Last First Day of School?

I think I just had my last first day of school. I think that no matter where you are or what level of education you are enrolled in it is always a little bit of a magic moment. I notice that girls usually look their best on the 1st day of school (it only goes downhill as the pressures of assignments and finals slowly seem to sap their beauty or maybe they just get lazy and start putting on less make up ..... uhmm probably the later rather than the former) and there is an energy and buzz in the air. There's lots of free stuff on campus and people are more willing to engage in conversation.

It was very sad that I couldn't enjoy the moment because I had a 9am class and I was running late. But well I was trying to cover the 35min walk in about 20min I was thinking about one of my favorite family memories when there were a few years when all the kids were together for their blessings before school and Melissa would go first then Jordan and so forth all the way down to Woozie. I didn't really realize the significance of that moment now that we are all spread out and rarely able to get all together but I remember thinking how I had so many people that were looking out for me and knowing there really wasn't any need to be worried about anything. I also remember the suckiness of thinking about school again, as the not so enthusiastic first day photos that Mom always insisted taking will attest too, but now that my last first day, for Grade 19, has come and gone it was a very nostalgic moment. I hope the boys have enjoyed their 1st first day of school.

Football!

So as you may or may not know, I am a bit of a college football fan. Last weekend, my team (the University of Utah) was playing down here in LA against the USC Trojans. My boss was nice enough to get Lindsay and I tickets to the game, and I was excited to take her to her first Ute game!



Cameron (my friend that I've known since kindergarten) came down from Salt Lake to join in the festivities. Scott (another of "The Brethren") lives down here in LA and went to USC, so he joined us as well:



We had decent seats and were treated to a very exciting game!



Even though the final score wasn't what we'd hoped (Utah lost, though it took several hours and a officials conference to determine the final score; I can fill you in on the specifics if you want) we still had a lot of fun at the game.

And since it's Rivalry Week, let me leave you with the advice of President Monson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EYK6J-XuOs&feature=related

Blackberry Season

YYYYUMMMMMM!!!

Blackberry season is one of the highlights of the year here on MI. It has become a

family tradition to make blackberry cobbler and freeze these yummy treats for the

coming winter. I guess there must have been a bear in our family tree. This year was

especially good, and we had John, Rachel, and David helping us out.

Wish you were here.

Love, Gramps

COUSIN CAMP 2011

The three of the best little boys in the world spent time with Nana and Gramps in Seattle a couple weeks ago. If you haven't heard what we were up to, these photos give you a sample. We kept crazy busy at the zoo, the aquarium, camping on the Snoqualmie River, making cookies and hanging out - literally - on our neighbor's zip line. Some of the best times were watching the boys just be with each other. There's a very exuberant dynamic that plays out between them.

Each is so different and yet so connected to the people and the world around them. We sure loved them and we loved the time they spent with us.

Cousin camp was one of the highlights of my summer.

Disneyland fun!!

Chrishy on the Carousel at Disneyland!

'cause evil's not my cup of tea

This is one of my favorite songs. Ever hear that evil voice in your head that tells you to give up, or that you're "worthless and weak"? When I hear this song I don't hear the anti-establishment message it was intended as. I hear it in my own little world as stickin' it to evil personified. Because sometimes don't you just kinda feel like looking evil straight in the eye and saying "hey you jerk, I'm getting tired of you hanging around. You don't belong here - SO SCRAM, beat it - I don't have to listen to you anymore "I'm right and I'm free, I'll fight and you'll see."

Maestro of the Movies

Jaws.



Indiana Jones.



Harry Potter.



Star Wars.



What do all these movies have in common? They all have scores written by John Williams.

A few months ago, Lindsay and I were looking at the Hollywood Bowl schedule to see if there was a concert available that we would want to go to. I saw that John Williams would be playing and said, "We are going!" She was all for it, and we bought tickets right then and there.



However, we realized a few hours later that the drama performance at Manchester Academy that Lindsay was in charge of was that night as well! Fortunately, they ended up rescheduling that, so off to the Hollywood Bowl we went!



The first act was kind of a compilation of movie clips set to original music, not anything specific to a movie. James Taylor was there as a narrator for a Faulkner story set to music, then played one of his own songs on guitar, which was pretty cool too.

The second act was even better. Favorites such as the Harry Potter theme, the Titanic theme and of course, Star Wars. I made a video, but it was too big to upload to the blog so here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRobHEOubfk