Friday's Fabulous Find

Growing up the only ballet that I had ever been to is The Nutcracker. My mom had this tradition that when we turned eight she would take us to see it with her that Christmas season. It was so much fun to go with just my mom and experience. I had been in dance lesson since I was three and actually seeing real ballet dancers was exciting to me. I never wanted to be a professional dancer, but I loved dance and grew a love for watching dancers preform.

As I got older I started to go to more dance performances. Since I was a dancer myself I was at dance recitals and competitions all of the time. Even though I have been to my far share I have never grown tired of watching people dance. The more dance competitions and recitals we went o the more my sister and I wanted to see. We started going to other performances like Thriller and Shut Up and Dance. We went to and bought many dance movies. And all the while my love for the preforming arts just kept growing.

This last Friday I was able to go the the ballet that Ballet West was preforming at the Capital Theater. My friend Kendra had season tickets and invited me along for the show. She figured that I would the one to enjoy it the most. I decided that it would be my Friday's Fabulous Find. We went and saw Bolero

Location: The Capital Theater
Hours: Depends on the show
Prices: Depends on where you sit
Experience: Priceless and enjoyable

This show includes three separate ballets. It start with Chaconne which is a ballet about celebrating life here an earth. Then they preform the ballet Sinfonetta which is about a journey in Heaven. The last performance of the night is Bolero. This ballet is all about sensations. And it was by far my favorite of the night.

The other ballets were good. All of the dancers did an amazing job but Bolero was the show that I didn't want to stop watching. The dancers were fantastic and the show keeps you intrigued the whole time. From the way the stage is set up to the costumes, music, and the dancers themselves all you do is just keep starting and watching and waiting to see what will happen next. It was truly a great preformance. One that I am glad I was able to experience and one I hope to enjoy again.

If yo have never been to the ballet, then you should go. It is something that should be experienced at least once. Whether you go to a classic ballet like The Nutcracker or a more modern one like Thriller or Bolero, you should at least go once. And who knows, you might actually like it.

Moving Forward=Change

For this last year I have felt in a rut. I have not know what to do or where to head. You see, growing up I had this plan. This plan to go to school, graduate from high school, go to the U, graduate from there, and get a job. That is as far as my plan went though. It just ended there. Don't get me wrong, it was a great plan. One that worked out really well and that I was able to accomplish. But, I finished that plan last May when I graduated from the U and then got my job in June. From then on I fell like I have been floundering. I have been feeling like there should be something more. Over the past year I have felt like I have been stuck. And I have felt like I should be working towards something, but have had no idea what to work towards.

Now don't get me wrong. I like my job. I am glad that I graduated from school, and I enjoy my life. I have just been feeling like something is missing from it and like I have not been moving forward in any direction at all. Getting sick of this feeling about three months ago I decided that something need to happen. That's when I started praying for a way to move forward. TO move forward in whatever direction i was supposed to head. I don't know what I expected to happen, but I just kept on praying that something would. Nothing really happened at first. I just had this hope inside that things where going too. Then one day along the road I realized that if I wanted to move forward, if I wanted to get different results from life, then I was going to have to change what I had been doing. So I did.

I started going to the gym more. I took the challenge for scripture reading with my ward. I applied for a Masters program and got in,don't get excited, I'm not doing it, but I did apply. I accomplished something. I started do Friday Fabulous Finds to explore new places. And all the while I just kept praying. And with the way things have gone, I have continued praying to find a direction and a path to move forward on. So there I was sitting in church this last Sunday. We were all in sacrament and it had just been announced that the change of the wards that we had all been hearing about for the last year or so was going to happen at the end of this month. Our ward would no longer exist and neither would are stake. We all knew that this was coming. We all expected it to happen. But that doesn't mean that we wanted it to.

So there we sat. All of us feeling sad. Sad to say goodbye to our ward and sad to say goodbye to association within it. It just happened to be fast and testimony meeting. Brother Larsen who was conducting got up to bear his testimony. I don't even remember what he said, but it made us all laugh. I was sitting there and I looked up and saw the Bishop laughing. I saw that the ward was laughing and this thought popped into my head. It said "you wanted a way to move forward, well here it is". I just sat there for a minute and then I started to smile. And then I started to laugh. Just like that the Lord had changed my perspective and made me laugh at the same time. In that moment the ward change went from being sad to a challenge. A challenge to meet new people. A challenge to grow into a new ward. A challenge to move forward. In that moment what had sadden me changed into what I had been praying for. No, it is not exactly what I had in mind, but if the Lord wants me to move forward through it, then I will go forward.

Moving forward doesn't always happen like we think it should. It doesn't always happen in big jumps like graduate or getting married or having a child. Move forward can happen in the little things as well. It can happen in changing your daily routine, or trying something new, or changing to a new ward. Moving forward just means change.

Now, today I ripped apart a book. Literally. I tore it apart. I cut off the cover, tore off the binding and all of the glue, and ripped each page apart from the others. I took it completely apart. But then, I put it all back together again. I smoothed out each of the pages, I put them all in the protective covers, I added in the pages that had been missing, and then I put it all back together. In the end, it was in better shape then when I started. The pages were no longer falling out and the binding wasn't ripping. And the best part of all was that all of the pages were there. While doing this I thought of that story where each of us is compared to a house. A house that God comes in and remodels. While it is happening we may feel like we are being destroyed and ripped apart. He is going to knock out some walls and rip off the roof or he may even take out your whole foundation. But he isn't going to leave it like that. He will build new walls and fix the leak in your roof. He will also make your foundation stronger then it ever was before. He will make you into your mansion and you will be beter in the end then you ever were before.

Moving forward = change, and change can sometimes = hurt and heartache. But, change is good and moving forward in the right direction is even better. So even though it may cause you to get out of your comfort zone, try new things, meet new people, and hurt your heart a little bit, change is something that needs to happen. Just remember that comfort zones are not places where God allows his children to camp. He has to things to get you to grow, to get you to learn, and to get you to change and move forward. And in the end you will find that you are far better off then you ever were before it started.

Being an Aunt

I have decided that being an aunt in just plain awesome! I joined this amazing aunt club last Friday when my first nephew ever was born into this world. I had waited around all Friday long to hear that he had made it here safe and sound and that all was well with the new little family. In the morning I tried to be productive and get things done around the house, but all I could think about was that my sister was in the hospital about to add a whole new life to the family.

I finally made my way out the door to go to work around 12:45. I knew that I had to be there by 1:30 to get things ready for the students who came at 2:30. I quickly stopped and grabbed some lunch on my way because in all the morning distractions I never made it up the stairs to eat anything. Once I got to work I kept waiting to hear news from Ben. Every time my phone went off I would jump with excitement and quickly look to see if it was him with news of what was going on. I am not sure that I got much completed at work, but other teachers were there so I am sure that the students were fine. Around 5:oo pm I got a message from Ben saying that it was slow going but that all was well. The second the last student was out the door and the books had been put away, I turned out the lights and headed home. I decided to stop and get food for dinner as well because I was not sure when the baby would come and I was sure that I wouldn't be able to focus enough to make myself dinner anyway. I was waiting at Five Guys for my food when I got the following message from Ben: 6:13 pm baby is almost here. Probably in the next half an hour or so. We are getting ready to deliver.

You can imagine my excitement as I was waiting for my food to arrive. It just couldn't come fast enough. It finally came and I ran home to eat it all the while waiting for more news. At home I found that my mom and Dennis were doing the exact same thing, eating take out and wiggle around with excitement. After I snarfed down the food in about all of ten minutes I decided that I needed to do something to distract myself. I choose to read a book. And let me tell you, that didn't go very well. I think I read the same page about five times. I found that my mom was having the same problem. She was working on the computer and kept asking if I had heard anything yet. Then at 6:45pm while laying on my bed trying to read some more my phone went off with the noise that means I received a picture message. I jumped with excitement to look at it and squealed with delight when I did. The message was from Ben and it was my first ever picture of my new nephew!

Breckin Claire Rood 6 lbs 5 oz 19 1/2 inches long

I was so excited and went running out to my mom who had received the message as well. Shortly after we received another messages saying that all was well with baby and mom and that they would be open for visitors around 8:30 that night. I couldn't wait for that time to arrive when I could go and meet my new nephew in person. When the time came we made our way to the hospital. They had not switched rooms yet so we waited in the lobby until they were ready for us. While waiting one of the nurses came by and asked us if we would like to go see him in the nursery. Of course we said yes, and followed her down the hall to see him. He was so cute lying there and you could just tell that he was Wendi's and Ben's. Babies are such a miracle and standing there looking at him my heart just filled with love. It's amazing how much you can love someone in so short a time.

Ben soon came out to find us and told us that Wendi was all settled in the room. We decided to go and visit her and see how she was doing. It was fun to see her all up and excited. She was doing well and we talked for while about the whole experience and the day that she had just gone through. She had the crazy look full of excitement and nervousness. You could tell from the look that she was full of love but knew that she and Ben and just embarked on a crazy adventure. One that didn't come with a map. While there Ben got to go and give Breckin his first bath. I choose to stay in the room with Wendi and keep her company.

When everyone got back Ben was just filled with joy. You could tell that he already loved his son. They said that Breckin did not like the bath at all. The nurse said that they would bring him down to the room once they got Breckin warmed back up. We decided that we would leave for the night and let the new mommy and daddy rest with their little one. We told them we would come back the next day to officially meet him.

Saturday came and after work my mom and I drove up to the hospital. We went straight to their room and entered in full of excitement and love. Wendi was laying in bed holding him in her arms. It was fun to see her in the new role as a mom and Ben in the role of a dad. We took some family photos and then my mom, now Grandma Julie, got to hold the little and officially meet her grandson. After her I got hold him and let him know who is Aunt Brittney was. He is such a cute little one and it was so much fun to just stand and hold him and watch his little faces that he would make. After we had stayed awhile we decided to leave and let them rest and feed him again.

On Sunday they all went home from the hospital. that afternoon we went up to there house with grandma and grandpa Whiting so that they could meet their new great grandson. This is number 2 for them. Once again we all sat around and held little Breckin in our arms. He is just so fun to watch and to hold.

Brackin in now 5 days old and all is still going well. The whole little family is at home and is learning and growing. They are so cute together and you can tell that their house is full of love. Breckin has been born into a great family with lots of people who love and care for him. I am grateful to be one of those people.

Friday's Fabulous Find

This last Friday I had a busy day. But I did manage to fit in a Friday Fabulous find. I choose a place that I have been to before. It is a place that I love and that I felt deserved to be on the Fabulous Find List. I know that I didn't technically find it last Friday, but I still love it and still think that it was quite the fabulous find when I did find it. This place would be

The Book Garden

Location: 2 North Main Street, Bountiful
Hours: ? Not sure, I know they close at about 6
Description:Used book store and exchange
Prices: Awesome!
Web Page:bookgarden2.com/blog1/

My mom and I came across this store awhile ago. I had wanted a bunch of books for Christmas one year. The whole Work and the Glory set to be exact. But I didn't really want to spend all of my Christmas money on just books. Don't get me wrong, I love those books and was happy to be searching for them, but I wanted a few other things as well. So my mom was on a hunt to find good deals on these books. A friend at her recommended this place and we decided to try it out.

Upon walking in you get a little overwhelmed. Everywhere you look there are books. Book shelves, book racks, boxes of books, and books just stacked around. At first you wonder how you are going to ever find anything. You just see books everywhere and then you realize that they have a downstairs as well and you almost want to turn and walk right back out. But, if you are a true book lover and are a little bit daring you will take the book garden challenge and continue walking forward into the store. And once you are truly in you will be hard pressed to get back out.

You will find that you can spend hours in this store. You will walk up an down the rows, weave through book shelves, climb up step ladders, and all the while be looking at all of the books on the walls. They have everything from childrens books, LDS fiction and history, murder mystery, action, young adult, picture, how too, history, romance, and oh so many more. It truly is a grand little store.

One other thing you can do at this store is exchange your books. You are more then welcome to just buy what they have, but you can also give them your old books as well. Maybe there was a book that you didn't really like, or one that you received more then one copy of, whatever the reason is that you no longer want the book you can take it here. With each book you bring in they will appraise it and its condition and give you a price for it. From there you can decide to leave it and take the money or in store credit or you can keep the book for yourself. Whatever you prefere.

So if you are a book nerd and lover like me then I suggest that you make your way to this store one day. Even if you never return, you should at least visit it once and I promise that you wont regret it. I have found many great and fabulous finds in this store and I keep going back for more.

So please, oh please,
we beg, we pray...
go throw your TV set away,
and in its place you can install
a lovely bookshelf on the wall.

No Fabulous Find

This last Friday I missed out on having a Fabulous Find. I wanted to find one, I really did, but I was kind of stuck...literally. I was stuck at home. No, I did not have a broken car. My car was in the drive with gas in it. And no, I was not babysitting or waiting for someone to show up or call. I was just told that I could not leave the house. For you see, I had strep throat and was still contagious.

My throat had started hurting on Wednesday night. I didn't think anything of it though because it only hurt on the left side and only when I tried to sallow something. Thursday came and it started to get worse. But it was weird. It didn't really hurt in my throat. It was more the back roof of my mouth that hurt and it only hurt when I swallowed. It felt like the muscles back there had gone through a workout and now had muscle fatigue or something. By the time I got home from work and ate dinner I was sick of it hurting. I asked my mom what it meant if the roof of your mouth hurt when you swallowed. She just looked at me for a second and then told me we were going to the doctor. I didn't really like that idea. I just figured that I would sleep it off and be good to go the next day. She told me to get in the car.

We went to the Intsa Care here in Bountiful and waited to be seen. Once I was called back they took my vitals and asked what I was there for. I mentioned what was going on and they decided to swab my throat. The doctor came back a few moments later and told me that I had strep and that I was to start antibiotics that night and stay home for the next 24 to 36 hours because I was contagious.
Well, that meant that I could not go to work, which I was not sad about, but it also meant that I could not go find a Fabulous Find. Therefore I spent Friday laying around at home.

It was weird at first and I really didn't know what to do. I couldn't remember the last day that I just spent at home and didn't go anywhere. I ended up cleaning the bathroom, tidying my room, hanging my Disney art from my trip, updating the blog, doing all of my laundry(which never happens), reading a book (yes, a whole book), painting my toe nails, and somewhere in there I showered, made breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and took a nap outside on the grass.

It was while outside that I decided that I was grateful to have strep throat. I know that sounds weird. Who is grateful to be sick right? But I was. I had just spent the morning getting things done that usually don't get done and I was know outside laying on a blanket on the grass and it was a bright sunshiny day. I had been reading my book and listening to music and I just realized that my day was Awesome and it wasn't even over yet. I sat there and started laughing because I realized that I was grateful that I had strep throat. I was grateful that I was forced to stay home. And grateful that it was just my throat that hurt and that I still felt good everywhere else and had the energy to do things. It was a great day, and even though I didn't get to find a Friday"s Fabulous Find, I still had a fabulous Friday.