Literary T-shirts

As a fan of books and t-shirts, I can't help but collect and wear t-shirts that have literary themes.  Over the past month, I have purchased four new ones:

Charlotte's Web bought from Outofprintclothing.com

Austen Dating Service bought from The Orem Library

Dr. Seuss book bought from The Orem Library.  The quote is "The person I love more than Dr. Seuss is the person who read him to me."

Wuthering Heights shirt bought from The Orem Library

I guess I could have a worse habit than buying books or literary-themed t-shirts. 

On April 13th of 2013, my extended family gathered in Pocatello, Idaho, to celebrate the 90th birthday of my maternal grandmother.  She has seen some amazing things in her lifetime including her marriage, the birth of six children, twenty grandchildren, and over fifty great-grandchildren.  Uncle Mike was nice enough to take pictures of everyone who went up there.  Here is my family.  It was taken toward the end of a very long day for the kids so many aren't smiling as big as they might have several hours earlier.  That being said, it is so wonderful to have a picture of all of us.

The family on April 13, 2013

How does one begin again?

So I haven't blogged for over 2 years.  How does one pick up from not communicating for 2 years?  I've still been writing on Facebook and in my journals.  I've filled 3 journals since my last blog post and have started on another.  So do I try to recap the past few years or just pick up as if nothing has happened?  Hmm.....

June 2011 update

Slowly but surely I am publishing the life and times of the Singing Librarian. Here is the June 2011 update:

June sped by with lots of work. While one of my bosses went to Germany, another went to Spain. Keeping track of people in foreign countries (that are 7-9 hours ahead of us) can be difficult. Luckily, my bosses are pretty good about not calling me when it is morning for them and very late/early for me.) I was able to go to a children's book fair on June 4^th with Jen, John, Lauren, and Emily. Emily was a little shy around the book characters but both girls were able to get free books and play games. Lauren especially liked the blow up slide. We ended the afternoon at an ice cream parlor, which is always a good way to end a visit with Aunt Jess.

On June 11^th the family went to Lagoon. We went for Dad’s company summer party and were able to celebrate the birthdays of Lauren and Isaac. I made sure to take something to stop the nausea of riding on rides. Sid and Wyatt were unable to make it so I rode a lot with Isaac and Lauren. It was a lot of fun and it seems strange that Dad will be retiring soon (as we have been going to his annual work party for as long as I can remember.) Dad managed to get a picture of Emily and I on the Merry-go-round.

On June 25^th a friend (Rob) and I went up to Salt Lake to see Ira Glass, host of This American Life. He talked about radio and the impact it can have on us as well as how the radio program is produced. After wards, we (along with my parents, Jordan, Alison, Clara, and Aunt Renee ended up at The Bakery for dessert. The conversation and food were excellent.

April 2011 - May 2011 update

Once again, because I am so woefully behind, here is a quick and dirty summary of what happened in April and May of 2011. Please pardon me if I have forgotten something significant to you and yours.

• In April we celebrated the birthdays of Wyatt, Alison, and Brooke. I can't believe that Wyatt, the first of our "triplets" is now five and will be starting kindergarten in the fall.
• On the second Sunday of April my entire ward was invited to a meeting that included all the single adults (ages 21-31) in Provo and Orem. They renamed all the wards, created single adult only stakes (3 were created,) and then explained that the boundaries and age limits were going to be pretty strict. They encouraged us not to ward hop (not really a problem for me) and that if we were over a certain age that we should go to a home ward or mid-singles ward. As a woman of that age, I've decided to go to a mid-singles ward in Provo as opposed to going to a home ward where there would be a lot less people my age. Our ward has at least 25 people over 30 who will need to find new wards by September 1st. It's been hard but I am sure that we will all eventually be better for it.
• After much deliberation amongst members of our Board of Directors at work, it was decided that our current CEO would step down and into the role of CTO. A new CEO was brought in on April 19th. It was a shock to most of the company. I now have 4 bosses: the CEO (or Boss R,) the President (or Boss M,) the CTO (or Boss D,) and VP of Strategy and Operations (or Boss L.) Luckily I had two admins assisting me (but more to come on that later.)
• In May we celebrated the birthdays of Caleb, Dad, and Britnie.
  
• My work had their big yearly conference where people from all over the country came to Provo. It was held at the Provo Marriott and I had a heck of a time keeping the schedules for all four of my bosses straight. It was 3 days of non-stop work but we managed to get through it. The event coordinator was 7 months pregnant so a few of us pitched in to do some leg work for her.
• The next weekend I received a Facebook invite for a friend of mine I hadn't seen in almost 10 years. We lost track of each other when she went on a mission and her parents moved away from Kaysville. Katie and I emailed back and forth and then ended up going to dinner. It was so much fun to catch up (even if we only got through about 5% of what had happened to us.) She, like me, is a biblioholic and loves music and art.
• 
  
• I went with a few friends to see Seussical the Musical at the Hale Center Theater. Our friend, Melissa Lindsey, was in the cast and did a wonderful job.
• Boss D went to Alaska for a week in May which cut down on my workload a little.
• May 21st was supposed to be the day of The Rapture according to Harold Camping. This American Christian radio broadcaster predicted that May 21st would be the day that Christ would return to the Earth, the righteous would fly up to Heaven, and the wicked would be left on Earth to suffer until October. Clearly this didn't happen. He is still living in his same house and now predicts the end of the world to be October 21, 2011. The saddest part of this whole thing is that many of his followers quit their jobs, sold their homes, and spent all their money in preparation for The Rapture and were pretty shocked on May 22nd when they had to continue on with their lives with no job, house, or money.
  
• On May 23rd the ward came over to my house to watch Pixar shorts and have treats. We projected the dvd onto the north wall of the living room and covered the windows with blankets and sheets. It had a movie theater feel to it. A lot of people showed up and several of us ended up downstairs talking instead of watching the dvd. It was a lot of fun.
• The Center Ward had a May 30th BBQ at Rob's house to celebrate Memorial Day. It was a lot of fun and Rob, Lindsey, Patrick and I ended up shooting hoops and talking.
• This May was the second wettest May in Provo in the past 30 years. The temperature never got above 81 degrees Fahrenheit.
  

A dream is a wish your heart makes....

I have a dream of having a home of my own one day. This home will include many bookshelves. A few days ago I saw this picture:

If I'm very good and send vibes out to the Universe, do you think I can have this one? Sigh.

Sub for Santa 2010

In November of 2010 I was called to be the co-chair of the Service Committee for my ward. It's a tradition in my singles ward to collect money from the members and then sponsor a family for Christmas. While half of our ward is still in school, we can usually gather a least $300-400 in about two weeks. This year we collected several hundred dollars and found a family to sponsor through The United Way. We were given a family that included a single mother who was out of work and her five children (ages 12-3.) For a Family Home Evening activity we split into groups and went shopping. Thankfully, The United Way provides the gender, age, pants and shirt size, favorite color, and a gift idea list for each child (provided by the parent.) While the groups shopped, I went and picked up a gift card to Smiths for the mother. The next night my co-chair and I delivered the gifts to our family. All the kids except the oldest were in bed and we ended up giving the bags of gifts to the babysitter. It was a great experience. The next day more people donated money to the cause even though the project was over. We had so much that I knew that we could sponsor another family if there were 3 kids or less.
I emailed The United Way and received the information for another family. This family consisted of a mother and father (who was out of work) and two daughters. The paper mentioned that no one in the family could speak English. Because of this I found someone in my company who speaks fluent Spanish to call the family and let them know that I would be dropping off the gifts that evening (as it was already December 22nd.) Due to the short notice I did the shopping by myself, looking carefully at the information provided. One daughter was listed as being 9 years old and the other daughter was almost 3. Both listed Barbie and Dora as their favorite toys, which I thought was odd. I bought clothes, shoes, and a coat for each as well as some toys and books. Because there were only two children in the family instead of the planned for 3, I was able to also buy a $100 gift card for the parents. As the delivery was not scheduled to take place until 8pm, I went out to dinner with some friends. I put all the gifts as well as the gift receipts and wrapping paper into large black plastic bags and put them in my truck. I then realized that it would be difficult for me to carry everything by myself. Realizing this, I recruited Sarah and Rob to go with me to deliver the gifts
We went into a very humble looking neighborhood in Provo and eventually found the house. It was a small trailer with a ramp up one side. We knocked on the front door and it opened. A man with a kind face answered and we were ushered into a cold, dark little home. There was one light on and it couldn't have been more than 55 degrees in the house. There was no Christmas tree; only a string a Christmas lights on one wall. The father expressed his thanks in broken English and the mother expressed her thanks in Spanish. As I entered I noticed a small wheelchair behind the couch. The paper I had received from The United Way had not mentioned any sort of handicap with either child.
The parents ushered us down the hall into a small bedroom. In one corner a physically handicapped girl lay on a bed. This nine year old girl was thin and appeared to have a severe case of cerebral palsy. She attempted to speak but could not. On the other side of the room was a big bed that the parents obviously shared. As they gestured to the girl and spoke with tears in their eyes, I felt so grateful for my own life and health. Rob was able to speak to them in his own broken Spanish. They thanked us profusely and the Mother pressed a thank you card into my hand as well left.
In the car Sarah, Rob, and I sat in stunned silence for a moment. Never had I imagined that I would encounter such poverty so close to where I live. I had only seen such a humble home on tv; never in person. I was proud of our ward for raising money to help this family.

The next day I was at work thinking about the situation. I told the story to my Director of HR, describing the house and its lack of decoration. He gave me money and with a little of my own, I drove to the nearest Christmas tree lot. I bought a medium size tree that I knew would fit into the corner of their front room as well as some basic decorations and a tree stand. I paid the tree lot worker (who told me they delivered trees when needed) to deliver the tree, the stand, and the decorations to their address (which had been provided to me by The United Way.) Once again I was grateful to be surrounded by such generous people (it turns out that two of my bosses had contributed to the cause along with my Director of HR.) It was the perfect way to spend the few days before Christmas. I can't wait to do another Sub for Santa project next year.

January 2011-March 2011 update

For those of you not in the know, it has been a while since I've posted on my blog. Here's a brief update of what happened in the beginning of 2011 (please excuse me if I forget anything important):

January 2011

• I managed to catch the flu and get an ear infection in January. I was very unhappy and couldn't hear out of one ear for a week
• January was my wards month to clean the church so my co-chair and I organized our ward to do two cleanings a week for the entire month. We were also in charge of snow removal.
• Work was not as busy in January although we did have a big Board of Directors meeting.
• Aaron had his birthday

February 2011

• Tanner had his birthday
• I started walking a dog for a friend of mine due to his crazy schedule (he's an accountant/auditor.) Although it was cold, I had a lot of fun and would continue to walk Bodie at least once a week until April.
• A few friends and I went to Porter's for dinner one night. At the end of our meal the power went out. As the building was old and we were upstairs, there were no windows or other source of light for us to get downstairs by. The food was good and the almost tumble down some stairs was interesting. The outage was city wide and was caused by an insanely large thunder storm.
• I went to the Springville and BYU museum with John, Jen, Lauren, Emily, Mom, and Dad. It was a lot of fun. In the bottom of the BYU museum was an interactive light exhibit that the girls had a lot of fun with. Check out the video I made of their reaction.
• I gave a talk in church on The Holy Ghost and revelation. I think it went well

March 2011

• One of my bosses went to China on a business trip.
  
• Brooke announced that she was pregnant and due at the end of August. We are all very excited. This already loved child will be the 11th grandchild. As there are already five boys (Caleb, Wyatt, Isaac, Tanner, Aaron) and five girls (Sidney, Lauren, Ava, Emily, and Clara) it will be interesting to see what side this newest child will tip the scales toward.
• There was a baby shower for my cousin Megan.
• I attended a Jon Bon Jovi concert at the Energy Solutions Center with Angie L and Sarah. It was a lot of fun. Angie bought our tickets in 2010 and then we paid her back.
  

I know, I know; it's been a long time

I'm not sure why I got out of the habit of posting on my blog. I think life and all its business just got away from me. As it will be too difficult to go back and post each event individually, here's a run down of the past 8 months (what a horrifyingly long time):

October 2010

• Worked on getting a Visa for one an employee of my company to move to Singapore for two years. It was a painful process and took me over a month.
• Had a Halloween party at my house (I dressed as a witch this year to balance the angel I dress as last year.)
  
• Celebrated Ava's birthday.

November 2010

• Saw The Scarlet Pimpernel at the Hale Center Theater. My good friend, Melissa, was a member of the cast. It was awesome.
• Was called to be a co-chair of the Service Committee in my ward.
• Helped organize my company's attendance at SuperComputing 2010. Two of my bosses attended.
• Attended the Sara Bareilles concert in Salt Lake with Matt and Emily Smith. It was amazing. Afterwards we ended up at Marie Callendars and had pie.
  
• Thanksgiving at my parent's new house. We were all able to eat in the same huge room. Grandma Roberts brought down some albums which I looked through and decided to scan photos from over the next few months.
• One of my bosses went on a trip to Angola which causes me a lot of heartburn (knowing that he could have been kidnapped or that he might have stepped on a landmine.)
• Celebrated Emily's birthday as well as my own
• Got a new driver's license (after a two hour ordeal at the DMV.)
  

December 2010

• Attended my ward Christmas, which included a white elephant gift exchange.
• Attended my company Christmas party, which all 3 of my bosses were late to. I ended up throwing my Christmas bonus (cash in $20 bills) in the trash and didn't realize it until I was on my way home. I returned immediately and was let in by one of the cleaning crew. The bonus was no where to be found but he let me search through bags of garbage that hadn't been taken to the dumpster. While searching I said a prayer that I would be able to find it. After a lot of searching it was found (although the envelope had quite a bit of food on it.) I decided to use the money for a good cause and spent it spreading Christmas cheer.
• Organized a Sub for Santa event for my ward where we raised a couple hundred dollars. We went shopping in groups for an FHE activity and then my Service Committee co-chair and I delivered the gifts to our family. Afterwards so many people gave us more money that we asked for another family (more about this later.)
• Christmas with the family. All the kids were so cute and we were all blessed with many presents. Two of note were a wonderful pillow that Alison made to match my quilt from Brooke and an amazing necklace from my parents.
• A New Years Eve party at my house

So there are the updates from 2010. I will soon post a few updates from the first 6 months of 2011. It's nice to be back in the world of blogging.

Clara's blessing

My newest niece, Clara Jean, was blessed by her father on October 10^th. Clara, whose pictures is above, is a charming girl who entered the world on July 21^st at 4:59am MT. (The picture was taken by her “Poppy” on another day.) Her brothers seem to like her, especially Isaac. Her blessing was lovely. I drove up north and found their church about 20 minutes before their Sacrament meeting started. Jen and her family drove up soon after I did and so Lauren and I walked around and talked. Alison handed me Clara while the prelude was being played by Jordan. (Aaron had a bloody nose and needed to be taken out.) Clara slept through the opening hymn and prayer and all of the announcements and woke up a little just in time for her father to come and fetch her. For those who are unaware, a baby blessing is a wonderful event that welcomes a new baby into the church with a name and a blessing (see here for more information.) Jordan did a wonderful job and Clara didn’t make a peep (at least not one that the congregation could hear.) My dad mentioned that Clara grabbed his thumb and held on during the blessing. Afterwards this sweet girl was deposited back into my arms as Alison had Aaron on her lap. I was able to hold this sweet baby during Sacrament meeting and even took her out to change a diaper, returning just in time to hear her father bear his testimony.

After wards the family adjourned to her parent’s home for an excellent lunch spread. I gave her parents the bowl that I had made for her (as one of my goals is to make a gift for each of my nieces and nephews.) It turned out well I think. I ate outside with the kids and then watched over them as they ran around and played on the patio. It was a lot of fun to see all the kids interact together. I managed to make it home before 7:30pm.

As a side note, the birth of Clara evens up the grandchildren with 5 girls and 5 boys. :)

The Lion King

Top 10 things I loved about seeing
The Lion King
at The Capitol Theatre in September

1. The opening number. It is easy to see why this musical won 6 Tony Awards the year it opened. I actually misted up at the music and costumes. Each animal/dancer moved exactly the way I expected it to move. The zebras pranced, the birds soared, the rhino lumbered, etc.
2. The “One by One” song in the beginning of the second act. Dancers came out into the audience with these interesting birds on poles and strings. The music sounded like an African Tribal chant and was beautiful.
   
3. The smooth way the lionesses moved and danced. It seemed like each dancer had studied a lion for days in order to get it just right. The cheetah was amazing as well.
4. The fact that I was able to attend with family and have a great meal beforehand. Despite the tire change by Mom and Dad, we all had a good time. Plus, a good friend, Angie, joined the group.
5. The occasional humor of Zazu, the bird. He provided needed humor and transitions between scenes. Oddly enough, they cut out his "Morning Report" song that can be heard on the Broadway cd.
6. The heart-wrenching “Endless Night” sung by Simba. Even grown-ups need their parents to guide them.
7. Getting so into the music that I actually had to physically stop myself from bursting out into song. The performers did a great job and I was impressed how they matched the young Simba and Nala to the adult versions. They had some similar mannerisms that were cute to see.
8. Even though I have seen the cartoon version several times and listened to the Broadway soundtrack more than 20 times, I was still holding my breath at the final battle scene. Would Simba win? Luckily, he did. (I hope I didn't ruin it for any of the readers of this blog.)
9. That there was dancing grass. The scene and costume designers were geniuses. Once again, the Tonys were well deserved.
10. That the minute it was over I wanted to run to the box office and buy another $120 ticket to see it again.

My new quilt

A few months ago my sister-in-law, Brooke, made a quilt that I greatly admired. I have tried quilting and quickly realized that I do not have a knack for it. Brooke does. I asked her to make me one (with me providing the money for all materials.) She sent me several fabric options that she thought I would like (and, of course, I did because she has excellent taste.) I chose the fabric for the design, binding, and back, and away she went. All in all, I think it ended up being about $180. She gave it to me this past weekend. Didn't it turn out cute? (I took this while standing on a chair at my house.)Here is a close up of part of the pattern:Here is the back (I love the fabric and the swirly designs):My one requirement was that she had to sign it somehow. She did:
Now I have a wonderful quilt for my bed and something that was made by a relative of mine. I couldn't be happier. You're awesome Brooke.

A slacker (sort of)

It has come to my attention that I have been a bit of a slacker during the past two weeks. It has been pretty busy in my life and I haven't been sharing all the fun. :) The following things have happened since I made my last blog post:

• Went to my company party in Provo Canyon
• Sent my boss on a business trip to New York City
• Arranged an onsite meeting with some big-wigs (including rooms at Sundance, dinner at the Tree Room, etc)
• Went to Las Vegas with three friends for a weekend
• Saw Phantom of the Opera in Vegas
• Went to a Jack Johnson concert
• Had two roommates move out (one to Salt Lake and the other bought a house in American Fork)
• Helped my roommates move and clean
  
• Had two roommates move in (the accountant and the teacher - so far so good)
• Moved my bedroom from the small upstairs one to the master bedroom
• Bought a baby shower gift
• Visited my parents and siblings to celebrate August birthdays
• Bought a new bookcase (this officially makes 5 in my bedroom)
• Made a bowl for Sidney's birthday
• Sent a package to baby Clara
• Started planning a trip to Hawaii for 8 people (no, I don't get to go)
• Attended church and FHE
• Attended a goodbye party for Cami
• Attended a party for Meg
• Helped a friend trim rosebushes and gave advice on doing yardwork and watering
• Bought a bedside table
• Worked 40 hours each week
• Gave blood to the Red Cross
• Had a doctor's appointment
• Went out to dinner with my Wednesday dinner group a few times
• and ran many errands and slept a few hours
  

Turning 10

My oldest niece is turning 10 this coming week. I've always considered 10 a big birthday because you move from one number in your age to two. It's the same when you turn 100. Because of this, I decided to make Sid a special birthday gift. Sometime last year I decided to paint all my nieces and nephews a piece of pottery with their name on it since it's always cool to have something with your name on it. Some got cups and some got bowls (and if I accidentally overlooked any nieces or nephews, I expect their parents to tell me immediately.) As Sidney received a cup last year, I decided to make a bowl this time. Her favorite color is pink so I started with that. I then decided to do white "branches" on the outside with red and purple berries (in a minimalist way.) The inside of the bowl was an accident. I tried to make a cute heart but it turned out horrible. I ended up covering up my mistake but it ended up looking kind of cute (see below.) Here's how it turned out:This was so much fun that I may make another bowl for all the rest of the kids when they turn 10 (or much sooner.)

The Amazing Audra McDonald

Tonight I sat less than 30 feet away from one of the greatest voices I have ever heard in my life. This voice belongs to Audra McDonald and I was in the Hale Center Theater in Orem. She is performing in 110 in the Shade for a limited two week engagement as a fundraiser. After hearing her voice on the soundtrack to 110 in the Shade (as well as the three other cds of hers that I own) I was blown away. She sang her first song (Love, Don't Turn away) with true heart and passion and received thunderous applause for her effort. About half way through the first act, the audio track stopped working. They stopped the show for 10 minutes and then continued with nothing but piano accompaniment. They made one joke then continued on in a professional manner. The sound came back on about 25 minutes later. My favorite songs were Raunchy, Old Maid, and Simple Little Things. Despite these words of praise, words cannot truly express how I felt and how I was lifted up by hearing her singing. My heart was full of joy. During the intermission I hummed all the music while reading through the program. After 5 minutes, a woman leaned over to me and asked how many times I had seen the show. I told her that this was my first time but I had almost all the music memorized. She laughed, complimented me on my humming abilities, and then I proceeded to gush about Audra and her other cds. She received a standing ovation at the end of the show (oh, and the other people in the cast were amazing as well.) A friend of mine, Melissa Lindsey, was in the show and did a great job.
After the show I waited by the door for her to come out and was able to get my 110 in the Shade cd signed and get my picture taken with her. As a side note, she said that she loved my necklace (Monopoly necklace as seen in the picture below) and mentioned that her daughter would have loved it as well. She was lovely and gracious as she could be. I will now have to buy myself another ticket for next week. If any of you have the opportunity to get a ticket, do so immediately.As an interesting side note, I ran into a friend of Alison and Jordan's. I have met Amelia several times (their wedding, Caleb's birth and funeral, Isaac's birth, tree decorating, etc) and we compared our love for Audra McDonald. She drove down from Salt Lake to see the show.

It's good to be busy

I know it's been a while since I've posted. It seems like there is never enough time in a day to accomplish all I'd like to. In the past two weeks the following events have occurred in my life:

• I regained electricity in my bedroom and bathroom
• Went to Lagoon with my parents, a few siblings, and their kids (boy were my feet tired afterwards)
• I lost my hat from work on Wicked at Lagoon
  
• Did my Visiting Teaching (for those who don't know what I'm talking about, please visit www.lds.org)
• Sat through a very long lesson on dating and courtship (while making snarky comments under my breath to the person next to me)
• Saw Wicked Tinkers in concert
• Attended the Scottish Festival at Thanksgiving Point (it rained)
• Went to Summerfest (it rained)
• Watched the fireworks from my back porch (it had finally stopped raining)
• Went to lunch with Sherri and Emily (it had been way too long)
• Delivered lunch to a coworker and his wife who were working on a Saturday to finish a project
• Attended a wedding reception (it started to rain)
• Went to dinner with Cameron, Cami, Scotty, and Sarah @ Gurus
• Attended a very long managers meeting at the Provo Library
• Bought the new Glee CD
• Had brunch with Sarah, Cami, Angie, and Scotty (I provided Milk and OJ)
• Visited a friend who had just gotten out of the hospital after having brain surgery to remove a cancerous brain tumor (radiation starts in a little while)
  
• Attended church, FHE, and Ward prayer (once again, see www.lds.org if you are confused)
• Had a sit down with my landlord about renewing my lease and had a roommate meeting with our landlord about cleaning, leases, and construction in the basement
• Listened to my roommate and gave her advice about work frustrations
• Worked 8.5 hours each workday
• Send my boss on yet another business trip and sent his wife a gift certificate from all the managers to apologize for all his trips.
• Ate 3 healthy salads
• Cleaned my bedroom and my bathroom as well as cleaning my car inside and out
• Began reading a book on interviewing relatives for family history projects

This weekend I plan to get together with family, clean, and perhaps go out with friends or on a date. I hope you are having as much fun as I am.

Electricity

I have not had electricity in my bedroom for over a week. On May 26th I arrived home from dinner with friends to discover that I had no electricity in my bedroom, bathroom, or the hallway outside both rooms. I called my landlord and left a message. I called again Thursday morning and Friday morning with no response. Luckily, I own an extension cord. This way I was able to have a bedside lamp that I could carry from my bedroom to the bathroom and back. It has been very frustrating. On Saturday I heard from my landlord, who reported that she had not received any of my messages but had been told my one of my roommates of my predicament. She and her husband came by to flip switches in the electrical box (as though I wouldn't have already tried that.) She said that she would call her handyman. That was a week ago. Apparently her handyman was out of town and he is the only person that she trusts. I received a voicemail from her today saying that the handyman was coming tomorrow night. This has been a frustrating experience but I have tried to be patient. Thank goodness for an extension cord, flashlight, and an battery powered alarm clock or my bedroom would be unlivable at night (as my landlord has forbidden candles of any kind.) I guess I'm just grateful that our air conditioning and power to the kitchen and family room have remained.

The last two and a half weeks

The last two and a half weeks have been busy ones. Here are just a few things that happened:

• I sent my CEO and President on a business trip and one of them forgot to take their cell phone.
• Drove to Bountiful to celebrate Caleb’s birthday and had dinner with my family
• Babysat Lauren and Emily while their parents went to the theater (Emily was in pretty good spirits considering she had an ear infection.)
• Drove to K-town for a wedding reception
• Spent 6 hours weeding and planting for a Mother’s Day present (I was sore but it was totally worth it)
• Manned the information booth during a two day conference put on by my company (7am is not a good time for me to be in charge of giving others information)
• Set up 30+ meetings for my two bosses
• Painted (and mailed) a bowl for my newest niece
• Organized personal correspondence from my great, great grandfather to my great grandfather (Binder #2 of family history is underway)
• Printed off some new wallet size pictures of my nieces and nephews for my purse (I love that my dad and siblings have blogs so I can find recent pictures of high quality)
• Began organizing two more business trips for my boss (Germany and Scotland anyone?)
• Had a cold along with allergies (a whole box of tissue was used)
• Deep cleaned my kitchen, bathroom, and living room
• Wrote a letter to a sibling
• Bought a set of Oneida silverware for myself (a woman my age should have real silverware)
• Listened to three books on tape while driving and organizing letters (Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris are awesome)
  
• Planted flowers in my small patch of ground by my townhouse (the soil was like concrete so we’ll see how they do)
• Went out to dinner with friends
• Did all the things I regularly do each day (sleep, eat, work, drive, etc)
  

Lusting after a vase

I really, really want to buy this vase:

The problem is that I can't really justify spending $365 on a vase. Sure, it's interesting and unique and can fit 47 flowers in 47 little vases, but I just can't justify it. I love the artistic lines, the symmetry, and the classic all white shade. As it is made of Bisque Porcelain, I suppose it would be a bear to clean. "Sigh."

New stamps

My talented brother, Jordan, has created two new stamps for me. I've always wanted a stamp with my name and I commissioned two from him. They turned out great.
The simpler one was my idea and the checkerboard stamp was Jordans. The man's talented. I'd be willing to bet he'd carve one for you if you commissioned it (his prices are actually quite reasonable.)