On the way to Salzburg

Monday

We got up early, and went for a ride... a very long ride... to Salzburg!

We took the scenic route... In all the roundabouts, the towns placed fun things. Here we see a sailor, land-locked.
Now this is the Blue Danube. There are those that say it's not really blue (it is a river, after all), but it looks pretty blue in this picture.
Along the way we passed many farms. Here's a fun way to store your hay.
Austria is home to the oldest monastary in that part of the world. We passed by. I understand they have a good school there, as well as making and selling good beer (though I wouldn't know about that)
At last, Salzburg! And here's the hotel where we stayed.
An evil cat. I just had to take a picture.
Once in Salzburg, we grabbed a bite to eat, then went on a walking city tour. Our first stop, Mirabel Gardens, built by Wolf Deitrich, the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg in the early 1600's. It was built by the same architect as Belvedere Palace, but it got bombed in World War II. They rebuilt, but it's not quite as fancy as before.
The steps in the background are where Maria/Julie Andrews sing Do-Re-Mi whith the vonTrapp children.
the long view of Mirabel Palace with the gardens and fountain.

The Salzach River (I may have the spelling wrong).

A very famous street, with signs dating back centuries. Obviously not all of them (the one on the right in particular)
Mozart's birthplace. I took a tour a couple days later; very cool.
We passed by the Kolliegskirche (University Cathedral). We performed there that night.

We saw the oldest coffee shop in Austria--yes, opened in 1703.
And the smallest house in Salzburg (A young man was told that he needed to have a house if he expected to marry a particular young lady, therefore he found some space and built a house)
This fountain was also featured in The Sound of Music; on this day it was the center of the Fan Zone--where the people of Salzburg could watch the World Cup.
Mozart worked for a while at the Dom Cathedral. Inside there are five organs; this is the position he liked to play (the actual organ has been replaced several times since then)And what would a Cathedral be without a Rotunda?Our Tour guide, by the baptismal fount. The fortress that guards and watches over Salzburg.

St Peter's Cemetery, where some of the final scenes of The Sound of Music were filmed. It's a lovely old cemetery; you have to be someone important in order to be buried there.
We had dinner at the monastery, which was built back in the 8th century. Very cool. Europe has a sense of history that America just doesn't.Inside the Kolligeskirke (and I would be very surprised if I spelled that right--I shall have to check when I get home). The ladies in ther outfits, awaiting the concert. It's hard to tell, but I'm on the far left.
Can you see what I mean about the impossible scarves?

Vienna, Austria

Sunday
Here is the hotel we stayed in:


We went for a city tour first thing after breakfast. We stayed on the busses, so not a lot of ability to take pictures. I really would have liked to stop, particularly in the central park where the statues of Strauss and Mozart are. We did stop at Belevedere palace, though.

Here are Diane, me, and Rebecca, my roommates :)
This is the Prince's backyard. St Stephen's Cathedral is the tall spire covered in scaffolding (it's in the process of being cleaned). On the left side of the picture you can see the two spired of the Votive church that we vistited last night. At the bottom of the hill to the right you can see the edge of the Winter palace--the on at the top is the Summer palace. Man, to have two palaces!!

Another short ride through the city, seeing palaces and artsy things everywhere, then the final stop of the tour at St Stephen's Cathedral, or rather, the square in front of it.

Here is the spire:

And here ^ you can see the efforts of the cleaning, from where it hasn't been cleaned yet to where it has, to where it continues.

While there, the World Cup was being played in Bern, Switzerland, and Vienna. This particular evening the Italians and the Spanish were playing, and you can see the fans all dressed up in the background, waving flags and everything. It was very fun to see their excitement (Spain won that evening)

That afternoon we went to our church in Vienna, and attended the International (English Speaking) ward:

We had free time after Sacrament Meeting, but not enough time to load up the busses and go through an art museum or something (there are a lot in Vienna), so we basically just hung out--some of use went to a park near the church, some stayed at the building. I started at the park, then took a walk down by the Danube Canal (not the actual rivier, that comes later).

We had a performance that evening at the church, our first one in Austria. One reason for sticking close to the church was to add in one more rehearsal before the performance. I thought it went very well. There were exceptions (Home on the Range did not go well), but in particulare "The Dream Isaiah Saw" was wonderful. There was a brother there with the most magnificent baritone; we had him do the opening solo. It was amazing. Note for next time: bring recording equipment and a friend to work it.

I liked this building ^. You can see where it says, "Urania" on the building. Uranus is the seventh planet in a (current) family of nine, as am I, so I'm partial to the greenish-blue marble and anything that has to do with it, or its mythology. so of course, I had to take a picture of this building.

And here is where we had dinner:

No interesting trees this time, but across the street was the Hotel Sacher, which is famous for its unique chocolate cake (we had some at this restuarant, although it wasn't the official cake). Across the nearest intersection was the Opera House. Not too bad a shot, even if it was dark.

And so it begins... in New York City!

"I'm leavin', on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again..."

Thursday morning, June 19, 2008
My home teacher, Charlie, picked me up about 8:30 am. I was having a crisis--not everything I wanted to take would fit into my carryon, and I really didn't want to take more stuff, and it was just stressful. I went with a canvas grocery bag, but even that really wasn't what I wanted to use. We got to the airport in plenty of time, Charlie helped me get checked in--he was rather surprised I had 10 days worth of clothing in only one suitcase, but I figured I didn't want to haul around too much junk, and I had to have room for souveniers (hence part of the crisis--if I already had a carryon plus my purse, how would I manage getting my souvies home???). I bid farewell to Charlie, and then made my way through security, still unhappy about the luggage situation. I know, I know, I really should have left some of that stuff home, but was just too stressed to think rationally.

I found a seat, got something to eat, and then went to a shop for some water (since they won't let me bring my own anymore). There I found the cutest shirt that fit my mood (I'm Crabby--Don't bother me), and a small travel bag that I'd looked at before but couldn't justify. Well, now I could. I walked out of that store with a rolling travel bag, new shirt, and my water.

After some repositioning (and putting away the grocery bag that was now doomed to travel with me), I was finally happy and ready to go. Too bad my plane wasn't there. I didn't realize it then, but this was to be the theme for the next 7 days (yes, I know the trip was 10 days)--late, late, late. I did have about three hours between the time I was supposed to land and the time I was supposed to be at the hotel, though, so I wasn't too worried. Yet.

The plane finally came, I finally made it to JFK, and I had an hour to figure out where to go and get picked up by the bus. After waiting at the hotel pick-up and drop-off point for about 15 minutes, I called the hotel from the phones inside, and they promised to send a bus right out. 15 minutes later... but I did make it to the hotel, meeting the Abbot's and the Bristol's on the way. They had come in the night before and decided to spend the morning in NYC; they were returning to our hotel on the same hotel shuttle as me.

Got to the Howard Johnson's, checked in to find neither of my roommies had come by yet; I would meet them later. I went downstairs, music in hand, to see many more people with black folders similar to mine. Here I met Angel, another Alto II, and my fifth friend so far on the trip. We shuttled over to the local LDS church meetingplace (located in a store front by a Farmer's Market in Jamaica, New York), and passed out our bags that had our red nametag-things and scarves (ties for the men). These scarves were huge purple things, that I liked, but not to wear as a scarf. Way too bulky. We managed. We had a meeting on the second day of rehearsal to decide what to do about them. Which was to rip or not rip, and to wear as we liked. Which was the starting position, but I think the women felt better after airing their concerns about the scarves.

So, rehearsal started, once the second group of busses came (we had to be bussed over in two groups, using two shuttles--there were over 80 of us). Dr Brady Allred was our conductor. He is amazing. If I ever have the opportunity to sing with him again, I will certainly take it. He's the kind of conductor that makes the people in his choir better just by participating. This whole experience reminded me of just how much I enjoy singing in a semi-professional choir. Simply fabulous.

We rehearsed for about 5 hours, with a break for dinner (subway--yum!), then got shuttled back to the hotel. Angel and I were in the second group, so we--and others of us--walked down to the Walgreens where we purchased those last few things that we might need. I needed glue sticks for my journal, which I managed to keep fastidiously this whole trip, pasting in all the tickets and momentoes and even post cards of everywhere we went. The shuttles finally came, and we were taken back to the hotel. I then met Diane and Rebecca (Don't ask me last names; I haven't recieved my roster yet), who were to be my roomies for the next 9 days, and we settled in for the night--our last night in America.

Friday morning, June 20, 2008

Up, packed, and ready to go fairly early. They had us leave our suitcases and paraphernalia in a locked room at the HJ, then shuttled us over to the LDS meetingplace again. This is Afton, who also sat by me during rehearsal:

The church is right behind us. And you can see our red nametag things, too. I did mention we were in Jamaica, right? During our lunch break Angel and I went into this fabric store, which had the lovliest fabric. It was hard to remind myself that I was going to Europe, I couldn't spend all my money here.

But it was tempting...

All-day rehearsal, followed by shuttling back to the hotel, grabbing our stuff, and then being shuttled to the International terminal at JFK. Where we got to check in, find our gate, and then wait. And wait. And wait some more. Our plane was very late. Which means our flight was very late arriving at Frankfurt the next morning. Which means we missed our flight to Vienna. It was a very, very long day. But I did get a picture of the waning moon as we flew over the Atlantic:

Here is the Frankfurt Airport, which I became all-too familiar with. Because the plane they put us on was--you guessed it--late.

At last! The plane that was to take us to Vienna!!

And away she goes...!

I'm going on vacation tomorrow. I'm very excited. Last year about this time I got an email from my ldssingles email group about gathering a chior together to sing at the Passion for Music Festival in Oberammergau, Germany, in June 2008 (choir info here) . I was excited, and really wanted to go. So I decided I would. And I leave tomorrow.

We're meeting up in NYC tomorrow afternoon for rehearsals--it's the first time we will have sung together as a choir, although we've all had the music for about 2 months. Friday we're rehearsing all day together, and that night we fly away to Germany. We'll go to Austria first--Vienna and Salzburg. yes, I'm taking the Sound of Music tour! How could I not??? Then on into Germany, to Munich and Oberammergau. There will be several tours, and lots of places to get souveniers, and the final day will be the Festival, all day long, with choirs from all over Europe, and of course us. There's actually two choirs participating through this venture, I'm in the Chorale (I forget the name, I just know I signed up for the tour through Austria).

So basically I haven't been posting much because I've been trying to wrap up all the loose ends before I leave. I haven't really had an evening to myself--that I haven't stolen by cancelling whatever activity was there--in about 3 weeks. Funny how all these obligations show up right when I need time to get ready to leave. And practice my music. Which I wasn't able to do as much as I should have. Oh well. It will be a long plane flight...

I will be sure to blog and post pictures when I get back :D
Auf Wiedersehen!

Another meme from LJ...

You know how sometimes people on your friend's list post about stuff going on in their life, and all of a sudden you think "Wait a minute? Since when are they working THERE? Since when are they dating HIM/HER? since when???" And then you wonder how you could have missed all that seemingly pretty standard information, but somehow you feel too ashamed to ask for clarification because it seems like info you *should* already know? It happens to all of us sometimes.

Please copy mine below, erase my answers putting yours in their place then post it in your journal! Please elaborate on the questions that would benefit from elaboration! One-word answers seldom help anyone out. :)

1. First Name: Julia

2. Age: 40 (not as bad as I thought it would be)

3. Location: Laurel, Maryland

4. Occupation: Satellite Analyst. Yup, and I can sing, too ;)

5. Partner: None (I assume the cat doesn't count)

6. Kids: Other people's--and I can give them back when I'm done.

7. Brothers/Sisters: 4 of each:

• Blaine: wise older brother who's always there for a hug or a calm perspective in a crazy world
• Kathy: older sister, almost mom-like in the way she'd boss the rest of us, but mellowing a lot as she gets older
• Mike: older brother with Cliff Claven-like tendencies (sorry, mike!)
• David: the car guy in the family. Fun-loving, and family loving.
• Debi: the older sister I used to do everything with.
• Glen: the older brother I used to fight with (we get along ok now, though)
• Beckie: the younger sister I was able to visit a lot when she lived north of me (not so much anymore now that she lives more than 8 hours away by car)
• Dustie: the younger sister with a strong, independent spirit

8. Pets:Padme-Kitty; orange tabby who decided she lived in my house long before I agreed to it. Persistance pays off, though.

9. List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life:

1. Getting ready for my trip to Europe (Austria and Germany) next week
2. Being in charge of the Single Adults in my church--not an easy task, especially since few people want to help out, and some of those that say they will don't.
3. Getting ready for Shore Leave, MDRF, and any other escapist place where I don't have to face reality
4. finishing off the never-ending project of requirements at work.

10. Where and for what did you go to school for?:

• Ricks College: to figure out what I wanted to do
• Utah State University: to get a degree in Physics so I could be an Astronomer
• University of Iowa: to get a Masger's degree in Astrophysics so I could become...a spacecraft analyst? Wait... but since the satellites I work on are astronomical in nature, it works for me.

11. Parents:

• Mom, Jeanette, passed away in 2000 of liver complications brought on by the pain medication she'd been taking for close to 20 years.
• Dad, Dave, 78, remarried to Nancy about 3 years ago, still playing his clarinet for three different bands and taking lots of trips.

12. Who are some of your closest friends?: Beckie, Dustie, Daely, Danja--oh, did you mean non-family friends? How about Autumn (5), Bonnie(8), Malena (5), Teralyn(8ish), Sheeyly (8), and loads of other kids I know? You want older people? Try Helen, Dina, Tess, Shannon, Clare, Mendy, Cami, Jenni, Corrine, Jim, Russ, Tim, Steve, Mike, Dash... I know if I keep going I'm going to forget someone. If you're reading this, you're most likely a friend of mine. *hugs*

taken from a friend on LJ...

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want -- good or bad. When you're finished, if you so desire, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people remember about you.

Movie Meme by a Movie Freak

Because I'd really rather not be at work...

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.
--Umm, in or out of the theater?? In theater: Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Willow (that's all I can think of right now--Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was only 9 times...). At home since VHS was invented, you really can't expect me to keep count. I'm a movie freak.

2. Name a movie that you've seen multiple times in the theater.
--Less than 10 times(see number 1): Lord of the Rings (all three), Pirates of the Carribean (the first one), Star Wars (all six), Stargate, Harry Potter (all at least twice)--and that's just the ones I remember

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
--Liam Neeson, Drew Barrymore, Orlando Bloom, Jean-Luc Picard--oh, wait...

4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
--Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, or any of their gross friends.

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
--Does it count if no one gets it? Willow, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (most people get that one), MST3K (push the button, Max), Star Wars (take your pick), or any other movie that I may have seen recently.

6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
--Flower Drum Song, Annie Get your Gun, The Sound of Music, Saturday's Warrior, Lil' Abner--those are the musicals I was in, and all have movies made of them. There may be others, but I'm not admitting to them. :D

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with.
--Um, if I know the songs, I tend to sing along. For example, I have the soundtrack to "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," and I can sing to almost any Disney movie. Mostly depends on if I'm watching with company or not. Oh, and don't forget the Rocky Horror Picture Show!

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
--Star Wars: A New Hope. Doesn't matter how old or young a person is, they can still appreciate something in that movie.

9. Name a movie that you own.
--just one? Um, I have like 500 movies at home. The last one I bought was 27 Dresses, and I'm looking forward to The Spiderwick Chronicles coming out.

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting skills.
-- I have to go with Will Smith

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
-- Since my Dad used to work as a projectionist in a drive-in, my very first movies were in drive-ins. Don't rightly recall all of them, but I know one of them was Star Wars. And probably several Disney movies.

12. Ever made out in a movie?
--ummm, I plead the fifth...

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven't yet got around to it.
--hmmm, ever since I got blockbusteronline, I add things to that list when I think of them. So I can't think of one off-hand...

14. Ever walked out of a movie?
--Yes. I was about 10 or so, the movie was The Black Hole, and it freaked me out when all the things started falling and the ship was going into the black hole. There have been a few others unmemorable to mention that were just too offensive.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
--Gattica. You may think I'm nuts, but I was just so happy that he got to go in the end. (By no means was that the only one--I tend to think a movie is good if it makes me cry)

16. Popcorn?--You can see a movie without popcorn? Oh, maybe you're counting movies at home...

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?
--not as much as I'd like to, but I do try for about once a month. Depending on whether or not there's actually something worth seeing playing, of course.

18. What's the last movie you saw in the theater?
--Ironman, last weekend. Also saw Indy 4 last weekend. It was a long weekend :D

19. What's your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
--Science Fiction/Fantasy, with some Romantic Comedy and Drama thrown in for flavoring.

20. What's the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
--Oh good grief. Did I mention my Dad worked at movie theaters? There are many I know I saw when I was little, and the timelines are all messed up, so this may not actually be the first one I remember, but I do remember seeing Star Wars. (can you sense a theme here?)

21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?
--Because I Said So with Diane Keaten. I also didn't like the one she did with Jack Nicholson that got nominated for an Oscar. Yuck.

22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?
--The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's not just a movie, it's an experience. Watching it at home just would not be the same.

23. What is the scariest movie you've seen?.
--Probably The Exorcist. Didn't like it much. Never watched horror movies again.

24. What is the funniest movie you've seen?
--Seriously, only one funniest movie? doesn't that sort of depend on the mood I'm in when I see it? Armageddon was pretty funny, but it wasn't meant to be. At the moment, the one I can think of is Galaxy Quest. It still makes me laugh.

And now, for a favorite movie memory. It was 1985 or 1986, and drive-ins were being torn down all over the country. My mom, me, and a couple of my sisters, I think, and maybe one of their friends, were driving home from a shopping trip to San Bernardino, and we decided to stop at the drive-in on the way home and see a movie. That was the last time I ever went to a drive-in. It was good, though, that spur-of-the-moment, serendipitous moment with me and my mom and my sisters. I forget what we saw, but I'm sure I wrote it down in my journal.

15 Minute Update

Yes a little more time today...

Ok, so we left off with me whining about the Single Adult program and how we had some great activities and how I never get help from some people--specifically those who are assigned to help me. Our last event was actually Sunday the 18th, our monthly pot-luck dinner with fireside (church meeting). I had made a plea for people to come on time, and to my surprise, they did. We were able to start at 6:00pm like we are always supposed to but never can because most people don't show up until 6:20pm. We finished with plenty of time to get to the fireside, which is pretty unusual. This month we were able to attend a fireside being given by the BYU Chamber Orchestra. It was wonderful. I play violin, and used to be part of orchestras in school, so I really appreciated the chance to sit and enjoy this one. They're on a tour of the Eastern US, with a last performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Pretty amazing.

Briefly, work is about the same, except that I finally finished my document to send out for signature yesterday, and now I can work on the other things that have been piling up...

Enough of that nonsense, though. What's been going on with my personal life?

I finished out March with a trip to the Pet Expo at the Dulles Expo Center with some friends. I now have the Furmerator (which Kitty tolerates) and the Cat Bag (which she does not). We had a good time, though. The first weekend in April was General Conference for my church, good as always, and maybe a little more special than usual as we bid farewell to President Hinkley and welcomed President Monson as the new President and Prophet of our church. I had the Turpins come over Sunday morning for brunch, which was a lot of fun. I'd had the Anderson's over for FHE in March, and in May I had the Edward's over for FHE, so my NYR of having people over is finally getting somewhere. Yay!

The next weekend was my Concious Dating and Relationships course that I already wrote a post about. The next class is coming up this weekend, so I'm looking forward to that (*after* Sheely's baptism, of course). April 20th I had another amazing church-related experience as Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices Choir came to Baltimore. I went with a friend, and it was amazing. She even sang "Amazing Grace," so you know it had to be :D She bore her testimony, her husband bore his testimony, several of the choir members did as well--I did mention this was a church meeting, right? I so have to get the CD now--it won a Grammy in 2005. See, Mormons *can* sing! cool music, too! :D

April 26 was the SA event at the movie theater. I think that pretty much finishes off April. Sundays are always busy, weeknights I was trying to get my yard under control when I didn't have church meetings to attend. I think I even managed a movie one night, but I don't really recall...

May was-is?-fun. I got my patio installed on April 30 (close enough!), and the following week they came and put in the plants. My shed got delivered, and last weekend I finally got it put together (my friends Charlie and Marlene came over and helped). I spent one Saturday playing D&D with my friends, another Saturday making quilts (you already heard about that too), and then there was last weekend. Thank goodness for three days, I needed all three of them! My backyard actually looks more like a yard instead of a heap of stuff, my plants are getting watered (although I think my laurels have died, but I'll keep trying for another week or so), and since my porch swing is put together I've been using it too. Kitty likes the backyard too. She likes to climb the (6-ft) fence and walk along the top. I think she's a little upset I cut the weeds that were growing up around the pieces of the shed--she can no longer hide in them. But she does like to sit on the pile of cardboard I cut the boxes into. Too bad they will be disappearing next Recycle Day.

I also went to the movies. I finally saw Ironman, and I agree with what all my friends said--it's awesome! I also saw Indiana Jones (of course!), and I think it makes a fitting addition to the series. Not sure if there will be more, probably not, but it ended very well. I liked it :) Maybe a little too much Close Encounters, but then, each of the movies has a bit of the supernatural in them.

Time to go see Prince Caspian!

Here's a meme for you Twilight fans...

"Twilight": who are you? (now w/ pics) created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Esme Cullen You're Esme. The sweet, loving, mother figure of the Cullen clan. You're extremely happy that Edward has found Bella and are very careful not to scare her off. Alice Cullen 63% Jasper Cullen 63% Esme Cullen 63% Carlisle Cullen 63% Bella Swan 38% Edward Cullen 25% Charlie Swan 25% James 25% Rosalie Cullen 25% Emmett Cullen 25%

10 minute update

Ok, I literally have ten minutes before I have to run to the next thing. I did want to at least post what I've been doing that's been keeping me so busy,though.

Work stuff:
I had a review of my requirements document in March, and I've been working on updating it with the comments and action items. I got close, but the Mission Requirements Document was just released last week, so I've been frantically trying to get mine linked to it before sending mine out to be signed. Oh, and it was due on the 19th. Yup. It's late. Yikes.

In the meantime, two of the TIMED operations people took off for a conference in Germany for a week. Bob and I held the fort, but barely. So glad they're back! (yet another reason the document didn't get finished)

Church stuff:
I was asked to be on the Committee for the upcoming Stake Enrichment Activity (where the women's organization in my church (Relief Society) gets together and does something. The theme was service, and I volunteered for the Quilting Committee. We're making quilts for the Soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital (see my link to the side on soldier quilts). The activity was May 10, we managed to finish 5 out of 51 quilts. They're passed out four times a year, Memorial Day, Independance Day, Veteran's Day, and Christmas. So we have two upcoming opportunities to get them finished. Many women took them home and are working on them there. We should have about 15 ready for Memorial Day, and the rest for Independance Day. But that has taken up a lot of evenings and some weekends as we prepared the 'quilt kits' and then started working on them. Even now I have one at home waiting to have the binding finished (and this is not doing my carpal tunnel syndrome any good At All!!). But the thought of the soldiers who will be recieving the quilts has me saying, "how could I not?"

Then of course, there's the myraid of meetings and activities for the Single Adults program that I'm supposed to be running *with help*. We had a great activity at the end of April--we went to see the Metropolitan Opera simlucast at the United Artists' Theater on Snowden River Parkway. It was fabulous. Seriously. Unfortunately it was so packed we didn't even know how many people came from our group. Only about five of us met up for dinner afterwards, but there could have been more. The guy who suggested it thought it was a failure, but I don't. We can't base our success or failure on how many people show up, but rather by whether or not the people who came found value in the activity. Otherwise everything we do would have to be considered a failure.

Ok, ten minutes is up. I'll post another time about all the personal stuff that's been going on. When I haven't been doing work or church...

Musings

As you, my friends, know, I have been single all my life. I haven't had a date in over 10 years (you *know* I wouldn't keep a thing like that from my blog!). So last weekend I went to a class on Relationship Counseling. When I heard about it, I decided I need to show Heavenly Father--and myself--that I'm serious about finding a special someone and start doing something about it. The course was being run by a woman I know, who I respect. She's been married twice, divorced twice, and has figured out--finally--that being single is not equivalent to having the plague or leprosy (sometimes it feels like that).

It was an amazing experience. We had a workbook, and I still have to do my homework, but the thing I really came out of it with is this: I do know who I am and what I want. I do have a really good life that I created for myself with help from Above. I have actually been working on this since I was a teenager and I was told in my Patriarchal Blessing that I should develop self-confidence. It's rather life-affirming to realize that I am the woman I envisioned when I was a teenager. Somehow, for the last eight years, I forgot what I was working for, and trying to become. Yes, the 'eight' is significant, since that's when my Mom passed away. A lot of things got derailed at that time.

In the course, we talked some about dating--concious dating, or being aware of what you want in a partner, and unconcious dating, where as long as they're breathing, they'll do. We talked a lot about Requirements vs Needs vs Wants. For example, a Requirement is that we need to eat food. A Need is that we need to eat nutritiously: vegetables, fruits, breads, protien, all in moderation of course. A Want is that we'd rather have our milk in the form of cheesecake. So while I would want to have Mr tall, dark, and handsome (Hugh Jackman, Liam Neeson, or even Orlando Bloom), what I need is someone who will support me, and someone who will let me support him. Someone who is strong, intelligent, and capable, like me. What I require is that he be a worthy priesthood holder in my church. Or willing to become one. Of course there are more, in each category.

I've known for a long time that there are few men confidant enough to be able to put up with both my religion and my profession. And they're all married, so they don't count (I also require that he be legally avialable). I refuse to settle for anything less than what I require; there is no reason for me to settle. I'm financially stable, and now that I have a cat I'm not nearly as lonely as I used to be. I have family and friends scattered across the country, and friends nearby that have told me to consider them my family.

During the course we started working on our Vision Statements, and mine starts like this: I am a strong, intelligent, capable woman of faith.

That is who I am.

I remind myself of this every morning, and move forward with confidence that I can be and do anything. That's something my mother taught me. I hope you know that you can, too.

Thanks for listening.

PS This is a positive, affirming post--sometimes it's hard to get the tone, so I'm just letting you know.

March Madness

Well, here it is, my family letter/blog/LJ for the month. Due to some issues in blog-land, I'm going to try a new thing. Basically, put my monthly family letter on my blog. This will also encourage me to do my family letter, which is also a good thing.

So, March started out with me in South Carolina. My baby nevvy was getting blessed*. While a happy time, this was also a sad time, as my grandpa Allan had chosen the week before to finally 'give up the ghost', and pass on to the next life where my grandma and Mom were waiting for him (we’d known he was on his way for about a month). The funeral was the same weekend. Since I already had my plans, while I could have changed them, I decided to continue on to my sister's house for the celebration of life. I did send flowers, so I could be there in spirit if not in body. My dad told me later that he had the mortuary take them up to the burial site to be with the casket there as well (the burial site was in Springville, Utah, about a 3 hour drive from Cedar City where the funeral was held). But back to where I was.

Beckie's in-laws, Roy and Nancy and a brother-in-law, came, and I have to say, she really lucked out with her in-laws. Nancy is fabulous. I hope I can have a mother-in-law like her someday. Saturday the menfolk took the older kids down to Charleston to see the sights, leaving the baby with Beckie and Nancy and me, and we had such a good day. I had rented a car so Beckie wouldn't have make the 2-hour drive to Charlotte to get me, and I ended up with a Prius--a RED Prius, no less. No worries about gas, it still had 1-2 gallons in it when I returned it. It was a way cool car. So when we had to run errands, this is the car we took. Very fun. Particularly after I figured out how to get it started (no key to turn in the ignition, a power button instead—weird). We made the chili for Sunday dinner, realized we were a couple ingredients short so went to the store, then got our lunch at a little bakery, and watched a movie in the afternoon. We even ran to Lowes to get painting supplies. Nancy and I got to hold JackJack all we wanted, which was great.

Sunday was really nice as well, everyone dressed up in their Sunday finery (yes there are pictures, and yes, they are still in my camera. Deal with it). Beckie actually got to hear the blessing--the last two she missed because of her other children. I actually missed Collin's as well, since both Bonnie and Malena were acting up, but this time they were both really good. So was Collin. Sunday afternoon was a typically lazy time, with naps, movies and playing with kidlets. And a very good dinner, too.

Monday morning after the girls went to school, we painted the big living room. When they moved in last November, it was this dark paneling, so Doug painted primer all over it and stopped. Beckie found the color she wanted to paint it, ran it past Doug (because they both have to live there), but nothing else had been done. So Nancy decided we would paint it while we had four adults there to do it (hence the painting-supply run on Saturday). JackJack sat in his swing and basically slept the whole time, as I said the girls were at school, and Collin helped. Yes, the three-year-old was actually a great help. As I was taping up the base boards, he was very encouraging "You only have this much farther to go, Aunt Julia. You're doing great!" I decided I needed to take him home with me, because he is such a good little cheerleader. And so helpful! Willing to take stuff to the trash or find more tape rolls for us. So fun! We were done in about 2 hours, with a little time to spare before people had to leave to catch planes and whatnot. Collin and I had a rousing game of hide-and-seek while the others did the touch-ups.

The whole time I was there Jack took the opportunity at least once a day to spit up on me. Friday I had to change my shirt, and when Beckie said that they understand about spit-up, there was no need to change my shirt, I explained, “No, it was WET.” She gave her little baby a high-five. Yes, he got me on Saturday too, and twice on Sunday. The second time he was sitting on my tummy facing the TV, and I said something to him. He turned his head to look at me and deliberately spit up on me. Beckie was saying all weekend how he likes to be part of conversations and will talk to you just like you know what he’s saying and even listen, so I’m convinced it was a reaction to what I said. Don’t remember what it was, just that I laughed very hard. Jack is a very fun baby.

I returned to Maryland and promptly got sick. A head cold that lasted—well, I’m still congested as I write this so I’m thinking it’s still here. I managed to get to work and be somewhat productive, only taking a day or two off work, which was good since I had a major review last week of the stuff I’ve been working on for the last year and a half. Church didn’t fare so well—I managed to still do my callings, but I opted to stay home and sleep for two weeks in a row. I did make it to church on Easter Sunday, but left after Sacrament Meeting to go home and rest some more. I actually only went to support the Ward Choir, but when I got there they really did have enough altos so I’m thinking they didn’t need me; I should have just stayed home.

I did go see “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day”, which I quite enjoyed. There was quite a bit of bare legs and backs in the beginning, but no bad language, and it was sweet in the end. I plan on seeing “Jumper,” but we’ll see if that happens before it leaves theaters, probably next week. I also managed to finish the Farscape series, which I was renting via my blockbusteronline. It ended very well, although I do wish D’Argo hadn’t died :(

So I do my work during the day, I do my obligations in the evenings, and I spent a lot of time just crashing in front of the TV. Oh, but one of the things I also did this month was participate in our Relief Society project for Breast Cancer Survivors. One of the talented women in my ward came up with this as a tribute (hope she’s ok with me showing everyone):

Savage Mill Sisters

I also had a landscaper come by and do a proposal for a patio in my back yard. It was really nice, and with my tax return I think I can do this, so I’m getting a patio! Patio party at my place in May! Or June. Or maybe July. We’ll see :)

So that’s my month of madness. Hope yours was less insane, or at least not so filled with being sick.

* In my church (remember, I'm a Mormon), we get baptized when we're 8 years old. When we're babies, we get a name and a blessing in church on Sunday. When Christ was on the earth, he often would call little children to him and bless them. This is why we bless the babies.

Aplologies

It has been brought to my attention that there are people who have been hurt by some of my recent blogs. In an effort to let you know how I feel about some things, I have not been careful with my word choices, going for the harsher rather than the softer terminology, and I must confess in some cases I was just trying to get a reaction from someone. Anyone. Even a negative reaction since I wasn't getting any other reactions.

First, I did not intend to wish illness on anyone's children. "Spit up" would have been better than "throw up", and even better would have been not to say anything at all.

I really don't want to go through a list of reasons trying to excuse my behavior; there really is no good excuse. I will however be more considerate when I post. If you were offended, I do apologize. If you have something you want to say to me, please email me or call me and we'll work it out that way. Thank you to those who have already done so. I am usually not aware of how I am affecting other people, so I do appreciate it when people let me know.

quick update

I know, it's been a while. Yes, I've been more busy at work, which tends to affect the length and frequency of my posts. I'll be in meetings most of this week, so we'll see. Evenings are going to be busy too, as I get ready to go to South Carolina this weekend (my nevvy Jackjack is getting blessed). I did think about going to Utah instead, but financially this is the right decision.

Why would I go to Utah instead? Especially since it would only be for the weekend? Well, my Grandpa finally gave up the ghost; the funeral is on Saturday. He's at peace now. He passed away in his sleep on Friday morning. I was at home on Friday due to the ice storm (no work, yay!) so was sitting at my home computer when the email came. My dad was going to call me but thought that I would be at work. You know, I think I grieved about 4 weeks ago when I first heard. And then again two weeks later when I hadn't heard anything and freaked out. It really is a good thing--Grandpa was in his 90's, Grandma passed away almost 5 years ago, and all his children are older and self-sufficient. Lots and lots of grandchildren, lots of great-grandchildren and more on the way. He was so healthy his body took a whole month to release him.

A little about my Grandpa. He was a schoolteacher, a principal, a farmer, and a blacksmith. He served two missions later in life with his sweetheart, one to Bolivia, and the other to Nauvoo. He was the one who first started using the Blacksmith Shop as a real Blacksmith shop, building wagons and handcarts to keep busy in the slow winter months. He even built a handcart for the Winter Quarter's Visitor's Center, and in 1997, when they did that 150-year celebration/trek to Salt Lake City, someone took that handcart to Utah. I beleive it or one of its brothers is on display in one of the Church Buildings around Temble Square. To be sure, lift it up and see if you can find the stylized A on the bottom--Grandpa Allan's brand. One of his great-grandparents was a blacksmith in Nauvoo as well. Cool, huh? He was always so worried about me not being married. I hope he knows not to worry; I really am ok. I love you Grandpa. See you when I get there.

Last weekend I went to the Home and Garden Show at the Dulles Expo Center with a friend. We had fun, and managed to find way too many ideas for our budgets. I'm thinking a nice patio in my back yard, and some lilacs by the side of my house, to cover up the rather ugly-looking concrete. And make it so I don't have to mow that side anymore. I found a shed at Home Depot that I want to get (small, rubbermaid, but still looks like a shed). I also found a free-standing porch-swing that I could really get behind. When my tax return comes in, it may not last long... then again, I suppose I have to file my taxes before I can get them back.

My friend also helped me find a new toy for Padme Kitty--a lure with feathers, on a string attatched to a stick. She loves to chase it as I flick it around. She looks at me like, "Isn't it time to play now?" At least she gets more exercise this way. We've been doing pretty well.

well, I am rather short...

You're The Hobbit!

by J.R.R. Tolkien

All you wanted was a nice cup of tea when some haggard crazy old man
came into your life and told you it was time to do something with yourself. Now you're
all conflicted about whether to stick with your stay-at-home lifestyle or follow this
crazy person into the wild. While you're very short and a little furry, you seem to be
surrounded by an even greater quantity of short folks lately. Try not to lose your ring,
but keep its value in perspective!


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

I'm IT!

Brenda tagged me, so here I am. I tag Kellie, Lindsay, and Felicity, but only if you haven't done it yet.

What time did you get up this morning?
7:30 am I'm supposed to get up earlier, but as long as I'm to work around 8:30 I don't worry about it.
Diamonds or pearls?
Pearls
What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Mad Money. I quite liked it.
What is your favorite TV show?
I have to pick one? How about three? Lost, Medium, and I've really gotten into Torchwood lately. Gilmore Girls is no longer on the air, but it was my favorite too. And Babylon 5. I guess that's five, now, huh?
What do you usually have for breakfast?
Typically yogurt, but instant oatmeal is making a comeback.
What food do you dislike?
I still hate Lima beans. I keep thinking I'll grow out of it and try them again, but nope, still don't like them.
What is your favorite CD at the moment?
Anna Nalick (I've been 'in' to female artists for the last little while)
What kind of car do you drive?
Saturn ION. It's a great little red car!
Favorite Sandwich
Hmmm. Probably ham, cheese, and tomato with lettuce and mustard on wheat bread or in a wrap.
Favorite item of clothing?
Dresses. Pretty ones that make me look beautiful
If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Denmark. A cruise of the Baltic Sea that includes Denmark.
Favorite Brand of clothing
Just My Size (they are so comfortable!)
Where would you retire to?
St George, Utah. Preferably close enough to the temple I could walk.
What is your most recent memorable birthday?
I think this is a trick question. What if my most memorable birthday wasn't a recent one? One of my favorites was going to see my sister in Cincinatti when she was there for work. We saw a show on a steamboat and had Jambalaya. Not at the same time, though.
Favorite sport to watch
Baseball, but I prefer to be at the game. Watching on TV does nothing for me.
When is your birthday?
September 25
Are you a morning person or a night person?
Night, but I'm usually unable to stay up late. I do like mornings too, though.
What is your shoe size?
6 1/2. I like having small feet :)
Pets?
Yes. I had dogs, but they were too much for me, so now I have a cat. Padme Kitty. She follows me around a lot.
Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
Did I mention I have a new grand-niece? She was born in January, and is very, very cute.
What did you want to be when you were little?
An Astronaut
How are you today?
Fair to middle'n, as my Dad says.
What is your favorite candy?
I like Three Musketeers. And Lemon Drops. But not together.
What is your favorite flower?
Pink Roses
What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
February 29 (I get to go to South Carolina to see my newest nevvy be blessed)
What are you listening to right now?
Hallway conversations at work. I'm telling you, working in a trailer is really noisy.
What is the last thing you ate?
Strawberry Yogurt
Do you wish on stars?
Yes
If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Cornflower Blue
How is the weather right now?
Cloudy and cold. They say it may rain. Kitty wanted to go outside this morning, but was out for all of two seconds before she darted back inside.
Last person you spoke to on the phone.
My Dad.
Favorite Soft Drink
I don't drink a lot of soda, but I tend to go for either Sprite or Rootbeer when I do. I prefer Lemonade when I'm not drinking water.
Favorite Resturant
Again with the having to chose just one! I like Applebees, Ruby Tuesdays, and Hunan Manor. And several more I can't think of right now. I'm not sure I have an absolute favorite, although I really liked a little Vietnamese restaurant in Iowa City when I was there. And Breugger's Bagels. And--I should stop now, huh?
Hair Color
Blonde, and getting lighter all the time (I hope it just goes white eventually)
What was your favorite toy as a child?
The doll my mom made for me.
Summer or winter
Neither. I like Fall
Hugs or kisses
Hugs
Chocolate or vanilla
Is this a trick question?
When was the last time you cried?
Last Friday morning. I was having a meltdown at work. Unrelated to work, but a meltdown just the same.
What is under your bed?
My suitcases, a box full of empty doll boxes, and a box of clothes I can't fit into right now but don't want to get rid of.
What did you do last night?
Went to a surprise birthday party for a friend. It was really fun.
What are you afraid of?
Dying and no one finding my body for days.
Salty or sweet
Salty. I can't stay out of the potato chips, so I'm not allowed to buy them anymore.
Favorite day of the week?
Friday.
How many towns have you lived in?
Hmm, let me think. Fontana CA, Rexburg ID, Logan UT, Athens GA, Iowa City IA, Mesa AZ, Greenbelt MD, Jessup MD, Laurel MD. 9. Thought it might be more, but I guess not.
Do you make friends easily?
Nope.

Horrific week

The first week of any given month tends to be really busy for me. This past week was no different, but for some reason seemed to be worse than usual. Could it have been the lack of sleep?

I had something every night, almost, last week. I tend to get stressed out easily if I don't have some 'home' time, and by Wednesday I was starting to get a little depressed. Lack of sleep was mostly due to trying to finish the book for Thursday's book club meeting, which I really figured I should do, since I had picked the book, and was supposed to host the meeting ("Galileo's Daughter" by Dava Sobel--very good, btw).

Monday was Family Home Evening at a friend's house--a Single Adult activity for my ward. It was fun, as always. These friends have four girls ranging from almost 8 to less than 1, and it's so funny to see them try to out-do one another. Even the littleist was happy to have me hold her by the end of the evening (not something she normally does).

Tuesday night was the Single Adult Stake Committee Meeting, for which I met up with my co-chairperson beforehand to try to figure out what types of things we should be doing. Both I felt were productive meetings, but again, gone all evening and much reading to do. And I had to watch the last hour of Biggest Loser (not too surprised about Jackie).

Wednesday night I went out to DSW shoe warehouse--my good black shoes have started leaking, so I needed new ones. Didn't find them, but I did manage to find a new pair of exercise shoes, which was also on the list. After which I went to the grocery store to buy the stuff for Thursday night. Of course, before all this shopping I recieved a request to switch the venue for the book club--her babysitter had backed out at the last moment. I wasn't happy about it, but I did remind myself that people are more important than things, and it really wasn't *that* much of an inconvenience to pack up all the snackies and cart them over to her house. If so, it would be my own fault for trying to do too much. By this time the lack of sleep had started to affect me--I was getting depressed and more than a little "I have no friends!/no one understands me!"

Thursday was the aforementioned Book Club meeting. After my Chiropractor appt which I hadn't thought was a problem to schedule that evening but since it was one more thing on the to-do list it really didn't help matters. Got to book club ok, though, early so I could set out the yummies. The other women showed up, we discussed the book, and then, as usually happens, moved on to other topics. I sat there listening to them, more than a little tired. It took me more than a couple moments to figure out they were dissing Star Wars, and then they started talking about marital relationships. I tried to make a comment--I tried twice, actually--and when no one heard me, I decided it was time to leave. So I packed up my stuff and left. I tried to slip out quietly, but wasn't completely successful. So it was good it wasn't at my house, because I couldn't have just kicked them out, that would have been rude (but was what I did any less rude? not sure). I've decided I really don't need to participate in this club anymore. All the women that come are about 10 years younger than me, they all are married and have children, and I have nothing, really, in common with them, other than church. I've had it with the potty-training stories, and any story I may share is really second-hand, so they don't care. I really believe I have more in common with their husbands, since most of their husbands like science fiction and have to work and stuff like that, but I can't just go hang out with their husbands. That would not be 'avoiding the appearance of evil', which is a whole other topic I don't want to go into right now.

Friday I had a little meltdown at work. Background information, my Grandpa is dying. We found out about two weeks ago that he's been sleeping his life away. Apparently, after leading a long full life, his body is too strong to just let him go, so he's sleeping himself into oblivion. Don't feel to bad, though, he is in his 90's, and it was a long, full life. My Grandma passed away in 2003, so he really has no reason to stay here. The hardest part is that it's taking so long. The waiting is really awful. Since we hadn't heard anything for about two weeks, I had convinced myself that he had passed away and no one had told me (and yes, that has happened to me before, when one of my uncles passed away and I found out about a month later). So I freaked out, but then I said a little prayer and sent an email to my family to see if they had heard anything. They hadn't, and they were getting a little worried as well. I called my Aunt after I got home from work, and she reassured me that he was still among the living. My Dad also called me on Sunday to reassure me that he would definitely let me know. (You see, I really do have good reasons for my fears--I have them because I have experienced them). I did get to stay home Friday night, but stayed up way too late catching up on the shows I had recorded all week long.

Saturday was very, very long. Individually all the activities were good, but since they were all on the same day... It started at 8:00 am with a world-wide Church Leadership broadcast. I had previously scheduled an RPG session with some friends, or I could have gone to the later one at 2:00pm. I had time between the broadcast and RPG so I went to Payless and bought two pairs of shoes that I think are the end of my shoe-shopping quest. yay. RPG was good, except that our group of adventurers managed to get our cleric killed yet again. We keep losing our clerics. Not good. Then it was time to go home for a little nap and get ready for the potluck/Single Adult committee meeting for the upcoming SA Conference in June/dance/party. It was a good thing my freind and I carpooled, because I was so tired and cranky I probably would have left much earlier, or not gone at all. They had a live band, and it was really fun, but I was so tired...

Sunday was again up early for a church meeting at 7:00 AM, brief choir practice at 8:30 am (we were performing) church at 9:00am (three hours long, I was going to leave early but my friend needed a ride home from choir practice. Her husband promised me dinner so I agreed). I got to hold another friend's baby, too, so it's all good. I was thinking, though, that there are weeks that go by and I have no human contact at all--no hugs or touch or anything like that. If it's true that we need 5 hugs per day just to survive, then I'm not surviving. Maybe my cat helps with that. Holding babies definitely does. So I did stay for choir after church, took my friend home, had dinner with her and her husband, whose meeting was cancelled (the reason why he couldn't take his wife home), then went home and slept and slept and slept. Padme Kitty kept trying to wake me up, but wasn't successful. I caught up on more tv shows, really just the ones from Saturday night, managed to be awake when my Dad called at 9:45pm (it was only 6:45pm for him), and then went blessedly to bed.

I do feel much better today. And I've lost over 5 lbs since I started Weight Watchers in January. Yay for me! I have far less to do this week, so I should be good. And no more reading past midnight!!

Quote of the Day:

Where's my brain today? I need it!

Spoken at work, after a phone conversation where I completely blanked on everything I was asked.

Hmm, maybe this is why i keep getting asked to sub in Primary...

14

Little Girls in the 70's

[time for something a little lighter]
IF YOU WERE A LITTLE GIRL IN THE 1970'S......
You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a stethoscope that actually worked. [nope, but I did have the Little People that were made out of wood]
You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket withflowers on it. [yup]
You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels. [yup]
You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!) [ok, I admit it!]
You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island. [yup, so I didn't watch it much]
You had either a 'bowl cut' or 'pixie', not to mention the 'Dorothy Hamill'. People sometimes thought you were a boy. [fifth grade, need I say more?]
You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days. YEAH! [lived in So Cal, so nope]
You owned a 'Slip-n-Slide', on which you injured yourself on a sprinkler head more than once. [Yes!!]
You owned 'Klick-Klacks' and smacked yourself in the face more than once ! [yup, did that too, lol]
Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession. [that was my younger sister]
You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers. [yup]
You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon. [ooh, I think my brother had that]
You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits, or the sunshine family [sunshine family definitely]
You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once. [yup, Dad was not happy with us]
You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color. (Oh yeah!) [yes!]
You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle). [don't remember those...]
You also had a pair of salt-water sandals. [yup]
You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture; and you despised Nellie Oleson! [Nellie Oleson is the devil!!]
You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink! [sigh]
PONG! ('video tennis' ) was the most remarkable futuristic game you've ever heard of ! [it was! And we had it!]
Your hairstyle was described as having 'wings' or 'feathers' and you kept it 'pretty' with the comb you kept in your back pocket. When you walked, the 'wings' flapped up and down, looked like you were gonna 'take off' [Farrah Fawcet, how you have affected the children of your era!]
You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie. [absolutely, and I'm glad to see they're making a comeback]
You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic. With the thermos inside some were glass inside and broke the first time you dropped them. [I think mine was actually a Donny and Marie one]
You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend. [definitely Luke]
YOU had Star Wars action figures, too! [and we would fight over Luke vs Han too (again, Luke for me)]
It was a big event in your household each year when the 'Wizard of Oz' would come on TV. Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags! [best night of the year, this or The Sound of Music]
You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: 'Who will I marry. Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or David Cassidy?' [Shaun. Definitely Shaun. He had 'wings' too...]
You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record album. [That would have to be my Fame soundtrack on tape. Not listenable anymore...]
You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes, decoupage, or those weird potholders made on a plastic loom. [can anyone say 'yarn hook hangings'?]
You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts! [so fun!]
You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker. [Yup, did that too]
You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat. [don't forget Bop]
You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books. (Are you there God, It's Me, Margaret.) [yup, Judy was always there for us]
You thought Olivia Newton John's song 'Physical' was about aerobics. (?? its not??) [really? It's not?]
You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes, or shoelaces with heart or rain bow designs. [I think that was my younger sister too]
You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer. [especially after Rick Dees became the host]
You drowned yourself in Love's Baby Soft - which was the first 'real' perfume you ever owned. [hmm, I think I blanked that one out]
You glopped your lips in Strawberry Roll-on lip-gloss till it almost dripped off. [it was the BEST!]

More sad news

President Hinkley passed away last night.

He was such a force of nature, it was a bit of a shock to me when I found out. He was still out-running the younger guys on the Quorum of the Twelve and many on the Quorum of the Seventies as well. He was 97, in relatively good health. We should all be so lucky.

It strikes me as interesting that last week Heath Ledger died and the whole world had his picture up everywhere you looked. Entertainment Weekly had him on the cover. But President Hinkley dies and where are the news stories? The Ensign will have him on the cover next month, I'm sure, but seriously. A Prophet of God has left the Earth and the majority of the people on the earth have no idea.

But we are in good hands, still. President Monson as the President of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles is in charge until the next President of the Church is chosen (and will most likely be the next President if the Lord wills it).

Sadness

Heath Ledger died yesterday. Apparently of a prescription drug overdose, there was no evidence of foul play or that it was a suicide. I am heartbroken. He was so handsome, and had such potential. I was looking forward to seeing him for years to come :(

Apparently he finished work on the Batman movie that's coming out in July (he plays the Joker), so that's something, but not enough. Not enough!!

(FYI he was in A Knight's Tale, 10 things I hate about you, Roar, a western with Orlando Bloom, and Brokeback Mountain (the one he got the Oscar nom for, but I never saw that one).

Snowfall...

Well, after a few brief weeks of spring, we are back to wintertime here in Maryland. Oh boy! (sarcasm, just in case it wasn't clear). My daffodils had started coming up, the early spring ones, in December. I was a little worried about them. The cat wouldn't come back inside today, so she's outside in the snow. Serves her right? She has her vet appt tomorrow, so we'll see about that. In other 'kitty' news, her former 'dad' seems to have returned. I'm now wondering if she wants to go back to him. I knew there was a reason I shouldn't get too attatched. She even drew blood last night, but it was my fault. I like to play with her paws, and she tries to bite me when I do (the blood was from scratches when she ran away after I booped her to the head for trying to bite me). Silly Kitty. Crazy, silly kitty. She likes to 'hide' in her box and take swipes at me when I walk by. Tell me again why I took her in?

Family life is good. My nephew's wife had their second baby, a little girl, last week (Jan 7). I got the call just as I was leaving for FHE at the Bishop's house :) Her name is Jane Elizabeth. My first thought on hearing that was, "I wonder if she's a Jane Austin fan?" I suppose she wouldn't have to be, I think that's just the circles I run in, but still! She's a very cute baby. Let's see if I can post her picture... Nope. I'll try again later. So I'm a twice-great aunt!! Yay for me! yay for my nieces who have a niece! Now they have one of each!

Other good family news--my niece Leslie is going to be graduating in May and then putting in her papers to go on a mission! Her cousin Danja, that's a week older, is in the process of putting in her papers (the Stake President has them at the moment). Their hope is to be at the MTC at the same time, but we'll see. I'm so excited!!! Leslie's older brothers both went, but Danja is the first in her family. I'm so excited for them both!!! I'm going to have to stop breaking down my boxes so I can get ready to send care packages :D

Work is going well. The Powers That Be at APL have determined NOT to outsource the MOC (Mission Operations Center--get used to this acronym) (i.e. my job). The project managers need to present our plan to cut our budget on the 24th to The NASA Powers That Be. So still a little nervous, but life can go forward. The TIMED MOT (Mission Operations Team--get used to this acronym too) has succeeded in putting up a major software load to their processor, tested it, and the satellite is performing really well. Better than before, in fact. So, aside from the fact that we'd probably be doing this anyway, we're going to Mexican today (El Azteca in Clarksville). So fun!! In spite of snow. Though it's not too bad right now, and I did see multiple snow trucks out this morning, so it looks like they're prepared for the worst. Should we start taking bets as to which school system is going to shut down first? Winner gets to stay home with their kids... ;)

I think that's all I have to say for now. Happy snow day!

Movies movies movies...

I've been going to the movies a lot lately. Here's some of what I've been seeing, with some random thoughts about them. I'll try not to give spoilers, but do be warned, they may slip in...

Napoleon Dynamite
Ok, so lots of my friends have been telling me I have to watch this movie. I understand that it's very big out west (and by 'out west', I mean Utah and Idaho). I put it on my blockbusteronline list, and waited. Well, it came, and I watched. And now I totally understand why people like this movie. There's not much plot, and it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot to it, but yet, at the end of the movie I was glad I saw it. It's funny, and real in a way most movies aren't. I couldn't help thinking "Brigham Young would approve of this movie" (I know, I have the oddest barometers I use for movies). It did the whole High School thing with the underappreciated non populars and the popular people without being annoying or weird or anything. Just real. And I was glad to see the girl who is Napoleon's love interest--I saw her first on Veronica Mars (which she did after ND), where she still plays a bit of an outcast although a computer genius one.

The Water Horse
My friends totaly ditched me on this one, so I went by myself. It wasn't anything like the book, besides a few common elements like the character's names and the actual water horse. Still, it was a good movie, and I even cried there at the end. It was interesting that they set it during WWII. I didn't really care for the ending. Such a marvelous creature should live for centuries, not a mere 50 years or so. Crusoe was quite fun to watch, too. I think he may have eaten the dog, though...

Juno
I saw this after The Water Horse on Saturday. I hadn't heard much about it, just that it seemed to be quite popular. I read a synopsis, and thought it might make a good addition to my teenage angst collection (I have quite a few books about unwed mothers, go figure). This one was quite thought provoking. I thought the main character had a lot of courage to do what she did, and was really smart about the choices she made after the one, bad choice. I liked that she faced up to what she did, and that she didn't decide to keep the baby knowing she wouldn't be able to take care of it. I liked that she found a responsible couple (or they seemed that way, anyway), and I found her parents reaction believeable. They were actually hoping she was into hard drugs or had been expelled--anything but being pregnant. But they were supportive. In fact, Juno did exactly what the church suggests young women do after they find themselves in this situation. So while the language was a bit raw, and it really was about teenage pregnancy, I really did like this movie. Not sure Brigham would approve, but since he'd probably see the whole repentance aspect of it, he might be ok with it.

National Treasure
This was a fairly fun romp. I rather liked the first one better, but this one had some nice effects and Indiana Jones-like moments. And everyone got a girl in the end, so that was kind of nice. There may be a sequel, though. They opened it up with the President's suggestion. I thought the whole kidnapping of the President was a bit contrived, though. I guess if they've already stolen the Declaration of Independance, they needed something to compete with that. I liked that the bad guy turned out to not be so bad after all. That was kind of nice.

I have a feeling I'll be going to more movies this winter, as long as there are movies worth seeing. And my blockbusteronline is fabulous. I can watch as many movies as I like for really not that much. Which reminds me...

Casino Royale
I rather liked this new Bond. He gets dirty, manages to lose things, even fell in love with the girl. Course, then she had to die, because that's always how it goes, but he also managed to be right where he needed to be in order to save the world. As M put it, he has a lot of cheek. I actually didn't care for Timothy Dalton's Bond, and *gasp* haven't seen any of Remmington Steele's (Pierce Brosnan for all the young whippershnappers), but I liked this guy. Of the old-school Bond's Connery is my favorite, but this guy might turn out to be my all time favorite, if he continues well.

So what movies have you seen lately?

...and a happy new year!

Ok, so I had a lovely Christmas at my sister's house. I even had presents, swo I worried for nothing. I got to hold Baby Jack (6 weeks old) a lot of the time. My sister laughed at me for wanting to hold a crabby baby, but I didn't care. and he was never crabby for long. She asked me once if I was trying to get it out of my system, holding babies, but I said I was just trying to soak up as much as I could. He's so little!! Most of my nieces and nephews have been monster children, but Jack is Beckie's smallest, and he's still so tiny! I think he's still under 9 lbs. He's healthy, no worries, he's just not a monster child. Like two of his siblings. I'll get pictures posted to flikr sometime this week, I'll let you know when.

There were a lot of really good moments, too. Bonnie and Malena's grandmother Omi knew one of them loved Cinderella, but she got her wires crossed as to which one. So when Bonnie saw she was getting Cinderella toys and Malena was getting Sleeping Beauty, she immediately asked Malena if she wanted to trade. It was so sweet. Bonnie doesn't care that much as long as she gets toys. I mentioned this to Beckie, when the girls were in the room, and referred to Malena as a Cinderella-freak. Then I said I was a Star Wars freak. Malena said, "No, you're a DOLL freak! And I'm going to buy all your dolls from you when I get older!" "She's got you pegged," Beckie said. That was so fun. Doug didn't pull his usual disappearing act either, which was also nice. My sister married well. In PA, though, the house was so small, it felt like we were always on top of each other, so Doug would disappear into the depths or out to the garage. Their new house is almost twice as big, with no stairs, and a huge, huge yard. They're thinking of getting chickens. They need to fence in the yard, though, or a portion of it. The back of the yard has a pond. Not good for three-year-old inquisitive boys to be around. I really like their new house. Their family room is so large! I think you could fit my whole house in it! Probably not, but it's really big. Plenty of room for several activities to be going on at the same time. Baby Jack hasn't been blessed yet, so I'm thinking I may have to go back in February or March...

Thank you to all my friends. I'm at risk of becoming extremely sappy, so I'll stop now, but I do appreciate all you do for me. I go through periods of extreme anti-social behavior, but having you there when I pull out of it means the world to me. Thank you. I hope you all had Merry Christmases too.

hello, my friends!

I've been feeling rather out of sorts lately. I'm not sure if I'm coming down with something, or if it's just my usual end-of-year depression coming on. If not for my wonderful friend Lori I would have no presents under my Christmas tree. I asked my family to send them all to my sister's house since that's where I'll be. Even at that, I rather expect four cards, not actual presents. Ah, the lame life of being a single person with no family of her own.

Recently a friend seemed to trivialize a Christmas song, "Feed the World". I suppose she can't be blamed, she probably wasn't even born when that whole thing happened (or at least was very small). Bob Geldof heard about the famine in Ethiopia and really wanted to help. All he knew how to do was write and produce songs. So he called in all his musician buddies, and they recoreded a song. It sold millions--I did my part. My friend and I went in on it together, since we were poor High School students at the time. There were stories of how people would buy boxes and boxes of the record (yes, it was before CD's) and then give them back to the store so they could be sold a second time. The song brought international attention to the problem, and my church even got involved, declaring a special fast (which is how the Humanitarian Aid department of the church got started--people were very, very generous, far more than was needed). Bob Geldof recieved the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts, and every time I hear that song I am reminded of a time when the whole world seemed to pull together to help others. Others that didn't even believe in Christmas, true, but really, all that was required was that the people who heard it did believe in Christmas. Unfortunately, Bob didn't know that the Ethiopian government would interfere in his efforts and refuse to distribute the food, so I guess it wasn't the whole world that pulled together.

I've made a rather big decision regarding New Years. I'm not going to the Single Adult New Year's Conference this year. I've been feeling a lot of pressure to go from friends who are going, but quite frankly, all I've been feeling is stress when I think about going. So I will be home, taking care of my cat, and probably going to the movies and reading books for about five days (I return from SC on Thursday). I may even get motivated enough to work on my house. Depends on how Christmas goes. But I do forsee a shopping trip in my future... We'll have to see how good the New Year's sales are.

I went to three parties last weekend. On Friday I had almost triple-booked myself, but I cancelled one. I met up with my friend at the Temple Visitor's Center and we listened to the Handbells by a group from Virginia. It was really nice. My friend isn't LDS, and when she told her co-workers what she was doing they got very concerned. Turns out that they got Mormonism mixed up with Scientology. Weird. Then I went to another friend's party (I had told her I would be late). I heard it referred to as a 'couples' party, so I'm not sure why I was invited, but I went anyway. I made out with a great magnetic white board (that still needs to be put up, but that can be one of my after-Christmas projects), and the person who got the gift I brought seemed happy (although her husband wasn't *g*). Saturday started out with a baby shower, which I always love to attend, but don't necessarily care for the games. I mostly like to see the gifts. I felt kind of cheap for only bringing a baby blanket when it was obvious some people had spent a good $50-70 on their presents. Later that day was the Ward Christmas party, which was great. I didn't even get stuck at a table with old people (which tends to happen to me--they seem to follow me around wherever I go). I found a table with young people and children and we had a great time. And I love my scarf (everyone got white fleece scarves). We tried to get everyone in the Ward Choir (who had been asked to sing at the last minute, from what I understand) to wear theirs when we performed. I hope it was appreciated.

I've also been thinking about the things Mom's do for us. Birthday parties, Christmas presents, phone calls 2-3 times a month. My Dad just can't pull it off the way my Mom did. He does his best, bless his heart, but sometimes I just really miss my Mom. She would never allow my siblings to forget me for Christmas. Which has happened twice since she passed away. And two of them that did it before have me again this year.

This post may seem entirely too selfish and 'poor me' to anyone who reads it. Thank you for bearing with me. I'll try to be more positve next year.

I don't expect to be blogging much in the next couple of weeks, so let me take a moment to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

A song in my head...

For the last several weeks Christmas songs have been running around in my head. Not annoying ones, my favorites. This started about the same time the radio started playing Christmas songs. It's kind of nice, having this soundtrack in my head, without even needing an ipod or anything.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a nice weekend, and that the storm really doesn't start until everyone is home from the ward Christmas party tomorrow night.

LDS equivalent of drinking...

Anyone know what that might be? I'm thinking pizza, lots and lots of pizza...

Work has been indescribably bad lately. We've been asked to cut yet another $70 million from our budget. Some idiot suggested we outsource Mission Operations. My job. Thanks. A lot. so I've been going to a lot of meetings where we try to figure out how to prove to those idiots that this would be a REALLY Bad Idea. Very RISKY. Somehow the guy at NASA HQ got wind of the idea, and now we have to justify why it's better for APL to do it than to have some university try to pull of our operations. If I weren't LDS, boy, I'd be seriously tempted to hit a bar on the way home. Really shouldn't break my diet, either, even though the diet isn't going really well. I haven't lost anything in a month. Haven't gained either, though, so it's not a total failure.

Three words: Cost Cutting SUCKS.
When can I get to my real job? If they hadn't just made me an APL employee, I'd seriously consider finding something else to do.

So for some good news, Kitty/Padme is officially mine. I spoke with the housesitter--really the girlfriend of the guy who lives there, who has been in Australia for the last 4-5 months and is considering moving there. She, on the other hand, has two jobs and her own place (hence the reason I never saw her). So when I offered to adopt Padme, they were grateful. She still likes to be outside more than inside, but I think she's happy I've stopped kicking her out of my house. She does like to attack my toes while I'm sleeping, though. That has got to stop...

I'm here, really. I just haven't been in a blogging mood for a while.
So what have I been up to?

Here comes FIOS!
Last Tuesday stayed home in the morning for the Verizon/FIOS people that never came (they'd rescheduled and didn't tell me) So I stayed home from work this Tuesday (the 4th) as well, and they did come, and now I have hundreds of channels to watch!!! As if I didn't have enough of a problem sitting in front of the TV! But now I get BYU-TV, so no more trying to listen to Conference on the internet or shlepping up to the Stake Center! I should probably try to make it up there for at least one session, but being at home is so much EASIER!!

My internet is much faster too--at least, faster enough to be noticiable. Given that I had Comcast Cable before, this is a rather interesting fact.

Snowfall
As many of my friends noted on their blogs, it snowed on Wednesday (why? Why couldn't it have been Tuesday when I was home anyway??). I did go to work, and didn't get hit by other cars, or slide around, or anything. But it was nice and peaceful with the snow falling outside and my office mate staying home (she lives in VA, can't really blame her for that). We got a lot of snow, 4-5 inches (I never heard the final count, but there was a lot of snow on the ground). I didn't believe the weather people when they said it would snow. I thought they were talking about Western Maryland, or someplace else. Or that they were lying to us again. But no, they were right, and there was a lot of snow. And the schools didn't close. That was kind of amazing. Especially since it really did accumulate and cause many, many accidents on the highways.

Holiday Party
I went to the Relief Society's HF&PE night last night. It was a Christmas celebration, at the home of the RS president. It was very nice, and the program was beautiful. Most people crammed into the kitchen to talk to their friends, but I get really claustrophobic in large crowds, so I went in by the fire and sat. People came to me, and meanwhile I got to enjoy the beautiful decorations and quilt. Our RS president is really quite talented.

During the program one sister read O Henry's "the gift of the Magi". She was very expressive in her reading, and transported me to a different time and place. It was very nice. The music was really nice too, performed by several sisters in the ward.

Tin Man
A mini-series on Sci-Fi channel this week. It was a re-imagining of the Wizard of OZ story, and having seen Sci-Fi channel re-imaginings I was prepared for the worst, but it was actually quite good. It even had several homages to the original that were quite cute, such as the protaganist being the great-granddaughter of the original Dorothy Gale, and being named after her. It wasn't until my FIOS was installed that I realized I wouldn't be able to tape it off, or record it using my DVD Recorder (not the one that came in the FIOS box, either). I'm going to have to look into that, although I don't tend to tape that much anymore, just the occaisional movie or mini-series. I suppose I could buy it... sigh.

The Neighborhood Cat
Anyone who's visited me in the last several months knows about the neighborhood cat. She seems to think she lives at my house. Course, I do feed her, and I did get a cheapo litter box for her. I can't bear to think of her outside in this weather. But she's not a stray. Her current owner has been on travel for the last several months, and the house-sitter keeps letting the cat out, then leaving for work. Leaving the poor thing outside the whole time, til she returns late at night (often after I go to bed, then leaves before I get up). Not such a problem in the summer, but now that it's cold, she really shouldn't be outside so much. So I have a little furry roommate. I call her Kitty, for lack of knowing her real name. Maybe they'll let me keep her, and I can call her Padme like I want to...


Hoping everyone is having a happy (or at least not terribly stressful) holiday time.