So You Think You Can Dance tour

Mom and I went to the SYTYCD tour on Wednesday and it was so awesome!!!

This was right before the show. When we sat down, we were so excited to be so close to the stage. The bummer is the stage is eye level and when people are sitting in front of you, it can be hard to see. It was fine though.

There were the top 7 dancers from season 7 (Lauren, Kent, Robert, Adechike, Billy, Jose and Ashley)

and 6 all-stars (Russell, Allison, Dominque, Courtney, Ade and Kathryn)

the baseball routine (was originally danced by Neil and Kent) was one of my favorites from this season. But I was very happy to see Ade dance with Kent (Ade and Twitch were my favorites from season 4)

The hotdog guy...I have no idea what that was all about. He just came out after they finished dancing.


Kathryn and Russell. Russell won season 6 and Kathryn was the runner-up. I really liked this hip hop dance.








This was the dance that Kent and Neil did this season called "How it Ends". Wasn't this dance so emotional? Robert danced it with Kent and I loved it!

The crowd LOVED Kent. They went nuts for him! I really liked Kent but Robert was my favorite guy this season.

Group Jazz number
Lauren and Ade doing the couch dance

I love this picture! Thank goodness I had my zoom lens...
Ade and Lauren got a lot of love! They are both from Phoenix
group Bollywood dance...it made so tired just watching it!
Robert and Dominque and the clown hip hop dance. Another favorite of mine, the crowd loved it.
Lauren and Adechike. The performed "Fallin" that was originally danced by Adechike and Comfort.
Kent after his solo. Again, the crowd went crazy for him. He was mom's favorite this season ;)

Jose, Dominque and Russell did a hip-hop/crunk routine that stole the show! This was our favorite dance of the whole night!

Jose
These guys are so good!

Ade and Billy's "Mad World" dance. I love watching Ade dance...he is so powerful yet really graceful.

Lauren. Lots of love for her, of course :)

Allison and Robert's "Fix You". I bawled my eyes out when I saw this dance the first time. Seeing them dance it live was breathtaking. They are all exceptional dancers. However, there are certain dancers that give you the audience every ounce of what they have. That connection...these two poured everything they had into this dance and you could just feel it!

The show in Phoenix was the last one for the tour and you could tell it was emotional for them. Robert was so gracious after every number. I enjoyed watching him the most because I felt he really connected to the audience. Allison was my favorite girl...that Utah girl can DANCE!

Kent and Lauren's Prom night dance...the kids in the crowd went nuts

Dominque added so much fun to the show. He got all serious like he was going to propose to Lauren and then asked her if he could have half of her winnings.

She told him no and then he went to Russell and asked the same thing, it was funny

It was a great show!!

December Daily album

Ali Edwards is one of my all-time favorite crafty people. Since 2007, she does an album every year called December Daily. 2 years ago I was ready to give it a go but for some reason, December swooped in with it's craziness and I bagged the idea. This year, I think I figured out a way to make it work so I can do it digitally.
I created 9 Photoshop templates that I can mix and match to create a digital December Daily album. These files are 6.25x8. My plan is to create a front and back cover using chipboard and paper supplies I have on hand and then binding the book on the left side. My plan is to do Dec. 1-25th. I might decide to just do the 12-25th.

Who wants to do this with me?!

More info about December Daily here

Here are the psd files I created:
December Daily 1.psd
December Daily 2.psd
December Daily 3.psd
December Daily 4.psd
December Daily 5.psd
December Daily 6.psd
December Daily 7.psd
December Daily 8.psd
December Daily 9.psd

I'm also using these overlays by Ali Edwards

Keeping it Simple is the motto for this project.

good stuff to live by

Promise yourself to be strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

-Christian D. Larson

a couple of simple crafts/gift ideas

Tonight, we're having a Relief Society meeting about low cost Christmas gift ideas. I thought I'd share these with you.

First little craft are tile coasters. You need:

-clear acrylic spray (I like the Matte finish)

-Mod Podge. (I always call it Modge Podge. I'm a redneck, I say everything wrong ;)

-foam brushes

-felt pads

-tiles. These were 14 cents at Home Depot

-Scrapbook paper scraps or photos

First, cut and measure your paper to fit the tiles. These tiles are 4.25 x 4.25" so I cut my paper to 4" squares.

Next, clean and dry your tiles. After they are dry, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the tile and place the paper on top. Make sure to smooth out all bubbles. Allow this to dry for about 15 minutes.

Take your tiles outside and apply 2 or 3 coats of acrylic spray. After they're dry just stick the felt pads on the bottom- one on each corner.

I used Zoe Pearn's Bloom and Grow kit

I used my digital stuff to create the papers for my tiles. I just made 4" squared documents in PS Elements, added pictures and elements then printed it out on photo project paper. (this paper makes your colors more vibrant than copy paper)
I used
Shabby Princess Clementine kit
Ali Edwards
brushes
Another idea is Family Home Evening in a jar. You can download a list of FHE lesson ideas, print and cut and put them in the jar. You've got lessons ready to go!
Here's the link to the printables

Guess where I get to go...

The last stop of the So You Think You Can Dance tour is here in Phoenix and guess what?!!!?

I'm taking my Mom next week!!!

We are beyond excited! I bought tickets on the first day they went on sale months ago.

Fun! Fun!

AYSO Soccer 2010

We are halfway done with our soccer season. The kids have enjoy playing and I've spent many hours at their practices and games (Aaron has been able to help out with Braden's practices and it has been a lifesaver!!)

Next fall, we'll have 3 kids in soccer...I can't think about that right now, it stresses me out! ;)

It's November and Thanksgiving is just around the corner! I'm so excited, I just love Thanksgiving!

Halloween 2010

I posted most of these pictures on Facebook but my Mom comes here to my blog so these are for her! :o)

We attended Ray and EmmaLee's Halloween party this year. It's always a lot of fun, thanks for inviting us!

The Hammond Family. Ray and Em are Ed and H.I. from the movie "Raising Arizona". Em is the queen of awesome costumes :) Little Brynlee was the perfect Cindy Lou Who

The Stephens family. I love the eggs and bacon! We are happy for them and their new adventure but sad that they are leaving us. They are moving to Portland this week and we wish them all the best! :)

Parkinson family. We're glad they came to the party this year! All of our kids go to the same school and have so much fun together.

our family

Aaron and the kids before the party. A was a good sport and dressed up this year. It's not his thing ;)
The housewife and her Mr. Clean


the kids
Braden wanted to be an "American Ninja". In Utah, it's easy to find black sweats and sweatshirts this time of year. In AZ, it's kind of hard but we found some.
"All the world is waiting for you, and the power you possess"...

The Wonder Woman theme song comes to mind when I look at this. As most of you know, I am a huge WW nerd and I've been collecting stuff for years. (I got in trouble I don't know how many times for going outside in just my WW Underoos.) I promise I didn't force this upon my daughter. I showed her some old WW episodes and she fell in love with them like her mom.

Thank you Mom for putting together that awesome WW costume for me in KG :)

I wish I had a picture...

And H as IronMan :)

Now onto my favorite holiday...THANKSGIVING!!!

Grand Canyon hike October 2010

This hike has been a goal of mine all year. Aaron has hiked the Grand Canyon every year for the past 5 years and I wanted to join him. We were going to hike from the south to the north (rim-to-rim) but our ride to get back to the south side fell through so we had to adjust our plan. (I need more prep for that hike) We started on the South Kaibab trail, hiked down to the bottom and over to Phantom Ranch and then back up Bright Angel trail. The hike was 17 miles and it took us almost 11 hours to complete. It was fun and exhausting and I can't wait to do it again. I loved hiking it with Aaron.

South Rim

the little mules. They're cute and all until you have to dodge their poop and pee puddles all the way up the trail...
The metal bridge. This was the worst part of the hike for me...

I would have been fine if I couldn't see down to the river and the grates weren't clanking around...that was just too much for me. But...I crossed it :)
Phantom Ranch. This is bottom of the canyon.
At Phantom Ranch, they have a little tiny house where you can eat and buy a few things. They also have cabins that you can stay in. Everything has to be brought down by mules, that's why it's so expensive. We bought a postcard for the kids and the mules carry them up in that leather satchel.
Aaron on the other bridge. I liked this bridge, it had a solid bottom.

switchbacks going down the South Kaibab.

This was at the beginning of the hike. I wish I had a video of this picture. The way the clouds were moving and sun would peek through at different times...it was beautiful...
This is at the top of Bright Angel. The group of trees is called Indian Gardens. We were thankful for the clouds and cool weather that day.

Thanks A! Love you

35 facts about me @ 35

This past week...let's just say I'm so glad it's over!! It sucked the life right out of me so this weekend I was determined to spend some "me" time scrapbooking. I came across this concept for a page that I thought was inspiring. With the craziness of life, I have a tendency to put myself "last on the list." (Does that sound familiar to anyone?!) It's not very often that we sit down and document what makes us who we are. Our weaknesses and strengths, our likes and dislikes, what makes us tick...

This would be something fun to do every year. Paige read it yesterday and said, "Mom, those are all true, especially the one that says you drink too much Diet Pepsi."

Here's to a better week!!

it goes on...

The great Robert Frost said 'In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on."
Do you ever feel like life is just kicking your butt?! I've been feeling that way for a couple of weeks now and it's frustrating to say the least. I've mentioned before how much I love the blog Zen Habits. I came across an article today that lifted my spirits a little bit and I wanted to share it with you.
You're already perfect.

fall wreath project

I came across a craft idea from this blog today. I've been looking for a fall wreath for our front door but I didn't want to spend a lot of money. All the materials came from the Dollar Tree and I spent a total of $11! Here's what I got:
9 of these (2 for $1)

5 of these leaf bunches and a string of leaf garland. I also picked up this 18 inch wreath. I just pulled the leaves off, got out the glue gun and went to town!

This is the finished product. I love fall!

some of my sanity...

These are just a few pages I've been working on. I try to scrapbook a little everyday. Sometimes it's 30 minutes, some days it's 5. I enjoy it...
(journaling is always the hardest for me...I sound so cheesy but it's important to document the stories)

Student of the Month

Congrats to Paige for being chosen as Student of the Month!! She's been working hard in school and we are pleased with her dedication.

Congrats Paige!