Sophia's Baby Blessing

A couple weeks ago was our niece Sophia's baby blessing.... she is growing so very fast! And she is just so cute! Here she is at about 3 months old....

October 10th, 2009

On this day Troy and I had the privilege of getting married and sealed for all time and eternity in the LDS Temple in Newport Beach. It was such a wonderful day!

We were surrounded by many family members and friends and it was just perfect!

The ceremony was officiated by President Leif Parkin. He was the Stake President during my teenage years, and is now in the Temple Presidency. It was so great to have him perform the ceremony.

There will be TONS more photos once I get all the pictures from the photographer. Coming soon....

Fun Weekend...

Troy and I had a fun, and quite busy weekend.... started Thursday evening with babysitting Avery. We all went out for some dinner and then went back to the house for some Kung Fu Panda. One of Troy's (and my) favorites, and Avery seems to like it lots too. :)Next we went to Repertory Dance Theatre's show, Chairs. It was an excellent show and we thoroughly enjoyed several of the pieces. There were also a couple things we didn't care for, but thats the nature of any show. Several people from Ririe-Woodbury were there that night too (all our dancers, the development director, company manager, founder, etc) so it was fun to see all of them!

Saturday morning we attended the baptism of our Friend Buck's son, Colton. Colton is growing up so fast! Can't believe he is already 8! The baptism was very nice - his older sister McKaleigh gave a very nice talk on baptism - and it was fun to see Buck, as we had not seen him in a few months.

There was also a Symphony concert this past weekend. It was titled, The Hero's life. It was a Dvorak piece and some Strauss as well. The cello soloist from the Dvorak piece also sat with the orchestra to play the Strauss pieces which was VERY COOL! The soloists don't do that very often anymore, but apparently it was very common back in the early days of the symphony.

Economic challenges are unfortunatey hitting all of us rather hard, but many of the performing arts organizations are having an especially hard time. The Utah Symphony Utah Opera is no exception to this. They just reduced everyone's salaries by 10% and the musicians agreed to also take pay cuts of 11%. In fact, the orchestra agreed to donate 2 weeks of time to show their dedication to the future of the symphony. Last night was one of the nights when the orchestra was working for free. We felt so honored with their generous gift to the audience.

catching up...

A couple weeks ago we went to Pocatello because several of the Burgoynes were speaking in sacrament meeting. Cameron, Troy and I cruised up Sunday morning and arrived just in time for a short hail storm. Haha! Anyway.... Henry was a little grouchy that day so I missed most of the talks but I heard part of Rich's and all of Tanya's. They both did an excellent job! Daniel and Matthew both gave me their talks at the house after church.... excellent jobs by both of them! I still haven't heard Joe's talk, but I was told he did an excellent job.

We didn't take many pictures of course... I've been a slacker lately on the photos, but I got a couple cute ones of Henry... and one of Cameron playing the piano. :)

Did you know Derrick Bolton has a baby now?

Well, OK she is 19 now! Haha! Troy and I were at the Home and Garden show on Saturday, for the Blooming Hope Flower Auction (fundraiser for Primary Children's Medical Center) and we ran into Jim and Anne Bolton. :) It had been AGES since I had seen them but Jim recognized me and when I saw him looking at me, it just took me a minute to recognize them. It was great to introduce Troy to them too. :) Anyway.... they say hi to everyone!!

We had a great time at the flower auction, as always! We picked up some flowers for Tom's grave and something for Colleen too. And a small orange arrangement for me. :) Primary Children's Medical Center does such amazing things, we just couldn't resist bidding on a couple items.

The Burgoyne's were also in town for the weekend, which is always fun! I didn't take a lot of photos but we got a couple cute ones of Henry, who is growing way too fast! I will post those shortly. :)

We are still hoping to come down for the Morris family temple sealing, but flights are not working out very well time or cost wise so we shall see.... If we can't make it to CA, we will be at the temple dedication here so I suppose that's along the same line at least. :)

Back in action...

Yeah! I am back in action.... working computer with a nice big screen, a battery that holds a charge and a touch pad that works... LIFE IS GOOD! :)

So.... more updates will come very soon, but in the meantime we had a great weekend! The Symphony on Friday was beautiful! The Cedar Lake Ballet show on Saturday was great! It was more contemporary dance than ballet but we LOVED it!!! The Studio D After Party was a bit of a bust but we still had a good time. :)

Then of course Sunday was Paul and Pat's mission farewell and lots of time hanging out with that whole family.... which Troy and I always love. The kids were especially loving to use Troy as a jungle gym today... Haha! We will miss Paul and Pat when they head to New Zealand... perhaps we'll have to go visit. :)

Here is Troy entertaining Emi, Nellie, JJ, William, and at times Peter, and Andrew as well. Haha! Last of all we had Troy's birthday dinner with his family. It was great to see everyone and Troy received awesome gifts, as always. :) Thanks again, Colleen (and all the Hickmans) for including my Dad in the fun!

time flys...

Wow... is it Tuesday already? Time is just FLYING right past! We had a fun weekend but it went by way too fast, as usual!

Ririe-Woodbury had its first show of the season this past week and it was phenomenal! Troy and I actually ended up going twice because we enjoyed it so much! Haha! We were able to work with the cutest little bakery to provide cupcakes for the intermission receptions, and everyone seemed to love them - Including us! Thank you So Cupcake!! (http://www.socupcake.com). And there were, of course, gorgeous flowers from Every Blooming Thing as well! Here is the arrangement that we hijacked after the last show... love it!! I just wish we didn't have to return the vase! Spanish classes also started last thursday....Yikes! I NEED to practice! I was sooo very lost last week! I hope it is more smooth this week... I have been working with my vocab flash cards all week.. hopefully it will pay off.

Saturday evening I went to the Women's Conference at the Conference Center with one of my girlfriends... we had a wonderful time and the speakers were all wonderful! They focused alot on performing acts of service and recognizing/maximizing our own talents... both good reminders for me. :)

Other than that, the mountains are all decked out in the beautiful fall colors! My favorite time of year!! Troy and I went up to Park City on Saturday and it was great to see the gorgeous colors all along the mountainsides.... I just can't get enough of it!

Last but not least... October is breast cancer awareness month... go get checked out!! Both of my visting teachers are fighting this disease right now, as have many other people that we all know so... please be vigilant in getting exams, etc! The sooner its diagnosed, the better the chance of survival!

P.S. Happy Birthday Tommy!!! Hope you have a wonderful day!!

The crazy life we lead...

Thursday - the Dance Koester Dance show was AMAZING! and of course school for Troy!

Friday - the Monet to Picasso Exhibit was just as good the 2nd time around and we even went out for Sushi with some friends after... Great times! And I ran into my old roommate from BYU Freshman year at the dorms.... SMALL WORLD!! and of course school for Troy!

Saturday - Jessica and Ben's wedding... great fun, beautiful place!

Monday - Ballet West's Curtain Up (preview of the new season and premiere of the new dances that may be selected for the Innovations show in May) - lots of good potential in the new pieces and a fun evening! and of course school for Troy!

Tuesday- working on my lesson for Relief Society and still have NO CLUE what I will say! Why exactly did I agree to substitute??????? and of course school for Troy!

Wednesday - Paulette was in town for her Grandfather-in-law's funeral and so she stopped by the office for a quick visit with me... it was WAY too short but we had a great time none-the-less. Atlanta is just too far away! :( Then Troy and I headed off to our RWDC Board meeting... my first meeting as the official vice-chair and I am also taking a larger role in the planning of the annual fund-raiser (March). Troy is also more involved this year... he is the co-chair of the Hospitality Committee. He and Tracy(co-chair) have some great ideas of new things they want to try and I know it will be wonderful! and of course school for Troy!


And still to come....

Thursday - Stitiches coming out! Yuck! and of course school for Troy! (AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DARREN AND TJ!!)

Friday - 70's Party----- I really wish I still had Shelly's purple suede fringe vest!! No clue what to wear....... and of course school for Troy!

Saturday - Opening concert for the Utah Symphony... can't wait!

Sunday - sub for Relief Society..... have no clue what will be said....

Monday - Studio D planning meeting/party... looking forward to it! and of course school for Troy!

a few more photos from Cali...

At the LDS Temple in Newport Beach.... I think its such a gorgeous building and I love that its so close to my parents home!I sometimes forget how short I am until I see myself wearing flats and standing next to this tall boy (and his tall family)... haha! And here we are in Laguna Beach... we had a great time strolling through the stores and galleries. Even stopped for chocolates and yummy gelatto. Thanks again, Baby, for the yummy chocolate covered strawberry!

rain rain go away... come again another day - preferably one when we are not at an outdoor concert!

The summer is half over… and time is flying! Troy’s first semester is ALMOST done! Can’t wait! Despite the fact that the summer semester is almost over, I was really beginning to think that all our usual summer activities were going to get missed this year… we hadn’t been on any of our “Sunday drives,” nor to any concerts, symphonies, the theater or even an afternoon movie… But, as I mentioned on Friday, we finally carved out some time this weekend to head to Park City/Deer Valley! Yeah!!

We went and saw the “Classical Mystery Tour” a tribute to the Beatles and it was such a blast! Our friends James and Michelle came with us (their first time going to the Symphony at Deer Valley) and they really seemed to enjoy it – which we are VERY thankful for considering that we got caught in a large thunder storm and spent half the concert getting drenched my the rain.

The pictures below don’t do it justice, but it was rather entertaining to see the ideas people had to try to shield themselves from the rain – everything from plates to chairs to programs to plastic shopping bags were on peoples heads! Some of the lucky few (us included in those few thankfully – even if our umbrella was way too small to keep anything besides our heads dry) had umbrellas but the majority of people just braved the water and tried to enjoy the concert.

(See Mom- He does this in all photos, not just when you are trying to take photos of us... Haha!)

Despite the drenched clothing, soaking blankets and slippery wet grass, we really had a great time! The concert was excellent and there were even Beatles Impersonators singing… they did a wonderful job! It was fun to hear some of the songs performed in different arrangements (some with a more orchestral feeling). Even James, who is not really a Beatles fan, enjoyed the music and learned that some songs he really likes are actually Beatles songs, so perhaps his opinion has changed a bit. By the end of the night EVERYONE was up dancing and singing along... mostly to keep warm and an attempt to dry off, I think. Haha!

And the best part (ok not really the 'best,' but I have to share it for Shelly’s benefit) - the fish sneakers handled the rain beautifully!

Can’t wait for the concert on Friday! Time for Three and the New World Symphony – should be great fun!

P.S. Heard a great story in a talk at church on Sunday – (I am paraphrasing from the way it was told, so bear with me)

There was little 3 year old boy heading off to primary, full of energy and excitement. After class he approaches his Mom looking rather sad and a bit distressed. She asks what is wrong and he says, “All my life I have wanted to be a fireman, and now Jesus wants me to be a Sunbeam!”

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.”

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. :)

Isn't there a better way???

Seriously... is there not a better way to get a mold of your teeth than to shove a goo filled huge plastic thing half way down your throat so it gags you????? If someone could invent a better way to do this, I would be eternally in-debted!! (I obviously went to the orthodontist today... haha)

Not much else new going on here...... other than wishing Carly and Craig a Happy Anniversary! :)

Oh... and for those didn't know.... Shelly and I are sisters! Haha! Shelly you just cracked me up with that phone call the other night! :) It totally brightened my day... thank you!

ok.... I am off to enrichment night... I trying to be better about getting to know people in my ward... haha! Wish me luck...

Music and the Spoken Word

Wow... what a great experience! On Sunday morning we had the opportunity to attend the taping of Music and the Spoken Word at the Conference Center. There was a special guest soloist who was absolutely amazing! His name is Bryn Terfel. They were doing a selection of numbers from Elijah. They did the full performance as part of the Rededication Gala at the Tabernacle on Friday and Saturday Evenings... Troy and most of his family were able to attend and they all said it was a wonderful experience.

Sunday mornings concert was no exception to the great performances they had heard earlier in the weekend.... Bryn's voice was beautiful and the whole First Presidency of the Church came to hear it as well. The broadcast will be on next Sunday (the 20th) for anyone who wants to watch. Should be on KBYU (or on KSL for those in UT). :)