Changes

The blog world is a strange thing. You get to be a voyeur into people’s lives in a way that most of us wouldn’t experience. I’ve really enjoyed that in the sense that I feel a part of friends lives that I’m not great at keeping in contact with. It sort of makes the world seem smaller. I can see my niece growing up and hear all of her fun stories even though she still lives on the other side of the country. The other side of the blog world is that you probably share things with some people who you wouldn’t otherwise tell. But there is a therapeuticness to blogging, to sharing your feelings, and so I guess in that sense it’s all for the best.

So what was all that blabbering about? Pat has moved out. We decided a couple of weeks ago, and tonight is going to be the first night he isn’t here. It’s really surreal and I don’t really want to delve into it, but just felt like I needed to be open about it as part of me dealing with it. Nothing is final, but for now we are going to try living apart. Right now we are just trying to focus on Will and making sure that he is ok through all of this. I guess that is really all I have to say about it for now. Last week at the Kenny concert he sung this song that I don’t think I had ever heard. Considering what’s going on it really touched me and hit home. And I hope that someday Will will realize that his parents were just trying to find happiness.

And the winner is....

Not us, but Provo Parks and Rec is now the managers of the Peaks Ice Arena in Provo. I realize this probably was a lame secret to anyone, except maybe those who used to work there. We have been threatened with this for the last six years so it never really seemed like it would happen, but it did, and it sucks!

So one of the problems with a "hostile takeover" is that it is sort of like when someone has their home foreclosed and they just take everything they can just to be an ass. Yeah, well, I walked in this morning to the front counter that had an old computer, that sort of works (even though the keyboard and mouse do not), and a phone. That is it. All of it. No paper, pens, stuff that you know, work with. We then move on to the concessions stand. There is the Coke machine and a fridge. That is it. All of it. Or wait, there are some broken down machines. Oh and just so you know we open in less than three hours. So yeah, welcome to hell. Shellianne probably had more hell than me today. After three truckloads of stuff from Sams Club they will make it through the weekend bookings, not sure what we she will need to do for next week. I would be having a panic attack if I was my boss Scott, I don't think I could handle that much pressure on me. I mean I was feeling pretty overwhelmed today, and I didn't have much that was leaning directly on me.

One good thing is that the staff that was retained seems to be really great. I enjoyed working with everyone I met today and they were all really upbeat and not acting at all how I think I would in their situation, scared, panicked, emotional, you know the usual me :) I told a couple of them that I was feeling kind of overwhelmed and they said they were ok and used to dealing with crisis. I told them I'm ok dealing with crisis at my office, I'm just not comfortable dealing with someone else's crisis that I have been pulled into.

So after a day of just trying to make sure the building didn't fall down around us, we made it through day one. Oh, and we are just entering their busy season, so that's pretty awesome. At least we are in our slower time, so I guess that's a silver lining. Well hopefully by the time we get to 09 things will be a little smoother. Here's to minimal freak outs and breakdowns!

Oh, and it's interesting to me that the press release came out today, and yet I can't find a thing about it online. Good thing we all kept this secret, it obviously was a big deal.

Kenny!

Oh yeah! Be jealous!!

So I don't think I would have actually paid to go see the Kenny Loggins concert (at least not the prices they were charging), but when they said we needed more volunteers to work back stage I said sure. I'm glad I did, even if I should be in bed right now because I have a pretty crappy day ahead of me tomorrow. But tonight was fun. There is a roller coaster feeling to working back stage of a rock concert, really fun, exciting times, and then really boring times. Like having to be security at a door that no one has come in or out of for over an hour, sorry Ian!

Ian and Penn (guys that I work with that also volunteered) were assigned as backstage security. They got to have some tackling training, but in the end got a pretty boring job. It was cool to be in the hall with the band though before and after the show, it was just pretty boring to be in the hall during the show. Although while giving Ian a break, Penn did a very good job of entertaining me with his rock band impersonations.

I got assigned to wardrobe. I wasn't sure what this would involve, especially since I had been warned a few days before that Kenny is a nudist. I ended up being in charge of steaming his shirts and jeans, and the band members shirts. It was kind of nerve racking because the steamer keeps shutting off about every 10 seconds so it doesn't overheat. I had no idea how picky these guys would be about little wrinkles in their clothes. But I have to say they looked pretty good, and I didn't hear any complaints :) The band members had some good taste is shirts, Kenny on the other hand was wearing one that was covered in large pink flowers. Not so rock n' roll to me. I was one of only three people allowed in the dressing rooms, so that was pretty cool.

The best part about the night was just hanging out in the back while everyone was getting ready. Kenny stayed in his room and away from everyone else, so I can't really tell you anything about him, but his band was pretty cool, and his manager is awesome. My new favorite guitarist is Scott Bernard. Ok, no I had never heard of him before the show. But he was really nice, and a great guitarist. I just wish they would have let us take pictures with them. Here is a picture from another concert (Scott is on the left), in the same outfits I steamed for them.

The band was really chill, and the manager CJ was very down to earth for someone who is as involved in the "biz" as he is. He asked my name when we first met, and remembered it for the rest of the night, calling me by the correct name the whole time. That's actually pretty rare for me. There are people I have worked with for eight years who still pronounce my name wrong.

After the concert started I got to go inside and be security along one side of the theater. It was pretty fun. I will say, the next time you go to a rock concert, make sure to take ear plugs. They make a huge difference in your enjoyment level. Especially when you are that close to the speakers. I did have to be mean and pointed out someone who had snuck in a video camera. Besides that one "incident" I basically just got to walk around and look official, but it was fun. I gave Penn and Ian a break from their less exciting jobs and gave them a chance to go inside. While relieving them I got to chat a little with the roadies in the back. They looked like the typical band roadies, but seemed like nice guys.

After the concert while waiting back in the hall for the band to get changed for the meet and greet, Penn and I overheard an interesting conversation between the crew guys trying to figure out how they were going to get the "hotties" in to see Kenny. My little view into the "real" rock n' roll lifestyle :)

It was pretty cool to see "Your momma don't dance" performed, great memories from my childhood. Overall it was a fun time, although a very long day. Not as long as the people that actually work there, who are still there, but I'm still pretty tired, so that is all for now. Back to my boring desk job tomorrow.

*I forgot the best part! We were given very strict instructions from the tour manager that no one, NO ONE without a pass was allowed back stage. Penn was handling the main door back stage. When the Mayor showed up, Penn asked to see his pass. Now of course Penn knew who he was, but they said everyone. Well the Mayor didn't have a pass, so Penn turned him away, even though we all knew he was doing the introduction for Kenny! Ouch! He had to go track down someone and find his pass and come back. It was by far the best work moment I have ever had! And I'm just so glad it was Penn working the door and not me. Penn is already a hero to the tech crew that have had their own issues with some higher ups :)

Shhhh....secrets

Have you ever had to keep a secret at work? And they tell you, this isn't going to be a secret anymore on this day. And then that day comes and goes, and it's still supposed to be a secret. Only by now most people know about it and you're not sure who the secret is being kept from, except "the press." And then you have to actually do lots of work to try and get ready for this secret, but you can't really do the work unless you tell people why you're doing the work, so you have to tell people the secret, but still pretend it's a secret. And then you worry that someone is going to get in trouble because everyone knows the secret, and you worry that it will be you. Well, welcome to my week. And it's not even a good secret, it's a really crappy secret that is just going to cause stress for lots of people. And it takes two people like three hours to buy one item related to this secret, and who knows how many more items need to be purchased.

For those of you with previous insider knowledge, you know that thing that they always told us might happen, but it never really did. But they have been telling us for like eight years that someday it could happen? Yeah, it's happening. On Thursday. And it sucks.

Curious?..........sorry, it's a secret.

Christmas Chorus

So I've never really been big on inviting people to something, but since I have a blog, figured I should post this.

The Christmas Chorus is having their annual concert on December 6th and 7th. The performance on Saturday the 6th is a matinee at 1:30 p.m. that kids are welcome to attend. The performance on Sunday the 7th is at 7:30 p.m. and is for 8 and older.


This is a choir that is conducted by my aunt and has had multiple members of my family perform in it. This is my 9th year performing and my mom, two aunts, and two cousins are also performing this year. My sisters Maiken and Britta have performed in previous years, along with several other extended family members. This is the 29th year, and my mom and two aunts were all original members. I don't think it would feel like Christmas to me if I didn't hear this music. I have attended every year except the four we lived in Nevada. The choir was created to perform Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols. Every year that piece is performed along with several other pieces that change each year.

The concert is held in a beautiful rock church on the grounds of the Utah State Mental Hospital. Sounds weird, but it is a beautiful setting for a Christmas concert. Don't let that worry you though, they have never made any of us stay. Even the year that my cousin Katy was in a wheelchair (double foot surgery), and we raced her down the sidewalks screaming and laughing. I'm sure there were people that thought we were trying to escape.

No obligation to attend, but just a shout out.

Bean Museum

Maiken and I decided to take the kids to the Bean Museum today. They have a reptile show on Saturdays, and we thought the kids would enjoy that. We were sort of wrong. Lucia was very interested in asking questions, or at least raising her hand, even if she didn't have a question. She was willing to pet the turtle, Will was not.


After about 5 minutes of the reptile show the kids were ready to move on. I remember the museum being a lot larger, but it has been quite awhile since I have been there. Will loved the exhibits that had the button you can push to find out more info. He wasn't really interested in the animals they were talking about, just that they had a button you could push. When he realized the rest of the exhibits did not have buttons, he was done with the museum. Or at least made that clear to me by throwing himself on the floor.

After some prodding we did get the kids to look upstairs, and they got a lesson in the circle of life. There were a couple of displays with animals attacking prey. Both kids were a little disturbed about the animals being killed. (I don't think either of them really understood that all of the animals in there were dead.)

Back down stairs and we discovered a play room. Not sure why it is there, other than a place that kids can get out some of their built up need to touch things. This was by far Will favorite part of the museum. They had a truck.



Another tantrum after being separated from the truck, and mom is ready to leave. Not quite sure how long it will be before we try this adventure again, but hey, at least it was free.

Ella Bella

This is a little late, but Happy Birthday to Ella Lisette Schroeder. She is the big 2 today. I remember when Britta told us she was pregnant, we were at my parents house and I was holding Will in my arms. I screamed, very loudly, and Will cried for like 20 minutes because he was so scared. Just to be the same as her cousin Lucia, she made the delivery pretty difficult on her mom. I guess the Huntsman genes breed stubborn girls. But I think everyone would agree that she was worth it.




I can't tell you how happy I am that I am living in an age of the internet, blogs, video cameras and youtube videos so that I still feel like I'm part of her life even though they moved so far away this summer.




I don't know if she could get any cuter, but she seems to be every time I see her. Ella's going to be a big sister next year and if the new little one is anything like Ella, Britta and Tom are going to have their hands full, but with some damn cute kids. Happy Birthday Ella (Bella Bella to Will), we love you!