I'm Not Like the Other Girls...

Forget flowers. Forget candy.

I don't want clothes or need shoes.

I told my husband not to even think about getting me anything for Valentine's Day this year.




What do I want? (Well, besides world peace? I know I'm supposed to say that.)

All I want in this whole, wide world is................




A trip with him to Home Depot.

How romantic. (Let's hope he comes through!)

Question of the Day:

Is it lame to paint your new house the exact same colors of your old house because:

A - It took a lot of time and trial and error to find colors you actually like.

and

B - The colors match the furniture and things you already have and after remodeling and moving there won't be much money left to buy new furniture.


Opinions, please?

Moving

I've started a big post about the why and the how of our new (to us) home. Looks like all that anyone who knows us is really interested in is the where. The other post was taking too long so I shelved it for now.



So, without further ado, we are moving................(drumroll please)...........






Around the corner into the Hutchings' home.



Whew! I feel better now. But I'll feel a whole lot better at the end of May when hopefully all the work will be done and we are all moved in.

I actually moved in 3 carloads of stuff today; Christmas boxes, old toys, cds we aren't currently listening to, old school papers of the kids', etc. Non-essential stuff that was just cluttering up this place.

The new house has a floor plan that is great for this stage that our family is in. More on that in later posts. And, the best part? It has literally DOUBLE the square footage of this home. I can hardly wait.

So, sorry to all of you ward members who were hoping for a new bishop. I hope you're not too disappointed that we are sticking around a little longer, maybe even forever.

Announcement: This Is What Has Been Keeping Me Up At Night

I'm sure you've all been waiting on the edge of your seats, haven't you?



Well, here it is:



We are moving.



Yep, it's true.



At first I was up all night wondering where we would go. Then once we settled on which house, I was awake all night making plans of what I'd like to do (paint, carpet, etc. - it needs some updating - your opinions will be asked for and appreciated very soon) before we move in. Then I was up all night placing my furniture in the new house in my head and trying to fix potential problems. I'm still working on a couple of things.

So, basically it's true. I'm up in the night. (Sorry, that was lame, but in my sleep-deprived state, I can't help myself.)

Anyway, that brings me to my next announcement:

This house will be going up for sale very soon.

I'm hoping to have it ready in about 2 weeks. If you're local and interested, or even semi-interested, know anyone who may be interested, or even morbidly curious in what our house looks like, let me know. I'd be happy to show you around.

Hal is already mourning the loss of his basketball court.

Our loss could be your family's gain.

(How's that for blatant salesmanship? I didn't know I had it in me.)

Question of the Day:

How closely do you think the way other people see us matches up with how we see ourselves? And I don't just mean how we look, I mean how we are viewed, personality-wise.

Something today that was said made me realize that because I'm the "bishop's wife" it carries a sort of, I don't know, expectation with it. (Which of course I already knew, but it shouldn't carry way back into your childhood.) People seemed surprised that I had done something blatantly wrong when I was younger. Actually, now that I think of it, there are a LOT of things that I did that were blatantly wrong. To be completely honest, I was kind of a little troublemaker/comedienne when I was a kid. This was further complicated by the fact that I was also painfully shy so the real me was glimpsed by only a select few. (I like to call them "the lucky ones". Ha ha, see how funny I really am.) This is how I still see myself, as a somewhat bratty or innocently mischievous person who tries to keep it to herself, yet fails miserably once in a while. (And really, growing up I never DREAMED I would become a bishop's wife some day. So, I didn't really live my life thinking that one day some of these shenanigans might just come back to haunt me.)

Also, I was just thinking about how I grew up. To be honest, there was really not much active parental guidance or influence. I think I turned out okay, but really I'm lucky things didn't end up worse. Maybe I have my husband to thank for that. Maybe there was just something inside of me that wanted to be good. Who knows.

So, it's interesting to think about the fact that some people grow up as a direct result of their childhood environment, whether good or bad and others end up doing everything in their power to "escape" the way they were raised, either rebelling from straight-arrow, conventional parents or vowing that they will rise above and do better than how they started out.

So now what really fascinates me is that I view myself still as that kid in that home that never really knew what it was like to have a "functional" family. I've tried really hard to be responsible, respectable and on time. (On time is huge for me. In elementary school there was no bus system in Nebraska. My mom had to drive us every day. And we were late, every day. And I was mortified, even as a little kid.) And, for the most part I think that's how people who know me now think of me, but to me I'm still that troublemaker little girl who always feels somewhat out of place and a little uncertain of whether people really want her to be where she is. I wonder if people who knew me in my younger days see me as I am now, or the whole picture, taking into account my background (if they even knew it).

Boy, this is getting really deep. I really did mean to just ask basically the question of if people view you as the "now" you, or the "whole picture" you, taking into account where you came from and where you are now.

Actually, if I really look at the real, whole picture, I should remember that all of us came from the same place originally, heaven. We are all children of our Heavenly Father, our Divine Creator. And, as my Grandpa Hendricks (who was very un-religious, a direct result of his very devout and over-bearing mother) had on his wall "I know I'm somebody because God don't make no junk."

Maybe that's the answer after all. It really doesn't matter how other people see us. It only matters how we see ourselves.

Never a Dull Moment, Even When Reading Scriptures...

Yes, we are an entertaining family, even if I do say so myself.

Poor Ally, she is a LOT like me when I was younger. I'd like to say I turned out okay, so it will be fine, but there are some who may beg to differ.

Unfortunately, Hal does not always appreciate my (or Ally's) type of humor. This is what you get when you marry someone so totally opposite from yourself.

Anyway, we were reading scriptures tonight, as we try to every night. We were reading in Jacob (in The Book of Mormon), the part about Sherem. It would have been just fine, except for the fact that every time Hal, or whoever happened to be reading at the time, would say "Sherem", Ally would call out in her best Ozzy Osbourne voice, "Sherem!"

That kid is a crack-up, I tell you. At least SOME of us were cracking up. Some were not so amused.

Broadway and Other Venues

Yesterday the girls and I went with my mom to the play Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is not always the case for me.

Let me back up a little and say that my mom LOVES plays. She loves going to them, watching them and also being in them. She just loves the whole theater environment. Me, not so much. Another area I am a total disappointment in. My mom and I are quite opposite in many ways and since I'm the only daughter, with five sons, it puts a lot of pressure on me to be a good companion, as far as my mom is concerned.

I do NOT enjoy performing. At all. Singing? Nope. (Well, I enjoy singing, I'm just not very good at it. Just ask my kids. Yesterday as we were driving home from the play, Ally, Morgan and I did a rousing rendition of "Low" in the car, much like the Bohemian Rhapsody scene in Wayne's World. It was a little embarrassing when I looked over and saw the people in the truck next to us gawking. Oh well.) Dancing? Nope, no rhythm. Speaking parts? I'd rather die than stand up and do ANYTHING in front of a group of strangers. So, you will not be seeing me in a theater near you anytime soon. My talents lie more in the spelling and baking arenas, neither of which would earn me a Tony Award, though I do have some nice Spelling Champ shirts from elementary school.

Anyway, my mom and I went to New York City about six years ago. Little did I know that she went with the intention of seeing as many Broadway plays as possible. We started off with a matinee of Chicago about two hours after we walked off the plane. I have to admit, I dozed through a lot of that. It was starring Melanie Griffith, not really my favorite. We also saw Aida (the musical, not the opera), starring Toni Braxton, which I loved. We actually saw it twice. The first night we had tickets Toni was sick so there were understudies but I really did love it enough to buy tickets again when she was back a couple nights later. The other play we saw that time was Nine, starring Antonio Banderas. Now he is an amazing performer. I didn't love the play itself, but the acting was great and it is totally what I pictured a "Broadway" play to be. I'm curious to see the movie to see how it compares.

I have seen Phantom of the Opera a couple of times, once in California where I also dozed because I was still working swing shift plus overtime so I got home at 2:30 a.m., left my house around 6 or 7 a.m., flew to California, was the designated driver, got us to the play around 7:00 and fell asleep about halfway through for about 45 minutes. I saw it again a few years later and decided once it came out as a movie that that might be the best option for me for that particular play. (And besides, it has Gerard Butler, what more could you ask for?)

Last year my mom and I took the girls to NYC for spring break. We saw Wicked and Mamma Mia. It's funny because I had no expectations for Wicked so I really loved it but was a little disappointed by Mamma Mia because I had such high hopes. I am a huge ABBA fan from back in the jr. high days.

I've seen Les Mis once about 18 years ago and I didn't get it. I think I was so shocked by the scene with the prostitutes, which I wasn't expecting, that I couldn't concentrate on the message or the story. I think I'm ready to give it a try again one of these days to see what everyone else sees in it that I missed.

My mom and kids have been in several stake plays over the years, both in her stake and in ours. They've been in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Joseph (twice, her stake and ours), Cinderella, Brigadoon, etc. Those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. The one play I flat out refuse to go to ever again is Oklahoma. My mom was in it a few times and I'm just done with that one. She has also been in several community plays like Camelot (twice, I really do like that one), Kismet, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Little Women, etc., etc. The list could go on and on.

Let's not even get into how much money I've spent on plays I didn't really even want to go to.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is one play I have enjoyed seeing off and on through the years at different venues. It's fun to see how each cast portrays the script. I've probably seen it five or six times now, plus a lot of times on video with Donny Osmond. I could really do without Potiphar's wife's costume and also those of her ladies-in-waiting (or whatever they are called). Joseph and Aida are my two all-time favorite plays. Ones I could see every year. Secret Garden would be a close second. I've seen that a few times but the last time I saw it, it was not a very good production. I also quite liked Wicked, but my mom pushed it and we saw it the second time too soon, so I think I'm done for a while. Mamma Mia is okay, but I'm kind of a prude and I think the movie kind of ruined it for me, though I usually like the movie versions better. I REALLY liked the movie better of Phantom of the Opera. (Did I mention it had Gerard Butler in it?)

Yes, after thinking it through, I think I'm more of a movie/video type person. You can buy the video for less than the cost of a play ticket, watch in on your own time - taking breaks when necessary, wear your comfy clothes and eat great snacks, all in the privacy of your own home.

A few years ago it was mentioned someone might be making a movie of Aida. That would be a dream come true. Then I'd hardly ever have to leave the house for another play ever again.

Mom will not be pleased.

More Vegas: The Photos

Oops, in my obsessiveness over what I hope to be able to talk about soon, I forgot to post the photos from our trip to Vegas with the kids.

I haven't been able to wrestle Hal's phone away from him long enough to download the photos he took so here's what we have so far:

(Most are pretty self-explanatory so I'll leave the commentary to a minimum. I'll try anyway. You know me.)

At the beginning of the day, all happy and smiling. Little do they know how much walking we will be doing on this trip.

Here is Austin, dreaming after he threw his coin in the fountain at Mandalay Bay and made his wish.

Waiting for the tram at the Luxor.

Walking across the street.

Loved the floors in the lobby of the Bellaggio. Could have done without the go-go dancers who were also in the lobby. If we ever do build a house, or I do a bathroom from scratch I'd LOVE to have a floor like this.

Austin made another wish in another fountain. Las Vegas is full of fountains, so it about broke me. A lady here insisted on taking our photo together. She kept hitting the off button instead of the one that takes the photo. I am actually holding Austin so every time the camera would shut off I'd put Austin down because it was the end of the day and I was TIRED. He is one heavy little boy.

Walking BACK across the street.

Caesar's Palace had this really cool fish tank in the Forum Shops. They had big manta rays and all sorts of tropical fish.

Here's a funny story. We walked past this display and I made some offhand comment to Morgan about the "insolent" models. Later, Ally said, "Did you see the girl who plays Hermione in that store window? We didn't notice her, but when we walked back we noticed that SHE was one of the insolent models. Here are my children doing their best insolent model poses:

The next day was Sunday and Hal's birthday. Here we are outside the Las Vegas LDS temple. The grounds were really beautiful.

(Notice how Ally is taller than Morgan)

Hangin' with the Blue Man Group, right after our big impulse purchase. The kids are happy because they finally got to eat again. It had been a long two hours since breakfast.

Austin was thrilled to finally get to see the ship at Treasure Island close-up.

A couple more insolent faces. (Morgan couldn't keep a straight face.)

The Wynn:

Loved the floors here too. This would work quite nicely in a bathroom for my girls.

I loved catching this moment with Hal and Ally while we were resting our legs outside the lobby by the waterfall. They were looking at something on his phone.

Morgan and Austin?

Insolent.

On our way through the Encore, we passed this picture of Garth. For a guy who has raked in the bucks he looks pretty insolent too.

We had probably walked two miles straight, just trying to find our way out of the Wynn/Encore. We happened upon a pretty quiet conference room area, so SOME of us took full advantage of it. I kept hoping nobody would show up and kick us out.

It had been another two hours, so we headed to the kids' favorite, Rain Forest Cafe' for Hal's birthday dinner. They had a magician that went from table to table working for tips and he was pretty phenomenal. That's probably the best value for anything we paid for in Vegas. Hal was not thrilled when they charged us $15.00 for his "surprise birthday dessert", a volcano. It was pretty tasty though.

Watch out Austin, insolent girls with snakes ahead.

I think this is inside the Venetian. After a while it all kind of starts to look the same.

I forgot one last thing. Look who stowed away inside my suitcase; David Archuleta! That guy just can not leave me alone. I might have to look into taking out a restraining order. So far he has only sat and grinned at me so I haven't felt too threatened.

The End.

Oh, So Much To Tell.......

I have a secret.

There is something Hal and I have been working on night and day for the last couple of weeks. (At least I have been up all night, practically every night, thinking about things. He thinks about it when I talk to him about it, which is practically all the time when we get a minute together. I've tried really hard to not call him too much when he is working. Now I see where Ally gets her obsessive personality from.)

It isn't a sure thing yet so I can't give any details, but soon, I hope to let you in on everything. Then we'll have LOTS to talk about.

I am cautiously optimistic.

Tell Me The Truth, It Won't Hurt My Feelings.....

Do I look a little bit like that character on The Far Side in these glasses?

No? Maybe? Well how about now: