Happy Halloween Part 2

Being at Tuachan, they project Halloween-y things up on the sides of buildings and the mountains. Its pretty cool.

Here's a sampling of the zombies who move through the audience. They just stare at you and creep you out lol good thing they don't look all that real :)

Here is the couple dressed as earbuds haha They actually had an ipod with them and music played while they were on stage. Very clever!

I have no idea who these people are other than two senior citizens dressed up for Halloween. They were so funny that I had to have a picture with them!

And finally, this is Jazmine- Katie and Kassie's Yorkie. She came with us on the trip. While doing our TJ MAXX run, Kassie bought her a coat lol Wow- gotta really love your dog :)

Happy Halloween!

My friends and I took a little weekend trip to Tuachan to see Odyssey Dance Company's performance of Thriller. Its basically a bunch of Halloween style dances put together in a big variety show. Some of them are funny; some are creepy and disturbing (kinda) and some are more serious and touching. Its a great show!
This is Katie- my dear friend of many years. It was her idea to go down last year and my idea to go again this year. She is a good woman and so incredibly talented! BTW- Amelia, another friend who came with us, made us each a flower for our hair- a little Halloween decor! So look close and you'll see them. She also incredibly talented.

Before the show starts, during intermission and after the show ends, there are zombies walking around the audience. They are ghastly creatures and they DO try to scare you. Its fairly hilarious to sit back and watch people freak out haha This lovely girl took a seat right beside me so I figured- why not?

The theater also has a costume contest. The Little Mermaid and the Tin Man were present! There was also a couple dressed as earbuds- lol they'll be in a separate post.

And there we are- in front of the stage. wow- I should really stop standing with my hip out ;) Anyway, (l-r) Katie, Amelia, Kassie and Me! Great time!

Pumpkin Pie!

LOL one of my student's made this for me :) I've never seen one before but maybe you have. I thought it was darling! And being that I detest actual pumpkin pie, this works as a good substitute.

Let it snow!

It'll be gone by noon because its going to warm up a bit and its just heavy, wet snow... but look how pretty it is! I'll be done saying that right after Christmas, however, the first snowfall of the year is always just beautiful. I love how the leaves are still green, showing through the cover of white.

Thanks cute kids!

And Happy Halloween!

Roadtrip!

Two of my dear friends, Rachael and Maryanne, got in the car with me this past weekend and we hit the road for the final soccer game of the season. It was a QUICK overnight trip and worth every minute we spent in the car. We laughed our heads off when Rachael tried to sit on the dinosaur for a picture...but then launched herself over it instead lol And then we giggled some more as we met Chuck at the local Loaf-n-Jug service station and he offered up free burritoes at his restaurant. The game was worth it- we tied and kept possession of the Rocky Mountain Cup. Such good times with such good friends!

Meier's #5

My sister did a post last week that made me giggle and kind of "inspired" me to do one of my own. So here goes. Years ago I was looking for a job and applied at a little grocery store. It wasn't a major chain and that's why I wanted to work there. It wasn't open on Sundays and it closed at reasonable hours. The grocery department didn't have any openings so they sent me over to the deli. I was hired on and that's where it all began. I was 17. My boss, Marsh, was just getting started with the whole catering thing so mostly I worked scooping salads and slicing turkey and answering the question "Gourmet potato salad has eggs and celery, regular does not."

As Marsh's catering business grew, we moved to the back of the store. I started working more hours. More or less full time during the summer. It was hilarious! Marsh, Jack, Tori, Lisa, Matt, Marie and I held down the fort with occasional visits from Marsh's wife, Dixie. I spent the days breading chicken, frying chicken, chopping lettuce for tossed salad for 500 and memorizing recipes to the endless salads we made. I can definitely cook for 300. I can whip up potato salad sauce for 50 lbs worth of potatoes. I can make baked beans and enchiladas with my eyes closed. It was one of my favorite jobs ever.

As I'm sitting here tired beyond words today, it reminded me of the endless hours in the deli. It reminded me of the 2 a.m. call times for movie crews. It reminded me of slicing ham and turkey and cheese- literally 30 pounds at a time for meat and cheese trays. It reminded me of fried chicken for 3000 hospital employees and their families. Of feeding Bart the Bear left over baked beans at a commercial shoot. Of being sent on a 4 week movie shoot and sleeping 2 hours each night and loving it. Of having Marsh ask me to rub his feet while we figured out everything that needed to be done for the day. Of crazy vegans blowing up his van! Of smelling like Meier's #5, eau de chicken grease. I can't help but think of the endless hours spent in that kitchen talking about life with Queenie and Tori. Or crying to Marsh about school or boys or because stupid Margie at KSL yelled at me for being ONLY 10 minutes early. Or thinking about dying when the punch bowl cracked at Symphony Hall, spilling hot wassail down the green carpeted stairs. LOL OH THE DELI! I learned more there than anywhere else.

Catering for over 8 years has ruined me for life. I can't go to parties and just leave the food set up the way it is. I can't even avoid critiquing the salad bar of a restaurant without knowing I could set it up better. Making potato salad sauce or white sauce is a guessing game when it comes to measurements- ask me for 10 gallons of it! However, my sister and I are your go-to people in the kitchen when you have a family gathering. Stay the heck out of our way! hee hee

I've now graduated college and have been teaching for much longer than I catered. Without Marsh, I would never have finished, I don't think. We had many discussions about me coming back to the deli in 25 years when I was uneducated, divorced and needed money for my homeless children- would he give me some sterno to heat my house? LOL I still love to go visit with Marshall. We head down into the musty, creepy, haunted basement of the Shalimarsh and he still has me rub his feet while we just talk and he'll ask me "How's my favorite doing?" And then we talk just like we're sitting ontop of 5 gallon buckets next to the deep fryer 18 years ago. I ask him if I can come back to work for him and he says he can't afford me these days. He's probably right- he trained me well. :)

OH! I love this!

http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-radio-flyer-car-092910,0,1784245.story

Yes, I'm LDS and I support my leaders

I've felt like I had to say that a lot since General Conference this year. Here where I live, there's been a lot of fall out from President Boyd K. Packer's talk. It has stirred up emotions from people and groups and news and media of all types. Groups want to take messages out of context and misconstrue as much of his comments as they can in an effort to discredit him and the LDS church in general. I have friends who are angry over his comments or disagree with what was said. I've had people at work make naive comments without reading or listening to the entire talk. So I've tried to respond in a manner that satisfies me and what I believe and here's what I've concluded.

I was raised LDS by parents who took me and my siblings to church every week. We participated in prayers and scripture study and were encouraged to live our lives in accordance with the LDS faith teachings. Thankfully, for us and our immediate family, we never encountered large earth shattering, faith testing moments- or atleast none that I'm aware of. I went off to college and chose to continue to go to church on my own and attend institute, where I could learn and grow more in my faith. Obviously along the path of my life, I've met people who aren't members of the LDS church. Some of them are still part of my life and I love them. There are good people everywhere. I've listened to conference pretty much every session of my life and tried to reread and study the talks as they've come out in the Ensign each November.

Now that I'm on my own, my testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel is all my own responsibility. I don't have a husband or children or roommates, even, to remind me to read my scriptures or attend the temple or say my prayers or be a good example or go to church or watch clean movies or make sure the spirit can be found in my home. That's all on my shoulders. I've watched many friends leave the church because of various reasons, some simply because they don't take responsibility for their own testimony.

I know that my faith and the religion that it is based on is the only true and complete gospel on the earth. And because I know that, I don't doubt my leaders when they speak up for truth and righteousness. I feel I am so lucky to have the ability and common sense to know and recognize truth when I hear it. I can honestly say, while I may have not lived my religion as perfectly as I could have done throughout my life, I've never doubted what our prophets and leaders have had to say. I've never doubted the truth of the doctrine. And just because the leaders of my faith have the courage to stand up for what's right, doesn't shake what I know. It only strengthens it. I ask for confirmation and receive peace to my mind when such controversial issues arise and never once have I been led to somewhere other than what they say.

So as I listen to the hateful remarks and disparaging comments made about President Packer or the rest of the Church, it comforts me to know that I know what they've said is true. And truth isn't always popular, but that doesn't make it any less true.

Isn't she lovely?

Happy Blessing day, Belle! Niece #11

BA-HAH!

So that salsa I made from 3-4 posts ago...? It won best non-traditional in the school competition. LOL I didn't win a major award like a leg lamp, but it was fun anyway. :) The best part was knowing that I was making up it during 1st period as my kids were learning about child care. I rock. The End.