Wintry Day Descending to Its Close
It looks like winter is finally upon us, having blown in on balmy 60-degree breezes last night as we slept. We took Addie to see "Shark's Tale" in Bozeman last night and we didn't even need jackets. Then we woke today and it was freezing--on with the hats and coats!
Tonight the sky is glowing--the low-lying clouds reflect the town lights back at us in a pinkish-yellow haze. It's a snow sky. Right now it is 32 degrees (21 with the wind chill) and it's misty with 100% humidity. We're just grateful fall held out so long--we've got our house all closed in except for the doors, which are coming this week, as well as plumbing and electrical. Then a porch and some siding. Then sheetrock, paint, cabinetry, flooring and appliances, then us. And probably New Year.
Lovely Sabbath today. Mom & Dad Melin are back from New Jersey/New York State, Kelli, TJay and Summer Melin are visiting form North Dakota, and all is well in our world. Had a nice Bishop's fireside with the kids at church tonight, about dating and making true friends and stuff. May I just say how awesome our Young Women are? I was afraid to serve in YW just because I worry about them 24/7, but this bunch it turning out to be just plain FUN! I love them and I love doing stuff with them and I want to thank them for striving to be such great people!
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Helen, Marshall, Skylar, and Adam
I’m not sure of the spelling, but these are the four cool kids who sat near us at Flogging Molly on Thursday. They came all the way from Billings—140 miles! They are all 13, all in middle school ("we go to different schools but we’re all good friends”) and all just so cute and decent. Or so it seemed. Ellen, the only girl, had this moony, angelic face with her hair all braided back. She looked so cute and so young, she caught my attention first--she and Marshall, that is. Marshall had shaggy black hair and a white collared shirt under a Guns-N-Roses T-Shirt. Was he born when Appetite for Destruction came out? (Oh, man—I just remembered they were born in the 90’s!) Would he appreciate my classic karaoke rendition of “Patience?” Skyler (Schuylar? Skeilar?) was wearing a Flogging Molly T-Shirt and if I am not mistaken, Chuck Taylor high tops. Old school converse. Let's do the time warp again. Adam, a stocky guy with fair, spiky hair and groovy square-ish glasses, sat on the end of the row and sort of nodded, as I talked to them. They all sat on their bench, tapping their feet and clapping, politely enjoying the show. It was just amazing for so many reasons.
First, because the rest of the rink was packed with smelly, loud, ostentatious kids, most being plain ol’ teenage punks, many being flat out vulgar. Then there were these four cool kids, quiet and sometimes gawky, but obviously ready to blossom into full-on hipsters with real talents and sensibilities and stuff. A glimmer of hope for the future in a room full of …um…stinky black clouds.
Secondly, I felt some sort of kinship to them. They obviously love Flogging Molly, and yet seemed a little out of place at the show. And that’s not a bad thing. I always felt that way at shows. I passionately loved bands that attracted some scary fans (and then there’s just the whole mob mentality, the smoking and drinking and trying to show off that accompanies almost any concert), but always longed for my own private show without the sweaty masses. [Aside: this is why you should date promoters or sound technicians—you get to go to lots of great shows for free and sometimes you get to sit in the light/sound booth, sipping your diet coke and snuggling your techie boyfriend, away from the crowd]. It’s hard to be so cool and so young (they did have chaperones, by the way, lest you think they hijacked a farm vehicle or jumped a train or hitchhiked). They made me feel all time-warpy and teenage-angst-ridden. Oh, thirteen. Twenty long years ago, but some of the memories are so potent.
So Helen, Marshall, Skylar, and Adam, if you ever read this…there is an old INXS song playing in my head…"don’t change for you, don’t change a thing." Don’t become scary and rebellious. Stay decent and nice and so very cool.
I’m not sure of the spelling, but these are the four cool kids who sat near us at Flogging Molly on Thursday. They came all the way from Billings—140 miles! They are all 13, all in middle school ("we go to different schools but we’re all good friends”) and all just so cute and decent. Or so it seemed. Ellen, the only girl, had this moony, angelic face with her hair all braided back. She looked so cute and so young, she caught my attention first--she and Marshall, that is. Marshall had shaggy black hair and a white collared shirt under a Guns-N-Roses T-Shirt. Was he born when Appetite for Destruction came out? (Oh, man—I just remembered they were born in the 90’s!) Would he appreciate my classic karaoke rendition of “Patience?” Skyler (Schuylar? Skeilar?) was wearing a Flogging Molly T-Shirt and if I am not mistaken, Chuck Taylor high tops. Old school converse. Let's do the time warp again. Adam, a stocky guy with fair, spiky hair and groovy square-ish glasses, sat on the end of the row and sort of nodded, as I talked to them. They all sat on their bench, tapping their feet and clapping, politely enjoying the show. It was just amazing for so many reasons.
First, because the rest of the rink was packed with smelly, loud, ostentatious kids, most being plain ol’ teenage punks, many being flat out vulgar. Then there were these four cool kids, quiet and sometimes gawky, but obviously ready to blossom into full-on hipsters with real talents and sensibilities and stuff. A glimmer of hope for the future in a room full of …um…stinky black clouds.
Secondly, I felt some sort of kinship to them. They obviously love Flogging Molly, and yet seemed a little out of place at the show. And that’s not a bad thing. I always felt that way at shows. I passionately loved bands that attracted some scary fans (and then there’s just the whole mob mentality, the smoking and drinking and trying to show off that accompanies almost any concert), but always longed for my own private show without the sweaty masses. [Aside: this is why you should date promoters or sound technicians—you get to go to lots of great shows for free and sometimes you get to sit in the light/sound booth, sipping your diet coke and snuggling your techie boyfriend, away from the crowd]. It’s hard to be so cool and so young (they did have chaperones, by the way, lest you think they hijacked a farm vehicle or jumped a train or hitchhiked). They made me feel all time-warpy and teenage-angst-ridden. Oh, thirteen. Twenty long years ago, but some of the memories are so potent.
So Helen, Marshall, Skylar, and Adam, if you ever read this…there is an old INXS song playing in my head…"don’t change for you, don’t change a thing." Don’t become scary and rebellious. Stay decent and nice and so very cool.
Saturday, October 16, 2004
I have been insanely busy this week--it's been bizarre. And I have much to write about with NO time whatso ever. Maybe tomorrow.
In the meantime, remember that fabulous show "Freaks and Geeks"? I could have revived it and cast it and directed an all-new episode at the Flogging Molly show on Thursday night in Bozeman (yes, we found time to do something besides build our house and care for the kids--we went and it rocked, of course--the new album is so incredible--but more later). It was all-ages at the hockey rink, so there were hundreds of kids there trying way too hard to be cool, and many that just were. Next time I write I will tell you about the five truly cool kids who sat near us, and how great the show was.
Enjoy the following photo of my Heidi. I'll be back, I swear!
In the meantime, remember that fabulous show "Freaks and Geeks"? I could have revived it and cast it and directed an all-new episode at the Flogging Molly show on Thursday night in Bozeman (yes, we found time to do something besides build our house and care for the kids--we went and it rocked, of course--the new album is so incredible--but more later). It was all-ages at the hockey rink, so there were hundreds of kids there trying way too hard to be cool, and many that just were. Next time I write I will tell you about the five truly cool kids who sat near us, and how great the show was.
Enjoy the following photo of my Heidi. I'll be back, I swear!
Friday, October 08, 2004
Thursday, October 07, 2004
All Request Hour
Hey, the blogger guys suggested this, and I think it sounds fun. You, the reader, use the comment button below to suggest three photos you would like to see posted on my blog. In a week, I will tally the votes and post 'em. They cannot be crass or naked, I'm just telling you right now. So let the voting begin and I will start snapping photos just for YOU!
Hey, the blogger guys suggested this, and I think it sounds fun. You, the reader, use the comment button below to suggest three photos you would like to see posted on my blog. In a week, I will tally the votes and post 'em. They cannot be crass or naked, I'm just telling you right now. So let the voting begin and I will start snapping photos just for YOU!
On This Date in History
On October 7, 1992 at about 1 pm I entered the missionary training center (MTC) in Provo ,Utah to prepare for my mission in North Carolina.
So at this exact time (10am-ish), I was probably driving around Provo with my grandparents, being set apart by my Stake President in Orem, then eating lunch at Frontier Pies. I was wearing my black suit that made me look like a flight attendant and my hair was very much like it is now. I was nervous but so excited and the weeks and months that followed changed my life so much for the better. It's really hard to believe it's been 12 years...that means some of my Beehive girls (the class I teach at church is made up of 12-14 year-old girls) were actually born while I was a missionary. Sigh. Coincidentally, the Elders-- "boy-missionaries" who live next door, got transferred and we get Sisters--"girl-missionaries"--today. One is from Mongolia and I am so excited to learn more about her culture.
I will write about my trip to Utah last weekend as soon as I get more than 5 minutes to myself. It's all good, except that nasty tummy virus followed us down and got my sister's family sick, as well as my poor grandfather. Shucks. More later....
On October 7, 1992 at about 1 pm I entered the missionary training center (MTC) in Provo ,Utah to prepare for my mission in North Carolina.
So at this exact time (10am-ish), I was probably driving around Provo with my grandparents, being set apart by my Stake President in Orem, then eating lunch at Frontier Pies. I was wearing my black suit that made me look like a flight attendant and my hair was very much like it is now. I was nervous but so excited and the weeks and months that followed changed my life so much for the better. It's really hard to believe it's been 12 years...that means some of my Beehive girls (the class I teach at church is made up of 12-14 year-old girls) were actually born while I was a missionary. Sigh. Coincidentally, the Elders-- "boy-missionaries" who live next door, got transferred and we get Sisters--"girl-missionaries"--today. One is from Mongolia and I am so excited to learn more about her culture.
I will write about my trip to Utah last weekend as soon as I get more than 5 minutes to myself. It's all good, except that nasty tummy virus followed us down and got my sister's family sick, as well as my poor grandfather. Shucks. More later....
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