Off to the Salt Mines

Tuesday

On our way to the Salt Mines we passed into the Alps. I think I like the Alps better than the Rockies. Certainly better than the Appalachians, and they beat the Sierra Nevada's too. You will see more pictures of mountains as we go on; are they not beautiful? I think what I like best is that they're not so desert-y. Lots of vegetation.We got to Durnberg where they had us put white clothing over our regular clothing. Don't we look cute?!!
Reela and I were 'partners' in the mine--it helps to have a friend to go down the slides with. She went first on the first slide, but insisted I have a chance to go first on the second slide. Near the bottom I thought I was going to take off flying!

Ah, the salt mines! The source of Salzburg's wealth and prosperity for hundreds of years!
The descent involved two slides--they gave us lots of instructions about not trying to break, keeping your feet up, holding on to the person in front of you... this particular picture is of an old slide that is no longer used (good thing--looks like we might end up with splinters if we used this one!)
We passed from Austria into Germany, where the majority of the mining took place--hence the need for a fort to prtect Salzburg since the Bavarian's weren't too thrilled about them 'stealing' their salt.
They mined using a technique called 'solution mining'. They would carve out huge chambers--one of which we crossed in a boat--and fill them with water. The salt would leach out of the rocks into the water over a period of about 6-8 weeks. They would drain the water to the town at the bottom of the mountain where the water would be boiled off, leaving only the salt behind. Yum! This is inside one of those chambers--you can see the little diorama if you look carefully.
Returning to Austria The Salzburg Citizens were not the first to mine the salt here--about 500 BC the mines were opened by Celtic miners. We know this because the miners in the 1600's found one of the old Celtic miners--perfectly preserved by the salt (until they took him out of the mine and he disintigrated). Here's a mock-up of the mummy. Hmmm, do I sense a "Mummy 4" down the line?
St Rupert, patron Saint of Salzburg, was the one to build the monastary we ate at the night before. He also built the original Dom Cathedral in the 700's, which burned down around 1634 and was rebuilt by Wolf Deitrich.
Here's Wolf Deitrich--the story is that one of his chamberlains knocked over a candle and caused Salzburg to burn down. When he heard Salzburg was burning, he said, "Let it burn." He wanted to rebuild it in the Italian style, with 5 Plaza's or Squares. So he did :)
After the Salt Mines we went into Germany briefly (above ground this time) to Berchtesgaden, a little touristy town in the mountains. We followed this little river. You can see the water is green--that mean's it's being fed by a glacier. Cool, huh? Or maybe 'freezing' would be a better word...
The mountains above Berchtesgaden. Complete with glaciers.
Then a return to Salzburg, where we had about 15 minutes of free time before dinner at the Garten restaurant.
Diane, Rebecca, I forget (sorry!) and Reela, my dinner companions this night.
After dinner it was time for our third concert at our church's building where Salzburg Saints meet. The buildings there have far more character than the buildings here... but they still serve red punch! (that's an LDS joke--you know the church is true because everywhere you go in the world they serve red punch/Kool-Aid with the refreshments)
And the fort in the distance, from the other side.

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.