Dear Anonymous

Thank you so much for the very kind gift. I thank you and my blog thanks you. Supposedly it will be finished around the beginning of May. Hopefully we will both love the results and if you tell me who you are, I'll buy you an ice cream cone.

The Rest Of The Story

I have to admit, I may have teared up when I read Bear's surprise post. He needs to warn me when he writes sweet things on non-holidays. Anyway, it got me thinking about what I was doing the night of the infamous Creed Concert. I had been working for the Olympics at the Medals Plaza. It was 31 straight days of 14 hour shifts, outside and during a very cold winter. The Creed concert was close to the final days of the Olympics and my body was getting pretty run down by this point. The day before, I went to Crossroads Mall on my lunch break and had Chinese food. Big Mistake. Big. I spent the entire night throwing up.
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I was very weak the next day, but went to work anyway. It had been stressed to us many times that while working for the Olympics we were not allowed to miss a single day. I made it through most of the day, but by the time the concert started I was really not feeling well. My boss noticed and said I could go home. Once the concerts started, I didn't have anything to do anyway and if any of the camera crew forgot to sign out, I could catch them the next day. I said okay and started to walk to my car. This is when I fainted.
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I woke up in the Olympic Emergency Tent with an IV pumping fluids into my arm. I was more than a little delirious. I could hear Creed blasting from the stage and kept holding my arms the way a ballerina would in first position every time the band sang children keep on dancing. The doctors asked if I had anyone they could call to come pick me up. I did, but he was here at the concert, somewhere in the massive crowd. A fact I found very hysterical and for some odd reason, the doctors didn't.

Pure Gold

My favorite band of all time is Creed. It just so happens Creed was passing through SLC during the Winter Olympics of 2002. My wife Lil (girlfriend at that time) happened to be working for the Olympic communitee at that time. She managed, somehow, to get me tickets to the sold out show. I must say, it was one of the most vibrant, coolest times in my life. Seeing LIVE a band that I had listened to over and over again. I was holding back in anticiapation, hoping they would play my favorite songs and. . . . they did. When they played "Hide" I could barely inhale. Amazing! So, tonight is my usual late Saturday night time listening to great music and hearing a "Creed" tune brought this beautiful memory back to me. I guess it got my thinking about the good things. I just wanted to let Scott and Stacia know were excited for and love them. Congrats to Andy and Marianne for getting a movie released by a major studio. To Jessica, purely because we think you are the coolest and sweetest person we have ever met. To my mother/father in law cause growing up I thought I'd always thought I'd hate my future in laws (to many movies) then come to find out how fun and full a family can be. To my Mom for being everything I hope and aspire to be. To Candice and The Jensens for posting on our blog. I know I don't know you, but your posts brighten up mine and my wifes day. Cheers to everyone else remembering the small, little things that last forever. The biggest thanks, to my wife. . for the Creed concert. Which may seem small and forgettable. But is one of my fondest and dear memories. I love you.

Temple Trip

One advantage of living in Utah is much shorter travel times when taking a trip to visit the temple. Draper is now home to the 129th operating temple in the world and they are having an open house till March 14th. I've been trying to round up a group of friends to go check it out, but schedules were not coordinating and I was afraid my husband and I would run out of time. Therefore, last night at midnight, I made reservations at www.lds.org for him and I to see the Draper Temple this afternoon. It was delightful.

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We both thought it was beautiful. The best part was having Bear be able to learn a little more about why I go to the temple and the amazing purpose they serve here on earth. He's a boy and of course thought the baptismal font on the backs of 12 oxen was cool and I loved giving him a big hug in front of the eternity mirrors in the sealing room.

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If you are in the area, the tour guides have set this up flawlessly and it would be worth the trip. They even put mats down between the buses and the sidewalk, so you don't have to get your shoes wet and muddy. I love that kind of attention to detail. If only I were so inspired.

Happy St. Valentine's Day

At work on Friday the 13th, my coworkers and I were discussing how we would rather get flowers on any other day of the year over Valentine's Day, because then it is more of a surprise. My lovely husband must have been in tune with the universe that day. He surprised me with flowers and yummy chocolate after I woke from a late afternoon nap. His reason for the early giving, "I just thought it would be more fun for you if it was a surprise!"

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The only downside to flowers on other days of the year... Not being photo ready.

Looking slightly more festive today.