Manti Pageant

So let me start this post by saying, it does no good to own a camera if you leave it home when you go places... I win the ditz award this week. Nicole (my sister in law) and I decided in April that we were going to go to the Manti pageant this year. We've literally been trying to go since she moved here. . . that's 3 summers of trying to go. Every year the plans fell through or someone flaked out, but this year nothing was stopping us. I got off work Saturday and packed up the car. It wasn't until we got close to Manti that I realized how crappy my packing job was. First of all, obviously I forgot the camera. Then we got down there around 5 and the sun was still pretty high in the sky, so probably sunscreen would have been a wise idea. Next after the sun went down, there were a ton of mosquitos, so bug spray another good idea. Oh well! If I go next year I'll be sure to remember all the stuff I forgot. Anyway I met Nicole at her house in Orem and we packed up the food and cooler and said goodbye to the hubby and kids and were off. We drove down and found parking very near Temple Hill. For those of you who have been to the pageant, you know that is not an easy feat. We were also parked very near the bathrooms, so we were pretty proud of ourselves. We went in and found some chairs pretty near the front in the center. The only downfall was there was a light tower blocking our view of one part of the hill, but what can you do? We had about 3 1/2 hours to waste before the pageant started so we ate dinner and decided to do some meal planning for our San Diego trip in 2 weeks. We also did a lot of people watching. We started a game of Phase 10 but only got through about 3 phases before we realized that people watching was more fun than game playing. The pageant started. Nicole had never been before and I hadn't been in about 5 years. Some things were different, but the main story line stayed the same. It was a fairly remarkable production albeit slightly overdramatic in some parts. It got over about 11:15 and we headed back to Orem where I spent the night instead of driving clear back to Bountiful at 2:00 in the morning. Today we slept late and enjoyed each others company and Todd's cooking. Thanks Nicole for a fun weekend. Let's do it again next weekend!! :) (Not my picture, clearly shown by the date at the bottom!)

Gearing up for Girls Camp

I finally received a call from the Stake representative over Beehive camp and attended a meeting. It will be a small affair with about 45 girls from about 7 wards. The stake is taking care of so much of it, it will be a piece of cake for this busy restaurant manager. The theme is DOTS which stands for Depend on the Savior. I think it's absolutely adorable and the more I think about it, I can see past the whole doing all the stuff I hate and really get into it. Only 50 more days!! Here we come!

Hanging with the family!

This last weekend, Todd and Nicole headed to Bountiful to attend the graduation party of Nicole's cousins son and decided to stay here with me so they didn't have to drive home at 11:00 at night. We made it a whole weekend and had a blast! They came Friday night and Nicole and I stayed up talking way too late, so I was tired for work on Saturday. Luckily it was just a half day and I got off an hour early so it all worked out in the end. They came to Arctic Circle around 11:30 and then Kris and Mike brought the kids and met us there. After playing on the play zone and eating some lunch we headed home to give the kids naps. When Andrew woke up from his nap he wanted to see the temple, so we called Kris and Mike and headed up to the temple. It was a pretty stormy weekend, but the rain stayed away and we enjoyed some time outside.

Rory

Andrew

Jaydon in the baby bjorn

Andrew in the stroller

Andrew Michayla and Hailey

After the temple we headed to Panda Express and grabbed some dinner and then Jesika (my former roommate) stopped by to say hi. After that it was bedtime for the kids so Kris and Mike left and Todd and Nicole got Andrew and Rory ready for bed. We stayed up late again and then Sunday we watched movies in the morning and then spent the afternoon playing with the kids and the cameras. Rory Elizabeth

Andrew reading his BYU book with Mommy. You should see this poor brainwashed kid dance to the fight song... it almost makes one a BYU fan... I said almost! Andrew, Nicole, and Todd reading the baby bible. Andrew really likes this book too. He calls it his Jesus book.

Rory and a proud Aunt Julie. Check out those blue eyes!!!

Andrew singing Happy Birthday to Jesus in his book.

This is a baby who loves that daddy!!

And her big brother's not too bad either.

Thanks to Todd and Nicole for a great weekend and for bringing up my favorite things to take pictures of!

The new camera's first pictures

Here is what the new camera does... okay so not the best way to see the great features of the new camera, but I promised the pictures of my afghan so here you go!
I totally love this edging and I don't even know how I did it! Someone asked me what the stitch is and I couldn't tell them, but I think it's so cute!

SHE GOT A CAMERA!!!

So yesterday I was thinking about the whole camp thing and decided that I really wanted a camera to document all of the exciting fun that camp will be, (not to mention the rest of my boring life) so tonight I went with Mom to RC Willey and found a great new digital camera. It is a 12.1 megapixel with 5 x zoom and a 2.7 inch screen. It's really cute! Right now the battery is charging so you don't get to see what it does, but very soon the post about my afghan will have a picture included! Stay tuned... the boring life is about to get visual!

Called to Repentance

So Sunday I attended Mom and Dad's ward because one of the kids Mom used to tend came home from his mission. I was sitting in Relief Society and the lesson was on President Uchtdorf's talk from October Conference, entitled Lift Where You Stand.
(http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-18,00.html) As the discussion ensued I found myself humbled. We were discussing the meaning of lifting where you stand and a lot of people were talking about callings and assignments and how we all have different talents and abilities, and how each calling or assignment is geared toward our talents and abilities. At one point in the discussion, I was considering my calling as Camp Director and realized that my only job in that calling is to make sure that each of my Beehives leave camp lifted. As I thought about lifting where I stand, it occurred to me that although I hate camping and hiking and so many other things about this calling; if I just change my attitude and strive to have a spiritual experience, I'll receive that confirmation from Heavenly Father that I've been looking for. If I can help each girl to have a camp experience that brings her closer to the other girls in the ward and closer to the Savior, I too will be blessed with those things and then it will make sense to me that that calling was geared to me at this moment in my life. Once again, I sit here grateful that within the parameters of the gospel of Jesus Christ we are given prophets and apostles who have had so many experiences that they then share with us, so that we can be blessed in our lives. Yesterday I was just the camp director. Today it's so much more.

8 years later...

So I have been home from my mission a little more than 8 years. When I got home I asked my mom if she would teach me to crochet and she agreed. She suggested that I start with a dish cloth and I told her that if I was doing this I was going all the way. We picked out an afghan pattern and I went to it. It was a mixture of double and single crochet in one color and I got about 6 inches of it done and got bored. I put it away and a few years later, I bought another pattern book and picked out some of my favorite colors and started again. This one I got about 3 feet done and then ran out of the colors I needed since I messed up a lot, and decided I didn't want to finish it because it looks like a beginner afghan and I don't like it any more. Another few years later I got another pattern book and started on one called Fresh as a Daisy. I got about 9 blocks of it done, decided I was doing it wrong and put it away. About a month ago, I took it apart and started over and crocheted while I watched TV to wind down after a long day of working. For a month, housework and laundry were neglected as I saw them as a burden, taking me away from my addiction to crocheting. I finished the afghan at 1:00 this morning and so today is a day for reflection and celebration! I started another one a few days ago. Today I put it down for a few hours and caught up on the house work and laundry, so now I don't have to feel guilty for crocheting for another month! It's such a great feeling knowing that you conquered something hard and won. I am really excited about my daisy afghan! I'll post a picture as soon as I get one.

SLACKER

Okay so I am a blogging slacker! I'd like to pretend that I have a good reason, but it's just not true! Tonight I am home alone, listening to Showtunes so I may as well blog! A lot has been happening, but it all fits into the boring life category. You know once all of your dreams have been realized (you've seen Wicked), everything else pales in comparison!

A few weeks ago I was called into the Bishops office where he issued me a new calling. YW camp director. Now those of you who know me, know how I feel about this calling. Apparently when the YW presidency was discussing who they should call, mine was the only name that kept coming up to all of them. They all had a confirmation that they were calling the right person. I wish I could get one!! Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to work with the YW in my ward, and the YW presidency is amazing and I'm really excited to work with them, but lets talk about things that I hate.
1. CAMPING!!! I think camping is a fantastic torture method. Why do people choose to lie on the ground in a confining bag, in the cold, smelling bad, and call it fun??? Not me. Camping to me is a bad motel or at worst a motor home. Lets stick with Motel 6.
2. HIKING!!! I think it's absolutely no fun to climb on a barely carved trail through bugs and brush, to see nature! Most hikes involve climbing rocks and/or mountains and my fear of heights and either real or imagined asthma symptoms when I mix exertion with altitude really don't put me in the realms with most peoples idea of fun hiking. My good buddy Naomi would put on a pack and hike 30 miles in a few days just seeing how long she can survive in an Arizona desert. NOT FUN!!!

Anyway about 5 weeks after the ill fated interview with the Bishop they finally released me as Relief Society Secretary and I felt a moment of regret. I was called just over a year ago when I was somewhat new in the ward and have really enjoyed getting to know the sisters in my ward. I think that Relief Society secretary should be every womans first calling in a new ward. It is a sure fire way to learn who people are. I'm sorry to walk away from that.

In other non related news, I have been "wasting" a lot of time in front of my TV. It's my winding down time at the end of each work day, and so to feel like I'm not really wasting time, I pulled out my latest attempt at an afghan and I'm more than half done. It's cute! I'll post a picture when it's all done, but so far I'm just pleased in the fact that in the almost 10 years since I learned to crochet, I will actually have a finished project. I have a box of half finished ones I gave up on, mostly out of boredom, but this one will actually join the other blanket types I have in my linen closet.

Well I'm sure there is a lot more I could say but this is pretty long as it is! Good Night All!! I have a camp meeting in the morning!!! :)

Time's a wastin'

So today was set aside as tidy up the house day... one load of laundry in the washer later, and I'm reading (and writing) blogs! I must have ADD or something because I cannot stay focused! I started in my computer room and found a big box of random important papers, so I went outside to find my file that I keep all the important stuff in. I decided to go through it and throw away everything that no longer applies. I found stuff from my freshman year at the U, stuff from countless institute classes (which went back into the file), my receipt from the purchase of my wedding dress (that sits in my closet, never worn), my mattress warranty, my cell phone warranty, 6 years worth of tax return information, and my long lost birth certificate. Not a bad find! I didn't throw much away and I'll probably not remember where that birth certificate is the next time I need it. (You avid blog readers, remind me okay?) You know that point when you decide to stop being a pack rat, and just throw everything away? Yeah, I'm not there yet! So instead of getting rid of my pack rat habit I decided to blog about it!


Oh and on a side note, my friend Aubrey won an award for her book Spare Change... best new romance! Yeah Aubrey! And for all of you who read this and haven't read that, there were six copies at my Deseret Book last time I was there... it's an award winner! Why wouldn't you read it? I love you Aubrey!

WICKED!!!

So those of you who have had the privilege of seeing Wicked for yourselves will understand when I say OMIGOSH!!! For those of you who haven't seen it, just go... find a theater that is not sold out (Salt Lake is not the place to look), buy tickets, no matter the cost, and see it! I cannot even begin to imagine how to tell you how amazing it was! I have waited 177 days with tickets and something like 1500 days before that and I'm not going to say the wait was worth it because I'm sure I would have felt the same way 1500 days ago, but it was definitely worth the wait! I've also heard a lot of people say that traveling shows aren't as good because they don't have the "stars" but let me just tell you it really doesn't matter if it's Kristen Chenowith and Idina Menzel (since they aren't playing it anywhere), or whoever was in it tonight! It was fantastic! The cast did an amazing job! Just being there was very much worth it! Now I need something new to look forward to... any ideas?

P.S. TC as you can see from the above photo, I was very much alive!! Sorry pal! Maybe next time!

Preview

Tonight is the night! I've waited 177 days for today! Wicked awaits me! I'll post more when my wait is nothing but a memory...

Pedicure Time Again

Mom and I made an appointment to get pedicures yesterday and finally talked Dad into getting one with us. Not so bad until he decided to get his toenails painted. I'm totally okay with guys getting pedicures. I'd recommend it to everyone, but my dad's brown toes are a bit of a stretch for me. Mom says it covers up all the fungus on his toes, but I still think that mens toes should be toe colored... oh well. At least he enjoyed his few minutes of pampering. He's sold on the idea. I think he'll be going with us more often now. Maybe I can get Mom to post pics on her blog and then you all can vote.

Update

I just thought I'd take a minute and do an update. It's been a while since I just blogged for the fun of blogging even though I don't have a specific topic. Easter dawned clear and beautiful and my mood for Easter matched the day. Holidays are sometimes a bit difficult for me, because even though I get together with my unbelievably amazing family, sometimes I feel like the odd (wo)man out considering I'm the only one without a family and husband. Easter was no different. Although I absolutely love my role as Aunt Julie, every one's favorite aunt, it's not the same as being some one's mom. As we spent a few minutes taking "family pictures" of all the kids and parents in their Easter finest, I chose to have my picture taken with as many of the kids who were ready at the time. I think we have enough of "my family" pictures: ie. me alone! Following picture taking, I had arranged a special family surprise. One of our good family friends, the Ball family, who Mom tended for when the kids were small, came to visit and see the growing Gardiner family. It was fun to see "little" Brittany. Mom stopped tending when Brittany was 2, and now she's just shy of 14. We have seen the Ball family since not being their daycare provider, but it's been several years and they haven't met about half of my nieces and nephews. It was a fun visit. We gathered for a pot luck dinner that was amazing and then while Todd had the little kids occupied on the trampoline we played a quick family game. Later after dessert, everyone packed up their tired little families and I stayed to play Phase 10 with Malerie, Kaity, Carolee, and Mom. That's one of my favorite activities. If I could spend a day any way I would play games and listen to Showtunes. :)

This week has been tiring for me. I'm not sure what the difference is but I've had little motivation to do anything productive, so I got a book at the library and "wasted" a lot of time just reading. Now for those of you who like sappy Mormon romance novels with a good message, allow me to recommend this book. It's a feel good book that makes you realize that dreams can come true and in the end the good guy wins. I know it's not very realistic, but that's why I read. Reality is too vivid. I want to read Happily Ever Afters. Anyway the book is called A Modest Proposal, by Michele Ashman Bell.

All in all, everything continues to be good. I'm still plugging away and enjoying my life the way it goes. Happy Blogging!

General Conference Recap

So as promised I thought I'd write for a minute and tell you my favorite conference moments. I must confess that it's a good thing that conference is OnDemand and on the internet and soon will be in my mailbox, because Saturday, although I got off work for both sessions, I was extra tired and missed a lot. Sunday however dawned bright and clear and I was alert and awake. President Uchtdorf's message when it comes out in the Ensign will be entitled, "Julianne, are you listening... this one's for you" I was very strongly directed by the Spirit during President Uchtdorf's message and it affirmed my testimony in living prophets and that thing about how when God wants to talk to us we read the scriptures (current and ancient). This talk was a modern day scripture moment for me and WOW my eyes were opened. The Sunday morning session continued with Sister Thompson's talk entitled "Julianne pay attention" and Elder Holland's talk "Jesus Christ lives and loves Julianne" I was inspired by Elder Andersen's testimony of the Savior, his personal Savior, and his testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ and I know Satan stands angry today. As always the church rolls on in it's glory, might, majesty, power, and dominion, with a very "smart" Head. Don't you love omniscience? I sure do. I'm happy to sustain Elder Andersen to the quorum of 12 Apostles and I know he'll be as much of an asset to that quorum as the other 97 men preceding him. God be thanked for his living prophets. How grateful I am that we do not walk alone!

General Conference

Today I am excited for General Conference. There are few things in my boring life that excite me, but I have finished the Ensign from November's Conference and I'm ready for more talks by our fabulous apostles and prophets! Also I'm pretty excited to see who they call to replace Elder Wirthlin. It's a good thing they let us have conference every 6 months. I think it helps to keep me righteous! Anyway I'll post later and highlight favorites!

Anna

Today marks the ninth anniversary of Anna's death. Today is a hard day for me. I sat in Sacrament meeting missing my friend. I can't believe it's been nine years since I lost her and yet she seems like a fuzzy memory from someone else's life. Today I just want to remember Anna. I met Anna when Mom and I were working at Dee's. She and her husband Duane were regulars and we became fast friends. We scrap booked together, watched movies (my first R rated one, Pretty Woman), went out to dinner (when I didn't have to work) and went to Idaho one spontaneous weekend to visit her mom. Her goal in life was to corrupt me and Todd. She made Todd a joke book with an R rated section that Mom wasn't allowed to read; she took me to Idaho and told Mom she was going to let me buy lottery tickets because she wanted to contribute to the delinquency of a minor. (She was mad when she found out you didn't have to be 21 to buy lottery tickets so I really was old enough.) We had plans to go to Vegas to celebrate my 21st birthday so she could teach me how to gamble. That plan was interrupted by my mission call which came 6 weeks before my birthday announcing that I was to report to the MTC one week following my birthday so it probably wouldn't be prudent to corrupt me just before I left. We made plans to go when I returned. Anna and Duane were there when I opened my call and when I read that M. Richard Walker would be my mission president. Anna whooped and got all excited that Dick Walker would be my mission president. I didn't know Dick Walker from Adam, but Anna had known him for years. He was the attorney for the company she worked for. Then one day 5 months into my mission came the phone call from President Walker. Anna and I would not be celebrating my homecoming in Vegas. Nine years later I anticipate another type of homecoming. Today in the temple dedication I felt the possibility of that homecoming. Hopefully Anna and I will be forgiven of all the corruption and will have the opportunity to be next door neighbors in Heaven. I am grateful to know that "... that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy. "

Temple Dedication

Today was a rough day for me. Every few weeks I imagine what my life would be like if I either had one more day off a week or if I didn't have 3 + hours of meetings on Sundays. Today was one of the days when I wondered why I got out of bed and really thought about whether or not I really wanted to go to church. Now before you all think I'm some kind of apostate, I really do enjoy church and I love going, but sometimes it's really hard to get up (and I have church at 1). Also today was the Draper Utah Temple Dedication and I failed to get my recommend because I forgot to go pick it up on the days that the Bishopric was doing interviews. Yesterday I actually told my dad that I probably wouldn't go because I didn't have a ticket and it was just another temple dedication. Aren't we lucky that Heavenly Father loves us unconditionally? Sometimes I think He just looks down here and rolls His eyes in my direction. Of course it's not just another temple dedication! What was I thinking? How blessed we are that here in Utah we have 13 operating temples with one more in construction! How blessed we are that Heavenly Father gives us the blessing of attending His House! Well for all of you who are wondering, I dressed my weary body, put my hair in pigtails (my hairstyle of choice this week) and went to church where it was announced in Sacrament Meeting that the Bishopric would be giving out recommends after Sacrament Meeting to anyone who had failed to get it. I gave the Relief Society roll to the first counselor and went to join the slacker line outside the Bishop's office. I'm eternally grateful I did. My stake participated in the 12th and final session of temple dedicatory services and I wish I had an amazing memory to remember the things taught in the temple today. I was blessed in ways I don't deserve as I participated in just another temple dedication and my heart is full with gratitude for this blessing.

A Long Walk Down Memory Lane

A couple of weeks ago I was in Mom and Dad's ward for Jaydon's blessing. While there, in Relief Society, they announced the upcoming Birthday Party Enrichment activity and Billie Sue Coffin told me I should come so we could get together in a social setting instead of at church. I agreed and drove down. Tonight was so much fun! I got to see a whole bunch of people that watched me grow up and a few that I grew up with. It's always so fun to go home. I just want the women in the Mt. Jordan 2nd Ward to know that they are my idols, my heroes, and exactly what I want to be when I grow up. Thank you all for the love and support you continually show! Nowhere is there a better ward in the church! (Sorry Bountiful 12th warders... you're close, but not quite there)

Basketcase

Mom and I went and got pedicures Wednesday night. When you first walk in they tell you to grab a color of polish. It's always a kind of a conundrum to me because you know there are just so many shades of pink to choose from. I always look at the bottom of the bottle because you know there's pink and then there's carnation, rose, magenta. . . on and on and on. So Wednesday we are studying the bottoms of the polish and I find one called Basketcase! Based on my past few weeks and what I feel like sometimes, I chose Basketcase. The next day I showed my assistant what the color Basketcase is and she agreed that it was the perfect name for a nail polish and should be our signature color!

Master the Tempest is Raging

Today I walked into church and got excited to see that the opening song for Sacrament Meeting was Master the Tempest is Raging. This is a hymn that I feel is not sung near often enough, yet so very often portrays my feelings. This week has been a little bit weird. I am doing the normal mundane things as always (work) and yet I feel a little bit like my life is spiraling out of control. It's not even my life that is the problem. It's the lives of those I love most. Todd and Nicole have spent the week with Rory in the hospital fighting RSV, and all we can do is pray for them. Kristina is dealing with a diagnosis of cancer, which most likely can be cured, but again all we can do is pray. I sat in Sacrament meeting today singing the words "Master with anguish of Spirit I bow in my grief today. The depths of my sad heart are troubled, Oh waken and save I pray. Torrents of sin and of anguish sweep o'er my sinking soul, and I perish, I perish dear Master, Oh hasten and take control." The first speaker got up and introduced her topic as Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I thought to myself, "this is why I'm at church today." I need an increase in my faith. The final verse of the song is "Master the terror is over, the elements sweetly rest. The sun in the calm lake is mirrored and Heaven's within my breast. Linger oh blessed Redeemer, leave me alone no more, and with joy I shall make the blest harbor and rest on the blissful shore." I realized today that what I really need to do is continue to pray and let the Master bring peace.

Living Alone... Again

So Sunday night I came home after Jaydon's blessing and hanging with my family and Jesika and Kayla were just about done moving all their stuff out of the house. Kayla got her apartment that she and Greg will live in after the wedding and Jesika decided to move in to help out for a month. Now, before I go too far I just want to clarify that I really loved living with Kayla and Jesika, but I'm kind of excited that they are gone. It's nice to know that all the dirty dishes in the sink are mine, and that all the hair in the shower is also mine. It's nice to be able to actually have space to live in since the apartment is not really big enough for 3 girls. So now it's just me and Bubbles (Jesika's beta fish, who will leave as soon as Jesika figures out how to transport him) and the quiet that comes from living alone again. I'm really liking this!!

Draper Temple Open House

Okay so based on many people that I've spoken with and the blogs I've read, I'm way behind, but last night I went with my family to the Draper Temple Open House. It was very crowded and took a very long time, but the beauty of the temple more than made up for the inconvenience of the wait. My parents live in the newly formed Draper Temple district, but being how this is a small temple and requires an appointment, it will not be so easy to just go and enjoy it. I told my mom that she needed to tell me when their ward temple nights are because I'd really love to spend more time enjoying the Celestial Room and the other so beautiful parts of this temple. It was really enjoyable to see my nieces Malerie and Kaity get excited about turning twelve so they could go in and do baptisms for the dead and Hailey, who is three, was super excited to go to Jesus' house. She kept saying that she wanted to go to the temple to hug Jesus, but she was equally excited to see pictures of Him throughout the temple. A great experience, so if you've missed the opportunity the open house goes for 3 more weeks. Get tickets and go, you won't be sorry.

True Talent

So I had a pretty interesting (boring) day Sunday. I spent it on the couch sick. I was reading a book trying to pretend that I didn't feel yucky when I received a text message from my roomie Jesika that said I got in a wreck, I hit my head, I'm ok. I thought to myself what the heck? So I texted Jesika back and asked her what happened, where she was, etc. and all I got back was I'll tell you later. So here I am sitting alone in my apartment with images of a bloody Jesika lying on the road somewhere between Idaho and Utah. On Monday I got a text that said I have a concussion and maybe a broken foot. I text back what happened exactly, and Jesika writes back it's a long story I'll tell you when I come home. I asked her when that might be and she said she had an appointment with a foot specialist so in a few days. Later while I was at work, Jesika comes hobbling in asking if she can borrow my apartment key because she left hers in Idaho. I tell her that I want the story since she's here and she gave me the 3 minute version. So here's the story. (in Jesika's own words)
A few miles from home (Malad) Jesika is on I 15 when all of a sudden her car begins to decelerate quickly. She pulls over at which point the car fills with smoke (actually steam) and Jesika thinking that the car is going to explode at any second, jumps out and begins running back the way she came. Then she noticed the car was following her, rolling backwards down the hill, and it occurs to Jesika that she didn't put the car in park. Frantically Jesika runs back to the car and attempts to get in to stop the rolling, but the car was going faster than Jesika so she got caught trying to get in, missed the door, and hit her head on the pavement. At this point, the car drove over her legs. Now she's in the road only kind of there mentally trying to figure out what just happened. Let me tell you what happened. Jesika the only "true talent" in our apartment got hit by her own car... Yes hit by her own car. Needless to say today she is bruised and limping but due to the fact that she is an avid milk drinker the foot is only sprained, not broken; she has almost no residual effects of the concussion, and aside from the bruising down her legs onto her foot, on her arm, and on her behind she is feeling much better than on Sunday. My favorite moment was on Monday night when I texted her and asked how she was feeling and the text I got back said, Like I got hit by a car... hahaha I'm so funny. Talented roommates make my "boring life" not so boring!

High School Musicals

For those of you that have had too much of the Disney Channel movies that have a similar title to this blog, do not be alarmed. This has nothing to do with Troy and Gabriella.
Last night I went with my roomie Jesika and my friend Tierny to see Beauty and the Beast at Woodscross High. Now when I was in high school, I'm pretty sure no one had even considered putting Beauty and the Beast in musical version. Nowadays after a pretty good run on Broadway it's a very popular musical with some of the same songs from the movie and some new ones. Also when I was in high school I don't remember such talent coming out of our high school musicals. These days with the invention of the wireless microphone and apparently a lot more talent happening in the younger generation, high school musicals have taken on a whole new level of expertise. I was pleasantly surprised at the level of musical available for $8. It was definitely the high light of my week so far. Hopefully the rest of the week lives up to the excitement of last night. Oh yeah, and Happy Birthday Tierny...

The Boring Life

So I feel like I should blog, but there's really nothing new and exciting to blog about. My days are spent being busy at work and then coming home and wishing I could die!! Yesterday we beat sales at work by a whole lot. Enough that we went from being down 5% to being up 5%. It was a really fun day because being busy, especially in February, is awesome; but it makes for a long day when you start at 7 am and end at 6 pm. Anyway not a lot going on here, just one more day in the "Boring Life."

Real Reality TV

Today we had stake conference. We had a visiting area authority, Elder Phippen. He spoke about a lot of different things, but my favorite part was when he talked about how wonderful the women of the church are. He said he's not really into the primetime waste of time on TV and he thinks that Reality TV is really stupid, but he'd love to write a reality TV show. It would be something like Survivor, but the contestants would be 6 adult men. They would be dropped off on a remote island with 4 children and would be 100% responsible for the care of children and house for six weeks. They would be required to provide 3 meals a day (no fast food restaurants on the island), they'd be required to plant flowers outside the house and decorate the inside of the house. They would have to balance an imaginary checkbook with not enough money to pay all the imaginary bills and still figure out where money would come from to buy groceries. All 4 children would be involved in 2 sports and some type of music lessons. The men would be responsible for taking all 4 children to a doctors appointment, a dentist appointment, and some type of emergency visit. He went on and on about the requirements that mothers deal with daily and then said the children would be the ones to vote each loser off the island and the winners prize would be to live that way for the next 20 years and any monetary prize won would be given to his real wife at home. He then challenged the men in the congregation to trade places with their wives and make the reality show a reality, and then talked about how amazing women are. As I listened to him I thought about my friend Nicole's blog, and all of her experiences raising her two small children while working part time; then I thought of my sister in law Nicole who is responsible for her small son, while being 8 months pregnant, while Todd is away at school and work, trying to help the family by being the supporter. I then thought of all the other mothers that I know who sacrifice their time and effort raising the next generation. Lastly I thought of my mother, who is pretty much done with the hectic mom stages and I look back at all the things I never even realized my mom did, but that obviously got done. I realize that I can't really get as good a grasp on being a mother as the rest of you who actually are, but let me just say Thanks. My hat is off to all of you wonderful women who put aside your life for things of a better. And to my mom, please know that I love you and appreciate all the times when I was the most important thing in your life.

Thoughts in the Temple

Wednesday night I went to do a session at the Bountiful Temple. I ended up in an own endowment session and after it was over I was sitting in the Celestial room watching the group of people who had come with the girl receiving her endowment. I looked around and saw couples arm in arm walking around and people from a ward who had come together for ward temple night. I usually don't mind going to the temple alone, in fact I used to prefer it, but sitting in the Celestial room that night I felt very alone. I was trying to figure out what was wrong with me, and then it occurred to me. The Celestial Kingdom is not somewhere we go alone. In Heavenly Father's plan, He made it so we could end up in the Celestial Kingdom with Him and our families. I think for the first time in my life I realized that I'm not complete by myself. I'm not sure where to go from here, but I am glad that I was given a moment to reflect on the fact that Heavenly Father made it so that we would need each other to get back to him. Time to find a temple buddy.

Pen Pals

Remember when you were in second grade and you got to write a pen pal letter to some random kid in your sister school in Maryland? Lately I feel like I've been re invited to write pen pal letters only this time it's through blogging so it's a lot quicker response time. Between face book and blog spot I've had an opportunity to catch up with a lot of really old friends, and many of them have married and started families and I get to see them grow old. I just recently caught up with a guy I knew in high school on face book and his wife keeps an amazing blog. I don't even know the girl, we've never met, but maybe she'll allow me to be her pen pal through blogging. I don't know what it is about people that are in a station in life that either you are in or want to be in, but I sure appreciate the opportunity to share lives with so many people online.

Spring Awakening...

Today is January 15 which in Utah speak means that we are in the middle of winter. Today was warmish and sunshiney and some of the snow even melted. Wouldn't it be cool if it was really over? I know we didn't really get snow for a really long time but at work I've paid $600 to have my lot plowed over and over and quite frankly I'm done. I'm ready for spring!!!! Lynae and Tyler have this fantastic picture in their house of the Salt Lake Temple through a blossomy branch. I want to see blossoms and sunshine and all that fun stuff. Come on Spring!

Utah Utes Day

Yesterday Governor Huntsman declared it Utah Utes day. You see the Utes played the Crimson Tide (Alabama) in the Sugar bowl and supposedly were supposed to lose. I'm thinking that maybe the Crimson Tide should have presented themselves on the field if they wanted any chance at all of beating Utah. Congrats to the only undefeated team in America. Again I'm proud to bleed RED!!

Just a side note, on the helmets of the Utah players were 3 letters, JBW, honoring Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin who played for Utah back in the day. I found it pretty cool that the team would honor him in such a special way.