Giggles

Our trip to Las Vegas is over. It was so short that it was hardly a vacation at all, trip or even jaunt would be a much better word to describe it.

We left on Friday after school, stopped in Cedar City for dinner, and continued on to Vegas, arriving right around bedtime. My thoughts on Cedar City? Don't eat at the IHOP for dinner. The waiter was pleasant enough, but nearly as dumb as a rock. And when your waiter is that dumb, service tends to be bad.

Saturday a portion of the adults went to Food 4 Less and picked up junk food for breakfast. I like to stay at hotels that have free continental breakfast, and I thought this one did, but I was mistaken about that. And since the continental breakfast was $8.99 w/o eggs and $9.99 w/, we decided junk food from Food 4 Less was a good option. The kids certainly enjoyed it.

After breakfast we took the kids to Ceasar's Palace to go shopping at FAO Schwarz, or as Ella calls it, "FAO Shorts". My kids have been saving their chore money for a while, and were all hoping to get something really cool. Sarah bought mismatched pajamas, Ben bought a remote control car, Josh bought a sword and the sorting hat, and Ella bought a baby doll. Life is good for my children. And truthfully, I'm rather pleased myself with their purchases. I think they chose wisely.

Ceasar's Palace has a huge shopping mall attached to it, and we spent some time wandering around. We didn't buy anything else, but we did watch the Atlantis show. You think it's just a fountain with some cool statues and a really great fish tank, then suddenly, the statues disappear and there are animatronic figures in their place shooting water and fire and heating up the joint. My boys thought that was pretty cool.

We didn't want to spend much more time on the strip than we had to, so we headed back to the hotel to swim. When I was checking out hotels, I looked for two things: free continental breakfast and a pool. The continental breakfast thing might have been a bust, but the pool was great. All the kids had a good time, they didn't play Marco Polo, but they did play Shark. I swam for a while, and then I read my book and took pictures.

Finding dinner was a joke. We ended up at Marie Callendar's with a snotty waitress. Once again we suffered through poor service. At least we got to eat, I can be grateful for that.

Rachael, Esther, Sarah and I had tickets to see "Jersey Boys" at the Palazzo theatre. We left 60 minutes before the show started, figuring that would be plenty of time to drive maybe 3 miles, park, and find the theatre. We were very nearly wrong. It took us just over 30 minutes to even get to the Venetian, which is where we needed to park. Traffic on the strip is ridiculous! Then we walked/ran through the Venetian, through the Shoppes at the Palazzo, through the Casino, and finally found the theatre. We picked up our tickets at will call, found our seats, and had 8 minutes to get our heart rates back to normal before the show started.

Once again, the show was amazing! Esther and I had seen it in New York, but even after seeing a second time would love to see it again. I knew Sarah would love this show, and she did! Toward the end of the second act, Franki Valli sings "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", and he does it concert style, facing straight out to the audience. When he finished, Sarah and I cheered and clapped really loud. Rachael and Esther cheered and clapped, too, but apparently not as loud. Franki Valli bows to the audience a couple of times, and then blew a kiss up to the balcony! Yep! That was us! He looked right at us as he did it, and three of us knew it was meant for us. (Esther caught on a bit later.)

After the show, the four of us stood in the theatre and listened to the band finish up, giggling like school girls, which only one of us really is, and watching the old people leave the theatre. It's probably a good thing we were there, otherwise, it would have been a dead audience (literally).

The Hard Rock Cafe is a really cool place, and we want to be really cool people, so we decided to go there before heading back to the hotel. We asked a lady at the Palazzo how far down the strip the Hard Rock was, and she informed us that there is no Hard Rock on the strip. We had all seen the big guitar, with the words "Hard Rock Cafe" that morning on our way to Ceasar's, so we were a little confused. She told us it must have been the Harley Davidson or even Planet Hollywood. We didn't want to cause problems, so we accepted that, took the directions to the Hard Rock and left.

As we were driving back down the strip we saw the fountain show at the Bellagio, lots of drunk people who were probably going to be married in the morning and didn't know it yet, and yes, we saw the Hard Rock Cafe. There is one on the strip. But, we had directions to one that wasn't, and since we were tired of dealing with the traffic on the strip, we went to the other one.

I'm glad we went to the other one. Our waiter was Toad, and he was the best waiter we had the entire trip. He was also the curator for the memorabilia in that Hard Rock, and answered lots of questions for us. Questions like: "Where is Frank Sinatra's suit?" and "Why does no one seem to realize there is a Hard Rock Cafe on the strip?" The suit was through the archway and the HRC on the strip will have it's official grand opening on Thursday. ("She'll see it in the paper and think, "Oh no! I lied to those people!")

The four of us laughed and laughed, flared nostrils, held knives, poked each other (verbally and literally) and had much more fun than the table of "drunk girls" behind us. We don't know for certain that they were drunk, but we could see that they weren't having any fun.

Well, Vegas may not be my favorite place, but I had a great time. My kids all say that they had fun, too. So, Friday down Sunday back nearly killed me off, but...it was worth it. I had one good meal, lots of laughs, time with my kids, and a kiss blown from Franki Valli.

Ego Boost

I saw Kelly at Hale last night.

I've been a little concerned:
what if the kids hated me?
what if I didn't accomplish anything?
what if he decided I wasn't the substitute he hoped I would be?

He told me:
the kids loved you!
they learned so much from you!
the Concert Choir was less chatty for you than they are for me!

*contentment*

Substitute Teachers Learn Things Too

Kelly called me on Monday night to ask if I would be willing to substitute teach for him on Tuesday. Since this is the only reason I signed up to be a sub, I said yes. Although, I'm sure it came out sounding something like "uuuuhhhhss", after all, it was 11:45 p.m.

I've been really excited to sub for Kelly. His choir programs are amazing, he has good taste in music, he has a musical theatre class, and the thought of being back in front of a high school choir just sounded great.

Tuesday morning came very early, but that was okay, the adrenaline carried me through. I started the day with Belles Voix, his women's choir, and things seemed to be going well. I give voice lessons to several of the students at West Jordan, and it felt good to have them run into the choir room just to make sure that the substitute really was me. And one of my girls is in Belles Voix, so I went into it feeling like I had someone in my corner.

Concert Choir was something else altogether. I have 8 current students and 1 former student in concert choir, the choir president is one of my students, and everything should have worked out fine. But see, I forgot that respect from high school students isn't given just because their teacher asked you to come. Respect can only be earned, and quite frankly, one class period is not enough time for a sub to earn that. In other words, Concert Choir turned out exactly how I should have expected it to, but not as well as I hoped. Teenage boys sitting on the back row will talk more than any teenage girl on a phone. At least by the end of the class we were kind of in sync, and we managed to make some great improvement on a very difficult piece. The class period ended with me asking them, "Are you proud of yourselves? You should be. That was a really hard song."

The last class I taught was Spotlight Players. The kids are working on musical theatre presentations and audition pieces for their class show. This meant that my lesson plan for this class involved bringing the kids up one at a time, playing their song, listening to them sing, giving a little bit of individual instruction, and starting over with the next student. Sound like voice lessons? Felt like them, except I had about 4 minutes per student instead of 30.

It was a fun day, in spite of the "high school students must do everything in their power to make substitute teachers crazy" rule. Will I go again? Yes, if Kelly calls me.

The biggest lesson I learned? I don't miss it. I was worried that I might. I gave up my high school choir position years ago to raise my family, and I haven't had a chance to be back and see what I had lost. And after 14 1/2 years, it's easy to forget that it was a struggle. I did have the respect of my students, and things weren't as difficult on a daily basis as they were yesterday, but no. I don't miss it.

p.s. one more thing....

It won't matter that I said, "Kelly is a better pianist than me. He's amazingly talented. Do you know how lucky you are?" What the kids will remember is that I also said, "He may be more talented than me, but I'm taller."

Interjection!

Woo Hoo!

Esther's coming, too!

(to Las Vegas, that is)

Sweet Silver Lining

I'm going home
Downhearted and hoping
I'm close to some new beginning
I know
There's a reason for everything
That comes and goes

But so many people are looking to me
To be strong and to fight
But I'm just surviving
I may be weak but I'm never defeated
And I'll keep believing
In clouds with that sweet silver lining

Most days I try my best to put on a brave face
But inside
My bones are cold and my heart breaks
But all the while
Somethings keeping me safe
And alive

Chorus
I won't give up like this
I will be given strength
And now that I've found it
Nothing can take that away

363 Minutes

That's how long it takes, accordingly to Google map, with a specific start point and a general finish point, to get to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Why does this matter?

In a little more than two weeks, I'm going to be throwing all of my kids into my van (I hope they land softly) and driving to Las Vegas. And since Rachael and I have been trying to plan a vacation together for a couple of years now, and apparently all the planets are aligning ever so nicely, she will also be throwing all of her kids, but into her car, not my van, and driving to Vegas with me. We might even let our husbands come along.

I have hotel reservations, and tickets for "Jersey Boys" (yes, I enjoyed it that much!), money for gas and food set aside, and a preliminary packing list floating around in my head. I've chosen a couple of books on CD for my family to listen to while we're driving (The Edge Chronicles, book one: Beyond the Deep Woods, and Magyk) as well as new music for our Road Trip playlist (Here Comes Science!) My children have been told and have been asking if Jacob and Drew are going to ride with us (I said, "No").

It's not like I'm anxious to get away from my current life, but...I think I'm anxious to get away from my current life for a little while. I just want to take my family with me this time.

And so, in 18 days the Rogers' family will be singing "Viva Las Vegas", and taking off for a weekend of driving, swimming, miniature golf and good old "Are We There Yet?"

*sigh*

About a month ago Sarah was asked to sing in Sacrament Meeting. Being a teenager, and my daughter, she left choosing a song, or even remembering that she was supposed to sing, until the last minute; that minute being when they called to ask her what she would be singing. That was last night.

I was sitting in my room, which is right by the phone she answered, and when she asked what she should sing, David said, "Popcorn popping on the apricot tree" and I said, "I'm trying to be like Jesus". Guess which one she chose.

We didn't run through it until this morning (good thing church doesn't start until 11:30), and when she started singing it, Ella came into the living room and started singing with her. Ella informs us that she knows this song because they sing it in primary. We asked Ella if she wanted to sing with her big sister in church, and to my great surprise she said 'yes'.

Of course, once we were sitting in Sacrament Meeting, and the reality of having to stand at the pulpit was ever closer, Ella changed her mind, telling me that she was too nervous. I wasn't shocked and disappointed, this was pretty much what I expected from my youngest. Still, when it was time for Sarah to go sing, I looked over at Ella one more time and asked her again. And she came up with me!

The bishopric looked very pleased by this development and quickly pulled out the block for her to stand on. Once the music started, she didn't look up from the podium, and she sang very softly, but she did sing! For my extremely shy little girl, this is a huge deal!

Call me happy mommy...*sigh*

Bits and Pieces

GOOD NEWS

Sarah got a lead in her school musical! For those who haven't already heard, my darling Sarah is going to be playing Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical at her Junior High School. There was much celebrating at my house the day we found out. Sarah had originally auditioned to play a supporting character role, Maisy, but I think we're all okay with the change. I know she is.

It seems that a lot of the good news in our family centers around Sarah today. Not only does rehearsal for the school musical start today, but she also starts at her new ballet studio, Utah Dance Artists as well. We're very excited for this change.

NEW BEGINNINGS

All the kids have now started school. Sarah, Ben and Josh started two weeks ago, and Ella started last week. Everything seems to be going well for them (especially Sarah), and I think we'll be okay once we figure out the "protocols" at this new school. And if all else fails, I can get extra homework from Auntie Esther for Joshua, and maybe Benjamin, too. (Hey Esther! Can I get that extra homework from you?)

Ella went to kindergarten with a great deal of enthusiasm and came home bored. Yep, she's bored. I guess not all of the kids know all of their letters, letter sounds, numbers, number order, shapes, colors, and sorting, not to mention rudimentary reading. Maybe I'll need some of that extra homework for Ella, too. (Hey Esther! Do you know anyone who can give me extra homework for Ella?)

BEGINNING TO THINK

I'm beginning to think that I'm a hard to please mother. But that's not all that true. I was thinking random thought after the ball game on Saturday night and I started pondering on my accomplishments. I went through my degree, books I've read, projects I've finished, shows I've done, things I've learned and I realized that my favorite (and therefore best) accomplishment, the one that really shows what kind of a person I am and what I want from life is this: all four of my children know all the words to "Bohemian Rhapsody".

David and I are looking at options, and we're thinking we might be in this situation (living with his folks) for longer than we'd originally planned on, or hoped for. Still, there are worse places to be: homeless, camping out in Coalville, homeless. And while it's not our home and we can't always do things our way, there are things to be learned while we're here. I haven't figured them out yet, but I know they're there.

THINKING ABOUT STUFF

I need a project! My knitting project is almost finished (53 more rows) and if I don't have a project in my hands, not only will I go crazy, but I won't be able to justify sitting on my butt watching way too much Buffy, Eureka, Gilmore Girls and Doctor Who. Any suggestions? Keeping in mind that I don't have a lot of space to work, which eliminates quilting, which makes me very sad, it should be small, easily transportable, not too expensive, possibly to give away, and not require too many tools I don't have or that I do have, but are in storage. Hmmm.

I just finished listening to "Because of Winn Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo. It was a really great book! There's a party at the end of the book, where all the characters come together to sing and eat egg salad and pickles, and it got me thinking that I miss my friends and want to get a party together. Maybe a girls' Saturday or a picnic, or a trip up the canyons (when the leaves turn). Anyone interested?

STUFF TO CONSIDER

I sing with the Sterling Singers, and we have a Patriotic Concert coming up this weekend. September 11 and 12, 7:30 p.m. at the Granite Tabernacle. It should be pretty amazing. We did a run through (sort of) on Sunday, and even the music teacher in me was pretty impressed with how good the choir is sounding. And the narration, mostly written by Alan Mangum is amazing! It's very stirring, and Alan is a great reader. (I first met him when we did "A Spring to Remember" together at Hale Centre Theatre.)

CONSIDER THE GOOD

All in all, life is pretty good right now. I know that things are hard, but they just could be so much worse that I have to be grateful for everything little thing that goes right in my life. I'm not homeless, I'm fairly healthy, David is also fairly healthy, the kids are mostly happy, school has started, there's always music someplace in my head, and best of all, I have David and my kids right here with me (well, not right now, school and stuff...).

And really, the fact that my van's shadow, when driving west in the morning and east in the evening looks like Shrek is just a bonus...

Question

Since when is it considered liberal propaganda to show a video of the President of the United States talking about service?

Sad

For weeks, well, pretty much ever since we moved, Ella has been praying for David to get a new job. Just the other night she elaborated on that thought with me, telling me, "Daddy needs to get a job so we can get our house before someone else gets it."

David and I talked, and yes, she hasn't understood that our house is sold. She thinks we are living here because David lost his job, and not because we were selling our house. *sigh*

Today David took Ella with him when he went to pick Sarah up from her friends house in our old neighborhood. They drove by the old place, and Ella wanted to go in. At this point David tells her that we can't because someone else lives there now.

She finally got it.

And then she cried herself to sleep in the big chair.

I think we're all a little sad today.

New York from my cell phone

I got a new phone and a new plan just before I left for New York. I love my new phone! For one thing, it's purple, and although that's probably the biggest reason, I also love it because I have unlimited calls to David, it takes great pictures, and...it's purple! Did I already say that? I must really love that it's purple.

I wasn't planning on using my phone as much as I did, but since calls to David were free, well, I called him a lot! And then I started taking pictures of where I was and sending them to the kids as sort of a travel itinerary. (Disclaimer: the following are not all of my cell phone pictures, I only uploaded the ones that weren't repeated by one of my sister's cameras)

New York Cheesecake. David makes a killer cheesecake, but I have to admit, I ate some of the best cheesecake I've ever tasted in my life on this vacation. It was rich, and creamy, aged just right, the flavors blending perfectly together. Our favorite place to get cheesecake is called the Magnolia Bakery. I strongly recommend it.

Fireworks over the Hudson River. Both of my sisters took many, many pictures of the fireworks, but I like how this picture turned out. We waited in the middle of 42nd street, literally sitting in the middle of the street, with thousands of other people, for about 2 1/2 hours. Were the fireworks worth it? Yes! We were blocked by the buildings, but there were fireworks all up and down the river. In this picture you can see just a little of what the buildings blocked. The best part? Having my kids watch the show on tv and try to see me in the crowd.

What would a trip to New York be without going to FAO Schwarz? Well, I'll tell you. A trip not made by a mother or auntie. My brother Seth did "Big" the summer of '08 at Hale, and the kids loved the idea of the big piano. It was here that all the parents left their older kids to play while they went shopping. In other words, I didn't get to play it!

Remember "Night at the Museum"? They actually sell copies of that movie in the Museum of Natural History. Josh wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up, and so this picture of me with the Tyrannosaurus Rex was just for him. This museum is huge, and we didn't allow ourselves enough time to see the whole thing. I guess I'll have to go back. Darn it!

We did allow ourselves enough time in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Once again, I strongly recommend visiting here if you ever go to New York. The admission is free, although a donation is suggested, and the lines are incredibly long, but once inside, it's just amazing. My sisters took lots of pictures, but this is the one I sent to Sarah. Degas is her favorite artist, I think it has something to do with his subject matter *grin*, and she was very jealous.

Our last full day in New York we went to see the Statue of Liberty. Once again, my sisters took tons of pictures, and truthfully, I did, too, but for the sake of the length of this blog, I'll just have to post them another day. Ellis Island was amazing, and we all wished that we had started here instead of at the Statue Museum. Imagine selling everything, quitting your job, leaving all friends, and coming to America. Your first stop is Ellis Island. For most of the immigrants this story has a good ending: they got to come to America. But for a small percentage, for one reason or another, they were sent back. I suppose the good news is that the US paid their way back...to no job, and no house, with all the rest of their family in the US...wow.

That's a quick overview, and not a very good one of my trip this summer. The good news (or the bad news, depending on how it's looked at) is that I have lots more pictures and lots more words all about my trip. It's a city that full of things to see and things to say...like..."tell all the gang at 42nd street that I will soon be there!"

Back in the land of the Bloggers

I've not been a good blogger this summer. I think that statement deserves a huge "duh!". Still, there are times in life when sharing is just not an option. This summer has been that time for me. I'm not sure if I'll try to catch everyone up, or just blog about New York (probably that option), but I am going to try harder to be a good blogging friend.

The kids are off to school today. *sigh* Sarah started ninth grade with a schedule snafu that has her out of 9th grade mixed chorus and into something else (I hope it's not dummy choir). David took her up there, and tried to fix things, but because she has so many one period only classes, this is what has to happen.

Ben and Josh started at a new school today, and for the first time ever, David walked them to school for their first day. In fact, since they started Kindergarten, neither of us has taken them to school for the first day...that is a preschool privilege only. But, it's a new school, and there was no open house, and both of them were feeling a little apprehensive and a lot excited. I love that my kids love school! I think they were more excited for school to start than I was. Is that even possible?

Oh we go into the wild, blue yonder!

Tomorrow we leave! I can't believe how excited I am.

Well, excited and scared.

Saturday!

One Day at a Time

My life has taken some difficult turns in the last few months. Nothings gone the way I'd planned. Yes, there is a song there, and if you know "Romance, Romance" at all you might recognize it (I know Kate knows!). Still, I have to rely on my belief that what the Lord has planned for me is better than what I had planned for myself.

Imagine how difficult this would be if David and I had not already put our house on the market. Or if the house had sold back in January and we were already making new (not improved, but probably higher) payments.

Imagine if we had to start planning to move now, trying to get everything packed up, and find a place to live, with the added pressure of no current employment.

Imagine if my longtime friend Kelly hadn't convinced me that the time was ripe for me to be looking for a teaching position again. Imagine if I had just started that process when David lost his job.

Imagine what I would have been feeling if David and I had not been attending the temple, fasting and praying about all these questions all along.

Yes, my life is hard right now. But, I can see the Lord's hand guiding us all along the way, over this very treacherous and affliction filled path. It's not over yet, and truthfully, I'm not certain I've found the tunnel, much less the light at the end of the tunnel, but if I take it one day at a time, with the Lord's help, my life will be better when this is all over.

End of School Bragging Rights

School ended for my kids on Friday (quite a day, that Friday) and my boys came home with stacks of awards. In an effort to do something positive for myself, I'm going to take a few minutes and brag about my boys.

A few weeks ago we found out that Ben has read more minutes than any other student in the entire school: 82,775 minutes for the school year. Go ahead, figure out how many hours that is. It's a lot. And I must acknowledge that his teacher let him read during the school day. How else could Ben have read that much?

In addition to the reading award, Ben received a "Cub of the Month" for April, a Pride award for achieving all A's and excellent citizenship, a Math Olympiad patch for 8 or more points on said test, and a Certificate of Outstanding Performance on the Iowa Tests for language, core total and total composite. I am a proud mama.

Joshua came home with his certificates edged with pink frosting (typical boy, he shoves everything in his backpack). He received a Math Olympiad certificate, a Pride award for achieving excellent citizenship, a Cub of the Month award for November, a Cub Award (given for completing a predetermined set of learning experiences and achievements), and was schools top point earner for the Accelerated Reader program (with 220 points, AR quizzes are his life).

Both my boys had straight a's and 5's for the last trimester. Maybe I've done something right for these kids. They love learning, they love reading, they love school...how many kids wake up early excited because they are taking CRT's that day?

Congratulations, Boys! I love you!

I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself...

But more about that later.

I was reading past blogs with Sarah leaning over my shoulder (it's annoying, I know, but after 13 1/2 years of it I've kind of gotten used to it). Ella is leaning on my chair, so I guess she's learning her habits from her big sister.

Anyway,

We were reading past blogs and I realized that I never posted what all those songs were. Sarah doesn't know them all, but David did, which considering that several of them are from PBS Kids is pretty good.

Here goes:
The first two are from my current show "Utahoma!" which is a spoof of "Oklahoma!" which Sarah just informed me is a way cool show. Think, "The Farmer and the Cowman" and the title song, "Oklahoma!".

"Happiness" from "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"
"Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp
Opening theme from Curious George (PBS Kids)
Opening theme from Arthur (also PBS Kids)
Library song from Arthur " "
"Don't Cry Out Loud" sung by Melissa Manchester
"Walk Like a Man" by Franki Valli and the Four Seasons

(I'm leaving for New York in 24 days, during which vacation I get to see "Jersey Boys". Sarah just sighed in jealousy. Niener, niener.)

Little did I know

Earlier this week I asked myself (and David and my mom) a philosophical question:

If Heavenly Father knows my limits, and my life is still crap, does that mean I'm stronger than I think I am?

Since that time I have:
come down with the flu
had three kids be sick
shown my house with no warning (which means it was a disaster)

and the best one of all:
David got laid off yesterday.

After 16 1/2 years with the same company, they gave him 2 weeks severance and an hour or so to collect his things.

My life just went from crap to whatever comes after that.

Uncertain

Life is a mess right now.

I've not kept up on my posts. I've not read as much as usual (only four books this week!). I'm behind on the laundry. I'm not willing to exercise this mornings (or yesterday for that matter). I don't want to do anything but stay in bed and sulk...well, maybe watch PBS Kids with Ella.

When did everything get so hard?

Again at the Zoo

Just for Auntie Esther.

Oh What A Beautiful Morning!

The sun is shining, my kids are happy, the boys have the day off of school: I am ready to work, play, party, you name it!

In fact, I am so happy this morning, that random (really random) music is running through my head.

i.e. Oh the Cougar and the Ute they should be friends.

We're talking Uuuuuuuuuuut-tahoma, all the pioneers who came to stay.

Happiness is finding a pencil, pizza with sausage, telling the time.

Here's a little ditty, 'bout Jack and Diane.

When you're curious, like Curious George!

Everyday when you're walking down the street, everybody that you meet, has an original point of view.

Having fun isn't hard, when you've got a library card.

Don't cry out loud! Just keep it inside, learn how to hide your feelings.

Walk like a man, talk like a man, walk like a man my son.


Hmmmm. I think I should just end with "rattlesnake, hockey puck, monkey, monkey, underpants".

(Extra points if you can name all of those songs!)

Ella's View

Leatherby's is a fun place. Don't ya'll agree?

Esther, I chose the better pictures of you, and added a couple of others that Ella took. Don't worry, I probably won't post the really funny ones.

A Pictoral Walk

Ella's Preschool Graduation was on Friday. She wasn't the least bit excited to be wearing a new yellow bug dress that Grandma Barney made for her.

Well, I guess she was a little bit excited, maybe...

One of her favorite cousins, Jacob, is in the same class as she is. They are just calm and relaxed before the ceremony starts.

Or maybe not...

Each student is introduced as they walk out. Aren't the hats cute!

Ella knew all of the songs, all of the actions, and did both with lots of gusto!

When the students sang "God Bless America", they got to wave flags. (A note of interest (or not): Sarah did this same program many, many years ago and the little boy who was behind her kept knocking her hat off with his flag. She spent more time trying to keep it on than waving her own flag.)

Ella wants to be an astronaut when she grows up. Jacob wants to be a dad. Awwwww!

Grandma and Grandpa Rogers braved the crowds and the parking to be at the ceremony. Ella can do no wrong in their eyes.

Post graduation party, the family went to Leatherby's (duh.). Joshua ordered a Daddy Dave's banana split.

Ella tells me she is freezing, but she won't quit eating her ice cream. Well, of course, she has her favorites; orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream.

Jacob has a milkshake, which he finished. He also finished part of his dad's milkshake and his grandpa's french fries. He must be growing.

Joshua has finished his banana split, much to the delight of his grandparents who are laughing at me and my grocery bill.

Jacob is happy to be with his dad (this picture is posted especially for Rachael).

Ella is tired, it must be time to go home.

Coming soon: Ella's view of Auntie Esther at Leatherby's

My Ears Didn't Bleed

David and I went to Ben's elementary school concert yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised that there weren't that many out of tune notes, the audience (4th, 5th and 6th graders)were incredibly well behaved, and we were out of there in an hour. Yeah!

Hobey Ho! Let's Go!

Pendragon #10, The Soldiers of Halla, came out today. I have ordered it online for Benjamin, but decided I couldn't wait until he finished it before I read it. So, I stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a copy for myself, but they didn't have any (or any Pendragon books at all!) and so I dragged Ella down to Barnes and Noble and paid full price for it there.

I'm six chapters into it already.

It's worth it.

Happy (belated) Mother's Day!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Good: Ben is Cub of the Month for April (funny how they announce that the first week of May)

Bad: My house is still on the market, and apparently there's been a lull. (A lull! What the heck does that mean for me?)

Ugly: David scraped all the caulking out of our shower last night, but didn't have enough time to get it re-caulked. (The Ugly is me this morning, with no shower.)

Sigh

Well, the dryer still doesn't work, but that doesn't stop the laundry from piling up.

Good thing it's warmer these days, I guess I'll be hanging laundry today.

Things Come in Threes

1. My refrigerator broke down a few months ago. The repairman told me he could fix it, but it would cost more to fix it than it would to buy a new one. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford a new one, fortunately David's sister had an extra one sitting in her basement apartment.

2. The dryer quit heating up three days ago. Unfortunately, I wasn't finished with the laundry yet. Fortunately, I had finished three out of five loads. (The fourth load was in the washing machine and got hung up on the railing and throughout the bathrooms in my house.)

3. Ben broke the blinds in his room yesterday. I remember exactly why I had curtains in their room and not blinds in the first place. Unfortunately, because the house is still on the market, we have to replace those blinds asap. Fortunately, they weren't that expensive, and I have a Lowe's card.

I'm done now, right?

p.s. David gave fixing the dryer a shot. I'll be putting a load into dry in a couple of hours. Wish me luck!

The night Max wore his wolf suit...

SRE

When you are five years old, and a girl amongst many boy cousins (many, many boy cousins) things get easily blown out of proportion.

Say you and your favorite cousin are playing with a broom. He has it, you want it, so you grab it, but he doesn't want to give it up, so he grabs it back. In this process, you get pushed or knocked or something that feels like a hit.

What do you do? Well, I suppose you cry. And cry, and cry, and cry, until your mother has to send you to the living room in order to calm down.

Once you're in the living room, you stop crying and start thinking about what happened. And you write a note to your favorite cousin. It says, "SRE".

C'mon, sound it out.

Sssssss-(a)R-Eeeeeee

Auntie Shauna was the one who thought enough like a five year old to figure it out. I, for one, was staring at it blankly.

It said, "Sorry"

My Happiness Playlist

Happiness - You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Simple Song - Bernstein's Mass
How Beautiful - Twila Paris, performed by the Sterling Singers
I Can Only Imagine - Mercy Me
The Hand Song - Nickel Creek
Waitin' For the Light to Shine - Big River
Love Divine All Loves Excelling - per. by the Sterling Singers
Rainbow Connection - Kermit the Frog
No One is Alone - Into the Woods
A Child's Prayer - Tabernacle Choir
Children of Eden - Children of Eden
Nessun Dorma - Luciano Pavarotti
The Impossible Dream - Man of La Mancha
For Good - Wicked
The Echo of His Love - Patti Rogers/Kelly DeHaan
Some Things are Meant to Be - Little Women
Angel - Sarah McLachlan
Meadowlark - Joanne O'Brien
Variation 18: Andante Cantabile - Sergei Rachmaninov
I'm Going to Go Back There Someday - The Great Gonzo
Unusual Way - Brian d'Arcy James
Fields of Gold - Sting

And there it is

I hate me when I'm feeling sorry for myself. That cycle of "poor me" is a horrible thing, and it's hard to break. But, I indulge myself anyway. And it's been a particularly difficult month.

I got a wake up call last night.

I have a student who I haven't seen in about three weeks. He hasn't called and hasn't come. I heard a while back that his mother was ill, and I figured his extended absence had something to do with that. After all, why would he just miss lessons when State Solo/Ensemble festival is this Saturday.

Last night he called me to apologize for having missed these lessons and for not calling me. He knew it would be annoying to not hear from a student. He took all the blame for his actions, and then told me, "I don't know if you had heard, but my mom died."

Um...

What is there to say?

Just when you think...

I've been feeling down lately.

Really down.

And just when I was thinking that dreams never come true, that people over 35 can't make a difference anywhere, I watched this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

It's worth the 7 minutes. I promise.

A Shout Out

It was great seeing so many old friends last night! I'm grateful for your friendship, and I hope it continues for a long time yet to come.

BTW, I'm awfully glad that I'm not the one who has to cast any of these upcoming shows. I don't think I could decide.

Ah! Memories!

Some of my favorite high school memories involve all the times that Carrie and I carved out 6 hours (usually at a sleepover) to watch "Anne of Green Gables" and "Anne of Avonlea". We couldn't just watch the first part, because "the kiss" happens right at the end of the 6 hours. Such a romantic movie, and clean, too. Why did I not think of this movie when I was watching movies with Sarah?

Yesterday I put in "Anne of Green Gables" while my family went to dinner at my mom's house (I was home sick). Yes, Sarah came home and watched it with me.

She laughed when Ruby Gillis has her freak out (She's drowned and we're murderers!).
She got irritated at Josie Pye (That Gilbert Blythe is such a rake!).
She chuckled at Anne's snappy comebacks (Fishing for lake trout.).
She cried when Matthew dies (I never wanted a boy...I only wanted you from the first day.).

And when the movie ended at 8:30 and I wouldn't let her start the second part, she tried bargaining with me ("It'll be over by 11:30...please?!").

Truly, this is one of the most romantic six hours a young girl can spend, right up there with "Pride and Prejudice" (the Colin Firth edition). I just wish I hadn't packed away the "Anne of Avonlea" disc. Does anyone have one I could borrow? Sarah hasn't seen "the kiss" yet.

spoiler alert

Joshua is reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. He started reading the Harry Potter series when he was in first grade (three years ago) and has finally worked his way through it. It's a big accomplishment and I'm incredibly proud of him. However, every once in a while Joshua gets on his little soap box and says how annoyed he is at the kids in his class that started with book six, skipping the first five because they had seen the movies. These same kids have spoiled the end for him, in several ways, but he figures he'll read it anyway.

When Hedwig gets killed right at the beginning, Josh came up to me, with tears in his eyes and asked, "Are they going to bring Hedwig back to life?" I had to tell him no. And I started worrying, because things only get worse from there.

Last night I was noticing how much he's read in the last two days and realized that he was coming up on the scene at the Malfoy's Mansion. I braced myself and I warned David. Sure enough, 45 minutes later, Joshua comes into my room with tears streaming down his face, crumpled in disbelief. I guess nobody warned him that Dobby dies.

We should put the book in the freezer.

I am this Self Centered...

why I hate this weather

I got a cold 12 (yes, that says 12!) days ago, and I haven't been able to shake it;

Add to that a headache that has been constant since Monday morning;

And my feet have been freezing since Monday as well.

I blame it all on the snow and the stupid barometer.

Good Idea, Bad Idea

Snow in December?

Good Idea.

Snow in March?

Bad Idea...but typical for stupid weather in Utah.

These Mashed Potatoes Are So Creamy

Sarah and I have been watching a plethora of romantic comedies lately. Everything from "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" and "Can't Buy Me Love" to "A Walk To Remember " (which, in truth, really isn't a romantic comedy, but oh well) and "While You Were Sleeping".

We have officially run out of movies to watch and have no idea what to watch next (hence the 10 episodes of Gilmore Girls).

As I was slowly waking up this morning I thought, "maybe the wonderful online community that I have been so blithely ignoring could help me out."

Please, please, please (even though I've been a terrible online friend lately) tell me what you're ultimate favorite romantic comedies are. Hopefully there will be enough different ones to keep Sarah and I going to a couple of months.

Fast talking is a way of life

Season 6 episode 13

The best Friday night dinner...ever.

I've been ignoring my online community...

...and my offline one as well.

I had 147 messages in my Juno account this morning.

There are 167 messages in my gmail inbox.

Even my msn account, which I never use and never give out has 9. (The only person that uses that account is David, so I know when there's a message there, it's from my hubby, so nine is kind of a big number...it means I've been ignoring him, too.)

I have 20 or so books that I haven't added to my Goodreads list. (You all know I read Nora Roberts when I'm depressed, right?)

On the other hand, I watched 10 episodes of Gilmore Girls yesterday.

There are no words

Sarah and I were sitting in the lobby of the library. I was on the phone talking to David, she was looking at the bulletin board behind me. When I finished my phone call, she said to me, "I know that girl." My first thought was an audition notice with a picture, or an announcement for a show with a picture, or something benign like that. No, it was a missing child notice.

Happiness is Whose Line is it Anyway

Because everyone deserves a laugh...

Good Grief!

I feel like Charlie Brown today.

Possibly the funnest tag ever...or maybe the most stressful!

The funnest tag ever!

Here's how it works: The first five people to leave me a comment get something made by me just for them. It can be anything I want, I get to choose. It can be silly or serious, edible or not, but don't plan on anything alive. There are a few rules involved (aren't there always?):

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It will be done sometime this year (Don't expect grand things if it takes a long time. I'm just lazy!).
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. (The choice is mine! --insert evil laugh here--)
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange and/or silly.

The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they've posted on their blog win a hand made, super creative, possibly lovely whatever in the heck I decide! Be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

(yes, I copied and pasted directly from Shauna' blog...I'm that lazy right now.)

Last night Sarah went with her ballet studio to see "Madame Butterfly" performed by Ballet West. (Yes, I'm jealous.) She started getting ready at 4:00, doing her hair special, pressing all her clothes, dressing very nicely, even a touch of makeup...she looked fabulous! She wore a magenta chiangsam as a shirt, with a black, fairly narrow, split skirt underneath, and her magenta stripped shoes. In my opinion, a perfect outfit to go to a ballet.

Her ride showed up in jeans, a knit blouse, and flip flops.

Granted, it was only a dress rehearsal. Still, the teachers had told them "No jeans". And it was at the Capitol Theatre.

This got me thinking...whatever happened to our formality? Why have we descended to this place of increasing casualness? And not just in our dress, but in our manners and, sadly enough, our ethics.

While I wouldn't want my husband to have to wear a suit coat and tie to a ball game, and I, for sure, can't see myself vacuuming the house in pumps and pearls, there is something to be said for a more formal society. A society where things, and people, are respected. We've lost all of that. There is very little respect for very important things out there.

A case in point: David and I went to a wedding at the Salt Lake Temple in January. As we were walking to the marriage waiting room, we passed a young lady walking the other direction who was wearing a knit mini dress with leggings.

Draw your own conclusion.

I think our society would benefit greatly by a return to a more formal time. Maybe we would gain a little respect; for ourselves, our families, our friends, and yes, even our country.

note for Rachael: she cried, because she kept thinking (even though she said she tried not to), "He's not going to have a mommy!"

I can see clearly now, the pain is gone...

Yes, I'm feeling much better this morning.

When the doctor said two weeks without painkillers and caffeine, I knew it would be a challenge, but I didn't realize just how much pain would be involved. In other words, I was more tempted yesterday to take Tylenol than I ever have been in my entire life. But, I didn't. I remembered what the doctor said, and I was good.

Then my dad came over and he and David gave me a blessing.

And today...well...I feel better. Which is a good thing, because it's Ella's birthday and I've promised her lots of time together.

Anyway, I've made it through the first week. And, I have great hopes for the second.

scripture

Mark 9:23-24

Look it up.

Trust me.

The Low Down

I am caught in a cycle of tension/headache/medication/withdrawal/headache/tension/headache...get the picture?

In other words, the doctor has informed me that I need to go two weeks without Tylenol, or any type of painkiller. And in addition to that, I can't have any caffeine, in any form, for the same length of time. That means, my favorite migraine buster: Tylenol and Coke, is a no-no. It also means my favorite mood lifter, chocolate in any form, is off limits as well.

This kind of sucks.

I'm looking forward to the end of the two weeks when, hopefully, my raging headaches will be under control. I know that it all started when I quit having massages because my life got too hectic to schedule them. (That'll teach me!) Thank goodness we have a massage therapist in the family, who is willing to work for a steeply discounted rate. I think that is what is going to make the next two weeks bearable. That and a lot of prayers.

Esther told a story on Sunday that I can in no way do justice to, but of course I'm going to try: a bunch of girls from her ward were talking about what they use for headaches and pain, and one of the girls answered, "I'm on the priesthood." Yes, we all laughed. But truthfully, that's what I'm going to need the next two weeks. Good thing I've got David around (I think I'll keep him).

In addition to the headaches, I've been experiencing a lot of vertigo, which makes it hard to sit at the computer (which is a bummer), or even the piano (which is a huge problem), and has contributed to the headache issue. Well, that's just an ear infection.

So...I'm sick (and tired!), I haven't got time for the pain (sorry, bad song joke), and I'm really pretty happy. In my opinion, life is good, no matter what. And besides,

The Best is Yet to Come!

A new leaf

When I woke up this morning without a headache, my first thought was, "WooHoo!" And my second, "I miss blogging."

It's interesting how much a year of blogging every day effected me. It was one of the first things I did nearly every morning for an entire year. It started my day off with routine, which, when there are four children involved is a good thing. It made me think of my life in different terms: I had to be clever...right? It kept me in touch with friends who also have blogs (I'm ashamed to admit I haven't read any one's blog in a week or more.).

In other words, I've got to blog more often. It's easy to say, "everyday", and I'm pretty sure I could do it. But I'm not certain I want to. "More often" is lame, and will eventually become what it has been; "hardly ever". I'm going to have to spend some time thinking about this.

Other things I need to do more often:
Compose
vacuum *sigh*
make cookies
ride my bike
sew
craft (any sort)

Bits and Pieces

God Bless America

Today we get a new President. I have to admit that although I didn't vote for him, I'm excited for today. I'm excited to see what he can do. And I'm hoping I can be patient for it. Ever since the election, I've been hearing the news people talk about transition of power, and it is a truly amazing thing. Today George W. Bush will simply walk away from the position of President and Barak Obama will take over (amid a huge amount of pomp and ceremony). No matter what issues a person might have with the United States of America, today is a pretty cool day.

Mill Hollow has rocks

We had a lesson on the offices of the Aaronic Priesthood last night. Everything was going well, we had sung Scripture Power, had a prayer, learned what deacons, teachers, and priests responsibilities are, and David had asked the boys if they were excited to receive the Priesthood. Benjamin answered, "yes", but Joshua was not so certain. He was worried about passing the sacrament. How was he to learn where to go? I told him, "Don't worry, they'll teach you the formations." Benjamin said, "Mill Hollow has rocks..."

The Best is Yet to Come

I've been panicking because I lost three students in a month (all for financial reasons...yes, the recession has arrived at my house). There's not a lot I can do about it, but tighten our belts and budget really carefully. I can still pay all of my bills, I can still buy groceries, there's just not that money for extras (like going out to eat). David and I have stay-at-home dates, I bake homemade bread a couple of times a week. I'm very grateful to my mom for the 23.5 lb turkey. But through it all I hear Frank Sinatra singing, "The Best is Yet to Come", and yesterday when an old student called and asked if she could take lessons again, I knew that Heavenly Father was watching out for us.

The super amazing Joshua

Here comes the moment when I just have to brag about my child.

Fact: Joshua was being bullied in school.

My solution: request a parent/teacher/principal meeting (which will happen tomorrow morning)

His solution (as told to me by his teacher): Joshua finished his math assignment first, which is not an unusual occurrence and his teacher asked him if he would be willing to help some of the other students. He wandered around for a little bit, giving help here and there (rather like a teacher would), and then headed toward the back table where the bully sits. At this point he asks the bully if he would like some help with his math. The bully accepted his help.

When I asked Joshua about this his response was, "I figured if I helped him, maybe we could get along instead of him bullying me."

Brilliant child!

Thank You, David

New Year

I didn't really make any New Years' Resolutions this year, there's too much upheaval right now to set anything other than 1. I will sell my house and 2. I will buy a new home.

Still, I have found that having a theme for the year really helps me stay focused and keep my sense of humor. A couple of years ago our family theme was "My life may suck, but it's better than yours". See the sense of humor? And that year actually turned out to be pretty great. So, when David and I were talking yesterday we chose a theme, a theme song, and a scripture to go along with it.

Ether 12:4

Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

"The Best is Yet To Come"

the song of the same name, sung by Frank Sinatra

Our thought was that this scripture, along with the chosen theme and song, would keep our minds focused on hope; hope that the house will sell, hope that we will find the right place to move, hope that the children will grow in the gospel, hope that our family will grow together, hope for a better world.

Happy New Year! And don't forget...The Best is Yet to Come!