Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob

Celeste and I on the drive up to Pennsylvania to see two Frank Lloyd Wright homes over Memorial Day Weekend. Kathryn and Jocelyn were along for the fun as well.

Side view of Kentuck Knob - a very interesting, angular home.

Back view of Kentuck Knob.

Jocelyn, Celeste, and me in front of the view from Kentuck Knob. So beautiful.

Cute birdhouses.

View one of Fallingwater

View two of Fallingwater

Us in front of Fallingwater

Fallingwater is a beautiful and amazing house. And the surrounding area was so gorgeous.

And they call it Ragtime

On Saturday, Kathryn and I went to the Kennedy Center to see Ragtime. It was so good! The music was fabulous, the actors were amazing, the costumes were pretty. I had a really good time. I highly recommend seeing it, if ever you have the chance. It's just one more musical to add to my list of ones that I've seen.

When I was in New York with Chalise I got to add three to my list - Mary Poppins, Rooms: A Rock Romance, and The Little Mermaid. I love taking advantage of the theater while I can. If only life were like a happy musical . . .

Fun and Culture

On Saturday I ventured into the city with my friends for Passport DC. This is where several of the embassies are open to the public to partake of the food, artwork, music, and culture of the different countries. We went to Trinidad and Tobago where a really cool steel drum band was playing and elaborate Mari Gras costumes were set up. Then to Uzbekistan which had some amazing traditional costumes, instruments, and dining sets displayed. Next was Australia with a man with body paint played the diggery doo and we ate lamb, fish, and sampled different olive oils. Korea had some amazing artwork including carved wooden masks, jewelry boxes, and traditional dress. Zambia had nice carvings of African animals, Venezuela was basically a tour of the ambassadors residence, and the Bahamas was tiny and serving alcohol. Actually I think they all served alcohol, but we enjoyed the cuisine at all of them even if it was only a little taste. It was a grand time.

Time Goes By

Wow, I really suck at keeping this blog up to date. So many things have been going on that I could have written about. Chalise coming to visit and going up to New York with her, my family coming to visit, going to baseball games, having cookouts - the list could go on.

Let's just chalk it up to the fact that I'm really lazy and every time I think about how I need to write on my blog I don't because, I'm tired, busy, etc. - but really it's just laziness. I'll try to be better...

Brutal Basketball

Okay, so I normally fall on the floor and get beat up when I play basketball, but at yesterday's game it was at an extreme. We played the other team from our singles ward and they have some really good and really big, rough players. Couple that with the fact that we only had five players from our team show up, which means I played the entire game and got beat up for the entire game.

I literally have no idea how many times I ended up on the floor, got elbowed in the stomach, got slapped, or got ping ponged from girl to girl. And I have the bruises to prove it - one really lovely one on my elbow, one on my shoulder, one huge one my knee along with a cut, and several down the side of my leg. I look the an abused red-headed stepchild, seriously.

But, I love basketball!

A Poem

I like to write, and sometimes that includes poetry. I often say that I write really bad poetry, because it tends to me sappy or melodramatic. And I can't say I know much about poetry, because I haven't taken the time to study it. But nonetheless, I like to write poetry. So in fear of being embarrassed and bearing my soul I'm posting my newest poem here. Please enjoy, or don't - I guess that's up to you.

In a Lonely, Sad, Quiet Meadow

In a lonely, sad, quiet meadow
Two beautiful heat-sick lovers stand
Shivering and covered in shadow
Heart to heart and hand in hand.

Their enduring love is forbidden
So they come to the meadow in secret
Far away from the city, always hidden
Behind the trees and dense thicket.

His hazel eyes smile at her
As a tear rolls down her face
There is no longer grief or fear
Only love in this open space.

His hand moves to touch her cheek
She leans into it and softly sighs
Her eyes search, trying to seek
For the bond of their invisible ties.

He steps closer, her head he tips
His face alive with passion and desire
In anticipation of the taste of her lips –
And when they meet it explodes in fire.

Their families do not understand
Their desperate need to be together
They cannot see their clenched hands
Or the bonds that they have tethered.

And so in the meadow, quiet and sad
The two young lovers run to each other
Not thinking of consequences to be had
Nor of feuding fathers and mothers.

So they pledge their lives to that above
Like a token banner being unfurled
Because they know that their forbidden love
Is not meant to last in this cruel world.

Tag Back

Well, since Kathryn tagged me to do this, I thought I'd play along, but I'm not going to tag anyone. If you want to do it cool, if not that's fine too. And this will be interesting to think of 25 random things about me.

1. I have been to ten other countries, which are: Scotland, England, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Armenia, China, and South Korea. But I'm from Northern California and have never been to Canada, Mexico, or Yosemite.

2. When I was on a study abroad in Russia I and two friends got locked in the dining car of a train with the two drunk attendants. I elbowed one in the stomach when she grabbed me. Luckily, someone opened the door from the other side soon after that.

3. When I'm full I'll rub my tummy in a circular motion and say, "Buddha, Buddha, Buddha." Don't ask me why.

4. I've had aspirations to be a singer, actress, dancer, and artist. All of these things I do moderately well, but I've decided not well enough to make me famous.

5. One of my pet peeves is when people change lanes and leave their blinker on. Hello people, you turned it on two seconds ago, now turn it off!

6. I love seeing musicals on stage, and I have a goal to own all of the musical soundtracks I've seen live. Musicals I've seen live are: Phantom of the Opera, 42nd Street, Cabaret, Hairspray, Momma Mia, Les Miserables, Guys and Dolls, Wicked, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Legally Blonde, Rock of Ages, and 13. Soon to be added to the list are Ragtime and Rent, which I'm seeing this summer - and probably a couple of others.

7. I know how to say 'I love you' in six other languages which are: French, German, Russian, Korean, Chinese, and Spanish. I also know how to say "You're lips are like a fountain of water, and I'm thirsty," in Spanish. I figure it's an important phrase to know.

8. After reading My Most Excellent Year, I became interested in Mary Poppins the movie because it refers to it a lot. I now know random facts like Julie Andrews was pregnant when they offered her the role so they waited until after she had the baby to shoot, Dick Van Dyke didn't audition for the part of Bert but he had to audition for the role of the old guy in the bank, and a lot of the nannies standing in line to get interviewed are actually men in drag.

9. I'm athletic but also a total klutz. I can't play a game of basketball without falling down at least three times, I always trip going up stairs, and I always run into walls and corners, which isn't very good for my watches.

10. I'm a super slow texter. It takes me forever - but I think I'm getting better.

11. I don't have my tonsils. I got them removed when I was six, and I got to eat soft foods like pudding, for a week.

12. I'm the least flexible person I know (at least for a girl). I can't even touch my toes, but I blame it on the fact that I'm 6'0" - I don't really take into account that I also have long arms.

13. Sometimes I try to me ultra cool and I'll start saying things like yo, hommie, and s'up. And then I realize I'm totally lame.

14. My cousin once asked me if I was part black when he saw me dance. Apparently I have some skills in that area of my life.

15. I can only eat Jiff or Skippy peanut butter, but preferably Jiff. I don't like the generic store brand kinds. I call myself a peanut butter snob. I've converted my roommate, Celeste, to it. You should join the dark side too.

16. I like to name my cars. In high school I had a Jeep pickup that I called Jeepers (I know, real original). In college I had a 1986 AMC Eagle and it's name was Shaggy or The Beast. For some reason I haven't named my current car. It's a 1998 Dodge Neon, and it's purple. Any suggestions?

17. When I watch movies by myself, I tend to fast forward through parts that I think are boring even when I've never even seen it before. I figure it just needs to get on with it.

18. I spent a summer on my Uncle's pig farm in Missouri when I was 15. I'm now writing a young adult novel using some of my experiences, although the story is fictional.

19. I read books out loud with my roommate, Kathryn. I like doing this and it makes me think that if I ever become an author and go on a book tour, my favorite part will be doing book readings of my work.

20. I've lived in five different states: California, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, and Virginia.

21. I broke my pinkie my sophomore year of college playing Ultimate Frisbee. I ran into my roommate and my hand slammed into her hip bone. An interesting way to break a finger. It's still crooked and it hurts when it's cold.

22. I claim that I've never dyed my hair, but that's a half truth. My freshman year of college my friend put blond highlights in my hair, but they were so light you couldn't even really tell. So I'll still claim that I've never dyed my hair.

23. Another of my pet peeves is when you ask for someone on the phone and he/she will respond, "This is her/him." It's supposed to be, "This is she/he." Incorrect grammar gets on my nerves.

24. I'm addicted to YouTube. I love it, probably too much. And I get frustrated when I can't find something on YouTube that I want to watch.

25. I like to think of myself as an interesting person, but trying to come up with 25 random things about myself made my head hurt.