We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Sunshine - "For of him unto whom much is given much is required ..."

Yesterday the absolute beauty of my life was out in full force. I spent the morning with my boys, performed in a musical that I adore, sat in the audience of that same show, drove home in the rain with sunshine peeking out all along the way, got to see my little dude to bed, tidied up the house that I am so grateful for, and chilled with my sweet hubby before bed. Throughout the day I felt an immense amount of gratitude for all of the incredible opportunities and blessings in my life. I couldn't help but ponder how fortunate I am and how, because of that, a lot is expected of me. I spent a lot of time evaluating where I am in my life and inspecting the areas that could use some serious improvement.

I am grateful.

Now let's chat for a second . . .

First of all, you have less than two weeks to see this beautiful piece of theatre. GET YOUR TICKETS.  (I have seven shows yet - MWF and Sat at 12:30 is my cast)

www.hct.org.

And check out this wonderful preview video. Have I convinced you to come yet?



On that same note, I posted this before but didn't embed it - so yeah - check out this incredible 2014 season:

Let's discuss also, the most gigantic part of our spring and summer.  OUR YARD. It has been quite the process, but we finally laid sod on Wednesday.  WE ARE THRILLED!!!

Compost : Our own pile of dirt.

After a bit of a sod disaster involving the company we hired to trench.

Overseeing his Daddy's sprinkler job.

Baby in a pile of dirt.

Watching from the porch as Dad slaves away in the 100 degree weather.

GRASS!!!!

Now, of course, we need trees and bushes, and plants and other pretties, but for now, we're thrilled to have GRASS. 

Some highlights from the first half of our summer . . . 

Chuck's 33rd birthday :

Playmill Theatre Reunion - West Yellowstone, MT - June 20-22

I just love this picture of Hilly. 

Practicing domesticity in my laundry room - for a wall in our dining room. Seriously - gotta practice. 

 Cowabunga Bay

Antelope Island

"Davis on a buffa-loh-oh" 

Father's Day breakfast for my dad. Most enormous cinnamon roll ever. 

Father's Day art : 

Visit to Grandpa Shreeve: 

Ragtime: 

Fifteen Months Old :

 

Summertime walks - or pushings of the stroller . . . 

BIKES! 

Ducks with Nana!

Just cute :

Sixteen months: 

Carl's Jr. Cookie Ice Cream Yumminess: 

And . . . Growing too fast. 

Sunday Sunshine

1. Momma - I had a wonderful Mother's Day last week. Chuck spoiled me and I got to spend some time relaxing and being with my favorite people - I particularly enjoyed the company of the little dude who made me a momma. Happy.

2. Crunch - We're coming up on crunch time for my show. We have a week left of rehearsals, then we hit tech week, and on the fifth, we open. It has been a wonderful and thought provoking experience for me, and because of the beauty of the show, I leave every rehearsal feeling great because  I "felt something." I am thrilled to be working with such talented people. It makes me happy.

3. Daddy/Son - I'm grateful for a wonderful man in my life who will willingly let me be gone every night for the next two weeks. I'm happy that my boys get to spend so much time one on one, and I am grateful that this time of me being away every night won't last forever. It has been much needed "me time," but I will thoroughly enjoy once the show has opened and I'll be home four nights of the week. I miss our little family routine. 

4. Fly Away -My momma just completed her training with JetBlue. And I am

her flight buddy. NYC here we come!! I'm dying to see Cinderella and The Last Five Years.

5. Dirt - We have a thin layer of dirt

covering our kitchen floor, but that means that Chuck has been hard at work getting our yard ready to go. (THANK YOU!!) I cannot wait to have our fenced back yard ready for Davis to run wild in. He will be in HEAVEN. 

6. Class - The class I teach at the SCERA had it's last class on Thursday. I've had some of those kids for three years and have quite literally seen them grow up. I'm grateful to enjoy those two hours every week. And I'm grateful for summer vacation. 

7. Dude - The kiddo just makes me laugh every day. Here are some random pictures from the last couple weeks:

8. Dancing Penguins - I am excited to be the poster child for another Hale show next season. These photo shoots are so much fun to do. I'm lucky to have been able to do it five times now. 

Here's a fun little video to go along with it:

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=kRMiIjRl2yY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkRMiIjRl2yY

9. Baby Speedo - Summer is coming and Davis and I can't wait to hit up splash pads and Cowabunga Bay. Yippee! 

Happy Sabbath, friends!

Sunday Sunshine

1. 13 - This little turkey is thirteen months old now. I can't believe how quickly the time flies and how all of a sudden he's a toddler and no longer my little baby. Little tidbits on this dude:

- He's been very into laundry this week. He loves to help me put clothes in the washer, turn the washer on, take things from the washer and put them into the dryer, push the dryer button, and he loves, most of all, when it's time to put everything away in the drawers.

- He's obsessed with TUMS bottles. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but this kid has a one track mind of "I need to find the TUMS bottle!"

- He's quite the wobbly runner and is starting to love to rough house.

- Going to the grocery store is great fun for him. I buckle him in, but he turns around in the seat, gets onto his knees, and bounces as he squawks hello to all the passers by. He gets lots and lots of smiles, and I love it.

2. Celebration- Chuck got a raise this week and we celebrated at Texas Roadhouse. We even got brave enough to take Davis along. He was delighted and spent the entire time flirting with the waitresses. But that's a tangent. Point is: I am do grateful for a husband who works hard and provides so well for our little family. We feel very blessed.

3. Forgotten - Yesterday at my Ragtime rehearsal we came to a part of the show that I'd forgotten about. I was overcome with emotion from the story and I had a happy little "I'm thrilled to be a part
of this" moment. What part was it? Tateh and his Little Girl. That's all I'm gonna say. Gotta come see it!!

4. Teenagers - Davis got to come to class with me this week. As the kiddos worked on their Mary Poppins medley, he was enthralled. He danced off to the side with them, and ate up the attention of those junior high kids. Also - I do not have a shy kid.



5. Practically Perfect - Got to do a fun photo shoot on Tuesday. When the photo is officially released, I'll post it.

6. Balance - I am finding that I manage my time better and am more balanced in my life when I am busy. The last year has been busy busy with a new baby/selling a house/moving and adjusting to being home all day, but because I was home all day and didn't have much else on my agenda, I would find myself not using my time as wisely. Now, with having rehearsals every night, I have to maximize my time and minimize my frittering, or I just won't get things done. My house stayed pretty clean this week because of that!

7. Learning to Say No - I had a call this week about a gig a REALLY wanted to do. The money was great, it was only a
four day commitment, and it was with people here in Utah that I have really wanted to work with. It was scheduled, however, for a crazy busy week I have in May. Chuck will be out of town, I have shows and class at the SCERA and Ragtime rehearsals, AND my mom is in training at JetBlue (free flights!!!!), so my most flexible sitter is out of commission, and there was just no way I could swing it without messing up a bunch of other obligations I had. The old me would have moved heaven and earth to do it, but I had to step back, look at the reality of it all, and make the sad phone call turning it down. Bummer. But I learned how to say "no," and sometimes that is a hard thing to do, but it's for the best.

8. Yard - Chuck and I are prepping our yard for sod and landscaping and everything. Lots of (too much) work. But I'm excited to complete it and be able
to enjoy!

9. Pond - We have some pretty ponds here in my neighborhood. Earlier this week hundreds of pelicans filled one of them, and the sight was stunning. I was driving when I took the picture and it in no way showcases how gorgeous the sight was. Happy that I live in a pretty place!



Happy Sabbath, my friends.

Sunday Sunshine

1. Tra La La : I spent a glorious three-and-a-half days in Rexburg fraternizing with old pals, eating whatever I felt like, pampering my poor, tired mommy body at the spa, and singing at three performances of a benefit concert. Hilly and I drove to Idaho on Thursday morning and returned around noon today.

It was wonderful.

I had such a happy time chilling with Hilly, spending time with people I haven't seen much, or at all, in the past ten years, and just taking some time for "me."

The three hour package deal at the spa wasn't so bad either.  ;-)  It was a happy, happy weekend.

2. Hubs : I have a wonderful hubby who stayed home with Davis while I was gone. He played with him and kept Davis happily alive, and I am grateful. He is the best. There's more where that came from, too . . . Davis and his daddy will be spending a lot of time together in the coming months while I am doing my show. Best Papa ever. 

3. Gardening : Rehearsals for "Ragtime" started last Monday. I've had two so far (I missed three due to my trip), and my blocking rehearsals started out with the scene where Mother finds Sarah's baby buried in the garden. I'll leave it at that . . . those of you who don't know this musical are in for a treat, eh? 

4. Dude : Even though this little turkey gave me NO reaction whatsoever when I reappeared this morning, I sure do love him and missed him like crazy. Can't wait to spend the day with him tomorrow! 

5. Purdy : I caved and bought myself a new dress for the concert this weekend. I haven't bought myself something in a long, long time. It was worth it to feel pretty and sparkly. I may have also bought some heels as well . . . 

6. Ahhhhhhh : I mentioned it before, but it was so great that I must mention it again : THREE HOURS AT THE SPA. Massage, facial, and pedicure. Seriously? It's the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. Yep. I always tell Chuck that if we ever have horrifying amounts of money that I will spend it gladly at a spa 3+ times per week. Better yet, I'll just build one in our house and hire my own staff. Yes. And let's remember, folks, that I am a super low maintenance girl - but geez I'm sucked in when something like this happens to me! :-)

7. There's No Place Like Home : I love my house. I'm grateful for it. I missed it while I was gone.

8. Memory Lane : I visited the Ricks College (to me) / BYU-I campus over the weekend and was blown away by what it has become. I found myself digging into the depths of my memory of what was now almost fourteen years ago, and was overcome with gratitude for the time I spent at that wonderful place. It is where I learned what "normal" was,  where I made friendships that have continued to this very day, and it is a place I still consider a "home." 

And geez- check out this photo of the BYU-I Center which houses devotionals now. (The plan is nearly identical to the Conference Center in Salt Lake - only 6k fewer seats) I couldn't get over it. Incredible!