Organ Woes (the musical kind)

Does anyone else ever get frustrated with their calling in church or is it just me? Ever since I learned to play the organ for my laurel project in high school I feel like I've had some sort of musical calling. There are a couple of distinctions that come to mind--family home evening group leader and family history consultant--but other than those brief blips, it's pretty much just been playing some keyboarded instrument (or no instrument because they didn't have one even though they had called me to play one). Currently, I'm playing the organ for sacrament meeting and have been since last January. It's not a bad calling. I know a lot of the hymns reasonably well and it's kind of fun to sit on the stand and keep up with my musical talents. However, my recent frustrations with it center on the fact that I do not get to pick the music and the person who picks the music chooses not to pick it until the absolute last second. We're talking day before picking here, not several days in advance--I can handle several days in advance. I have to cut her some slack because the bishopric is notorious for picking the topic and assigning speakers the week of the meeting and we typically want the music to match the theme. However, it was made clear on several occasions that the latest I could accept the song list would be by the Wednesday before that week. At any ate, I'm just not sure what to do at this point. I've tried reminding her to pick the songs earlier. I've tried praising her when she remembers to do so. I've even tried mentioning it to the powers at be. But what do I do when I get a list of songs at 4pm on a Saturday and can't play half of them very well? Especially in light of the fact that a member from the 70 will be present at tomorrow's meeting? Should I stumble through it, which will make me look like I'm not caring enough to fulfill my own calling, or should I refuse to play and just pick my own songs? Mind you, the program has most likely been printed at this point. I just don't know. If this was the first time it had happened, I might be a little more understanding. But this is the norm, not the exception and I'm sick of it. What would you do?

Circadian Rhythms

About 2 weeks ago, Spencer started his OB rotation. For some reason, they feel compelled to make him come in at 5 in the morning. At first I resisted. I stayed in bed for nearly 2 hours after he'd get up so I could get some extra sleep, even though I always woke up a little when he was getting ready to go. As someone who, aside from a 4 year stint of early morning seminary, typically can't drag myself out of bed to save my life before 7am, I convinced myself that I just couldn't do it. I justified it further by the fact that I have been dead tired since this rotation started and have had and almost constant sleep headache to boot. And then last Sunday Spencer had to go in early for 24 hour call and I had to take him because I needed to use the car to get to church. By the time I got back home from driving him, it was almost time for me to get up anyway, so I just stayed up and did things that I never seem to have time to do like read my scriptures and lounge around in the serene quiet of the morning. Monday I awoke early again so I could pick him up, but Tuesday I fell back on old habits. This morning though, I decided when I heard him getting ready that I would get up. It was so nice to see him off this morning and to have the extra 2 hours to get ready for work. I read my scriptures, wrote in my journal, took a leisurely shower, and surfed the web. I did most of it from bed, but hey, you have to start with baby steps. Eventuality I hope to work up to a point where I will be up and working out in that period as well. I guess only time will tell.

The ABCs of Gratefulness

I saw this on a friend's blog and I thought that it would be a fun experiment. She didn't do it by letter, but just for fun I thought I'd try it.

So...I'm grateful for...

A. Apples
B. Bicycles
C. Comics
D. Dancing (and my Dad)
E. Earrings
F. Family and Friendships
G. Grandparents
H. Hamsters
I. Ice Cream
J. my Job
K. Knitting
L. Libraries
M. My Mom
N. New Notebooks
O. Oranges
P. Pants
Q. Quilts
R. Radio: NPR to be exact
S. Spencer
T. Thanksgiving day food
U. Umbrellas
V. Video Chats
W. Walking to work
X. Xylophones
Y. Yarn
Z. Zoos

New Moon

I saw "New Moon" this weekend with my friend Jessica. It was pretty blah. No chemistry, too much dramatic talking, and weird camera pans around people's faces while they were talking. Also, melancholy Bella is not all that different from happy Bella. As I remember from the book, this was also kind of true, but seriously there should have been some notable difference. I liken it to my first experience with Harry Potter movies. The first was absolutely terrible in terms of acting ability (and a few other things, too--but I digress). Harry was just about as excited for his birthday cake as he was to die by the hand of Quirll/Voldermort. Same with Bella. She was just as excited to be loved by Edward as she was to be lost.

Side note: until now I've thought the whole Edward vs. Jacob thing pretty lame. If it were up to me, I'd have Bella leave them both, go to college, get her PhD in weird-ology and then fall in love, but since the author seemed bent on her picking one, I never really picked aside. The movie, however has changed my mind: Jacob all the way! Have you seen his abs? Arms? Etc? Holy cow! And then Edward takes of his shirt and you recoil in fear. Pasty white, untoned, hairy teenage vampires should not get the girl. Especially when you calculate the cold factor in. I am perpetually chilly and Jacob would be like dating an electric blanket. And then there's the whole controlling, abusive, I'll die without you aspect to the relationship. Seriously! Now what were the reasons for picking Edward again?

PS: If I ever have teenage daughters, they aren't seeing this movie/reading the books. I don't want them thinking that that's what real love looks like.

Rotations and Recent Happenings

Well, it's officially mid-November and we're well on our way through 3rd year. Year 3 brought the transition from book work to clinical rotations which was a welcome change for both Spencer and me. Spencer likes it better because it's more like being a real doctor, and I like it because he actually has to go in and is really busy now which makes me fee like less of slave. :) Already he has learned so much and he is getting good reports from his teachers. They think he's pretty awesome and I've got to admit, so do I. He's gone from anesthesia to family practice, then neurology to psych, and now he will finish the calendar year in ob/gyn. He will finish off 3rd year with peds, medicine, and surgery before embarking on the 4th and final year of medical school with a whole new round of rotations. Phew! I get tired just thinking about it. One thing about it that I don't like though, is the crazy hours he keeps. Right now he is going in around 5am and getting done close to 7pm. Grrr....

I am also on track to graduate from my master's program. After this semester, I will only have 9 credits left to take and I signed up to take 6 of them next semester. Right now I am taking "Justice and Health Care" which has been especially interesting considering the health care debate going on in Washington right now (though I do have to admit, I'm pretty sick of it).

BeautiControl also fills my life, though not as much as I would like it to. I seem to have over-committed myself to too many things and I often have a hard time making the time to fit it in. It's hard to be motivated when you work 8+ hours a day, then still have to do school work, make dinner, clean the house, take care of Spencer, try to work out, and then sit down and do business. However, I have noticed a marked improvement in my sales/marketing abilities over last year and I always do well when I actually do spas rather than open houses or vendor fairs. I also hear there is a new leadership program coming up next year which will make it even easier to succeed. I am super excited about it for myself and for all the people I can share it with.

In other news: I'm now 25 years old. It seems hard to believe that I've live 1/4 of a century, but I have and I'm happy to have done it. I hope to live at least 2 more, but I'm not sure if I really want to make it to 100. I think living into about my 80s much like Grandma did would be just fine with me. I had an awesome birthday. I woke up feeling kind of down because I thought that everyone forgot me, but then at work they gave me a card and lots of people went out of their way to tell me happy birthday. Spencer was especially loving and my mom flew in to hang out for the weekend. I took Friday off and we went to Sheboygan Falls, WI to one of my favorite places to eat: The Bread and Bean Eatery. We also stopped in Magpie's Cottage, a yarn store and got a plethora of yarn and books to keep me knitting like crazy. We rounded out the weekend with a trip to Costco, Holy Hill, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and Penzey's Spices. We also stopped at a harvest stand along the side of the road and got apples, apple cider, Carmel apples, and honey. Needless to say, my pantry, fridge, and chest freezer are now full. Thanks mom! It was great to have you and I wish you could have stayed longer. It would have been so nice if Melissa, Rachel, and Dad could have come as well. Maybe next time!

Next on the horizon: Thanksgiving in Wisconsin followed by Christmas with the Russells in Utah!

Glamor Shots of Hurley the Hamster

Hurley is my pet panda bear hamster. He's getting old and so he recently starred in his own photo shoot so that I could have at least some sort of record of his existence.

Eating his hamster dinner.

Checking out life outside of his cage.

Run away!

Can I make this jump?

As you can see, he's a pretty active little guy. Recently though, he's started to slow down. Hamsters only live for 2-3 years and he's nearing the end of that time period.

PS: Does anyone watch "Mercy?" I cracked up when the main character responded to her husband's request for children by offering to get a hamster because that's kind of what I've done for the time being.

All the Cousins Minus One

Though the occasion was sad, it was nice to have all of the Todd cousins (minus Melissa, who was greatly missed) all together in one place for Granny's funeral. 11 of 12 of us (plus a couple of spouses and great-grand kids) were able to make the pilgrimage back to the homeland in Virginia. It was a lot of fun getting to know everyone again and really made me miss living close to family. May our next meeting come under happier circumstances.