struting...

Hahaha..... ok, Panda... here is me on my way to pose for some red carpet photos... Its kind of a funny photo but you can at least get an idea of what my dress looks like. Hahaa! This doesn't do the shoes justice though... I'll have to get some photos of those! :)

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It was a TON of work, but SO MUCH FUN!

The Cabaret of Fools is over and I am so glad! (well... until next year... haha!) And we had such a great time!!

The food was delicious and the decorations were amazing! The auction was a great success and so was the entertainment! All my volunteers were totally awesome!! They got everybody in quickly, served them drinks fast and got them checked out quickly at the end of the night as well!

As I mentioned, Mom's painting "Silent Tide" was a great success! I chatted with the girl that bought it and she was sooo thrilled to have won the bidding - it was great! We had about 8 paintings in the auction and only 3 or 4 of them sold... and of course Mom's was one of them! Way to go Mom!

There were also several jewelry items but Shelly's items definitely held their own! They seemed to be the first of the jewelry to get bids and both the pearls and the coral sold for over the listed retail price. Great job, as always, Shell!

Last year's event raised about $25,000, I think... I hope that we far surpassed that this year! I will let you know as soon as I find out! And I will post some more pics as soon as I get a few from the photographer! :) There are a couple below to tide you over.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all those who so willingly volunteered and especially to Troy who worked his little fanny off! You rock, Baby!

Here is me, with the mimes who were at the door, on the sidewalk, climbing the railing, etc... they worked all night to greet and entertain the guests as they arrived and left...And here are Troy and I in the middle of the "world market" where the auction took place... (Yes, I finally just gave up on finding a dress with sleeves... it was just impossible and sooooo frustrating! I will have to start much earlier for the next event!)

The first photo....

Here is the stage at the party... this is where we served dinner at the fund-raiser (this was also before the band set up and the dancing started). Not many people can say they ate dinner and danced on the stage of the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. Haha! What a fun night!I will give more details but Mom's painting was a huge hit! As was Shelly's jewelry and "Cycling's Golden Age"! Thanks sooooo much to both of you for being so willing to donate those items for the auction!

Many more photos and updates to come....

Still not sure what I was thinking...

But... I made it through Enrichment Night and I am happy that it's all done! :)

All in all the evening was lots of fun - dinner, dessert, a few musical numbers and a service auction. I did, however, make the mistake of sitting next to the RS Stake Presidency.... they were all very nice ladies and I enjoyed chatting with them... but, I just figure its better if they don't know who I am. Haha!

I had actually taken a Spanish class with one of them and we spent the whole night trying to figure out where we knew each other from. It was quite funny!

Anyway... here's my talk...

Enrichment Night – March 26^{th -}

Recognizing the eternal worth of others

While doing my research for this, I found a great article on the church website, that is actually a lesson from one of the manuals, called The Worth of a Soul. It gave me some great ideas and some excellent quotes as well.

First, I want to start with the fact that I think recognizing the eternal worth of others starts with recognizing your own eternal worth. “Each of us is a unique and special creation. Each of us has a physical body that is unique in size, shape, color and [even] facial features. Likewise each of us has a unique set of attributes, talents, interests, skills and abilities.”

We each need to recognize and value our own eternal worth. Don’t beat yourself up for not doing everything perfectly, not looking perfect, not being the perfect mother, wife, or friend… just do the best that you can and be happy with who you are, knowing that you are a child of God.

Now… with that complete… let’s focus on recognizing the eternal worth of others.

Concern for the welfare of others is one of the most important ways of demonstrating a love for our fellow man, but also shows we recognize them as a child of god as well.

Christ knows the worth of each and every soul. He is concerned about each and every one of us. He preached to the poor, as well as, healing the lame and the broken-hearted. He healed the blind and ate with the sinners. He taught us the worth of each person in the parables of the lost sheep and the prodigal son. Perhaps most importantly, he taught us to “love they neighbor as thyself.”

So…. how can we love our neighbors? How can we learn to be more Christ-like in how we treat others?

N Eldon Tanner said: “It seems we can always find what we are looking for in another person.” I think this is so true... if you look for a fault, you will find it. If you simply look for the positive, I believe you will find that too.

If we truly value the worth of others, we will look for their strong points, and treat them with love and kindness. There are so many ways that we can show this love. I think one of the best is through service. Service to others can take many forms… It can be simple…

1) Smile at a stranger and tell them to have a good day

2) Hold the door for a mother pushing a stroller

3) Buy dinner for the family next to you in a restaurant

4) Say hello to a neighbor you pass on the street

5) Inquire about a friend’s family or sick relative

6) Send a thank you note to someone who did something nice for you

Of course, there are much larger service projects you could get involved with, if you so choose.

- Help plan a fundraiser for a local charity.

- Participate in, volunteer at, or help plan a cancer walk, asthma walk, heart walk, etc.

- Donate money or supplies to a local shelter (animal or people)

I really could literally go on for hours but, I will just share an example that I found in an article by President Monson from the November issue of the Ensign –

He writes, “I learned recently of loving service given to a mother when her children were very young. Frequently she would be up in the middle of the night tending to the needs of her little ones. Often her friend, and neighbor from across the street, would come over the next day and say, “I saw your lights on in the middle of the night and figured you were up with the kids. Why don’t I take them to my house for a couple of hours while you take a nap?”

The grateful Mother explained further to President Monson by saying, “I was so thankful for her generous offer that is wasn’t until after it had happened several times that I realized if she had seen my lights on, she must have been up with one of her children as well. She probably needed the nap as much as I did.” Perhaps more.

From the example set by this giving mother, friend and neighbor we can all learn a valuable lesson – be aware of those around you. Whether it be a friend, family member, neighbor, or complete stranger… opportunities to serve are waiting whichever direction we turn.

I just want to close with one final thought from President Monson - “The desire to lift, the willingness to help, and the graciousness to give come from a heart filled with love.”

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to my awesome parents! Love you!

Birthday List –

Ok Mom (and Troy, if you need some other ideas)… sorry I am so late in providing this! I did send you a wish list from the SHADE site… hope you got it! Here are a couple other ideas –

1) The FitFlop… they may not be that cute, but I think they could be good for the gym on my lighter workout days when I just don’t want to wear tennis shoes. Many of the promises of these shoes sound ridiculous to me, but I was thinking they may offer a little more support than my other flip flops. (Should you choose to go this route, probably a size 7, since they only come in full sizes)

http://www2.victoriassecret.com/commerce/application/prodDisplay/?namespace=productDisplay&origin=onlineProductDisplay.jsp&event=display&prnbr=8L-224618&page=1&cgname=OSSHUFLOZZZ&rfnbr=4700&cm_mmc=di-_-080326SHOE-_-V01-_-31570&cm_em=streiffharris@yahoo.com

2) Golf Clubs

3) Donation to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary - http://www.bestfriends.org/

4) Yoga Clothes

5) Workout shorts or capris, tank tops, etc.

6) Dark brown skirt and/or dressy pants

7) Season tickets to Hale Center Theater or Desert Star Playhouse

8) Books, movies, CDs are always good…. And gift cards are great too!

donation of a tv????

Anyone have any connections in the electronics or furniture industry?? We are trying to get a TV donated for a home makeover project that is underway on Taylorsville. The house had to be torn down due to an infestation of black mold and the Heart 2 Home foundation has built them a new home in 8 days, with everything donated but the TV. Any suggestions???

It's an obsession really...

Yes... it's true... shoes are an obsession for me! I should never be allowed near a Nordstrom or Nine West store during a sale. haha! But aside from this sickness that i have.... I just got the CUTEST new pair of green shoes that perfectly match my purse! :) Here they are (the picture doesn't do them justice, of course!).... tell me, could you resist those?? I couldn't!
Anyway... headed off for a 3 day weekend and couldn't be happier about it! I am going to play in Park City tomorrow and out to lunch with some girlfriends. Then its off to the Symphony and the fun after-party on Saturday. On Easter, we will be having dinner with the Hickman clan. :) I just don't know how much longer I can wait to open my Easter basket! Thanks Mom!! You're the best! Happy Easter Everyone!!

just random stuff...

Humm… had a whole bunch of things that I was thinking about posting about but, alas… my mind had gone blank. Haha! So I will just say a belated Happy St Patrick’s Day to all, and a belated Happy Birthday to my not-so-Irish Askie, too!

I hope everyone did something fun for St Patty’s Day, and ate or drank something green! I didn’t eat or drink anything green, but for some reason I seem to think that all of you should have. Haha!

Troy and I went out to dinner with some friends and had a wonderful time! Going out to eat isn’t helping with my quest for the perfect dress… since if I found one, it wouldn’t fit anyway. Haha! But, I think spending a nice evening with friends is more important than stressing about the few extra pounds that I want to shed so… dinner and fun times were had! J I was at least behaved enough to skip the French fries and dessert. Haha!

For all those that are wondering (which I am sure is none of you because you are all sick of me talking about it… haha! But I am updating you anyway), the party and auction really seem to be coming together well for the 29^th.Which makes me very happy! This fund-raiser goes towards providing RWDC’s amazing dance education programs for underprivileged kids in the Salt Lake area, and the programs really are great! The auction will contain items from cosmetics gift baskets, to jewelry, to artwork, to sports packages, to chocolate, to gift cards for restaurants, to tickets to a variety of events, to a weekend getaway on Southwest, to a weekend at a working ranch, and all the way up to a grand piano! It should be a very fun evening and I am very much looking forward to it! And frankly, I am very much looking forward to it being done as well… so that I can have my spare brain power back for other things. Haha!!

Anyway… we are off to a birthday party and then hopefully the gym! My office is shut this Friday, and I am looking forward to a 3-day weekend full of lots of play time!! Yeah!! So happy early Good Friday to all of you!

P.S. During my research for my “talk” next week, I came across this poem that I just love, so I thought I would share…

Her hair was up in a pony tail, her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school, and she couldn't wait to go.
But her mommy tried to tell her, that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand, if she went to school alone.
But she was not afraid; she knew just what to say.

What to tell her classmates of why he wasn't there today.
But still her mother worried, for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again, she tried to keep her daughter home.
But the little girl went to school eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees; a dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the wall in back, for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently, anxious in their seats
One by one the teacher called a student from the class.

To introduce their daddy, as seconds slowly passed.
At last the teacher called her name, every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching, for a man who wasn't there.
"Where's her daddy at?" she heard a boy call out.
"She probably doesn't have one," another student dared to shout.
And from somewhere near the back, she heard a daddy say,
Looks like another deadbeat dad, too busy to waste his day.
The words did not offend her, as she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher, who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back, slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child, came words incredibly unique.
My Daddy couldn't be here, because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be, since this is such a special day.
And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy, and how much he loves me so.
He loved to tell me stories he taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses, and taught me to fly a kite.
We used to share fudge sundaes, and ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him, I'm not standing here alone.
Cause my daddy's always with me, even though we are apart
I know because he told me, he'll forever be in my heart"
With that, her little hand reached up, and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat, beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads, her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter, who was wise beyond her years.
For she stood up for the love of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her, doing what was right.
And when she dropped her hand back down, staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft, but its message clear and loud.
I love my daddy very much, he's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here, but heaven's just too far.
You see he was a firefighter and died just this past year
When airplanes hit the towers and taught Americans to fear.
But sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like he never went away."
And then she closed her eyes, and she saw him there that day.
And to her mothers amazement, she witnessed with surprise
A room full of daddies and children, all starting to close their eyes.
Who knows what they saw before them, who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second, they saw him at her side.
I know you're with me Daddy, to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers, of those once filled with doubt.
Not one in that room could explain it, for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her, was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.
And a child was blessed, if only for a moment, by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing, that heaven is never too far.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them,
a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

- author unknown

It shouldn't be this hard...

I have spent several weeks now (months if you count the shopping Troy and I started in Dec/Jan when in Cali) looking for a formal dress for the event we have on the 29th.... And I still have yet to find something that I love, that I can actually wear! It just shouldn't be this hard to find a dress thats modest, and elegant looking at the same time! Instead everything looks like either a prom dress, or a bridesmaid dress... or it looks like I am trying to look like I am 19. You would think that with living in Salt Lake, I'd have a huge selection of modest, but cute dresses to choose from, but no... most of them are ugly, and it sucks! :(

Troy's Mom thankfully had a couple of really good options for me at her shop, and they are both cute and will be good for all the formal events we have coming up, but I am still not in love with them...... can't someone just make a line of dresses that are elegant, sophisticated and flattering for the woman in her 30's??

What have I gotten myself into…

Much to my chagrin, and against my better judgment, I gave in to the plea for help from my RS Presidency to talk at our enrichment night this month (I think my guilt must have gotten the better of me since I had been asked to give the RS lesson a couple weeks ago, but had to say no since I was not going to be at our ward that day).

While giving a talk at enrichment night may not normally be that monumental of a task, it just so happens to be during the same week of the big fund-raiser I have been working so hard on… So let me just publicly apologize now to Troy (and to anyone else I may talk to that week) for how stressed, and possibly grouchy, I may be that week and most likely the week before. So sorry, my love!

So, anyway… I apparently need to speak on “Recognizing the eternal worth of others”. Any tips that anyone has on resources, articles, etc would be GREATLY appreciated!! Please help...

BTW - Shell - the jewelry arrived and its all fabulous! I love the coral one and really want to keep it for myself, but I won't... it will be so perfect for the auction. Love the green bracelet and earrings too - still need to try them on. :)

Pirate clothing, created by pirates...

Assuming the boys are still into pirates.... this site may come in handy. It's the clothing company of an old buddy of mine from high school (Matt Stone, for Tiff's benefit).... http://www.seawolfonline.com.

Painting for auction...

Thanks Mom for sending me the beautiful painting for the RWDC Auction (Cabaret of Fools) at the end of the month! It is beautiful, of course, and I know it will help us raise lots of money to support our extensive education programs. Thanks again!

(Here it is all framed and ready to go)

Now, I just can't wait for the box of goodies from Shelly to arrive! :)

Flowers Everywhere!!

The Blooming Hope Floral Auction was so fun, and we now have flowers everywhere!! I love it!! And Primary Children’s Hospital is such a very worthy cause that it was so worth it! It wasn’t about the flowers after all, it was about raising money to help the children – but all the gorgeous flowers are a definite bonus!

Here’s the scoop - Every Blooming Thing (my favorite local florists!!) has planned and hosted this event the last few years. They worked with their wholesalers to get the flowers donated, but all the floral designers and the owners from the Every Blooming Thing shops came and generously donated their time and talents (not to mention vases, Irish baskets, ribbons, etc). The arrangements were AMAZING! And most of them were created right there on the spot, in a race of sorts. Each designer would create an arrangement while the audience watched, and then it would be auctioned off.

We were outbid on a few that we REALLY wanted, but we ended up with some gorgeous pieces that we love! And they all have great vases that we will be able to use for years to come, which is a nice bonus! And since we lost out on one that we loved, the owner (and auctioneer, who serves on the Ririe-Woodbury board with me) had one of the designers do a custom piece for us that turned out unbelievable! We love it! We also commissioned a “bundle” of flowers for Tom’s grave, with lots of flowers in his favorite color (pink) and went to visit yesterday and took those up to him. We think he was very pleased with the flowers, and with the fact that the money went to the kids.

From this experience, I have decided that it’s not always a good idea to go to an auction when the auctioneer knows you by name (Haha!)… we definitely ended up spending more than we had planned! But it will be worth eating cold cereal for a couple weeks to help such a great cause! Primary Children’s Hospital is such a great place, and while I hope that no one in our family needs to send a child there, it comforts me to know that they are there if we need them.

Anyway, the event raised just over $5,500.00 in about 3 hours! It was amazing to see the generosity of all those that attended the auction, and I know the money will make a huge difference! Congratulations to Every Blooming Thing and Primary Children’s Hospital on a very successful event!

Here's a few photos... First, the flowers at Tom's Grave -

The awesome mango calla lillies (and others) that I get to wake up and see first thing in the morning -

The one that was made just for us, orange vase and all. We both love this one! -

The one that Troy and Colleen get to enjoy this week. I think Kangaroo Paw is one of my new favorite flowers.. its so cool looking! (It's the red stuff that you see at the top, for everyone besides Carly. haha!) -And last but not least, the spring looking one that is on my desk at work -

Trevor sent me a text yesterday...

And it made me smile, and laugh! Thanks for sending me notes, Trev! :)
I think between Elliott's emails (and phone calls), Trevor's text message and Avery's picture messages - our family has the smartest kids around, and the most tech-savvy!! :) Haha!

What a looooonng week! I am very much looking forward to the weekend, but am quickly realizing that I will be getting very little rest. Oh well! I have about 2 hours after work with no commitments... maybe I can rest then? Haha!
- Tonight we are headed to a fun concert by a "rock pianist" named Kevin Burdick, and are very much looking forward to it.
- Tomorrow is the Spring Home and Garden show, that is also featuring a "Blooming Hope" floral auction where all the proceeds are donated to Primary Children's Hospital.... i think it will be so fun to participate in that!
- Then it's off to the "iron choreographer" contest... should be very entertaining!

And between all that I still need to figure out a few more auction items for the Cabaret of Fools at the end of the month, design a "map" for the registration packets, and find a few more volunteers to help out that night. Anyone want to come to SLC for the weekend and get all dressed up with us?? March 29th....

Oh yeah... and then there is the new "extreme home makeover" project that we at the SKIDS Foundation are trying to get going.... If we can pull this off it will be such an amazing thing! This family is in need of sooo much help, and so far all the vendors are falling into place... let's hope that this trend keeps up!! :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and that it is filled with as much fun as mine will be!! I mean that... I know everyone thinks I am nuts because I find all the above stuff fun - but I love it! :)

Ok... I better go catch a 2-hr nap! Haha!

Happy Birthday Luke!

Yeah - Luke is turning 2!! Happy Birthday to my little buddy! Hope you have the most wonderful birthday yet! Yeah... that's an old photo that Mandy took, but it still cracks me up! Haha!
Wow... I don't have nearly enough photos of Luke with Favorite Aunt Jen! Need to work on that!

Give Big...

Just something to think about (this was emailed to me by a friend – thanks Brad!)…

A group of graduates, well established in their careers by this time, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, who is now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.

Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some very exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate.

In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides or distorts what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... and then you began eyeing each other's cups to see whose was best.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate.

Your job, money and position in society are the cups; they are just tools to hold and contain life, the cup you have does not define, nor change, the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Share with others.

And enjoy your hot chocolate!

Anyway – another thing to think about it this…

Normally I am pretty indifferent about Oprah, however, right now I think that she is involved in something pretty cool— Oprah’s Big Give! Have you watched it? Do you love it? If you haven’t seen it, I encourage you to watch, and please include the whole family and even some friends!! (It’s on Sunday evenings, right after Extreme Makeover Home Edition.) Basically, Oprah picked 10 people to participate in a contest to see who could give away the most money, and make the biggest difference in someone’s life at the same time… and if they don’t give big, they go home. They do things like raise money to provide a home for a family in need along with college funds for the kids, etc. I think it’s great to see the community get involved, and it’s very moving to see the difference that it makes in these peoples lives.

So – Watch it! I also encourage you to use it as inspiration for generating ideas of how you can make a difference in the life of someone less fortunate than yourself! Use it to inspire your creative ideas for helping others and making the world a better place for future generations! Small things can make a huge difference, and so can big things… just remember that everyone can make a difference if they try!

some additional photos..

Here's a few more of the photos from our little shoot last week... enjoy! Starting out of course with the whole family howling... hahaa! It's not attractive, but it was funny!
Ok — on to the cuter shots... You think kids don't cooperate with photographers?? Try getting a 12 year old, 125 pound dog who just wants to roll around in the cold snow to do what you want! It was quite humorous! (And in case you were wondering why my jeans are soaking wet in all the photos... here is why.)And last but not least, some puppy kisses for Troy... (this would be much cuter if it weren't for my neck in the backgound... oh well! Haha!)

tired little girl...

You know you're really tired when you can fall asleep in this position....Poor little Ema was all worn out from the fun-filled weekend at Grandma's... Of course, I think her 7 older siblings and 2 cousins might have also had something to do with it. Haha! It was just too funny that Avery was asleep on the floor at one end of the house and next thing we knew, Ema was out cold in that very uncomfortable looking position. I just thought she looked so cute, I had to take a photo. :)
And frankly, I don't know how either of slept them through all the noise... haha!

Feeling better and back to my normal, busy life...

What a fun weekend…. We took Troy’s nephew to the symphony with us on Friday night. It was a “pops” concert and it was called “Bravo Broadway” – It was a collection of songs from Broadway Musicals, with the Symphony playing and 3 different people singing. There were songs from shows such as, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, Little Mermaid, Evita, Mama Mia, and many others! It was so fun!

On Saturday night we had our first annual “Out of the Box” event for Studio D. Studio D is a group that is working to increase the younger audience for 3 of the dance companies in Utah – Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Repertory Dance Theater and Ballet West. “Out of the Box” was a first of a kind production where all three dance companies performed together in one show. It was wonderful to see them all working together and it was such a fun night! The show sold out which was great! The food and desserts were yummy! Several restaurants donated food for our party so a special thank you to Market Street Broiler, PF Changs, Tin Angel, and Flemings!! And we had lots of fun chatting with everybody and watching the shows. We worked a lot too (especially Troy... thanks baby!), but the evening was a great success and we can’t wait until we do it again next year! And a special thanks for Darren and Tina for all their extra help! You guys rock!

Sunday we spent the whole day with Troy’s family… which was great fun of course! We watched some TV, had dinner and yummy desserts, and chatted lots. Tina also took us on a “vision walk” which was lots of fun and also very entertaining and educational for us. Amazing the things that your mind comes up with when you let your imagination go!

Now I am home, resting up for another busy week… enjoying a little peace and quiet and looking forward to a long nights sleep!