Week In Review

26 hours driving a mini-van by oneself sounds like:

- Daughtry - Leave This Town
- Notre Dame de Paris (Euro Musical Cast)
- The Scarlet Pimpernel (Original Cast)
- Hairspray (Movie Soundtrack)
- Emerson Drive - What If?
- Brian Regan LIVE
- "All Star Christmas" Mix
- Aly & AJ - Into the Rush
- Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted
- Teen Witch: The Musical (Original Cast)
- Sky High (Movie Soundtrack)
- Dragonsong by Anne McCaffery (I am SO glad I figured out how to load that onto my Ipod Shuffle!)

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Achievement Day for 9 - 11 yr. old girls. "Vinyl lettering on tile" is evidently the new tole painting. Pink vinyl is the worst, FYI.

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It was a really great tent, made even greater by the fact that it came equipped with a basic queen-sized mattress for the visiting oldster, yours truly. Loved the star-gazing-friendly mesh window, having the sprinklers turned off and the train decide not to drive by in the middle of the night. This tent was not so great in the heating department. In the tent's defense, it wasn't SUPPOSED to get that cold that night...

PRO: Nobody wet their sleeping bag.
CON: The train did visit after all, at 6 AM. No walls to mute the rattle.

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Why do I always start to feel sick when I visit Oregon? I'm not allergic to anything, I usually get in at least one day of exercise... Is it the sea level? Delayed travel lag? Crappy guest-room mattress? (Sorry, K. At least the food is always good!) Speaking of...

No one is ever to sick for:

Seriously. Could eat there every day. My sister actually has (well, three days in a row, anyhow).

Also, made the kids watch Hairspray this afternoon. They liked it, but my oldest nephew thought it was "weird".

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In theory, I'm a fan of weddings. In practice, I'd just as soon not be there - thanks in large part to the tendency of elderly family members to do things like grabbing my left hand and loudly asking, "Aren't you married yet?!?", always in public settings and usually during a lull in other conversation. My cousin's wedding on Thursday was very nice - got held up for about 45 minutes since another cousin hadn't realized her temple recommend had expired and the temple workers were scrambling to find enough people to vouch for her and get her in. She was cleared, but had hied off to parts unknown. Her bishop speculated: "She's probably in a bar." Generally speaking, you don't often laugh that hard in a temple sealing room.

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An excellent new series:


Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary, and Silent on the Moor - all excellent Victorian-era mysteries with just a dash of romance thrown in. And I'm serious about that "dash" - ignore the covers, because these book are not in any way the Harlequin-esque "bodice rippers" they would appear to be. (Pity, that.) (Sort of kidding, there.)

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As a rule, I don't like wedding receptions. I've been to a LOT of them, and at least half the time end up working in some capacity or other - cutting and serving cake, arranging decorations, cleaning up, etc... Also, I have an embarrasingly large collection of bouquets that I've caught in the bridal toss, in spite of my long-standing policy to hide in a closet during that activity. I was fully prepared to not like this reception either - I was working hard to get tables set and decorations up and fluffed, and had been asked to sit at the guest book and welcome people once things started. Bleh.

Even my reception gloom could not withstand the nuptial glow, however - my cousin and his new wife were so brilliantly happy you couldn't help but feel good when you were around them. She's absolutely darling, and the two of them are a wonderful match. The food was good, the people sitting at our table were friendly and funny, and the cheesecake production line I helped to organize was a work of art and marvel of efficiency. (My sister is REALLY good at that kind of thing. We were awesome.) Also, my parents got into a fight in the garage over the proper way to serve the dinner buffet, and my sister's retelling of the story is hilarious. We were able to duck out early on the excuse that I had to start a 13-hour drive at 5 AM the next day, so I missed the bouquet toss altogether. Score!

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I managed to squeeze in a visit to one of my favorite places, Silver Falls State Park. I know. A place that highlights hiking is one that I love most. What can I say - I'm complex!


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Thank goodness a former fellow employee put me onto her "iguana" or Guarana pills - the "natural stimulant" may in fact be cartloads of caffeine, but they got me and four coolers full of Oregon blueberries and raspberries home safely after 13 extremely boring hours on the road. I really don't remember anymore why I volunteered for that part. Complex... or just an idiot?

Don't answer that.

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The dedication today was lovely.

I've got a lot to do if I want to visit all the temples in the area before I leave for England (which I do).

I've got even more to do if I want to leave for England!