New York City!!

Shaunna & Keith & I took a trip to NYC near the end of April to see a few Broadway shows - mainly Promises, Promises. Kristin Chenoweth, Sean Hayes, and Tony Goldwyn made up the cast, which was enough for us to book our flights. They were all great. (The story wasn't the greatest, since it was mainly about adultery, but still the music (by Burt Bacharach) was good - many familiar songs from the late 60s & early 70s.) We got to meet all three of them afterwards, after waiting for a bit at stage door. They were all very nice. Kristin especially - soooo sweet and appreciative of us coming to the show. And if you happened to catch Glee on Tuesday, April 27, you saw that she guest starred and sang - what else? - a Burt Bacharach song: "A House is Not a Home / One Less Bell to Answer." Very moving!! Loved it! She is absolutely fabulous.
Shaunna & Keith had tickets to The Addams Family (the Musical) and Lend me a Tenor, but I wasn't interested in those, so I found my own shows at the last minute. I got to see Sondheim on Sondheim, a review featuring Sondheim's music from his various musicals. Interviews of him were projected onto a screen, and then the small cast of eight would sing his songs as he mentioned them. Highlights for me were hearing Barbara Cook sing "Send in the Clowns" (A Little Night Music), Norm Lewis singing "Being Alive" (Company), and Vanessa Williams singing "Children Will Listen" (Into the Woods). Barbara is 82 years old - it's incredible how she still sings amazingly. What a special treat to see her. Vanessa is very sexy! Yowza! Fantastic talent. Here's more info on the show.

I also saw In the Heights, but it wasn't really my thing. The theatre was packed with screaming teenagers, all there for Corbin Bleu. I guess he's famous for High School Musical. Who knew - not me!

Besides shows, we visited the new High Line park in the Chelsea neighborhood, which was cool. We also did the Circle Line Tour around the island of Manhattan. Our second time, but we just love all the views, the information (history, geography, economy) of New York. Fascinating. Then we walked through Central Park, which was lovely. Enjoy the photos from my NYC trip!
This is my favorite bridge in Central Park: Bow Bridge.

If you're interested in seeing some similar performances, check these videos out! So fun!

• If (You Hadn't, But You Did)- Kristin Chenoweth
• Taylor, the Latte Boy - Kristin Chenoweth
• Hopelessly Devoted to You - Kristin Chenoweth (from TV's Pushing Daisies)
• Losing My Mind - Barbara Cook
• This is the Moment - Norm Lewis

Concerts & Shows

I got to see some fabulous shows within just a couple of weeks: Fiddler on the Roof at WVC Hale Theatre and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Orem Hale Theatre. Great stuff, both of them.
I also got to see some fabulous concerts at the E-Center. Naturally 7 opened for Michael Buble, and they were pretty entertaining & very talented!
Michael, of course, was his fabulous self. This was my third time seeing him and he is just so freakin' entertaining. Such a natural-born entertainer. Melanie & I enjoyed him very mucho!
The next week, Jeremy & I saw Muse in concert. They ROCKED! I seriously love their music. Many people know of them because of their songs on the Twilight series soundtracks. Since I haven't read those books or seen the movies, I didn't know about them. Thanks to my friend Nicole for introducing to the yummy ear candy that is MUSE!

Renovations & Improvements

So I've done some improvements in my house this year. I got granite countertops for my two upstairs bathrooms. I picked out some beautiful granite that reminded me of Moose Tracks ice cream. Yummy! I also painted both cabinets underneath (black in the master; walnut brown in the guest bathroom), installed new faucets & light fixtures, and towel bars. Here is the master bathroom BEFORE: And here is the master AFTER:

Guest bathroom BEFORE:
Jeremy loves to paint!!

Guest bathroom AFTER:

I've been meaning to replace the dining fixture I installed when I moved in to something more modern. I finally found a great white drum shade. My home teacher, Jay, came over and helped me hang it. It only required three trips to the hardware store, but he DID IT!

AFTER

Conference Weekend in Idaho

For General Conference weekend, Shaunna & Keith & I drove to Caldwell, Idaho, to spend the weekend with my brother Bruce & Mandee and their adorable boys, Cooper and Carter. We enjoyed the messages of Conference and spending time together. Here are the highlights!

Willeys

In March, Jeremy's Aunt Sherry died after battling cancer for two years. It was hard on us all, as she was only 60 and such a wonderful, giving person. We got to spend some good times with the Willeys around that time, celebrating his dad's birthday at Tepanyaki and going to his brother-in-law's hockey game.

Changes at work

We've had some not-so-fun changes at work the past few months. I don't deal well with change... My good friends and co-workers Jen & Kristin recently left our team. It just won't be the same without them! But, I know we'll be friends for years to come and them leaving HBS won't change that. Here are all the farewell lunches we held as a result of the escape from HBS.

Ponzi Schemer

My family has an old friend named Shawn Merriman. Our dad was his scoutmaster in high school, and he joined the church when he & my brother Brian were about 16. We've visited him & his wife Andrea in Colorado where they've lived a very posh lifestyle. About a year ago, he revealed to Andrea and their four kids that he'd been running a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme for the past 17 years (here's a news article). As you can imagine, this has been devastating to their family - not to mention all his victims. But Andrea has handled it beautifully. Miracles began to happen for her as she moved herself and her four kids (and little else - they were left with nothing since everything was seized by the gov't) to Orem, Utah, where she was handed a house and a Public Relations job.

Brian and his son Jordan were in town in March, and we got to go to dinner with Andrea and hear all about her last year, plus more details of Shawn's actions. We had a lot of fun, though the news she shared was SO shocking!

She has started a blog recently to document her story. I just know it will lead to a book deal and she'll soon be on Oprah and famous!! HAHA. She's an great writer and can really tell a story. It's fascinating and gaining popularity like crazy. On her fourth day posting, she had 800+ hits on her blog!!! Lots of curious readers!

It was great having Brian & Jordan here for a few days and getting to spend lots of time with them. Jordan was participating in a Ballroom Dance competition at BYU, so we got to go watch his team perform. Very talented kids!!

Dinners with Friends

One week in February, in particular, was filled with dinners with friends. Ollie's birthday dinner was first, followed by karaoke at Mark's afterwards. So fun to see Ollie & Renee and their lil Baby Jet.
I have a friend (Rebecca) serving in the Peace Corps in China who was visiting Utah, and we got to have a great evening together. I feel pretty cool knowing someone like her.

My old friend from UVSC, Deb Thornton, and I got together after having little-to-no communication for a couple years. She'd lost her mom a year earlier, and it meant so much to her to get together and catch up. Again...lucky to know someone like Deb.

We got to go on a triple date with the McElwees (+ Sydney) and the Vladimiroffs for sushi. Great fun to catch up w/ Shauna & Rob, who live in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Ear Candles

**** Disclaimer ****
Some may find this post disgusting, inaccurate, or offensive.

Years ago, I discovered ear candles, a slick way of getting wax out of my ears and thus improving my hearing. I think it's pretty fascinating and just plain good hygiene. Here's how it works: you need an assistant - especially since you're dealing with fire. Cut a hole in a paper plate, then put the ear candle through it. (This way, the plate catches any burnt candle, as opposed to fire falling onto your hair -- NOT good.) Position the pointy end of the ear candle into your ear, tightly. Light the ear candle at the far end and lay perfectly still on your side, as shown below.

As the candle burns, it creates a suction effect that pulls the wax from your ear canal. Once an inch or two has burned, have your assistant clip the candle and let it fall into a bowl of water. Once it burns down to a safe distance from the plate, extinguish the candle. Then comes the FUN part! Unravel the candle at the pointy tip to reveal the wax that has turned into a powdery, claylike substance. It's really fascinating!

Ear candles can be purchased for just a few dollars at your local health food store. Love 'em!

Note: After reading about Ear Candles on Wikipedia, scientists argue their effectiveness. Any thoughts? Experiences?