Baby Emily

What a wonderful month this has been!! Baby Emily was born on May 9th at 7:54 pm. These are her proud siblings and family. We have another Emily Gardner in the family!!!! What a beautiful baby!! Congratulations Dave and Lori! We love you!! And we love little Emily!

Limbo

I don't really know what to write about. I feel like a lot has happened, and yet nothing really has. I feel I've learned a lot, but I'm right where I started. I feel like I'm moving forward in life, but I can't really see any steps. Everything has changed, and nothing has changed. I feel frustrated and excited. I feel anxious and calm. I'm distracted and focused. I'm bored and busy. I guess I just feel like I'm in limbo right now. I have no idea where I'm going to be in the next few months. I don't know who I'm going to be with. I feel like I'm ready for something new. I've been feeling that for a long time now. Caitie, Nathaniel and I moved from our old apartment, but the feeling still remains. There are a lot big decisions to make in life. It's just hard to be patient enough with yourself to feel good about what you want. And.. like Ted always says, "you can't have your cake and eat it too." I pray the Lord will guide my steps. And I pray that I'll be ready for it when He does.

A good day!

Good news!!! I got two jobs, a car, a personal fitness trainer, and Caitie and I are the only girls in our apartment right now!!!!!!!! It's been a good day. Yay for good days. :)

P.S.

My Jury went really really really well!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Tender Mercy

Last night as I was reading my scriptures, my mind was full of small worries about my jury today. Don't worry... it's not a jury at a legal court. :) For a music major, a jury is where you go perform some songs for the department of your instrument. So for me, I will be singing for the vocal department. It's a little nerve-rattling. They give you a report on your progress. The people who judge you are mostly nice people. For some reason though, my legs go numb and I have to concentrate on not falling over and crawling under the piano. While consentrating on that, I have to sing my very best for them! It's scary stuff... I tell you what!

Anyway, while I was reading my scriptures I came across this verse in 2 Nephi 32:9. It reads:
"9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."

The Lord is wonderful, isn't He?

A New Niece!!!

I have a new niece everyone!!!! Her name is Della Lucinda Gardner. She is Matt and Britt's baby. She weighs 5 lbs. and she's 19 inches long. What a beautiful little family!!!! Congrats you guys! I love you!

My Last Masterclass

Tonight I sang at my very last masterclass at BYU. Before I sang, I was so excited to be done!! I was ready to celebrate! Now that it's over, I think I will miss it. I won't miss singing once a month, but I do think I'll miss listening to all of the amazing musicians that I've grown to love at BYU.

I had to sing tonight because at the beginning of the semester, my family went to California, so I missed my first performance. Tonight, was a make-up masterclass. Who would have thought that it would be the masterclass full of graduate students majoring in vocal performance????? All of these phenomenal singers sang before I did. My teacher then had me get up. The first thing I said when I got to the front of the room was, "You guys are all amazing!" They all tried to help me feel comfortable by saying they were excited to hear me perform. (instant look of terror inserted here!) "My name is Emilie Gardner and I will be singing Du Bist Wie Eine Blume by Franz Liszt" I began. The piano began playing the introduction and immediately my legs were paralyzed. I was so nervous! After I finished singing, my teacher told them all to think back to when they were freshman and imagine singing in front of the graduate students. All of the students gasped when they realized how nervous I must be. One even said he didn't even feel comfortable enough to look at the graduate students, let alone sing in front of them! he he.... little do they ALL know that I am actually a senior. I didn't really want to correct my teacher right there. I figured, it was better to have them think I was a freshman. :)

Anyway, my days of masterclass are done. My days in the school of music are numbered. I will miss this place a lot. As much as I have griped about the late hours of school, I really have loved it. It's amazing how grateful we are for what we have right after it's gone.

Huh??

I think I have officially reached the 'auto-pilot' stage of finals week. Every assignment is being completed mechanically-without any real thought to what I'm saying. This morning, I had a voice lesson and when I got there... I could not remember what the words were to my German song I'm singing at Juries next week!! The next weird thing was that I left my coat in the library. If anyone knows me, they know that I get really cold, really fast! How did I forget my coat in the library on a day like today!?? I didn't notice it was gone until after Women's Chorus. Weird! As I sat down to do my homework just now... I couldn't remember if I ate today.

Hmm... I'm really excited to have my brain back. I hope it comes back soon!!

Womanhood

Then a little later she writes: I read this verse in the Book of Revelation: "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." (Rev 12:1) As I read that scripture that morning, the sun shining brilliantly upon the written page, I can truly say that suddenly the glory and beauty and blessings of womanhood were illuminated in my heart. In my mind's eye I literally saw a woman--a woman like you--clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, wearing a crown of stars. And the glory around her from all these celestial sources was light. To my limited view I could see "woman" as a transmitter, a conveyer, a conduit of light and love. I could see that a woman can, if she lives for it and wants it and asks for it and seeks it, be the medium through which gospel light and truth can pass to or be conveyed from one person to another.

~Sister Holland

His Plan

"Recently I was anxiously pleading with the Lord that he would bless my oldest son in a special way. As I was pleading, asking the Lord to please bless him, these words came so resoundingly into my mind: 'I am blessing him. Be patient with my plan.'" I was stunned. I was moved to tears. I realized I was handing my views and my understanding and my determination to Heaven in a commanding voice, saying, "Lord, here is your work as I have outlined it. Please notify my when you have bestowed my blessings, pursued my plans, and carried out my will." In sweet reply comes the mild rebuke, "If you don't mind, Patricia, I prefer to bestow my blessings and to do it in my way." When we content ourselves that God has not forgotten us, nor will He ever, and that He is blessing us (albeit, and thank heaven for it!) in His own way, then the views of a better world come before our eyes. If we can be patient with His process--which simply means having faith--if we can commune personally and often with Him, we can spare ourselves the emptiness and frenzy. . . .We can keep our minds fixed enough on etenity to remember that "God's ways are not our ways" and that the mysteries of godliness lie in Him--in His mind and His heart and His love. Those mysteries and that fulness will be ours only as we strive to make His mind and His heart and His love our own."


~Sister Holland

Tomorrow is a New Day

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."


~Emerson

My First Arrangement

Ever sing Ted left in February, I have taken over the ward choir. I have come to absolutely love this calling. My ward choir is amazing!!! When we perform, about 1/3 of the ward comes up from the congregation to sing. It's the best feeling. We also have really great singers in our ward, which makes it possible to sing beautiful, and more difficult music than most ward choirs can.

This last Sunday, my friend Emily, and I, arranged a version of "That Easter Morn" for our ward choir. We wrote parts for cello, violin, and viola. It was performed yesterday and the choir sounded really amazing. During the last verse, the spirit was so strong, I had goosebumps! Several of the choir members came up to me after and told me how much the song meant to them. Wow!!! What an amazing feeling to have something I helped write, touch people's hearts in such a way!

The best part of the whole thing though, was having my Mom there to watch and listen to the piece. I felt pretty special that she could see the "premier" of the arrangement. :)

Easter was just wonderful!

Mr. Sparrow Comes to Call

Today as I was studying, I looked out my front window. This cute little sparrow was hopping up the stairs one at a time. I imagine he was going to visit a friend that lives upstairs.

I Love Roses!

This semester I have received more flowers than ever before in my life! I love it! My brother gave me a dozen roses for my birthday (along with a keyboard and surprise party!), Ted gave me a dozen roses just because, and since I've been really sick lately, my brother again bought me a rose last night. I didn't know how much I love roses until this semester. I really do love them though. I love their significance and I love the thought that goes into getting someone roses. I'm a very lucky girl!

Walmart article

 Here is a funny wal-mart story for you wal-mart lovers:

Mr. and Mrs. Fenton are retired. Mrs. Fenton insists that he go with
her to Walmart. He gets bored with all the shopping. He prefers to get
in and get out, but Mrs. Fenton loves to browse. Here's a letter sent
to her from the store.

Dear Mrs. Fenton:
Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a
commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and may ban
both of you from our stores. We have documented all incidents on our
video surveillance equipment. All complaints against Mr Fenton are
listed below while his spouse was shopping in Walmart:



 1 July 2:        Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at
5-minute intervals.

2. July 7:         Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading
to the restrooms.
3. July 19:       Walked up to an employee and told her in an official
tone,  'Code 3' in housewares.. . and watched what happened.
4. Aug 4:         Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of
M&M's on layaway.
5. Sept 14:      Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
6. Sept 15:     Set up a tent in the camping department and told other
shoppers he'd invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the
                    bedding department.
7. Sept 23:     When a clerk asks if they can help him , he begins to
cry and asks, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'
8. Oct 4:          Looked right into the security camera; used it as a
mirror, and picked his nose.
9. Nov 10:      While handling guns in the hunting department, asked
the clerk if he knows where to find the antidepressants.
10. Dec 3:      Darted around the store suspiciously loudly humming
the "Mission  Impossible" theme.
11. Dec 18:    Hid in a clothing rack and when people browse through,
yelled "PICK ME!" "PICK ME!"
12. Dec 21:   When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he
assumes the fetal position and screams

                       "NO! NO!  it's those voices again!!!!"


And last, but not least ....
13. Dec 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door waited awhile,
then yelled very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here !!!

O My Father

Women's Chorus is singing a gorgeous arrangement of this hymn. It is fast becoming one of my very favorites. I never realized how powerful the words are until Women's Chorus sang it this semester. I love the prayer of faith that is throughout the song that we will again dwell with our Heavenly Father.

1. O my Father, thou that dwellest
In the high and glorious place,
When shall I regain thy presence
And again behold thy face?
In thy holy habitation,
Did my spirit once reside?
In my first primeval childhood
Was I nurtured near thy side?

2. For a wise and glorious purpose
Thou hast placed me here on earth
And withheld the recollection
Of my former friends and birth;
Yet ofttimes a secret something
Whispered, “You’re a stranger here,”
And I felt that I had wandered
From a more exalted sphere.

3. I had learned to call thee Father,
Thru thy Spirit from on high,
But, until the key of knowledge
Was restored, I knew not why.
In the heav’ns are parents single?
No, the thought makes reason stare!
Truth is reason; truth eternal
Tells me I’ve a mother there.

4. When I leave this frail existence,
When I lay this mortal by,
Father, Mother, may I meet you
In your royal courts on high?
Then, at length, when I’ve completed
All you sent me forth to do,
With your mutual approbation
Let me come and dwell with you.

New Mormon Themed Restaurant Chain

New Mormon Themed Restaurant Chain

Get your franchise before they are all gone!

This is a sparkling new idea for a chain of non-pretentious Utah
restaurants.
The name of these restaurants: "The Steak Center" Each Steak
Center will have one enormous dining area with basketball hoops at
either end and folding metal chairs and long tables covered in
plastic tablecloths. The Steak Centers will not have hostesses, but
greeters, (men in their 70's who will meet you at the door and talk
like they have known you all your life).

The main menu items will be: Porterhouse Rockwell Steak, Primary
Rib, and the Poor Wayfaring Pan of Beef, garnished with Parsley P.
Pratt Funeral Potatoes. We will also have, when it's in season,
Eliza R. Snow crab. Let's not forget a whole line of "And It Came
to Pasta", including Kraft Moroni and Cheese.

Additionally, we'll have breakfast items, including Pearls of Great
Rice and Frosted Minivans, as well as Adam-ondi-Omelettes. The
house drink is "Apple Juice."

Also available, "In Our Lovely Desserts", including Fast Sundaes,
Gadianton Cobbler and the sinful Laman Meringue Pie and Lemuel ice
cream.

The waiters will be 12 and 13 year-old boys wearing white shirts and
their fathers' ties.
At the end of the night the customers will be asked to help fold up
the chairs and tables and vacuum the floor.
Franchises are selling fast...Get yours while they last!!

A Disclaimer

This blog is not meant to offend anyone. If, by any chance, you have been offended by something I have written, I apologize.

Anonymous

The bride, white of hair, is stooped over her cane.
Her footsteps, uncertain, need guiding.
While down the church isle, with a wan toothless smile,
The groom in his wheelchair comes riding.
And who is this elderly couple, thus wed?
You'll find, when you've closely explored it,
That this is that rare, most conservative pair,
Who waited till they could afford it.

From the famous author, Anonymous.

Faith, Determination, and Trust

"God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him
to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing.  In fact, He expects you not simply
to face the future(that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace
and shape the future-to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your
opportunities.
"God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill
your dreams, just as He always has.  But he can't if you don't pray, and He
can't if you don't dream.  In short, He can't if you don't believe."

~Jeffrey R. Holland from his CES fireside called, "Terror, Triumph and the Wedding Feast."

The raindrop

The funniest thing happened today. As I was eating lunch, I noticed that the Wilkinson Center roof was leaking. About one drop fell down every five seconds. At the end of my lunch, a girl walked right under it and a drop fell on her head. As she looked around in puzzlement, I just laughed to myself. It really was amusing.

Seagulls in the Snow

When I woke up this morning, I was somewhat disappointed by the snow that was dumped on the ground last night. Don't get me wrong, I love snow. I think I'm just getting excited for Spring to come. Anyway, as I was walking along the sidewalk to get to school, I saw all these seagulls playing in the snow. They loved it! I think sometimes the seagulls were pretending they were the snowflakes and just glided along down with them. It was wonderful! After that, I was grateful for the snow. It really is gorgeous outside. the snow brings wonderful memories to my mind and for that, I'm truly grateful.

Kinda funny...

WIFE VS. HUSBAND
A couple drove down a country road forseveral miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussionhad led to an argument and neither of them wanted toconcede their position. As they passed a barnyard ofmules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?" "Yep," the wife replied, "In-laws."

WORDS
A husband read an article to his wife abouthow many words women use a day.... 30,000 to a man's15,000. The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men... The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"

CREATION
A man said to his wife one day, "I don'tknow how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time. " The wife responded, "Allow me to explain.God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!

WHO DOES WHAT
A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife said, "You should do it, becauseyou get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee." The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee." Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee." Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me." So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says........ ... "HEBREWS"

THE SILENT TREATMENT
A man and his wife were having someproblems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM." He left itwhere he knew she would find it. The next morning, the manwoke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."

It's been a while...

Hello!

It has been a while since I have posted anything. Life has been a bit crazy this semester. I'm taking 17.5 credits so I can graduate as soon as I can. Life is great! I have discovered something that I love... conducting children's choirs!

Today was my first day assistant teaching at an elementary school children's choir here in Provo. I sat in between the roudiest boys and sang solfiege and learned the songs right along with them. I had a blast!!! I don't care if I'm going to end up just volunteering! I'm so excited to conduct children's choirs. It turned out that the school needs an accompanist for one song and I am going to do that as well. I love it!!

Crazy pictures

New Legs

Sisters Mary Catherine, Maria Theresa, Katherine Marie, Rose Frances, & Mary Kathleen left the Convent on a trip to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and were sight-seeing on a Tuesday in July. It was hot and humid in town and their traditional garb was making them so uncomfortable, they decided to stop in at Patty McGuire's Pub for a cold soft drink.

Patty had recently added special legs to his barstools, which were the talk of the fashionable eastside neighborhood. All 5 Nuns sat up at the bar and were enjoying their Cokes when Monsignor Riley and Father McGinty entered the bar through the front door. They, too, came for a cold drink when they were shocked and almost fainted at what they saw.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!!!! It's time to bring out the journal and read old resolutions and figure out some new ones. I laughed when I looked at mine. My first resolution was to write in my journal weekly. The very next entry was a month later! I will definitely be better about that this year. :)

On New Year's Eve, Nathaniel, Caitie, Ted and I went to Kirtland after church and toured the sites there. What a way to start the year! We went to the upper room of the Whitney story where the school of the prophets was. Because there were not many people there, we could stay as long as we wanted. There was a powerful spirit there. Caitie sang hymns while the rest of us thought separate thoughts. Then we came home and had a wonderful dinner. We watched a couple movies and then watched the ball drop on TV. We drank martinelli's and Ted and I kissed in the new year. :)

For family home evening last night, we wrote down what we were grateful for. I think the theme of this trip home for me was to be grateful and to not be afraid to talk to the Lord and ask Him for what I need. It's amazing how much the Lord wants to bless us.

Happy New Year! May your year be filled with incredible experiences, love and success!!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas was wonderful this year. Mom decided to stuff us instead of the turkey. :) All of our favorite meals were carefully planned and shopped for before we came home. We made new traditions which included eating fondue instead of clam chowder on Christmas Eve. I love fondue! We had cheese fondue, heated peanut oil where we fried shrimp, scallops, steak, and chicken, and chocolate fondue. When the chocolate came out it was almost as if we had not eaten in weeks! Everyone rushed to the chocolate. We had sword fights with our fondue forks in the chocolate trying to knock everyone else's fruit and cake off their forks. It was great fun! The best part was when Nathaniel "accidentally" dropped a piece of pepper-jack cheese into the fondue for some lucky person to find and eat while it was covered in chocolate. When that lucky person finally did pick it up (thinking it was an apple!), Nathaniel started laughing and the person ran and spit it out. Pretty hilarious.. I'll tell you what! Also different this year was instead of acting out the nativity while Dad read it, the little kids put the nativity pieces in place while the story was read. On Christmas Eve we also went around the room saying what we were grateful for from the year before and also what gift we want to give Jesus this year. It was a really powerful night! I decided I like Christmas Eve even more than Christmas day. I love what we focus on on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas morning I was greeted by my excited 5-year-old nephew. "It's time for Christmas!" he exclaimed. We groggily walked down the stairs and found our stockings. The boys all got ping pong ball guns that didn't really work (we ended chucking them at each other with our hands instead!). The girls got bath stuff. Everyone got their favorite kind of cereal from Santa. Then the present fest began! The Manheim Steamroller Christmas CD was put on while we took turns opening presents. I think everyone got spoiled this year--especially the grandkids! Steve called from China and met Ted over the phone. We sang carols to him and laughed and talked. Mom put his picture at the top of the tree this year. :) I'm so glad we could talk to him. We called everyone in the family and wished them a merry Christmas.

Breakfast was the usual cold cereal with a swedish tea ring. Yum!!!!! And then we were back to the presents! :) My favorite gifts were gifts from the heart. I think everyone gave those. I really feel so blessed! As that little boy said, "love is the feeling you get at Christmas when you stop opening presents and just listen."

Change

Before I moved to college, I did not think I struggled with change. When my family moved, I was all right with it. I cried a little bit, but my heart didn't break. A few nights ago, my old roommate, Cassidy, got engaged. She is so happy and I am so happy for her. My other old roommate, Audrey is moving to Texas. I'm trying to make decisions about where I want my life to go. There is a lot of change happening all at the same time, it seems. Anyway, after Cassidy got engaged, she came with her fiance to my apartment and we had a small party. I was all right until my sister began to cry. When I saw her cry, all the memories I have of living with these girls flooded through my mind and heart. I remembered our quote wall. I remembered crying over Gilmore Girls' episodes with them. I remembered skipping classes, just because I loved being home so much. I remembered working out to "Sweatin' to the Oldies". I remembered going to the library with Audrey at Christmas and checking out children's Christmas stories and reading them from the light of the Christmas tree in our apartment. I remembered break-ups. I remembered hugs. I remembered prayers and reading scriptures together. I remembered the ice cream and M&M's. I remembered Sunday afternoon naps on Caitie's and my bed. All six of the girls came in and we cuddled until we all fell asleep. I remembered porch movies. I remembered Tarythe singing and playing on her guitar. I remembered Julie making maceroni and cheese for breakfast. I remembered watching chick flicks while we all held hands and cried. I remembered Cassidy and Caitie laughing and being silly together. I remembered jamming with Ted in the front room while we all sang fun songs. I remembered making our favorite meals together so we could share our family favorites with the ones we love. I remembered Audrey's writing. I remembered coming home to our apartment and really feeling like I was home. I remembered the love. I remembered Caitie's first experience with 'religion'. I remembered coming home and we all wore our goucho pants on Sundays. Peanut butter and Chocolate chips. Practicing kissing on ice creams cones at Dairy Queen. I remembered boating with Debi-lynn.

Change is a good thing. It's so hard to say goodbye... or rather, see ya later. I feel like I'm ready to move on, but I still have a hard time letting go of these memories. I want everything to change while it all stays the same. Heavenly Father knows what is best in our lives. He knows our pains and struggles. He knows how much my heart hurts when I have to say goodbye. Because He knows that, I need to give it to Him so that He can help me figure out how to heal.

Thank you. Thank you for the memories. I love you.

An Answer to Prayer

This was posted on my friends' blog. I know I needed to read it. Maybe it will help someone else too!

"Now, my dear sisters, that is the way with you. You are doing the best you can, and that best results in good to yourself and to others. Do not nag yourself with a sense of failure. Get on your knees and ask for the blessings of the Lord; then stand on your feet and do what you are asked to do. Then leave the matter in the hands of the Lord. You will discover that you have accomplished something beyond price."

~President Hinckley

Friday Nights

What is the new cool thing to do on a Friday night? Apparently, it's taking a test at the testing center at BYU. Last night, I took a test and the testing center was completely full! Everyone had their heads down, sweating over their tests. I wondered how many people actually know what the ceiling in the testing center looks like. Good times... good times at the testing center.

Exciting News!!

I know you all have been wondering for a long time what is going on in my life. I am happy to announce that I am....

officially....

going home for Christmas!


I have not been home for almost two years now. Life is so great! Yay!!! I just thought I would share my great news! :)

A Token of Gratitude

This morning I had a very interesting breakfast. Caitie and I woke up early, cleaned the apartment and then she made the mush. I felt like I was at home again. Dad used to make these incredibly healthy breakfasts that didn't taste so great. We always ended up making fun of the food. Dad's feelings weren't hurt. He always laughed with us as he grated his apple peel into his cereal-instead of sugar. Caitie's wonderful surprise this morning consisted of rolled oats, wheat, cranberries, raisins, brown rice, almonds, flax seed, oats groats, barley, spices, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, corn, garbonzo beans, millet, bananas, and oat bran. I call it... BIRD FOOD! I felt like I needed to peck at my meal this morning. The food was so mushy, when I tried to whistle like a bird, I couldn't make a sound out of my mouth. As I watched Caitie take her first bite, I asked her if it tasted awful. She said, "Plain... gross plain." "Oh!" I said, "For YOU to say that... it really means it's disgusting." I then thought we should invite our friends over for the special 'tweet'. As we continued to eat our meal, Caitie made the comment, "I think the reason I am eating this is a token of gratitude for my body. There really is no other reason to eat it."

What is love?

What does Love mean? A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8
year-olds, "What does love mean?"

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca- age 8


"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4


"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5


"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6


"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4


"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7


"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8


"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)


"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)


"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7


"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6


"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8


"My mommy loves me more than anybody You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6


"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5


"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7


"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4


"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." Karen - age 7


"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"

Halloween

Does anyone have any ideas of what I could be for Halloween???

Power to Overcome ALL things

In my Mission Prep class on Monday, our teacher, Brother Bott, talked about how we as children of God have the power to overcome all things that are not ordained of God. The catch is that we need to be humble enough to receive His guidance. D&C 50: 35 says, "And by giving heed and doing these things which ye have received, and which ye shall hereafter receive—and the kingdom is given you of the Father, and power to overcome all things which are not ordained of him—"

What is it that we need to overcome? Each of us needs to look inside and discover our faults and then ask the lord to help us overcome them. Much of the time, it won't be discovering our faults, but it will be taking an honest look and then truly becoming humble enough that the Lord will help us. He is there. He is waiting. Just let Him take care of all the things He has already taken care of through the Atonement.

Like an incredible friend of mine said the other night, "I'm stronger than Satan. He has no power over me." And then the reply, "You're a hell of a lot stronger than he is."

Nightmares on Sesame Street

"That's it! You're going to live on Sesame Street!"

My heart was filled with dread at that thought when Audrey suggested my fake street name in her novel. "I cannot live on Sesame Street! I've had way too many nightmares about Sesame Street!" The bedroom erupted into laughter as Audrey heard what I said. "What do you mean you've had nightmares about Sesame Street?" I told her the awful tales:

When I was a young girl I had a nightmare about the Cookie Monster. My whole family was on a giant cookie. We were running frantically from something and I wasn't sure what it was. All of a sudden, I heard the terrible laughter, "Me want cookie!!" The Cookie Monster was chasing my family! Before I knew what had happened, my whole family had fallen into one of the chocolate chips which then turned into a big black hole. After we fell to the bottom, I looked up from where we had fallen. The Cookie Monster's awful blue face was staring down into the hole. "Me want cookies!!!" continued, as well as the diabolical laughter. I woke up panicking. I never want to eat another cookie again! I resolved. Good thing we grow out of such silly resolves. :)

The second nightmare came I think, only a year or two ago. I was living on a nice quiet, street when all of a sudden it turned into Sesame Street. The problem was that the characters were not the nice characters we know from our childhood. They were evil! Can you imagine living on the same street as an evil Big Bird? Ugh!! It was awful. The scariest voice I think I've ever heard was Ted imitating Elmo... "Elmo knows where you live... he he he"

No, Audrey. I will never live on Sesame Street.

Examples

Tonight I went to Salt Lake to have a birthday dinner with two of my brothers, their wives, and my little sister. We went to Red Lobster... yum! I had alotta colada, and the ultimate feast!! Not to mention those incredible biscuits. Wow... I felt like I needed to be rolled out to the car. It was so good.

While I was there, I watched my brothers a lot. Josh made sure his wife and kids were taken care of the whole time. Matt took the kids when it seemed they needed to wander. Josh paid for everyone's meal. Total generosity.

When we got back, Caitie and I told our little brother, Nathaniel, about the night and Josh's generosity. Nathaniel made the perfect comment, "I have so many role models in my brothers." It's so true! We talked about the different qualities they have and after each one, Nathaniel promptly said, "I want to be just like him!" How many younger siblings can say that about every one of their older siblings? What a blessing.

Life is good. Happy Birthday, Matt!

BYU Blast!

Hey!

I'm part of the upcoming BYU Blast! This is the first time BYU's School ofMusic has ever produced a concert this big.

Friday, October 6, 7:30 p.m.
de Jong Concert Hall

Women's Chorus
Cougar Marching Band Drumline
Men's Chorus
Orpheus Winds
BYU Singers
\Panoramic SteelTuba Ensemble
Trombone Choir
Wind Symphony,
Vocal Point
Philharmonic Orchestra
Jazz Ensemble
Deseret Piano Trio
Scene from the upcoming opera Die Fledermaus
and more!

Watch for me, I am in the Women's Chorus.
Tickets are on sale now at the Fine Arts Ticket Office or online atartstix.byu.edu for only $9 ($3 off with BYU or student ID).or you can get a two-for-one coupon and a discount on ice cream at the Creameryon Ninth, click here. HIGH SCHOOL students get an even better discount! They can buy tickets for $2! What a deal! This is a great opportunity to experience all the great performers at BYU in onefull night. Hurry, tickets are going fast..I hope to see you after the concert.

Weird

That last post didn't exactly turn out how I wanted it to. I published it and then the computer deleted it. Ahh well. I went to the dance assembly at the Marriott center this morning. The clogging team performed as well as the swing dance team. It's time. I need to dance again. I miss it a lot. Other than that, school is going well. Life is great!

Gratitude

I'm learning more about myself every day. Something I've really learned this week is to be grateful. When I am having a difficult time with life or myself or something that is going on, and I take time to help myself feel grateful for the blessings in my life, it takes less time to heal. I am happy again. I am so incredibly grateful. Last night I went to a beautiful concert given by the Utah Chamber Artists in St. Madeline's Cathedral in Salt Lake. I was moved to tears by the beauty of the music and the exquisite way it was performed. I am grateful for beautiful music. I am grateful for good books. I am grateful for life.

I See

For one single, breathless moment,
As you looked into my eyes,
I thought this could be for real
And I let down my disguise

Then, for many timeless moments,
I evaluated; dreamed,
Our brief time of joy had faded
And love was not what it seemed.

When the moment came for parting,
My now-hidden Self was gone.
There was “Us;” now there was nothing
And I struggled to go on.

But in moments of awareness
I can see that I have grown.
Where was sorrow, now is joy
With new perspectives clearly shown.

Should I thank you? Or be angry?
Neither: my moments with you
Lead my steps a new direction;
Give my sight a clearer view.

Each experience, each moment,
Each now cherished memory
Is a gift, unfolding wisdom.
For, where love was blind, I see.

A Musical Universe

I think of this life and tue universe as a grand musical composition. Our first estate was the first movement. Our second estate is the second movement. How did we keep our first estate? We subjected our spiritual body to God's will. This is much like when we begin learning a new piece of music, we take whatever interpretation we have of the piece and we subject our will to be in line with the director's will concerning the piece.

To keep our second estate, we are subjecting our physical bodies to our spiritual bodies which are already in line with God's will. This is comparable to when we are playing the piece, we take our talents and we align them with the will our minds have of being in line with the directors will. The third movement will then be when we become gods and godesses. However, this incredible composition is "one eternal round". It does not have a beginning and it does not have an end. There are many parts and sections and phrases of the piece that we do not understand and parts we cannot comprehend because our ears are not yet in tune enough to understand the will of the composer.

"Gaze at the stars, such brilliant bright light
A billion stars which fill the night
Space surrounds us, dark satin sky
A musical unverse yet few wonder why
That music exists, we all agree
And matter is waves, though few yet see.
Naive illusion that 'particles' are real
Because we touch them, and solid they feel
Einstein knew matter and universe were whole
True knowledge of reality, the ultimate goal
Matter exists as spherical waves in space
Perhaps this wisdom will end the arms race!
The harmony of the spheres, all is One
Intimately interconnected, like Father and Son."

~Geoff Haselhurst

Women's Chorus Schedule

Hello again!! Here are all the concerts for Women's Chorus this year. They are going to be awesome!!!!

Sunday, Sept 24, 7:00 Combined Choir Fireside

Sept. 26, 27, Choral Showcase

Oct. 19, 20, Homecoming Spectacular (We're singing 3 Wicked songs for this!)

Nov. 10, 11, Womens Chorus and Mens Chorus fall concert

Dec. 8, 9, Celebration of Christmas concert


Yay!!! So fun!!! We're singing at a whole bunch of BYU devotionals and other such things. It's going to be a great year!! Everyone should come to these concerts... they will be fantastic!

Chosen Generation

In my mission prep class this morning, we talked about how we are a chosen generation. It was wicked awesome!!! Here are some of the quotes we got.

"For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord... While our generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah, when the Lord cleansed the earth by flood, there is a major difference this time. It is that God has saved for the final inning some of His strongest children, who will help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God.

"All through the ages the prophets have looked down through the corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it--you are a marked generation. There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of us. Never before on the face of this earth have the forces of evil and the forces of good been as well organized. Now is the great day of the devil's power, Lord's power, with the greatest number ever of priesthood holders on the earth. And the showdown is fast approaching."
~Ezra Taft Benson ("In His Steps," in Speeches of the Year, 1979 Provo: BYU Press, 1980, p. 59)

"Never before in history has there lived a more valiant generation of youth. I am convinced the spirits of this generation were held to come forth at this important time in history. Their potential is unlimited."
~Victor L. Brown ("Is there not a cause?" Ensign, Nov. 1974, p.104)

"My dear friends, you are a royal generation. you were preserved to come to the earth in this time for a special purpose. Not just a few of you, but all of you. There are things for each of you to do that no one else can do as well as you. If you do not prepare to do them, they will not be done. Your mission is unique and distinctive for you. Please don't make another have to take your place. He or she can't do it as well as you can. If you will let Him, I testify that our Father in Heaven will walk with you through the journey of life and inspire you to know your special purpose here."
~H. Burke Peterson ("Your Life Has Purpose." New Era, May 1979, p.5)

Pretty awesome huh? I loved it!

The Tithing of My Life

This semester has been extremely busy. I'm taking 17 credits and I have felt completely overwhelmed. As I talked to my Mom about how overwhelmed I was the other day, I gave her a list of everything I had to do. She gave me a wonderful suggestion, "Why don't you give a tithing of your time to the Lord?" I'm awake for 16 hours of the day. If I give 10% of that to the Lord in service and in becoming closer to Him, that makes 120 minutes of time. As she told me that, it rang true, but at the same time it also was overwhelming because it seemed like just another time-consuming activity to clutter up my day. Nevertheless, this week I have made that my focus. So far today, I have completed everything on my list in the time that I had and I've even had time left over to help some friends. I truly feel like the Lord is blessing me with the ability to make the time that I have more effective and efficient. I don't have an overwhelmed feeling. Instead, I am filled with deep gratitude for all the Lord has blessed me with.

3Nephi 24:8,10

"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say: Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

Some Thoughts on Music

Tonight we had our first meeting of the year for vocal majors. I went to the same meeting last year and was just as bored... :) At the end of this one however, I was very touched. They shared some beautiful thoughts about music that I really appreciated.

Isaiah 12:2

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation."

2 Nephi 32:9

"But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."

Joseph Young Sr. History of the Organization of the Seventies

"This subject came under the especial notice of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, who organized the first choir in the church, and who was a constant attendant at their singing schools. He recommended the Saints to cultivate as high a state of perfection in their musical harmonies as the standard of faith which he had brought was superior to sectarian religion. To obtain this, he gave them to understand that the refinement of singing would depend on the attainment of the Holy Spirit. That the combined talent of the sainted compositors, when united with those inspirations, will bring the compositions of tunes, that have their origin with the sacred choirs that sing the new song, in the presence of God and the Lamb, who join their symphonies with the compositors, that dwell with the Saints on earth; and when the music performed here, is acceptable to their spirits, they then cooperate with the choirs, in our earthly courts.

"When this subject is studied and sought after by the singsers of the Saints, with their whole hearts, their songs and anthems, and their ministrelsy, will soften into celestial melody, melt the hearts of the Saints and draw them together, as the magnet needle is drawn to the loadstone. When these graces and refinements and all the kindred attractions are obtained that characterized the ancient Zion of Enoch, then the Zion of the last days will become beautiful, she will be hailed by the Saints from the four winds, who 'will gather to Zion with songs of everlasting joy.' Then Zion will be free; and to God and the Lamb will be the glory, to Saints the boundless joy"

King Lear, by Shakespeare

"I cannot heave my heart into my mouth, my love is much richer than my tongue. And so God gave us music. And when the angels of heaven are bursting with joy, words are not enough--they sing!"

The Blessing

Right now I'm kicking myself because it's the third day of classes and I've already slept through my 7:30 am class. Our teacher gave us a lecture on the first day of class about how to make sure we are there and to make sure we are punctual. I woke up this morning amazed at how refreshed I felt before the alarm went off and then I looked at the clock 7:45.... dangit! I hurried around and got ready and then Caitie took me to school. I was awake until 10:30 doing homework last night and then 11:30 before I finally fell asleep because of the hip hop party going on upstairs. (Next week it's at my apartment...) I had one more paper to write that I was going to wake up at 5 to do. Didn't happen. This is just the first week!

As I walked to the library, I realized why this happened. On Monday night, I received a blessing to start the semester in school. In the blessing, I was told that the mood of my day would depend on my reading of the scriptures. It did not matter how much I read, but that the Lord would bless me depending on whether I read or not. I thought about my night. Nope... I didn't read my scriptures. The Lord also told me that I would be able to handle my schoolwork as I fulfilled my calling. It's definitely time to work on my calling. You can also be sure that I will never go without reading my scriptures again.

Funny story

Last year, I met a boy at a dance. He asked for my number. I gave it to him. He asked me on a date and, after talking with him for a little while, I said no. I told him I would be busy all year. (It was toward the end of the year... so it wasn't such a harsh rejection...) I thought he would get the hint. :)

Last night, as I was getting ready for bed, my phone rang. "Emilie, do you remember me?" He said in broken English. I told him I did not. "We went dancing last year and I got your number." My memory was jogged. "Ooooh... I remember now." He then talked to me for about ten minutes until I said I needed to get to bed.

Ya know, most of the time, when you tell a boy you will be busy ALL year, that's a pretty good indication that you're not interested. That's persistence for you...

Instruments in the Lord's Hands

I was recalling a conversation the other day that my little brother had with a friend of his during a seminary class. The teacher was talking about being instruments in the hands of the Lord. My brother turned to his friend and told him that he would be a tuba. My brother also informed him that he (my brother) would be a guitar. Sounds like him, doesn't it? :)

Yesterday, I had a neat experience with being an instrument in the Lord's hands. I was walking on campus when I ran into a friend of my sisters'. David had written to her all during his mission and when he returned home, Caitie and I went on a double date with David and his brother. His brother was not a member of the church at the time. We went to cedar point and had a very enjoyable time. There were a lot of long lines and plenty of time to talk. The brother asked me a lot of questions about why I believed what I did about the church. I bore my testimony all day long. I bore my testimony of eternal families, scriptures, living prophets and apostles, the Savior and Joseph Smith. It was a neat experience, but I wasn't sure that what I had said had touched his heart.

As I spoke with David yesterday, David told me that his younger brother had joined the church. He was now married and he and his wife were planning on being sealed next year. My heart was full of gratitude when I heard that. But, I felt extremely humbled a couple minutes later when David told me that a large part of it was because of my example on the date. I had no idea. What a blessing to be a part of that. I am so grateful for those experiences. I am grateful that I can be a light to others. I am especially grateful for my Savior.

As a side note, when I asked Audrey what instrument she thought I would be, she said a violin. I think it fits. I'm a violin in the Lord's hands. :)

Metaphors and Analogies

The Wonders of Language:

Metaphors and Analogies Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. Here are last year's winners.....

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 PM. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 PM at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.

18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for awhile.

22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

Fermata

Hold.
The fermata means to hold.
I stand here waiting,
holding, for the symphony to begin.

The beautiful chords right now
are only in a minor key.

What if the director never brings
me in to play my full part in the
symphony?

I hold, I hold on.
I do not want to sing a solo
My song is a duet.

Was this silence I feel written in
the music on purpose?
Or have I missed my cue?

Fermata.

No more childish tunes.

I stand in suspense,
arms outstretched,
waiting.

I do not like these callous chords
and poignant pauses.

The fantasy eludes me.

Where is the crescendo?

The weight of the song is heavy.

The song and my arms are empty.

~Emilie

Hmm...

I don't know what to write about. I decided to write and see if I could think of something. Nothing has come. Hmm.. Finals are coming. Moving out of my apartment needs to happen soon. A little bit o' stress going on at the moment. Life will work out. It always does. :)

What's in a name?

Stanley Morris: From the Rocky Meadow, dark skinned

Cristie Beth: Christ-bearer, pure

David Stanley: Beloved One, From the Rocky Meadow

Joel Daniel: God is willing, My judge is the Lord

Joshua Adam: Jehovah saves, earth, created by God

Stephen Michael: crown, who is like God

Matthew Aaron: God's gift, shining light

Emilie Anne: Ambitious or industrious, gracious

Caitlin Beth: Pure, house of God

Nathaniel Joseph: Gift of God, God will increase

Mine, Yours, or God's?

"I can find only three kinds of business in the universe: mine, yours, and God's. (anything that is out of my control, your control and everyone else's control, I call that God's business) Much of our stress comes from mentally living out of our own business. When I think, "You need to get a job, you need to take better care of yourself," I am in your business. When I am worried about earthquakes, floods, war, or when I will die, I am in God's business. If I am mentally in your business or in God's business, the effect is separation. When I mentally went into my mother's business, for example, with a thought like "My mother should understand me" I immediately experienced a feeling of loneliness. And I realized that every time in my life that I had felt hurt or lonely, I had been in someone else's business. If you are living your life, and I am mentally living your life, who is here living mine? Being mentally in your business keeps me from being present in my own. To think that I know what's best for anyone else is to be out of my business. Even in the name of love, it is pure arrogance, and the result is tension, anxiety, and fear. Do I know what's right for ME? That is my only business. Let me work through that before I try to solve your problems for you."

~"Loving What Is"

I'll say a little prayer

After the tire fiasco of the week, I went to Salt Lake on Friday to take my dear sister to the airport for her three-week trip home. My brother Josh went with me to the tire store to look at the damage. Not too bad... only a couple hundred. Luckily, my Dad was only too happy to help me with the expense. Josh beat me to the gas pump before I could put my card in. He paid for my gas. I drove the "green car" back to Provo with the promise I would be back on Sunday for family dinner to exchange Max (the truck) for the green car. Ted and I arrived around 2:15 Sunday afternoon. The day was spent making cookies, eating dinner, playing with children, jamming on the guitar and violin, and singing. It was great fun! Around 8:30, it was time to go back to Provo. Ted needed to go home teaching and my visiting teachers were coming as well. Only 1 problem: Max wouldn't start. The battery was completely dead. We pulled the green car up next to it and tried jumping it for about 1/2 hour. No luck! Finally, I asked if we could say a prayer. We prayed that whatever needed to happen would happen and if it was God's will, could I take Max back to Provo with me. My little nephew Adam watched the whole thing. About 1/2 later, Ted had a different idea of where to put the jumper cable. Immediately, the Max started. We said our goodbyes and prayed in gratitude for the answer to our prayer.

Later that night, my sister in-law called, "Emilie, thank you for that. If for nothing else, that experience helped me teach my son, Adam, about prayers and how God answers our prayers."

He truly does answer our prayers-no matter how small and insignificant they may be. I am grateful for that experience. I'm grateful Heavenly Father is there for me and for all His children.

Feeling a bit tired?

This morning Caitie's plans were a little deflated. She was going to go see a massage client and had several errands to run. As she 'round'ed the corner, I heard the truck go onto the curb and then heard a nice psssssssssssssssssss sound. I turned to look at the car. The back right tire was completely out of air. It had been punctured. We tried to figure out how to use our jack, but decided it was broken. Then we called Ted and had him come out. Then a guy from our ward, named Matt, came and asked if we needed some help. We were set. We had the muscle of Ted and the tools of Matt. And so the journey began at 7:50 am...

Ted came out and got his jack, Matt also got his jack. We used Matt's to jack up the car. We then got our tools out to unscrew the lugnuts around the rim of the tire. I couldn't do it. I was getting completely wound up. Ted began using his brute strength to wind up the wrench. Not a single lugnut would budge. Now, you have to understand that Ted is not a small guy. He is extremely strong. He could not even get those lugnuts to move. Matt started working on getting the spare tire from underneath the truck. The nut holding the tire in was so rusty, Matt couldn't get it to budge either. We tried WD-40. It would not move!

Our AAA wouldn't work in Utah because we didn't have a cardmember in Utah. Matt went to his work and got his work card and let us use that. We spent about 2 hours on the phone with AAA interspersingly throughout the ordeal.

Another young man came and practically jumped on the wrench while jerking the other side to make it turn. He was able to loosen 4 of the 5 lugnuts. That was a great feet! We were thinking we wouldn't have to have a toe-truck. He almost nailed the last one. He was really on the ball! AAA finally came around 11:00. The tow-truck man came with his tools and bent his wrench trying to get the lugnuts off. We were going nuts! Finally, they came off after he hammered on his wrench and pulled with all his strength. Not only did they come off, but one of the lugnuts got stuck in his wrench! We got the tire off. Somehow he got the spare from out of the back. So, not all our plans were en'tire'ly 'wrenched'. The w'hole' time, Matt stayed there and made sure everything was all right. It was really kind of him. Cookies are definitely in order for him and Ted!! At the end, Caitie and I realized that our wrench was stuck. Matt went to un-stick it and as soon as he did, it got stuck in a different way. It was like everything that could go wrong, did.
By the end, we were all exhausted... but we kept truckin' through! The en'tire' event came to a close around 12:00. Our truck is no longer jacked up and now we can keep rolling!

The complete works of William Shakespeare, abridged!

My brother Steve has an amazing skit of the complete works of William Shakespeare, abridged. Check it out!! Go to "My bro Dave!" blog and click on the video. It's hilarious!

The 4th of July!

The 4th/1st of July was great! Provo apparently celebrates the 4th of July on the 1st. It's kinda weird. Anyway, Mom, Dad, Nathaniel and Jarom all came to Provo to celebrate!! A lot of our friends decided to watch the fireworks from the roof. Mom, Dad and I decided it probably wouldn't be good to go up there because we would have to climb and we had a baby... it just was not a great idea. We all sat on the lawn outside watching the fireworks when all of the sudden, you could hear something shooting up that was not a firework. Sprinklers. The sprinklers came on!!! I held the baby above my head as we ran through. It was time to wake up, I guess! Good times. Good times.

An interview with my oldest nephew

I interviewed my nephew, Joseph David Gardner. Here is how the interview went.

"Your full name?"

"Jacob Loreen Gardner"

"That's silly! Where did you get that name?"

"It's a mix between my brother and sister."

"How do you get an elephant into a refrigerator?"

"You freeze it, then chop it up into pieces as big as the freezer, and then you roast it in the oven, and then you throw it out the window."

"And that's how you get it into the fridge?"

"Yup!"

"How do you get a giraffe and and elephant into the fridge?"

"First you put the giraffe on the TV, and then you put it on the roof. And then bring the elephant inside and chop it to bits."

"Interesting."

"If you could be any animal what would you be and why?"

"Umm... an ant. Cause then I would be crawling around and scaring people."

"Have you ever eaten a leaf or a flower?"

"No, but I like butter. Mostly on pancakes."

"What do you call a man with no arms and no legs on the floor?"

"A ball with a head."

"Have you ever seen the tooth fairy?"

"No, but I've seen a tooth. I got $1,000 from the tooth fairy."

"Do you have friends at school?"

"Umm, I have 19."

"What's your favorite action figure?"

"The movie Oz."

"Huh? What wizard of Oz?"

"Yeah, the Oz part. Cause he sounds scary."

"What did you do at your baptism?"

"Umm.. eat cookies."

"Did you do anything else?"

"Umm... I ran around the building."

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"A doctor."

"Why?"

"Because I want to make money. Plus, a soccer player in the World Cup."

"Who is your favorite player?"

"KK"

"Who is that?"

"Kayce Keller."

How many children do you want?

"One, because then I only have to handle one person. You keep going there, going there and helping everybody."

"Who are you going to marry?"

"No one."

"How are you going to get a kid?"

"I don't know. Just wait for a long time."

"Do you have a crush on any girls?"

"NOOO!!!"

"Do girls have cooties?"

"I dunno."

Have you ever kissed a girl?"

"No!"

"What do you think of married people?"

"Dunno."

"Do you like it when girls play with you in the sandbox with trucks and stuff?"

(thumbs down) "Boo.. unless my sister does."

"You like your sister?"

"Sisterrrssssss... What's next?"

"Who is your hero?"

"My Daddy"

"Why?"

"Because I love him"

"You want to grow up to be like your dad?"

"Maybe... yeah! I just don't want to do computer work.... just soccer."

"Who's your coach?"

"My Daddy!"

"What do you want to say to people who read this?"

"Umm.. Read it!"

"Thanks for the interview Joseph."

"Thank you for enjoying my time!"

"You have a wonderful day!"

My Brother Dave

My brother Dave is the coolest brother in the whole wile world. Nathaniel is a close second.