New Music...

Music is a big part of my life. Not necessarily something that I participate in everyday, but definitely something I listen to multiple times a day in one form or another. I couldn't imagine life without music. My tastes vary from one end of the musical spectrum to the other...in fact there are very few genres that I would say I didn't like at least a little bit. Lately I've been drawn to women singers...strong ones that sing timeless music. Songs that reach in and touch the soul. I don't know if it's because this type of music is the latest and greatest or if I am feeling inspired in some way by them, but I cant get enough. Adele and Joss Stone are at the top of that list. If you get a chance, check out this link to Adele's newest song "Someone Like You"....it's gorgeous. Everything about it. Maybe you wont feel inspired by it, you might even hate it but it speaks to me as do many of the new songs on my playlist. Here is a link to my favorite Joss Stone song "Jet Lag"... love it. So, yeah. I changed the playlist up. Its been the same for over a year now and I thought I should revamp. Sadly, the site I use for my playlist didn't have any Joss Stone or Norah Jones or Lady Antebellum...all wonderful. But, I like the list I made too....Hope you enjoy it too!

Saturday Madness....and other random things.

I can't believe it is the end of the week already...I swear it just began. Life is moving so quickly that it is just becoming a big blur. I look forward to the time when it slows down just a bit so I can feel like I am enjoying it the way I should be. So, to recap the week...another group of random iPhone pics. First out of the phone is a picture of my new glasses. Never mind the weird look on my face (it's hard taking pictures of yourself) but I love my new glasses.

Especially since they were free. Well, almost. Facebook had a company offering to give away 5000 free glasses a while back and so I got my code and was all prepared to logon the next day and purchase them. Problem was, I forgot I was going to be at a friends house during that timeframe and consequently forgot to order them. I was a little disappointed because who couldnt use free glasses? Well last week, they made the offer again! I jumped on it and chose my frames (normally $170) and then chose to pay $25 for thinner lenses because my prescription is so strong that they would look like coke bottle glasses if I were to get the cheap plastic lenses. So, with shipping and my thinner lenses I only paid $32 for $200 glasses!! That price makes them look even better on me!

Next up is a picture of my Evan sporting his new haircut. Doesn't he look so handsome?

I know I am biased but really....he is just a good looking kid! His class was performing their opera today at the Rose Wagner Theater downtown so I wanted him to look spiffier than usual. Addie got her hair cut too but you really couldn't tell in the picture so I didn't post it.

Here is a picture of the 3 kids after Evans performance was finished. We had fun even though it has snowed for 2 days straight. Thankfully it isn't sticking to the ground...it is just a big nuisance to be out in. It felt like December today!

After Evan's show, I dropped him off at a birthday party and then headed over to Old Navy with Addison so she could pick out a birthday dress. She is turning 5 next week, although she acts like she is turning 16. She is a nut. Trying on clothes with her is the most entertaining experience ever. DIVA is the only word that comes to mind. Check her out in her new dress...and don't forget to notice the fedora that she absolutely had to have! She hasn't taken that darn hat off since we got home tonight....and I promise that I do not teach her to behave this way in front of the camera. I am clueless as to where she is learning it. One thing is for certain, Addie is infatuated with herself. I doubt there are any cracks in her self esteem and that makes me so happy no matter how nutty it makes her sometimes :)

We got up at 8am today and were out of the house by 9am. I had errands to run for the kids' birthday's next week as well as grocery shopping. I got all of that done by 2:30 and then dropped Evan off at the theater for his dress rehearsal. Ran home for one hour and then turned around and went back to the theater for the performance. Dropped Evan off at the party and went to Old Navy which took 2 hours and then I went and picked Evan up from the party. We finally got home at 9:30pm!! I was only home for one little hour today! We are all exhausted...so much for a restful weekend. Here is proof of our tiresome day...this is about 15 minutes after we got home. I realized I hadn't heard from her since she modeled her clothes for her brothers and this is where I found her. On the floor...almost under my desk. Poor thing.

School on a Budget...

Going to school these days can be quite expensive. Sure, there are student loans to help you through, but then you are left with a pretty big debt to pay when you finish. One of the aspects of college that has always boggled my mind is the cost of books. Most textbooks average around $100 per book which can really add up when you are taking 3 or 4 classes! I've found a great option for students who don't want to drop all that money on a book that they may never use again. It's a company called CampusBookRentals.com.

They offer the option to rent the textbook you need for the duration of the semester and then return it when you are through for typically less than half of what you might pay for the book outright. They even have a textbook buy back service which I might try and utilize since I missed the buy back period last semester at my school. I was a bit worried about shipping for all those books but found on their site that they offer FREE shipping both ways! It's hard to see how you would lose by using them rather than buying your books. I know this coming semester I will definitely be using their site to rent my books.

When I visited the site to see what they offered, I was also really impressed to see that they support the Operation Smile program which provides cleft lip surgeries for children whose families cannot afford the expensive procedures.

For every book rented, a portion of the proceeds goes to this program. CampusBookRentals.com has set a goal to provide 1000 life changing surgeries for these kids. Awesome. So if you are a student and want to save some money as well as contribute to something as cool as Operation Smile, I would suggest checking out CampusBookRentals.com.

Random iPhone Pictures...

One of the things I love the most about my new iPhone is the camera. It really does take awesome pictures for a phone. Since I always carry my phone with me it proves to be very convenient at capturing life as I go along and it's much less cumbersome than my full size camera. Anyway...here are the most recent random shots I found on my phone when I plugged it in to charge tonight....

1. The past 3 days have been 65-70 degrees here in Salt Lake City but alas...this is what we woke up to this morning. Gotta love Spring in Utah....

2. This is pretty random but I have discovered the most amazing chips. I think whoever thought of this flavor is nothing short of a genius. I sure hope Lay's keeps making these puppies... YUM! (it's Tomato & Basil if you weren't sure what the bag says...go get some!)

3. I am told this is one of my children but I just don't see how it's possible that he grew up and I missed it... Last time I checked, he was only 4 years old.

4. Here is another one of my offspring. She dressed herself on this morning and was pretty proud of her ensemble...if you couldn't tell. She is a nut and I love her.

That's all for today's random shots....Im sure there will be more because I am addicted to my phone :)

Soccer Season Returns....

The crazy soccer season has begun again. I have to say that Spring session should be better than Fall because most of Evan's games are at noon and most of Ian's are between 8am and 10am. So that means that with the exception of one or two games that cross into each other, I should be able to see ALL of both boys' games this season rather than half of one and half of the other. Still have to go back and forth between two different fields but it makes it a lot nicer that we arent rushing just to see 10 minutes of each game.

Since Fall season ended, Ian has seen a podiatrist for his heel pain and it turned out he had some cracked growth plates which made even walking painful for him. He has since received a pair of special orthotics to wear in his shoes and they have really made a big difference for him. He actually ran during his soccer game and this is a pretty big deal. Normally he would sort of gallop slowly...which now we know was because the one foot was really hurting him. I am so happy that he might actually enjoy this soccer season so much more than last.

Sadly, his team lost their first game...time for practice!

Evans team remains intact each year and so he plays with the same kids and same coach every season. They even play soccer at school during recess together.

Because of this their team is quite cohesive and they rarely lose. I think this is the biggest problem with Ian's team. The boys dont go to the same school so only a couple of them actually know each other. Not to mention the coaches son plays on the team and can be pretty mean. There just doesnt seem to be any unity especially when your own teammates are critical of your playing skills. I hope that it is better for them this time around otherwise I dont think Ian will want to play again next year. Evan plays Goalie, which kills me.

It makes me sooo nervous because every time the ball gets near the goal I am praying that Evan doesnt let it through. Such a high pressure position, it blows my mind that Evan actually wants to play it. I would sure love to see him actually play soccer on the field but he is content being the Goalie and no one else on the team wants the position. It makes for some great action shots though!! Go Evan!

Addie asked me Saturday if when she turns 5 can she play soccer? I dont think I can handle 3 games and practices without Denver here to help me juggle so she is just going to have to stick to Dance for now :)

MIA...

I feel like I have really neglected my blogging recently, probably because I have! I always have good intentions but life just has a way of taking over sometimes. Truthfully, there haven't been too many big events to post about so for now I will just give a little update and be done with it.

ME:

Spring break officially started for me after my last class on Thursday. I have really been looking forward to it because this has been a difficult semester. When this semester is over in May, I will have 11 classes left until graduation. Sounds like a lot still but I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. I cant imagine what it will be like to go to bed at night (at a decent hour) and not lay there fretting over what homework I may have forgotten to do. I have had some really great leads for work come about in the past few weeks too. This is super exciting because I decided that I just really don't want to teach. I want to work in publishing/editing/writing somehow. This is looking like more of a possibility now that I have been talking to a few people. I am feeling very encouraged at the prospects awaiting me after I graduate! But, this is it for updates on me....school is my life right now. I just registered for Summer classes. I wish I could take a break but I need to get this over with! I am singing in my choir still although I think I may have to drop out this time. I missed a rehearsal already and will be missing another one next Sunday as we will be in Reno visiting my parents.

IAN:

Well Ian is growing up so fast! He is 10 going on 16 and it drives me a little nuts sometimes. He reminds me so much of myself when I was that age. He takes Spanish lessons twice a week after school. He also takes piano lessons and violin lessons through his school music program. I love that he is so exposed to music. Of course he is singing in the children's choir as well and is very enthusiastic about it. Every week he announces a new solo that he wants to try out for. I have had to rein him in a little here and advise him to at least practice the solo part before he auditions! But I am excited that he is really jumping in to this experience. Soccer starts in April...which I am dreading...but now that he has orthotics in his shoes, he likes running more since his feet dont hurt. I am hoping this makes for a more positive soccer experience than

usual.

EVAN:

Evan is about to turn 9 in April. It is just so hard to believe. Time simply will not stand still. Evan takes Chinese lessons twice a week at school. I have no idea how this is going as the teacher does not communicate with the parents and Evan will not say anything about the class to me. I have tried to get him to speak some Chinese to me but he is tight lipped about it. I can only hope that he is learning something. Exposure to languages cannot hurt in any way, shape, or form so I am happy that at the very least he is being exposed. He is also singing in the choir and enjoys it although not quite as exuberantly as his brother. I mentioned in a previous post about the composer Masa Fukuda that Evan's class got to work with. Well, he kept our name and number for times when he needs kids for various projects. He actually called us last night and asked if he could come to our home and work with Evan. He wants to listen to Evan sing alone to determine if Evan has a pop voice or a classical voice. Evan is beyond excited about this. I guess Masa has a couple of projects coming up that he wants to consider Evan for but needs to determine which one would be best for him. Again, I couldn't be more thrilled with the sudden music explosion happening in our house. I love sports for the boys too, but a well rounded man is much better than a sports fanatic (sorry guys!)... Evan also starts soccer next month and he is very happy about it. He loves soccer and all the friends he has made on his team.

ADDISON:

Well, this little girl of mine is turning 5 next month. Again...where has the time gone. 5 is a hard age to swallow because it feels like the end of "baby/toddler" days. She is my last baby and so I have hard time accepting this. In fact, I completely blew off the fact that she starts kindergarten this coming school year and missed an important registration deadline because of it! Im just in denial that we are here already. She has big plans for her 5th birthday party although the plans change every single day. I think we will just have to have a "variety" birthday with Barbies, Princesses, Fairy's, Hello Kitty, and yes...Justin Bieber. She is so prissy and I cant get enough of her.

DENVER:

He is still working in South Carolina. When his year is up in July however, he will hopefully be coming back this way. He misses the kids and they miss him. He is in his LAST class at the University of Phoenix and will finally have a bachelors degree in Business Management in April. This is a big accomplishment for him and will hopefully help him secure a better job out here. In the meantime, he may be working in San Antonio Texas temporarily for Boeing...this will be nice because they will fly him home every 3 weeks. He was just here for a visit this past weekend for his 40th birthday. Everyone had a great time and were sad to see him leave, but he will be back in 3 weeks for the kids birthdays in April. I cant believe I didn't take a single picture of him with the kids. Im really getting bad with the picture taking. I need a new camera to motivate me! I did take this picture of the ring/bracelet that he brought for Addison. She was on cloud nine. She has been asking for a ring for months now....she is such a Daddy's girl.

Like I said, no major news or happenings. Just life moving along at mach 40... Ugh, there's that number again. I'm not looking forward to becoming a 40 year old in September. Oh well...nothing I can do about it I guess but make the best of it!!