Friday, November 28, 2008

music.videoing

This summer i told Jamie that we would make a music video with Erika and jenelle. It never happened this summer... so i made a promise that it would the next time we were together.

that just happened to be this trip to hawaii.. Last night starting at like 10 we made it.

Check out Here or HERE to see it. 

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

i believe there are Angels in Heaven

Today is November 18th. Early in the morning a year ago today my Grandpa Rex Lyman Anderson passed away peacefully. I'd be lying if i didn't say that this had been on my mind a lot these past couple of days. I keep going back to a year ago and all the little amazing miracles that took place surrounding all of it. I read Angie's post from last year and really just felt grateful. How lucky am i to have been born into such a great family and to have such an amazing grandpa!


Last year i knew i was going to be going home for American Thanksgiving, but i wasn't too sure who i would ride with. My ride ended up leaving the Friday before The Thanksgiving weekend, meaning i would miss some school, but i decided it would be the best decision. My mom had been in Raymond helping out with things for a couple of weeks and when i was in Montana i decided that i would meet her off the highway and go see Grandpa Anderson in Raymond. The following is what i wrote in my journal about what happened next...

"I left on November 16th and on the way home mom called me and i decided to go meet up with her in Raymond, Grandpa really wasn't doing good. I went. he couldn't talk anymore since earlier that day and i just held his hand. He was so skinny and frail looking it broke my heart. The next morning me and Dallin helped hold him up while my mom put lotion on his back, and he moved his hands so they patted me on my leg. i could barely feel it because he was so weak, but i realized he wanted me to hold his hand. So i held it. Holding his hand i felt him barely squeeze it, and i looked up at him and he was looking at me and i just knew that that was his way of saying 'i love you' to me even though he couldn't talk anymore"

I am so grateful for the special time i could spend with him and to know that he loved me so much. That saturday i got to go to "the ridge" and ride around and see all the land that he used to own. It was so fun and helped me really feel close to him.
Mom stayed in Raymond and I went home Saturday night. We said a family prayer that night and the next morning we all seemed to be awake in bed and then soon found out that Grandpa had passed away.


How lucky was it that i was at home when all this happened? What a miracle that all the family could come and be there.


I am really happy that the year before all of this i had made my trips to raymond more frequent and spent more time with Grandma and Grandpa. The year since all of this has been such a growing one for me. Sometimes i feel strength in me that i know is not my own. I know Grandpa is looking out for me and blessing me continually. I hope that i can do things that would make him proud and i try to work hard because i learned from him the value of hard work

wait.. WAIT! don't you dare throw that away

Some interesting conversations go on at work. And working at a museum lots often have to do with art. Not surprising right? What is surprising is how i can be surrounded by all these art scholars and how they all can argue or have such different opinions about what ART really is.
i always get excited when a new exhibit is getting made, its fun to see the work that they put into it and see the progress and its cool ot meet the artists and to observe these 'art scholars' as things come together. We have a new exhibit opening in December by Dan Steinhilber



I met the guy.. and he's cool. But there are arguments on whether this is ART or not. and frankly i don't know what side of the line i am on. I like looking at his stuff.. but often i am like.. "i could do that?" "i saw that same thing outside by the trash this morning" etc. and i wonder if the museum should be paying the large amount of money to have him do this.
Let me show you a bit... is his stuff really about making fun of what people call art? (none of these pictures are from the MOA where i work.. )

Exhibit 1
yes.. this is cool.. but really is this just a really good idea for dispensing personal hygiene materials?

Exhibit 2

oh yes.. the balloons. I have seen similar balloons at the museum, not assembled yet.. but they will be. the exhibit stays up til June, yep the air inside them will be gone by then. but that might just be part of the 'art'. and i heard that after he takes the exhibits down he sends the deflated balloons to another artist who puts them in a bag and its part of one of his 'sculptures'. Good thing he's thinking of mother nature.


Exhibit 3

Does that look like pantyhose, trash bags and packing peanuts? you are right! in the MOA there are trash bags all over right now, and some of them are part of the exhibit, but its just so hard to tell which is which.


I do think its cool what he does.. and that he can make a living off of it. And some of it i would call artsy. sometimes i want to call it art.. sometimes i just want to throw it away.

but speaking of art.. last night i went to the JAZZ game. i do believe basketball played well can be art. I was excited to go see Steve Nash and Shaq in person. Well the superstars weren't so super last night and definitly got out played. Thanks for nothing Pheonix. but it was still cool to see how HUGE shaq is--- but really all of those guys are pretty big, they make nash look small and he's 6 ft 3. The suns also have this guy on the team, Lopez and he's 20. born in 1988 like me! wow.. he sure is living the dream!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

POP! goes my heart <3

Well.. THEY MADE IT! And its been a good couple of days. Friday after finishing a paper and WRITING (or "taking" a test for the Americans) Grandma, Grandpa and Dad picked me up from school and we stopped at my APT for me to grab some stuff and we headed to SLC.


It was a good relaxing night. Like father like son.

I had been craving some cinnamon buns and i wanted to make some ALL week long.. i was excited to have the chance to make them with Auntie Wilma and Grandma and soak up all their knowledge about the cinnamon buns..


I got right in there and mixed the dough by hand... it was more of an arm workout than i am used to, i think my arms are still sore.
Grandma told me all about how her dad made the best bread and he taught her mom how to make bread and her mom taught her.


The cinnamon buns turned out O.K. We needed to add more sugar, butter and cinnamon though... hopefully we can try Auntie Wilma's 'tuck shop' recipe (i am not sure about the spelling of this and who the tuck's are and what their shop was)

Saturday we woke up early of course to go to our favorite stores. and we went to a store i had never been to before ... Gygi's - a chef's paradise. it was the coolest store and made me want to go into culinary arts. Of course we made it to Costco as well and Chay, Nicole and I were STARVING so we headed straight to the samples and we got all of them, in pretty good time too.
Feeling the itch to cook Nicole and i made some salad.. Chicken Oriental salad. We had to go grocery shopping for some of the ingredients and who knew that Coleslaw mix was such a hot commodity? we had to go to 3 grocery stores before we found it.

It turned out to be a hit. I know this because with every bite my dad took he said "mmm". nicole really did do most of the work i was just there for moral support pretty much.

Then it was time to do haircuts
First my dad
Then grandpa
And lastly Blade. He was scared to get it cut after Grandpa told him to get it cut like him. I just couldn't do that to him. I guess i didn't cut it fast enough because by the end he was falling asleep and could barely keep his head up. I think it turned out pretty cute!

Then it was back to the kitchen.. to learn how to make Auntie Wilma's turtles
We found that great funnel thing at Gygi's and it was perfect for putting the chocolate on top.

Today we had a great Sunday and got to listen to Chay sing and give a scripture in the primary presentation. (Which reminds me.. i got a calling in my Young Adult Singles ward - primary chorister. yes we have a primary.. figure that one out. )
And then of course had a photoshoot.


Nicole and i are cousins like trout and salmon.. right dad?
we worked up quite an appetite.. there was only one place that could fill our stomachs.
it was shrimp special day.. mmm we all loved that, with the exception of Nicole.

I am heading back to Provo soon.. and its back to BYU life for me.. which is sad i guess.. its been so fun this weekend to be with all my family and laugh so much. Its funny to see my dad and auntie wilma together.. and throw grandma in there and there are a lot of misinterpretations from people not being able to hear eachother properly. haha.. its funny.

in other news: my dad is going to take my computer in for me in the morning so that the hard drive actually works... hopefully it won't take TOO long to get fixed.

But guess what???

TWO WEEKS FROM NOW I WILL bE IN HAWAII... yayyyyyy

peace out

Thursday, November 6, 2008

WOOT WOOT!!!


I am just so excited....

Looks like i will get to spend some time with these two:




AND-- Papahashi decided to make the trek with them.. (Could life be any better??)
And to top it off i am betting i will get to hang out more with this crew:


AND I JUST LOVE THAT!!!



Saturday, November 1, 2008

much needed stress relieving

This weekend i decided to finally use my paints mom brought down to me and to use some canvasses i had purchased this summer. The first two paintings i pretty much copied from Elsie's on etsy... but i made them both my own.

Sorry for the bad quality photos.. they were taken on photoboooth because i don't have my camera... :(

I wanted to make some paintings that i liked for my room that would be inspiring to me, hopeful and calming... this is what i came up with. The thought that my dreams are coming to life is special to me. I think of it as all that is going on in my life right now.. good or bad, is helping to bring to pass my dreams.

In a previous post from this summer i had painted something with keys on it.. well tonight i decided it wasn't quite up to par and painted over it.. this is what i came up with

I am pretty satisfied with the results. its not as good as it would be if it were done on a fresh canvas, but thats okay.

now i just need more surfaces to paint and more ideas of what to paint...