Christmas cards. You either love them or hate them, but they are a thing. And I love them, even though they can be a pain. So Why do I send them every year?
Because I love to GET Holiday Greetings, and to see what your families are up to! I like snail mail, and I get more cards in December than the entire rest of the year. And if you like to get them, you gotta send them.
Still unsure about doing them? I have been told (by more than one person), that mine was the only card they received that year. This breaks my heart. I really do try to keep in touch with my friends, but some I can only do once per year. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to let people I love know that I’m thinking about them.
To that end, I’d like to help you with your cards, if you are so inclined to include pictures in them. (P.S., those are my favorites!)
Also, several of you have reached out to me about family pictures, and I’ve kinda dropped the ball. I’m sorry. To make it up to you, I’m thinking about doing some Christmas mini-sessions at a studio in the SLC area (where it’s nice & warm). It would be $50 for a 15-minute session (up to 8 people), and you’d get 5 pictures delivered by digital download. We’d have got chocolate, treats and props, And my friend @justinaden (a.k.a. “DrZzs” on YouTube) has been working on some super awesome lighting effects we’ll use, so it would be fun and pretty painless. This would also be a great opportunity to update your headshots for 2018!
But I need at least 10 people to sign up in order to make it happen.
If there’s enough interest for outdoor mini-sessions, we can plan a day for that too, but the weather is slightly unpredictable and it’s a little hard to plan that in advance.
I’m thinking Friday November 24th, so you can finish your Black Friday shopping and stop in for your holiday card photos!
Please let me know if you are interested so I can reserve the studio!
Several people have asked me for a concert report. While Rolling Stone did a great job with their review, I wanted to tell you about my Mother's Day.
My concert buddy Allison and I flew to Seattle on Saturday May 13th, and we stayed with my dear friend Jason.
Airplane Selfie!
I love the window seat.
Me & Jason on his roof. Words cannot tell you how amazing this man is.
We stayed at Jason's lovely home on Saturday night, and we got up early on Sunday for a Mother's Day brunch and ate lots of pastries.
Allison & I with the troll (and a random dude playing the ukelele)
Allison, Justin & Jason outside the "Silence-Heart-Nest" hippie restaurant
A delightful pain-au-chocolat
I had received an email from Century Link field a few days before I left, in which they told me they do not allow regular purses. They have to be clear. I debated on just stuffing my pockets, but luckily Jason had some leftover plastic bags from buying curtains. So I did a little arts-and-crafts project and made myself this super-classy crossbody bag. I literally braided some twine to make a strap and just kept everything else in the bag.
Amazing, right?! (Preview of young Barack on the right)
After my little project, we thought about going to Pike Place, but got caught in traffic and couldn't find anywhere to park. So we just went to Century Link,
As close as we got
After having paid $50 to park (gah!!!), we tried to find the General Admission (GA) line around 2pm. It was already around the building, so I'm glad we got there when we did. Allison had to go find a restroom, so I just started chatting with the guy in line in front of me. I noticed he was wearing a Joshua Tree hat, which he could only have gotten at the opening night of the tour in Vancouver. We started talking, and he has been to 50 concerts over the last 30 years (his first U2 show being during the original Joshua Tree tour).
Simon (a.k.a., @BadAcrobat, a.k.a. Dad)
As we kept talking, the people around us started listening and joining in on the conversation, and we all realized that we needed to stick with Simon. He knew exactly where to stand and what he was doing, despite never having been to this venue. So we all started talking to each other and getting to know each other a little, sharing our cheesy popcorn and chatting. And I kinda started calling Simon Dad, because he kept looking back to make sure we were all with him. Simon is originally British, but lives in Alaska. The couple ahead of us were a French girl (Lisa) and her latino boyfriend; I don't remember his name, but he looked exactly like a young Barack Obama. Seriously. The couple behind us were Chaveli and Bryan, who were from the Philippines. How cool is it that people from all over the world met each other at a concert and became fast friends?! I love it.
When the line started moving, we had to make our way into a Disneyland-type line, when we found out that it was Chaveli's birthday!
Moo.
At this point, I got to skip out of the line to use the restroom for a minute. It was pretty nice to wash my cheesy fingers, and my little group remembered me so I could get back in line.
We finally made our way onto the field around 5:45pm, and I decided I needed a group picture. I have no idea who the guy on the left is, but whatever.
L-R: Some random dude, Young Barack, Lisa, Simon, Bryan, Chaveli, Me & Allison
I also had to sneak a better picture of Barack.
It was throwing me off a little bit.
Lisa and Young Barack
So we waited for another hour or so, until Mumford & Sons came out onto the stage. they stayed on the main stage, so I was a little doubtful as to our positioning, and a little sad I didn't get a better view. But they still sounded fantastic.
This is what the stage looked like in the light. It was probably 30-40 feet tall,
judging by the very small, very talented Brits on stage.
I was a little disappointed that the people around me weren't as excited as I was for Mumford & Sons; I'm also sad they didn't play more than they did. But I'm a total fangirl, and I know that people usually don't go to concerts fo the opening act. Even so--WHAT AN OPENING ACT. Here's their setlist:
Snake Eyes
Little Lion Man
Below My Feet
Lover of the Light
Tompkins Square Park
Believe
The Wolf
They played for about 45 minutes, and I knew I wasn't going to make it until the end of the concert, so I made my way out of the pit and up to the restroom. It wasn't bad going out, but coming back in was another story. I picked up some Fish & Chips (mediocre) and a beer (I bought a beer!) and trying to get back into our fabulous spot right by the stage with food in hand was, uh, not pretty. I have a whole diatribe on concert ettiquette, and I knew I was that annoying person, but I really was there earlier! I kept apoligizing and admitting what an a**hole I was for trying to get in front of people. But I did what I had to do, and I had to get back to my friends!
I finally made it, and delivered the beer to Simon as a thank you for getting us to where he did. (Chaveli asked him how he got a beer, and he said that it magically appeared over his shoulder!). I'm not sure if buying a beer on a Sunday is considered a good deed, but I'll leave that up to you to judge. I probably should have bought Bryan a beer, considering that he bought me a lemonade earlier, but I barely made it through the crowd with one!
Anyway, after Mumford & Sons was done, we had to wait for another hour or so for the sun to set. And when the boys walked out onto that stage, literally 15 feet in front of me, I was jumping up and down! Simon really came through for us.
The Edge is so freaking adorable.
Seriously?! How amazing is this lineup?!
Bono . . . still sounding fantastic
Adam . . . who only looks better and better with age
I wish I had a better camera, but my curtain-bag crossbody would only hold so much. And I try to not take too many pictures, because I want to BE THERE and enjoy it. But the views were so incredible I had to take a ton! Plus, Allison's phone had died, so I had to get pictures for her too.
They stayed on the B-stage (right in front of us) for a few songs:
Sunday Bloody Sunday
New Year's Day
A Sort of Homecoming
Bad
Pride (In The Name of Love)
Then the screen turned on and they made their way back to the main stage to play though the entire Joshua Tree album (in order):
Where the Streets Have No Name
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
With or Without You
Bullet the Blue Sky
Running to Stand Still
Red Hill Mining Town
In God's Country
Trip Through Your Wires
One Tree Hill
Exit
Mothers of the Disappeared
Each song was accompanied by an original mini-film (with a very American flair) on the giant screen. Some were really cool; some were a little weird, like the one of Edge's wife, Miss Mysterious Ways herself, wearing a stars-and-stripes bikini top and jeans while throwing a lasso . . . but the screen was incredible. Apparently it's 8K (top-of-the-line TVs these days are 4K, so I'm just saying). I can't remember which images went with which songs, but I'll do my best.
Where the Streets have No Name
In God's Country
Red Hill Mining Town, featuring a Salvation Army brass band
This shows you the scale of the screen
I think this was Trip Through Your Wires
One Tree Hill
Not sure which song, but a cool visual of the screen
On Mothers of the Disappeared, they had Eddie Vedder and Mumford & Sons come out to join them. Now that's a supergroup I could get behind! (Who am I kidding? I love supergroups.)
That was the end of the main set, but (of course) they came back for an encore. They played a few more songs on the main stage, accompanied again by amazing (if political) videos:
Beautiful Day
Elevation
Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
One
Miss Sarajevo
I love how Ultraviolet became a girl-power moment, changing HIStory into HERstory, and they showed faces of amazing women, like Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Patti Smith, Angela Merkel, and Lena Dunham. (I'm sorry--I can't even type that with a straight face, but she was one of the chosen few).
Bono has always been political, so you have to expect that at a U2 concert. What I did not expect was to be close enough to see the whites of his eyes. They came back out to the B-stage to finish out the show.
They played a new song (the only song less than 15 years old) from the upcoming "Songs of Experience" album, called The Little Things That Give You Away. I really liked it, and apparently that's where they ended the show in Vancouver. But they gave us one more to send us out on a serious high: I Will Follow.
(Side note: Simon posted in the atU2 forum on Twitter after the Vancouver show that they should end the concert with I Will Follow. Coincidence? Maybe. But he was unbelievably stoked about it!)
Here's my favorite picture of the night:
Bono and Adam stuck in a moment, with the Edge (larger than life) looking on
I love this picture, because it really encapsulates what I love about this band. They are brothers. They know how lucky they are to make so much money doing what they love. They use their celebrity for good causes. They have fun and live every day to the fullest. These guys are well into their fifties, and have literally been doing this exact same thing since they were teenagers in the 70's, still going strong after 40+ years.
Are they the greatest band in the world? Probably not. Are they the most amazing musicians? Not really. But I adore them. Their lyrics mean something and the music is heartwrenching, and they just figured it all out together, becoming unbelievably successful through hard work and perserverance. It's so cool to see. And their music speaks to people all over the world--even to just a few people who would have otherwise never met.
*sigh*
That's about it. We drove Simon back to the bay to catch the Bainbridge Ferry, and went back to Jason's for the night. We slept for a few hours, then got up early to catch our flight home (and there were plenty of people in the airport, and even on the parking shuttle at SLC also wearing their JT30 gear). It was an amazing couple of days, and I'll never forget it. Some say I'm crazy, but this was definitely money and time well spent. I hope you have something you are as passionate about, and that it brings you as much joy as this did for me.
It's that time again, folks. Apparently, it's the only time of year when I actually write a blog post. I do think about writing other things, and maybe I'll get back to it eventually, but I'm so easily distracted with EVERYTHING ELSE. There's a lot on my plate, so writing falls waaaaaaaay down on the priority list. I do write in my journal, and I'm on social media sporadically, but I've gotta do the year-in-review. They are pretty fun to do, and to go back and read, if I do say so myself.
What did you do in 2016 that you’d never done before? I started charging for my photography. It's always been a hobby until now, but it has kinda become a business. And I kinda like it.
Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
This is what I wrote last year (and the year before), and it still fits today: "Honestly, I don't remember what they were. Probably the usual, and I probably will." I do have a couple of resolutions for this year:
To finish the unfinished projects before I start more (there are so many . . .)
To spend less money on makeup
To be be unapologetically myself
To ask for what I want
(I don't think those would be iron-approved, but oh well. They are good for me.)
Did anyone close to you give birth?
I had a million social media friends who had babies. The closest to me was probably my sister's best friend Savannah, who let me take pictures of her sweet, tiny girl.
Did anyone close to you die?
Oh, man. 2016 has been pretty brutal on that front. My friend Doug Czerwinski (a.k.a. "Dougie Fresh") had been battling cancer for a few years, and he died in May. Karen Hoth, a friend from high school (we weren't really close, but our paths crossed fairly often) died in April, also from cancer. Another friend from work, Jayson Brown, died in December. My dearest friend Peggy's grandma died a few weeks ago, which has been so tough on her. And on December 31st, another dear friend lost her sister. Though I didn't know them personally, the deaths of David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Prince, Carrie Fisher, and George Michael also really hit me hard. I also had several friends get divorced, which isn't fun either. Gah.
What countries did you visit?
No other countries; I did get into Nevada, Arizona, California, Wyoming and Idaho, though.
What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
Confidence.
What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory?
February 6. I was able to escort my mother-in-law through the temple. What a lovely experience.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Becoming a "professional" photographer (i.e., earning money from it). Now to make it profitable . . .
What was your biggest failure?
My lack of motherhood skills. I pretty much stink at it. Good thing I'm only limited to one kiddo. My photography drama with a certain family deserves a dishonorable mention, though. What a disaster that was. As was missing out on Tears for Fears, because I had to work, and I was fighting with one of my least favorite surgeons. Totally lame.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major, but my feet are KILLING ME (turns out I have arthritis in both feet . . . YAY!). Allen, on the other hand, will be happy to tell you about his tummy troubles (which is also killing me). Apparently going gluten-free helps. Heaven help us all.
What was the best thing you bought?
My new-to-me 2006 Honda Pilot "Captain Jack," (since the color is Black Pearl), and also known as J.T. (since it's a reliable classic like James Taylor, and bringing sexy back like Justin Timberlake). I mostly refer to him as Jack. He's a gas sucker, but pretty damn awesome.
Whose behavior merited celebration?
Another repeat from last year: "Not mine, that's for sure. Grandma T (my mother-in-law), on the other hand, has been amazing."
Where did most of your money go?
Bills. Car. Food. Concerts. Gifts. Pictureline. Bath & Body Works. Ulta. Amazon. Not necessarily in that order.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
It was another pretty epic year for entertainment. Here's the highlights:
2/20/16: Vance Joy (w/Elle King)--Saltair, with Allison
3/24/16: Salt Lake Comic Con Fan X--Salt Palace, with DeLayna
3/31/16: American Authors--State Room, with Allison
5/5-8/16: California (Harry Potter Land!), with Allen
7/14/16: Toad the Wet Sprocket--Sandy Amphitheater
7/21/16: James Taylor--Maverik Center, with Mom
7/28-30/16: Bryant Family Reunion @ Yellowstone
8/10-11/16: Shakespeare Festival, with Lynette
8/20/16: Sarah McLachlan & Josh Groban--USANA, with Allison
9/2/16: Salt Lake Comic Con--Salt Palace, with DeLayna
9/6/16: Toto--Sandy Amphitheater, with Dom
9/16/16: Def Leppard (w/REO Speedwagon)--USANA, with Dave & Lexy
9/26/16: Mumford & Sons--USANA, with Allison
What song will always remind you of 2016?
I haven't listened to much popular music. My favourite song of the year is probably "The Wolf" by Mumford & Sons. Oh man--that's good stuff. Hang on--that was number one for 2015. Oh well. It's good enough to merit two years in a row.
Here's my top 10 albums for this year. They weren't all released this year, but I spent lots of quality time with them.
10. What We Live For, American Authors 9. Wilder Mind, Mumford & Sons
8. Chaos and the Calm, James Bay
7. Sounds of Silence, Simon & Garfunkel
6. Johannesburg, Mumford & Sons
5. Dream Your Life Away, Vance Joy
4. The Essential Aerosmith, Aerosmith
3. Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen
2. Greatest Hits, Bruce Springsteen
1. City of Black & White, Mat Kearney
I did make a fantastic workout playlist, which I listen to frequently. It's called "Rock It." 1. "Jaded" by Aerosmith 2. "Jungle" by X Ambassadors 3. "Looking too Closely" by Fink 4. "Miss Jackson" by Panic! At The Disco 5. "Waiting For The End" by Linkin Park 6. "Invisible" by U2 7. "My Body" by Young The Giant 8. "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark" by Fall Out Boy 9. "I'm So Sorry" by Imagine Dragons 10. "What We Live For" by American Authors 11. "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" by Fall Out Boy 12. "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith 13. "Mysterious Ways" by U2 14. "When You Were Young" by The Killers 15. "The Wolf" by Mumford & Sons 16. "Anna Sun" by WALK THE MOON 17. "Cedarwood Road" by U2 18. "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons 19. "Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers 20. "Believer" by American Authors 21. "Dancing In The Dark" by Bruce Springsteen You're welcome.
As for my top 10 songs of 2016 (or, the songs that have meant the most to me this year), here's the listl
10. "Georgia" by Vance Joy
9. "Human Touch" by Bruce Springsteen
8. "There Will Be Time" by Mumford & Sons
7. "Don't Wanna Fight" by Alabama Shakes
6. "Waiting For The End" by Linkin Park
5. "Hold Back The River" by James Bay
4. "Jaded" by Aerosmith
3. "Brilliant Disguise" by Bruce Springsteen
2. "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen
1. "Here We Go" by Mat Kearney
This was actually a pretty hard list to compile, because I haven't been listening to a lot of music lately. I've become a bit obsessed with podcasts, especially Baconsale. Oh my gosh--they are so funny. And I'm nearly the same age as they are (I'm "an old,"), with a very similar background and interests. I've had to go back to the beginning and listen to old ones, so I can understand the inside jokes. So that's been a pretty big thing in my world. Love you, Kenny D, and thank you, Chunga!
Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? Sadder.
Thinner or fatter? Fatter. Blech.
Richer or poorer?Not sure.
What do you wish you’d done more of?
Exercising. Spending time with my boy.
What do you wish you’d done less of?
Staying up too late.
How did you spend Christmas?
In Logan, and at home
Did you fall in love in 2016?
With Kent, Joel and Jacob! Heck yes!
Who were your best friends?
Peggy, Heather, Stacy
What thing did you do that was meaningful to others?
I took loooots of pictures, which will hopefully become heirlooms for these awesome people!
What were your favorite TV programs?
Poldark, The Crown, Madam Secretary, Designated Survivor, The Mindy Project, 11/22/63
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I try not to hate people, but I'm really not a big fan of our president-elect.
What was the best book you read in 2016?
I didn't read a lot this year. The best is probably The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. My friend Annie became my personal librarian, having leant me many of these.
Harry Potter 1-7 (it's a tradition) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (which I actually really enjoyed)
The Light Between Oceans, M.L. Stedman
All The Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
I've read more than this, but I can't remember what they were. I did get from 1 Nephi to Alma. Does that count for something?
What was your greatest musical discovery?
Bruce Springsteen. I knew a few songs, and I know I'm a little behind the curve, but one of my surgeons called him a "Poet Laureate," and I had to know more. WOW.
What did you want and get?
Captain JT
What did you want but did NOT get?
A new computer and a Kindle. And a Nikon D750.
What was your favorite film of this year?
Fantastic Beasts was pretty good (B+). Rogue One was pretty good (B). Since it came out at the end of 2016, though I didn't see it until this week--La La Land (A). I haven't seen a lot of movies, TBH. Gotta get back on that.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I truly don't remember. 37. Gah.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More sleep.
What kept you sane?
Friends. PodBash. Good people at work and church and in my life.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Let's go with THE LIST. It changes, but these gentlemen are consistently top five:
1. Patrick Wilson
2. David Tennant
3. Chris Hemsworth (those arms . . . sigh)
4. Benedict Cumberbatch
5. Adam Clayton / Armie Hammer (tie)
What political issue stirred you the most?
2016 Presidential election. Everything about it was horrible. And it's only getting worse.
Who did you miss?
Todd, my work BFF who left without saying goodbye. I'm still not over it.
Who was the best new person you met this year?
A few new co-workers (Keely, Paulie, Nicki, etc.). But the biggest influence in my life has been Jane Fjeldsted, who directs the Salt Lake Singers, the choir Paulie introduced me to. She is SO COOL and talented and full of life. If I can be half as spunky in my 40's as she is in her 60's, I would be everyone's favorite person. C'est vrai.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016.
There is not one road to happiness.
Quote that sums up your year:
From "Here We Go" by Mat Kearney Around here (hey hey) We've got a light here that's not going away If all is broken and all is lost Then I've been found, So here's my heart I'll give it over and over again.
And from "Human Touch" by Bruce Springsteen Oh girl that feeling of safety you prize Well it comes at a hard hard price You can't shut off the risk and the pain Without losin' the love that remains We're all riders on this train So you've been broken and you've been hurt Show me somebody who ain't Yeah, I know I ain't nobody's bargain But, hell, a little touchup and a little paint You might need somethin' to hold on to When all the answers, they don't amount to much Somebody that you could just to talk to And a little of that Human Touch (PG-13 for this video)
Just do yourself a favor and watch/listen to both of these songs. They are AMAZING.
And that's all I have, friends. If you've read this far, you must really like me. And I like you too. A lot. Keep on keepin' on. And let me know how your 2016 went, eh?
