Happy Memorial Day

Posted on May 28, 2012 by

Happy Memorial Day to everyone.  I love Memorial Day not only because it’s the summer kick-off, but because it’s an opportunity to recognize our fallen heroes and remember the loved ones we’ve lost.

You might not think of visiting a cemetery as a Pleasant Event, but it really is very beautiful especially this time of year.  It’s colorful around Memorial Day.

We met my parents there and brought the girls.  They loved seeing the headstones and hearing Grandma and Grandpa tell stories of aunts, uncles and grandparents that had passed on.  It was a peaceful moment.

Hope you all had a great weekend, did some fun things and remembered your loved ones.

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Wildfire!

Posted on May 26, 2012 by

Here's the view of the fire burning behind my house less than half a mile away in 2010.

One time a couple years ago my town almost burned down.  Wildfire.  It was really scary.  That’s beside the point though.

Anyway…anytime I talk about wildfire, I start recalling a strange phase I pleasantly went through in college.  I saw one of those TimeLife music compilation commercials.  It was titled singer/song writers of the 70’s.  I LOVED that CD that I bought of TV.  I still listen to it occasionally.

Anyway…this song is not actually on that CD, but it was in that same era and I somehow fell in LOVE with this song, enough so that I actally bought the CD.  I’ve since lost it.  I lose things.  So probably don’t lend me anything.

Anyway…You just HAVE to watch this video.  It’s too awesome NOT to.  I don’t know why I have such uncool taste in music, but I do. I really do.

Also have a good look at this guy’s hair because that is the style I am working toward everyday with the combination of my blow-dryer, round brush and straightener.  He must have a stylist.  Also, his mustache.  That’s what I am working very hard to avoid on my upper lip.  If I didn’t actively manage it, I fear i’d start to look a lot like him.

By the way…pay no attention to the floating graphic.  At least we know that I am not the only person in the world who appreciates fine “Rock-n-Roll” when we see it.  Me and my amigo Julio Moran!

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The Survivor–Dawn Meehan

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

It wasn't at all as glam as it looks in this photo, but the Survivor take away in life lessons is incredible!

This one is for the Survivor fans!  Also it’s for the ladies who are inspired by other tough ladies.

To be honest, haven’t watched Survivor since the first season 10 years ago, but I had the privilege of meeting former contestant Dawn Meehan of Survivor South Pacific which aired in 2011.

She’s also an English Professor at Brigham Young University.   Her story was one of the most unique and inspirational stories I have ever heard.

Here's her real world photo probably from her work badge. It's a world a way from the life she lived as a Survivor contestant.

Ten years ago,while driving to work, she noticed a big traffic sign blinking a message that said: “Open Casting Call for CBS Survivor.”

She didn’t know anything about the casting, but thought it sounded interesting, so she followed the sign and ended up interviewing with the casting crew and got several call backs, but was then cut. They told her they’d keep her application on file.  Ever heard that one before?

Five years later, they called her back, but she was not cast.  Another four years after that she was called again by the crew and was finally cast!  She was one of 18 players in Survivor South Pacific.

At 39 years-old, when asked about why she wanted to do this she said… “This was my Olympic Games.  I liked the feeling I got when I thought…Could I do this?”

These arms look strong, but to carry the weight she carried, it took a lot more mental strength and fortitude to reach the end of the challenge.

Before the show, with the help of her husband and six adopted children, she trained. Hard.  As the show began taping she was in the best physical condition of her life.  “I trained, and I knew I was capable of doing well,” she said.  “I learned that you really can pursue a goal and attain it.”

Dawn went on to show the world just how strong a 39 year-old woman could be.  She won two challenges including one where she outlasted every other player holding 140 lbs for 90 minutes.  I have some experience holding a 15 pound dumbbell, and let me tell you, it’s tough.

The stories about her experience were incredible and it all happened as a result of saying yes and following a crazy whim.  Her success is a lesson to live life in the present.  Do the things that are available to do now.  You can catch up on laundry later.

Her other take-away is this.  “Survivor simulated life.  Set a goal, surround yourself with people that support you and then, face your challenges,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you succeed; the challenge is being willing to face what comes.”

She also shared a few other things about human nature worth repeating.  First, you don’t need that much food to live.  She talked about what it was like to find or kill ALL your own food. She said she performed surprisingly well despite the fact that she had very little to eat.

The other thing she mentioned was you CAN live without make-up, but you really DO need deodorant. She related that she never saw what she looked like while she was on the show and worried about cringing at herself while watching the broadcast.   In the end she was pleasantly surprised.  Deodorant however, was the item she said she wished they all had.  Apparently the film crew was grossed out by the sweaty island bodies.

I can’t even begin to imagine the kind of guts it would take to sign up for an experience like this.  After listening to her, I guess we owe it to ourselves to at least “imagine” what it would be like to face a challenge like this.

Next time you see an invitation for a challenge, follow the sign.  You might be surprised at what you CAN do.

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The high’s and LOWS of Suburban Life

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

Nothing make me happier than seeing things that are ridiculously cool.  This suburban qualifies as both ridiculous and COOL.

My kids thought it was a limo.  They could tell something was…different about this vehicle, but they couldn’t exactly point their finger at what it was.

I mean really, it’s an engineering marvel.  Look at how low to the ground it is, yet it doesn’t appear to be actually touching the ground.  Amazing.

Plus…the rims.  Nice, right? I’m sure they’re worth double the value of the rest of the vehicle.

I don’t know whose car this is, but do you know what this car says to me… “Living the dream!”

Sometimes its seeing ridiculous things make you remember how fun life SHOULD be.  It’s okay to draw outside the lines, and it’s okay to skim the ground when you drive. Unless you hit some kind of speed bump.  Then life is just really unfair.

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Garden Party!

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

Here's my white petunias, in the background my leafy canna lilies, behind that, the rock formations my children make on my front porch. They're trying to leave ruins for future generations to find and study.

Don’t you just LOVE this time of year?  I love the soccer games, watching the kids ride their bikes and seeing all the trees sprout new leaves.  It’s so inspiring to watch the world come back to life.

Last week we cleared out the weeds from all the flowerbeds and planted our annual crop of petunias.  I’m not the most creative gardener, but I love petunias because they grow all season and well into the fall.  They just flower and flower and then flower some more. They make the yard look so fresh and colorful with very little effort or expense.

I actually know very little about flowers and gardens, but I’m starting to get more excited about gardening and growing things.  My information source about gardening and all things yard came from my friend and neighbor Jennie.  She gave me some Canna lilies a few years ago which come back every year on their own.  We’ve enjoyed having them in our yard because they are so beautiful and attract humming birds which are always so exciting to see!

The problem with planting stuff and watching it grow is that it makes you want to plant more stuff and improve the garden.  Since I have very little knowledge and experience with this, and my best gardening advice source moved away,  I jumped at the chance to become a part of the Jordan Valley Conservancy District’s Garden Club when I heard about it from my friend Tauni.  It’s free!  And, anyone can join!

The Club meetings are held at 8275 South 1300 West,  West Jordan, Utah.  They meet monthly at workshops taught by subject specific experts.  And really, who doesn’t want free education and advice!  Tauni, who is the founder of SNAP asked if I would be interested in blogging about the Home and Garden club and about they’re upcoming summer event.

This coming June 9th they’re throwing a full-fledged Garden Party!  Unlike the Garden Club, there is a $10 fee to attend this Summer Soiree.  But it looks like it’s going to be worth the nominal fee for all the  food, and music, and gardening experts running rampant at the party!  They’re bringing big-gun experts Justin and Cassity from the nationally read DYI site Remodelaholic.com to be the keynote speakers.

There will also be several workshops taught by local gardening experts giving tours of the Conservation Garden and teaching about gardening with water-wise plants. 

Additionally, a variety of well known DIY experts will be hosting workshops related to budget friendly DIY projects for home and garden. For someone like me this is an incredible opportunity to get some real advice that works for my budget, and my climate.

I’m so excited about this event. If you’re in the same boat as me, you should consider attending too!  I’d love to see you there!

I usually post about my pleasant events AFTER they occur, but I thought some of you might want to know about it now before the Summer Soiree.  I’ll be counting this as #22 on the list.  If you want to go, drop me a line and let me know.  I’d be happy to meet you there!

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It’s Like a Ghost Town

Posted on May 19, 2012 by

My six year old has an odd fascination with history.  Don’t ask me where she got it, because I hate learning about/watching the olden days.  So, no I never watched Little House on the Prairie and I think I would have been depressed as a pioneer.  I do reverence my pioneer ancestry however.  I am so thankful it was them and not me. I don’t really care for dust or hardship.

Anywho…My daughter checked out a book from the library a few weeks ago about Ghost Towns.  One Sunday afternoon her dad started reading it to her and she got really into it!  All the Ghost Town talk sparked a memory for me about a song I used to LOVE when I was little.  I’m sure my oldest brother Rick who is 8 years older than me must have been really into it.  I think I was around 6 or 7 years old when it was popular.  I remember listening to it on my dad’s Ghetto Blaster and dancing around to it in my back yard.

You’ll love the classic hair you see in this video.  Also, the story-line…totally NOT corny at all.  Well, you be the judge.

Am I the only one who remembers this song?  I might be.  If you remember it pretty please leave me a comment and tell me that you do.

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Elliott Yamin–Not a Jiffy Lube Emloyee

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

This adorable fellow stole my heart during the glory days of American Idol.

This might be the most random post I have ever featured, and there’s been some serious competition, but I have to say,  I’m a big fan of Elliott Yamin.

I mean, I’ve never been to any of his shows and I don’t own any of his albums, but I get really excited whenever I hear his song on FM100.  I think that qualifies me to be a “big fan”.  There are a lot of songs on FM100 that I don’t care anything about.

Like everyone else, I got really excited for him when he was on American Idol during the glory days.   He was on with Kathryn McFee, who is now a big star on SMASH, and Taylor Hicks, who is somehow not a big star which is weird because he actually won.

Anyway, I rooted for Elliott who I then called “Jiffy Lube” because he looked so much like the oil tech that serviced my car all season long. I was SO dissapointed when he was voted off.  My sadness turned into joy when I heard his song on the radio.  Here’s the video.

I LOVED his story, regular guy, not overtly ambitious, but who had a dream and took the initiative to follow it.  That’s what I’m saying qualifies him to be listed here as an Inspirational Person.  I mean how many times has American Idol come to my city?  Several.  Have I ever auditioned?  No.  I’ve never auditioned for anything.  That might be because I’m not all that talented, but it’s also because I’m not a dreamer.

Here’s his American Idol audition which I found downright touching.  Especially his loyalty and eagerness to please his adoreable mother.

People with talent should take the chance on themselves to follow their dreams like Elliott. I hope this video  illustrated why I’m passionate about Elliott Yamin’s journey.  I’m just proud of him.  I know…I am such a mother.

Speaking of mothers…One of my favorite parts of the clip is his mother.  I LOVED seeing her on the show.  I’ll never forget her weeping inside the car that paraded down the streets of his hometown as he and he mother waved to his adoring fans.  It was a classic American television moment.  I hope you saw and remember that moment.  I tried to find a clip, but apparently that is the only moment in television that is NOT available on YOUtube.

It seems like he’s passed his initial 15 minutes of fame, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his career kept progressing and he becomes and important part of the American music scene.  I read his Wikipedia page an it looks like he’s working pretty dang hard even still.  People who are willing to work will go far.

 

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Winner Winner Cakebites Dinner!

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

Thanks to all of you who entered the drawing for The Sweet Tooth Fairy Cakebites!  A winner has been selected at random using this random number generator.

Congratulations to Ashley M!  I’ll be contacting you shortly via e-mail!

If you haven’t already become a fan of the Vocal Sokol on facebook.  Take this opportunity to do so.  We only had around 50 entries for this drawing.  Chances are pretty good that you’ll win in the future, but only if you know when they’re happening!  Click here to become a fan.

Thanks to everyone who commented.  It was a real Pleasant Event for me just to see what you all had to say about these sweet treats!

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Is There Life After Binkie? –A Reflection From the Past

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

I was thinking back the other day about when my oldest daughter’s best friend was her passey (or binkie, plug or pacifier–what ever you call it at your house).

As a new mother, I remember being so thankful that she had it and that it was so soothing for her.  It got us through so many hard times and long car rides.

I remember being terrified of taking it away from her.  I knew it would be hard on her and also hard on me.  I counted on that thing for long stretches of peace and quiet and child satisfaction.  I knew I couldn’t let her keep it forever because it would start messing with her teeth.  Plus, teenagers who use a binkie are, you know, weird.  I had to take it from her before she got to this point.

I actually wrote a blog post on my old family blog that I thought I would share here.  Below is most of the post from more than three years ago.

I’m sharing this as a thought on happiness, because it was one of the successes I had as a new mom.  I remember feeling so satisfied after the ordeal was over that I had done this hard thing when it would have been easier to just let her keep it.

Read post below:

The passey (binkie) has been a very important part of Alyssa’s life, until yesterday that is.

That’s right. She is a big girl now. She no longer needs a passey. A year ago she gave up passies all except for sleep times.

I always told myself that as long as she was younger than three it wasn’t completely ridiculous that she still sucked a passey for naps and night time. Her third year is rapidly approaching so yesterday we did the deed. Here’s how it happened.

Here's Alyssa vacationing with her Kiwi cat.

When she woke up yesterday I told her we could go to the store and trade her passies for some new toys. I suggested that we get some new friends for Kiwi (her BFF cat stuffed animal). She was excited about that.

We headed off for the Target which again, as it always does, disappointed us. Nothing there worth trading passies for.

So we went to Ross. I mentioned to the cashier upon our entrance that we were here to make a special exchange, passies for toys. The cashier was happy to be in on it. Then we went and scoured the toy section where she found and fell in love with a little baby doll that came with her own car seat carrier, a bottle, a toy and a change of clothes all for the bargain price of less than $10.

She decided that it was worth trading her passies for and we headed to the front.

We waited in line for quite a while (standard procedure for Ross). I kept asking her if that was what she really wanted to do. I wanted to make sure she understood what was about to happen. She really seemed to.

While we were waiting in line she looked up at me and said… “But I can still keep my yellow blankie?” (her favorite blankie) I told her yes, of course she could. (I still have my special childhood blankie, but I don’t sleep with it anymore.) I told her she could always have her yellow blankie.

When it was our turn we approached the counter and the cashier said.. “That will be two passies please…” and held out her hand. Alyssa put her passies in the cashiers out stretched hand, then took ownership of the baby doll and proudly carried it out of the store. We opened it when we got to the car and she was tickled to have it.

The test.

When nap time came around, she gathered her doll and scurried into bed. We read our stories sang our song said our prayer and then she quite calmly informed me that she would indeed cry for her passies. I then informed her that if she did, she would not be able to sleep with her new dolly and that was that. She didn’t cry.

When night time came around she did cry a little for her passies but again I informed her that she would lose her doll and again she stopped and settled for another sip of milk, then went to sleep.

So there you have it. Alyssa is a big girl now.

SideBar: You should know that last year about this time we attempted this whole process and failed. I was so nervous about how she would react and what our life would be like without passies. I attempted to tell the cashier my plan but burst into tears and couldn’t get it out. The cashier put her arm around me and told me that if she still needed it, she was little and should keep it. I still attempted it, but Alyssa started crying and wouldn’t hand her passies over. I cried too and we both left the store crying with passies in hand.

Then that same day talk radio host Dr. Laura had a caller asking how to take her passey from her two year old and Dr. Laura said to let her keep it, saying two year olds are little and need comfort objects. So we bagged that plan and instead just went to passies are only for sleeping, which was a good transition.

So this attempt was much better than our last, no tears from either of us.

Fast Forward Several years to today:

Looking back it seems so silly that this was such a difficult thing for me to do, but it was.  Accomplishing this with out a total meltdown of our household brought me great joy.  Anyway…if anyone out there needs advice on how to take away a child’s passey, I hope this post is helpful.  It’s one of the best things I ever did for my child.  She’s never missed it and as I was asking her about it the other day (now that she’s 6) I learned that she can’t remember even having one.  So, all is well.

Here’s to happiness in doing hard things.

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We’re Going Places

Posted on May 14, 2012 by

I mentioned that my life has been going a million miles an hour.  Well, the marathon of urgent life events is finally over.  For the last week we’ve enjoyed life and even had a little down-time.

Our first stop on our adventures in going places.

While in the midst of the hurricane of business, I was at the Breathing Space Bloggers Retreat in Daybreak, I stopped in for a few minutes at the Oopsie Daisy Children’s Boutique. A few minutes turned into almost an hour. I decided that I had to come back here with my little girls.  They love to see lovely things and I love little pleasant events with my little girls.

The merchandise at Oopsie Daisy is unique.  They’re not the things you see everywhere you go.  And, you WON’T find ANY Disney Princess merchandise for sale here.  That alone is refreshing.  Am I the only one who is sick to death of Disney Princess stuff? It’s on the end-cap of every aisle at every store, including the hardware store.  I seriously saw princess stuff at Home Depot the other day.  Give me a break!

They have beautiful handmade clothing and accessories as well as little inventions that might make the act of mothering a little easier.

Her majesty on her royal bunkbed.

Plus, they have the most beautiful children’s furniture and bedding I’ve seen anywhere.  Alyssa felt like the Queen of England on this bed.  I doubt the Q of E sleeps in a bunk bed, but if she did…this would be the one!

Sunny has a lot of friends, most of them however, are stuffed animals like these little Jellycats.

One of the little things I absolutely fell in love with were these Jellycat plush animals.  They were seriously SO SOFT and lovely.  I almost bought myelf a little plush tiger.  It was very soothing to hold, even for an adult.  Let’s just say I know where I’m going to get my next baby shower gift.  Sunny also loved the plush friends.  Can you tell?

Alyssa’s favorite was the book selection.  She found a children’s book about Art Masterpieces from across the ages.  She read the entire thing.  She must have has some of her Dad’s taste for the arts in her.

Alyssa is like a wet sponge. She LOVES information about anything interesting. She was in heaven at this book stop.

It was so fun to watch her devour that book and it’s beautiful pictures.

Part of our Kindergarten curriculum this year has been a program called Fairytale Friday where a parent comes and reads an assigned fairytale to the class.  I struggled to find non-Disney versions of these stories, even at the library.  Oopsie Daisy carries a fantastic selection of compilation books of not only fairy tales, but other children’s classics.  I wished I had known about these books earlier in the school year.  It would have saved me repeated trips to libraries all over the valley. We ended up bringing home two of these classic compilations of stories.  My daughters have since been captivated by the beautiful illustrations as we’ve read the stories.

While we were in Daybreak on SoDa Row, we stopped in had a little Gelato and then played at the park. We had the most delicious fun!

As an extra bonus, we happen to be there when the work crews, for the first time this year, were turning on the splash and play fountains outside the shops.  What was a little harmless splashing and running through the water turned into a completely drenching hour of fun. The girls took little time-outs from the water to lay on the warm cement and dry off a little.

We ended up hanging Sunny’s clothes out the window to dry as we drove home.  She was soaked with fun and water.

I love taking children places.  Hopefully this post illistrates the places you take your kids don’t have to be far away or cost a lot of money.  I’ve found that as long as they’re with you and having a little fun, it doesn’t matter where you are.  By the way, I’m counting this little adventure as #304 on the list.

**I was delighted to partner with Oopsie Daisy for this post, but please know they did not provide any direction with the content of this post.  All the fun we had was of our own accord.

Posted in DAYTRIPS, PLEASANT EVENTS, VOCAL SOKOL LOCAL | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments