Singing Practice

I was asked to organize the music for our upcoming First Presidency Appreciation Luncheon at work. For one of the numbers, I put together a group of eight singers. One of the altos had to cancel due to a work project she is taking care of so I am now going to be performing with the group. We had our third practice today and it doesn't sound too bad! The other alto wasn't able to make it to this practice which meant I had to do a solo. Multiple times. And two co-workers came in to listen to the singing which made me quite self-conscious. We'll see how it goes next week for the luncheon!

Matthew, who is 1 1/2 yrs old, learned the sounds of the alphabet from a toy that their next door neighbor lent them for only one week. I recorded the whole alphabet when they were in town last week, but for some reason could only download through the letter T. Fitting if you ask me. T.

Our Little (Big) Eagle Scout

At 13 years of age, Jeremy has become an Eagle Scout. We went to Heber for his Court of Honor and it was a big production! I'm a sympathetic cry-er, so Brett up on the stand with his watery eyes the whole time was killing me! I can't believe how grown-up Jer looks and acts now. He's taller than his mom and has a deep voice (and a few armpit hairs that he'll proudly show you). He spoke without a problem in the chapel to everyone in attendance and stood up multiple times to put pins on different people who were also honored. It was a very proud evening for all of us watching him. I went up a little early and had dinner with the family too. Those boys are so cute! Christian is a particular crack-up right now.



Lady of Leisure

I think I could handle being a lady of leisure. Thanks to the holiday, I got to try it out. Yesterday, I did not brave the Black Friday lines, but mom and I did go to the movies and see the new Footloose. Cody spent some time with a friend in the evening so Lori came over and we played Clue with mom. Dad joined us afterward and we played Rook. Mom and I didn't stand a chance.

Houseguests at moms this week.

Tonight, Cody and Lori invited me over for dinner and a movie. They wanted me to try Cody's favorite cheese - Raclette. They even have a Raclette machine that melts your cheese on the lower burner while you are able to grill vegetables on the top rack. So good! Which it should be for $21 a pound! And yes, we may have played a little more Tetris afterward...

The Raclette machine

Happy Thanksgiving!

I woke up this morning to a tennis ball sized cheek. Note to self, when you read in the after surgery care instructions that you can ice the area every twenty minutes if desired, that means you should ice the area as there will be swelling. Also of note, when people make you laugh and smile, it pulls the muscles in your face which hurts. In a family gathering of 30 people, there will be some hilarity. Ouch!

I'm leaning against an ice pack...now that I know about the swelling.

Brett diligently stirring his pot.

Dad and I did all the meal setup and preparations. I caught him and mom on camera dancing during a rest break. They are pretty cute together and he tends to be very romantic. He counts wanting to goose her for the camera as romantic. Mom says at the end of the video that he gave her goosebumps.

We also did all the November and December birthdays after the Thanksgiving meal. Something I was not aware of ahead of time but it turned out okay. Kevin is out of town which is very liberating for me in using my bedroom and the downstairs once again. It also means we can use the big screen downstairs. Tetris anyone?

Gum Surgery

I decided that since I have several days off for the Thanksgiving holiday, it would be a good idea to have the surgery to rebuild my gums that my dentist and periodontist have been recommending for years. So, I went in. The day before Thanksgiving. They promised I'd be able to eat soft food, and what's softer than mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie (no crust)?

Apparently I worried the doctor and his assistant when I came in wearing a white shirt. Who would have thought there would be a lot of bleeding? There was. When I sat up in the chair afterward, they gave me a mirror and moist towel to wash my face. My cheeks were covered with blood which the assistant said came from dragging the tools across my face, but seemed a bit much for that.

Breaking Dawn Part One

Lori and I went to see Breaking Dawn. It was actually decent. But, I think I'm still a fan of the books rather than the movies.

After, we met up with mom and dad at Olive Garden. They've been up in Salt Lake this weekend for a getaway since the temple is having its maintenance closure and dad didn't have to go. Mom is already wearing her Christmas present. It's a wig. She is going to have surgery on her knee next week to fix a torn meniscus and she has been worried about how she was going to get up and fix her hair each day. It looks nice but very different. It's going to take some getting used to.

Where's Cody?

Lori wants to go see the new Twilight movie tomorrow - Breaking Dawn. She came up to spend the night for it and brought us Winger's for dinner to eat and watch our show. We'll see if the movie lives up to the book. None of the others have.

Good Ol' Days

Laralynn and I went to the SL Temple cafeteria for lunch with Ryan. When you go there, others join you if you're all there at the same time. It was fun catching up.

For dinner, the Area Director division, Bob and his wife, and me all went out to dinner together to bid a fond farewell to Bob as he leaves for his new position at the SL Temple. It was at the Olive Garden. The servers were pretty brutal about how people were paying their cheques. I was brought up multiple times as the only single person there being on a single check. Nice.

Day of Play

We went bowling and played around the house today. Matthew has started to speak a bit and sounds very cute. He had to carry his own bowling ball everytime it was his turn and tottered out to the lane with it.

After the kids went to bed, Lisa, Steven, and I played games. Picture Lisa and I being competitive while playing Clue and racing each other to the winning room, only to discover that Steven had made a mistake earlier in the game and really had that room so Lisa and I competed for nothing. It was pretty funny.

It was dark when I took this picture.
We were putting the kids to bed.

Long, Long, Long Drive

I drove up to see Lisa at her new home in Mountain Home, Idaho. This wasn't planned, but I found it very fitting that I stayed on an Airforce Base for Veteran's Day. That is a long drive of nothing. Thank goodness for audiobooks! The boys were very cute to see again.



Out to Celebrate

I went out to lunch with the Felix's for Amanda's belated birthday present. We hit Olive Garden and then watched Easy A together. They're going to Ireland in the near future. Too bad I can't go with them!

Mom called afterward to say tonight was the night Nola was going to be singing with her traveling group at the Assembly Hall and invited me to come along. So, I joined mom and dad, Marcel and Edna, Doyle and Linda, and Joe and Nola to listen to the music and then go out to dinner afterward at PF Changs. There wasn't a lot of talking during the actual dinner, but everyone loosened up by the end and sat around the table to talk for quite some time. They laughed at the U.K. trip stories I shared. It may have had something to do with the breathalizer...

Group Lunch

I met up with two girls from my ward for lunch today at work. One of them works in the Meetinghouse Facilities Department, and the other came in special for the lunch. The are both Polynesian and a lot of fun.

Flashback to Park City

I decided to download one of the funny videos I filmed while staying in Park City. TJ wasn't able to act out his charades without Jenny's help. When he had to do a Can-Can dance, Jenny hid around the corner and gave him his cues. She said she wouldn't do it though if she were filmed. I had to be tricky and not look, just stick the camera out there and hope I got her in the shot...