Good Riddance 2010

It's probably not surprising to most of you that I am THRILLED that 2010 is over.

Chuck and I had some GREAT, WONDERFUL, and HAPPY times this year, but sadly most of that was overshadowed by the heartache and trial of those closest to us. It was rough. The things going on weighed very heavily on our minds, many tears were shed, and countless prayers were offered on behalf of those we love. It all just plain HURT. A LOT. And honestly, it all continues to sting a little.

BUT - I am thankful that with this new year, those people in our lives who are hurting are beginning to rebuild and face the future with optimism. Good things will happen for them.2011 will be good. And I can not wait!

New Year's: Look Not Behind Thee

Dilly-Dallying...

A weekday afternoon/evening and I have time for blogging...

Holidays=Less Work= Happy Amy.

My latest HAPPIES:

1.

It is not very often that I LOVE a movie. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tangled. Chuck and I finally saw it on Monday and I adored it. So much. I felt like a nine-year-old as I got all wrapped up in the fairy tale of it all. Oh, so wonderful. Thoughts?

2.

This is how Gilbert- recently nicknamed "Gilford Woodruff"- sleeps. Never seen a cat sleep like this before

3.

A few mornings ago, as I woke up, Chuck informed me that I missed the Christmas episode of "Glee." (In all honestly I have missed MANY episodes... I've kind of lost that lovin' feelin'...) ANYWAY, he proceeds to perform the Finn/Rachel version of "Last Christmas" as seen on the show. I am so happy he keeps me entertained. And that he doesn't murder me when I tell stories like this on the blog...

4.

Skye and Jyl- Our niece and Jyl the dog kept us thoroughly entertained on Christmas Day.

Skye doing her "Pole Dance."

5.

Truffles- Blast my sister who gave us "Cocoa Dusted Truffles" as part of our Christmas gifts. They are delish and there are a zillion- yes, a ZILLION- of them and I keep eating them. Ugh.

6.

Demon Kitty- Chuck posted this on Facebook this week and it got more attention than any other pictures of the two of us ever have.

7.

My Little Jar of Vaseline-I'm attached to this thing. Ridiculous. It ran out this week. It's the end of an era.

Little Jar of Vaseline joined my life during the summer of 2003. I was living in West Yellowstone and bought him at the "Apothecary." It's dry up there, so Trudy Bidwell told the cast to put Vaseline up our noses to avoid nosebleeds and lots of dry boogers. Ha.

Fast forward- Little Jar of Vaseline becomes very well traveled:

The Playmill housing was his first home.

He goes to BYU with me.

He travels all over Asia with the Young Ambassadors.

He flies to NYC.

He moves to the other side of the world! (Back to Asia, really, Amy???)

He moves back to Utah

Then he goes on a cross country trip to Florida where he makes his new home.

Two years later I drag him back to Utah and we move into a new house.

And now he's gone.

Seven and a half years later.

Lots of history with that Little Jar of Vaseline. Sniffle.

Yes. I'm a crazy person for writing about Vaseline.

And that concludes this post. Thank you.

The Tale of a Younger Me at Christmastime

Lets discuss my obsession with Ballet West's "The Nutcracker."

See the dresses and pantaloons on these girls? While most kids spend their holidays dreaming of toys and candy- I spent MY childhood obsessing over these "Party Girls."

Words can not describe how badly I wanted to be one of them.

I auditioned three times.

First Year: I wore my red shiny leotard in hopes I would be chosen as a "Buffoon." No cigar, kiddo. Thanks, Mommy, for getting my ears pierced at Claire's to ease this first rejection...

Second Year: I was tall enough to be a party girl- I must have been about ten? I spent the month of September preparing for the auditions - listening to The Nutcracker constantly and drawing motivational pictures of "Party Girls" and taping them ALL over my room. (Oh, how I hope I have some of those somewhere - ya know, for the day I actually get around to scrapbooking my childhood...) Audition day came. I remember how proud I was of the way I looked. Once again... rejection...

But I am a resilient little bugger!

Year Number Three: LAST CHANCE TO BE A PARTY GIRL. By the next year I would surely be too tall.

Now let's reminisce on the tragedy of this audition:

Again, I was proud of how I looked in my fantastic sparkly blue leotard (that matched my eyes exquisitely, thank you very much!) and well worn ballet slippers. I. Was. Ready. I'd drawn plenty of pictures and psyched myself up to dance like a star and they were GOING to cast me!

I was proud of my audition, and when it came time for the hundreds of little girls to sit on the floor as the cuts were made, I was confident. Number after number was read- and finally- the number of girls left was tiny.

"One more to cut!" the lady said. "The rest of you will be part of Ballet West's 'Nutcracker' this year.

I noticed the KSL news camera in the room ready to broadcast the reaction of the newest "Party Girls." Good.

I was in. I was giddy.

And then, THEN, they called the number. The last girl to be cut.

Me.

Ouch.

The girls start screaming and jumping up and down.

But not me. All I could do was sob in disbelief. And KSL decided to capture that moment and put it on TV that night. Way to rub salt in the wound, Carole Mikita- it's amazing I still worship you and your job!

Shake it off...

POINT IS:

I got over the trauma of never making "The Nutcracker" (And let's be honest- it was prophetic, right? I will NEVER be cast as a DANCER!) and I absolutely love and adore Ballet West's production.

I am a little miffed that the "Party Girl" choreography has changed since 1990, but whatever.

I would attend this production every year if I could. EVERY YEAR- like my cousins and I used to.

* Memories *

Grandma Colleen and our moms would pack us up for a night out in new, frilly dresses, and shiny black shoes.

We'd go to dinner and the ballet.

Those were happy, happy times.

My grandma was cool.

And I love Ballet West's "The Nutcracker." A lot.

Oh, and PS: The same year of the horrifying 'Nutcracker' rejection I WAS cast as a dancer in Utah Ballet's production of "The Monkey King." I was a raindrop, a monkey, and a birth giving stone. Yes. A stone that gave birth- to a monkey. Lucky me.

Prepare...

* Notice to All Parents, Relatives, and Friends: None of your Christmas presents will be a frame adorned with a growing fetus photo or a snapshot of me holding a pee stick with a big purple +. Just thought I'd give you a heads up as to avoid the disappointed looks we will surely receive. ;-)

Does it Make Me a Grown Up When...

Getting a new washer and dryer makes me giddy and I want to stay home all day doing laundry?

I need to go buy some Tide in celebration.

What has my life come to?

On a Quiet Sunday...

"We become what we want to be

by consistently being what we

want to become each day."

Richard G. Scott

Told you I was on a quote kick.

Ponderings #2

On a quote kick, I suppose:

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Ponderings of a Winter's Night

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble." - Helen Keller