Mr. WOW

I get to travel a lot for my new job, and my first traveling adventure was to good ol' NYC for a training seminar. Yes, it sounds incredibly boring, but I was a good girl from 9 to 5, and then had a blast the rest of the time!

My cousin Matt is living in Brooklyn right now, so I got a chance to visit his apartment and see some of his favorite haunts. After a fun evening on the 11th of July, I had to take the subway from Brooklyn to my hotel on Columbus Circle. It was about 11 pm at this point, and I was exhausted, but I had to make it back asap.

And this is where the adventure begins...

I grabbed the L train to 8th Ave in hopes of catching the A train to Columbus Circle. However, the A train was getting worked on, so I was SOL. Luckily, a nice guy from Brooklyn named Brian told me to go back to 6th ave and catch the 1 train, which would take me to the same Columbus Circle station. He was a little drunk, but several other "true New Yorkers" agreed with his assessment, so I proceeded to do as he told me.

(Does anyone actually find this useful?!)

I finally made it to 6th ave and had to wait 20 minutes for the next 1 train. (UGH!). I just wanted to go to bed! It was already midnight by this point, and I was pooped. Then, out of NOWHERE a guy comes right up to me (seriously, 6 inches from my face) and loudly asks, "Do you play WOW?" I was stunned (What the heck is WOW? Is this guy trying to kidnap me? Please tell me I packed my mace.). As it turns out, this was his attempt at a pickup line. WOW is World of Warcraft, which I don't play. He didn't believe me when I said that I didn't play, and responded with, "Are you sure? I get that vibe from you."

I asked, "What kind of vibe is that?"

He responded with, "The World of Warcraft Vibe."

Nice. I'm sure it made total sense to you, genius, but that does squat for your explanation.

After I made MANY references to my wonderful husband and made it abundantly clear that I was perfectly faithful to him, not interested in being picked up on the subway, and not at all impressed with his attention, Chris (a.k.a. "Mr. WOW") used the line, "Once you go black you never go back" as well as, "I love your eyes; they make you look so innocent - are you?"

Finally, as we neared his stop (which, thankfully, was before my stop) he grabbed my hand and asked me out for coffee. I told him that I don't drink coffee. He said, "I'm afraid I'm never going to see you again." As the subway doors opened I said, "I think my husband would prefer it that way." I swear I heard the lady seated next to me softly chuckle as Chris sadly got out of the train and the subway doors closed. I'm glad someone else witnessed this ridiculous display. So, to you, stranger on the subway who saw and heard nearly everything Mr. WOW said to me on the subway that night - Thank you for sharing that moment with me. I'm afraid we'll never see each other again, but at least we'll always have that night on the 1 train to Columbus Circle.

~bê~

Happy Fourth!

I know it was a few days ago, but I haven't had a chance until now to blog about my fourth of July! I went to New Smyrna Beach for lunch at Breakers on Flagler Ave. They have a front row seat to the beach! The picture of me at the beach is taken right outside the restaurant :-) I made the mistake of wearing flats to lunch. When Joel (my boss) found out that I hadn't been to the beach since my honeymoon (June of 2008) he made me buy a pair of flip flops so that I could dip my toes in the ocean! It was great :-)

That night my coworker, Beth, and her nice boyfriend took me to Daytona Beach for dinner and a fireworks show. We had pizza on the pier and enjoyed an awesome (and very crowded) fireworks display. All in all, I think my Fourth was pretty great :-)

Getting Ready for Latin America

I confirmed with my boss this week that he wants me to go on a Latin American tour to recruit students. I am so freakin' excited!!!

I can't wait to go on my first big tour! I will be going to 7 countries in 16 days - AMAZING!!! I'm a little nervous to use my Portuguese in Brazil at the tours, but I'm hoping that it will end up strengthening my language skills in the end.

My main concern is that I am just now finishing week 3 at my new job. I know so little about Stetson University! I hope I can learn enough by that point that I will actually be of some use to the students who stop by my booth. :-)

Wish me luck!

~bê~

Puppy Fever

I have been seeing puppies everywhere I go! A couple of my colleagues have dogs, and I see them at Stetson, at my apartment complex, at the bank... They're everywhere!!! I can't get one right now because I'll be traveling too much (and my husband is in another time zone) so it's a little impractical. However, my heart just won't listen to my head. I want one!!!

The End of Week 1

My first week of work has been CRAZY!!! I have met a lot of my new colleagues, learned a lot about my new job, gotten used to being to work at 8 a.m. (6 a.m SLC time), and I still don't know my way around the campus! It'll happen...

In the mean time, I'll be sitting at my little corner desk (which I affectionately call my "Corner of Exile"). Now I just need to convince my boss to send me to Paris... :-)

DeLand

We made it! We got the keys to my new apartment, parked the moving truck and my car, and then went straight to the showers :-) Now I feel much better!

There's still a lot to be done, but the worst of it is over!!!

Home Stretch

Right now we're just outside of Macon, GA, with about 5 hours left on our trip. We're so close!!! We've been driving for what seems like an eternity, and having 5 hours to go seems like both a blessing and a curse - "Are we there yet?!" I just want to get to my new apartment and take a shower! :-)

Meeting Superman

We just made an impromptu detour to Metropolis, Illinois, to see their giant Superman statue! It was completely random, and totally worth it :-)

On to Nashville!

St. Louis

The last few hours of our trip have been spent in the state of Missouri, where "MoDOT Cares!" We've been taking turns driving, sleeping, and being the loopy one taking pictures and keeping the driver awake! It's my turn to be the loopy one again (best job ever!), so I'll be on the lookout for bizarre city names to joke about ;-)

We are now officially in Illinois!

Piloting 101

The last couple of hours have been interesting... I got to drive!!! I was terrified at first, but I think I'm getting the hang of it :-)

Right now we're taking a lunch break, but we'll back on the road soon. Next stop - St. Louis!

Big Stick

Breakfast time!!! We just had a pit stop in good ol' Ellis, Kansas, "Home of Mr. Chrysler." We got a chance eat something (hurray for fresh doughnuts!), clean off some of the dead things on our windshield, and discover that we are getting a whopping 7.5 miles per gallon!!! My wallet is already whining...

Bank Security

We just pulled over in Burlington, CO, to fill up with gas (again!). Mitch is on the phone with our credit card company because we forgot to tell them about this epic trip and they kindly denied access to our funds for fear that some hooligans had stolen our card. Hopefully this gets resolved soon!

We'll be in Kansas soon, and who knows where we'll be after that?!

Laramie

So, we randomly decided to stop in Laramie to see Dawn Moon. She was at a softball game, so we stopped to watch! Yes - this was a random, unplanned happenstance, but we're just going with it :-)

Stop #2

We just parted ways with my mother in Rawlins, WY, after stopping at the Flying J to fill up! My mom is driving to Casper as the three of us (Mitch, my dad, a me) continue on to Florida. It was really hard to leave my mom, but life goes on!

On The Road - Stop #1

We've made our first official pitstop of the trip in Little America. Yes, we are in the middle of my home state of Wyoming and, yes, I have been here more times than I care to count, but we're glad to stretch our legs and eat some grub! Mmm... My Western Burger is calling me!

Two Weeks

Two weeks from yesterday is Graduation! I'll be singing the national anthem and the alma mater with other graduating music students at the ceremony.

Two weeks from today is my friend Anna Morris's senior recital. I'll be singing with her for two numbers. I'm excited to support her in her final project as an undergraduate music student!

Two weeks from tomorrow is my senior recital. Anna will be singing with me on my recital, as well. I'm really excited for my parents, peers, and community members to attend and hear the results of all of my hard work.

Two weeks from Tuesday (the day after my senior recital) I leave for Florida. My dad and my husband will be driving me and practically everything that Mitch and I own to our new apartment in DeLand.

I'm freaking out! I have to make my recital PERFECT. I have to pack up EVERYTHING. I have to get my hair cut, make an appointment for my hair on my recital day, get my car fixed, sign the lease for my apartment and give them my deposit... Well, that's just the beginning of my list. I'm not going to allow myself to go crazy!

*knock on wood*

~bê~

#3

On May 15th I was driving my 2008 Mazda 6 to Evanston to see my cute cousin Timmy's jr. high choir concert. I didn't make it. Instead, I sat on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck to pick me and my car up. For any of you out there keeping tabs, this is the car that I got in December after my Audi (which I had for just over a year) decided to break down irreparably before someone ran into it when it was parked at the mechanic's shop. A year before that my Dodge Avenger overheated on I-215 after choir retreat.

I found out yesterday that this will probably cost me around $2,500 to fix. I haven't cried yet, but I've been questioning my sanity. Am I cursed? Do I drive in a different way than everyone else? Are my feet transmitting evil thoughts to the car through the pedals? Do cars hate pale people? Are my cars getting mad at me for singing all of the time? Is there someone out there cursing me with some voodoo car doll?

Now that I have that off my chest, I can focus on figuring out how to pay for this. And maybe I'll actually be able to continue working on my senior recital as well as packing up my entire life for my move to Florida in 3 weeks - you know, the other things that were already on the verge of becoming overwhelming!

~bê~

Ronald McDonald House

Today we had the privilege of singing at the Ronald McDonald House in San Diego. We had done a show the night before, but this morning we returned to do a longer performance during their lunch hour. It was amazing!!!

When we first walked in this morning a couple of the kids we sat near the night before started waving at us and yelling "Hello, friends!" It was so heart warming! We sang a few numbers, and some of the kids were conducting while we sang, so Dr. Quinn had them come up and gave them a pseudo conducting lesson :-) They "conducted" two different numbers with Quinn and were ADORABLE! After that they wanted to show us that they had learned how to do the twist, so we all danced the twist with them before ending with our final number. When we finished a bunch of nurses showed up and were bummed that they had missed our singing, so we sang "Seasons of Love" as an encore for them - they loved it! It was so great to feel that positive energy and share something so wonderful with everyone :-)

When we were finished singing, one of the volunteers told us that she was surprised that one of the little girls in particular was actually smiling. Apparently her sister was probably not going to survive through the end of the week. The little girl had been devastated about her sister, and when she was doing the twist with us and conducting with Dr. Quinn it was the first time that any of the volunteers had seen her smile in months. I think we all had a good cry after that experience.

I feel so lucky to be a singer. I love it when my music can do something positive for others, and I'm so glad that today I was able to have such an amazing experience because of my choice to be a musician.

~bê~

Halfway Through Choir Tour

Last Friday the Westminster Chamber Singers left for our week long tour! We started out by performing in St. George on Friday night, going to Zion National Park on Saturday, singing in Henderson, NE, that night, and then having a free day in Las Vegas on Sunday! Dustin Points At Him, a good friend from high school, lives in Vegas now and was able to get me and a few friends into "V the Variety Show" for $8 a person - it was so cool!

After singing in Vegas at a high school for the performing arts on Monday we went to the Tournament of the Kings at the Excalibur. This morning we left smoke-filled Vegas for beautiful San Diego, and we just got back to our hotel after singing for the sweet people at the Ronald McDonald House. We are lucky enough to get to sing for them again tomorrow (and make some fun crafts with the kids!), spend the rest of the day at the San Diego Zoo, and then drive to our final location: Disney Land in Anaheim!!!

I've had a blast so far, and I'm looking forward to another amazing day tomorrow :-)

~bê~

Feed Me!

To all of my Salt Lake foodie friends: 

I'm leaving SLC on June 6th, so I have six-and-a-half weeks left to discover this place! I will be visiting periodically over the next year as Mitch and I make this weird transition, but I want to discover what I can while there's time. My biggest regret is that I don't know much about the great restaurants in the area. I have my two favorite haunts - Gourmandise and The Blue Plate Diner - but I have so much left to taste! If anyone has any suggestions, PLEASE let me know! I would love to hang out with all of my friends in the most delicious places that SLC has to offer in the next coming weeks :-)

~bê~

It Costs How Much?

So, I didn't realize how expensive it was to move your entire life from Salt Lake City to DeLand, FL. I have been given $2,000 by Stetson to help me move, but I'm probably going to spend about $3,000 when this is all said and done! I've been researching different types of moving companies, ranging from the full service to the we-just-get-it-from-point-A-to-point-B service, and I'm a teensie bit overwhelmed.

One thing is for sure - I am NOT driving my car for 5 days all by myself!!!

As my final semester of undergraduate studies draws to a close, I am running around trying to get multiple projects finished, study for finals, memorize music, and organize my life... I can't wait for this part to be over! Hopefully my finals go well, I can actually graduate (the weird dreams are REALLY starting to freak me out!), and our little regional choir tour will go well. Holy Cow, Life - you're so insane right now!!!

~bê~

Equal Partners

My husband and I have been struggling to make a very difficult decision over the last week... 

When my former boss called me last week and offered me a fantastic opportunity to work in Florida and travel internationally for Stetson University, I was floored. I was honored that he would consider me, and skeptical that it would work out; nonetheless, I began discussing it with Mitchel and we have been struggling to make the right choice on the matter. I went to the temple to receive confirmation and/or guidance. Mitch and I have been doing a lot of praying, as well as serious and detailed discussion of our every option. We have been making pro/con lists, researching everything from real estate in DeLand to Mitch's transfer and graduation options. We have been entirely consumed by this decision, and have finally made a decision. Together. As a unit; equal partners. I would not be doing this if my husband was not 100% behind me in this decision. We rely on each other for unwavering support, and this decision is proof of that.

Now, why am I going into such painstaking detail about how we made this almost overwhelming decision? Well, some people have been less than supportive of this whole endeavor, and I am insulted that people who supposedly know me very well would think that I could make a decision of this magnitude without serious consideration, prayer, contemplation, list making, and endless midnight discussions with my best friend.

Is my marriage in trouble? Absolutely not.

Did I make this decision on a whim? Definitely not.

Am I going to miss my husband? Without question.


Am I excited about this opportunity? Yes. And so is my husband.


If you do not agree with our decision and have qualms about what we are doing, keep your lips buttoned. We do not want to hear it. Whatever misgivings you may have, we have undoubtedly already considered it. Whatever it is you are going to say, we have probably already thought of it and decided that it either did not matter or could easily be resolved or overcome. Whatever standing you think you have in our lives to tell us not to do this, YOU DON'T. I love my family and friends dearly, but this is a decision that we made as equal partners with spiritual confirmation in the temple.

~bê~