in other February news...

As a recap of the month a bunch of pictures from my iPhone

 

 

We were invited to watch the Superbowl with friends in the ward. Not only do they make a mean Superbowl spread, but Tiburon (the mom) is a huge Seattle Seahawks fan and she is quite animated so I have to admit, the Tib show rates only slightly below the commercials and slightly below the food for the evening. These boys are in Scott's Sunday school class and got him to give a smile for the camera. A bit of a miracle in and of itself.

 

 

Our oldest niece Rebekah received her mission call to the Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom mission. She will enter the MTC on 20 May 2015. She is such a beautiful girl and will be a wonderful missionary and emissary of the Lord. I am so excited for her and proud of her commitment in this big decision. She finished her first year of college at Utah State University just this month and then home for a few weeks before heading off to the MTC only 19 days from now. Wow, seems like just yesterday she was born.

 

 

Forever she will be as little as she was in this picture below from 2003 sitting on her dad's lap, probably only 5 or 6 - about as old as Maddy is now (wow, that puts the time into perspective - Sarah I get why you are a little freaked out. that time went fast).

 

 

Maddy started dance classes again in February at the rec center. Becky's School of Dance has a Saturday morning class there and one of our Young Women, Noella Alder, is one of the teachers. Maddy was very upset with me because I enrolled her in the 6 to 8 year old class and she wanted to be in the 3-5 year old class. I kept trying to tell her that those girls were all little and she would be 6 in only a month. She was afraid and didn't want to be with the scary big girls. However, about 10 minutes in, she flashed me a thumbs up, followed about 5 minutes later with a run over to me and a "mom, I like this class". Phew.

I got sick. Again. Seemed like everyone got sick. I had a cough that had been around for 4 weeks and then the fever came for several days and other GI issues and so went it to see the doc. We did chest x-rays and I went away with a diagnosis of the flu. Actually, probably a cold followed then by the flu - thus the length. Scott ended up getting it too and we survived for days on herbal teas with evaporated milk and honey and cough drops and humidifiers. We've never been sicker as a family since we added daycare and now kindergarten. The good news is we seem to be better these days and hopefully we are building up loads of good antibodies.

Maddy and I went to see SpongeBob Squarepants in 3-D.

For Valentine's Day we had spaghetti for dinner (because you have to have Italian food for dinner on Valentine's Day). Scott and Maddy had stopped after school and picked up dessert! Oh how well my sweetheart knows me. The best gift is always a Leatherby's Black and Tan!

We made a visit to the Children's Museum downtown on one of the day's off school. Maddy adores the place. I only wish that she had someone to play with while we were there but she actually makes friends well with strangers so she probably doesn't mind too much. Everytime we go anyplace alone I find myself wishing I had called Katie or Sarah or somebody else to join us.

Jake holds onto my arm when I scratch his neck and try to pull away - tight!

We finally really met and loved on Harper, newest little Bishop grandchild, baby of sweet Cody and Hayley. Maddy is ever so in love with her little cousin.

Also Chantiel and the girls came to Payson for a visit and they had such a wonderful time playing and being silly together. On the drive home Maddy was hiding behind her coat and then must have been so cozy and warn out from all that giggling that she fell right to sleep. Warm car rides will do that to you.



Marley, Khloe, Avrey, Maddy, Harper

a surreal day

February 4th was a surreal day. It wasn't anything super spectacular but there was a moment in the evening when I stepped outside my day and looked back and thought "What is this life that I'm living! Who would have thought?"

 

The Wednesday began as it normally does with me dropping Maddy off at kindergarten and  heading to work. It was a different day, however, because I had a photo shoot today! Each year, the company celebrates the staff with 10 year anniversaries by creating a photo that then lingers the halls for the year. This group included me as I had started with XANGO in 2005. The plan was to create an image similar to the one from the 2005 hit TV show LOST. (and I have to brag on myself because it was my suggestion that ended up being used!).

Our original plan was to capture the whole group but then the creative department decided it would be easier to take each person individually and Photoshop everyone together.



Not me (obviously - it's Brad Belnap) but a shot of the set up

 I came at my scheduled time and walked into the "studio". They had the white backdrop with lights and the computer off to the side showing each shot. There was a craft services table and music playing and a WIND Machine!!! They pinned my shirt back behind me so it was a bit more fitted, they told me to relax and not be nervous. They told me to constantly move and change my poses and look off into the "horizon" - never directly at the camera. They began snap, snap, snapping photos. I felt like a fool. But they kept saying "You're doing great!" "That one was perfect" "You are a natural". I felt dumb.

 

After awhile I decided that I needed to start acting. For the next 30 minutes I did everything I have learned from watching years of "Americas Next Top Model". Since we were supposed to look intense and strong and resolute all those tips from Tyra Banks came to me.

 

. . . Don't forget to SMIZE (smile with your eyes even if not with your mouth)

 

. . . pose while holding an inhale of breath to give you intensity rather than flatness

 

. . . make shapes with your body so there is something interesting to look at

 

. . . leave space between your arms and your body and between your legs to give the impression of movement even though it is a two-dimensional shot

 

I'm not sure if I really did a good job but pretending to be a model certainly helped me to feel a little bit less foolish. 

After the day ended at work, I jumped in the car and headed to the recording studio to record that month's song for Lex de Azevedo's Alleluia album. It was actually there that I thought "what a crazy life - a photo shoot this morning and a recording session this evening."

a picture at Chorale the next night with Katie and Sarah

Since that day, I've thought back a lot on what my life has become and how different it is - how it is nothing like I thought it would be 20 years ago when I was a freshman in college. 20 years ago I thought I was going to graduate with a degree in elementary school education, but I would actually never really teach because I would have 5 kids that I stayed home with.

That vision changed a bit through college and I ended up graduating as an accountant, and while I did get married,  I figured I would do taxes at a public accounting firm for the rest of my working life.

Here I am 12 years into marriage to Scott, 6 years into being a mother of the best daughter ever, and 10 years into a career in industry at a Direct Selling Company, having traveled to Tokyo, Taipei, Europe, Mexico City, Toronto, Maui. I've met people from around the world and learned so much about international taxation. I've been blessed to work with so many different individuals and been able to participate in planning product launches and global events and marketing strategies. I'm heading up the financial department as a CFO which was never in the plans because how many tax people become a CFO?! And, then there are the photo shoots and recording sessions!

I have learned that whatever plans I had for myself and my future will only be bigger and grander than expected because I am willing and excited to put myself out there and to learn and to grow. I love challenges because they become opportunities. I love any experience that can teach me something and who knows where that will end up leading. It's hard, and my life is full, but it's exciting and satisfying and . . . a bit surreal sometimes.

I love the moments when I look back at my life and think "Heavenly Father, why didn't you tell me that this was what you had in store for me?!" Who knows if I would have done anything different but I'm ever so grateful that this is where He has led me. I am blessed and full and happy.



holes

 

I was waiting for an "after" picture before I wrote this post but I'm afraid that maybe I'll never get around to it. I want to remember this, so into the blog it goes.

 

A bit ago, we bought 8 honeysuckle plants to plant along the side of the wall. The hopes were that they would grow up and cover the cinder block and keep the junior high kids from spray painting gang signs on the wall. In years past, we planted ivy hoping it would grow up and do the same but it doesn't seem to want to climb without some help.

 

Scott installed some really lovely lattice on the walls and I physically wound some ivy in to help train it to go up. He also built a small wall and filled it with good dirt so that the honeysuckle could have good ground and might actually grow. He said the wall also allowed him to not run the snowblower into the dirt in the winter so double score.

 

One day nearing the end of this project, Maddy came to me and said that she needed me to get my scissors and to cut those big black things from the plants. She had seen me cutting the buckets from the root balls on other plants. I told her that I wasn't ready to plant the honeysuckle yet and that we still had to dig holes. She told me that she had already dug holes - eight in fact.

 

Sure enough, I wandered over and she had correctly counted that we needed eight holes and she had dug them for us. They were a bit too close together to be used but I was so impressed that she had counted the plants and then transfered the knowledge to how many holes she would need, and then dug just the right number. I shouldn't be impressed about these things, she's no dummy - but I constantly am. I hope that these moments and my amazement at her accomplishments never cease. They make me proud to be her mommy. I hope that I gave those moments to my mom and that I continue to do so.

In Memory

We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.

(from OK memorial site)

 

 

Last week I traveled to Oklahoma City for a business meeting and had some time to kill before I had to return to the airport for my flight. I went to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum and it was a sobering visit. The morning of April 16, 1995, 168 people were killed in a massive explosion - the act of a terrorist. 

 

Six months after the Oklahoma City memorial was completed, on September 11, 2001, the act of terrorists was felt again. I have not been to New York. I have not been to the Pentagon. However, having just visited the Oklahoma City memorial and having just been thinking about the senseless nature of mass killing, I feel a bit more somber and sad today on the 11th anniversary of this event.

 

I don't know why people do what they do. I'm not sure that I want to actually be able to understand it. To be honest, I don't even know what to write in this post other than I'm sorry for the loss of so many. I'm sorry for the scars that terrorism leaves behind. I'm grateful for the opportunity to renew and restore what was once there. I'm grateful for the memory left behind and for these days that help me pause to feel thankful for the blessings I have. I'm grateful for my knowledge that there is life after death and we will see our loved ones again.

a decade

Scott and Melissa Bishop

August 22, 2002

Salt Lake Temple

 

We've been married for 10 years today. So much has happened over the years so rather than gush about my hubby (which I could) I'll just reminisce on some of the things we've done together over the years.



Visiting the Alamo in November 2002 as newlyweds on our trip to see Scott's sister in San Antonio for Thanksgiving.

Summer of 2003 we spent several days in Dominican Republic.



2004 (says my computer but the date may be wrong), Scott gets his end of the engagement deal. I got an ring, he got a bike.



Fall of 2005. I rented "The King and I" costumes for a work costume ball. He will never forgive me for making him dress up. We were still young in our marriage and he must have been willing to be uncomfortable in the name of love.

2006 begins our annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari Tradition

June of 2006 we attend the wedding of Scott's Brother Jeff to our new sister-in-law Chantiel

We buy a house September 2006

Halloween October 2006

2007 we go on a business trip to Maui

 

June 2007 My baby sister Rachel gets married

Moab Jeep Week Spring 2008

 

 Real Salt Lake soccer game summer 2008

 We got dogs.

Strutt Your Mutt summer 2008

We had a baby!

Scott Loran Bishop and Madelyn Loran Bishop, March 2 2009

July 2009 at Jordanelle Reservoir

We go fishing in CO September 2009 and I catch, gut, cook and eat my first fish

October 2009 we see "Love" the Beatles show in Las Vegas

 

December 2009 visiting temple square (above) and Benihana (below)

June 2011 at the Sacramento temple where Scott's little brother Cody married Hayley.

Moab Jeep Week 2012

The happy family June 2012 - well I'm sure they are smiling on the inside.