Thompson Korner

The Adventures of Word Girl

2010-05-08T22:13:00.000-06:00

I was browsing through our camera files and stumbled upon this. It's a video of Acacia and Tony a year ago playing Word Girl and Chuck the Evil Sandwich Maker. For all those who aren't familiar with Word Girl, she's a child superhero out to save the world. She's like a walking dictionary :) Anyway I just thought it was so cute and amazed at how fast she's grown up in the past year.

Webshow and Website Launch

2010-04-20T09:15:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to inform you all about my new website Tofu 'n' Collards! It's an informational site with recipes and more. In mid-May I will be launching my very own web cooking show, which I am totally STOKED about :) So defiantly keep an eye out for that. If you want to take a look at what I've got so far feel free to visit www.tofuandcollards.com
Everything with family life has been going really well. After this semester is over (1 week) Anthony will only have 2 more semesters and he'll be done with undergrad stuff :) He was elected to be the president of his honors society, AKD for next year and he's looking forward to that. He definitely has lots of plans for them next year. I basically have 2 semesters left, as well but because I am required to take Vocal Pedagogy for my degree, I have to wait for it to be available again (which is every other year) so 2011-2012 is when it will be available again...ARRRRRGG!!! It's been a very eventful school year...I felt like I had absolutely no time for anything. I have 3 shows under my belt this year: Vixens, Rascals, and Saints(musical/opera scenes), Macbeth, and Gianni Schicchi. If I had a choice I probably wouldn't have done that many this year, but because of my scholarship obligations I had too. I was also nominated for a T-Bird award- Performer of the Year at SUU! It's like being nominated for a Tony Award or something at least that's what the ceremony felt like this weekend :)

Acacia is getting older, which means I am getting older :/ She is growing too be such a little lady...scary. She has started pre-school this year and has enjoyed every moment. She is ahead in her reading. She come's home with something every day that she has created in her class...it's so cute. This last Friday I had to work; I am a House Manager on campus for the recitals, concerts, or anything that goes on in the Thorley Recital Hall. So my friend Theora offers to take Acacia for a walk around campus while I work. Here's the conversation they had.... THEORA:Wow, it's really warm and sunny out here I'm gonna get a really good tan. ACACIA: Well I need to work on my black AND my white...
LOL!!! I thought that was too cute and priceless :)

My New Favorite Music Video

2009-12-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

2009-07-30T23:10:00.002-06:00

Hey Everyone :D I recieved this e-mail today, and I thought that it was VERY much worth reading.

Love you all,

Kiki

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, and Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians.. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat..

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God, as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (Regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW....'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.

If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

Catching up

2009-06-16T07:14:00.005-06:00

Wow, there's a TON to talk about in this posting. Life is always crazy around here in my house (as if you didn't know that already) :)

Here's a run down of the last 5 months:

School has been great for both Anthony and I. Anthony managed to get straight A's this semester. I am so proud of him. I knew how difficult it was for him trying to balance life, work and school. He was also approached by one of his professors to join Alpha Kappa Delta (honor society for sociology) so that he could be the chapter representative. He is also one of the Spanish tutors on campus, which he really enjoys doing.

Acacia started preschool at Discovery Club this last semester and she LOVES it! She loves playing in the oatmeal sandbox and finger painting, but her ultimate favorite time is recess :) She loves ALL of her primary classes (our ward, our old ward, and Grandma & Grandpa's ward). She is currently taking dance classes at Onstage dance studio. She is always showing us her passe and arabesque along with her toe touches! Here's a video of her dance recital a month ago. I think that it was a little too dark for all the girls to see their teacher, but it's still cute :)

It has been a hectic but very rewarding semester for me as well. It all started in January with the opera, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I managed to still pull off a 3.6 GPA...don't ask me how. I swear I thought I was going to fail one of my classes. I got all A's and B's though :) I was then awarded an academic and music scholarhip. for this coming school year. Being a music major makes me miss theatre a TON, so I auditioned for Macbeth and was cast for the fall show at SUU! I am Hecate, the mistress of the witches. (yay me for being type cast!) In April the vocal department went to Las Vegas and competed regionally in NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing). NATS is a internationally recognized organiztion that holds competions once a year. You compete based on your year in school and gender. You can compete in the classical or musical theatre categories or both. I placed 1st in my division! I had the opportunity to perform My Man's Gone Now from Porgy & Bess at the winner's recital. It was the best experience of my life! Actually...I take that back the best experience I have ever had was singing the National Anthem at graduation this last semester and being in the presence of the prophet Thomas S. Monson. It was awesome.

The Lord has definately been looking out for us. We have recently moved and are managing a student apartment complex Cedar Vista Apartments. We currently aren't paying rent and get paid for anything the Landlord asks us to do. This opportunity couln't have come at a better time. We really needed this in order to stay in Cedar City and finish school. We are eternally grateful.

Well that's what's been going on with us these past few months!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

2009-05-10T06:41:00.001-06:00

This Is Heaven!

2009-04-23T18:19:00.004-06:00

Ok...yes I know it's been forever, and I am sorry, but this semester has been kicking my trash!!! It's been really hard to keep up with all you fellow bloggers :(

Anyway, I just wanted to share the most beautiful song in the universe. It's called Rusalka (Song to The Moon). It's from Antonin Dvorak's Czech fairytale opera Rusalka. Before today I have only heard this song about 3 times in my life, and failed to ever get the name and composer of the song. I love it! The music gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. It's beautiful and Celestial.

Here's what it translates to: O moon high up in the deep, deep sky,

   Your light sees far away regions,
 You travel round the wide,
Wide world peering into human dwellings

 O, moon, stand still for a moment,
 Tell me, ah, tell me where is my lover!
 Tell him. please, silvery moon in the sky,
  That I am hugging him firmly,
That he should for at least a while
 Remember his dreams!
  Light up his far away place,
Tell him, ah, tell him who is here waiting!
 If he is dreaming about me,
 May this remembrance waken him!


I hope that you all enjoy this song and video as much as I do. It's definitely going to be part of my repertoire :)

Ok, I Am Officially a Slacker!

2009-02-14T10:14:00.001-07:00

Ok, so yeah, I have been lazy about keeping you all posted, but I promise you it's all for good cause :)

As most of you know I was cast in the opera at school The Magic Flute. We have been working on it since the end of August. The show finally opened January 28th and closed on the 31st. I had so much fun doing it! I think that I enjoyed doing my make up and hair and preparing to get into character offstage the best (makeup alone was about an hour and 1/2). As we got into dress rehearsals the makeup got more elaborate, and I kept adding and adding new elements every night!!! It was a serious addiction. The ladies at Sally's Beauty supply know me very well now ;)
I had so much fun doing this and hope that I have an opportunity to be in another opera soon. I had fun! It was a blast!

I ordered the video and CD, so keep an eye out for clips on youtube! But here are some pics that I managed to get. More coming soon :)

Acacia is now 3 years old, and our baby is a little girl now. She is in Sunbeams now and loves it. In the past we would have her pray, but ever since she started Sunbeams, she has offered to pray for basically every meal or family prayer that we have. Her teacher said that the first week of class that Acacia offered to pray right away and she gave the prayer in class :) Her prayers start out like this "Heavenly Father, bless Grandma Shakespere, Grandma Thompson and Grandpa Thompson, bless mommy, and daddy, and Acacia..." It's just so cute! I don't know about Tony, but sometimes I just have to peak and look our little angel when she prays, because her prayer is so sincere :) She has truly been the best little girl parents could ever have. Yes, there are some days I want to rip my hair out, but by the end of EVERY day, we spoil her with hugs and lots of love.

She started potty training about a month ago and overall has been really good about telling us when she needs to go. She has graduated from the "little toilet" to the" big toilet". It's a good thing her "little toilet" came with a removable seat to place on a real toilet! :)

She has started to "read" too. For Christmas we got her a Hooked on Phonics set, and she studies every day for at least 20 minutes. Here favorite books to "read" are the Little Mr. & Mrs. books Grandma & Grandpa got for (She protects them with her life in the little tote bag she received with them) .

Acacia has also discovered the wonderful world of pbskids.org . It has become such a habit, that we actually have to limit here to it for 30-45 miutes a day, but she is learning a ton from that as well. She's so wonderful, and we love her so much.

Here's a slide of her most recent pics. Enjoy!

My Favorite Christmas Story

2008-12-24T10:08:00.003-07:00

I love Christmas! It's one of my favorite holidays, because people seem to be a bit nicer at this time of year, I love spending time with family and close friends, we get to start traditions of our own, seeing all the beautiful lights and decorations around town, and who can forget the yummy treats and gifts we either receive or give :) But, with all the hustle and bustle of the season, we as a people seem to forget the true meaning of Christmas and its importance. The commercialism of Christmas has taken over the world, and that is really sad. Here is one of my FAVORITE Christmas stories. It's called "Teach The Children" you'll see why it's one of my all time favorites and how it ties in with what I am talking about :)

Just a week before Christmas, I had a visitor. This is how it happened. I had just finished the household chores and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door of the front room, and to my surprise, Santa Claus himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his fingers over his mouth so I would not cry out.

"What are you doing..." I started to ask, but the words choked up in my throat as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone-gone was the eager, boisterous soul we knew. He then answered me with a simple statement of "Teach the children." I was puzzled. What did he mean? He anticipated my question and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag and pulled out a brilliant shiny star.

"Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promise long ages ago. God promised a Savior for the world and the star was a sign of fulfillment of that promise. The countless shining stars at night-- one for each man--now show the burning hope of all mankind." Santa gently laid the star upon the fireplace mantle and drew forth from the bag a glittering red tree ornament.

"Teach the children red is the first color of Christmas. It was the first used by the faithful people to remind them of the blood which was shed for all the people by the Savior. Christ gave his life and shed His blood that every man might have God's gift of Eternal Life. Red is deep, intense, vivid--it is the greatest color of all. It is the symbol of the gift of God."

"Teach the children," he said as he dislodged a small tree from the depths of the toy bag. He placed it before the mantle and gently hung the red ornament on it. The deep green of the fir tree was a perfect background for the ornament. Here was the second color of Christmas. "The pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round," he said. " This depicts the everlasting hope of mankind. Green is the youthful, hopeful, abundant color of nature. All the needles point heavenward--symbols of man's returning thought toward heaven. The great green tree has been man's best friend. It has sheltered him, warmed him, made beauty for him." Suddenly, I heard a soft tinkling sound.

"Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound to the bell it should ring for man to return to the fold-- it means guidance and return. It further signifies that all are precious in the eyes of the Lord." As the soft bell faded into the night, Santa drew forth a candle. He placed it on the mantle and the soft glow from its tiny flame cast a glow about the darkened room. Odd shapes in shadows slowly danced and weaved upon the walls.

"Teach the children," whispered Santa, "that the candle shows man's thanks for the star of long ago. Its small light is the mirror of starlight. At first, candles were place on the trees--they were like many glowing stars shining against the dark green. The colored lights have taken over in remembrance. "

Santa turned the small Christmas tree lights on and picked up a gift from under the tree. He pointed to the large bow and said, "A bow is placed on a present to remind us of the spirit of the brotherhood of man. We should remember that the bow is tied as men should be tied, all of us together, with the bonds of good will toward each other. Good will forever is the message of the bow."

Santa slung his bag over his shoulder and began to reach for the candy cane placed high on the tree. He unfastened it and reached out toward me with it. "Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherd's crook. The crook on the staff helps bring back the strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane represents the helping hand we should show at Christmas time. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brothers' keepers."

As Santa looked about the room, a feeling of satisfaction hone in his face. He read wonderment in my eyes, and i am sure he sensed admiration for this night. He reached into his bag and brought forth a large holly wreath. He placed it on the door and said, "Please teach the children that the wreath symbolized the eternal nature of love; it never ceases, stops or ends. It is the one continuous round of affection. the wreath does double duty. It is made of many things and in many colors. It should remind us of all the things of Christmas. Please teach the children."

I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas, and lets not forget the importance of our Savior's birth and the true meaning of Christmas. His calling and purpose in life is one that we all need.

Holy Cow!!! It's Been a while!

2008-12-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

It's been quite awhile since we've last updated our blog. It's been crazy busy with school these last couple of weeks. This last week we have had finals and then we'll be done until January comes around :) Yay us!! Anthony and I both did really well this semester (all A's & B's) This was seriously one of my hardest semesters I have ever faced. Ask me if I thought I was going to pass about 2 months ago, and I would have probably told you that I was failing!!! Music is HARD!

For all those who have been wondering, The Magic Flute opens January 28 - 31. It's double cast and I am in the English cast, so if you want to see me as the 1st Lady, you would have to go either the 28th or 30th (any other day I'll be singing German in the chorus) For ticket info please call 866.882.3327 or visit http://www.heritagectr.org/

Last night was Acacia's Christmas dance recital, and we are so proud of her. She is such a good dancer!!! Here is a video of one of the dances performed.

...and here's a picture of the first dance that was performed(me trying to figure out this new camera, hee hee) and all the rest of the pics are of here at her actual dance class last week. They invited the parents to this class to observe what they all had been working on.

Acacia Sings The Sound of Music

2008-10-18T22:55:00.004-06:00

We think that Acacia learned this in dance class...but wherever she learned it is so cute!! I think she has a pretty good voice...don't you? ;)

These are a few of my favorite things...

2008-10-09T15:32:00.008-06:00

With the holidays just around the corner, we have been craving those yummy holiday treats. We have made cookies 3 weekends in a row already (pumpkin twice. and snicker doodles once)!! What a way to start out the season with something pumpkiny with Halloween just around the corner :)

I call these Kiki's Pumpkin Butterscotch-A-Chip Cookies. Now, the recipe I am about to give is a vegan recipe, but can easily be modified into a "traditional" version...but to be honest with you, you wouldn't be able to tell that they are vegan...my visiting teaching girls didn't even know the difference (he he he). They are seriously AMAZING!!! They taste good, and that's all that matters.

Kiki's Pumpkin Butterscotch-A-Chip Cookies

1/2 cup Non-Hydrogenated Shortening
1-1/2 cups raw sugar
1/4 cup soy yogurt (vanilla or plain)
1 Tbsp Molasses
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup of butterscotch chips (log house brand would be the vegan option)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease cookie sheets.
2. In large bowl cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the soy yogurt and molasses, then stir in pumpkin and vanilla.
3. In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix together well.
4. Gradually stir into the creamed mixture
5. Stir in butterscotch chips and pecans
6. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls on to cookie sheet or for a bit bigger cookie use a 1/8 measuring cup.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes
8. Cool on wire racks

**Whenever I bake ANY type of cookie, I usually store them in a tupperware type container, so that they stay chewy (make sure that the cookies have completely cooled off). Cookies tend to dry out when stored in a cookie jar. If you decide to store them in a cookie jar, put a slice of bread in the jar with the cookies and they won't dry out. ( this also works if the cookies are already dried out...just add a slice of bread to the jar and the cookies will be moist and chewy).

Alright...and here is another one of our favorite Snicker Doodle recipes

Snicker Doodles

1 cup vegan margarine such as Earth Balance

1 ½ cups Sucanat (this is raw sugar, looks like granulated sugar, but it's unrefined)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp molasses

4 tbsp soy milk or rice milk, whipped with 2 tbsp cornstarch

3 cups whole wheat flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cornstarch

2 tbsp cinnamon

4 tbsp Sucanat

1 tbsp cocoa powder (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 300°F.

2. In a large bowl, cream the margarine and sugar together until smooth. Add the vanilla, molasses, and the cornstarch/soy milk mixture, and beat until well-mixed.

3. In a smaller bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and corn starch. Stir this into the wet ingredients and combine well.

4. In a very small bowl stir together the sugar, cinnamon and cocoa powder (if desired).

5. Begin rolling the cookie dough into balls of about 3 tbsp each. Roll each ball in the cinnamon/sugar/cocoa powder mixture until completely coated and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Continue until all the dough is used up. Using the bottom of a glass, press down on each ball until they are about an inch thick. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, and no more. The cookies should still seem very soft when you remove them from the oven. Let cool on the pans for about 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire baking rack and let cool completely.

These honestly super good ^_^ Let me know if you end up trying them.

Spiritually Enlightened...

2008-10-05T16:47:00.012-06:00

So this weekend was the 178th Semi-Annual General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For all those bloggers who may not be a part of my Faith, this is a meeting held twice a year; once in April, and another in October every year where the leaders of our church give us council from the Lord.

As I thought about the upcoming event this past week, I thought to myself I have never actually prepared myself spiritually to listen to our leaders in the church in the past...I really should try it! So as Friday night rolled along I feasted upon the scriptures and prayed to my Heavenly Father that I would be able to listen to the words of the prophet and the disciples of our Savior Jesus Christ. And boy did that work!!! I have never got so much out of each session. In the past I would either have fallen asleep within the first 30 minutes of the session or I wouldn't be in tune spiritually, I would be there physically, but I would have dozens of other things on my mind, basically...I wasn't prepared to hear what the Lord needed me to hear.

It's just crazy how when you are prepared spiritually how you're able to understand and take in what is being said, and how so many prayers are answered (well...that's how it was with me at least) I got so many different conformations to my prayers this weekend. The Lord does really listen to us if we just ask sincerely and listen diligently. The answer may not come right away, but an answer will come whether we like the answer that we receive or not.

The talks presented in all sessions had the most simple messages in them, yet amazing, and yet very powerful...we're going back to the basics. The brethren and sisters that got up there, were so in tune spiritually. You can tell that they were truly disciples of Jesus Christ; each one sharing their message and then testifying of Him.

One talk that sticks out in my mind was during the Saturday afternoon session given by Lawrence E. Corbridge. Basically he says this:

"...there is only one way to Happiness and fulfilment, and that it is through Jesus Christ. We need to learn of Him and accept his blessings of His Atonement. He is THE way. Following Him is achievable by everyone. Any other way is madness. The Lord's way is not hard, LIFE is hard, the gospel is simple...Never give up and you'll make it."

This just makes me realize how important it really is to start off my day with prayer and scripture study, it's a daily reminder for me to be more like him. I also feel that when I do these things I am more in tuned with the Spirit, which in turn makes me closer to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Every good thing really does depend on the Holy Ghost.

Another talk I was impressed with was Elder L. Tom Perry's, given in the Saturday morning session. It was on the 4 basic needs of life (spiritual).

1. FOOD

If we follow the Word of Wisdom we will receive many blessings. A healthy diet, exercise, getting enough sleep and abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, caffeinated beverages, illegal/prescription drug abuse, will all result in blessings of a long lasting healthy body and we are also able to have the Holy Ghost dwell with us.

In Doctrine & Covenants Section 89:18-21 it reads:

...18) And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, ^ashall receive ^bhealth in their navel and marrow to their bones;

19) And shall ^afind ^bwisdom and great ^ctreasures of ^dknowledge, even hidden treasures;

20) And shall ^arun and not be ^bweary, and shall walk and not faint.

21) And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the ^adestroying angel shall ^bpass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

2. CLOTHING

We as human beings require clothing. We must remember to keep our attire simple and modest. It affects the way we act and represents who we really are. Immodest dressing attracts the wrong kind of attention. Dressing modestly is a quality of mind and health.

3. SHELTER

We also need shelter to live. Don't live beyond your means! Live within your means. You may be able to afford the "Great and spacious building" or the houseboat on the lake, but save your money for a rainy day...anything can happen.

4. FUEL

We all need fuel for our vehicles, but we also need spiritual fuel for our souls. We all need to strive and emulate the 5 Virgins...acquire a knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and our role in it. Earnestly seek to simplify our lives.

As you all can see I can go on and on about the lessons learned and taught at this conference, but it would take way too long; but if you weren't able to watch all or none of the conference I urge you to do so. It will spiritually uplift and give you some guidance in life. The cool thing is, that it's available online at http://www.lds.org/conference/languages/0,6353,310-1,00.html

Falling Behind....

2008-09-20T13:15:00.004-06:00

I am so sorry that I haven't updated my blog for awhile. It's been really crazy between Anthony and I, school, and our jobs. I promise to be better about it in the future :) Acacia has been active as ever and growing up way too fast...she's not a baby anymore :( But it is so fun to see her grow up. She reminds us everyday how much she loves to dance. She'll literally sit there and show us what she learned in class that day. She loves to show off her "shuffle & clap" as well as how flexible she is. She's so darn cute...I guess we'll keep her, ha ha ha!

Anthony has started working for Albertsons again a few weeks ago (Thank goodness) The last job he had was at Convergy's as a customer service rep for AT&T wireless phone services; and he would come home very sad and tired after each shift. It wasn't a very pleasant place to work at...let's just say that the majority of the people that worked there you would not want to run into a dark ally at night or even during the day! But it was really the only job that paid somewhat decently in Cedar City until something would come available at Albertsons. So we we're very grateful when Albertsons was able to work something out with him. Anthony likes to be active on the job and not sitting for 8 hours. It's really nice because it's flexible around school too :D School is going really well for him as well. He loves it!

As for me I have started rehearsals for The Magic Flute and it's so wonderful!!! I love it so much! SUU's opera department entered on of their scenes from last year into a competition in DC, and we were selected to compete in January! So we get to perform a scene from The Magic Flute. She hasn't decided on what scene she wants to take yet, but no matter what she decides it will be an awesome experience. SUU is kicking my trash and actually making me work for what I've got, BUT it's all worth it in the end. My voice teacher is so awesome! In this last weeks lesson, she told me that she wanted to prepare me for a few competitions and auditions...this includes the Metropolitan Opera in New York!!! She really wants me to prepare for that, and she has A LOT of faith in me, because to me that was just a dream that I'd never think of ever coming true...so that's what I'll be working on while I am here at SUU...we'll see what happens ;)

Here's a video that was floating around on Facebook. It brought me to tears and makes me grateful for who I am and how important the people in my life are to me.

It's Official!

2008-09-05T21:51:00.005-06:00

For all those who were curious about The Magic Flute callbacks...I am officially cast!!! I am so excited! My role is the 1st Lady...one of the 3 ladies (trio) to the Queen of the Night...it's a pretty hefty singing role. We were all double cast as well, because one cast will be performing in English and the other in German. I am apart of the the English cast(which is fine with me...that's a tough language to speak, let alone sing!!) On the nights that I am not the 1st lady, I will be in the chorus and even that's amazing!!! Yay!! I hope if any of you have a chance that you're able to come and see the production :) It's going to be FABULOUS!!! We open January 28, 2009 at the Heritage Theatre in Cedar City. I will definitely keep everyone posted.

Some more news...Tonight I was reading the Cedar City Review (a local newspaper) and I am skimming through the ads, then the obituaries, and then I turned to the next page and there was a picture of Acacia and some other dance students in the paper! It was so funny, because when I looked at the picture I thought to myself "Wow! that little girl looks exactly like Acacia" And of course it was! She is so cute in her little ballet outfit :D She's growing up so fast...It's so crazy to think that she is almost 3 years old!! Next thing you know she'll be starting school :( Oh well...I guess that's life. We just love her so much :)

Back to School!!!!! AAAAAAAA!!!

2008-08-29T19:53:00.011-06:00

Yes it's true we're back in school already. The first day of classes was Monday, August 25 and it was CRAZY! Both Anthony and I are attending SUU as full-time students. Anthony has decided on the Communications/public relations field. Originally it was International Relations and then Political Science, but figured out this last week that Communications will fit in with what he really wants to do later on. He loves it( and that's a first), because he can utilize his writing skills and there is so much he can do with his degree. So we're very excited and happy for Anthony :D

As for myself, I started off as a Theatre major at SUU, and as the week went along the more I thought about theatre and auditioning for the BFA in Musical Theatre, it made me sick to my stomach. I was really stressed out about it. So praying and pondering about this whole thing, it just didn't feel like the right thing for me to invest in. My answer from Heavenly Father was to switch my major to music. I still wasn't confident and convinced that that was the answer, so I stayed registered as a Theatre major, but just didn't audition for the BFA and set up a time to audition for the BM of Vocal Performance in music. My audition was set for Friday(today) at 1:00 pm.

So as a Theatre major, you're required to audition for all productions being presented the upcoming semester and year, and this also included opera productions presented by the music department. So knowing my love and passion for classical and opera music, I signed up to audition for Mozart's, The Magic Flute. I was scared out of my mind!!! So before my audition I practiced my audition peice, Chil Bel Sogno Di Doretta La Rondine, by Puccini. Now, you have to keep in mind that I haven't performed this aria since April at Dixie State College, so I was EXTREMELY worried about getting the Italian right, and making sure that I knew the words. So I practiced as much as I could, but still was very nervous and almost to the point of not auditioning at all. So to give myself some comfort, I Googled Leotyne Price's name (She is a internationally known, famous African American Soprano, and one of the first African Americans to sing at the Metropolitan Opera back in the 60's....She's Amazing!!!) and find a bunch of video recorded performances of her singing in her prime. So of course I'm going to listen to the song that I plan on auditioning with, and I sat and listend to this glorious voice, and I was not only in awe, but I felt this calming warm feeling in my heart, and started to cry. This was my confirmation and answser from Heavenly Father that I needed to pursue music.

I had to attend the meeting for theatre before my big audition, so I still ended up going. Sitting through that meeting was the best and worst. The best because, I knew what my calling in life was, and worst because I still had to sit and listen to a bunch of stuff that I wasn't interested in. I felt so empty sitting in that room. So, the meeting ends and I rush over to the music building, fill out the application for The Magic Flute audition, and waited all of 10 minutes. The audition went really well :D As a matter of fact I was called back for a second audtion held on Tuesday night, September 2nd!!! I am SO excited! I will keep you all posted on that.

Now, as for the audition into the actual music program...once again, keep in mind that auditions for the music program happened already at the begining of this year, so for them to even give me a chance and let me audition for them is a huge deal!!! So, I audition for the department, and they were very impressed, and I got into the program!!!! It made me feel so good inside, because I feel for once in my life that I am trusting my Heavenly Father and letting Him guide me in life for what He wants for me.

Sorry that I wrote a novel, but I thought that I needed to share this experience with all of you.
Thanks to all that have always believed in me, when I have often doubted myself with this gift that I was blessed with.

Here is a video of Leotyne Price singing Puccini's Chi Il Bel Sogno Di Dorretta La Rondine AND if you really want to hear me sing this aria, just scroll all the way down this page andon the bottom of the page is a green music playlist...the very last song on the playlist is a recording of me singing the song at my recital this last April...just click and listen :)

...And here's another one of her singing one of my othr favorite Puccini Arias, Vissi D'arte

How Acacia Got Her Groove Back

2008-08-23T14:06:00.002-06:00

This is so cute!! Today as we were unpacking things in our apartment, we were listening to music and we turn around Acacia is literally break dancing. What a talented two year old.

This Is Yummy!!!

2008-08-19T17:13:00.007-06:00

Since our recent move to Cedar City, we have had to adjust our budget to eat cheaply. We wanted to still achieve this, but be healthy about it at the same time, as well as still tasting good. I don't know about you, but it is expensive trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies into our diet. But we found a way! Yay us :D

Being the master chef he is, Anthony came up with this salad that is way good! He just has this gift that he was blessed with of combining flavors and coming up with meals that taste gourmet. He's got his wife beat by far in the cooking category. LOL... Ask me to cook, and I'll pull out the cookbook, follow the directions to the tee and come up with an ok tasting dish. Ask Anthony, and he doesn't even need a cookbook to make something taste amazing!!!

Anyway, I just thought we'd share this recipe with you. It's so good, fast, and easy! If any of you actually get around to making this, let us know what you think. Enjoy!

Tony's Kickin' Portobella Salad

1 Head of green leaf lettuce or romaine hearts
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp. fresh minced ginger
1 green bell pepper finely chopped
1 portobella mushroom cap cut in half and sliced
2 limes
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 ranch dressing
Goya Adobo Seasoning (found in the latino/mexican section of your grocery store; if not go to a local latino market)
3 tbsp. corn oil
1 ripe avocado sliced or guava paste (optional)

Lay chopped lettuce in a bowl with cilantro. Saute garlic, ginger, and bell pepper in oil for 2 minutes. Add portobella, and squeeze limes into pan. Saute for an additional 2 minutes and season to taste with Adobo (there should be liquid in the pan). Pour portobella mixture over lettuce and drizzle with ranch dressing. Toss in tomatoes and serve with sliced avocados or guava paste as desired.

++Another option is adding in grilled tofu, chicken, or any other type of meat. Be sure to season it to your liking before adding it into the salad. We seasoned our tofu with Sazon by Goya :)

They Grow So Fast...

2008-08-17T20:45:00.004-06:00

It's sad but true!!! It seemed just like yesterday our little girl was born, but oh how time flies when you're not paying attention :( We don't want her to grow up, but it's going to happen. She is 2 and will turn 3 November 2nd (Where did the time go?) She even refers to herself as "little girl" where as 3 months ago, she was still calling herself "baby".

As she grows and progresses we're so proud that she is becoming courteous, respectful, and still lots of fun. She reminds us on a daily basis to be like our Brother and Saviour Jesus Christ. Every moment we get to spend together with her and as a family is very rewarding and has become an important aspect in our lives. Whether it's going to the library on Wednesdays, playing in the park, or bike riding, the fact that we're spending time together is what's important.

In these last days, the family is being attacked by the Adversary and his army. And we realize that we need to strengthen our relationships in the home, and teaching our children about the importance of family and spending time together will be passed down for generations to come.

Finding Your Balance

2008-08-10T17:42:00.014-06:00

It finally came! We spoke in sacrament meeting today in our new ward. It was nerve wrecking
for me. Ask me to sing anytime in front of thousands of people, but speaking in public is a whole other issue. It all turned out very well. The topic we were both given was Finding a Balance. I don't know about Anthony, but it was clear to me that I needed to speak about this topic. It is something that has been kind of lacking in our household due our busy schedules.

How do we find balance in our lives? We are commanded by the Lord to do certain things; like following His commandments, studying the scriptures, praying, keeping the sabbath day holy and so on. Are we making time for theses simple tasks that He asks of us? Or are we not making the time to do these things? I truly believe that, in order for things to balance temporaly, I need to have and make balance spiritually.

One phrase I hear very often from friends, myself to be included is “I don't have enough time” I am sure that you may have heard this on occasion too. The world can be a distraction and very overwhelming at times. It can pull a person in many directions at once while worming its way into whatever time we have left. The world's demands on us can leave very little time for spiritual necessities; and if we're not careful, before we even realize it, we are at the mercy of the world rather than in position to call upon the mercy of God. The rush of the world can keep us from spending time drawing nearer to our Heavenly Father. Work, school, and even personal commitment could be a distraction and prevent us from growing spiritually. That is because, when the world isn't demanding your attention with work and other responsibilities, it is usually trying to win your attention with other ways to fill your time.

How do we seek sanctification? There 5 things we can do to achieve sanctification.

First one is by Faith- faith leads to actions. Try to think of our Savior Jesus Christ on a daily basis and not just on Sunday's. He is our great example of holiness. Live as Jesus lived. It's because of faith we are able to study the scriptures, attend our meetings, and serving in the temple. If we BELIEVE Him, and have faith in Him, we can become more like him.
# 2 By study- When we apply scripture study in our lives, they become the answers to help us face and solve our problems in life. Try to make time for scripture study. It doesn't matter if it's for 10, 30, or 60 minutes. If there's no time at home, try studying them on a break at school or work. Along with sincere pondering, scripture study opens us to inspiration. It will deepen your understanding of the gospel and draw you closer to God.
# 3 Sacrifice- the Savior asks us to be willing to sacrifice our own desires in order to follow God. We must be willing to give up worldly things. In order to follow Christ we need to sacrifice things. We all have those things...not riches necessarily, but things that prevent us from following him. He wants our hearts. He wants to know what we love more. That is how we become his disciples.We must sacrifice our will and our desires.
# 4 by Obedience- Sacrificing our desires is sanctifying when we do it in order to do the Lord's will, live our covenants, and keep his commandments. God has given us laws. Obedience to them sanctifies us. We'd receive more blessings and How do we seek sanctification? we can be happier by keeping his law.
#5 by Atonement- He has experienced all of our difficulties already. The feelings we have, He has already felt. There is great power in the Atonement to make us holy as he is. Remember what the Savior has done for us. When we repent and keep his commandments on a daily basis, allows the Lord to make us clean.

We need to make time to be holy and free ourselves from worldly things, because the Lord has commanded us to Organize ourselves, prepare ourselves, and sanctify ourselves. Purify our hearts and cleanse our hands and our feet before Him.

Life can be crazy! But when we make time for the Saviour in life, We can have his help to overcome our challenges. Nothing is more important than returning home to our Heavenly Father...and in order to achieve that, we need to sacrifice and make time for our spiritual needs.

Born To Dance

2008-08-06T18:16:00.015-06:00

So, today was one of many of Acacia's dance performances. She has been working hard all summer long to perform. She was SUPER! And of course way cute :) Her very first performance was actually a few weeks ago. She performed in the Pioneer Day parade on July 24th. She marched all except the last 2 blocks!! She was determined ;) The funny thing was by the time her dance group got to our part of the parade, she had stopped marching :( (they usually let the little ones ride in the back of the pickup when they get tired) so we didn't see her in the parade.

Today's performance was at Emerald Pointe Assisted Living Center in Cedar. Being the technical genius that I am, I'm still trying to figure out how to upload the video to my computer so that you all can enjoy her dancing too, but for some reason it won't work!!! Now, I bet you all are thinking to yourselves "well at least she has pictures of this event" Unfortunately, we don't...our digital camera went out on us a week ago, so it's been frustrating not being able to take pictures or anything. So until we figure the video camera thingy here are pictures of Acacia dancing for us after her performance(recorded on our computer video cam). I wish you all could see the the real thing, she was so good!

Inspiration

2008-08-02T09:16:00.013-06:00

So we finally have a family blog!!! I have been wanting to start one for a while now, but hadn't gotten around to it. But I have been truly inspired to start one. Last night I had found out that a childhood friend had left this mortal life and returned home to our Heavenly Father. Her name was Ginger Zierenberg Clinton. She passed away on July 20th, Sunday morning. She was a blogger and tried to keep everyone up to date on her family on a daily basis, and now basically because of her persistence, I have started my on blog. I remember Ginger as an adolescent in Moorpark, CA and I remember alsways wanting to be like her and never thought that I could be. She was always really nice to me and my family, I have never ever seen her get angry or upset at anyone, not even her siblings. She was very funny at times, and talented in many ways. To me she was the perfect ideal youth. So it dosen't surprise me when I read other postings about her and her kindness. She was a true follower and servant of Christ. My heart and blessings go out to her family and close friends.

Here is a picture of Ginger & her family