Our Sunny SoCal Life

Labor Day 2011 with the Turks

2011-09-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

Handsome lad

Bowie is off oxygen and gaining weight

The many silly faces of Maebe

Gma Christy, Rachel, Bowie, Gma Sandy

Papa Eric

Turk Siblings - Sage, Nikki, Ian & Jake

2011-09-12T23:10:00.000-07:00

What a handsome lad

Bowie is making great progress - off the oxygen and gaining weight

The many silly faces of Maebe

Sage, Maebe, Nikki, Ian and Jake

Gma Christy, Rachel, Bowie, Gma Sandy

Maebe's Baby Doll

2011-09-12T22:54:00.000-07:00

This is Maebe's baby brother doll. I love her creativity in making her baby look like Bowie, complete with oxygen tubes.

Bowie & Maebe

2011-08-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Bowie is finally home! He is on a low oxygen flow and is sleeping on a light table to help with the jaundice. I was going to remove his binkie for a good full face shot, but he gave me a sideways glance and then a warning hiccup, so I left him alone. Maebe's introduction is priceless, "HEY! I'm your sister!"

Bowie & Maebe

2011-08-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

Some moments are just too cute!

People Who Make a Difference

2011-06-17T09:06:00.003-07:00

Carolyn Zaugg was Noelle's kindergarten teacher many years ago at Lowell Elementary. She indeed was wonderful as this article points out! She established a great learning environment for so many children and was an inspiration to their parents as well, with her ability to meet the needs of her students in her positive and enthusiastic way. I'm glad I had the opportunity to know her. Enjoy your journeys Mrs. Zaugg!

Kindergarten teacher who touched many lives retires

MCO Concert Highlights

2011-06-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

MCO Concert Blurb on KSL
Tribune Article - Another Grand Size Mormon Choir
Deseret News - Mormon Choir's Shows Sell Out
Standard Examiner - Mormon Choir Sells out Abravanal Hall

A Day at The Races

2011-04-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

We have a 'Things We Want To Do While Living In California List' and we are able to check going to a racetrack off now. Santa Anita Racetrack has been around for decades and is noted for its history and architecture. We were intrigued to experience the art deco building for ourselves and invited our good friends Al & Leah Newman. We didn't realize what a good choice that was, Al was familiar with the track, having visited often with his father and Leah's sister lives nearby and she knew how to get there.

When we arrived, we drank in the ambiance and then tried to figure out what we were supposed to do. We explored the grounds and Al explained the racing forms so that we could select horses to watch in each of the ten races that day.

It's really interesting to watch the horses as they come into the jockey area and get prepared to parade around the grounds and then enter the arena. The stalls are numbered sequentially but skip the unlucky number thirteen, proceeding from 11, 12, 12a, 14...

Between races sometimes we would return to the parade area to check out the next group of horses and make choices about Win-Place-Show for the next race.

Al insisted on upgrading to box seats which was a great way to get the full racetrack experience. Within each box there was a TV so that you could watch other races and sporting events between races.

Local Flavor - the bugler not only added an air of excitement, he also took requests and visited people in their seats to celebrate special occasions. I'm sure this had a price, but he was very nice when I took his picture;) Another specialty at the track is this corned beef sandwich with enough meat to feed our family for a week! Wish we had known how big they were before we each ordered our own, we could have easily shared and been satisfied.

My artistic eye was drawn to the many interesting details from the art deco era. Don't you love the elephant head faucet in the wash room and the wooden benches bathed in light?

On the day we attended there was a special presentation at the park with the owner of Secretariat, Penny Chenery and the owners of Zenyatta in attendance. You can see them on the jumbotron that sits in the center of the field. We wandered around the park and found a childrens playground, picnic areas and plenty of seating for a minimal price-of-admission investment. Obviously the majority of money is made through gambling and it is common to see the losing tickets littered throughout the park. Al said that when he was little he would gather them at the end of the day and study them to see if perchance there was a winner among the inadvertently discarded. There never was...


Our day at the races was very enjoyable! Thanks Al & Leah!

Christmas in Utah 2010 - Part 1

2011-04-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Our holiday journey began with a visit to Jill & Ralph in Mesquite Nevada, where the Virgin River was overflowing it's banks and threatening homes in the Beaver Dam Trailer Park where Jill's home was damaged six years before. The normally dry Virgin River Gorge was cascading with waterfalls and the river was high and muddy.

One of our first activities was cookie making for Cookie Night Festivities with our cousins the Jensens. Rachel & Noelle made gingerbread cookies instead of sugar cookies, which was nice for a change.

Thanksgiving in St George & Zion National Park

2010-12-10T23:20:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend with the 'even' children (#2 & 4) and family. Although we had planned on spending a couple of days on a bucket list adventure to Zzyzx Road or Catalina Island, instead we ended up staying home and getting Keileigh's new car repaired. We then journeyed to Mesquite and enjoyed an evening with Ralph and the still recuperating Jill. On Wednesday we continued on to St George and stayed at the Las Palmas Resort with Rachel, Sage, Maebe and Keileigh.

Rachel making pies into the wee hours while Keileigh talks to Sam

Maebe had been looking forward to swimming with Gma ever since she heard about our condo plans. So on Thursday morning after getting all the food prepped Christy & Maebe went to the indoor pool and played in the water. It was interesting to look out of the enclosed area at the icicles melting in the sun. Rachel & Keileigh made a quick trip to Walgreen's to take advantage of some great sale and Eric and Sage hit the tennis courts. It was so cold that the balls lost their spring and bounced poorly, which made the game even more interesting.

We enjoyed our Thanksgiving Day feast and were glad that Jill was feeling up to coming. Our holiday menu is definitely an homage to the years of Johnson traditions along with a few new treats thrown in for fun such as the pumpkin cobbler Rachel made.

The Queen with the Heir Apparent

On Friday we went to Snow Canyon and hiked Jenny's Canyon, a quick walk in a slot canyon. We spotted climbers high on the rock ledge which got Keileigh scrambling over the sandstone as well.

Next we found the sand dunes which reminded us of a similar trek years ago when Keileigh was little. The older kids told her the dunes were brown sugar and so of course she sampled the goodness. When she spit it out, saying it was just dirt, the older ones convinced her to try again saying she must have been in a bad spot. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me! She learned a lesson that day about the nature of siblings. Maebe loved digging in the 'brown sugar' sand dunes and hopefully won't pull the same stunt on any future sibs;)

After our adventure in Snow Canyon we went to see the sold out movie Tangled. It took us two attempts, but we were able to get in the second time. Maebe loved it!

On Saturday Sage & Keileigh got up early to hike Angel's Landing at sunrise. The cold and snow made it a grand adventure but the perilous weather necessitated the closure of the final segment. They had a great time sliding on the steep and icy Walter's Wiggles section. The rest of us joined them at 10:00 and enjoyed a picturesque day hiking the snow dusted terrain of Zion National Park . We enjoyed the Riverside Walk with icy waterfalls and slippery pathways and then hiked the Canyon Overlook Trail on the far side of the tunnel which was a new and breathtaking adventure for us.

We also took a side trip to Grafton, a ghost town on the Virgin River between Springdale and Rockville.

Thanks Sage for enduring our trip down memory lane.

Assorted Cute Maebe Pics:

Maebe loves hotdogs just like Papa Eric but starts in the middle!

Do You Edit?

2010-09-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

My brother and I were Facebook chatting today when he mentioned that our mother had dropped some 'crazy' comment into the dialogue as he was visiting her the day before. He said that after he picked his jaw up off the floor, he proceeded to deflect the conversation onto safer, neutral territory.

It brought up several thoughts as we texted back and forth about self-editing. We were both thinking it had something to do with our Mom's advanced age and perhaps the onslaught of dementia. But then I started thinking further about Mom's original comment and realized that I have young friends who would have asked the same thing. These folks say what they are thinking without screening their comments. Sometimes I admire their openness and wish I was that free to express myself but other times I wonder about their inability to see the ramifications of their openness.

I think what amazed my brother and I was that our Mother who had been the epitome of propriety and henceforth 'respectability' was finally able to speak up and say what she was thinking without cleaning it up for her audience.

I was also thinking that perhaps it has something to do with the fact that she no longer has my dad around to discuss life's little observations with in a private arena. You know what I'm talking about, those things you are just trying to figure out which become fodder for 'pillow talk'. Mom has outlived the first tier of companionship and has to rely on the second tier of comrades to edit her statements.

So has my Mom changed, or are we just becoming privy to more of the 'real' her?

Which brings up other thoughts about aging - the first being that as a person ages do you begin to see the 'real' soul, the one that may have been sheltered behind closed doors and closed minds for all those years? Sometimes I buy this - you hear comments about the sweetheart of a grandma who is so childlike and loving and then you hear about the old biddy who is mean and cranky. Maybe that is the 'true self', but then again, maybe it's loneliness, pain or other physical maladies caused by wear and tear on the body and mind.

My second comment about aging is about middle age and women. I've been exploring the whole menopause conundrum and I cling to the positive aspects rather than the negatives. I've embraced the concept that it is a second adolescence (as if the first wasn't tough enough, we get to do it again). However in that vein it is amazing and liberating to know that we can re-create the self that may have gotten lost during the intervening years of parenting and working. There are many examples of older folks who are seizing the day and making the life they desire for their remaining years. Part of this recreation may be the elimination of self-editing for the sake of propriety and the opening of the self to new possibilities.

I'm just thinking....any comments from the peanut gallery?

Dana Point Tall Ships Festival 2010

2010-09-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

Friday September 10th was opening night for the Dana Point Tall Ships Festival. Eric was with his boss and business associates in LA, so I joined our friends Alan & Leah Newman, Steve & Cynthia Broadhead and their friends Palma and Norm for dinner and bluff top vistas of multi-masted ships doing battle along the coast.

God's Tender Mercies & A Father's Love

2010-09-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

Last April, my brother Ken unexpectedly passed away. The young father of nine, he struggled with health problems for many years, which impacted his ability to do for them, all that he wished he could. Many tears were shed at his funeral service and when it came time to lay him to rest, the family snuggled beneath the protective awning that guarded his final resting spot from the rainswept skies. Following the graveside services at Larkin Sunset Gardens, the majority of visitors hurried to escape the drizzle, but close family tarried for a few more quiet moments of reflection. As hugs and conversations continued, in the distant northern skies a bird was spotted floating on the downdrafts of the receding weather. Individuals watched without cognizance, until enlightenment suddenly dawned, this was not just any bird, but a bird of prey, a hawk to be precise, the very animal my brother had adopted as his personal symbol! As family members turned their faces to the north the bird glided, swooped and flew regally along as it was joined by another and another until finally eight hawks were seen, the number of his children present at the cemetery. The flock passed directly over head and then to the south end of the valley where they disappeared as quietly as they came. In this moment of tender mercy, we felt comfort that although Kenneth was no longer walking among us, he would be eagerly watching and guarding his children because of the loving compassion of another kind Father.

Northwest River Festival

2010-07-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

At the second annual Northwest River Festival a small but appreciative audience gathered under the hot summer sun to enjoy music from local artists, Luke Williams and Julia Mecham.

Keileigh's 20th & Logan Pics!

2010-07-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

Our baby is 20 and we spent a week celebrating the Big Event! Shopping trips to Urban Outfitter and fun decor for her new Logan home (see pics below). We had dinner at Cheesecake Factory one night and continued to celebrate with a BBQ and Bees Baseball Game later that week. Marking the milestones of life is a great way to spend family fun time!

Keileigh with Logan friends Cami & Riley

Is the Cheescake Factory wait worth it? Keileigh and Luke had to go two hours early just to get on the list! Consensus? Food OK, family memories, priceless!

Random photos from Logan - Keileigh's home for 2010-2011, as well as local scenery to remind us of why we love Cache Valley so much!

Supportive Friends & Family & Spiritual Experiences

2010-07-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have awesome friends and family! Even though we own two homes in SLC, they have tenants and during my time in Utah I needed a place to stay. The first few days I stayed with my Dad which was great, I could come home to a nice meal and a gracious host. For the next few days I house sat in Draper at my brother & sister-in law's home. It was quiet so I could work uninterrupted on my homework each night and had Wi-fi so I could access all of my classwork, however the drive was long, and one morning I woke up to a blizzard and drove through white out conditions on I-5 from the point of the mountain; after that I knew it was time to move closer to town. I spent a few fun nights with Drew and Noelle in the Village and was able to give the van to Keileigh so she could get to work at her new Swim Kids job at Dive Utah. I learned how to ride the U shuttle bus system which is handy knowledge to have and I appreciated the one-on-one time with knowledgeable U of U patrons!

For the rest of my time I stayed in the Parc Gateway Condo of our Capo 1st Ward friends, Jon & Angi. It was wonderful! The view was great, there were fun activities going on in the courtyard (Thursday night jazz concerts, chalk festival, early morning televised contests and way too many cute kid singing groups-including I later found out our friends the Watson family). I was able to take Trax to and from school each day (Keileigh was happy to keep 'the Bean' and I didn't have to worry about parking on campus) I could study as late as I needed (usually midnight) and arise early(5:30 am) and start over again without bothering anyone. It was a wonderful blessing!

I had many interesting experiences downtown. They are rebuilding everything and it's really fun seeing SLC Rising! On Saturday morning I had a class on campus and went down to catch the University Traxline. That morning as I said my prayers I had a distinct impression that something would happen and that I would be safe. I arose feeling calm but wondering what might happen.

As I waited at the stadium station the Sandy Trax came and the few other people on the platform boarded. Toward the back of the trains I noticed a shirtless man gesturing wildly and yelling profanities at the top of his lungs. He continued to yell and vent and chased the train as it took off down the tracks. I glanced around and noticed that I was the only person left at the station with the increasingly agitated man. He continued his rant but I noticed that a bundle of clothing had been placed nearby which he went to and began to wildly put on his shirt. I realized that he must have been escorted off the train. He came over in front of me and began a diatribe against Salt Lake City, comparing it to his hometown of St Louis. He continued to parade back and forth on the platform always stopping in front of me, grateful to have an audience to hear of the injustices of a city that would throw a man with schizophrenia from public transportation. I nodded gently in agreement, but felt impressed not to engage him in conversation, my purpose was to just be there so that he would have someone to share with. I thought as he wildly gesticulated that this could be bad and yet I felt at peace; the thought that came to mind was the scripture when Jesus walked through the midst of the angry crowd and they could not see him (Luke 4:28-30). I knew that if need be that I would not be visible to this man. This went on for a while, him spouting and strutting, but eventually he made his way down to the corner and I saw him cross the street and head east. About this time a white UTA van pulled up near the station and began to follow him down the street, keeping an eye on his behavior and whereabouts; obviously the situation had been phoned in and backups had been dispatched to the scene.

post script: The following night I was driving back to the condo with Keileigh and Riley when we passed the homeless shelter and lo and behold walking down the middle of the street was this same man. His behavior was much different, he appeared very subdued and obviously medicated. I was reminded of my prayer and shared the promises of protection that were extended to me.

FCS Child & Healthcare Class

2010-07-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

One of my classes was Child & Healthcare. It was taught by Tony Smith, a Child Life Specialist at Primary Childrens Medical Center. Understanding the different developmental stages of children is important so that if they are hospitalized their needs can be met based on their social, emotional and cognitive abilities.

Our final class project was a carnival. Each team had to create age appropriate activities for their assigned group based on their learning level. We had pet rocks, twister, bubbles, infant massage, marshmallow shooting guns, relay races and duct-tape wallets. It was a lot of fun!

Ron Tongaonevai was a classmate who plays football for the U (#59). The children decorated mini-rockets (film canisters) and then catapulted them into the air using alka-seltzer.

David Foster is from SoCal (El Toro HS) and plays on the U basketball team. Their project had a sports/arts & crafts theme. When Maebe first saw David she ran, a common occurrence according to him! When I told her that David was my class friend and asked if she wanted to meet him, she nodded yes. It took her a minute but she eventually warmed up to this great young man.

Marvelous Maebe

2010-07-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

The benefit of being near family is evident when you spend memory making moments with the Marvelous Maebe. Thanks Rachel & Sage for letting me babysit while you went plant shopping. It is so fun to be drawn into the small pleasures of a 2 1/2 year old enjoying life.

Utah Moments - Draper, Utah Hike

2010-07-11T02:03:00.001-07:00

I'm finally editing pictures from my recent Utah sojourn. In early May we went on a Sunday hike in Draper near the LDS Temple. Amazing how beautiful it is in the Corner Canyon area. Thanks Kathleen and Larry for letting me house sit while you were in Germany, I loved reconnecting with my childhood roots.

School

2010-06-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

I'm a UofU coed! I've been living in SLC and going to school. Twenty five hours of credit! I know, crazy. Lots of awesome experiences though. Maybe tomorrow after taking my test, writing two papers and editing two more, I'll post some pictures....

But don't hold your breath....

Whale Watching at the Montage

2010-04-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

I promised to upload the movie from the whale episode we enjoyed at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach last week, however this avi video loses the clarity of my original mov video. Hopefully Sage can get a cleaner version loaded soon. For now though, join us in the wonders of the sea. Apologies to Keileigh;)

New Year's Day

2010-01-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

New Year's Day and Football! What more can I say? It's a tradition. It involves food, family and fun. If you don't like the game, you just visit and eat and catch up on sleep. We watched the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. The games were so-so but the time together was wonderful. Muchas gracias to Larry & Kathleen for hosting our family and for the lively conversation.

I even caught a bit of the Rose Parade in the morning, life is good!

Jensen Jollies

2010-01-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed an evening with Larry & Kathleen and their children. Nate, Ginny and their three children were visiting from Japan so the combined antics of the seven grandchildren was magnified. The three older boys love to laugh and spent the evening giggling together while the two girls enjoyed their five year old playtime immensely. The two youngest received loving attention as well.

Kohner's Guinness Book of World Records led to a video of The World's Most Flexible Men which filled the evening with familial competition of the contortionist kind.

New Year's Eve

2010-01-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve we enjoyed a scrumptious feast with the Turks at Red Ginger Bistro, a sushi restaurant on State Street and 33rd South. It had a great selection with half price sushi, and dollar sashimi & nigiri.

Check out this talented 2 1/2 year old and her chopstick skills!

Condo Cleanup

2010-01-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

While Grandma Hazel recuperates from a fall and subsequent back surgery, the family spent several days clearing, cleaning and preparing her condo for the next phase of life. If she chooses to return, it will feel fresh and invigorating and be easier for her to maneuver. Kudos to the family for their help!

Michael introduced his pet to Keileigh & Luke but the jury is still out on the roommate status of the snake Grandma Hazel dubbed Monty Python.

Dinner with Clark & Christie

2010-01-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

Braving the snow and treacherous driving conditions we headed to Park City and dinner with Clark, Christie, Patrick & Olivia. We had an enjoyable evening eating, visiting and renewing familial bonds.

What do you think? Do Olivia and Maebe look alike?

Peering through these trippy glasses made light appear to be dancing angels!

After dinner we visited while Christie & Olivia entertained us with interchangeable arms.

Christmas Eve Traditions

2010-01-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

We met Keileigh & Luke at the mouth of Parley's Canyon where they opened poppers from Aunt Christie then we spent our traditional Christmas Eve with the Kremer & Hughes families. It's good that at least once a year we have a chance to catch up on the events of the siblings, cousins and assorted kin and see the growth in the rising generation.

Grandpa Joe left his Night Before Christmas storybook at home but recited it by heart with only a few forgotten passages.

At the Turks home, we enjoyed sharing the real Christmas story with Maebe. As Sage read from Luke 2 & Matthew 2, Maebe added the pictures to this flannel board that has been in the Kremer family since the 1960's and is stained with smoke from the Samoan fire of 1969.

Marvelous Maebe

2010-01-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

Maebe loves to invite company to her room for playtime. Here Papa Eric is captive to her requests.

The many moods & faces of Marvelous Maebe:

More Christmas fun with friends & family

2010-01-07T13:05:00.001-08:00

Thus begins our Holiday to the land of snow:

We visited Ralph & Jill in Mesquite.

We joined Hazel for Christmas cheer.

We basked in the spirit at the PCMC Sacrament Meeting with Drew, Noelle, LeeAnne & Brandon. Afterwards we found this great ice sculpture outside the hospital.

We enjoyed Sunday dinner at the Turks with Grandpa Joe.

We had an evening of good conversation with the Williams.

(Congrats again to Simon & Kimberly and Clay too!)

The skiers in the family loved their day in the powder at Park City and made Eric's holiday!
A shopping trip for a new Christmas outfit was accomplished as well. Here the gang picks out lip lube at Victoria's Secret to use our $10 discount coupon!

We love and appreciate our family and the memories we are making.

Christmas in Utah 2009

2010-01-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

Without great fanfare, but knowing a picture is worth a thousand words, here is Christmas with the Johnson/Turk/Wojciechowski/Williams gang.

Pictures of Eric's Table Restoration

2009-11-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad Brittany pointed out that I hadn't posted pictures of Eric's table restoration. He did such a nice job.

October Fun & Games

2009-10-31T21:28:00.000-07:00

This week we had Aunt Karen's fun friends over for dinner. This is a lively group of people who meet weekly at different Dana Point eateries to enjoy the deal of the day (Taco Tuesday at Jolly Roger & Two Timing Tuesday at Hennessey's are two favorites). Eric and I join them occasionally for food and fun. When we moved into this new home we decided we needed a new table for the kitchen. We gave Aunt Karen the charge to find us a vintage '60's table, but all of the chrome diner tables we found were pricey. An excited Karen called one day to tell us she had scored on a table that had been passed from Hayley and Sharon to Susan & Bill who decided it was too big for their kitchen. I told Eric about this freebie. He was not excited, but I dragged him to check it out and the whole way there he was trying to think of ways to politely decline. However when he saw the beautiful 1890's five pedestal table, he was in heaven! He did an amazing restoration job on it. We wanted Hayley, Sharon, Susan & Bill to see the finished product. They were all very impressed that the table had found a loving new home.

The meal was yummy - homemade chicken noodle soup, rolls, fruit, salad, lemon sorbet and maple cookies. We thoroughly enjoyed opening our home for good conversation and company.

Friday night we enjoyed the Monarch Beach Ward Chili cookoff/Trunk or Treat Halloween Party. Lawanna is an awesome activities chairperson and gets a great response from ward members and neighbors who love the chance for some safe children friendly activities. The Mirandas came and brought friends as well.

Fall Company

2009-10-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

Fall has been a lovely time for company. Thanks one and all for sharing time with us.

Loved the Girls night out in September at Chart House to celebrate Mary Margaret's birthday. If you go be sure to try the Lava Cake.

The Mirandas joined us for our second annual Sunday morning General Conference Feast on the Word Breakfast. We had the Paula Deen French Toast Casserole and an egg dish similar to this link with green chilies, and dressed up with salsa, sour cream and my favorite - guacamole. Yummy!

I love hearing our spiritual leaders give us guidance. I am looking forward to getting the November Ensign and highlighting the messages and reliving the insights again.

Baby brother Matthew came to visit from Maryland this week and cousin Rene from New Jersay was also in town at the same time visiting Aunt Karen. We spent a lovely evening eating Eric's delicious kabobs and catching up. Matt is 'on tour' and playing several venues in SoCal, Salt Lake City, Santaquin, San Francisco and back to Costa Mesa. I really enjoy his acoustic music.

I also enjoyed a lovely day with Luke. We went shopping at Trader Joe's to replenish Keileigh's college cupboards. (There are some things you can only find at TJ's.) Then we made a great Vegetarian Polenta dish that we enjoyed in New Hampshire with Ben & Caitlin. Luke said discovering polenta was like the day he discovered couscous, it just makes you happy. We had great fun and good conversation. I'm so glad Luke added us to his fall break itinerary!

We love having company here in California. Hope to see you too!

Tsunami in Samoa

2009-09-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

When I was nine our family moved to the island of American Samoa, a US Territory in the South Pacific. It is located roughly midway between Hawaii and Australia, and for a child was a little taste of exotic heaven. I'm sure it was an adventure for the parents as well.

This morning I saw a headline that read Tsunami Hits Samoa. As I read through the article and looked at the pictures, many memories came to mind of our two year stint there. My father taught school at Mapusaga High School, which was owned by the LDS Church. The campus now is a Community College. My recollections are those of a child - rather vague and disjointed, but the photos of devastation in and around the capitol city of Pago Pago (pronounced Pong-o Pong-o) triggered some reminders.

I remember a rare trip to Pago Plaza to buy shorts. Most of my clothes were hand made and store-bought clothing was a Big Deal. Now in my limited and narrow version of life, red clothing did not exist, and this particular pair of shorts was the color of tomato-soup which was definitely missing from my narrowly defined view of cool, but the shorts must have been either a good deal or a good fit on an island where everything is imported, so Mom bought them and I dutifully wore them.

I remember going to the lone movie house near the harbor and seeing Rudolph Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn dance in a film version of Swan Lake. I was totally enthralled, he was amazing and she was enchanting. Like many young girls, I wanted to be a ballerina after seeing that.

I learned how to swim on the beach adjacent to Pago Pago harbor. I couldn't open my eyes in the salt water and still don't open my eyes even in pools. Another outcome, I swim with my head up because the long hair of my youth draped across my nose and mouth with the turn of my head with each freestyle stroke and I always felt like I would drown under the mass of hair and salty brine. My preferred swim method is the backstroke because my hair was floating below me, the sky was open above me and I was floating in paradise.

Adventurous Samoan teens would dive for coins at one end of the tourist laden cruise ships, while sharks would circle at the other end of the vessel. The story is told of our friend Surran who was swimming along the coast and started into an underwater pipe only to find himself face to face with a hammerhead shark. He carefully started backpaddling to escape the deadend option!

Outside our front door was a banana tree from which we would harvest banana bunches. Another neighbor on campus had a huge mango tree. We enjoyed the fresh fruit, although I prefer the less ripe green mango, probably because it was fresher than the bruised orange-red fruit which had fallen to the ground. Coconut trees were plenteous and talented teens could show off their monkey-climbing skills to pluck the nut. Husking the outer layers to get to the inner core and then nailing the eye to drink of the pure coconut juice was a treat. Then scraping the meat out, although time consuming, was the island version of a Tom Sawyer-Huck Finn existence. We were living the good life!

Our neighbors the Smiths, ordered oranges which had to be imported. At first they were very stingy about sharing, it was such a special treat and they had many children to feed and they rationed them out accordingly. After a few weeks however, they started going bad. It was then that they started sharing like crazy! To this day I have a discerning taste for oranges because of the bitter fruit experienced in Samoa.

We experienced many humbling Job-like events. There were many tropical storms that punished the island with wind, rain and water. One devastating storm created rivers of water that cascaded through upper campus and submerged the school and lower campus in a lake. During this frightening deluge, young Kenneth disappeared. It was feared that he may have been swept down in the torrents of water. After frantic searches and unanswered shouts, Mom retired to her bedroom to kneel in fervent and humble prayer for the safety of her youngest. As she began to pour out her heart to the Lord, up popped the nine year old from a pile of blankets! Seems he had warn himself out sliding down the hill into the newly formed lake and had come in to rest and warm up. Prayers of thanks were quickly offered along with hugs of relief.

Our duplex also experienced a middle of the night fire. The Smith family employed a Samoan housekeeper to help while both parents taught school. The woman had stacked the freshly laundered towels in the linen closet too close to the light bulb used to keep mold at bay. During the course of day and night the fabric began to smolder than ignited. From a dead sleep we were startled awake and ordered to grab what mattered most to us before fleeing for safety. My mom grabbed all of her family history/genealogy records, all pre-computer era and irreplaceable. I grabbed my glasses (so I could see) and four dolls - Nikki Sue (a recent Christmas present), Bugs Bunny (because you gotta save the silly rabbit) and Raggedy Ann and Andy (handmade for me by my Grandma Hughes.) The other family lost everything in the fire but were devasted most because of the loss of pictures of a child who had previously died. As their extended family around the world heard of their plight, photos of the lost child were recovered from other picture albums, her visual memory would be preserved. Although we still had all our belongings they were heavily smoke and water damaged. We ended up moving to lower campus into the old mission home which was a memorable shift. The new home was filled with cockroaches and other creepy crawlies. When you crossed the room at night you would crunch across the floor, then when you turned on the lights all the bugs ran for cover. It was the beginning of the end of our family's stay in paradise.

Another adventure for the little branch was the decision to travel to a neighboring island to attend the temple. For many local members of the church it would be a first time experience. For us, it would provide the opportunity to be sealed as a family. To raise the necessary funds, taro fields were planted. Through the labors of the saints the resources would be used to fund the exodus to New Zealand. I had acquired a cool new toy, an ankle jump rope, which rubbed a raw spot on the skin. While working in the marshy fields the raw spot became infected and boils spread. I endured primitive treatments for the 100+ painful lessions that covered my legs and bottom- lancing, purple iodine dyes and trips to an ill-equipped hospital. During this healing time my service shifted from the taro fields to babysitting duty since each person was required to give hours each week. Bob started experiencing gout, a painful disease, which led to a trip to the mainland to seek medical attention. Weeks later we returned to California. The taro fields were a learning experience for the Samoan saints. Very few made it to New Zealand during that initial experience, but the islander's faith brought about the eventual building of a temple in Apia Samoa. It took many years but our family eventually made it to the Los Angeles Temple to be sealed together as a family.

30th Anniversary Trip

2009-09-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

On September 11th, Eric & I celebrated our 30th Anniversary by flying off to New Hampshire to spend a delightful ten days with Ben & Caitlin. After flying all night with a layover in New Jersey we finally arrived in Manchester where Eric was surprised to know that prayers can be answered when he received a snazzy rental car instead of a clunker.

We headed north for the two hour drive through the Franconia notch. We had no idea what that meant but as we continued to tweak the GPS and read various maps we were greeted with scenic vistas and overwhelming beauty.

We were appreciative of the lovely Jackson Inn accommodations arranged for us and were even more thankful when we checked out and found that Ben & Caitlin had paid for the two night stay! We loved wandering through the mansion and seeing all of the cool rooms. Thanks for the wonderful memories.

On Sunday we explored the area around North Conway including Diana's Baths, Cathedral Ledge and Echo Lake. We stopped at a produce stand and enjoyed delicious apple juice and fresh veggies for dinner that night.

On Monday we hopped in the Charger and drove to Woolwich, Maine to meet Caitlin's parents, Brian & Elise. We had a wonderful lunch, a fun game of bocce ball and enjoyed the Grand Tour of the home they built themselves on 10+ acres of wooded terrain. It was fun seeing Caitlin's roots.

Then it was back in the car and on to Belfast Maine. In the morning we continued our journey and stopped at Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows. What a visual feast!

We continued on to charming Bar Harbor. We enjoyed dipping our fingers in the Atlantic (brrr!) There was a cruise ship which was unusual and had the locals in town heading to the harbor to check it out. We drove back across the bridge to Ellsworth where we stayed one night and enjoyed a lobster dinner at Jasper's.

Our second night we stayed in the Sea Breeze Inn on the coast of Mount Desert Island.

We enjoyed the hike through Acadia National Park with scenic views the first day and the journey around the south end of the island to Bass Harbor the second day. The fall leaves were beginning to turn and the drive was an immersion in the history and color of New England. Picturesque spired churchs in every town, water-front property on rivers, lakes and the ocean and trees as far as the eye could see.

We returned to the White Mountains area and enjoyed three days and nights in the cozy little cabin in the middle of the Jackson woods that belonged to Caitlin's grandparents. The amount of work required to keep and maintain a home is compounded when it's on an acre+ of trees.

I love watching the lumberjack videos as they split logs from their own property for winter warmth.

Everywhere we looked there were Kodak moments. This barn is on the road leading up to their cabin and the waterfall is in Jackson.

On our last day in Jackson we took a hike to Tuckerman Ravine, a ski resort in the White Mountains. It was about five miles round trip and was basically like doing the stairmaster for four hours! My calves felt it for several days afterwards, but the view was worth the effort. We returned to the little house in the middle of the woods for a final farewell and bid adieu to Ben, Caitlin, Virgil and Ryder.

We spent our final day in Concord. We went to the Capitol and wandered through the building. We saw a group of people gathering and stopped to ask what was going on. The woman we talked to was the governor's assistant and he was coming to give awards to volunteers who work with sick children. We checked out the historic district and then headed off to lunch at the Puritan Backroom in Manchester which was tasty and great for originality.

We were too early for the airport so we stopped at a park and watched a boy and his dad fish and read for a while. When we got to the airport we found they had changed the time of our plane. It was now leaving thirty minutes earlier than we had planned. Fortunately we were in time! What's with United and their last minute changes? We flew through Chicago O'Hare (enjoyed the self wrapping toilets, thanks Noelle!) and got home at 10pm where Aunt Karen picked us up at the curb. What a Grand Adventure!

FINAL DAY FOR HOOPES VOTING!

2009-09-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

If every person who drives a car would carpool with just one other person, over half the cars on the road would be gone! Think about it. And then recruit a friend to vote too. It would double our vote total!

Hoopes Contest Link

I've been an election judge, I'm glad Hoopes voting is electronic! I'd hate to count all these ballots! BUT PLEASE VOTE FOR SAGE ONE MORE TIME!

SHARE THIS WITH A FRIEND - WE NEED A FEW MORE VOTES FROM A FEW MORE FOLKS!

2009-09-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

A NOTE FROM SAGE WITH CONTEST UPDATE:
Hello Everyone!

As far as I know, today is the final day to vote (the rules weren't clear whether they would allow one final vote tomorrow or not). So this is it!!! I just want to say I'm so touched by the response I've received - I feel truly humbled to have so much support from so many places. I'll save the emotions until tomorrow, but again, thank you all so very much.

so this is it: our final vote!!

http://www.hoopesvision.com/contest/index.html

I'm not sure where I am in the standing, but I know it's been neck and neck. If there's ever been a day to vote, this is it!

Thank you so much everyone! Keep those fingers crossed!!!

CHRISTY AGAIN - I'M ADDING MY THANKS TO ALL OF MY FRIENDS! THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! REMEMBER TO VOTE FOR 'I HAVE BAD EYES' FROM THE HUMOROUS CATEGORY & A SELECTION FROM THE SERIOUS CATEGORY.

Your Vote Counts-Help Make a Winner

2009-09-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

Please take two seconds and vote for Sage in his quest for free Lasik Surgery from Hoopes. He created a hilarious video for this contest and needs help from all of us to succeed. Log on to the site and check out the contenders. You use the drop down menu to vote for a humorous entry - preferably Sage's I Have Bad Eyes and then a serious entry. (My favorite is Sarah in Africa, but there are other worthy entries.) You can vote every day until September 9th.

http://www.hoopesvision.com/contest/index.html

Vote early, Vote often but get out there and do your part! Make 9.9.09 a memorable day!

Splashes of Keileigh Color

2009-08-27T19:49:00.001-07:00

What can I say about this spark of sunshine? She lights up a room with her exuberance and confidence and yet can still be filled with angst. She is intuitive and perceptive and yet sometimes lost in details. She creates joy and her share of sorrows. She is a great friend and a treasured daughter and sometimes a stranger to me. Yes my little girl is grown up and exercising all the rights of agency. What a great gift we have been given- the right and responsibility to choose our own path! My mother hope, that throughout her quest she comes to understand and treasure all the joys that can be hers.

Family Walk @ Trestles

Utah Trip - Aug 8.09 Part 2

2009-08-27T18:10:00.001-07:00

Wednesday was Maebe's 2nd birthday and we spent a fun afternoon swimming at the Cottonwood home of Alice William's gracious & charming mother, Jane Reynolds.

A calm swim experience was replaced by the enthusiasm of youth as Simon, Clay, Kimberly & Kimberly's brother & his friend arrived. Clay geared up for pool time with a few passes on the slack line. Sweet Simon is transformed into Wild & Crazy Pool Man as the boys enjoyed all that could be offered in the dog days of summer.

Kimberly styled Simon's hair into devilish spikes for the occasion

while Keileigh commiserated with Luke about his long work day in Park City.

Finally Luke arrived! and after the obligatory brotherly-love pool toss from Clay, he was able to relax and enjoy good times with the gang.

Kimberly shares Super-glittery-bouncy-ball

while we all enjoy the beautiful ambiance and great company.

Thanks Jane and Alice for sharing the day with us!

Room with a View

2009-08-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken from the deck of our new home. The first was the reward for taking Eric to the airport at 4:45 am - a glorious sunrise gift for those willing to make the sacrifice of sleep to enjoy a few moments of beauty. The second is the view from the front room and is to the south and east towards San Clemente. On this particular evening the moon had emerged in its grand trek across the sky as the sun began its descent creating mirrored reflections on coastal windows. On a clear day we can see all the way to Oceanside, and trust me, we have acquired a spotting scope so we can check out the coastline! Trestles, Upper Cottons, San Onofre power plants, ships, planes, birds and more! There is so much to enjoy!

Thanks Luke for editing out that pesky powerline!

Life Goes On - Utah Trip 8.09 Part 1

2009-08-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

Spent last week in Utah - Maebe's 2nd birthday, Keileigh back to Utah State, Luke's Concert at the Park, Carter Family Reunion and more. Pictures are worth a thousand words, so here goes...

On Wednesday Keileigh and I left sunny SoCal. We spent the night in St George and got into SLC Thursday afternoon, in time for Keileigh's reunion with Luke. (Two weeks away-what a stretch, haha!)

On Friday Keileigh & I went to the Blaine Avenue house to retrieve some items from the garage. It is weird going to a place you lived in for twenty years and being a visitor. After dropping off some items and picking up college stuff for Keileigh we left with a quick phone call to Eric confirming the need for his gifted outdoor skills to put the yard back into tip-top shape, a task he undertook later that week. Finally after months of waiting we went to the Smith's home where I finally got a new look from Amy. I had wanted to go short since January, but each time I went to a new hair stylist and expressed an interest or showed them a picture, they waffled and that made me nervous. So, I waited for the touch of a master. She asked what I was looking for and I said short, she asked if I liked her daughter Rileigh's hair cut and despite the fact that she had major bedhead I said yes and voila - three hours later I looked liked one of the Smith kids!

Later that night there was dinner with the Wojciechowskis - grilled brats, fruit, chips and ice cream. An evening with Verl, Leeanne, Brandon and Martie wouldn't be complete without a Disney movie (for Maebe) and Wii bowling (courtesy of Brandon):

On Saturday Keileigh, Noelle & I did some traditional back to school shopping at Target and then took lunch to Grandma Hazel's for a visit. After dropping the girls off for their respective Saturday night pursuits the night was still young so I ran errands - the DI to drop off items, Sears for Maebe shoes. I decided to visit Meredith Watson since she said I never let her know when I'm in town, but I didn't find her at home so I visited with Erin Carson for updates on the neighborhood scene and then ended up at Shopko where I scored on a darling dress for Maebe.

While there I ran into my cousin Karen Carter who filled me in on life in her world and then I got a phone call from Luke & Keileigh inviting me to join them for dinner at Cafe Rio (thanks Luke for treating!) We had a lovely visit and when we finished it was a perfect time to head back to Joe's.

On Sunday morning I was privileged to attend Sacrament services at Primary Children's Medical Center where Drew serves in the Branch Presidency and Noelle is Primary President and chorister in Sacrament meeting. An outpouring of the Spirit makes attendance sweet. It is during times of challenge and affliction that we turn more dependently to our loving Heavenly Father.

After church I drove through the avenues to look at the old Primary Children's Hospital where I had eye surgery in my seventh or eighth year. I remember being afraid and alone although I'm sure my Mom was there as much as allowed. It was interesting going back and remembering that experience. I continued my drive through Memory Grove/City Creek and up to the Capitol where I used to work for the Governor's office. To my surprise there were lots of motorcycles lining the building. I parked and walked around and found out there were over 3000 bikers in attendance that were honoring officers slain in the line of duty.

Following that, with more time to kill before services started in the old Wilson Ward, I went to Liberty Park where I found a car show taking place. It was Eric's dream day but I was the recipient!

I had a great reunion experience at the old home ward. It was wonderful catching up with so many of our neighborhood friends.

Luke was invited to participate in the inaugural Northwest Riverfest Community Celebration in Rose Park. Family and friends joined to support his concert appearance. He did several solo pieces and was joined on stage by Julia Meacham, Jacob Kahn, and Alice, Simon and Clay Williams. He is very talented and a CD will be available for purchase soon. Here are a few visual images from the event.

After the concert we went to the Kremer's for a yummy Navajo taco dinner. Jaclyn showed us the cool new scooter she bought with her summer savings! Grandpa & Sage tried to figure out what was causing the chain to not engage the back wheel but were unsuccessful. Hopefully her neighbor can figure it out for her.

Each evening I spent with Joe we had the chance to visit, play or relax with a TV program. On Sunday he recorded the World Track & Field Events and we enjoyed them late that night when I got home! It's great to have that one-on-one time.

On Monday I had lunch with Meredith Watson at Moochi's, a local eatery owned by friend & neighbor Joanna Rendi & husband Don McDonald and featured in this clip from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Meredith is a talented soul with much to offer. I've enjoyed her musical and creative offerings throughout the years I've known her. After that I went to the University of Utah to talk with the Family and Community Studies academic adviser as well as an admissions adviser. I am hopeful that I will be able to work things out and complete my degree at the U over the next few semesters. I was then able to meet Noelle at her office at the University of Utah Medical Center where she works in the Neurosurgery Clinic. It was fun to see her work environment and meet her colleagues. Noelle works with a woman named Kim Rasmussen. They were comparing musical tastes one day and found out that we were longtime Yankee Clipper/TenPenny fans, the band her husband Paul plays in with Mark Jardine. Next time I'm in town I definitely want to enjoy the music of these gifted local artists. They play most Thursdays at McCool's in Foothill Village and on the 17th of each month they play in honor of St Patrick's day. Although I wanted to attend that night (it was the 17th), it's hard to fit everything in and instead we enjoyed dinner at Grandpa Joe's home where he prepared his traditional feast of roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and more for the family and his friend Darlene.

While the women cleaned up, Maebe decided she needed to sculpt her abs on Gpa's workout equipment before the strawberry shortcake!

On Tuesday the sisters-in-law celebrated Vali's 50th birthday with lunch at Tres Hombres. It was great to spend some grownup time with these treasured friends. We really need to follow through with that girlfriend getaway!

The cousins spent some fun time bonding as well. The coeds are sharing the Corelle dishes with Mary taking half to BYU and the other half going to Utah State with Keileigh. They are already used to being starving students as they scarfed down the leftovers from their mom's lunch!

Rachel has a clothing line that is sold in a great little boutique in Layton called The General Store. The store has antiques and hand crafted merchandise and everything is very reasonably priced. It's worth the drive I found as we took up her latest batch of consigned items. You can check out her designs and purchase these unique, one-of-a-kind items online at Parisol Clothing.

We loved Joe & Annie Post's wedding reception. It was beautifully presented and they were gracious to all. The photo booth was great fun and the marriage heritage photo collection was a tribute to their family values. Their photographer had some gorgeous shots from the Salt Flats and we ran into lots of old friends and enjoyed the evening immensely.

So Close & Yet So Far

2009-07-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

Our new home is less than .82 miles from our soon to be old home. Three minutes according to MapQuest. It will be interesting to continue our three to five year adventure/mission to 'explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go'...ok, I'm sure there have been plenty of people who have gone before us but the Trekkies all get it...

Our new home lends itself to 60's kitsch;)

Our New Home!

2009-06-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

After several weeks of research, studying it out, faith and prayers, Eric and I have found a new home!

For those who missed our previous Lost The Lease post, we were informed by our landlord Leonard that he needed to move his mother into our unit because of health concerns. We have felt calm that we would be ok, but had to go through the process of finding the right place for us to reside during the next phase of our lives.

We went through all of the questions: Should we stay or go? home to Utah or how about Texas? Do we downsize and save money? What are our priorities?

We made a list of things that we 'needed' with open minds that 'needs' can be relative to a situation. We wanted to stay in the Dana Point area, preferably in the Capistrano 1st Ward. We wanted to be where we should be, where we can be a blessing in the lives of others and where our light can shine. We wanted a two bedroom/two bath location in a townhouse setting rather than a large apartment complex, although the benefits of a pool, spa and workout room added value to a new experience. We were hoping for a two car garage and washer/dryer hookups. We wanted to save money on rent to pay down our mortgages so we could retire earlier. We hoped we could find a view that would bring us happiness - a peek-a-boo ocean view and palm trees and the moon out the window. Light and bright floor plans sounded good. Basically we wanted everything we have here on Copper Lantern only better and for less. Throw in a great landlord too who would appreciate us and never raise the rent and quiet neighbors. We realize how wonderful life has been for us!

Crazy huh?

Well, Heavenly Father has a way of helping us learn and develop higher ways. We spent these last few weeks reading The Weekender, The Pennysaver and driving around looking for Rent or Lease signs. Finally I discovered DanaPointRentals.com. I found MLS listings and tons of available properties. We enlisted the aid of our good friend and Realtor Gretchen Donahoo. She set up a day of house hunting and we fell in love with a place. It is really funky! Totally '70's kitsch with avocado tile in the kitchen, tile in the entry and chandeliers from a few decades ago. You can tell that it was tres chic in it's time. If it was up to date now we could Never afford it! The view is SPECTACULAR! There is a three car garage, a spiral staircase, a sunroom, formal dining room, fireplace, washer dryer hookups, plenty of storage space and two bedrooms. It's only drawback is one bathroom, although it is separated with the shower and toilet in one area and tub and sinks in another.

I think these cell phone pictures fail to capture the true wonder of the view we will have but here they are for now. We will be moving mid-July and will post better pictures then.

Heavenly Father answers prayers!
He didn't give us everything we wanted but he gave us those things that would help us grow.
The door is still open for visitors! Of course you may be asked to pack, clean, haul or unload boxes! We know who our friends are!
GOOGLE MAP BACK
GOOGLE MAP FRONT

John Houghtaling and his Magic Fingers

2009-06-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

Eric informed me in hushed and somber tones that he had waited until after my concert to give me some bad news. He was fumbling with his cell phone as I turned to look at him and he proceeded to show me the online news account. The obituary in this LA Times Article spells it out.

Eric & I were married in September 1979 in the Salt Lake City Temple. We enjoyed a lovely reception at Eric's parent's new home in Park Meadows and then spent the first night of our honeymoon at The Yarrow in Park City followed by two days hiking and camping in Zion National Park. We then continued to California to enjoy an open house with all of my California friends and family. We left late in the afternoon after a full day of hiking and playing and by the time we hit Victorville we were pretty tired. Knowing that we would have to sleep on the sofa sleeper that night at my parent's apartment because our hotel reservations started the following night in Orange, we decided to stop at the Victorville Motel 6.

It was late, we were tired. As we began to settle in to the accomodations my eye was drawn to the coin box on the bed and naively wondered what 'Relaxation Service' meant. My new husband immediately snickered. But the story as Eric tells it, embellished over the years for maximum affect, was that I inserted a quarter in the machine and loved the full body shakedown it offered. He says that I made him get dressed and go searching for more quarters to enjoy the Magic Fingers treatment all night long.

I can't remember the details so I'll take his storytelling word for it. And the thoughts of a vibrating bed sounds pretty good even now. As long as it's not from an earthquake!

p.s.-found another person's similar story at Retro Thing and the link to the official Magic Fingers System site. For just $79.99 I may have to order one for old times sake! It's the perfect gift for our 30th Anniversary coming up in just three months!

OCMCO Newsroom

2009-06-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

OCMCO has launched an online newsroom with great musical clips of past concert performances. Check it out here: OCMCO. Popcorn Popping is so fun and That Easter Morn has a great moment when the orchestra drops out leaving the choir's note suspended in the concert hall. I'm glad that I can now share this musical experience with friends and family far and wide.

Lost Our Lease!

2009-06-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

Last night we had the missionaries over for dinner. I had made a homemade German Chocolate Cake (yum!) with delicious coconut-walnut frosting to celebrate Keileigh's birthday but waited until we had company to help us eat it. Our landlord Leonard moved in next door and I had mentioned to him that I would be sending some cake over for him and his roommate Ray. After dinner I cut some slices for the elders to take home with them and then asked if they wanted to take slices to the neighbor. They went with Eric to deliver them but came back moments later still laden with chocolate delight, saying that there was no answer. Right then the phone rang and it was Leonard on the line. We thought 'Wow that's wierd, does he have ESP or a camera on the door or what?' He asked to speak to Eric who took the call in the back room while I visited with the missionaries. When Eric came back out he said that Leonard's Mom would be moving in. I said 'Oh really, is Ray moving out?' and Eric said 'No, into our unit. We have 90 days, through the end of summer, to find a new place.'

We numbly listened to the Elder's message then saw them on their way, after which Eric & I sat in shock and began to plot our future. Eric said Leonard was very apologetic, but with a Mom in her 70's who just retired and is struggling, he had to make a hard decision. He assured us that we were the best tenants he'd ever had. Eric reassured him and said we sympathized since we have parents and concerns of our own. We got in the car and drove down to Selva Beach to walk, talk and soak in the ambiance we moved to California for three and a half years ago. We passed two For Rent signs - and called both. We have been doing lots of soul searching, long range forecasting and short term decision making.

We feel OK with things - we know that when a door closes, a window opens. We have been richly blessed in this home. We hate change and probably wouldn't have ever left without a catalyst, so we'll roll with this and work to create the future we want to have.

In the meantime - this may be the last summer we can host company in Dana Point, so book your trip early! There's a limited number of sunny days in our corner of paradise...

Cars I Wouldn't Kick Out of My Garage

2009-05-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

Eric is a Car Guy. I am not. The girls to varying degrees are Car Girls, having learned some finer details from their father. Ben was not a Car Guy until he got a cool old car for some work done in Alaska, now he can talk the talk, although the car is still in Alaska and he's in New Hampshire.

My only criteria for a cool car is matching hubcaps. Now the fact that the only car that has this feature is a Mercedes Benz puts me in an upscale market, albeit a dated one, since they no longer seem to have matching hubcaps and for the most part the cars are diesels which are loud and have less ambiance. But my love for color and balance makes the hubcaps that match the paint on the car appealing.

I was driving in Laguna Beach a while back when a beautiful car passed me with the requisite matching hubcaps. It also fulfilled other visual stimulus. I snapped pics with my cell phone while we were stopped at a light on PCH. Then I came home and researched the 200 series. Here are some cars I would put on my interested list:

I would also add old Thunderbirds to my preferred list, although there are some new versions I like too.

RS Cake Challenge 2009

2009-05-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

Capo 1st Ward loves contests. The latest competition involved six teams of Relief Society sisters divided by birth months and issued the challenge to create awesome culinary delights. Given the same basic supplies and restrictions on added components, the outcome was delicious. And despite the potential for some intense rivalry, our Stake RS Presidency was able to find something praiseworthy from each team.

Jaws, A Day at the Beach or-The Most Homemade Looking Cake Team-Jan/Feb

Compassionate Service Tissue Box or the Best Use of Fondant Team-March/April

The 'Having Too Much Fun' Team-May/June

Most Patriotic Team-July/August

Holiday Spectacular - Nov/Dec Cake

Overall Winners - Sept/Oct Group

We Were There Shots

Love These Kids!

2009-05-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

Whistling Hat Men
This cute video was from the Talent Show I attended last month. Three of the children are friends from the ward. Kudos to Chase, Chance & Gavin for their awesome performance. Thanks to Megan for posting the video.

Dream Weaver

2009-05-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

My Mom mentioned that she had been having crazy dreams during her recent illness. I told her to embrace and enjoy the diversion, that a dream is like a mini-vacation. We laughed about that but it has stuck with me today because...

last night I had a dream...

I know there's nothing worse than listening to another person's dreams. But my post isn't so much about analyzing or identifying our sleep filled ramblings

It's about recognizing that sometimes dreams are a way for us to connect the dots beyond our current memory...

Or realizing the validity of the scripture:

Acts 2: 17

17 And it shall come to pass in the ^alast days, saith God, I will ^bpour out of my ^cSpirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall ^dprophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall ^edream dreams:

This dream was based on an experience I had twelve years ago.

In the summer of 1997 I had the opportunity to participate in the building of a neighborhood park. It was a great experience as two communities came together to celebrate the founding of our neighborhood where the first Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley and spent a night near 1700 South & 500 East.

(I could go on at length about the awesome park building experience, but that's not the point so I'll move on.)

An event was planned to celebrate the completion of the park. A choir of children from the two communities was invited to sing at the dedication and I was in charge of leading the music. My dream was the remembrance of this experience. There were many children that attended accompanied by primary teachers and leaders who placed their young charges in clusters on the rocks representing the Salt Lake Valley. I remember one particular mother with two beautiful little boys in tow. She didn't seem to be there because she had to be, but seemed to float in a world that revolved around these adorable little ones. She had a lovely voice I quickly realized and a kind disposition as well as she sat on the rocks between her sons, and for some reason I recognized something. She was sweetly hesitant about being placed up front, but she sang out clearly and it helped to have her strong voice among the children, and her sons were so cute and engaged that they added to the group where I was directing and I wanted them where I could see them. I was drawn to this woman for some reason, and attributed it to appreciating a good singer in a setting where it was needed. I never knew their names and didn't see them at subsequent park events.

Ten years later my daughter started dating one of these beautiful boys...

Eleven years later I met his mother and felt that kindred spirit recognition. We have enjoyed a delightful friendship, much of it through our shared appreciation of music and love for our children. Through conversation we realized our shared story...

Twelve years later I dreamed a dream and realized that eternal connections can shine through the muddle of mortality. Those glimmers of recognition exist and bless our lives as we realize that relationships existed before we began this journey and our spiritual self can leap at things our mortal eyes may miss. Old friends can reconnect and the veil seems a little thinner as we 'see' things as they truly are, and even though I later realized that we were kindred spirits reconnecting, I had forgotten those feelings that first stirred within me of unidentified spiritual insight...

Family Strength

2009-05-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

Last week I received an early morning phone call from my Mom's home number. When your parents are aging, a familiar number at an unexpected time always makes you jumpy. My concerns were confirmed when it was my brother on the phone instead of 'Mom' as the caller ID identified. Ken and his son Michael live with Gma Hazel, in a mutually beneficial arrangement where Mom has live in help and the guys have room & board. Ken let me know that they had taken Mom to the hospital because she had been having back & neck pain which after being prescribed muscle relaxants proceeded into collapsing and fainting. After a long day and night of assisting Mom in her deteriorating condition, the ambulance was called and she was wheeled off to the new IHC hospital in mid-valley.

Rather than a recounting of the medical aspects of her aging situation I want to reflect on the beauty of the family unit. I called my older brother to let him know what was happening. He was just going into a meeting but he called his wife, Vali who was finishing up at a doctor's appointment in Park City and immediately went to the hospital. During that bleak Thursday she was a ray of help and hope, assisting Mom with paperwork and monitoring and remembering the doctors, nurses and therapists information to share with the rest of the family. Her assistance extended for several days as she coordinated care upon her return home and continued updates to the rest of the family. Her children were quick to come visit in the hospital - son Nick is an EMT and came by on one of his trips through the hospital, other son Jesse lives close by and stopped by to offer love and comfort. Vali was the right person in the right place doing the right thing. The blessing to assist Mom during this challenge strengthened and polished eternal ties. As Vali sweetly shared, 'Hazel has been the Mother figure in my life for so many years. I'm glad to be needed and to serve.'

Other family members also stepped up to offer support. Keileigh's visit and buoyant personality offered enthusiasm when spirits were stretched. Noelle's late night visit while Gma was in a drugged stupor was the source of laughs for days. Hazel asked if she dreamed the beautiful vivid memories of Noelle's wedding. Noelle told her she had brought a book chronicling her Big Day and Grandma had thumbed through it in her delirious state! Ken's comments about The Sisters (Rachel, Noelle & Keileigh) second visit offering loving support and a ray of joy makes me happy that they have the ability to recognize Important Moments and to be a part of and add to Eternity. Matthew's phone calls and long distance love as caring son were appreciated. Natalie's Irish meal was a glimmer of familial love to Mom upon her return home and daughter Mary's spot cleaning perked up the place in addition to Rachel's bi-monthly house cleaning visits which have given the apartment a 'woman's touch'. Kathy's chili was recognized as 'the best ever.' Additional calls, cards & prayers sustained us all.

In talking to Ken yesterday as the immediate needs of hospitalization wane, and the on-going long term care of the woman who cared for us resumes, we reflected on the contributions each person added. Although families tend to be the harshest critics and the greatest allies we recognize that each member of the group is needed and has something to proffer. As we are able to see that one person's offering doesn't diminish our own, and that we each are benefitted by the sharing of a task, we come to realize the beauty and strength of the Family Unit.

Letter to John Huntington, Vocal Instructor

2009-04-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

John,

Thank you for the wonderful vocal workshop, I have benefited from the time I have spent under your tutelage. I am especially grateful that last night you spent time during our half hour before OCMCO practice getting us sufficiently warmed up and focused in our singing.

I wanted to share my experience during the breakout session with Brandon placing us in formations that worked. He gave a long lecture on singing in our head voices and not our chest voices. He then had us start singing as he walked up and down the four rows of altos. He did some tweaking on the first row and then proceeded to the second row where I stand at the end. As he passed by me he did a slight double take and said 'you're singing in your head voice.' Nothing more, no 'way to go, good job, it's about time, whatever', just a little acknowledgment that I was DOING IT RIGHT! Wahoo! It made my night to receive that little thumbs up that said to me that finally I am beginning to make the progress necessary to contribute positively to the choir sound.

And obviously I couldn't have done that without the workshop and your willingness to share your vast reservoir of knowledge with us a teaspoonful at a time. As you said - 'this is a different group from the one that started back in the fall.'

Thanks for your devotion and talents,

Company!

2009-03-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

I love when family and/or friends come to visit. Last week Drew & Noelle came to town over spring break to take in some sun, attend my concert and have some much needed R&R. It was a delight to have them here.

Eric & I have an informal list of things we want to do before we leave California. Last week with the Wojciechowskis in tow we checked off a couple more. We were able to connect our family unit with some temple work. It was wonderful to have those eternal connections put in place and even more profound to have Drew & Noelle with us in the Newport Beach Temple. Even before we moved here I had an impression that this was 'My Temple' and that important ordinances would be performed here on behalf of our family. I can now check that biggie off the list!

For grins we also enjoyed a day at Knott's Berry Farm! Head rattling, stomach churning, lunch losing and ever entertaining, we enjoyed our trek to Buena Park. I loved La Revolucion & Bigfoot Rapids (even though we all got wet and it was chilly). Eric liked the Stagecoach Ride and winning a frog for Maebe tossing pingpong balls into floating cups (keep it slow and easy). Drew liked Boomerang & Ghost Rider (anything fast, furious and adrenaline pumping). Noelle liked Silver Bullet & the Bumper Cars. Obviously there was something for everyone without there being so many options as to overwhelm.

After the park we went to Portillo's Hot Dogs. Drew was so excited to see a restaurant from his Chicago mission days here in SoCal. His old companion Spencer Saunders & his wife met us there for a walk down memory lane. Drew suggested cake shakes and the combo dog, a polish style sausage with roast beef on top. WOW! What a mouthful!

Another highlight during their four days here was March Madness round one playoffs. Eric & Drew were following all of the games and keeping the family bracket contest in order. The winner of the Family Travel Fund-March Madness Event will receive $50. The two runners up will receive $25 each. All family members who participated received $25 in their travel account fund. We're working hard to get that family trip!

OCMCO Easter Concert 2009

2009-03-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I participated in the OCMCO Easter Concert. The OC Register wrote a great story that has a wonderful perspective. Check it out here! I'll have additional pictures and comments soon.

Cool Music

2009-03-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

Mary Margaret shared this clip of Amazing Grace performed by 'Il Divo at the Coliseum in Rome. Gotta love the bagpipe!

Angels in Times of Need

2009-03-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

"In the course of life all of us spend time in 'dark and dreary' places, wildernesses, circumstances of sorrow or fear or discouragement. Our present day is filled with global distress over financial crises, energy problems, terrorist attacks, and natural calamities. These translate into individual and family concerns not only about homes in which to live and food available to eat but also about the ultimate safety and well-being of our children and the latter-day prophecies about our planet. More serious than these—and sometimes related to them—are matters of ethical, moral, and spiritual decay seen in populations large and small, at home and abroad. But I testify that angels are still sent to help us, even as they were sent to help Adam and Eve, to help the prophets, and indeed to help the Savior of the world Himself. Matthew records in his gospel that after Satan had tempted Christ in the wilderness 'angels came and ministered unto him' (Matthew 4:11). Even the Son of God, a God Himself, had need for heavenly comfort during His sojourn in mortality. And so such ministrations will be to the righteous until the end of time."

Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Ministry of Angels," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 29–30

While Eric's Away, The Girl Will Play

2009-03-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

Eric is working in Utah this weekend and I have found fun activities to fill my days.

On Friday night I attended a talent show at the local elementary school where Chase & Chance Waller & Gavin Harris and a friend performed a wonderful act. I think Megan will post pics so check them out.

On Saturday I had a delightful time with Aunt Karen and friend Cassy. We went to brunch at Norm's and then checked out a great antique store in downtown Orange. The owner's gave us a grand tour of their home and even shared lemons & limes fresh from their trees. Granddaughter Maebe loves little chairs, I think she would love this little leather chair & ottoman. And I think Eric might like this other one.

After that we went to Karen's home where Cassy made these awesome angel earrings and I made a three strand necklace! Pizza and good company! What more could you want?

Hope Overcomes Despair

2009-03-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

"The scriptures say that there must be 'an opposition in all things' (2 Nephi 2:11). So it is with faith, hope, and charity. Doubt, despair, and failure to care for our fellowmen lead us into temptation, which can cause us to forfeit choice and precious blessings."The adversary uses despair to bind hearts and minds in suffocating darkness. Despair drains from us all that is vibrant and joyful and leaves behind the empty remnants of what life was meant to be. Despair kills ambition, advances sickness, pollutes the soul, and deadens the heart. Despair can seem like a staircase that leads only and forever downward."Hope, on the other hand, is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in a world of relativism, confusion, and of fear."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Infinite Power of Hope," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 22

Fun in the Sun With Jewkes

2009-02-23T13:07:00.001-08:00

We've had a fun few days playing with Bryan, Jenn, Joe & Sam. We enjoyed Ruby's for dinner,

the Montage for winter seaside ambiance including two huge starfish placed in a convenient tide pool for viewing, a sneak peek from an interested baby seal and an amazing whale sighting from the shore!

Happy Birthday Bryan! Glad that enchilada at La Sirena ended up being acceptable despite the sour cream flourish!

Purple Cows for Sunday Dinner along with dominoe play and paper airplane construction created wonderful lasting memories for us. Thanks for visiting!

Dead In The Water

2009-02-23T12:12:00.000-08:00

I have lost my favorite necklace. The one I wear all the time, whenever I can, that goes with everything and represents the real me. You know the one I mean, don't you?

My Kodak EasyShare Z612.

It's Dead...Dead In the Water...Well actually dead from the water. Salt water that is. Pacific Ocean to be exact encountered at Table Rock in Laguna Beach, zip code 92651.

Just had to have that one closeup shot of the strange configuration of rock, wave and sea plants. Could hear the wave approaching and figured my feet would be covered, maybe even up to my knees, but I didn't take my eye away from the viewfinder to see the rogue wave approach, come shooting up the undercut rock and catapult up and over to nail me head to toe in saline drenched incredulity. All the while Eric watching in disbelief not able to voice a quick warning to 'Save The camera if not yourself!'

Darling spouse capturing the moment with one of the last pictures my dearly departed friend would squeak out, then pulling out his tie-dyed hankie to dry off the silver & optics. Me using the tweezers from my Swiss-army knife key chain to pluck sand from the telephoto channel before retracting. Examining the memory chip and battery compartments and finding them dry, hope arising that it will 'be ok.' Driving home and immediately consulting the internet for information on salt water on cameras (...all of us will eventually face the inevitable wet camera scenario...the only thing worse then salt water is acid...) Hopes are dimming, get ready to pull the life-support plug...

Are prayers in vain?

New hope in passing days. Batteries and memory chip unloaded, recharged. Every so often a check brings optimism (it's working!) or despair (it's not!) I check the price on a new camera but it seems pathetic to buy the exact same one so I look to upgrade and am not excited.

But I need my favorite necklace...

It's Official - Luke Has An Album!

2009-02-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Keileigh's friend Luke has posted an EP album that's available for downloading @ lukewilliamsmusic.com. He is incredibly talented and I love his expressive poetry. It's also been an interesting experience seeing the process of creation unfold in such a young man and to see the role a muse has in inciting ideas.

We Were Wrong has great harmonizing (is that Alice?) and wonderful story telling vignettes that paint pictures that speak to the challenges faced in many relationships. The chorus with it's classic Laughing at seagulls and 18 in 1 soap...giving ourselves to fickle hope draws the listener into the festivity and despair of young love. She sings, but not for you and then she smiles from ear to ear... Yeah, I know that one!

Mary Alice has incredible lyrics that kept me rewinding so that I could get the gist of their meaning...your siren song was a swan dive; on a porch swing swaying sunlit silouette of untamed hair; a man of sunswept troubadour walks the night; you love him and you don't know why; you found that even birds could be chained to the sky... the story behind these words leaves you wanting to know more.

Sunflower with it's uptempo beat shows the artist's ability to express the resilient, enthusiasm of youth. I was made to feel but you were made to show. Love the strong guitar work at the end of the piece.

Lose My Mind's bluesy riffs, tincan echo and melancholy thoughts resonate: lost my shoes, lost my love, lost my sense of direction... Rayban eyes and allusions to diamond skies..

Don't Leave Me Alone with it's accordion intro may do for that instrument what Ryan Shupe did in Banjo Boy. Where and how did this 18 year old find an accordion to play? Check out this site for an answer and review. Angst ridden pleas ride out the wave with the fading accordion... ...memory stained highway, i feel slightly betrayed, but it would sting a lot less then the ache in my bones...

Topaz and Remember Goddess contain equally great stories hidden in the lyrics and music. I hope you'll take time to download the music and let Luke know what you think. I'm impressed with his passion for his art! Great job, Luke!

Top Ten Reasons for Being a Choir Director

2009-02-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

I found these Top Ten Lists on this website. Here's the list for Choir Director. It's not necessarily reflective of my Top Ten Reasons for Being a Choir Director, but I can identify with the sentiment. Hope you get a chuckle from it as well!

Top Ten Reasons for Being a Bass

2009-02-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

10) You don't have to tighten your shorts to reach your note.
9) You don't have to worry about a woman stealing your job.
8) Or a pre-adolescent boy.
7) Action heroes are always basses. That is -- if they ever sang, they would sing bass.
6) You get great memorable lyrics like bop, bop, bop, bop.
5) If the singing job doesn't work out, there's always broadcasting.
4) You never need to learn to read the treble clef.
3) If you get a cold, so what?
2) For fun, you can sing at the bottom of your range and fool people into thinking there's an earthquake.
1) If you belch while you're singing, the audience just thinks it's part of the score.

Top Ten Reasons for Being a Tenor

2009-02-06T13:39:00.002-08:00

10) Tenors get high -- without drugs.
9) Name a musical where the Bass got the girl.
8) You can show the sopranos how it SHOULD be sung.
7) Did you ever hear of anyone paying $1000 for a ticket to see the Three Basses?
6) Who needs brains when you've got resonance?
5) Tenors never have to waste time looking through the self-improvement section of the bookstore.
4) You get to sing along with John Denver singing "Aye Calypso".
3) When you get really good at falsetto, you can make tons of money doing voice-overs for cartoon characters
2) Gregorian chant was practically invented for Tenors. Nobody invented a genre for basses.
1) You can entertain your friends by impersonating Julia Child.

Top Ten Reasons for Being a Soprano

2009-02-06T13:39:00.001-08:00

10) The rest of the choir exists just to make you look good.
9) You can entertain your friends by breaking their wine glasses.
8) Can you name an opera where an alto actually got and kept the man?
7) When sopranos want to sing in the shower, they know the tune.
6) It's not like you are ever going to sing the Alto part by accident
5) Great costumes -- like the hat with the horns on it.
4) How many world famous Altos can you name?
3) Every time - hands down - the soprano is the last voice singing.
2) When you get tired of singing the tune, you can sing the descant
1) You can sing along with Michael Jackson.

Top Ten Reasons for Being an Alto

2009-02-06T13:35:00.000-08:00

10) You get really good at singing E flat.
9) You get to sing the same note for 12 consecutive measures.
8) You don't really need to warm up to sing 12 consecutive bars of E flat.
7) If it sounds bad, it's unlikely the Altos will be blamed.
6) You have lots of time to chat during Soprano solos.
5) You get to pretend that you are better than the sopranos, because everybody knows that women only sing soprano so they don't have to learn to read music.
4) You can sometimes find part-time work singing Tenor.
3) Altos get all the great intervals.
2) When the sopranos are holding some outrageously high note at the end of an anthem, the altos always get the last words.
1) When the Altos miss a note, nobody gets hurt.

Guide to the 4 Voice Parts

2009-02-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

In any chorus there are four main voice parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Sometimes these are divided into first and second within each part, prompting endless jokes about first and second basses. There are also various other parts such as baritone, countertenor, contralto, mezzo-soprano, and so on, but these are mostly used by people who are either soloists, or belong to some excessively hotshot classical a cappella group (this applies especially to countertenors), or are trying to make excuses for not really fitting into any of the regular voice parts, so we will ignore them for now.

Each voice part sings in a different range, and each one has a very different personality. You may well ask, "Why should singing different notes make people act differently?", and indeed this is a mysterious question and has not been adequately studied, especially since scientists who study musicians tend to be musicians themselves and have all the peculiar complexes that go with being tenors, french horn players, timpanists, or whatever. However, this is beside the point; the fact remains that the four voice parts can
be easily distinguished, as described below.

THE SOPRANOS are the ones who sing the highest, and because of this they think they rule the world. They have longer hair, fancier jewelery, and swishier skirts than anyone else, and they consider themselves insulted if they are not allowed to go at least to a high F in every movement of any given piece. When (and sometimes, if) they reach the high notes, they hold them for at least half again as long as the composer and/or conductor requires, and then complain that their throats are killing them and that the composer and conductor are sadists. Sopranos have varied attitudes toward the other sections of the chorus, though they consider all of them inferior. Altos are to sopranos rather like second violins to first violins - nice to harmonize with, but not really necessary. All sopranos have a secret feeling that the altos could drop out and the piece would sound essentially the same, and they don't understand why anybody would sing in that range in the first place - it's so boring. Tenors, on the other hand, can be very nice to have around; besides their flirtation possibilities (it is a well-known fact that sopranos never flirt with basses), sopranos like to sing duets with tenors because all the tenors are doing is working very hard to sing in a low-to-medium soprano range, while the sopranos are up there in the stratosphere showing off. To sopranos, basses are the scum of the earth - they sing too damn loud, are useless to tune to because they're down in that low, low range - and there has to be something wrong with anyone who sings in the F clef, anyway (although while they swoon while the Tenors sing, they still end up going home with the basses.)

THE ALTOS are the salt of the earth - in their opinion, at least. Altos are unassuming people, who would wear jeans to concerts if they were allowed to. Altos are in a unique position in the chorus in that they are unable to complain about having to sing either very high or very low, and they know that all the other sections think their parts are pitifully easy. But the altos know otherwise. They know that while the sopranos are screeching away on a high A, they are being forced to sing elaborate passages full of sharps and flats and tricks of rhythm, and nobody is noticing because the sopranos are singing too loud (and the basses usually are, too). Altos get a deep, secret pleasure out of conspiring together to tune the sopranos flat. Altos have an innate distrust of tenors, because the tenors sing in almost the same range and think they sound better. They like the basses, and enjoy singing duets with them - the basses just sound like a rumble anyway, and it's the only time the altos can really be heard. Altos' other complaint is that there are always too many of them and so they never get to sing really loud.

THE TENORS are spoiled. That's all there is to it. For one thing, there are never enough of them, and choir directors would rather sell their souls than let a halfway decent tenor quit, while they're always ready to unload a few altos at half price. And then, for some reason, the few tenors there are are always really good - it's one of those annoying facts of life. So it's no wonder that tenors always get swollen heads - after all, who else can make sopranos swoon? The one thing that can make tenors insecure is the accusation (usually by the basses) that anyone singing that high couldn't possibly be a real man. In their usual perverse fashion, the tenors never acknowledge this, but just complain louder about the composer being a sadist and making them sing so damn high. Tenors have a love-hate relationship with the conductor, too, because the conductor is always telling them to sing louder because there are so few of them. No conductor in recorded history has ever asked for less tenor in a forte passage. Tenors feel threatened in some way by all the other sections - the sopranos because they can hit those incredibly high notes; the altos because they have no trouble singing the notes the tenors kill themselves for; and the basses because, although they can't sing anything above an E, they sing it loud enough to drown the tenors out. Of course, the tenors would rather die than admit any of this. It is a little-known fact that tenors move their eyebrows more than anyone else while singing.

THE BASSES sing the lowest of anybody. This basically explains everything. They are stolid, dependable people, and have more facial hair than anybody else. The basses feel perpetually unappreciated, but they have a deep conviction that they are actually the most important part (a view endorsed by musicologists, but certainly not by sopranos or tenors), despite the fact that they have the most boring part of anybody and often sing the same note (or in endless fifths) for an entire page. They compensate for this by singing as loudly as they can get away with - most basses are tuba players at heart. Basses are the only section that can regularly complain about how low their part is, and they make horrible faces when trying to hit very low notes. Basses are charitable people, but their charity does not extend so far as tenors, whom they consider effete poseurs. Basses hate tuning with the tenors more than almost anything else. Basses like altos - except when they have duets and the altos get the good part. As for the sopranos, they are simply in an alternate universe which the basses don't understand at all. They can't imagine why anybody would ever want to sing that high and sound that bad when they make mistakes. When a bass makes a mistake, the other three parts will cover him, and he can continue on his merry way, knowing that sometime, somehow, he will end up at the root of the chord.

Yes Sir That's My Baby!

2009-02-06T13:09:00.000-08:00

Noelle is Famous! Or so she tells me. Check out this picture on the USU Skyroom Dining Services Site. Recognize the skinny ponytail and the turquoise sweater? That's my baby!

25+ Things About Me List

2009-02-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

My friend Matt sent me a FaceBook invite to list 25 Things About Me. I hate doing things like that, but his list was so fun and funny that I wanted to play to. Once I started writing I LOVED IT! What a great way to recapture the essence of a life. I hope you will enjoy my ramblings and maybe do your own. I'd love to learn about you too!

1. I like music. My voice is not great, but I'm taking lessons & singing with a choir that's amazing. So that makes me feel like I'm better because as a group we sound so good.

2. I conduct a church choir. It's one of my favorite activities. I love creating unity from chaos. There's such joy when many voices let go of individual goals and blend into one. I've been called the choir nazi, but someone has to call the shots and I'm willing to do it. Some of my best memories and best friends have come from these experiences.

3. I'm back in school taking Algebra so that I can get a bachelor's degree. I have an Associates Degree from Santa Ana College in Liberal Arts and one year completed at the University of Utah in a program they discontinued. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up but I have to declare a new major soon...

4. I worked in a photo booth during college. I once got robbed while working there and the most important attribute I could recall for the police to apprehend the perp was that he had a very hairy gut. I knew this because he lifted his shirt to show me the gun tucked into the top of his pants.

5. Having children brings the broadest spectrum of experiences. They bring greater joy when they are happy and greater sorrow when they aren't. I'm grateful I've had the parenting experience. I've heard two quotes that apply - "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" and "A Mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child.' Both maxims are true.

6. I collect quotes. I have numerous books filled with inspirational thoughts that I've gathered throughout my life. Now I have the internet. What a great resource.

7. Eric & I first met in the LDS Stake Center in Kamas Utah. It had it's 15 minutes of fame for being the church that was bombed by extremists. When I saw Eric across the crowded cultural hall for the first time I knew that we would marry. (Cue the music) Six months later we were sealed in the SL Temple.

8. All of our children's names have significance. Our son is named after King Benjamin & Ben Franklin and his grandfathers for many generations; Rachel shares middle names with me and so does her daughter; Noelle is named after Eric's best friend's wife; Keileigh is honoring John Claude Kiley-a French Olympic gold medal skier. Eric picked her name.

9. We have a friend who has four daughters. His wife picked all of their names. When they got to the last baby he wanted to have a say in her name. Her name is Gracie Cupcake Jones.

10. I love the process of creation. I like to paint, sketch, write, blog, compose, take pictures. I'm not very crafty though. I took a class at the U of U called The Science of Creativity. It was helpful. When I was younger I dressed eclectically. I had people come to my wedding just to see what I was wearing. Having children changed my style - they are embarrassed by everything you do and so I started to dress 'normal.' Now they are gone...maybe I'll pull out those free-spirit clothes again!

10.2 I had a tie dye company called 'Tie By Night' in the late '80's & early '90's. My business partner and neighbor was the earth-mother, quasi-hippy, druid lover in the business. Me? I just liked to play with the colors. We dressed our children up in our inventory and went to art festivals throughout northern Utah. We also taught classes through community ed and in our offspring's classes. It was hard work and great fun but I gave it up when I got pregnant. I still like to play with colors and see how they affect our lives. I studied Color Analysis for clothing and makeup and spent time doing that as well. My best colors are pink, blue and purple.

11. I like to take walks. In Salt Lake I love walking in Liberty Park. If you walk at the same time, going in the same direction you see the same people every day. If you change directions you see a whole new world. When I'm in Utah I go back and reconnect with people I haven't seen since I moved to SoCal. In California I love walking at the beach.

12. I have seen tons of dolphins surfing at Salt Creek Beach. 8:30am is a good time to be there.

13. The dolphins were surfing I was watching...I don't surf.

14. I lived in American Samoa when I was young. My kids call me a 'Wolynesia' - a white Polynesian. I learned how to dance and can still do the Tahitian and poi ball dances. I learned how to swim in the bay at Pago Pago Harbor. I couldn't open my eyes in the salty Pacific Ocean so I had a hard time learning how to navigate in the water.

14.2 I don't like to drink from plastic cups. Goes back to my years at Fia Iloa Elementary cafeteria where they served watered-down powdered milk in little plastic cups. I would look for the cup with the least amount of nasty liquid because you had to eat everything served.

15. I am the only daughter in my family. I have five awesome brothers. There are advantages. When I was younger I wanted sisters. Later I got sisters in law and daughters. This was a perfect way to gain female connections.

16. I love to read Neal A Maxwell. He paints pictures with words. I love his skill.

16.2. I love to read and think the free library system is one of the greatest advantages in our society. Even though in Dana Point you have to pay to reserve books...

17. Knowing The Meaning of Life is one of the best things to have. It makes the day to day better when you have a clear vision of what the end result is. I am grateful for eternal perspective.

18. I ACAD. (A Chapter A Day) I have been reading the scriptures every day since January 7, 1977.

19. I (usually) only buy stuff if it's on sale, it makes the acquisition that much sweeter. I hear it's the same genetic marker that made hunters in ancient times stalk big game animals. There's something in the hunt and kill. I don't eat meat too much, but I still like the pursuit and the challenge.

20. I like to fish at Flaming Gorge with Eric. He puts on the worms and guts and cooks the catch. I once caught four fish on the same worm with just four casts, with a baby in a front packer, while balancing precariously on a rocky cliff. I'd do it again too!

21. I smile when I'm walking around. I love to watch people's faces light up as they see a happy countenance coming toward them. Then they smile too and I feel like I'm doing my part to make the world a better place. When they don't smile or look away I think that's fun too.

22. I also have been know to not be smiling. Eric calls it 'The Look' or 'The Silent Treatment'. I tell him I'm just thinking.

23. I was a Chateau Queen. I lived and worked in Park City at the Chateau Apres Lodge. There was a billboard on the way into town that advertised the hotel and boasted of queen sized beds. There have been many female employees throughout the 70's and beyond who share the title.

24. I won honorable mention in a church writing contest when I was in college for a short story I adapted from another source.

25. I like the US Census. I discovered cool ways to be a detective using it for family history research. I liked it so much that I worked on the 2000 Census. I worked for them again in 2005 doing the labor survey that is reported every month by the federal government that charts the nation's unemployment rate. That was harder work, but it had it's rewards.

Church History Museum Adventure

2009-01-30T13:41:00.000-08:00

During our recent visit to Salt Lake City I had the opportunity to visit the LDS Church History Museum with my daughter Rachel and grand-daughter Maebe. We had a wonderful time and found activities and displays that appealed to all of us. During the Christmas season they had dozens of creches from Poland on display. If you're ever in downtown SLC, check out the artwork, the historical artifacts and the wonderful hands-on children's displays. It's a great way to productively spend an afternoon creating memories.