Reduced Readership

So I'm not sure who (if anyone besides me) actually reads what I post. I know I check back a few times during the week to make sure what I wrote last is as brilliant as I thought it was the first time. :) Nor am I entirely certain that I want to increase my readership, but that's neither here nor there.

So, I attended a financial aid conference in South Dakota last week. Actually, it's been a whole week since I've been home. Wow, time flies. I have reported on the conference 3 times now, and I have to say it feels cool to be a professional and offering my thoughts on what we do and what ideas I had from the conference. I've never sought out a career or really seen myself as one of the super career women, but I also give my best to whatever I do, so it's not too surprising. Probably the coolest thing for me is being respected as a peer amongst people who have been doing this much longer than I have and who are also much older than I am. Definitely a new experience.

In other news, I'm still running 4 times a week, averaging 2.25 miles each night. Tonight we ran our long run to Provo Towne Center mall, which is about 4.3 miles. Ok, well it IS 4.3 miles. I made it all the way down without walking once, and I made a lot of the second leg back without walking. I'm not the greatest long distance runner. It feels so good to be in shape, though, and this has definitely trimmed me up, especially now that I'm not dancing as often. My Saturdays I spend dancing still: always a tap dance rehearsal in the morning, and once a month I dance the whole livelong day! I just need to work on my memory at this point. Last night I replaced my run with a vigorous game of intramural volleyball. We lost, but it was so much fun! It might have helped that a certain friend was there as well. :D The only sad part of the night was when I dived for a ball and my pants got a hole burned in the knee.... my own knee has a corresponding burn with black flecks in it. Lovely. Good game, though.

This post really is all over the place! I took my first practice test for the GRE today. I need some practice. It was the diagnostic test to help you determine what you need to work on. Let's just say that 4 years without math has diminished my quantitative reasoning skills. I'll have to find a willing tutor somewhere I suppose. My analogies and antonyms were a little weak, too, but I can work that one out on my own.

Well, life hasn't changed all too much, but it is going great still. There's lots of great moments each day, little as they are. And who knows-- perhaps one day soon I'll have more exciting news to share. Hey, it could happen!

A Quick Thought

Well, with being out of town for my business trip and trying to get caught up afterwards, I haven't had much time to update my blog. However, I ran across an old poem I wrote that I wanted to share, so here it is. I'll update about my life soon, promise.

"Untitled-- 3/15/07"

I came to a sign today
Pompously presiding over a large
Crossroads.
Bold letters and arrows
Clamoured for attention-- for followers--
Yet each path looked the same...
At first.
I read the signs to see the paths
My little life could take--
Each one so appealing yet so
Daunting.
I pondered for a while,
There amongst the signs,
Confident I could handle
Whatever I encountered.
The call of the road
Tugged at me, so
I began to walk.

The Perfect Day

This Friday was the perfect day. Forget that I didn't eat breakfast or lunch... not in the conventional manner... forget that I was busy at work all day and really just wanted to be home asleep... forget that I had lots of things to do after work in a very short time frame: Friday was FANTASTIC.

Work was going well-- one of the counselors who I assist with questions about financial aid had gotten me a Jamba (that was breakfast), we got some great peanut butter M&M's in training meeting (that was lunch), and I was getting caught up and organized with my work load. As the afternoon drew on I was getting a little tired of being at work and wishing I could leave to run my errands. After working through a complex situation, I saw that I had unread mail in my inbox. I went to open it and see what new messages had arrived. There, amongst some financial aid updates and staff division reminders, was a message about Clog America Auditions 2008-09. I had auditioned for this group about two weeks previously. They perform American Folkdance at international festivals. I opened the message, hoping this one would contain the audition results. I skimmed through the first few lines until I saw- "audition list at the bottom of the message." I immediately scrolled down, anxious to check for my name. In years past, for other groups, this has usually been a painful process, checking and double-checking only to realize my name really wasn't included. Like the others, this was listed in alphabetical order. First I saw my friend's name, Tina, who I performed with two years ago on a folk dance team. I went down a few more names and suddenly, I stopped. My name was on the list. IT WAS!!!!! There, in beautiful black type was my name! Member of Clog America for 2008-09, participant in the tour to Europe!

I jumped up to go tell my best friend at work, Brittany. On the way I went past another co-worker, Katherine. I paused and said "guess what!" and of course she guessed right on! She was so excited, I was almost surprised. She suggested I ring the cowbell to tell our office. Usually I'm not a fan of ringing the cowbell because everyone really does gather for it, but this time I rang it with vigor. A few heads appeared, but not all. I rang it a second time even harder, probably annoying people, but hey, this was urgent news. They all gathered expectantly, probably wondering why I had such a cheesy grin pasted on my face. I shared my good news and they were all so happy for me! I really appreciate their support. I went back to my desk, giddily talking with my cubicle-mate. It settled in a little bit as I sat and realize the enormity of the moment. I've been trying since I started BYU folkdance in 2004 to be a member of the international tour team. It was extremely disappointing when that never happened, and I spent a while overcoming that and learning to trust in the Lord and His plan. Now, although I thought those chances had passed, I am a member of an international folk dance group that will tour Europe this summer (the itinerary isn't set yet) representing the United States of America, and my beliefs as well. I cried just a teeny bit as this all hit me. I finally made it. You would cry too if it happened to you.

Now, after that excitement, work kinda flew by for the rest of the day. I left a few minutes before five and ran to the mall to get a shirt, because I had gotten asked to Homecoming (and I needed to "amend" my dress). A good friend, David, from freshman year, invited me to the Homecoming dance this year! I love dances, and it's always great to go with friends. My roommate Kristen and I had hurried out Monday between my work and FHE to look for dresses. We were extremely successful on that trip, but mine needed some additional alteration to be modest. When I first went to get a shirt they were sold out of my size, but a shipment came in the next day (which also happened to be Friday and the very day I needed it by), and I was able to pick it up. I hurried home, started curling my hair, and I was only about 10 minutes late for my date. He was fabulously patient as I finished my hair and got dressed. Thankfully my friends downstairs-- Cami, Amy, Emily, and Jen-- wanted to see the dress and they came up to help me finish getting ready. They saved me! Dinner and the dance was great, and we had such a fun evening at the "Enchanted" Homecoming dance. It was honestly the perfect end to a perfect day.


These verses talk about spiritual blessings, but I think they apply just as well my situation and the temporal blessings I received this week.

D&C 58:2-4

2 For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

4 For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.

Pearls

So today I went and got a free strand of freshwater pearls--- some promotional thing from Goldsmith Jewelers. Now this is significant for two reasons.

#1: I love jewelry! I don't know why, but I really like nice jewelery, and even jewelery that looks nice but didn't cost an arm and a leg. With seven brothers I sometimes wonder how I turned out so very feminine, but I'm not complaining. My husband might though, if/when I get married.

#2: Pearls are uniquely beautiful. That probably sounds so cliche, but trust me, it's a deeper statement than it appears to be. Most pearls bought and worn by the average gal are cultured pearls, meaning they force the oysters to make pearls. They "feed" the oyster a round object, causing them to create a perfectly round pearl. Since this promotional offer was giving away a free strand of pearls I figured they would be in this category-- just as beautiful as other pearls, but less impressive because they are "man-made." I pulled out my strand to admire it, and found that these pearls aren't perfect! They don't match perfectly in roundness or size, or even color, though of course they are extremely similar. Many are more oblong than spherical, and they show a subtle variation in overall size and shade.

What an incredible animal an oyster is! Who else would take an annoying bit of sand, rubber, or any small foreign object and coat it with pearlescent beauty? We prize those creations, sometimes with an extravagant price tag. Lately, I've been working hard to smooth out some rough edges with a friend-- an absolutely fabulous gal, but we just have different ways of seeing the world. It can get really stressful trying to create good conditions and consciously do things to improve the relationship, but I realized that it doesn't have to be like that. Just like an oyster patiently and carefully coating the problem to make a precious gem, I too can add layer by layer to create a beautiful friendship. With a little practice that will become a way of living, not just a temporary behaviour change. And I imagine that someone will value those pearls we make far beyond the ones the oysters make.

May we all be a little more oyster-like.

Please Pass the Chef

So, I am a HUGE fan of Indian food. I'm not sure why I got hooked on it, but one day I went out to Bombay House and came back a convert (to Indian food-- the Hindu thing is too complex). I'll get random cravings for that delectable dish of spices, which then urges me to hunt up recipes and gush over pictures of fantastic foods. Once or twice I tried to convert the recipes into actual meals, but I never had the success I was looking for. The garbanzo bean curry I tried to replicate was good, but it wasn't anything like the dish that inspired my attempt.

Anyways, I've been craving a good chicken tikka masala for the past few weeks, and I finally picked up a few things at the store (namely the main spice of garam masala) to test out. I checked out two recipes and decided to give them a shot. So last night, as I was bored and contemplating what to do with my night, I decided to try and make my tikka masala.

WOW! What a rousing success! I used some elements from both recipes and adjusted the spices a little (to taste of course) based on what I had on hand, but it turned out SUPERBLY! It seriously smelled like an Indian restaurant in our hot hot kitchen, and the only thing missing was the traditional jasmine rice. By the way, jasmine rice is a very aromatic grain of rice, not just a fancy name for regular rice. I totally recommend it for Indian dishes. My roommate Brygn turned on some Indian music and I seriously jumped and danced around the apartment for about 5 minutes-- that's how excited I was for my fabulous dinner!


Well, I've decided that the next time I fix this I'm going to use the individual spices, not the pre-blended mix in curry powder. I think that should get the flavor spot on. However, my version made an extremely passable imitation, which received compliments from several individuals. I was actually as surprised as they were at the final product! And let me just say, eating the leftovers today.... I felt like I'd gone to Bombay House the night before and brought home my doggie bag of goodness.

I've decided my next culinary adventure with Indian food will be tikka saag. It's the same general idea of tikka masala, but it uses spinach. YUM! And maybe I'll give naan a shot-- the traditional Indian flatbread. Once you start, the fun don't stop!

Check out this link for some great International Recipes .

Dance Dance!

This is me flying across the world. Pretty much I love performing and dancing, and I've always had a secret dream to be a performer on stage for ... well however I long I could be there. It's absolutely wonderful to me that I've been able to get so much stage time, especially now when most people I know are starting to slide off into the grind of real life.

I am a member of Foot Poetry, a local tap dance company made of people who just love to get together and tap! We make beautiful noise with our feet and have a blast at our Saturday morning rehearsals, breakin' it down to some Funky Town grooves. (PS I am looking for a shiny disco costume, if anyone has connections.) Right now we are preparing for a show in January-- still waiting to hear back about our November possibility-- where we will be in the spotlight at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo! Save January 17th in your calendars, friends, because this array of footwork will blow your socks off! I am hoping to stage a choreography two friends and I came up with in our tap class for this performance. It's a classy little number to Frank Sinatra's "You Make Me Feel So Young," and it leans towards the old, smooth tap style. You also won't want to miss a great a capella number I'm in with some other incredible rhythmists. More or less, we tap out a train. Really, we use different tap rhythms and combinations to make it sound like a train is leaving the station and heading down the tracks. Talk about some talented feet (and choreographers!).

Another group that I'm hoping to be a part of this year is Clog America. It's a Utah company that performs American folk dances, primarily representing the US at international festivals. Last Saturday they held auditions for this year's tour team, and the jury is still out for now on who is going and who is not. For what it's worth, I think the audition went tremendously well! You always leave an audition knowing you could have done better at this thing or that, but even so I know I did a good job... the best job I could do.

It was pretty nerve-wracking the night before the audition. My last audition before that was almost a year ago and while it was a good experience, it didn't turn out the way I had hoped. But I realized, it doesn't matter how every other audition turned out, for good or not. Every time I go out there and try for something new, I truly grow within myself. Somethings are meant to be, and others are not. Before I let my pre-audition nerves get the best of me, I reminded myself that no panel of judges can deny 18 years of practice, work, and patience-- the ingredients that make me the dance (and person) I am right now.

Dance is always inside of me, begging to come out. It will always be like that. I'm not sure if this chance to dance and see the world is going to open for me, but for that Saturday, those precious 5 hours of sweat, pain, and adrenaline, were a precious gift. I am a dancer. My greatest joy is found between the audience and the spotlights in that moment where spirits connect and performance becomes mutual sharing. It's an amazing feeling that I find difficult to describe. Perhaps this picture does it more justice. There's just something different about me when I dance.

Still Got the Touch

So today I had my first test as a post-graduate... I gotta say, I've still got the touch! Of course, I'm sure it helps that I only have to study for this one class, in which case I really should have gotten 100%, but I do have a life, so that accounts for some missed questions here and there. It's been refreshing to have my Maya Art and Culture class so far, mostly because I love learning and also because it gives me a mental break during my days! Their religion and art are so fascinating, both in content and depth. Here's a little taste of it, just so you can see what you could be learning too.