A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Last night I settled into the library to read up on FDR and Japanese-American internment, when my dream of four years came true. This is how it happened...

Liz (via text message): Wanna tour the motion picture studio? Like now ish?

Me: I am at the lib but i will pack up and leave if its legit. can i come in sweats?

Liz: I love sweats. I can get you in a few min. Just tell me where to be.

The LDS Motion Picture Studio is located in Provo. This is where they film and produce all the church movies. It has been a dream of mine, and no, I am not exaggerating, to go there for four whole years. Maybe five. Dreams do come true...

She promptly got her head stuck in the teeth...

Sound stage, horse hooves. They had different settings to walk on which easily fell into one of two time periods/movie genres. Jesus (dirt) or Joseph Smith (stones...cobble stone, brick, etc.)

Look familiar? Yeah, that's right. Straight from The Testaments...

Of course no tour was complete without a brisk walk through Haun's Mill and Kirtland. Yes, it was snowy, dark, and cold out there. We liked to think it made the experience more authentic.

Thank you Dave, for a spectacular VIP tour and making my dreams come true! Legit.

VIP Tour II - Jerusalem, coming Summer 2011

Ladies and Gentlemen...

The swirl cone is once again being served at McDonalds...verging on white trash, I'll admit, but my life is now worth living.  For years I've asked for the swirl, only to be told they only serve vanilla.  Tonight things changed.  Miracles do happen.  

touche

This morning I helped one of my moms friends with her kids combined birthday party, one was turning four and the other seven. It was a pool party and I was assigned as the "designated watcher." At first it was just a bunch of four year olds, easy right...no running, no standing on the table. But then all the seven year old boys invaded and made things complicated. The rules quickly expanded to no jumping backwards, no jumping on top of your friends when they're under water, no back flips. I ruled with an iron fist. After most kids got out of the pool there were four boys left participating in some sort of war. The pool is set up so there is a large wading area on one end and on the opposite side is a raised hot tub. Two boys were located in each area and were trying to hit the opposing team with a football. Soon, simply throwing the ball at each other was not enough and they began accompanying each throw with some fierce insult...and let me tell you, they really let their 7 year old minds get really creative. The basic namecalling included buttcrack, butt licker, crack licker, fart smeller, smelly butt...I'm sure you can keep going with this. One of my favorites was a little shimmy while running forward in prepration to throw the ball accompanied with a long howl of "buttttttracccccckkk!" However, the final decisive blow to the losing team came when one boy dramatically popped up from being underwater in the hot tub, pointed at the other two boys while bellowing, "VAAAAGGGGGINNNAAAA!" Really kid? Yes. Good call. If that doesn't shut up the other team, then I don't know what will. Touche. Hands down, you win in insults.

I thought to myself, should I interrupt this feud and tell them to watch their language, or leave that to their parents obliviously socializing around the backyard? I decided to sit back and continue watching because this was much to entertaining to stop.

honestly mills?

After a very long hiatus I am back. I would like to publicly chastise Mills, who recently left on her mission to Oakland, CA. Most people would assume that when a friend was leaving for a year and a half they would leave some way to contact them, ie post their address on Facebook or something. Or maybe let others know they were shutting off their phone service three days early, like when leaving a voicemail say, "My phone is being shut off tomorrow, so time is something we cannot borrow, call me back tonight please, my favorite food is a brick of cheese." I know, novel idea...and it even stays true to Mills rhyming form. Another idea is sending out a quick email giving friends the new blog address they made specifically for their mission...not posting it on ones already established blog only to set it to private and not invite anyone to view it. Mills failed miserably on all accounts of letting us, her trusted bff's, know how we could say goodbye or reach her once she had reported. Really Mills? Yeah. That's really the only response I can muster up with my broken heart.

As I result, I obviously did the only rational thing and mailed her a Howler. Yes, what Ron Weasley's mom sends him and Harry. For those abnormal human beings who are not familiar with Harry Potter, these little gems scream a certain message at the reciever and then proceed to eat themselves or something like that. ...Another reason Harry Potter should be a real alternate reality. Ms. Rowling was really onto something.
Although Mills is unable to read this, I'm positve my fierce Howler properly delivered my message, that I am very upset with her and our relationship is now on very shaky terms.

love it. sondre.


ice skating in the sculpture garden--i've got some real skill.

Mount Vernon

These pictures are of a recent trip to Mount Vernon. By far one of my favorite places visited. It's no wonder George Washington never wanted to leave...I didn't either. I was able to go back for a ward Christmas party and tour it at night, by candlelight. It was even more enchanting the second time because it was the first snowfall.


During both visits we had our fair share of crazies on the bus rides there. The first time there was a woman who kept asking Ashley to guess her age. Luckily I had my ipod in. Ashley left her with $5 and a granola bar. The second time, I was fortunate enough to sit by this frail old woman who upon sitting down said, "Have you been at Cambridge?" I was confused whether or not she was talking to me. When she proceeded to answer her own questions, I realized she was out of her mind. I attempted to ignore her angry two way conversations with herself for the next 20 minutes. That was a fun ride. Unfortunately, I did not have a granola bar to leave with her.

Pictorals.

Daniel Radcliffe is somwhere in this crowd. If you look very carefully you can see part of his red and navy hat in the middle. Yes. I know.







After taking this first picture, the man asked if we wanted another. I don't really know what that's all about or why he thought we needed another. I hope he found my pose in the second one more acceptable.


Ashley may have had some problems with her skirt riding up...


I would like to draw attention to all of our hats. First, mine--the flopping buckle is very prominent in this picture. Second, the two colored hats look like unto something hobos would wear. Not because they aren't cute, but becuase of the way they ride up on their heads and don't cover their ears.


My bedroom at Grandma Saki's...