Wilson & Desiree

yep, still pregnant

2012-01-25T18:25:00.007-07:00

It's been a while since I posted, but the gist of our life is this: I'm still pregnant. "Hey Desi, what have you been up to these days?" "Gestating." Really, that's about it. This pregnancy has been complication free so far, and I don't seem to have so many of the scary stories that so many other women are constantly sharing, so I really am OK with life. We count our blessings that so far baby just seems to be enjoying life and growing right on time. Just a few recent updates:

1. At my last visit, my doctor asked me if I had noticed any swelling at my feet or ankles. I told her "No, not really!" She says "That's great, lets just check it out." and proceeds to press her thumb into my ankle area and the result is super eerie. Her thumb imprint stayed as if my skin was made out of memory foam. That's right, an indentation to last for the rest of the appointment. I was both equally disgusted and in awe and the same time. I told myself that the reason that I hadn't noticed that my ankle is now analogous to my mom's Tempur-pedic mattress is because I don't see much of my ankles anymore (Wilson helps me put on any shoes that require more than one step to slip them on). Of course none of this prevented me from running out to the waiting room, putting my feet up on Wilson's lap and telling him to try it.

2. I have to go to the restroom more than anyone ever should. The other day I realized that I peed in every building that I entered that day, including but not limited to: my home, four different elementary schools, Jo-Ann's, Target, and Hobby Lobby. It reminds me of the nights that I used to take my step dad's dog Zippy on walks and he would stop at every stupid tree to mark it. They were never long stops, but man, if that dog wasn't thorough. So yeah, that Target on TPC Parkway? It's mine.

3. This is where I apologize for the lack of "baby bump" pictures. The reasons are two-fold. #1 we have been moving into a house and the camera is MIA and #2 I don't have a baby bump, I have a baby planet. You know the animated version of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum from Disney's Alice and Wonderland, two legs and a big ball on top? I think you know where I am going with this....

But I will indeed try to get some pictures taken sometime in the near future.

4. I have missed a huge window of acceptance at the grocery store. Remember the parking spaces reserved for expectant mothers? Well I have never taken that space no matter how empty the lot was or how late at night it was. I knew that if I waited patiently my turn would come and I would be pretty upset if some undeserving person took my spot. So imagine how upset I was when my turn finally comes and I pull up to see this instead:

What the heck!!? I now have to wait until my child is born before I can take that spot!? Maybe you haven't seen my ankles, but this is serious business. And I can only imagine that after Baby shows up I will pull up and see a sign that says "Customer with multiple children" Well, forget you H-E-B, I'm not going to pressure myself to try and keep up with your fast moving expectations.

5. For those who keep asking about Baby's name, I will tell you that we are leaning toward Lucy. Lucy Lu, if you please. However, nothing is in stone and we don't even refer to her by name. Mostly, because she still feels like a fetus to me. I call her Baby or Babylu because it sounds nicer than fetus, but I just don't think I am one of those women that maternally bonds with her child until she actually meets her child. I also don't want to start monogramming things and then meet her and say "Wait a sec, you're not Lucy." or "Surprise! It's a boy!"

So there are a few snippets into life over here. I will try to update more often and with non-pregnancy things, but that seems to have been the most recent request from friends and family. Just under three months to go and we have child birth classes and lots of doctor visits in that time so here's praying for more of the complication-free months that we have experienced so far. She's almost here!!

sugar and spice and everything nice

2011-11-24T19:36:00.011-07:00

That's what BabyLu is made of! That's right, it's a girl! Our first gender revealing sonogram was unsuccessful because our incredibly modest baby refused to uncross her legs so we could get a glimpse. So we went back this week and got a definite answer. Wilson is over the moon about the news. He immediately said that he wanted to be the one to buy BabyLu her first dress. We went to three stores before he picked out his favorite

I would have also been excited for a boy, because how cute would a little Wilson be? But let's face facts, I grew up in a family of 3 sisters and no brothers so I'm definitely in my comfort zone here. My incredibly talented mama and I are already dreaming up dresses, headbands, tutus, and clothes for cute curly haired little girls.

Speaking of Mama, with Thanksgiving today and the family getting together, we had to think of a cute way to reveal the big news. Getting the idea from the show "Amazing Wedding Cakes" I baked a cake, brought it over to dinner and told the family that the inside was either blue or pink. Then we watched as everyone gave their guess and eyed the white frosted cake on the table during the delicious meal. Finally one of the guests told Mama that it was just time to cut the cake already!

My Marathon Journey

2011-11-15T13:18:00.004-07:00

Earlier this year, I met somebody who has set out to change the world by inspiring one person at a time.

When I first met Joseph, it was for selfish reasons, I was trying to make a sale for work, and now as I look back I realize what an inspiring friend he truly is.

Joseph told me of his current goal to run the entire series across the nation in the Rock & Roll Marathons. My first thought was, "You're a Crazy!" Then he suggested that I should run one of them. And I thought again, "you really are a Crazy!" Six months ago, I was finshing up my internship, preparing for graduation and packing up my house and family to move to the great state of Texas. The last thing on my mind was how I could or even wanted to run in a half marathon.

But then one day while at work I received the following link in my email: www.josephhattrick.com.

It told of how Joseph started his journey to transform his body, mind, and spirit. How running has seen him through some pretty tough times. It was then I realized maybe I could run 13.1 miles straight through. And told him I would consider running the San Antonio 1/2 marathon with him in 6 months. Even after moving to Texas joining a gym and running here and there, I wasn't sure I could do, and whenever I would talk to Joseph, I would have to admit that I still hadn't registered. It wasn't until my beautiful inspiring wife told me she and her dad was going to register me for my birthday. That I realized the only person who didn't believe in me, was myself. And from that point fully committed to accept Joseph's challenge and step beyond my comfort zone and try something new.

On November 13, 2011, Joseph & I took to the streets of Downtown San Antonio to stand with 1,000's of other runners waiting for the race to start.

And 2 hours 19 minutes and 53 seconds later Joseph & I crossed the Finish line together, and I can now say I am among the few people who said I wish I could run in a marathon and then actually did it.

Now as I reflect on the past weekend, I can't help but be grateful for all the great people in my life who inspire me to be a better person.

My Wife - Thank you so much for your love and support and time it took to map out my running trails around town!

My Family - Thank you for your words of encouragement, and the sweet running gear you provided!

And to you Joseph, for lighting the flame and being with me every step of the way.

Now as we quickly come to the end of another year, and you prepare to set new goals for yourselves, I hope you all are inspired to step out of your comfort zone and try the impossible.

And a final thought from Joseph's website, "being inspired by me is one thing; but pairing your inspiration with action is what I am asking for. Let's change this world together by changing ourselves!" - if you get some time take a look for yourself, to see what the "average joe" is inspiring people to do. www.josephhattrick.com.

BabyLu!

2011-10-14T13:28:00.007-07:00

Big news in the Luong family, we will soon be three! Wilson and I are expecting our first baby on April 16! This is a really overdue post, I'm now in my second trimester and have been asked for pregnancy stories so I thought I would share some things I've learned so far:

1. Babies must be a huge pay off. I can't imagine anyone willingly going into this more than once unless babies were amazing. In fact I'm banking on it, because I don't really like this pregnancy stuff and I've heard the big finale at the end of pregnancy is kind of a drag/incredibly painful so I need the end product to be fantastic. I always said that I wanted 4 kids, but right now the number 3 isn't looking so bad.....

2. Being pregnant gives you psychotic dreams. For one whole week I dreamed about nothing but pizza. Pizza buffets, pizza friends, you name it. One night I dreamt that I took a slice of pepperoni pizza, dipped it in blended egg yolk and butter, coated it with a coffee cake crumb topping and baked it until golden bubbly. And it was the most delicious thing I ever ate in my life. Every morning I woke up and told these dreams to my husband. Ask me how long it took him to get the hint and finally get me a pizza. . . it was weeks.

3. Shopping while pregnant is a mistake. At least without someone there to monitor your purchases. I spent a few hours at Target, got to the register and while in line looked down at my cart and thought " what the heck is all this stuff and who put it in my cart?!" But I bought it anyway because it looked good. Stuff like Pumpkin Pie flavored pop tarts, frozen waffles, and Stove Top stuffing.

4. There aren't a whole lot of maternity costumes for Halloween unless you are willing to paint your belly like this chick:

Painted belly costumes offend me, so a friend gave me the instructions to make a skeleton shirt:

In case you're wondering, Wilson's shirt has a taco on the stomach because he didn't want to feel left out.

5. Not all sonograms are cute. Exhibit A:

Yes, that fetus that looks like the spawn of a skeleton and the aliens from Independence Day is my unborn child. But thankfully, so that our baby's first picture wasn't something that would cause us to have nightmares for weeks, they also gave us this snapshot:

I only shared the first one so that all of my friends without children would be prepared when they go in and their first sonogram produces something so scary. I was not so prepared.

6. When the baby is hungry, it will let you know in a way that is in no way subtle. Seriously, I've never gotten so hungry, so fast. When he was still learning, Wilson would come home from work at 11 and give his sleeping wife a kiss to say hello. Sweet, right? Wrong, because you see the wife was asleep and now that she is awake, the baby is awake and the baby is HUNGRY. So I finally had to tell Wilson not to kiss me hello while I'm sleeping unless he was coming up the stairs with a sandwich or something. He has since learned and is very good about feeding us both.

Generally speaking, Wilson and I are doing well. We find out in a few weeks if the baby is a boy or girl. (No, I don't feel one or the other about it) While I cant say that I have made nothing but good choices since finding out that we were expecting (my diet is not 100% healthy or organic and I don't exercise nearly as much as I should) I know for certain that I will always be able to say that the best choice I ever made for my child before it was born was to give him/her the most amazing man I could find as a father. Don't tell my mom, but I'm pretty sure he's read way more of the "What to Expect" book than I have; he's my reference.

So, am I happy that there is a baby on the way? Yes. But when you ask me if I'm "excited" while I have raging heartburn, want to do nothing but sleep and feel like camping out at an all-you-can-eat buffet, I don't really have a good answer. But I think when I feel the best is when my friends and family are excited. I've had so many lovely friends write lovely things about our big news and it just makes me forget about all the uncomfortableness and just want to give them a big hug and say "Thank you for being excited about my baby." Today I had a knock on the door and the Fed Ex guy gave me a box that had an unexpected surprise from just such friends in Arizona.

It was such a wonderful sweet surprise and I will give you one guess as to which sonogram picture we put in it :)

summer sewing

2011-08-08T13:14:00.004-07:00

For a few weeks now I've been going over to my mama's house to get some sewing lessons in before she has to go back to teaching school in the fall. It's been so much fun and my friend Liz started joining us a while back so it's just become one of my favorite parts of the week! I finished my first project the other day; I took a pile of fabric and turned it into this:

It's one of those jersey knit drape-y vests that you can layer. I don't know what I was thinking starting with a knit project because that is a type of beast that you should wait until your sewing frustration tolerance is at a certain threshold before attempting, but it certainly is making the cotton dress that I am working on now seem a lot easier in comparison!

the best 4 years

2011-07-30T12:41:00.025-07:00

I can not believe it's been 4 years since Wilson and I married! We decided to take a day and go downtown to celebrate. We stayed at El Tropicano on the riverwalk and loved it! The hotel is remodeled with a mid century Cuban or Florida feel; think Ricky Ricardo meets the Enchanted Tiki Room. We were greeted with a room upgrade and Happy Anniversary wishes, but I think my favorite part of the entire hotel was the agua fresca that they serve; I had mango dreams that night.

The hotel had a resident toucan in a two story habitat. But he doesn't let those windows get him down; we saw him fly into them as if he still thought he could go straight out to the lobby. Or maybe he's just nearsighted.

We thought he was alone in there, but after we walked around the habitat we saw that he had a roommate:

We thought it was so random for a toucan and a turtle to be living together; like some plot in a children's book. Later on when we were walking around the second floor looking down we saw two HUGE iguanas sitting in the toucan's tree. After exploring the hotel we hopped a trolley and headed downtown for some dinner.

We had dinner at Rita's on the Riverwalk. The food was good, the prices were good, but our service was terrible. Between the bees circling our table, our MIA server, and some out of control mariachis you can probably see why Wilson managed to capture this look on my face.

After dinner we went to the Tower of the Americas. Wilson's never been and it was time to cross that off his list. It's a 750 foot tower built for the '68 World's Fair with a restaurant and and observation deck on top.

The panoramic views from the tower are amazing. This church is one of my favorite things in downtown San Antonio. It's a German church that refused to sell it's land even when the department store Joske's bought the surrounding land; people gave it the nickname St. Joske's. Although I guess these days it's more like St. Dillard's. If you look above the store and slightly to the right you can see the small domed roof of the Alamo; that tree lined area is Alamo square.

The curved highway is 281 which takes us north to where we live. If nothing else, this little adventure helped Wilson understand exactly how far outside the city that we live. I kept having to say "Do you see the line where the sky meets the land? That's called a horizon. And that's where we live." Although I did manage to find the little bump that was his hotel in the distance.

The hotel we stayed out is the bright white building in the center of the shot.

The Alamodome where the spurs used to play, and where some of my best high school marching band memories were made

This was the best picture we could get when we were on the observation deck of the tower. The wind, as you can imagine, was pretty ridiculous and with no hair tie this was one of the few shots were you could see both of our faces.

Most of the time it just looked like this:

Even though it's Wilson that is new to the city, I'm discovering more and more things that I love about it; just like I'm discovering more and more things that I love about my husband. I still can't believe what a great match we are and how much happiness he brings in my life and I only hope that it stays that way for a long time. Like forever ♥

how does your garden grow

2011-07-16T21:02:00.005-07:00

Let's get one thing straight: I don't like scrapbooking. It's frustrating to a situational perfectionist such as myself and I find myself staring at the page for an hour before I commit to pasting anything down. However, I love buying scrapbooking supplies, and I absolutely love the final product so on occasion; I will create a scrapbook. This time around I'm going through some of my favorite cards and letters from some of my favorite people and creating a lasting way to read them all at once. This past week I came up with an idea to get several patterns on one page by creating chrysanthemums with lots of petals, and I really liked the effect:

When Wilson's primary class all memorized a set of scriptures we decided to treat them all to cupcakes tomorrow. This gives me a chance to practice making fun cupcake designs from books and magazines without the lasting temptation that comes from dozens of cupcakes lurking in the kitchen. Inspired by the chrysanthemums that I created out of paper, I decided to go with a chrysanthemum design in one of my books for cupcakes. And I love how they came out!

So easy to make and yet really great looking; my favorite kind of cupcake design. And both of these projects just make me think of one of my favorite childhood reads:

If any of you have young daughters, go check this book out at your library. It's about a little mouse named Chrysanthemum who loves her name until she starts to go to school and realizes that she doesn't quite fit in with the Jessicas and Sarahs. It's such a great tribute to individuality and also just really darn cute.

Running on Goals...

2011-07-09T06:46:00.006-07:00

Before I left Arizona, I made a friend who started out as a business colleague, and turned into a motivator. Running has been his passion and he made a personal goal this year to run every Rock & Roll marathon around the country. In turn a made I goal to meet up with him here in beautiful San Antonio. On November 13, 2011 I will be running 13.1 miles for the first time through downtown San Antonio.

The last time I competed in any time of running I was in 8th grade, and I was a short distance sprinter. So learning to pace myself so I can make it all 13 miles is going to be my biggest challenge. As soon as we moved to San Antonio, Desi & I found a local gym to join and I started Training.

I am up to 6 miles in just under an hour. However that is on a treadmill, running outside in the elements is a different story. Especially in my neighborhood with all the hills.

So the countdown is on and if you have any tips for me, I am up to suggestions.

five things i love

2011-06-24T15:17:00.015-07:00

1. Seeing my family on a regular basis. If any of my SA friends are wondering why we haven't gotten together yet, it's because I'm still soaking up the family love. But your time will come soon as I'm going to try to make good effort to set up some quality friend time.

2. Learning how to sew. Again.

I hemmed these pants. That's right, they were long and now they are short. Not a big deal you say? Well for someone short who married a someone short, I have got to get this skill up to professional level as I will be doing this for our children for the rest of my life. And yes, I have been taught how to sew before - but now I'm actually taking it seriously and giving attention to detail, because let's face it; it's crunch time. So yesterday I went over to Mama's, spent the day using her 3 sewing machines and left with 2 pairs of pants that don't drag the floor and a sense of accomplishment. We through in some thrift store shopping just to make the day extra special. It is what I hope is the first in many lessons from one fabulously talented woman.

3. Having dinners with my dad! At least once a week, Wilson and I get treated to a homecooked meal from a man that can make anything delicious. I also get access to his kitchen fully stocked with pretty much everything you can buy at Williams-Sonoma. I have been cooking lots of delicious things with the luxury of fancy tools like these Cherry Almond Vanilla cupcakes that I made for my birthday.

4. Kozmo Kitty.

It's been so long since I've had the fun of playing with a cat on a daily basis. And between his fear of the back scratcher, his feud with the black cat from next door, and the way his bow legs match my dad's, it's been a pretty entertaining few weeks. And yes, this is how he likes to sleep - with his head wedged into whatever crook you are willing to provide.

5. Getting to start the next chapter of my career with a clean slate. I've ordered business cards, made my first extrememly large purchase from West Music and starting cold calling and marketing myself to a few facilities in the area. I have potential contracts and sub-contractor posistions in the works with local schools and in home health agencies so hopefully I will be back to practicing music therapy in the next few weeks! I hope to work with all different ages and to pick up a few beginner piano students as well.

greetings from a distant land

2011-05-29T19:05:00.012-07:00

We settled in quite nicely with Desi's Dad, and Desi has done an amazing job organizing the house and getting things put away. Her dad, Steve, has this awesome hill country home that he has lived in for a few years but it definitely need some home improvement. So I got to help install a new toilet the other day; it was the first time either one of us has ever done it, but it was a success! We have two more to go, and a hot water heater. Once we get all these projects done, we will get the wood shop started. But for now I am enjoying my days at work.
I have one of the greatest jobs ever! I work at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa. It's 1002 room resort, with a 6 acre waterpark, 2 eighteen hole TPC golf courses, and attached Conference center. It's absolutely amazing place to work. I've learned the graveyard shift is when all the crazies come out. In the same week, we had somebody flood his rooms and the rooms next door, and another guy urinate all over himself because we wouldn't serve him anymore. For the past two weeks, I've been lucky and had the weekend off. I don't know how long this would last.

Church has been a shock in itself, this is the first time I've been in award where they actually have a good sized primary. I am not used to all the crying and other kid noises they make in sacrament meeting. The bishopric wasted no time putting us to work. The same day our records were read, we were invited to meet with one of the counselors, where we received our callings, in primary. Desi saw it coming when on our first week there they released the sunbeam instructors and didn't call new ones; so it was no surprise she got called to teach the 3-year-olds about things like "Jesus gave me water" and "I have two hands". The surprise, was that I was not called with her. I will be teaching the 8-year-olds. We're both excited for our callings. Desi especially because she can recycle some of her visual aids.

But the thing that really truly caught me off guard is not the fact that San Antonio has something against left turns, or how cheap cereal is at H-E-B, or how friendly everybody is but, everything really is BIGGER in Texas.

(yes, this is a strawberry!)

The oranges are the size of softballs, the squirrels could take on a mountain lion and leave without a scratch, and there is so much greenery and wildlife I feel like I live out in the forest. My friend Mitch and his wife came up from Houston this past weekend and told us about this little diner called Lulu's Cafe. It was featured on the TV show, Man vs. Food, and is famous for its 3 lb cinnamon roll. So of course we had to try it. Upon arriving I was in shock, when I saw my first cinnamon roll sitting on the table we walked past. Mitchel must not have noticed because when the waitress, took our order he suggested we get two! Even though there were four of us chowing down, we still had left overs. Apparently they have amazing Chicken Fried steak, so we will most definitely be going back!

So in short, I am loving Texas! It's not Arizona, but it is home!

Moving Day!

2011-05-16T17:17:00.001-07:00

It took 22 hours in a Uhaul going 55 mph, but we did it!

1 day! / Hail the Conquering Hero

2011-05-16T16:27:00.012-07:00

He did it!!!! On Saturday, the day before the big move, we took a road trip to the Northern Arizona University campus in Flagstaff so that Wilson could walk the stage and get his degree in Hospitality and Hotel Management. He is the first in his family to graduate from college and with the exception of about one year, he had a full time job the entire time he was taking full time classes. My favorite part was seeing him with the other students and every time he looked back and saw us he would give us the biggest smile. His two best friends Mason and Kelly came up to support him while he walked the stage, making his day that much more special. We took pictures and then we headed back to Phoenix to get some sleep before our (other) big day on Sunday.

Mason's twins became Wilson's own paprazzi.

So proud of my baby.

Class of 2011

Best Friends

The Graduate

Day 3 & 2

2011-05-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

no.

more.

packing.

4 days!

2011-05-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

goodbye colored walls :(

5 days!

2011-05-11T00:03:00.009-07:00

Items accomplished today:

1. Mailed our moving announcements

2. Filled out our change of address form (incidentally, the resident that will be moving into our apartment after we leave is already having her mail sent here which I can't say I enjoy. So Donna S. if you are reading this, I would appreciate it if you would show a little compassion for a girl who is having a hard time saying goodbye to this place.)

3. Bought primer for tomorrows big painting event. Time to turn those walls ugly again.

4. Decided that we had accomplished enough for the day and went to see the movie Soul Surfer - it was good but I would recommend waiting until it's at Redbox.

5. Reunited Wilson with a father and 4 siblings that he hadn't seen in 17 years.

That last one is kind of a biggie so I will add a few details. Wilson hasn't seen or heard from his dad or his siblings on his dad's side of the family since he was around 9 years old; until a little while ago when he and his brothers and sister got connected on facebook. They decided that before we left for Texas that they should all get together again. I was most excited because of the news that his dad had a few photo albums with baby pictures of Wilson (all but a handful of Wilson's childhood pictures were lost over the years).

It was an unbelievably fun evening of getting to know his dad and getting to be together as a family. They took us to a fantastic Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant and then back to his dad's house for some green tea ice cream.

It was amazing to see that even though Wilson grew up away from his father that they would have so many personality traits in common like valuing hard work, serving others and dedication to family.

It's amazing to me what one night can do as far as changing perspective. This morning when I thought of family that we had in Arizona, the list was much shorter and most of the people on it weren't actually related to Wilson or me. But now, when it comes time for us to have children, there will be several more reasons for us to bring them back to Phoenix and more people that I will want them to know as being part of their family.

6 days!

2011-05-10T09:16:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was a full day of packing. We stopped pretending like we were going to do any cooking in the next few days and packed up the kitchen. I also packed up most of our clothes. When Wilson cam upstairs and saw an empty closet and a giant box full of my clothes he said "What are you going to wear for the next week?" To which I replied, "Do you see all the dirty clothes that are strewn out on the floor around the house? That is what I am going to be wearing. Don't judge me." That is one big reason that I am not really allowing anyone to come over to the house. The other reason goes something like this:

Do you see those two pillows? That is where Wilson and I have been sleeping. Yes, we still have the bed upstairs, but it's covered with stuff and we don't feel like cleaning it off. Also, we are approaching that magical time of year where it's so hot that the upstairs feels like a sweat box. Usually we drag the mattress downstairs (what we call our "summer home") but as you can see in the picture there is no more space available on our living room floor. I keep telling myself that we just have to get through to the other side and by this time next week we will in San Antonio!

7 days!

2011-05-09T12:33:00.003-07:00

On Sunday I said goodbye to the primary kids that I have been singing with at church for 2 years. I love these kids - they have such great spirits and have come so far in their willingness to share their voices and sing with their hearts. I really hope that I get to have this calling in the near future and not just because I've saved all of my visual aides and song learning materials.

We also went over to Wilson's family's house and said goodbye to his little sister, Casandra. She has become such a confident and polite young lady, I hope to see her try new things and wish that I could be there to watch her along the way. When she was going to church with us last year she captured the heart of so many adults in our ward that I know she has people that will help her and her mother out should there ever need it, and gives me much relief. I love a good pen pal so she and I are going to write letters and hopefully someday soon we can have her out to visit us in Texas.

And then we ended the day by stopping by Jared and Kyles house some dinner and games. I made Jared sing a few broadway show tunes with me before we left, just to get my fix in as I can't imagine anyone being able to fill that void in Texas.

I also realized that this might be the last Mother's Day when I won't be able to drive over and give my mama a hug. And this helps to calm the nerves and reminds me the reason that I am putting us through all this madness.

Our mother's day gift to mama: a pearl for each girl.

8 days!

2011-05-09T12:21:00.008-07:00

On Saturday we rented the clubhouse in our apartment complex and invited anyone who had ever met us to come and say goodbye. We also used it as a chance to have a graduation party for Wilson who is graduating on the 14th! people came a went throughout the day and it was nice to see some of our favorite faces one more time.

Suzy gave Wilson a graduation lei made of Wilson's favorite things: peanut butter cups and potatoes.

9 Days!

2011-05-06T23:56:00.018-07:00

Today was our last day at Gammage Auditorium. Anyone who knows me can tell you that this going to be the thing I will absolutely miss most about Arizona. I started there 6 years ago and found it to not only a way for me to get my broadway fix but such a wonderful place to work and make friends. After I married Wilson, he quickly realized that if he wanted to see me on nights and weekends that he would have to get a job there as well. And every since then it's just been this wonderful thing that we get to share. And as of last week, we got to share it with my younger sister Danielle!

10 days!

2011-05-05T15:29:00.006-07:00

The countdown to Texas begins! There are 10 days left until Wilson and I leave town and our days are absolutely packed. . . . with packing. However, our apartment is a mess, we spend a lot of time by the pool and it doesn't feel like much is getting accomplished yet. Every time someone asks me "So are you all packed?" I just want to bite them and say "No, okay! We're not packed! We are just two small people and there is too much to do. I'd invite you to come over and help but there is not enough standing room in our apartment for more than two bodies! I'm running out of excuses to give people for why we aren't packed so BACK. OFF." But. . . . . I want people here to still like me when we leave so I mostly smile and say something like "Almost!"

To better mark our progress here is a checklist of the things that we have accomplished in the last day.

1. Wilson and I both had our exit interviews at our jobs. We are both currently unemployed. It was really hard saying goodbye to Higher Octave Healing, and my supervisor, Kymla. It was my first post graduate job and I couldn't have picked a better agency to start my career. I was the first therapist she hired when she was starting the company and back in the day our staff meetings consisted of us meeting up at Subway. Now HOH has grown to be such a recognizable and respected name in the community. Beside that it was unspeakably difficult to say goodbye to the children and families that I have worked with for 4 years. In thinking about going home, I still am not sure at what direction I am going to take my work but after my last day with my clients I realized that I absolutely do not want that to be my last day as a music therapist. So whether I join with another agency when we get to San Antonio, or create my own PLLC I know that this is still what I want to do.

2. We confirmed the resevation of our apartment's clubhouse for our big goodbye/graduation party on Saturday. It starts at 3 and goes all day. If you are in the area and want to come say goodbye and get some food come see us then!

3. We reserved one of these:

To be picked up in Chandler, AZ and deposited in San Antonio, TX.

Ok, so we only did three things today. But it's a start!

Number of boxes packed today: 5

a curl's best friend

2011-04-20T08:54:00.015-07:00

Yesterday I found a little piece of heaven in Gilbert, Arizona. For years I have been searching for a place that I could get my hair cut and the stylists wouldn't shriek or look at my hair like it was Mt. Everest and I was asking them to climb without oxygen. Since I've already posted about the evolution of my acceptance and love for my hair before, I'll try to refrain from that again except to say that I would avoid salons like the plague where people would say things like "Well you of course blow dry these curls out, right?"

A long time ago, my mom got me this book: And I devoured it, I still have it, and it was one of the first steps on the path to love. And after a life time of trial and error I decided to roll up my sleeves and try to find a salon that specializes in curly hair. I had only ever heard of one stylist in Scottsdale before and his salon charged upwards of $100 for a cut, and that was just way out of my price range. But this time I hit gold in a little place called Curls Gone Wild. They charged half of what fancy Scottsdale guy charged and they specialized in the method created by Lorraine Massey, who wrote the previously mentioned book!!

I found out that Curls Gone Wild came to be because the salon owner (a stylist and a non curly girl) had a daughter with curly hair and realized that she didn't know what to do with it, and no one else did either. So like the amazing mom that she must be, she created this oasis of a salon where curly haired girls get together, swap horror stories and celebrate themselves. As if all of this exciting research wasn't enough to get me excited about my appointment, when I walked in and met my stylist I was greeted by her:

Hello!! Her hair looks just like mine!! Finally someone that is relatable to me and that I could feel totally comfortable with and everything went uphill from there. CGW provides you with a 1.5 hour 1st visit where they show/teach you everything you need to know on how to treat your curly hair. From the washing to the drying to the styling, even how to sleep at night so that your curls still look fabulous the next morning. I wasn't expecting to learn so much, thinking that I had figured out most everything on my own, but even when my hair was dripping wet and all she had done was cleanse and condition it, I could already see the difference. Even after it was dry and she hadn't even picked up a pair of scissors yet, I totally felt like I could hand over the $50 walk out of there and it would have been worth every penny.

My stylist, Priscilla, gave me all the dirty details about beauty schools absence of curly education and how even some experienced stylists that go through the special training still can't quite get it right, becuase it's up to the eye of the stylist. Even on one curly head there can be several different patterns and while Priscilla was cutting my hair, I felt more like a topiary garden that the was shaping.

They do straight hair cuts also, and to anyone that decides to head over there, make sure you tell them that I referred you! Roxanne, if you were anywhere near Gilbert than I would take you for your graduation present. I can't believe it took me this long to find this place, and I'm moving in less than a month! I've already decided that this is the only place I will get my hair cut so every trip to AZ will have even more fun to anticipate!

the best museum you will ever hear

2011-03-26T22:40:00.019-07:00

One of the things on our Arizona bucket list of things to do before we move was to visit the new Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) that opened in Scottsdale. So I grabbed some of my music therapist friends and we went with high expectations. I had heard really great things about this place and we were not disappointed - it was amazing! And completely overwhelming, to tell the truth. When we purchased our admission tickets we were told that if we brought in the receipt we would get $5 off our next admission, because there really wasn't time to see it all in one day. Psshh, said Wilson and I, we have plenty of time and relatively good attention spans - surely we can knock it all out in one day. We walked out of there totally humbled because by the time we made it to the Asia room, we were beginning to burn out. And we still had Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East to go!

Every exhibit had a video/audio sample of the instruments being played that you could hear through a set of headphones.

There really was something everybody, but here are pictures of some of my favorite attractions:

The piano used by John Lennon when composing Imagine. For real.

I just loved the shape of this one in the Austria exhibit.

A limited edition G.I. piano made by Steinway and designed to be carried aboard ships or dropped from parachutes to bring music to the troops during WWII.

A concert poster from Selena's last performance

An ancestor of the Tuba

Leonard Bernstein's vest and tie

One of the rooms is filled with instruments that you're allowed to play!

This place was such a fantastic experience! I would recommend it to anyone who lives or is visiting Phoenix and is remotely interested in music. I would also recommend getting there right when it opens because it was packed by the time we left!

big skies

2011-03-17T18:57:00.010-07:00

I have been on a grand total of two camping trips with Wilson and anyone who has heard the stories can tell you that they were disasters on an epic scale. In fairness to Wilson, he wasn't a major part of the planning on either of those trips - but still, after such experinces we hadn't done a lot of camping in a while. Which really is a shame because this past weekend has solidified an idea in my head that the true beauty of Arizona lies outside the city limits. Seriously, everytime I started complaining about AZ and all of it's faults, Wilson should have packed me in a car and driven until we were surrounded by mountains, saguaros, and big skies. Of course, this realization comes with less than two months until the move. grrrrrr.

We went camping with two very good friends, Adam and Jenni, just for a weekend get-away. Adam is a scout leader and a master camper and did such a wonderful job of planning every little detail and getting us there. I would enthusiastically and happily venture out with them again. ♥

take me home

2011-03-02T19:39:00.006-07:00

I can't believe that it's finally time to type this sentence, but in 2.5 months Wilson and I will be back on the road heading to Texas. For good. That's right, on May 15th, the very day after Wilson walks the stage and gets his degree, we will be pulling out the I-10 and saying "So long, AZ!"

Just knowing that it's so close makes me want to sing that dreams do come true. I realize how silly that sounds, and that most people's dreams are made of stuff far grander, but I know who I am. I don't follow through on a lot of goals. I am constantly setting personal objectives for myself and I'm lucky if I finish one without cheating, putting it off for something else, or deciding it's not worth it after all. But I got this one. Here is one that I actually did. It took me 8 years, but I did what it took to get me here. I moved out to the desert to study a field that I was passionate about, I found a forever friend, I got my degree, I found a man that thought I was worth living in a different state, waited for him to get the degree that he wanted and now I am moving back to be with my family. Because that is what this is about, making sure that my children get to know their grandparents. (Again, just a comment - I am not pregnant) I never want to have to worry about not being able to afford to go and see my family, and the older I get and the further along I get into my marriage the more I realize that there is really nothing more important.

So here's to all the skeptics that thought it would never happen. Those that listened to me and said "But what if . . . " or "I thought the same thing and I've been here for x years now." To those who are now saying to me "Wait, you're actually moving?" On this, Texas Independence Day, I would like to declare that I'm going home. And while there are several things I will miss about Arizona, and I'm sure I will post about that later, this is not that post.

amen.

2011-02-05T10:13:00.003-07:00

happy feet

2010-12-26T22:30:00.006-07:00

I don't buy a lot of clothing or jewelry but lately I have had a supreme yearning for a completely fabulous, completely frivolous pair of shoes. I saw these three pairs in a store a while ago and was enamoured. I loved them all so much that I actually wished that I had three legs so that I could wear them all at one time. Santa must have thought that I had been really good this year, because he found a way to help me get all three - so meet my new friends!

the purple starfish

the ones with the tail feathers

and finally,

pure happiness

Please don't think me incredibly materialistic; but I know it's only a matter of time before this blog is overrun with stories about babies (that's just a comment, I'm not pregnant) so for now I will just share and enjoy my superficial, sparkly stories.

our Christmas gift to you

2010-12-20T13:49:00.001-07:00

one last party

2010-12-20T09:12:00.021-07:00

Wilson and I had our 4th annual White Elephant Christmas Party on Friday, and since we are planning the great move back to Texas in June, this was our last Christmas party in Arizona. We have such a great group of friends out here, I feel that even if we continue this tradition in Texas, nothing will ever compare to these parties.

Since I created a bird theme for the party, Wilson and I made a gingerbread bird house. The candy is mostly Mike and Ike's, Tic Tacs, Sixlets, mini M&M's, and Pop Rocks. The Pop Rocks ended up being much more dangerous than we bargained for, I took at least 2 to the eye and every so often when we are sitting in the living room we will hear a loud crack from the kitchen. We decided that, after Christmas, as a goodbye to the house we would spritz it down with a squirt bottle and watch the fireworks happen.

We spent a few weeks creating paper stars and felt birds to hang from the ceiling. The stars were made from Christmas paper and old sheet music, and each person got to choose a bird to take home as a Christmas ornament - I'm glad we found them good homes.

And of course, the ever hilarious White Elephant gift exchange. I swear this one had me in stitches because we've got some seriously creative friends. Some of the more popular items were a ready to eat rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, a Santa mug in which Santa is both winking at you and wearing make-up, a piece of sea life stuffed with office supplies, and of course. . . . .

. . . . Kosherland! Everyone's favorite childhood game to learn the proper Jewish blessings for meals. Although, I'm not sure it beats out Charlie's set of his and hers pool floaties in the background there. But the moment of true Christmas spirit came when Kyle, after artfully stealing the book "What's your poo telling you?" traded it for Kosherland to give Justin a true Christmas miracle.

These parties will truly be one of the things that I miss about Arizona - I love planning and preparing a special night and then just seeing how many friends we can cram in our tiny little apartment living room. Thanks to all who came and were willing to squish themselves together on the couch and help make the night so special. Here are a few more pictures of the evening - Merry Christmas!!

a covert affair

2010-12-18T12:35:00.003-07:00

I posted earlier about the Christmas tree lot across the street. They display a few trees on the street corners of the intersection to advertise and at night they have begun to leave them out instead of pulling them in to lock up with the rest of the trees. Wilson and I decided that as "show trees" they have an obligation to be pretty, so we pulled out a bunch of cheap ornaments and tinsel that we had left over from a project we did last year and choose a little tree on the street corner and decorated it in the middle of the night. They left up the decorations so every time we drive home we get to see our handiwork. Sometimes I really think I am a "Who", raised by humans.

journey of the tree

2010-12-02T11:47:00.007-07:00

I've always loved the location of our apartment complex. We are right next to a really great mall that keeps us endlessly entertained and come December a really great Christmas tree lot sets up camp right across the street. I love walking across the street and picking out a tree and then watching the look of confusion on the salesman's face when we say "No thanks, we didn't bring a car. We'll just carry it." Sure, we are wearing T shirts and carrying the tree down a palm tree lined street under a brilliant blue sky, but this is what Christmas feels like to me.

confessions of a curly girl

2010-10-19T10:21:00.011-07:00

Today I discovered a new muppet on Sesame Street recently created by the head writer to his African American daughter who kept asking him why her hair wasn't like Barbie's. Its such a beautiful message, that I was inspired to write an ode to my tresses.

My hair is curly, big, frizzy and poufy. And I love it. It's been curly my whole life. Sometimes my mama debates this by saying that it was always thick but not always curly. This is because when I was little, she would have me brush it. This would open all the curls and just make it huge. I would come back downstairs and a conversation such as this would ensue:

Mama: I thought I told you to brush your hair

me: But Mama, I did brush it.

Mama: Well you look like you just woke up, try brushing it again.

What Mama couldn't understand, as a woman whose hair was thick but not curly, was that the brush was public enemy #1. Followed shortly after by the blow dryer. I wanted so desperately for my hair to be straight and sleek like those brats in the Pantene commericals who promised me similiar results if I used their shampoo. I cursed fate for having me born 10 years too late. I could have come of age in the era of excess and big hair (a.k.a the 80's) but instead I came of age during glossy highlights and the "Rachel" haircut.

Not having a guide I tried everything I could think of on my own. I used to wash my hair at night then braid it in the tightest braids I could manage and sleep that way. In the morning my hair would be wavy and not as big. then I tried putting it in a ponytail that was entirely confined with scrunchies. This eliminated some of the waves. In highschool I accepted the defeat that my hair would never be straight and put it in ponytail exile for 4 years. I avoid salons like the plague as no one there knows what to do with anything "different". I have literally had stylists shriek when I let my hair down. It wasn't until college that I finally started to get an edge on the situation.

It took years of trial and error and the cabinet under my sink became a veritable graveyard of styling products that couldn't hack it against everything I had going on. But gradually I started to learn what works and what doesn't. I eventually learned that 2 hours and a kick ass straightener would give me what I wanted back in junior high, or at least a few hours of it because I would need Cinderella's fairy godmother to make that magic last. And I would always get a really great response from everyone when I straightened it, but is it crazy that I almost was hoping for a bad response? All of the "oohs" and "aahs" at the change only seemed to confirm my thoughts that straight > curly. Until I met Wilson.

The first time I straightened my hair when I was dating Wilson, he didn't say a word. Not one comment for the entire night about my hair until we got home, and his roommate said "Hey Wilson, what do you think of Desi's straight hair?" Wilson looked at me and kind of shrugged and said "it's nice, but it's not curly." You would think that a girl who spent an entire afternoon combing her hair with a red hot poker would have been ticked at such a comment, but instead my heart soared.

My name is Desi. I don't own a brush or a blowdryer and it's been 3 years since i've straightened my hair. I love my hair.

this is what happens. . .

2010-10-17T17:50:00.005-07:00

. . . when your mind wanders in church. I call it "The Fancy 5" or "Sacrament Meeting Musings".

reading has it's perks

2010-10-08T11:18:00.009-07:00

Wilson found this shirt for me in the clearance rack at Urban Outfitters the other day and it's a new favorite of mine. So far not many people have understood what it's from, and just assume it's a shirt about loving to read. But I'm sure you children of the 90's out there will recognize it as the Book It! program from elementary school.

My book lust started at a really young age. I entered every library and bookstore reading program there was for kids when I was little. In second grade I won the class reading competition by reading 211 books during the school year. The reward was that the teacher would buy a book for the winner (I choose Bridge to Terabithia, my favorite at the time). I smoked all the other kids in my class and left them in the dust like halfway through the year making the competition so non-existent, that the teacher decided to buy a book for the second place kid as well. Every good report card brought a trip to Bookstop on San Pedro and a brand new book. But it wasn't until Book It! that I realized the TRUE power of reading. As in, reading = pizza.

Book It! was a program sponsored by Pizza Hut, where kids can earn a free personal pan pizza by reading a certain amount of books. When this program was introduced I was ecstatic. "Seriously? You mean if I just start writing down the names of all the books I read, I can earn PIZZA?!" To others in my class, this wasn't that big of a deal. But to the child of parents that didn't often indulge in junk food or eating out, this. meant. POWER. I could MAKE my parents go to Pizza Hut by reading books and getting a sticker on my Book It! button. And even though I don't get pizza anymore, I love that reading is something that still brings me happiness and a sense of accomplishment. Even if the thrill of competition isn't there anymore :)

for dolores

2010-09-11T15:35:00.004-07:00

This is a video that I made for my grandma. She had to be admitted to the hospital quite suddenly last week and is not doing very well. Mama tells me that she is the happiest when they show her pictures on the computer of her family so I wanted to send her a song for her to watch while she is in the hospital. I might post a few more over the next few days so please excuse me as I use this blog to send her love. And also please excuse the poor quality, they are quick videos made from a web cam that we don't know too much about.

She loves Barry Manilow ballads, and while I don't know too many of his songs I know that he sang this one at some point.

survey says. . .

2010-09-05T10:18:00.018-07:00

Today is Wilson's birthday! Last night we hosted a Family Feud tournament to celebrate. It ended up being such a fun night with a great group of friends, or as I like to call them:

The Contenders

"Da Boiz"

"Hale Yeah"

"The Eslingers"

And in honor of Wilson's new promotion at work, we had dubbed ourselves "The Executives". However, for some reason the "c" and "v" button was not working on the keyboard, so we became -

"The Exekuties"

All competing for the ULTIMATE PRIZE

That's right, its a bedazzled trophy and combination spice rack with troll doll detail.

And here are some highlights from our completely legit tournament:

The Semi-Finals

Da Boiz and Hale Yeah face-off for the FINALS!

And with Hale Yeah finishing in first, Rachel tops it off with Fast Money!

We awarded the trophy,

And then celebrated with a giant cookie! It's actually Ghiradelli brownies with Breyers mint chocolate chip ice cream filling. And because we love Texas, there was another with Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream.

Happy Birthday, Wilson!

thanks for the weather, Satan

2010-08-12T20:53:00.003-07:00

I've been getting a lot of inquiries lately as to what Wilson and I have been up to. "Baking. Yes, cooking from the inside out, mostly - how about you?" This month marks my 8 year anniversary of moving out to Arizona and every summer feels just as hellacious as my first. No matter what anyone says, there's no getting used to it. And while I will be the first to admit that I prefer the dry weather to the humidity of my south Texas roots, I only really mean it on days when I don't have to go outside. Even preparing to go outside requires planning and ingenuity. I've learned to never attempt to put on make up unless you're in a 100% air conditioned environment. Attempting to put on make up after getting out of the shower will only result in an expensive loss of product as you watch it sweat right off your face. In fact, I only wear make up if it's absolutely necessary. When choosing an outfit it's important to remember that while science tells us that wearing light colored clothing reflects heat and keeps you cooler- experience tells us that wearing light colors just tells everyone how sweaty you are. When driving to work, I've learned how to keep 2 fingers on the steering wheel and position my elbows up, so that the air can blow right up my shirt sleeves, thus preventing unsightly sweat stains. I've also learned how to gracefully sprint from my air conditioned car to the air conditioned place I work. On days that I don't work I only leave the house and get in my car if it's absolutely necessary. Drive thrus trump any loyalty that I may have to another business and I have found that I can mail bills, pick up prescriptions, photos, deposit checks, and pick up dinner all without leaving the comfort of my car's AC. Then after a long day, I come home and lay as spread out as I can on top of my bed (which is in the middle of our downstairs living room, to keep away from the upstairs heat), with a minimum of two fans aimed directly at us.
It's all the price we pay to live in resort style weather for the other 9 months of the year. . . . . . . Are those months here yet?

nothing says summer like. . .

2010-07-25T17:41:00.003-07:00

. . . pink lemonade! I made these super tasty cupcakes for the primary kids today. I got the recipe from a book and it uses actual pink lemonade concentrate in both the batter and the frosting, and because we live in Arizona, we let them sit in the fridge for a while so they were chilly too - a delightfully sweet treat!

fresh air

2010-06-22T14:42:00.011-07:00

I have an aunt that lives in Lyons, Colorado (just 30 minutes north of Boulder) and her house was one of my favorite places to visit for childhood vacations. This summer I got to go back and take some of my favorite people with me. Wilson and I traveled with our best friends Jenni and Matt and spent a week in a cabin at Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Colorado. We planned the vacation for the last 10 months and have saved every single penny that we came across - quite literally. The idea behind the trip was that we would get one solid vacation together before we started to have families and traveling together became much harder. Kind of like summer camp - for best friends and their husbands. And while we hoped to have a few more join us, it truly was one of the best vacations ever.

I can not begin to describe my love for the Rocky Mountains. As soon as you step out of the car, the smell of the trees makes you think of Christmas and it's almost impossible to take a bad picture of anything there. The week was full of hiking, shopping, horseback riding, fires in the fireplace, cooking with friends, and wildlife spotting. We had a bear encounter, Wilson lost part of a thumb, and Jenni and I found a fantastic paper house with which to feed our addiction of journals and note cards. I thought about posting the pictures here, but honestly, there are too many and I don't have the kind of patience to post them in more than one place. So you can see them here on Facebook: Fresh Air Album

I wish I was still there. Especially as we were driving home and watched our car's temperature reading go from 58 degrees to 112. I'm so grateful for the careful planning and saving that we did to make this trip work and for the friends that we have in Jenni and Matt with whom we can share adventures like this one.

dear danielle,

2010-05-22T21:10:00.006-07:00

Happy Birthday! Hope you have a happy 19th, and be sure to think of us when you snuff out those birthday candles, hehe.

Now, enough of that, it's time for you to stop this nonsense and come back to us in Arizona. We miss you. That is all.

p.s. I will make you another rainbow cake. . .

married lady

2010-05-19T07:40:00.013-07:00

that's my sister Roxanne, the newest married lady in our family. She married Sam Gray on May Day in the Manti temple. Danielle, Wilson and I drove up to Utah together and it was a fantastic weekend. I loved being there to help with everything from the sewing, to the bride's make-up and my favorite: the big sister advice. Honestly, being a big sister never feels better than on days like this! For those of you who know my mom; yes, she did make the wedding dress along with a petticoat, a temple dress, two bridesmaids dresses and parts of her her own MOB dress, and most of it within the two days before the wedding.

With two days before the wedding, no one was exempt from the sewing projects.

Except maybe the girl in the chair that didn't get up all night

And I really think that Mama might have had a breakdown at the overwhelming tasks ahead if I hadn't called in my fairy godmother, Kim who came to our doorstep with a sewing machine in hand. Seriously, there is nothing this girl can't do and after all the help she gave, she should expect a really nice baby gift.

The ceremony was exquisite and everything went according to plan (if you ignore the wedding dress zipper that was stuck for 20 minutes in the bride's room, a dead cow in the backyard of the reception hall, and more snow that I would care for) and you couldn't have found a more beautiful couple.

So Roxanne is now Roxie Gray and I now officially have a brother. It was amazing getting to watch her make this step in her life and someday we will both be there to help Danielle do the same. Congrats to the newlyweds!

how have I waited this long. . .

2010-04-21T11:57:00.017-07:00

. . to go to Vegas!? A few weeks ago I had a music therapy conference in Las Vegas. Wilson had thought about coming with me, but after the budget cuts we thought that he should stay home and work, and that I would only go up for the two days of conference, drive the 6 hours and stay with some good friends instead of flying and staying at the conference hotel which I have done in the past. So I bought a cord for my ipod ( since our new car as an outlet for it!), filled my tank, and hit the road. And after making this trip I have realized two things: #1 - my ipod has way too much Jack Johnson, and #2 - I LOVE LAS VEGAS!!!! Seriously, truly, madly and deeply in love with Las Vegas.

The drive there was amazing. I left around 4, so it was windows down, sunset to the West, and good music playing as I drove across some of the most amazing scenery. When the sun set it was a sky full of stars with the saguaros silhouetted against the twilight. I also realized that all the trips from Phoenix to San Antonio had ruined me on road trips. When I drive home to Texas, I get on the I-10, hit cruise control and then try to stay awake for 15 hours. I now realized that the only thing that made me excited about those trips was the destination of home and family on the other side. This trip was different. It reminded me of the movie Cars where they talk about how the highways used to move with the land before the interstate came and just cut through it. There wasn't a boring stretch on this trip, and seeing the Hoover Dam illuminated in the distance for the first time really took my breath away - how majestic! But nothing compares to cresting the top of that last hill and having all of Vegas be on the other side. The city just glittered.

I stayed with some of my favorite people, Carl and Megan Smith and their ridiculously cute babies.

Since my conference was just off the strip, each day I would drive the 15 minutes from the Smith house to downtown Las Vegas and spend the day in the really great workshops and meetings before driving back to their adorable little home and spending a comfortable evening with good friends. I really love going to this regional conference once a year, because it gives me the boost of motivation I need to see that while the differences I am making in the lives of my clients may be small, collectively as a profession we are all working to make a much larger difference. It's inspiring to see so many others that share the same passion as I do.

On the last night, Carl and Megan took me out to dinner and then to see part of the strip. It was amazing. It was the most gaudy, flamboyant, and spectacular place I have ever seen - and I couldn't get enough.

The drive home was just as beautiful as the drive there except that in the daylight I could see that all the rain we have been having lately had produced a highway full of beautiful wildflowers.

Since moving to Arizona in almost 8 years ago I have not been able to see the wildflowers in Texas, since I am not home much in the spring. This was the closest I have ever felt to being at home in Arizona. The flowers were different, more desert-like, but just as beautiful. I also realized that while I still pine to go to big cities like New York on the east coast - I really do love living out West. There's just so much beautiful space.

I didn't stop to get out at the Hoover Dam on the way home as I originally thought I was going to, because as soon as I saw Vegas I knew that I was going to bring Wilson back to see it all. We are making plans for the fall already. It would be a blast to see Carl and Megan again (and Kirsten - we would love to see you too!) and enjoy some more time in such an amazing place - I can't wait!

the good and the bad

2010-04-14T11:02:00.002-07:00

Wilson and I have had quite a few changes sprung on us in the past few months. To start with the bad news, the Department of Developmental Disabilities cut the rate for music therapists 51% on March 15th. This is on top of the 10% that they cut last year. However this time no other therapy was effected or cut, just music therapy. While being disheartening that I am now making less than I did as a waitress at IHOP, the reasons that they made this cut are just wrong. It's a straight up misclassification, and I am tired of the members of my government telling me what my profession and degree does/means. Despite all this, we are moving forward. My agency has just become a non profit, and we are now able to apply for grants, accept tax deductible donations and generally start depending less on the state and start getting income from other places while continuing to maintain services for those clients that can simply not afford to private pay. There is also a bill on the floor (Senate Bill 1376) that is moving through the House right now to address the misclassification of music therapy in the state of Arizona. It's a small step in the right direction.
On to the good news: Wilson received a promotion at work! He is now the front desk supervisor at the Crown Plaza. This promotion was a long time coming, well deserved, and will definitely help us out with my situation as it comes with a raise (we now make the same hourly rate). Wilson now gets more responsibility at the hotel, gets to learn about new areas of the hospitality industry, and most importantly, gets to wear his own suits to work! Another development that has my husband smiling is that he was called to be in the Elders Quorum presidency in our ward. In the LDS church the Elder's Quorum is a organization for the men and priesthood holders of the church. After serving as a ward missionary since coming home from his mission 4 years ago, he now gets to use his talents and skills in a leadership position. I couldn't be more happier for Wilson, he's got a lot of exciting days ahead of him and I know that the hard work he puts forth will bless our home.

i missed that part of the bible

2010-04-08T00:41:00.002-07:00

This week at Gammage we have Jesus Christ Superstar. It's my first experience with this show and I've decided that if David Copperfield and Ozzy Osbourne ever had a 62 year old child, it would be Ted Neeley as Jesus. That's right, the same guy that played Jesus in the original production and then the 1973 film, is still on stage as Jesus almost 40 years later. So essentially, Ted Neeley has been playing Jesus longer than Jesus was alive on this earth. And yes, you can tell.
But that slight misrepresentation paled in comparision to what happened this evening when the curtain went up for the second act. I was stationed inside the house at a door that was not to be opened during the performance. I went in during intermission and stood and waited. . . and waited and waited. Patrons kept asking me when the show was going to start as the intermission was now going about 10 or 15 minutes longer than it should. Being inside, I didn't have access to a radio to find out what was going on. But finally, Jesus and his apostles came out for the Last supper scene, the second act started, and all was seemingly well. It wasn't until the show was over that I was filled in on all the drama behind the scenes.
Turns out that during intermission, the tech crew realized that they had no bread for the Last Supper. I guess they usually run across the street to Subway sometime before the show and grab some bread. But alas, someone dropped the ball tonight. So everyone was frantically running around trying to find an understudy for a pretty important prop. Here are a few snippets as heard on the radio:

"Do you have a pocket full of pita bread?! Because that's what we need to start the second half"
"Oh my God, we've lost the body of Christ!"
"Does anyone have a sandwich?"

And because the show must go on, our concession stand pulled through in the last minutes with an acceptable substitute and nobody was the wiser. Except maybe the first few rows who were close enough to wonder why Jesus Christ was sharing his last words with the apostles over some delicious oatmeal raisin cookies. . . . :)

his and herzberg

2010-04-05T10:53:00.006-07:00

Over Spring Break, Wilson and I took a much awaited trip to Dallas to visit Jenni and Matt Herzberg. Jenni being my college roommate and Matt being the great guy she married. They bought a new house this past year and we wanted to be one of their first weekend house guests. The trip came at a time when we could both use a vacation, and our friends totally delivered one of the best.

Their house is really nice; the perfect little love nest for Jenni and Matt and their two babies, Abby and Grainger. My favorite part was just relaxing and spending "hang out" time with my favorite people. We watched a lot of Modern Family (which is now one of our favorite shows), they made fajitas, and let me play on their beautiful baby grand piano.

Jenni and I spent much of the weekend shopping for clothes, like a bridesmaids dress for Roxanne's wedding, and things for her new house, in particular a new bedding set. The boys went to Home Depot for yard stuff and out for BBQ. Jenni and I count our blessings that we married two guys that enjoy spending time together. It makes our runaway girl adventures easier on everyone. The four of us went to this really cute bowling place called Splitsville. It was retro themed and it was more like a restaurant that had bowling lanes tucked by the tables. By the way, Matt is a beast on the lane - he was crazy good!

The entire trip made us both realize how much we love those two and can't wait to move back to Texas so that we can spend more time with them. Though we probably will be moving back to the hill country and not to Dallas, but what' s a 5 hour drive between friends?

I bet sydney bristow never got a deal this good

2010-03-27T22:08:00.009-07:00

One of my favorite places since childhood is Half Price Books. But there are only 3 locations in the Phoenix area, and none of them are remotely close to where we live. However, my job requires me to drive all over the valley and on Mondays I'm right by a Half Price Books. I go pretty much every week but I almost didn't go this past Monday. On a whim, or more like an addict needing her fix, I found myself in the parking lot with no other choice than to go inside. So imagine the rush of excitement as I walked in, passed by a glass display case and saw this:

That's right, the complete series of Alias, seasons 1-5 in the limited edition Rambaldi box for only $99. You might be asking why a die hard Alias fan such as myself wouldn't already own the complete series. And I would have to admit that I do actually own the complete series, in their individual DVD sets. But this one has tons of extra features including a secret compartment with a brand new disc of fantastic stuff, and I have wanted it ever since it was released. So after calling my husband, and mutually deciding that it was an unbelievable price and we could make some of it back by selling our other DVD's online, I proudly asked them to release the box from it's glass case. Feeling much like Sydney Bristow herself, I opened the box and inspected the contents - they were absolutely pristine. So feeling only slight guilt for such an unnecessary purchase, I had the cashier ring it up. "Do you have a coupon?" he asks. I reply "No, I wish! Today would be the day to have a coupon." He tells me that if I signed up with their email list that I would recieve coupons in the mail and would I like to do that today That's when I remembered that I already did that once, and I did get coupons, and I cut them out and put them in my wallet and I did have one with me at that very moment. I pull it out of my wallet to cheers from the other sales associates (seriously.) and there it was: 40% off. And $99 becomes $60. Guilt be gone! So our home is filled with happiness now and if anyone wants to buy my other DVDs for $60 (or possibly less, I'm easy) let me know!!

All Creatures of Our God and King

2010-03-20T22:44:00.009-07:00

Hello, from the Husband... I wanted to share with the world a reason why I love my wife.

What does the normal person do when the cereal box has a dent in it? Put it back and grab a fresh one from the back. But not my wife, that poor box who thought he would have to find his way to the clearance or defective section just found its way to a new home. But what do you expect from the person who's favorite song to sing is "The Island of Misfit Toys." This is why I love her. But wait! This is only the beginning! The story gets so much better.

Desi comes from a family of three sisters who's idea of a savage garden is the following

Our soon to be Brother in Law, Sam, Drew these inserts for our coasters last time he and Roxy came to visit.

I don't believe any of the sisters are capable of drawing a flower without drawing teeth. I can't wait till we have children and they learn how to draw flowers and then I get a call from the teacher saying she would like to have a conference with me and my wife.

But Desi's most all time favorite Creature is...

DOMO!!!

Scary right? But not for my pretty wife, the only thing i fear Desi will want to curl with more than me.

Its good to know that there is a special place is Desi's Heart for all God's creatures!

I love you, My Pretty Wife!!!

~Husband

peanut butter + chocolate = 1 happy husband

2010-03-19T11:44:00.003-07:00

So it's a little delayed, but here is the Valentine's bouquet I made for Wilson this year. We each were allowed no more than $10 for Valentine's, so I saved every coupon I could find, found a sale at Target, and bought $10 worth of Reese's products, Wilson's favorite.The bouquet consists of over 4 lbs of Reese's pieces, miniature cups in both milk and dark chocolate and Reeses hearts.It was surprisingly easy to make, and with the help of my neighbor Stephanie, who stored the skewers in her fridge for a day or two, he had no idea!

something new

2010-01-17T21:28:00.009-07:00

Yesterday, Wilson and I went car shopping and bought our first new car ever: a 2010 Nissan Altima!

For those of you who don't remember what happened to our last Nissan Altima, let me catch you up: one week after moving into this apartment, Wilson nobly decided to take the 1.5 hour bus ride to school every day to save gas, and while gone one day, a tree fell on his car and crushed it. This is just the latest in our very own Series of Unfortunate Events featuring Wilson and cars 1-3. None of which were his fault. Seriously. I've never met such a nice person with such bad luck, and the fact that I married into it makes me nervous.

Insurance gave us a nice settlement, but we decided to save and add to it, until we felt we actually needed a second car. That was over a year ago, and this spring we have several road trips planned, which made us realize that my little Focus wasn't going to be able to handle all that. Since Wilson has never had the chance to choose a car for himself, I told him that this could be his ultimate decision. After looking in the paper, online and scoping out other cars, he decided that he really liked the Altima (the newer version of the car that met it's untimely demise).

Personally, I would have chosen the Sentra. It's smaller and feels more like me, but Wilson wanted the larger model, because we have to start thinking about family cars. I guess. And then the salesperson was kind enough to point out that the Altima can fit 3 car seats. To which I responded that if I ever needed 3 car seats at the same time, I would be living in my own nightmare.

Wilson is in love, and it really is a beautiful car. He doesn't anticipate any troubles with this car and says that 2010 is "his year".

However, less than 24 hours after we drove it off the lot, a bird did his business right in the center of the hood. Almost as if to remind Wilson that Mother Nature still has it out for him.

anxiously engaged

2009-12-30T22:46:00.010-07:00

Actually it was more like I was anxious and she was engaged. The "she" I am referring to is Roxanne. My sister got engaged over the Christmas break! I have been dying to post this story with pictures for a few days now, but she asked me to wait until she had told most of her friends in person.

Roxanne's boyfriend, Sam, had planned to come down and visit Texas for the first time over Christmas to see Roxie's home and meet the rest of the family members. They had pretty much decided to get married already, but there was still no ring or official date. A few days before Wilson and I left for Texas, I got a call from Sam and he told me that he was thinking about surprising her by coming a few days early and proposing at one of her favorite San Antonio locations, and did I think that was a good idea? um, hello? What girl wouldn't want that kind of surprise? So he told me that he was flying in on Saturday at 1:40 and it was up to Wilson and I to think of a plan. . . .

We immediately enlisted the help of Danielle (baby sister) and the parents. Our plan was for Mama and me to take Roxanne wedding dress shopping Saturday morning and for Wilson, Daddy, and Danielle to get Sam from the airport and take him to the Japanese Tea Gardens (one of Roxanne's favorite spots). At this point I would think of some way to get Roxanne to the gardens and magic would ensue.

When Saturday comes along Roxanne, Mama and I get ready to spend a whole morning doing this:
Except that after only two shops, Roxanne is already burned out and wants to be done. This is around 12:30, so Mama takes us to a fabric store to look at bridesmaid dress patterns and fabric while we kill some more time before Sam's flight comes in at 1:40.

At 1:55 I text Wilson to ask for a status report. He tells me that they can't find him. His plane has landed but he hasn't come out yet. I text again around 2:10. Still nothing, until I get a text saying that they have been looking at the wrong flight on the screen this whole time, and his plane actually isn't there, it's delayed. It's not expected to come in until 2:50.

So Mama and I are currently finished with everything we needed to do that morning, Roxanne is starving, and we have another hour to kill. I meander to the back of the store, call Mama on her cell and give her the update and the news that we have at least an hour that we need to fill. I knew that we were all going to have lunch as a family when this was all over, so we couldn't eat just yet. I tell Roxanne that I would really like to wait and eat lunch when we meet up with Wilson and that he was running errands and it might be a little while. And because she is a sweet sister who would wait to eat so that Wilson could come too, she agrees to walk through a few more stores. In each of these stores I use methods like going to the bathroom, hiding in the back of the store, reading books, etc. all in an effort to kill time while Sam's flight is delayed in Denver.

Finally around 3:10, I get the text that they are on their way to the gardens, everything was in place. I told Roxanne that Wilson and Daddy were done with their errands and wanted to join us for lunch. They happened to be by the gardens and wanted to meet us there. When we got there, I told Roxanne that they were by the waterfall and could she show me where that was? She was definitely not excited about walking over there in heels, but I had already gotten out of the car, so she had nothing to do but follow.

Of course then, on our way to the waterfall she found Sam. . .

Who then got on one knee. . .

And made my sister very, very, happy!

And yes, I was the creeper who got pictures of it all. Here is her ring:

They found it in an antique store. It is rose gold and was made in 1910, which means that when they get married next year it will be 100 years old. I had so much fun helping to make this happen for Roxanne (who says she had no idea). It meant so much to me to be a part of something to important to a sister that I don't get to see very often these days. From what I can tell, Sam is a fantastic guy that seems to understand Roxanne and her spirit and will make her very happy!

evolution of a tradition

2009-12-07T20:38:00.016-07:00

The Christmas before Wilson and I got married we built our first gingerbread house. At one point during the construction, Wilson said "I always wanted to have Christmas traditions like this when I was growing up" to which I replied "Well, let's make this our tradition". So this then became our first gingerbread house:

The following year we decided to create a beach house inspired by our honeymoon at the Cayman Islands:

Last year our Christmas party had a peppermint theme to it, so our house was made to match:

After about a week of planning and executing we can now reveal this year's gingerbread house!

A gum stick door with icing swirls

The makings of a stone roof: "premium" M&Ms

A koi pond made of blue and green melted jolly ranchers and goldfish crackers!

The finished product! Our Enchanted Cottage 2009!

The back yard. Notice the cashew walkway, gummy mushroom garden, and Nestle Crunch Stick woodpile

Wilson wanted to include a picture of the bay window that gave him so much grief

While there is always at least one moment during the entire process (usually during the construction day) where we feel like throwing the house across the room, it really is one of our favorite traditions and definitely something that we can't wait to share with our children someday. Until then, I think we make an excellent team.

A Practical Halloween

2009-11-01T16:34:00.007-07:00

Can anyone guess what we were for Halloween this year?

If you guessed an angel and a magician - you'd be wrong.

We were floor managers at Gammage Auditorium! Scary, right? Wilson and I opted to make a little money to fund our trip to Texas for Christmas by working a double shift at our second part time job. But seriously, there are worse ways to spend one's Halloween than getting paid to see Phantom of the Opera. Wilson simply wanted to wear a top hat and cape with his uniform. When I asked "So what are going to BE for Halloween?" He replied "Fancy." I decided that if I couldn't wear a full costume I was going to get the sweetest wig I could find and rock it. It was really fun to change my look so dramatically. (Kirsten, I so get it now!) Afterward we walked up and down Mill Ave to people watch.

Last week we had a pumpkin party. Some friends came over and Dani and I carved a pumpkin together with a teethy flower. When it was lit, we decided it was the flaming flower of death.

Hope everyone's Halloween was Heavenly!

say hello to Mr. September

2009-10-23T19:05:00.002-07:00

After 3 months of being nominated, Wilson is now officially September's Employee of the Month at the Crowne Plaza Resort! He went to a luncheon this morning with all the other nominees and the big shots of the company, and was presented with a certificate and a Target gift card. However, this photo is the only record we may have of this honor because less than a half hour later the certificate had been ruined because a lady sitting next to him spilled her water glass all over it. Accident? I think not - she was most likely a hater. And then once he got home and checked the balance of his Target gift card online, he discovered it was $0. Seriously.

But none of that seemed to matter, becuase it's Wilson: the guy that takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. Even though he literally came home empty handed, he was nothing but smiles today. I know that he is going to do so well in the hospitality business, because he gets told this all the time by guests at the hotel who only interact with him for 5 minutes. Now he's got his sights set on Employee of the Year!

the cup of shame

2009-09-27T21:19:00.004-07:00

Wilson and I have several married friends who have young children. As our table is lofted and seats only 4, when we invite these young families over for dinner Wilson likes to prepare the children their own little table. His presentation is actually really cute, he sets out a little place mat and uses my owl plate (yes, the same one from a blog a while ago) and then, for his own entertainment, he sets out the "cup of shame". It's this adorable little plastic cup that matches the owl plate - harmless, no? Wrong. This cup has a water space between the plastic with glitter and floating hearts and butterflies. Inevitably, as soon as the little ones see this cup they go to drink from it. . . . even though it's empty. These cute little toddlers spend the rest of the evening miscalculating how far to tilt the cup, or trying to reach their hands in to liberate the butterflies; all to the amusement of the adults. Now, we love these kids and they are sharp as tacks, but apparently the illusion of the water is just too much, sometimes even for the parents. We had no idea that this would be such an issue when we first introduced the cup and (call us cruel) but now it's just kind of fun.

a new skill

2009-09-07T20:42:00.012-07:00

Last year, Wilson and I were walking through Borders, and I found a book entitled The Practical Guide to Napkins and Napkin Folding for $3. It was one of those really beautifully photographed books that you can tell is well put together, but is about a topic so obscure that you can understand why it found it's way to the clearance shelf. I immediately showed it to Wilson and told him that this could be something quirky and fun for him to learn, seeing as how he is going into hospitality.

Actually, it was a little more detailed than that in my head.

Remember the scene in the film The Pursuit of Happyness where Will Smith's character solves the Rubik's cube in the cab during an impromptu interview, and the man is so impressed that he hired him? I imagined a similar situation for Wilson. (side note: I seem to remember that Will Smith also solved a Rubik's cube to impress a college adviser in The Fresh Prince. anybody?) Seeing that book made a similar scene pass through my mind, where Wilson is interviewing for the job as a manager of a swank hotel and his interviewer is saying that his resume is good on paper, but what would set him apart from the other applicants? And as he is speaking, Wilson is artfully folding the napkin that happened to be laying on a nearby desk into something glorious. And of course he gets the job. Extreme? Probably, but that's kinda how things look in my mind.

Flash forward to now, and Wilson is totally absorbed in his hobby of napkin folding. It's not uncommon for us to go on a double date and while everyone is chatting, Wilson is trying to replicate the fold that the restaurant uses. Usually we leave the table with everyone's napkin in a different fold, thoroughly intriguing the servers.

So for his birthday I wanted to get Wilson a set of sturdy, completely square napkins and his own can of starch so that he is no longer limited by the materials in our home. The world of more complicated folds has been opened and the possibilities are endless. Now we just need more people to come over for dinner. . . .

what is a penguin luau?

2009-09-05T18:15:00.011-07:00

After sending out invitations to Wilson's 24th birthday party, that was definitely the question of the day from all invited. And the answer is: an excuse to dress up penguins. obviously. Wilson is usually the one throwing parties for others, and so for his birthday I wanted to go all out. For those who don't know Wilson at all, saying that he likes penguins is an understatement. He loves them. So I promised him the best penguin party ever. And I like to think I delivered.

Every penguin in the house was dressed to kill, in full grass skirt and flower leis. (And they were of course treated to a large bowl of goldfish)

Jared and Danielle came over that day to help us make the most fantastic penguin cupcakes.

This was pretty much the face Wilson had on all night.

Wilson had his chance to demolish a penguin pinata full of his favorite candy. He knocked the head off in one hit, so it's just the penguin's body hanging from the tree.

And everyone had a chance to guess how many penguins Wilson owns. Kylie won with a guess of 101, because Wilson actually owns 110 penguins, including 2 mousepads, an ice cream scoop, a blanket, a loofah, socks, 2 bookmarks and a LOT of stuffed penguins. Ridiculous, right? I can't believe I have room for 110 penguins in my little townhouse.

He acquired a few more that night, including a real one! Kinda. As a birthday gift, Adam and Jenni had adopted a penguin on Wilson's behalf. He got a certificate and everything! He also got some Penguin brand shirts, some stuffed penguins, and other fun gifts. Jenni and Matt even made a penguin quotes game for the party, to quiz his knowledge and see if anyone could come close to him, and Kelly actually tied him. It was a fun party for a guy that really deserves it. Thanks to all who came to help celebrate and make my wonderful husband's birthday so special!

seven years later

2009-08-19T18:43:00.013-07:00

So seven years ago today I met the love of my life. Or one of them I should say - because for those of you doing the math; it's not Wilson. Wilson and I only celebrated our 2 year anniversary last month. Today marks my seven year anniversary with Jenni. Seven years ago, after moving into the dorms at ASU and feeling completely lost, I met a girl in an elevator that would change my life. And even though she is a thousand miles away now, and we have both found our soul mates in two wonderful men, she is one of the greatest gifts that I've ever had sent to me. I love you, Jenni.

Which makes today even more special, because I have truly come full circle. Today I helped my youngest sister, Danielle, move into the ASU dorms. I watched as she filled out paperwork, found her room, and organized every little detail of her room with everything that would fit into two suitcases. I felt so parental making sure that she had a bus pass, laundry detergent, shampoo, and the loveliest bedding we could find. Wilson and I helped her carry up her things to her 9th floor dorm room, helped her make and loft her bed, and took her out to lunch before saying goodbye. Watching her set up her closet and organize her jewelry brought back so many images from seven years ago, when I fit everything I could into two suitcases (and a carry on) and got on a plane with no idea what was on the other side. And while I wont go into the details of that initially bleak situation, It gave me so much to learn from. I knew exactly what I wanted to make sure she had and felt like I had more insight into what she was going through. I guess that is a big sister's life long job?

I also realized that I might not be as tough of a mom as I thought, becuase as we were saying goodbye, all i wanted to do was tell her to come stay with us for a few more nights! So much for being strong. I'm so excited to have her here. Big sisters need little sisters too, and I am already feeling uplifted from having her closer. She is going to be brilliant and I get to be here for it all.

99¢ can buy a whole lot of weird

2009-08-13T08:07:00.003-07:00

There's always something satisfying about shopping in a dollar store. Not Dollar General or other impostors, but a true dollar store where everything is only a dollar. Most people seem to prefer Dollar Tree. I love dollar tree, they actually have a lot of really good stuff and great seasonal displays. However, if Dollar Tree makes you feel thrifty, then the 99¢ only store makes you feel like an archeologist finding lost artifacts. Seriously, it is like the garage sale of products that never quite make it. And it's fantastic! Some of my favorite finds have been wild berry Tootsie Pops, limited edition gift wrap by Scotch brand tape in all their various plaids, the best smelling honey hand soap, and themed Friends DVD's like all the birthdays, or all the weddings etc. Wilson's favorite snack is Reeses so each time I go I bring home a freak Reeses product that didn't make it in the real world. Yesterday I went to kill some time and I found 2 new favorites that made it to the top of my list. I'm sending both of them to someone I know would appreciate them; so get psyched, Roxanne. #1 - Finger Twister: a small version of the Twister board game, meant to be played with your hands. It even included sock stickers for your nails. #2 - Belly Flops by Jelly Belly - I guess Jelly Belly saves all of the reject jelly beans, like the ones that are big blobs or conjoined twins, and then sells them in their own sad little bag. My heart went out to these misshapen jelly beans, rejected because they didn't meet the standards of confectional society. I of course took them home to be loved. Where else can you get a bag of Jelly Bellys for 99¢?! So what if they are abnormal - all the better I say. So that's it, my ode to the place were product failures go to die, the freak show of all dollar stores, the 99¢ Only store.

visitors from afar

2009-08-01T14:26:00.005-07:00

This summer I really laid the guilt trip on my family members and told them that it was about time that someone came to visit us. Seriously, my family has not come out since the wedding two years ago! I must have done a good job because I managed to score a visit from everyone. Mama and Danielle came out earlier and this past weekend Roxanne came out with her boyfriend, Sam.
We had promised to take Roxanne to go and see Wicked if she came down to Arizona, and even though Wilson and I had seen it about 10+ times (we work part time at the theater) it was still fun getting to go with people who were seeing it for the first time. Other highlights including gelato and a sunset at Hole in the Rock, seeing the film (500) Days of Summer (one of the best films I have seen in a while, I would highly recommend it!), pan dulce at Ranch Market, and spending a lazy Sunday afternoon watching Little House on the Prarie and vegging out in our living room. I also managed to get Roxanne to have a jam session with me in my office/music space. She rocks at the djembe!

Having her and Sam here really made our entire month. Now I get to look forward to Danielle moving out here for college on the 16th! And if that weren't exciting enough, Daddy is coming out here for Thanksgiving. Our life is pleasantly full these days!

a daughter needs a dad. . . .

2009-06-21T19:36:00.011-07:00

. . . . who will influence her life even when he isn't with her

. . . to teach her to believe that she deserves to be treated well

. . . to teach her that her value as a person is more than the way she looks

. . . . to teach her to stand up for herself

. . . to be the standard against which she will judge all men

i love you daddy,

Happy Father's Day

~ desi

my little sun devil

2009-06-19T13:16:00.004-07:00

One of the more recent and exciting developments in our lives is that Dani (my youngest sister) is coming to Arizona State next year to study nursing. It will be the first time since moving out here seven years ago, that I have had any family nearby. Besides Wilson, of course! We were disappointed, however, when we learned that the entire nursing college was moved to ASU's downtown Phoenix campus, which is much further away, and much smaller than the main campus in Tempe. I felt badly that Danielle wouldn't be a part of the fun college experience, because she wouldn't be where all the action is. I felt badly, that is, until I saw her new digs. Seriously, that girl's dorm is like a Manhattan loft compared to the slums that I called home my freshman year. The picture is of her in front of Taylor Place, the brand new dorms downtown. Each floor has a different color scheme, they have a rooftop terrace, a completely mod-style cafeteria, and they get a free membership to the YMCA across the street. Everything is "green" in this building, too! They have toilets in every room with two buttons for flushing, the building is made of recycled concrete, and they have somehow found a way to collect the condensation from the AC units to irrigate the landscaping. I even read somewhere that students can receive a text message when their clothes are finished in the laundry room. She and mama came out here last week to go through orientation, and Danielle seemed really excited. I, of course, am counting the days until I can hang out with my sister again. That is, if she can spare some time from her exciting urban living to come and hang with her boring married sister.

a house of a different color

2009-05-28T08:16:00.005-07:00

Wilson and I love our little home in Chandler. And even though it's a townhome, it's still a rental property, so we were under the impression that we were not allowed to paint the walls. We found out a few months ago, that they do allow painting as long as we paint it back. Since we plan to be here until we make the big move back to Texas in a few years we both felt that it was completely worth it to paint a few rooms. And since I don't think I've ever uttered the phrase "I think a nice neutral color would look nice" in my life, the colors I chose are pure Desiree.

Our living room now has a red wall!

Our Cayman Islands bathroom is inspired from our honeymoon. All the pictures are my favorites of us on the beach and the picture frames on the shelf are covered in shells that we collected from the island.

And my new favorite room in the house, the dining room. For those of you who know me, you know that I've been collecting black and white prints for years now. Some are pictures that I have taken (Liz, can you find your gas pumping picture?), some are greeting cards that I've framed, some are pictures from my family (Daddy, the movie theater has a glare on it, but trust me it looks great) and some are art prints that I feel in love with. I've special ordered some, found some at goodwill, and rescued some from other people. It's like a gallery scenes from life, and it has accumulated and traveled with me through 2 dorm rooms, and 6 apartments. I always said that one day I would put them all up on a bright pink wall and it would be the most "Desi" room in the house.

no doubt

2009-05-25T12:39:00.009-07:00

Going to a No Doubt concert was an adolescent dream of mine, and I felt devastated when I thought they broke up 5 years ago. I thought my chance had passed. So I was ecstatic when I found out they were on tour again! Wilson bought tickets for us and we talked about it for weeks before the concert. Imagine my surprise when, on the day of the concert, Wilson asked: "Could you play some No Doubt songs for me, so I can hear them?" I surprisingly asked "Do you know any No Doubt songs?" To which he replied with "no". I also found out that this was his first concert. Ever. I love my husband and his relative inexperience with music. It gives me a new role in our marriage. Educator.

We got there in plenty of time and got great lawn seats. The weather was actually beautiful and we had fun lounging on the grass waiting for the show to start.

The concert was awesome. Paramore (of Twilight fame) opened and rocked. And of course No Doubt tore up the stage. Jumping and screaming the lyrics to "Just a Girl" made me feel like I was in 7th grade again - and that was a good year for me. Such a fun night!

curly haired girls throw 80's parties so our hair will be in style again

2009-05-17T20:53:00.011-07:00

In honor of Kelly's birthday we threw a "Made in the 80's" party to celebrate the decade in which she was born. As the title of this blog states, no one can throw an 80's party like I can throw an 80's party. And I love it when people actually dress up. With everything from Razzles to Duran Duran the party was totally rad.

the best ten minutes I've spent all week

2009-04-15T20:56:00.004-07:00

When paperwork starts to make my eyeballs swim, I usually go to my favorite time waster: YouTube. And this week, I have forgotten how addicting the show Rescue 911 can be. The best part is that each segment is only about 10 minutes long and you get the whole story wrapped up in a nice neat little package: babysitter collapses, 3-year-old calls 911, police arrive, and then they reel the heartwarming family update. Seriously, why go to the movies for a story of human triumph when you can find hundreds of these ten minutes gems on YouTube? And besides the movies in the theaters right now probably don't start with a 1990's William Shatner and end with a family playing pogs together on the kitchen table.

a questionable state

2009-04-10T21:25:00.008-07:00

In 1999 my mama gave all of us girls a fold out book that has places for you to collect all of the commemorative state quarters. When she first gave it to me, I remember thinking, this is nice, but didn't see myself actually finishing it. Yet somehow I kept it with me all through these years and collected all 50! This doesn't sound like much, but during those years when I was a broke college kid and all I needed in life was change for laundry, that folder with all those shiny quarters started looking real good. I finally got that elusive Hawaii quarter a few weeks ago after Wilson salvaged it from work, and I felt a sense of release that it was finally over, and I had done it. Or so I thought. Today we went to the grocery store and when we got our change Wilson handed it to me and said "Hey that quarter looks new" I said it was probably the Hawaii quarter, but when I flipped it over and I was wrong, it was District of Columbia. District of friggin' Columbia! What am I supposed to do with this?! This isn't a state! The US Treasury obviously did not anticipate releasing this quarter when they created my collectors folders in 1999. Grrrrrr. So now, after ten years of careful scouting I have an anomaly in my collection and no place to put it. I feel sad for this little quarter. Maybe I will create my own folder for US Territories, so when a Puerto Rico quarter shows up in the future, it will have a place.

Friday the 13th: Parts 1 and 2

2009-03-13T19:20:00.004-07:00

So exactly one month ago on another Friday the 13th, I was told that my paycheck would be cut by 55%. And since then, I felt like I have been one big tilt-a-whirl. This is the first time since then that I felt I could post anything about what has been going on without getting angry or upset again, so here is an update about what has been going on since Friday the 13th: Part One. Sorry that it is rather long to read, but it has been rather long to live.

Feb 17
Music Therapy agencies across the valley have emergency meetings where we were given packets of information to pass on to the parents of our clients. This packet contains a "Call to Action" in which we asked parents to write to their representatives about the importance of music therapy and ask why we were singled out to take such a large cut. This then becomes the start of the longest marathon I have ever been a part of.

Feb 24
A parent hands me my first of many copies of a form letter that DDD has been replying with to all inquiries made about music therapy. Stating that the reasoning behind the cuts was that "Habilitation using music is one of many methods to deliver habilitation which is a way to help a person learn" and that as such we should be paid the same as what hourly habilitation workers make. At one point they put Music Therapy in quotation marks. This letter enrages me to no end.

Feb 26
2,000 people march at the Capitol Building in Phoenix to protest the DES budget cuts. It is here that I learn that in addition to our cuts, DES also cut ALL funding for Early Intervention Programs. That's right, babies under the age of 3, who are at risk for various developmental disabilities, would no longer be receiving services. This to me is criminal, the government is literally targeting the most vulnerable members of our society. However, the rally was an overall uplifting experience. We heard parents, therapists from other fields, representatives, and even some clients that receive music therapy all speak out about it's effects in their lives and it's importance in the development of so many people. At one point, we were told that the Senate was in session and that we were asked to go and observe in the gallery to show them who they would effecting. I can now say that I have stormed a Capitol building because I have never run so fast and with so many people. The gallery filled before I could get there, but we filled the lobby watching from the tiny televisions at the security desks. Every time a Senator spoke about our cause we made noise (and were promptly asked to "refrain from applauding and demonstrating, or the session would be immediately recessed"). Wilson came with me and took over 100 pictures. I don't think he stood still for more than 2 seconds the whole morning, and he even wore my music therapy T-shirt from college. You can see some of his pictures here - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2438203&id=10036443&l=d97ae

March 1
The day the rate cuts officially started.

March 2
A group of local advocates started seeking an injunction against DES to reverse the cuts and began hearings.

March 5
A parent offers to give me $10 a week to make up for what was cut. She tells me that she can't afford private pay, but that she really wanted to help. While I can't accept this, it feels good that someone values and appreciates what I do.

March 6
I cried about this whole thing for the first time. I was so sick of doing 7 sessions a day telling 7 families a day that I had nothing new to tell them. I hadn't been eating right, sleeping right had no energy left and needed to just pull myself up. It is at this moment that my supervisor, Kymla, decides to call me up to see how I am doing, because she had a feeling about me. Amazing.

March 7
Kymla announces that she is beginning to put through the paperwork to turn our agency into a non-profit organization. This would allow us to accept donations from parents that would then be tax deductible and apply for grants. In the meantime, she has found a way to accept "voluntary payment" from parents as means to keep us therapists gainfully employed, and that would be ethical and legal. She is an amazing out-of-the-box thinker, that has refused to give up when others already have. For the first time I felt empowered. We were no longer helpless and at the mercy of the decision makers at the Capitol, we were going to find a way to make it work as an agency.

March 11
A judge ruled in our favor in the injunction against DES. The state was ordered to restore all rates for services effective immediately as well as send notification to parents that their services were reinstated. Of course, the state requested a "stay" of the restraining order which would suspend it and allow the cuts to continue as before until the case could be heard in the appellate court. This process could take months. But it still feels like a big victory.

March 12
I decide that the loud noise my car makes when it accelerates can no longer be ignored. I take it in and am told that it is something serious. Of course. There are no small repairs on my car. I have to cancel my sessions for the day and get a ride home.

March 13 a.k.a Friday the 13th: Part Two
10:00 am My car is fixed, another $300 on my credit card, and I drive home.

4:30pm - I go to start my car to head to my first session and my car gives me nothing but a sad little "click, click, click" when I start it. The battery is dead. I cancel my only session that day and call AAA.

4:50pm - while waiting for the jump to come, I check the mail and find a parcel slip. There are only ten minutes left until the office closes so I sprint over and pick up my package. I open it on my patio amidst beautiful Arizona weather. It's a cheer me up package from Roxanne full of my favorite things. Everything is right again.

5:10pm - Car gets a jump and I drive down to Sears automotive to get a new battery before they close. While I am talking with the mechanic, Kymla calls and leaves a message. The "stay" was denied and DES will be required to reinstate our original rates.

7:00pm - Turns out I bought my first battery at Sears on May 13th, 2005 (probably another Friday) and the warranty was still being pro-rated, so I saved 55% on my bill. Hmmmm. . . . 55%. . . . .

me and my angels and my guitar

2009-02-18T20:56:00.004-07:00

So right now I should be charting from the days adventures, documenting the minor miracles that occur every day in my work. But it's difficult for me to focus on the everyday tasks when there is a growing possibility that I might be interrupted from doing the work that I love. That it could all be taken away.

For those of you who do not live in Arizona and are not connected with music therapy or children with disabilities let me fill you in: the state department (DDD) that provides the funding for therapy services for children with developmental disabilities in the state of Arizona has recently announced that all of the service providers (speech therapists, physical therapists etc.) will be required to take a 10% cut in hourly rate. With the current economic climate being what it is, this is not unexpected. However, DDD has chosen music therapy to take a 55% cut in hourly rate, essentially reducing our rate to that of a habilitation worker (whose job it is to work on daily life skills, hygiene, every day at home skills). This cut is to be effective March 1st. You can imagine the large scale effect this cut would have should it go through. It would make it very difficult for music therapy to survive in AZ. All of the music therapists in the state are rallying support from parents, consumers, families, and anyone who will lend a voice to our cause.

I can not express in words the influence that music therapy has in the lives of those that receive it. I can say this without feeling prideful or conceited because my part in the process seems so minor when I watch how music bridges gaps and changes lives. The idea that someone decided that this service was expendable is devastating. My initial reaction was anger: "How can they tell me that the service I provide with a four year college degree and months of additional training is worth the same as someone who isn't required to have a high school diploma? What reason can they give us for being singled out to take such a drastic cut? Why aren't we on the same level as everyone else?" But after talking with the parents of my children, anger turned into heartache.

What do you tell a parent when they ask "we're losing you aren't we?" When they start crying and say that their child did not start vocalizing until music came into their lives and now someone decided that it wasn't a necessary service. It kills me when the best that I can tell them is that I will be at their house every week through this crisis, but then not knowing how long I can keep that promise.

The majority of the parents that I have talked to are eager to fight this. They are writing letters and making phone calls and together with an organized movement involving all of the music therapists in the state, are optimistic that this can be reversed. While it's difficult to not think of the worst case scenario, it's exciting to see so many supporters come out of the woodwork. To hear the parent, who you thought never quite understood what it was you were doing with your guitar each week, say "like hell they will" and rally behind you; it feels good. Like someone else recognizes and values my work. my purpose.

So to those friends in the area who would like to know how to get in touch with the powers that be and voice out on support of music therapy and its purpose, drop me a line - I have lots of information on how you can help. For all others, keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and thank you for being a source of love and support in my life.

wilson's last resort

2009-02-12T20:03:00.004-07:00

Before the holidays, Wilson applied at this hotel and golf resort for a part time job while he goes to school. It was his first choice. But after several unreturned phone calls, he had given up hope and looked elsewhere. It wasn't until every other option had fallen through that Wilson decided to take a shot in the dark and reapply at the first place. This time he had success! So after a long journey involving 15 applications, 2 interviews and several weeks of uncertainty, Wilson landed a job at a hotel. His first ever! He is working at the Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort (try saying it each time you answer the phone). The hotel is a few miles down on the same street where we live (= one bus trip). He went in for orientation yesterday and received his very shiny name badge and very used uniform. Seriously. There was used gum in the pocket of the pants and the buttons were dangling off. And while I am bummed that I am loosing him on Valentine's day to more training, it's so fun to watch him get excited about learning the world of a hotel. Apparently his first shift was shadowing the girl who is the phone operator. She didn't make eye contact with him once, and seemed startled when he offered to help. Like a cave dweller that didn't appreciate Wilson being all up in her space. I guess some people are meant to be on the phone, out of sight, and not at the front desk.Wilson will get to rotate between being at the front desk, bell person, gift shop, phone operator, and security. I'm sure before long, he will be everyone's favorite. He already looks like a manager in the picture, right?

and they owl lived happily ever after. . . .

2009-01-22T20:15:00.010-07:00

My love for owls is being highlighted this Valentine's season. Target has created an entire Valentine's day collection centered around this amazingly cute pink owl. Wilson found them first, and gave me this separated plate for Christmas. Yes, Christmas. But in Valentine day's defense, Christmas had already come and gone by the time we made it back to our tree. I now will only take my meals on this plate. Which means that meals are planned around items that will fit on the plate. And it seems that no matter what I put on his eyes, it's a hoot. This picture is from breakfast this morning. I just have the one plate, because Wilson and I are trying to keep Valentine's costs down this year, and I have made myself avoid that aisle. With that being said, I have not been to Target in three weeks. I hope that once Valentine's day is over I can run over and get some more of the collection on clearance. This little guy is bringing me enough joy for now.

back to school

2009-01-20T11:02:00.003-07:00

Wilson quit his job at Harkins Theatres on Friday and today I dropped him off at Scottsdale Community College for his first day as a full time student. I was like a proud mama watching him get out of the car and walk to the crowds of other students, hoping I packed him enough food for lunch and that the other kids played nice. Yesterday he started job hunting at some of the hotels in the area for a part time job and happened to get an interview with one of the Marriott hotels near by. They were very impressed that he had been with a company for 8 years (Harkins) and was only 23. We are crossing our fingers, because the hotel is within walking distance and Marriott is a great company to start getting some experience. As for me, I am now officially the bread winner of our family. It's exciting to start a new chapter in our little family and to make things easier, Harkins let Wilson keep his movie pass card for a while! I thought Wilson was going to cry when he got that pass back, because it means more free movies and the getting to keep a connection with the place he has lived for 8 years. It was such a nice thing for them to do, and we couldn't be happier!

i go out walking. . .

2008-12-05T10:20:00.004-07:00

Wilson and I have been getting up early each morning to get some exercise in before he heads off to work (and I don't see him again until10:30 at night.) We usually walk/jog around the neighborhood and stop at one of the many little parks to play soccer. This has given us a chance to explore our new neighborhood here in Chandler. These days we try and find the best Christmas light displays (I still don't understand what would motivate some one to attempt to put lights on a cactus). We've also found some other oddities in the area. Like the worlds largest pineapple! There is also a house for sale with a realtor whose name is Wanda House. For real. Which immediately started impersonations of an old Hispanic lady with a smoker's voice saying "You wan' da house?" Yes, things get silly at 5:30 in the morning.

confessions of a christmas addict

2008-11-15T21:04:00.009-07:00

As many of my friends know, I love the season of Christmas. I remember growing up and looking forward to the day after Thanksgiving as the day that the malls put up the trees and hang those over sized wreaths from the ceiling. To me nothing was more magical. Imagine my surprise when this year the over sized wreaths show up around Halloween. True Story: Wilson and I were driving down to Mill Ave. for Halloween night and we turn on the radio only to hear Christmas music. That's right - continuous Christmas music. We exchange guilty looks as both of us feel like we should turn it off, but neither of us having the heart to reach over and turn it off. "But we're 'Whos', we love Christmas!" says Desi, and all of a sudden the premature yuletide indulgence is justified. So with the music (and the strange looks from the cars full of costumed college students surrounding us at stop lights) begins what will probably be the longest and most exhausting wait for the "appropriate" time to begin Christmas festivities.
In college I lived with a roommate that didn't quite subscribe to the hype of Christmas (I called her a grinch, but that might have been harsh. . . ) so I learned to wait a few days to bring out the red and green. But I married someone who loves Christmas as much as I do, so I can't count on him to hold me back- he's an enabler. And this year, we are talking about waiting a month before decking the halls, and quite frankly, I was not made for that kind of abstinence.
I hear admittance is the first step to the acceptance, so I'll be honest in admitting that we have bought several gifts, made our invitations to our annual Christmas party, bought a few ornaments and even listened to some Christmas music around the house. But in our defense we have not yet watched a Christmas movie, unpacked any Christmas decorations and I have not yet begun singing Christmas music with my clients. I know that bringing out all of the holiday displays is just a move to extend the high profits from Christmas shoppers for another month, and I know I'm supposed to cherish the season of Thanksgiving (and I do!) - but it feels like the stores are selling illegal drugs and everybody's doing it. Another True Story: I have had one client that has had their Christmas tree up since October 13.
So I confess my weaknesses and say to all of you that Christmas was not meant to be shut out. So while you may not go looking for it just yet, if it finds you - just indulge for a little while. Buy that ornament even though you don't have a tree yet, listen to "Winter Wonderland" even through its 80 degrees outside and you are wearing flip flops and for all you fellow Christmas addicts looking for a place to celebrate the season a little early (without judgement) leave me a comment.

every night a halloween

2008-11-02T17:17:00.007-07:00

Halloween was so fun this year. Wilson and I dressed up as Whos from Whoville. (think Dr. Suess). Desilu Who and W Who to be more specific. We went down to Mill Ave. which is the college street in down town Tempe where EVERYONE goes to show off their costumes. Literally, people are just walking up and down the street and taking pictures right and left - it was insane. Where else would you find a referee calling a penalty on two girls for wearing the same costume, Obama smiling for the cameras with members of Al Qaeda, six characters from Mario Kart holding up traffic as they "drive" down the street in thier cardboard cars, and baby yoda all in one night. We found Waldo four times! If you want to see more pictures as well as photos from our pumpkin carving night a week ago you can see our album on facebook - http://A Very Who Halloween

i'm a new soul in this very strange world

2008-10-31T11:43:00.002-07:00

I once told myself that I would start a blog for Wilson and myself someday, like when we had childen, as a way for friends and relatives to stay in touch. I felt that our life was far too ordinary right now to expect people to read about it. However, waiting for things to happen that are "blog worthy" is a silly way to miss what could have been really great stories. I am an enthusiastic journal writer, and was worried that a blog would take away from the pen and paper that I love. But, in a contradiction of sorts, I have always allowed people to read my journal. So in rethinking, this is just another way for my friends (an old roommates) to read my journal from across the miles.
So here we are; two family home evenings worth of combined work later, and introducing our little project to the world. I have a fantastic husband who understood that blogging would mean nothing to me if there was no color or music. So while I may be the voice, Wilson is the brains behind the layout and (as he often does in life) turning my whims into reality.