Movie: Twilight

OMG!!! I so loved this movie! I had low expectations of the movie and so because of that, it turned out way better than I thought it would. I was so excited the whole time. You can ask Spencer, he's the one that took me. I would get really excited because I knew what would happen next, and I would just tense up and almost stop breathing from the excitement. Spencer even thought it was a good movie. I now have to read the books over again. Although that will have to wait until I finish the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, but as soon as I'm done withthat, I'm reading the Twilight series again. I give this 5 stars.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Well Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I spent my Thanksgiving at the Barlow house. It was all chaotic and fun. I had to work the night before Thanksgiving and so couldn't go early to the Barlow house. Myself and my friend Stevie went up to Herriman. We drove her car, which was a lot smarter than taking my car because my car is a piece of junk that would have had a hard time getting down there. When we got to the Herriman house, it was crazy and loud and chaotic. Now Stevie comes from Chicago, IL and has never been around a lot of people in one house. So she was a little overwhelmed. There was so much going that even I get a little overwhelmed at times, and I experience the craziness once a year, at least.

I think the headcount for Thanksgving dinner was about 52 people there, give or take a person or two. We actually got to eat in the house this year. In the Riverton house, they always had to eat in the garage. So after eating dinner, we played games. Stevie ended up needing to come back up to Logan to work at 6 am the day after Thanksgiving. So Grandpa Barlow convinced me to stay the night. I stayed the night and had fun talking with my Grandpa and with Mother Ann. The next day, I talked with Mother Ann and Dezirae and Lydia. While we are talking, Grandpa Barlow, Carl (Heather's husband), Ryan (Carl's brother), and a couple of the other uncles are all down in the basement. They were down there because Grandpa needed to take out a wall down there and so they needed to replace one of the wooden support beams holding up the main floor with a steel support beam. So Ann, Dezirae, Lydia and I are all talking when Ryan and Heather come running up the stairs telling us to get off the kitchen floor, so we rush into the sitting room.

Now the whole time we were talking we could feel the floor bouncing up and down with the hits the guys downstairs were making. It was kinda scary. So we get over into the sitting room and finished talking. Ryan and Heather finally come back up and tell us everything was alright. I finally called Stevie to see when she was going to pick me up and she could only meet me halfway. So had James give me a ride down to Ogden and Stevie picked me up and that was my Thanksgiving day.

I will get pictures up as soon as I get them off of Stevie's camera.

Movie: Madagascar 2

Spencer and I went and saw Madagascar 2. It was a really cute movie and it was funny, but I like the story line of the first one. I didn't really like how Gloria and Melman hooked up, it was dumb and almost ruined the movie for me. But it was still a good movie. I give it 4 stars.

Movie: Quantum of Solace

Spencer and I went and saw Quantum of Solace, the new James Bond movie. I thought it was a really good movie, but I think I liked the first one better. It was still good though. I'll give it 4 stars.

African Children's Choir

So I got to see the African Children's choir today and omg was it good. I definitely cried at times during the performance. It is just heartbreaking thinking of what these children have gone through. All of the children who performed tonight are between the age of 8-10. They have seen and lived what they should not have. Many don't know their parents. At the very end of the performance, they tell the audience what they want to be when they grow up. There were quite a few teachers, lawyers, pilots, a doctor, a judge, a bank manager, a singer, and an optometrist to name a few. It was so sweet and I felt I had to do something to help out the children in Africa, so I ended up buying a $15 stuffed tiger that is so cute. I definitely considered spluging more on a t-shirt and some cd's but I limited myself. If anyone wants to do anything for the children in Africa, go to africanchildrenschoir.com and you can help donate to this worthy cause.

In 1978 Human Rights Worker Ray Barnett arrived in Uganda to research a book about the brutal years of dictatorship and terror that had devastated this beautiful country. What he found would change his life. A few years later, in 1984 he heard a BBC news report that told of 150,000 children starving to death in northern Uganda. And so began the journey that would start the formation of the African Children's Choir. Through their voice and their music, the children of the Choir are taking Africa to the rest of the world. They are victims of a terrible pandemic, but they are also the promise and future of Africa. For over 21 years, the African Children's Choir has been performing throughout North America and the United Kingdom.

Each year a new choir is selected from children who are not only musical, but who also come from some of Africa's most desperate villages. Many have lost one or both parents to poverty or disease. The children sing on behalf of their brothers, their sisters, their friends, and their village. Their songs bring great joy to those who hear them, but through their songs they are asking for help.

A Crown of Swords by: Robert Jordan (7th in series)

I really enjoyed this story. I don't know why I never really finished this series before. I think it is so interesting now. Sure there are the boring parts you skim over but it is a great series.

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, prepares to attack the Forsaken Sammael in Illian while enjoying life with his lover, Min Farshaw, and attempting to quell the rebellion by nobles in Cairhien, during which Padan Fain severely injures him with the Shadar Logoth dagger. After recovering, Rand al'Thor, accompanied by Asha'man, attacks Illian and defeats Sammael in a duel of the One Power in Shadar Logoth. Rand then takes the crown of Illian, formerly the Laurel Crown, but now called the Crown of Swords.
Egwene al'Vere and Siuan Sanche attempt to manipulate the Aes Sedai rebels in Salidar to move against Elaida's Aes Sedai in the White Tower in Tar Valon. After Egwene and Siuan investigate Siuan's suspicions about Myrelle, Egwene exploits the transfer of Lan's Warder bond from Moiraine to Myrelle in order to force Myrelle and Nisao to swear fealty to her.
In the city of Ebou Dar in Altara, Elayne Trakand, Nynaeve al'Meara, and Mat Cauthon search for a ter'angreal, the Bowl of the Winds, to break the unnatural heat brought on by the Dark One's manipulation of climate. They find it and enlist the help of the Kin and the Atha'an Miere, or Sea Folk. They also confront a Gholam. Mat is left behind after searching for Olver, and is caught in the fighting as the Seanchan invade Ebou Dar.

Spencer Update

Ok so here is the news on what is going on with his shoulder.

Now I don't remember if I told you what is specifically wrong so I'll just say it again. He has a 3rd degree AC Separation in his shoulder. Which basically means he tore a bunch of stuff in his shoulder. We went and talked to a doctor on Tues, Nov 4 (I think) and the doctor said that Spencer had two options. He could either have surgery and be out for about 3 mos, or he could just leave it alone and let it heal by itself and be back playing hockey in 4-6 weeks. If you haven't guessed it he is leaving it alone.

So he has been on Percocet constantly to help with the pain until yesterday when his prescription ran out. So he has been feeling better but he is definitely ready for his shoulder to be fixed and to stop hurting.

School Performances

Ok, so I have decided to just put all of my school performances that I have been to so far onto one blog. It is easier this way for me. So here goes:

Nunsense:
I went and saw Nunsense on September 20. Nunsense begins when the Little Sisters of Hoboken discover that their cook, SisterJulia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters, and they are in dire need of funds for the burials. The sister decide that the best way to raise the money is to put on a variety shwo, so they take over the school auditorium, which is currently set up for the eighth grade production of "Grease." Here we meet Reverend Mother Regina, a former circus performer; Sister Mary Hubert, the Mistress of Novices; a streetwise nun from Brooklyn named Sister Robert Anne; Sister Mary Leo, a novice who is a wannabe ballerina; and the delightfully wacky Sister Mary Amnesia, the nun who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head.
This was a really funny play. I really liked it.

East Village Opera Company:
I went and saw the E.V.O.C. on September 23. The E.V.O.C. is a rock band that sings opera. They have toured the world with a unique live show, combining a seemingly incongruous classical string section with a powerhouse rock band. In a rare feat not many artists can claim, E.V.O.C. headlines the world in both eclectic rock clubs as well as some of the most prestigious classical concert halls.
I really liked the E.V.O.C. I am totally into stuff like that. The only thing is that the sound was off and so I had a hard time hearing the singers. Because of that, I fell asleep for about 20 min near the end. But it was still good.

The Fry Street Quartet:
I went and saw the Fry Street Quartet on October 10. They are a bunch of teachers at the University who are a musical group. They are really weird looking in the way they moved and everything. They played all 17 of Beethoven's string quartets over the space of 6 nights. I slept through the entire first half of the performance and was awake the second half. I was super tired and the classical music lulled me to sleep.

The TAIKOPROJECT:
I went and saw the TAIKOPROJECT on October 30. The TAIKOPROJECT is an ensemble of premiere taiko drummers dedicated to promoting and advancing the American art of taiko. Through public performances, education, and outreach activities, TAIKOPROJECT is committed to preserving taiko as a dynamic element of Japanese American culture and heritage. In addition to maintaining taiko as a community-based tradition, TAIKOPROJECT also incorporates unconventional and innovative concepts to expand artistic boundaries. Through these values, TAIKOPROJECT seeks not only to entertain audiences, but also to inform them about the history and integrity of taiko as an evolving art form.
They were really good, I was very excited to see them. I remember seeing Taiko when I lived in Japan. People would come and perform at my elementary school.

Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet:
I went and saw the Ballet perform Carmina Burana. Set to Carl Orff’s popular cantata, Carmina Burana: the Ballet takes its inspiration from a group of sacred and secular medieval poems celebrating the struggle of men and women against fate. The ballet depicts the story of 13th century minstrels who abandon their beliefs in favor of life’s pleasures. The action takes place in the fertile imagination of a young monk, who instead of writing "Ave Maria" in the margins of his prayer book, finds himself writing "Hail Venus." The classical composition is given a modern interpretation through sensual choreography, colorful costumes and minimalist set decoration.
This was really good. My favorite part of the ballet was the very beginning and the very end. They performed to the song "Oh, Fortuna". The dancing was really good.

It's been awhile.

Ok, so I know it's been awhile since I have posted on here. It's been a little hectic lately. A lot has happened and so I will update this while I can, but bear with me.

Not Good!

Ok, so on Saturday night, November 1, Spencer and I went to watch the USU hockey game. The Aggies won 14-2, I think, I don't remember the exact score but we creamed them. We played Utah Valley University. After the USU game, Spencer had a Men's League game. So he was my ride and so I stayed to watch him. It is only like 5-7 minutes into the game when I looked up and i saw Spencer leaning down to get the puck and his skate lost the edge. So he fell onto his stomach. He blocks the shot by the oppposing team, and he keeps sliding and just slams into the boards.



I was watching and as soon as he hit, I just knew something was wrong. I just had a feeling in my gut. When Spencer hit, all the impact went into his shoulder. When he got up, he saw the puck at his feet and swung at it. When he swung, he felt and heard a loud pop coming from his shoulder. He knew something was wrong and so went to the bench. (Now, you have to remember that I am watching all of this with a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and worry on my face.) I am watching as he sits on the bench and then watching John (manager of the ice rink and a coach for the USU team) pull off Spencer's jersey. I am watching as Spencer and John leave the rink and go back to the lockers. As soon as he was off the ice, I gathered my blanket and purse and go to see what happened and they had disappeared into one of the lockers.



So I am sitting in the stands waiting to know what happened. John finally comes back out and waves me down. I get down to him and he tells me Spencer hurt his shoulder and I need to take him to the E.R. As he is telling me this my stomach just drops lower and lower. So I drive Spencer's jeep to the hospital and I am not wanting to go the speed limit. I didn't want to go fast over any bumps in the road and jar his shoulder. So I'm going at like 25 mph until Spencer just tells me to speed up so we get to the hospital before he passes out. So I start to freak, I am on the verge of tears with worry. It sucked.



So we finally get to the hospital. I had pulled into the drop off area the wrong way, I wasn't even paying attention, all I wanted to to do was get him in there. So he heads into the E.R. while I park the jeep. When I get into the waiting room with him, they have us wait like 10-15 min before they will admit him into a room. Then once we get into the room, it was another 10-15 min before they took him to get x-rayed. While he was getting x-rayed I'm just chilling in his room with nothing to do except worry.



When he finally gets back to the room, we had to wait another 10 min before the doctor came and talked to us. When the doctor came, he told us that Spencer had separated his shoulder and that Spencer had a 3rd degree AC separation. So there were two treatment options, 1) get surgery; 2) let it heal without surgery. But the doctor in the E.R. wouldn't tell us more than that, we had to see an Orthopedic surgeon about that. So the doctor put Spencer in a sling, gave him some drugs and gave him the name of an Orthopedic surgeon.



Now Spencer has been on Percocet for the last, almost week now. The doctors in the E.R. only gave him 16 pills, that was only enough until Tuesday morning. Spencer didn't see the Orthopedic surgeon until Wednesday afternoon. He didn't want to go a day and a half without any pain pills. So we drove to the E.R. to see if they would give him some more drugs, they wouldn't. Then he went to the hockey doctor to see if he would. The hockey doctor wasn't there. Then we went to see the Orthopedic surgeon to see if they would, and they wouldn't. Then Spencer got a call to say that the hockey doctor got the message and wrote out a perscription for more Percocet.



Ugh! This has been hectic. I'll keep you posted on what is going on.