Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Like them or not, they're talented!
My little brother has succeeded in corrupting me further when he introduced me to Avenged Sevenfold. The first I heard from these young men was Bat Country from their City of Evil album that was released back in 2005. My first impression was that it was a pretty catchy tune, but I didn't expect to hear much more from these guys in the future.
When my little brother decided to pursue playing the guitar around the same time, he was doing really well and had been learning Avenged Sevenfold songs to show off when I came home from college. On our Denver trip earlier this year, him and I decided to play the listening-to-each-others-cd game and he, of course, chose their self-titled album which had come out last year. The point of this story is...
I really like them.
Not everyone will feel the same way, I realize this. But the thing you have to admit, at least, is that they are pretty talented. Synyster Gates (the lead guitarist) has turned out to be quite the powerhouse when it comes to his creative and fast moving solos. M. Shadows is a pretty talented singer, and aside from the occasional screaming in their music, he has some great range and does things with his voice that I didn't expect with this type of band. They are all pretty talented, and I'm just ... impressed.
Now, album music is all fine and good, Felicia. But do you expect us to believe that these guys can actually play live and sound good? Good question. I was sceptical myself. They are pretty darn good live, people. I mean, singing is hard. Especially if you have to sing loud like these guys. Shadows belts it like there's no tomorrow, to be completely honest. And the other guys sing too, so that means there are beautiful harmonies on the album and live. If you know me, you know I love harmonies. They make my heart happy and give me warm fuzzies.
Moral of this story is: like them (the type of music they play, them personally, etc.) or not, these boys are talented! Period. And I just want to thank my little brother for keeping his older sister up-to-date with what the kiddies are listening to these days. Keep in mind, he is 6 years younger than me. I would highly recommend going to youtube and listening to this band, especially Almost Easy, which has a really cool harmony in the bridge.
Tchussy!
When my little brother decided to pursue playing the guitar around the same time, he was doing really well and had been learning Avenged Sevenfold songs to show off when I came home from college. On our Denver trip earlier this year, him and I decided to play the listening-to-each-others-cd game and he, of course, chose their self-titled album which had come out last year. The point of this story is...
I really like them.
Not everyone will feel the same way, I realize this. But the thing you have to admit, at least, is that they are pretty talented. Synyster Gates (the lead guitarist) has turned out to be quite the powerhouse when it comes to his creative and fast moving solos. M. Shadows is a pretty talented singer, and aside from the occasional screaming in their music, he has some great range and does things with his voice that I didn't expect with this type of band. They are all pretty talented, and I'm just ... impressed.
Now, album music is all fine and good, Felicia. But do you expect us to believe that these guys can actually play live and sound good? Good question. I was sceptical myself. They are pretty darn good live, people. I mean, singing is hard. Especially if you have to sing loud like these guys. Shadows belts it like there's no tomorrow, to be completely honest. And the other guys sing too, so that means there are beautiful harmonies on the album and live. If you know me, you know I love harmonies. They make my heart happy and give me warm fuzzies.
Moral of this story is: like them (the type of music they play, them personally, etc.) or not, these boys are talented! Period. And I just want to thank my little brother for keeping his older sister up-to-date with what the kiddies are listening to these days. Keep in mind, he is 6 years younger than me. I would highly recommend going to youtube and listening to this band, especially Almost Easy, which has a really cool harmony in the bridge.
Tchussy!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
a rough draft of a possible story?
"Hello?"
"Hey, Kate?"
"Yeah, who is this?"
"It's Michael. How are you doin'?"
"M-Michael? Wow... I'm good. H-How are you?"
"I'm great, Kate. Listen, I'm moving back to town here in a few days. I was wondering if you might be able to meet somewhere and catch up tonight."
"Oh, sure! Moving back to good ole Franklin, huh? I mean, that sounds great. What did you have in mind?"
"Well, how about we meet at the coffee shop and go from there?"
"That sounds wonderful," Wonderful? Really?! "Uh, what time did you want to meet?"
I could hear that smile in his voice, "How does 6:30 sound? Then we can grab a bite too."
"That sounds great. I'll see you then, Michael."
"Okay, see ya."
Click. In the course of the phone call, I had managed to open every piece of mail on the table. Catching my breath, I began to calm down and absorb who had just called me. Michael. Michael Boyle. I caught the smile on my face in the mirror in the bathroom and quickly removed it while inspecting my appearance. My color was looking a little better, now that the days were getting longer. I had been getting more sun and didn't look quite as pasty. Lack of sleep the last few nights hadn't helped the hint of grayness beneath my eyes, but that was nothing a little makeup couldn't fix.
Oh, who am I kidding? I haven't had a decent nights sleep for years! How can I show my face with Michael...he can see right through my facade.
Remembering back, I could recall every conversation we'd had on the back of his old green Ford pickup. Every crush that had been discussed, every evil teacher out to get us. I had shared everything with Michael. He was my best friend. But I would never have admitted that my heart jumped at the sound of his voice. Or the fact that no one had been able to understand me like he had. Admitting those things would be risking the perfect relationship I'd had with him, and that was not something I was prepared to do. We'd both been interested in history, but differed in my musical endeavors and his defensive spot on the varsity soccer team. After graduation, we had headed off in different directions and continued emailing and calling for weekly updates. Weekly updates changed to monthly, monthly turned to once a semester, and then stopped altogether. There was no "falling out" or disagreement. It was just understood that we were busy and that we would catch up "next week". By the time Ambrose and I had decided on a date to be married, he had moved out of his dorms and his parents said he had moved in with a girlfriend. Not wanting to interrupt, I had just sent his parents an invite, assuming they would inform him, and called it good. Now, after six years of nothing, Michael had tracked down my number to drop back into my life again.
"Hey, Kate?"
"Yeah, who is this?"
"It's Michael. How are you doin'?"
"M-Michael? Wow... I'm good. H-How are you?"
"I'm great, Kate. Listen, I'm moving back to town here in a few days. I was wondering if you might be able to meet somewhere and catch up tonight."
"Oh, sure! Moving back to good ole Franklin, huh? I mean, that sounds great. What did you have in mind?"
"Well, how about we meet at the coffee shop and go from there?"
"That sounds wonderful," Wonderful? Really?! "Uh, what time did you want to meet?"
I could hear that smile in his voice, "How does 6:30 sound? Then we can grab a bite too."
"That sounds great. I'll see you then, Michael."
"Okay, see ya."
Click. In the course of the phone call, I had managed to open every piece of mail on the table. Catching my breath, I began to calm down and absorb who had just called me. Michael. Michael Boyle. I caught the smile on my face in the mirror in the bathroom and quickly removed it while inspecting my appearance. My color was looking a little better, now that the days were getting longer. I had been getting more sun and didn't look quite as pasty. Lack of sleep the last few nights hadn't helped the hint of grayness beneath my eyes, but that was nothing a little makeup couldn't fix.
Oh, who am I kidding? I haven't had a decent nights sleep for years! How can I show my face with Michael...he can see right through my facade.
Remembering back, I could recall every conversation we'd had on the back of his old green Ford pickup. Every crush that had been discussed, every evil teacher out to get us. I had shared everything with Michael. He was my best friend. But I would never have admitted that my heart jumped at the sound of his voice. Or the fact that no one had been able to understand me like he had. Admitting those things would be risking the perfect relationship I'd had with him, and that was not something I was prepared to do. We'd both been interested in history, but differed in my musical endeavors and his defensive spot on the varsity soccer team. After graduation, we had headed off in different directions and continued emailing and calling for weekly updates. Weekly updates changed to monthly, monthly turned to once a semester, and then stopped altogether. There was no "falling out" or disagreement. It was just understood that we were busy and that we would catch up "next week". By the time Ambrose and I had decided on a date to be married, he had moved out of his dorms and his parents said he had moved in with a girlfriend. Not wanting to interrupt, I had just sent his parents an invite, assuming they would inform him, and called it good. Now, after six years of nothing, Michael had tracked down my number to drop back into my life again.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Let's move forward!
"I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.
Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that." -- Sen. John McCain
--
He may not have won, but I was very impressed with his concession speech. It was very eloquent and humble. I have been pretty disappointed in some of my acquaintances these past few days; disappointed in their reactions to the election, disappointed in the hateful remarks I've heard, and disappointed in their inability to act as the United citizens our forefathers dreamed we'd be. I hope and pray that the Lord will help us move on and work towards a better America. We are so lucky to live here and enjoy the freedoms we have.
Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that." -- Sen. John McCain
--
He may not have won, but I was very impressed with his concession speech. It was very eloquent and humble. I have been pretty disappointed in some of my acquaintances these past few days; disappointed in their reactions to the election, disappointed in the hateful remarks I've heard, and disappointed in their inability to act as the United citizens our forefathers dreamed we'd be. I hope and pray that the Lord will help us move on and work towards a better America. We are so lucky to live here and enjoy the freedoms we have.
Monday, October 27, 2008
a close call..
A close friend of ours father (Bart) was involved in a semi rollover on Friday night. I'm unsure of all of the details, but Bart had to swerve to avoid hitting a car (full of scouts, by the way) that had cut in front of him to turn left. He rolled, and because he wasn't wearing his seat belt, was ejected through the windshield. Not wearing his seat belt actually ended up saving his life, because he would've been smashed by his dash had he been in when his truck landed. We went to visit him Saturday and he told us the first thing running through his mind while he truck was swerving out of control:
"Please God. Take my life, but please don't let me kill them.."
Luckily, no one in the other car was injured. They stopped to make sure he was okay and wait for the ambulance. He was life-flighted to a hospital in Salt Lake. It looks like he fractured two ribs, a pretty big gash on his forehead, scrapes and bruises all over, and is having a hard time keeping comfortable (understandably). Cody has known this family (and has pretty much been part of it) since about 5th grade. Remembering Cody's rollover accident back in 2004 was unavoidable.. As we entered Barts hospital room, the first words out of Barts mouth were, "Cody, I don't want to hear it, because I remember seeing you in the same place!"
Bart got us laughing and crying the whole time and I can't help but feel so grateful that his life was preserved. He's got a lot of recovery ahead of him, but he understands how lucky he is. I've become very close to this wonderful man, and I hope to have many more years of his jokes. I love you's were exchanged as we left, and I couldn't help but get teary-eyed just thinking about him. Cody has thought about driving commercial vehicles with Bart, and even though I might warm up to that in the future, Cody said before we left, "Well, Bart, thanks to you I don't think Fe will let me drive one of those rigs.." And I replied instantly, "NOPE!"
Yet another experience to help us realize how fragile life is..
"Please God. Take my life, but please don't let me kill them.."
Luckily, no one in the other car was injured. They stopped to make sure he was okay and wait for the ambulance. He was life-flighted to a hospital in Salt Lake. It looks like he fractured two ribs, a pretty big gash on his forehead, scrapes and bruises all over, and is having a hard time keeping comfortable (understandably). Cody has known this family (and has pretty much been part of it) since about 5th grade. Remembering Cody's rollover accident back in 2004 was unavoidable.. As we entered Barts hospital room, the first words out of Barts mouth were, "Cody, I don't want to hear it, because I remember seeing you in the same place!"
Bart got us laughing and crying the whole time and I can't help but feel so grateful that his life was preserved. He's got a lot of recovery ahead of him, but he understands how lucky he is. I've become very close to this wonderful man, and I hope to have many more years of his jokes. I love you's were exchanged as we left, and I couldn't help but get teary-eyed just thinking about him. Cody has thought about driving commercial vehicles with Bart, and even though I might warm up to that in the future, Cody said before we left, "Well, Bart, thanks to you I don't think Fe will let me drive one of those rigs.." And I replied instantly, "NOPE!"
Yet another experience to help us realize how fragile life is..
Monday, October 13, 2008
update-ish
I guess I should update...It's been a while! Not much has happened recently in my life. The investors came to work a little while ago, so we had to have a clean office and where business casual...blah blah. LOL We should keep the office clean anyway, but wearing business casual was actually pretty fun. I do love hoodies and jeans, but it's nice to play dress-up every once in a while.
We are thinking about selling our house here pretty soon. We want to get into a cheap apartment and save for a down payment on a nicer house for a year or so...But we'll see how that goes. We tried to sell our house around last Thanksgiving, but that didn't go so well. Even if we break even, I'll be happy..I just don't want to lose anything. The problem with our house is that it can't grow with us. If we wanted to add on another bedroom, it just wouldn't work because the property is so small. But living here has been a good experience for us. We had a little debt scare earlier this year, and that taught us to pay better attention to our finances. Cody has gotten a much better job, and since I got a raise, we feel more comfortable with getting a nice house. Preferably in Spanish Fork, but we'll see.
I'm playing the scrapbooking game with my best friend this weekend for a gift for Cody (SHHH!) and I'm so excited! I have a lot of materials, thanks to my job at Xpedx. But I've never had time or the patience to actually sit down and do it. She is beyond excited to help me, so I'm giving her something to look forward to as well.
Even though it's a little boring, I love my life. I am so blessed to live with the things I have, love and be loved by the people in my life. There's always something else I want, but everything is good for now. 4:30 pm and all is well! Slow day at work, obviously...Boss-man is out for a dentist appointment today and there isn't any mail going out. Holiday = lazy day!
Tchussy!
<---spoils from Cody's candy run in the German stores up north!
We are thinking about selling our house here pretty soon. We want to get into a cheap apartment and save for a down payment on a nicer house for a year or so...But we'll see how that goes. We tried to sell our house around last Thanksgiving, but that didn't go so well. Even if we break even, I'll be happy..I just don't want to lose anything. The problem with our house is that it can't grow with us. If we wanted to add on another bedroom, it just wouldn't work because the property is so small. But living here has been a good experience for us. We had a little debt scare earlier this year, and that taught us to pay better attention to our finances. Cody has gotten a much better job, and since I got a raise, we feel more comfortable with getting a nice house. Preferably in Spanish Fork, but we'll see.
I'm playing the scrapbooking game with my best friend this weekend for a gift for Cody (SHHH!) and I'm so excited! I have a lot of materials, thanks to my job at Xpedx. But I've never had time or the patience to actually sit down and do it. She is beyond excited to help me, so I'm giving her something to look forward to as well.
Even though it's a little boring, I love my life. I am so blessed to live with the things I have, love and be loved by the people in my life. There's always something else I want, but everything is good for now. 4:30 pm and all is well! Slow day at work, obviously...Boss-man is out for a dentist appointment today and there isn't any mail going out. Holiday = lazy day!
Tchussy!
<---spoils from Cody's candy run in the German stores up north!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
I love friends..
On Thursday, I got to play with my dear friend Aubrey, who was my maid of honor just over two and a half years ago. It was great! Since she doesn't have a car, I picked her up and we just had a small dinner at Wendy's (high class!), then went back to my house to watch Baby Mama. It was a pretty funny movie, a little better than I thought it would be! During dinner, we got caught up a little and she is so cute! She just graduated and is working at Sears. All of her friends are starting to date boys more seriously, and she is feeling a lot of pressure from them to do the same. She feels that she should just go to school and try to grow up and find herself right now..And I couldn't agree more! Getting married so young, I definitely feel that I missed out on a few experiences that would've helped me mature a little more. But since that ship has already passed, all I can do is give advice to my younger friends. She is definitely not lacking in the physical department; she is very cute and funny. So, when the time comes, I don't think she'll have any problem finding a man to love. But she isn't as "outgoing" as her friends are and she just doesn't feel comfortable getting into it this soon. Her family is from Canada, and she would like to attend a University up there. She isn't sure she's ready to go that far away from home just yet, so she is considering attending a smaller one here, then transferring up there later. I think that's awesome! I just want her to be happy, ya know?! I want her to be able to get out there and have some fun before she settles down. Whatever she does, she knows I'll be here for her. That's all that matters, right? She just needs people to be supportive! Anyway, great night!
I also got to have a date with my Mom, and it was very nice. We went to Applebees, and then went to Mamma Mia. I enjoyed that movie! It wasn't the best movie ever, but I was very entertained! My Mom has always loved ABBA music, so of course she loved it! I didn't end up talking to her about anything...I was hoping that during dinner I'd be able to bring something up. But the opportunity never presented itself, and I just don't know how she is going to react. I love my Mom so much..I just want her to be happy and to know that I love her. I even got teary-eyed during the movie; just thinking about all of the music and memories we have shared together. I think, to get everything out, I need to just write her a letter. I know I should talk to her..but I know I'll start crying, and then she'll start crying. It will be a big mess! I think I will write her a letter. Does that make me a coward? My Dad's talk was a big step for him..Aside from an FHE discussions, he never says things like that. I am the same way. I tell Cody I love him all of the time. But that's because we've always been open like that. If I have a problem with him, that's where I get shy. *sigh* I'll figure it out.
I had a great week. My back has been bugging me, but thanks to my Mom and an ice pack, it should get feeling better soon. It's happened before, my Grandma blames it on soda..but I've really been cutting back on that this month, so with all due respect, I don't think that's the problem. OH! I've been counting calories this week! It just amazes me how much I used to eat! I've been doing pretty well. I went over my goal a few days, but it helps to just pay attention. Since the "health challenge" we had at work in July, I've lost and kept off 5 lbs. It's not a lot, but considering how much physical activity I've taken part in since then...which is NOT MUCH, that's pretty good! Well, I'm going to go watch Friends...Toodles!
Edit: I love Cody so much...Have I ever put that in here? Well, I do! Marriage comes with it's ups and downs, but the ups are so awesome. I just didn't want this post sound negative at all. But, in case it did, that wasn't my intention! :)
I also got to have a date with my Mom, and it was very nice. We went to Applebees, and then went to Mamma Mia. I enjoyed that movie! It wasn't the best movie ever, but I was very entertained! My Mom has always loved ABBA music, so of course she loved it! I didn't end up talking to her about anything...I was hoping that during dinner I'd be able to bring something up. But the opportunity never presented itself, and I just don't know how she is going to react. I love my Mom so much..I just want her to be happy and to know that I love her. I even got teary-eyed during the movie; just thinking about all of the music and memories we have shared together. I think, to get everything out, I need to just write her a letter. I know I should talk to her..but I know I'll start crying, and then she'll start crying. It will be a big mess! I think I will write her a letter. Does that make me a coward? My Dad's talk was a big step for him..Aside from an FHE discussions, he never says things like that. I am the same way. I tell Cody I love him all of the time. But that's because we've always been open like that. If I have a problem with him, that's where I get shy. *sigh* I'll figure it out.
I had a great week. My back has been bugging me, but thanks to my Mom and an ice pack, it should get feeling better soon. It's happened before, my Grandma blames it on soda..but I've really been cutting back on that this month, so with all due respect, I don't think that's the problem. OH! I've been counting calories this week! It just amazes me how much I used to eat! I've been doing pretty well. I went over my goal a few days, but it helps to just pay attention. Since the "health challenge" we had at work in July, I've lost and kept off 5 lbs. It's not a lot, but considering how much physical activity I've taken part in since then...which is NOT MUCH, that's pretty good! Well, I'm going to go watch Friends...Toodles!
Edit: I love Cody so much...Have I ever put that in here? Well, I do! Marriage comes with it's ups and downs, but the ups are so awesome. I just didn't want this post sound negative at all. But, in case it did, that wasn't my intention! :)
Friday, September 5, 2008
rant..
Two Saturdays ago I went to a little family shindig with my parents and little brother. On the way back, we dropped off my Dad so he could bike the rest of the way home (he's recently gotten into the Lance Armstrong-ish thing).. Well, obviously, it took him a while to get home; what with traffic and needing to be at a safe distance from the cars and all. When he got home, before he headed up to take a shower, this is how their conversation went:
Mom: "Did you get a flat tire or something?"
Dad: "Yeah. I did."
Mom: "Oh, I'm sorry about that!"
Dad: .."You're not going to laugh?"
Mom: "No, why would I laugh at that?"
Dad: "Because you did last time that happened to me.."
Mom: "Oh, well I don't know why I would've done that. That would be rude!"
Dad: ..."Well, you did."
Mom: "Well, I'm sorry."
My first reaction was WTF?! .. But then I remembered that I do the exact same thing to Cody sometimes. I'm not perfect, and neither is he. So, when he gets after me for doing something I know he's done before, my first reaction is to remind him that he's done it before. Anyway, the overall mood for the rest of the evening was full of tension and I was really uncomfortable. I came home and listened to how much fun Cody had had with his buddies and when he asked what was wrong, I just started crying. When I explained it to him, he told me that I needed to write them a letter. Then it hit me.
Before I was married, I was effing scared of marriage because of their volatile relationship. Jeremy and I have always been put in the middle of their arguments when they ask, "What did I do wrong?" or "Don't ever act like that with your spouse". That's not fair! So, I did it. I wrote them a letter and this was the just of it: Their relationship isn't my business, but when they involve us and make us feel uncomfortable, it becomes our business. And we don't deserve it. I haven't talked to them about it yet, I was hoping to go out to eat with my Mom tonight and talk about it. But they had already had plans for their date night.
I think I had some other things I wanted to talk about, but because I recalled all of this to memory, I forgot. Thanks for reading my rant..Hopefully the next one will be better!
Mom: "Did you get a flat tire or something?"
Dad: "Yeah. I did."
Mom: "Oh, I'm sorry about that!"
Dad: .."You're not going to laugh?"
Mom: "No, why would I laugh at that?"
Dad: "Because you did last time that happened to me.."
Mom: "Oh, well I don't know why I would've done that. That would be rude!"
Dad: ..."Well, you did."
Mom: "Well, I'm sorry."
My first reaction was WTF?! .. But then I remembered that I do the exact same thing to Cody sometimes. I'm not perfect, and neither is he. So, when he gets after me for doing something I know he's done before, my first reaction is to remind him that he's done it before. Anyway, the overall mood for the rest of the evening was full of tension and I was really uncomfortable. I came home and listened to how much fun Cody had had with his buddies and when he asked what was wrong, I just started crying. When I explained it to him, he told me that I needed to write them a letter. Then it hit me.
Before I was married, I was effing scared of marriage because of their volatile relationship. Jeremy and I have always been put in the middle of their arguments when they ask, "What did I do wrong?" or "Don't ever act like that with your spouse". That's not fair! So, I did it. I wrote them a letter and this was the just of it: Their relationship isn't my business, but when they involve us and make us feel uncomfortable, it becomes our business. And we don't deserve it. I haven't talked to them about it yet, I was hoping to go out to eat with my Mom tonight and talk about it. But they had already had plans for their date night.
I think I had some other things I wanted to talk about, but because I recalled all of this to memory, I forgot. Thanks for reading my rant..Hopefully the next one will be better!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Pikes Peak
At the summit, a blind man is purchasing a book with photos of the Pikes Peak train ride. I listen as the sales associate describes to him what is inside and my heart sinks. I assume he is buying it for the enjoyment of family and friends. Thinking of those who couldn't be with him on this trip; while his loyal companion waits patiently at his feet.
I've never been so grateful for my camera, snapping photo after photo of the breathtaking view atop this giant. It's hard, but I close my eyes. I touch the wet granite, smell the fog and rain, and taste the moist air. I open my eyes to find Cody heading toward the edge.
"I don't want my husband to be the first casualty in the history of this ride!" He laughs, and when he takes my hand, I follow him. Our fingers intertwined and I ease my way down finding it easier to scale than I had thought.
I snap a photo of a rain puddle in the rocks and I can feel the flood begin. Visions of my beautiful life..my wedding, my nephews, sunrise by the ocean, the first snowfall, his eyes. Where would I be if I couldn't see all of this?
The rain has started up again and, thanks to my lack of makeup, I welcome the tiny droplets on my face and eyelashes. It's so cold up here, nearly a 50 degree difference, but it's refreshing. The littlest effort results in short breath, the air is so thin here.
Hearing the horn, we turn toward the train. The most vibrant rainbow I've ever seen reveals itself from behind the safety of the clouds and fog. My fingers are frozen as I capture the last few glimpses of landscape. I look up to find the blind man being assisted back to his seat. Cody is chatting with our new friends as we make the steep decline back to Manitou Springs. Places to see in our native states are being exchanged, increasing my desire to head out east to explore. Annapolis, Chesapeak Bay, ghost tours in Frederick, Appalachian Mountains. One of the girls, is moving out west for a job. What is fun to do out in Utah? Temple Square, Zions National Park, Park City, Moab. East coast: history. West coast: national parks.
My hand is cramping as I hastly record my thoughts of this day. Gratitude, humility, wonder, love. Codys wide-eyed wonder of these places opens my eyes to the things I take for granted: a raven circling at just over 14,000 feet, our trains diesel engines, the marmots darting from their rock shelters to investigate us. Some passengers are falling asleep. I fight my own drowsiness to look at my fellow train-mates. An oriental family with a son and daughter. The sons ipod resting carefully on his lap and his eyelids drooping as he nods to the beat. The daughter texting with her slim cell phone. A newlywed couple sits a few rows back, stroking each others hand and looking longingly out the window. His hand reaches up to brush some hair away from her eyes and she turns to kiss his cheek in thanks. His eyes linger on her face as she turns back to the window and I can just feel the warmth of his smile. So much love and hope in this beginning. I look to my left at my own sweetheart. His attention is on the GPS on his phone, but when I touch his hand he puts the phone away to hold it. We've talked so much on this trip, words aren't necessary at this moment. I love you. You're beautiful. I'm having so much fun. I'm so glad I came here with you.
It may be wishful thinking...but I will never take my sight for granted again.
I've never been so grateful for my camera, snapping photo after photo of the breathtaking view atop this giant. It's hard, but I close my eyes. I touch the wet granite, smell the fog and rain, and taste the moist air. I open my eyes to find Cody heading toward the edge.
"I don't want my husband to be the first casualty in the history of this ride!" He laughs, and when he takes my hand, I follow him. Our fingers intertwined and I ease my way down finding it easier to scale than I had thought.
I snap a photo of a rain puddle in the rocks and I can feel the flood begin. Visions of my beautiful life..my wedding, my nephews, sunrise by the ocean, the first snowfall, his eyes. Where would I be if I couldn't see all of this?
The rain has started up again and, thanks to my lack of makeup, I welcome the tiny droplets on my face and eyelashes. It's so cold up here, nearly a 50 degree difference, but it's refreshing. The littlest effort results in short breath, the air is so thin here.
Hearing the horn, we turn toward the train. The most vibrant rainbow I've ever seen reveals itself from behind the safety of the clouds and fog. My fingers are frozen as I capture the last few glimpses of landscape. I look up to find the blind man being assisted back to his seat. Cody is chatting with our new friends as we make the steep decline back to Manitou Springs. Places to see in our native states are being exchanged, increasing my desire to head out east to explore. Annapolis, Chesapeak Bay, ghost tours in Frederick, Appalachian Mountains. One of the girls, is moving out west for a job. What is fun to do out in Utah? Temple Square, Zions National Park, Park City, Moab. East coast: history. West coast: national parks.
My hand is cramping as I hastly record my thoughts of this day. Gratitude, humility, wonder, love. Codys wide-eyed wonder of these places opens my eyes to the things I take for granted: a raven circling at just over 14,000 feet, our trains diesel engines, the marmots darting from their rock shelters to investigate us. Some passengers are falling asleep. I fight my own drowsiness to look at my fellow train-mates. An oriental family with a son and daughter. The sons ipod resting carefully on his lap and his eyelids drooping as he nods to the beat. The daughter texting with her slim cell phone. A newlywed couple sits a few rows back, stroking each others hand and looking longingly out the window. His hand reaches up to brush some hair away from her eyes and she turns to kiss his cheek in thanks. His eyes linger on her face as she turns back to the window and I can just feel the warmth of his smile. So much love and hope in this beginning. I look to my left at my own sweetheart. His attention is on the GPS on his phone, but when I touch his hand he puts the phone away to hold it. We've talked so much on this trip, words aren't necessary at this moment. I love you. You're beautiful. I'm having so much fun. I'm so glad I came here with you.
It may be wishful thinking...but I will never take my sight for granted again.
Monday, August 18, 2008
hi hi hi hi
I was messing around online and came upon an avatar-creating site...so HERE I AM!:
She totally looks like me, right? Well, I had fun..
In other news, I had my sister-in-law Aubry highlight my hair on Saturday, so I'll have to get a photo sometime soon...don't get mad at me if it's not for a while. It's not that I'm busy really, there's just a lot of cleaning I need to do this week. It never recovered from our Denver trip (and the lack of regular cleaning for that week). Also, I finished reading Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (the 4th in her Outlander series) and I don't know why I didn't do this before hand, but I had to order the next two in the series. So, while waiting for Fiery Cross, I started reading Promise Me by Harlan Coben and I am hooked! I thought I could put that away when I got my book in the mail, but that's not happening! I really like the way he writes, it's not the best book I've read, but I'm too far into the story to put it down now. This book is a little shorter than the Diana Gabaldon books, so I should be able to finish it soon. Wish me luck!
P.S. We saw The Dark Knight over the weekend as well...not sure how we felt about it. I really loved Heath, Christian, and Maggies performances, but I don't know about the movie itself. I'm usually pretty easy going about movies, and I did like most of it. I guess maybe I just need to see it again when it comes to DVD and see how I feel then.
She totally looks like me, right? Well, I had fun..
In other news, I had my sister-in-law Aubry highlight my hair on Saturday, so I'll have to get a photo sometime soon...don't get mad at me if it's not for a while. It's not that I'm busy really, there's just a lot of cleaning I need to do this week. It never recovered from our Denver trip (and the lack of regular cleaning for that week). Also, I finished reading Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (the 4th in her Outlander series) and I don't know why I didn't do this before hand, but I had to order the next two in the series. So, while waiting for Fiery Cross, I started reading Promise Me by Harlan Coben and I am hooked! I thought I could put that away when I got my book in the mail, but that's not happening! I really like the way he writes, it's not the best book I've read, but I'm too far into the story to put it down now. This book is a little shorter than the Diana Gabaldon books, so I should be able to finish it soon. Wish me luck!
P.S. We saw The Dark Knight over the weekend as well...not sure how we felt about it. I really loved Heath, Christian, and Maggies performances, but I don't know about the movie itself. I'm usually pretty easy going about movies, and I did like most of it. I guess maybe I just need to see it again when it comes to DVD and see how I feel then.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Denver..together!
We went to Denver for a little vacation (#2 for me!) August 1-5 and it was great! We got along really great..and I was a little surprised. Not that I was expecting it to be bad, it's just I didn't expect all the driving (8 hours one way!) to go that well...I took a ton of pictures, of course. I had my digital camera this time, instead of using my little brothers. We drove over Friday after work (about 3pm) and got there a little after 10pm, with great time! We talked a little with Pat, then crashed. SO TIRED!
Saturday, we were hoping to ride the Cog Train up Pikes Peak, but alas, there were no more reservations available when we got around to looking for stuff to do at noon. So, we decided to tour the Coors Brewery (largest in the world..) in Golden, CO. What a cute town! I loved seeing all the "golden" things..Golden Police, Golden Fire Department, Golden dumpsters..The actual tour was pretty cool! Very hot in the brewing room, I can't remember the exact temperature. We had the opportunity to test some of the brews at the end of the tour, but I politely declined their invitation. For me, if I don't like the smell, I'm assuming I won't like the taste either. But I get the impression that beer isn't for taste..
From Golden, we headed to downtown Denver. We ate at Arby's (oooo!), saw the Art Museum (pretty cool), the History Museum (very cool!), and the state capitol from a distance. I thoroughly enjoyed the History Museum..but I'm just a nerd that way. There was a lot of mining machinery (which Cody loved) and just awesome artifacts.
That night, our hosts had a BBQ and so I got to see Tami, her husband BJ, and their three girls for the second time this year. Considering I hadn't seen Tami for 8 years, that's pretty good! Scott brought out some horses, so we all got to have a turn riding Cherokee - the paint Scott takes care of. I hadn't ridden a horse in...probably 8 years! I was a little nervous, but I had fun! The food was great and we really enjoyed talking to everyone.
Sunday, we went to church with the Austins and it was testimony meeting. I loved listening to their ward share their testimonies, very humbling. After church, we had a little lunch, watched Wall-E on the laptop, then headed up to the Cog Train ride. It was such a beautiful ride! The tour took about 3 hours total, but I loved every minute of it! It was freezing at the summit; it was about 90* at the bottom and 40* at the top! I'm glad I listened to Pat and brought my jacket! 14,110 feet! We ate at Zio's Italian Restaurant that night and hit the sack..so tired, again!
Monday, we saw the U.S. Mint...and it was a little disappointing. We saw less than what they show you on the Discovery Channel, and we had to get our reservation 2 months in advance. I'm glad we got to go, there were some really cool artifacts there, but we were a little let down. I'm just glad the tickets were free! After the Mint, we decided to walk around the other sites in the city. We took a tour of the State Capitol, it was so beautiful! We saw the civic center, which was pretty cool too. Another jewel we found was the Unsinkable Molly Browns house/museum. I hadn't known she lived there, or I would've planned on visiting it! We weren't allowed to touch any of the antiques or original parts of the house, but I still learned so much about her! Did you know, her name wasn't even MOLLY?! It was effing Margaret. Broadway gave her that name because it sounded better with music..silly show-business! After seeing "Molly"s house, we ate at a little pizza place down the street, then headed back to the car. It was a very walk-ative day, but really awesome. I also saw and got to take some photos of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception ... google it, it's gorgeous.
^That's Molly Brown's house...incase you were wondering. The other photo is the Capitol. All in all, we had a very eventful stay over in Colorado. Cody got some guitar lessons from Mark and we got to eat out at Pat's favorite little Mexican restaurant where she has a "usual".. It was wonderful. Being able to relax with Cody and enjoy ourselves is something we really needed. Remind me to elaborate on the Pikes Peak trip..I have a lot more to express.
Saturday, we were hoping to ride the Cog Train up Pikes Peak, but alas, there were no more reservations available when we got around to looking for stuff to do at noon. So, we decided to tour the Coors Brewery (largest in the world..) in Golden, CO. What a cute town! I loved seeing all the "golden" things..Golden Police, Golden Fire Department, Golden dumpsters..The actual tour was pretty cool! Very hot in the brewing room, I can't remember the exact temperature. We had the opportunity to test some of the brews at the end of the tour, but I politely declined their invitation. For me, if I don't like the smell, I'm assuming I won't like the taste either. But I get the impression that beer isn't for taste..
From Golden, we headed to downtown Denver. We ate at Arby's (oooo!), saw the Art Museum (pretty cool), the History Museum (very cool!), and the state capitol from a distance. I thoroughly enjoyed the History Museum..but I'm just a nerd that way. There was a lot of mining machinery (which Cody loved) and just awesome artifacts.
That night, our hosts had a BBQ and so I got to see Tami, her husband BJ, and their three girls for the second time this year. Considering I hadn't seen Tami for 8 years, that's pretty good! Scott brought out some horses, so we all got to have a turn riding Cherokee - the paint Scott takes care of. I hadn't ridden a horse in...probably 8 years! I was a little nervous, but I had fun! The food was great and we really enjoyed talking to everyone.
Sunday, we went to church with the Austins and it was testimony meeting. I loved listening to their ward share their testimonies, very humbling. After church, we had a little lunch, watched Wall-E on the laptop, then headed up to the Cog Train ride. It was such a beautiful ride! The tour took about 3 hours total, but I loved every minute of it! It was freezing at the summit; it was about 90* at the bottom and 40* at the top! I'm glad I listened to Pat and brought my jacket! 14,110 feet! We ate at Zio's Italian Restaurant that night and hit the sack..so tired, again!
Monday, we saw the U.S. Mint...and it was a little disappointing. We saw less than what they show you on the Discovery Channel, and we had to get our reservation 2 months in advance. I'm glad we got to go, there were some really cool artifacts there, but we were a little let down. I'm just glad the tickets were free! After the Mint, we decided to walk around the other sites in the city. We took a tour of the State Capitol, it was so beautiful! We saw the civic center, which was pretty cool too. Another jewel we found was the Unsinkable Molly Browns house/museum. I hadn't known she lived there, or I would've planned on visiting it! We weren't allowed to touch any of the antiques or original parts of the house, but I still learned so much about her! Did you know, her name wasn't even MOLLY?! It was effing Margaret. Broadway gave her that name because it sounded better with music..silly show-business! After seeing "Molly"s house, we ate at a little pizza place down the street, then headed back to the car. It was a very walk-ative day, but really awesome. I also saw and got to take some photos of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception ... google it, it's gorgeous.
^That's Molly Brown's house...incase you were wondering. The other photo is the Capitol. All in all, we had a very eventful stay over in Colorado. Cody got some guitar lessons from Mark and we got to eat out at Pat's favorite little Mexican restaurant where she has a "usual".. It was wonderful. Being able to relax with Cody and enjoy ourselves is something we really needed. Remind me to elaborate on the Pikes Peak trip..I have a lot more to express.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
hell is for children...
Pat performed this song last night...with a little commentary prior. This is such an emotional song; "she was inspired when reading a series of articles in the New York Times about child abuse in America." Sadly, the song has been misinterpreted, but hearing her talk about this was amazing; it's such a heartbreaking subject, and she hit the nail on the head with the lyrics.They cry in the dark, so you can't see their tears
They hide in the light, so you can't see their fears
Forgive and forget, all the while
Love and pain become one and the same
In the eyes of a wounded child
Because hell
Hell is for children
And you know that their little lives can become such a mess
Hell
Hell is for children
And you shouldn't have to pay for your love with your bones and your flesh
Its all so confusing, this brutal abusing
They blacken your eyes, and then apologize
"You're daddys good girl, and don't tell mommy a thing"
"Be a good little boy, and you'll get a new toy
Tell grandma you fell off the swing"
Because hell
Hell is for children
And you know that their little lives can become such a mess
Hell
Hell is for children
And you shouldn't have to pay for your love with your bones and your flesh
No, hell is for children
The whole concert was awesome. I recognized all but one of the songs they played...I thought I would just mouth the words to them, but that didn't last long!
The songs were altered a little for the "live" aspect (which is to be expected), but since I had already heard one of her live cds, it wasn't too shocking. Her voice is so raspy, even her speaking voice..it was amazing! If it's possible, her husband (Neil Geraldo) has gotten better at the guitar and had some AMAZING solos...it was crazy! Yeah, he has grey hair, but who cares?! It was freaking hot! The concert was in a club in North Salt Lake City and even though we weren't that close to her, I just loved watching her perform the songs I've loved for so long. This was more than just a concert for me, they are songs from my childhood and they hold so many memories...I can't even tell you. I cried! I can't believe I cried, but I did! I wasn't a baby about it, but some of the songs just made tears come to my eyes. And looking over at my Mom and seeing how much she was enjoying it just made it that much better for me. My Dad enjoyed himself too, but he doesn't get into it as much as my Mom does...lol Next year is their 30th anniversary (being a band..) and so they have a big tour planned; I wouldn't mind attempting to see her again then. There wasn't a huge turn out for this one (and how is that supposed to make her want to come back to SLC?!), but I think it was because it was such short notice. My Mom has been looking on her site for concert dates for months now and she didn't hear about it until she was listening 103.5 (The Arrow) and they were advertising it on the radio! If there was a few months, I guarantee you that she would fill a theater or arena; no sweat! Especially if she teamed up with another big band. *sign* I had a good night...I'll be posting about the rodeo soon..I haven't been able to get pictures on my computer yet, so yeah. We weren't allowed to bring cameras to this concert (EFF!), so I wasn't able to get any pictures. Jess is also having a bbq tomorrow evening, so I might have pictures of her and her son Carson after that.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Cody and I (another long one!)
It all started on Christmas Break in 2004. I had just finished up my first semester down in Cedar City attending Southern Utah University. I came home and went to Temple Square with some friends (Wade, Nathan – leaving on his mish soon, Ryane, Jason, and Cody) on one of the many nights spent with them. Wade and I had been fast friends since A Capella choir our senior year and had remained close through school and college. I hadn't realized it at the time, but Wade had had a crush on me for a while and proceeded to reveal his feelings to me before coming down to school. Since I didn't feel the same way and didn't want to jeopardize our awesome friendship by dating. Note: I really did mean that. Our relationship was such that I knew dating would have ruined it if things didn't work out. I know it's cliché, but it was the truth! Anyway, me being away was very hard for Wade. He was worried about me dating guys who weren't good for me and doing things I shouldn't, the usual. I had dated a few guys while down there and I was currently dating a boy named Ty when I had come home for the holiday break. I had no intention of getting romantically involved with anyone up north while I was there, not only because I was with someone else. The temple square night was great, I hadn't been there for a long time and it was perfect weather. That night, Cody and Wade walked me to my door and proceeded to come inside so we could talk. I can't remember exactly what we talked about, but I do remember feeling both of their eyes on me the entire time..Before they left I hugged both of them, and being entertained by it, Wade made Cody hug me a second time, declaring how “cute” it was. Every time we saw each other after that, Wade just got the biggest kick out of it, so who were we to deprive him? Now that we look back, we know Wade making us hug was a mistake (for him anyway), so it's kinda funny.
Anything else? Let me know if you want to know more..I think I may have skipped over some things..
After Christmas break, I went back to school and continued to date Ty and finished up my school year. Cody and I talked occasionally through emails and MSN, but not that often. Wade continued to be worried about me and felt jealous of the dating I was doing down there. When I came back, Wade and I naturally picked up where we left off in our relationship. Wade had told me that Cody was attracted to me and thought I was cute, which is why he had encouraged us to hug all the time. I wasn't sure if I was attracted to Cody, but I enjoyed spending time with them both laughing and joking around. At the time, I was going through a hard time inwardly because I wasn't happy with the life I was living while down at school. I was doing things I shouldn't, and I just wasn't happy anymore. I attributed this to my current relationship with Ty, and with the “help” of Cody, decided to break things off with him. This was very hard because I still like Ty very much. It was very hard ending something that would be better for later on, when I was feeling so bad at the time. I wouldn't have been able to get through without Cody, I know that! During the few weeks I'd been home from school, Cody and I had been inseparable and had spent many a night talking about everything under the stars on my parents' porch swing. Cody had actually got his mission call to Detroit, Michigan around this time and was preparing for that. I knew that I would miss him a lot, but I also knew that missionary work was very important to the church, and for him as well. My parents warned us about becoming too close when he was going to be leaving and I thought we were doing a good job of that (pshaw!). Our first kiss was on June 10, 2005 (possible June 11th at that point, as it was very late) and it was AMAZING... There had been so much tension between us, the kiss was so emotional, deep, and tingly... I can't even tell you! From that point on, if we weren't already inseparable, we were then. We went to a Jack Johnson concert toward the end of the summer, which is why "Better Together" by Jack Johnson is "our song". Everything just went so fast, a lot of that summer is a blur. When Wade found out that we were officially "together" there was quite the little dramatic episode, but we made it over that hurdle pretty soon after. I think there may still be some bitter feelings on Wade's part, but he has accepted things as they are. Inevitably, I had to go back down to school as I had signed up for classes and gotten an apartment with my roommates. Those were the toughest five months I've ever had! Cody's MTC date was quickly approaching, and I knew that I would have a very hard time letting him go. Cody was worried about me dating other guys as well, I can only imagine what it's like to love someone and hope that they wait for you, only to find out that they are married/engaged/pregnant when you get back! I did my best to assure him that I would wait for him, but I know in the back of him mind, he expected me to be married when he got back. We got to the point when he said that he wanted me to date while he was gone. If things worked out like we hoped, we would pick up where we left off when he got home and hopefully get married eventually. At the time, I was very scared of marriage, as I didn't want to turn out like my parents (fighting a lot, seeming unhappy, etc.) so the thought of getting married in two years sounded too soon to me. As time went on though, Cody was leaning more and more toward not going on his mission. I knew that I wasn't helping the situation, but I also knew that if he didn't want to go, he would be very unhappy while out. I believe that missionaries can be an amazing tool for the Gospel, but they can also do the opposite if their hearts aren't in the right place. I told Cody that if he decided to go, I would be supportive and see him off. But if he decided not to go, I would respect his decision. Apparently, he decided not to go. This was a very hard few weeks, with me being down at school and he out of work due to the mission. Over the course of that semester, we decided to get married and told our friends and family over Thanksgiving break. My parents were trying to get over the fact that he wasn't going on his mission, let alone that their daughter was getting married..so it was quite the hurdle for them. Over that break, Cody and I had went looking at rings and had decided on the type that I liked. Thinking that it would be at least Christmas before I got it, I was blown away when he dropped to one knee on Temple Square and proposed officially..We had been walking around, enjoying the lights and I had joked about how funny it would be if he proposed to me in front of the reflecting pool and see what people did. I feel horrible about it now, knowing what must have been going through his mind at the time, but it was hilarious! He didn't do it by reflecting pool, he waited until we were a little ways away from everyone else before he stopped.
“So, what were you saying about proposing here?”
“Oh, I was just kidding!”
“I wasn't,” (getting down on his knee and reaching into his coat pocket) “Will you marry me?”
“Oh my gosh!” I whispered “yes” into his neck in between sobs and he held me for about five minutes until I had composed myself enough to face the stares of the passersby.
Fast forward through all the planning and we were married on February 18, 2006 in the Manti Temple and honeymooned at a Bed 'n Breakfast in Heber (Sundowners Inn) for a few days. Wade was kind enough to sing "Bless This Broken Road" for our reception, as well as our other friend Nathan who sang "Better Together" with his guitar and everything! It was very sweet, and I enjoyed both thoroughly. We've moved like 4 times since then and finally settled in a two-bedroom, 1 bathroom “bungalow” in Springville.
Anything else? Let me know if you want to know more..I think I may have skipped over some things..
Thursday, June 19, 2008
best friends..
Tuesday, the latter half, Cody and I were constantly fighting. It's complicated, but it basically comes down to the fact that we got married too early. I wasn't able to be independent before I became dependent on Cody. I go with him to hangout with his friends, I have to watch movies with him, we go to the store together, etc. I also depend on others for fun. Others, meaning my family, friends, etc. When presented with this argument, I knew it was true. I used to be a much happier person before getting married, and I don't remember what I was doing before that made me so happy. I'm thinking that it was my involvement in the church. I was laurel president, then I was in the nursery, I went on that church history tour, EFY, and my wards youth conference. Now, we're lucky if we go to sacrament once a month, let alone to all of the meetings. I know that regular scripture study, prayer, and church attendance (and possibly a calling...eek) would help us a lot. I just don't know what to do about my independence.. It's not realistic to say that I need to venture out on my own..because I'm married! I have bills to pay and my house to clean! I guess what I'm trying to say is..how can I fix my dependency if I can't really be independent?
It was a long quiet ride home from my brother's birthday party that night. I just don't know what to say when he's mad. I feel like I'm constantly walking on egg shells, I don't want to make it worse, but I'm not sure what will. But as we were driving home, one of my best friends Brittni called me. She said that she had felt like she needed to call me. Just when I thought I'd have to be silent the whole way home (you could cut the tension with a knife!), my Binny called and made me feel so much better. I just hope that someday I'll be able to act on a feeling like that and help a friend in need.
It was a long quiet ride home from my brother's birthday party that night. I just don't know what to say when he's mad. I feel like I'm constantly walking on egg shells, I don't want to make it worse, but I'm not sure what will. But as we were driving home, one of my best friends Brittni called me. She said that she had felt like she needed to call me. Just when I thought I'd have to be silent the whole way home (you could cut the tension with a knife!), my Binny called and made me feel so much better. I just hope that someday I'll be able to act on a feeling like that and help a friend in need.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
under construction...(long post!)
We're finally covered by insurance! After being without for our whole marriage (yeah, only two years..), I finally got some insurance from my work! I feel so relieved to finally be able to go to the doctor if we need it! No, we're not pregnant...everyone asks me that when I say that we just got insurance! (weird!)
I went to Denver with the fam damily in April to visit some friends of the family for a few days. I didn't realize how much I needed a vacation until I was over there, it was very nice. Plus, it's so beautiful over there! Pat and Mark were so nice to entertain us and be the hosts! I thoroughly enjoyed myself! Here's a pic of Jeremy and I at one of the monuments at Garden of the Gods. Beautiful national park!
Writing has been slow..I really want to expand on writing about my Grandmother. I'm in the process of getting the answering machine message from my mom and see if I can conjure up some more memories of her. My brother Kris said that I made him remember a lot, so as long as I can get my family to at least remember more, it will be time well spent. I don't want to kid myself, but I also don't want to discourage myself from expressing myself and possibly getting published someday. We'll see.
The little brother Jeremy got a snare position on the drumline at school. I'm so proud of him! I'd hate to see all the table-drumming to go to waste! :P He is also becoming a lot better with the guitar and I get bombarded with new songs every time I see him. When he really loves something, he just dives right in!
We're doing a physical wellness program at work (seeing as how we're a sit-down-company mostly) and I'm taking part in it. If we exercise at least three hours per week (monday-sunday), we get a raffle ticket towards a prize (I have yet to find out what it is). Even if I don't win, I don't see a problem with becoming more active! Just one step closer to feeling better about myself! Not that I'm depressed, or anything that major.. I just remember when I was happier with myself physically, and I want that again!
I started the next book in the series I'm reading and it's great! I thought I was just being a bad reader, but I had the hardest time finishing Voyager. It was a very good book, don't get me wrong. I guess I just started losing interest in the storyline. With Drums of Autumn, I'm getting caught up with some characters who weren't focused on as much in Voyager, and they are providing a fresh new story to spice things up! I love these books! Diana Gabaldon just has such a talent with describing scenery, characters, and situations that I just can't put the books down! I feel like I have the movies in my head through the whole thing and it's great!
As for the title of this post...our house is under construction right now. Currently, Cody is completely redoing out utility/laundry room. It started with wanting to redecorate the kitchen. To do that, we needed to move the gas lines as we wanted to move the stove. After the gas line was finished, the floor was ruined, and we decided we wanted to close in the furnace and water heater. We framed that in, and are now in the process of redoing the walls (still deciding on paint color and texture). Next up will be tile flooring, and then moving the washer/dryer back in officially. Once that's finished, we will evaluate our financial situation and begin gutting out the kitchen. We've already been without a stove for the past 3 weeks, so being without the entire kitchen shouldn't be too much of an adjustment (hint of sarcasm? cha.) I'm pretty confident in Cody's abilities seeing as how he finished the utility room by himself (mostly), so the kitchen shouldn't be too hard for him. I did, however, insist on asking family members/friends to help him do the kitchen so it will go faster. We also started taking off the back mudroom, so if you were to drive past our house, it would look like a bomb exploded back there...We have yet to finish that up, but we're also hoping to paint the exterior maybe later this summer, so that can wait. All I have to say is if our house value doesn't go up after all of these updates, I'm gonna hurt someone..*sigh*
I went to Denver with the fam damily in April to visit some friends of the family for a few days. I didn't realize how much I needed a vacation until I was over there, it was very nice. Plus, it's so beautiful over there! Pat and Mark were so nice to entertain us and be the hosts! I thoroughly enjoyed myself! Here's a pic of Jeremy and I at one of the monuments at Garden of the Gods. Beautiful national park!
Writing has been slow..I really want to expand on writing about my Grandmother. I'm in the process of getting the answering machine message from my mom and see if I can conjure up some more memories of her. My brother Kris said that I made him remember a lot, so as long as I can get my family to at least remember more, it will be time well spent. I don't want to kid myself, but I also don't want to discourage myself from expressing myself and possibly getting published someday. We'll see.
The little brother Jeremy got a snare position on the drumline at school. I'm so proud of him! I'd hate to see all the table-drumming to go to waste! :P He is also becoming a lot better with the guitar and I get bombarded with new songs every time I see him. When he really loves something, he just dives right in!
We're doing a physical wellness program at work (seeing as how we're a sit-down-company mostly) and I'm taking part in it. If we exercise at least three hours per week (monday-sunday), we get a raffle ticket towards a prize (I have yet to find out what it is). Even if I don't win, I don't see a problem with becoming more active! Just one step closer to feeling better about myself! Not that I'm depressed, or anything that major.. I just remember when I was happier with myself physically, and I want that again!
I started the next book in the series I'm reading and it's great! I thought I was just being a bad reader, but I had the hardest time finishing Voyager. It was a very good book, don't get me wrong. I guess I just started losing interest in the storyline. With Drums of Autumn, I'm getting caught up with some characters who weren't focused on as much in Voyager, and they are providing a fresh new story to spice things up! I love these books! Diana Gabaldon just has such a talent with describing scenery, characters, and situations that I just can't put the books down! I feel like I have the movies in my head through the whole thing and it's great!
As for the title of this post...our house is under construction right now. Currently, Cody is completely redoing out utility/laundry room. It started with wanting to redecorate the kitchen. To do that, we needed to move the gas lines as we wanted to move the stove. After the gas line was finished, the floor was ruined, and we decided we wanted to close in the furnace and water heater. We framed that in, and are now in the process of redoing the walls (still deciding on paint color and texture). Next up will be tile flooring, and then moving the washer/dryer back in officially. Once that's finished, we will evaluate our financial situation and begin gutting out the kitchen. We've already been without a stove for the past 3 weeks, so being without the entire kitchen shouldn't be too much of an adjustment (hint of sarcasm? cha.) I'm pretty confident in Cody's abilities seeing as how he finished the utility room by himself (mostly), so the kitchen shouldn't be too hard for him. I did, however, insist on asking family members/friends to help him do the kitchen so it will go faster. We also started taking off the back mudroom, so if you were to drive past our house, it would look like a bomb exploded back there...We have yet to finish that up, but we're also hoping to paint the exterior maybe later this summer, so that can wait. All I have to say is if our house value doesn't go up after all of these updates, I'm gonna hurt someone..*sigh*
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
no more! and something else!
So, I just decided that I'm not going to do that whole "How to write a novel in 100 days or less" thing.. It's getting old! If you want to read the list, just google that title. I haven't been following it much anyway! Ultimately, I would love to write a book. Or at least a collection of creative non-fiction.. I'd really like to expand on the idea with my Grandma. But we'll see how that goes. Cody's been trying to get me to paint lately as well. He bought me all this fun stuff to do my acrylic painting for Christmas and I've only painted like 5 times since! I'd like to figure out a way to put my collages and painting together, so if anyone has ideas, let's hear 'em! I found this survey, so I'm gonna fill it out!
3 Joys:
1. The husband!
2. My Family! (friends are included in that!)
3. Nature!
3 Fears:
1. Losing my loved ones.
2. Dying.
3. The dark.
3 Goals:
1. Get rid of some more debt.
2. Lose some weight before we have kids.
3. Becoming more active with church.
3 Obsessions or for lack of a better word, 3 things you love doing:
1. Watching movies/shows with Cody.
2. Listening to my immediate and extended family interact with each other.
3. Reading (mostly historical fiction).
5 Random facts about myself:
1. I eat the candy shell of M&M's before the chocolate.
2. I can't stand (like, can't focus on anything else) my nails being past a certain length.
3. I haven't been single for more than a day since October 2004 (Cody and I were married in February 2006 and had only dated since June 2005)
4. I am so easily entertained..it's ridiculous!
5. I am so sarcastic with my little brother Jeremy, you'd think we hate each other.
3 Joys:
1. The husband!
2. My Family! (friends are included in that!)
3. Nature!
3 Fears:
1. Losing my loved ones.
2. Dying.
3. The dark.
3 Goals:
1. Get rid of some more debt.
2. Lose some weight before we have kids.
3. Becoming more active with church.
3 Obsessions or for lack of a better word, 3 things you love doing:
1. Watching movies/shows with Cody.
2. Listening to my immediate and extended family interact with each other.
3. Reading (mostly historical fiction).
5 Random facts about myself:
1. I eat the candy shell of M&M's before the chocolate.
2. I can't stand (like, can't focus on anything else) my nails being past a certain length.
3. I haven't been single for more than a day since October 2004 (Cody and I were married in February 2006 and had only dated since June 2005)
4. I am so easily entertained..it's ridiculous!
5. I am so sarcastic with my little brother Jeremy, you'd think we hate each other.
Day 16
"The reader has to believe that your characters exist or could exist — and they need to be distinctively drawn. And nothing better defines characters than their actions, their purpose in life. Their purpose may be good or evil. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that the reader sees their actions and purpose, believes them, and is continuously interested in them.
Do not write a story peopled with a cast of thousands. Write a tale about one, two or three memorable characters, all of them filled with purpose."
(reference - How to write a novel in 100 days or less - google)
Do not write a story peopled with a cast of thousands. Write a tale about one, two or three memorable characters, all of them filled with purpose."
(reference - How to write a novel in 100 days or less - google)
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Days 12-15
"Pick your characters first, as they are harder to pick than a story.
When writing, the plot may or may not change, but the characters will develop and have a life of their own. As your characters develop, they’ll take on distinct personalities, and as with good friends, you’ll know in certain situations what they will or will not do.
Mystery writer Oakley Hall says that a writer must “listen to the demands of his characters, who, as they begin to come to life, may insist upon a different fate than the givens seem to require.”
"Get a bunch of 5 by 7 cards and put each character’s name at the top. Next, think about the role each plays in your story, and what kind of person each is: age, education, place of birth, hot-headed, funny, fat, ugly. What are their quirks? Do they wash their hands 500 times a day? Do they hear voices? Are they kind to kids but love to torture cats? Put it down, put down so much that you finally come to know these characters intimately. Alfred Hitchcock would write down his scenes on index cards, one scene to a card. That way, as he said, by the time he was ready to shoot the film, he was already done.
Some characters will be major ones, around whom the story will pivot; others will play bit parts, but these will be critical too, as every player must have a reason for being in the story. If they don’t have a reason for being in your novel, they’ll slow down the story, and slowness bores readers."
"
| Most novels are written to a formula, especially big best sellers. For example, John Baldwin, co-author of The Eleventh Plague: A Novel of Medical Terror, developed a simple formula that he used to structure his novel. His ten-step formula is: | |||
| 1. | The hero is an expert. | ||
| 2. | The villain is an expert. | ||
| 3. | You must watch all of the villainy over the shoulder of the villain. | ||
| 4. | The hero has a team of experts in various fields behind him. | ||
| 5. | Two or more on the team must fall in love. | ||
| 6. | Two or more on the team must die. | ||
| 7. | The villain must turn his attention from his initial goal to the team. | ||
| 8. | The villain and the hero must live to do battle again in the sequel. | ||
| 9. | All deaths must proceed from the individual to the group: i.e., never say that the bomb exploded and 15,000 people were killed. Start with “Jamie and Suzy were walking in the park with their grandmother when the earth opened up.” | ||
| 10. | If you get bogged down, just kill somebody. | ||
| More about formula. When Ernest Hemminway started as a young reporter for the Kansas City Star, he was given a style sheet with four basic rules: | |||
| • | Use short sentences. | ||
| • | Use short first paragraphs. | ||
| • | Use vigorous English. | ||
| • | Be positive, never negative | ||
| Asked about these rules years later, he said, “Those were the best rules I ever learned in the business of writing. I’ve never forgotten them. No one with any talent, who feels and writes truly about the things he is trying to say, can fail to write well if he abides by them.” | |||
"Develop your characters and your plot together. You can’t do one well without the other. Your characters are not wooden people who just dropped magically out of the sky. They are critical elements of the drama you are creating. They must do something logical or illogical (which is what plot is all about) that adds to your story, and moves it to its ultimate climax. Never, never separate characters from plot."
(reference: How to write a novel is 100 days or less - google)
Friday, May 23, 2008
Day 11
"Begin by writing about what you know, if not the novel itself, then something about the place or people in your novel. It’s a lot easier to get started on your book if you are writing about people, places, and things with which you have already grown familiar."
(reference: How to write a novel in 100 days or less - google)
(reference: How to write a novel in 100 days or less - google)
Thursday, May 22, 2008
day 10
"Before we leave the problem of finding your story, let me debunk another cliché about novel writing: Write only about something you know.
You’re heard that before. It’s nonsense. Tom Clancy had never been a submarine commander before he wrote The Hunt For Red October. And it’s a safe bet that Richard Bach had never been a seagull before he wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
Instead of writing about something you know, you can write about something you love. It doesn’t matter what it is, just love it. For example, Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha, had lived in Japan and was working for an English-language magazine in Tokyo when in 1982 he got the idea for Memoirs. In 1986, after earning a creative writing degree from Boston University, he began researching geishas and discovered “a subculture with its own strange rules.” It took him ten years and several drafts before he sold the book to Alfred A. Knopf for $250,000."
(reference: How to write a novel is 100 days or less - google)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Day 9
"Don’t be afraid to write down scenes or sections that don’t lead anywhere. Don’t discard them if they aren’t leading anywhere. Follow the advice of Joan Didion. She pins them on a board with the idea of picking them up later. Quite early in her novel, A Book of Common Prayer, she says, she wrote about Charlotte Douglas going to the airport. It was a couple of pages of prose that she liked, but she couldn’t find a place for it. “I kept picking this part up and putting it in different places,” she writes, “but it kept stopping the narrative; it was wrong everywhere, but I was determined to use it.” She finally found a spot for it in the middle of the book. “Sometimes you can get away with things in the middle of the book.'"
(reference: How to write a novel in 100 days or less - google)
(reference: How to write a novel in 100 days or less - google)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Day 8
"Imitation can lead to originality. Do short exercises imitating different styles. Try on a dozen voices until you find one that fits. Ape the sure hand of a master. But remember this: write from your own experience. Your experience is unique. As John Braine, author of Room at the Top, wrote, “If you’re to be heard out of all those thousands of voices, if your name is going to mean something out of all those thousands of names, it will only be because you’ve presented your own experience truthfully.'"
(How to write a novel is 100 days or less - google)
(How to write a novel is 100 days or less - google)
Monday, May 19, 2008
Days 5, 6, & 7
"It doesn’t matter what kind of book you decide to write. There are no rules other than that the story has to be very, very interesting. It can be exciting, scary, fun, funny or sad — but it must not bore the reader." (Day 5)
"Analyze and learn. Take your favorite novel of the type that you want to write and read it again, as if it were a how-to manual for becoming a millionaire. Then read it again, breaking the book down into sections. Outline the action on large sheets of paper that you pin to your office wall." (Day 6)
"Although there are no rules about story ideas, I would offer you one caution: think small. One of the worst mistakes most beginning novelists make is thinking big, trying to come up with an end-of-the-world story, in the belief that big is better. That’s not true. Keep your story idea small and focused.
Look into your creative soul and search for a little story but one that has real meaning to you. We are all part of the human family. If you create a story that has deep meaning to you, chances are it will have deep meaning for the rest of us." (Day 7)
(How to write a novel is 100 days or less - google)
"Analyze and learn. Take your favorite novel of the type that you want to write and read it again, as if it were a how-to manual for becoming a millionaire. Then read it again, breaking the book down into sections. Outline the action on large sheets of paper that you pin to your office wall." (Day 6)
"Although there are no rules about story ideas, I would offer you one caution: think small. One of the worst mistakes most beginning novelists make is thinking big, trying to come up with an end-of-the-world story, in the belief that big is better. That’s not true. Keep your story idea small and focused.
Look into your creative soul and search for a little story but one that has real meaning to you. We are all part of the human family. If you create a story that has deep meaning to you, chances are it will have deep meaning for the rest of us." (Day 7)
(How to write a novel is 100 days or less - google)
Friday, May 16, 2008
Day 4
"What kind of novel appeals to you? What really gets your juices flowing? Is it a good murder mystery, science fiction, a thriller, romance, general fiction?
Alice Munro is considered by many to be the best short-story writer in the English language. Her books sell about 30,000 copies a year. She is a writer other writers admire for her technical skills and the purity of her style. She is also known for the complex structure of her stories. A typical Alice Munro story might begin at a point that most writers would consider the end, then jump to a time ten years later, then back again. But what is most interesting about Alice Munro — who lives in a small town in southern Canada — is that her stories are about ordinary people: their secrets, their memories of acts of violence, their sexual longings.
Think of what to write from what is around you, from what you know and care about."
(reference: How to write a novel is 100 days or less)
http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/depts/resources/resour_writers/100daysbook/day004.html
Alice Munro is considered by many to be the best short-story writer in the English language. Her books sell about 30,000 copies a year. She is a writer other writers admire for her technical skills and the purity of her style. She is also known for the complex structure of her stories. A typical Alice Munro story might begin at a point that most writers would consider the end, then jump to a time ten years later, then back again. But what is most interesting about Alice Munro — who lives in a small town in southern Canada — is that her stories are about ordinary people: their secrets, their memories of acts of violence, their sexual longings.
Think of what to write from what is around you, from what you know and care about."
(reference: How to write a novel is 100 days or less)
http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/depts/resources/resour_writers/100daysbook/day004.html
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Day 3
"In the first week, decide upon the story you are going to write. You might not work out every detail, but today you are going to begin the process. You are not going to procrastinate — procrastination is your enemy. Matisse advised his students, 'If you want to be a painter, cut out your tongue.' The time has come to stop merely talking about writing your novel. Get started planning it now."
(reference - How to write a novel is 100 days or less)
http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/depts/resources/resour_writers/100daysbook/day003.html
(reference - How to write a novel is 100 days or less)
http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/depts/resources/resour_writers/100daysbook/day003.html
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
some writing (creative non-fiction)
It's 8:30am and I wake to find that she has already gotten up to begin her morning routine. As I sneak up the stairs, I can hear the faint whisper of her reverent, consistent prayer from the kitchen. When I'm sure I won't disturb her, I slip out from behind the soft couch and wait for her to notice I'm awake. With her sing-song voice, she wishes me a good morning and kisses me softly on my forehead.
I run my fingers through my long matted hair and remember that I had fallen asleep with it damp the night before. Normally, I would ask her to brush it for me - it was too long for my short arms now - but arthritis now made it too painful for her.
Smelling the familiar eggs and toast, I shuffle into the kitchen. I glance at her scriptures as I make my way to my stool, noting that she made it from 2nd Nephi to Enos since the last weekend I had spent with her two weeks previous. I don't understand how she can read so fast! I can't read more than a chapter without nodding off...
"How dark do you want your toast? Did you want some scrambled and one with yoke for dipping?"
"Umm, not too dark. And good idea!" I pour the orange juice and chuckle to myself. She always knows what I want. Why doesn't she ever have real milk, not just powdered?
I take a sip and ask, "Grandma, why don't you ever have real milk?"
"I can't digest it anymore, so I have the powdered kind and I can get the vitamins without the tummy-ache," she smiles as she slides the warm eggs in front of me. "Do you want to eat these in the other room with your lap-tray? Go turn on your cartoons and I'll get one down for you, dear."
I run my fingers through my long matted hair and remember that I had fallen asleep with it damp the night before. Normally, I would ask her to brush it for me - it was too long for my short arms now - but arthritis now made it too painful for her.
Smelling the familiar eggs and toast, I shuffle into the kitchen. I glance at her scriptures as I make my way to my stool, noting that she made it from 2nd Nephi to Enos since the last weekend I had spent with her two weeks previous. I don't understand how she can read so fast! I can't read more than a chapter without nodding off...
"How dark do you want your toast? Did you want some scrambled and one with yoke for dipping?"
"Umm, not too dark. And good idea!" I pour the orange juice and chuckle to myself. She always knows what I want. Why doesn't she ever have real milk, not just powdered?
I take a sip and ask, "Grandma, why don't you ever have real milk?"
"I can't digest it anymore, so I have the powdered kind and I can get the vitamins without the tummy-ache," she smiles as she slides the warm eggs in front of me. "Do you want to eat these in the other room with your lap-tray? Go turn on your cartoons and I'll get one down for you, dear."
Day 2
"Carve out specific time to write. This is important because over the course of writing a novel, you’ll get discouraged, bored, angry, or otherwise fed up, and when you start feeling that way, you’ll need clearly defined patterns to keep yourself working.
On occasion you may have to shift your writing times to deal with other demands in your life, but fight to keep them as regular as you can.
What do I mean by specific times?
Two hours each morning and each evening, and one eight-hour day every weekend, for example. Decide how much time you will spend writing each week, and then do it. Many would-be novelists defeat themselves because they set a schedule but then don’t stick to it. Be realistic in the time you plan, and then live by it."
http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/depts/resources/resour_writers/100daysbook/day002.html
(reference - How to write a novel in 100 days or less)
On occasion you may have to shift your writing times to deal with other demands in your life, but fight to keep them as regular as you can.
What do I mean by specific times?
Two hours each morning and each evening, and one eight-hour day every weekend, for example. Decide how much time you will spend writing each week, and then do it. Many would-be novelists defeat themselves because they set a schedule but then don’t stick to it. Be realistic in the time you plan, and then live by it."
http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/depts/resources/resour_writers/100daysbook/day002.html
(reference - How to write a novel in 100 days or less)
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Novel.
Day One:
"The great New Yorker editor and writer, E.B. White, said when accepting the National Medal for Literature, “A writer’s courage can easily fail him . . . I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all.”
On this your first day of writing your novel, make a promise to yourself that you are going to do it. This is critical. Without that commitment, you may as well save your pencils and paper. It isn’t going to happen. Remember, write as often as you can. That’s what writers do — they write."
http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/depts/resources/resour_writers/100daysbook/day001.html
(reference: How to write a novel in 100 days or less)
"The great New Yorker editor and writer, E.B. White, said when accepting the National Medal for Literature, “A writer’s courage can easily fail him . . . I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all.”
On this your first day of writing your novel, make a promise to yourself that you are going to do it. This is critical. Without that commitment, you may as well save your pencils and paper. It isn’t going to happen. Remember, write as often as you can. That’s what writers do — they write."
http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/depts/resources/resour_writers/100daysbook/day001.html
(reference: How to write a novel in 100 days or less)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
brainstorming...
I really enjoyed reading letters growing up...letters between lovers, friends, even a few books that were based off of letters...so I think I'd like to explore that idea. Maybe letters between a father and daughter, between two best friends, or complete strangers (pen pal thing) .. I'm not sure yet. I'm going to be playing around with that for a bit and see where it goes. I definitely need to work on my vocabulary and expand it a bit... Hello, Mr. Thesaurus! :)
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
too pretty?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23375271?GT1=43001
These young women claim that they were descriminated against on a flight because they were much prettier than anyone else on the plane. Spare me. I am truly terrified for our future, people.
-------
Any ideas for stories would be much appreciated .. I've been doing a little brainstorming, but not too hard. I'm not really old enough to do some creative nonfiction about myself, but I keep wondering if that might be my best bet. When we had the fiction section of our class in college, I didn't do well at all with developing characters. All the more reason to work on that, eh?
These young women claim that they were descriminated against on a flight because they were much prettier than anyone else on the plane. Spare me. I am truly terrified for our future, people.
-------
Any ideas for stories would be much appreciated .. I've been doing a little brainstorming, but not too hard. I'm not really old enough to do some creative nonfiction about myself, but I keep wondering if that might be my best bet. When we had the fiction section of our class in college, I didn't do well at all with developing characters. All the more reason to work on that, eh?
beginnings...
I have decided that I want to take another stab at writing, and I figured a blog would be a good way to go about doing that. so that's what to expect from me! don't be shy, I love meeting new people!:)
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