For the first time ever!

So before lunch yesterday, I had a message from the morning receptionist telling me there were flowers at the front desk for me. I figured it was a mistake, and she must have called the wrong extension. I didn't even bother going up there.

About an hour later, the afternoon receptionist called me to tell me my flowers were still waiting for me...I asked if she was sure they were for me, and she assured me that they were. I RAN from my office!!!


I was shocked! I can't tell you how many times I have daydreamed of receiving flowers at work throughout the years while I was "fake dating" this bozo or that one. And of course, none of those "dreamy guys" ever came through.

I had a rather emotionally disappointing evening the night before due to some insensitivity and unkindness from one of my long-term friends and I had been feeling pretty low, to say the least. (I won't go into detail)

So I considered it to be a huge blessing and answer to the prayers of my aching heart, if you will, to receive pretty flowers out of no where from one of my girl friends who just wanted to tell me she thinks I rock.

Well, friend, right back at ya! (You know who you are!)

My response to "Big Love"

This actually isn't MY response, it's my little brother's, but I think it's extremely well written, and therefore I want to share it with all of you. He's so awesome! So this is me quoting Jonathan from here on out....(and totally agreeing with him as well)

"I was tossing and turning a bit tonight. I guess I have a few things on my mind...one of them was paying the bills, and the other was constantly pricking the back of my mind ever since I first heard about it earlier this evening. We got an email talking about the HBO's plans to portray the LDS temple ceremony on an upcoming episode of "Big Love". The words "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" come to mind to say the least. Regardless of how many emails we send to HBO exhorting them to think twice about what they are doing, I doubt it will really sink in as far as the depth of how inappropriate it would be to naively portray something that is basically one of the most sacred spiritual experiences that basically anybody can have aside from death itself.

Although resistance is probably futile, it doesn't hurt to try--but rather than thinking of a way to try and keep the inevitable from happening, I found myself thinking of ways that I could answer the likely questions that my friends and co-workers are going to have after they watch it.

I have no idea how tastefully they'll be able to portray the ceremony, but I'm assuming it will be something relative to stripping down the pope and throwing him into the middle of the Olympics Opening Ceremonies...regardless, people are probably going to think it's weird just because of the sheer unfamiliarity of it.

So how about we try to familiarize people with it when they ask us questions about it...Ask them things like:


"Have you ever participated in or attended a private ceremony:

- That was exclusive to members of an organization and by invitation only
- That involved 2 or more prayers
- That required years of self-sacrifice, diligence, humility, hard work, and submitting to other human beings in order to be judged and found worthy of participation
- That involved ritualistic actions by the participants including wearing a ceremonial robe, hat, sashes, and
- That also involved synchronized, ritualistic actions where the participants adjust their articles of clothing all at the same time and in the same manner.
- That involved them wearing the clothing and performing the actions even though they probably didn't have the least bit of understanding as to what the clothing or actions represented except that it was part of the ceremony.
- That involved valuable advice and instruction from elders regarding what those participating have experienced and about the experiences they'll have in their life to come?


If they answer "NO" to any or all of these questions, ask them this:



"Did you ever attend or participate in a High School/College graduation?"

And I get to say I KNOW him!!!

So for almost 5 years now, I've had a friend, named Buck. I adore him. Some of you have heard about him before. Remember this?:

He's rather talented, to put it simply, and I'm kinda a big fan.
(Aren't we cute?! Yeah...This was last night-I love this picture!)

Anyway, since he won't toot his own horn (as his Mom puts it)..I will be another person to do it for him.

The UNICEF Tap project,provides clean drinking water to children in underprivileged areas of the world.They were looking for song submissions with the tagline "Here's to Life" to head up their radio advertising here in Utah. So Buck wrote a song, produced it, sang it, recorded it, and mixed & mastered it. It's no surprise that it's now on 6 radio stations at random times with 30,000 radio spots donated over the next four weeks.
KSL 1160 AM, 102.7 FM, KOSY 106.5 FM, KNRS 700 AM, KODJ 94.1 FM, KJMY 99.5 FM -
Or you can listen to it here
I think it's beautiful!!!

*sigh* ...Good ol' Buck. How is it you're so amazing?! :)

February Flashback

I know, I know...I've been busy. That's all I can say. Please forgive me. I think this is probably the easiest, quickest way for me to help you understand why I've been "MIA" all month. During February 2009....(in no particular order)...

* I swam over 2 miles (68 laps), biked 71 miles, and ran 36 miles.

* I bonded with the Utah mountains. I went skiing once, snowshoeing twice and snowboarding 6 times (5 times with the CHILL program, and once with my friend, Laura).


* I went out to eat 9 times with friends (Here are a few pics of just two of the gatherings)..

* I went to a Utah Jazz game against the Dallas Mavericks. The highlight of the night, however, was being there with my friend, Mariel, who's totally in love with Dirk Nowitzki . We were 6 rows behind the Mavericks bench. Mariel's goal of the night was to get him to sign her shoe ("his" shoe...whatever). The game was such a blowout, with the Jazz dominating, that the crowd around us became more entertained with her goal and joined in on the effort by yelling, "Dirk, sign her shoe!"...and eventually, it worked!!!


* I went home to Kansas for a couple of days to eat real BBQ
and to see my family and some friends.


* I spent President's Day weekend in Sacramento, California to see my brother, James, and his family. I love hanging out with my nieces!


* I turned 29 years old!


* I participated in 3 game nights (surprisingly not a single one of them was the usual "Sunday night games" that often takes place at our house here in Salt Lake.



* I attended the BYU combined choirs concert, saw the musical, "All Shook Up" at the Hale Center Theatre Orem (and HIGHLY recommend it!). I also got to see High School Musical on Ice while in Sacramento.



* I admitted to a boy that I liked him. He thinks I'm great, but didn't really seem to care...meh. Moving on...

* At work, I drove this bus numerous times (This obviously isn't me, it's my co-worker...but you get the idea).


* I toured the museum of Natural History at the University of Utah, The Olympic Park, Sweets Candy Factory & California Pizza Kitchen

* I went swimming for fun at an indoor pool, went rock climbing, participated in 2 Yoga classes, and listened to some words of wisdom from guest speaker;Bryan Kehl, who plays for the NFL (and was rather good looking as well).

* I attended a Special Needs Valentine's Dance-Sooo fun!

* I went on two dates

* I attended the 18th birthday party for my surrogate little sister, Brittney, and her 38 crazy friends.

* I saw 2 movies: He's Just Not That Into You (it was ok) and Slumdog Millionaire. It was incredible and definitely deserved every Academy Award it received! I'd say it's probably my favorite movie these days-and not just because Kevin & Amy live in India right now. Although it did amaze me to see the reality of their conditions over there!

* I attended an Oscars Party, hosted by my friend, Jessica...Formal dress, Red Carpet and all!


Hopefully I'll find time to stop and breathe sometime in March

More randomness

I admit it's somewhat strange that I haven't been one for sharing many details lately, huh?! Well, I promise a REAL post is coming soon. In the mean time, I will share this list of 25 random things that everyone and their dog has been doing on facebook. I think they're pretty fun, I think I'll actually add 25 more things at some point. I know some of you already read it on facebook. If so, I'm sorry. You can stop reading now. Otherwise-ENJOY!

1. I don't chew gum. I think it's gross. It's not that I WON'T chew it, I just don't. If offered, I will always turn it down, so please don't be offended. It started back when I got my braces on 15 years ago, and I just never found much interest in it ever again. I am a mint girl.

2. I still sleep with my Cabbage Patch Doll, Michelle. My Mom made her for my 5th birthday. She goes everywhere with me. Go ahead-laugh it up!


3. I had two separate pen pals when I was a kid. (Holly in Washington and Evan in New Jersey). I can't remember how we found each other in the first place, but facebook has reconnected us after all these years. I should ask them if they remember.

4. I'm a "destroyer"... ha ha ha. Basically if I have anything crushable in my hand, it will eventually be broken. Plastic cups are probably my victims most often. They always end up shredded. This does come in handy sometimes though, as I often find myself breaking apart cereal boxes (a trait I discovered I must have inherited from my Grandma Buonafede), crushing milk cartons and shredding paper by hand. PS...although I'm not a tree hugger, I would like to put a plug in for recycling all of the above items (Kevin, are you proud?)

5. Speaking of Grandmothers- I have hands just like my Grandma Player. Sadly the first time we noticed, was at her funeral. You can't see her hands in this picture...but This is Grandma & Grandpa Player!


6. I love soup. It's my favorite food. Especially anything with a chicken broth base. Throw in some bread and I am a happy girl!

7. My first concert was New Kids on the Block- Jan 1990. I was almost 10 yrs old. It started me on the trail of Boy Band craziness, which eventually led me to attending a 98 degrees concert, Backstreet Boys and multiple Nsync concerts. (Nsync was always my favorite-hands down!)-oh those were some crazy fun times! It's amazing how much "boy band concert style" evolved in just a matter of 10 years...




8. I'm a little bit of a germaphobe. I carry hand sanitizer with me at all times. I guess traveling and working with kids will do that to you. GermX smells the best if you ask me.


9. I'm easy-(spread that around)...ha ha...That was for you, Mariel. No, but I do like to cuddle...kinda a lot actually.

10. I consider my family to be my very best friends. Even putting the whole "being related" thing aside-they're all just great people. My life is better because they are in it! This is a fun picture of the "originals"..my sisters-in-law and nieces are rather amazing as well. I just don't have a picture of all 17 of us together.


11. Although I always loved to sing, I never actually did anything with my voice until I was 21 years old. (and that only happened because I went on a mission and an Elder tried to play a prank on me by signing me up for a musical number in the MTC. I did it, just to show he "hadn't won" and now, I couldn't thank him enough for it.)

12. I played the clarinet for 3 years (grades 3-6) and the French Horn for 7 years (grades 7-12 and a year at BYU). Yep- I was a band nerd, and LOVED every minute of it!

13. I have had about 60 roommates since graduating from High School. I can remember the names of 52 of them.

14. I had lived in 7 different places by the time I was 12 years old.

15. I dry heave when I pass road kill on the Interstate...just ask Laura.

16. For the past 10 years, I have worn a yellow shirt on my birthday. It all started because of Krystal, my freshman roommate, in the dorms at BYU. Oh what a great birthday that was!
(This picture is last year's birthday-2008)

(and this is from this year's birthday-2009)- I had the sweater off most of the night-but I got cold.


17. I have never been pulled over for speeding (probably because *NEWSFLASH* I don't speed. That's one way to avoid it)

18. I never sneeze just once, sometimes it goes on and on and on and....(Without me knowing, a classmate counted one time during my sneeze attack. He said I had sneezed 27 times in a row!!) It's a family thing. We all do it!

19. I keep a planner and write down everything I do on a daily basis.

20. Speaking of calendars/planners...I have an incredible memory for dates and have been told I have a "calendar brain." It freaks people out sometimes

21. The funniest job I ever had was one summer when we were home from school and my best friend, Matt, and I got paid to sit on a corner in Kansas City and count license plates that went through the intersection. He kept track of the Missouri plates and I counted all of the Kansas plates.

22. I still have my mission pillow. (The one everyone received from President & Hermana Clark their first night in the field) and I still use it too!!! (even though "PLAYER" has worn off)

23. I have a super sensitive nose. I can smell something rotting a mile away!

24. I hate doing dishes & laundry. I love cleaning the bathroom and vacuuming!

25. The Nauvoo Exodus site (at the end of Parley Street) on the Mississippi River is extremely symbolic for a few different reasons in my life. Come to Nauvoo with me, and I'll tell you why.