My First Silent Auction

This is what I bid for (AND WON) at a silent auction on Saturday.  

$55

You might be thinking, "$55 for a small canvas painting?!"  That's what I was thinking too... until my heart got involved. :)  It was at the annual fundraising event for the Boys & Girls Club of South Valley.  I drove a group of teens to the Mariott hotel so they could be ushers and speak in the program.  I was there to supervise and make sure they were carrying out their duties... and I loved looking at all the silent auction items before the dinner!

I don't have money to spend freely, let alone money to support bids at an auction.  But I saw that painting and immediately fell in love.  It encompasses my passions in every way:  music, guitar, piano, ORANGE... perfection.  The starting bid was $25.  Hmmm.  Tempting.  The next time I saw it, someone had raised it to $30.  Grrrrr.  A while later another person had jumped the bid up to $50.  Sheesh!  What the heck?  What happened to the friendly $5 increments?

I paced back and forth and kept checking the most recent bid.  $50.  Are you kidding me?  I hate spending more than $10 on clothes.  Why would I even consider buying this?  

Then it clicked.  The money goes right to the Boys & Girls Club.  My heart belongs to the club and I love my kids like crazy.  And then it didn't matter anymore. I waited until the last minute and raised the bid to $55.  Boom.  Done deal.  The painting is mine.  

AND I LOVE IT.

Making Excuses

I discovered why I'm still not eating healthy or exercising regularly.

It was Thanksgiving.

Then Christmas.

Then New Years' and stuff.

Then the Super Bowl.  (Although our food was much better than this generic pic)

And I've already had a taste of this.

What's next?! 

All kinds of treats dyed green.

Easter candy.

4th of July BBQ.

Birthday cakes galore.

Halloween.

Then Thanksgiving again!

This cycle is kicking my trash.

First Date-Audition

Tonight is my first date with Mark.

He is the "blind date" (Facebook guilty) set up by my friend Shannon Christensen.

We talked on the phone a week ago and it was a fun conversation.  We've texted a few times.

He's a BYU alumni & BYU sports fan.  I like that.

I'm finding that it's much easier for me to mesh with BYU guys.  I don't feel 100% myself otherwise.

My sister Heather might disagree... she made it work out with a Ute alumni.

We choose our own battles. :)

Mark and I are going to play guitars.  He admitted that he knew I played the guitar because he saw that in my info on Facebook.  At least both of us are equally guilty of Facebook stalking.

So not only is it a first date-- it's an "audition" for how much I can impress him with my guitar skills.

I think it will depend on how much we "click", as to how much I'll try to impress him.

No mushy songs if I'm not feelin' it.

Wish me luck! :)

Singing for the Homeless

Seriously.  I love my job.  It reaches out to people in the community beyond the walls of the Boys & Girls Club.  I'm the director of the teen after-school program but often attend school events and community functions.  Most recently I have partnered with the Road Home overflow shelter to provide entertainment and music for the homeless residents there.  


I am close to one of my teens who used to live in the shelter, and we did a Christmas concert there together.  He is now in state custody awaiting a loving foster family in Midvale, and I am anxiously hoping they will find him someone soon.  In the mean time, I am his "mother", his "sister", his "mentor", his "counselor"... and of course I am his friend.


Tonight Heather and I had the opportunity to go to the shelter and participate in their Monday night activities. Other volunteers came to provide some fun things to do, and they saved the last 10 minutes of the evening for us so we could perform and sing with the guitar.  I saw some of my teens there at the shelter-- which is actually quite heart-breaking-- but you just roll with it, talk to them like you would anyone else, and keep a smile on your face.  I'm quick to joke around and make them feel comfortable and not embarrassed.


When it came time to sing, there were probably about 20 young people gathered around us, anxious to watch the guitar in action.  We sang "I Wanna Dance", which is one of my own, and then followed it with cheesy songs like "You Are My Sunshine" and "This Little Light of Mine."  They clapped and even swayed with their arms in the air-- super cute, by the way. :)  When it came time for Heather to show off her skills and sing "Amazing Grace", this little 5th grader (who had already proven to be the "cool kid" and probably a little show-off)... started singing along.  He came and stood right next to us and sang with Heather, even though he didn't really know all the words.  It was the cutest thing ever.  I wish we could have recorded that moment because I would watch it over and over again.  We sang it again and he was embarrassed and hid his face and wouldn't finish.  But after we sang a few more songs and ended with a fun peppy "Ingrid Michaelson" song... the cool kid asked if we could do "Amazing Grace" one more time.  And that was our closing song.


I love music.  I love how it softens hearts and breaks down walls... and no matter what your background, social status, reputation, or nationality is... music speaks the language of love.  My heart swelled with joy for having met that little boy.  He told me he was moving to Kansas tomorrow and suggested maybe we could be pen pals.  (If only I was allowed to do that!)  I told him to find me on the Boys & Girls Club website and he could send me an e-mail... and I highly doubt he ever will. :)  But I'm glad we crossed paths, if even for a short musical moment.  And I love that Heather was there with me-- bless her little heart.


Did I mention how much I love my job?  I love working with youth.  I love being an influence in their lives.  So many people have been that role in mine and I can only hope I'm changing lives, one day at a time.

I Love My Parents

The older I get, the cooler my mom and dad get.  It really is true that "parents know everything" and they get wiser with their "old age." I know to go to my dad for any issue with cars, or to get a man's opinion on dating, etc. And I know I can go to my mom for times of emotional distress, decision-making, and Relief Society expertise.  I couldn't manage life without them!

But more important than picking their brains for wisdom and advice,  I can enjoy a friendship with both of them that simply makes me happy. :)

My dad is what I like to call a gentle giant.  He is tall and a powerful leader, but often-times soft-spoken and contemplative.  He is very service-minded and sacrifices much of his time to help others.  He is probably my biggest fan when it comes to my music, and he has always been super supportive in my life.  He loves to ski; I love to snowboard.  So this works out for a perfect hang-out opportunity!  It originated in York, PA at the small "Ski Roundtop" resort, and just this weekend we were able to go up to Brighton while he was visiting in Utah.  I love the time together and it's great to have a common interest in such a fun activity.

I love this picture.

He looks young, healthy, and active!

It's a natural thing to be my dad's "buddy" and we get along great. :)

Things my dad loves:  Coca Cola, McDonald's, John Deere, Chocolate covered cherries, carrot cake, lots of butter on anything, old western movies, wearing coveralls and working in the garage,  being a Grandpa,  the Toone Dairy Farm, hearing me play the guitar, BJ's wholesale store, coats, hats, rappelling, hiking, etc.

***

My mom is a great example to me!  She was voted "most friendly" in 7th grade and always encouraged me to go out of my way to be friendly.  Although I probably didn't live up to the challenge in my teenage years, I strive to be friendly and charitable in my life right now.  My mom is a busy-bee and always involved in some kind of "project", assignment, task, etc. She works hard and is so good at what she does: church callings, school teacher, music teacher, grandma-- she excels in all of them.  My mom wrote to me nearly every week when I was on my mission and continues to love and support me.

We love food!  :)  Can't go to a movie without splurging for popcorn. Mmmm.

My mom is my musical mentor.  I love that we can play together and make fun memories!

Things my mom loves: Being a grandma, music, Mexican food (El Cerrano), Oil of Olay face lotion, Chocolate mint, pralines & caramel ice cream, Reality TV (Biggest Loser, American Idol, etc.), Skype, Christmas decorations, Big Lots bargain store, Logan's Roadhouse salmon, Chili's fajitas, reading glasses, baby grand piano, and Utah.

I love being surrounded by love on both sides-- my parents are wonderful. 

And that's the truth. 

Blind Dates

For the  most part, there's no such thing as a "blind date" anymore.  Most set-up conversations go like this:

Cupid:  "Hey, I have this guy I want you to meet."
Me:  "Awesome.  I'm all about set-ups.  Let's do it!"
Cupid:  "Okay.  His name is __________.  Look him up on Facebook.
Me:  "You got it."

Then I use my stalker skills to find this guy... make my observations and either get more excited or a little more nervous... and wait  for the initial "phone call" where he makes the move. 

Sometimes I wish I didn't go to Facebook before I actually meet the guy, and yet, it's so tempting not to!  Why not take a little gander at him playing with his family, or hiking huge mountains, or looking fresh and clean as a missionary.  But then you start browsing through his "info" and "interests" and realize you know way too much about him even before the first time you've ever spoken.  Rewind!

So I'm trying not to go Facebook crazy on guys anymore.

I have a blind date next week.  Blind date... aka... I saw his pic on Facebook and he looks fun and outdoorsy. :)  We played phone tag for the last 4 days, texted to try to set up times to talk, and FINALLY we talked tonight.  I was pleased with the fun, light-hearted conversation about our love for music, playing guitar, piano, BYU sports, and work.  We're getting together next week (I know I know, so far away but I don't have a free evening the rest of the week!)  I think it'll be a fun get together and hopefully turn out to be a positive experience. 

This set-up was brought to you by Shannon Christensen, one of my mission companions.  Thank you to anyone who has ever thought to send a decent guy my way... and maybe one day cupid will be right on target.

Hair Days (Good & Bad)

Hair changes everything.  And I've had some gross haircuts in my day.  I decided to create a timeline over the past few years that shows how my hair has evolved.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of my "curly hair" from the mission days... but let's just consider that a good thing to be forgotten. :)  

The pics start in 2007 with my first mission companion and my gross long hair.  The other day one of my past companions told me how much better my hair is now, than the days of the mission. Haha... uhh... thanks!

I've had chin-length hair the majority of my life.  And I like it.  But it gets old.

My hair is super thick and this style even feels "long" to me...

Got it cut before going back to my mission 6 months after I'd been home.

This is Asher.  She's the companion who wasn't a fan of my hair on the mission.  

She didn't like my hair like this either.  (haha)

Not my favorite, but getting shorter...

Shoot. Forget the hair... when did my face get chubby?!

Growing out a little, looking a little shaggy.

Finally got a haircut that I liked, but hard to capture it all in a pic.

However, my hair grew super fast and would transform into a big round ball.

Another attempt at "short"... but not very cute.  Ugh.

Yikes! Went a lot shorter this time.

Embraced more of the "swoop" look over the summer of 2010.

Hair naturally lighter from the sun, but kind of flat and weird looking.

Still testing out the "swoop" but deciding to just go with it.

Yes!  I embraced the Justin Bieber-ish style and had a lot of fun with it.

FINALLY!  The style I've been waiting for!  *sigh*

About a year ago I started going to Carly at a salon in Orem (Amara).  It was just a random lucky find and I went in as a walk-in customer one day... and have gone back to her every 6-8 weeks since!  She's amazing and I love how confident and spunky she is.  She kind of tries something new every time, but I think we've found the exact style I've been hoping for.  Short.  Sassy.  Bangs to swoop over.  Layers.  Tousled.  It's tons of fun and soooo easy to maintain.  After many years of boring and blah hair, I feel good about the 30 yr. old Bree hair.  


But what do YOU think??  You can be honest if you really did like the nasty curly long hair from 4 years ago...