Josh Groban

My sister sent me a text/e-mail (can't remember which) back in March telling me I had to e-mail a local radio station by 2pm with specific information about when a Josh Groban song was played on the air for a chance to win tickets to his show at Key Arena in August.  Ok - I'll get to it before 2pm...

Holy frijoles!  It's 1:55pm - I'm in my car and need to get that e-mail sent!  Yay for smart phones!!  I sent the e-mail with seconds to spare, but it was sent! 

Waiting...didn't hear anything.  Oh well, it was worth a shot.  Then someone at church said to me, "hey, did you win tickets on the radio?  I heard your name and even though they butchered your last name, there can't be many with that name so it was probably you."  Great - they called my name and I missed it!!  Ugh, of course!!  There was probably some rule that I had to call back within a certain amount of time too.  Ok, I'll send them another e-mail.  It can't hurt to try...

Nothing.

Then one May afternoon I decided to check my voice mail (which I do not do very often at all).  Lo and behold, a voice mail from the radio station, "We've been trying to get a hold of you to get you your Josh Groban tickets.  Please call us back at..."  What?  I still won tickets?

Ok, but they're probably nose bleed tickets or something, right?  So, I called them back.

"WHAT? FRONT ROW?  You bet!! 

I'll be down tomorrow to pick them up!!!!"

I went and picked up the tickets (2) the next afternoon.  I hadn't told Missi yet that I won them.  As I was leaving the station, I called her and asked, "Do you have your computer in front of me?  I don't and I want to know where these tickets are located."  So, I gave her the section number and seat numbers (not the row).  She told me that this is a great section, right on the floor, and the seat numbers are right on the inside aisle. 

I responded, "Well, that's great to hear...since that's where we'll be sitting to watch Josh Groban in August!!!"

Missi - 7 months pregnant - at work - had to shut her door so she could jump up and down.  She was so excited!  I took a picture of the tickets and sent them to her...

Fast forward...Missi was due on August 8th...August 19th and still no baby.  The concert is in just over a week (August 27th).  Finally, little Tommy came on the 20th, but via c-section. 

"Missi, are you still going to be able to go, or should I find someone else?"  

"NO!  I'm still going!!"

"Ok, it's up to you..."

August 27th arrives - Missi did really well, hobbling her way to our seats :) 

The opening act, Elew, was great (albeit, he had some very strange facial expressions during his songs...).

The stage set up

The concert was phenomenal!  I didn't like it so much when he used the stage in the middle of the floor (because we were not front row to the middle, we were front row to the FRONT!) but oh well.  He did a lot of songs from his new album, "Illuminations," as well as some classics, including, "You Raise Me Up," during the encore.

Yeah, he's right there.  I'm barely zooming in on this pic!!

Uh huh - this one is without any zoom!

So great!

The orchestra/band were fantastic! 
Truly a talented group, especially the two guys on the right.

So much fun!  I'm curious how much those tickets would have cost if we had to pay for them??  Oh well - winning tickets is definitely the way to go!

Self-portraits never work out right.  Oh well!

Baby Tommy

We are so excited to welcome a new member of our extended family.  My sister and brother-in-law are the proud parents of a healthy, beautiful baby boy!  They named him after his grandfathers:

Thomas (for maternal grandpa) Chandler (for paternal grandpa) Peterson

My sister was due on August 7th, but already taking after Grandpa Tom, he was a tad late...THIRTEEN DAYS late.  He was born August 20th, a healthy 7 lbs. 7 oz. and 20.25" long.  Happy to report that both mom and baby are doing well.

On his Birth Day! :)

 

Family History

I have always had a desire to learn more about my family - where I came from, stories of my ancestors, pictures, who they were, etc.  On one of our trips to Salt Lake City, I even spent an entire day in the Family History Center trying to learn more.  For the most part, so far so good.  I have found lots of "limbs" to my family tree.  I've mostly focused on my dad's side because there are more unknowns (my mom's side is pretty well documented).

In the process of researching, I have made some connections to living family members as well, distant, but definitely family.  In fact, through one of my dad's cousins, I met another cousin that even lives in Washington.  I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know family better and am blessed that this cousin in particular is also actively working on family history.  In fact, for a recent vacation, he and his girlfriend took a road trip through Oklahoma, where my dad was born, amongst other places.  He was kind enough to share the family info, pictures and stories that he found, in the form of CDs containing some amazing information!  Thank you, Bob and Kathy!

Were we independently wealthy, I would love to take several months to visit places where my family is from, both domestic and foreign.  Ah, someday!  For now, I am excited to dig into the details of what I received and learn more about my family.

Girls Camp 2011

Girls Camp this year was...interesting.  I was asked again to help out with Golden Hour, this year as the assistant.  For approximately one and a half hours Tuesday - Thursday nights, the entire camp gathers together in the amphitheatre for the Golden Hour evening activity.

Aside from the evening activities, the responsibilities of the Golden Hour coordinators extends to music, instant choir, sound equipment, amphitheatre decorations, and a whole slough of other odds and ends.

This year was a bit different for me.  Girls Camp was scheduled for August 9 - 13th...and Missi was due on August 8th.  So, that combined with working full time and with a little one at home, I was unable to go to camp for the full time.  In fact, I was only able to go for one evening.  Most of my participation came in the form of many hours of preparation.  Hopefully, there will be no fallout of that need to be close to home vs. at camp the entire time, due to the extraordinary circumstances in my life currently.

• The first evening, Tuesday, was a lip sync by ward and then give the rest of the time back to the wards for their own unifying activity. 
• Wednesday evening was a night to, "Experiement Upon the Word."  I made these fantastic little lab books that outlined the experiment and then documented the gospel principle illustrated by the experiement - so cute (but very time-intensive). 
• Thursday night, the night I was able to be there, was truly an experience.  We had 7 girls representing different women/girls throughout time explaining their story and why they may have been born for such a time as theirs.

I am glad for the opportunity to have been able to help and support Girls Camp!