New Calling

Michael has been called, sustained, and set apart as the Young Men's President for the Bridgerland Park 3 Ward.

He's going to be very involved in...

this...

this...

and this!

I know that he is going to do so much for the young men in our ward. The entire presidency was reorganized (as he was the secretary before) and there are some wonderful men called to work alongside him.

I know that this is a BIG calling with lots of responsibility to keep the boys motivated, inspired, and excited about the gospel. But I've already started to see and hear the Lord's hopes and dreams for the boys through Michael.

As he was being set apart today, the blessings that the Lord gave to him were beautiful. I won't share everything, but I do want to relay an impression and thoughts about one particular thing that was said. Hearing the words, "worthy priesthood holder", really touched my heart. I know that is so true and I'm grateful to be married to a man who can be described as such. He may joke around here and there, but Michael carries himself with honor and dignity synonymous with a "worthy priesthood holder". You can see it in his eyes and his demeanor. He, and his other counselors, will be able to be powerful examples for the young men, teaching them what it truly means to hold and use the priesthood.

This is going to be a great opportunity for change, as this new presidency is on the "ground floor" of the Young Men's program in our ward. There are now enough boys to really have a scouting program, something which I know they are ALL excited about.

What a great blessing this will be to Michael and our family as we are now BOTH in callings associated with the youth of the Church. We are going to be blessed through our service and I know that we will learn so much, increasing our testimonies day by day!

Can you guess what this is?

I was perusing KSL this morning and stumbled upon this rare find!

Can you guess what it is?

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Any thoughts or ideas?

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I'll give you a hint...

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the picture for the original 1950s advertisement is below...

Yep, that's a Vintage Wall-Mount Refrigerator by GE!

Neat little innovation isn't it?

Too bad it didn't catch on too well.

Here's a picture of one still in working order from a lady who lives in Virginia, I believe. She's painted it white, which I like. Although, the original teal is not bad either.

I think this would be so much fun for a small kitchen where you don't have room for a huge upright refrigerator.

But probably difficult for those of us who struggle reaching upper shelves as it is. ;)

Senior Voice Recital

I performed my senior vocal recital on March 25th and it was great! I'm so grateful to all the people who came and supported me, especially those who contributed to my success. Here are some pictures from that night. I'm afraid we didn't get a lot, as I forgot to remind Michael to bring the camera. But, luckily, my accompanist John and Michael's parents remembered. Thanks guys!

Silly time with John Sargeant, my AMAZING accompanist. He is a rock star! We laughed the entire time and had so much fun together!

Me with Cindy Dewey, my voice teacher for my time here at USU! She is one of the most inspirational and loving people I know.

Cindy, John, and me. So much craziness and love.

I kind of look drunk after all this is over. Probably my relief and joy that I survived. Oh, what a night. ;)

If anyone is interested in a recording, let me know and I'll get one to you. It's really good and I actually sound like a classical singer. Yay!

Posted Later:

These are the GORGEOUS flowers my mom bought for me, to be displayed next to me on stage. Aren't they just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?

LOVE LOVE LOVE them. Thanks Mom!

Music Therapy Forum

Today I was able to give a presentation for USU's Music Therapy Forum. This event is held each year, in the Taggart Student Center, as a means for the general population of the university to discover and learn about music therapy. Students from the program, who have participated in practicums in various populations, are asked to give presentations relating to a specific population and how music therapy is beneficial for those involved.

I was one of three asked to give a presentation. Mine was on Music Therapy and Geriatrics, specifically focusing on Alzheimer's disease and dementia. As I've had previous experience with the Geriatric population through Terrace Grove and through Hospice, I can attest to music therapy's effectiveness with this particular population. The other presenters talked about CAPSA (Community Abuse Prevention Services Agency) and Sound Beginnings (children with Cochlear Implants).

I gave an overview of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, then presented research to display music therapy's effectiveness with the geriatric population, testimonials, and an experiential including "You are My Sunshine" with handbells.

It was a lot of fun and I had some awesome volunteers for the experiential, most of them non-music therapy majors. All in all, the turnout was great and we had a great question-answer session at the end. It was a great learning experience for me and very informative for everyone involved.

Oh, and the video above was shown at the beginning of the Forum. It was created by a former music therapy student at USU. Please watch it, enjoy, and tell me your thoughts!

My Friend Arianne

Let me tell you something about this amazing woman.

She performed her Senior Vocal Recital on Wednesday night.
{It was BEAUTIFUL}

She tackled the florid Rossini, made Brahms proud while singing his "Von ewiger Liebe", and once again, amazed us all with "Chi il bel Sogno di Doretta" from Puccini's La Rondine.
I got chills, not once, but several times.

And to think she was nervous. Psh...you would've never known!

She's a dear dear friend of mine, a fellow double Vocal Performance/Music Therapy major, and I'm glad she's in my life.

A few fun things to know about her:

She has chronic hiccups.
She giggles a lot, which makes me giggle daily.
She is married to Tyler, who is adorable and perfect for her.
She is a talented and smart musician.
She is a good study partner.
She knows what girl time is all about.
She is the best friend a girl could have.

I just LOVE her!

Summer Hopefuls

Here's a list of 10 things I'm planning on doing this summer or am looking forward to doing.

1. Take a full-load of classes (which means finishing Human Anatomy).
2. Get my music studio up and FULLY running.
3. Become reacquainted with soccer.
4. Go camping.
5. Plant flowers/veggies and watch them grow.
6. Walk barefoot in the grass.
7. Wear skirts and dresses.
8. Get a tan (or freckles, which is a higher probability).
9. Go to the farmer's market every Saturday.
10. Join my young women for 3 days of girl's camp up Logan canyon.

What are your summer hopefuls? What are you looking forward to the most about summer? Anything special planned?

Food Revolution

I don't know if any of you are familiar with Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC.

You should be.

This amazing chef is trying to make a difference for our future and the future of generations to come.


He needs our help as Americans.

Sign this petition that will be taken to the President and First Lady and will hopefully be a small, but pivotal step into revolutionizing the school lunch system.

General Young Women Meeting

Last Saturday, I was able to go to Salt Lake City with the Young Women of our ward and attend the General Young Women Meeting. It was a special and spiritual experience to listen to the leaders of the church as they shared insights and inspiration for the young women of the Lord's church.

Our girls were touched by the messages within.
Here is a video that was played during the meeting, based upon the Mutual theme for this year, which is found in Joshua 1:9.

You'll hear the song, "Be Strong", throughout the video. It holds special meaning to the young women in our ward as I am helping them learn and prepare to perform it in Sacrament meeting in July. The girls are so eager to share their talents and testimonies through music.

Some favorite thoughts from the meeting:

Elaine S. Dalton
“Young women, look into the mirror of eternity. Remember who you are! See yourself as our Heavenly Father sees you. You are of noble birth. You are elect. Don’t compromise your divine inheritance. You were born to be a queen.”

Mary N. Cook
“As you are growing older, young women, the path is becoming steeper, and you may want to give up. Life is more challenging, filled with decisions and temptations at every turn. Satan will blow winds of confusion that may cause you to question if this is the path you want to take. You may be tempted to try another route, even when signs of danger are posted. You may doubt your abilities and you may wonder as one young woman did, ‘Is it really possible to remain virtuous in today’s world?’ The answer, my young friends, is ‘Yes!’ and my counsel to you is similar to that given by Winston Churchill during World War II: Never, never, never give up!”

Ann M. Dibb
“Young women, avoid the temptations that surround you by strictly following the commandments. Look straight ahead at your eternal goal.”

Pres. Uchtdorf
"Has there ever been a person who did not have to go through his or her own dark valley of temptation, trial and sorrow? As stories in life, adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life story will develop.”