So glad it is over!

I have had a stressful week--so stressful I haven't had time to write. I'm glad it is over!

Last week was a week of fall concerts for bnlfan_1 and Scout. Monday was a choir concert that bnlfan had to attend. Her orchestra was asked to accompany the combined Layton High choirs as they sang Vitas Opera #2. They even had to wear the black hoods. Freaky. But it was awesome to hear those boys hit the high notes.

Tuesday was the orchestra concert for both girls. They sound so good and it makes me so pleased to hear them play. I am impressed with their talents. I was asked to accompany the 7th grade beginning orchestra on the piano. They were simple songs but I managed to mess up royally, stupid performance anxiety. And, of course, it was still dance day so we had to come late and leave early. Typical.

Wednesday was the band concert but fortunately the jazz band wasn't ready and theirs was canceled. Yeah! A night at home!

Thursday was a primary Halloween party and the dress rehearsal for the Relief Society Music Contest Winners concert. BNLfan_1 and I had to be there instead of the party because she was playing the cello during one of the songs. That was a 2 1/2 hour practice. I was beat!

Friday was the actual concert at the Assembly Hall. It was amazing. The music was so wonderful! And it was awesome to sing for the composers. Janice Kapp Perry was there, having won with a song she wrote for her mother. I couldn't sing it, for the tears. We are supposed to get a CD of the performance so I will post it when I get it because it was truly amazing.

Finally Saturday rolled around and I got a reprieve, of sorts. I remembered I was asked to play a special musical number in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. I panicked and pulled out a song by Sally DeFord, "Come Follow Me". I practiced it so much I developed carpel tunnel. I got up on Sunday and was hit with the most severe performance anxiety panic attack I have ever had. I told BNLfan that she had to play the cello with me but she said, "Mom, this is a learning experience. Each time you do this, it will get better..." Guilt-ridden, I told myself I had to be the good example and I am really very grateful for the talent Heavenly Father has given me and I don't want to be the ungrateful servant and loose them all... So I took a bunch of Dilbert's herbs and had him give me a blessing. I was so calm all through Relief Society and Sunday School. I really thought it was going to be okay. But as soon as I sat down to play in Sacrament Meeting, I felt that flush of panic and everything began to swim. The notes looked totally foreign. I said my little prayer and messed up the very first note but I kept going. By the end of page 4 I was doing pretty well and was able to end with a flourish so all in all, it went okay. I was still shaking as I sat down, though. I hate that I am so debilitated by my performance anxiety! I know the song cold, but as soon as I am the focus of attention, I panic. At least I know I share my affliction with Donny gggg. My carpel tunnel is also improving as I avoid the piano for a few days.

So now I am fanatically working on the handbill for High School Musical (one week from Thursday) which has to be to the printer today, getting stuff together for M's 1st grade Halloween party and getting costumes reassembled after the Halloween party at Grandma Kay's on Monday. It is a typical week for me.

Hollywood

I forgot the funniest thing about our trip! As we were walking from the gate to the luggage carousel, guess who brushed past Dilbert... Yup. Ponch!

Now for many this wouldn't mean a thing (Dilbert didn't even recognize him!!!) but for me, who grew up dreaming about Ponch and Jon and CHiPs, hoping one day to actually be pulled over by those dreamy cops... It was a giddy moment.

Villains and Day 4

Day three in Disney

We spent Friday at California Adventure. We had been told it was not as much fun as Disney Land but we loved it. We got to the park early, before it opened, so we were in the front of the parade to the "Tower of Terror" which was sooo fun and then we went "Soaring Over California" which was also very cool. M was freaked out by then so we took a break and watched High School Musical Street Party, got soaked on the Grizzly River Run and went to the Aladin show. We loved Aladin. It was still so funny!!!

After that we rushed to Ariel's Grotto for our Disney Princess dinner. It was okay but certainly not as fun as seeing the villains afterwards. The princesses are so pretty and sweet and BORING. The villains were quite amusing, from having to kiss Prince John's ring before taking his picture to Cruella shaking her cigarette butt over babies heads. But my favorite, by far, was Maleficent. Her facial expressions were priceless as she told us to, "Have a horrible day!" I want to BE her, not some boring Princess!

After that we rode a few more rides then went home to rest for a while. We went back later that night for the best fireworks we had ever seen. It was amazing. And fun...

I forgot...

I forgot another cool thing about living in Utah...

At the last CSMP I attended yesterday, Sister Vicki Matsamuri was there (counselor in the General Primary Presidency). Her sister is the music leader in the ward I attended. She spoke for a few minutes about Primary. How cool that was! I have had the chance to meet her a few times through her sister and she is awesome. I want to be awesome like that someday. I need to grow up first, though. Yeah... I want to be awesome like that when I grow up. --snort--

A day of rest

I keep waiting for this to be true. I never even get a nap on Sundays! This Sunday was especially rough.

I had 3 Primary Sacrament Meeting Programs to attend (as stake Primary music leader I get to attend them all), plus I got to teach BNLfan_1's Mia Maid class (I want to be in YW's so bad!!!) so I was running from sunup. Okay, honestly that is an exaggeration because I slept in until 9 so I should probably shut my mouth right now.

Anyway, by the time I got home at 4:30 I was ready to be done but I wasn't. I still had 2 hours of Relief Society Music Contest Winners Concert practice. BNLfan_1 and I are singing in this choir and Fan gets to play her cello. The recital is this Friday at the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. How cool is that for Fan to get to play her cello in the Assembly Hall?! That is the blessing of living in Utah!!! The music is so amazingly beautiful. I often cannot sing because of the emotions. The director, Jan Felsted (I'm sure I am spelling that wrong) is a choral conducting doctoral student (and one of the winning composers) and is absolutely amazing and is challenging us to be what I never could have imagined a hastily assembled choir of moms from Layton could be.

By the time we got home at 8, I was ready for bed but Scout and Fan had a break-down last night. They shared a lot of things that had been going on in their lives (things I am so glad I already had an idea about or I wouldn't have slept last night, worrying). They are fine, just insecure like most teenage girls and they just needed to get it out. I hope I said the right things. I mostly listened and it seemed to help. Every girl needs a good cry every now and again.

Finally at 11 I stumbled into bed, trying to put out of my mind the hectic mid-term crush of concerts I get to attend this week and missing Dilbert whom I hardly saw, let alone spoke to yesterday. Sigh...

I think I am going to go run out my stress now. I will try to post my last batch of Disney pictures later today--after I fix my Word program. It suddenly wont display tool bars. I am afraid I will have to uninstall it and will loose all my Outlook information. That would be tragic, I can tell you. But I can't write my book if I can't save it! I am trembling with fear...

Disney Day 2

Day two was our first day at Disney Land. We took the shuttle from our hotel to Disney where we were promptly put in a line to wait. When that line was done we got in another line. When we got through that line we got in another line. That was pretty much the day.

It wasn't that bad. The lines went pretty fast, actually. We went on Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain then M said she was done with coasters. We did the Haunted House and Tarzan's Tree House, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tea Cups, Dumbo, etc... It was a lovely, cool, sunny day. By the time we got back to our hotel, we were happy and exhausted!

Day One at the Beach

Ahhh... It is good to be home. We had a great time in CA, but three days at Disney is at least one day too many, I think. I was--and still am--WORN OUT!

When we got to LA, we were given very specific--and very good--advice to go to In-N-Out Burger for a double double, jungle style. Yup. We did it. And it was worth it. Thanks, Tori! Then we explored a Trader Joe's (again, thanks to Tori). The two Princesses didn't think TJ's was that hot of a place but they survived. We headed to the cold, windy beach. The cool temperatures didn't dissuade them any. Here's the first day at the beach... And yeah, they didn't want to leave.

Check out my cousin!

I come from a VERY talented family. I wish I got some of it! Check out my cousin Aaron in his first staring role... He got an AWESOME review. I am off to buy tickets! Little Shop of Horrors

BNL

A testament to how big a fan I am and how big a fan I am not...

Dilbert and I were watching Big Bang Theory the other night. As the opening credits began to run, I was caught by the catchy tune so I watched the whole credits instead of my usual DVR-ing through them. As we watched, Dilbert said, "That sounds like the Barenaked Ladies."

"Haha" I laughed, "it sort of does!"

The next morning I read on BNL's blog that it WAS INDEED THEM! It is proof that I like their sound, even when I don't know it is them. And it is proof that I am not the fan I claim to be since I didn't even know they were doing the theme song for the show. A true fan would have known and DVR-ed it just to listen. Do I have to turn in my fan club bumper stickers and key fobs or can I keep them? I just don't know...

Disneyland

Only two more days and we will be off to Disneyland with the two youngest. It is their trip since they didn't get to go to Victoria to see Barenaked Ladies. They are already so excited, they can't sleep. I can't sleep either, knowing all I have to do to be ready and not wanting to do any of it. Oh well. Wednesday will come whether I clean the bathroom or not.

Choose

Another actual phone call...

"Mom, I wondered which was better... One black sock and one tan sock or two tan socks."
"Well, it depends on what else you are wearing."
"Concert black for my symphonic band concert tonight."
"Two black socks, Rob. That is better."
"But I don't have two black socks."
"Then get some."
"Oh. Can you bring me some?"
"Yes, Rob. Since I live in Layton, a full hour from your apartment in Provo."
"There's no rush."
"When I come to the concert I will bring you black socks. Just don't wear the tans ones, okay?"
"Okay."

College life...

An actual phone call...

"Mom, call me back as soon as you can. It's Rob. Thanks." --click--

"Rob? What's the matter?"
"I needed to know if it was okay to eat hot dogs that have white spots and are slimy."
"No, Rob. They are bad. Don't eat them."
"Well, it's a good thing you called back because I rinsed them off and they are in the microwave."
"Yeah, good thing. Slimy and spots equals bad. Write that down."
"Even if they were in the refrigerator?"
"Yes. They are bad, even if they were in the refrigerator."
"Okay. Thanks, Mom. That's all I needed."

4B's Concert

Last night was 4B's and Tishoo's BYU Symphonic Band Concert and it was hot! I mean they were were smokin'! I mean, they started the place on FIRE. Literally.

Well, okay, not literally, but kind of. After ditching the two youngest kids, I drove bnlfan_1, Scout and N, elle_cosette, and mzford to Provo, which was a nice drive. Thankfully the freeways were pretty clear the whole way. Huzzah for car pool lanes!

They played their first song which was a really nice typical symphonic band piece... then they played something else by some guy who had the audacity to be born in 1971 and be writing music (aren't composers supposed to be long dead?) which they followed by this same guy's amazing piece called "Ghost Train". It was so cool. We were in the nosebleeds so we had a bird's eye view of the percussionists who were having a blast using all their toys (I loved the bass drummer who was practically lying on his drum). Just as they were finishing the song, we noticed flashes of light, like someone was taking pictures. We looked around to see who was being so concert-etiquette-ly incorrect when we noticed it was coming from the fire alarms. We could hear the fire alarms but the band clearly could not. They kept building the sound of the Ghost Train barreling down the tracks, closer and closer until in a climax of choo-choo-ing and whoo-whoo-ing... then silence. The conductor held his hands up in the air in an act of approbation. We, the audience, were on the edge of our seats, both with applause for the magnificent piece they just finished, and the flashing fire alarm. Just then a recorded voice said, "Please exit the building." The faces of the band was priceless as they realized the beeping was NOT a percussion sound they had not previously noticed, but rather a full-fledged fire alarm. A collective breath from the audience was followed by a huge round of applause as everyone rushed to the exits. The entire HFAC was evacuated. It was a false alarm, BTW. We met up with 4B and Tishoo, and visited for a few minutes. We got to see weezerfreakzoid. She looks 5000 times improved from the last time we saw her at the family party. Thank goodness, poor thing.

4B took bnlfan_1 and Scout to check out the Harold B. Lee Library. They were overwhelmed with the promise of all that written word. It was funny. They were a bit light-headed, even. They rode the elevator, quoting Ministry of Magic announcements. Then we took 4B home to his apartment and stopped at the BYU Creamery to get some milk for 4B and, of course, ice cream. Yumm. It was a 5 hour ordeal for 15 minutes of music, but it was worth it.

4B's Concert

Anyone who may be interested, 4B has a concert at BYU on Wednesday. Tickets are $6 or 2 for $6 with coupon (I have them if you need them). Tishoo will also be performing (right?) so not only is it 2 for 1 ticket price, it is 2 for 1 Ford Family bassoonists! You can't beat that deal!