My dad the rock star

I went to see Phat Daddy play up at Cisceros in Park City last Friday. Tons of fun! Normally my dad's at the back of the stage rockin' the drums, but they decided to switch it up and Perry (who usually plays guitar) played the drums, Mark (the bass player) kicked some serious butt on the guitar, and Matt (the guy in charge of the sound at Cisceros) played the bass. My dad sang lead vocals. It was AWESOME! Mark even used an empty glass as a slide. I've got a pretty talented dad, that's for sure. Here's some pics (All I had was my iPhone camera and the lighting wasn't the best, so sorry for the bad quality):

Singing with Matt

Mark playing the guitar laying down and Matt running circles around him.

Using and empty glass as a slide (Matt trying to drink whatever was left in the cup)

Bringin' down the house!

If you wanna come see them live, check out their website at www.phatdaddyband.com

NieNie on Oprah

A few of you might remember awhile back when I wrote about my favorite blog ever (sorry to all you other bloggers, but there really is no contest...). You might have heard of it; it's called NieNie dialogues. Well she was on Oprah today. You can read about it here: http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090924-tows-stephanie-plane-crash

Seriously, I know this sounds kind of stalkerish, but I love this girl! She has such a passion for life and love for her family and the gospel. What an inspiration! My favorite posts of hers are the ones she writes about her husband. She'll talk about how she'll be watching him water the lawn or something and fall completely in love with him all over again. I suppose after surviving a plane crash together, you cherish each other a lot more. I pulled this picture from her blog:

Do you not just love them? Anyway, if you haven't read it, go check it out. nieniedialogues.blogspot.com. I promise you'll be glad you did.

Happy Birthday Ian! (2009 edition)

Well, here we are again, one year later celebrating my favorite person in the whole world's birthday. I just wanted to tell you all, again, how extremely grateful I am to have such an amazing person in my life. I know everyone says that, but it's really true. I had to laugh the other day as I was going through my old high school notebooks. I found a page where I had described, in perfect detail, my ideal guy. Aside from the fact that this fantasy person had brown curly hair and a British accent (Yes, I really did write that), I described Ian pretty much to a T. So much of what I am today comes from what he's taught me. He's like no one I've ever met before. He has a passion for life that I haven't seen in many other people. He's taught me so much about faith, forgiveness, trust, expression, confidence and happiness. There's definitely more to that list, I just can't think of any more at 11:30 at night. I remember while he was still in the MTC, I wrote him a letter and mentioned that I was struggling big time with Biology. His advice in his reply letter was, "Before you study, say a prayer and read a chapter in the Book of Mormon. Things will be more clear with the help of the spirit." It was such a simple thing, but it made a huge difference. He's helped me put a lot of things like that in perspective and kept me from completely losing it on quite a few occasions. He really does make me want to be the best version of myself, and not only that but makes me believe it's possible. Happy Birthday babe. I'm glad we get to celebrate you being in the world because my life would be a whole lot different (and SO not as wonderful) without you. Love you!

PS I just had to show you all this. The parted hair is pretty much my favorite thing right now. Love it!

Ok, I just need to say this and let it be said

So, I really like facebook. I check it all the time! I have the app on my iPhone so whenever I have a minute or so, I'll log on and see what people are up to. But let me tell you what I really can't stand lately: status updates. I think it's high time we all realize that sometimes some things are better kept to yourself. For instance: "Sometimes it sucks being a girl sometimes..." Seriously? We all know what you're referring to, and quite frankly, we don't wanna know! I'm not sure as to what the motivation for a status update like that is, but let's just sum it up by saying, if it has something to do with a bodily function, it's probably best left off of facebook (or any other public forum for that matter). It's just gross. Secondly, I say let's ditch the negativity too. I know that it is your right to put whatever you want on your status on facebook, but why would you want to be viewed as a negative person all the time? Sympathy? Well, I guarantee that 99% of your friends are going to skim it and skip right over it without giving it a second thought. How about whenever you feel like making a status update talking about how unhappy you are, look for something positive to write instead. I guarantee finding something positive to talk about will be a lot more beneficial than talking about how much life sucks. Just a thought. I understand that everyone needs a minute to vent their frustrations, but don't use a public forum to do it. Call a friend, or go for a walk, anything. I guarantee finding something positive to talk about will be a lot more beneficial than talking about how much life sucks. Just a thought. I don't mean to ruffle any feathers here, I just think we're not doing each other any favors by focusing on the negative all the time.

911

I'm sure there are going to be a lot of posts like this over the next day or so but I'd just like to take a minute to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for this country. I'm incredibly grateful to live in a land where I have the opportunity to persue an education in any field I choose. I'm glad that I don't have to walk out of my house in the morning, and worry about stepping on a mine or becoming the victim of a stray bullet. I'm grateful to know that if something were to happen to me or my family, we'd have access to adequate medical care and that the dilemma isn't "Where is my next meal going to come from?" but "What fast food place sounds the least disgusting for lunch today?" Those are just a few examples of the countless blessings we enjoy every day because of where we live. I suppose sometimes it takes a profound event like September 11 for us to experience the fear that some live with every day, and to truly appreciate what we have as a nation. Let's not forget. While I believe some changes are being made in our country, some not necessarily for the better, I still think it's our job to remain patriotic and optimistic. If we lose that, what do we have left? God bless America, and may we all remember to take pride in the opportunity to be a part of it all.

Want some free chocolate?

As the unofficial "candy slut" I feel the need to let you in on this little known secret. I was a little bit skeptical about this at first but it's really free, no-strings-attached candy. Go to https://secure.realchocolate.com/ and fill out the info and within a couple weeks, they send you a coupon for free chocolate. It really works and you can do it more than once. Enjoy!

Dancing

You probably wouldn't know it from the looks of me now, but I used to dance in high school. I wouldn't say it was something I was particularly amazing at but I enjoyed it for the most part, and it was a great way to keep in shape (I had such great legs back then, I don't know why I complained about them). I loved my jazz and hip hop classes, but for some reason ballet was always my favorite. I was cleaning some things in my room today and I found my old pointe shoes. I decided I'd put them on, just for the heck of it. Well, that wasn't such a good idea. Ouch! I used to be much stronger... It kinda made me miss dancing though. The thrill and the rush of working so hard at something and then performing it on stage. I wish it was something I worked harder/was better at. One thing's for sure, if I have little girls, they're going to be dancers. No doubt about it.