Reflections: 2009

2009. One of the finest, sweetest years of my life. It has definitely flown by faster than any other, and been filled with the most monumental events. Life just keeps getting better!! Even with all of its variety, color and adventure, my year can basically be summed up in three pursuits:

1. Loving my work at the Church History Library as an archivist/historian. I was hired permanently in May 2009, upgraded from intern (June 2008) to full-fledged employee…one of the great miracles of my life! My career has been established and I am living my dream job!
   
2. Continuing to compile the life writings of Ruth May Fox (diaries and autobio). One of the great miracles of 2008 was signing a contract with the University of Utah for its publication. I will complete the manuscript in the Spring of next year.
   
3. The abiding discovery of Kyle…the man I love! We started dating in February and it has been a beautiful, exciting journey ever since!
   

It has been a truly choice year. And 2010 will be even better! If 2009 was a year of furrowing and planting, 2010 will be a year of reaping and fruition. YAY!!

2009 Highlights

I presented at my first two academic conferences in 2009! At the Association of Mormon Letters (AML) on February 28, I presented a paper titled: "'I never considered my poems anything but just rhymes': Ruth May Fox and Domestic Feminism in the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association, 1898-1937." The second was on August 15 as a member of the "Young Mormon Scholars" panel at Sunstone.

March 21^st I went through the Manti Temple for the first time with my dear sister. I am so thankful I made this decision…it has strengthened and enriched my life immensely!!!

Angela and Pat got married on April 25^th! What a delightful time for our family. We are so lucky to have inherited such a fine brother.

And, for me, the highlight of 2009 has been all of the time I've spent with my sweet lova'! We've shared many magical experiences, but one of the most special was spending Thanksgiving with Kyle and his family in Idaho (center picture). These memories fill me with such joy!

Kyle and I have enjoyed a variety of concerts this year. He has exposed me to new musical horizons and I've acquired a taste for bands I had not considered before. We have also enjoyed following a budding band called Fictionist, based in the Salt Lake area, and have seen them perform three times (and counting!). We expect them to "hit the big time" any day! Below are some pics of concerts we enjoyed together, including the incredible U2 concert in Las Vegas!! There I had the pleasure of meeting two of Kyle's siblings and got to spend some great girl time with Carly and Ange (and Pat!)!

So, that is my year in review, essentially! Perhaps I should also include that the Library moved to a new building April-June, and that has been exciting to be a part of. What a great year!!! Sweetest wishes to all for a happy new year during this glorious season. Much love.

Sunstone Panel

Yesterday I was on a "Young Scholars in Mormon Studies" panel at the Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake. It was a great experience and a privilege. Sunstone is a unique little society that has traditionally had a "fringe-y" reputation in Mormon Studies, but over the past decade it has become more respected and its contributions more solid. The theme this year was "Celebrating Mormon Women's Contributions to Church and Culture." This picture is of me and the lovely Elizabeth--we were the only two women on the panel.

Reunited!

The last time Anja and I saw each other we were waving goodbye after EFY in Kansas City twelve long years ago! Thanks to facebook, we were reunited two weeks ago! (I'm a lil slow in blog posting!) What a blessing to find old friends! :)

Deer Valley Music Festival

On August 1st, Kyle and I went to the Deer Valley Music Festival where we heard Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture to the boom of real cannons! Deer Valley is the summer home of the Utah Symphony and is right near Park City. It is a fantastic tradition...audience members bring picnic dinners and dine in the fresh outdoors to fantastic tunes! It goes all summer long. We had a blast. And played Mindtrap while eating dark chocolate. Yum!

INCUBUS!! Fun for All

Kyle and I, with my sister Angela and brother-in-law Pat, enjoyed an incredible concert at Usana on July 16. Incubus was GREAT! And it is decided...Brandon Boyd's voice is even better live.

Wish You Were Here!

This video does zero justice...it doesn't come close to capturing the thrill of actually being there in the electric crowd. The sound on my little camera is seriously lacking, so please don't judge the fullness and vibrant blend of their music based simply on this!!

By Popular Demand...DETAILS! :)

Thank you all for taking such an active interest in the good things going on around here! I suppose it is best to satiate your curious minds. :) Oh it is a long story! This is Kyle and I at the SLC Greek Festival in early September 2008. Kyle and I met on a blind date in November 2003 at BYU. I, however, was not his date--I was his roommate's date. I dated his roommate for a time and got to know Kyle a bit through this relationship (double dates, etc). I was always impressed by Kyle and his cheerful disposition, kindness, and keeness for travel. Time passed, ways parted, and Kyle stayed in the back of my mind as a seriously cool chap. Four years later, in January 2008 to be exact, I was sitting at my computer wondering just what happened to this Kyle I was so impressed by. I decided to get brave and see if he was on facebook. :) He was! And what to my SHOCK but he was living in Salt Lake City and was still single! I was planning to move to Salt Lake in two months time and hoped that somehow our paths would cross again. After living in Salt Lake about a week (this was April 2008), I was having dinner with one of my best friends (Salt Lake is the most beautiful mecca to reunite with old friends!). We were talking about people and friends and Kyle's name came up--we both knew him! In fact, it had not been long since she had hung out with him. That totally blew me away. We decided to plan a group activity with our mutual friends. In late April 2008 we "reunited" at a concert at the Cathedral Madeleine. I so hoped he would ask me out thereafter, but alas, patience had to be learned. The summer was sprinkled with additional mutual-friend outings, which were always fun. But alas, patience. In the interim, Kyle had gotten a job in the Church Office Building where I also worked! I remember leaving the cafeteria one day and seeing Kyle sitting at a table and I thought, "No way...could it be??..." (this was mid-October 2008). It was him! Sooo, we would eat lunch intermittently together, which was always lovely. But alas, patience still! The hope to get to know Kyle was always there, but I decided there was no point in waiting around--I had a life to live! So I did! I had an incredible time dating manically--I think my record was eight dates in one week? The men just came out of nowhere! It was a heck of a lot of fun! But, as FUN as it was dating all these guys, Kyle always stood out as different from the rest, in my mind. But alas, I continued dating manically. In late February 2009, things miraculously changed. Overnight! And I stopped dating manically. It has been one gigantic miracle! We've been dating about 3.5 months and it's been such fun to discover and enjoy each other! And that's our story thus far! Pretty cool, eh? Love ya'll. :)

CHANGES!!

Soo, long days have passed since I last made an entry on my esteemed blog--approximately six months! And my how much has happened in six months! Many miracles and good things.


Good Thing #1My internship at the Church History Library has become a full-time, permanent position! It is completely miraculous. The Church has instituted a worldwide hiring freeze due to economic conditions, but my supervisor, director, and others fought a hard battle and, INCREDIBLY, their petition for two more employees progressed up the channels until President Thomas S. Monson gave his approval that Alan (the other intern) and I could be hired! Isn't that mind-blowing?! I am inconceivably blessed. Above is a picture of the BRAND NEW Church History Library, which I work in [photo courtesy of the Church News]. We open our doors June 22.


Good Thing #2



I have had the pleasure and privilege of getting to know a very, verry, verrrry fine young man over the past few months.


Good Thing #3

Rainbow sighting! No flood this year! Taken outside of my house after a beautiful Spring shower a few days ago. Hooray for loveliness!

Angela MARRIED!!!

In April, my beloved sister Angela tied the knot with a darling German bloke named Pat. We are so happy he's a member of our fam. :)

Goodbye! Good Luck!

It Snoweth!

So the world of Salt Lake City has received its third dusting of snow for the season. It is lovely. My friend Mishael fearlessly drove us to ward choir practice this morning, as we are getting ready for our big Christmas sacrament meeting tomorrow! We had warm bagels waiting for us. Mmmm. The snow brought rejoicing, "It finally feels like Christmas!"

We Waxeth.

Wondering what it would be like to counter nature, my sisters and I tried something new...waxing our arms. We decided it was quite feminine. Hairless arms are quite a novelty.

Thanksgiving Musings & Laziness

It has been so fun the past few days to be absolutely LAZY. I have only done things that I felt like doing. These included feasting with like thirty other relatives, sitting around and talking and playing games, drinking wassail and eating pie, buying a new computer for a fantastic deal on Black Friday (I love my new computer!!), customizing said computer to my satisfaction (enlisting my 12 yr. old brother's assistance, to his endless delight), finishing Cry, the Beloved Country at last (finally Matt!), and redesigning my blog with my fantastically creative sister (all important). Thus it is. So, while recuperating from some post-Thanksgiving virus in bed today, I actually filled out one of those question things that circulate in emails. This is the first one I have ever done! Soooo…enjoy the fruits of my laziness!! Hope you've had an equally relaxing Thanksgiving holiday….

RULES:
1. Put Your iTunes on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.

1) If someone says, "Is this okay?" you say:
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps—Cake. (Could there be a more diplomatic answer to this question?)

2) How would you describe yourself?
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes—Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
(Seeing as CSNY is a band that is branded in my soul, this works for me. Chorus: "I am yours, you are mine, you are what you are, you make it hard." I like the free and easy 'live and let live, be who you are' theme and because I tend to worry/overcomplicate life at times, this is an appropriate song!)

3) What do you like in a girl/guy?
Lovin' You's the Right Thing to Do—Carly Simon (This song totally works! I love a man who knows what he wants and GOES FOR IT with fortitude!)

4) How do you feel today?
Lovin' You—Minnie Riperton (Classic. I am in a dreamy, stay-in-bed mood today, so sing away Minnie!)

5) What is your life's purpose?
Dream a Dream (Elysium)—Billy Gilman/Charlotte Church (Yes! I believe life is an adventure and should never be boring. One MUST dream dreams and fill them! TO DO is one of my life's purposes.)

6) What is your motto?
Helpless –Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (Yep…I bask in helpless awe of Nature.)

7) What do you friends think of you?
Tell Him—Lauryn Hill (Ha! They are probably crazy sick of me talking about a certain chap….I'm sure they are rooting for me to just TELL HIM and get it over with. Yeah…I will…some day…at the right time.)

8) What do you think of your parents?
Helplessly Hoping—Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (CSNY is appropriate, as we were weened on them. I can't listen to them without thinking of my dad and mom, so this totally works)

9) What do you think about very often?
Mandy—Barry Manilow (Sing it Barry. Yes, my thoughts often dwell on Mandy…she came and gave without taking, but I sent her away….)

10) What is 2+2?
Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming—Charlotte Church (One of my fave songs ever. Ummm, some religious connotation with numbers?)

11) What do you think of your best friend?
May It Be—Celtic Woman (Yes, all my best friends share a deep LOTR bond…being a forever fan of Lord of the Rings is a foundational criteria for friendship, honestly.)

12) What do you think of the person you like?
Isotopes—The Mollies (Isotopes [Greek isos = "equal", tópos = "site, place"] are any of the different types of atoms of the same chemical element each having different atomic mass.
Yep we are birds of a feather in the same fancy garden…its beautiful, and might be futile…but oh well!)

13) What is your life story?
Wannabe –Spice Girls (Will the Spice Girls really tell you what I want what I really really want? Friendship never ends, yo.)

14) What do you want to be when you grow up?
Op die Maan—Riku Latti (Afrikaans "On the Moon" Yeah, I could handle that. Starting a new colony on the moon? That could be interesting.)

15) What do you think of when you see the person you like?
Leaving—Agnes Poetry (Is that a divine omen?)

16) What will you dance to at your wedding?
Let Me Go—Cake (Hmmm…ok!)

17) What will they play at your funeral?
If I Were a Carpenter—Bobby Darin (Sweet! If my life captures the folksy aura of this song, that would be awesome!)

18) What is your hobby/interest?
The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)—Flight of the Conchords (Ha! It is true I am a lover of the Beautiful…!)

19) What is your biggest fear?

Help Me—Joni Mitchell (Apparently falling in love...and losing my freedom?)

20) What is your biggest secret?
You Don't Have to Cry—Crosby Stills Nash and Young (Honestly?! What is up with CSNY? Yes, I do want to leave behind the Man, but I suppose that's no secret.)

21) What do you think of your friends?
Nobody Not Really—Alicia Keys (Wow that's depressing…Let's try the opposite of this song….)

22) What song would you play during your first kiss?
Video—India.arie (Wow…on video and everything…)

23) What will you post this as?
Uniform Grey—Sarah Harmer (Nice.)

Fun!