Ying and Yang

Yesterday, May 24th, 2010.
My yard. . . .









Today, May 25th, 2010.
My yard. . . .


*In no way have these photos been altered to look like winter/summer.
Yesterday really was winter. Today really is summer.

Welcome to Utah.

i love technology

"Yes, I love technology,
But not as much as you, you see.
But I still love technology,

Always and forever.
Always and forever."

The first time I watched Napolean Dynamite, I just could not figure out what all the fuss was about. It was fine and kind of funny in some spots and I laughed, but only a few times. But then I watched it the 2nd time and Oh. My. Cow. It was a different movie! This is when I learned the meaning of ROTFL. I have no idea why it changed for me, but it did and the 3rd time was better and the 4th time even better and the 5th......

So....

one of my favorite parts of the movie is the end, after the credits are done rolling. Kip's love song to his bride is unsurpassed in classic-ness. Click here to relive Always and Forever it in all its awesomeness.

So....

Raegan is in India for the summer. She just left this last week. Our communication with her has been spotty at best. But last night we were actually able to hook up with her on Skype.

Skype. What a glorious thing. Who's idea was that anyway? Who is responsible for the greatest invention of this half century? I want to shake hands with, hug, kiss this person. I. Love. Skype. I could actually SEE my daughter, SEE that she was well, SEE that she was ALIVE. It was one of those monumental moments for a mother.

So.....

here is Raegan last night as we Skyped (this pic taken of our computer screen with a cell phone - you can see me and Haylie in the bottom corner). She gave us a tour of where she is staying. She turned her laptop around and showed us her room, her roommate, the bathroom - complete with squatter toilets and bucket showers. She went out front and showed us the big elephant statue. She took us up the stairs to the rooftop and showed us the view. We could hear the strange Indian birds squawking in the background. We could see the sweat on her forehead. I could see food stuck in her teeth! (Which actually turned out to be a dirt spot on my computer screen. Oh well, I'm sure if she'd HAD food in her teeth I would have been able to see it.) And all this from HALF WAY AROUND THE WORLD!!!

Yes, I love Skype.

I love technology!

Doesn't she look good?! Healthy, happy, and ready to work her butt off for the next three months!

More Nicaragua

Another family we visited. Their home was one room and over 30 people lived there. Nine of them had just been baptized into the LDS church. We brought rice and beans and some toys for the children. We sang hymns and Primary songs with them. This girl stood off to the side, quietly watching.

niño de nicaragua

We had just delivered food to this little girl's family and had visited with them for about 30 minutes in their home, er, I mean shack. Two rooms, 32 people living there. And several animals. We sang some hymns and Primary songs, and prayed with them. As we were leaving, I turned around and saw this face looking at me through the fence. The look on her face is worth a thousand words.

Dear Mr. Snowbunny,

Tell us, Mr. Snowbunny, where are you hiding our Springtime? It was here and now it's gone. And we want it back! Pleeeeze?!

L

"L" is for LOVE.

Twenty-three years. Twenty-three years! We've been married for 23 years today.

As Matthew would say, "Oh. My. Cow!"

So, for our big celebration we decided to go to dinner somewhere where we NEVER go but always WANT to go. Come on, why not? We'll only celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary once so we pulled out all the stops and went to dinner at La Caille!

Let me explain La Caille. Nestled in the foothills of Salt Lake City, La Caille, I SWEAR, used to be somewhere in France and somehow they carved it out of the french countryside (probably the Loire Valley), flew it across the ocean, and plunked it right down in the foothills of Utah. It's an adorable french chateau surrounded by vineyards and peacocks. (Click here.) The food is known for being delicious and expensive. Verrry expensive. (Case in point: one of the menu items said "Financing Available." Get the picture?) Thus, we never go. But this was a big night dedicated to romance!

Yes, "L" is for LOVE.

So, I looked forward to it for 2 weeks. The night finally arrived (last night) and I got all gussied up and carefully loaded my camera into my big ol' purse. The night was gorgeous; it was snowing the biggest most beautiful flakes of snow. When we drove into La Caille it was like a winter-wonderland. Beautiful beyond description! I couldn't wait to get my camera out and get some most magnificent photos of our one evening at beautiful, snowy La Caille.

We were promptly seated in a cozy little corner right next to a fireplace which was roaring with a crackling fire. We were surrounded by windows that looked out over the vineyard, full of grazing geese and glistening snow. I was thrilled. I was going to get some really great photographs of our special evening. The scenery and ambiance simply couldn't be any better.

We got settled into our seats and I reached into my bag and took out my camera. Boy, was I ever glad I had decided to pack my big Canon 5D Mark II instead of my point and shoot. This was truly an occasion for my ultimate camera.

Soon, a server brought us a warm just-out-of-the-oven baguette and a plate of the most adorable butter! Yes, apparently butter can be adorable! It was shaped like two roses and was adorned with a real rose leaf! Yes indeed, the time had come to start with the photos. John picked up the plate of "butter art," I aimed my camera at him holding the plate, and "click," I got my first shot. Of course I wanted to take an immediate look at my first picture of the night so I hit the back button to view it in the LCD screen.

But much to my horror instead of the photo, I saw this: "No CF Card"

"L" is for LOSER.

Loser in the biggest way.

I suddenly remembered that my CF card was sitting at home next to my computer exactly where I had left it so that I could transfer the pics from it to my Mac that I had taken at our Relief Society/YW birthday dinner/fashion show three nights earlier!!!!

So, there we were. Left with only the cameras on our cel phones. In some cases, for people who have NICE and NEW cel phones, this wouldn't be too big of a problem. But, you see, John and I both own cel phones from the Jurassic Period. I'm talking .0001 mega pixels. Our kids make fun of our phones. Srsly.

So here they are. Our cel phone pictures from our glorious and once-in-a-lifetime evening at La Caille.

The "Rose Butter" (partly eaten).

John eating a delicious cracker with a well-endowed waitress behind him. I do believe that the pre-requisite to working at La Caille is you have to wear at least a "quadruple D" bra and have a 10-inch cleavage. I would never stand a chance if I applied for a job there - they'd laugh me right out of the place.

The fire. Boy, what beautiful details this camera catches! Makes you feel like you are right there, next to it.

My $60+ plate of scallops with carrot stick, asparagus stick, and lemon. Oh, and some rice too.

And here is the photo that John took of ME standing out in front of the chateau showing off the beautiful scenery:

You don't see it? Well, that's because it doesn't exist. That is what happens when John forgets to hit the "save to phone" button after he takes a picture.

End of my story.

p.s.

Let me add to the post below that I did indeed call the phone number on the caller i.d.

It was some orthopedic clinic and they knew absolutely nothing of my plight.

So, I wondered and waited all day until this "very important person" finally called me back. It turned out it was the hospital calling to pre-register me for my mammogram. Which took place yesterday. Which was an experience that deserves a post all to itself.

Owie.

A really important phone call

Apparently, when I went outside this morning for a few minutes, someone called on the phone for me. When I came back inside, Adam ran up to me and said,"Mom! Someone called for you and they really need to talk to you and it's really important that you call them back right now! Here is their phone number. I wrote it down All. By. Myself." He then handed me this notepad with these numbers. Twelve numbers (last time I checked phone numbers have 10 numbers).

And the only thing about these numbers that even remotely resembles the number on the caller i.d. is the 801 area code. Nothing else is even close.

So, what IS the real phone number that I need to call?

Is is 801-314-444390?

Or perhaps it's 801-344-44396.

Actually, maybe it's 801-134-444390.

I asked him to look at the numbers and translate them for me. He studied them closely for a few seconds then said, "Um, I don't know. . . just figure it out."

Lesson to learn here - When you call someone and it's really important, don't trust a five-year-old who is just learning to write his numbers! (Notice two of his 4's are forward, two are backwards. One 3 is forward, one is backward. The 1 and the 3 are on top of each other. And is that a 0 or a 6 at the end?)

(I just noticed that this photo could be a bit incriminating to my character - The Marriott ball-point pen. Okay, FINE! I do take the pens out of Marriott hotel rooms! My kids say I steal them. I say I am helping Marriott with their advertising. FREE OF CHARGE TO THEM! They should be thanking me. Really.)

Photo of the Day - Somewhere in Utah

As we were driving home from California, I was just relaxing and gazing out the window (enjoying the fact that I wasn't seeing any rain!). As the sun started to set, the mountains grew the most amazing fire red! I grabbed my camera and, not even taking time to roll down the window, I took this shot (I'm glad the window was clean!). It only lasted for 30 seconds at most but what a sight!

And can I please just say. . . I really like love ADORE how my new camera captures the sky? Why didn't anyone tell me sooner how completely amazing a full-frame camera is?!

I'm. In. Love.

photo of the day - crystal cove

Our favorite Sunday afternoon activity when we go to Newport Beach - walking down to Crystal Cove State Park (beach) which is full of glorious tide-pools. We will stay there all afternoon until dark, collecting sea shells and searching out all the wondrous creatures that live in those tide pools. When we got there this time, the rain had not started yet. But 45 minutes later it was a different story. The rest of the (wet) trip is history!