Self-Portrait

Sunday on our way home from church we stopped at Temple Square and did a little self-photo shoot.






We were facing the sun and Dave was trying so hard not to squint in the picture that he pulled this face. It makes me laugh!

Victorious!

University of Utah: 48
Brigham Young University: 24

Oh, yea!

Friday's Travelogue

Forgive me in advance for this travelogue but I'm still recovering from the crazy day I had yesterday at work and I think a little blogging is just what I need to finish decompressing.

My Friday began bright and early with an ICS Training in the terrace multipurpose room and a PST Meeting in the media room. All went well!

At 10:30 a.m. I commenced making the rounds to check on my 4 lunch-hour events. (Essentially, I needed to be four places at once to make sure all these events got started but because I am only one person it was a little difficult.)

I started at the main floor auditorium with a CHH Lecture. My client and the A/V support weren't there yet so I opened the door, turned on the lights, and sent a few text messages to the key players letting them know I was around checking on other events but to call if they needed anything.

Next I ran up to the west observation room and was glad to see that catering was already there working on their setup for the FCH Luncheon. Then I crossed over to the east side and things looked good there too.

Back down to the street I made a dash for the ICS Luncheon at the Devereaux House (which is more than 3 blocks away). I was running late but catering was on time and had the building opened for my client. Then we noticed the screen for the projector was missing. A/V scurried over but in the meantime the client decided they could use the wall just as well as a screen. So much for the panic call to A/V.

Once they settled in I walked the 3+ blocks back to the east observation room to personally greet this client at their MIS Luncheon. I found chaos. Apparently, the client felt the tables were too crowded, so an extra table was added and then a glass of water toppled over, drenching the tablecloth and everything around it...and the lunch was only five minutes away from starting. Catering worked hard and fast to put everything back to order.

I was about to go back to my office to eat lunch during a 30-minute break when my client for a 5th meeting called to order more chairs at their ICS Guest Lecture. I didn't want to bother staging so I detoured back to the Relief Society Room and set out the extra dozen chairs myself. By the time I finished it was too late to grab lunch. Catering soon arrived and my client arrived. Then we realized that only half the food order had been delivered and we needed a trash can. Some very last minute phone calls were made and the issues remedied. However, there were still a whole lot of empty chairs when I left.

Finally, I had a respite at my desk to eat lunch and answer emails. Sadly, that wasn't the end of the day. Later in the afternoon I ran to the recording studio and horseshoe to check on those event setups and then right back to the Devereaux House to start an ICS Dinner. They needed some homey ambiance and wanted all the fireplaces lit. That took some doing and still two weren't working by the time I left.

Phew! It was an exhausting work day and I am so glad to have it over with. And many thanks to you for being a listening ear while I got all this off my chest. :)

Now Open

We took in a late dinner last night at the new Iggy's Sports Grill in Centerville. Granted, it was late in the evening; however, the place was dead. I think we were one of three tables.

So, we promised our server that we would spread the good word:

Iggy's of Centerville is Now Open!
The Food is Great!
The Prices are Reasonable!
The Service is Friendly!
The TV playing the Game is Huge!
And No Waiting to be Seated!

It was a success!!!

Thank you to all who came to my little party on Monday. We had a great turnout and nearly ran out of food, but didn't....Now that is a successful party!

However, I'm not sure how many people were actually there to see my house and how many were there to meet my wonderful sweetheart. Either way, thank you for coming and sharing in the excitment of all things good in my life right now.

Come One, Come All

What: An Open House

When: Monday, November 17 from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Where: in Foxboro North of North Salt Lake, Utah

Why: Because you've all been so supportive of me and shared in my excitement to become a homeowner.

How: Sorry to be so cryptic about the location but I don't want any uninvited guests. Please call or email me or my parents for directions.

Hope to see you there!!!

Random Tidbits of Information

I feel like it has been a long time since I blogged. Maybe just being so busy at work and not having the Internet at my house makes the 9 days that have lapsed seem that much longer. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to play catch-up with random things that have happened over the past week.

Tuesday, November 4
This was the first night of taping A Brand New Year, without an audience. I had things to do but I didn't have 21,000 people to take care of, so I invited Dave down to spend the evening at the Conference Center with me. That, I must say, was a genius move. I think he finally understands this demanding job that I have and why I have to work so many nights and weekends. We were able to sit and watch most of the concert but I still had plenty of moments on the phone, running around the building, taking last-minute orders, and making executive decisions. For any of you who work in the event industry, I highly recommend that you allow your significant other to spend a night chasing you around your place of employment so they can see what you really do.

Wednesday, November 5
Our second night of taping was just a little disastrous. I forgot to order craft services for the control room. The girl that does water for the ushers decided not to come into work. The cast ate the parking attendants' dinners. I completely wore out our sweet catering lady, Marge, who made extra dinners and took the water jugs around the Conference Center all by herself. She truly deserves an award for all she did Wednesday night. Besides food-related issues and the snow that fell throughout the day, we had more people show up for the event than we had seats. We scrambled to get an overflow venue set up but in the end many people were turned away.

Thursday, November 6
The final night of taping A Brand New Year went over perfectly. We had more than enough dinner for everyone, the ushers received their water jugs, the control room was fed, and just enough people showed up to fill the Conference Center. I watched most of the show from the back of the house. It was a blast to watch the all excitement and energy in a sea of 21,000 teenagers.

Friday, November 7
Dave and I doubled with another couple and went to a CD release party for this young man. (Because I wasn't particularly impressed I won't mention his name but you'll find it on the other side of the above link.) Later Dave asked me what Simon Cowell would have said if he had been there. My guess is that the boy probably wouldn't have been given a golden ticket to Hollywood. Oh well, he gave it a good effort and I wish him luck with his new CD.

Saturday, November 8
We had a great night at the movies on Saturday. We went to the IMAX at Jordan Commons to see Madagascar 2. About 20 minutes into the show the projector went down. They eventually got it up and running again but in the meantime we all received free tickets to return and see another movie. Two flicks for the price of one, with just a little inconvenience. Sweet!

Sunday, November 9
Had to be just about the best Sunday I've ever had, ever. (In part because the Colts and the Giants won!) Nothing to announce right now but let's just say you'll probably, hopefully, be seeing a lot more of this...

BYN at the CCB

At this very moment I am about half-way through a 14-hour rehearsal for A Brand New Year at the Conference Center. Yes, it is going to be a very long day but this is actually a great show so the time is flying.

The event is being recorded next Wednesday and Thursday and will be released on DVD to stakes and districts throughout the United States and Canada for them to use at local New Years Eve celebrations. There are 500 teenagers on stage and another 40,000-plus are expected to be in the audience between the two nights.

I have to say that I have been incredibly impressed with all these youth. They truly understand why they are here and what they are doing. Their testimonies of the gospel shine in their eyes.

For more information on A Brand New Year, click here. Also, stay tuned for New Years Eve activities involving the upcoming DVD in your local units.