Ash: "Addie look, it's Compton" Addie: "Moan" Ash: "Can we please drive through Compton please oh please oh please, isn't that where all of the hard core, gang involved, money deprived, rappers are from?" John: (dirty look) "No, we aren't going to drive through Compton" Ash: (arms waving) "In the cityyyyy, City of Compton" John: (no arms waving an
d turning my solo into a duet) "In the cit-ayayayay, City of Compton." No, we did not get killed, we did not see anybody get killed, we did not see anybody trying to get killed, we did not see anybody trying to kill someone. Therefore, Compton was a complete disappointment, however, we also didn't drive through the center of the city, just the outer fringe. John's school wa a short jaunt from the City of Compton, and is known for being one of the most diverse Colleges around. The ceremony was great, the speaker spoke on diversity which was fabulous, and John was literally the very first person to graduate from California State University Dominguez Hills. They started with the MBA's and John was the first MBA they introduced to graduate, so he was the first graduate of the University. We were so proud of our Johnnie, and it was literally exhilerating to see him shine, and shine he did. The event was topped off with a wonderful celebration dinner at "Denny's", classy. It was fun!
Isn't it amazing how quickly children make friends? It doesn't matter what the other child looks like, the color of their hair, skin, what kind of clothing, socio-economic background, where they live, what religion they are, or even what their parents do for a living, they simply
just love. This point was clearly reminded to me when Adessa made an instant friend waiting to meet Ariel in "California Adventure." As you can see, a secret was shared and an instant friendship made. How inspiring! If y
ou are ever looking for the right way to treat others, look to the example of a child. I am not surprised that the Savior loved the children so much, their purity is obvious and love contagious. When I grow up, I want to be like a little child.
One of my all time favorite movies is the 1985 academy award winner "Amadeus." The movie is a fictional representation about the relationship between 2 great composers, Mozart, and Salieri. The movie is vibrant, brilliant, and curious. Needless to say, the movie inspired a love for Mozart within me and a desire to see one of his great Opera's performed live. Naturally, my 1st choice would be "The Magic Flute", but you take what you can get right? Therefore, I settled on the decision to see "Don Giovanni." This was my 2nd Opera. John took me to see "Ariadne Auf Naxos" which is a Strauss Opera last year. The story is that of an Opera about an Opera. This year for my Birthday he gave me Mozart. Aaaaah Don Giovanni, the great Don Juan! The Opera was great. The beginning was typical Mozart the first sound was a strong heavy boom which sends chills through your entire body, the boom is followed by a softer melody which leads into the Op
era. I was in heaven. The story is a famous one, Don Giovanni a great lover and seducer of women ends up in trouble for his womanizing, murder, refuses to repent, and is dragged off to Hell in the end by a big statue. Could it get any better? I recommend the Opera, if you are not able to see the Opera
at least watch "Amadeus", not with your children, but I think you will be mesmerized by the life of this eccentric and gifted man.
Costume rehearsals are finished! Picture day is over! Showtime is here! I have said it before and I will say it aga
in, if Adessa does her part it will be a miracle. I have told my dancers that after Thursdays stage rehearsal I am worrying about them no more! I have to worry about me! Here is the velvet costume picture I promised for your laughing pleasure. For any Shellie's Alumni who may be reading or any morbidly curious viewers who want free family entertainmen
t this weekend, the concert is this Fri. May 16th at 7:00 p.m. at Kennedy Jr. High (in West Valley City as usual). It is Shellie's 40th studio anniversary and she will be hosting an Alumni open house the following Sat. at 3:00 p.m. in Wilma's back yard. Break a leg!
I love Mothers Day, it is such a great time to say "I Love You" and "Thank You" to the special women and mothers in our lives. In my excitement I rushed off to the store to pick out the perfect card and remembrance for my 3 moms and grandma. The card was easy,but when I saw the beautiful geraniums outside, I knew just what to give them. The color was "Pinto Violet" and I knew that a flower with the name pinto in it had to be super cool. I couldn't wait to give my mother-in-law her little gift. The doorbell rang, it was Sue, "Ash, come outside and pick which Mothers Day present you want." Naturally when I heard the word "present" and "pick" I raced to the porch. Lo and behold, there stood the worlds largest geranium planter I had ever seen. I could feel the red rising to my cheeks as I knew what I would be handing to her in a matter of seconds, a tiny geranium plant. I could not control the laughter as I handed over my ghetto little plant. Needless to say, she liked it and we had to capture the moment on film the irony was too much to bear. Enjoy!
I am not sure why I have always hated the movie Pinocchio. Maybe it is something about a puppet coming to life that freaked me out. I am sure that "Chucky" in my more mature years probably had something to do with tainiting my perception of puppets. Creepy puppets! Lately, Adessa has been watching Pinocchio at her Grandma Great's house. I have caught little snippets now and then while she is with Great, and I must say it is a beautiful story. While I have been thinking about the morals in Pinocchio, I have been re-reading "The Picture of Dorian Gray." For those of you who haven't read Dorian Gray, the premise of the story is about a beautiful man who has a painting painted of him. He bec
omes a hideous, evil, awful man, and his horrible deeds are manifested in his image of the painting. While he remains looking like an Adonis his painting becomes dark and twisted potraying the most horrible looking human being ever imagined. Similarly, we all know the story of Pinocchio, when Pinocchio tells a lie his nose grows. This makes it obvious for people to know when Pinocchio has been dishonest. I started to think about both of t
hese stories and how they are outward expressions of inward flaws. After the "What Women Want" expo I started to think about how much we as women care about our looks, I am no exception. I then started to think about "what if?" What if we had some kind of physical flaw maybe a mole pop up, or a big zit, or maybe boils bubbling all over us, for every time we told a little fib, or stretched the truth, or said an unkind thing about another person. What if we grew big mounds of facial hair, or warts, or giant cold sores, for every time we judged a person, envied a person, or shared a bit of gossip. I can guarantee you if we had boils popping up for each time we said something bad about another person (whether it be true or not) we would stop in a hurry. We would never gossip if we had 
big bulging moles pop up for each unkind, judgemental word we spoke, or ended up with chops like Elvis in his later years for telling little lies. Vanity, simply would enforce being a beautiful person on the inside as well as the outside. Strange to think about what would motivate us to make the better choice. Are we motivated by the idea of being a good person, or returning to our heavenly father with honor, or would a change in our physical looks be more of a motivating factor to improve the kind of person we are on the inside. Dorian Gray eventually stabs the pain
ting which in turn ends up actually stabbing himself and transfiguring him into the person he had become in the painting, while a beautiful portrait of the Adonis he was hung perfectly on the wall. Pinocchio on the other hand gets a second chance and proves himself to be the kind of person within which is essential to obtain the exterior he has always wanted. I think that the morals taught in Pinocchio are Walt Disneys greatest works. Forget the princess junk, lets stick to the creepy puppet boy who teaches us how to be honest, repent, and make the right choice even when it is hard. Maybe if I work a little harder on the inside, my outside will improve a little as well. You just never know.
This has been the most insanely busy week I have had since I was teaching Jr. High! It all started with Judging dance try-outs Monday (picture something from Simon Cowell in American Idol and you have it pretty much right on) this was followed by teaching dance for 3hrs. to 3 teenage classes. Tuesday followed with more auditions (A slightly more exhausted Simon Cowell). Wednesday I taught dance for 2hrs. and tried to race home from West Valley to run before John had mutual, which I didn't make it in time to do (Oh, such sad sad tears). Thursday and Friday were devoted to the Women's Conference which was amazing, but when things are busy, you lose 2 days worth of have to's to the want to's. Now I am behind 2 days. This Morning (Saturday) started with one of John's smart Aleck young men ringing the doorbell at 6:30, my dad ringing the doorbell at 8:00, and my mom ringing the doorbell at 8:30, needless to say the 3rd time got us out the door to judge more auditions (this time picture Simon Cowell tired and irritated with Paula, that is about where I was at). A rehearsal followed auditions (I am going to have to leave a trail of M&M's on the stage to even get Adessa to do her part, I am not even sure if bribery will get her to behave on stage, she is wild!), which followed another rehearsal, which followed a quick jaunt to the "What Women Want" expo where I learned that we are the most vain creatures on the planet. I laughed at the fact that you could right there on the spot have laser hair removal, botox, laser teeth whitening, massages, and qualify for a number of facial treatments. I realized that they don't know what women want at all. If they knew what women want they would have had a maid service, doughnut stand, and chauffer. We left laughing (which helped our blood flow and depression). I had to race up to layton to get some supplies to make 22 bows I have to have by Monday only to realize that I didn't get everything I needed. I wasn't going to go back! By now I have been to West Valley, wherever in the heck Jordan Commons is on 100 and something south, and Layton, I was miffed. This was all compounded by the fact that I was still feeling bad that I may have offended people by my softball question, my moms diagnosis of Rheumatoid arthritis, I have to have girls camp things organized and I have no clue what I am supposed to be doing, I am covered in some sort of itchy thing that is either hives, ring worm, or something else that is itching me into madness, and the fact that John is going to be out of town all this next week which is the week of my costume rehearsals at the studio (it seems as though his boss knows the busiest times to send him away and then does it. ie the week of the marathon). Plus, I had to try on my now plum colored velvet dance suit and trot around feeling like Barney with all of the bad effects of gravity (I will provide you all with the opportunity to see me in it and laugh your heads off when I have concert pictures). Needless to say, I got home dropped a thing of ribbon and screamed loud enough for Bob and Helma to think I had been stabbed. I decided at this point I had done myself a disservice by not running for the past 2 weeks. I told John I was leaving for a half and hour. As I started to run I decided that I couldn't come home until I was: 1. able to be decent to my husband, 2. able to sort out my babysitting dilemma and plans for this next week, 3. put together my plan of action for getting my bows all finished by Monday early afternoon, 4. and last of all, what in the world I should do for camp. when I got to mile 1.5 my head wasn't nearly as clear as it needed to be so I kept running. At mile 3, I still didn't have it together. Needless to say after 8 miles, one large hill, and the setting sun, I found myself home again. This time I was feeling calm ,collected, I could be nice to John, and start making what parts of the bows I had the supplies for. I missed the adult session of Regional Conference, but it was just too much! I find that I really live by the principle of "Healthy Body, Healthy Mind". Whenever I freak out I seem to find a lack of exercise at the bottom of it. Maybe all the sweat comes out of my brain and I am able to think more clearly. I like that, I am going to blame my freakout moments on having a sweaty brain. Decided! I am blaming it on the brain. Well, it seems as though I have just worked something else out. Next week here I come :)
Another Great Shape
Me, Sister Smoot, and Ali
Me, Shauna, Sue, and Ali
Me and Ali cutting fleece
As most of you know, I have been making headbands and bows since Adessa was born. Everywhere I went someone would stop us and ask where I got my bows. The answer was simple of course, "I made them." They would then ask if I had a website or if I sold them. This happened so much that I did start to sell them. There was a little boutique here in Bountiful called "Me and My House" that sold my bows until recently they went out of business. I have been nagged almost to death to start a website, but I am not quite that computer savvy. Recently I have had a lot of calls from friends who know that I do this as a side business, asking me for some bows. Just to keep things straight I decided to set up my own blog (since I know how to do that) for the bows. You can click on the link or I will have it on my blog under friends and family as well. The bow blog will not be ready for a few days as I will be at the Women's Conference today and tomorrow. If you are interested in bows I will just do the ordering through the bow blog and that way we can keep things straight. If you don't have girls or want bows than you can skip this post and answer my question about Softball players. http://www.alittlefroufrou.blogspot.com/
