It's July!!! And that means Shopping.

Well friends we made it through June and the summer workshop extravaganza at MCC. I will say it was one of my favorite years helping with all the great songs, kids, and good times that wer had. I am so lucky to know the many talented instructors who I got to watch and work with in this last month. I learn so much from them.

In other news I now have time to actually get shopping done for my mission preparations. Countdown, 30 DAYS TILL I LEAVE! I can't believe we're so close and I have this much left to do. There's simply oodles of things you need to buy and not so much space-wise to put it in so we're going to have to be oober creative in the packing process and way choosy on what I actually purchase here in the States. Sure you can buy stuff there but the question is what? I know hardly anything about Argentina and what it's like. I'm going to be talking with my g'pa and cousins who've served there and know more about it, who will hopefully let me know the scoop. I did speak with a gentleman who's family is from Argentina and had visited it a few times in his life. He confirmed my fear that it's pretty humid down there year-round. It doesn't get quite as hot as Arizona but it feels worse with the wet factor. He also mentioned that that is why so many people get sick down there... because with the moisture it's a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and the like. I'm bracing for getting sick at some point based on what he said.

So today, we're going to map out a game plan and timeline of what all needs to be accomplished first and so on for the clothing/supplies/etc. Certain things are obviously more time consuming and time-sensitive. I've only got a couple more shots too!

I also headed back to the gym today after a few weeks off with the workshop going and all (and a few weeks of eating crappy fast-food). It was a sharp reality that I need to be hitting it up WAY more often and getting my butt into gear/losing a few more pounds FO' SHO'! I was way more tired and worn out this time than I last remember. Thank goodness my trainer Greg is way patient and supportive. I swear he's always happy and just glad every time you go. His philosophy is not to get down on yourself about the missed times but be glad for the times you go and use that positive energy to drive you to do more. I swear the days that I most REALLY don't want to go I feel the best after and I am sooooo glad I did. Great life lesson!!! Now if I could just tattoo that to my brain to remind myself more often.

Well that's it for now... this weekend is obviously the fourth of July ANNNNDDD GREER begins this Saturday (Hooray Hooray Hooray!!!!). Wow that was a lot of caps and exclamations for today. Until next time, Tootles!

My Sleep Clock is Off!

Well friends I'm up tonight b/c my sleep clock is all screwed up and I can't seem to sleep at the right times so I thought since I'm up and all I should check up on all my favorite blogs and update my own for all you's people out there who are kind enough to stop by and read.

Well life's rolling on with Second Session of Workshop almost half-way completed. We're much better prepared and feeling way more comfortable teaching the kids. If only we all could get them to sing for reals and do their homework memorizing stuff! Oh well, what can you do? What happens happens and we'll make it all work out I'm sure. Here's hoping that my lovely group of ladies will all be super fantastic for my number. It was really cool that the main producer of this kids workshop let me have a number all to myself. It's been fun to have that responsibility and the chance to let the creative juices flow. Not sure if it's as noteworthy number compared to others, but in my opinion it's a pretty stinking cute number and I stand by it :) 

In other news, we are sad and yet excited that Breckyn leaves for college at BYU tomorrow morning bright and early. We're all proud of her for making it this far and having the determination to get out and begin living and experiencing life away from home. It's really sad though. I remember that the night BEFORE I actually left home was the absolute hardest for me. Once I got to school in Utah, I was too busy and in a whole world outside of my comfort zone to be at all sad or homesick for a good while. But really, that last night having to pack up all my stuff and leave "my room" and "my home", etc. was really difficult. I don't think I slept much that night. I hope she has a great learning experience and only misses us a "healthy amount". Also i just want to publicly say how much I love her, admire her spirit and good qualities, and will really miss her when I leave on my mission. Being the next oldest under me has meant a lot of good times and a lot of bad times. But I mostly remember the good ones when we got along, and would hope she felt the same.

Finally, I'm REALLY trying to get back on the gym/trainer bandwagon and make a final push before the mish to get my eating and exercising plan in order so I have a good plan of attach for when I'm completely on my own out in the big wide world. It's such an up and down battle. Food is my enemy right now, and making time (or rather forcing myself to go) to work out is such a fight. I hope that things will get easier in that dept. like it's been for me at other times since I came home from the Y. 

This next week will mark the beginning of the major shopping extravaganza for all things mission-related. It's going to be crazy getting it all but I'm way excited to do it at the same time. It brings a sort of finality to all the preparation and I really begin to catch the spirit of this next big adventure. I hardly know anything about Buenos Aires or the people there, but I can already tell I'm going to love it. From what everyone I know who's served there has said, it's "the Jackpot as far as missions are concerned" (thank you Drex). 

So until next time, I bid everyone good night!

Workshop & Mission stuff

Well folks the workshop is in full-swing as we have begun week-2 of first session. So far things have been pretty darn fun being back at MCC, playing the piano and being around music theatre constantly. I always have to remind myself that first session is always more difficult and we usually are a little behind but it all works out in the end, and second session is a breeze where we finish way early. Can't seem to change that fact of life. I like a lot of the music that we have, it seems to be a very Disney and Drowsy Chaperone-heavy year to be sure. We've got new faces in the director/accompanist/intern/etc. crowd and it feels great to be involved in my 10th year. I performed for five and am now working playing the piano, and assisting the directors for my fifth year (Man I'm getting old!). I just can't seem to get enough of it I guess, and quite literally it's hard to remember life before the workshop since half my lifetime I've been at MCC. You just get into this mojo of "alright June is approaching.... right..... Workshop! Got to get all geared up for it". I mean, we don't ever plan vacations until July, we never do much else on workshop days b/c we're usually blocking/singing/practicing at home before we head back the next day. It's a way of life really and we're thrilled to be a part. One thing I will say about the kids themselves: I find that in more recent years we've had less of the "hams" if you will take part. Sure we've got plenty of raw talent, but I swear back when I was on the stage it really seemed like we had some amazing shining stars that just totally caught your eye, but more importantly, lifted the group and encouraged others to do better by leading with example. Maybe it's b/c I'm older and have a hard time of not being overly-critical of the kids or idealizing my past.

In other news, the mission prep is ongoing. I FINALLY got my passport and I'm nearly finished with all the stuff that i need to send to salt lake to get my Visa all squared away for Argentina. I was (am) worried about making all the deadlines for the stuff, but things are looking more and more possible each day that I plug away and do all I can to make things happen. Now the daunting task of a) shopping for all the stuff I need to take and b) tying up any paperwork loose ends/etc. is looming over me. I am so in awe of what going on a mission entails, ESPECIALLY to a foreign country like Argentina. Sheesh! As of today there are 50 DAYS left! I can't believe it really, has finally come :) We pray all goes well and nothing is left forgotten or undone. P.S., I think I may have hurt my knee somehow and I'm heading to the doctor this week for x-rays and to see if there's something majorly wrong with me (I hope not). I'm constantly racking my brain trying to think if I had a chance dancing or working out to irk it so. Maybe it was from a few years ago when I hurt it at a family reunion when i sort of let it get better on its own and now it's back to bite me in the butt. Who knows, but I'll be posting about it after my visit on Friday.

Finally, We're anxiously awaiting our little getaway to Greer after the 4th of July. It's so beautiful up there in the summer and we enjoy some of the best family time up there together playing games, enjoying sports, eating delicious family foods, and having spiritual boosts that touch each person's life for good. I will never forget the memories from the last 3 times we have gone.

So there's the update on life.

The Graduation from H%#$

Well last night as you may have known was my sister's big graduation from high school. We had been very wary of what was going to happen b/c the weather was predicting rainy thunderstorms, and all day it had poured off-and-on. We get to the school an hour early and they're telling us it will be indoors. So we scope out some seats and get all settled in and half hour before they tell us we're moving it outside. We're all gawking b/c it's still raining a bit outdoors and most of our group was planning on an indoor commencement and didn't wear warm enough clothing (let alone water-proof). It's like 50 degrees and we've got 7 people and only 2 umbrellas (I brought mine thank you very much). We get settled on the visitors side of the stadium, close to where my sister is going to sit. The evening begins and all our butts are wet from the seats and we're huddled together under too few umbrellas to keep us all from getting wet. Just as the thing starts and the graduates get into their seats, it starts to DUMP and I mean A LOT of rain. So we're thinking as a crowd, they're not going to keep this up for long. Maybe they'll just read off their names and be done? No no... we've got to do the whole thing, start to finish, come hell or high water (literally). I swear our administration loves to hear themselves speak. They had 5 salutatory adresses and 1 validictorian as well. Not to mention all the thank you's and in between crap from the principle. The choir on a good note sounded Phenominal even in the pouring rain! I was soooo proud of all of them for holding it together (although they should have maybe not done it save time). So they're cranking through the names finally and handing out diplomas like crazy, we can't feel our faces and hands cuz it's in the forties now and raining slightly side-ways making the umbrellas almost useless. The poor graduates were the ultimate in wet, having gotten all dressed up and ready to go with makeup and hair and nice clothes.... All ruined! I felt bad b/c this was their moment and we could have done this indoors and been fine. But no. When they got to the T's on last names about half the crowd started to filter on to the field. Students left right after they got their diplomas, it was inevitably open. The kicker was that the principle says, "If you'll all take your seats again we'll get to the concluding remarks of these commencement services." Everyone was like, "Right buddy, we'll get right on that..... Not." We couldn't find my sister forever but when we did we got some nice pics before splitting with the rest of the crowd. Off we went to home for a hot shower and some cozy TV time on the couch with our "woobies". So on the whole, graduating is still cool but that was really quite unnecessary and miserable for all those in attendance. One thing that holds, it's a day we'll never forget. We're proud of my lil' sister and her work so far though!

The Human Pincushion

Welcome back to the blog, and I would like to start off by saying that we got the car back at the end of the day yesterday (Hooray!!!). There wasn't anything majorly wrong (thank goodness), but they did replace some old plugs, work on one of the cylinders that may have been firing weird, and did an overall tune-up. It starts smoother now and feels like it's running a little quieter and runs better now, I swear! Sooooo we're still glad we did it b/c any preventitive measures we take will save us time and money in the future (not to mention the trauma if the car breaks down somewhere). So "Bessie" lives on and we're happy to have the kid car back and running in time for my sister's graduation tomorrow.



Today I gained sympathy for pincushions. I went to the doctor for a blood test. Reason being, I'm trying to get all of my immunizations for my mission, and my old shot records went missing from my old doctor's office. What you can do apparently is have a blood test where they see if you are immune to the different viruses and what-have-you and that's proof enough for them. Well I get to the office, wait an hour just to be seen by anyone, and finally I get in for my "little poke". Well I've been told I have deeper veins than your average Joe, and am well seasoned in blood tests from having taken Accutane. As a result, I make sure and drink Double my normal water intake before I go to make it easier on the lady drawing the blood to find my vein, and on myself who has to endure the searching process. So she starts off feeling my arm trying to find a vein, has an "ah-hah!" moment (almost too quickly I thought to myself knowing my 'hidden' veins) and she pokes me while chatting on about the new Indiana Jones movie. I already know that she didn't hit a vein, you can just tell. Well she begins what's unpleasantly referred to as "digging" in my arm, and I'm smiling through it trying to be as chipper as possible. Nothing. She takes it out, gets my other arm prepped and settles in for round two with my arm. Thanks goodness she's a little more awake this time, taking a bit longer to locate a vein. Pricks me once more, and 30 seconds later has failed yet again to hit a vein. She's very flustered at the point, mostly at herself, and says, "Alright, we're going to try one more time, and this time it's gonna work!" (while muttering to herself how me walking out there with all these bandaids on is going to scare the patients-in-waiting). She jabs me in the right arm (that's already tender from the first half-A attempt) and starts going to town like a prospector on speed, digging away at my arm. I'm about ready to say something when she says, "Oh this is just no use!".

Next, she begins eying my forearm and feeling around on the top of my hand. That's I started to get on edge (and I think actually show it on my face --- up until this point I've been the perfect picture of peachy). Thank goodness she changed her mind and offered to have me come back, first thing tomorrow morning, and do it then. Man, she felt really bad, and told me I am supposed to now Triple my water intake (being 100 degrees and probably losing water throughout the day that I am not aware of) and hope for the best @ 8:00 AM tomorrow. I don't know how people who are in the hospitol put up with nurses who can't take blood very well. I dread the day I have to stay there and get stuck every few hours by people who, unlike this lady at the doctor's office, aren't even blood sample specialists.



Wish me luck tomorrow on the next attempt, and that I don't have to run to the bathroom every 5 seconds (literally!).

Used Cars Blow

Well everyone it comes as no surprise to me, but my '98 Chevy Blazer is back in the shop UH-gain. I'm really getting fed up with how many problems it's had. We've already replaced in the year and a half since we got it, all 4 tires, the radiator, part of the A/C, some hoses and more. As background info, we got this blazer Jan. of last year from my uncle who takes care of his cars VERY meticulously. Always got the oil changed early, tires rotated, you name it. Well he and his wife decided to get an Envoy or something and were going to trade it in. We said, "Hey we'll take it!" b/c we needed a "kid car", and got it for a reasonable price. Well the month after, sure enough the problems began. True, it gets quite a bit of usage and we've put another 15,000 miles on it, but still! I guess it's to be expected. All Chevy's get to that 9-10 year mark where you replace everything and then it may last you for a while after that and eventually just die. I hope we're getting past the "replacement phase" and into the pre-death phase (and pray that it's a couple more years before that happens). As a driver, I haven't minded driving this car at all. In fact I like the space that it has for cargo, driver and passengers. It doesn't feel super bulky, parks easily, and I feel has done well in the driving regard. Has a fair accelleration, GREAT air conditioning, HORRIBLE gas mileage, but still feels comfortable to me. It was the best we could do at the time.

So yesterday, I'm getting on the freeway and the light starts blinking "Service Engine Soon" as I'm going up this steep on-ramp hill. It's working a little harder than normal. Once on the freeway the light stays on and I'm a little freaked out it might die on me at any moment. I glance at my sticker on the windshield and realize it needs an oil change. I get it changed, have them check all the fluids..... nothing wrong. Light is still on. We take it in this morning to our mechanic and they'll check it out, hopefully have whatever's wrong fixed by tomorrow. PLEAAAASSSEE be a minimal problem. We can't afford in time or funds to replace something super major like, uh, The Engine. Hold a good thought for "Bessie" as we call her. I'll keep you updated as we hear from them.

Sunday afternoons

I LOVE Sunday afternoons! After we come home for church we get some of our best family time. Most days go like this: We get home, usually there's some awesome Sunday dinner ready for us and the aroma is to die for after a three hour block of church. We all eat and lounge for a bit, usually followed by a killer game of Hollywood Rummy, Nerds, Dominoes, or what have you. We are super competitive, but in a good way, and we really enjoy the good times that ensue. After we've played our hearts out we retire to one of our many comfy couches for some good book reading. Inevitably a nap is in order after cuddling up w/ the latest novel in a series we love. Finally, we may eat again, and maybe play a little more game action, and then my siblings get all ready to go back to my mom's house and they take off. It's our time to really bond and make memories and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Summertime is even better b/c there's not as many activities going on or homework to mess things up on the weekend. I guess we do the occasional Family Counsel or housework or lesson, etc. but those things i listed above are what I remember most about our sundays. 

So I've got like 2 weeks left at my current job before I start playing for the workshop half-days. Soooo excited for both things. It just feels like time for a change and I'm happy. I'll have 2 months of that before I'm off to Argentina and there will be plenty of shopping time for mission items. Other than that this week is my sis.'s graduation, a couple end of the year events, and dress rehearsal for our group-voice class recital. We're thrilled at the progress those students have each made this year. Till next time!

Bry