It's My Birthday Week!

It's almost my birthday!

I know that as we get older, modern society tells us that we should like our birthdays less and less. However, I find myself liking them more and more. There's just something wonderful about it being "my day." I recognize that I share that day with many others, but it's still just so fun!

I've decided to buy myself a present or two this year. Would you like to know what I'm getting? It's not like I'm going to wrap things up and give them to myself. That would be weird.

I'm getting a new doorknob.

Odd? Perhaps. But if you've been to my house in the past year and a half, you'll know that my bedroom has been without a doorknob for almost that long.

See...we had the Young Women over to my house for a sleepover, and one of the girls accidently locked my door and then closed it behind her. Neither I nor my property manager had a key for this door. And the window was closed and locked because we had the a/c on. So I let the girls do their best to pick the lock (we called it "learning a new skill"), but no one could get it open. When the locksmith came the next day he said that if we hadn't tried to pry it off he probably could have saved it, but we had pushed it beyond revival.

Since then I've had a pair of socks stuck in the hole in my door where a knob should be. And at night I have a rock that I use to keep the door closed. (My "Y" rock from BYU freshman orientation.)

But I've decided that 33 is grown up enough to need a doorknob. Maybe 32 wasn't, but 33 definitely is.

Now I just have to learn how to install it. Can that count for Personal Progress? :)

God Bless America

I love the Sabbath Day. For me (most of the time), it is a day of rest. Yes, this often means a nap, but it also means time for reading, journal writing, family visits, family history, working on my calling, and maybe a nice evening walk.

Today has been a little bit different though. It's the tenth anniversary of the tragedy of September 11th.

Like many Americans, I remember that morning very clearly. I was living at home with my family, preparing to leave on a mission. I was asleep, actually, when my mom came into my room to wake me. My brother, Danny, was on his mission in Tennessee. Kari and David and my dad were all at school I think. But Mom and I watched together as the events unfolded. It was hard to believe what were were watching. It truly didn't seem real. It seemed like something created for a movie.

But it was very real.

And, I have to say, that even now, the images of that day are difficult for me to watch. It became too real. And I didn't even know anyone who was there or really affected. But I think that it affected each of us - somehow.

I don't have any great insights about the memorial of this day. But I do have a couple of links to share.

The first is a Washington Post commentary that the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Thomas S. Monson wrote about 9/11 and faith. Just as we say that we will never forget the tragic losses and the sacrifices that so many made that day, I hope that we will never forget the faith that sustained so many of us. That same faith can sustain us every single day.

The second is a broadcast of Tom Brokaw and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir that aired today. I just think that it's a beautiful musical tribute to those lost and those who carry on.

I'm so grateful to live in a free country, and I am overwhelmingly grateful for those who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice to provide us with our freedoms.

A Few More From Wyoming

Sisters! Sisters! There were never such devoted sisters. :) Here we are at the Tetons.

David - pointing at something. Spectacular view though.
The boys. Danny and David and Dylan. I'm sure that when Diz is old enough, he'll have fun with facial hair on vacation too. :)
LOVE this face! And her cute little poses.
Is this not the most hideous hair poof in the entire world?! We peer pressured Mollie into taking it out. But it makes for a funny picture. And little Claire is adorable anyway!

My Exciting Friday Evening

It's definitely not as good as

but
makes a decent Friday night substitute.

Costa Vida and Project Runway. Not a bad way to end the week.

And I even have left-overs for lunch and one more episode waiting on my dvr. Saturday's not looking too bad either. :)

Take 2

I just wrote an entire post and then deleted it.

Why? Because I'm still a little too guarded to just spill my guts on the internet.

So...you can either be thankful or disappointed that I used my blog filter and my delete key this evening. Maybe someday you'll hear more of my thoughts on dating. :)

In the meantime...I'll tell you about a different summer adventure - Music Circus!

What is Music Circus? It's a theater in the round that runs seven different musicals in seven weeks here in Sacramento. They used to hold the performances in a tent, but now they have a nice, modern, air conditioned theater that still has a bit of a feel of the circus tent. The actors use the aisleways for entrances and exits, scene changes, and sometimes even costume changes. The shows are usually fantastic!

My friend Ariane introduced me to the beauties of being a Music Circus usher a couple of summers ago. See...if you volunteer and come early and usher (you have to sign up and have a training and everything), then you get to see the show for free. Awesome! Many of our friends are on the Friday evening usher crew.

Plus! this summer I learned that you can get free popcorn after intermission. Double score!

This summer I was able to see six of the seven amazing performances. It's a great way to see theater. I wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise. :) Here's what the season was:

The Producers (I actually only stayed for half)

Oliver!

Anything Goes

Camelot (the one I missed)

Annie Get Your Gun (my fave of the year)

I Do! I Do! (my least fave of the year)

Miss Saigon

Granted, I have to wear white and black, but it's fun to talk to people as they're coming in, and then I see a show with my friends.

I think it's good summer fun.

Maybe Too Much?

I might have over-done it at the gym today.

I can barely feel my arms. Is that a bad sign?

I just joined the gym, and I'm trying to have more well-rounded work-out weeks. Which means that I have to do more than cardio. But I'm good at cardio. It strength that I'm not so good at. (Sorry for that dangling participle.)

But I had a free initial consultation, and it became very apparent that I need strength training in my life. Apparently especially in my triceps. :)

So I went to a class today. Body Pump. My dear friend KB used to go to it, and she said it was hard but good. And it was.

But who knew that I would hardly be able to lift my arms to wash my face tonight? There were a lot of reps of a lot of things. I may not be able to walk tomorrow.

Oh the things we do for healthy bodies! This is good for me in the long run, right? :)

Classic Cinema and Camp Ritchie

Every Tuesday I get to go to church and lead activities with the Young Women. I love it. I love it because I love the YW. They are stalwart and amazing and wonderful and fun.

Tonight we had a movie night. We premiered the movie they made about a month ago, "Lehi's Dream." It was bring-a-random-prop night, and then they had to use all the props to make a movie of a scripture story. It was great!

After we watched their cinematic greatness, we had "classic LDS film night." There's a whole era of church movies that these girls haven't seen. So...I introduced them to a couple of great titles. Our library didn't have all the ones I wanted, but I did manage to score "Spiritual Crocodiles" and "What Is Real?" The great part is that even though the clothes are dated, the messages are still right on target.

As promised, here are all of my pictures from this past weekend. Here's a shot of the forrest.

Me hiking in the forrest.

Koreen, Melissa, and Erick right before we realized that we were kind of lost. I made them all sit on this fallen tree to take a picture. Koreen sat in sap. Oops!

Down at the lake. Not a bad reading spot, huh?

Me and Koreen as we were leaving the lake.

Here's the flower bed that I made! It kind of looks camouflaged, but really we had to dig a ditch for those big rocks to sit in. It was hard work!

I'm Back!

What do you do when you have a splitting headache that you think will either drive you to tears or make you pull out all of your hair?

Take some Advil and watch three episodes of the Gilmore Girls? Me too!

That was my afternoon. And I'm pretty sure the headache was my own fault. Lame! First of all, I was dumb, and last night I threw away my last pair of contacts thinking that I still had more. Nope. This morning the cupboard was bare, so I had to wear my OLD glasses from about 8 years ago because my newer ones got stolen when my car was broken into earlier this year. Not only are they not cute, but the prescription is old and I'm just not used to having to carry something around on my face all day.

Second, I didn't eat enough this morning/afternoon. So I'm pretty sure that this compounded the headache. Oh well. I think I'm better now. :)

How was my weekend, you ask? Well...here's the quick sum up:

1. Camp Ritchie was beautiful. The lake was gorgeous. I'll post some pics tomorrow.

2. First impressions of the camp included these quotes: "This is why no one brings suitcases camping! Or maybe why I don't camp!" and "I am NOT a mountain goat!" Let's just say that it was dark when we got there, no one showed us where our cabin was, and all of the "trails" to things were basically rock faces. We pretty much had to climb down to our cabin with all of our gear, sleeping stuff, etc. Thankfully the light of day made it easier to find things. It didn't make it easier to actually get there, but we could at least see where we were going.

3. It was a very young YSA crowd. 'Nuff said.

4. I did meet some very nice new friends and get to spend some time with old friends, so it was totally worth it.

5. I dug a ditch and built a flower bed. When they said we'd be giving service, they really meant it!

6. The food was really good and there was LOTS of it.

7. We went on a hike, got lost, prayed, then found the road. Love faith-promoting experiences. :)

8. I got to sit in the sun by the lake and read a book. One of my favorite things in the whole world!

9. The stars were amazing!

10. I was reminded that while I love the outdoors, I really am not a big camper. When Koreen asked if I would be an RV camper or regular camper, my answer was that I really like being a cabin person instead. Just like Grandma and Grandpa's growing up. (I'm still so sad they sold it!) Nothing fancy. Just a place in the woods with indoor plumbing, a kitchen, beds, and a big table for meals and card games. We could sled right out the front door in the winter and we were at the pool or lake within minutes in the summer. Perfection.

What did you do for Labor Day?

Technical Difficulties

So...I'm getting some feedback that my "comments" section isn't working too well. Sorry! Though I'm not going to attempt to fix this today, I will attempt to fix it on Monday. Because I'm going out of town in about an hour and I don't have time to attempt what I perceive as a huge technological hurdle. I never ran track, and my hurdling skills are simply not up to par. But I'll get things back on track for sure! In the meantime...thanks for commenting on facebook. :)

Speaking of technicalities and going out of town...

My streak is about to end. I'm going up to the mountains this weekend, and I won't have an internet connection. Or even cell service for that matter. (That sounds like the beginning of some horrible horror movie plot. "She left for the mountains expecting peace and serenity with no cell phone or wifi connection. Little did she know who she would meet in that forrest trail. Dunt, dunt, duh!" Or something.)

What I'm trying to say is that I won't be able to post on Saturday or Sunday. But I think everyone will live. And I'll be back on Monday. Hopefully I'll even be back with pictures and stories from this adventurous weekend. Hey - it's a singles weekend. There are bound to be a few anecdotal gems. And maybe even pictures.

However...if I post this weekend, you can know that I came home early because it was lame. We'll see. :)

In the meantime, here are a few more Wyoming pictures. Happy Labor Day Weekend!

We ALL loved the alpine slides. Ok - Grandma and Grandpa didn't try them, but everyone else did. Ok - the twins didn't either. But everyone else. Here are Kari and Kallie.

Sorry this pic came out small! Mom, Kalls, Dad, David, and Kari in front of the Tetons on the way to Yellowstone.

The fam at Old Faithful. We were really grateful to finally be there!

Me and Dad waiting for the geyser to blow. It did. They really know how to time that thing.

Danny and Claire. Isn't she too cute?

This one's small too. Shoot! Don't worry. I'll do a whole series on this place. These pools were AMAZING! One of my favorite parts of Yellowstone. David makes a good model for us.

Mom and Grandma at the pools. It was very windy. Hold on to your hat Gram!

Day 3 - Look at Me!!!

Third day in a row. I promise I won't be too proud of myself too often. :)

And since I only slept for maybe three hours last night, this will be my rambling thoughts post.

1. This is also day three of me going to the gym. Again...not too proud yet.

2. I went to water aerobics tonight for my workout. Great resistance, decent cardio, and a whole lot of internal laughter. The class was taught by Cecilia. She must have been 80 years old, but she commanded our attention. Apparently she usually uses a whistle, but she forgot it tonight. I don't know - I just think there's something funny about 30 people cramming into a pool and jumping, kicking, and working it out all together. We had several bathing caps. You know - the ones with the flowers on them that allow you to tuck all your hair in. Not the Michael Phelps kind. I get it - the women don't want to get their hair wet. OK. But why was the very hairy man wearing a swim cap? And it really was only on the top half of his head. The purpose? No idea. I am, however, looking forward to more classes with Cecilia and the gang.

3. I still haven't seen the new Harry Potter. I really want to. Hmm...maybe this weekend?

4. Do you ever have days when you want to just hit someone? ("Here - hit this!" Can anyone name the movie?) I had one of those today. I didn't hit anyone. And exercise worked it out of my system. I think I was having one of those days years ago when my beloved sister took my spot on the couch when I got up to go to the bathroom. That time I pulled her hair. I know. Bad. Today...not so bad.

5. I talked to my niece on the phone last night. Again...why do they live so far away?! My favorite part of our conversation was when we were talking about Halloween costumes. I told her I was making one and asked if she could guess what it was. After guessing Mickey and Minnie Mouse, a witch, and a pumpkin, I told her she had one more guess. What did she guess? POPCORN! Love it!

6. I am actually making my Halloween costume this year. I asked my grandma if she would teach me some more about sewing. Since it's ok if a Halloween costume isn't perfect, I figured that would be good practice. We've got the pattern and the fabric. We're on our way.

Tomorrow's Friday!!! HOORAY!!!