August happenings

Yesterday morning I got an email from Benihana wishing me a happy birthday and I thought, wow, they are months early. And then it dawned on me that it was indeed my birthday month. I am sitting here on September 2nd noticing that the leaves on the mountains are changing colors. Where in the world did the summer go? School is in session and I am seeing more and more bloggers pulling out pumpkins for their centerpieces.

Well, August was full of summer activities so at least we managed to do what we could to feel fulfilled. Maddy had her last swimming birthday party of the season and the ones that come hereafter will likely be inside. Good thing about those is that I don't feel compelled to hang around and supervise as I do when there is a swimming pool with a deep end involved. I do love a good 3 hour birthday party on a Saturday so I can run errands alone :)

We joined Phil and Rachel Sanderson, (another couple we didn't know) and Tiburon and Adam Erickson, (and the last couple on the right we didn't know) in the Mystery Escape Room at The Gateway. They put you in a room and you have 60 minutes to figure out clues and puzzles that will lead you to the keys to disarm the bomb on the door as well as to find the keys to the door so you can escape the room.

We were probably 3 minutes short on time and unfortunately died in the terrorist bomb. Darn it. It was fun and exciting but we kind of walked away frustrated and for two days I kept thinking about what I could have done different and faster so that we could have gotten out in time. I want to go back and do another scenario now that I understand the gist of the experience. What a fun date!


The best part of course was the Black and Tan at Leatherby's afterwards.

Sarah, Katie and I each got an email inviting us to come and be a part of recording Saturday's Warrior. Saturday's Warrior!!! We watched the movie as kids and knew all the songs and used to dance in our flowey slips while on screen they did the ballet scene in Heaven. Then when we met the Lex de Azevedo and joined Millennium it was a privilege to since selected songs from the show through the years at various firesides and concerts. Through the 15 years of singing in Millennium we have heard Lex talk about how he has always hated the movie that was made. He talked about the show back in the 70s when it was performed in Los Angeles and then toured for years around various states. He talked about how the play as he wrote it was so very different than what the movie portrayed and how he was always a little disappointed that that was his legacy on file - something he didn't like.

So when he told us that he wanted to make a motion picture of Saturday's Warrior, not a stage play that was filmed like the one we had grown up with but a real movie, I hoped that maybe, just maybe, there might be a place for his old choir friends.

Fast forward to August and the email saying that he was going to record and we were invited to join the choir. Yay, yay, yay! We immediately called each other "did you get the email?" Huge sigh of relief that we were all asked to join. So we recorded the opening number and they did some filming with a mind to add the shots to "the making of" or during the closing credits.

I keep waiting to see if we will record the rest of the choir numbers as well sometime soon since I know they have started shooting the movie this week. Very exciting project to be a part of.

I joined a few co-workers for a golf tournament/fundraiser for the UofU cheerleader (our owner has a daughter who is a cheerleader). Ironically, all four of us are Huge BYU cougar fans. I tried to keep my BYU colors to a minimum but when you looked at us as a team I think it was clear that we didn't belong! It dawned on me later that if we were in a BYU fundraiser, I would never wear red even accidentally so I suppose it was clear to everyone there that we were rivals. Perhaps that's why they never stopped by to offer us drinks or snacks.

I was very pleased with my driving but still have a lot of work on putting and my irons. Boy, I stink at hitting anything with irons. Driver, got that down finally but no irons.

Austin Gunn (social media coordinator), Billy McCleary (tax director) , Mel, Jason Gough (controller)

Sarah gave us and Katie a few tickets to see Julianne in "Guys and Dolls" at Centerpoint Legacy Theater. This is a community theater along the lines of Hale Centre Theatre. It was really exciting for Julianne to have auditioned and have been given a part - a mission doll - but a part!

We were the audience for the preview night so we went with the understanding that they might stop the show if they had to and in fact, and one point they did stop the scene because some major props were missing from the stage. It actually gave the actors a chance to do some ad lib and then started over and actually was charming and fun.

I especially enjoyed the show because it was what we performed in 9th grade at Eisenhower Jr. High. I was a bag lady (which is not a real part) but that meant i was in 80% of the scenes including the ones full of the "guys" gambling.

Anyhow, the show was great. The girls we brought along with us enjoyed it as well. I'm glad Maddy is now old enough to sit still and enjoy a 2.5 hour show. I love sharing with her something I enjoy so much.

After the show we met Julianne for some pictures.

Maddy loves meeting the actors (well the ones that aren't too scary - read that as - girls) so we had to get a picture with Adelaide and with Sargent Sarah Brown.

And one of the hot box dancers that Maddy thought was really pretty. When I asked her if Maddy could take a picture with her she looked surprised and flattered since she was a chorus member without even a specific named character.

We also made a trip to Benihana for dinner. On our way into the parking garage the parking attendant told us that if we brought back a Benihana hat he would show us a magic trick. So Maddy made sure to bring it and was so excited. He had her come close to the window of the booth and he leaned out and took her hat, turning it upside down and said "ta-da, I turned your hat into a warrior hat". I'll admit I was a little bit disappointed but Maddy thought it was great.

And we leave with a picture of Toby, ever patient Toby, who let us dress him up with a barbie superhero mask and a kerchief cape. What a good sport he is - we love our Super Dog!

other May happenings

The traditional Sally Bytheway Chorale spring concert at the Assembly Hall on Temple Square and the traditional Soprano group photo.

Dinner at Cody and Hayley's house and fun with baby cousin Harper.

The next door neighbors have a daughter who is a few months younger than Maddy. She and Ruby have become fast friends. They both go to Miss Swendy's Day School so Scott and Ruby's mom came up with a deal where on alternating Wednesdays we take home both kids and give the other couple a night off. The picture below was sent one night when they had taken the girls bowling.

I dropped Maddy off at school one morning and it hit me how grown up she is. She walked up to the school with her backpack, wearing her dress and wedge heel sandals and I felt the enormity of the month . . . May is graduate from Kindergarten month. It has gone so very quickly.

Maddy's first and last days of Kindergarten.

The day where Maddy did my makeup and nails. Scott kept looking at me next to him on the couch and being shocked over and over again at the eyebrows. He finally made me go and scrub them off. Frankly, I didn't think she did too horrible of a job. She's come a long way.

There was more singing. A recording session at De Azevedo Studios. First the whole recording group, then the Millennium crew who have been singing together 15 years, then Lex and the Dalton girls.

Maddy desperately wanted to do a lemonade stand. It was late in the evening, early in the season and she pushed so hard that I decided to teach her a lesson - letting her do it and she wouldn't make any money because who wants lemonade (well Apple juice) at 8:30 at night in May?! She picked the 5 cent price - I suggested a quarter. She managed to rake in $5.21 from three customers. If I didn't know better, I'd think she was a brilliant marketer, setting the price low so they would take pity on her and pay her more. I suspect if she had my price posted they would have paid the quarter and went on their way. Brilliant.

 A pose from the silly girl at the park.

And a beautiful picture of lovely niece Rebekah who is now in London serving at the Hyde Park Chapel. What lovely girls we Daltons make.

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.



December 2014

Merry Christmas

Christmas started this year with Aunt Jana's annual "day after Thanksgiving party", except that it wasn't the day after Thanksgiving. What a wonderful tradition this party has been for as long as I can remember. It is fun to see our little ones at the same age as when Aunt Jana started the party with us. 

Maddy had a school program. Gratefully the kindergarten classes performed first and so I got to go and enjoy and then leave. I like to think that I could hear her over the other kids but I suppose I probably couldn't. From what I could tell however, she knew all the words and was a great little performer.

Maddy has had a dry itchy face since before Halloween and unfortunately, by this time it was making her eye all puffy and red. We tried changing back our laundry detergent and going back to basic shampoo, we moisturized (and moisturized, and moisturized). We tried allergy medicine and eye drops. Dr. Lindsay said "I'm not sure if the inflammation is causing her itching or if her itching is causing the inflammation". Eventually her rashy face left and I suppose it was a little bit of all of the above. 

We had a ward breakfast Christmas party this year. All the kids got to come help Brother Osgood with the reading of Luke 2 by putting the manger scene together. I led the kids and then the ward in some carols. It was kind of a fun change from the normal party.

We made our annual December trip to Benihana. Why this is an annual Christmas tradition I'm not sure but we go every year.

XANGO had it's christmas party...

Maddy got a manicure while I got my hair done. Can you tell she was in heaven with that pampering??!!

We had our usual Sally Bytheway Chorale concert at The Assembly Hall and then meandered through the grounds at Temple Square to see the lights on the way back to the car.

Somewhere I have some Christmas pictures that I will need to add but where they could be on my computer I suppose is a guess. Happy Christmas.