Star of the Week

This week, beginning today, Whitney gets to be Star of the Week. She was VERY excited about this and kept asking all weekend long how many more days it was until she was the star. She was also very excited that I got to introduce her and explain her all-about-Whitney poster to the class. I guess not a lot of dad's are available at 9:00am on a Monday morning.


Here she is all bright and smiley with her fancy Star hat. After getting my visitor tag so that everyone could see I was not some big, creepy guy roaming the halls, Whitney took me to her classroom. She was so excited I could hardly keep up with her. She showed me where she sat and where to put back the books that get sent home with them every day. Then we put up her poster and sat in our chairs to await the other kids noisy entrance. The kids were crazy, but you could see their individual personalities--the confident ones, the shy ones, the talkers, the gigglers, etc. Kind of like in Kindergarten Cop. "I'm not a policeman, I'm a princess!" Whitney's teacher, Mrs. Hurst, seems very nice.

I showed the class Whitney's poster and read from her list of favorite things: drawing, playing with her cousins, Pizza, etc. Then I read the class Whitney's current favorite book "Rumble in the Jungle" paying special attention, of course, to the spread showcasing the leopard and the tiger. Apparently, her love of big cats is widely known throughout her class. So, at the end of my visit I had all the kids give Whitney a star-of-the-week roar. "One, two, three, Rrraaaarrrrr!!!"

It went over huge. I was like freakin' Mick Jagger in there. The Dad Propaganda keeps rolling in baby. Whitney was so sweet too. Don't get me wrong, she did her fair share of weird faces and such, but as I was leaving she ran over and gave me a big hug and a kiss and said "Thanks Dad." It's a good thing I was walking out the door because it almost made me cry.

So in honor of my little 6-year old Star of the Week, here are six things I love about Whitney:

1. She loves unconditionally and forgives quickly.
2. She has a generous, giving nature.
3. She can entertain herself for hours with the most benign of objects.
4. She always prays and asks Heavenly Father to bless the flowers and the poor.
5. She is a piecemeal eater like Jill.
6. Her smile, while jacked up and snaggle-toothed (our dentist already recommended an orthodontist to us...sigh), makes me smile inside every time.

Whitney I love you!!! --Dad

Happy 40th Birthday Claudia!

Greetings from Paris!! It's freakin hot, I'm going through my blister-blocker Band-aids like crazy, but I'm having a great time! Randy's posts are awesome (don't miss his Sunday post from yesterday, wow), he's going to have to start his own blog eh? Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes, they worked! No Jimmy leg and no headaches. Thanks!

I don't know if Claudia's computer is even hooked up these days (she's in a constant state of rearranging and has no good place to set it up), but I have to post about her and wish her a very happy 40th birthday!



It's totally appropriate that I'm posting her birthday greetings from Paris because she loves this place so much and has always wanted me to travel and experience the world. I feel like me being here is a realization of one of her dreams (that sounds overly dramatic, I think it's true.)

{I took this picture yesterday!}

I've known Claudia since 1996 when we met while working in the Profile Center at Franklin Covey. She was super nice to me and after a couple months of working there we started to become friends. One day I gave her a ride to a tennis court clear across town, and she talked the entire way as if we were close friends (she does this with everyone) and that was a first for me, after that we starting going to lunch and shopping together regularly.

Though she posted 165 things about herself recently, I'm going to post 40 things I love about her in honor of this milestone birthday.


She loves paper and stationery as much (or more) than even I do! (This is a very endearing quality.)
She writes long letters.
She loves traveling, especially to Europe.
She loves white linen clothes.
She is passionate about McDonald's Cheeseburgers.
She loves to hang out and chat for hours.
She can always find a bargain.
She is super generous.
She gives wonderful presents.
She keeps in touch with people all over the world.
She LOVES her family and serves them well.
She is a dutiful daughter.
She loves the beach.


She speaks 4 languages!
She has no inhibitions at all.
She tries to haggle over prices at Nordstroms! (I almost died the first time I saw her do this over a pair of huge earrings.)
She loves food.
She loves to go to the movies and talks a lot during them.
She loves beautiful magazines.
She has a gorgeous home, but would rather be out and about. (I don't understand this at all.)
She's an excellent hostess and has cozy bedding and luxurious towels.
She's a patient and loving mother.


She considered naming her first son D'Artagnan.
She wants to have a room full of pillows in her future mansion.
She loves wearing navy blue and white. (Whenever I see clothes with these colors together I ALWAYS think of her.)
She goes to Disneyland once a week just to walk around.
She is incredibly easygoing.
She looks like an heiress when she's all made up and ready to go out.
She's a great cook.
She has a natural talent for making her home beautiful, yet comfortable.
She knows how to clean exceptionally well.
She loves to drive, and drives fast and crazy (she's often on the phone, eating and doing her nails at the same time.)
She loves living in California.
She loves the gospel.
She loves to wander Barnes & Noble, especially the magazine section.
She loves high fashion and anything expensive (how are we friends again?)
She often uses the word "tasty".
She is fun to give presents to because she's always so thrilled to receive them.
She loves getting mail.
She is a great friend!

Happy Birthday Claudia!!!

Sunday Thoughts & Weekend Update

So it is now Sunday evening and the kids are asleep. I wanted to write about Saturday's events last night but was too tired--so I'll do both days in one shot and get caught up. Cheating? Who's to say. Besides, it's my blog and...oh wait...oops.

SATURDAY began early because it was our annual spring clean up day for our local church group. The Bishop selects 3 or 4 families in the Ward who need our help. So with rakes, chainsaws and about 30 bodies we descended on this families property with abandon. We were scheduled to work 8:00am to noon, but got so much done we were finished by around 10:45am. By finished, I mean we completed the main tasks of weeding, tilling, and tree branch trimming. The yard is far from finished by any standard. It's a good acre of property...and without constant upkeep can easily get away from you in a couple summers. I pretty much just have to mow our little parcel once a week and it feels overwhelming. Seriously, it's like the land wants to reclaim what it lost and inch by inch it creeps in on you. "Hey!" talking to the legions of dandelions, "you weren't here yesterday!" It's like they spontaneously appear. Crazy.

Anyway, the kids did actual work for a while. Landon and his church pals spent most of the time throwing branches into the giant dumpster that had been brought in. Good times. When their interest waned, they downshifted into running around and playing on a gazillion year old swingset. I wanted a tetanus shot just looking at the thing. There was also this ancient wood shed nearby; most likely a Holiday Inn for Black Widows. Fortunately there were adults nearby blockading the entrance.

After the yard work, we cleaned up and prepared for Adam (Jill's brother) and the cousins to come over. Adam wanted to give Amy some breathing room to catch up after her San Diego trip. We ordered Cafe Rio take out, drank some Cokes, had our standard SEP discussion, then watched Pirates/Dead Man's Chest. It was fairly warm, so the kids played in the hose for several hours, running around crazy and making all sorts of commotion. This is a very good thing as it kept all the Megan sauce off us for a while--she's the sweetest of sweet little girls, but boy can she chatter! BTW, for those of you not yet in the know, SEP is short for Searing Emotional Pain--Adam's topic of choice. Basically he has the inability to chitchat on a surface level and prefers to dive right into the meatier issues of life. Mostly about achieving true happiness and living a fulfilling life, as opposed to just getting by or relying on the various forms of self-medicating to cope with whatever emptiness plagues us.

I find Adam's love of SEP both interesting and endearing. Endearing, because he cares so much about those closest to him, that he will not settle for trite or trivial relationships. If he loves you, he wants to crack you open like a nut. He wants to know the real, deep you--often the part of you that you yourself prefer to not talk about. Thus SEP. It has now become a family catchphrase.

SUNDAY, today, has been fairly relaxed. We lazed around in bed, read books, had lunch, got ready, and went to church. After church we drove out to the compound for dinner. Kathy made pasta with alfredo sauce, chicken and broccoli. Afterwards we cranked up the VitaMix and made mixed-berry shakes. Mmmmm.

To be honest, I feel unqualified to match Jill's wonderful Sunday Thoughts posts. They are always so good and so revealing about who she is inside and what she's thinking about. You'd think being her husband I should know all these things, but I don't. I actually think it's pretty cool that there's this private, devoted facet to her--and even cooler that she'll put it out there to share with the world, regardless of what others may think. So here goes...

This weekend I read Deepak Chopra's short book The Seven Spiritual Secrets of Success. A nice read. But as I read it, all I could think about were all the Gospel equivalents to what he was saying. He uses words like the void, consciousness, potentiality, Self, etc. Basically they are replacement words for eternal principles--it's that he hasn't learned their true names like God, Holy Ghost, divine nature, Spirit, and Soul.

At the end of each chapter he lists ways of implementing that particular law. One challenge was to go 1 full day without making a single judgment against anyone or any situation. And, to be conscious of it when you invariably slipped up. As I read it I thought how extremely difficult that would be. But Chopra's message was made even more illuminating during today's Sunday School lesson. I team-teach the youth 16-17 year old class. This is a seriously impressive group of smart and talented kids--some even more than others. Today we were reading in John 8 about the woman caught in the act of adultery and brought to Jesus for judgment. Then Christ voices those famous words, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." Then the accusers all file away, condemned by their own consciences.

But what is even more impresses me are his next words: "...Hath no man condemned thee?...Neither do I condemn thee: go. and sin no more."

Was she excused from repenting? Did He let her off the hook? I don't know, but it doesn't matter. She probably felt so shameful and guilty as it was, and He could have grilled her. But He knew her SEP and He knows ours, and He cares about us so much that he will not settle for a surface-level relationship with us. He wants to move beyond that. He wants to lovingly crack us open, to share and bear all with Him. He wants to help us rise above our mortal pitfalls and to lead us to true happiness and a fulfilled life.

Now THAT is a true friend.

4 Minutes Early and the Barbershop

This is a recap of friday's events. I'll try to cover saturday (today) tonight.

First of all, I'd like to say thanks to everyone for their nice compliments and comments--I feel like I have a new reputation to live up to and it's only been one day. Second, for all of you who are wondering, Jill and crew arrived safely in Paris yesterday morning. I got a quick call from Michelle saying they had arrived and were on their way to the Hotel Claude Bernard. So that's a relief. She said the flight went well and that Jill said it felt shorter than she expected--apparently Ambien is her new best friend.

On to the update. With much fanfare and minimal yelling, I got Whitney to school 4 minutes EARLY--oh yah, that JUST happened. 8:56am. Read 'em and weep. She really didn't need her hair brushed and all, right? Just kidding, she actually looked ship shape and presentable.

While Whitney was at school, I dragged Landon with me to the barbershop. Now for those of you who don't know me, this is sort of a milestone. I usually just buzz my lid once a month at home. Jill always jokes and calls me "PFC" and then salutes. I have become quite proficient with the clippers. I haven't had my hair cut by someone else in about 7 years. SEVEN years. And with Amy Alvey's gifted clippers I might add. If you figure $15/month for 7 years, Amy has saved the Stuart household $1,260. Thanks Amy!!

So we head into "downtown" Pleasant Grove to Evan's Roman Way Barbershop. I'm not sure what Rome has to do with haircutting, but they do have a nice centurion in their logo. Anyway, it's a cool, little, 30-year old shop. The owner (strangely enough NOT named Evan) only takes appointments. He has quite a long list of regulars, professionally scheduled by phone in an $0.89 spiral notebook. There's something to be said about doing business 100% analog in 2007.

So, excited by the thought of discovering the real me, I settled into the very comfy, well-worn leather barber chair. Later Landon and I did the math: half a dozen haircuts every business day for 30 years comes to roughly 45,000 haircuts. That's a lot of bald spots to stare at. Anyone notice my love of stats and all things trivia? Don't even get me started on The History Channel--last night I learned about General Patton and the M4 Sherman tank. Riveting. I am constantly amazed how in WWII we got so much accomplished on such rudimentary technology--divine intervention truly played a part.

Back to barbering. I'd forgotten how much I miss the whole experience. The man is a maestro with the clippers. After the cutting is done, he puts warmed shaving cream on your neck and sideburns and gets out the straight razor. I love the feel of the straight razor. There's no real way to describe it, but it's completely unlike a normal safety razor. After cleaning me up with a hot towel, he shakes talc on a soft brush and dusts you off. I love it. I think I need to reconsider the whole at-home thing.

Seriously, I walked out of there feeling like a new man. It reminds me of that quote from the movie Barbershop (very funny btw), when the venerable barber chides the younger man who now runs his late father's shop: "...your father...he believed and understood that something as simple as a little haircut could change the way a man felt on the inside."

Cheesy? Maybe a little. But dead on.

The rest of our day was fairly uneventful. Landon and I went to the post office and to Walmart and then picked up Whitney. After lunch, the neighbor kids came over and everyone played well for the most part. No crying, no serious name calling, no threats of disassociation. At night we made hot dogs and watched Night at the Museum, our latest Walmart purchase. Only $14--gotta love that yellow smiley face. So there you have it. More later. Cheers.

And They're Off!

This is your interim blogging host Randy filling in for Jill, the newest cross-continental traveler in our family. So aside from this morning's itinerary mishap and a last minute phone call to retrieve Michelle's address in gay Paris, everything went off without a hitch.

We dropped Whitney off at school (late of course) and headed to the blustery heights of Traverse Mountain to meet Amy H. and Jana. Afterwards, Landon and I treated ourselves to a lovely McDonald's breakfast. Seriously folks, how do they do it? Those oblong hashbrowns are so yummy. The fry cook definitely had his mojo working this morning.

The rest of our day was pretty standard. There was a stop at the bank. Jill was kind enough to leave us some money--just kidding babe. Party it up in France! Mailed some parcels, picked up Whitney--I was early and she said to me "Usually I have to stand here for 2 or 3 minutes before Mom comes." Geesh, a whole 2-3 minutes, eh? As a kid I used to dream of waiting only 2-3 minutes. In the Stuart household growing up 15-30 minutes was the norm. And whenever I would say "Mom, what took so long? I called a half hour ago" she would always reply "I left as soon as I hung up." Um...yah.

In the afternoon we did take a jaunt to the Boy Scout office to get Whitney a Pinewood Derby car kit. Yes, you read that correctly. Whitney wants to make one too. The new Scout office in Orem in pretty swank by BSA standards. The old one next to the Provo Armory was small, cramped, and kind of dark. Going there, I usually violated the 8th point of the Scout Law--A Scout is Cheerful. Okay, enough lame Scouting references.

When we got home I christened my 6-day vacation with an hour-long nap. Delicious. I LOVE naps. Love 'em. This is sometimes a point of contention with Jill and I. I think she feels it is time wasted. Maybe so, but I tell ya the Latin culture has it dialed in with the whole siesta concept.

We ordered a pizza for dinner (let the Dad Propaganda commence!) and went to Cub Pack Meeting--which was building the Pinewood Derby cars. Instead of being at the Church building, it was at the Cubmaster's house outside in the driveway. They had tables set up and had adults manning a portable ban-saw and power sander. So the kids just drew the design of the car shape they wanted and did some hand sanding. Surprisingly their were no injuries of any kind.

Of course, the boys attention flagged after about 15 minutes and they were off running around, etc. This left half a dozen father's finishing up the painting portion of the project. Both Landon and Whitney said they wanted theirs spray painted black. Alrighty then. Later Whitney indicated she wanted red stripes on hers. What am I, freaking Maaco? So it looks like Randy's Pinstripping & Auto Detailing LLC is now open for business. Geesh.

I apologize for not having pictures of the events. I'm not used to bringing a camera with me...yet!

Well, now it's off to watch some mindless late night television. With any luck, I'll find something involving explosions, karate and firearms. Too bad Jill took her headlight to France--I could turn on the red Special Ops bulb and make the experience complete. I'm not serious, really.

Wish Me Luck!

I just realized that yesterday's post was my 600th post! I never would have thought that possible.

This is my attractive look while my weave was processing at the salon. It's always humbling to sit in front of the mirror for 2 hours like that. I try not to make eye contact with myself, but I can still see myself. It's cause for therapy. Fortunately I enjoy the woman who cuts my hair and I feel so much better when I leave with my sassy new hairdo that all is forgotten until the next time I go back.

Lori took care of the kids today, which was super helpful, so I was able to finish up my errands in peace. I've been listening to The Devil in White City on my iPod and have thoroughly enjoyed it (I couldn't be more surprised about this). I don't think I would have liked reading it (I don't enjoy nonfiction), but it's quite compelling as an audio book, and not nearly as scary as I feared it would be.


When I returned home from my final shopping trip my mom was at my house hanging out with Lori. She and Lori ended up asking to see all my new clothes so they hung out on my bed and I showed them the fun stuff I have for my trip. This ended up being helpful (it's nice to get good feedback) and was fun.


I started packing around 6:30 and didn't finish until about 10:00! It was rough. I thought I was making good progress, but the toiletry part of things was overwhelming. I kept wanting to quit, but that wasn't an option. It was still major progress for me though because I usually don't get done until like 1:00am.


Amy S. sent me this thoughtful package to wish me well on my trip. I've never seen a hangman pad like this before, it's very cool. The luggage tag is great, the ribbon is beautiful and the chocolate, is chocolate! Thanks so much Amy!!


Kelly sent me this beautiful card (it's gorgeous isn't it?) to wish me well on my trip. I love it. Thanks Kelly!

I just got a call from Collette telling me that our flight leaves an hour earlier (@#$%) than our itinerary states (uh-oh) so we need to speed things up. That's not really what you want to hear on the morning of a departure. Good thing I stayed up until 2:00 getting stuff ready.

I think Randy will post for me while I'm gone (I will try to post from Paris, but I don't know what the computer situation will be). It should be interesting to see what he has to say about being a stay-at-home dad.

**Say some prayers for us okay??
(Safety, comfort, no-Jimmy legs or headaches!)**

T minus 24 hours!

So apparently I'm going to Paris. I know this has been in the works for a very long time, but it really hasn't felt real until about the last week as I've been scurrying (yes, scurrying) to get things in order. Now, here it is 24 hours until I need to head over to Amy's house to carpool to the airport and I'm semi-freaking out. Why semi do you ask? Because I'm not totally panicked right now, but know I will be later today. Hmmm.


I'm going to get my hair cut and highlighted this morning, then I have to go return a couple shirts that don't look as acceptable as they did in the dressing room. I'm hoping I'll find something fabulous to replace them with, but I have my doubts.


I'm a tad concerned about the shoe situation since wearing new shoes on a trip where much walking is involved doesn't seem very smart. I bought about $10 worth of band-aids and moleskin, but I'm still worried. All of the clothes I've bought for the trip are dressier than my usual frumpy, spring ensembles so that means I have to wear different shoes. This could be a HUGE mistake. I guess I'll bring my comfy Rocket Dogs to wear on the plane and as back-up, so if I'm limping after the first day I may abandon my attempts at looking frumpy fashionable and just wear my comfortable shoes with my dressier clothes. Most likely I'll look like an idiot either way so what's the difference?



The kids are very excited to have a "dad week" while I'm gone. They're used to having "dad nights" when I'm out and about with book club and such, but they've never really had Randy home during the day for a week before (without me being here). He still has lots of work to do on the computer at home, but I'm sure things will be very different from when I'm here. Next Monday Whitney gets to be the "Star of the Week" in her kindergarten class, so WE (meaning she bossed me around) designed her poster yesterday, then Randy will go in to class and do a presentation on Whitney. (More dad propaganda!) I will be typing up a schedule schematic for him so he knows who needs to be where and when, this will also include suggested activities and home tasks, though most likely he'll ignore these. The allure of 8 days in Paris with girlfriends is just too fabulous to get bunged about any of this.


I need to maintain a high energy level today and get focused. Fortunately my sister Lori is coming to hang out with the kids so that I can run my errands without having to negotiate with them. This will be tremendously helpful. She also brought me her luggage yesterday. I haven't started packing yet, but at least now the bags are in the building so my nightmare of not having them in time for the trip won't be coming to pass.

I got this nice card from Shawna on Monday, she wrote a lot of nice things which I really appreciate. Thanks Shawna!

I also got this sweet card from Heather S. wishing me well on my trip. Thanks so much!

**Can you believe it's almost time to go?
I need shoe and fashion advice.
Any other tips for me?**

Earth Day--SPT

I'm not an Eco Warrior, but I try to do my part. We save cans, plastic bags and paper.


We recycle all paper in our house, so that means I shred all our old bills and anything with our address on it, take all the kids' used school papers and all the junk mail we get and drop it off at the school. This always makes me feel lighter, plus the school gets money based on the weight of the bins. I'm amazed at how quickly the papers accumulate, I'm so glad they're not going to the junk yard.


I love donating clothes and other good items to DI. It helps me clear clutter at home and benefits lots of other people. It's always hopping over there, it's like a mall but different. We dropped off a bag of clothes today.



There's a a huge place in Orem that does all kinds of recycling, this is where I take our aluminum cans and cardboard. Today I dropped off 12 pounds of cans and got $7.40 for them, sweet! We actually are planning on taking our old Honda there, perhaps we'll get $50 for it. (I felt like such an idiot taking this picture, it was very windy and it's on a very busy street so lots of cars passed by and a woman driving a Semi was idling nearby waiting to merge onto the road, how's that for dedication?)

Me with my recycling cash.

I'm always disturbed by how many plastic bags we have kicking around our house. I let accumulate until I can't take it anymore and then we take them to Walmart. They have containers in the entries of their stores for recycling plastic bags. This is always a huge relief to me, though I sometimes wonder if they're irritated that most of my bags are from Target.

**Did you humiliate yourself
for your SPT photo today?
Thoughts??**

Happy Birthday Robyn!!

Today is my sister Robyn's 32nd birthday, which is weird because in America it's not her birthday yet, but in Australia (where she lives) it is. So I'm posting this for her on her special day. Here are 32 things about Robyn.

She loves to exercise.
She's very fond of salad.
She only ever drinks water.
She served a mission in Thailand.


She is short, but often wears heels.
She's not super coordinated (this is highly amusing).
She likes to critique people on tv while she's watching shows.
She's most like our mother.


She can wear her hair in like 20 different ways.
She loves funky foods and is an adventurous eater.
She has a permanently twisted elbow from multiple breaks as a child.
She's clean and organized.
She's a good mom.
She married an Australian guy she met at BYU.


She's been to South Africa, Thailand, France, England, Australia.
She scratched my Fame record when she was 6 and took it to a friend's house without asking (I definitely would have said no!)
She was a challenging child/sister while growing up.
She can't sing.
She likes to cook.
She's very skinny.
She has pretty blue eyes.
She loves to read.
She loves to scrapbook.
She loves to sew.
She is creative.
She has 3 very cute kids.


She is strong emotionally and physically.
She loves to buy clothes.
She loves the gospel.
She works hard.


She's a shop-a-holic, much to her husband's chagrin.
She lives too far away!

Happy Birthday Robyn!!

Sunday Thoughts

Matthew 25:40

"And the King shall answer and say unto them,
Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the
least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

We all know this scripture, but how often to we really live it? When the kids and I were at the movies the other day there was a long line to buy popcorn. A man got in line behind me carrying an empty popcorn bag. I turned to him and said, "If you're getting a refill can't you just go to the front of the line?" He looked rather sheepish about it (he was young and foreign) and just smiled at me as if to say "I don't think so." I kept encouraging him to just go get his refill (he was missing his movie for Pete's sake) but he wouldn't do it. Then the rather tough-looking guy in line in front of me joined the conversation and said he didn't know if people would be nice about him cutting in line, and said something along the lines of "That's the way people are these days." He seemed disgusted by this and yet wasn't letting the guy move forward in line!


Fortunately the line ended up moving quickly enough that it didn't take a super long time. I let the refill guy go in front of me, but thought it was interesting that the man in front of me didn't offer to let the refill guy go in front of him.

I guess this whole exchange speaks of the disconnect in human behavior. If we want a better world, we have to contribute to making it better. We can't just complain about the lack of common decency and then never do anything decent. Am I right? This is a very simple example but I think it illustrates my point fairly well.

I want to be the kind of person who serves others because that's who I am. It's not hard for me to serve my friends or family, but what about everyone else?

**What do you think??**

Change of Subject

We had a great game night last night except that Adam stole the victory from me by 1 point, I would have won on my next turn. @#$% We talked a lot and covered some serious searing emotional pain (mostly Amy's) so it was a fun and emotionally productive night.


The kids played outside until it was dark so that was a huge bonus (we enjoy it when they are where we're not). I took this picture through the screen of the window, the girls made little books and then told each other their stories.

Today was the big cleaning party at Michelle's house to help get her ready to leave for 2 months. It would be a big job any time, but to be recovering from knee surgery is just too much (even though she's recovering very well). Jenn, Collette, Jana, Amie, Melinda and I all came to help, plus a couple of Michelle's awesome neighbors. Many hands definitely make light work.

{click to enlarge photo}

I came home to some fun mail today. Anna sent me this hilarious map of my route from Salt Lake City to Paris. It should be no problem except for that pesky 3,462 mile swim across the Atlantic. Thanks for the thoughtfulness and the laugh Anna!

I got this cute card from Claudia. I think she may be more excited for my Paris trip than I am. One question...where do I get the pink poodles? This is a great quote from Claudia's letter "Don't fret about my b-day, just find something fabulous down there." (By the way her 40th birthday is April 30th, she's on the good mail list.)

Jana sent me this cute thank you note the day after I sent her a book in the mail, that's fast. Thanks Jana!

I had a bad dream the other night that it was time for me to leave for the airport, but I hadn't driven out to Eagle Mountain to get my sister Lori's suitcases, so apparently I'm starting to panic that I won't be ready for my trip. I did a little more shopping today and got some travel-sized toiletries, a couple shirts and a theft-proof purse (there's wire in the strap so it can't be cut off of me). Can I just say that if someone tries to cut my purse off of me I'm going to crap my pants and freak out, or I'll fall to the ground and play dead! There were no instructions for what to do in case that happens.

**Have you ever helped a friend
clean before? Has anyone ever helped you?
Wasn't my good mail funny today?
Have you ever been mugged?

Fine then, let's get personal

Apparently my morning post about last night's bra fitting didn't give you all the details you were looking for. I guess I was hurrying to write all of that before going out today (no more Creative Fridays for 9 weeks or more!) and I felt like I was revealing something by showing you guys the picture of the bras on the chair. But alas, I was wrong and you need more info (I'm okay with that, I guess I just feared giving you too much info.)

Here goes...


I didn't post pictures of the shoes I got because I had to go back today to get one of the pairs. You see, they were having a big "Ecco" event involving me putting the shoes on-hold last night and then coming back to pay for them today which qualified me for a $25 Dilliard's gift card. Even though I'm not keen on two trips to the mall even I can see the beauty of free money. So, today I wore one of the pairs of shoes so I could break them in and see if they are Paris-worthy (they were comfy on the bottom but rubbed the sides of my heel, now I'm concerned, I'm going to be packing mole skin and band-aids for sure) and then went to pick up the other pair.


I actually feel like I'm morphing into Michelle a little bit. This is a good thing because she has more style than I do. The clothes I've been buying for my trip are dressier than my normal duds so I need different shoes (no flip-flops in Paris for me). Last month when Michelle and I went shopping on her birthday she tried on these black Mary Janes and decided against them. I thought they were cute, but not really something I was likely to wear (or pay for $110!). Fast forward to last-minute trip preparations where I understand that I need dressier, supportive and comfortable shoes and have gift money from my mom to buy something nice for the trip (thanks Mom!!!). I just could not have known last month that the planets were going to align in this way.

Now for the bra news...


I failed to mention that Dilliard's is actually having a "Bra Spectacular" right now. This meant they were serving lemon water and mini eclairs (like I was really going to eat one in front of the size 1 sales girls), having daisy drawings (there was a number attached to a daisy stem which translated into a prize--I got a candle) and I got to enter a drawing for $100 worth of bras (that's like 2 bras!). So now I have a stinky Gardenia candle (can you say headache?) and some cute daisies by my sink. Good times.


Apparently I'm stalling. Okay, the measuring was actually helpful. I have always bought bras in a bigger size around because I didn't want them to be too tight and produce that ugly lump around the back. I have been wearing a 42C for years. This was a bad thing. It was totally stretched out and basically doing nothing to help me out. After being measured I am a 40D. I'm wearing one of my new bras today and can tell a big (no pun intended again) difference. I feel very aware of my chest (which is a weird feeling) but feel very supported; so I'm happy with it and definitely recommend getting measured. (How funny that just 3 days ago I was confessing my fears of doing this and now I'm a pro.)


It hurt to pay this much for two bras, but I guess it's silly not to get high quality bras when I have to wear them every freakin day. So there you have it.

Since we (the kids and I) were schlepping to the mall to get my shoes I surprised them by taking them to the movies and to lunch. They must have said thank you like 20 times each. I dozed off a bit in the movie (what's up with that?) but enjoyed what I saw of it.

Our ticket stub from the movies.

I got this cute thank you card from Lelly today. Thanks!

I got this cute spring, fairy mail from Amanda. Thanks!

**Any more questions??
Are we all intimate friends now?
Care to post your bra size?
Have you seen that movie?
Any good mail today?**

Let's have a contest to see who gets the candle (it doesn't actually stink, just to my very sensitive nose). If you're interested in it then please say so in your comment and share an embarrassing detail about yourself--I've certainly revealed a few here.

Too Close For Comfort

I went shopping for shoes last night and was wondering if I was brave enough to get measured for a bra as well. I had called Collette and was hoping she'd be available to go shopping with because I know she wants a new bra too, but I got her machine (@#$%) and then I remembered she has presidency meetings on Thursday nights. I went to Dillards and found some good (expensive, ouch) shoes so I had better have happy feet in Paris! I did a drive by through the intimate apparel department, but saw the two cute, young employees and left. I went to a couple other stores in the mall and then sucked it up and went back to get measured.

I confessed my anxiety to one of the cute, young employees and she told me not to worry about it. The actual measuring part was super fast, the weird part was having her stay in the dressing room as I tried on each bra! That's a first! No wonder it's called intimate apparel, I've NEVER been so intimate with a sales person before.

I did get over my anxiety somewhat though I felt very strange standing in the dressing room while she went to get me new bras to try on. Each time she'd come back in and watch me try them on and then tell me whether they looked good or not! Seriously?! Fortunately she didn't come off as scrutinizing me. I told myself it was like going to the doctor (a necessary evil) and that she was a professional just doing her job.


This is me after she left the dressing room. I was disheveled and sweaty, but I did it! This is a major feat for me so thanks for walking me through it. I bought two new bras, so that ought to hold me (no pun intended) for awhile. Paris here I come!

One more thing--I listened to my iPod while I shopped (not during the trying on part of course) and loved it. I'm listening to The Devil in White City (our book club book) and it's so great getting it "read" while I'm driving and shopping, but also it's cool because it's fun to has someone telling me a story while I'm doing other things. I'm loving it. I found this great site for downloading audiobooks.

Also, a word about my art post yesterday. I'm not anti-museum. I was merely trying to express my feelings about the struggle I have with looking at art, especially when there's so much of it. It's hard to take it all in and I don't like walking past some paintings in order to get to the famous ones. You guys offered a ton of good advice though and I want you to know I'm not stressing about it and that I will enjoy every minute of it.

**Have you had an intimate apparel
experience like mine?
Do you listen to books on tape?**