The Plane and the President

On my friend Em's blog, I just discovered this uplifting article by John Piper. He wrote it following the week which saw the the plane landing on the Hudson and the inauguration of Obama. Please take a minute to read it.

Also, here's a fun article describing one of President Bush's first public outings! I'm so proud that my fellow Bears treated GWB and Laura with such respect. Welcome home, Bush family! 

A male Celine

Has anyone else had a hard time catching American Idol every time it comes on this season? We've tivoed all of the episodes, and I'm trying my best to keep up. They've been good this year. Although he hasn't lost his ability to cut to the point and keep it real, I do think Simon has become a bit nicer. And I think I like the new judge - she's funny and seems qualified. I also think she looks a LOT like Katherine McPhee.

Anyway, when I was watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade this past year, I saw David Archuleta perform his single "Crush." I'm sure the song had been out for months, but since I don't listen to the radio that much, it was my first time hearing it. I stopped everything and just watched him until his float floated away. I'm a fan of David Cook's and I'm glad he won last year, but Archuleta really is amazing. So I begged Brian to get me his CD. 

The first time we listened to it was on our recent road trip to Colorado. Right away, we were both fairly awed by his vocals. Brian was trying to think of someone to compare him to - someone who has a naturally incredible voice. Josh Groban? No. Jason Mraz? Kind of, but not really. Then Brian found it. The highest of all compliments. "Celine!" he says (having just been to her concert with me.) "He's like a male Celine!"

I'm not sure that Archuleta would prefer this new classification, but truly, if you like a solid pop/R&B ensemble, you should give this 18 year-old wonderboy a try.

Mountain getaway

For the long holiday weekend, Brian and I headed out to his family's cabin in Buena Vista, CO to meet up with several couples from our old Bible Study in Kansas City. On the way out, we stopped in Denver and spent the night with Brian's sister, Abby, and her husband, Adam. They bought their first home a few months ago and have been hard at work remodeling it. It was really fun to see in person all of the fruit of their labors!

In Denver, I also got to spend a little time with the other Emily Mann Smith. For anyone who doesn't know the story, Em and I met while rushing at Baylor - we were both Emily Manns at the time. We pledged Tri Delt and got to be great friends, and after college we both married Smiths! She has two precious little boys who I do not get to see enough... she and Justin have done such an incredible job with them. When I walked up to the house, Jacob stuck out his hand so I could shake it! Adorable little two-year old gentleman!

We had a great time reconnecting with our old friends at the cabin - they all brought their kiddos, who we hadn't seen since June. Crazy how babies grow up SO fast. We laughed a lot, ate a lot and talked a lot, which adds up to a really fun weekend. Brian and I also got to ski a day in Keystone with Abby and Adam while we were out there.

On our way home, we encountered what had to be the reincarnation of the great Dust Bowl. On I70 just west of the Colorado/Kansas border, the winds started howling and all of a sudden we saw a thick wall of dust in the distance. A man emerged out of it, running down the shoulder of the highway, motioning for cars to pull over. And then we were in the thick of it. We literally could not see the car in front of us, much less the sun. Sirens were screaming all around, although we couldn't see the vehicles they accompanied. It was a little bit scary. We ended up driving very slowly through the grass over to the feeder road, where a few other cars were also waiting. We sat there for a while while the winds got even worse. Brian finally decided to see if we could make our way out of it. With our seatbelts tightly fastened, we ventured forward and a few miles later, we made it out ok, although both the inside and outside of our car were plastered with dust. We must have squeezed through just in time, because on the other side we found that the police had closed the highway and there was already a long line of cars backed up. Who knows how long they had to wait until the dust cleared!

Project Organize

Moves from KC to Wichita, to PA, then back to Wichita, brought a bit of chaos into our lives during the latter part of 2008. At one point we were living with boxes at my parents', Brian's parents', in storage and at our new house. It has been a full-time job just trying to figure out where in the city our things are when I need them! For the most part, we are unpacked into our new house, but the insanity over the past 6 months has really made me crave orderliness.

So my main resolution this year is to become, and stay, more organized. I figure if I focus daily on all-around organization, it should spill over into lots of our regular activities.

To start with, my brother introduced me to this incredible application (if you have a mac, check it out - it's free!) called Things. It's set up like itunes and iphoto: a streamlined task manager that lets you keep hundreds of different to-do lists. (Some of mine: Phone Calls, Emails, Domesticities, Honey-dos :) ha ha etc.) You can assign due dates to tasks that are time sensitive, and then every day, Things will search all of your different to do lists and pull everything that is due that day into one list. It has already made the hugest difference for me.

(Extra bonus for Things - if you have an iphone - it will sync with it and then you can carry your lists around with you wherever you go!)

I am also getting serious about reading through the Bible in one year. I cannot tell you how many times I have started with the best of intentions in January, and by April, I am so behind that I decide to put it off until the next year. No more procrastinating! Recently, I've heard of several people who have enjoyed reading the Bible chronologically (as the events actually happened in real time), so I thought I'd give it a shot. Keeping with my orderly emphasis, I found this great schedule online. I've bookmarked the site and go to it first thing when I sit down at my computer every day. So far, its done a great job of keeping me on track!

One more idea that I am attempting is the organization of my housework. I'm going to assign a chore to every day of the week, just like June Cleaver and Donna Reed. Ha! I looked up the vintage schedule and it goes something like this:

Monday: Wash

Tuesday: Ironing

Wednesday: Sewing

Thursday: Groceries

Friday: House cleaning

Saturday: Baking

Sunday: Rest

Out of all of those chores, sewing is probably the one I will skip. At this point we're not breaking enough buttons to keep me busy every Wednesday. And I don't think I will limit baking to Saturdays, because I love to bake and want the freedom to do it on any day of the week that I want. But other than that, I think I'm going to try to stick with the old-school way for a while and see if it works. 

Does anyone have any suggestions on chore schedules that have been effective for you? Or any other tips on getting organized?

Taking Chances in 2009

This year is already off to a great start.

In mid-November 2007, tickets went on sale for the Celine Dion Taking Chances tour stop in Kansas City. The second the online outlet opened for sales, you better believe I was entering my credit card info to ensure my seat at the concert of a lifetime. Although the show wasn't until Nov. 2008, and I had no idea where I would be in a year, I intended to schedule my life (and Brian's - ha!) around Celine. The year-long countdown began.

Two days before the concert, I got a distressed call from my friend Val, who also had tickets to the show. She sorrowfully informed me that the KC news just announced that the show had to be rescheduled because Celine's vocal chords were inflamed. Major bummer. But at least we only had to wait another 6 weeks to see her.

Last weekend was the much anticipated show, and boy was the 14-month wait worth it. I have never seen Celine live before (although I do have her Vegas show on DVD) and it was even better than I hoped it would be. Words just really can't do her justice. Brian will even reluctantly admit (yes, I got him to come with me) that although he doesn't "prefer" her music, she puts on an incredible show.

And now I have a special surprise for those who are sick to their stomachs that they had to miss such an amazing performance. 

That was her second encore. Can we say drama? I love it!

To celebrate our anniversary, Brian and I made a weekend getaway of the concert. We found a great hotwire deal on a hotel at the Plaza and ate a delicious anniversary dinner at Capital Grille. We also enjoyed our fair share of baby time with Sophie Bailes and Kate Littrell. I don't have pictures of Kate right now but will post a few that Val took of us and Sophie. Have you ever seen such kissable cheeks?!?! On our way into the city, we drove by our old house in Overland Park. It was a little sad being back in our old neighborhood, but we had to smile when we saw the car that now lives in the driveway. It had INDIANA tags. Coincidence? I think not. Doesn't the Lord have a sense of humor?!?