Family Stuff

We were just at my sister-in-law's for my nephew's birthday. He's a cute
kid. Crystal made a cake of ice cream and they made a swimming pool with the kids on it. They
made the kids by boiling marshmallows and stirring in powdered sugar and food coloring. It
tastes nasty, but it looks like fondant. It's cool.
She
also bought a pony a few months ago. It was pregnant. So now they have two ponies. And a
mallard duck that thinks it's a goat. It was injured and she brought it home. It took to being
friends with the goat that she had at the time. It's funny. She also has chickens, but I
didn't get pictures of them.

Tribute to MUSEUMS!!

Someone once complained to me that Utah is devoid of high class museums. I
beg to differ. I have worked at Park City's local museum, that
is currently under a multi-million dollar renovation.

I have worked at the Museum
of Church History and Art, a museum with a professionally trained team
mixing religion and history in wonderful exhibits, that rotate. They are currently preparing
for an international art competition that brings in some fabulous work (and some Richard
things -only Carrie, Jen and Gloria would understand).There is also the Museum at which I currently work, the Utah Museum of Natural
History whose standard have achieved a gift of 15 million dollars from an
international mining company.

Also on the University of Utah campus there is
a once in a lifetime opportunity to see world renown art. The Monet to Picasso
exhibit is currently on exhibit. The UMFA is one of only four places in the country to receive
this traveling exhibit, open through Sept. 1.I just
heard on the radio this morning about a
Leonardo da Vinci exhibit with
realistic working models of over 60 of his inventions and over 11 replicas of his paintings on
exhibit through Oct. 4. I don't know about you all, but I will be taking advantage of these
traveling exhibits. I plan to spend an entire day at the UMFA and the da Vinci exhibits on a
Wednesday July 23. You can email me if you are interested in going with me.

I have been bored today

So this is my second post today. I took a
picture of the three dogs. I was proud of myself for getting all three dogs to sit down
together for a minute. Such cute mutts.

I saw this list
on Becky's
blog. I saw some things that I had done and decided to do it myself. The things I have done
are in red.

1. Touched
an iceberg.
2. Slept
under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey
fight
4. Changed a baby’s
diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford
to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a
mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said “I love you” and meant it
11. Bungee
jumped
12. Visited Paris (Can't to go again with my love!)
13. Watched a lightning storm
at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun
rise
15.
Seen the Northern
Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the
stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty (Been there, but no
steps)
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a
telescope
20. Had
an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible
moment
21. Had
a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning
horse
23.
Taken a sick day when
you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a
lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28.
Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30.
Ridden a roller
coaster
31.
Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33.
Adopted an accent for
fun
34.
Visited the birthplace
of your ancestors (town, not the house - if it
exists)
35.
Felt very happy about
your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (when I was single and working full
time)
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock
climbing
40.
Gone on a midnight walk on the beach (not
romantic though)
41. Gone skydiving
42. Visited
Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited
India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a
cow
47.
Alphabetized your personal
files
48. Ever
worn a superhero costume
49. Sung
karaoke
50.
Lounged around in bed
all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain (Thanks
Daniel!)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but
don’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a
business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a
movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a
costume contest
63.
Got flowers for no
reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently (for a brief time after I
finished the classes)
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend
someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit
report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy (Disney park
Candyland!)
70.
Found out something
significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to
another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate
Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75.
Been fired or laid off from a job (twice,
sadly enough)
76. Won
money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater
than 100 mph (no, but very close once)
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand
Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and
landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten
sushi
84.
Had your picture in
the newspaper
85.
Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care
deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
(seriously thinking about a graduate degree though)
89.
Changed your
name
(my last name!)
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare
hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92.
Read The Iliad (good
book)
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94.
Killed and prepared an animal for
eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the
hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream (Weddings have a tendency to do
that)
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice
care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know
you
101. Had a booth at a street fair (well it wasn't in the
street)
102.
Dyed your
hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep (not mine,
obviously)
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all
four (on my brother)
106. Raked your carpet (I swept my friend's carpet the other day to get rid of
footprints - does that count?)
107. Brought out the best in people
108.
Brought out the worst in
people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a
piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the
recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway play
115. Been inside the
pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket

117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird (shot at one)
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back
into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you
didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book

128.
Pieced a
quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a
stage
131. Asked
for a raise (twice, got it once)
132. Made a hole-in-one (mini-golf)
133. Gone deep sea
fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a
marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented
something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite (Grand America,
Honeymoon!)
140. Flown in a
helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone
spelunking
144.
Learned how to take a
compliment (but not all the time)
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted

148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something
haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane (the next big dog we get will be a
Dane)
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a
boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a
gold nugget
158.
Written a
poem
159.
Carried your lunch in
a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service,
humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand
Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench
and fed the ducks (pigeons in Florence?)
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from
someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a
limousine
168. Attended the Olympics (Curling Baby!)
169.
Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys
books
171. Been stuck in an elevator (with an installation crew at
work)
172. Had
a revelatory dream (recently actually)
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane (Can anyone say
TWA?)
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a
concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or
do needlepoint (cross stitch?)
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the
equator
180.
Taken a photograph of something other than
people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a
bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a
union
187. Donated blood or
plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had
hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or
boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194.
Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know
CPR
197.
Ridden in or owned a convertible (does my dad's
count?)
198. Found a long lost
friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a Neighbor Jane Payne
newsletter

So Much to Share!

First thing - My mean little puppy boy graduated from puppy school last
night. He did pretty well. He won a really big treat for staying seated the longest of all the
dogs in the class during the contest.
It was so cute, the instructor gave each puppy
the treat attached to the diploma. He was so excited to get a huge bone. Each of the puppies
after they took it, ran back to their owner and under the bench to hide and eat it. He's
improved much in the last 8 weeks.#2 Have
you ever driven past the Jimmy's Floral in Layton and wanted your name to be up so you could
get a flower? Well my sister called me yesterday because my name was up. I never thought it
would be because Ashley is such a popular name.
This is the rose. I love it. It made me so
happy. A bright spot in my day.
The third thing - we have a third dog at our
house all week. My parents went up to Bear Lake and couldn't take the dogs. So we have Sophie
for the week. She's funny - she's 11 and sleepy. I call her the curmudgeon. She mostly sleeps
and growls at the other two. It should be a fun week.

Blah

Do you ever have one of those days where you can't seem to get moving? I
only got two hours of work done today before I came home. Maybe it's the heat. I'm just
feeling particularly lazy. Generally I have some energy. Anyone else have the problem
recently? Me and
the dogs, being lazy. Winston loves this giant stuffed bunny. It's like his bed now. It's
funny.

For a Good Cause

Generally I post things that have happened to me or things that I'm
excited about. This one is a little different. Last June my Aunt Beckee Conger passed away
from complications brought on by a nasty disease called Scleroderma. Right after she passed
away I found out that Syracuse City in Utah does a fund raising walk for their Heritage days
for Scleroderma. Daniel and I did it and it was amazing to see how many other people knew
someone or had some connection to the disease. So I am putting it out to people that if you
like to do stuff early on Saturday mornings (like 7:30) I would love to have people join me. I
am doing the walk. Daniel won't be able to make it this year because of a previous obligation
for work. This is the website where you can sign
up.

Roses and the Nobel Prize

I have the coolest job. But first, the roses. One of my bushes has tons of
blossoms and another is getting ready to bloom tons. I love roses, they are so pretty and
happy, but with elegance and dignity.


At work
today I had to go in early because of an incoming loan. The museum borrowed Dr. Mario
Capecchi's Nobel Prize Medal. We have an exhibit on DNA and since his work is so highly
involved with DNA we are making a copy of the medal for display. In order to make the most
accurate copy we needed to make a cast mold of the original. So we got if for 24 hours. I had
to get it and sign the paperwork for it. Then I had to make a condition report of it. It was
really cool. How often do normal people have interaction with the Nobel Prize medal? Granted,
I didn't meet him, but my signature is next to his on the paper! I know it's arrogant and
silly but I felt pretty cool. Don't mind the picture, self portrait. I didn't look so hot
today, but anyway. There you go. Some of the perks of my job.

Home Improvements...sort of

We decided to paint our front door red. In the rain and the cold. My hands
were freezing after each coat. The only problem, as you would know if you've tried to paint
the cold humidity, is that the paint went on and dried weird. It looks good red, but we need
to sand it down and put a better top coat on. I love it though. The house has a little more
personality.This is
our house over a year ago when we moved in.
This is the house now. I think it looks better.
We cut down the spruce trees. Ugly. Now we have tiny new trees starting. The
paint looked magenta going on. Daniel got nervous. It's all good though.

Weekend trip to Salt Lake

Last Saturday we went with some friends and did
a session in the Salt Lake Temple, followed by lunch at a yummy Thai restaurant on South
Temple. It was tons of fun. I feel blessed that we have friends that we can do this kind of
thing with. It was a blast.