Vickie (Adam's mom) sent me this poem today. And then I was glad that I didn't make Adam delete this picture from our camera, because it fits perfectly! :)

A tiny cry within the night,
A mother’s touch, a gentle light,
A rocking chair, a cheek caressed,
A baby to a bosom pressed,
A bundle in a cot replaced
A mother’s footsteps, soft, retraced –
She whispers as the shadows creep…
“Now let me sleep! Please, let me sleep!!!!”

Lynn Johnson (b. 1947)

Russian music. No, we did not accelerate.

At our Riznica concert tonight, a night full of Russian music. I crammed my brain full of "sriet shumnavah bawlaw" to sing my solos. Afterwards, we went with the Andrews to one of my favorite restaurants, Cibo's.

so silly.

Did you Know?

Here's my Facebook 25, except I think I'm breaking the rules by not putting it on Facebook but my blog instead:

1. When I was younger I was PAINFULLY shy and quiet in public. "In public" being the operative phrase.

2. I fall asleep at the drop of a hat on long freeway drives. It's pathetic. When we used to live in Provo, I would teach at my mom's house in Salt Lake City on Tuesday afternoons. On the 45 minute drive home, I would invariably have to pull over and take a nap.

3. I took a tap dance class in college and LOVED it! I still have my tap shoes - just in case.

4. I worked for Appleby's for a summer in college and despised every second I was there. But it was really good for me.

5. I have the entire movie of "The Little Mermaid" memorized. No, I'm not kidding. And no, I can't blame this on my children. I watched it a lot when it first came out.

6. I've never dyed my hair.

7. In Seventh Grade, my friend Sovijada Ly got me to try out the Track Team. I ran track and cross country for 5 years.

8. I don't really like running that much.

9. I'm a very committed person.

10. In high school, I practiced the violin for at least an hour every day. It's amazing what happens when you do that.

11. In Sixth grade, our class did a play. It was taken from the TV show that Kirk Cameron was in - can't remember the name...Anyway, as I said, back then, I was painfully shy, but deep down, I was a diva. It's a bad combination. So I got the part of the mother. I was the BORINGEST actress that ever was. At the end of the play, I was supposed to do an impromptu happy "dance." I think I developed an ulcer over this. I would have rather have been swallowed up by the lavatory than dance by myself in front of the entire 6th grade. I would have rather been eaten alive by maggots than dance in front of the entire 6th grade. I would have rather crawled inside a smelly rotten locker and licked it clean than dance in front of the entire 6th grade. I'm still surprised that I survived the three performances we had.

12. I love my family - all of my family - fiercefully.

13. When I was young, I used to stay up late at night to read. I would use my hot pink alarm clock for light. Maybe this is why my eyes are so bad?

14. I am taking conducting lessons. Did you know that you could take conducting lessons? I didn't. It is very cool. We have a stand, a metronome, music excerpts, and most importantly, a full-length mirror. It's a very nuanced skill to learn. My teacher is Jana Minov, and is one of my dear Serbian friends, and has a doctorate in conducting. She is amazing.

15. By writing all these random things, I'm avoiding mopping my kitchen floor. Which is really my motivation for most things in life. "If I'm not busy doing such-and-such, I might have no more excuses to not mop the kitchen floor!"

16. I'm singing the national anthem tomorrow for a gymnastics meet. I'm hoping Adam will mop the kitchen floor while I'm gone.

17. When Lizzie was first born, I was obsessed with Martha Stewart. This was because I realized how deficient I was in the "Homemaking Skills" category. It was bad. But soon enough, I was cooking meals, cleaning, organizing and crafting! If you want to learn a skill, Martha is there for you.

18. One cold winter, I even made wreaths out of ice with things like holly berries frozen in them. They were really pretty, and I would hang them outside near our Christmas garlands. It would be fun to make those again, but not in Arizona.

19. I really love flowers and want to plant a flower garden this year. My mom is an amazing gardener - maybe she can help me...

20. I think I like 30 Rock more than The Office now. Alec Baldwin and Liz Lemon are hi-lar-i-ous.

21. If you haven't tried strawberried dipped in sour cream and rolled in brown sugar, you are missing a fine thing in life.

22. I passed the AP Calculus Exam in High School. And then I never took any more math again. But I'm glad I took calculus - It was good for my self-confidence.

23. I used to have actual dreams at night that I was singing a role on Broadway. But I'm over it.

24. I have been going to Lifetime Fitness twice a week for 10 months, and they have yet to issue me a real card. I've asked them at least 4 times to replace my expired temporary card. "It should be mailed out to you in about 2 weeks" is the same response I always get. What do I have to do to prove my loyalty?! Sheesh!

25. I'm so looking forward to a romantic Valentine's Day dinner with the love of my life tomorrow night!

Grrrrr.

I'm sorry, but I have just got to vent to someone.

Grrrrrr. GRRRRRRR!!

RANT.

RAVE.

!@!@*#!*@&!@*^# !!! OH! Did I say that out loud??

grumble grumble grumble. GROUCH GROUCH!

GRrrrRrrrRrrrrrrRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Do you know what I mean?!?!

Mooooooannnn...

Grooooooannnn... As If!!

VENT, Breathe, VENT, Breathe.

sniffle, sniffle, pity pity pity.

I'm feeling a little better already.

But now I've burdened you with all this. You didn't need this!

coo coddle, love lovey. Bond.

Deep Breaths: in, out, in, out.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Thanks! I'm all better now!

Yes, I did turn 30.

I have actually started three different posts about this, but each time I have succumbed to overwhelming feelings of gratitude and humility.

Some of you out there know exactly what I'm talking about!

My sweet, dear husband, knows me very well. He knows that even though I protest, I love to be the center of attention on my birthday. And even though this year was a little crazy with the launch of our new business, the new school year, and the fresh virulent viruses that attacked all of us, he still found time to give me a meaningful gift.

My birthday morning was a Sunday, and I woke up with a raging sore throat and ear. I thought: "Ohhh! I'm thirty now, and my body is falling apart! I guess this is what it's like! (Moan, groan)" I stayed home that day and experienced what the house is like while everyone went to church. (It's eerily quiet!)

That night, Adam made me my favorite dish (Sun-dried Tomato Risotto), and then he gave me a packet of paper. This was to be my gift, and I was skeptical at best.

Then I realized what it was, and I started crying. It was a huge compilation from friends past and present, immediate and not-so-immediate family, all writing to me words of love and well-wishes. And stories and memories. It was like "This is your Life" from Sesame Street! (My dream come true). It was just so overwhelming - the tears kept coming as I read through every word. I hope all of you know how meaningful that was to me. I keep replaying the words in my head, so whether you meant it, or were just flattering me because you think we might be rich someday, I cherished every. single. word.

The reason I haven't written and thanked you all sooner is because I am overwhelmed! I didn't know what to say that could express what gratitude I feel at all of your friendships.

Truly, this is the best gift.
Thank you!

Hidden Secrets Revealed, Thanks to Kim

Kim has challenged me to answer this tag, and I'm just warning you, it might get ugly. We all know that you could look behind Kim's refrigerator and it would most likely be freshly swept and mopped, but I am a different story. So, gulp, here goes:

What are my kids doing right now:

Duh! Sleeping! How do you think I'm able to blog here, people. Actually, Eli was totally faking. When I snuck into his room, he was loudly humming "Take me out to the Ball Game."


What's in my sink:

This is really embarassing. I'm not kidding, a matter of hours ago, the disposal clogged. Which it has a tendancy to do. It's not a bad disposal, it's just a bit sensitive, like don't even think of trying to grind up atrocities like potato peels or cucumber peels. You know, why don't we just leave any kind of peeling out of it altogether. And, of course, we wouldn't dream of trying to put rice or small pasta down there either. This time, I think it was a leaf of lettuce. It must have been a big, meaty thick piece of lettuce. You know the kind. I think. Anyway, this is my clogged sink that I don't have the energy to fix tonight. Adam will be home in an hour or so from the campout so....Happy Father's Day?? :)

What's in my closet:

Hey, don't judge me. I'm just happy that the clothes are on hangers, hanging in my closet. I'm not the type that organizes by size, color, length, frequency, season - it's more eclectic that way! I am quite proud of my jewelry holder, though, I must say. Adam had an extra tie rack that he wasn't using, so I turned it into my necklace and bracelet organizer, and it's hanging right in my closet with my clothes. It works great!


What's in my pantry?
Flour, granola, cheez-its, canned food...I love this pantry! You can get SO much in it.

What's in my fridge?

Well, I certainly don't need to go to Costco this week! We've got a mango smoothie, pudding cups, and party leftovers: I made a big Frog Eye Salad yesterday for our RS Swim party that I hosted, and I also have a green beans and fresh garden tomato salad in that pretty Mexican bowl.

What's in my laundry room:

Uh, the washer and dryer? Not much excitement here - let's move on.
Favorite room in my house:

This is where the magic happens, people! When my family comes to visit, this is where we gather. When we have a Music Night, this is where it happens. This is where I've been preparing the repetoire for the Children's Choir this week (I'm so excited about the music we'll be singing!) And teaching my kids piano is really one of my favorite things to do. This afternoon, in fact, I spent probably two hours with Lizzie and Eli, and then we sang Primary songs together. This is where all our FHE's start. Basically, most of our family's favorite memories take place here. If I'm getting a little too MoMo for you, refer back to my sink. And closet.

Okay, Favorite pair of shoes:
This was harder than I thought it would be. You see, as I went through my (unorganized) closet, I saw some old friends. Yes, I took a walk down memory lane when I saw this pair of shoes:

I love these shoes! I wore them at my wedding reception. Yes, they have 4 inch heels, and yes, I was standing in a receiving line for hours, but I was determined to not take them off - that's how committed I was to these shoes. And if I took them off, it would totally mess up the look of the front of my wedding dress, so... it was a no brainer.

These days, I would say that these shoes are my fave. I'm figuring out that I have a thing for heels. Hmm, I think I'll wear them tomorrow. I also love these. They're so green! I have frequently planned entire outfits around these shoes.

Well, enough about me, how about you?! Open your closets, and let's see some skeletons, everyone!

My Arms are Killing me from that Cycling Class!

So, guess what?? I joined a gym! You can all breathe a collective sigh of relief for my health and well-being now. And this is no ordinary gym, it's Life Time Fitness, more like a resort. A very nice resort. It also helps that I am the last person I know to finally join this gym (except for you, Jane - what are you waiting for?!), so basically I know everybody there!

Well, Lisa took me to my first ever Cycling Class on Thursday. She told me it would kick my butt, and I was scared. It did, and it was awesome! I loved feeling so empowered.

By Thursday afternoon, I could feel my arms starting to cramp up. I was confused. Was this leftover from the weight class I tried on Tuesday? Strange.

By Thursday night, I couldn't extend my arms past a 90 degree angle. At all. I couldn't lift Ivy, I couldn't vacuum, I couldn't even fold the laundry! I was in SO much pain!!! To keep gravity from forcing my arms to extend, I kept them folded all day. I looked very reverent. When I had to move, I had to bend from the waist. Just picture C3PO. Yep, that's it. That was how I moved for 2 days.

I had book club Thursday night. You should have seen me trying to reach for the brownie plate! I had to keep my arms bent and lean my whole body over. That probably should have deterred me from eating, but we all know I'm not afraid to look like a fool - and come on, it was free brownies!

I puzzled over why in the world my arms would be cramped from a cycling class. I had expected to be sore from the waist down, not to lose control of my arms. Did I accidently cycle upside-down using my arms? No, I don't think I was that bad at the class. The only thing I can figure is that I must have been clenching the handlebars for dear life. For a solid hour. I didn't even notice I was doing it, but it's the only explanation!

You'll be happy to hear that as of this (Sunday) morning, I have finally regained full extension of my arms. Laundry, dishes and vacuuming are viable options once again. :(

Tomorrow, I need to work out my legs, so maybe I should do a rowing class?

I've been inducted into the Eucher Group!

So, Phoenix Symphony Chorus had (another) concert this weekend: we did the Chichester Psalms by Bernstein (a first for me, and a joy to sing!), and we did Ravel's wordless "Daphnis et Chloe" (the music for a ballet). It was great.

(Sidenote: Adam and Lizzie came to the Friday concert, and I asked Lizzie what her favorite part was. She said, "I LOVED..." and here I thought she would say the piano soloist or the boy soprano soloist, but she said, "...the DOG!" There is a handicapped violinist who keeps her guide dog on stage, and apparently that was Lizzie's favorite part. But I digress...)

But what was ever better was that I was finally inducted into the Eucher group, even though I'm not a midwesterner. If you're asking yourself what "Eucher" is, you must not be from the midwest either. It's a card game that is played by midwesterners, in the midwest. And if they happen to leave the midwest, and they wanted to play, say in the southwest, they only play with other people who have lived in the midwest.

A group formed from our choir when we had some down time in between singing on concert nights back in November. This lady came over to a group of us and asked if any of us were from the midwest. My friend Lynn is from Michigan, and was swept away immediately! I was so confused! Nobody asked if anyone knew the game or if anyone wanted to play a card game, it was "Are you from the midwest?"

I was only invited to observe, which was a stretch since I have only driven through the midwest, or stopped there during layovers of flights.

But Saturday night, they were desperate for a fourth player, and with Lynn putting in a good word for me, they called me over! I made the disclaimer, "But I'm not from the midwest - are you sure?!!" and they cringed, but let me in anyway.

Having payed very close attention the last time they played, I caught on pretty quickly and held my own. That is, until the last hand when I called the trump to be "spades" when I actually meant to say "clubs." The game was confusing until I realized my mistake and laughed about it, but I'm pretty sure those midwesterners were thinking "Only someone not from the Midwest could make such a dumb mistake!"

So, it might have been the first, and perhaps the last time that a rogue player was allowed into the club!

So, the other night I was lying in bed...

...admiring our new bedspread that I bought last month. I love the colors, and the checkerboard pattern...And suddenly, it dawned on me: I've seen this pattern before! Wait - it's more than that...I created this pattern! And I instantly remembered...this! (Look carefully at the checkerboard pattern...)
This is one of the "Enrichment-At-A-Glance" posters I made last January 2006 when I was the Enrichment leader. The idea was that we would have these hanging in different areas at church, and the women could just "glance" at it and see what was happening that month. We had been getting complaints that the women never knew what was going on. These posters stopped all complaints. "You don't even have to read!" we told them.

I suppose that a therapist might tell me that my subconscious misses being the enrichment leader (I was released last November) and that's why I picked this bedspread out last month.


Or maybe my subconscious saw that Enrichment calander pattern and instantly felt an inexplicable exhaustion and a desire to get some more sleep.


Either way, I can't go to bed now without thinking that maybe I should go to Book Club or Scrapbooking this week!

Click Five with the Palmer Sibs

My little bro, Matt put this music video together over Christmas break when we were all in town, and just posted it on YouTube tonight! Notice Erin playing the Guitar Hero guitar in the front, with the fan blowing on her hair. (By the way, this was just a couple of days before she soloed with the MoTab). Also note that they're all oogling my 13 year old sister, Whitney. Creepy. Also note the cameo appearances by Adam, Ivy and me. We were amazing. I'm just glad I didn't have to get inside the recycling can. I mean, I have standards.

I Got an Award! :)

Thank you for asking about the NATS (btw, that stands for "National Association of Teachers of Singing") competition! Here's what happened on Saturday.

The Short Version (stats only):
I had a great experience, and I won 3rd Place in my Division! Hooray for me!

The Long Version (including play-by-plays, commentary, and analysis):

Saturday was a wonderful day. I felt like a diva. "Yes, you may make breakfast for me... just no dairy, please" "Well, I suppose I'll let you drive me there so I can finish my makeup" "Can you help me put on all this bling? It's just so heavy" "I can't scold the kids - I need to protect my voice..." etc. etc. etc. =)

I was totally ready and not even nervous when I arrived. It was held at a local community college, and each division had its own set of 3 judges in our own room. I was in division 9W, meaning that I have had more than 4 years of voice lessons since high school, but do not have a degree in Voice. It's the Wild Card division; you never know who could be in it, and there's also no age limit like there are for the college divisions.

So, I sang the Bach, and they really liked it and asked me to sing the "Steal Me" aria, which went really well. That's the song that Amanda (my accompanist) and I worked on the most in her studio classes, and it went really really well. The only glitch was that for some reason unbeknownst to me I sang "kill me" instead of "steal me" in one of the phrases. It wasn't the really big moment, thank goodness, so hopefully they didn't quite notice. Because I know I didn't want to be killed. I just wanted to be stolen away by the attractive thief. There's a big difference.

Then they asked for the German song, and it was good. We still had time for the French, and I came this (I'm pinching my fingers together really closely) close to missing my entrance. It was weird, but by the first line I had totally recovered and it was a great, fast, flamboyant song.

We just had a couple minutes left, and I had one more piece, the Bellini, which is 5 1/2 minutes long. I told them the best part was at the end, and they said, well, sing fast. Anyway, I only got halfway through before I had to stop, which was a real shame.

So that was the audition. It was really nice that Adam was there to watch it. He's great at supporting me in my interests!

In the afternoon, they offered a master class from a professor from NAU (Flagstaff), which I went to and it was very interesting.

Then they did the awards ceremony right afterwards. They went by division, and announced finalists, honorable mentions, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st place winners, and the 1st place winners went backstage immediately to pick a song to sing for the recital. So, they would do a group of awards and then have a recital with all the winners from the various divisions. As I was listening, I was feeling pretty good, like, yes, I could totally be on that stage and fit right in. It was a good feeling. My accompanist thought so too; right before our division went, she said, okay, what are we singing? =)

So, my group came up, and they announced my name for 3rd place! I was very excited. I was sad that I didn't get to sing in front of everyone, but when I came back to my seat, my voice teacher, Anne Kopta, was saying, "Oh! I'm so proud of you! And 2 of my students won." - so it another of her students that took first place. She said, "Don't feel bad, - you'll understand when you hear her sing." So, she sang "I Want Magic" from A Streetcar Named Desire and it was spellbinding. She was incredible. I was so honored to get 3rd place with her as the winner. I might have felt angry if a shoddy singer would have won. But I didn't. I felt honored. And also glad that we have the same teacher! She really was the best female voice of the day, including all the graduate and doctoral students.

So, it was a wonderful time. And I think I might take Tara's advice and make a cd while I'm in great vocal shape right now. That would be cool to have in several years.

I think this was something that I felt I needed to do. And I didn't figure this out until afterwards, but I think the reason is because I needed to know where I stood as a singer. Having never studied in school for this, I've only had my sister to compare to (not a healthy thing), or my fellow choir members, which really is a group that's after a different goal. So this was a chance for me to see how much "street cred" I've gained through my years in private study, against singers in my same situation and with the same goals. And it was nice to be judged and to have been found acceptable. I mean, for heaven's sake. The last time I was ranked and judged as a singer was at the end of my freshman semester as a voice major, and they cut me from the program. After one semester. So, I feel like (with the help of many others), that I've carved my own path and come a really long way. And that makes me feel good.

My Diva Day is over and it's back to diapers, laundry, driving kids places and teaching music lessons, but it was fun to be queen for a day! :)

I'm singing tomorrow!

Well, that's not unusual, I sing alot of days. But tomorrow is the NATS competition, and I have been preparing for it for almost two months. I'm very excited to perform! It has been such a great experience already - working with ASU professors and with my accompanist, learning how to pronounce French, learning where to find publications of obscure music, and learning how to get good translations (Call Erin). I've been stretching myself to learn faster and work harder. It's been great. So, you wanna know what I'm singing?

1 - "Quia Respexit" from the Bach Magnificat
2 - "Vivons Mignarde," the last in a 4-song set by Jean Berger
3 - "La ricordanza" a Bellini song that was a study for one of his most famous arias "Qui la Voce"
4 - "Gruss" a German song written by Grieg
5 - I'm ending with an American Aria by Menotti called "Steal Me, Sweet Thief" from The Old Maid and the Thief. It is so fun to sing. The whole first section is her being very frustrated by this guy who won't pay attention to her, and it's actually pretty funny! And then she goes into the real aria part and just bears her soul about wanting someone to love her before she gets too old and dies. It's fabulous.

Wish me luck!

100 Things about Me

Well, my favorite blogger, Tiffany, has issued a challenge to tell 100 things about yourself. It seems like alot, but I'll give it a go. Then, you do it, too! It's so fun to get to know you.

1. My feet are stinky.
2. I love guitar music with raspy-voiced female singers. It makes me feel artsy, I guess.
3. I talked to the Virginia Tax Department today (a woman with a southern drawl named "Willa Mae").
4. Apparently, they thought we were cheating on our taxes, thinking that we owned the place we rented and were collecting money on it. Not true.
5. I love hot spiced cider.
6. I really don't like getting up when it's dark in the morning.
7. I love that my toes are pedicured! I keep wearing open-toed shoes even though it's cold outside!
8. I check my email way too many times a day.
9. Both my sisters and I all have the same middle name: "Elizabeth"
10. I have never had a cavity or braces or anything.
11. I have terrible eyes.
12. Adam has great eyesight and terrible teeth.
13. I hate going to restaurants if I am served food that I could have made better myself.
14. I used to melt chocolate chips in the microwave and dip pretzels in them for a late night snack. But I stopped because the caffeine in the chocolate would keep me awake for hours and hours.
15. I won a cha-cha dance competition when I was in college. Betcha didn't know that!
16. I've never won first place in any music competition. Ironic, huh!
17. Maybe I should have been a dancer.
18. I loved watching "So You Think you Can Dance" this summer. I usually taped it and watched it about 3 times.
19. I am so glad we moved to Arizona. I loved the idea of Connecticut, but it wasn't working in reality.
20. I still have all my Christmas cards up on the wall. I can't take them down! I love them.
21. I love to read.
22. I love to blog.
23. I love to read your blogs.
24. I love to teach my kids piano. I'm surprised by this, actually. I didn't expect to like it as much as I do.
25. I would love to go to Australia or New Zealand someday.
26. I would also like to see Mount Rushmore, but really, South Dakota? Come on. Who's idea was that?
27. I am usually late.
28. I get so frustrated about #27.
29. I feel guilty about things.
30. I love that my mom loves to cook for us when we come to visit.
31. I love that Adam's mom still has My Little Ponies from 20 years ago that the girls love to play with when they come over.
32. I love to sing.
33. I'm not good at "3's and 7's" on Guitar Hero 3.
34. I'm not good at playing by ear.
35. I should lose 10 pounds this year.
36. I have no plans of accomplishing #35.
37. I am turned off by most politics.
38. I love listening to Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion."
39. The only tv that is ever on during the day is "Sesame Street."
40. I hate cleaning the shower/bathtub. In fact, that might have been what sealed the deal for me when I was dating Adam. For our cleaning check in our apartment, I had to clean the bathtub, and I was totally stressed out and overwhelmed, so, Adam said he couldn't do my homework for me, but he could clean the tub for me. I was completely smitten.
41. Adam's been responsible for cleaning tubs ever since.
42. I hate to be bored. So I usually schedule things till I'm really busy. Then, sometimes I overdo it, and I get overwhelmed. I've struggled with this my whole life.
43. I can find many many excuses not to dust or do deep cleaning. Many excuses.
44. I don't like Rock Band as much as Guitar Hero because there's no good GIRL rock songs, you know? They are very male-biased.
45. I get nervous driving with people in the car that I don't know very well. I can't concentrate, and I usually drive very poorly.
46. Otherwise, I'm a pretty good driver.
47. For three years in a row, I got a traffic ticket on December 26th. That was several years ago, but I always get nervous on Dec. 26th anyway.
48. I make Lizzie a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every single day for lunch. That's what she wants!
49. I love fresh fruit, and I miss our vegetable garden.
50. I have decorated our kids' rooms so many times, and then we have moved. I'm burnt out, I guess, because I haven't done a single thing for their rooms since we moved here.
51. I love volunteering in Lizzie's classroom. It makes me feel like a good mom.
52. Making Lizzie eat dinner in the car on the way to gymnastics makes me feel like a lame mom.
53. I used to read to Lizzie all the time when she was little. I wish that I did as much for Ivy.
54. I miss our Enrichment group and meetings. We had so much fun.
55. I should really go to bed.
56. I'm so glad we moved as much as we did.
57. My hair is turning gray.
58. I got a copy machine for Christmas.
59. I'm good at picking out paint color.
60. I don't like shopping all that much.
61. Unless I do.
62. I love lemon sorbet. So refreshing!
63. I stil might send out a Christmas card.
64. I love watching the kids play in the greenbelt after school.
65. Adam had to teach me how to throw a Frisbee after we got married. We used to practice at Garst Mill Park right behind our apartment in Roanoke.
66. I get to sing at ASU next week for a piano professor's master class. I'm excited and nervous.
67. Singing in the Phoenix Symphony Messiah group this past Christmas made me rethink the way I understood that music. It was an amazing musical and spiritual experience.
68. I'm too dramatic sometimes.
69. In school when I was younger, I was very very shy and quiet. I watched everybody.
70. I would like to go back to Europe someday with my husband.
71. I love a cozy fire. Nothing like it.
72. Who doesn't love a cozy fire? That's not unique.
73. Anna Karenina is my all time favorite book.
74. I love classics. In just about everything.
75. When I start a book, it is very difficult for me NOT to finish it. Unless it's really crude or nasty. But if it's boring, I will just keep on plugging on till the end.
76. I started the habit of reading the scriptures everyday when I was in primary, and I've hardly missed a day since.
77. I have no food storage.
78. I can't quilt.
79. I can't wait to go to New York City this March.
80. I miss NYC. Just being there makes one feel hip and urban.
81. Using the word "one" in the line above reminds me of my brother-in-law John. I wish I had a vocabulary like him.
82. I like to read about Britney Spears.
83. I watch America's Next Top Model.
84. My feet are always cold at night.
85. I have low blood pressure (thanks, Mom!)
86. Adam and I both have really great families. Loving, kind, fun and funny, smart and together.
87. Adam and I met at King Henry apartments in Provo, Utah.
88. I used to be obsessed with Speed Scrabble. It was the only game we played for years.
89. I recently learned about a game called "Yuker" that is played by only mid-westerners.
90. I was not invited to play said game.
91. I took Latin for a year in 7th grade.
92. I saw my first Broadway play (Les Mis) in New York with my Latin class on a Field trip. The play was in English, the book was originally in French, but I had no ethical qualms about that.
93. I climbed Mt. Sinai in Egypt. In the middle of the night in August. It's too hot otherwise.
94. I think you should stuff as many dishes into the dishwasher as are humanly possible.
95. Adam always wants to go to bed before I do.
96. I love talking to people one on one. I love figuring out what makes people tick.
97. Sometimes I wish I could figure my kids out better and understand what makes them tick.
98. I always wished I had big blue eyes. Now, I get to look at Ivy's big blue eyes, and I think that's even better than having them myself.
99. I'm a big believer in family bonding. I like to create moments that are postive and memorable.
100. I hope the kids remember those wonderful moments, because those moments are not getting scrapbooked!

Okay!
Your turn! It's like we just had a big long late night conversation, and I told you everything about myself, and now it's your turn to spill. Come on, it doesn't hurt. It's fun.

I can't Resist!

Okay, okay, here's a teaser:



So, don't you feel like you're looking at that famous drawing of the hand drawing a picture of itself? Whoa. Deep.

Adam's New Camera!

Adam's Birthday present finally arrived this week! He has had more fun taking pictures, and today we finally figured out how to download them onto the computer! Here's our week in pictures:

Happy Adam...

...Me practicing with my accompanist for the NATS competition coming up in February...

Ivy dressing up as a "Bumble Beem," as she calls it...

...Eli laughing his head off at FHE...

...Ivy in her snuggly "Frosty the Noman" jams...

...Lizzie has the lesson for FHE...

...I was hoping for a bit of ice cream...

...Ivy wakes up...

...Stewart kids and Andrews kids on the trampoline...

...Eating dinner with the ham and cheeseball...

...Ivy just out of the shower...

...Ivy at dinner.

Hope you all had a great week, too!

New Year's Eve 2007: A Time to Reminisce

Every New Year's Eve, I try to remember what I did all the previous New Year's Eve's and think, WOW time has really flown by. For example, New Year's Eve, 1999... the Dawning of a new Millennium...

I was 6 months pregnant with our first (maybe we should have named her "Millie"?!), and had just graduated in December in Elementary Education from BYU. I had just finished my student teaching in a first grade class at Hillcrest Elementary in Alpine School District in Orem, Utah. We lived in my cousin's basement in Pleasant Grove, Utah, and Adam had a horrendous job with a horrendous commute at Compeq International up near the Salt Lake Airport.

Adam and I, sensing that our freedom was coming to a close, met up with a bunch of college friends, ate at the Spaghetti Factory, and went to First Night in Salt Lake City. I remember that it was really foggy that night, and we thought the streets looked "bizarro."

Not content to leave the partying at that, we went home to P.G. for a couple hours of sleep and then, before the crack of dawn, we drove to Kennecot Copper Mine to meet my sister Erin and her then-boyfriend Everett Peterson. We wanted to get a good view of the "Sun Dawning on a New Millenium" We also blasted the theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey" ("Also Sprach Zarathustra") from the car stereo while the sun inched its way up.


I admit, it was a bit anti-climactic, but at least I can say I did it in a blog 8 years later!

So, where were you 8 years ago? How did you celebrate the incoming millennium?

Ten Things About Me

One of our assignments as a new Relief Society presidency is to write a paragraph about ourselves for the stake newsletter. Here's mine...hey, maybe you'll find out something new about me!

1. I will be singing the Messiah choruses six nights this week and 5 nights next week with the Phoenix Symphony Chourus. Hallelujah.

2. I married a man who likes to bake. He tortures us on Fast Sundays after church by making not one or two, but several desserts before we’ve broken our fast.

3. After my freshman year at BYU, I went on a study abroad to Israel and it made a significant difference in my life – a really self-defining moment you could say.

4. My favorite books are Anna Karenina, Pope Joan, and Pride and Prejudice.

5. I believe that music is something that everyone can and should participate in and that it has so much potential power for good.

6. I love to blog! It gives me a chance to express myself and it combines scrapbooking and writing in my journal – two things I’m not very good at – into something that I like to do.

7. Our three children are the only grandkids on both sides of the family – so, yes, they are in high demand during the holidays!

8. I have lived in 6 different states, and spent almost completely equal time on the east coast and in the west. The longest I’ve lived anywhere was in Hershey, Pennsylvania for 6 years. (Maybe that explains the chocolate addiction!)

9. I’ve recently been told that my “eyebrows need help…times ten!” Maybe I’ll get to that after Christmas…

10. One of the most fantastic experiences I’ve had was playing “Maria” in The Sound of Music. My daughter got to play “Gretl” and my husband played a Nazi. But, really, he’s very a nice man.

I'm Having a Distractable (hold on one sec...) Day...

Today, I am baking. Snickerdoodles, to be exact. I am doubling the recipe for maximum efficiency. So, this means fractions are involved. Anyway, I have been so distractable today, that even with an entirely quiet house, my thoughts were distracting me so much that I put in 5 eggs instead of 4 and had to scoop the superfluous egg out. Then I forgot the baking soda at the end, so I had to replace the beater and mix it in. Then, after rolling my first moist cookie, I realized that I must have doubled the 2 3/4 cups of flour incorrectly. Having been only able to find my 1/2 cup measure, I figured that 2 and 3/4 cups flour times 2 was the same as 11 half cups. Wrong! Recheck your work, girl! It is 11 half cups plus a quarter cup! So again, I replaced said blade and mixed it in.

My whole intent in going fast is to multi-task. In fact, I pride myself on my multi-tasking abilities. Hold on one sec, the cookies are done. Okay, I'm back, what was I saying? Oh yes, I feel like I'm accomplishing so much when I multi-task! But I believe I have crossed the line when my brain is distracting itself. This is the very reason that Adam is in charge of all food-flipping tasks: french toast, pancakes and grilled cheese. Oh, I can start out just fine. But waiting is what gets me! I'm so impatient, I'll think of something else I can do real fast and of course I plan to come back before the food is browned. That's when Adam steps in and the next thing I know, he's serving me a perfectly grilled cheese sandwich and I've completely forgotten about said flippable food. We must be a good match.

Well, I have errands to run! Gotta go!