Listening In

Dalton: Ethan, if you got $20,000.00, what would you do with it?

Ethan (without missing a beat): I would get a giant box of lemonheads and then save the rest.

Dalton: Oh yeah, I'd get the lemonheads too. But then I'd get an iPhone 4S, some Freerun shoes, and some clothes.

Ethan: But if you save the money, then when you are 16 you can get a sweet motorcycle.

Dalton: Oh, cool. I would save it too then. But I would still get the iPhone 4S.

XC Region

Yesterday was Ethan's Cross Country Region Meet. This is Ethan pre-race, looking serious (and knobbly-kneed). Is that the eye of the tiger I see?

Logan hosted Region this year. Our home course is at the American West Heritage Center. Gorgeous scenery, fun course, with hills!

Finishing. His goal was to break 19:00. His time was 18:59. Close, but good enough! That's 6 min. 8 second miles on this 3.13 mile course! WooHoo, Ethan!

Setter

Bronwen is the setter (again) for the Logan Varsity Volleyball team this year. She is right in the middle of the season. It hasn't been the best season so far, but they are improving.

Bronwen wishes she were taller (she's just 5'4"), but she's got the highest vertical jump on the team.

Jump serve. She rarely misses.

Is the team dancing here? I can't remember.

Clockwise from top left: Mindy, Sarah, Taylor, Coach Dan, Nicole, Ashley, Bronwen, Katie, Britt. Dan is a new coach. Bronwen likes him. She likes that he is a guy; there was a lot of female drama with our previous coach.

I liked Coach Dan from the beginning: at tryouts, he told the girls not to use their cell phones at all. "In fact," he said, "If I even see you with your cell phone , I'll ask you to leave."

Back in the Saddle

I'm taking piano lessons again! "Again" meaning I haven't since I was sixteen.

I'm really learning how much I don't know. Andrea, my new teacher, is a perfectionist. When I play a song I've been working on all week, she stops me after two measures and tells me six things wrong with my playing. She's right, of course, but it's still intimidating. After being stopped several times through Debussy's First Arabesque, I told her I was afraid to play any more. My hands got clumsy and I made more mistakes than was really necessary. I just need to get a thicker skin. When I fixed all those problems (it took a few weeks), the song sounded much, much better.

I am loving the practicing. I look forward to it. Dalton watched me the other day and said, "YOU are the one that loves the piano. I hate it. Now that you're taking lessons, we shouldn't have to any more." He does have a point, but he still has to keep taking lessons for a few more years.

Homecoming

Homcoming 2011. Bronwen went with Dallin Dahl. First date and first dance. First bouttonniere (that's me, saving Dallin from being stabbed). They were so cute!

Oh my, I'm old!

Master Redo After

I first posted about painting my master bedroom here. I actually painted it and did the window coverings right away, but it took me two months to take pictures.

Just a reminder: here's a "before" shot. Very vanilla.

And this was my inspiration fabric - used to make roman shades.

And this is it now.

This isn't my room, but if you'll notice the curtains of this room done by Steven Gambrel, you'll see he added ribbon to give them a military touch. The curtains in my room are hand-me-downs from my stylish sister, Holly, and she copied these curtains in making hers (now mine!) She just glued grograin ribbon to premade linen curtains.

With the roman shades pulled up. [No, I don't know how to adjust my camera for backlight]

My nightstands and bed frame look so much prettier against the dark blue walls (NOT purple, as they look in this picture). I've been saving these prints for two years. I bought them as my souvenir from Sweden, where my mom took all the sisters for a family history trip. I always wanted to hang them on "His" and "Her" sides of the bed. They are the long-ago queen and king of a small town called Orebro.

I love their quirky faces: the queen is looking up at the ceiling.

It was fun to use stuff I already had and make them work; it's much more satisfying. I really just bought the frames and the paint. And Jason put in a lot of time hanging the roman shades and curtain rods!

Lunchtime!

I have had the same lunch every day this week - thanks to fresh tomatoes from our garden!

It really doesn't get better than this, and it only happens in September, so I have to enjoy it while I can:
FRESH mozzarella, sliced tomatoes,
Drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar,
Sprinkled with salt and pepper,
Topped with fresh basil

MMMMMM!!