Random Thoughts at a Late Hour

Do you notice the hour that I'm posting this? It's almost not today anymore. I always do this when Rick is gone overnight. I stay up late doing pointless things. I guess I just don't want to go to bed alone. I waited a long time to have someone to snuggle up to at night, and I guess I miss it when he's gone. I always tell myself I won't do this. Rick and Daniel and Dallin are at the Ward Father/Son Campout. I'm really glad they are there, cause I'm sure they are having a great time (although I'm also sure that they are asleep right now). This is the first one that Daniel has gone along for, and he was so excited about it (and honestly, Dallin and Rick were pretty excited to take him).

I went to lunch today with Andi (thanks a ton- I'm still trying to figure out why and how I let you get away with that). It was such a nice diversion. I even got dessert. Then, tonight Eliza and Dailie and I had a little party (Audri was at a b'day party). We went out to eat (they chose Hometown Buffet, what can I say, I let them choose), and then came home and watched a movie. We watched Anastasia. It was really good. I thought I had seem it before, but now I'm sure I had not. It got the history buff in me wondering about what actually happened to the Romanov family in Russia. So, the first part of my time at the computer was spent reading articles about Anastasia and her family. Very interesting. There are really so many interesting stories out there in history. It makes me want to read my college history book. I'd probably enjoy it much more this time around (I realize I admit this at the risk of being called a nerd, but I am what I am, call it what you want).

Last item. I've been thinking about this blog lately and realizing that there are certain kinds of posts I would like to write that I cannot, mostly because I have older children, and they read my blog. I realize this statement could be misinterpreted. There are just times that I'd love to vent a little to the other moms that read my blog, but it just wouldn't be right....I have always enjoyed writing (unlike my son), and thought that would be one of the things I would most like about a blog. Now, however, I find myself restrained because of my audience of readers. Perhaps I just need to think of better topics to write about.

Well, this is turning out to be quite long, and I'm not sure if anyone is still reading at this point. I don't think there are really very many people that actually read my blog, and you know, that's ok. My life is my life. I've finally come to the conclusion that I don't need comments on a blog post to validate my personal worth (this is not a solicitation for comments on my blog : ). I do, however need chocolate and hugs and kisses from my hubby (aka my Bishop).

In the words of Donny and Marie, "Goodnight everybody!"

Camera Week at Gymnastics

This week was camera week at Jumpstart Gymnastics. Currently I have three children taking gymnastics classes there. Audri, who has been taking for about 4 years, Eliza, who has taken before, but not consistantly, and Daniel, who's having fun with me at a Buddy and Me class. So I've been looking forward to taking some pictures of them. Photos are only allowed during certain weeks of the session. You might notice that there are no pictures in this post. That's because I did not actually remember to take the camera during camera week. Brilliant, aren't I? Oh well, you can't do everything, and apparently one of the things I can't do is remember the camera to take pictures now and then (or maybe a little more frequently than that) : ).

Cougars Won Again

I forgot to tell you all, the Cougars won again Saturday. Another shut out, beating Wyoming 44-0. They don't play this week, so don't get worried when you don't get an update : ). I know you all anxiously await my report : ).

AWESOME!!!

Last night we were treated to an AWSOME concert, put on by the 7th and 8th grade orchestra students in Peoria Public Schools and Mark Wood, lead violinist of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and a HUGE supporter of music education. It was a great concert, and Dallin had a fantastic day. They played several Beatles tunes, including Eleanor Rigby and All Together Now, as well as a few of Mark Wood's origianl compositions. Also, Mark Wood played a few solo numbers, showing off his amazing ability on the electric violin. I believe the one he was playing was a 7 string electric violin. Dallin spent the whole day in workshop, the last half of the school day being instructed by Mark Wood. He is not only a performer, but a compser as well. He has received Emmys for some of his works, including music for coverage of the Tour deFrance and the Olympics. He also has invented several electric violins. He had one of these instruments, the Viper, at the concert, and students were able to take turns performing with it (Dallin said he didn't want to play it in front of everyone at the concert). He travels the country from Sept- June putting on these workshops at schools around the country, invigorating the string programs in schools. Here's a few pictures from the evening, as well as some websites to check out, if you're interested. The pictures are not fantasic. Our camera is only mediocre, and, well, it was a concert...

Dallin before the concert started.

Mark Wood and the PSD150 orchestra students in action. You can see Dallin to the left.

That's Dallin's friend, Matt, playing the Viper.

After the concert, Mark Wood signed autographs for the kids. I failed to get a picture of Dallin with him, but I did get this one of his friend Matt with him.

I'm hoping Dallin will post more about the experience on his blog, because he really did enjoy himself the whole day.

Here's a few websites. The first is Mark Wood's website. Scroll about 3/4 of the way down and check out the YouTube video called "The Mark Wood Experience". It has some footage of him working with school kids, plus you can experience some of his amazing playing. The second is a Pepsi commercial that he is featured in. I found it on YouTube as well.

http://www.markwoodmusic.com/html/news.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4X8jGNK4-U

Way to go, Peoria Public Schools for providing such a great experience for our kids!!!

Kisses

Here's a conversation I had with 6 (close to 7)year old Eliza tonight as I put her to bed. I had to record it so I could pull it out when she's about 16!!!

Eliza: Why do you kiss Daddy on the lips?

Me: Because I love him.

Eliza: Do you think I'll do that when I'm a mom?

Me: Yes, I think you will.

Eliza: I think that's just weird and gross.

That's just a fine way to look at things for several more years, Eliza!!!

Ok, Ed, I'll Play Along

So, my brother-in-law Ed tagged me. I must admit I'd like to be done with this "tagged" thing. It's getting very difficult to come up with things about myself that other people don't know. I'm pretty much an "out there" kind of girl, not a lot of secrets in my life. Plus, I talk a lot, so... But, I also have trouble turning down a challenge, and since that's kind of the way I look at this, here I go:

1. I was named after my 6th great-granmother, Charity Grubb, who was a Quaker.

2. The night before I was born, my parents watched the television premier of "Little House on the Prairie".

3. My favorite class at BYU was Zoology 334 with Dr. Mark Belk. I almost changed my major to Zoology, but I was really close to graduating, and married and contemplating getting pregnant...

4. I think cemetaries are really cool. I could spend hours in them reading headstones and imaging the people's lives who are buried there. I guess it's the history buff in me, combined with the people watcher.

5. I just learned that my husband's cousin's wife's sister's husband's uncle was one of the missionaries that taught my parents when they were baptized. Cool, huh? Cue the music...."It's a small world after all..."

I guess I also have to tag five people, so I will tag Andrea, Lee, Sarah, Rick (cause I'm always trying to get him to post on here), and Pam (cause she got me into this mess in the first place).

One Wacky Dog

We have a crazy dog- Frodo. Dogs are by nature a little odd, I'll agree, but Frodo has a few characteristics that I believe set him apart from the rest. I know many of you have heard these things about Frodo, but I really thought together they might make an entertaining post...

1. Frodo likes to hunt flies. He really likes to eat them as well, dead or alive. He will bark at a fly that is sitting too high for him to catch, and he will snap at flies in the air. In his younger days (he's almost 5), he could even catch them out of the air. The most hilarious thing to watch is he and Dallin on the hunt. When Frodo sees Dallin get the fly swatter, he is right at his side, just as I imagine Old Dan and Little Ann with Billy ("Where the Red Fern Grows"). Then, the hunt begins. As soon as Dallin swats that fly, Frodo gobbles him up off the ground. Weird. Gross.

2. Frodo loves crayons. No, he does not color beautiful pictures, or anything marketable like that, he eats them as well. At first I thought he just liked to chew up stray ones he found lying around, under a table where a child had been coloring. But no, Frodo will seek out crayons and eat them. Once, he even ripped open a brand new box of crayons to get at them. It makes for a colorful backyard, if you smell what I'm stepping in (I got that saying from Lee : ), thanks, Lee).

3. Frodo is very afraid of cardboard boxes. It all started when he was just a puppy. Rick was assembling a large bookcase, and had bought the kit at Lowe's. The kit was in a very tall cardboard box, probably 7 feet tall. Rick brought it in from the garage, pushing it in front of him as he moved down the hall. What he didn't know is that the new little puppy was at the end of the hall, watching this tall brown box come towards him. He was back peddling as fast as he could into the corner, frantically trying to get away from the box, peeing the whole time. Since then, we've tried several things to "cure" him of this fear, with no luck. He still freaks out when the UPS man delivers something to the door, and will avoid going through the entryway for as long as the box sits there. You can imagine his horror when we moved from Lafayette to Peoria. Strange men came to our house and put everything in large cardboard boxes!!! Poor dog.

New Favorite Quote (or at least one I really like)

I encountered a quote today that may just become one of my favorites of all time. It has to do with the historical story of women fighting for the right to vote. Apparently Woodrow Wilson and others tried to get a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul, one of the women jailed for picketing for the right to vote, insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. The doctor refused, saying Alice Paul was strong and brave, but that didn't make her crazy. And then he said, (and here it is, my new favorite quote)

'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'

I love it. : ) Here's to all the courageous, and possibly insane women out there.

Oh, and by the way, the Cougars won again this weekend, beating Washington 28-27. Go Cougs!

Rise and Shout

Saturday was opening day for Cougar Football season, so up went the banner! Eliza and Daniel had a lot of fun helping me put it up. We had a fun time watching the game at the Riries. Thanks!! We had even more fun since the Cougs won!! Go Cougars!!



We rounded out the holiday weekend with a quick camping trip. We've been talking for a long time about going camping with our Emergency Preparedness backpacks, so we finally did it. Ate MREs and everything. We "sounded the alarm" Sunday night, grabbed the backpacks, and took off. Ok, Rick and I did do a little prep before that, like putting the big tent and sleeping bags in the van. We had a fun time together as a family.