Great Name

This post was written a long time ago and I am just posting it....sorry. Where has this year gone?

When I was a teenager, I sort-of had a small crush on Steve Young. Ok, I REALLY had a large crush on Steve Young and by the way, what normal, Mormon girl did not have a crush on him. Now, I wasn't naive enough to think that Steve and I would ever meet, date and get married but I did think he was quite cute. One day, I walked into a chapel in Potomac, Maryland for church when I saw him. Steve Young was in my church, in my chapel and I didn't know what to do. I was unavailable at the time and he was still single and cute and famous. I watched as a crowd formed around the football star. There were lots of smiles, lots of back slapping and lots of ooohs and ahhs. I was asked if I wanted to meet him and I quickly said, "No." I didn't want to ooh and ahh and I didn't want to try and figure out what to say so I sat down and just tried to focus on something, anything else. So, just before the meeting started who would sit right in front of me? You guessed it. I could have reached out and given him a back-slap of my own. I don't remember what the meeting was about but I do remember feel really uncomfortable being so close to someone so famous. After the meeting everyone came to Steve's row, just in front of me, to back-slap some more. So, what did I do, I snuck out the back of the chapel to avoid all of the awkwardness. The halls where very empty and as I turn a corner to head to my class room, I ran into another person trying to sneak off. Yep, I ran right smack into Mr. Young himself. Now, I was really panicked and I wondered what I should say. He smiled, looked at me and said, "Hi". I looked up for the briefest of seconds, my face red with embarrassment and awkwardness and said, "Hi" back. Then I put my head down and kept on walking. My moment with a BYU legend, a NFL superstar, the most eligible Mormon bachelor and what do I do, I looked at the ground and walked away.

I don't regret my reaction. I just accepted the fact that I would rather avoid the awkwardness of meeting someone famous. So, it is a very strange thing that I would plan a night to go to a cookbook signing and meet the host of the cooking show America's Test Kitchen, Christopher Kimball. I know that many people don't even know who he is but to me, it was a big deal. I like his show and I love his cookbooks. I begged my friend Jane to come with me so we drove to Chevy Chase, listened to him talk about his show for 20 or so minutes, then we lined up to have him sign our cookbooks. I have brought 3 with me to get signed for gifts and I was nervous and excited. When they finally got to me, I shyly (I know, not like me) put my books in front of him and he asked my name. When I said, Chris, he seem genuinely pleased that we shared the same name. He made a few passing comments and I thanked him (stumbling my way through it) for helping me become a better cook. We smiled for a few pictures and then we were done.
This is what he wrote in my cookbook, "Chris, Great to meet you- Great Name. Christopher Kimball.

Success. Talked to a famous person, did not make too big of a fool of myself, got awesome gifts, now I am thinking, "Bring it on Steve Young."

It's French for "already seen"

Have you ever all of a sudden felt as if you have seen what you are looking at, before? Had the conversation that you are having, thought the thoughts, felt the feelings, that you are thinking and feeling at that moment, before?

Whenever it happens to me, I try to remember where I was when I thought or saw or felt those things, before but somehow my mind always responses, you were right here. You were sitting or standing or driving here in the exact spot, before. My mind tries a little harder to try and remember, to figure out the puzzle and then something says, "Oh, it is just déjà vu." Just déjà vu? I use to get frustrated when I experienced this phenomenon because I wanted to know the trick, the secret, the reason but then a friend of mine told me what her Pastor thought of déjà vu. He said, "Déjà vu is just the Lord's way of letting you know you are on the right path."

Well, that answer gave me some ease. Now, when I experience that feeling as if I have done something before, my mind starts to strain to remember and to crack the code then something says, "It's just déjà vu and the Lord's is just letting you know you are on the right path" and then my mind starts straining to figure out what path this is and where it is going.

They Bring Ice Cream.....

We were talking the other day in seminary about how people can comfort us when we are experiencing trials. One of my students called out, "they bring ice cream". How true. It wasn't exactly the answer I was looking for but who can argue with a little counseling session with Ben & Jerry?

Mr. Monk and the Mormon

Have you ever had an experience that left you wondering, "Seriously, this can't really be happening?" I had an experience this week that has still left me quite puzzled and now that I am writing the events down, I am not sure this post will ever get posted. This whole situation could be chalked up to a crazy single girl story but at the end, I still don't have any answers. So, let's begin. About a month or so ago, I was walking in to the gym when I say this cute guy. I checked for a wedding ban (this is a must as a single girl but doesn't guarantee that the guy is single) acknowledged his cuteness and moved on. He was tall, broad, and bald. However, as I was leaving the gym, I noticed him again but this time I took him off my list of possibilities for reasons that will be come obvious by the end of this post. Over the following months, I would see him, question his situation in my head, again acknowledge his cuteness, and move on. Well, this week something changed. On Thursday, we happened to pass each other in the gym and our eyes met, I smiled, he smiled and then I quickly looked at the ground. I am a bit gun-shy and I am not good at the whole, keep eye contact, smile, flirt thing. On Saturday, I was walking into the gym when I saw him coming in behind me so I held the door for 10 seconds and said something stupid as he thanked me for holding the door. I honestly was not flirting with him but it seemed rude to just let the door slam in his face when he was behind me. I started on the treadmill and started working out in my own world. After my treadmill warm-up, I decided to go to lift some weights. I had my headphones on and I just went about my usually routine. However, HE was lifting weights too. I honestly tried not to pay attention to him and I even tried to act coy but it seemed as if we were operating in a very small circle. I went over to the leg machines and I thought I could feel him looking at me. I did my bicep curls by the mirror and he came over and I thought he actually wanted to say something but I did my best to avoid eye contact. He walked over to the hand weights himself and then he had to move out of my way so I could put my weights back. Believe me when I say that I wasn't flirting (I don't really know how). We just happened to be lifting weights at the same time. When I was done with my routine, I went to get my chart and sat down on an exercise ball to fill out my day's accomplishments. All of a sudden, HE walks up and asks me if it helps to keep a record of my workouts. After I quickly recovered from the fact that he was talking to me, I told him it did and I quickly flipped through the chart I keep. I asked him about the record that he kept because I watched him flip through his day planner during his workout. "Oh", he said. "That is not a chart, those are prayers that I am working on. You see, I am a Buddhist Monk." SERIOUSLY! I am not kidding. I have never had a man come up and talk to me in the gym and the one guy that finally comes up to talk to me is a Buddhist Monk????? Luckily, I already thought he was a monk to the fact that he came into the gym sometimes dressed like this sometimes but I really hoped that he wasn't. He is cute.

So, I did what I am good at and I interviewed him. I asked him why he became a monk and we talked about religion and such. It was not the usual first meeting questioning. I kept thinking to myself, "You are a monk. WHY are you talking to me?" I wanted to think that it is because we both have not dated in a long time and we are both religious but seriously, how would he have known that? I know that monks take many vows so it didn't make any sense that he would want to "get to know me". I am sure that it wouldn't work to go to dinner or go to the movies. It is just strange. I have no idea what to think about the situation so, I introduced myself, "Umm, my name is Chris, it's nice to meet you." "It is nice to meet you, my name is John Paul." John Paul, a good strong New Testament name. John Paul- the Buddhist monk. So, where does that leave Mr. Monk and Mormon? Who knows but going to the gym has become a lot more interesting.

Valentine's Day Project

One of my favorite activities is to walk through any and all craft stores. I love looking and envisioning my next craft project. To be honest, I have not had much time for craft projects but I still love to go and plan. So, when I went into AC Moore the other week and I found wooden hearts on a stick on sale, I decided to buy 40 of them and get crafting.

In December, a friend of mine from church showed me her family's Christmas service star: a wooden star on a stick. The star was painted gold with lots of glitter and ribbon. The idea is that one person does a good deed for another member of the family.  Then secretly, the wooden star is placed on the bed of the person who received the kindness. Then that person who received the kindness takes a turn serving another member of the family. The stick keeps getting passed from one family member to another as good deeds flow through the house.

I thought this was such a cute idea. And to be honest I really really wanted my own wooden gold star on a stick. But when I saw the hearts I decided to make my own service stick for Valentine's Day, Same idea, same plan, different holiday. So, I bought the sticks and headed home.

My friend and I were going to do the project together but with our busy schedules, we just divided and conquered. We bought cherry red spray and glitter spray paint and we went to work. I wanted to spray paint outside but it was so cold I thought I could just spray paint the hearts in my basement. I read the warning on the spray cans and opened a window and turned off the furnace. Well, that was an extremely bad idea. My house smelled like spray paint for days and the fumes were so thick that I did not turn my heat back on for 2 1/2 days. It was cold and a bit miserable but it was worth it! The hearts turned out so cute.

I tried to take the poem attached to my friend's gold star and rewrite it to fit Valentine's Day but it just didn't work. So I decided that I would just write my own Valentine's Day poem. I gave the hearts to each of my sibling's families and my seminary kids.

February fourteenth, it's the day
When your friends and fam'ly give gifts to say
I love you, I like you, You cutie pie
Some even write love notes up in the sky.

This red wooden heart is my gift for you,
Hoping you'll spread kindness and service too
'Cause love's not love 'til you give it away
With thoughts, in actions and the words you say

At least this month and perhaps even more
Give a kindly deed, no need for a store
Do it secret, keep your mouth shut tight
Quickly place the heart on their bed that night!

Then it's their turn to continue the chain
Feeling good inside brings secret acclaim
The heart will pass from one to another
Siblings, your dad, don't forget your mother

A domino effect of kindly deeds
Bringing smiles, and love, even meeting needs
Place this heart, they will surely wonder who
Spreading happiness, joy this whole month through

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Nothing Mundane

I have been gone awhile and I think when you are gone for a while, it is hard to come back. I think about the times when there is a conflict at work or I put my foot in my mouth. It is the after the conflict or the next time you see the person that you offended that is the hardest. Sometimes I think it would be easier to avoid those uncomfortable moments. So it is with my blogging. I love to blog. I enjoy blogging but life got to hectic and too busy and I stopped. There were many times that I thought about coming back but I keep getting this awkward feeling like I was about to have an uncomfortable moment. If I was going to come back I thought, I wanted to come back with something interesting and something more than the mundane. Well after two-plus months of not blogging, I am coming back, at least until my life takes over. So, you may ask, “What is the incredibly interesting and exceptional event that brought you back?” My answer is simply, a miracle.


Today started as most of my days start, which is early. The big cheese CES guy came to observe my seminary class today and all in all things went well. My kids behaved, participated and even asked some thought-provoking questions. (Thank goodness I knew most of the answers) I could not have been happier because I honestly knew that they were on their best behavior because they wanted me to look good. It truly was an act of love.


I was feeling good about my day and then, well then, I got to work. Work was stressful and frustrating. I felt picked on and like my body needed to recover from beginning throw under a bus. I spent my day chained to my desk fuming. My frustration stopped when I received an email from a co-worker with a link to the CNN website with a message, “Did you see this?”


Well, “this” was an article about a plane that went down this afternoon in the Hudson River. The plane was headed to Charlotte, North Carolina from New York. Immediately, I thought about 9-11 and I thought about the inauguration (security in D.C. is TIGHT). Then I thought of an airplane that went down years ago in the Potomac River. The plane hit one of the bridges and crashed into the freezing January waters. Many people died. I was heartbroken and I felt so sad as I thought about the 135 people aboard the plane. I wrote back to my co-worker that I hoped some would survive. He quickly wrote back that most, if not all the passengers should be rescued because the plane stayed in tact but to be honest I had my doubts.


I drove home continuing to work for some of my trip and then half-way, I just drove in silence contemplating my day. When I was about 2 miles from my home I turned on NPR. One story finished and than the host started explaining about U.S. Airways flight 1549. My heart constricted as she explained that the pilot made an emergency landing into the Hudson River shortly after takeoff and then she said, “And all the passengers and crew were saved.” Tears rolled down my cheeks as I thought of this incredible miracle. A plane crashed into a river on a freezing cold January day and all survive. I think miracles especially big miracles deserve some recognition because there is nothing mundane about a miracle. I am glad to be back.

2008...it's a wrap!

2008- what an interesting year. Two years ago I found this questionnaire as I was blogstalking. I thought that I could answer a few questions and bring 2008 to a close. Better late than never so . . .

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before? I went speed dating, twice. I tried Bikram (HOT) yoga.

2. What was your motto or word for 2008? I had two. The first was Do It NOW and HOPE (same as 2007 and 2006, do we see a trend?)

3. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I was actually very consistent about exercising and yes I will always make New Year’s Resolutions.

4. Did anyone in your family give birth?
My brother Dan and his wife Ellen had a baby girl named Amelia.

5. Did anyone close to you die? My Grandma died in December.

6. Where did you visit this year? Utah 2 times, Colorado 1 time, California 1 time, Ohio 1 time, being poor doesn't help my travel bug.

7. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A significant other (same answer as 2007…strange).

8. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? May 5th: The day I started my blog. August 1st. It is the day that my company was bought. (A very sad day.) November 4th: History in the making.

9. What was your biggest personal achievement of the year? Actually going to singles events and getting more involved.

10. What was your biggest failure? Not selling my house and lacking consistency.

11. Did you suffer an illness or injury? I got the flu over Christmas and I hurt my Achilles tendon but for the most part I had a healthy year.

12. What was the best thing you bought? New silverware. I bought it at Costco because my other stuff was beat up and half of it was missing. Oh, and my ipod shuffle.

13. Whose behavior merited celebration? All the Olympians and especially the Men’s Volleyball team that won a gold medal after their coach’s father-in-law was killed in China.

14. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The sale of my bank to another bank.

15. Where did most of your money go? My house, my house, and oh, my house.

16. What did you get really, really excited about? My blog and my new niece.

17. What song will always remind you of 2008? Single Ladies and the Sigur Ros CD.

18. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

a) I think I am the same. A bit happier in some ways and a bit sadder in others.

b) I am actually thinner and stronger.

c) Poorer...two words…EagleBank and Recession.

19. What do you wish you'd done more of? Date, travel, craft projects and of course BLOGGED!

20. What do you wish you'd done less of? Watch TV and spend time on Facebook.

21. Did you fall in LOVE in 2008? No. Blogstalked a few people but no love.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Chuck and Eli Stone

23. What was the best book you read? Persuasion. I also read all of the Twilight series again but that was just entertainment.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Sigur Ros, Feist and Vampire Weekend (all courtesy of my brother John)

25. What did you want and get?
a. The BBC DVD set of 3 Jane Austin movies.
b. An excitement about seminary again (I was worried in August).

26. What did you want and not get? My house to sell and my life to settle down more.

27. What was your favorite film of 2007? Persuasion from BBC

28. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you? I turned 33 this year and on my birthday I went out with my friends, Barry & Marie to dinner at Jaleo and they surprised me and brought some of my work friends. I also went out with my girlfriends to Guardados. Interesting the both restaurants helped my Spanish food addiction.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A boy who was a friend to hang out with on a regular basis.

30. What type of food did you crave the most this year? I honestly have craved tapas. I love Spanish food.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? I am trying to break out of my black phase. More color...more experimentation (with some failures). Long hair with long bangs.

32. What kept you sane in 2008?
a. Phone calls on my way home from work.
b. My friends.
c. Acupuncture- A true-life saver!
d. Exercise
e. My pillow

33.What did your parent's Christmas newsletter say about you?

Our sixth and seventh children are Christine and John. Chris had a busy year as her employer merged with EagleBank, another local bank in Washington, D.C. She continues to work in the Human Resource department and usually has very interesting stories to share. Chris is also enjoying, for the second year, teaching early morning seminary. Between work and seminary Chris tries to find free time to decorate her house, learn new crafts and spend time with her family and friends. Chris went to Colorado in May to visit John as he completed his internship year in Denver. In June, we were excited to have John return to Salt Lake where he will finish his residency training. He is planning on a fellowship in oncology. John's busy schedule does not allow for much free time but when he has a free moment, he enjoys spending time outdoors, snowboarding, reading, trying new food and listening to music. Chris and John are both affectionately their nieces' and nephews' favorite aunt and uncle.

So, I guess that is my 2008 in 33 questions..can't wait to see what 2009 will bring.