Welcome Home and Catch-up

Welcome home to my boys!! That's how I think about you all even though I realize you are mostly grown up men now. But in my head, you are still my boys. To clarify- I mean my freshmen year boys, the Carroll Hall boys, the men of the 55th ward. 78 guys who have gone to all corners of the globe serving missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From right here in Utah to California, England, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, all the way to Russia, Korea and New Zealand- and everywhere in between. I can't wait to catch-up with all of you!

Us girls haven't been idly waiting around while you were gone however. Rather- eagerly preparing : ) We've traveled too- from Hawaii and Jerusalem, to Spain, Germany, Italy, India, Ghana, and China. 29 of the girls are married with 4 more engaged. We have 2, almost 3, children born while you were away. 6 girls are away serving missions, with 2 more having received their calls recently. But more than that- we've been studying hard and working hard. Sometimes working full time and taking a full load just trying to make everything work. Even changing our majors and careers completely. We've moved apartments, probably several times for some of us. We've gone to new wards and made new friends, but stayed in touch with old friends too. We've been on blind dates and horrible dates, first dates, and the last first dates too. We've fallen in love and some of us have had our hearts broken. But we've picked ourselves up and moved on . We've thrown bridal showers, even baby showers, and we've cried and laughed together. We've been to weddings and mission farewells and homecomings. We've been in hospitals and doctor's offices, sick and tired, sometimes alone, other times surrounded. We have gotten phone calls that made us cry- sometimes because everything was crashing down and other times because life was wonderful. We've gotten in fights and been to funerals. We've lost people we love and gained strength and hope in the journey. We've become stronger, deeper, more faithful, better communicators, and experienced students. We've discovered a lot of things about life, about growing up and responsibility, about family, about enjoying the little things, and about ourselves. And through it all- we're still your girls!

Depending on your mission, you might have missed some things that happened over the past two years. Just a sampling. . .
Death of Michael Jackson
Death of Polish President, his wife, most of the cabinet and members of parliament in plane crash
H1N1 flu virus
Ms. Sotomayor -first Latin on Supreme Court
Wiki Leaks
Haiti Earthquake, Chile earthquake
Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico
New Healthcare reform
Justin Bieber
The Republican Congress in 2010
Winter Olympics in Vancouver
World Cup in South Africa- Spain wins
Shooting at Fort Hood- 13 dead
Osama bin Laden killed

Some good movies you missed:
Animated- Toy Story 3, The Princess and the Frog, Despicable Me, Megamind, Tangled, **How To Train Your Dragon, Cars 2

Chick Flicks- Time Traveler's Wife, Letters To Juliet, Water for Elephants (And others, but I'll spare you)

Action Movies- Prince of Persia, Iron Man 2, Red, Unstoppable, Sherlock Holmes, Inception

Other Good Ones-Invictus, The Karate Kid, The King's Speech, Tron Legacy, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, The Blind Side

Welcome Home and I hope to see you all soon!

Em's Wedding Day!!

Waking up at 5am, I think both Em and I were instantly alert and excited, despite only five or six hours of sleep. I got completely ready while Em did her makeup so we could leave to get her hair done. About 6:15 we went to get her hair done. Curls everywhere, tons of hairspray, special bobby pins to keep the hair securely in place. As much as I liked the veil she wore, it was a shame that it covered up her beautiful hair. H picked up Em from the hairdressers and I went with Em's mom with the dress and everything in the van over to the Mesa temple. They had to be there by eight for the sealing at nine, so I waited in the lobby until the rest of the family showed up. Then along with Emilee's younger siblings, watched three babies during the ceremony. Early in the morning and it was already baking!
9:30ish Em and H came out of the temple, glowing brighter than the Arizona sun. They were married!!!...everything else afterward is just icing on the cake. As quickly as possible we took pictures in front of the temple with all the family before people started melting. Everyone left, well almost. I stayed with H while mom went and helped Em change out of her wedding dress. While we waited, I thanked H for making Em so happy. Honestly, I've never seen her like this. And I'm just getting to know Em's husband so we got to talk some more. I realized that she makes him just as happy, so there you go! After they came out, mom and I ran home before the luncheon to get the first load of things over to the stake center for the reception. Meanwhile, Dad grabbed the sheet cakes and other last minute things from the store.
12- H's mom hosted the luncheon for the families and close friends with sandwiches, pasta salad, and cookies. Favorite part- H's mom coordinated the colors with Em's reception so it was orange and yellow. So therefore in the middle of the tables she had scattered Reese's Pieces!!! It was fun to relax and talk for a couple hours with friends, family, and of course, Em and H. Funny moment- a friend of H's family came over to the table I was sitting at with other friends and Em's brother (who was keeping us all laughing) to get to know everyone. She assured us that after years of knowing H, she knew that he was a wonderful man. Without skipping a beat I replied that I knew that because all three of H's background checks came back clean. Sometimes I can be witty : )
2ish - running back home to gather the second load of everything that needed to be brought to the reception site. Changing back into my coordinating outfit I also helped the siblings get ready before heading back to set up.
4:30 Back to the church with carloads of vases, coolers, the wedding dress, the tv for the video, and many many other things. The florist was already there setting up the vases, the lights were already hung with the paper lanterns.
5- Em and H got there and I helped Em back into her dress. Back into her dress, making all the adjustments, putting up the bustle, redo the makeup, pin up the escaped curls. It was fun having a moment with just me and Emilee talking and sharing these moments together. Thank you Emilee.
5:30- The family went to go take more pictures while I instructed the kitchen help on making the Caesar salad, making the chicken salad sandwiches, the lemonade, the pasta salad, and the cake. Then running around adjusting. In all honesty, I can't remember everything because I was running around meticulously trying to make everything perfect for Em.
6:30 Reception started!! It was absolutely beautiful. Twinkling lights, white, orange, and yellow paper lanterns, cute photos, beautiful flowers, a jazz pianist playing his little heart out, and love spilling out into the evening. I promise- I stopped to eat two plates of food and a piece of cake at some point during the night, but I also kept running to check on the kitchen, refilling water for Em and H since they were standing in line for hours. I did have a small trip up once refilling water--I went behind the buffet table and someone had spilled some pasta salad. Down I went with ice cubes flying. But not to worry, I was back up in an instant. By the end of the reception my feet were on fire and my limbs felt like they'd been filled with cement. But after the dancing (with a few tears from everyone) Em changed and I gave them a basket of food I'd packed for them. And off they went. Immediately we started taking down tables, collecting the decorations, cleaning the kitchen, etc.
10:30 We had packed the cars full of everything we could and went home to unload. They was still more to get, but Mom told me I was released. Whew! What a day! Then the girls wanted a girls night- I think because they missed Em already. So we grabbed our blankets and popped in Night At the Museum. I was so tired but I think I caught most of the show. Finally off to bed around midnight. But the important thing-- Emilee is married for time and all eternity to the love of her life!

Plus... my 100th post coming up next!!

Arizona in July

Emilee warned me Arizona was hot in July. But 108 degrees is hard to comprehend if you've never experienced it. And they told me I was lucky that it wasn't 113 or 118. Plus they told me that most people find a way to escape Arizona in July- go visit relatives in Utah, Idaho, etc, have massive surgery so they can stay in the air-conditioned hospital for weeks, or get married so they escape on a honeymoon to the Caribbean which is still nicer than Arizona.Actually, they said that the only people coming to Arizona in July were me and Emilee's extended family coming for the wedding. Well, I'm happy to report that I survived the heat, even liked it a bit. I didn't get sunburned as I usually do, instead I'm a bit tanned. So I'm thinking that Arizona would be a great place to move, maybe for medical school down the road. Then they tell me it's also monsoon season so heavy rains and/or dust storms are anticipated.

Ok, I need to back up a bit. I flew into Arizona July 4th (Happy Independence Day!), which by the way- who knew it was cheaper to fly out on a holiday than on the day after it? Emilee and H picked me up and I don't think I stopped smiling at them the whole ride- make that the whole week! We dropped H off so he could do homework and went back to Em's house where I met her family. Emilee and I have been friends for several years now and we talk about everything, including her family. So upon meeting her family I felt like I already knew them and I loved them instantly. She has one sister married with a baby so I didn't get to know her as well, but the other three are fantastic. Her only brother who is going to be a senior, records music and is so funny that at times I was doubled over laughing. He's a teenager but if I asked him nicely to help me with something (wedding prep) he was cheekily helpful. Then there's her younger sister who is a brilliant pianist and so fun to be around. And the youngest sister who is creative, imaginative, silly, and loving. All of them made me feel welcome. Em's dad is a wonderful man who works as a seminary and institute teacher, is quietly funny, and was absolutely welcoming to me. And then there's her mom. I could write a whole post on her if I didn't think my mom would be a little offended. Em's mom is warm and welcoming, easy to talk to, a go-getter, and laid-back. I spent most of the week with her getting everything ready for the wedding day while Emilee worked. They had hired a decorator and florist, but the family did lots of setting up, decorating, and all the food! I think the rest of the family is going to relax for awhile after all the hard work.

Anyway, on Monday we swam in their pool, ate some food, watched Tangled. I thought this is probably what paradise looks like- the palm trees in the yard, the pool, clear skies, my best friend. It was pretty close. Tuesday was lovely as well. Em went off to work and I started checking things off the to-do list with mom, running errands and just having so much fun in the process. That evening out in the yard, Dad suddenly starts telling us to check out the sky. I turn and look to see an apocalypse looking dust cloud covering the entire horizon. They call is a "haboob", the arabic term for such dust storms. Lucky me, this was the largest such storm ever to hit Arizona. Dad said we probably only had a few minutes to get inside before it hit and sure enough, after we got inside and shut all the windows everything went black. It was crazy! And in the morning there was a layer of dust on everything. Here's a short video showing some of it.


Little did I know that as excited as the dust storm was, the real fun was just starting. Shopping for all the food ingredients for the wedding reception, picking up pictures, bustling the wedding dress, picking the dance songs, borrowing this and picking up that. I'm a wedding planner- I've done this many times, but always from a third party position. This felt like I was part of the family. Plus I got to share a room with Em for the week and we'd talk and say prayers together. Some people might think that working hard and running around for a wedding does not sound like a vacation, but it was perfect for me. I've never seen Emilee so happy, she practically sparkles. It was an interesting experience for me- to be so incredibly happy for another person while feeling a bit forlorn and lonely. The night before the wedding while she was getting advice from her parents, I admit to shedding a few tears. We will always be friends but this changes things again. But then again, life will continue to change. I will one day get married too and I know she'll be there for me since none of my sisters will likely be able to come to the ceremony. She will have kids and I will too. H will go to school for counseling and I might move down there for medical school. Or not. We're going to have to wait and see.

One moment in particular that I will never forget. She had come out of the temple with H after the sealing ceremony. We were taking pictures with family in front of the Mesa temple, which is absolutely gorgeous! and we kept making eye contact and smiling at each other. I was in the group photo and her family photo, but then got out of the way to let them do their thing. I'm not the one to jump in usually, plus I actually really hate pictures of myself. So I waited at the top of the stairs for a moment with the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. Finally she walked up to me and looked at me with an indescribable expression of joy and love on her face. We hugged for several minutes and I think we both cried a bit. And then I looked back into her eyes and it was like... like she held the secrets of eternity and happiness there in her beautiful brown eyes. And it gave me such hope. Hope that one day I will find that joy and discover that secret.

I will post next on just the wedding day!

Finding Mr. Right?

This article made me laugh so hard I just had to share. Because, in all honesty, dating is much much harder than they make it look! (Fyi-to my missionary friends just returning home- I have not just been going on dates and partying these past two years!) Written July of 2009 here is Michael Moran with....

Finding Mr Right: 7 Tips from the Movies
If you're looking for romance, Hollywood has all the answers

There’s a lot of talk about what the meaning of life might be, but everyone really knows it’s romance: Finding Mr (or Miss) Right and raising a few kids is the principal motivation for every living thing from mushrooms to monarchs.Sometimes,though, it’s hard to find the right partner. Sometimes it’s hard to find any partner. Naturally the geniuses of cinema are on hand to show us how it’s done.

1. FIRST FIND YOUR TERRORIST

Far and away the best method of building a lasting relationship is to be involved in some kind of hostage drama or dangerous cross-country chase. From The 39 Steps through to Speed – indeed as far as Speed 2 – young men and women have been finding their true love at the point of a gun. Gunfire and peril is such a reliable relationship builder, in fact, that it can reunite estranged couples just as well as it can forge new ones: Just take a look at the most recent Indiana Jones film. Or Die Hard. Or Die Hard 2.

2. LOSE YOUR SCRUPLES

If you’re serious about romance, there’s no place for morals(excuse me! I think it's the perfect place for morals!). Sham weddings are a great way to kick-start a marriage. Sandra Bullock’s top relationship tip is to order a subordinate to marry you. She’s demonstrating that one right now in current cinema release The Proposal. It’s by no means a new idea: Gerard Depardieu and Andie McDowell first hit on the fake marriage ploy way back in 1990 with Green Card. It’s as sound a foundation for lasting love as it was then.

Don’t be coy, either, about underhand tactics to eliminate a potential rival. Back in 1937 The Awful Truth showed how shabby acts can ease the way for true love. It also featured a really sweet dog. In the classic Howard Hawks comedy His Girl Friday Cary Grant repeatedly gets his ex-wife’s fiancé arrested on trumped-up charges until the poor chap sees reason and withdraws from the fray. If you’re serious about settling down with your dream man or woman, make sure you enlist a few corrupt cops.

3. PLAY HARD TO GET

The grass is always greener on the other side, forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest and,(although it’s not strictly relevant) a stitch in time saves nine. Nobody wants love handed to them on a plate, it’s unsanitary for one thing, and Hollywood has shown this time and time again. From the firecracker bickering of classic screwball comedies such as It Happened One Night or The Lady Eve to the tongue-tied predictability of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days . Julia Roberts proved in I love Trouble that even irascible bears like Nick Nolte can fall for a girl as long as she’s rude enough.

4. DON’T BE FUSSY

We’re conditioned by stories like Cinderella and Snow White to believe that there’s one true love out there for us all. Unfortunately, as the manufacturers of moisturising creams the world over like to remind us, we won’t look this good forever. Sooner or later it’s time to settle. When Harry Met Sally is a perfect lesson in how to win at romantic musical chairs: try to find The One but always keep your backup spouse close to hand.

If you still haven’t dated anyone by the time you’re 40 don’t hold out for perfection – learn from The 40 Year Old Virgin and hook up with the first person that shows even halfway willing. Best advice of all comes from the latest Katherine Heigl effort The Ugly Truth. He may be an ill-mannered misogynistic boor but he’s still a man, dammit and once you’ve passed thirty that’s good enough.(Wow....really?!!!!)

5. BE A NERD

Of course romance comes easily to nerds. The movies tell us that again and again. We’ve already discussed The 40 Year Old Virgin, where a dysfunctional shut-in with minimal cool marries super-groovy Catherine Keener. Bridget Jones’s Diary extols the irresistible appeal of the female klutz. Annie Hall ups the ante by bringing two entirely different grades of nebbish together in one majestic loser romance.(Or start out like Barrymore in Never Been Kissed and bam!, transform into the It girl)

6. BE LUCKY

If you can’t be a nerd, be lucky. Whether it’s something as unlikely as winning a lottery (It Could Happen To You) or an everyday piece of good fortune like being selected to write the lyrics for a guaranteed Number One single even though you’re just a gardener (Music & Lyrics) there really is no substitute for sheer good fortune. If you don’t have luck, make some – pitch up at a stranger’s wedding. Never fails.

7. WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST, GET A PROFESSIONAL IN

You wouldn’t dream of rewiring your own house. Unless you’d eaten a lot of cheese before bedtime or something. So why organize your own relationships? If we’ve learned anything from Pretty Woman, it’s that common street prostitutes are generally wholesome, marriageable young women. Experts in leaving home (Failure To Launch) and relationship counselors (Hitch) will definitely marry you as long as you pay them a lot of money first.

You should engage your professional with caution though: if The Wedding Planner has a message for us it’s this: the woman you hire to help you pick out some flowers will probably run off with the groom.

Thanks a lot, Hollywood!!

On Our Own Mortality

Right behind public speaking and snakes (and the fear of the dark and flying? depending on who you ask), people admit to being afraid of death. But why? Especially since we know we must all die, at some point, in some way? It is likely we fear the death of loved ones around us because we fear the feeling of loss and their absence in our lives. But also because as we experience the loss of those we love, our own mortality is clearly outlined- the realization that mortal death is, in fact, inevitable. For many it is the unknown, the uncontrollable change of circumstance, the fear that after working so hard to figure out this life we will still stand unprepared for what comes next. Your religious beliefs obviously play a role in this conversation: whether you believe in heaven or hell, in eternal punishment, or if you believe that everything ends when you take your last mortal breath. For more on my beliefs on that matter click here.

For so many more"the fear of death follows from the fear of life" as Mark Twain so simply stated. Perhaps we are afraid of death because we start to realize, in this contemplation of our own mortality, that we have not lived the way we planned. We realize that we have regrets and grudges, fears that have held us back, or decisions we wish we could redo. Dead-end jobs, a preoccupation with money or material possessions, or just inappropriate priorities. We might wish we had spent more time with our families laughing and telling stories, that we'd learned to let things go and forgive, or that we had truly learned to love. As Morrie Schwartz put it, " When you learn how to die, you learn how to live."

Now to where I was heading. It is one thing to sit near the end of your life, prolonged by modern medicine and technology, surrounded by family and friends, and to reflect on your mistakes and what you would have done differently. It is quite another to contemplate an imminent death in your youth, before you feel as though you've even started to live. Perhaps while just finishing your education and figuring out a career. Maybe while you still resent your parents and haven't had children of your own to finally understand their love. And you fear that you've never loved, not really, not completely without reserve- or that even if you have loved you will never know if it was the kind that could last through hardship and heartaches. Even beyond all that, the dying youth fears that they have left nothing behind to say that they were here, that they made a difference, that even in their young, incomplete experience they had something incredible to say or contribute.

So, what should be done? If a young individual knows they will die, has some warning, indication, or diagnosis, how should they live out their remaining time? Go crazy- skydiving, bungee jumping, travel the world? Or do they keep working and studying in an effort to leave something more tangible? Should they work hard to find love and be loved in return or should they distance themselves in an attempt to alleviate the pain of their eventual absence? And all the things that we've tried so hard to learn, in the belief that one day we would pass it onto our children, do those things matter anymore? If we have no children, no spouse, how can we continue on? For as we've seen many times, life has to go on after death. People go back to work and back to their own worries and problems. For your parents and siblings and friends, your death will become a part of their life, but it will not define them. But maybe, like I said before, in dying we learn how to live, or at least how we wanted to or should have lived. And just maybe we will leave that awareness in those around us.

Now, before you wonder, I am not dying. Merely contemplating mortality and all that accompanies it. What I'm really after here is some feedback. What do you think? Are you living life that way you feel you should- fulfilling dreams, learning to love? **And how would you handle death if you were in the position of the young individual? What would you do?

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." ~Norman Cousins

Carl Bloch, Conference, and Congrats!

It will come as no surprise to those who know me when I say that I am not artistically gifted. I have many talents, but art is not one of them so I love LOVE studying those you are artistically inclined. Sometimes I study certain artists or art movements, but I tend to frequent the BYU Museum of Art exhibits whenever possible. In fact, last year I shared my favorite painting from there in this post. This year at the museum a special exhibit is showcasing the work of Carl Bloch (1834-1890), a religious painter, including 5 large alter pieces and numerous smaller works. I went with some friends this last week and spent almost two hours studying and learning about these masterpieces. Many of his works are familiar in to Christianity such as:I especially love this second one entitled, Christ Healing the Sick At Bethesda. I learned some of the meanings within the painting, such as the man in the red cap sitting between the waters of men and the Living Water of Christ looking back as if decided which to trust. And the man almost hidden behind Christ who has no legs, but has his hands in his shoes in an attempt to pull himself to the water. Are we willing to work that hard for what we really want? I know I want to. To see more of Carl Bloch's works or to see the exhibit, check out the website.

Also, this weekend was one of my favorites of the year as it was our annual conference weekend in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For two days, in five different sessions, our beloved prophet and apostles (the leaders of our church) speak to the worldwide membership about the challenges we face and the principles and practices we should improve upon. To learn more about this conference and to listen to various talks check out this site. This talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, one of my favorite apostles, is an excellent talk.

Finally, I want to extend some congratulations. First to myself: My first volume of poetry is now available at Barnes and Noble website entitled Journeys of the Soul. The first volume deals mostly with achieving dreams, inspiration, and believing in yourself. The second volume will be coming shortly dealing more with loss and hardship. All poems are available individually as well! Yeah!

But mostly, I want to send out congrats to my best friend, Emilee, on her recent engagement to the her perfect man, Hunter. I was able to meet him for the first time this weekend and spend time with her for the first time since Christmas (since she lives in AZ)!!! Best 4 hours I've had in a long long time. Back to Emilee. Sweet, loving, intelligent, funny, and a fantastic listener, she deserves the best. I had feared that upon her engagement I would be sad, mourning the loss of my best friend to that wonderful institution of marriage. But instead, upon hearing the news I was overwhelmingly overjoyed for her!!! They have set the date as July 8th and I will be going down for it--I'm already counting down. Congrats Emilee!