A Puzzlement

Perhaps I have lived under a rock for my nearly twenty-nine years, but today in the grocery store I ran across these babies. I'd never seen such things. I gawked for a long time before picking them up and putting them in my cart.

Golden raspberries.

I am still amazed.

25

Happy 25th Anniversary to the Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley. It's a place of happy, happy times and memories for me, and lots of fun memories were made again tonight. I love this place. I love those people. I am blessed for having ever been associated with this amazing facility. Thanks, people.

Crazy For You - Summer 2006




Thoroughly Modern Millie - Spring 2007

Late Night Sunshine

It's summertime. That's always sunshine in the little world that is mine...

HAPPIES of the Week-

1. Shabby Apple "Take Two": Got two dresses this week. Love 'em. The ones I posted on a previous blog unfortunately didn't work out so well, BUT I chose two others and I'm certainly happy with them.



For the record: This dress was STUNNING. I just needing something I could wear more frequently... it wasn't quite something I'd feel comfortable wearing at church. Let's just say it enhanced my backside quite well...

... Or I've just gained too many new curves...


2. $$: Has anyone noticed that I am able to get jobs pretty darn easily? For that I am grateful. In a time when finding a job is rough, I seem to be able to get plenty of them. Granted, I'm not doing what I am actually a PROFESSIONAL at, but ya know... it works. I am blessed and I am thankful for that.

3. "We Built This City...": Chuck and I have recently revisited our love of Settlers. Yep- the love is SO still there. Had a fantastically fun night with Yissa and Steve a few weekends ago and a likewise event last night with Biff. Will we ever tire of collecting wheat, ore, wood, sheep, and brick???

4. Hungry: I have a new friend. A skinny, and may I add, UGLY, pussy cat who seems to live in the unfinished house next door. I'll take anything at this point. The other day I fed the mongrel some leftover holiday hot dogs. I haven't seen her since. I hope I didn't kill her. But she was REALLY hungry!

5. 2003: Had a good visit with my dear Chelsea a few weeks ago. Hilly, Chelsea, and I spent the afternoon reminiscing and stuffing our faces. I love my friends.

6. "Who's the Black Lady?" (No, for family who knows Chuck's humor... I am NOT racist!) :


This is Audra McDonald. She is a legend in my world of musical theatre. I've loved her since the "Carousel" revival in 1994. Friday night I had the opportunity to see her live- in legs-length proximity from my little body. She. Is. Stunning. Thanks, Hale Center Theater-Orem for an incredible evening.

7. Crunch: I love Honey Bunches of Oats. I have eaten them in the last few days. They taste good.

8. Drama: Still loving the ridiculousness which is THE BACHELORETTE this season. Jenny Latimer and I had a fantastic blog up our sleeves for this season... and it got lost somewhere among the summer vacays. :-( Next season...

9. Birfday: Two weeks. Anyone want to give me the best present EVER and pay off one of our cars??!?!!??

10. Peeps: These two favs are coming to visit it just a few weeks. I can't wait. I miss them.

Oh, one small note: After two recent incidents of people I haven't seen in a few years NOT recognizing me because of "the blonde", I am wondering if it's time to take things down a bit and become "dirty" again... ya know- the way I was made??? Hmmmm... My husband has never known me this way...


Thoughts?

Time's a Tickin'

Notice my awesome new TICKER in the right hand corner of my bloggy. Motivation. A way to see results. Good.

Speaking of TICKERS...

In case you want the world to know when you're ovulating, you know, so that everyone on the bloggy will know when you'll be getting it on to conceive that extra grandbaby for the in-laws...


I just love that ovary picture.

3/4

It is true. The 4th of July is my favorite holiday. And when this fantastic holiday falls on a Sunday here in Mormonland, we get THREE DAYS of fireworks, food, sun, and fun-ness.

It. Was. Lovely.

1st 4th of July: Games and fireworks with the in-laws. Catch Phrase is a wonderful "waiting for fireworks" game. Yummy pizza, great people... delightful. I have great in-laws.

Camera got left in the car. :-( Boo.

2nd 4th: Again, camera got left in the car. :-( Boo!

Our regular every-other-Sunday dinner with the Robinsons turned into a fantastic 4th of July party with a BBQ, homemade ice cream, and discussions about THIS. How is it that we haven't even been on the big boat yet this year and we're already loving plans for NEXT year??! Again, I have great in-laws.

3rd 4th: My mom's fam gets together ONCE a year. This is it:

The kiddos obsess over this drinking fountain...

Cute Auntie

Grandma in Leah's chair... ? ? ?

Lovers.

Sisters.

Yiss and Abi

Kid.

Two kids.

This is my momma and her man Frank. Kensie calls him "Fink."

Some of the lady cousins. I love us.

All of this made me one happy, happy girl.

I also got a massage today. That made me really happy too.

Need

I feel the desperate need to put on my tap shoes and beef up my skills. Unfortunately, Utah isn't exactly the HUB of adult tap classes. Dilemma. I have found some DVDs online... suggestions?

Goodness

Highly recommend this beauty. "Simplify" by Carolyn Rasmus.

Childhood

Spent some time playing on YouTube this morning. This was one of my very favorite toys as a kid, and had our house not fallen down a hill and all of our stuff shoved in storage sheds all over creation, we may have kept track of her and all of my kiddos (yes, the ones I don't have...) could have enjoyed her too. Sniffle.



Guess I'll have to spend a few hundred bucks on E-Bay in a few years.

Here's another gem:



What more could I little girl want than a canine with a Velcro uterus? I was getting older when these came out, but my sister sure loved them. And boy- what a catchy little tune!!! :-)

Yes, I was eleven when these came out, but don't worry- I had THREE of them. To credit my awesome fortune, I bought one at Wal-Mart and the card told me I'd won TRIPLETS!!! Weeks later, my little babies came in the mail. It was a good moment in my life.



I also had two sets of these little buggers...




Fortune stuck again when I won one of those sets, and again, the little babies came in the mail. They even had diaper rashes that could be wiped off with a warm cloth. How adorable.

It's Sunday. Again.

And you know what that means...

Time for the "happies" of the week. I told Chuck the other night that now that I live in one place and don't really DO anything abnormal (like I did for so many years...), my blog is boring and no one cares to really read it. I'm wracking my brain for ways to spice it up. But ya know- sometimes life is just "boring" and calm. I am grateful.

1. Once a Year: It's that time of year for us. The time of year when you have to register your car. It's expensive, and if your cars need a little work, it gets more expensive when you have to make repairs so it'll pass safety and emissions. Thank you, Utah. Thanks to my husband's ingenious tinkering and some extra blessings, the truck passed emissions and has only some light issues for safety. We'll put in some bulbs and HOORAY! We'll have one car registered! Mine comes next month... Goodbye, Big Boat money. (Yes, we're planning another big boat ride this Fall...)

2. Boat: The Big Boat ride this Fall comes because this week my sister "officially" had some big changes in her life. Like anyone who reads my blog knows, it's been a rough time so far this year. Rough for me because it's been rough for her. Now the rebuilding begins, and in November, we're all gonna hop on the giant boat and float around for a week without ANY cares. Heaven.

3.

Remember this pretty dress? Now I'm gonna work a bit at the place I bought it. Fun. Happy blessings.

4. Junk: We've been selling stuff. Thank you, KSL.com.

5. Surprise: Jake and Vienna broke up. I. Am. So. Like. Totally. Shocked. Yeah. This TOTALLY makes my HAPPIES post.

6. Pop!: Favorite holiday is right around the corner. And it's on a Sunday. WHICH MEANS, in the lovely land of Utah, that we get THHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEE "4th of July" s. Saturday, Sunday, AND Monday. Get me some food. Now.

7. Granulated: Sugar. I am trying to control myself. I've started every day the past two weeks. Uh hem. Why, oh WHY, did I stop being a nutrition freak?

8. "Chuck-a-Grandma": This is where "Fink" took my mom and Kensie this week. (Can you figure out the translation from "Kensie" back into "English"?)

9. Memories: Like the corner of my mind... Scanned a bunch of old Playmill pictures this week. Sentiment. Spewed all over my desk. It was fantastic.

10. Baby: We have another new baby in the family! Kinzley was born on Friday, the 25th. Congrats to Darci and Jason. We love babies. (The ones that belong to other people...) :-)

11. Write: Another plug for LDSJournal.com. I do love it. So much.


Hope y'alls week turns out happy. HAPPY 3 days of 4th!!!!

Day Late and a Dollar Short. Sunshine.

1. Bliss: Had a super happy Shabby Apple day this week! In a matter of days these lovelies will be in my possession...



... My sister ordered THREE others. Closet swapping is grand.

2. Love: Brandy and Quinn (Chuck's step-sister) got married Wednesday. I DO love weddings...


3. Skye-Baby: I bonded with this baby during the aftermath of the reception:

Pretty sure she thinks I am the coolest.

4. Memories: Had time to upload some pics from the fantastic trip we took to Yellowstone a couple weeks ago. It really was a fantastically fun trip- even if Chuck and I didn't get home till 4 AM that Sunday. I have never seen him so exhausted.

Me, Chuck, Kristi, Andrew, Tavnir, Hilly, and Gretel at Big Springs

The cabin

Feeding giant fishies at Big Springs

Home at The Playmill

Gretel was totally impressed...

Back to Utah via Jackson Hole. Ate at this dandy little piece of Mexico.

I'm thankful for happy times and happy memories like this.

5. Birthfa Day: Happy Birthday/Father's Day to My Daddy! 55.


6. Excuses: MENCHIES IS COMING TO UTAH!!! Thank you, higher power of the universe. ;-)

7. Kiddo:

My sister posted this on Facebook this week. Kensie is 100% girl.

8. Hope: Got lots of it. Thankful.

Remember to be thankful for something this week. Peace.

Shabby Apple Love Love- Fixed Link!

Dear People:

It's a good day. Y'all know my great love and desire for all things Shabby Apple... Well go HERE for the next 9 hours and you can get a $100 gift card for only $40!!!!!

Click on the link above and choose TUSCON as your city and put in your email address- and bada bing! The deal will come up!!!

Happy birthday to me... it's only a month early...

Sunday Sunshine

Been gone for about three weeks now...

#1: HOME. I love home.
#2: Sister: It was a good week for my Biffy. Thankful for blessings.
#3: Friends, Food, West: Had a FANTASTIC vacay to West Yellowstone, the Playmill, Yellowstone Park, Island Park, and Jackson Hole last week. Wonderful people. Beautiful memories.
#4: Lambert- I have a deep and abiding love for this little lion:



And while we're on the subject of Disney shorts:





Can you tell what Chuck and I have been doing this weekend???

#5: Rawr! : Spent some time with the Beast this week.

He still turns into the prince at the end...

#6: Tony Awards: I love me some theatre nerd-om with fellow nerds. Tis a great night for food, fun, and * BROADWAY! *


#7: Weddings: Three weddings in the next 2 and a half months. Brandy, Kaitlyn, and Justin. And I am doing fantastic gifts. Something I would love to have. Yep. Weddings. I love them.

#8: Mac-N-Cheese: Crockpot gourmet style. Forget any kind of "eating healthy," but geez it's divine.

#9: Clean: The office of our house is my dumping ground. I cleaned it. And I am proud to say that this blog is coming to you via a DESK! I am awesome.

#10: Snack: Chips and salsa.

MWAH.

I Looked Out the Window and What Did I See??

... An old lady in a muumuu living in a camper???


WHAT HAPPENED WHILE WE WERE IN CALIFORNIA?!?!

La la la

	I'm Singin' Tuesday, June 1, 2010
	8:00pm - 9:15pm
	Brigham Young Historic Park 59 E. North Temple, SLC, Utah

Sunshine

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, "Suck!"
("Suck" is Kensie's latest name for her uncle...)

Hi folks. Chuck turned the big 3-0 on Wednesday and what did we do to celebrate?

I got him into the car and blindfolded him with two ties...

We drove to Provo and hopped in the car with his aunt and cousin...

We drove through his birthplace - Henderson, Nevada, at nearly the exact time of his birth!

... and we ended up at Disneyland.
For three days.
My husband is a happy 30 year old.

* A huge thanks to Jill and Nate for making it all happen! *

Other happies:

- Flowers: We got home tonight and found that the planter in our front yard had been filled with flowers. THANK YOU Tom and Lisa!!!

- Fantastic Disneyland food: Corn dogs, Blue Bayou, Churros, Pineapple Dole Whips, Bengal BBQ, giant peanut butter/chocolate chip cookies, Limeaide. Goodbye flat tummy.
- Concert: Singing. Happy.
- THE BACHELORETTE: A friend and I have a very fun project in the works for this season... Stay tuned.
- Cheese: It's yummy.
- Home: I love coming home after a trip. I LOVE home.
- Glee: Love me some because my husband mocks it almost as well as he mocks The Bachelor.
- Summer: The forecast says it's here... we'll see!
- De-Chunking: Run run run. That's the plan. Also, I will once again be torturing myself with Bob and Jillian.
- Yellowstone: We're going.
- Orlando: I'm going.
- Surgeries: Grandma and step-mom doing well so far. Relieving.
- Husband: I love him.
- Holiday: 4th of July. Coming. Favorite.

Backburner-ed Blogging

Yep. Haven't spent any time in the blogging world for about three weeks now. Too much going on. Lots of performances, lots of work, lots of drama, lots of responsibilities, etc. etc. etc. As we head into June, I'm thankful that the year is half way through, that I get to take some good vacations, and that it's finally Summer! (Well, almost... sometimes the weather would like to tell us otherwise...)

Happies of the last THREE weeks:

1. Temple: I've been able to go twice in the last three weeks and it has been absolutely wonderful. I am so thankful for a place where I can go to feel close to Heavenly Father and ponder and learn and grow and serve.

2. Hair: Finally got my hair "did" last week. I feel much less FRUMPY.

3. Grass: Who knew Chuck and I could be so obsessed with GRASS? We look at our yard lovingly every day and have spent the last three weeks trying to make our baby grass as plush and green as possible. I never saw myself as a person who would drive around neighborhoods and be envious of the GRASS in someones yard.

I have become that person! (Does that make me domestic yet???)

4. Students: I have enjoyed, the last three weeks, lots of time with my students at the Scera. We completed our production of "Seussical Jr." on May 11, had a Broadway Review with the entire Scera Youth Theatre the following week, and finished up the year with class last Thursday. I'm grateful to have had time with these fun, talented kids this past school year. I'm thankful to have at least one of my jobs pertain to what I am actually GOOD at. I'm not GREAT at TEACHING it all yet, but I am getting better. I wouldn't have survived the ropes of the Scera without some wonderful assistants as well.



5. Friends: I cannot express how grateful I am for friends who can talk some sense into me. :-) Andrea and Hilly are VERY good at this, and I am thankful. Now I just need Andrea and Devin to move back to Utah. Now would be good. :-)

6. LDSJournal.com: What? I'm like a broken record? Yep. I still love it.

7. Wedding: Oh, how I still love to think about it and remember. I was never one to fantasize over weddings until my own was over. Now I do all the time. Best day ever.



So those are my happies.

Now: Changing gears for fun.

Thanks, KSL's Nightside Project for making me think- I am curious to see what y'all have to say about this:

Dating VS Marriage in the Social Networking World

Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, all things social and online: Are you dating these sites? Or are you married to them? Let me explain...

When you are dating you always present your best self. You are careful about what you say, conscious of what you do, and you have a filter on your behavior at all times. There's often a tease or a flirt, and occasionally you'll let loose and get a little crazy. But let's be honest- you're being JUDGED, so you're careful about what you say and do. You're always being watched, and you're aware of it...

When you're married the walls come down. Your spouse learns that you look goofy in the morning, you have habits that drive him crazy, and the filter that your mouth once had fades away and a stream of consciousness verbiage explodes. When you're married, there's not much left to guess. You're always being watched, but you don't really care...

So, are you dating or married to your social networking sites? What do you share? How far do you go in what you say in a Facebook status or on a blog? What are YOU comfortable with? I think that many of us type away without REALLY thinking through the fact that x- amount of Facebook friends can, and actually WILL, READ what we're typing. Do you sometimes post things to "fish for compliments?" Do you sometimes vent without really thinking about the fact that the person you're venting ABOUT could VERY easily read your words? Whether you consciously had an ulterior motive or not, have you ever posted something that you probably just should have kept to yourself?

I'm just curious.

Many people- sometimes myself included- have NO filter when it comes to Blogs, Facebook statuses,Tweets, etc. I can't help but strongly believe that ALL this causes WAY more drama in life than is EVER needed.

Common phrases of 2010:

"Oh my gosh, did you see what ( Insert Name ) 's Facebook status said this morning?"
"Oh yeah, I read your blog!"
"So-and-so removed me as a "friend!"
"I can't believe that she wrote that!"

Gossip gossip gossip... talk talk talk...speculate speculate speculate...

For months I have been warned by family members and those close to me that if they'd been reading my blog as an outsider, they'd assume that I am really unhappy with my life and in my marriage. Hmmmm. That came as a shocker. Yeah- I poke fun and tease and am very sarcastic in what I say- but I also feel as if I'm pretty positive and post about the good things going on in life. But it all made me think about what I am posting, and how people are perceiving it all.

How are YOU perceived via Tweets and Facebook status updates???

I guess I have learned that some things are better vented behind the privacy of my online journal. (Insert plug for LDS Journal right here!) The drama that could ensue from a spontaneous Twittered thought is absolutely not worth my time. I also believe, though, that sometimes the things posted on these sites really HELP those around us to know that they are not alone in their feelings- we're bonded via blogs and Facebook. I'll absolutely admit that I feel bonded and sometimes "warm and fuzzy" after reading a blog of emotional bulimia.

So, there are pros and cons to the "dating" and "marriage" relationships of social networking...

Are YOU dating, or married to your Facebook, Blogs, etc... ???? Do you have a filter? Or do you freely share without a care?

Clever

Some people do multi-level marketing. I have never seen this approach:

The Setting: Craigslist.

The Ad: "I'm looking for a part-time secretary to work from home to help manage my window cleaning operations including crews, schedule, book keeping, customer calls, and place classified ads online, blogging, social media, and a few other things."

Amy's Response: "Cool. I shall respond."

The Result: Scam used to find suckers of multi level marketing.

I can never get back that 45 minutes of my life...