...in shock

Okay, I can't believe I did this last night. But I did, and it is blog noteworthy. All of you should be kind of shocked.

I kissed a guy last night.

Story: Took ALL day getting ready for the Halloween parties, did an amazing makeup job:



(Woodland Fairy, NOT a butterfly)

And Hair job:
(Leaves, pearly things, and messy messy hair with LOTS AND LOTS of glitter)

Went to THREE parties last night. Haven't done that in like 3 or 4 years at least.

Get to the first one (am with Kristin and her friend Hector, if he was only 4 inches taller....)

They have set up a bunch of booths and food, there's music, etc. I am walking around, admiring costumes, saying hi to friends, etc., and I see this big box. Go around to the front, and this guy dressed up like a kissing booth. I think, very creative. He's a friend of mine so I say hi and give him kudos. Well, the photographer for the thing is there, and she asks if I will kiss him for a picture. I say sure, and look like I am kissing him. She takes a picture.

***********************************************************


THEN she says, "What was that??" And I say, oh, so you want a real one? I turn to him and ask, "Would you mind?" Yeah, that was a stupid question. So I do it. Right smack on the lips.

************************************************************

She took freaking forever with the picture!!!

So he has lipstick on him now, and I try to clean it up a bit, and he's all "NO!!! Don't do that!"

So there it is. Number four.

1. Curtis
2. Mark
3. Warren
4. Mike

I don't really count Mark, he would just do these short smacks. But this one definitely counts. That was a long kiss. I still can't believe I did that. It's so weird, because I am not into this guy at all, where the other three I was into at the time.

_______________________________________________________________

In other news, I may have a roommate come January. She seems to be really sweet, and guess what?! She love music theory!!! In fact, she was thinking about getting her Masters in Music theory, but she is going for a Masters in flute performance and then a PhD in music theory. Maybe I could just wait around for her to finish and we could go together! That would be awesome. She loves the Office, watches it online, just like me. Gosh, there are a bunch of totally random things that we kept coming across when we were talking, it was like we were meant to be roommates. I hope she decides to move in. She will be calling me in a few days with her decision. Prayers are appreciate. :)

Loves!

life

Life is good and busy. Lots of stories to tell:

The Office: I love this show, but I have a few things that have happened at work that would work nicely in the show, and all from this week.

1. Today I was the Support Assistant of the day, which means I am the one that gets all the random stuff to do that just comes up, like printing labels, sending in tickets to get the copiers, faxes, printers fixed, updating special things for the Benefit Examiners, and some really weird and random stuff. Well today one of the people on the team next to me gets an email from our San Antonio office. This guy faxed something to a providers office on October 15th, which they received...but they keep getting it...over and over and over again on a regular basis. Ten days they have been getting this same fax over and over again. We had no idea. Called in a ticket, they laughed, guy came up, said we needed to call another department, called them, they laughed, guy came up, laughed again, and erased the memory on the fax machine. Hopefully that took care of the problem.
2. So we get this email about a health and wellness fair, and we can sign up for free massages (occurred today, I was the first one that signed, and it was fabulous, first professional massage) and we get other free stuff too. Of course like most email applications, there is an option to REPLY or REPLY ALL. One smart person hit reply all to the email and requested a massage...which ALL of the Phoenix personnel read. Now, this isn't a small company by any means. :)
Now, that would be funny enough on its own...but then another person did it, saying "Thanks, but I already had a massage yesterday, don't need another one". :)
Then another said "Please take me off the list"
Then another "How do I get a free massage"

Oh, it just kept going. And the rest of us are roaring. :) It was pretty fun.

I had another bit of a missionary experience. Told my coworker about Joseph Smith's vision, pretty fantastic experience. She doesn't seem to be at all interested, but it was great for me. Speaking of Joseph Smith, the actor who played the role of Joseph Smith in the Restoration...he spoke at out Institute class tonight. Kinda cool, he has a real sweet and tender testimony of Joseph Smith, and who wouldn't, being that they really did film that amazing section in the Sacred Grove. He told of his experience with the auditions, preparing the part, how the Lord had His hand in the whole production. Evidently it wasn't til the final edits of the film that the First Presidency announced that it needed to be shown around the world. It was originally to just be shown in two visitors centers. After watching the film, they said that the Spirit in the film is just absolutely amazing. I agree.

Okay, I think I figured out what I am going to be for Halloween...and I get to do an amazing makeup job for it. (Have I mentioned, I love playing with makeup!!!) Nope, not telling, you will see pictures soon enough. I have to go buy the costume now.

Cellist+Mormon+Arizona=

Did you know that if you are a cellist, you play in stake conference once and you are friendly, the word gets out like a wildfire in Southern California with the Santa Ana's blowing, and you get booked for every weekend. I am going to have to start saying no soon I think. AND when you go home for vacation to take a break from the wacky world you get the opportunity to perform there as well. I am seriously getting rather booked here. I was blessed with these talents though, and I need to use them to serve the Lord, to give back, ya know. Plus, who knows, I may get some students out of all of this. AND it's an opportunity to play, and I LOVE playing.

I am actually using the scheduler on my phone so that I can remember what I am supposed to do the next day. I might actually pull out the freaking nice PDA that I have that I rarely use and start using it. :)

I just figured out where this really cute, tall, slightly red-headed guy goes to Church, and guess what!? He goes to the singles ward that I am in the boundaries for and used to be a member of. Hmmm...do I REALLY want to give up teaching Sunbeams??? I love my Sunbeams. I will stay til the end of the year at least, but that is real incentive to move my records right there. Seriously, this guy is quite good looking.

Speaking of Sunbeams, they are doing opening exercises next week in Church! I am so excited! They will do so well. I think I will actually bring a treat for them to take home and eat AFTER Church in addition to the lesson. Next weeks lesson is on how to be a good example. I am cutting out footprints for them to follow. :)

GAH!!!

I give up. Will someone PLEASE explain to me why once it looks like the video has uploaded, it won't finish? Is it supposed to take FOREVER on here? It is the right format for wiki. Gah!

I have had the busiest but rather rewarding day. Got to work, did a lot of work, went on a lunch date, details below, did more work, left work to go to institute while juggling phone and food cause both were demanding my attention, got to institute and tutored this lady on how to write a canon in the style of Bartok and got paid $60 for it!!!! YAY!!! I like this, I need more students! Finished at 8:00pm (pacific) and drove home. BUSY! I say!

Date: we split the check. He's off the list. But he did open the door every single time. That was good. He's an old friend (Paul, he says Hi Becky). Barely my height. But it was CPK, and I haven't eaten there in a LONG time, so it was lovely just for that. And it was nice to take a long lunch.

Tutoring: Loved every moment of it, and the most rewarding part was she left saying "I didn't know writing like Bartok could be fun!" Man, it was worth it just for that. And I got paid $30 an hour. I was floored!

AND she is like the most wonderful hook up. She may be able to:

• get me a position teaching music theory in the public schools
• get me a roommate
• get me more private students
  

Like, seriously. This is awesome! I love it. I am so blessed and am so grateful.

Oh, and it's my half birthday. :) yep, 25 1/2. Old woman, I know. JK!

Organizing and Institute

I organized the linen closet!!! Yay! I found some of grandpa denture stuff in there. :) I laughed.

And I have a firm testimony that Institute is one of the best things EVER! Almost missed it tonight. Seriously, drove home from work EXHAUSTED. I wondered if I was going to make it home, I was so tired. I was really working hard to stay awake. Got home, and went straight to bed. Didn't really sleep, but I was definitely totally zoned out. Woke up at ten til seven (institute starts at seven) and decided that I would regret not going, so I got up, brushed hair and left.

And as a treat, I got In N Out afterwards. They make the best shakes! Usually the fries are excellent, but I wasn't really feeling them tonight.

And now that I have been awake for 2 1/2 hours after eating, I am going to bed. Night!

I found it! Picture time!

Okay, so of course after the last entry, I find the cables for my camera. Explained further down, but it's not a very interesting story. Just enjoy the pictures. I had to edit them a bit in Adobe Photoshop, so they really look kinda strange, but better than they did before the editing, so, here ya go. These are pictures of my cousins kids who were all over at my house for a slumber party.This is Monique and Sadie. The only girls at the party besides me. And yes, Monique is enjoying her green beans. I have never seen a young kid more excited about having green beans than pizza before. Aren't they beautiful! You know, we are all part of the Raisor family, and we are very sharp!
This is Brett playing Cade's mandolin. He knocked out his two front teeth. Isn't he adorable??
This is Wyatt. He LOVED the pizza, and that chair. In fact, when I was putting all the kids to bed, he was upside down on the chair asleep. It was so cute.
And it wouldn't be a Raisor gathering without the boys wrestling. This is everyone else. David, Dayton, Tommy...
Cade and Cooper. I have a video of them wrestling. Perhaps I will upload it later.


Alright, alright, so after that last entry, of course the Lord had a tender mercy to hand out, and then he handed it to me. I know, silly, right? But seriously, I have been looking for these things for forever!

Long story short, in the move from Alabama to New Mexico, and then from New Mexico to Arizona, I was able to keep track of said digital video camera but not the USB and TV cables that I could use to hook it up to my tv and computer. I was just being stupid and might I say a little bitter about the fact that I indeed lost quite a few little but important things on that move.

So, I found the cables yesterday after cleaning up the guest bedroom a little more (it's amazing, the slumber party was what, a month ago, and I am STILL finding beads all over the place).

Kids have an amazing knack at getting into everything. Well, it was a blessing this time, because I look under the bed and there are the cables for my digital video camera. Hope you enjoyed them. I am going to play with the camera some more. I think I need to have more exposure when I am taking indoor shots in this house. The lighting is enough to see, but not really the best for pictures. This thing is cool by the way, I can take night shots with it! :)

Night!

The game, AZ fans and randomness

Well, we lost, but you know what? Grandma and I were just happy to be there, and I can now say that I have been to a post-season MLB game. I will take a picture of my outfit once I get a camera that works or a way to connect my digital video camera to my computer...long story, don't really feel like explaining why I don't have a connection to my computer right now.

Anyways, I have decided that AZ Diamondback funs totally stink. Seriously, they do. Now, granted, I was at an Alabama football game a few weekends ago, and college football fans in the South are unlike fans of ANY kind of sport I have seen in the West (been to Dodger, Padres, Diamondbacks, ASU football/baseball/soccer/basketball/swim meets/ultimate frisbee (club sport) and BYU football games).

THEY WERE SITTING IN OVERTIME IN AN NLCS GAME!!!!

There was maybe one inning when I thought the place actually sounded like a baseball game. They weren't yelling, screaming, getting involved. Okay, they did, but only when the freaking ump at second called our guy out stealing second when he was totally safe, and when we actually scored a run. But for crying out loud. I was bothered by that. And then I would get over it and be a good fan, and everyone would look at me funny, and I would look right back at them funny. COME ON PEOPLE! AH!!

I can't believe Grandma made it to the end of the game. I took her home at midnight. Way to go, Grandma. She was a good fan. :)

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I am the kind of person that when I don't know something, or I hear someone say something and I think they are off, or that I might be wrong about something, or whatever, I look it up. I don't like to waste time mulling over it if I have the resources to verify the information. So I have all kinds of random facts in my brain. For example:

One of my colleagues at work mentioned silent movies, and she wondered if there were any still played in the theaters. She has some coming on her NETFLIX lineup, but she would like to go see a live one.

So I open up my browser, type in www.google.com, and google silent movie showings az. So I get around to this:

http://www.reelclassics.com/Links/bigscreen.htm

which leads me to this:

http://www.silentsundays.info/orpheum.aspx

They show silent movies on certain Sundays with live accompaniment on this amazing restored wurlizter organ! How cool is that?! Yes, it is on a Sunday, but how awesome is that, seriously?

Up until last year there was a silent movie theater in LA, but it has been changed to where they have showings on Mondays and special occasions.

And while looking it up, I learned all sorts about silent movie stars. :) Very fun!

****************

another example, and this one is short. At my job, one of the things we do is update provider files in our database (check licenses, make sure they are accredited, etc.). Sometimes we get an MD that also has PA after his name, (obviously, an MD would NEVER put down PA being that he is a physician and NOT a physician's assistant/PA) which businesses sometimes use as part of their name. I had never looked it up, so I googled, and of course wiki came up, and out of all the uses for PA, the one that made sense in this case was Professional Association. So, now you know.

It's amazing all the cool little things one can learn online. :) And dang it, I am curious.

Happy learning!

I LOVE MY DIAMONDBACKS!!

I WON TICKETS TO TONIGHTS NLCS GAME!!!!

To say that I am BEYOND excited doesn't even cover it. All of you who know me, know how I get when I am excited, and this is majorly beyond description excited.

I had plans to participate in a music party, where a bunch friends of my friend were getting together to perform, which I was excited about and I put something together for cello and orchestra (orchestra being performed by a pianist),

and then this happened.

How it happened:

I went to the D-Backs website to see about ticket prices and stuff, cause I had promised Grandma Connie that I would take her to a game...and I hadn't yet, and the D-Backs are in the post season now. Well, ticket prices are, well, pricey, so I found a drawing for World Series tickets, and entered myself (the drawing is to be able to buy tickets, not to win them) and then I saw a thing for winning tickets to one of the home games of the NLCS, and I entered myself in that, thinking, naw, there is no way I am going to win this, but if I don't enter myself, it won't get me anywhere. So I entered myself.

I then get a call this morning from someone in New York, so I take it...and this guy says, hi, my name is so and so and I represent Major League Baseball, and you have won two tickets to tonights NLCS game. :) Now imagine what I am doing. Yes, jumping up and down, and having to restrain myself from SCREAMING at the top of my lungs. I was so excited. I had to run out to the hall to take the call. Oh my gosh, I couldn't believe it.

So, we have FANTASTIC tickets on the 3rd base side. Watch the game, I will wave at you! :) I am buying some lipstick, a hat and a jersey for the occassion. Yes, that's right, LIPSTICK! Good thing I work right next to Scottsdale Fashion Square (very very very nice mall in Snobsdale, AZ). :)

EEEEEKKK!!!! :)

I am so grateful for little sweet things like this. I have been feeling really really bad that I hadn't taken Grandma Connie to a game yet, and here we are, going to a game! I am so happy. Perks are that she has a handicap parking pass, so we will have FABULOUS parking as well. I am so beyond excited!

I do feel very bad that I will not be attending the music party tonight though. I think it is a fabulous idea, and I was excited to go. Perhaps I will host another one to make up for it. I have really been enjoying working up a piece, since I really haven't done that in a long time.

EEEEEEKKK!!!! :)

Baking

K, so I finally went to the store and bought the following:

Yeast
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
Eggs

All key ingredients for what is commonly known as baking.

I made chocolate chip cookies...they weren't gooey, so something went awry, but they tasted good, so that is all that matters.

I am currently waiting for 2 loaves of white bread to finish baking. I hate waiting for bread to rise. So you know what I did? I blog stalked and practiced my cello. I used the time wisely!! :) How about that, huh?

I am going to have homemade bread. I am seriously ready to pull it out right now...but I just put it in 5 minutes ago, so that wouldn't be good. But it already smells SOOOOOO good!!!

:) I am eating a midnight meal...I don't care what everyone says about eating late. If you smelled what I am smelling at 11:06pm, you would eat it too.

By the way, I have lost 5 pounds. :) 15 more to go, and my BMI will be just below 25, which is the threshhold for being overweight. :)

I was sick, that is how I lost it. I don't recommend doing it that way. It seems that is the main way I lose weight though. I used to be 225, but I lost 40 pounds after having mono. Lost 5 pounds a week until I got to 185. I gained 20 in the last few months, (205), am now to 200. So, 15 pounds, here I come.

After I finish eating 2 loaves of WHITE BREAD right out of the oven. :)

Okay, I will only eat...2 slices of it. I will restrain myself.

Maybe I will take the other loaf to work. That would be nice. :)

Conference

WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENT EYRING AND ELDER COOK! IT IS SIMPLY WONDERFUL.

I tell you what, since I have been studying the conference talks from April Conference, I got SO much more out of this conference. Most of the talks the brethren gave last conference tie into the talks they gave this conference. Seriously!

Elder Eyring's talk was spectacular. I have watched it twice so far (yay for www.byu.tv) and listened to it again in my institute class just tonight.

The Prophet was wonderful. I have watched it twice as well, and have taken more notes the second time around, and I already had lots of notes.

Dear Elder Wirthlin. What a wonderful talk about charity, and there was Elder Nelson being a good example and good doctor, holding him up so that he could finish his talk. He needed to finish it. He was in earnest to give it. Someone needed to hear that talk. Going to watch it tonight before I go to bed.

Guys, watch it. It was wonderful.

Watch Elder Cook's talk, talking about section 50. I swear, I don't remember reading this section, and I know I have because it has the scripture that inspired the name of Preach My Gospel, the new missionary book (which is AMAZING, and if you don't have it, let me know and I will buy it for you cause you have to have it and use it for scripture study and family home evening cause it just teaches you to do good). But anyways, that section is amazing. I read through a lot of it that he didn't touch on in his talk, and there are scriptures in that section that I needed to read.

Okay, that is all. If you want to talk conference, call me. I seriously spent most of the institute class talking tonight. I need someone to talk to and with so that I can continue to learn and grow and remember. :)

Good night. :)

about famous me

Evidently the link from my previous post is giving some people grief as it leads you to a sign on page rather than the article, so here are some directions if you are interested in seeing famous Elizabeth:

Go to http://www.desnews.com/cn/

Click on Articles on the left

Scroll down to Week Ending September 22nd 2007

Click on The Institute at Tempe

Scroll down to the picture. And there you have it.

Or just pull out last weeks copy of the Church news, cut it out and put it on the fridge and feel glad you know someone as famous as me. :)

Now, if you want to see the other famous picture of me with the Tempe Institute:

Go to http://www.lds.org/institutes/home/0,8473,768-1-36-60045,00.html

See the picture? Of all the people. I am one of them (hint, my hair is rather short, I am wearing a black jacket...and what the heck, I am the girl right below the girl with the orange sweater on)
If you right click on the image and click on view image you can see a bigger version of the picture. And I know, or at least, knew all of the people on that picture. sniff sniff, aw, the good old days.

I had the worst reuben sandwich today. I think I am turned off of eating for forever. It was terrible. And I paid ten buck for it. At least the potatoes and the strawberry lemonade were good. :)

Guys, I think I am tan. No really, I think I am! I will have to post a picture of me at some point. But I think I am. If you know me, you know that I am white as can be, but SERIOUSLY!!

Okay, I want all of you to hold me to this. NO pedicure until I lose twenty pounds. Yeah, that's right, you heard me. I am dying, cause I REALLY need one, but that is that. NO PEDICURE! Manicure, yes, but I never get one cause who knows when I am going to need to play the cello. No use in manicure if you can't have fun with it!

Speaking of playing the cello, I have been asked to play for a SINGLE adult conference. Yeah, that's right, an SA thingamajiggy. I said yes, but I am rather determined to bail as soon as I have performed.

Alright, got to clean the house. The Relief Society Presidency want to come over and see me. Yay for initiative to clean the place. :)

The trip, and I am famous!! kinda...

So the trip could not have been any better than it was. Well, actually it could've been. I could still be there for one enjoying the company of all my friends and family out there.

Disclaimer: MY CAMERA IS BROKEN! So no, no pictures. I wish I knew how to download pictures off of my phone, cause I did get an awesome shot of the stadium at the Alabama vs Georgia game, which is yet another thing that could have gone better, but we won't talk about that right now. :)

So what did I do?? Here it goes, in bullet style:

• landed in atlanta, got car (Saturn Ion, not a bad car, I really liked it actually) and drove to Tuscaloosa like a madwoman because
• SURPRISE! Rachel got home from her mission and I wanted to surprise her, but it still was kind of a surprise anyways, but Amber had to tell her
• went to the game. Not talking about it.
• Stayed the night w/ Nichee (hottest house on the planet!)
• Went to Church, saw primary program, cried through the WHOLE thing
• Had to disappoint everyone because I wasn't moving back
• Took a nap at Nichee's
• Had dinner with Amber, Rachel, Hila and all of the missionaries (three sets, one set of sisters, the rest elders)
• Back to Nichee's and gossiped with Cody all night long
• Attempted to sleep again in hot house (drugs are wonderful!)
• Went to UA, School of Music, printed up a tree worth of articles which I am now reading for my
  
• thesis, which must get done cause lo and behold my major professor is going on sabbatical in the Spring!
• Went to old job and caught up with everyone
• Got talked into staying one more night
• went to FHE
• slept AGAIN at Nichee's
• Drove to Atlanta, spent the day with Reva and met her baby Solei (had food at La Madeleine's, an amazing place if you are in the hotlanta area
• Met up with cousin's wife Penny and their new baby Jones (SOOO cute, totally Scott junior) (Penny and Reva just happen to be visiting teaching partners, can we say SMALL world?)
• Went to target, bought a dress and a shirt which I proceeded to leave at Reva's house dagnabit
  
• had dinner with Penny, Scott and baby Jones, got ice cream and went back over to Reva and Jared's and we all just had a grand old time (I got to hold Jones for like thirty minutes, it was wonderful!)
• Slept and left for airport and SERIOUSLY considered upgrading to first class...but I didn't

There it be

NOW, for me being famous. Click on the following link:

http://www.desnews.com/cn/view/1,1721,495006052,00.html

Scroll down to the picture of a bunch of people in a classroom. See the girl on the right with the green shirt and the hair sticking out smiling...that'd be me! :) How appropriate, being in a news article about the Tempe institute, huh?

That's all folks!!!