Who's Miserables? Not me!

My friends and I drove up to St. George on Tuesday to see the awesome play Les Miserables at Tuacahn - a beautiful outdoor theater set against the red rocks and hills. It was so dang hot and our seats weren't so close (if you can call row Z anywhere near "close," but the play was very good. This was my 8th time seeing it live (sorry, Amy...I'm closing in on your record I think!) and I pick out something new every time. Only one criticism, though - the trombonist was always 1/2 a second off and very out of tune. It drove me nuts! I love this play because of it's message of redemption. The music is phenomenal and it just gets me every time! Afterwards, Mikayla and I got our pictures taken with Jean Valjean and Javier as well as with Mr. Tenardie (the fool). It was awesome!

It was a 3-hour play and so we crashed at Shan's parent's home in St. George that night. That was so nice of them to let us all take over their extra room upstairs! We went to breakfast and then walked around Taipan (a huge home decor store). It was a fun quick trip with friends.

The chicken incident (this one really "stinks")

You ever decide to cook a real dinner for yourself (a rare event) and then get a better invitation, which then leads to an unfortunate event? Well, last Sunday, I got out of the freezer a nicely, individually wrapped chicken breast to thaw out before church. I had big plans to marinate it and fire up the grill that evening. It sat in on a plate in my sink (in case of icky run-off liquid escaped). Later, I was invited to the Skousons for "never can resist famous Skouson enchiladas." (That's worth it's own blog!) I came home later that evening and went right upstairs. You guessed it, my lonely chicken breast sat in the sink all night. BUT WAIT... I'm getting to it! The next day, I saw it, felt sorry for it as I tossed it into the trash. Upon leaving that afternoon for California, I decided that I didn't want it to sit in my house for 5 days until I got back, so I had the brilliant idea of moving the garbage bag to my garage (we're in Vegas, people...it was over 100 degrees in there x 5 days). You guessed it...when I returned and opened my garage, I was overcome with the urge to vomit. It was horrendous! Another unfortunate piece to this story is that I had my windows down in my car (which was suffocating all week in there!) I have spent the last 4 days trying to air out my garage, Fabreeze my car over and over, and get rid of the 'dead chicken' smell that has permeated the entire garage. I'm surprised none of my neighbors called the police with a "suspicious smell" next door, especially since they hadn't seen me home...my worst nightmare! I've been through 2 cans of Lysol for garage and almost an entire bottle of Fabreeze for the innards of my poor car. THE MORAL OF THE STORY: DON'T LEAVE RAW CHICKEN IN THE GARAGE FOR A WEEK IN THE SUMMER...YOU WON'T WANT TO EAT CHICKEN EVER AGAIN!

Some thoughts from WICKED

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

California Fun

I just spent a week in Anaheim, CA, with some friends from church. Madeline had a dance competition (which she placed 1st in 2 of her group routines - they were AWESOME!) We stayed across the street from Disneyland (literally) and each morning walked through the parking area, through the main plaza, through Downtown Disney, to the showroom to watch dozens of groups perform. It was really cool to see these gals show off their talents and work together. Then in the afternoons/evenings, we'd go roam around using "Janice," the GPS thingy, and find places. Twice, we spent a few hours at Newport Beach - day one: without an umbrella. Day two: with a nice, big, handy, umbrella, as I learned my lesson on the potency of the sun's rays. It was so relaxing to lay on the beach, read a book, take a nap, and watch lots of people who shouldn't be sportin' bikinis! COVER UP PEOPLE!!! Gross!!!!!!! Anyway, we never did actually go TO Disneyland, but we did go miniature golfing in the blazing sun and laughed a lot as we searched out shady areas of each hole to stand in.
One afternoon we went and saw "Mama Mia" at an old, musty theater somewhere in Orange (it smelled like an old granny's basement near the ocean), then we walked around the old historic downtown of Orange - it was so cool - had a turnabout park and fountain in the middle. It reminded me of small areas of New Orleans and Chicago. I stopped a guy on a motorcycle to as where a good local pizza joint was and he directed us to a place in the historic section where we had to walk down this red brick alley to get to. It was FABULOUS New York style pizza and such a cute, quaint place. It was a nice week - nice to enjoy cool evenings and mornings and once again, escape the scorching heat of Vegas. I've only got about 2 more weeks off of summer before heading back to work...we'll see how long I stay in town! Thanks Benfields for a great week!

Girls' Camp Survivor

Well, we did it. We survived a week of girls' camp up at Camp Stimson on Mt. Charleston. We enjoyed daily doses of rain - buckets of it at a time each afternoon - and lots of hail....not one, but 2 days worth. Amazingly enough, the clouds parted for the evening programs and rarely did you hear complaints. We just kept working, singing, playing, and digging (trenches!) We made up great flag songs together - especially the one to TRADITION from Fiddler on the Roof. What a scream that was creating it ALL morning! We also made up a funny skit set to a music mix about the emotions one goes through when having to resort to using a latrine. It was hysterical - I appreciated so much the PASS to use the private, decorated STAFF ONLY latrine and may never be able to go back to using the public ones! I hope I have a "free lifetime pass" from here on out! We entertained at the "Rainforest Cafe" serving dinner in a downpour, but helping people smile and forget how wet and cold they were for a moment. I LOVED THE COLD!!!!!! Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed working with the stake camp staff (mostly strangers to me beforehand.) I learned a few good lessons from them and enjoyed their company once I adjusted my attitude! I was sad to see it come to an end, especially driving back to the heat and humidity that had overtaken Vegas. Hats off to everyone who made it a success! (Thanks to Gwen for the pictures - HAIL, rivers of water during the rain, and the awesome mosaic of the temple made by Gwen and the girls, presented to Pres. Bingham the last night).

Random Thought: Buying Soda

OK, I had this random thought this evening about perspective. Earlier, I had been to several stores and had glanced at the prices of 12 packs of Diet Cherry Coke among others. I know that you can get them for $2.50 for 12 cans and I refuse to pay one cent more. These "sales" at 3 for $12 are just price gouging! The 2-liter bottles are high as well - you shouldn't have to pay more than $1 for a 2-liter bottle of Coke. So my thought is this: why don't I question the price of a medium cherry coke at Del Taco which is about $1.25 or more? It's gotta be only about 28 ounces before the ice! Or sometimes I'll pop in that amount in a vending machine. Yet, I won't pay $3 for a 12 pack. Something's very wrong here!

Am I really that old?

My oldest niece, Sarah, is getting married next month! I just don't think I'm old enough! I remember having just started 11th grade when she was born and I fell in love right away! She's grown to be an awesome talented girl who's found an equally awesome man! She sang at his mission homecoming a year ago and I guess the twitter-pation began. I can't wait to see her all grown up on August 16th! Congrats to her and my new nephew-in-law, Joel!

House Remodeled

I had an unfortunate fortunate mishap with my fridge in the Fall which resulted in a make-over for my entire down stairs! I put in very nice wood floors, new higher base boards, repainted all the downstairs as well as up the stairwell, etc. I think it turned out pretty well. We also had our outsides repainted so it all looks fresh. Thanks to my dad and Gary for helping install the baseboards - they're the hardest working guys I know. I love being in my house!

Oregon/Washington Vacation

I went to visit my brother in Washougal, Washington for a few days in June. It was nice to escape the dry, suffocating heat of Vegas. We took a side trip to Moltnoma Falls, the Columbia Gorge, and stayed at a nice resort tucked away from civilization. We enjoyed massages, good meals, and a nice room. I'm so glad my brother likes to do the things I do! I spent some time relaxing at his nice home up on the hill overlooking the river - it's so green and quiet up there. We hit downtown Portland Sunday morning for a surprise "Pride Parade." Enough said. It was colorful...that's for sure! I enjoyed the relaxation and rarely looked at a clock. A much needed rest after a long, interesting school year.

Hot Air Balloon Ride

I spent a week in Panguich and Cedar City, Utah last week and had the opportunity of a lifetime. Panguich was having the annual Balloon Festival, in which my friends sponsored a pilot. In exchange, he took them (and me) up for a ride over the town for about 1/2 hour. It was amazing - I wasn't knee-buckled or anything - it was a smooth take-off, ride, and landing. I took pictures from the sky as we floated OVER other balloons. It was a beautiful day and an awesome experience. I also spent a few days at Amber and Karma's in Cedar City. I saw 2 plays there and then took them to Tuacahan to see Sound of Music. It was a fun evening...I got a speeding ticket in Podunk Ivans, Utah. I enjoyed going to see my friend, Sadie's, new house and 'farm.' It's hard to come back to 114 degree heat where you can't breathe outside! Aaarrggghh!

Moving on....

So, I haven't kept up with this blogging thing - I'll keep trying. I spent 7 weeks in Chengdu, China last summer, returning home on the 4th of July. It was an amazing experience, one that I had hoped would repeat this summer. Due to budgetary cuts in education in our state, my funding was revoked. I'm trying to save up to return next summer...as well as am looking for grants to pay for it! I taught 60 fourth and fifth grade students how to read, write, listen, and speak basic Chinese this past school year - they were soooooo into it! They also learned a lot about China's history, economy, and politics as well. I can't wait to continue that this upcoming school year.

Pictures from living in China '07