So exciting to make a video

On Halloween, Dave, Ben, and I dressed up as characters from "The Office." And throughout the night, I took people aside and asked their opinions about the party--Office asides, so to speak. I'm working on putting the footage together into something more enjoyable.

I am impressed with iMovie. It's been very easy to put the footage together and I've figured out to do some really interesting stuff. I want to learn more about it. I love book editing a lot, but film editing is just as satisfying, I've found. Still takes a lot of skill and a little creativity to get everything to click together. It's awesome.

Soon to come, "The Office Halloween Party 2009."

The Guitars

My friends and I like to make movies when we have time... and even when we don't. This is a sequel to the one we made last year. And it was a lot of fun to make. Thanks to my brother Joel for letting us use his house.




Enjoy!

New Camcorder!

So I bought a camcorder today. And man, is it awesome! Home videos here we come. :)

It's October and Getting Chilly

Weather in Utah is funny. One day it's nice and sunny, and the next it's like winter just blasted through. Ah, October.

Going to the corn maze this weekend. Again. It was fun the first time and should be great the second time. This time, though, I plan to have my camera charged up and ready to take some fantastic pictures. I'm really enjoying the black and white option right now. I just love black and white pictures! I can't get enough of them. Recently went to the Hogle Zoo and could not stop taking pictures. I'll post the pictures up as soon as I have time. I think some of them turned out really well.

October has always been a good month for me. I love to see the leaves change color. I want to go up in the mountains and take pictures of the trees. What's stopping me? The cold weather. And the short amount of light. I'll have to go on a Saturday during the daytime. I expect to get some amazing shots. So look out trees! Here comes Melissa with her camera.

So sorry---it's been way busy

So I basically dropped off the face of the earth, and now I'm repenting.

I have been way busy with all sorts of stuff going on in my life. I guess the first matter of business is that I am no longer the RS president in my singles ward. Please, no gasping. After two and half years of service, it was time for me to be released. I miss it sometimes. Definitely have felt a lot lighter recently... and a sense of relief that I no longer have meetings at 9:30 in the morning.


The second matter of business is I never imagined being a friend would bring so much drama. Can't really give any details here, but it's been an emotional roller coaster and at times, I'm barely hanging on. Things are evening out, so to speak, but trust has been broken and it's going to take a while for it to actually be repaired. Life is cruel at times.

On the other hand, my job is going well. Cedar Fort just had one of our author's be on Oprah! Yay for the company. The book is Shattered Silence, and seems to be doing well. We'll see how long it lasts, but Oprah recommended it, and mentioned it a few times on her show. That's exciting.

So, no, I'm not dead, nor have I forgotten about this blog. I actually want to post more, so maybe you'll see more in the future. Here's hoping to better times.

Tons of fun in my world

So, this past month as been filled with visiting venues such as Lagoon, Seven Peaks, and soon to be an Owlz baseball game. Wow! The best part is that I've gotten free tickets for most of these adventures. I guess I have some sweet hook-ups. And that makes me happy. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to my happiness.

I went to Lagoon with my friend Ben and we had a blast. I loved being there with my good friend. I wish I would have taken more pictures, but what could I do? I didn't want to lose my camera on any of the rides. We rode Wicked twice! Twice! And I'm afraid of that ride; it scares me every time.

Looks like I'll be going to Lagoon on Saturday with my two nieces, Alyssa and Mayra. It should be a lot of fun. I don't know why I'm the lucky one, but I'll take it. Lagoon is one of those places where I have many good memories. It's just amazing to me how much fun I can have at an amusement park.

Thanks to Kyle, I received some free tickets to Seven Peaks. I took Ben and, once again, we had so much fun. Now I'm sunburned, even though I put on a ton of sunblock! I guess I needed to put more sunblock on. Oh well, it will be okay. I hope to not peel, but that has never happened in the past and I don't expect it to happen now. A nice tan would be nice, but not feasible with my skin. Oh well.

And tomorrow, I receive free tickets from work for an Owlz baseball game. I've never been, but I do like baseball, and so does Ben. Good thing I have a best friend who likes to do similar things with me.

Life is good. Complicated at times, but always good.

The Move

Last Sunday, my singles ward made a big move—to a new building and time slot. Now church starts at 11 a.m. and we meet on the east side of State Street. And the building we moved to is amazing. It was built in 1949, had some additions in later years, like a gym, and feels like a well-used building. The primary is upstairs, the nursery is in the basement. Sweet!

In all this kafuffle, I pondered about the importance of change. Life brings unexpected twists, friends make poor decisions, family grows up, and the ward changes to a new building. I don't really like change, but I recognize the importance of change, because it allows me to grow in wisdom and character.

A lot of the times, I want to be in control, telling everyone and everything what to do, while at other times, I'm happy to go with the flow and be told what to do. But changes allows me to choose between action and reaction. If something happens that I don't like, do I react to it? Or do I act? Reaction is mostly emotion. I let my emotions get the best of me, resulting in hasty, hurtful decisions. Action requires me to look at the situation with a broader perspective. At those times, I feel I can use logic to calmly view everything. But if I go to the other end of the spectrum, my logic can actually be a detriment where I become disconnected to the situation and make decisions that are against my feelings.

I find I need a healthy balance between the two: emotion and logic. Reaction and action. I can't be logical all the time. I can't be emotional all the time. Either would physically wear me out. It's hard to find that balance, and believe me, I'm not perfect. But I try to do my best. And that's good enough for me.

Such a little change to switch buildings. But this little change will affect me for a year.

WiiHarmony 2

Yes, WiiHarmony 2 is almost finished. Just a few more touch ups here and there, and the commercial will be complete. This time we used a green "screen" to get some cool effects. Not all the shots worked out with our green screen/sheet, but for first timers coming to this, it worked out pretty well.

WiiHarmony is a lot of fun to do. I had two friends play the part this time. And when we asked them to get a little closer, so they actually looked like they were in love, they kept taking smaller steps and leaning back. It was hilarious!

Coming soon to this blog....WiiHarmony 2!

July is my favorite month

I know that technically there is one more day in June, but I have to say it: July is my favorite month of the whole year. In Utah, we get two holidays—July 4th and Pioneer Day! Oh yeah, bring on the fireworks, barbecues, parades, celebrations, hot nights, cool grass, star gazing, water fun, summer fun, blazing beautiful days, and all the other fun July activities. I love this month.

If I could, I would take off the entire month of July and just have fun. I would travel all over (this year would be inside the state). I would play with my friends, go on dates every night, and write, write, write. July is the perfect time to stargaze, camp, and go on adventures.

I am so excited for this month. Yeah, there's some stress at work and in my calling. And summer is coming to an end. But I have 31 days to make the best summer ever. And I think I will. Watch out, July. Here I come!

Herb Garden

So the other week or so, I went to an Enrichment activity about gardening. And it was totally cool. Being in an singles ward, I don't have much opportunity to do a lot of homemaking stuff, and although I've gardened in the past with my family, I haven't had a chance to garden for myself. So to start us off in the right direction, the teacher had us plant some herbs. From seeds.

I thought for sure they would never grow. Or die.

But to my surprise, not only have the herbs grown, they're thriving! And I'm going have to put them in something other than a little plastic cup. I have cilantro, basil, and red rubin, which I'm not sure what to put that in, but it does have a nice red color.

Maybe I have a green thumb after all. A first for me. But I do have to give credit to my mom who has been watering them from time to time, especially since I'm not home during the day. Thanks, Mom! You're the best!

If I can grow and take care of herbs, then there's hope for a future garden filled with vegetables.

Race for the cure

All I can say is "Amen"!

Yellowstone!

My friend Dave got a job at Yellowstone, driving tour buses around the park. So Ben and I decided to go with him to give him one final "hurrah!" Since Ben came to live in Utah 9 months ago, we've been pretty much the "Three Amigos," or says the people in our singles ward. I'm going to miss Dave. Good thing we can still keep in contact through phone and computer, but it's a whole lot easier to do that when he's in town...

Anyway, we had a great trip. I saw a lot of buffalo, but didn't get a single picture! Drat. I'll post some photos as soon as I can. But all I can say is amazing! I was in Yellostone for only one day, but I already want to go back and explore everything that I didn't get a chance to see.

Yellowstone. A park of nature. A nature of fun.

WiiHarmony

Monday was a day to go in history! Indeed, the creation of wiiHarmony.com is something that I shall remember for the rest of my life.

Okay, it might not be that momentous, but I did have fun. We filmed this in about an hour (on my hour lunch break), Ben edited it in just under two hours (in Ben's bedroom), and we watched it for our ward talent show. I think the best part was Ben and his outtakes. He had so many, but he did have the most speaking to do.

Someday, I may become a famous movie star. But for right now, I'll stick with my wiiHarmony.com gig.

Hope you enjoy it. :)

Graduation

Yesterday, I attended the convocation of my sister and brother-in-law. What a great experience! It was rather long, though. After the speakers, it took over an hour and half to announce all the names. It was just name after name after name. . .

When it finally got the neuroscience department, I was surprised to hear that Emily was first. And this is how she had her name announced, "Emily Janae Caldwell Jones." I love it!

Ah, graduation! Yesterday brought back a lot of memories from my graduation in 2006. Just as long, it felt like, but also very exciting. Congrats, Emily and Kyle!

Surprise Attack

So the surprise of the day is what I had in my inbox today. Apparently, one of my authors had a heart attack. And on the same day that I sent him a proof of his book. Granted, I sent it to him at the end of the work day, and he had the attack in the middle of the day. Still. It makes me wonder...

It was just coincidence, right? He didn't have the attack because he was waiting for the proof?

I just don't know, and I've been musing on it all day.

And just so you know, the author is fine. He had surgery, is back home, and proofing his manuscript to meet our deadline. What a trooper!

Blog Writing

This is my third time to create a blog. The third time.
There's just something about writing a blog that makes me really excited. So excited that I started two other blogs. But somewhere along the line, my interest waned and then fizzled...but n0t this time. Nope. This time is going to be different. I just feel that it will be.

Because this time, I have some time. And I genuinely want to make it work. See, the first two times were different. The first time I didn't tell anyone about my blog, and that led to me forgetting about completely. Oops. The second time, I created it, but never wrote anything!

But as I said, this time will be different. I want to make this work. And that's a big deal.

So welcome. Enjoy. Make comments. And it should all be fun. Because you never know what thoughts will come out of head and onto this page.

Here's to blogging!