Ah Isaiah...

Setting: Institute

Class: Book of Mormon

Scripture: 2 Nephi 19:6 (aka, Isa 9:6)...go ahead, open it up...

President Archibald asks one of the guys to read it...and he does...while I am bouncing around in my chair, mouthing the words in a unique way...

...then President Archibald stops him and says 'now, this is the way this should be read' and points to me...and so I begin singing:

I wake up...

...25 minutes before I am supposed to be at work. AND I have to iron my clothes, unload and reload dishwasher because I was too lazy to do it last night, clean up the counter a bit (again, lazy)...wash face is a must today, and brushing teeth is always an imperative...funny enough, we talked about our morning routines and essential role brushing the teeth in the morning has on that morning routine last night...

Instead of ironing, I sprinkle the scrubs with a bit of water and throw them into the dryer...giving me the ability for 5 minutes to take care of the kitchen.

The kitchen put away and cleaned 4 minutes later (a new world record, I am sure of it), I put on the hot scrubs which are perfectly pressed (I need to incorporate this technique more often...) and suddenly realize how cool the house is...I turn the AC to 80 for the day, and notice that the house was at a lovely 71 this morning (I turn it down to 75-74 at night)...

Splash water on face, brush teeth (A MUST!!!)

Socks...where are my socks?!?! Oh, there they are...k, am I forgetting anything?

Ha, only the most important thing...knees hit the ground for about 3 1/2 minutes I am guessing in severe gratitude that I woke up despite forgetting to turn the volume up on my phone which doubles as my alarm, then grab the culprit phone, bananas, purse, earrings, mascara, lotion...oh yeah, and the thing that I stayed up until 3am this morning to find that I really needed to mail forever ago...

Car is COVERED with dew/moisture...it was in the 50's last night evidently...my car being the evidence...longest line EVER to turn onto not even the main road...not quite longest line to turn on an even mainer road (is mainer a word??) but a very smart person in front of me reminded me of a shortcut and I followed...this entire time rolling my windows up and down to try and see through the blinding morning sun and the oh so reflective wetness that is attacking my car...

Amazingly, I arrived 25 minutes after waking up...

Now, to finish waking up...:/

Anniversary...

Happy Anniversary Emily and Ison (minus one day...I never hit POST!)

I am so glad Emily found you...or you found Emily...that you found each other, and that you are a part of our family!

Relief Society...

Alright, I know I am going to sound like a broken record, but Sister Beck is seriously AWESOME...

I mean...changing the name of 'Home, Family and Personal Enrichment Meeting' or whatever the official name of 'Enrichment' was...to 'Relief Society Meeting'...:) LOVE IT!!!

If you happened to miss the General Relief Society Meeting last night (as I did because I was babysitting for one of the doctors I work for), you can now watch it online. I love that we can now get these videos pretty much immediately after they occur...I am listening to it right now...

And 'Enrichment' night, as most Relief Society's referred to that meeting, is now called 'Relief Society _____ Meeting'...you just fill in the blank depending on what is going to occur during the meeting. :) Brilliant!!!

Oh, and where did she get that coat???...it looks soooo good...

Children's and Infants' Tylenol Recall...

Thought you should know...many of you have little kids and probably have bought Children's Tylenol in the last year...the products being recalled were made between April 2008 and June 2008...but who knows when they were on the shelves...there aren't any reports of injuries/sicknesses due to the problem found, but it could cause problems...

Article HERE

Hot Chocolate Heaven...

About 4 years ago I traveled to NYC for a music theory conference. Since it was over Spring Break, I decided to be a tourist for the other half of the week I was there. I met up with some high school pals at this lovely little restaurant called 'Serendipity'. A movie was made by that very title, and you see the actors eat there a couple of times...

Everything I ate there was surprisingly fantastic...as it should be, with a place titled 'serendipity'...

But the best thing I consumed at that restaurant by far was their Frozen Hot Chocolate. It was better than I thought it would be...

I was thinking about how nice it would be if I could figure out the recipe for it...and lo and behold I found it!!!

It is VERY easy to make, it looks like. As long as you have a double boiler and a blender you too can enjoy the serendipitous pleasure of partaking of this delectible treat...

(Man, do I sound like an advertisement or what?)

On Stravinsky...

I have always known that Stravinsky was an interesting fellow. Why? There is a pattern amongst composers who make it somewhat supernaturally big in their lifetime: they are a bit crazy. And I mean crazy with as much admiration as one can muster in the definition of that word.

Beethoven...Mozart...Brahms...Tschaikovsky...all a bit crazy. For example, Brahms (known for such masterpieces as Brahms Lullaby...) He threw away pretty much all of his sketches. All of them. (for the non-music nerd types, that is unusual to do) Thus making it difficult to figure out exactly how Brahms created his masterworks. He only allowed his final masterpieces to survive. Sure, we can guess and pretty much figure out how he made them...but sketches make the work MUCH easier.

I spent last Friday reading through a number of letters Stravinsky wrote to various colleagues. I also spent a good bit of that time reading aloud excerpts of those letters to a colleague of mine...he (Stravinsky) was so dry...much more so than I originally realized. I have read bits and pieces of Stravinsky's words before, of course, but this was my first really in depth study...it felt more like entertainment than studying...

His travel schedule...I mean, he was in New York for 2 days, Boston for a week, Berlin for a night, Paris, Los Angeles, South Africa, Santa Fe, the list goes on and on...and his wife went with him all those years.

You have to be a little bit crazy to keep up with a schedule like that on a constant basis...

On a dark and stormy night...

a long long time ago...

Wait a minute...that was LAST night! I slept VERY poorly last night...the timpanist was practicing on and off all night long. I am thinking about submitting a complaint...

RAIN! GO AWAY!!!! My sister is coming in town in a couple of weeks, and I will NOT be pleased if it is still raining when she gets here...get me???

My New Philosophy:

Michael Bublé - Haven't Met You Yet promo video

Manners/Etiquette 101

1. Don't yell at the President of the United States during the middle of an address to Congress. Whether you agree with him or not, he is still the President of the United States...a position that deserves respect.

2. Don't yell at a linesman in the middle of your match...and then say something that when taken literally is a threat on their life...you will lose the match...and get thrown out of the match.

3. DON'T jump onstage during the middle of an awards show when not invited. Whether you don't agree with who won, or you feel moved by the performance, you are still not invited. You will look like an idiot, and in this era of youtube, twitter, facebook, myspace, blogs, etc., that moment will permanently be a part of your history, whether you want it to be there or not.

4. DON'T EVER make a sweet 17 year old girl cry. EVER. Unless it's a happy cry.

5. If you do any of the above, start learning the true art of apologizing...which includes sincerity and follow-through...not just a bunch of words. And turn your Caps Lock OFF!

My word, people. Come ON!!! I mean, when your mom taught you 'mind your manners', there was a reason! Etiquette, people, etiquette. We need a modern day Emily Post!

I may continue to add to this post...we'll see what the rest of the day has to bring...

Inspirational...

I have to say, the women that are in the General Auxiliary Presidencies are incredible. Every single one of them. Every time I hear them talk, I am baffled at their intelligence, their speaking ability, and how in tune they are with the Spirit. President Archibald (1st counselor stake presidency here and my institute teacher) said his vote for the new apostle (before Elder Anderson was put in) was for the General Relief Society President, Sister Julie B. Beck. Obviously she can't, but his point was that she was an incredibly sharp, intelligent, in tune daughter of God, which I totally agree with...and I have to say the same goes for Sister Elaine S. Dalton...

If you didn't watch Sister Dalton's CES Broadcast tonight, PLEASE take an hour of your time and watch/listen/read it. She is incredibly well read and there are quotes that she gave that I am making into posters and posting onto my mirror so I read them every day before I leave the house. And I don't do that ever. There is one up on my mirror at the moment, which also was inspired by her...and I promise you, I have never done that before. My sister and former and current roommate(s) can vouch for this. She is INCREDIBLY well read...she was quoting not only a number of scriptures, but Alexander Pope, Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, etc...the Roosevelt quote was AWESOME...

And the music was actually great this time...no train wreck! The fermatas during the first piece the choir did were too much...dramatic effect dims when you do too much...BUT the choir was good, the soloists were fairly good (girl was awesome, guy was slightly pitchy but not enough for me to cringe). Second piece was very good. :) So your ears won't be assaulted...

My Story...

Last Sunday one of the ladies stood up to bear her testimony...it wasn't really a testimony, but in a way it kinda was...of everything that was said, I think it was the one thing that everyone might just remember.

She was born and raised in Hawaii. She must be about 70 years old I suppose...that would make sense with her story. She was a little girl, was at Church with her family one Sunday morning. They didn't realize anything was wrong until they got out of Church and people were running around. The Japanese were attacking Pearl Harbor.

She was actually there...she was even shot by one of the planes flying overhead. Hit her shoulder I believe. That was a first for me...I've known plenty of people who served in the War, and my own grandfather was in Hell's Angels and was in a German Camp for 23 months...the same one that the Great Escape occurred at (if you haven't seen that movie, put it on your Netflix immediately)...but never had I met someone who had been at the event that caused America to officially become a part of WW2.

I am not sure why she shared that experience with us...perhaps she was thinking about the significance of today's date.

I was driving to school between Chandler and Tempe. It's funny, I had had my radio off for a long time...I would go through phases of listening and not listening to the radio...and even then, I would listen to just one station for a period...country, pop, classic rock, oldies, and classical, the last being what I turned to that day. It was early, just after 6am...I had to get a parking spot at the institute, and if you wanted one, you had to get there before 6:30am OR wait in line for forever...

NPR came on, and one of the pieces of news was that one of the buildings in New York had been hit by a plane. They moved on to the next item, so I didn't think much of it beyond thinking it was some little plane that had somehow lost control...

I walk into the institute and they had the TV on. They NEVER have the TV on. Instead of doing my usual of going directly into the gym, I went to the foyer where the TV was to see what was up. The institute director was watching it, along with a bunch of the staff. They are NEVER out of their offices all at the same time in the same place unless it's a meeting of some sorts.

I look at the TV...and just after I start watching it, the second tower was hit. I watched it...on LIVE television...I don't think I breathed for a very long time...

I immediately called my two friends in NY and of course got their voicemails and asked (begged) for them to call me back and let me know they didn't on a whim decide to go visit the financial district of NY for the heck of it...(they are fine, btw).

I tried to get those in the gym...which really was the eating/gathering/playing/talking area of the institute...to come watch the TV...but they were all 'studying' and gave me an annoyed look. I looked at them in shock...I remember thinking, but not sure if I said aloud, that this was going to be the 'Pearl Harbor Day' of our generation...

I watched it all...the towers falling...the reports of seven flights being hijacked, went up to 12 I think, down to 2 others, the Pentagon being hit, White House and Capitol being evacuated, the plane in the Pennsylvania field, President Bush...

Classes were cancelled for the entire day. One teacher decided to hold class (my music therapy class) so that we could talk if we needed to. One of the girls in the class...she lost someone in one of the towers that day.

And it was eerily silent. ASU is usually buzzing with activity, even during the summer, but especially on a Tuesday during the fall semester. And with ASU being so close in proximity to Sky Harbor...it was just weird to not constantly hear the Southwest, Delta, American, FedEx United Airlines flights coming and going and coming and going and see them line up to land...

A day to remember. Many heroes and cowards were brought to light that day.

Splitting up...

Hair cut and color tomorrow at 11:00am sharp. My hair is SOOO long...longer than it's been since my senior year of high school when I first got a bob...anyways, it is far overdue for a cut. Just a trim.

I have a plan for my hair: get my hair luxuriously long for the winter so that if I cannot afford a lovely looking scarf the neck will be taken care of...

...and then in the Spring, chop it all of and go back to a bob. Or something short...I think...

I keep telling myself that I should just keep it short, but there is SOOOO much upkeep. Having it long has one very nice advantage: I can go more than 3-4 weeks without a trim. Short hair, not a CHANCE...

I do have to admit something though...I have been keeping my hair longer for a very specific purpose. The reason being...and this is absolutely ridiculous because a) there is no one and b) there won't be a 'one' for a while...my hair grows so stinking slow...and I want it on the long side just in case I meet a 'one'...cause dang it, on my wedding day I want long, curly, flowy, fabulous, incredible, beautiful hair!!! Not a teeny tiny short bob. That is good for other people, but as for me and my hair, I wants it long long long.

ANYways...I am not getting bangs. I will regret it the moment they are cut. When I have short hair, then I will do bangs.

I asked my coworkers if I should go darker with my hair...if I could pull it off...I never got a straight answer...when I mentioned red, they all turned on me. However much I hate it, I know that I couldn't do it...so, blonde it stays...

I will probably do my usual high-lights and low-lights...although, Halloween is coming up...I have always wanted black for just a day...:) My inner goth side...jk...abot the goth, not the black.

Good-bye split ends!

9 9 9

Happy...nine day? :)

The best time to fall in love...

...is the fall. Really, it is. You first meet at the end of a long hot summer (hopefully looking your best) and start dating when you can still do mostly outdoorsy dates...

Then the weather starts to cool. More of an excuse to hold hands, steal the others jacket, sit by a crackling fire, make your way through a corn maze together...gets even colder, more cuddling, go snow tubing, skiing, ice skating, snow ball fights. :)

Second best time is winter...but fall is best.

Fall is my favorite time of year. October is my favorite month. Halloween is my favorite holiday. I suppose those are all contributing factors to why I believe fall is the best time to fall for a guy...

Spring and summer are the worst times to first fall in love. You are hot, sweaty, did I mention hot???...as much as you may like the guy, you just don't want to be hotter than hot, and the human body is at a already quite warm 98 degrees already...and I am a creature who likes to hold hands and cuddle!

Starting about mid-spring, for some reason I stop having the constant 'hope' of meeting someone...it comes and goes, but it isn't at all prevalent...but sure enough, when the weather slightly starts being fall-ish, it comes right back. Sounds ridiculous, right?

I hope the next time it happens for me, it starts in the fall.

Roll Tide!!! AND Go Devils!!!

Hooray...both my teams are going to win tonight. One already did, and unless Idaho St. comes up with some freaking amazing comeback in the 4th quarter, my Alma Mater will gain their first win of the season...and with both Louisiana Monroe AND Georgia losing this week, the first part of their season looks amazingly awesome right now...

Anybody have Georgia vs ASU tickets they don't care to use? I will definitely consider taking them off your hands...:) I haven't been to an ASU game since I went there, so that would be so awesome to go...especially since they will be so close to me. :) I have my ASU hat all ready to go...I need a new shirt though, I wore those suckers out when I went there...

...ah, memories...I think I might just have to bring some tortillas along with me if I go...they won't know what hit them. :)

I guess I am totally lame...

It is Labor Day weekend...I have a FOUR day weekend...I don't work on Friday's AND nobody is working on Monday.

Why am I lame?

Roommate is at the beach with her family. Other friend in town is on her merry way to Wisconsin (yeah Rocketgirl, found this out a LITTLE late...she has family there...). The game is in Atlanta, Georgia and unfortunately I have NOBODY to stay with there anymore...they both moved this summer. :( Because the game is away, more than a few people in town left. Seriously, I saw them getting onto the freeway today...about a 2 mile long line at NOON. Institute today was cancelled, and I didn't know about it. Cody is helping out the Hutchison's.

Yep. Lame, lame, lame. Evidently everyone was planning well in advance for this weekend except for me.

Hmmm...what to do??? Star Wars marathon? Recently did the Pride and Prejudice marathon with roommate, so...

I am already sick of watching the tv...not. good. for. me. anyways.

Attempting making chocolates...out of whipping cream and baker's chocolate...I saw a show about it on food network and I attempting the impossible from memory...HA!!!

Yeah, seriously, ideas??

Considering the re-establishment of an old bad habit...

About a week ago, I pulled out my nail clippers and went to work on my finger nails...

I got distracted, and only completed the task at hand...just the left hand, that is...

Since then, I have been unable to find either one of my nail clippers...this is becoming quite annoying...try it sometime, clip one hand and leave the other one...if you aren't going batty after just an hour of this, you are one amazingly laid back person.

I used to bite my nails (and I KNOW this is sooooo totally disgusting, but I also used to chew off my toenails too...I know, I have come a LOOOOOOOOONG way...it's amazing I didn't die from horribly crippling disease due to that), but killed that habit when I started college. I just decided one day to stop, and I haven't ever since...

I am NOT buying another pair of clippers. But if I don't find them by tomorrow morning, my right hand will be scrubbed, rinsed, bleached, etc. and I will go to town on those buggers...I don't have strong nails, and they are worn and...I mean, it's amazing I have lasted this long.

Battle of the Sniffles...

I am determined to win!

I developed the sniffles Sunday night, and they haven't gone away yet. And other than at the end of the work day feeling completely drained and my ears popping in and out, it hasn't gotten any worse...and I would like to keep it that way, or better yet, for it to flip a U'ee and go back to where ever it came from...

My poor hands. Between the hand sanitizer and the gazillion times a day I wash my hands, they are getting quite dry...

Be gone, oh sniffles, and leave me be!!!