I Love Valentine's Day AND Beautiful Music!

February 14th, 2010

Valentine's Day is here! I love Valentine's Day. I remember so well what the day was like when I was in Elementary School. Decorating your box which acted like a mailbox for your valentines was SUCH a big deal. I spent hours decorating mine...way back when. I also love old-fashioned kinds of things...like this greeting...
So glad that Rich is MY valentine!!

So last night Rich and I went on a REAL date...not just to dinner, but to dinner AND the symphony! There is music...and then there is REAL music - beautiful - take your breath away - amazing - how does she do that - absolutely stunning - inspiring music! We experienced the latter kind last night. I'm so grateful for the ability we have to have recordings and CDs, etc. They are wonderful. But to be there is something entirely different. To see energy and emotion, even from very far away, is just...can't think of the right words...

The first selection was the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture by Tchaikovsky. Way cool. And then this amazing violinist came out. Her name is Viviane Hagner...I didn't take this picture, but this is the dress she was wearing...

She was the featured soloist for Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, op. 64. It is a familiar piece...I'd hum the tune if I could! It went for 26 minutes. She had not one piece of music in front of her. It is an incredibly complicated piece. What amazing, God given talent! I can't even begin to fathom how many hours she has put into developing and mastering her talent. How many times has she listened to this piece of music...100, maybe 1000 times...to be able to play it at such a high level of mastery? When you experience that 26 minutes and then it ends, you just kind of sit there in reverent silence before the audience erupts in applause. And then I felt like saying, "Oh, just play that part one more time...please, oh please, oh please!" I thought to myself, "Her arms, her fingers...they must just ache!" They were moving so fast!

I came away feeling immense gratitude for having had that experience, and perhaps a little more determined to work on the talents that I have been given. Clearly there are not many Viviane Hagner's in the world, and there are relatively few Olympic athletes. I guess one could find their own abilities a little depressing when measured against such a high standard, but I certainly don't think that is at all what our Heavenly Father intends to have happen. There are so many, many ways in which to excel...from being a good friend, to knowing just the right thing to say, to mastering an instrument, to being an excellent employee, to being organized, to being well-read, to being an excellent gardener, and on and on. How boring would life be if we all excelled in the same area, at the same thing? I, for one, am glad that is not the case. My life has been so enriched by others who, in more ways than I could ever enumerate, have blessed my life with their talents.

I Love the Olympics!

February 13th, 2010

I LOVE the Olympics!
I can remember from being way little looking forward to being able to watch the Olympics. I am quite sure that my favorite winter sport to watch is ice skating. To be able to express your feelings on the ice with music must just be a thrill for the performer. To be able to get your body to do such amazing jumps and twists and turns...all I can think to say is "Wow!"

I watched the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics last night. They were amazing. We were living in Bellingham, WA at the time that Vancouver was announced as the venue for 2010. Ah, we were so close had we stayed. I saw pictures of places that we were familiar with...such a beautiful, beautiful corner of this amazing planet. I pulled out my "Whistler" sweatshirt today...I'll have to wear it a whole bunch these next couple of weeks. I am so looking forward to watching all of the stories of hard work, competition, and ultimate joy unfold. Of course, my heart is sad because of the loss of the athlete yesterday. So sad. Hopefully it will inspire the small nation he was from, and actually all of the athletes, to do their very best.

Canada should be very proud of the production put on last night, but I'm here to say, "Go Team USA!"

I Love to Run!

February 12th, 2010

I came home this morning and I thought, "I need to get out and go for a run!" So I did, and it sure felt good. It's maybe 30 degrees outside right now, so I bundled up and hit the trail. I'm not sure what it is about running that makes it so appealing...I think it mostly has to do with how you feel afterwards. Unfortunately I am definitely not as young as I used to be and my knees make doing any long distance running out of the picture. However, a good 5 to 7 mile jog does wonders for the mind. I'm thinking the whole time and making mental lists of things I need to take care of when I get back home.

Today was my first experience running in the snow! Most of the trails I go on still had about 2 inches covering parts of the them. That was super fun and super soft...I felt like a little kiddo! However, on my ipod the Beach Boys were playing! Yikes, running in the snow and dreaming about being on the beach...I just kept thinking, "Something is definitely wrong with this picture!" I could definitely use a little beach time right about now!

I Love Tennis!

February 11th, 2010

I love, love, love tennis. I love to watch...all levels. Even when I'm playing on one court I find myself losing my concentration because of a point that is going on on another court. So, yep, I love to watch in person and especially on DirectTV (Channel 217!) during the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. I don't claim the tv too much, but those weeks I get an overdose of watching tennis.

But it's most fun to actually play. For whatever reason, it is a major stress reliever for me. When I hit that ball just right, it feels so good. And for the most part it is a pretty good work out for me. Have to admit, though, that the best part of tennis is the social aspect. All the ladies that I play with are so much fun! Plenty of us have plenty in common and generally we are all pretty chatty. Is it possible to play some serious tennis, though, and have fun laughing our way through a match at the same time? Absolutely! I do it at least three times a week!

St. Louis has a professional tennis team that plays for about 6 weeks in the summer. Just read today that Lindsay Davenport is going to be part of the St. Louis Aces! Hey, that's fun information. Lindsay has always been a favorite player of mine to watch on the women's side. Who do I like to watch on the men's side...well, that has to be Roger. He's just SO good. I hope he has a great year. I thought at the end of the Australian how cool it would be to have Roger play Serena. Hmmmm...wonder if that would ever happen.

Anyways, tennis certainly helps to keep my spirits up during the dreary winter months here in Edwardsville. We are super blessed with a wonderful YMCA facility that has 5 beautiful indoor courts. I especially love the new paint job. The courts are blue and the surrounding area is now tan. We pretend we are at the ocean and on the sand...anything helps!

I Love Walgreens!

February 10th, 2010

OK, this is kind of a weird one to say that I love, but I thought about it as I quickly ran in today...I LOVE
Why? you ask...well, I'll give just a couple of reasons. I have used coupons throughout our entire married life. It is just the way I am wired. If I can get something for less, I will play the game. It becomes a challenge to figure out how each particular store works their coupon policies. I like Walgreens. They'll take Manufacturer's coupons, Walgreens coupons, and Register Receipts...all in one. Just have to decide whether their sale price really is a good price to begin with. Obviously it is not a grocery store and their selection isn't always the greatest...but there's usually another one not too far away...and...

Reason #2 I LOVE Walgreens...they are all laid out the same! Love it. Having moved around the country just a little bit I have had lots of experiences with stores. It's one of the most frustrating things about moving - figuring out how to find things in yet another new store. But, go into just about any Walgreens, just about anywhere in the country, and the photo department is to the left, pharmacy towards the back left, baby aisle is about the third aisle from the right, but towards the back. Makes life so much easier!

And for the most part the clerks are happy to help. And to have someone be happy for you while you save money at their store...it's just really nice!

I Love Keeping in Touch!

February 9th, 2010

I've spent just about the WHOLE day keeping in touch. In other words...I'm finally sending out my Christmas cards...which are now almost Valentines! It's not quite as bad as it seems. I was actually waiting for a snow day, which we had today. My card said on it, "Let It Snow", and the letterhead was a snowman, so it only seemed appropriate to wait for the appropriate day to finally mail them out. Besides, I've been just a little busy!

But I really DO love staying in touch, and especially enjoy how easy it is to do that these days. I LOVE the internet and all the possibilities of connection that it provides. I have finally figured out the texting thing and for the most part I think it's great. It's one of those things that can seriously be misused, along with the internet. That will always be a challenge for all of us. I well remember those days early in our marriage when I had to carefully measure out when I would call home. While I was in Hawaii for a semester of school I made one collect phone call home...on my birthday. I was lucky to get a letter every other week or so. Amazing to think how much things have changed. And I, for one, am very happy about that change!

I Love Chocolate!

February 8th, 2010

Surprise, surprise. I really do love chocolate - probably not as much as my friend, Dawn, in Bellingham does, but I sure think it is pretty darn good and I'm right up there in thinking it should be one of the main food groups! I'm more of a milk chocolate gal, rather than dark chocolate, but I'll certainly eat the dark chocolate variety. It's kind of a standing joke at our house that I pretty much have some chocolate hidden somewhere in the house. When you need chocolate, you NEED chocolate right then!

We have a Relief Society Chocolate Recipe night this week and so I've been looking at a few recipes in order to try something new. My goodness, there are tons and tons of internet recipe sites! Seriously could get lost and spend the whole day looking at recipes if one so desired! I found the following one at the Taste of Home recipe site and tried it tonight for Family Night...pretty good and very easy.

Lava Chocolate Cake
4 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup butter, cubed
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used chocolate chips)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
6 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Grease the bottom and sides of four 6-oz. ramekins; sprinkle each with 1 tsp. sugar. Place ramekins on a baking sheet; set aside.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate; stir until smooth. Stir in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt; spoon batter into prepared ramekins.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees and cake sides are set and centers are soft. (When I initially looked at 12 minutes they didn't look done enough and I left them in a little longer...should have taken them out then...but I guess it really comes down to how much of a gooey center that you like!)
Remove ramekins to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully run a small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert warm cakes onto serving plates. Lift ramekins off cakes. Serve warm with whipped cream (or ice cream!) or sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar if desire.
Yield - 4 servings.