Monday, June 23, 2008

PAPA CAN YOU HEAR ME???




i've been busy... so my father's day tribute is coming a little late... but knowing my dad, he'll forgive me! (dad i promise i started writing this BEFORE our conversation tonight!)


who would you become if your mother died when you were 4 and your father ran away from home when you were 7 never to be heard from again? oh and don't forget that you were then raised dirt-poor by your grandmother and abusive step-grandfather.


i'll tell you who my dad became:

he joined the marines and because he worked so hard he retired as a Master-Gunnery Sargent, the highest title an enlisted man can achieve. he met my mom, courted her and asked her to be his wife. 3 kids and 10 years later he continued to thirst for truth in a church that made sense to him. he hounded his commanding officer to tell him more about the mormon church and after subscribing to all of the principals of the gospel- he joined (along with the rest of my family) the church of jesus christ of latter day saints- and never looked back.


in 1979 he retired from the marines and moved the family to UT so he could go to college. after nearly 7 years of going to school, working 3 jobs and being the father of now 8 kids he graduated with honors from brigham young university. he then worked hard at his job in the information systems department for our church. he's been the most amazing leader in a family that has dealt with several physical and mental disabilities- he's used his priesthood to bless and care for each one of his children. he's been the bishop of a young ward and has served faithfully in each calling he's ever been assigned to.


after nearly 20 years of employment at the church headquarters he retired! not one to sit still, he and my mom then signed up to serve a mission for our church- something that he'd always wanted to do. after a faithful mission to nauvoo he took my mom down to saint george, ut and started a non-profit theater troupe in his retirement community where he enjoys doing what he's always wanted to do... be an actor!


AND THAT's JUST THE NUTSHELL VERSION!


my favorite dad-isms
+ my dad told the coolest stories when we were growing up. he told stories of the boy-indian named neechi. like the one about neechi going on the quest to rescue the captured princess. or how about the one where neechi needs to pass the test of man-hood by getting the eagle feather from the highest peak and crossing the line before sunset. i have fond memories of lying there at night, with my eyes closed, getting lost in those stories and seeing vivid images in my mind of the tales he would create.


+ my dad (and mom) had the best garden! he even forced us to watch the most boring "how to garden" videos for family home evening so that we could all learn how to tend and take care of our vegetables. now that i am older i can appreciate his willingness to learn to do it the right way. and i must say- we had THE BEST garden in all of so jo and for the record there is nothing better than a fresh salad straight from your own backyard! both of my parents loved to be outside working hard on their flowers and trees... we always had the most beautiful yard in all the neighborhood!


+ i got my sweet tooth from my dad! dad's favorite thing was to sit down to a movie or sports on tv with plenty of snacks and beverage to consume! general conference in my home was equivalent to most people's super bowl sunday- chips, popcorn, nuts, soda-- the works! we as kids also delighted in convincing our dad that he should stop at dairy queen (his favorite ice cream place) on the way home from any one of the many outings. we would start by saying things like "oh, i could really go for a buster bar right now" and then someone else would chime in "oh yeah, that sounds really really good" then we would hold our breath as the dairy queen approached to see if dad had been 'conned' into stopping to get ice cream. without a doubt it would always work and we would burst into shouts of joy that we had tricked him once again... or did he just let us think we were convincing him?

+ my dad loves to know that his kids are happy and taken care of. he likes to be able to give his kids anything in the world, it's his way of showing love and it's always made him sad when he couldn't afford it. a few weeks ago i went down to visit my parents. money for me has been really tight lately and boy did i feel like a million dollars the way my parents took care of me! well one of the days my mom and i went shopping and by chance i tried on a dress that we both agreed was AWESOME. but, it was pretty expensive and so reluctantly i put it back on the rack. that afternoon my mom and i both were lamenting the loss of the perfect dress and i suppose we mentioned it one too many times because after dinner that night my dad drove us back to the store, stopped in front and told my mom to go buy it for me "or else [he] would never hear the end of it!"


+ by the way he has treated my mom, my dad has shown me how i should be treated as a woman. his respect for her, his willingness to help in any way, his support of her own dreams. this man knows how to value women. likewise, he taught me to have a voice, how to be an independent woman with an opinion he may not always agree with, but one he certainly is willing to listen to.


so this is my tribute to my dad, who every time i look at him i am looking into a mirror. who's strengths i wish i possessed and who's weaknesses i share. who exemplifies hard work, faith in the gospel and triumph over trials. i am grateful for my amazing friend; my dating coach, my life coach and even my softball coach. i know you have many years ahead in life, but i know it will be one of the saddest days of my life when you are not around to pick up the phone and be my support. thank you for all you have taught me and still continue to teach me.

i love you daddy!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

COP-OUT BLOG? THINK AGAIN.

i usually only post other people's blogs when i can't think of anything else or i am extremely lazy to come up with something on my own. not today. i read this post by my friend "likely" and it resonated... so i thought i would pass it along. enjoy!



Wednesday, June 11, 2008

IF ONLY...


i have loved to dance my whole life and have had the kind of training to make me 'okay' not 'amazing.' but even if my extension sucks and i don't have much turnout to speak of... my heart is still 100% dancer! just ask my family who lovingly endured countless dance routines and even a full-fledged version of SWAN LAKE that i created from a tape of the symphony my brother john gave me when i was 11.

in high school my dance hero was choreographer susan stroman. she's won several tony's and has choreographed for broadway since the early 90's. i have always LOVED her style and always wished i could dance for her.

for the past few years the tv series "so you think you can dance" has been showcasing the art of dance, in all its forms. despite what you may think, i am not an avid fan of the show (mostly because we don't have cable at my house) and so what i have seen has come from the blessed invention of youtube. which as a side note, is THE best way to watch shows like american idol and sytycd!

over the past few days i have found myself scouring youtube to watch not only the most recent episodes of this current season, but also watching all of the dance routines i have missed over the past few years. and i must say, without any hesitation that i have a dancer girl-crush on mia michaels!

and with each new mia michael'd-sytycd routine i watch, i fall in love even more. her diversity, her creativity and most especially her heart. i can't get enough of her style. she makes each dancer look amazing with the material she creates. hair-raising every single time!




here are some of my favorites:



















oh, IF ONLY i was the kind of dancer that would ever have the pleasure of working with her. it's okay that i'm not. so i decided this morning that when we get to heaven i am so taking classes from her... and i will be amazing by then and ask her to create an amazing dance for me and my dream will finally come true! and you are all invited to the big show!

Monday, June 02, 2008

OH THAT IS EMBARRASSING!!!


today was warm, the perfect weather for skirt wearing
so i did
i LOVE this skirt with all my heart
it's hem sits far enough below my knee
that i don't have to worry about special underwear being seen
it's got pockets, deep pockets
plus it was cheap
all around a great skirt right?
right.

today i was a tiny bit loopy.
i'm not sure if it's psycho allergies
or head cold
or allergies turned head cold
in any case i have taken a lot of medicine to aid in sleep
so this morning i was just slightly out of it

i reach my bus stop with a good 8 minutes until the supposed bus arrival
(you never can tell with the MBTA)
the sun was shining
my head was swelling
but i felt great
so i leaned my head back to take in the sunshine and the light breeze
well make that, a gustly kind of wind
all the same it felt amazing

my hair and my skirt fluttered in the wind and relaxed all my senses to take in this glorious moment
but then
i noticed i felt just a tiny bit MORE breeze around my thighs
yes, i said my thighs
i look up then down
and notice that the wind had blown my skirt up
that the hem that usually sits far enough below my knee
was now attached to the waist of my skirt
exposing pretty much everything below my belly button

now yes this would be embarrassing for just about anyone
who knows how long i had been that way before i clued in
but now imagine my embarrassment when i realize that anyone that saw me
is going to wonder why oh why does that girl wear
BRIGHT WHITE BIKER SHORTS under her skirt?

yes, i chuckled to myself
released the hem of my skirt
and glanced around at all of the cars
wondering which of these lucky drivers had a great story to tell around the water cooler today!