidates was uniquely qualified to lead...especially in regards to economics, something that seemed extremely important seeing as we were in the middle of a pretty serious economic depression. 

Fast forward to 2012...I've watched this election closely with great anticipation, a lot of hope and a heavy dose of anxiety. Even more than 5 years ago, I feel with every fiber of my being that Romney is what our country needs right now. I don't care that he is a Mormon (the same religion I practice), I don't care that he is one of Utah's "favorite sons" because he saved our Olympics. It's the man....who he is, what he stands for, his experience and qualifications that makes me want to see him in the Oval Office. It was not to be. I find myself somewhat baffled that half of my fellow Americans don't see what I do. It seems so remarkably clear to me. And in the late hours of election night I wanted to rage and rant at the complete and utter idiocy of those Americans who think that keeping President Obama around for 4 more years is a good idea. I like President Obama. Truly I do. Overall I think he is a good man who is trying to do what he thinks is best for our country. I just don't happen to agree with him a lot of the time. 

What's done is done. And I'm glad it's done. I am tremendously disappointed, but also rather weary of it all. I'm not sure I've ever watched such a negative and nasty election season. In the candidates campaigns, yes...but also with Americans in general. We are truly a nation divided. I hope this is a wake-up call. I hope President Obama realizes that a solid half of the country does not like the way he is leading. I hope the Republican party realizes that if despite having a stellar candidate, they still couldn't win...well, maybe they need to do some inward reflection and figure out why. And I hope that all in Washington D.C. can stop the bickering and the blaming and the refusing to work with the folks across the aisle simply out of spite...and realize that democrats or republicans, we are all AMERICANS and we have got to find a way to work together, despite our differences.

I have a friend from high school who's husband penned this bit of opinion. I'm sharing it with you because it resonated with me. It's not pro-Romney or pro-Obama....just some unbiased thoughts about understanding each other and getting along. I especially like the final paragraph....brilliant!       

To My Red and Blue Friends:

I KNOW IT'S LONG, but I really don’t care if you read it. I needed to say it so that I could get on with my day and more cheerily work with Ohio University’s awesome students!

Please remember that while approximately half of the United States is elated at the results of the election, the other half feels acutely disenfranchised. It would have been so regardless of the outcome.

People on both sides of the aisle are genuinely – even profoundly fearful for the future of the nation – worried about their kids; worried about their ailing parents and special needs siblings; worried about fundamental physical and spiritual rights; worried about the planet; worried about spotted owls; worried about financial, social, and constitutional collapse. This fear is real, it is not paranoia, ignorance or lack of education and has precious little to do with whether our roots run red or blue – whether we prefer NASCAR or NPR. Instead, it stems from the legitimate concern that perhaps we “have” been on the wrong track – that things truly are no better than they were four years ago...or eight for that matter. Blame Bush, blame Obama, blame Vermont, blame Texas, blame Washington or Al Qaeda, blame me if you want, but here comes the reality check folks: Half of the citizenry thinks we may have just committed a grave and irreversible error. They feel the change, but not the hope.

Referring to slavery, Lincoln said: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Our current societal division is stark and alarmingly acrimonious. We are still standing, but on such feeble knees and shifting sands. I have heard Barack Obama impugn Congress, but they have also blamed him. Many fingers have been pointed: black ones, white ones, old and young, gay and straight, herbivore and carnivore, godly and atheistic, but gridlock is gridlock. Sure, compromise can often be beautiful, but let’s be real here: there are precious ideologies that neither side will EVER be willing to surrender. I hold many things sacred. So do each of you. I will not relinquish my right to say and act accordingly anymore than any other citizen ought to do. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

We are currently mired in the medium, and it is not a happy one. I guess we just go on agreeing to disagree....or is it disagreeing to agree? I’m just not sure anymore. I do know this: Our ultimate goal must be to love and serve one another while still fighting passionately and respectfully for what we feel is right. I need to believe that this is still possible. I hope we can do it. We certainly haven’t been. We know it and the world knows it.

Unitas Per Harmonium (Unity Through Harmony)...the motto of the Singing Men of Ohio. Dissonance, when correctly handled is what makes harmony so beautiful. We don't have to be the same to be in tune!

Halloween Dance

And the long wait is over....I have achieved picture status! Special thanks go to the parents who were sympathetic to my picture plight and took the time to send me copies of theirs.

A quick overview of the date weekend....(you remember my explanation of date/dances in this day and age in Utah and the kids' penchant for making them into full weekend events rather than just day of, yes? If not...scroll back a bit and check out Homecoming.)

First of all, it is important to note that the girls made a conscious decision to make this a "wardy" (wardie?) date. Wardy meaning from the same church ward. This is apparently, unusual. I think the reasoning behind it being that if you date someone from your own ward and things go badly, well... then awkwardness ensues. But we have some rockin' awesome guys in our ward. And they are all such great friends normally that the girls decided for a casual date like Halloween, wouldn't that just be loads of fun? (Payton is the only one who did not ask a boy from the ward seeing as she wanted to take her actual boyfriend...and rumor has it, he is from the stake at least.)

Friday evening the "girls" ie: Rebekah, Jenny, Kirsten and Payton picked up the "boys" ie: Tyler, Daniel, Ethan, and boy-I'm-not-sure-the-name-of and went to Jenny's house to carve pumpkins. Pumpkins completed, the group made their way to Black Island Farms....a local corn maze/haunted house/Halloween carnival. After a few hours of Halloween merriment there, back to Jenny's they went for pizza (provided by yours truly) and a spooky Halloween movie.

Fast forward to the next day....nothing was scheduled till later in the evening which meant that we went shoe shopping for cowboy boots. Seriously, is this a new tradition? Homecoming afternoon we were shoe shopping for sparkly Cinderella shoes. Not a bad tradition, necessarily...but a little worrisome in that what if we don't find what we need immediately? We might someday regret not giving ourselves more time. We've been lucky thus far. (And always had a back up plan....)

Prep time for getting ready for the Halloween dance vs. Homecoming was very different. Semi-formal vs. casual and all that. But realistically maybe that had more to do with the fact that the coordinating Halloween costume Rebekah and Tyler had agreed upon was cowboys. Nothing too complicated about that.

A Cafe Rio dinner was originally to be held at our house. But a couple of days before the "big day" Payton asked if she could have the dinner at her house. Something about having a big dining room and wanting to decorate...or something. Though it meant I was off the hook for making sure the house was spotless, well...darn, no pressure to make sure the house was spotless! (I'm better at cleaning under pressure.) Plus, no picture opportunities. But yes, dinner at Payton's house. Totally fine. And thankfully Payton's parents did take group pictures and I was able to snag one. (Score!) After dinner the group headed across the street to the Shadows of Fear haunted house that some neighbors were putting on to raise money for charity. Appropriate, seeing as 7 of the 8 people in their date group lived in the neighborhood. Way to support and all that. Apparently they were SO impressed with the haunted house that Rebekah even called me while on her date to tell me that I needed to get over there with the other kids stat and go through the thing.

After all of this, they finally made it to the actual dance. Rebekah regaled me later with stories of all the creative and fun costume choices she saw while they were there. After a few hours of foot stomping fun they headed back to Jenny's once again for some dessert...and maybe some games? Not entirely sure. All I know is that Rebekah showed up a few minutes late for her curfew. Luckily for her I'm a bit more lenient on big date/dance nights such as this. From all I've heard...seeing as I know the parents of all (but one) of the kids on this big group date....a good time was had by all. The group, such good friends already, felt so comfortable with each other they were able to completely let loose and have some serious fun. I'm glad.

Did I mention that Rebekah has already found a date for the Christmas dance? And so it continues....   

(A couple of outtakes that made me laugh....)

A couple of things

#1  This is significant. We're looking at not one, not two, but THREE cars parked in the garage. And yes, I realize that it is a three-car garage...this is its purpose, after all. To house up to three cars. But until just recently, only the truck was finding a permanent home there. (And even it spent a few months sitting in the driveway when we had to rebuild during our unintentional great-garage-remodel a year ago. Ha!)  We have a lot of garage stuff. You know...the yard stuff and the handy-man stuff and the kids outdoor stuff. And sometimes it's just easy (aka lazy) to not put that stuff away properly. Especially if it doesn't really have an organized, designated place to be. Which means that Bryan's car spends as much time parked in the driveway as it does housed in the garage. So to even have two cars parked in the garage is something to be remarked upon. But three? I was determined to make it do-able. We took a Saturday and organized stuff, hauled stuff to the backyard man-cave, and even threw a lot of stuff away. But we had this couch....you know, the one that we hauled out of our master bedroom? It needed to go to D.I. But the truck at that point in time was sitting in a repair shop getting a brand new engine. So there was no way to haul it. In the garage it sat for quite a few weeks while Rebekah's new-used car got comfortable in the driveway. But this week we made it happen. And lo and behold, LOOK! The three car garage actually holding three cars! It's a miracle! A miracle to a First-World-Problem, I know. But still.

Another benefit to having all the cars in the garage....now maybe this won't happen ever again.

Actually, I already know this won't happen again. Because when this happened originally, Lilian and Noah (my Monday twins) got the talking to of their lives. And I think they are pretty solid in their knowledge that I will hogtie them if they even think about finger painting Rebekah's car (or anything else, for that matter) with mud again!

#2  I totally understand the purpose and importance behind smoke detectors, I do. Saving lives, homes, property and all of that. But tell me why home builders tend to put a detector on the very tallest of the vaulted ceilings in your home? Sadistic delight when thinking ahead to the day when the homeowner will have to find some sort of creative way to change the battery after being driven nearly insane by the constant chirping of the darn thing? Usually in the middle of the night? Luckily we have an extremely tall ladder. And a partial wall to lean it up against. And a husband with no fear of heights. Seriously, they couldn't have attached the detector to the slightly lower ceiling that runs the length of the wooden floor there? Ah, the downside of those open and light-filled vaulted ceilings. (Another First-World-Problem, I know.)

Favorite Photo Friday: The anticipation of snow

November 23, 2010

I'm loving the fall weather. Have you noticed that the fall leaves are now doing exactly that...falling. A breeze blows by and leaves drop like rain. It's so pretty. Then, as if anything could be more delightful...after the leaves make it to the ground, they crunch underfoot. And that, my friends, is one of the best sounds in the world to me. I go out of my way to crunch as many of them as I can when I'm walking around outside.

But do you know what else is great about fall? The anticipation. Of the upcoming holidays. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. But also snow. Glorious snow! And I know that come February, though I'll still be happy about each and every snow storm that comes my way (especially because storms seem to be few and far between these past years) the snow will be more of a normal winter thing. But in fall, the anticipation of snow makes me downright giddy!

And yes, that little pop of color amidst the white flakes and the black night, is Rebekah and her friend Casey out (barefoot) in the wet and slushy street doing some sort of welcome-snow-happy-dance.
  

Trick or Treat

Ready for the Halloween 2012 Fashion Show?

Proceeding in an oldest to youngest order, first down the runway would be:
REBEKAH....

...who spent the first little bit of the evening helping hand out candy with friend Patricia, both of whom then made their way down to friend Jenny's house for other such Halloween fun. I think a movie was involved. Truth be told, I think they were a little bit been-there-done-that seeing as their Halloween observance was last weekend with the big Halloween Dance at the high school.  Want a sneak peak? Here is a picture of their group. (More pics and details to come when I track them down....being a girls choice dance, I wasn't around for the pick-up door-scene and didn't get any pictures of my own. Rumor has it the parents of Rebekah's date has oodles. Plus a couple of the other moms....all of whom have promised emails full of pictures for me very soon.)

Next up:
JULIANNE....                                                                                                                                          

....who went to a Halloween party last weekend as a fairy, to school as a tutu-wearing nerd and then Halloween night as Robin Hood. This girl just kind of played it by ear and came up with costumes to fit whatever circumstances called for....usually with minimal time to spare.
Me: "What are you wearing to the party tonight?"
Julianne: "Oh, I'm not sure yet. I think maybe a tutu will be involved."
Me: "Isn't the party in less than an hour???"
Julianne: (unconcerned) "Yep."


And then we've got:
BRANDON...

 ....who surprised me by showing up to the neighborhood pre-trick-or-treating dinner looking like a mustached muchacho with friends Larsen and Branson. And oh, how I laughed! But what about his originally planned costume, I asked?
Ah-ha...there it is:

For those who are Dr. Who un-initiated...this is "The Empty Child." (And trust me, that empty child is freaky!!) The gas mask came off fairly early into trick-or-treating, I believe. Heavy and hot and maybe the slightest bit hard to breathe in.

And then finally:
LILIAN....

 ...who promptly ditched the wig, hat and broom before even leaving the house. She and I were trick-or-treating companions, along with my friend Heather and her two boys. We walked and walked and walked till our feet were sore and our candy buckets were heavy. (Well, the kids' buckets, not mine. It is usually frowned upon for 39-year olds to be trick-or-treating.)

 But see? We may be older...but we can be silly and child-like too. Heather was complimented as being "breathtakingly beautiful" and I got called "hot." Maybe not so much in this specific picture....but hey, for being a couple of 39-year olds...we'll take it!

 Our neighborhood takes on the appearance and feel of a lively carnival on Halloween night. One house decks out their garage all themed and fancy complete with tables and chairs to sit at while they make scones right there fresh and hot for you to eat. Another house provides homemade root beer (and sugar cookies for the parents). There was a full blown haunted house titled Shadows of Fear that was raising money for charity and had been advertised all over town for weeks. My neighbors said it was seriously impressive and my children claimed it was professionally creepy. We heard plenty of screaming and saw long lines as we walked by. But I was accompanied by an innocent and tender little 5-year old and I didn't feel like I should subject her to the terror of a haunted house. (Ha! See what I did there? Put the blame on the 5-year old when really I was completely relieved to have an excuse not to walk through the haunted house myself? Pretty clever, eh? All first class chickens, raise your hand and say "aye!" Yeah...that would be me.)

But the biggest draw, the thing that brings people from all over town to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood, is the house that completely transforms into a different theme every year. One with lines so long it's like trying to get into a Disneyland attraction. Past years have included Dracula, superheros, The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. This year...Harry Potter!! No description here could truly do it justice so you'll just have to take my word for it when I say it is A-MA-ZING!