Day 2 and 3 of Ollie the Elf

 This is the letter we got in response on December 2nd.  He's glad we already know about Santa.  He does live in the North Pole for real.  And he'll be here next week!!

Ethan is LOVING this!  Yesterday (Dec. 2nd) he told me that what he REALLY wanted for Christmas was to have his own Elf on the Shelf every Christmas.  :)  He gets up every day and talks about what he thinks Ollie will say today.  It's been really fun so far and I can't wait until Ollie comes so it can only get better!








Ethan left this note on his magnet board for Ollie this morning.  It was sitting on the couch.  He's been working on the robot for a couple of days now and he was happy to have it done and ready for Ollie.     Here is Ethan's note "hi oulli.  Jest to let you no that the robot next to the heator is for you. love your friend Ethan."

 At some point during the morning when we were making breakfast, Ollie came to visit and left Ethan this "Thanks! I'll leave it here.  Hey, practice piano today without fighting with your mom! =)"

Ethan's having a blast!  We'll see how it progresses.  :)

Ollie the Elf (on a Shelf)

I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but I'd like to keep track of this fun adventure, so I'll be posting updates.  :)  Ethan and I recently read about the idea of an "Elf on the Shelf".  I have heard friends talk about doing it with their families as well.  The idea is one that kind of takes the place of an advent calendar.  An elf comes to live in your house on December first and stays until Christmas giving regular updates to Santa about your behavior to make sure you get on the right list.  :)  Well, I loved this idea.  The idea of something/someone watching over you wanting you to be your best.  I love it on the real and tangible level and I love it on the bigger, philosophical level as well.  I wanted to do "Elf on the Shelf" with my family, but was finding it difficult to wrap my head around because of many reasons.  First of all, we've never really done the "Santa" think with Ethan.  My house did believe in Santa growing up and Sam's didn't and we just kind of went with no Santa for Ethan.  Not for any religious reasons, we just didn't play the part.  I'm not against Santa, it just hasn't become a tradition in our home.

So, I decided to go ahead with the elf on the shelf idea but to tweak it a bit to fit our family and maybe lean even a little more towards the philosophical "be a better person" ideal than the "22 more days until presents" side.  So....I went online and got a few ideas and bought us an elf.  Just today (Dec. 1st!).  :)  So....already off to a different start.   I bought the "C" version because I love his checkered pants.  I also bought 2 in case something happens to the first one. :)  He is about 9"-11" tall and has wire in his arms and legs so he can be manipulated to do all kinds of things during the night while we are asleep.  :)

Then, I named him Ollie and wrote a letter to Ethan on his behalf with my left hand letting him know that he was coming to stay until Christmas and would be letting Santa know if Ethan should be on the Nice list or the Naughty list.  Then Ollie told Ethan that he needed to stay in the North Pole (aka Prescott, Arizona) for a few more days to finish up a few things, but that he would be down sometime next week to stay and he would be coming to check in daily until then.  Here's the letter from Day one. "Ethan, My name is Ollie and I am your elf.  I was sent by Santa to watch you until Christmas to make sure you can be on the nice list.  I am to live at your house and report back to Santa each night after you're asleep.  I checked in today and saw you had fun with Vanessa.  I can't come to stay yet because Santa has some things for me to do before I can leave.  I will be checking in each day and should be at your house in a few days to stay until Christmas.  Until then, watch for my letters every day and know that I'm checking in on you.  Behave yourself.  See you soon, Ollie the Elf."

Ethan was CRAZY when he found it in the Christmas tree.  He knows about "Elf on a Shelf" and wondered if maybe we got one this year!?  :)  He was going around the house looking to make sure that Ollie hadn't left anything else.  He asked about every ornament that he hadn't put on the tree to be sure that it was originally ours.  :)  He is so very excited.  So, I asked Ethan if maybe he wanted to ask Ollie just a couple questions and see if he would write back.  I also suggested that maybe we should let Ollie know that we already know the secret about how me and dad are really Santa so he knows that we already know.  Ethan loved the idea and between the two of us, we came up with this letter back to Ollie that is currently on the tree waiting to be found by Ollie tomorrow when he comes to check in.  :)

"Dear Ollie, are you an 'elf on the shelf'?  Did you leave us something or just the note?  Hope to see you soon, travel safe.  Ethan.  PS.  Will we actually SEE you when you do finally get here?  Thanks.
Here is a picture for you (found at the bottom...it's Ollie and Ethan....fast friends).  PS.  from mom: Ethan already knows that Santa isn't real.  Do you really live in the North Pole or were you just saying that in case Ethan still believed in the pretend Santa like other kids?  When will you let me know about Ethan's behavior?"

I will let you know how it goes tomorrow.  :)  I think our Elf on the Shelf will suggest things that we could do together as well and leave the occasional something fun.  :)  We'll see what kind of personality Ollie gains over time.  This is going to be fun times.  I'm not sure what else Ollie will say or information he will give, but I'm hoping to create an elf that knows the real reason for Christmas and brings that part of Advent to our house as well.  I can tell you one thing.....I think he will get very bored at night and probably do some pretty funny and maybe even naughty things while we are fast asleep.  :)

For now, goodnight.

JC Woodworks opens

Yesterday was the Grand Opening of our new venture!  I'm going to try and explain the coming about of this business without writing an entire book.  :)

About a year and a half ago (or more), Sam and I started talking about him leaving his current employment and started up a business of his own.  I got to do what I love every day and Sam did too, but he had horrible bosses who didn't treat him well and he didn't receive any appreciation, respect, or basic human courtesies.  As we talked more and more about it, it became clear that we would be taking the two builders from the woodshop with us as they were ready to leave for some of the same reasons.  We started to look at the realities of leaving and it got a little scarier.  Sam took a wonderful business class from a local non-profit and put together a business plan that would map out how this was all to take place.  we looked for a building, the tools, and the money all while Sam and his partners continued to work at their soon-to-be old employment.  We found a GREAT building!  It had been on the market for just over a year and they owners owned it outright and were really motivated to sell.  We all decided that purchasing a building in the first year of a business might not be a great idea, so we decided to lease the building for the first year with the option to purchase it at the end of that year.  The old PPG building was in descent shape if we were going to be an automotive store, but in order to turn it into a cabinet and furniture showroom, it would need a lot of work!

The "showroom" used to be an automotive paint store.  Painted white pegboard, dropped acoustical tile ceiling, shop lights, shelving.
This photo was taken from the back right side of of the building looking diagonally to the front left corner.

*Before*

Here is almost the same angle of the "during" photos.  Ceiling torn out, no walls or trim or doorways yet, but it's starting to take shape.

*During*







I don't have a great "after" shot, so I'll go down and take some today and update this post once I have them.  :)

It was hard work for the guys and took a couple of weeks, but the acoustical tile was pulled out exposing a beam ceiling, which looked great by itself.  The painted white peg board was pulled off exposing brick, which the guys sanded down and turned BEAUTIFUL!

  Here is another angle:  *before*

*during*










So, we got the showroom started on the remodel and it turned out gorgeous.  I will load some after pictures today.  The guys got started on the shop and the building of a demo kitchen for the show room.

They built a beautiful kitchen out of rustic cherry including lots of fun accessories.  :)

Once we had some furniture, a functional shop, and a decent showroom, people starting hearing about us.  They starting coming in for bids for kitchens and furniture. 






Well, yesterday was our grand opening.  All of our hopes and dreams are tied into the business and the day the shop is already an up-and-running cash-flowing business!  I think La Grande will love our services, love our guys, and love our products!  I am so very proud of my hubby and the Crist boys for their dedication and vision.  It's been a tough couple of months of preparation with a lot of work required, but we ended up with a beautiful showroom, a wonderful shop, and a successful grand opening! 

More pictures to come....

My 33rd Birthday...

Well, today was my 33rd birthday and although I haven't blogged in...oh....FOREVER!, I thought tonight might be as good a time as any to add a thought or to to this online journal of mine.  :)  First, my birthday.  I've always been pretty weird about traditions.  I grew up LDS and that means that I LOVE the history part of tradition.  I love the idea that something that my family does will be carried down through generations.  It's something that makes my heart happy.  Every year, on my birthday, I write myself a birthday letter.  It something I have done since I was like 15 or so and I haven't missed a year yet.  The letters aren't for anyone but me and I'm the only one who reads them.  I write them to myself on my birthday to be opened the next year.  I talk about all that I have done that year and all that I hope to accomplish in the year to come.  Call me nostalgic (in fact, most of my close friends have assigned this as my super power), but I LOVE it!  :)  So, I'll be starting my letter later on tonight for this year and probably finish writing in tomorrow.  Then it's sealed up and put somewhere safe to be opened on my 34th birthday.  It's always AMAZING to me how much stuff can happen in one year!!

Now, it's getting late and I've had a long day, so I'm not going to blog about all the changes in my life....that will have to come later.  I am going to journal the idea that I had for my 33rd birthday today and how it was one of the best birthdays I have ever had!  :) I came across this "random acts of kindness" page or quote or something the other day and it had some suggestions.  So, I ran with it.  I decided that for my 33rd birthday, I was going to complete 33 acts of kindness on October 11th to commemorate the day of my birth.  It was SO MUCH FUN!!!  I had a complete blast!  I left candy all over campus and books off my bookshelf all with a little note that read: "Today's my special day and I wanted to share it with you!  Please help yourself and have a special day too!" I paid for the coffee of the person in the car behind me and tipped huge at dinner.  I let someone with crying kids go first in the grocery line even though I only had 2 things and she had a huge cart full.  I left quarters taped on vending machines all over campus and washers and dryers at the laundry mat.  I called a stranger who had left the lights on in their "for sale" truck in a parking lot. There were SOOOO many opportunities that presented themselves throughout the day!  I had several pre-planned and thought of ahead of time, but I ended up with more than enough chances to do something kind for someone else.  Some of them were random strangers, some of them I wouldn't know WHO I had touched.  Some of them I know and love and see regularly.  I had a blast!  33 acts all day long!  Then I asked my friends and family to do the same.  I hope the world spread a little extra love in my honor today. 

Ethan didn't quite understand at first.  "But what do you WANT, mom?" he would ask.  I took him with me for the first hour and we did several of the fun giving acts before I dropped him off at school.  Only then did he LOVE and understand it!  :)  Smiles all morning and giggles from the back seat of my car.  Then, when I picked him up from school, I heard all about the 4 things he did for me as my "present" for my birthday.

1.  He let Kenny cut in line.
2. He went to the back of the line at recess and let everyone else go first.
3.  He let a classmate go first at the water fountain
4.  He thanked a teacher.

Even Sam thought I was silly when I told him what I was going to do, but in the end, I think he thought it was a cool idea and I think even he got caught up in it.  What a fun way to spend my birthday!  I am surrounded by amazing friends, family, and students who are supportive, loving, and encouraging to me every day.  It was really fun to spend my entire day giving back to a world that has given me so much.  Happy Birthday to me!  :)  Goodnight.

Father's Day

**warning**may be hard for family to read

Father's day has always been hard for me. My parents divorced when I was 7. My Father was around for every other Thursday and every other weekend. Things I remember about going to visit my dad are:

**getting to steal his room and make him sleep on the couch
**eating BBQ Chicken, corn on the cob, chips, and Reser's Salsa
**visiting grandma and grandpa's house on Silver Lake
**throwing rocks in the river
**crossing the swinging bridge to go to the little store for penny candy on the other side
**playing electric guitars
**swimming in the pool
**always driving a different way to and from him house
**making fun on his old trucks

My dad got very close to both of my brothers as they both lived with him at some point once they were grown and out of the house. My dad and I have a strained if not strange relationship. He has always been frustrating to me and hard for me to understand. He is an alcoholic, so that is the reason (not the excuse) for most of his behavior. I feel like he has let me down one too many times for me to want to have a relationship with him. This weekend, I am feeling pretty good about standing up for myself and making hard decisions to provide the distance from him that I feel I need to keep. He called a few days ago and said he was going to be in Yakima (2 hours north) to visit his parents for the weekend of father's day and indicated that all of his children should come and see him while he was there as his father's day gift from us. I told him I would think about it, but that we had plans for our weekend and Sam was going to work on the house a bit, but I would see what we could do. After thinking about it and discussing things with Sam, we decided to stay home and follow through with the things we had planned here. I have been a little nervous about dad's reaction knowing that he would be mad and upset that we weren't making an effort to see him. I got a text from my Aunt just a while ago saying that dad was a no show. Grandma and grandpa hadn't seen him at all. I hope they went ahead with their plans and enjoyed their weekend anyway. I just can't imagine what would have happened if we had canceled all of our weekend plans, gotten Ethan all excited to take a trip to see grandpa Merlin, driven all the way to Yakima and had him not show up.

I remember the very day I decided not to trust in, rely on, or emotionally invest in my dad anymore. I was probably 16 or 17 and working at Ensign Ranch (right off of I-90). Dad had set up a visit with the boys and me and was going to pick me up and we would go to the tri-cities to pick up my brothers and then head up to dad's house for a few days to visit. I packed my things and arranged for the time off. I took my bags and walked down the driveway to wait at the road because the driveway was about a 1/4 mile. I sat there all day long. When I finally went back and called mom, she said dad had already been there and picked up the boys. I walked back out to the road expecting him "any minute". I sat there until it started to get dark. I took my things and went back to the lodge and called dad's house in Arlington. They were already there. They had driven right by me. When I asked why he didn't stop, he told me they were making good time and they didn't want to take the time to get off the freeway. That's the day (coupled with all things before then) I finally gave up on my dad. Today's no-show was no surprise to me, but I was glad that no one's feelings were hurt this time.

My step-father was abusive. We'll leave his story at that. My mom's current husband is a great guy, but he's not my dad.

So, father's day is hard for me. The only thing I know is that I have had positive male role models all around me my entire life. They have had a dramatic affect on my life and have (in one way or another) made me in to the person I am today. I love them all for the way they care for me. Here are a few of them and the "real" hat they wore in my life:

*Tim R. (uncle) *Hills C. (great grandpa) *Virgil F. (grandpa) *Eddie P. (mom's hubby) *Jonathan K. (former boss) *Peter W. (professor) *Bruce B. (HS teacher) *Gary P. (father-in-law) *Larry H. (former boss) and the list goes on.....

Thank you all, for all that you have shown me and taught me throughout my life whether you knew it or not.

Now...for the up-side of father's day. :) The father of my son! Sam has been a better dad than I ever imagined he would be, and that says a lot as I always knew he would be great! He is patient, kind and loving. The first thing he does after a hard day of work is go looking for our son who hides from him the minute he hears the jeep pull in. He looks in every nook and cranny and plays along by extending the game whenever possible. When he finds him, they tickle and wrestle and talk about their days. Ethan feels at ease with Sam. He feels connected and loved. They talk about everything. Sam is patient and explains things over and over and takes the time with Ethan that our little E-man needs. Sam reads with him and shows Ethan his love through every opportunity. Ethan knows (and will forever know) he can count on his dad. H knows he can tell him anything. He knows that Sam will listen to the whole story and believe what Ethan says. Ethan knows that his daddy will be there when he needs him. He knows that Sam will follow through with what he says and if he can't, there will be a good reason and a solid explanation. Ethan is lucky to see that Sam respects and loves his wife and that he puts me first. He sees Sam and I argue and sees us make up. He sees our physical affection and hears our words of love often.

My son will grow up to be a wonderful man and maybe someday, a wonderful father thanks to Sam's example. I may not have a father who I feel deserves honor on Father's Day, but my son does and always will. I am SO thankful for that! It's more than I could ask! Happy Father's Day to all you Father's out there! I hope you fully enjoy your day and your families! Hold them close and show them love, honor, and respect.

My husband rocks

So, I was lucky enough to marry my best friend. We have things in common, things we do on our own. We have similar views in almost every aspect. We get along swimmingly (as long as does what I say). :)

I know that I am not the easiest person to live with. In fact, I might be one of the harder people on this planet to live with. However, my husband knows just when to stand up to me, just when to back down, when to hold me up, and when to step aside and let me fall a little. He has been my strength through the majority of my life. Now that I am 32, Sam has officially been IN my life for longer than he was NOT.

He has so many wonderful qualities. I don't think I tell him often enough how I feel. I try to show him. Much like it's explained in the wonderful book, "The Five Love Languages", I feel loved through physical affection and that's how I try to SHOW my love as well. Sam's love language is more towards the words of affirmation. That's where I need to be better. Trying to show more respect and love towards my husband through my words.

I'm not saying he's perfect, as no one is. But, he's perfect for me.

I love you, mr. Sam and am very proud of who you are.

I love my job...part 652

So, I am skipping the rest of the blog challenge...unless I want to blog and don't have a topic. :)

I know I say all the time how much I love my job. I just want to say it one more time. Teaching is an amazing thing. When I first started teaching lessons, I just copied what my teacher did with me. I didn't always understand the why behind everything. In fact, in the beginning days when I was still in my undergrad program and teaching a few lessons, I didn't know the why at all. Once I learned the why, it became very important for me to help my students to understand the why as well. I found they were able to make changes sooner and for the better if they understood why I wanted them to do certain exercises or obtain certain techniques.

Then, there are amazing days like today. And really, most of the days so far this year. There are always exceptions, but my students are... interested. :) When students are interested, they ask intelligent questions. They do the work and understand the reasoning behind why I want them to. The start to put two and two together and understand that in music history, they learned who Debussy was and in theory class, they analyzed his chord usage. Now they get to perform his piece. Sometimes they can't link all of those things together, but it's fun to teach them that it's possible to do so. It's fun to see the looks on their faces when they realize that a term they learned in conducting class is now showing up in the song they are singing for their lesson. They may have to look up what it means, but it helps to solidify the understanding that everything they are given is connected. It's music. All of it. Sometimes that is hard for them to grasp.

I introduced one of my voice classes to several different listening examples today. They heard a recording of a castrato, countertenor, contralto, along with several other examples. They were able to use descriptors to talk about and identify what they were hearing. What they liked about a "bright" sound, what they didn't like about a "heavy" sound. I just logged off of facebook where a student was posting at 10:45 pm about the opera singers she was listening to. Would she have been exposed otherwise? Who knows? Add to that the fact that she is also taking voice lessons (along with class voice) and is required by my syllabus to actively listen to 3 hours of music per term. She will hear things this term that she has never heard before. How fun is that? How about the student who is graduating who opened her own studio in the fall and will be providing her first student recital at the end of this month? She has taken her learning and passed it on to others. that's fun too. :) Students who have gone on to teach in classrooms, go into grad school, and audition for opera programs.

It's happening as I get older and teach for a longer period of time. The idea that my students not only have an understanding and working knowledge of their voices, but they develop a passion for a new level of learning. One where they combine their music history and theory and conducting classes with their vocal proficiencies and end up better on the other side. Better people, better learners, better teachers, and better singers. I am so lucky to be able to watch their self-realization and their growth!

To quote a Jason Robert Brown song, "I'm a part of that"! Maybe someone who has never experienced their head voice and had no idea they could sing that high. Or someone who has never been able to stand in front of people yet alone sing in front of them. I get to show them. It's quite an honor that comes with (what I feel is) a great responsibility.

I have had students take voice lessons from within other majors and switch to music and go on to Master's programs in music once they realized they had potential. and she is LOVING every minute of it!!

I am so lucky to have the chance to work with my students. They are all wonderful in their own ways. They must have a lot of faith in me and in themselves to do what I ask of them. To put themselves out on the line and learn to fail in order to succeed. I am so happy that I get the brief moment to guide them on their journey to self discovery. Thank you students of the past, present, and future for your trust and your work. I am so lucky!!