Eye of newt and toe of frog...

Nathan and I are headed up to Washington tomorrow for our biennial family reunion so I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Halloween.

Beware the terrifying Headless Horseman of the Wal-mart bike aisle!

MWA HA HA HA HA HA!

When it rains it pours.

This weekend was one of those ones that I figured I just had to survive. I knew it was going to be crazy, but I didn't realize it would also end up being a lot of fun.

Nathan and I have been asked to serve as the activity leaders at our church. It has to be because they don't know us. I actually begged my friend Lindy (the queen of parties) to come up from Arizona to help out but apparently she was already booked. This Friday was our "Harvest Hoe Down!" and for as terrified as I was I think it turned out really well. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera but I think this photo gives you the idea.

Grab yo' pahtna fo' the Vuh-ginia Reel!

I had the amazing realization that if I want Nathan to dance with me I just need to turn on some square dancing music. To say he was excited is an understatement. We ended up having a blast and getting to know some really fun people in the process.

I also play the piano for the primary at church and this week was our annual Primary Program. I don't know why, but playing the piano in front of adults scares the heck out of me so I was up several times in the night worrying about it. Fortunately, I really can only think of one obvious mistake. However, it did happen in my very first introduction. Oh well, you've got to stay humble, I guess. Overall, though, I think the program went really well and the kids sounded great. After church we had a celebratory dinner with the McLays (Brooke is the chorister) that ended in typical fashion with discussion that lasted into the night.

I can tell that I was a little stressed about everything because I, who usually wake myself up by 6:30 at the latest, slept in until 10:00 this morning. It was glorious.

I am repelled and attracted all at the same time.

I guess I really shouldn't be so surprised.

This morning I woke up with a little rumbly in the tumbly. I went over what I ate yesterday, but nothing stands out. Hmm... let me see.

1. Cocoa Puffs
   
2. 1 lb. Sweet Pork Burrito with Mango Salsa that Nathan brought back from Denver for me
3. Pizza
4. Twizzlers
5. Cookies
   
6. Hot Tamales
   
7. Doritos
   
8. Chips and Salsa

I just can't imagine what it might had been.

By the way, I also shut all the meat of my forearm into an accordian door yesterday and I didn't cuss once!

Thought for the day

For those of you following the Stephanie and Christian Nielson story...

http://themotherinme.com/events/book-launch-party-saturday-october-18/

And now for something completely different...

Number 32 on your scorecard, number 1 in your heart!

Thirty two is:

1. The atomic number of germanium
2. The freezing point of water at sea level in degrees Fahrenheit
3. The fifth power of two
4. The number of completed, numbered piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven
5. The winning car number of Ray Harroun in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911
6. The number of teeth of a full set of teeth in an adult human, including wisdom teeth
7. The number of national teams that have participated in each FIFA World Cup finals tournament since 1998.
8. The jersey number 32 of: the Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson, the Utah Jazz's Karl Malone, the Portland Trail Blazers' Bill Walton, the Philadelphia 76er's Billy Cunningham, the Boston Celtics' Kevin McHale, baseball pitchers Sandy Koufax and Steve Carlton, Cleveland Browns' running back Jim Brown, and Manchester United football player Carlos Tevez as well as Shaquille O'Neal and Richard Hamilton.
9. The code for international direct dial phone calls to Belgium
10. The age I turned on Saturday!

That's right, folks, it was my b-day on Saturday and I ended up having a lovely day. It started with my husband getting up early and whipping up some crepes for me (J'adore, mon amour), then watching Oklahoma cough it up to Texas (Go Longhorns!). After that Nathan and I headed to the church where we had an arts fest and I sat in on a class on writing and publishing. It was really informative and has already helped me come up with some new ideas for some stuff that I am working on - sorry Meg! When we got home it was time for BYU vs. New Mexico and we were lucky enough to have our new friends, the McLays and a couple of Wilcoxes come over to watch with us. There were disgusting amounts of popcorn, Hot Tamales, and Swedish Fish consumed so it was fantastic. After that we headed over to the McLays for dinner and homemade cupcakes which Brooke (my sistah from another mistah - not as good as brotha from a different mutha, but you get the idea!) had just whipped up. Rule number one, baked goods can never have too much butter! Heaven. Then it was time to get jiggy with a little Rock Band. After the kids had been put to bed the adults worshiped at the temple of Rock for a couple of hours. Best phrase from the evening - "Go to bed sweetie. Mommy has to play Blue Oyster Cult." It was a fantastic day - thank you everyone who was involved. Now the countdown has begun to my party next year, where at my fiesta Nathan will announce in the likeness of Jefe from "Three Amigos!" that "Today, she is... thirty-three years old!" Bring your maracas!

Time to gather at the Supernacle!

As I have gotten older I have come to absolutely love General Conference weekend. It is such a respite for the body and mind and allows me to reevaluate the things that I am doing well and those that I need to work on. This weekend was no different. I must say that I will probably always miss President Hinckley and the sweet humor that always accompanied his powerful messages, but I have seen a new and deeper gravitas rest with President Monson over the last few months that has enriched my love for him. The talks were wonderful and the Primary choir (of course!) touched my heart.

The thing that touched me the most, though, was the announcement of five new temples to be built. I was ecstatic to hear that Argentina is getting a second temple and immediately whipped out my mission journal to try and guess who would be in the new district and would be able to receive those blessings more readily. And Rome?!? Fantastic! What really got me, though, was the complete lack of surprise that I felt when President Monson announced that there would be new temples. When I was a little girl we could literally name off every single one, but now the number expands constantly. I say that the announcement came with no surprise, but that doesn't mean that I didn't feel a sense of wonder all the same. I am grateful to live in a time when there are so many possibilities and the ability to worship as we please is being extended to more and more people of all faiths. I look forward to the day when it is granted to all.