It's Easy to be Surprised With Both Your Eyes Sewn Closed

What an exciting weekend it has been indeed.

First of all, I am extremely behind in my homework because of weekend adventures, work, and just being overwhelmed by the amount of homework and refusing to scratch the surface of it. I should be more concerned, but somehow, I am not. Perhaps tonight or tomorrow I will work feverishly to catch up again. Okay, let's face it. That's exactly what will happen. I have tests each week in most of my classes so I can't get behind. It's probably a good thing. The other activities I have participated during the course of the week instead of keeping up on my homework have been well worth it. Games, movies, and lunches with friends, World of Dance, and work. Yes, well worth it indeed.

Back to the adventures.

The Women's Chorus retreat on Friday was wonderful! I realized while there, (or perhaps it was revelation) why I love to sing. It could be applied to music in general too, I suppose. Music and singing just make me happy. They make me feel so much closer to my Father in Heaven and my Savior. I feel like I am using the talents given me that I have worked so hard to improve for a good purpose. Like when someone gives you a really practical gift, or even something not so practical that you use all the time. It almost forces you to think of them often, and you feel gratitude for that gift. When we have gratitude, even if we don't express it that often, we are blessed and feel that closeness. I feel so much gratitude to Sister Applonie for taking such a risk on me. Okay, I know it wasn't really that much of a risk, but she didn't know that during my audition with pneumonia, which was probably one of the worst auditions I've ever participated in. I'm sure my acceptance must have been divinely inspired.

I loved the retreat because I got to know so many of the girls in my section. We sang our numbers all the way through and could actually hear them. I felt the spirit there. Such peace. Such joy. Such love. It was wonderful.

Saturday morning I ended up working the first production of the day. There were 3 of us. Me and my two ushers. The production was down in the Nelke theater. It was Taming of the Shrew, which, let's just say I'm grateful Saturday was the last day of its run. Normally, just as the performance is about to begin, I send one of my ushers backstage to say the prayer and I take their place. Today, right after sending my usher backstage, one of our patrons needed assistance finding ADA seating. So I close the slower door and pull that usher to mine. No one really ever sees the other door anyway, which is why it's slow. I come back to the door, the production is starting late (15 minutes late, which is extremely rare), and while talking to my usher I notice a woman on the floor. She's just lying there. Not one movement. I think perhaps a student who found a comfy spot in the middle of the floor, but perhaps not. So I go check on her. Lo and behold, she had passed out. She was not okay. Well, BYU EMTs were called and eventually Provo EMTs were called. Fortunately the woman was well enough for her to be released to her husband. They all cleared out just in time for the production to end and we did not have to hold all the patrons in the theater. That would have been fun. I'm just happy this woman was okay and our patrons were able to leave without any problems. And by the way, the ushers working with me that day reacted beautifully.

After work my friend, Cory, and I went up to Park City to hang out with my family who came into town. The drive through Provo Canyon was beautiful! We had intended to go down the Alpine Slide, but when we got there, it was closed. What a disappointment. All the signs said they didn't close until 9 (maybe it was 10), but we were there by 7. I guess it was too late in the season. Cory had never been, so I was disappointed for both of us. So I think we'll have to go up one of these weekends so we can enjoy riding it rather than just staring at it longingly. To soothe our weary souls, we ended up at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. That'll do. For now.

Later, we headed up to the cabin and just sat around talking. Well, aside from our game of Scrabble, which I won, by a lot. It was really nice to sit and talk to my family. They loved Cory, which doesn't always happen. In fact, we recounted many experiences of my family meeting my friends. Then conversation turned to the guys I've dated. . . and their height. There was lots of laughter with that one. Eventually Cory had to leave and we went to bed. Morning came and we broke camp. It was a lovely weekend.

What we have learned is that we need to check hours of operation before getting too excited about going down the Alpine Slide. We will go again soon.



This is a picture of what it would have looked like had we actually been able to go down the slide. Except I would have had Chloe instead of Cailee, and Cory would have been there. This was last year. Cailee cried a lot before she was laughing. That was the best!