Today, my man J.C. is turning 9! Really! It blows my mind, because it seems like he was just born. I'm sure his mama would agree with me.
J.C., you are such an amazing guy. You love to have fun, and you never fail to make me laugh so hard by the things you say and do. Remember this last Christmas when we got to spend some time together? That was my favorite part of the entire break- doing logic puzzles, bejeweled, playing games, and having you help me make the chocolate chip cheeseball on New Years. Oh, not to mention the birthday surprise you, Trin, and Grammy gave me- balloon blowers! It's nice to know I will always have a buddy that is ready and willing to watch Star Wars: Return of the Jedi with me.
Enjoy your day, the HUGE Star Wars card from me and Aunt Jessie, and the NERF gun that is your present! I love you, dude.
Today was the long-awaited Festival of Colors at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork. If you remember, Jess and I had attended India Fest with Shauntelle and Angela back in the fall, but we all have REALLY been looking forward to this celebration for a LONG time. This event has grown so much in the past few years, been attended by so many people, that they had to do 2 different times for throwing the colors! They had over 10,000 people confirm on Facebook that they would go, and the temple projected over 15,000 would attend. My observation- there were 15,000+ at the four o'clock festival alone! I'll show you in a minute. We all met at our place and carpooled down to Spanish Fork. Don't worry, Jess and I were prepared with blankets to cover up the car seats, directions to the temple, and directions to the parking. Yeah, we were ready! We parked at a local school and shuttled over to the temple. For most of us, it was the first time riding a school bus in 10+ years. Yeah, we got into the ride. We were the "bad" kids at the back of the bus! The festival is devoted to welcoming in the Spring season, and so they normally dance, sing, eat, and pelt each other with colored chalk. This year was the first year I could go, so I had no idea that people wold be throwing colors early. We would learn soon enough. Joe, Karaleigh, and I were walking to the tent to buy colors, and were walking by a random group of guys when we all got chalk to the face. Here are the results. --------------------> We ran into Vanessa, Curt's fiance, at the festival, too! Out of all the people there, we kept running into her, go figure! We had already started throwing chalk on each other, so we were getting a little colorful, and while we were taking the picture together, someone turned around and threw a bag in our faces, hence the crazy picture! I love it, though. It really captures the fun we had today. We headed to the middle of the crowd, and started dancing and throwing colors on each other. I got several mouthfuls of powder, and gagged a few times because they were rose-scented! Gross. I also was spiting green and purple powder for hours. 4 bags of powder later, they started the countdown for everyone to throw their colors and welcome in Spring. I knew that with so many people around me I wouldn't be able to breathe, so a few of us went to the side of the crowd so we wouldn't get caught in the main cloud and not be able to breathe (the cloud gets so bad that people were actually selling masks, & wearing bandannas over their faces!). That turned out to be a good decision because the cloud of powder completely blocked out the sun! There were reports that the cloud of colors was seen 15 miles away! This video is of our group (4 pm) getting our colors on! Check out all the people!
Oh, and I was on the other side of the field, so the dust cloud came STRAIGHT at us! Karaleigh and I took off toward the fence, looking for fresh air. You couldn't even see the people standing two feet away from you! Insane. We had so much dust on us, that our faces were black by the time we were done! I have colors in places that I never thought- one ear was green, one ear was pink,when I blow my nose it is straight purple powder, I have a purple streak running down my back, and even though I was wearing tennis shoes, my pinky toes are stained- one pink, one green. A trip to McDonalds for dinner capped off the afternoon, and it was hilarious having so many people look at us and wonder what the heck we had done to be so colorful! We weren't the only ones who were covered, though, so we weren't so out of place. I had to throw away a tank top, my shirt, my underwear, and one of the sheets I used to cover the back seat of my car. The colors brush off for the most part, but sometimes they stain. It was totally worth it, though! I will definitely be attending next year as well.
Tonight a bunch of ladies from the ward went to see Les Miserables at a local theater. It was featuring an all-high school cast, so I thought it would be a little shaky. Some of those songs are really difficult! I also was spoiled the one time I saw Les Mis. I was in London last summer and got to see it performed by some of London's finest. That is actually what turned me on to the show- I hate synth in musicals, so I had really looked over the show growing up. When I saw it in London though, I LOVED it! Anyways, the production turned out pretty well. There were a few moments where I thought I was watching High School Musical, and I think I would have switched some casting, but overall I was impressed. Jess liked it, too. But we also enjoyed sitting next to each other and making comments, like the Isenbarger women do. We rock. I got chills at the last number, so I looked up the Dream Cast from the 90's on YouTube. This is how I like musicals- loud, emotional, strong, and full. Amazing.
Tonight was "Comedy & Confections" at the Branbury. I planned an activity where a comedy troupe would come from BYU, and a local bakery would provide some way amazing desserts.
Desserts: Win
Comedy: FAIL!
People loved the desserts and were eating those like crazy, but the comedians were kind of lacking in the laughs department. The first two performers were more clever than funny- a guy who remixed songs and could play anything, and a girl with a ukelele and songs about dating weird guys. Meh. The third performer was a girl comedian, and I think it was her first show. Almost no laughs at all. I was doing courtesy laughs and I think people were laughing more at me than her. Last was a black guy who kept making comments about being black in Provo. He was funny. FINALLY! We had a good time listening to him.
Moral of the story, "if at first you don't succeed . . . maybe you'd better not do it again."
So, Anne asked me last week if we could get a rousing game of Fireball Island going because she needed a break from school and really wanted to play. I agreed faster than she could blink! We planned a game night for tonight, and invited some of the Branbury oldies that had played before. This game is only fun if you play with people who can really get into it. Anne made her specialty mint brownies, and I made Hershey & apple pies. What could be better than yummy desserts and a CrAzY game of Fireball Island?! We had 12 people show up, so we got into four teams of three. Over the next hour, we laughed, argued, screamed, shouted, & jumped up and down. It was so warm in the kitchen that we opened the patio doors, and later that night people kept stopping by to see what we had been doing to cause so much noise! No joke, 7 people stopped by after ward prayer, and even more people asked Jessie what on earth we were doing to make so much noise! The game came down to the wire, and Kara, Chelsea, and V came away with the victory. It was SO close, though! We have already had requests for another game night soon so that people can play again. Mom, you made a GREAT decision in buying that game for us! It is surely getting its use over here. Kyle & Ash, thanks for lending it to me. There has been no further damage to it, so you can rest easy! :)
I know this is a weird thing to post about, but this is kind of my journal, so bear with me. Sometimes its good to reflect on the tender mercies of the Lord that are shown through the more menial things in our lives. This post is about two kinds of customer service- enjoy!
Any more these days, when I go to stores or offices around town, I have really low expectations on how I'm going to be treated. I feel that the level of customer service has sunk really low in our society. The mentality isn't "How can I help this person, and dazzle them with how far I go above and beyond for them", so much as "How can I get them the heck out of my office as quickly as possible so I can get to the next person". A customer is business, and needs to be catered to in order for them to keep using that service. I shouldn't be surprised by receiving great customer service, I should expect it and get it.
Okay, rant over.
I am trying to save money in order to quit my job and go back to school. This is really hard considering all the bills I have to pay right now, so any money saved is precious. When I found a crack in my windshield, I could see the dollar signs before my eyes. After calling and bidding out the work, no one would do it for under $250. I have a special tint on my windshield that made it uber expensive to replace, apparently. Then I randomly felt like I should stop by a place called Technaglass on my lunch break. Random, I know. When the nice man said, "I can do it for $170 plus tax", my mouth fell open and I made an appointment on the spot! I was extremely excited that I could get my windshield replaced and be able to not dip into my savings.
My appointment turned out to be what made me SO grateful that customer service is NOT dead! The guys welcomed me to the shop, helped me get situated, got me a drink, gave me a status report halfway through, wiped down the interior of my car, vacuumed my car, and then gave me an additional $25 bucks off the work.
GRAND TOTAL= $152.96
I wanted to give the guy a tip for such great service, but he wouldn't hear of it. He just thanked me for my business, and explained all the extras that he includes with windshield replacements- warranties and things like that. He was super friendly and wonderful to work with.
This experience also made me think of the "customer service" Heavenly Father gives us. He knew I needed work done on my car for cheap, knew I was saving money for college, and provided accordingly. I really think that He is watching out for me and trying to provide me with the best "customer service" he can. Thank goodness I have Him on my team! What a great and wonderful blessing.
Tonight I headed to Park City with the family right after work to see Aunt Sissy, Elizabeth, Robert, and Uncle Ned. They have a timeshare in Park City every year, and called us up to come visit. I absolutely ADORE those people! We got a little lost trying to find the place, but we eventually got there. :)
Sissy and the fam took us to the hotel's lounge so we could relax while dinner was being made. We chatted and laughed, mostly laughed. She and Robert kept us laughing so hard with their little comments and stories.
Liz decided to make up some chicken parmesan for us, and it was so tasty! We gobbled it up in no time, and she presented us with milk-free Ghirardelli brownies for dessert! They are such considerate people, they bought those especially so Braden could have some. And they were SO GOOD!!!
Just another random highlight from the night, I taught Braden some ballet moves. Braden watched TV while we ate so he could be entertained, and between basketball, cartoons, and ballet, Braden chose ballet. It was amazing! We danced around the living room and even did some lifts. Watch out, Trinity!
tonight just confirmed more than ever that I have been absolutely blessed with an amazing family. The Lord was truly looking out for me when he placed me with them!
Apparently, "Pi Day" is pretty huge in this ward. Everyone kept reminding us that it was coming up, and we had a plethora of pie parties to go to. I have never even really heard of "Pi Day" before, but this year it became apparent that it is a big deal now. My Mom did a blog post, Ashley made a delicious apple pie for us when we went over, and Heidi & Hannah threw a huge party with tons of pies and cookies with the pi symbol on them. Way cute.
Today we also got a new bishopric in our ward, and I am pretty excited about them- they seem very eager and excited to be a part of our ward. The oldies will be missed, but this will be good, I think. Now, we just have to see if the rumors about our ward getting split are true . . .
It was a GREAT day today. Jess and I headed to a local rugby game with one of our friends, Erick. We endured sleet, snow, rain, freezing rain, blustery winds, and cold during the game, but it was so worth it. Those guys were intense! It was a lot of fun to see them play something they loved so much. I tell you what, though. I don't EVER want to be a rugby player! Those guys have to take some killer hits! In our attempts to stay warm, we all bundled up in our blankets, trying to keep our ears and noses from freezing. Erick's positioning of his blanket put some amazing tassels on his forehead, and I knew I had to get a picture!Like I said, amazing. In spite of the fact that we were the only white people there and we were freezing, I had a fantastic time and can't wait to see another game next Saturday! Woo hoo!
After lunch and hot chocolate at Denny's, we lazed around and watched a movie (Erick got to pick, and out of all the movies I own, he picked Ewoks: the Battle For Endor. No joke.), while chatting and having a great time. We even watched a little of America's Best Dance Crew, and got to see an incredible number. Check out what these guys did to the Lady Gaga song "Bad Romance". It's pretty amazing.
Really. This group choreographed their own dance. I am completely blown away! We were all open-mouthed by the time it got done!
Three hours of volleyball topped off the night, and I can tell I am going to be sore! I took a few good spills and dives, so I know I will be hurting. Let's just hope it's not too bad that I can't move. :) Gosh, how I love that sport.
No, really! Today after work I went to feed the ducks with Kyle, Ash, and the kids, and one of the ducks had two puffs of white feathers sticking out of the back of his head! Kyle pointed him out and named him "Einstein", and it just seemed to fit. Vanessa and I had a blast helping Braden throw THREE loaves of bread in for the ducks to eat. I tell you, those ducks won't starve at all! We even had some Canada geese come over for some food. All in all, I think there were around 100 ducks all clamoring to get us to throw them some bread. It was pretty crazy!
After feeding the ducks, we went to Kyle & Ash's for burgers and IBC root beer. Ash had made up some hamburger patties with some kind of marinade that tasted so good! I really don't know what it was but Ash should open a burger joint. I would be her best customer. :)
I love spending time with my family. They are the most amazing people and I learn so much from them. Thanks for the great night, guys!
This weekend I am road-trippin' with some lovelies from my ward. Mindy, a friend from Omaha, came out to visit for a week, and we decided to head down south for a bit. On the drive down, ----------------> Jessie noticed her glasses were broken, and I decided I had the perfect solution . . . GUM! This is the result of my hard work. Nice. This picture also spawned the weekend-long joke of pictures looking like tourists. We decided to throw the peace signs all weekend long. And it was something we never got tired of doing!
Our first stop was the St. George Temple, where Hannah, Heidi, and Mindy did baptisms, while Jessie and I did a session. We were running a little late, so we jumped out of the car as soon as we could, and raced to get changed so we could get in the session. It was such a gorgeous temple, though, we had to stop and get a few pictures. Look at how amazing this place is! <-------------------- As you probably would expect, the baptistry was completely empty, since it was date night for teenagers, but the session waiting room was completely PACKED because of the same reason- date night! Jess and I managed to sneak into the session, while half the people in the waiting room had to wait for the next one. The rooms were gorgeous, and I loved the fact that we were in a jam-packed room with so many others who were wanting to do the same thing, learn and improve. The St. George temple also holds a special place in my heart now because it was the first time I was able to do and say everything WITHOUT any help! It took over a year, but I now have everything down! Woo hoo!
We headed to the Brick Oven for dinner afterward and we had a few more opportunities to look even more like tourists. ------> We all were ravenously hungry, so we wasted no time in ordering and running to the salad bar. If you have never been to Brick Oven, make SURE to get their salad bar- one of the best I have ever been to! LOVE IT! Jessie was also able to throw a few more peace signs to complement our meal. GO USA!!! <--------------------------- After a rousing time/meal, we all crashed and decided it was time to call it a night. You could literally see each of us hit a wall and start to get really sleepy. It was pretty funny. But as Jess and I were walking out of the restaurant, we saw the motor home that we will be purchasing in our old age. For those of you that don't know, Jess and I are going to hold down the single status for a long time! We decided that we will be the ladies that tailgate with their favorite college team and follow them to all their basketball and football games. We will even have a hot tub and grass- we've planned it all out. Ladies and gentlemen, I present our dream home . . . Watch out, Lisa and Jessie will be ruling the road with this one!
I AM SO GLAD IT IS A SHORT WEEK FOR ME! I am taking Friday off to go on a road trip with some cool girls from our ward, and I can't wait to get going! This is rent week, so it's busier than ever. Can it be Friday yet?!
This little guy is going to be a basketball star one day! Saturday I got to spend a little time with Vanessa, Ashley, Kyle, Braden, and little Addie. Kyle had a basketball game for his stake, and Ash was going to watch. So I decided to invite myself along! Vanessa wanted to go wedding dress shopping as well, so we decided to go to the game, grab some lunch, and then head to Midvale. We got to play with Braden and Addie so much, I loved it!
In regards to dress shopping . . . Vanessa didn't find her dream dress, but she tried a bunch of dresses on. I tell you, that girl looks good in ANYTHING! The salesladies kept trying different styles on her, and she looked amazing in all of them! Little punk.
Well although we didn't find "the ONE", we decided to make a pit stop at Ikea for some of their amazing cinnamon rolls and cute home stuff. Vanessa had never been, so I HAD to show her around my playground. I LOVE THAT STORE! Well, needless to say, Vanessa was convinced pretty quickly that Ikea is amazing, and she almost died at the cinnamon rolls. I will agree, they are frickin' life-changing!
