Snap Judgements

This morning I needed to run into my local grocery store to grab a few items.  I had the items, had checked out and was headed out of the store in about 5 minutes flat.  On my way out the door I saw a lady coming in wearing jeans, and black turtleneck, and a sweater comprised of silver sequins.  Completely covered, not just a few sequins.

My first thought was "What the heck?  Why is she wearing that sweater here?"

But just as quickly the next thought came.  It was "Why not?  Life is too short to not wear things that you love!"

I'm disappointed in myself that my first impulse was so negative and judgemental.  All I can do is try to do better next time.  I have a yellow scarf that I haven't worn yet because I know someone will make a snide comment. 

So, wear those crazy shoes, that yellow scarf, the sequins!  Live it up and let your joy show.  I think I'll wear my huge sparkly bracelet to Council tomorrow. . .just for kicks!

Meet and Greet

This evening I talked DiAnna into attending the:

                                     
We cruised down there in the awesome orange Challenger.  At first we couldn't find Soel, but then we spotted the HUGE crowd of people and knew we had found the spot.  Soel is a cute shop with some beautiful items, but I probably only saw about 25% of what they had because the place was packed with bloggers!  It was so loud from everyone talking at once!  Crazy.  Just crazy. 

I actually saw some friends there, but I didn't get to talk to any of the people that I follow.  I spotted one or two, but then they disappeared into the crowd.  Here are our observations about bloggers and current trends:

1.  Bloggers are young.  I think I was easily the oldest person there!

2.  Bright colors are in.  A pop of color is a must now.

3.  We are glad that we do not have newborns.  DiAnna is so happy about that that she's ready to get that IUD replaced for another 5-10 years of safety!!!

4.  It's all about hair.  It has to be stylish, which seems to mean long and curly or short and spunky.  There were a few shoulder length bobs but they were usually somewhat assymetrical.

5.  Bloggers are friendly. . .and loud! 

It was crazy and fun, but after a little while we headed out and walked every aisle of JoAnn Fabric.  Now, THAT was awesome!

An insidious intruder. . .

Sometimes things just creep up on you. You know what I mean. I'm not talking about Zombie Apocalypse or the end of the Mayan Calendar. This is much worse, because it is real. I am almost afraid to admit it, but

Ed and I have gotten old!

Tonight we went out for our Valentine' s dinner since I will be at City Council on Tuesday night. We were seated and given menus.

And neither of us could read them!

Ed thought it was too dark and I knew that I needed my reading glasses, so after a good dig through all the pockets of my purse, I found them, put them on, and started a dramatic reading of the menu. I soon found what I wanted and set my glasses down on the table. And then came the moment we all dread. . .

Ed picked up my glasses, put them on, and started reading the menu. Ok. That may not sound like a big deal, but that is a serious clue that we are old! I almost laughed out loud, but I didn't want to deter Ed until he had figured out what he wanted.

We had a lovely dinner, sat and chatted for a few minutes (sans glasses), and then paid the bill and left the restaurant. And that's when the next clue came. We looked at the clock in our so-awesome-but-I'm-having-a-mid-life-crisis car and realized that it was 7:17. PM.

It's bad enough that we can't see the menu, but to have your evening grinding to a halt at 7:17 in the evening is just sad. We managed to stretch it out with a trip up to Sandy to the Ulta store so I could get some foundation to hid my blotchy skin and wrinkles. When we got home at the more respectable hour of 8:30, Colby told us that he and Danaca were going to the movies- for the 10:10 show.

Can you say, "Rub it in?"

My boys survived!

We did something crazy this past weekend.

Truly crazy.

We left two teenagers home alone for a weekend.  Boys 18 and 15.  For four nights.

They survived!

The dogs had been fed! The house was not full of garbage! The Challenger was not crumpled! (Or any of the other cars. . .) 

And better than all the other things. . . they were happy and getting along. 

Ahhh.

Life is good.

Staying in the Game

I surprised a lot of people by showing up at the Utah Music Educators Conference this weekend. I listed myself as a private instructor. Hey! I have a student- even on my main instrument! I only take students who actually practice and want to learn. Jo fits in that category!

Anyway, I really enjoyed all the classes that I attended. Apparently you CAN teach on old dog new tricks. I learned quite a few new ideas. I loved a performance by the Alpine Wind Quintet which is made up of professors from UVU. I went to classes on fixing flute and brass embouchures which were great. Being the geek that I am, I really loved the class on using technology in the classroom. I had used Audacity and Band in a Box before but learned some new features that make them more valuable.

One of the high points of the weekend was hearing the Utah AllState Jazz Band perform. Erik Sherman, one of my students from last year, was playing bari sax, so that was pretty cool. I don't really understand why these clinicians come and feel that they have to have the kids play only music that they have written, but that's what has gone on for the past two years. Odd.

So, I don't have a teaching gig, and I'm not sure that there will be any open that I will apply for, but during this retirement I am going to stay active and keep myself in the game. Cause I'm boss like that!

In Threes

Well, it took a while, but Parker's shoulder finally got healed up enough to go back to wrestling in practice. Then, on the 16th he came home from practice saying that he thought his finger was broken.  I figured it was a new excuse to get him out of the next Dual, so I wasn't too concerned.  Until the next morning when his joints were black and swollen.

Bad mom.

An x ray confirmed a fracture and he go put into a hard splint.

Fast forward one week.  It was an early out day, so I took Reed to the Legacy Center to play basketball.  Soon I received a text that her had hurt his finger.  Yeah.  The same finger- left pinky.  He already had a doctor's appointment scheduled for the next day to deal with his allergies/asthma, so he had an x-ray.  No break, but torn ligaments. 

At that point I was ready to come home and break Colby's pinky to get it over with since I am kinda superstitious about how things come in threes.  Colby is glad I restrained myself.

Fast forward three days.  I was cleaning the bathrooms and needed some cleaner from the linen closet.  I grabbed it and headed back to the bathroom with both dogs following me.  Clark yelped and I didn't know why.  I put down the cleaner and glanced back into the hall where I saw a lot of blood on the floor.  This whole event took about 5 seconds.  In an instant I knew what had happened- Clark's tail had been cut in the grate of the hallway nightlight.  I followed the trail of blood and trapped him under my desk.  Since I could see the bone of his tail, I knew it was bad.  I called Ed and the vet and tried to stop the bleeding.  Ed and I carted Clarkie to the vet where he got 6 stitches and a big tail bandage.  We are hoping that everything grows back together, because if it doesn't, they will have to cut off his tail above the injury.  That would make us all really sad because Lewis and Clark have awesome tails.

So, anyway.  That was number three.  Colby is safe. . . for now.  At least from me breaking his finger!

Happy Chinese New Year!

This is a holiday that I have only recently begun to celebrate. As far as I am concerned, there can't be too many holidays!  I have some items on display that were gifts.  I love this red box and the horse it protects.

Here are some things that we will do to celebrate-

Wear red!  It is the color of good luck!

Make lanterns.  There are all sorts of ways to make them, but this technique is really easy.  Just fold your paper in half and cut 1/2 inch strips beginning on the folded side, leaving about two inches intact at the top.  Unfold, glue or tape together, and add some light on the inside.

Eat Chinese food.  Yup.  Panda Express is ok if you aren't adventurous!

Have Ming Kung Cakes.  These little cookies are individually wrapped and are like a shortbread.  They are very dry and crumbly, but a fun addition to a celebration.

Attend a festival. Lehi High School has a great Chinese program and they do a festival every year. We are planning to attend.

Give red envelopes.  Any red envelope will do, although you can get special ones that are red with gold imprint at any Chinese market.  Put some money in them and give them to children.

from about.com

"Red envelopes are handed out to younger generations by their parents, grandparents, relatives, and even close neighbors and friends during Chinese New Year. At some companies, workers may also receive a year-end cash bonus tucked inside a red envelope. Red envelopes are also popular gifts for weddings and birthdays. When giving someone a red envelope, use both hands to present the red envelope to the recipient. Giving and receiving red envelopes, gifts, and even business cards is a solemn act. Therefore, red envelopes, gifts and name cards are always presented with both hands and also received with both hands.

The recipient of a red envelope at Chinese New Year or on his or her birthday should not open it in front of the giver."

And if you need a little laugh, I found these on Pinterest, but they were a little raunchy, so here is the cleaned up version.

printable term list

Welcome to the Year of the Dragon!