Barn Dance

You know how you tell yourself that you are no longer going to do something but then you end up doing it again? Yeah, that was me on Friday. The last time I went to the regional YSA Barn Dance, I told myself that I was done. However, I decided to go ahead and do it again. I am so glad that I did for these reasons:

Burke as a shower * Matt, Brian, Dan, Peter

1) The Men of 3076 and Burke decided to have a group costume this year. The 3076 gang dressed like Kobra Kai and Burke dressed liked Daniel-san from the cinematic genius that is the Karate Kid. They even acted out the wonderful scene where Daniel-san is at a Halloween party. He runs a hose into the bathroom stall and drenches a Kobra Kai that is using that stall. As he runs out of the bathroom, through the dance crowd and outdoors, he yells, "It's coming around." As they acted out this scene at the barn dance, some people were confused, some were concerned, and some actually got what was happening. In fact, these men were the most popular people at the dance. Many young ladies came up to them and requested a picture be taken with them. I am so proud of these men for having such high self-esteem that they could actually wear head to toe spandex.

2) Friend's costumes. Melanie is the sweetest little lassie this side of the ocean. I thought that these photos above were just marvelous. The ghost picture has to be the most interesting picture of Dan has ever taken. And the Morton salt girl (Jenell) was very original and adorable. I also loved Joe's and Mary's couple* costumes. They both dressed up as the LOL kitties. If you do not know what these are, count yourself lucky. However, if you do not want to take my word for it then go to this link: http://icanhascheezburger.com/

3) Using the chaps that I once bought at a thrift store. That is right, I own fake chaps. Once I was searching for an 80's prom dress in Baltimore and I came across the chaps and bought them for $3.50. What a bargain!!! I dressed for the party as a rodeo queen. I felt that it kept me in touch with my Idaho country roots and allowed me to wear a tiara and have the biggest hair in the state.

*Joe and Mary are not a real couple.

Public Service Announcement #52:If you have a rodeo that you are getting ready for click here http://www.ehow.com/how_2088294_buy-rodeo-gear.html

The Karate Kid and the Men of 3076

Last night the wonderful men of Melrose 3076 held a showing of The Karate Kid. I decided that I would attend because I love these guys. I was not too excited about the movie. Before any of you get upset, I will admit I had forgotten the beautiful story that is The Karate Kid. By the end of the movie, I had misty eyes and I was punching my fist to the sky in victory.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the movie:

Kreese: We do not train to be merciful here. Mercy is for the weak. Here, in the streets, in competition: A man confronts you, he is the enemy. An enemy deserves no mercy.

Kreese: This is a karate dojo, not a knitting class. You don't come into my dojo, drop a challenge and leave, old man. Now you get your boy on the mat, or you and I will have a major problem.

Kreese: But if you don't show, it's open season on him... and you.

Daniel: You're the best friend I've ever had.

Miyagi: You... pretty okay, too.

My favorite........

Tommy: Must be take a worm for a walk week.

A lesson for us all......

Miyagi: You remember lesson about balance?

Daniel: Yeah.

Miyagi: Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life. Whole life have a balance. Everything be better. Understand?

I loved the movie almost as much as I love the men of 3076. They have all been terrific friends. Here is a brief sampling of why they are so wonderful: they give such warm welcomings, love BYU, make everyone laugh, write great comments on my blog, are protective of their female friends, are genuine, and Dan is the greatest home teacher in the ward.

A Tribute to the Men of 3076

Public Service Announcement #51: If you would like to know more about karate click here http://www.wikihow.com/Teach-Yourself-the-Basics-of-Karate

Driving up a tree = lessons learned

Black Pond

So I was invited to a BBQ. The invite said that it would be held at Black Pond. I thought that we would drive to the pond, eat, and socialize. I dressed for the occasion..... jeans, button up shirt, red sweater vest, and red heels. It was a great fall outfit. When we got to the destination, we were required to hike down to the lake. This included climbing on rocks and through the trees. I was not properly dressed. I looked as if I had never climbed before so I had to keep telling everyone "don't worry, I am from Idaho." As if that made me an expert. The pond was beautiful and it was a perfect fall day to be experiencing nature, even in heels.

Since I am sentimental, I recalled some great outdoor experiences that I had when I was a child. One specifically stuck out in my mind. There I was, 9 years-old. Every summer my family would pack our pickup truck with tents, motorcycles, bicycles, and enough food to count for a year of food storage. We loved to play in the streams, fish, hike, and mostly ride our bicycles. Our family had the same camping spot each time. The spot was on the base of a steep hill that was covered with trees. My older brothers would make a bicycle path down the steep hill. I would watch them ride down the hill, gaining speed, and turning sharp to avoid the trees.

I am the only girl out of three brothers. I felt like I needed to do what they did in order to be included. I announced that I wanted to ride my bike down the path. My brothers were all too eager to help me take my bike to the top of hill and give me pointers of how to make it through the path safely. I said okay, took a deep breath, and jumped on my bike. All was going okay. I was picking up speed, handling the bike well, and almost to the end of the path were my bothers were standing. I briefly looked at them. At that exact time, I was supposed to turn hard. I did not. Instead I literally drove up a tree (it had grown like a ramp) and quickly fell back to the ground...hard. My brothers clapped, my mother gasped, and I hurt not just my body but also my ego.

I learned a few things:
1- Do not take your eye off your next step in life in order to take a glimpse at the finish line.
2- You do not need to do something just to be accepted.
3- Some people, at certain times, do not have your best interest in mind.
4- Sometime sharp turns (or turn arounds) are required to stay on the path.

This is the lake where our family fishes.

Public Service Announcement # : If you'd like help in mountain biking click here http://www.ehow.com/how_13762_mountain-bike-safely.html

The Marrakesh Restaurant

This week was my good friend, Ryan's, birthday. His lovely Fiance, Kaylyn, threw him an intimate dinner party at the Marrakesh. Kaylyn promised an evening that would take us out of our everyday world and transport us to Morocco. Who would not jump at that opportunity?

The Marrakesh is located in the district but it is tricky to find because it has a very small door and the building does not say the name (in English). After finding the door, you walk into a waiting room that opens up to the actual restaurant. The booths are amazing. When I say booth, I mean the couches that are placed together and situated around a low, round table. The meal begins by the server washing your hands. Then the seven courses began...yes seven....and yes we used only our hands. The entire night was very relaxing because you eat at leisure, kick up your feet, and enjoy the good company around you. The entertainment for the evening was provided in the form of belly dancing, which was beautiful.

Derek, Me, Kaylyn, Ryan

Michael, Jenny, Bryson

Happy Birthday, Ryan!!!

Public Service Announcement # 49:Throwing your own Moroccan party click here: http://www.ehow.com/how_2020601_moroccan-party-entertaining.html

Circle of Seeds

This is the second year in a row that I have attended The Circle of Seeds night corn maze. It is out in the middle of nowhere Virginia and I love it. In addition to a corn maze, there is a stand to buy hot apple cider, jams, and corn related mementos. Before entering the actual maze, we were given a tutorial about the rules. The man giving the tutorial had nearly every corn related pun that was possible. Here is a sample: Corniary heart attack. It was corny. I laughed so hard because it reminded me of my father's sense of humor.

Once we entered the corn maze, our group had some "great" additional rules (note the heavy sarcasm.) 1)No flashlights. 2) No maps. 3) When we hit a dead end, we had to split into pairs. 4) When you come into a clearing you must have a dance party with one fast dance and one slow dance. It was no wonder why we were the last people to get out of the corn maze.

Jay Little and the Great Pumpkin; Brian was hoping it was a petting zoo

Mary has never been able to sing the USU fight song. After her demonstration of the dance (seen here), I don't blame her.

My organic friends: Wayne, Mary, Brian, and Me. We were scared of either 1) a haunted corn maze or 2) a windshield.

Public Service Announcement #48: If you think you'd like to plow a corn maze see this link http://www.ehow.com/how_2089429_plow-corn-maze.html

Creepy Philly

I love Pennsylvania...it is my favorite state. However, this trip to Philadelphia was simply creepy. Of course, we planned for one part to be creepy but we got some extra creepiness that was not expected. The entire trip was not creepy so I am going to have a tally of creepy and non-creepy events/sights.

1 point for creepy: The Microhotel Inn. When Mary booked this hotel, I told her that it was going to be awful. She defended it by saying, "It is going to be fine. It is new." That was not nor will ever be a valid reason. We arrived at the hotel on Sunday night. Mary went to check into the hotel. She came out laughing and shaking her head. The clerk had asked her for her name. She stated "McMullin." The clerk urged that he did not have a McMullin. Mary gave him the order number. He stated, "No that is not under your name. It is somebody else's." Mary asked to see it and the man refused. The man finally succumbed to Mary's pleading. The name: Smcmullin. Mary is now affectionately called Smcmullin or Smcmary.

We finally got our bags up to the room. As we walked in, we had the suprise of our life: a large mirror that ran the entire length of the room, right above the beds. Creepy. Mary stated that we had to do the mirror test (if your fingers match up in the reflection then it is not a true mirror.) The mirror failed. CREEPY!!! Our imaginations ran wild with ideas of two-way mirrors and video cameras.

The creepy long mirror

Do you want to know more about our trip.....Ask Brian Barker about it.

1 point for not creepy: The Betsy Ross home. We played with the hats and bonnets. We also bought some great quote books that featured Benjamin Franklin. Here are some of my favorites:

One good Husband is worth two good Wives; for the scarcer things are, the more they're valued.

He that won't be counseled can't be helped.

I conceive that the great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by false estimates they have made of the value of things.

1 Point for creepy: Independence Hall. The tour guide stated that in Independence Hall it got Hot and Heavy. That is creep.

1 Point for undecided: Philly Cheese Steak with cheese wiz. We all ordered Philly Cheese Steaks. Mary ordered a Philly Cheese Steak without the steak and the cook suggested she have hers with cheese wiz, peppers, mushrooms, and marinara sauce. It was the most disgusting looking sandwich my eyes have beheld.

1 Point for creepy: Mary's fascination with old cemeteries. I like old cemeteries but Mary loves them. Every cemetery we saw she had to stop.

2 Points for creepy: Eastern State Penitentiary. Yes, you read it correctly, we went to the Eastern State Pen. It was the first Penitentiary and was opened in 1829 with the idea that prisoners would change if they were kept in solitary confinement for years. The prison was closed in 1971 and was abandoned. As we walked into the prison, it was easy to notice the disrepair. The walls were falling down and the ceilings had begun to create icicle looking deposits. For this reason, we had to sign a waiver stating that we knew of structural dangers.

As we walked through both the ruble and reconstructed cell blocks we could not helped but be completely creeped out to think about all of the awful events that would have taken place behind these walls. The entire tour was fascinating and I hope to go back for their Haunted House that they have every year. It is currently rated as the 13th haunted house in the nation.

Cell Block 9- Where Al Capone was jailed * We had to sign a waiver saying that if we were hurt the Eastern State Pen could not be held accountable.

1 Point for not creepy: Rocky Steps. We ran them. We celebrated. We sang the Rocky theme song.

*

Tally: 5 points for creepy, 2 for not creepy, 1 undecided = Philly is pretty, darn creepy.

*

Public Service Announcement # 47: If you are a vegetarian and would like to eat a Philly Cheese Steak click here http://www.ehow.com/how_2051064_make-vegetarian-philly-cheesesteak-sandwich.html

Apple Picking with Uta

Uta shares information about apples

It was bright and early at The Melrose and we were all gathered to take a fast trip to the country for some good ol' apple picking. This is one of my favorite fall activities. However, I usually go to a very commercialized farm. This time was much, much better. First, the farm was simple but had some amazing attractions like skeleton heads with dead snakes on them, non-working vehicles, and old tractors. The best attraction was the owner herself, Uta. Uta is a spitfire. She is friendly and can talk about apples forever. She told us all about the organic apple scams and the need to spray trees.

The apple picking was wonderful and there were many shenanigans while we were there: climbing trees, throwing apples at other people, and creative apple eating. It was a great Melrose outing.

That night we had an after priesthood session party. I made homemade apple pie with cinnamon ice cream. Stomachs were filled, hearts were touched, friendships were strengthened.

Uta's Farm....please notice all of the animal skeletons....how was that a good idea?

Look close and you will see Andrew in a tree


Joe with his joust... me with my prince * Andrew climbed a tree

Brian is happy about his apple * Joe feeds Mary

The final product

Public Service Announcement# 46: Click here for how to pick an apple for baking http://www.ehow.com/how_2081012_pick-apple-baking-pies.html