Winged Thoughts

My Angel

2012-01-29T16:46:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine took this picture of Lydia at church in December.

It is calming to see such a sweet, peacefully sleeping angel. Thanks Colleen!!

First Halloween

2011-11-05T13:43:00.000-05:00

This is Lydia late Halloween night. She gets a bit "loopy" when she's tired. Her antennae are long gone unfortunately. Her "kiss - then scream" routine is new this week. I'm pretty sure she's imitating my exuberant reaction to her every time she gives me kisses. It's hilarious.

Hard to blog

2011-10-08T21:13:00.001-05:00

It is hard to blog these days. I don't want to write about my baby because nobody really cares except for me, but my whole life revolves around her right now. I could write about my emotions regarding the changes that have occurred since her coming, but in print it sounds so depressing and awful when reality is not. Oh well. Here goes anyway. While I was pregnant I read an article about studies relating to the happiness of women with and without children. The article said that studies routinely concluded that women without children were happier than women with children. It was too late for me (even though I had a inkling that might be true before I embarked on this crazy journey that has no escape route). However, women with children fiercly protest that they are happier because they had children and many women without children believe they would be happier if they had had children. The whole thing is screwy and if we had an acurate way to measure happiness we could know "the truth." In the meantime I've had a child. The verdict is still out (and may always be) whether I feel more or less happy. I love my little girl endlessly, but life has become much more complicated since she arrived. My marriage is certainly not what it used to be. I never play my violin anymore. I'm exhausted nearly all the time. I'm more resentful, more lonely, less productive, more apt to veg in front of the T.V., more likely to read an "easy read" (if I get a minute to do so) than delve into great literature, more disorganized, live in more clutter, dread things I used to love like cooking, going for a run, or shopping. (I told you it all sounds like such a downer in print. (Hence the study findings?)) Yet here is this sweet angel that I get to hold in my arms, who needs me, responds with unadulterated glee at the sight of me, who reaches out to me and puts her little lips on my cheek to give me kisses. Very little of these turns of events was unexpected. The biggest surprise about having a baby so far (besides childbirth itself) is how little men do when it comes to baby. Oh, how little men do.*

*I realize this is a massive generalization, but there was a recent study to back it up. The study found that men who think that baby duties should be split between men and women spend on average just 4 more minutes a day with baby then men who think it's women's work. Just sayin'.

Before

After

Lydia, Mom, and Grandma at the Pool

2011-09-20T18:51:00.000-05:00

Going. Going. . . . Gone.

2011-09-20T18:49:00.000-05:00

Lots of pictures of Lydia

2011-05-23T17:28:00.000-05:00

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=sunswirl&target=ALBUM&id=5609938326320447537&authkey=Gv1sRgCIu5stDe34XOSw&feat=email

Scotland and Lydia

2011-03-31T12:12:00.001-05:00

Surprise Studio Baby Shower!!!

2011-02-24T22:03:00.000-05:00

My sweet violin studio threw a surprise baby shower for me in place of group class today!!

I was completely surprised. Not one student leaked a word.

(btw -- Don't I have the cutest students in the whole world!)

The fabulous food spread - macaroni and cheese, brownies, fruit, sparkling cider and much more!

The kids couldn't wait for present opening time and gathered snugly around to get the first peek into each gift bag.

Abbey seemed disappointed that we weren't going to play today. She and several others serenaded us while we ate.

Thank you so much!!!

Scotland

2011-02-24T21:54:00.000-05:00

Scotland was born to proud parents Tom and Kjirsti on February 22. He is the most perfect baby. Congratulations you two!!

Thanks . . . ?

2011-02-24T21:51:00.000-05:00

Steve and I bought a new mattress for Valentine's Day -- a long overdue gift to each other. On the recommendation of unnamed family members we decided to try a memory foam mattress. Thanks Dave and Jacqui ... ??

For real though, once it took it's shape we've been sleeping on it quite well and send a sincere thank you. :)

My Belly - The Real World

2011-02-20T23:37:00.002-05:00

Even though I have a picture-ready smiling face on both my belly pictures, don't let that fool you. I can't wait to have this little girl out of my belly! I have never been so uncomfortable for so long in all my life. Why did no one tell me!? Adoption is looking better and better.

On a happier note, I am getting excited to finally meet her. I can't wait to see what color her hair is, what her eyes look like, and watch her as she discovers this world. Any additional advice to coerce her to come early is welcome.

My Belly

2011-02-17T15:17:00.000-05:00

As per Melissa's request, here is a belly picture at six months.

And here's my belly picture at 8 months. She's growing fast!

Thanksgiving

2011-02-17T15:13:00.000-05:00

We went to Grandma Quayle's for Thanksgiving this year. It was wonderful to see her and spend time with her as always.

It was Madeline's birthday over Thanksgiving weekend, so we had a celebration for her, too!

AX

2011-02-17T15:10:00.001-05:00

AX's birthday was in November. He is so adorable and he really liked his new cars!

Halloween Cookies

2011-02-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

Sonia threw a big Halloween party at her place this past year. We decided to make and decorate sugar cookies for the party. Dora did an excellent job and loved sampling along the way.

Dorthy, Sonia's mother was in town and helped make some beautiful cookies!

Who me?

Leaving Utah

2011-02-17T15:04:00.000-05:00

Goodbye Rocky Mountains. It's always hard to leave you.

The After Party

2011-02-17T14:47:00.000-05:00

The Food. (Homemade chocolate bar.)

The Flowers.

More food.

More flowers.

Our Sealing

2011-02-17T14:39:00.000-05:00

The Timpanogos Temple.

The Fams.

My sisters.

My brothers (Nate excused).

Brooke and Grant's Wedding

2011-02-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

Another big event from the summer was Brooke and Grant's wedding!!! It was a beautiful event and one I will not forget. There was a very tender feeling at their ceremony. and the reception afterwards was a true party! Congratulations you two!

The twins at the reception.

An incriminating picture. (Is it that hard to find?)

The Beecher Family at the Draper Temple.

Make A Wish

2011-01-25T23:39:00.003-05:00

The next big adventure of the summer was Marky's Make A Wish Day! My adorable little nephew has been bravely fighting a very rare disease. He was granted a wish by the Make A Wish Foundation. He wished for an army jeep in his back yard! He got his army jeep and much more as his entire yard was turned into a virtual army playground!

Marky was sworn in as an honorary paratrooper.

The jeep!

Half the neighborhood, all the local news channels, and half the military showed up to support Marky on his big day! It was unbelievable!

We love you Marky!

Brit's Mission Call!!!

2011-01-25T23:30:00.004-05:00

We spent a VERY eventful two weeks in Utah this summer. The first of the adventures was the arrival of Brit's mission call!

We waited in front of the house for the mail truck to pull up, and indeed the much anticipated envelope had come.

We stared all day at the map and placed bets on where she would be sent. Brit insisted on making us all wait

until that night when all of her family and friends could be present for the grand opening.

Steve doesn't like waiting. Could some steam and a bright light reveal the news?!

Finally Brit opened the call . . . the twin was called to the twin cities. :)

Congratulations Brit! You're going to be a great missionary!

Way Behind

2011-01-25T23:17:00.005-05:00

I am way behind on my blogging. I know. I finally downloaded some pictures from my camera so I'll use what I've got to recap.

Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes - Wassail

2010-11-19T12:42:00.002-05:00

1/2 gallon apple cider
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
12 cloves
3-4 tablespoons of honey

Warm in large pot on the stove.

Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes - Stuffing

2010-11-19T12:36:00.002-05:00

3/4 cup butter
2 large celery stalks with leaves chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 large onion chopped (1 cup)
10 cups soft bread cubes (15 slices)
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp pepper

Melt butter in a skillet. Add celery and onion and cook until tender. In a large bowl combine remaining ingredients. Toss 1/3 of the bread mixture with the celery and onions. Add contents of skillet to the remaining bread mixture and toss together. Bake in or out of turkey.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-18T20:13:00.003-05:00

We are going to my Grandma Quayle's in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving this year. We are looking forward to spending time with her and other family members. This does, however, mean that I won't be cooking all my favorite Thanksgiving recipes, so I'm typing them all here to share with others and in lieu of being able to enjoy them myself. Even simply typing them stimulates all my olfactory senses. Yum.

Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes - Pumpkin Chiffon

2010-11-18T13:28:00.005-05:00

This one's for you, Emily. I'm not crazy about pumpkin pie, but this is definitely worth the calories.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie with Gingersnap Crust
adapted from Ruth Reichl, The Gourmet Cookbook, pg. 768

FOR CRUST:

20 (2-inch) gingersnaps, finely ground
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

FOR FILLING:

3 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (from two 1/4-ounce envelopes)
1/4 cup apple cider
6 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin (from one 29-ounce can or two 15-ounce cans)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups very cold heavy cream

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
9 to 9 1/2 inch springform pan; instant read thermometer

MAKE THE CRUST: Put a rack in the middle of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Invert bottom of springform pan (to make it easier to slide pie off bottom), then lock on side and batter pan.

Stir together gingersnap crumbs and butter in a bowl until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press on to bottom of springform pan. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 8 minutes (watch carefully toward end of baking; crust burns easily). Cool in pan on a rack.

MAKE THE FILLING: Sprinkle gelatin over cider in a small bowl and let soften for 1 minute.

Beat together yolks and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and mix in pumpkin, spices, and salt.

Transfer pumpkin mixture, and stir until it is dissolved. Transfer to a large metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and cool, stirring occasionally, until mixture is the consistency of raw egg whites, about 15 minutes. Remove from ice bath.

Beat egg whites in another large bowl with cleaned beaters at high speed until froth. Gradually add granulated sugar and beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. Gently bu thoroughly fold into pumpkin mixture.

Beat cream in another large bowl with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks. Gently but thoroughly fold into pumpkin mixture. Pour filling into springform pan and smooth top. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate until pie is set, at least 3 hours.

Before serving, run a thin knife around edge of pie and remove side of pan. Garnish with whipped cream and crystallized ginger, if desired.

It's a

2010-10-21T20:46:00.000-05:00

GIRL!

Baby

2010-09-07T21:39:00.001-05:00

Yep, we're expecting one. Due March 17. Maybe we'll name it Patrick, or McGuillicutty.

Wisconsin

2010-06-10T09:57:00.001-05:00

We recently took a trip to Wisconsin to spend some time with my Grandma Quayle and to learn from her as many quilting techniques as we could soak up in a week. It was wonderful and rejuvenating to spend time with her. She is in every respect a marvelous and classy woman. I hope to emulate her in my life. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Grandma and me with my new quilt!

The girls at the St. Paul temple.

The view from Taliesin. It was supposed to look like Tuscany and for the first time that I've witnessed someone got it right.

Steve and Grandma at Taliesin.

London's Times Literary Supplement

2010-05-27T13:55:00.004-05:00

Steve's book got reviewed in the Times Literary Supplement! What an honor! Way to go, Steve!

New Year, New Stuff

2010-02-19T10:16:00.002-05:00

A new year brings with it new stuff. For the most part, the new stuff in this new year has been good stuff. Bring it on 2010.

New in Entertainment:

Tivo: My parents got us a Tivo with a lifetime subscription for Christmas! Commercial free TV is the greatest thing since sliced bread. We don't watch a lot of sports, but we were able to watch the Superbowl in a single hour. Great game this year! Also, it looks like it's going to be a good season for Project Runway. :)

Books: Master and Margarita is a fascinating read and I highly recommend it. The book is about Stalin's Russia and is based on Goethe's Faust. It is highly symbolic and has essentially three stories going on at once: a mimicked Faustian story, a story about Russian commoners being tormented by "the devil", and the story of Christ's crucifixion from Satan's/Judas's/and Pilot's point of view. It gives poignant insight into what it is like to live under a totalitarian regime.

I'm now reading Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. It's quite depressing and hits a little too close to home, so I'm actually anxious to finish and start Proust's Swann's Way.

Movies: We saw "Sherlock Holmes" which we thought was pretty good, although unexpectedly Harry Potter-like.

New Employment:

I have a lot of new students this year. I'm teaching more than double at Lorain County Community College than I was last year. I also have completely booked my schedule at the Avon School of Music. My numbers at the Strongsville School of Music are still small however. I have about thirty students now and they keep me very busy.

There was a misunderstanding about my contract with the Mansfield Symphony, and they have had to make cutbacks, so I won't be playing with them the rest of the season. I feel very badly about this since it is nearly the only professional playing I've been doing here in Ohio.

My friend is a manager at the Barnes and Noble Oberlin College Bookstore. She asked if I could help out for "Rush Week" (the first week of classes). It was really fun. Turns out adult cash registers are even more fun than kiddie ones.

I have decided to be an Air Traffic Controller. For real. It turns out it is pretty hard to get into the field, so wish me luck.

New in Weather:

We have been part of the Eastern Snow Assault. The mountains of snow that have been blockading the streets are just now starting to melt as the sun as finally come out the last two days.

New in the House:

We finally finished the bathroom renovations. It looks and feels so much better in there! I used a sawzall, and even designed and built a cabinet from scratch.

We are indefinitely caring for a little chihuahua named Scramps. He is an excessively cuddly dog and is good company for me when Steve is at work in the mornings.

(Not) New in Politics:

Democrats had the presidency, overwhelming majorities in the house and the senate, public support, and still couldn't get a decent health care bill passed because insurance companies have so much fiscal power.

Corporations are now free to buy seats in public office.

New this Week:

Steve and I gave away our Valentine's Day tickets to hear Pierre Boulez conduct Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn with the Cleveland Orchestra because Steve was sick. Now Steve is still sick and so am I, but with two different illnesses which we are trying not to pass on to one another. :( It's miserable over here. Still, Valentine's Day was enjoyable. We exchanged gifts, made sugar cookies, and Steve got me a big bouquet of Irises!

Christmas and the Nieces

2010-01-17T22:03:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving

2010-01-17T21:43:00.001-05:00

The turkey, Emily, and Brent.

The pies.

AX

2010-01-17T21:39:00.001-05:00

This is AX, short for Augustin Xavier. The beautiful woman in the pictures is Charity, AX's mom. We got to celebrate AX's first birthday by feeding him his first chocolate! What a great day!

I know. Melt your heart

OC Football

2010-01-17T21:22:00.001-05:00

While a student at Oberlin College I benefited from Ricks's shift to BYUI and the cancellatiion of their sports program. OC recruited football players from BYUI, many of whom became good friends of mine. Having grown up on football with five brothers in my home, I quickly became an OC football fan. (FYI: Heisman of the Heisman Trophy was an Obie!) We went to Cleveland to see the Case Western v. Oberlin game and met up with Kjirsti and Tom there. Our friend, Charity, and her son AX went with us. AX looked quite the part of a OC football fan!

My Fortune Cookie

2009-11-11T22:11:00.000-05:00

If you promise someone something, keep it.

...

Sah-weet.

Fall Already?!

2009-08-31T14:22:00.002-05:00

This week has been surprisingly cool and Fall is in the air. The only problem?: It's AUGUST! This year Summer didn't come and go. It skipped coming and simply went! No hot days by the pool in Ohio this year. Bizarre. That being said, I do love fall. Steve was joking about making a fire last night. (I think he should have.) I experimented in the kitchen and created poached pears in a spiced hazelnut syrup. Yum! Now even our house smells like Fall.

"The Niecies"

2009-08-16T16:00:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we were in Washington D.C. for a family reunion of my Mom's side of the family. It was wonderful to see my family, and to get to know my great-grandparents better. The only thing missing was my two little brothers, Tonya, Amber, Erica and their families. We missed you guys! The following are pictures of my nieces. Oh my heavens! They are so cute! Man, do we have great genes.

Stacey and Celeste

New baby Sophia

Madeline

Camille and Madeline

Abby, Brent, and Shanda!

2009-08-16T15:46:00.000-05:00

Shanda, Brent, and Abby are in Cincinnati for a summer internship and came up to Oberlin to visit us! It was wonderful to see them. I wish I had a better picture of Abby. I think I was too busy holding her to get any pictures. They happened to be in town for the Oberlin Auto Show. People from all over the area drive their spruced up antique cars and line Main Street. We also went to Black River Cafe for the best raspberry pancakes in the world! We are so excited that they are going to be in Pittsburgh for the next little while. It's only a hop, skip and a jump away. Thanks for coming!

Cheesecake Factory

2009-08-16T15:37:00.001-05:00

We had been away for many weeks, and Kj and Tom had been away for many weeks, and we were dying to get together. What better place to meet than Cheesecake Factory?! It was wonderful to see them again. We never tire of talking with them and being with them. We hope they always live nearby. Check out our desserts! Yummy.

It's amazing how many pictures I have of Kj with a large piece of chocolate cake. ;)

Will Tom be able to finish?

Since I didn't order a chocolate dessert, I had to order a hot chocolate to go with it. :)

The following day we had dinner at their house. All the work they are doing on the house is paying off. It's looking beautiful! Tom made homemade lasagne and Kj made a nectarine and blueberry buckle. It was delicious! Even better than Cheesecake Factory.

Chloe and Schoepfle's

2009-08-16T15:20:00.000-05:00

After watching our house for us this summer, we had the pleasure of spending a few days with Chloe before left Oberlin to embark on her own marriage adventure. I feel very blessed to have had that time with her. She is an amazing person both on the inside and how she conducts her life on the outside. We are so happy for her and Ben. They are going to be quite the power couple! Chloe, Steve, and I went for a mid-summer visit at Schleopfle Garden, a favorite pastime.

Back to Fake Life

2009-07-31T13:04:00.002-05:00

We've been back in Ohio for several weeks now. I've realized that I've been calling life here "real life," but I think that traveling is "real life" and this is "fake life." We've gotten a lot done in our few weeks of fake life. Steve's book is officially out of his hands and will be hot off the press October 1st. Wahoo! We've been busy in the garden and the front bed finally looks lovely. Only eight more to go. :-p. We've also been able to visit with a lot of friends which has been really wonderful. We ate our first Somalian food last night at Charity's house. Bananas on spaghetti! Apparently it's a cultural favorite. Shanda, Brent, and Abby are coming tonight to visit for a day. We can't wait to see them! Steve caught a bat and released it into the wild. I've been busy on the job hunt and am hoping to get a particular job I applied for this week. I put up ads for my violin studio and hope that picks up soon. I joined a local gym and have been four times this week! I found some great sales and tried not to spend too much money. We've both been busy with church callings. Did you know it costs $.40 for each metal clasp on those manilla envelopes? We've made several batches of chocolate chip cookies and chocolate milkshakes. All in all, it's been a full fake life.

Fat Fish Blue

2009-07-16T22:30:00.002-05:00

We went out to dinner with our friends Chloe and Ben tonight to Fat Fish Blue. It's a blues club in Cleveland with live music Thursday through Sunday. Steve and I tried to go when we were on our honeymoon, but it was mid-week, late, and in the middle of winter, so they were closing up early. I'm glad we made it back. We had a really good time. The guitarist in the band was excellent, and we ate a lot of soul food: fried chicken and gravy, grits, pulled pork, blackened catfish, cornbread . . . . Yum! Thanks Ben and Chole! We're going to miss you.

Dignity

2009-07-08T09:26:00.003-05:00

This summer I've had the privilege of visiting Boston area. I walked the Lexington-Concord road and walked over the North Bridge where the Revolutionary War began. I read pages from the diaries of Paul Revere, George Washington, and John Adams. I visited Quincy, where the Adams' lived and gained great respect for John Quincy Adams. I thought a lot about what a president should be, what it meant then to be qualified for the presidency, and what it means now.

In yesterday's NYT David Brooks wrote an interesting related article:

In Search of Dignity

When George Washington was a young man, he copied out a list of 110 “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” Some of the rules in his list dealt with the niceties of going to a dinner party or meeting somebody on the street.

“Lean not upon anyone,” was one of the rules. “Read no letter, books or papers in company,” was another. “If any one come to speak to you while you are sitting, stand up,” was a third.

But, as the biographer Richard Brookhiser has noted, these rules, which Washington derived from a 16th-century guidebook, were not just etiquette tips. They were designed to improve inner morals by shaping the outward man. Washington took them very seriously. He worked hard to follow them. Throughout his life, he remained acutely conscious of his own rectitude.

In so doing, he turned himself into a new kind of hero. He wasn’t primarily a military hero or a political hero. As the historian Gordon Wood has written, “Washington became a great man and was acclaimed as a classical hero because of the way he conducted himself during times of temptation. It was his moral character that set him off from other men.”

Washington absorbed, and later came to personify what you might call the dignity code. The code was based on the same premise as the nation’s Constitution — that human beings are flawed creatures who live in constant peril of falling into disasters caused by their own passions. Artificial systems have to be created to balance and restrain their desires.

The dignity code commanded its followers to be disinterested — to endeavor to put national interests above personal interests. It commanded its followers to be reticent — to never degrade intimate emotions by parading them in public. It also commanded its followers to be dispassionate — to distrust rashness, zealotry, fury and political enthusiasm.

Remnants of the dignity code lasted for decades. For most of American history, politicians did not publicly campaign for president. It was thought that the act of publicly promoting oneself was ruinously corrupting. For most of American history, memoirists passed over the intimacies of private life. Even in the 19th century, people were appalled that journalists might pollute a wedding by covering it in the press.

Today, Americans still lavishly admire people who are naturally dignified, whether they are in sports (Joe DiMaggio and Tom Landry), entertainment (Lauren Bacall and Tom Hanks) or politics (Ronald Reagan and Martin Luther King Jr.).

But the dignity code itself has been completely obliterated. The rules that guided Washington and generations of people after him are simply gone.

We can all list the causes of its demise. First, there is capitalism. We are all encouraged to become managers of our own brand, to do self-promoting end zone dances to broadcast our own talents. Second, there is the cult of naturalism. We are all encouraged to discard artifice and repression and to instead liberate our own feelings. Third, there is charismatic evangelism with its penchant for public confession. Fourth, there is radical egalitarianism and its hostility to aristocratic manners.

The old dignity code has not survived modern life. The costs of its demise are there for all to see. Every week there are new scandals featuring people who simply do not know how to act. For example, during the first few weeks of summer, three stories have dominated public conversation, and each one exemplifies another branch of indignity.

First, there was Mark Sanford’s press conference. Here was a guy utterly lacking in any sense of reticence, who was given to rambling self-exposure even in his moment of disgrace. Then there was the death of Michael Jackson and the discussion of his life. Here was a guy who was apparently untouched by any pressure to live according to the rules and restraints of adulthood. Then there was Sarah Palin’s press conference. Here was a woman who aspires to a high public role but is unfamiliar with the traits of equipoise and constancy, which are the sources of authority and trust.

In each of these events, one sees people who simply have no social norms to guide them as they try to navigate the currents of their own passions.

Americans still admire dignity. But the word has become unmoored from any larger set of rules or ethical system.

But it’s not right to end on a note of cultural pessimism because there is the fact of President Obama. Whatever policy differences people may have with him, we can all agree that he exemplifies reticence, dispassion and the other traits associated with dignity. The cultural effects of his presidency are not yet clear, but they may surpass his policy impact. He may revitalize the concept of dignity for a new generation and embody a new set of rules for self-mastery.

...

2009-06-20T16:49:00.003-05:00

To add to the list of odd things heard in churches, we heard the Harry Potter theme tonight. Sweet.

Start wearing purple, wearing purple

2009-06-15T13:59:00.000-05:00

For Men

2009-06-15T13:57:00.000-05:00

Shoes and Accessories

2009-06-15T13:55:00.000-05:00

Haute Couture

2009-06-15T13:50:00.000-05:00

A few of my favorite things

2009-06-11T11:42:00.003-05:00

UPS Smart Car: Of all the things I've seen in Rome, this has been the most unique. I'm so sad I don't have a picture. Yes, it was a smart car -- one of those one-seater, no backseat, no trunk, play things that Europeans drive around, and it was marked as an official UPS vehicle! --brown, yellow logo, the whole thing! "Yes, um, I'd like to mail this leaflet." "I'm sorry, there's no room for that in our truck."

The Color Purple: Roma e' purpureo. Seriously everything -- clothing, purses, jewelry, shoes ... I even saw a purple crane today! I've taken some pictures that I will upload later. Steve is very happy to hear that purple is the color of the season because I don't particularly care for it, so it's easy on our credit card.

Car Talk: In the words of Beppe Severgnini, "Cars in Italy don't just talk. They make comments, insults, protests, insinuations, and lectures. They whisper, scream, object, inquire, whine, and express every nuance of the human emotion." The cars outside our apartment were saying all of these things at once the other night. I've never heard anything like it! There were probably a hundered horns all going off at the same time for about five minutes. (The was an accident, I think, holding up traffic at the intersection.) The cars would actually respond rhythms to each other. It was unbelievable!

Empty Trash: Our outdoor trash cans are empted 3-5 times a night, every night. Why? Ask the mafia. Seriously. There is no explaination. There is one at midnight, one at one, and one at two, and sometimes a few in between.

Church Music: We've heard a lot of interesting music while visiting churches: dark organ music, canned gregorian chant, a choir. All this is to be expected. We've also heard a pop/soft rock/gospel music piped over loud speakers, wailing, guitairs or mandalins, and other such curious things. It causes a bit of cognative dissonance.

A Roma

2009-06-08T13:29:00.000-05:00

We've been in Rome for almost a week now! It's hard to believe it's been that long. Our apartment is near the Vatican and very near the Metro, which makes it easy for us to get to our desired destinations. It has been relatively cool, which has been blessing given our non air-conditioned apartment. There are so many things to say about Rome that have already been said, and so many pictures to share that have been taken millions of times. I have little desire to add to these, so my comments here will likely have less to do with the grandeur of the Colloseum and the majesty of the Vatican, and more to do with my own observations of daily life which may not interest anyone, but me.

One of our first stops in Rome was a gelateria. This is typical. What is not typical is the size of these things! I've never seen it served like this in downtown Rome. Apparently you have to be outside the city center. Can you believe we ordered "piccoli!"

This is a view outside our apartment.

This was taken in the Piazza del Popolo, where Steve will be researching.

This is the entrance to the Casa di Goethe. I imagine very few people have taken this picture. No one in Rome seems to know about it. Maybe Steve will write a famous book that will change all that.

Happy Birthday Steve!

2009-06-07T17:23:00.000-05:00

We had the pleasure of celebrating Steve's birthday with the Durhams. I think we should make that a tradition. :) We ordered Legal's Clam Chowder which is said to be the best anywhere. It is apparently a staple dish at the Presidential Inaugural Dinner. Yum!

I made a chocolate cake for Steve, his favorite.

And yes, that ice cream cup is bigger than Steve's head.

Walden Pond

2009-06-07T17:14:00.000-05:00

Monday was Steve's birthday, and since we couldn't go to Schoephle Garden, as is tradition, we went to Walden Pond instead -- not a bad subsitute. Walden Pond is hardley a pond. Erin says it's a favorite place to swim and lie on the beach.

There is a trail that goes all the way around the pond. We only went about the third of the way to see the foundation of Thoreau's Cabin. Apparently it was only recently discovered.

Here are the markers indicating the location and size of the Cabin. Erin did a Winter Term project here and researched Throreau's writings on site!

This is Orchard House! -- the home of the Alcotts and setting of Little Women. Erin was a tour guide here last summer and will be working here again this year. She took us on our own private tour which was AMAZING! It was interesting to learn about Louisa and to hear the real stories of her family. I bought Little Men while we were there because it's Erin's favorite and I've never read it. It has lots of interesting references to Louisa's father's unique teaching methods.

Author's Ridge

2009-06-07T16:58:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon Erin took us for a walk up Author's Ridge. Buried there is Thoreau, Hawthorne, The Alcotts, Emerson, and many others. Normally I don't like graveyards, but this was pretty awesome.

In the middle is Alden, Erin's precocious brother.

Among the "famous" graves is the grave of Ephraim Wales Bull, the creator, but not the reaper of the Concord Grape. Steve feels very grateful to him for the many jars of Welch's Grape Jam and the many glasses of Welch's Grape juice.

Caroline, Erin's little sister, just because she's so picturesque.

Paul Revere

2009-06-07T16:46:00.001-05:00

On Sunday we went to church at the Lowell Ward to hear Erin's dad speak. He gave a great talk about ward unity and having our hearts knit together in peace and love. You could feel his genuine love for the people in the ward. It was a very uplifting meeting. Afterwards, Erin showed us around the Concord area. This picture is from the Lowell Mills, a huge colonial cotton mill on the canals.

After visiting the mills, we went to a National Park commemorating the Revolutionary War. I'm always impressed with the National Parks, something I suppose I get from my Dad. We saw the best presentation I've ever seen on the beginning of the war and Paul Revere's ride. It changed my perception of the Revolutionary War entirely. When we went to the Concord library we were able to see actual pages from Paul Revere's journal on that day, newspaper articles, etc. That's what you get for travelling with an Oberlin History major. Erin is a fantastic tour guide! This picture is of the Concord Bridge where the first shot was fired.

This is a statue of Paul Revere sculpted by Daniel Chester French who also sculpted the Lincoln Memorial.

Boston

2009-06-07T16:30:00.002-05:00

We stayed with the Durhams in Concord. They have a beautiful home and were so welcoming. We wish they would move to Ohio instead of Utah. We spent our first day in Boston at the Museum of Fine Arts. Six hours later we had seen a small portion of it. Afterwards we met up with Jared, Stacey, and Celeste. We had dinner at Outback and then went back to their apartment to hang out. It was great to see them and know they are doing well. Thanks, Jared and Stacey!

Celeste is getting so grown up!

Palmyra

2009-06-05T09:49:00.001-05:00

We finally were able to leave for our summer trip on May 28th, a few days later than planned, but with our minds more or less at ease than if we had left earlier. Steve finished his first response to the copy editor of his book. That was a huge project and I can't believe he managed to complete it under so much pressure. We got most of the car stuff squared away and tried to leave the house fairly clean for Chloe, who is thankfully taking care of things while we're away.

On our way to Boston, we stopped in Palmyra. I've never been, and loved being able to put a place and an image with the stories from church history. I've been reading Rough Stone Rolling, which made it even more poignant. The sacred grove is beautiful. It certainly wouldn't have looked like this in April.

The Palmyra Temple.

The Hill Cumorah. (We were able to type "Hill Cumorah" into our GPS and it found it. So sweet.)

Steve, and the printing press that first published the Book of Mormon.

2009-06-04T19:36:00.000-05:00

The weekend before last was graduation weekend and we had the pleasure of many visitors. My former roommate, Melissa Fife, and her sister stopped in for just one night on their way to Utah. It was awesome to see her again. Good times.

We had a crowd at the house for Sunday dinner. We prepared fish tacos, which are one of our favorites. Thankfully, they were a big hit. This picture is of Brady and his mom. It was nice to finally meet his parents, and we got to meet the grandparents, too! Brady, you must visit us. We'll miss you!

We made white chocolate Della Robia cheescake for dessert. Yum!

The night before graduation in Oberlin is called illumination. Japanese lanterns are hung all about the main square, food is served, bands play, and there is even an art show. It's the nicest night of the year. This is a picture from illumination night with Erin and her dad, Mark.

Spring Recital

2009-06-04T19:28:00.000-05:00

Last weekend my youngest students played in a recital. They played great and I am very proud of them! Aren't they adorable!

Sister Hunsucker

2009-06-04T19:21:00.000-05:00

Steve was recently given the honor of baptising a new convert. She is a sweet woman and I look forward to getting to know her better. It had been some time since I attended a baptism, and I'm thankful that I was able to be there. The Spirit at a baptism is so unique and sweet. To me it feels more tangible and pure than at any other time.

Hello

2009-05-26T15:50:00.000-05:00

Hello Brid! (Pronounced Brit . . . It's German.)

This is our new car. Jade and Drifter put all their resources together and produced this. It's a Camry Hybrid. It's got about 50,000 miles on it, and it runs great. We love the gas mileage and I love all the bells and whitsles. Steve loves that the process is over.

Goodbye

2009-05-16T16:52:00.001-05:00

Goodbye, Drifter.

Goodbye, Jade.

Our Little Erin

2009-05-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

is what we affectionately call our dear friend, Erin Durham. One, because we would like to claim her; and two, because she really is little. She is a wonder woman. This year alone she has managed to finish and defend her honors thesis in history, complete a violin performance degree, win the Oberlin Concerto Competition, solo Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 with the orchestra, lead several chamber music groups, travel with her quartet to South Carolina to perform and coach at a music festival, cook in a co-op, work in the language lab and the Conservatory Library, sing in Collegium, and still find time to attend school full time, keep a regular journal, attend church each week, and even hang out with us. And I'm sure this is only a portion of the things she's done since they are only the things I've been able to observe as an outsider. We had the great pleasure of hosting Erin's family this week who were in town for her Shostakovich performance. They are absolutely delightful people and we learn so much from them when they are here. Erin played fabulously! Her playing has a wonderfully vibrant spirit and energy. She plays with both great command and fluidity. Her cadenza had the whole audience on the edge of their seats. All this aside, she wouldn't be able to communicate through her music the way she does if she weren't the sweet, selfless, spiritual giant that she is. Her love and devotion to God manifests itself in all she does.

Some lessons learned from Erin:
- There is a time for work and play, and the play is more rewarding if you have worked hard and completely. Sometimes work is play, too.
- Speak to your family in loving, soft tones, with reverence and respect.
- Knowledge is its own reward.
- Keep your future goals in mind to motivate your progress today.
- Love unconditionally.
- Keep a journal. Read journals.
- Don't be afraid to express your own individuality and rejoice in others.
- Follow the crowd? What crowd?
- Maybe chocolate cake is good with french toast and jam and syrup on top.
- Let the kids play in the dirt.

There are so many things I've learned from Erin, and I hope I will have the opportunity to continue learning from her. To Erin, congratulations on your many accomplishments and for being so completely awesome! I love you! Oh, and you can't move. :)
-

Yum!

2009-04-30T09:48:00.002-05:00

This is the most amazing cereal in the world! It tastes like a caramel version of cinnamon toast crunch and it has 9 grams of dietary fiber and 3 grams of soluble fiber! Pretty much heaven in a box.

Boring Update

2009-04-23T08:54:00.003-05:00

The magnolias are just about to burst open in Oberlin! It's been rainy and cold, so we haven't had a chance to enjoy them, but the next three days are supposed to be nice. I can't wait to soak up some sun and the beauties of the Oberlin spring.

Steve and I have been busy this month with spring cleaning and furniture rearranging, fulfilling our church callings, working, planning our trip to Rome, etc.. We have been trying to find the best arrangement for our furniture in the rooms upstairs, which shouldn't be difficult, except for all the bookcases. Bookcases take FOREVER to move! The latest arrangement involved moving six of them. AH! I think we've found a satisfactory solution. Thank heavens!

We finally booked our tickets to Rome and found a place to stay. We will be in an apartment near the Vatican. We're taking it sight unseen, so wish us luck. Steve chose to take an apartment with no air-conditioning and no washing machine with an Italian speaking landlady. He thought that would make us use our Italian more. I think he's a bit crazy!

Steve is now serving in the High Preist presidency and loves the men he is serving with. He was working with the Young Men before, and I will miss the opportunity to go with the youth on their temple trips. He also has seven or eight home teaching families that keep him very busy each month. I am in the Primary Presidency and teaching in Relief Society. It's nice to do both at the same time. I've loved getting to know the the children in the ward, but it's also nice to stay connected with the women.

Steve has a heavy class load this semester in addition to attending Italian class every morning. He's looking forward to next semester when he'll be back to teaching just two classes. His book should come back from the copy editor any day now, and he'll have to index it. (What a pain!) After that, it'll be ready to publish! YAY!

I'm teaching three days a week and have about twenty students. I hold a group class each week with my five and six year olds. They are so adorable! I'm also playing with the Mansfield Symphony. They only rehearse and perform one week out of the month, but it's an hour away, so it keeps me busy. I really like working with my colleagues and the conductor there. We played the Mozart Paris Symphony and Leonard Bernstein's Candide this past weekend. Great music.

So, that covers most of our day to day activities. In between we get to hang out with our friends. Kira and Charles, friends of ours whose house has just been revived from a serious flood, had us over to show us their new place and to eat chocolate lava cake. Yum! The house looks great! We also went to a fish fry with Doren and Marilyn. Steve thought that it was an interesting anthropologically study. I don't think he'd ever been to an event as country as that before. :) We had a really good time.

Easter was delightful. Sister Salyer and Brother Minnich gave really beautiful Easter talks. I hope I am as thoughtful and articulate as Sister Salyer when I'm in my eighties. Kjirsti and Tom invited us to their house for Easter dinner. The sun was pouring through the windows of their front room and dinning room all day providing the atmosphere conducive to pondering the life and resurrection of the Savior. They made a delicious Easter dinner with a colorful salad bar, homemade bread, and a hearty ham soup. We brought a carrot cake and thought that we should make it an Easter tradition -- carrots for the Easter Bunny.

Sorry for the boring update. Happy Spring!

Daffodils

2009-04-20T12:14:00.000-05:00

A Whole Lot of Stuff

2009-03-31T09:42:00.003-05:00

My violin: (This seems like a good place to begin.) I dropped a metronome on my violin the first week of January. Happy New Year! It didn't drop far, and my metronome is not much larger than a cell phone, and a bit lighter, so how much damage could it do? A lot, apparently. The metronome left a one inch wide indented piece on the front of my violin with a crack running from the top of the f hole up about 6'' and one from the bottom of the f hole another 4 in. Ouch! On top of that, in order to get it repaired properly, I had to un-string it, remove the bridge and tailpiece, pull out the end button, and even hammer down the sound post! For those of you who don't play in instrument, this would be like finding out your right arm was broken and that you have to amputate it yourself to send it away to be fixed, and hopefully it would work again when you got it back a few months later. Long story short -- it's wonderful to have my arm back.

Our dishwasher: In February our dishwasher went kaput. Hopefully we'll be able to replace it soon because hand washing when you're as messy a cook as I am is the pits! The good news is that all of those hours of dish washing represent many friends who come to spend time with us. We love visitors!

Tickets to Rome: Steve and I are planning a research trip/belated honeymoon to Rome for the month of June. In order to prepare ourselves we're taking an Italian class together at the college. I am so bad at Italian! Thankfully, this is one of Steve is excellent at languages.

My computer: Tosh, my laptop, has seen his last day. Poor Tosh. He served me well.

My car: Jade keeps puttin' along, thank heavens! She got an oil change and a new tire this past week. 220,000 miles and going strong.

An Aveda gift certificate: Steve gave me a gift certificate to the Aveda Salon and Spa for Valentine's Day. I'm redeeming it this afternoon, and I can't wait!

Books, and more books: Steve has a lot of books. A lot. We have bought five additional bookcases in the last few months. Now there is space for the books, but where do the cases go! AH!

Boxes, and more boxes: My mom sent me a shipment of boxes from home: childhood memories, journals, etc. As soon as I thought I was finally done shuffling and re-boxing, and second load came. I'm not a pack rat, so where is it all coming from! A few more days and I may toss them out without looking back. I haven't noticed that I'm missing anything. So ...

Curtains: Steve and I are enjoying re-making the house. Three more cans of paint and one more set of curtains ought to finish the job.

Sunshine: Does this qualify as stuff? It doesn't matter. Anytime you can say "The sun is shining in Oberlin," it is note worthy.

A new vase: We bought a beautiful little vase at the orchid show at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens last Saturday. It was our Spring Break this past week and since our plans to get away didn't pan out, we tried to vacation a little in Cleveland. Erin, Kjirsti, Tom, Steve, and I went to the gardens for the first time. I can't believe I've never been. It was stunning! The whole scene was literally dripping with orchids of every color, shape, and variety. The vibrant colors and exquisite delicacy of the flowers, the perceptible breeze from butterfly wings, and the chattering of the birds were intoxicating.

A new CD: As part of our Spring Break we took a trip to Borders, coupons in hand. I bought a CD of the Emerson String Quartet playing the Mozart Dissonance because that is one of the selections my new quartet has chosen to play. Yes, indeed! I'm in a quartet now! YAY! The other violinist is Nicole, our violist is Lanson, and our cellist is named Bobby. I'm SO excited!

OK. That's enough "stuff" for now.

Lost Photos

2009-02-22T21:08:00.002-05:00

Kjirsti and Tom bought us a really nice camera as a wedding gift! (Thank you, again!) I took pictures of our first Christmas together and have been anxious to get them up on the blog. I took more pictures over Valentine's weekend, especially since Kira and Charles came over and shared their cookie baking and decorating know how with us. The whole dining room was covered in red, pink, and purple! Tonight I've been trying to upload pictures and discovered that somehow I managed to delete all but one Valentine's Day picture. So sad! Oh well. Our Christmas tree was really pretty!

Some Wedding Pictures

2009-02-22T18:26:00.002-05:00

Here are some wedding pictures. I would post all of them, but my computer where they are stored is currently dead, and until I am able to repair it or buy a new one, this is all I have access to. Thank you Jacqui for taking pictures for us! http://picasaweb.google.com/sunswirl/WeddingFavorites?authkey=yK8jKCiqLbo&feat=email#

A Winter Wedding

2008-12-29T21:42:00.001-05:00

I don't have many pictures yet, but I have some, so here is a sampling.

Brenda, my sister-in-law, made a set of 12 ornaments for our wedding. Aren't they beautiful!

Steve, Erin, and I made chocolate leaves to decorate the cheesecakes. Yes, those are chocolate. Yum!

The roses.

Our rings.

The Dinner Table

2008-12-29T21:36:00.003-05:00

The table ready for dinner.

The Flower Girls

2008-12-29T21:32:00.001-05:00

Celeste.

Madeline.

Camille, our ring bearer.

The nieces.

Preparations

2008-12-29T21:23:00.003-05:00

I decided to have my hair done at the last minute.

Erin Durham, my cherished friend and fabulous violinist provided the music for our wedding. Bach Solo Sonata in C. Sigh.

Fairchild Chapel.

Halloween Pumpkin

2008-11-19T11:19:00.003-05:00

Steve and I carved a pumpkin for Halloween! I think Horton looks pretty good.

Update

2008-11-11T11:18:00.003-05:00

Steve and I have decided to get married! We're having a small wedding in Ohio, and are planning a party in Utah next year when more of our friends and family can celebrate with us.

Autumn

2008-10-16T08:12:00.003-05:00

It's been three years since I last experienced Autumn. My first year in Houston I felt time stand still as October, November, and December came and went in verdancy. When January came it was warm enough and sunny enough to sit outside by the pool while I worked on my studies. By then I had forgotten all about Fall. This year, as the season has been approaching, it has seemed surreal. My mind rationally knew that it was coming, but my other sensibilities continued to question the reality of the vibrant colors and crisp air. This week it's here, and it's real, and it's breathtaking, and it feels like home, holidays, cider, bonfires, apple pie and pumpkins. I remember now how hard it was to repress the ache I felt the first year Fall didn't come. I suppose that's why it's taken so long to allow myself to relish in it this time. It's really here! And I'm happy surrounded in the glories of Autumn.

This frog template . . .

2008-09-30T13:27:00.001-05:00

is sweet!

He needs a name. I'm taking suggestions.

Chase and the Run Around

2008-07-26T14:39:00.005-05:00

Just look around. It's everywhere, that friendly blue sign, "Chase Bank." The white logo like a circle of friends holding hands, always pictured with kids running through sprinklers, freshly mowed green grass, a dog wagging it's tail, and a new red brick home. You've seen them. They on every corner. Convenient, right? And they have all those great offers: $75 bonus if you sign up today, earn 3% back on gas and groceries, no annual fees!

DON'T GIVE IN!! I had a terrible banking experience with Chase, and after talking to others, I'm not the only one. There is a hidden fee for everything, and there is up to a six day turn around for processing checks, cash deposits, paying bills, or transferring money, which results in even more accrued fees.

1)I signed up with Chase when I moved to Houston. I told them I was starting a two-year Masters program and they recommended that I sign up for their Student Checking Account. It account is for ages 18-24. On my 24th birthday, they began taking automatic withdrawals from my account without sending any notification.

Chase's explanation: The account is valid until the day you turn 24, not while you're 24. I could avoid fees if I made 5 transactions on my debit card each month and had automatic deposits.

2)When I made deposits, even cash deposits and checks from Chase, it would take at least three days for the money to show up on my account and made available to me.

Chase's explanation: It takes time to process money and to make sure the checks are good. (Even cash?! Chase checks?!)

3)To make payments on my Chase Credit Card I made simple online transfers from my Chase Checking Account to my Chase Credit Account. The money would be taken immediately from my checking, but would not appear on my credit card until three days later.

Chase's explanation: That's just how it is.

4)Frequent late fees showed up on my account, not for $5, but for $40 each! I keep up with my accounts regularly, so I often couldn't figure out the reason.

Chases explanation: Don't pay early. Don't pay late. There is only a 10 day window to pay. If you leave too much time (remember the approx. 3 day processing time?) and your payment arrives on the day of the statement it won't count as payment on the statement. If you don't leave enough time and your payment happens to be processed after the statement date there is an automatic late fee.

5)Over Limit Fees of $40 each showed up on my account after I had made payment my account. My card was never denied at time of purchase.

Chase's explanation: If any purchase is processed putting you over your limit during the payment processing time it will accrue an a $40 over limit fee. There are no stops or alerts to prevent you from going over your limit.

Could they have devised a better plan for ripping people off? It seems especially designed to hurt students and people living on the edge of their income. It took me several trips to chase and over a week in order to close my accounts. They also have a crazy rule that you can only challenge extra charges and fees at the branch where you opened the account. Since I opened the account in Texas, but am living in Ohio, that's not really possible.

To add insult to injury I received a bill from Chase today for the credit card that I closed in July. A month after I closed they account they decided to reverse a refund on a late fee they had granted in June and had been charging more late fees on the reversal for the last two months. Unbelievable!! After another hour on the phone, I had better be done with Chase for ever, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

On a happier note, banking with Mountain America Credit Union is great! Money I deposit shows on my account instantly. Account transfers are made instantly. There are no hidden fees. Their late fee, if I were to accrue one, is only $5. Payments that are being processed appear instantly on my account. I cannot go over my limit because 1) I always know what is available, 2) and the card will not process if I'm going to go over my limit. That way, I'm alerted that I need to make a payment. Thank you Mountain America!!

Summer Travels

2008-07-26T14:05:00.002-05:00

The summer has been full of travels, just the way it should be. My travels this summer have included a lot more family than normal which is an added bonus. I took a trip to New York to see my sister, Melissa, before she moved out of her roomy city apartment in Upper Manhattan. (So jealous!) Emily and Katie came from Baltimore and Philadelphia, respectively, for a brief sister reunion. We had a nice Italian dinner, watched Frasier, made a NYC bagel run in the morning, perused Soho, crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, and ordered bridesmaid dresses that turned out to be a disaster! (Another story, ... an epic story.)

After the NY trip I headed back to Houston to collect my things and move out. :( All my furniture sold, which was a great blessing. I love craigslist! I packed up the car to capacity and beyond, stuffing remaining items through the windows. (Someone got some nice dishes, a crockpot, 9x12 glass pans, etc.) I took the southern route stopping through Phoenix to see my Aunt Jacqui and Uncle Dave. Jacqui is busy keeping house and painting. I bought a few pieces of art work from her that I love! I spent much of the time in Dave's recording studio laying some sides. His new electric piano is unbelievable!! I've never heard anything like it. I never thought I'd buy an electric, but I might now. It sounds like the real thing.

After Phoenix I headed for my home in the Rockies. The big event in Utah was Melissa's wedding to David Draper. It was a beautiful event. Melissa was glowing and everything went really smoothly. My Aunt Pam made a surprise trip! The wedding was in Logan and afterward most of us went to Erica's for a small family reunion. It was really nice to see the cousins, Pam, Gordon, and Grandma and Grandpa Quayle again. I feel very blessed to be part of such a wonderful extended family. They are kind, intelligent, ambitious, and fun-loving people. Congratulations Melissa and Dave!

I stayed in Utah for about a week after the wedding to spend time with the family, play a few weddings, and enjoy the 4th of July festivities. Unfortunately my Dad was sick most of the time, so I didn't see much of him and he didn't even have the energy to go to the Driveway of Fire!! As long as I can remember, we've never missed it!

After one more long road trip, and a stopover at Nathan and Brenda's new place in Illinois, I'm now back in Oberlin for a while. I'm house-sitting for Elizabeth Hamilton and trying to plan the rest of my life. Nothing major. AH! I'm looking for work and will probably be taking auditions for orchestras in the area at the end of the summer. Wish me luck!

Cleveland's Beauties

2008-05-23T17:43:00.004-05:00

My friend, Kjirsti, posted recently about the beauties of Cleveland. I would just like to add a little more fuel to her crusade. Cleveland really is a beautiful city.

Severance Hall is the home of the Cleveland Orchestra. I've heard some of the best and most beautiful music in the world inside its walls.

These were taken in the park in front of the art museum. There are almost as many colors in the Spring as in the Fall.

The ducks in the pond are refreshingly quaint.

2008-05-23T17:30:00.003-05:00

I think the lighting in this picture is exquisite. Cleveland's cherry trees give DC a run for its money.

The sunset over Lake Erie is breathtaking.

I REALLY want a pink dogwood!!

I Graduated From Rice!

2008-05-23T17:09:00.000-05:00

My days in Houston are nearly over. It's been a wonderful experience. The group picture is of our studio graduating class. The others are with Ms. Winkler and Larry Ratcliff. Many thanks to them for the invaluable lessons they've taught me.

Missionary Work

2008-04-17T15:20:00.002-05:00

On Monday night I went out with the Sister Missionaries. They had an appointment scheduled for 6:00 that turned out not to be much of an appointment. We had a nice doorstep conversation with an African American Baptist. He appreciated what we were trying to do and asked us questions about what we believe as well as our relationship to the most recent "Mormon" scandal in Texas. (We tried to make it clear to him that the incident is not connected to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

Our next visit was with a young girl named Melissa. She's come to church a few times and the missionaries have been meeting with her for some time. That being said, she is far from being interested in the church. She told us that if we didn't speak with the gift of tongues three days after our baptisms like she did we should seriously question our baptisms. She lectured us on not reading the Bible because it's obvious that the Trinity is all one God and that should just be obvious. She said she might fornicate, drink, smoke, and do drugs, but that she knew who God was and she was going to keep learning and she wasn't going to let our confusion into her head to keep her from learning. The sisters tried valiantly to teach the Plan of Salvation. But after more than an hour of "That's just not right." and, "You mormons treat women like those girls down in Texas." and, "You'd better get it into your heart that God is all over, and there's no one right church, and we just gotta love, and I'm not going to pray about that because that's confusion and I'm not going to let that in my heart," we couldn't take much more.

The last person we met with was Joel. He has recently come to the States from Gabon with his "brother," or cousin. (In Africa, brother and cousin are the same word! What a wonderful reflection on the culture's emphasis on family ties.) He listened to every word we said and looked up in his dictionary what he didn't understand. He asked a lot of intelligent questions and accepted the messages we were sharing. He doesn't really understand how it pertains to his life, but that may come in time. He has literally no furniture, although he's been living and working in Houston for 3 months. We sat on the carpet for our discussion. Meanwhile his brother was preparing dinner for us, even though it was already 9 P.M. and no arrangements had been made! He made spicy chicken and rice, and it was delicious. They have no dishes, not even silverware -- only a package of paper plates and cups. We all ate with our hands and had a fantastic meal. I felt like I was having a foreign mission experience right here in Houston!

2008-04-17T15:12:00.000-05:00

A Day In The Life

2008-04-16T21:00:00.000-05:00

I got called to substitute with the Houston Symphony this week! It's a really big deal for me. It will be a great chance for me to see what a typical week is like as a full time symphony musician. (And it will look great on my resume!) Today was the first day. I was up at 6:30 to practice and get ready for my 8 A.M. lesson, drove downtown, spent thirty minutes trying to park my car, rehearsed from 10-12:30, ate lunch with friends, rehearsed again from 1:45-3:45, and drove back to Rice for yet another rehearsal from 5-7. Twelve hours and I'd covered music from Mozart to Messiaen, and from Schubert to Saint-Saens. Now I need to practice for my morning rehearsal tomorrow. How much are they paying me?

Procrastinate?

2008-04-15T18:31:00.003-05:00

On my last flight I picked up "Spirit" magazine and read an article that hit very close to home. I love to do things last minute. What about you?

"I set out this morning to do one thing--and instead I did 20 others. I folded my laundry, cleaned out the spice cabinet, scrubbed the toilet, and Swiffered away the dust bunnies from the corners of my apartment. I e-mailed my mother, Skyped my best friend, and boned up on my knowledge of zodiac signs, including the Libra (ruled by Venus, if you must know). I've scanned the Times, the Observer, and the BBC. I have five windows open on my computer and four of them have to with Britney Spears. But its' the fifth one that I can't bring myself to click: a blank Word document. I've had four weeks to write this essay. And now, with just hours to go until my deadline, I'm finally beginning. Just the way I like it."

...

"Without procrastination, I might know the meaning of hard work. But would I know the meaning of "bacn" -- a runner-up for the 2007 New Oxford American Dictionary word of the year? Not likely.

"But it's not just mindless trivia non-procrastinators miss out on. Some of mankind's greatest breakthroughs owe a debt to laziness. 'What do you think Isaac Newton was doing sitting under the apple tree?' asks Jorge Cham, creator of "Piled Higher and Deepr," a procrastination-themed cartoon. 'He certainly wasn't in the lab working. The things you do when you think you're procrastinating are sometimes a reflection of what you want to be doing.'"

...

"Of course, many of us still might resist flirting with the consequences of tardiness. But sometimes we need the pressure cooker to reach our full potential. While turning in a project a day early might impress your boss, there's something to be said for rolling up your sleeves and pulling the kind of epic all-nighter you haven't attempted since you last donned dorm pants and shower sandals. ... Which scenario would you remember more?

"Never has it been easier to procrastinate, and for that, I'm thankful. We should embrace our creature comforts--just not all the time. After all, we still need to do our jobs, answer our mail, file our taxes, pay our heating bills and call our mothers. In fact, I'm going to dial mine right now. It's at the top of my list. Just as soon as I read what's going on with Brittney."

Friends in Houston

2008-04-15T11:13:00.000-05:00

Kjirsti, Tom, and Erin all flew to Houston for my recital!! It was wonderful to have them here! I feel so lucky and so blessed to have such supportive and, frankly, awesome friends. We had a blast exploring the sights, sounds, and tastes of Houston together.

Erin, Me, and Kjirsti after my recital.

Post recital celebration at Ninfa's! Chips and homemade salsa, enchiladas El Carbon and Suizas, fajitas, chicken quesadillas with poblano peppers, pina coladas . . . YUM!! I'm really going to miss that place.

On Thursday we went to the NASA center. We got to see the control room for Apollo 13, the astronaut training facilities, and a retired Saturn 5 rocket. It was especially interesting to be there with Tom who is interested in working for NASA at some point.

2008-04-15T11:12:00.000-05:00

The traffic was so bad coming home from NASA that we decided to turn around and head for the coast. The beach was peaceful and playful at once, and we had it all to ourselves. We stayed until sundown. By the end of the day we'd worked up quite an appetite and, for nostalgic reasons, we picked up $5 Little Ceaser's on the way home.

2008-04-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

Friday we went to the Houston Fine Arts Museum to see a special exhibit on Pompeii. The exhibit was interesting, but didn't fully heal the sore spot from when Kjirsti and I experienced Pompeii from the outside walls only, missing the opportunity to enter the gates several times. :( We also perused a photography exhibit by a female Japanese artist. More on that later! We went to the Rothko Chapel in the evening to hear a chamber music concert, which turned out to be fabulous

Saturday morning, the girls went shopping in Houston style and came home with full bags! ;) New outfits need a place for display, and where better than the chocolate bar!! Tom made a poor showing, but the rest of us downed a slice of Aunt Etta's chocolate cake, and a few helpings of ice cream. (Maybe I should have bought a size larger!) Friday night we explored Memorial Park, Houston's beautiful homes, and came down I-45 for a sunset view of downtown.

Sunday morning we drove out to see the temple. The grounds were closed, but we saw as much as we could and enjoyed the sacred spirit there. Thank you again for coming!!

Studio Class

2008-03-18T20:08:00.003-05:00

I played in Studio Class today. It did not go well. I'm worried about my recital. How can I practice so much and still play so badly? I came home ate souffle and pizza, watched an hour of Frasier, introduced myself to Facebook Scramble, practiced a little more, and am now writing on my blog. (Obviously.) Any ideas or tips?

Competitions and Recitals

2008-03-18T19:58:00.004-05:00

This week I had to return to the real world: rehearsals, lessons, coachings, grocery shopping, laundry, etc.. I played to competitions this week. I placed Runner-up in the Young Texas Artists Competition which came with the prize of a performance and a nice cash award. I feel very blessed. It turns out I knew the first place winner from Meadowmount almost 10 years ago. He was a child prodigy back then and he has been doing nothing but competitions for the last year. I'm very happy to be Runner-up to that!

I also played for the Concerto Competition at Rice on Sunday. I didn't play very well and didn't make the finals. I don't feel too badly about it though because the finals were two days after my recital and Kjirsti, Tom, and Erin are going to be in town. I'd rather spend the time with them. My recital is in one week. I need a break NOW! Oh well, I must push on through. I love to practice. I love to practice. I love to practice.

Visiting Oberlin

2008-03-18T10:43:00.003-05:00

Much has happened since my last post. I went to Oberlin for Spring Break. The first day I was there we went to hear Alfred Brendel play Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Cleveland Orchestra. He's such a legend! It was amazing to have the opportunity to hear him play. I hope I can make music like that when I'm 77. The orchestra played Brahms No. 4 for the second half. I think it's the first time I've heard the orchestra when they sounded over-rehearsed. (Too many violin auditions.)

Friday night was Nertz, Lorenzo's, and cookie night, mainly to celebrate Anne Lance's visit. She's a former Obie and she's a riot! I've loved getting to know her better.

Saturday, March 1, was Erin Durham's big day! She was brave enough to schedule her recital on her birthday. Her family came in town from Boston. They are delightful people and have much to teach me. I love to observe their joy for life, the vigor with which they play with their children, the emphasis on education and hard work that permeates their activities, the willingness to love, sacrifice, understand, listen. Wow. Kjirsti and Tom hosted a waffle birthday breakfast in the morning. Erin's recital was at 4:30. What a treat! She is such a vibrant and thoughtful player. I loved her programing which included music by Mozart, Part, Ives, and a piece written by a friend, (Elise, I think) at Oberlin. I only hope my recital will go half so well. We all went to Udapi, a fantastic Indian restaurant for dinner.
After church on Sunday, the Obies and Erin's family gathered at Steve's where we ate and played games all day and most of the night. It was a wonderful weekend.

The weather was crazy! Oberlin was covered in snow when I arrived, but by the end of the weekend it all melted away and offered an appetizer of Spring. Then an ice storm set in. (Fascinating! The ice was like frosted sand under your feet, and the trees glistened the next day extra vibrantly and delicately.) Over the weekend all of northern Ohio was completely snowed in as two new fresh feet of snow determinedly fell.

For me the week included practicing as much as I could, hanging out with dear friends, meeting with Mr. Vitek and my former studio, a fabulous dinner at Pier W, a second trip to the Orchestra to hear Messiaen and Mahler, (unbelievably gorgeous - I LOVE Mahler!) and many more things. Kjirsti, I want your ginger cookie recipe! What a wonderful week!

Steve and Jared

2008-02-26T10:05:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting on a king size bed at the Crowne Plaza right now visiting with my Uncle Steve and my friend Jared Orme. It's a good day. :) Yesterday I was up early to rehearse with my accompanist before my 8 a.m. lesson. It was a busy day full with rehearsals, lessons, classes, meetings, and a recital. The recital went well, thankfully.

At the end of the day I met up with Jared and Steve, who are here in Houston to do a few sales. We went to Carrabbas for a late night dinner, watched some Flava Flav on Conan O'Brian, woke up to a beautiful sun-streaked view of Houston, and had a nice breakfast in the hotel. We are planning an afternoon at the Galleria and a trip to my favorite Mexican restaurant, Ninfas. It's great to have Steve and Jared here.

(Reading this over it sounds like the only thing to do in Houston is shop and eat. It's kind of true. Eek)

Culinary Enrichment

2008-02-21T14:46:00.002-05:00

I hosted my first "Enrichment Meeting" last night. There was a good turn out, which made me happy and a bit surprised. I showed the Relief Society sisters how to make souffle and gougeres. I love to cook and I thought it would be fun to play Julia Child for an evening. I am more keenly aware now than ever that it's much easier when you have three ovens, overhead mirrors, the little glass bowls with everything measured out, a perfectly prepared pre-dish, and an imaginary audience. I needs to gits me one of them TV sets. :)

Stormy Weather

2008-02-20T22:25:00.002-05:00

Dooooooon't know whyyyyyyyyyyyy (da da da dum) there's no sssahunn up in the skyyyyyy ... ahem, excuse me. I got carried away there for a minute. I LOVE Houston 90.9. It's seriously the best jazz station ever. It was a (dark and) stormy afternoon and on my way to school I tuned into good ole' trusty 90.9. They played the hottest version of "Stormy Weather." Oh my. I'll take weather like this anytime. I love great jazz in the rain.

Challenges

2008-02-19T13:42:00.007-05:00

Life is very stressful right now, much more than I had anticipated. When I get very stressed I often do lots of things that I hope will help me de-stress, none of which is the stuff that I'm actually supposed to be doing -- probably not very effective. One of those things was looking at despair.com last night with my roommates. There is a new one: "Challenges: I expected times like this -- but I never thought they'd be so bad, so long, and so frequent." If only it weren't so true.

http://images.despair.com/products/demotivators/challenges.jpg

There are some really great things going on in my life, too. i.e. Another thing I do to procrastinate is read. I finished My Antonia by Willa Cather and Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball this weekend. I enjoyed My Antonia for the most part. I thought it was well written and there were some beautiful passages. (I would share what I thought were it's weaknesses, but I don't want to give away the story.) This may be too sappy for some, but it is one of my favorite passages on love from the book.

"Since I've been away, I think of you more often than of anyone else in this part of the world. I'd have liked to have you for a sweetheart, or a wife, or my mother or my sister -- anything that a woman can be to a man. The idea of you is a part of my mind; you influence my likes and dislikes, all my tastes, hundreds of times when I don't realize it. You really are a part of me."

I love this description of love. It mirrors my own feelings.

Miracle of Forgiveness was very good. President Kimball doesn't sugarcoat anything in the book, and I think that's for the best. If you can make it to the end it's a wonderful book about hope and redemption. I am grateful for the prophets of God in our dispensation. I'm grateful and humbled by Christ's mercy and the healing power of the atonement.

Happy birthday Emily!

2008-02-06T23:18:00.000-05:00

It's celebrate Emily day!! Here are just a few things I love about my sister, Emily. Feel free to add to the list:

I love her joy for life. It's rare to catch her without a smile.

She is quick to forgive.

She is one of my favorite people to talk to about personal things because she is an attentive listener and a thoughtful adviser in a loving, non-judgmental way. She's helped me through some very rough times.

I love her ability to shape her life and character. Whoa! She's taught me so much about how to change, and has inspired me to seek the will to do so.

She doesn't sweat the small stuff, and thereby has had a tension-relieving influence on our family and in our home.

She is GREAT with children. So envious!

Her fabulous taste in shoes. :)

Her ability to be friends with anyone.

Her diligence and love for learning.

I'm so lucky to have you as a sister!

Gordon B. Hinckley

2008-02-01T22:57:00.000-05:00

I thought this was a great article:

A vote of thanks for a powerful individual
*By Orson Scott Card*
Deseret Morning News
Published: January 31, 2008
Because our prophets, seers and revelators are released from office only by death, we don't get to raise our hands to thank them.

So as President Gordon B. Hinckley finally has been released from his lifelong calling as the consummate servant in the kingdom of God, here is my vote of thanks for a job well done.

There are two ways we commonly view our living prophets, and only one of them is right.

In Mormon folklore — and in the eyes of the outside world — we Mormons consider the prophets as speaking nothing but the word of God. Every decision, every act, every gesture is to be remembered, pored over, studied and obeyed, because the prophet does nothing but what the Lord requires of him.

This attitude, if it were true, would make the prophet into something of a puppet, wouldn't it? It wouldn't matter who was president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, because each would act exactly like any other apostle called to serve in that position.

But human beings are not interchangeable, no matter how lofty or humble their calling.

The Lord does not dictate every action of the prophets. They must think things through, try things out, find out what is possible and wrestle with problems.

Remember when Moses' father-in-law came to him and upbraided him for wearying himself and the people by trying to do all the work of judgment himself? (Exodus 18:13-26). The prophet took Jethro's advice and, in effect, created a church organization.

Moses was just as much a prophet before he made the change as after. His character was such that he could learn. God spoke to Moses frequently, led him visibly — and yet he did not make Moses his puppet.

There was room for Moses to choose, to invent, to think. To learn and change and grow in his calling.

Joseph Smith made this explicit when he gave us the word of the Lord to Oliver Cowdery: "You have not understood; you supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. ... You must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right" (Doctrine and Covenants 9:7-8).

It matters who leads us and serves us as prophet. It matters that it was President Hinckley who led the church, during his years as president and previously, when his service was in quiet support of the calling of other prophets whose bodies were so enfeebled that they could not do all that was required of them.

*Meeting the people*

During the first years of his presidency, sometimes he traveled so much that it seemed he was determined to speak personally to every member of the church before he died. After so many years of seeing presidents of the church only on television, suddenly the prophet was everywhere!

Television simply wasn't enough for him. Though it was Gordon B. Hinckley, long before he was an apostle, who pioneered the use of all the media to reach out to the Saints — and to the world — he also
understood the limitations of the media as well as their strengths.

Because the Lord had blessed him with robust health and clear speech, unlike his predecessors as president, he might have felt he had a duty to let the Saints hear the prophet's voice and see his face in person.

But it was also part of his character. Though he was a private man, he was not a shy one. And how could he lead Saints who he didn't know?

It can be deeply confining, to function only within the bounds of the church's hierarchy and administration. If the president hears only the voices of the same few people, then he has subjected himself to their
judgment of what is important enough for him to know.

Even if the church officials and staff surrounding him have the best will in the world, President Hinckley would no more let them stand between him and the Saints than he would have let them stand between him and the Lord.

We needed to hear him; he needed to hear us. It's part of who he was.
*Candor*

We loved to watch him in general conference because he was not bound by a script. He spoke with dignity, but also with humor; even in his last general conference, he was himself in the way Joseph Smith was himself, refusing to let other people's ideas of how a prophet should act control the generous impulses of his own mind and heart.

Then there was the time when President Hinckley was quoted in Time magazine as saying, of the doctrine that God the Father was once a man, "I don't know that we teach it. I don't know that we emphasize it ... I understand the philosophical background behind it, but I don't know a lot about it, and I don't think others know a lot about it"

There were quite a few Saints who got in a dither, thinking that President Hinckley was denying our doctrine. But every word he said was strictly accurate. Our church manuals do not offer lessons on this
subject. We know nothing on the subject beyond Lorenzo Snow's famous couplet ("As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become").

In fact, President Hinckley was setting an example for us all: We Latter-day Saints have it as an article of faith that God "will yet reveal many great and important things" (Ninth Article of Faith).

It is often wiser to admit, with candor like President Hinckley's, when we don't know enough to talk intelligently on a subject. Some Mormons like to claim "We have all the answers," but that was never President Hinckley's attitude.

Rather he taught that we have all we need to know to live this life as God wants us to live it, and achieve the happiest future that he has in store for us. When God wants us to know more, he'll tell us, but there's no use trying to extend our doctrinal understanding through wild speculation or flights of fancy.

*Self-control*

I remember watching President Hinckley on "Larry King Live" on Christmas Eve 1999, when he shared the screen with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Rev. Robert Schuller.

The Rev. Schuller repeatedly goaded and jabbed at President Hinckley and the LDS claim that because we have a living prophet we have a unique claim to the truth.But President Hinckley simply ignored his jabs and gave his message — our message — in a kind and civil way.

I remember some people saying, "Why didn't President Hinckley answer him?"

Because President Hinckley, after long, long experience with the media, knew that whoever gets angry or mean on camera instantly loses the audience's sympathy. But President Hinckley, by remaining cheerfully on message and never descending to the Rev. Schuller's level, left a far better impression with the audience.

*Governing the church*

We have never had a president who so thoroughly understood how the church is — and must be — governed. Long before he was a general authority, President Hinckley labored for years as the single busiest employee of the church, doing, quite literally, any and every job that the brethren asked him to do.

In short, he has seen it all, and he has done it all, and he knows the limitations of what can be accomplished by Church leaders — even the prophet himself.

A friend of mine once worked with President Hinckley on an idea both of them believed would be good for the church. But after consulting with others, President Hinckley came back to my friend and said, in effect: "I could probably make it happen right now, but there's little support for it, and after I'm gone the project would probably die. We aren't going to waste the church's resources on something that will almost certainly fail in the long run."

The outside world likes to think of Mormons as robots behaving as the church programs us to. But President Hinckley, like Joseph Smith, understood that this simply does not work with Mormons, however some leaders might wish the Saints were quicker to obey. Stubbornness and stiffneckedness are not lacking in the Restored Church.

But it was not President Hinckley's disposition to seek to control the Saints' lives. His leadership exemplified what Joseph Smith once said about leading the church: "I teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves."

Doctrine and Covenants Section 121 is even more explicit in saying the Saints can only be governed by persuasion, without a shred of coercion. I have watched with deep appreciation how well President Hinckley has governed the church by these principles.

Time and again, when people press for definitive answers, his reply — or the official church reply, under his direction — has been, in effect: "Read the scriptures. Pray. Consult your own judgment and conscience. The church is not going to relieve you of your responsibility to think; the church is not going to replace the role of the Spirit of God in your life."

Questions about the exact meaning of "10 percent of your increase" or hairbreadth distinctions in the Word of Wisdom have been answered this way, and we have watched the Church Handbook shrink in size as general principles have often replaced detailed rules.

After Gordon B. Hinckley joined the First Presidency, and particularly during the years when he was the primary active member of that quorum, minute regulations no longer appeared. Why?

I think it was because, like Moses, President Hinckley did not see himself as the only person who could make good decisions, guided by the Spirit of God. "Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!" (Numbers 11:29)

*He trusted us*

This is the hallmark of President Hinckley's presidency, and his years of service beforehand. While he had high standards and expected others to offer the church their very best, he never acted or spoke as if the ordinary members of the church were children, incapable of making right choices without somebody telling them what to do.(That was somebody else's plan in the council in heaven.)

He spoke to us as if our faith, our role in the kingdom, were as important to this great enterprise as his own. He expected us to act upon that faith and fulfil that role with the same rigor and vigor that he brought to any job he undertook — in which he was often, inevitably, disappointed.

But he never stopped treating us as if we were capable of learning how to govern ourselves.

Which is, when you think about it, what children on the verge of adulthood need: Not just instructions, but the opportunity to act on our own and, yes, even fail, so we can learn and grow.

The responsibility is yours, he said to us over and over again. You can do this.
And, surprisingly often, we have discovered that we can.

It's so hard to pick just one!

2008-01-31T14:57:00.000-05:00

Tagged By Erica
Tag: Your Favorite(s)

book: classics - Anna Karenina, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Age of Innocence, David Copperfield; I also love C.S. Lewis

movie: Anna and the King, Shadowlands, Babette's Feast, Pride and Prejudice

color: green

TV Show: As Time Goes By, What Not to Wear, Good Eats, Designer's Challenge, Frasier

guilty pleasure: bubble baths, aromatherapy candles, creamy dreamy truffle ice cream

outfit: anything comfortable and flattering, hip earrings, and a pair of fabulous shoes

body part: eyes

kitchen tip: throw out the lima beans! replace your Kitchen Aid with a Bosch, keep Ruth Reichl's "The Gourmet Cookbook" close by

life lesson: Careful attention to direction is the only way to reach a destination (without freaking out!) (My sister, Emily, actually said to me once, "It's the direction that matters." I've thought about that a lot and it's helped me when times are hard to make small steps toward reaching my goals.) Also, as cliche as it's become, "Don't sweat the small stuff; and it's all small stuff." Seriously.

activity: talking with friends, traveling, reading, cooking, running, dancing, listening to music, going to art museums, singing

food: cheese

child raising tip: love, nurture, instruct - all the time

pet peeve: inappropriate humor

game: card - Pinochle and Nertz board - Loaded Questions

tattoo (imagined or real): no thanks

element: water - like Erica I love the ocean, waterfalls, rivers, (and maybe I'm still thinking about that bubble bath) :)

I tag Kjirsti and Tom!

Back At It

2008-01-14T23:21:00.000-05:00

I worked out tonight. Not much -- just 30 minutes on the cross-trainer. It's been a looong time! It felt really good. I took the book I'm reading, My Antonia. This passage reminded me of my favorite gym buddy and made me miss her very much:

"There was a basic harmony between [them]. They had strong, independent natures, both of them. They knew what they liked, and were not always trying to imitate other people. They loved children and animals and music, and rough play and digging in the earth. They liked to prepare rich, hearty food to see people eat it; to make up soft white beds and to see youngsters sleep in them. They ridiculed conceited people and were quick to help unfortunate ones. Deep down in each of them there was a kind of hearty joviality, a relish of life, not over-delicate, but very invigorating. I never tried to define it, but I was distinctly conscious of it."