sarah's writer's block

Reunion Tour '09: Renaissance Edition

2009-11-23T21:13:00.000-08:00

When Jared and I decided on a Renaissance theme for this year's Reunion Tour, he realized right away that his part was pretty much done. Years of Shakespearean and Renaissance Festivals and my recent trip to Italy (which I didn't realize was an event research trip) had me brimming over with ideas. This was right up my alley.

Putting on 4 events back-to-back right before put me on an impossibly short timeline, but thankfully I had amazing partners that magically transformed a huge empty room into a medieval wonderland with decor, lighting, video, and design. I recruited my co-worker Julie as my partner in crime and the rest of the staff worked their hearts out to help make the event actually happen.

To our normal run of a speaker and themed connecting experiences, etc. we added a visit from William Shakespeare. Surprisingly, it was Jared who wanted to add actors. I was worried it could either been really good or really cheesy--but Jared has a sense for this kind of thing and he was a huge hit. We also had a Renaissance Feast with Henry VIII (something I've wanted to do since high school), sword fighting and jousting, and karaoke with a live band (okay that is a thematic stretch--but they were dressed up in renaissance costumes and everyone loved it!)

Jeff always promises them that we will top the year before--which is something that rings through my mind all year. And although there were snags and things that weren't quite right, it was amazingly fun and turned out better then I dared to hope.

I also now know how to spell both renaissance and medieval--so it was all worth it right? I'm currently a happy and very relieved girl---and I made up for a sleepless month last week by spending many blissful hours unconscious in my bed!

ROME

2009-08-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

Top Five Favorite Things About Rome

5. The Views: Looking out over a postcard cityscape with bells echoing through the streets.

4. The Fountains: I've always had a thing for waterfalls and fountains--and Rome had some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. And it didn't hurt that two of these were featured in '50's movies 3. Gelato: I've never been a huge ice-cream lover. Everyone kept raving about Italian gelato, and I'm not gonna lie, I doubted. But I soon converted, and ate it at least once everyday--coming home very disdainful of the American version. 2. Sidewalk Cafes: I loved eating outside for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I did get carbed out pretty quickly, but I fell in love with every sidewalk cafe we ate at. This one was right in front of the Parthenon.

1. Music in the Streets: People have always made fun of me that I randomly break into song. In Rome, I found a kindred city because everywhere we went people were singing. This man was a street performer who set up a boom box in the piazza, opened his mouth and suddenly I was listening to an Andrea Bocelli.

Fairy Tale Land

2009-08-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

My trip to Italy and Turkey was absurdly helpful in helping me with a story that I've been writing (a fairy tale). It seemed everywhere we went added a place, character, or subplot. I was kept busy writing it all down as fast as I could.(Will post more pictures later. . .)

This is the castle (Sienna and Milan)

This is the staircase to the Wizard's Tower (Sienna)

Magical Blue Pools (Pumukkale, Turkey)

Whimsey the Amber-Eyed Owl (Lake Como)

Bartlebee

Summer Castle (Lake Como)

Sultan's Palace (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, actual Sultan's Palace--Istanbul)

Tombs of the Ancestors (Hierapolis)

MIA

2009-05-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it's been awhile. . .

I replaced my blogging time with writing to my mom and dad on their mission. So, in brief, here's what's been going on the last couple of months:

1. PRIMARY: I was released from Single Adult Rep and called into Primary. Not a lot of experience here--but being over the music and sharing times have been a blast, although I'm still at a total loss to understand Scouts.

2. STAY AT HOME MOM: I played mom for a week when my brother and sister-in-law were out of town.

Favorite Part: Hanging out with the girls and the funny things they would say. Also, them bringing me breakfast in bed on my birthday.

Frustrating Part: I was going to get a lot of stuff down during my "down time"--which never appeared because absolutely nothing went the way I thought it would.

3. MOAB: I went with a group to Moab to do a half marathon and did hikes the night before and the day after. Yes, I do appear to have been suffering from a case of temporary insanity, but although exhausting, I had a really good time.

4. LEAVING THE COUNTRY: I've had a trip to Italy and Turkey planned with my friend Kelsey for about a year, but it was permanently on hold because of finances. In the last month (between babysitting and work bonuses) I was able to pay off my credit card. I wasn't about to go back into debt for a trip when I was finally out, but things fell together and between a $500 plane fare and a humanitarian foundation I've been working with paying Jared and I to write a picture book for them, I finally ran out of reasons why I couldn't go. I almost cried when I realized my passport had been expired for years without me even noticing it and I'm feel a part of me that has been lost returning.

A Baker's Dozen

2009-01-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

I used to love telling people from outside Utah that there were 13 people in my family. Their eyes would go wide and their jaws would drop. On my mission, I would show people a picture of my family and the first question was “Are they all from one mother?” and the next was usually, “Did you have a TV?”

A few weeks ago, I had the rare opportunity of performing a family song with my 10 siblings. It was my parents speaking-in-church-before-their-mission-that-isn’t-called-a-farewell-anymore, and everyone had made a super-human effort to be there.

So, in honor of that possibly not to be repeated scenario, here is my take on the sociological effects of growing up in a big family.

1. Eating Fast: Anything good didn’t last long, so you ate it fast and as much as possible. I remember a whole drawer full of grapes being gone in under an hour.

2. No Germ Phobias: Growing up in a big family made eating off each other’s silverware, using each other’s hair brushes, drinking from each others cups no big deal. There was even a time I was okay with a communal toothbrush. (I grew out of that one. . .)

3. Singing: I was an adult before I realized why we always sang on road trips and for FHE—there was a 16 year age range and singing was one of the few things that we could all do together. Additionally, if we were singing, we weren’t fighting or asking if we were there yet. I now see it as a brillant strategy.

4. Sibling Traditions: We did what our siblings did. Mark didn’t like tomatoes, so no one younger than him did either. My oldest siblings moved out at 18 and so did the rest of us. Precedents were set for years to come.

5. Tolerance: I found it easier to relate to all kinds of different people because I lived under the same roof with someone like them. We had the computer guy, cheerleader, athlete, drama/choir kid, super-student etc.

6. Opinionated: I learned to state my opinions strongly (even more strongly than I actually felt at times). Otherwise you could have 12 people contradicting you at once. I’ve had to learn to soften this tendency in the outside world—it doesn’t go over well.

7. Independence: My parents were amazing caregivers, but it was impossible to be on top of us for every little thing, so what we excelled in, we chose to excel in.

8. Interdependence: Most of my questions and needs can usually be addressed by someone in my family—medical, computer, fashion and beauty, writing, cooking, photography, shopping tips, food storage etc. It's really great.

In spite of its challenges, being from a big family is pretty spectacular. I’m grateful to my Mom and Dad for making it possible.

Reunion Tour

2008-12-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

Growing up I always had a facination with "theme" parties. Unfortunately, no one else seemed to share my burning desire and I was vetoed over and over again. Except for the notable exception of my 18th Birthday. My friends actually threw a spoof "theme" party: it was a bridal shower.

The theme gene must run deep in the family, because my brother/boss decided that our company's preimere event, Reunion Tour (a 2 day executive retreat with abt. 200 people)was going to have a different theme every year--Olympics 2006, Hollywood 2008, New York City 2009.

With 2 other retreats back to back in September and October, and really having no official staff to help me (people pitched in at the end and saved me, but it wasn't really their job to make it happen) this year was complete insanity. Speakers, gifts, av, video production, nametags, rotation, manual, games, sponsors, and I could just go on and on for pages. Many late nights later--and a couple where I didn't go to bed at all--it miraculously came together and was a hit ! Someone told us it was "flawless" and I basked in that compliment for days!

Sandy

2008-12-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

I spent most of Saturday helping my sister Naoma move out of her house and into my sister Anna's house because Anna was moving into my parent's house because they are moving to Mexico City. Got it so far?

Well, I was outside Anna's house getting some boxes and one of my co-workers (who is one of my favorite people and who happens to live in this same neighborhood) drives by and stops and calls out hello.

Before I could say anything she jumps in with, "Hi, I'm Sandy. I'm the nursery leader at church and I just wanted to introduce myself."

I responded, "Hi Sandy. I'm Sarah. I work with you."

In her defense, I had my hair pulled back with no make-up on and she knew that my sisters and I look alike. In fact, Naoma and I look the most alike. But then on the other hand, she'd never seen Naoma. . .

Drumroll Please. . .

2008-10-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

When my parents decide to do something, they don't let any grass grow under their feet. The day after they'd decided to serve another mission, it was in the newspaper that my dad was stepping down from the city council. They had their entire household goods divvied up between their children and shipped out to our houses before their papers were even in. They were ready to go!

So, when dad called me on Friday to tell me they had their call, but that they were going to wait to open it until that night so we could be there for it, I was impressed at their patience.

We all descended on the house en masse (the out-of-staters were present via cell phone) and took turns guessing where they had been called to. We had everything from Sweden to Ghana to Hong Kong--but my brother-in-law Jon actually guessed it. They will be serving in Mexico City, Mexico. They are currently assigned to the visitor's center there (which is the center of a church college and MTC) but their call is under the mission president's direction to reassign.

I'll miss them so much, but I love that they are so willing to serve the Lord. They are amazing people!

Reba, Kelly, Rachael, Kelsey and Me

2008-10-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

Adding events to my job has been stressful, but has also has great perks. For instance, our Jazz Suite sponsors get one concert a year included in their package and as the event director I had to go! I took my niece Rachael for her birthday and when we ended up with one extra ticket, my co-worker Kelsey came along to help out.

The concert featured Reba McIntire and Kelly Clarkson. A strange combination of styles, I know, but it ended up being a very cool mix. I know Reba from my Rick's days (I had a house cleaning job with a friend who was a big country fan, so that's what we listened to)and I know Kelly's most famous hits, but there's nothing like hearing people with "real deal" voices perform live. The best part was that they didn't just take turns but both sang each other's songs.

I sat on a broken chair, messed up the seating chart and about died when Reba ended the concert with "Fancy" (that is such a terrible song) but we had a tremendously fun time!

Mistakes

2008-10-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

"In order to do something well, we must be first willing to do it badly."

I've never seen myself as a perfectionist, but I guess in some ways I am--especially with work. This came to my attention as I recently took over our statewide events. I took it on willingly because I'd been craving a new challenge and it sounded like fun.

The first Summit went smoothly and my confidence was high. The second Summit was private labeled for the Utah Jazz to host all their sponsors. I spent many late nights and weekends unraveling all the details--thinking if I just worked hard enough, I could make it run perfectly.

It was all coming together, (well except for a near disaster a few days before when we realized I had 25 people all scheduled to golf at 3:30. Tee times? What are those?) then at 6:00 the night before the "bewitching hour" struck. I realized I'd scheduled our two speakers for the same day! I was so focused on the details, I didn't see a major error. I went to my co-worker's office and started to hyperventilate, "What do I do???"

She calmed me down and I finally got a hold of the speaker in the airport and my boss and I were able to arrange a different flight and rearrange his speaking time. Then the Jazz wanted a room to watch the game. . .Then the speaker needed to have extra av. . .Then I lost the $2,000 camera. It was just one costly problem or mistake after another.

Thankfully everyone ended up having a fantastic experience,and I learned some important lessons.

1. No matter how hard I try, I'm going to make mistakes. I need to judge the success of things by the number of good things that happened instead of the number of things that went wrong.

2. I need to be okay with depending on other people and letting them help me when I need it (my event staff, bosses, and the hotel staff saved me over and over again--they were an answer to the urgent SOS messages I kept sending to heaven.)

3. Things don't have to be perfect for me to be happy. Walking around the golf course in Park City enjoying the stunning fall colors, talking to my phenomenal co-workers, sitting in the most amazing jacuzzi ever--looking up at the stars between the clouds of rising steam--there is a lot to enjoy and be grateful for in life.

Patience

2008-09-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

I remember when I was younger thinking that patience was one of the "lesser" Christ-like virtues--at least compared to things like faith or compassion or charity. Then in the MTC, I had a difficult time with my companion and found myself suddenly in desperate need of patience and realized that I had none.

This has turned into a lifelong theme. Some people have reoccurring trials with health or family or finances--but it seems that most of my trials have been ones of patience (I guess with a name like Sarah Elizabeth, it was inevitable). Trusting that God will have everything work together for my greatest happiness isn't necessarily the part I struggle with (though I do wonder what in the world He's doing sometimes), it's when I'm asked to sit back and do nothing--allowing things to unfold as they will that I feel internal fingernails scraping down a chalkboard.

Because I'm the type of person that loves action--to make a plan and go out and make it happen, being asked to "let go and wait" is a strange and exquisite torture. Recently, life experience has brought this up again, so if any of you have any counsel for me on how to patiently wait, I'd love your insights.

What Not To Wear

2008-08-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

Although I almost never watch television these days, I do have one show I watch anytime I can— TLC’s “What Not To Wear.” I relate on a deep level to those girls who can’t seem to put together an outfit and are frustrated with a body that clothes just don’t seem to fit right.

So, last summer when my boss asked me and my co-worker Kelsey what kind of incentive we wanted to complete an enormous training project, I convinced Kelsey that what we really wanted a What Not To Wear shopping spree with my sister Anna acting as Stacy and Clinton.

This took a little longer than initially anticipated as we worked to get down to a
size we wanted to buy clothes for, but in April we were finally ready. I did some pre-shopping in Park City and came home completely depressed because none of the new styles looked good on me.

Enter Anna and her magic.

She’d been collecting coupons and analyzing my existing wardrobe for months, and called me one day saying the sales were on and she’d already had clothes on hold for me at the mall. I took an early lunch and met her there. As I tried on the stacks of clothes she had waiting for me and looked in the mirror, I gasped . I was stunning! She chose exactly the right styles and colors and put them together like a work of art. We’d go through stores and she would run her fingers through the racks of clothes and come up with the perfection. And she did the same thing for Kelsey.

This went on for several days. One of those days, Anna had to bring all 4 of her boys (5 and under) with her. My co-worker and I would take turns entertaining the boys in the dressing room or playing hide and seek in the shoe store while the other tried on and got the approval nod or disapproval shake from Anna. Another day, we brought our entire closets to her house, tried on every piece of clothing we owned, and she told us what we had to get rid of. I could tell that there were things she’d been dying to have me get rid of by the look of satisfaction on her face when they hit the discard pile.

The whole thing was like a college-level education in fashion merchandizing with classes in ensemble, the rules of shoes (my worst subject) and what you should and shouldn’t match. I was one of the most purely fun experiences of my life and I’m so grateful to have such a talented and giving sister. Everyone I told about it wished they had an Anna!

More Race Pictures!

2008-07-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Cursed Race

2008-07-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

When I was offered the chance to run the Wasatch Back (a 178 mile relay race from Logan to Park City with a team of 12 people) at no cost, I thought, “What could be the downside to that?”

That was before I realized that this particular race was cursed.

The opportunity came through work, and as the captain, I originally had my co-workers signed up and ready to go. The curse began as, one by one, they dropped out for various and sundry reasons (which were mostly medical and all valid) and their replacements continued to drop out up until two days before the race.

Add to this major issues with providing volunteers, online registration breakdowns, transportation miscommunications (we almost didn’t have cars to run this race) and the whole experience was topped off by me locking myself out of my condo the night before. Ohhhh, I positively hated this race! Usually when so many things go wrong, I figure it’s just not meant to be (especially when it’s supposed to be for fun) and let it go, but to my surprise and chagrin, this experience somehow kept saving itself.

But once we got safely off the starting line, the whole thing became a fabulous adventure. We all ran 3 legs of 5-8 miles ranging from easy to extremely difficult—riding along in the car and giving water breaks and cheering each other on when it wasn’t our turn.

Our van had me, my one co-worker, my sister, and my nephew and two of his cross-country friends. Our cross-country kids were incredibly inspiring—we could barely keep up with them in the car for their water breaks (we had to throw out their water to them from the car at times) and watching them sprint up and down mammoth canyons was amazing. We had people along the route spraying us with water, throwing candy into our car, and my sister crossed one exchange point with a popsicle in her hand! :)

My nephew got really sick (heat exhaustion) and started throwing up, but was able to pull it out and finish his legs. My co-worker found out later she ran her last leg on a hairline fracture—and did it in really good time!

We ran into the night with headlamps and reflective vests and had to call out to identify each other. It was so odd being at these remote locations in the middle of the night with hundreds of other people. At 12:00 a.m. we went to one of the break areas where they’d laid down wrestling mats on a school gym floor for us to sleep on. As I walked in and saw the huddled masses beneath their blankets, I suddenly felt like a Katrina victim!

In the end, our team crossed our finish line almost 24 hours later, all in one piece and feeling very happy. And no, I’m not planning on doing it again next year!

Disney Princess

2008-06-18T22:23:00.001-07:00

You Are Aurora! (A.K.A. Sleeping Beauty.)

Thoughtful and loving. Authority figures probably have been sheltering you all of your life. Thankfully you're a very tranquil person who is content with what life has given you, but secretly you want to know how the outside world works.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Done

2008-05-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

I'm grateful, incredulous, and supremely relieved to announce that the book is done.

When Jared and I drove up to Salt Lake to pick up the boxes of books, he asked me if it felt like an anticlimax. I responded that of course it was, but I didn't care. It was done!

When my co-worker and friend said we needed to go and celebrate, I picked up a copy and said, "I don't need a party or a bonus or anything. This is enough!"

That said, it has been very fun to have family and friends call telling me they just finished reading it and to be able to talk to them about it.

I'm very grateful to all the amazing people in my life who contributed offically or unoffically to this moment (which sounds a little Academy Award-ish but I really mean it).

Did I mention that I was really happy about this?

Stranger Than Fiction

2008-05-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had an experience that made you feel like you just
stepped into a movie script? I had one the other day in my parent’s
storage room.

Backstory

One of the reviewers of the play I directed surmised by my having the
same last name as my brother (the playwright) that I was single. He
put a line into the review pretty much asking for my number. Which
was funny because he didn’t even know what I looked like—he was
apparently just mesmerized by my amazing directorial abilities!
My brother didn’t know him very well and wasn’t sure he was my type
anyway, so feeling protective of me, he put him off.

Fast-forward several months.

I stopped by my parent's house to get something out of storage. My
brother (who lives in their basement) was having a big game night
with all of his theater friends. I stopped for a second to talk to
some people I knew and noticed another guy at the table was paying
particular attention to our conversation. I went into the storage room,
and started digging through my stuff when I distinctly heard this guy
(who obviously didn’t realize I was in the next room) ask the
other people if I was my brother's sister.

I froze, and listened in astonishment as he proceeded to tell them
how he begged my brother to give him my email and how he wouldn't.
Then he started planning his strategy, “If she comes back down here—
I’m going to get her number.”

Yikes! Doesn't stuff like that only happen in movies?

I had no idea what to do. It would embarrass him to walk back out
and I would be totally uncomfortable if someone I didn’t know
asked me out in front of a whole group of people. There was no other
way out of the house (although I briefly did consider the window :))
so I just worked up my courage to eventually go back out and brazen
it out. My admirer apparently choked when faced with reality and I
quickly escaped into the other room.

The funny thing is that if I’d have seen that scene in a movie, I
would’ve made fun of it as completely unrealistic!

Book Jacket Photo Shoot

2008-04-13T21:44:00.001-07:00

Jared and I enlisted the services of our very talented younger sister Naoma to take our official "author" pictures for the dust jacket of the book. Luckily, I had my braces taken off in the nick of time--1 week before these pictures were taken. I'm not normally a fan of my own photos, so it says a lot that I really liked most of the pictures Naoma took. This blog only will let me upload a limited amount--so I chose some favorites to share.

I'm Happy I Was Born

2008-03-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

This year my birthday got stretched out like taffy, which was perfectly fine by me. March is the perfect month to have a birthday in because it’s far enough away from any other major holiday to really get celebrated (no offense, St. Patrick).

The festivities were kicked off Birthday Eve by going to a musical with my sister Anna (who was born the day after my 5th birthday and is therefore linked inextricably to the day). On the 14th itself, I went skiing for the first time in 10 years. A friend and I had already planned on going when a client serendipitously gave her free passes to The Canyons in Park City. We had schizophrenic weather—-blue skies at the bottom of the lift, a wind storm going up and then powdery flakes coming down—then a different combination the on next run, but had a great time! That night I went to dinner with my parents. It was lovely to celebrate the anniversary of the day with those who were originally there. I’m so grateful for such a wonderful mom and dad.

I’d been getting emails with 34 things people loved about me, 34 red cherries, 34 pens, 34 Laffy Taffy’s—but when a person that had no way of knowing it was my birthday called—I knew something was up. It took me about 2 minutes to mentally trace the trail back to LauraLee. As my consummate birthday friend, I instinctively knew she’d found a way to let people know it was my birthday. Only later did I find out she’d mined the “to” addresses in emails I’d sent and sent word to my Facebook friends.

Apparently, you don’t have to be under 10 to have a “Princess Party” because LauraLee got some of my friends together and threw me one. I had a crown, princess napkins, princess food (apples for Snow White, pumpkin fluff for Cinderella etc.), and everyone had to say what princess I reminded them of. Princess presents and clips from favorite princess movies finished it off. My mom just commented in amazement, “Who has friends like that?”

On Sunday I had a delectable birthday dinner with my sister Becky and my nieces and nephews and we watched my newest 4 hour BBC obsession “North and South.” I had another delicious dinner and chat with my sister Naoma and her family, and went shopping with sister Michelle and niece Anneka and recieved many lovely presents, phone messages and texts wishing me happy.

Is it any wonder I love my birthday?

75 Degrees and Blue Skies

2008-02-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

I'd originally planned on making the trip out to Austin to visit my brother and his family last April, then it got re-scheduled for the fall, and I finally ended up going earlier this month--which was fine with me because it provided an escape from the endless snowstorms battering the Wasatch Front into spring-like temperatures and blue skies

My brother Mark and my sister-in-law Laura are the ultimate hosts and I had an amazing time. The first morning, Laura and I went running outside (because we COULD) and I literally gasped with pleasure at the 75 degree weather and continued wallowing in it for the rest of the trip.

I like to explore when I travel--so Mark, Laura and Nate (my nephew) and I trekked all over the place. I was initiated into Texas BBQ and Texas history and the Wii (I moved up from a Wannabe to a Rising Star in Song Star but didn't do as well in the bowling!)

We also went down to San Antonio and saw the Alamo. Davy Crockett was my family's very first video and I watched it dozens of times as a kid, so I enjoyed seeing that. But the best part of San Antonio was floating down and strolling along the River Walk. I'd never even heard of the River Walk, and suddenly I was standing in Venice with picturesque street fronts on either side of a river.

My family always sang in the car on road trips, so on the way back to Austin we taught Nate "Fried Ham" and the America round. I also taught them "I've Never" which Nate liked because he'd done the least and so he usually won.

Other highlights were going to a resturant right on a lake, playing lazer tag and doing some fun shopping at amazing outlets (I got some super-on-sale boots.) Also watching Nate's b-ball game and running four miles with him on the elementary school track--at his insistence! But mostly I loved just having the chance to hang out and talk.

I was also able to meet up with my 4-year Arizona friend and roommate Karin (her husband was stationed in Texas for a few months). We went to the Innerspace Caverns and dinner and I got to catch up on the last several years with them!

Anyway--I had a ball and came back feeling re-humanized!

Miracle

2008-01-20T15:21:00.000-08:00

When Jared and I completed writing the final chapter, I was almost afraid to voice the question.

“Is it done?” I asked.

Three and a half years ago, I moved up to Utah and began co-authoring a business fable with my brother. It was supposed to be done in 6-9 months. Being a person who finds great delight in checking things off my “to do” list, the constant evolution and re-writing of this book has been pretty rough on me. I’ve thought it was done a dozen of times, only to have my hopes dashed over and over agin.

Now the ball was in my court. My task was to make all the final adjustments and prepare a print-ready version that he could take with him on his January retreat.

“No problem,” I thought. “A few little tweaks here and there and we’re good to go.”

Two weeks later I’d only gotten through 4 of the 18 chapters. Those “little tweaks” were tying me in writing knots. I only had one more week left and knew that finishing was impossible—and that put me in a very bad mood.

That Sunday I was bombarded with messages about how God is a god of miracles who can help us do impossible things—Nephi and the ship, Joseph and the church and on and on. I was listening to a BYU Hawaii devotional that night (random) and the speaker suddenly begins telling this story about how he had an impossible amount of work to get done in a limited time-frame but when he’d exercised his faith and the Lord opened a way to make the impossible possible.

Obviously someone was trying to tell me something.

I wrote up my plan of attack, told everyone I'd be working from home, cancelled everything I had going on for the week and began to pray. Starting Monday, after exercising in the morning, I settled into my big chair with my computer on my lap and wrote. I wrote all day and into the night (generally finishing at around 10 pm)for six days straight.

This really was an exercise of faith because even at my very best, I’ve only been able to write for about 5 hours at a time (after that the quality of work decreases rapidly). But somehow my brain was suddenly able to do marathon sessions without shutting down. I went through each page over and over again and smoothed and fixed and adjusted and kept going. On Saturday at 4 pm, I arrived back at my office to print out a hard copy and go through it one last time. At 11 pm, I arrived at Kinkos to bind the manuscript. At midnight exactly, I drove out of the Kinkos parking lot went and dropped off the books in Jared’s mailbox.

I’m not announcing that it’s completely done (I’ve learned my lesson) but I am awed and grateful that the Lord loved me enough to perform this miracle. I’m not a Nephi or a Joseph Smith, but he did this for me anyway and that is an amazing thing.

The Favorite

2008-01-06T14:27:00.001-08:00

Visiting my sister over Thanksgiving, my little niece Rebekah became very attached to me and kept asking for me for a week. Martha called me up and demanded “What did you DO?” I’d only visited for a couple of days and even then, I’d only spent a couple of hours exclusively with her kids, so she just didn’t get it.

The secret, my friend, is very simple. Give a child your full attention for more than a half an hour, and you’ve made a friend for life.

There are two caveats to this general rule, however.

1. There can’t be any other adults with you when you do this because in almost all situations you will end up talking to the other adult. Full attention is essential.

2. You need to do something that you both genuinely enjoy. Children are surprisingly intuitive and can usually sense if you are watching the clock or just humoring them.

When I was given a $70 gift certificate for a bowling alley at a work event, my eyes began to gleam. The bowling alley is kid-friendly, complete with bumpers and ramp to roll the bowling ball down, and seemed an ideal place to reaffirm favorite aunt status with my younger nieces and nephews in one fell swoop.

Their mothers were incredulous, but willing, and after helping me tackle a few things (like lending me a car with enough seats) and commanding their little ones to stick to me like glue, we were on our way. I blithely trooped into Fat Cats hand in hand with my six little charges--who were all six and under--and handed the boy at the counter their shoe sizes and my gift certificate. He proceeded to tell me they weren’t taking the certificates because it was New Year’s, but when he saw my crestfallen expression, he let it slide.

The kids were adorable! They’d watch the ball so anxiously as it barreled down the lane and if they got even one pin down, they’d wriggle in excitement while their cousin cheering section went wild. Stewart (4) told me with big eyes, “I wonder who is going to win. Maybe all of us will win!” They were all pretty good—spares and strikes happening multiple times— and even more incredibly, they stayed in their seats far more than I had any right to expect.

The nearest catastrophe we had came as a consequence of the two free pitchers of soda they gave us. Near the end, Maddi motioned me over and said, “I need to go to the bathroom.” I hadn’t forecasted this possibility, and taking all six of them to the bathroom was not something I wanted to do. When I asked if she could she could hold it, she replied with a pained expression, “But I already have been for a long time!” So, we wrapped things up pretty quickly and hurried to Anna’s to use the facilities. And not a minute too soon because by the end of the short drive, every single one of them needed to use the bathroom!

The Play's the Thing

2007-09-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

Wow! That was one of the most intense 5 weeks of my life, but directing Rings of the Tree turned out to be one of the most delightful experiences I've ever had. It was one of those rare times where you get to do something for the sheer joy of doing it (free from feeling the pressure to try to please or impress someone else i.e. boss, coworkers, clients, professors etc.). I had nothing to prove and therefore simply enjoyed it!

One fun side note is that one of the official adjudicators from ACTF (college theater competition) was none other than my directing teacher from Rick's who is now the dean of BYU's theater department. The whole story came full circle!

Here are my Top 5 Moments with the play (I have 100's more)

1. During a dress rehearsal/ faculty review, just as the villain revealed his true identity. . . the power went out. The entire campus and the surrounding neighborhoods were completely black for hours. That’s taking the dramatic moment just a bit to far, don’t you think?

2. The most perfect impression of Mad Hatter from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland that I've ever seen. It came from our leading man, and my stage manager and I were laughing so hard that tears were rolling down our cheeks. I laughed more doing this play than I have in YEARS!

3. The costumes were gorgeous, but it was terribly amusing to watch the girl’s hoop skirts pop up and jerk to the side and rock every which way. They even brought them to their knees on occasion!

4.Talking incessantly with a British accents and saying very cool phrases like “blinding brilliant” and “gobsmacked” and "biting my arm off" etc. and having it all be official rehearsal behavior. Since it was still a work in progress we got to do a lot of shaping of the script---with the playwright's permission of course.

5. Watching the audience get sucked in to all the plot twists night after night and laugh and cry and come out saying “I wasn’t expecting anything like that!”
Also, watching the actors put heart, body and soul (several rehearsals ran until midnight and beyond) into pulling the whole thing together to create something exceptional.

A lovely, lovely experience. I will miss it!

Here are some reviews from a couple of contributors to the "Association of Mormon Letters- List" if you would care to peruse!

Rings of the Tree- a stage play
Reviewed by Nan Parkinson McCulloch

Thoroughly Mormon Mahonri has written a Victorian fantasy/romance premised with thoroughly Mormon theology. The best selling Victorian mystery writer Anne Perry, also a Mormon, unsuccessfully attempted to combine fantasy and Mormon theology in her epic fantasy, Tathea. Fortunately, Stewart's fantasy is less serious, faster moving and highly entertaining. Rings of The Tree has broad appeal. Folks from 8 to 80, especially feminists and young women will enjoy the play.

Who could write fantasy without symbolism and Stewart has served it up in abundance. We find ourselves searching to identify Holy and Heavenly persons holding the keys to our Eternal Life and their own. And we are introduced to those, otherworldly, who would thwart that plan.

The thought provoking plot twists and turns make the play interesting and keep the audience fully engaged. This is a play you can't leave at the theater, you take it home with you. Stewart has a gift for writing dialogue. His conversations are well thought out and go a long way in developing the characters. For an ensemble cast, I found all the characters surprisingly well developed.

This premier production of award winning playwright Mahonri Stewart's senior project, Rings of the Tree, is the first such project approved by UVSC since adding this new four year degree in theater. It was a significant event and a remarkable achievement for Stewart, the talented cast and the university. I was sincerely moved by Mahonri's play, which left it's unique ring around me...

A mini-review from James Goldberg:

I don't know if anyone else on the list got to see Mahonri's play, Rings of the Tree. I still am not over the high production quality...it says in the program his sister hadn't done theatre in ten years and came back to direct it...I wish that after ten years of almost-uninterrupted directing experience I was close to as good as that. Nice sets and costumes, crisp pacing, good work on the accents, excellent emotional connection for moving, realistic performances, nice little touches to accentuate the humor and the drama...it was just very, very good. Is it OK to ask Mahonri through the list if his sister's married? :) If not, you should send me her number off-list. ...just kidding...but only sort-of...:)

Not that we should neglect the talents of Mr. Stewart himself, who not only wrote, but also acted the villain in his own play. And (since this is a writing, not performance list) managed to put together an engaging period / fantasy / sci-fi (it's not really time travel, but seems like it) / romance piece that doubles as a theological thriller. (Mahonri: my favorite part was probably when she's crying on the floor "Forever in my sins...forever in my sins")

So...for those of you who missed out: sorry. It's theatre so you'll never get to see it quite like that again. Still, I thought I'd briefly share one of those experiences where you find out there's a lot more to Provo Theatre than apparent at first glance. <

Shakespearan Festival Speed Through

2007-09-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

During one of our last dress rehersals for the play, we had two UVSC professors come in and give me feedback. They told me that we needed to pick up the pace and recommended doing a speed throughs (doing the play as if you were pressing a fast-forward button). It was hilarious and really helped.

During this time, I also went down to Ceder City for the Shakepearan Festival with my friends LauraLee, Kelsey and Deah, and the best way that I can describe that experience is that it was just like a speed through.

We got a late start and so we got down to Ceder City speedily (if not quite legally)and arrived to get a blank stare at will-call when I tried to pick up our tickets for Candida, the Matchmaker and King Lear. They looked and looked and couldn't find the reservation that I'd made. Apparently, the woman who took the reservation booked me for July instead of August. But it had a happy ending because they gave us house seats for all the shows that were much better than what I'd orginally purchased.

The next morning we sped off to Zion and climbed Angel's Landing. Holding on to a chain with sheer drops on either side of me, I started to wonder if it was such a good idea, but Kelsey was the perfect coach and got me to the top and an amazing view. Getting behind some slow moving vehicles on the way out necessitated another speedy return to Ceder City (Kelsey said she just stopped looking at the speedometer) and we ran into our matinee (literally) in all of our hiking glory.

Before King Lear, we had to stop at my favorite store on earth, Maurice's--the Ceder City version. Their clothes fit perfectly and last forever, so I got down to business pretty quickly. They kept the store open an hour late for us and then we ran (again literally) into the theater for the last play.

The plays were really well done--all totally different from each other--and the company was the best. I've always wanted to go on a road trip with Deah and LauraLee together because they are better than a comedy team. All three of them fit the bill perfectly for travelling companions--adventerous, easy-going and great chatters. I came home exhausted but having had a great time.

Blonde Moments

2007-08-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

In the past I've been accused of being a bit of a "blonde" (especially when it came to blenders and gas pumps), but just as I was beginning to think those days were over, my air-heady side resurged. I had pulled into my parking space and was hurrying inside when I realized that I'd left something in the trunk. I turned around to see my car rolling out of its stall like a slow motion sequence in a movie. I panicked and tried to jump in to put on the breaks, but while I had neglected to put my car in park, I had locked the doors. It was up to one of the neighbor's cars to stop its get away. Yikes!

But my blonde moment was completely eclipsed by a story my stage manager told me about a girl she works with named Sarah. This Sarah was getting a pedicure and asked the technician where he was from. When he told her he was from Viet Nam, she responded "That's not a place. It's a war!" She proceeded to argue about it and was only convinced when she went home and did a Google search on it!

Dating Scared

2007-08-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

Most people who know me know that I've never really enjoyed dating. I always felt it was a truly less effective way for me to get to know someone and for them to get to know me. It wasn't a huge deal. Some people don't like chocolate, some people don't like hot weather--I didn't like to date. I always thought I'd just have to meet my husband some other way.

But then, about a couple of months ago while I was running with one of my oldest friends, telling her about my latest lunch date, she started asking me all kinds of questions. She finally told me, "What you are experiencing is anxiety."

I was shocked. She gave me a booklet to read and it was like reading a collection of inner thoughts I'd never verbalized. VERY strange, but it was also a relief to know that it wasn't just the way I was wired--my tendency of having a headache and wanting to go home an hour into the date--it had a name. And somehow, I felt like if it had a name, I could do something about it. But the solution! To get over anxiety you have to do the thing you are scared of over and over again until you prove to yourself it isn't the monster you think it is.

That was the last thing I wanted to hear, but after a very long and honest talk with my sister-in-law (in which she shot holes through all my excuses) I decided to bite the bullet. I wasn't about to suffer this for the rest of my life, so I did the very scariest thing I could think of. I went online.

I've always said that I would rather be single for the rest of my life than do that. The thought of advertising myself and shopping for men went against every ounce of romance I had. Yuck! But I also didn't want to be a slave to fear, so I just took a deep breath and did it.

I'll be totally honest--it has become pure entertainment. Some of it is so breathtakingly cheesy, like the drop-down menu of smiles under categories of "casual" "flirty" and "pick-up lines." The things people put (or don't put) on their profiles is astonishing, but I just make myself send out about 10 messages a week as my self-assigned "therapy session."

I don't expect anything from it, so maybe that is why it's become so funny to me. I've looked through profiles of people I knew and didn't recognize them. I've had someone track me down on another site because he didn't pay to email on the first one. I've had people ask if they could write me back if the relationship they were persuing didn't work out. It's an adventure in cyberspace. I've also emailed some nice people and maybe someday I'll work up the courage to meet them in the flesh (baby steps! :)) but I'm definiately not scared of it anymore.

So just another evidence of my long held belief that you should never say never--because God loves that kind of a joke!

Rings of the Tree

2007-08-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

I recently went to a play with a friend of mine, and she was shocked to find out about my theatrical past. My original plan was for a double major in English and Theater, but by the end of my second year at Ricks I had decided against it. Ironically, that same semester, I was taking a directing class and my professor took me aside and told me that I had a real talent for directing. I was flattered (he was an amazing director himself and never gave out false praise) but still felt like that part of my life had come to a close.

I have been a faithful audience member ever since (except for performing in the Easter Pageant in Arizona) until a couple of weeks ago, when my brother asked me to direct his senior project at UVSC, a play he'd written called Rings of the Tree. At first I was really unsure, work was really hectic and I knew that committing to a play is like taking on a second full-time job. Besides, I hadn't been directly involved in a play for 13 years! But after I read the script, I couldn't resist. A Jane Austen-style romance with a twist? It was just too tempting! The things my brothers get me to do!

I've slipped into it like I'd never been away. The cast is good, the script is good and I have an amazing stage manager who takes care of all the pesky logistics so that I am free to be creative. I've been having a blast with it (although I AM tired) and have laughed until my sides hurt. I'd forgotten how fun drama-people are!

I'd love for everyone to come and see it. It plays from September 6-8 at 7:30 (with an additional 2 pm matinee on Saturday the 8th) at the Black Box at UVSC. You can get tickets by calling the Campus Connection 801-863-8337 or at the door. Other runs of his plays have sold out, so come a little earlier if you want to get them at the door.

Waiting for Harry

2007-07-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

In 1999 one of my students came up to me and uttered the fateful words, "I think you should read this book Miss Stewart." The same week, one of my best book-recommending friends said essentially the same thing. And thus Harry, Ron and Hermoine entered into my life. The best part for me is the plot twists. I've read so much that I can usually detect even the slightest hint of foreshadowing and predict what will happen, but Rowling has "gotten" me several times over.

Awaiting Amazon to deliever my copy of Book 7 had me slightly panicked. I think that it is EVIL to tell someone the end of a book, and I was terrified someone was going to blurt something out and ruin 9 years of waiting! I avoided the media and public places, but had to make copies the night before. The girls there were talking LOUDLY about how they knew the ending and just wanted to tell it to people because they were being so ridiculous. I almost walked out of the store, but settled for humming very loudly to myself to block out their voices.

I spent the evening and next morning reading on-line plot summaries (I'd listened to No. 3 again--my favorite) and reading the last part of No.6 in preparation. When I went to mail my bills, I saw the mailman at our boxes and my breath caught in my throat. Nothing was in my box, so I went up and asked him, "Have you done this side yet?" He hadn't and I just stood there, deciding whether it would be ridiculous to wait. Finally he asked me, with an understanding smile, if I was waiting for something in particular. I blurted out, "Yes, my Harry Potter book!"

Like Santa in his sleigh, he rummaged through his many white boxes and drew one out with my name on it. He said he had to wait until he got home to read his, and I nodded sympathetically and clutched my book even closer as I walked away. I then proceeded to ignore anything I could (I had to teach Sunday School and RS the next day--poor planning!) and stayed up late into the night devouring the story.

I did actually guess one of the main twists (I've had six books to catch on to her style) but did enjoy it throughly and want to read again, slower this time, and enjoy it without feeling the desperate, "Hurry up, before someone spills the beans!"

And thus the end of a book era!

Independence Day

2007-07-05T20:01:00.001-07:00

I love Provo on the 4th of July because it FEELS like a holiday. As I ran in the Freedom 10K along blocked off University Avenue, I looked up to see hot air balloons sailing above us and it felt different. To leisurely chat with my friends as we ran down a street, normally clogged with traffic, passing people of all ages, genders and races sitting outside(have you noticed how no one really sits outside anymore?) took me out of my normal thought patterns and I started noticing things.

I noticed how breathtaking the crevice in the mountains above the temple is. I've looked at it a million times, but yesterday, I really SAW it and it stunned me.

I noticed how much more supportive people are of the armed forces. Or maybe it just feels different to me because I've close friends whose husband's have been deployed, but I noticed that people stood and cheered for the military and the flag in a more heartfelt way than before. The patriotic songs and the pledge of alligence also seem more meaningful to people. On the other hand, I noticed that people don't seem to know our public officials very well (maybe I observed it more since my dad was in the parade.)

I noticed how much little kids enjoy things. My niece was waving to all the royalty on the floats in the parade and would say excitedly, "The princess waved back!" All the little kids disappeared into the backyard during my sister and brother-in-law's family BBQ and wouldn't desert the slip n' slide even for the amazing food.

I noticed how much more fun events are when you have good seats. To watch the parade with my sister and her family from shaded bleachers and be on the 4th row for the Stadium of Fire with another sister made both of those events. I've never been one to pay more money for better seats, but I may have changed my mind. Thanks Dad!

I also noticed that Disney music seems as "american" as "America, the Beautiful" to me and is the ideal background music for a fireworks show.

Anyway, I'm glad for all that things that made me feel unusually grateful for my home in this country--shaken out of my normal complacency and entitlement attitudes and that made me want to say, "May God continue to bless America!"

Aspen Grove

2007-06-30T15:23:00.001-07:00

Aspen Grove 06, Provo Canyon, Utah - May 2007
Originally uploaded by Mr_Stein

I just arrived home from a family reunion Aspen Grove (a family camp in the mountains). All of my siblings and their children were there as well as their spouses (off and on) reaching a grand total 57 people.

I got a sense of what a Stewart-ville would be like because our cabins we clustered together. I even started naming areas as Browning Blvd., Whiting’s Way, Rust Road, Shelley Street etc. Every night, when the little ones were all in bed, we congregated under the starry skies, eating bags of candy generously supplied by my sister Anna, and talked late into the night while we searched the sky for satellites. It was lovely.

One of the most interesting daytime activities was put together by my sister Martha. She had us all try to guess each other's love languages, then set up a competition where we were supposed to actively communicate with each other in the way that person felt loved.

Like learning a spoken language, it took effort and produced some awkward moments, but it was amazing to see how a person would light up when you did an act of service or melted when you gave them a hug if their love language was physical touch. My love languages are quality time (spending time doing things I want to do) and words of affirmation (but only if they feel sincere!) so of course a reunion is a perfect place for me to “feel the love.”

When I was small, I remember a primary leader asking all the children who had pioneer ancestors to raise their hands. I slumped in my seat thinking “I wish I had pioneer ancestors.” As an adult I discovered that I did have them and they are fascinating. One great-great grandfather helped build the Nauvoo temple and another one was a sea captain who was the leader of the first group Saints to come to Salt Lake from Holland.

So, I did a “Meet the Ancestors” session and told the life-stories of those two pioneer ancestors. My siblings and especially my in-laws got major “quality time” points for letting me do that, and afterwards my brother Mark did an internet training on genealogy.

Other highlights were doing Dance Dance Revolution, hiking to Stewart Falls, taking a quiz on dad for Father’s Day, sharing a cabin with my sister Becky and her kids, making earrings with Martha and watching all the cousins interact with each other. I didn’t even mind the bug infested bathrooms; it was so wonderful to be in nature with my favorite people!

New Things

2007-06-10T17:53:00.000-07:00

I've never been the kind of person that picks up new things easily. Whether it's a dance step, a new recipe, or figuring out my cell phone, where others soar, I have a long climb up a very steep mountain before getting it right.

Figuring out this blog has been no different, despite the patience and longsuffering of my sister Naoma in helping me, I'd no sooner get it pulled together than I'd lose it (several times over). The upside to my incompetance, however, in that once I do figure it out, I tend to remember it forever.

When people suggested trying blogging, I said I couldn't ever imagine doing it (mostly because I'd have to go to the trouble of figuring out how to do it) but I've enjoyed friend's and family's blogs so much that I'm taking the plunge. I like the set-up where you get to talk about what you are thinking about instead of giving a running update of everything going on in your life (like I always seem to feel I need to do in an email update). Also, only the people who want to read it will read it.

As a child, I had a deep and abiding aversion to change and new experiences (I had a nervous breakdown every time my parents talked about moving which happened at least twice a year), but as I get older I developed strange cravings for "something new" so I am officially setting foot on previously unchartered territory.