Yahooo!

NEW BLOG

2011-06-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! I have a new blog so come and visit me there!

itsadreamalright.blogspot.com

Love you all!!

Simpsons meet Will Smith

2011-05-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

I know I've been a bad blogger lately. You never know what will get you to blog. This is what got me to blog today. FREAKING OUT!! This is my favorite cousin/mission companion Breanne and her baby who live in NYC with yes...WILL SMITH!

Here is her story about it: While walking through Soho today with my mom and Kenna we ran into a large crowd of people catching glimpses of the cast members of Men In Black III...they were all waiting cameras in hand for Will Smith to walk out of his truck and go on set. We decided to wait around a few minutes. We're happy we did! The workers outside the truck moved Kenna and I over to the side opposite the crowd because they wanted Kenna to be protected when the people and paparazzi started to swarm when they saw him.
When Will Smith came out of the truck I snapped a few pics off him on my iphone...i thought that would be it but then he walked towards us and saw Kenna. He said,"What a cute baby. Can I hold her?" I said, "Sure!" and then we took a few pics...it was the funniest moment! My mom was laughing watching this. What are the chances? Kenna's first celebrity sighting and photo op! My mom got a handshake too! Jeremiah couldn't believe the pic he saw when I emailed him...he got a few laughs also. I just love nyc! You never know what will happen when you walk out the door!

I love NYC. That statement rings so true. You never know what you will find when you walk out the door! Can't WAIT to come out and see you again!!!

Sock Monster

2011-04-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

Have any of you met the sock monster? I think he is the monster of all monsters. He definitely has me and Alana fooled.

He always manages to eat up not 2 but only 1 sock. We thought we could out smart him and combine all of our onesies. We were bound to find tons of matches, right?
Wrong :( This was the result.
Dang that sock monster.

The city sites

2011-04-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

I was amazed by the big buildings and the "mini New York" feel that we found in Chicago.

So many picturesque moments!

How about stepping on a ledge at the top of the 'Sears' tower (now called the Willis Tower). This is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Yikes!
They said 'You're a real dare devil if you lay on your tummy and look down'. Oh, I did the honors alright.

So high up! Everybody jump!

Wow. This was so much fun and such a sight to see.

The famous Chicago bean!

So there is a little taste of the city sites. Next I'll give you some of the city bites. Oh my so cheesy I know. It was such a fantastic city to explore. We were also able to confirm first hand the appropriateness of calling it the 'windy city'. Oh boy!

The Lyon & Healy Harp Factory

2011-03-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

Last August my harp students all set goals to practice a certain amount of minutes a day. Their reward? To go to the Lyon and Healy harp factory and see how harps are made. The extra bonus was...the factory is in Chicago!!! They all worked so hard and were soooo excited! We got in Wed night and hit up the factory Thursday morning for a tour.
Ready for the tour and standing by a harp over 100 years old. The 9th harp to be made by this company(the best harps in my opinion and most people's opinion too).
Our tour guide was fabulous and it was amazing to see every little step of harp making and all the pieces being put together. Such intricate work. It takes 2 years to build one harp! There are over 2,000 moving parts on a harp.

All the moms were saying "Now we understand why our harps cost so much!" We loved the man had carving the columns. It seemed like most all the workers were from Eastern Europe. Amazing to see these craftsmen at work.

The factory was nice enough to set up 5 concert grand harps for us to play at their concert hall. The girls had practiced ensemble pieces to play together. They played many classical songs to Pirates of the Caribean to Titanic to Phantom to hymns. It was quiet the sight and sound. I was very proud of them. They sure rose to the occasion!

I had some of them play a few solos. This student played a song that she wrote. She entered reflections at her school and won the state competition. She was so happy.
This student played a very hard classical song by Haydn. It was awesome to hear and watch. I wish you could see out the window better. The big Chicago buildings in the background were gorgeous.
"You have to work like the devil to play like an angel!" So true! We loved this and all the girls said "Let's make T shirts that say that!"

A bunch of very happy moms and daughters. Way to go girls!

We saw lots of different harps-black and gold and blue!
And a small electric harp that they could try!

Here are some videos of the girls playing the electric harp. I was too busy directing everyone in the concert hall or I would have recorded some in there too. The girls had a blast playing around with this harp.

They even got to meet the owner of Lyon and Healy! I met him and his beautiful wife a few years back. She is from Argentina so it's always fun to talk to her in Spanish. She is also a fabulous harpist. They are such a classy couple and talked to the girls about their experience at the factory, Chicago pizza, skiing in Utah and much more!

What a great time we had and memories made to last forever! But that is not all!! We not only harped, but we shopped, ate, saw art museums and aquariums and stood on high buildings. Stay tuned for the rest of the trip! This was one weekend that made me so happy and grateful for what I do. These girls and their moms are such blessings in my life.

Relaxing and intense

2011-03-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

That is how this past weekend was. Relaxing and intense. Rosie and I headed to Las Vegas to just chill and I certified to teach Zumba. I have been teaching kickboxing for 5 years and while recently feeling slightly bored with it, I took my first Zumba class. I realize that I am one of the last to try Zumba. I sometimes have this thing of NOT jumping on band wagons. I didn't read Twilight or Harry Potter and never saw The Lord of the Rings. I dunno. However, I am now gladly jumping on the Zumba train. It's so fun! When we left our first class I told Becca "I am going to teach that!"

Friday was intensely filled with Zumba training for 10 hours. I learned all about Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia and Reggaeton styles of dancing. I got a little Latin hip swaying in me from living in Chile HOWEVER I can't move my hips quiet as easily and naturally as those Latins. It's a work in progress. I will start teaching Thursdays at Gold's Gym and I'll keep you posted about other classes coming soon...
Rosie and I hit up the pool/hot tub, shopped, ate and cozed up. She is pregnant and we would laugh because I think people thought we were a real couple. Oh you know we are!
After the long Zumba day we hit up Benihanas for dinner at our hotel. Nice and convenient.
The next day was filled with Caesar's Palace of course.

The new H&M shop there was excellent. 3 floors of great clothes and a kids section. Rosie got her girls darling Easter dresses there. This store replaced FAO Shwarz. This BIG piano is missed of course!
Cheesecake factory is always a must. We don't mind that we have one in Utah now. It's a tradish!
We got to meet Dick Butkus. You older people or sports fans will be excited. All Rosie and I could think of was that is a pretty bad name to have. Yikes.

The Belagio is always a must there for me. I find it a place of serenity amongst all of the chaos.

Great fun and rejuvenating trip. Thanks Rose for all the talk time and the mini eggs.

February news

2011-02-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

First on the February news agenda is that BYU moved into the #3 spot in the National ranking for college basketball which of COURSE constitutes Ro shaving his head with the BYU letters and spray painting it. Also My mom had her 64th birthday.
She shares a birthday with Eleisha, aka her adopted granddaughter, aka my harp student.
So the family went up to a cabin and took a snowmobile trip for the day. It was grande!

Then we hit up the ice castles in Midway. They are a real gem.
My mom LOVING her birthday!
Then my dad dared us to lick the ice "The Christmas story" style.
So we did.

Beautiful times and beautiful memories. Now welcome MARCH!!

Family in town

2011-02-22T22:11:00.000-08:00

Instead of the annual ski pictures I put up every year when Brian and his family come into town, I'll put up some of the new family pics!

We haven't had an updated picture of the family since the one where I am holding Norman the cat. Oh you know the one!
LOVING Hillary and can't believe she is 16! She is such a fun girl and I just want to hang out with her all the time. One night after skiing we sat up giggling until all hours of the night and fell asleep on the floor by the fire. That's my kind of camping.
We took a shot of the WHOLE family but I believe that it is under construction at the moment (photoshop). Coming soon...
Mom and dad so cute. I like that saying

"All because two people fell in love."

I'll go with it

2011-02-16T23:07:00.000-08:00

Oh it was a blizzard out there tonight. That is not news to anyone. I'll tell you what is news though....FREE movie and popcorn AND drinks.

Conversation driving over in the snow:

Vicki Tracy: "Uh, is this really a good idea?"

Me: "Oh it'll be a good idea alright! We'll love the movie."

As we arrived at the window to buy our tickets the lady asked us if we had cash. Interestingly enough, their credit card system was down. Like we carry cash with us on snowy nights. If ever. I said "Can we go in anyways?" She printed our tickets and we were in! "It's not your fault our system is down." You are right sister.

Popcorn and drinks? I'm sure you can guess the rest of the story.

Happy as larks we sat down to watch the movie and .....it was stupendous! I highly recommend it. We were laughing and giggling and dying at Jen Aniston's hair and 'sneaky hot body' (funny line from the movie) the whole time.

I wanted to jot this down tonight because I've been reading this book that talks about recognizing small miracles in our lives, showing gratitude and happiness that things are 'just working out for you'. Ok ok I know you may be laughing because this was just a free movie, but that is the point. Many times we discount the small sweet things that go well for us and chalk them up to coincidence.

If we recognize and are grateful for small touches of happiness that we get and we look forward to them, they will come to us more easily. I'll keep trying this theory on for size! So far so good. Whew.

Black eye beauty

2011-02-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

Look what I have been sporting the last few days.

(the night it happened...much worse now)

Conversation of the day:

Grammy: "Do you have a black eye?"

Me: Yes

Grams: Concerned she grabs my hand "Leave him."

That made me laugh. Apparently people's first instincts are to associate black eyes with domestic abuse because I have gotten many similar half joking remarks.

My 2 black eyes to this day have been from a wave runner and now a snowboarding accident. Who else has a black eye story of their own? Come on, I want to hear it!

A few more things on LoVe

2011-02-03T01:16:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things that caught my eye so far this month while we are celebrating LOVE.

TRUE LOVE

Thou shalt live together in love.

-Doctrine and Covenants 42:45

True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well-being of one's companion.

I read this article today and liked it. I should do a click HERE thing in case you want to read it. I don't really know how to do that so...I'll just put the article below and you can read it if you want. It's pretty good I think. Happy February!

Relationships are easy

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Corey Allan of Simple Marriage.

Relationships are easy.

You may have read or heard the opposite, that relationships are hard work. I used to believe that was true. Not anymore.

Relationships are easy.

I understand that making time for someone else or giving up some of the things you love or getting your own way create some struggles in life – but once again, relationships are easy.

Perhaps what people who believe relationships are hard work are actually referring to the difficulty of interacting and living with an immature, childish human.

Why would it be hard work to be in relationship with a mature, caring grown up?

Here’s a couple of other questions to ponder:

Why is it that we are sometimes nicer to strangers than we are to loved ones?

Shouldn’t marriage and relationships lighten our load, not add to our burden? Because if it were the latter, why in the world would any of us sign up for something like this?

Perhaps the problem is that many times we get bogged down in a lot of the unnecessary parts of relationships and lose focus on the essential parts. Or we lose sight of the fact that our significant other is a separate being who is capable of making their own decisions and charting their own path in life.

But this fact isn’t a bad thing at all as it frees you up to do the same! And it also frees you both to choose each other – not feel like you’re stuck in a monotonous existence together.

Why relationships are easy

It all boils down to how you view what goes on within your relationships, specifically your significant ones.

First and foremost, marriage is designed to help you grow up. It’s not about happiness. It’s not about becoming more complete, despite what Hollywood and popular press would like you to believe. Marriage is about growing. Happiness will accompany you at times along the way, but it’s not the ultimate goal.

And second: your growth – your responsibility; your spouse’s – theirs. When you keep this in mind you realize that all you can control in a relationship is yourself.

Many times couples have sought my help in working on their marriage. They come in thinking their relationship is an outside entity that can be fixed. The problem with this is they’ve got it backwards – the relationship is working on them! That’s the way relationships are designed.

When you acknowledge this and live accordingly, relationships are easy.

Here’s how.

How many times has something about your spouse’s behavior driven you crazy? Or how many heated discussions have come from your differences in beliefs?

The best way to combat this is found in this phrase: Rather than trying to adjust the wind, adjust your sails.

Focus on what you can control – and this begins and ends with you!

Simplify things in life so you can savor more of the goodness. This same idea can be applied to relationships.

And it starts by slowing down.

Do you have trouble remembering names when meeting someone new? Do you know why? Most of the time you’re too busy talking or thinking about what to say that you don’t even hear their name.

This happens in regular conversations as well. You’re busy or rushed thinking about something else and you miss the goodness of the moment with your spouse, or kids, or friends.

Slow down. Let their be pauses in the conversation while you think and respond. There doesn’t have to be a banter or speedy exchange of ideas in conversation.

Breathe. Listen. Breathe. Connect.

This will open you both up to more with each other.

Leo’s favorite guide works for most every aspect of relationships as well:“Smile, breathe, and go slowly.”

Just think how much better everything, and I mean everything (wink wink), will be when you follow this guide in your relationship.

The I LOVE list

2011-01-27T14:28:00.000-08:00

Clearly there are FAR more things to love than to hate so here is the....

"I LOVE LIST"

1. Soup in a bread bowl

2. My electric blanket on my bed in the winter

3. Singing in the car with the windows down on a sunny day to a favorite song

4. BBQs

5. Laying on warm cement after swimming. Lizard time

6. Making smores

7. Warm robe after the shower

8. Dancing

9. Feeling in shape

10. Shakes with chunks of your favorite candy or fruit

11. Muddy buddies

12. Massages

13. Bubble baths

14. Fireworks

15. The first kiss

16. Warm chocolate chip cookies

17. Laughing so hard you cry

18. New clothes

19. Cake batter, brownie batter, cookie batter

20. Running, sleeping or swimming at the beach

21. Disneyland

22. Bridal showers

23. Hot tubs

24. Water-Fiji for me!

25. Hawaii

26. Chocolate covered strawberries

27. Snowboarding then eating Chili in the lodge. Driving home with the heater on and a good song.

28. The smell of fresh bread out of the oven

29. Getting your hair done and you love it

30. Thanksgiving leftovers

31. "Once" with Ramon (warm bread with avocado and herbal tea in his little house by the small heater when it's freezing outside...DIE FOR THIS!!)

32. The feeling after doing Bikram yoga or running a race...post shower

33. Warm roast beef and mashed potatoes and rolls after fast Sunday

34. After laying in the sun all day, showering and getting dressed up

35. Feeling the spirit

36. Free samples

37. Traveling

38. Warm home made cinnamon rolls

39. Baptism days of converts

40. Weddings

41. Road trips

42. Conference weekend

43. Telling stories

44. Lunch or dinner with best friends and laughing so hard about old memories

45. Serving others and making their day

46. My bed

47. Cereal

48. Boating on a sunny day

49. Cuddling (cozin up)

50. BEING WITH THE PEOPLE I LOVE

I am making myself stop with 50. I could go on and on! Please do add to it.

"We can lift ourselves, and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thoughts and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues." (President Thomas S. Monson)

The Hate/ Heebes list

2011-01-23T10:08:00.001-08:00

I was talking to a doctor friend the other day and this came out

"I hate nurses."

Whoa...HATE? Hate is a pretty strong word.

He goes on to explain he just doesn't like when they try to argue with him on final decisions. If someone gets sued in the end they go after the doctor, not the Nurse, PA, Nurse Practitioner, etc. The doctor should make the final decisions because of various reasons but also because in the end they are ultimately liable.

Understandable.

It made me thing about the word hate. I remembered an instance on my mission when we were laughing about things we hated as we walked through the streets on a rainy down poor day with no one to teach in sight. "I hate when it rains all day on you and no one let's you in for 10 hours." "I hate when your feet and hair have been wet for 10 hours and you know you'll get sick from it." Just saying it out loud got us laughing about it. The next time we were on the micro (jammed packed crammed bus with no room to breath), we made an "I hate list". I prefer to say a Heebes list (basically anything that gives you the heebie jeebies). I decided I don't love the word hate. Too harsh. Plus if you can get it out there and laugh about it, it becomes something not worth hating but a way to get a good laugh and appreciate all the good. Feel free to relate and add to it.

"Things we hate"

1. Bad service (Hair in your food or other weird things, slowest servers ever, empty drinks for ten years)
2. When a good meal or dessert is over
3. Awkward door scenes
4. Unpacking
5. The feeling after being on a plane (greasy)
6. Sick people coughing or sneezing on you (or your baby for that matter)
7. TRAFFIC
8 Fighting sleep!
9. Throwing up
10. Eating out too many times in a row.
11. Waking up 10 min before your alarm goes off and you are SO TIRED! You think it's 3 am. Nope, time to get up.
12. Cramps
13. Guys talking about other girls forever in front of you "Man she's so hot!" Good one.
14. Weird stomach problems
15. Computer problems at 3 am when a paper is due. You realize it's lost and you have to write it again.
16. Being pale white
17. Smooshy bad apples when you are so hungry and excited to eat it
18. Public bathrooms with out toilet paper and no flushing. Aka Dubai bathroom where Alana just stood there out side saying "Stressed!" (see above)
19. Throwing something away because you'll "never need it again" and then you do the next day
20. Guys trying to prove how cool they are (aren't)
21. Pimples on important days
22. The never ending date (Now we're going bowling, now a movie, now sledding, how about dessert?)
23. Tacky people. "Wow, you've gotten so much fatter since you've been here" (Chile or other South American countries). People here can have their share too. "Why aren't you married? Are you ever going to get married?" I feel like saying "Why aren't you out of debt yet? Are you ever going to loose that weight?" Totally joking...kinda :)
24. Ordering at a restaurant and the other persons meal is way better than yours.
25. Being cold and body wet. Freezing wind.
26. Being bloated
27. People who talk about how skinny/fat they are. "I'm just so skinny!" Good one. Unless it's a joke. "Too fat" Always acceptable.
28. Getting your hopes up.
29. Getting no sleep.
30. Going too long without seeing or talking to your best friends!! :)

I hope this doesn't come across as a downer. I think it is liberating to recognize and laugh at all the heeeebes things in life. I will follow up this post with an "I love list" but for now feel free to embrace the bad to know and love the good!!

Aaahhhh....Hawaii

2011-01-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

It's a DREAMMM!!!

Aloha....from the islands

Starting 2011 off right

2011-01-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

There are things that a few friends and I call 'perfect moments'. It's a time and place when everything is just right or even way more than you could ever imagine. This can be a something so simple like feeling the sun on your face to singing in the car to watching a new baby sleep.

This was a perfect moment for me.

2011 has been able to be packed with perfect moments as I have been discovering the big island of Hawaii. It is SO different here compared to the rest of the islands.

Tons of black lava rocks mixed with white lava rocks
So many beaches lined with palm trees

Lots of tropical fish

Sea turtles everywhere

Some really great company!

May all of our lives be packed with perfect moments this year of 2011!

Christmas loves

2010-12-20T16:23:00.000-08:00

I feel a little bah humbug-ish because I haven't updated for so long during this beautiful Christmas season. You all know how it goes. I think of something to write, forget to take pictures, don't end up writing, take a nap instead, etc :) Well, here are a few things I have LOVED about this Christmas time.
I loved my dad's birthday and the fact that he would always quote the Pearl Harbor speech which eventually got me an A in History class. "Yesterday December the 7th..a day that will live in infamy!" (His birthday is Dec 7). We ate at the Garden which had great views and beautiful Christmas decorations. The food was pretty good too. In the past I had never been very impressed.
I LOVED the annual BFF Christmas party! We had Sarah's baby shower right before. I love my girls!!!
I love that my parents will be home for Christmas. They have been helping out all over the world doing neonatal resuscitation training. They just got back from Guyana.
I love that my dad and Rob are in Peru right now doing humanitarian work. My dad is de-worming all the kids and Rob is planting banana trees and building school desks.

Ro: "Heid, you don't have to worry about giving me a present. For my present I want you to donate a banana tree or a desk."

He was so sweet. He was all excited and went around the neighborhood seeing if anyone would want to help out. Him and my dad are now living in a tent with no electricity in the middle of the jungle helping the people of Peru. LOVE this.

I love that I got to hang with 2 of my favorite people in the world in our beloved city of Boston! Or is it Russia? That sure was a coveted Russian hat that night Ang!!
I love that we got to hear the beautiful Choir's Christmas Program and David Archuleta sing. He was absolutely breathtaking!!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Norman's cousins

2010-12-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

You've made it in life

2010-11-29T21:53:00.000-08:00

I feel like I SHOULD be blogging about how much snow we got yesterday and how Alana's car looked like it had been sitting outside buried for a month this morning.

Or I should be blogging about how my nephew Chase is now taller that me and Hillary can now out drive me...congrats!! :)
Or I should be blogging about how we spent Thanksgiving in New Hampshire with the family and it was a blast!
BUT all I want to blog about today is going to work in your sweats!! It's the smartest plan. I don't know what got into me but one day I thought if I tucked my nighttime wear into my boots I could pull it off. I wore a cute jacket/ sweater thing on top and I got like 3 compliments at work on how cute I looked. Sweet! It seemed that the jacket totally overcompensated the sweats! That day probably shouldn't have happened because I've found myself wearing sweats at least once a week these days. It's just so nice on those cold snowy days... coz to the max!
Mergs saw me one day in my new attire and laughed and said "I say if you can wear those around in public for the day then you know that you have made it in life!"

Ha ha. Yep:) Ok...next post I'll get to NH and Boston time. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Saddle up!

2010-11-17T18:42:00.000-08:00

"Saddle up!" is what Kelsey said to me as I walked into Texas Roadhouse for my BFF birthday dinner.

I replied "What?"

Kelsey "Oh nothing."

In the middle of our dinner the waiters proceeded to bring out a big saddle and called me up to go sit on it. She asked me "How old do you want to be tonight?"

I replied "Uh...21!"

Roadhouse waitress "Heidi is saddling up and celebrating her 21st birthday tonight."

I smiled and got on the thing. However, her kindness didn't stop us from listening to some other guy down the way announce it was his 25th birthday and our whole table was like "Oh riiight! Oh suuure! Like he is 25!" Come on us, give him a break ;)

The other night a few of us were talking about blogs and reading blogs and we read one of Alana's best friend's blog. Her honesty about the goods, bads, funny things, messy things in her life was quite refreshing. She encouraged us all to be more real.

So I'll go ahead and tell you the funny AND real thing about this night. See those glasses on my head? They were magic to me that night. It was just a rough day. We all have them. Every time I would start crying I would pull the glasses down over my eyes. Then I'd feel better. Glasses went back up on my head. Sad. Back down again. My friends then noticed that the glasses pulling down randomly coincided with whenever the server would come to our table. I'm sure she was thinking "What is going on with this girl who thinks she is nothing but Hollywood and HAS to wear her glasses inside."

Kelsey text me the other day "How's it going today? Glasses on? Glasses off? Glasses on? Glasses off?

Thank you. That made my day :)

I'll keep workin' on keeping those glasses off!

I survived..

2010-11-10T07:10:00.000-08:00

My 30th birthday! My face just might display a little of how I was feeling about turning 30. A little uneasy and unsure about the whole thing! Maybe it was the big 3 0 on top of the cake that got me a little panicked! The birthday celebrations were fantastic and being 30 so far has been empowering in a sense. I think hey, I am not a little girl anymore (despite my little kid voices that will live on forever). I am a woman! This is GO TIME. It's actually motivated me to be more on the ball and goal oriented in the different areas in my life that are important to me. I love that movie that came out with Jennifer Gardner as a kid in the 80's (13 going on 30) and she wants to be 30 so bad and she keeps saying "Thirty, flirty and thriving!" That is this year for us 30 year olds!

It was a grand old time when Rob MADE me this heart shaped birthday cake and shared it with our waiters. You KNOW he did!!!

Family dinner at Carvers. Best steak I've ever had!!!
It wasn't big enough though. ha ha. Yea right. Whoa! Look that big slab of meat.
Alana, Beccs and I relaxed all day and got facials and massages and frozen yogurt. All that a girl could ask for in a perfect day! Later we had a friends dinner at Frida Bistro. It is such a cute and yummy restaurant down town.

Two best friends!
Brandon and I actually had our first date at this restaurant. It was here where he told me a bit of his conversion story, about him being from Florida etc. It's funny because this place is like on 8th west and 7th south surrounded by all these dark buildings. When we pulled up Brandon said "Well, just when you are scared you know you are here!"
The waitress said to Lindy "Oh cute. I love it. An 80's punk rocker." She was kinda bugged and said back to me "Uh, I am not an 80's punk rocker!" I just kept my mouth shut after that because that's what I thought she had dressed up as too! Hhhmmm....
Loved the atmosphere and the company.
Best roomies and best friends!
After a few of us went up to Ace's for a cupcake tasting of sorts. Alana ordered these mystery cupcakes which some had lemon frosting, coconut, vanilla, etc. It was all a gamble on what you got and quite fun to taste a little of them all!
Brandon just LOVES that he is 6 months younger than me!

Thank you for all of the wonderful birthday wishes and memories! I really feel so loved and blessed with amazing friends and family. I love you all!

BFF Fall picture

2010-11-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

Can this pass for our fall picture together? Don't be fooled ...this was fall of 2002! In a way it looks like not much has changed. Smiles, friendship, laughing, eating at Teneil's work. In another way, SO much has changed! Moves, missions, marriages, kids, and all the ups and downs of life. I love these girls. I am so thankful for your friendship as we continue to see each other through all walks of life!

2010-10-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

- Albert Camus
French Algerian author and philosopher
Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, 1957
1913-1960

What does this picture say?

2010-10-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

Vegas baby! BEATLES OF LOVE STYLE!

Ragnar Relay...Vegas style! 190 miles. Creative team names. Run. Eat. Rest. Run. Laugh. Eat. Run. Rest. Wish you never came. Loving that you came. Run. Eat. Run. Rest. Finish!!

Oh boy! Some team of boys thinking they are funny. Ok, it was quite funny.

The DREAM team! Members: An army sergeant, a bishop and 3 girl return missionaries. It was great!

Bon Jovi for life!

Is this shirt straight from the 80's? Yes!!

Doin the work!!!

It's time to "Llevar la carta" (pick up the slack). Trace's brother-in-law who had die hard trained for this race woke up that morning at 2:30 am throwing up with the flu. We had to do the honors of splitting up his first leg of the run before we got a fill in. And when I mean split, I mean she ran 3 miles and I ran 2 :)

"I'm a wild Burrow and I will come out to see all the runners. It's Brilliant!" (He is an English Burrow obviously) :)

Brandon came to see me finish the race and instead of resting after the long run...we hit up "the city that never sleeps!"

It was so fun that Brandon's two best friends were in Vegas as well and I got to finally meet the infamous "Jeff Taylor".
It's my girl's birthday! Get her some Tiramisu! We didn't know what was in it before we were almost done. Oops a daisies.
Homer moved from Springfield to Vegas!

DOH!!

Brandon's Baptism

2010-10-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Brandon was baptized 8 years ago today. This was the spot he was baptized in. The mountains in Alpine. He had seen in church movies that people got baptized in rivers or lakes so he chose this spot and told the missionaries "I'm getting baptized tomorrow. You can come if you want!"
His joining the church has not only changed his life but mine as well. I love that we can always related so well on spiritual matters. His excitement and fire for the gospel constantly helps and inspires me. I am so happy you made this decision to be baptized 8 years ago today. I'm so happy your best friend could baptize you and you have that special bond. I am constantly amazed by your missionary work you do daily and spirit that you bring to a room. The church is blessed to have you in it!

Back to the Basics

2010-10-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

As I cleaned my room tonight (I know...shocker) I was thinking about President Uchtdorf's General conference talk about focusing on what matters most. To me it means to SIMPLIFY! Sometimes I think the busier I am, the more productive I am. I think this thinking came from in part from my mission. You run around, appointment after appointment, teaching, helping serving. You feel productive! Well, after this little experience...and a few others...I decided it might be time to get back to focusing on the basics.

Brandon opened up my night stand drawer.

Brandon: "Oh, I wonder what is in this Einstein bagel bag?"

He opened it up and pulled out an old, stale, half eaten bagel.

"What's this for? In case you get hungry?" After figuring out that it was as hard as a rock he said "Oh I get it, it's to throw at a robber when they break into your house!"

It's no secret to anyone that I put off cleaning my room and put almost anything ahead of it. I always use the excuse of "I am too busy!" Which i really feel that I am! However as I ate humble pie when Elder Uchtdorf talked and Brandon made the statement of "I didn't know Tornados hit in Utah!" (talking about my room) I was motivated to get back to the basics. So, what are the basics?

RELATIONSHIPS!

With who?

1-GOD 2- FAMILIES 3- FELLOW MEN 4-YOURSELF

I thought the last one was very interesting. Yourself? Do you even like yourself? Spend sometime alone in nature and think about God, you, yourself etc.

Fellowmen? I'll take time to improve my relationship with these 4 any day!

We can always also improve our relationship with God and our families. My mom made an interesting comment to me the other day. She said "You never arrive." In the gospel, your marriage, family relationships. You never are done. This could seem hard or overwhelming but it actually is a gift that we are able to think of new ways and new avenues to serve in these different capacities in our lives in order to improve our relationships in life.

Here's to focusing on the basics!

For a Change

2010-10-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

Does your life ever seem like not much changes? I'm sure you look at other people's lives and think..."Oh how exciting! They have so much going on." Don't worry. I heard some secret info :) that a talk at priesthood was about pride and comparing your life to others. We must not compare because EVERYONE'S life seems like a big hamster wheel some days and some days we are able to take on President Monson's challenge daily of having an attitude of gratitude!!

On a less serious note...here are some things that HAVEN'T CHANGED in the last ten years:

Are Alana and I still living together ten years later and people still asking us if we are sisters? Yes!!
Is Mergs still sporting that mountain man beard and can't stop talking about duck hunting in the morning? YES!!
Are Alana and Ace still dating from when they met 9 years ago? Yes!!
Are we still attending Utah State games and cheering on our Aggies? You Bet!!
I'll tell you one big change in the last 17 years.....UTAH STATE FINALLY BEAT BYU!! Way to go Aggies! That was good...for a change :)

Bart's bike shop

2010-09-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

This is your birthday present Rosie: A picture of me riding your bike!! :) Thank you for letting me come to Bart's bike shop once again. I'll be back for my yearly tune up!

That's what I get for being your friend....free bike privilages! But wait...what do you get from me? Oh yea...'too fat nights and eating bon bons'. That is what Bart thinks when we hang out. Who eats bons bons anyways? Ha ha....Happy birthday hot woman.

"We are 30!!!!

2010-09-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

Kelsey in particular has been using this saying ever since we hit about 27. Some high school gossip floats our way or some catty thing played out in one of our social circles and the catching phrase comes up in disbelief that whatever is happening is happening..."What? she did WHAT? He said WHAT? Good one....WE are 30!!!" Even though we weren't 30 yet, we have been saying for a good few years now.

I usually feel like I am still in my early twenties. Now that I am approaching 30 however, I have felt more and more like 30 and have actually been embracing it! Well, for the most part I guess. We'll see how I feel as this next month approaches and the calendar clicks on to OCT 29th.

Here was my 30 year old moment I had this past week.

Conversation with Rosie:

Me: "After Alana, Miche, Kelly and I got back from Hawaii we wore HALTER TOPS every day to school! Can you believe that!?"

Rosie: "Um, yea. I'm sure you did."

Me: "But I can't believe we did that! Halter tops are just so TRASHY!!"

Rosie: "Haahhaa ha! You are SO 30!!!"

Becca later tried to argue this comment I made by saying "Whatever! Halter tops are hot!" Hhmm...can be true. It's just there are not tons of us that look great wearing them ;) Ah! I didn't even have time to think about what was coming out of my mouth. I just said it. I guess I'm growing up. Hey, I bought my first one piece swim suit this year since I was about 14...and I actually love it!

Same conversation with Rosie ( I was driving.)

Me: "Ok, I am almost to your house. Ahhhh...what the?"

(some one just totally cruised through a small intersection when I was trying to pass through and I had to swerve )

Rosie: "Whoa, what happened?"

I looked to see who the heck it was.

Me: "Oh some TEENAGER in a big Range Rover almost just hit me! Ugh!"

Rosie: "You are SO 30!!"

I am sure that most of you have had some 30 year old moments. Especially you with kids and houses and careers and educations and trials and dreams come true and dreams unfulfilled.

Really 30 is relatively young but I am sure most of us could agree with this next statement that my mom shared with me yesterday.

She walked into a class and the teacher walked in and said

"I am sure that most of you are living a life now that you never expected you would be living at this point in your life when you imagined your life when you were younger."

It's interesting what life throws your way and what you make of it.

As President Hinckley said about life

"The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride”

City Beautiful

2010-09-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

City of Joseph, city beautiful....

The week after we were in Florida, Brandon had to work in Kansas city. We decided to take a short flight the weekend before and road trip it to.....

YES! City Beautiful....Nauvoo!! If you are wondering why I am saying it that way, it's because that's how the song went when I was in the Nauvoo pageant as a dancer with Lane and Andrea the summer of 2000. Nauvoo means city beautiful or as the saints that lived there at the time called it 'city of Joseph.'
We LOVED seeing the newly constructed temple! It was being built daily when I lived in Nauvoo for a month but I never got to see the final outcome.

We spent so much time admiring it and pondering. Sat night we just layed on the steps and looked up at these sunstones and thought of the pioneers and how it would be to live in Nauvoo. It was a perfect moment....besides all of those pesky mosquitos. They'll get you every time in Illinois.

I love this picture of Brandon with Joseph and Hyrum on their horses going to Carthage Jail. All I see is strength, courage, faith, priesthood power, confidence and humility from men that I admire.
Now to the women. This is where the Relief Society was organized. I'll vote it in! Does that mean I have start being on time? Jk jk :)
What church might have been like for us in Nauvoo in 1830's

We were sitting in the upstairs of the Red Brick Store.
We loved seeing all the old shops and homes. This is the Smith's mansion home.
Joseph, Hyrum and Emma's graves are there close to the Mississippi River.

Wagon rides anyone?!
We'll do the honors!

Or maybe we'll drive the ox and wagon!

How about some good ol fashion Nauvoo Root Beer?

Dressing up as pioneers is a must of all musts.
Brandon LOVED looking out over the Mississippi River. We couldn't believe the Pioneers had to get across that wide water way.
Looking back and leaving the place that they love and had built from a Maleria infested swamp to become their beloved home. City Beautiful.

I love the spirit found in Nauvoo. There is nothing quite like it.

Birthday surprise!!

2010-09-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm working on putting up pics of the rest of our trip but first....I had to throw up this little video of Brandon hiding in a box on the front porch when he flew home to Florida and surprised his mom for her birthday! I just LOVE IT!!! She is such a doll. What a good surprise :)

This is how we do it

2010-09-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

FLORIDA STYLE ........We surprise Brandon's mom that I am here!

We all ride bikes together

We play at water playgrounds for kids

We kayak on the lake together

We ride 4 wheelers

We fish together

We play outside in the rain during the Florida storms

We cook steaks and grilled pineapple
And of COURSE we throw YOGA parties together!!

"So what you wanna do tomorrow?"

"I dunno, what you wanna do? Same thing as we did yesterday?" -Jungle book

Which Brandon has still never seen! I know, I can't believe it. It's a classic!

Make lemonade

2010-09-04T23:58:00.000-07:00

When life gives you a hurricane....make lemonade! That is what the saying says right? :) Since hurricane Earl and Gaston ruined our plans to visit the Virgin Islands, I told Brandon...I am on a plane Thursday no matter what! I hadn't seen him in what seemed like forever. We both had the week off so we were able to meet up at his parents home in sunny Florida!! Oh, another grand thing about the trip is that I had a 3 hour layover in ARIZONA. You KNOW Dooooogalie (SARAH) came and picked me up.
We hit up this cute little restaurant and had AMAZING bruschetta I loved seeing her and her cute little pregnant belly. Love you Sar!
Well, it was a sweet reunion with Brandon to say the least!

First thing is first. We met up with Nate and headed to the beach.

Scouting out the surf.
The good news for Florida was that the hurricane brought in some really HUGE waves usually unknown to Florida. Surfer's paradise this day.

We had a good time hangin on the beach...

Playing in the water...

Loving life...
Finding wildlife...
Collecting AMAZING sea shells that the hurricane brought in...

Brandon and I picked out a pile of seashells that we liked and set them aside.

Brandon: "Ok, pick out your favorite one's and put them over here on the opposite side."

He was busy watching the ocean while I picked out my favorites.

Brandon: "Um honey, I told you to pick out your FAVORITE shells to bring home. Not just to move the entire pile to the other side!"

Me: "Ooopsy daisies! I guess I just like them all!" And yep, we took them all home :)

After that we went home and just chilled out in his backyard.

Watched some Sandhill cranes.
Enjoyed the trees
Loved the lake
Kickin it FLORIDA STYLE
AAWWWHHHH....Just relaxin'

I can honestly say it was a perfect day!!

Missing you

2010-08-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

Is my life just about missing people right now? Do I miss Brandon? YES YES YES!!
Who else am I missing? My dear friend MICHE!
Her and her cute little family moved to Brazil a few weeks ago. They'll live there for a few years. I totally miss her because we've been through so much together including:
Hawaii living* Utah State dorm living * mission calls on the same day * mission dress shopping (eek)* I'll end on that high note :)
We had a fun BBQ at Katie's lovely house to say good bye to Miche.
Loved getting to see these girls! USU and Hawaii memories to the max!
Oh how I miss these arms wrapped around me! AAHH!
This is what Brandon has been up to when he is not working. Poor Brandon, just wake boarding on his own lake in his back yard :)
Ok ok back to Miche. The day that her family threw her a going away party I had harp lessons.

I'm in love with this family. This little one always tries on my shoes when I come over. It's the best!
Whenever I try to leave their house the little ones come out and beg to come with me. They are climbing in my car etc. So this week I thought, sure why not? So It told them they could come to Miche's Brazilian party. Tight!
This woman sitting across from us was staring at me for a few minutes while I was feeding the kids and what not and then she asks in a very confused/shocked voice

"Are these your children??"
Ha! Yep, I have a 14 year old !
We all had a blast at the Brazilian going away party for Miche.
Miss you Miche. I hope Brazil appreciates and loves you as much as we all do!

Utah State Cheerleaders

2010-08-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

TEN YEARS LATER!!!

When I made cheerleader up at USU I remember a bunch of frat guys at orientation laughing that I was going to be a cheerleader that coming year. They were like "Those cheerleaders are the biggest party girls ever!!"
I was all way nervous. Oh boy. Luckily, my year they chose 7 new DARLING AND AMAZING girls who all became my best friends! It was sooo fun to get so many of us together.
Drea was in town from Michigan with her BEST BABY EVER. For reals, she just sits there and goos around smiling and being cute. I was dying for her!
Lane lives with me and Kelly lives here in SLC and Linsey below lives in Logan.
GO * CLAP CLAP * UTAH STATE* CLAP CLAP CLAP!!!

A cake with Elk and Bears

2010-08-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

Yep. That is what Lane asked for when she called the cake shop. For guess who's birthday? No one but Mergs!

This is what we picked up from the cake shop. You would have thought Mergs won the lottery when he saw this cake. He got a big grin and said "It has an elk on it!!!! You guys know me too well." He probably thanked us for the cake 20 times. It was a dream cake ;)
This was the grin and this was part one of the thank you hugs! I was dying!
Ace had a little birthday party for him up at his house.
Mergs brought home like 12 lbs of shrimp from Alaska for everyone to cook up and eat.

Us 4....friends for 10 plus years. I'm about to jump up for joy about it.
Laughing and loving it!
Ok, now this is funny. You know how people pose for a picture and all the girls are trying to be in back or hide behind someone as to not look 'fat' in the pic. Well Mergs shoved Lane and I in front of him for this pic as to make him look small and us look BIG! Ha ha good one Mergs!
Thanks Ace once again for having us up.
We all had a fun time.
Happy 33rd!

Silver Lake

2010-08-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

A trip to Silver Lake is a tradition my parents have every summer. Yesterday my cute mom and I went up. It's right past Brighton ski resort.
You take a BEAUTIFUL 20 min walk around the lake.
Feed the ducks apples because that's all you have with you.
Get fishing away!
Then you can have a picnic by the lake. My mom made some lunch and we loved life and ate it up.

You should go up before the summer is over. It's a dream!

Smore Goodbyes

2010-08-17T06:58:00.000-07:00

I had to say good bye to this boy for a big long MONTH! That's right. Brandon left the state of Utah the other day for ONE MONTH! :(

He'll be away on business and also a surprise visit to Florida for his mom's birthday. Ok ok, I will be able to see him before the month is up. To make up for it, he is whisking me away on a romantic vacation to the VIRGIN ISLANDS!

HA! Let's get real here. That is not entirely true. I am actually just crashing the planned boys trip to the VI. His best friend Nate turns 30 and 3 best friends were going. A few weeks ago Brandon invited me along. I will do the honors! Can't wait! We will meet up in Atlanta and fly there together!
Saturday night we had a SMORE PARTY!
Ace has the perfect setting for a chill night by the fire.
Roasting away with the city lights in the background. A dream!
Can't beat a night with your best friends!
Beccs and Chris
Me and Mr. Exec
Cute Lane and Ace. I spent Sunday evening with them reminiscing on the past ten years together. We all met 10 YEARS AGO in Hawaii! The fun thing about having your man out of town is the great phone conversations that you get to have. Last night I was talking to him and we were planning our Halloween costumes....

This is what we came up with! Oh you know it. Dressed up in Dodge ball costumes of course! I don't want to spoil the surprise so I'll just leave it as this.
Loved this night. I'll take S'more! :)

Tom Cruise on Home Teaching

2010-08-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

When I lived in the avenues I met Cameron Sawyer who became a good friend of mine. We caught up the other night and I asked him how he is doing in LA. Is he acting, directing etc? That conversation led him into sharing this little video he did for a ward in California. I love it! It's ways funny....you should share it with your wards!

Take me...

2010-08-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

OUT TO THE BALL GAME!

Take me out to the crowd!
Buy me a bratwurst and I'm happy!

Two men on base. 10th inning. Down by two....HOME RUN!!! Summer nights at the Bees game can always make me smile.

Foriegn Exchange

2010-08-03T00:31:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, my parents have always opened their home to anyone in need. These boys from Paraguay are their most recent visitors staying at the Hughes abode.

It all started with Corina from Germany who looked something like this. Yes, white with a big afro. I know. She was a dream I think. I was very young and she helped nanny when my mom had 5 small children. The most famous story of Corina was when we took her to Tijuana and someone slipped that we had a German with us. Oh boy! That got those Mexicans all in a huff and we were stuck at the border for hours!

Our next exchange students were Kunahero and June from Japan. This is what Kuna looked like. For years on end after his stay with us he would call my parents and the conversation went a little like this

Kuna: "Hello! I come!"

My dad: "Oh great Kunahero. When are you coming?"

Kuna: "I here!"

My dad: "What? You're HERE?"

Kuna: "I at bus stop. You come get me?"

And so it went. One time he showed up and we were out of town! By the time I was a teenager I was teaching him all sorts of interesting new words in English. "Kiss my grass!! What mean?"

Yesterday we had a little harp/guitar jam session. This guy is only 13 and he is awesome! Our repertoire together mostly consisted of songs like 'Labamba' and 'La cucaracha'. Spanish style for life!
Then we took them down to temple square for a tour.
The Hermanita from Argentina is DOIN' the WORK! :)

They really loved it. They are so appreciative and fascinated with everything here in the US.

It was so funny. As we walked around temple square Ro would frequently blurt out. "Alright! These guys are from Paraguay. You know, U-R-gay!" He's trying to be Homer from this clip. Watch it. So funny.

I loved pulling out my Spanish and hangin with these cute boys all day. They were so nice calling Becca and I 'beautiful princesses' all day :) We'll take it! My mom is loving having them there and feeding them her famous German pancakes of course!

Family reunion

2010-08-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 'Finenco' Family Reunion! Ok, this is just what Brandon likes to call it. However, it is really his 'adopted family' reunion.

It was an absolute blast!! Look at this big slip-n-slide behind Brandon and Nate.

Too bad this is a private place so we can't go back. It is so charming! Look at this cute barn where we ate dinner, made crafts and watched movies.
There was this cute lake with people paddling around and this big platform for.....
ZIP LINING!!!
So excited!!
So high in the sky...zipping into the..
lake!!
We also jumped off the platform
I love hanging out with girls this age. It reminds of when I was young and my brother's girlfriends would give me some attention and someone to look up to. It was the best!

Oh sweeties! Everyone has a good time at the FR! Even the bored faces are a good time :)

Enjoying nature

2010-07-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening we went to Sundance for a little walk to a waterfall. I love seeing the beauty of the earth!
We really enjoyed....the aspens

Wishing on dandelions....

The view of the waterfall

Such a happy hiker!!

...the beautiful stream...
...Gorgeous views...
...time together...
Final destination....

Running through the waterfall....

Loved our night at Sundance!

Tour around your own city

2010-07-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

You know it's actually quiet fun to take a tour around the city that you live in. We took a lazy Saturday and did a little city tour of our own. We didn't even set out to do this but it ended up that way and was a lot of fun. I felt like a tourist in my own town!
We first hit up "The Other Place Restaurant". This is a little secret discovered in my days living in the avenues. It has the best french toast and hash browns ever.
Conversation when we finished breakfast:
Me: I have a surprise for you! (it was a mint)
Brandon: What? Is it that we get to go outside and come back in?
Needless to say he LOVED 'The Other Place' as much as I hoped for!
Go try it. It's on 5th east and 3rd south
You should go to this park. I think it's Brigham Young park downtown. It has bridges and streams and is really fun to stroll around in.
Then we went to see Brigham Young's grave. They have some other statues and history there as well.
This is REALLY cool. Inside the Visitor's Center there is this BRAND NEW replica of the Salt Lake Temple. As you can see it is open so you can see all the rooms inside. There are informational computer screens around the outside so you can click on them and see what each room is used for. It was really cool to be able to put together where all the rooms are and what goes on instead of just looking at a big temple and not being able to geographically understand what is inside. This helped me a lot and we really enjoyed it.
Have you heard of Gilgal Gardens? Well this is part of it. It's a little park that used to be a man's back yard where he sculpted things. Here, this is what Wikipedia said about it:
The park, which is filled with unusual symbolic statuary associated with Mormonism, notably to the Sphinx with Joseph Smith's head, was a labor of love designed and created by LDS businessman Thomas Battersby Child, Jr. (1888-1963) in his spare time.
This is nothing owned by the church people. In fact most Mormon's think it's really weird but...to each there own when it comes to art right! It's kind of a fun place to visit and people used to sneak into it. In fact, we snuck in! For some reason it was closed that day so we did the honors of jumping the fence. Of COURSE we did!
Next stop was Cummings on 7th! It was a tradition to stop here with my mom on the way home from my harp lessons. Dad and the fam missed out. Suckers! So now it is a tradition that I give my mom these on mother's day. In fact this past mothers day I grabbed my dozen and swung around and guess who I ran right into? President Monson! He said "Oh well, hello young dear!" I shook his hand and admired his big sweet smile and warm spirit. Love Cummings!
Brandon will kill me for putting this up but ...oh well :) We came home for some pool time and after changing he came into my room like this
"Yo. Let's go. I'm ready for the pool."
Now I'm dating a rapper.
No way to finish off the night that a BFF BBQ!! Did I mention that two of these ladies are waiting for a new baby! It's a big year for the BFF! Love you gals!

Great day. I am happy.

My Brandon

2010-07-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

Yep! That's my man!! Enough said :)

It was SO FUN watching Brandon wake board yesterday! What a pro! So why are there no pictures of me? Let me spell it out simply:
-choppy water- I tried to get big air- landed and then smacked my head sideways down on the water - thought I broke my eardrum - took a trip to the ER- CONFIRMED that I BROKE MY EARDRUM- Brandon tried to make me laugh while at the hospital by wheeling me around in the wheelchair like a frantic boyfriend and making all the hospital staff laugh as he acted all girly while carrying around my purse :)

No worries everyone. It is supposed to heal up in the next month or so on it's own. The doctor just said will be very painful (which it is). I have some pain killers and ear drops to keep it from getting infected. No underwater sports for me for a whole month :(. I was about due for a wake board accident anyways since I have never had one.

A favorite part of the night consisted of receiving a blessing from Brandon and my dad. Thanks you two for taking me to the hospital and taking such good care of me!

Anthropologie

2010-07-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

Isn't that so often the answer that people give you when you say
"Oh cute [dress, pants, hair pin, shirt and in this case HOME DECOR]... Where did you get that?"

You are never surprised when the answer is: ANTHROPOLOGIE

Yes I am a fan. My dreams came true last week when
I got my new bedspread!!
I bought my last bedspread at Restoration Hardware. Expensive yes, but I loved it and slept happily in it for 5 good years. After a few too many stains it was time for a new cover. I considered a few cheaper items however, when it comes to your bed at least for me I must splurge or I have NO motivation to make my bed! This bed is going to be made to the max!
Ok ok while I was at it I got a new shower curtain and towels which I LOOOOVE. This is my BEFORE picture...
..and this is AFTER!! I am loving my life with the new fresh ruffles and accompanying bird friends!
Anything to get me motivated to keep things clean! :)

Harp Camp

2010-07-16T00:02:00.000-07:00

So where have I been all week? You guessed it. Harp camp. Is this as nerdy as band camp? You bet!! But hey, it got us on the cover of the Salt Lake Tribune!
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Students from across Utah and the country spend the week in Salt Lake at the University of Utah's Gardner Hall for the Utah Suzuki Harp Institute camp, likely the largest of its kind in the country. The students will spend the week honing their harp skills and give a free concert on Friday.

Harp institute draws students from across county
By Lisa Schencker
The Salt Lake Tribune

Utah is known for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

It’s home to fry sauce and scones.

And it may soon be known for something else: Suzuki method-educated harp players. (If you didn't know, I am a Suzuki harp instructor)

This week, about 80 students from Utah and other states are honing their skills at the 2010 Utah Suzuki Harp Institute on the University of Utah campus. Organizers say the weeklong institute is the largest Suzuki harp-only institute in the country.

Under the Suzuki method, students learn to play musical instruments in a way that’s meant to mimic how children learn their native languages. They learn by listening and repeating before studying how to read music.

“Just like [children] would not read books before they learned to speak, they learn to play first by listening,” said Mary Kay Waddington, who studied the method under creator and Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki and is part of the institute faculty.

A number of musical instruments can be taught using the Suzuki method, but Waddington said she was the first to use it to teach harp, and many say she’s partly responsible for its start in Utah. When one of Waddington’s students in Colorado (Cate Cannon-my first and FAVORITE Suzuki teacher) moved to Utah decades ago, the student’s mother, Connie Cannon, had to find someone else to teach her daughter. So she brought Waddington to Utah to teacher friend ShruDeLi Ownbey (the professor at the U who I took from at age 14 and on) how to teach harp using the Suzuki method, and Ownbey then taught many other Utahns.

Now, the institute is drawing harp students, ages 4 to 18, from as far as Virginia, Minnesota and Spain. Younger players are spending time learning how to move their arms, open and close their hands and hold their thumbs while playing. Older players are learning more complex musical pieces on the gentle, sweet-sounding instruments.

“There’s not another place like it in the country,” said Shari Petersen, who traveled with her daughter from Colorado to attend the institute. Other states also have Suzuki institutes but not dedicated just to the harp, said Maria Phippen, institute director.

Harp students said Wednesday they enjoy the rare opportunity to play with other harpists (this is what I always liked). Many say they were drawn to the harp at a young age.

“It’s unique and beautiful,” said Cannon’s granddaughter, Mary Jane Todd, 12, who traveled from Virginia. “I think it’s fun to be unique and to be able to do something different.”

Petersen’s daughter Aubrey Petersen, 6, said she wanted to learn after watching her cousin play. “It sounded so pretty,” she said.

Perhaps the only thing missing from the institute this week is the opposite sex. This year’s students are all girls. No one is exactly sure why, but student Caroline Richards, 13, of Pleasant Grove has a guess.

“You picture angels playing [the harp],” Richards said, “and boys don’t want to look like angels.”

END OF ARTICLE

I had a very interesting experience this year at harp institute.  While most of my students were in classes that consisted of technique, theory, a master class (private lesson with a master teacher), rhythm, group class and even arts and crafts....I was in a teacher training class.

I found myself leaving most nights feeling kinda sad or inadequate.  I didn't really figure out why until I thought about it.  Being there again made me kind of relive my experiences that I had as a child growing up and going to music camps, music lessons and feeling the immense pressure in the land of music.  I'm sure some of you might do this when taking your kids to dance, gymnastics, sporting events etc.

The music world is an interesting place.  If you are any good, it is a very intense world. Even though I am a teacher now, there is still that same dynamic.  Feelings of ....I should have practiced more, should I have strived harder to go to a big music school like Juliard or Arizona State (excellent harp program).  Also, I can see it in my KIDS as well....

Almost all of them had a few moments of wanting to cry or feeling not very good (they are here surrounded by the best of the best).  All day they hear "Get your thumb up, elbow up, gesture, correct notes, correct fingering etc etc. If you were in a competition you would loose"  This sounds like a fun camp doesn't it?  Well, on a positive note, I heard a lot of bonding with other harpists, laughing together and them making plans to play places and play in groups together.  Overall, I hope for a positive and motivating experience for them.

What I came away from this year was exactly what I went into camp thinking but now it's even more intensified.  I am trying to prepare my kids for LIFE!  I want them to learn to think and to learn dedication and self esteem.  Yes musicality and wonderful harpists will be a result, HOWEVER My focus as a teacher is to give them praise and positive feedback and THEN make them work hard (while they are feeling great and that they can do it!)

I want to teach them to separate their WORTH from PERFORMANCE.  This is a challenge that we all face I think.

We do good, get a promotion, our kids do great, make more money=we feel great!  
We loose our job, kids get into trouble, gain weight, etc=we feel like we are worthless

This is such a temporal focus!  Speaking spiritually this is exactly where Satan wants us.  If we can feel bad about ourselves based on our performance it is easy for him to get us down.

In the music world it can all be about reaching our maximum and beyond and being the best.  Well yes, I do want my kids to succeed and excel but what I really want is them to EXCEL in having a balanced and fulfilling life! Ultimately to use their music to BLESS LIVES.

The boyfriend Jean

2010-07-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

Conversation with Brandon:

Me: "Look! What do you think of my new boyfriend jeans?"

Brandon: "Wait what? You think I can wear those jeans?

Me: "No silly they are just called boyfriend jeans. It's cause they look like your boyfriend's jeans."

Brandon: "Wait. So, you think those look like my jeans?"

Me: "Oh I don't know. It's just they are all stretchy and kinda baggy like you borrowed your boyfriend's jeans."

Brandon: "Oh let me show you stretchy jeans. My jeans..." He's about to start shuffling through his clothes to pull out his jeans just to prove how 'manly' HIS jeans are and they are nothing like the 'boyfriend jean' :).

Me: "Brandon, come on you have heard of this kind of jean, all the celebs are wearing them."

Brandon: "Really?"

We proceeded to look up 'celebs in boyfriend jeans' and this above is what we got. See! I am here to attest that they are SO comfortable and fun to wear. Chuck on the flip flops and you are ready as pie.

We decided to pose me like a celeb in the boyfriend jean. For some reason no one is ever sitting or standing still in the pictures with boyfriend jeans on. You have to be on the move if you are going to wear these puppies. Have you tried these? Go get a pair, they are a dream. Rosie recomended them to me with this statement "They are the best! It's like wearing sweats!"

Mona Mona Mona

2010-07-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

Oh um..where should we go to celebrate our day off work?

How about Mona, Utah?

Get your friends together and go. It is a quick trip down south that you won't regret!

Let me tell you about Mona. You can rope swing the day away...

You can relax on rafts and soak in the rays... You can lay by the lake and and have a grand old time with your best friends...

How about a chicken wing for lunch? Only in Mona do you find a man on a pink raft with a dog on his belly...

Only in Mona does a little kid dress up like a moss head monster and hide in the bushes. He was holding his breath under water until I (the best culprit that he could find at the lake that day) was about to dive onto my raft...

Right then he JUMPED up out of the water and scared the daylights out of me!! It was the best part of his day I am sure. Clever little one. Becca and Karlee were out on rafts and said "Oh look how funny, that guy with the moss head scared that girl on the raft!" Then Joby says "ha ha ha..that is Heidi!"

After not trying to get wet, Beccs got conned into getting on the raft. She was on but 4 seconds when ace dumped her bones into the water! Tyyyyypppical boys!! Bombs away Joby...Bombs away! Holding on for dear life! Heidi "Ok everyone get together for a picture."

Everyone: crickets

Heidi "Ok whatever I'll just take a candid shot then."

This is what I got....

Mona Utah is a great time!

I highly suggest it. It kinda feels like you are in a small town movie when you are there. Whoever counts the most mullets wins!!

How many things...

2010-07-06T05:13:00.000-07:00

can you fit into a 4th of July weekend?! Well I will tell you. I felt like everyday this weekend was chucked full of fun things. Hey, we work hard and we need to play hard right!?

Friday: I worked a half day * Went boating at Utah Lake*

*Lindy and I hiked to the Y*
at about 5:00 in the evening...the HOTTEST part of the day! We thought it was like a ten min hike but it is actually pretty steep and not just ten min ;)
*Brandon and I played Lindy and his roommate in tennis for 3 hours* Then we all went night swimming!

Saturday: I spent the day in Provo with Brandon. * A big group of us went to all you can eat french toast breakfast* Brandon and I rode around a dirt bike. He was going so fast I was freaking out! * We played volleyball*

*Then we all got rafts and air mattresses and floated down the Provo river together! It was freezing and quite the adventure!

*We went to a family BBQ in North Salt Lake*
*I bought my mom this shirt for $1 in Chile and didn't know what she would think of it. You KNOW she throws it on every 4th of July holiday! She's hot!
I don't know what is going on in this photo! Ah!
Ok, that's better. Beautiful sunset!

BBBAAAA Ha ha ha!!! I was dying when Brandon rolled out with my mom's red sued jacket on. It got a little chili outside so he asked to borrow a jacket. He came out in this and was all trying to act like my mom when he came out. It was so funny! It reminds me of when Kels and I were little and we tried on all of Mo's clothes! Her red high heels were my favorite!

Watching fireworks and cozin up is a favorite thing of mine!

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July (3rd, 4th, 5th or whenever you you celebrated it).

Boy or girl?

2010-06-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that sometime in your life someone has asked if you LIKE being a girl or if you'd rather be a boy. When you were younger you might have said a boy in order to have strength dominance over your siblings or to be able to play with the boys at recess. But what is your answer now?

The truth is I just love being a girl. There are so many reasons such as girl talk, fashion, getting all dolled up, GNO's, enjoying being by a man's side, being caring and nurturing, etc etc.

When you do a little of this...and you're a boy....

Nobody cares! "Oh you are a boy, you should be good at that stuff. Yea, he's ok."

But as a girl you get back to the boat and you get "Wow, you are good! That was awesome for a girl!" I don't even mind that statement! "For a girl..." Yes we aren't as physically strong as boys and we have our own strengths and we embrace them!

So I like being a girl because I like being praised? Yep! just kidding just kidding...sorta :)
You can play tennis in flip flops against a boy and have them say after "I don't even care that I got beat by a girl now after seeing those toes!" Hey, us girls have a competitive edge in us also!

We get to REAP the benefits of chivalry. Lindy and I got to board and ski before everyone else. Thanks for being so nice to us! I know some people think that girls get away with murder with the turn of a sweet smile...but we really appreciate it!

We get taken on scooter rides and get to wear flowers in our hair while the men roll their sleeves up to be bad...or to not get a farmers tan....I dunno.

We get chucked high in pool basket toss parties!
And last but not least we get to do silly things like this and people just say "oh cute" or "Oh that's funny." Where as guys doing this might get "Oh REEEAL cool. That's immature." Who knows though. It probably depends on the crowd you are in.
I got a book this year for mother's day called "The remarkable soul of a woman". The title says it all before even getting into it. We'll delve into that another day. As for now....enjoy being a woman!

Run like a GIRL!!

2010-06-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

Hey there...get off of my WASATCH BACK!! Who would I have rather ran the Wasatch Back with than my mission companion VICKI TRACY!!!

So the Wasatch back is a relay race from Logan to Park City. 12 girls were on my team and 6 in each van. You each run 3 legs of the race and eventually get to Park City. It was a blast!

Yes people, this IS my blanket from 7th grade! You know I do the honors! It's the tightest thing ever! :)
Our team was called RUN LIKE A GIRL! And we did! Of course I drew these running stick figure ladies on the back. It was a dream!
There were some way funny decorated vans and people dressed up in costumes running. Great entertainment!
Here's my teammates before we started.
Ready. Set. GO!
"JUA JUAN. GENARO GENARO!" I was shouting out mission memories to Trace to get her all pumped up for her runs. It was the smartest plan ever!
This girl is so rad. You know she recently shaved her head and donated it to cancer.

We had BEAUTIFUL scenery to run in....and great cheerleaders! I loved this lady just sittin out watchin the runners go by :)

What do you do when you are not running? Chase after your runners and give them some H20 relief!
My first run was way hard. 12:00 pm in the blazing hot, 7.5 miles on a dirt road up hill. I felt like ROCKY...or GI Jane or something.
My teammates soaked in a local river while I ran. Smart!
I loved this girl. She's from Sweden and served her mission at temple square. She is awesome.
Doin the work!!
When we all completed our first legs the other van takes over and you have about 3 hours to chill. We jumped right into Pine View reservoir and laid out. It was a dream!
And then there are the night runs. Mine was about 10:30 at night and then we had one more runner and then got to go sleep for about 2 hours outside or in the van. When you wake up you are for sure thinking, "What was I thinking?"
3rd run was hot and hilly again. Dead tired!

But it was nothin compared to VT's run. She ran Mt. Everest that day. Last run 8 miles uphill. She did it like a champ. So proud of her!

So you KNOW we threw her a dance party! Run like a girl! Go T-bones! "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was HOT like me? " :)

Hand off, One, Two...
I ran past this van with "HUGHES CONSTRUCTION" on it. I yelled out while running "I'm a Hughes!" Later I found these guys and told them how tons of people ask me if I am part of the 'Hughes Construction'. Well, I am now!
And then there were the guys in speedos! oh yes they were. oh boy. I later found out that they are the UCLA men's running team. They got like 4th place. Good times!
Gotta throw in a little Bikram yoga for the day.
And some cheer moves! Go Aggies!

We finally got to the finish line!

Met up with Alana who also ran it with her work friends. Go team Mona Vie!

We loved the finish line crew awaiting us!

I will do the honors!

Of COURSE we went and played tennis for two hours after the race. Oh man...I was dead!

Stien Erikson's lodge makes a mean meal and the scenery can't be beat! Overall I loved this adventure of running, meeting new people, working hard, relaxing and doing something out of your comfort zone. Hope you all had a great Father's day!

Happy 40th Birthday Brian

2010-06-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to my awesome brother Brian who has influenced my life in so many ways!

As my older brother, Brian:

1-Made me stay out for hours throwing a football until I could throw a spiral (to eventually impress the boys I guess)

2-Took my friends and I in our huge green van for ice cream..playing 'sharp turn' the whole way there and back!

3-Tickled me and tortured me growing up which eventually made me a tough girl in fighting back (not to mention buttercups which I thought we PEANUT butter cups every time...good one!)

4-Brought me on dates with him in high school and let me hang with all his 'cool' Skyline football buddies.

5-Gives his all in everything he does. Captain of the Skyline football team, AP on his mission in Japan, played football at Ricks and BYU...beating Notre Dame on their own field! Paid for his own college (scholarships and selling his baseball cards!), married in the temple to the most AMAZING girl and best friend of mine, got his MBA at BYU, has a challenging job as a the medical device sales manager over New England, has 4 awesome kids that I love, ran the Boston marathon and a 1/2 marathon with me in NH.....I could keep going!!

6-Got me on my mission- It all started with a walk at Newport beach. Angela and Brian commitment patterned me into getting my mission papers. The day I was to open my call Brian took me in a room and we talked for two hours about how this would be an amazing chapter in my life and when else can I give my all to the Lord? I was stoked after the talk and got my call to CHILE!! Loving life (I was at their house when I opened it...Christmas eve!)

7-Honors his priesthood- I always tell this story of how I was out to visit in NH and all the kids were throwing up all night. Every time one threw up, he would get up, put his shirt and tie on and give them a blessing. Noah said the next morning " I was so sick and then after dad's blessing, I didn't throw up one more time!"

8-Has bedtime scriptures in "the king". All the kids crawl in the king size bed for scripture time at night. Brian asks them questions about what they are reading. Love it!

9-Still calls and texts me funny things "So... how are you feeling today?" (hand on the hip)

10-Just today I talked to him and he says "Let me give you some brotherly advice...." I love his brotherly advice. He has always watched out for me as his little sis.

I'll stop at an even ten! Have a great birthday you old man!!!!!

Three letters: B F F!!!

2010-06-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

I LOVE my BFFFFFF!!!!! We had the delight the other night of having dinner and seeing Rosie and Bart's new house. It is amazing and modern and I loved it. Of course we took a group photo....but something was different this night. We only took one photo. Oh boy, maybe we should go back to the days of taking a zillion retakes! I think my favorite is Hallie's face in the front...or is it Bart's 'mustache'? AAhh!!

I held sweet baby Cole all night and it was a dream! Thanks Kels :)
And of COURSE we busted out some cheer moves. WJH let's go!!!
Oh don't worry, I can hurkey with a baby in hand..no problem.
They can hurkey too. You know they can!
BEST FRIENDS FOR LIFE!