AI Top 10

Motown Week, with Smokey Robinson.  Some of the people I thought would really shine with Motown week (Anoop, Michael, Lil) just didn't really do it for me. 

1. Matt [Let's Get it On by Marvin Gaye]--WOOOO!  Great choice for him!  I really like how he started behind the piano, then got up.  It was a great performance.  I love his falsetto and riffs!  Like Paula said, it had a "sexy, cool vibe".

2. Kris [How Sweet It Is by Marvin Gaye]--LOVED how he started it and I adore him with the guitar.  I really liked his rendition and his vocals and runs were good.  It had great energy and personality.

3. Scott [You Can't Hurry Love by Diana Ross]--I liked the piano part; not the best vocals, though, and the performance didn't hold the energy it should have.  I don't think it was the best song choice for him but I do like that he did a more up-tempo song.  I thought it was cute what he said about the pink pants: "They didn't tell me 'til 10 minutes before".  Funny.

4. Megan [For Once in My Life by Stevie Wonder]--Can you say Carnival Cruise?!!  I thought it sounded OK in the room with Smokey but the band arrangement completely ruined it and her vocals did even more damage.  The outfit, for me, just added to the cruise feel.  Cheezy!!!  Bad, just bad, performance.

5. Anoop [Ooh Baby Baby by The Miracles]--For me, not the very best song choice but the boy can sing.  I love the timbre of his voice.  He did show off his vocals a bit and sounded nice for the most part but I think he could have done a more fun song that still showcased his voice but in a more youthful way; I thought it was good overall, not great.

6. Michael [Ain't Too Proud to Beg by the Temptations]--Should have been a good choice for his soulful voice but it just didn't completely grab me.  I like that he showed off his vocals more than last week but, while it sounded good in some parts, he pushed too hard in others.

7. Lil [Heat Wave by Martha and the Vandellas]--Way too old-fashioned.  She really could have picked a better song that would have lent itself more to her own interpretation; I knew right when I heard the song choice that it was gonna be old-fashioned.  She's a great singer but she has not shown (in the past two weeks, at least) that she can make songs her own.  She sounded great but it was nothin' new.

8. Adam [Track of My Tears by Smokey Robinson]--When they first showed him before the commercial break previous to his performance, I was like "WHAT?!!!  This will be interesting--and not in a good way."  Boy was I pleasantly surprised!  I thought he looked really handsome--I like the "clean" version of him.  What a great arrangement and AWESOME vocals!!  I am in awe of the control he has over his voice.  I loved his toned down side.  Parts of the song gave me goosebumps.  It was such a heartfelt and musical performance.  I loved, loved, loved it!

9. Danny [Get Ready by the Temptations]--It sounded great and it was energetic and fun to watch.  I love how much he moves around the stage.  Probably not my most favorite performance of his but pretty good overall.  I'm definitely a fan.

10. Allison [Papa Was A Rolling Stone by the Temptations]--Great vocals, even though I wasn't really fond of the band arrangement (some weird stuff going on, in my opinion).  She did great, though. 

Sidenote: I was LOL at Simon drawing a mustache on Paula.

Who I voted for (yes, I actually did vote this time): Adam (clear favorite of the night), Danny, Matt, and Kris

Who I think will be in the bottom three: Megan (hope she's the one to go), Michael and Scott

AI Top 11

Grand Ole Opry Night with Randy Travis as the mentor--who I thought was super nice and seemed really genuine. I didn't get to vote, again--I'm gonna have to fight Jared for the TV with the Tivo every week and come home straight from church every Tues. to watch it in time to vote. I think it will be OK this week, as I think my very favorites will be safe. I have to say that this has to be the best group overall for a top 11; I thought they all did really well--some better than others, of course. Here goes:

1. Michael ["Ain't Goin' Down 'Til the Sun Come Up" by Garth Brooks]--I thought it was good, not great; he has a country look and sound but I think he should have done a song that showed his vocal capabilities better; he had fun with it, though, and sang it OK; I liked the personality he showed. Simon said it was "a bit clumsy" which may be a tiny bit true--some of the rhythms were a little lazy.
2. Allison ["Blame It On Your Heart" by Patty Loveless]--Great song choice for her voice; she had fun with it and showed a lot of personality and great stage presence; I would have like for her to make more of a rock rendition, however, than keep it country; she sang it great, though!
3. Kris ["To Make You Feel My Love" by Garth Brooks]--I was nervous for him when Ryan said he'd be singing it without his guitar but his voice REALLY shined. I LOVED his rendition--he really made it different and it was very heartfelt. LOVED it!
   
4. Lil ["Independence Day" by Martina McBride]--Sang it great but I say forget honoring the country genre--this competition is about showing who you're gonna be as a recording artist. But I do think she did great, even if it was a teeny tiny tad bit on the boring side in the verses. I agreed with Simon when he compared her to a wedding singer who is forced to sing a requested song, that she looked uncomfortable.
5. Adam ["Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash]--OMGosh, Randy Travis' reaction to Adam was HILARIOUS! The comment about the nail polish had me LOL--literally! Priceless! Bwahahahaha! OK, on to the performance: Whoa, what a risky choice of arrangement; I was skeptical at first but kind of liked it by the time it was over. I know I say something about his vocal range every week but it really is something spectacular. What I liked about the arrangement was that it showed here is someone who truly knows how to be himself. I nodded in total agreement with Kara when she said it was "strange but I liked it". Still laughing at Randy Travis, though! :)
6. Scott ["Wild Angels" by Martina McBride]--I thought it sounded lovely and I liked that he powered up his voice a bit the 2nd time through the chorus--I appreciated the build to the end. He definitely is a true musician, even if he doesn't have the strongest voice. When Paula was talking about the piano separating him from the audience, I thought Scott was so cute when he said "we could move it closer". I happen to really like him at the piano and agreed with Simon about there being no point to him going w/o the piano when he's so good with it. I also agreed with Simon that Scott's song choices have been a little too similar. I really liked this performance, though.
7. Alexis ["Joleen" by Dolly Parton]--I love her voice but I'm still trying to figure out what kind of music she would record--very confusing. Some pitch problems throughout the song and she over sung it in a few places but who can deny she has a great power voice?
8. Danny ["Jesus Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood]--It was painful to watch him make so many mistakes when he was singing for Randy Travis; I felt so bad for him. I wasn't thrilled with the verses but I didn't think it was horrible, either. I LOVED the chorus, though! Not his best performance overall by a long shot but I liked it as a whole. He could use some work on his lower register. I still love 'im, though!
9. Anoop ["You Are Always On My Mind" by Willie Nelson]--Now THERE'S the Anoop voice I've wanted to hear the last few weeks! Gave me goose bumps! And, wow, way to make it his own! That boy can SING!--and in tune! Great performance!!
   
10. Megan ["I Go Walking After Midnight"]--Good choice for her and she DEFINITELY put her own spin on it. The arm movements were completely out of place, though; and, of course, there were pitch problems out the wazoo--as always with her. I loved the arrangement, though, and she looked beautiful, even though I'm not a fan of the tattoos. I wrote the previous statements before finding out she had the flu; I gained some respect in that she was able to do that well being that sick. Kudos to her for being strong enough to push through that. She always sings out of key, though, so she can't blame that on being sick. Just sayin'.
    
11. Matt ["So Small" by Carrie Underwood]--I love that song and I REALLY love what he did with it. He sounded amazing (both voice and piano playing) and I really felt his emotion. I've been thinking the Michael Buble resemblance (that Simon mentioned) from the beginning--I should have mentioned it sooner. I loved his performance! Probably my fave of the night.
    

So my faves of tonight were Matt, Anoop and Kris. I think Michael or Megan might be in trouble (Michael more so than Megan) but they were all pretty good so who knows? I just hope that Matt, Anoop, Danny, Kris, Allison and Adam are safe. I feel like this is such a close competition already--woohoo! SO exciting! :)

AI Top 13

I meant to vote last night but I didn't, argh!  Jared got home from a Young Men's activity at church right when AI was ending and we started watching something else and I completely forgot to vote.  I thought, for the most part, they all BROUGHT IT last night!  I didn't know what the heck they would do with Michael Jackson night but this was probably the best over-all Top 12/13 week one ever!  Here are my critiques (as a side note, I always pause the DVR before the judges speak to write my notes before I hear what they have to say--yes, I know I'm an AI nerd):

1. Lil Rounds {The Way You Make Me Feel}--Good song for her; I really liked her rendition of it to make it more R&B; she's great up on the stage.
2. Scott MacIntyre {Keep the Faith}--I didn't know what the heck he would pick from MJ's repertoire but I think he chose a great song for his style and voice; I just love him on the piano; he doesn't have the strongest voice of the group but it's really pleasant and I like him!
3. Danny Gokey {PYT}--When Ryan announced the song, I was like "Uh oh, what the heck is he gonna do with that???"  I LOVED how he changed the beginning of the song and then how the rest of it was so fun and energetic and soulful!  I love his stage presence and his vocal were amazing!!  I watched it two times in a row.  I can't say enough about how much I like him.  I disagreed with Simon about the dancing--I liked it! :)
4. Michael Sarver {You're Not Alone}--Good song choice for his voice and he sang it well; I liked how he started it seated;  I agreed with Simon's comment "not the best singer but [he] sings with passion, heart and gives it 110%".
5. Jasmine Murray {I'll Be There}--NASALLY!!!  Blech.  It was "beauty pageanty" to me.  Simon hit the nail on the head when he said it was "robotic".
6. Kris Allen {Remember the Time}--He has a great pop voice; I loved the guitar for this song and the personality he showed.  Not the best song for showing off vocals but I really like it.  I agreed with Paula about him being "engaging" with the guitar.
7. Allison Iraheta {Give In To Me}--Not my favorite song but I liked her rock rendition of it; she has such a powerful voice and AMAZING stage presence for a 16-y.o.!
8. Anoop Desai {Beat It}--Didn't show off his voice and I know he has one; the song is near impossible to do and not come off as karaoke.  He's been trying too hard to come off as fun and hip but I just want to hear more of his voice.  Like Paula said, that song is "untouchable" by anyone other than MJ.
9. Jorge Nunez {Never Can Say Goodbye}--Didn't like the song and the arrangement was horrible; it came off as really cheezy to me; he can sing, though; I agreed with Kara that he wasn't "emotionally connected" to the song.  I think he'll make it through off of Hispanic votes.
10. Megan Corkrey {Rockin' Robin}--Once again, I abhor her body/hand movements; I thought it was a good song to match her voice and fun style but it definitely wasn't the best vocals.  And WTH was up with the "caa caa!" at the end?!  Crazy!
11. Adam Lambert {Black and White}--He looks and sings like a star already; very energetic and I liked his spin on it; GREAT vocals and range!
12. Matt Giraud {Human Nature}--I LOVE LOVE LOVE him on the piano; I really dug his version of the song and I love his riffing and falsetto!  Great performance!
13. Alexis Grace {Dirty Diana}--Love her power voice but her low notes aren't as good; I liked her version but there was something about it that I didn't like and I couldn't put my finger on it until Simon said she "over sung" it.  Bingo!

My faves, who I really hope make it to next week: Danny, Matt, Adam, Lil, Kris.
Who I hope will go home:  Jasmine and Megan (but I think Anoop might get sent home, even though I'd like to see what he does next week, as I really want to hear him SING).

BTW, I stayed home from Young Women's last night because I got another steroid injection in my neck yesterday morning--it went well, except for the fact that my blood pressure dropped pretty low in the recovery room after the injection (normal when procedures involve nerve stuff), which is a horrible feeling--nausea, dizzy, hot & cold at the same time, woozy--but it passed fairly quickly. The worst part was having to wait for over two hours for them to get to me. Glad I have another one over with, though!  Please pray that this one works better than the first two in my neck!

Wild Card Night

Well, America didn't get to vote but I still have my opinions on tonight's performances and choices. BTW, my DVR stopped recording the show before they announced the fate of the last four contestants. SUCKY! Oh well, I'm glad there are message boards to find out stuff, ha ha!

1. Jesse Langseth--The song should have worked really well for her voice and style but it just didn't; I couldn't even tell if, when she first started singing, she was in tune or not; I do like her voice, though.
2. Matt Giraud--I smiled from the first phrase on; THAT was what I wanted to see from him! I LOVE his voice and style; he might have added a few too many runs but I still loved it. Finally a performance I was really excited about, yay!
3. Megan Corkrey--Great song choice for her but she can't stay in tune for the life of her. And I can't STAND her body and arm movements. So weird! The last note was horrible. However, I do like that she's different and she's such a cute girl.
4. Von Smith--OK performance, not blown away; very shaky start. I still just do not like his style--sometimes when he sings, if I didn't know, I wouldn't be able to tell if it were a man or a woman singing. Kind of freaks me out.
5. Jasmine Murray--Much better than last time but I CANNOT stand her nasally, nasally, nasally upper register! Blech. I agreed with Randy that the song was too big for her.
6. Ricky Braddy--I thought he sang it well, it was fun, had good rifts and he has a nice range.
7. Tatiana Del Toro--My critique starts before she even sang. AAAAACK!!!! Can you say FAKE accent?! SO freaking annoying!! I think she would do anything and act any way to be famous and the "accent" was part of it. I think she saw how people embraced Jorge and she wanted a piece of that. After her performace, I cracked up laughing when Paula called her out on it. Her explanation was total crap! Total copy of what Jorge said! What a fake piece of crap she is. It's too bad someone like her has a good voice--completely wasted since, no matter how good she sings, people do no want to support someone like her. And I LOVE that Simon criticized her doing the same song over and over. Can you say "one trick pony"??? Ha ha ha! I'm glad this is the last time I'll have to rant about her. DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD! Bwahahahaha!!! :) :) :)
8. Anoop Desai--I really think he could have picked something that showed off his voice better (because I definitely think he can sing) but it was fun and I like how it showed off a different side of him and showed a lot of personality.

My picks:
Matt G. by a MILE, followed by Anoop. Then, I was torn between Jesse, Megan and Ricky only because I really did not want Von, Jasmine or (especially) Tatiana. I was leaning more toward Ricky than Jesse and Megan, though.

Actual Results: I can't believe they put Jasmine through; it was totally just because of her, as Simon said, "marketability". Oh well, she probably won't last long, anyway. Megan--I'm sure she got through because Simon thinks she's "current". She doesn't have the vocal ability to last very long, IMO. And, even though I didn't see it, I've read that both Anoop and Matt (thank goodness) made it. So now there's the TOP 13, instead of 12. Should have seen this one coming. I mostly wanted Matt and Anoop to make it so I'm happy with the results.

Who I'm most looking forward to seeing in the Top 13: Matt, Adam, Danny, Lil and Scott (because he just makes me smile). Can't wait for next week! :)

American Idol Top 36 week 3

For the record, once again, I did not vote tonight. But here are my opinions about each of tonight's singers:

1. Von Smith--I didn't care too much for the song but he did show great range in it; I thought it was a good performance but I don't really like his style, if that makes sense
2. Taylor Vaifanua--Really nice voice but kind of boring--I really wanted to like her, too, since she's from Utah. :)
3. Alex Wagner-Trugman--Cute nerd, ha ha. I couldn't stand all the extra stuff he was trying to do with his voice (all the growling, etc.) and I found his movements to be strange. I loved what Simon said about him being a hamster trying to be a tiger.
4. Arianna Afsar--Such a doll! I liked the emotion she showed but she should have picked a younger song. She has a nice voice but there were way too many off-key notes!
5. Ju'not Joyner--I like how he changed up the song and I liked his upper register--lots of flat notes, though.
6. Kristen McNamara--Great voice and range but her voice didn't match the song--it came off a tiny bit like a lounge singer.
7. Nataniel Marshall--This guy bugs the crap out of me and I thought his performance was uber CHEEZY!!! What was up with the disco arrangment?? I don't even like his voice that much.
8. Felicia Barton--Has a good voice but I felt like she kind of yelled most of it and didn't change the song enough so it was a bit like watching karaoke.
9. Scott MacIntyre--I loved the emotions he showed and his vocals were OK. I like watching him because he puts a smile on my face--he just has a bright spirit. But, for me, (even though I want to LOVE his vocals), his voice just isn't strong enough--it leaves me wanting just a bit more, KWIM?
10. Kendall Beard--I like her bubbliness and I can see her as a country artist, between the looks and the voice; she needs to move around the stage more and there were a few off notes.
11. Jorge Nunez--I have to admit that I didn't think I'd like this guy at all but I did. He stayed on pitch, has a nice voice and good stage presence. I thought it was sweet that he teared up during his post-performance interview.
12. Lil Rounds--Wow, great voice and amazing stage presence--she looked like a star already! I love her spunkiness, too.

I think Lil and Jorge should definitely move on. I'm torn on the third spot between Ju'not, Kristen, Scott, and Kendall. I may be leaning more toward Kristen on voice alone and Scott because of his "likeability". :) I'm not sure what they're doing tomorrow night--are the wild cards performing or are they doing an elimination? Either way, I can't wait to see!

Mardi Gras 2009!

First, I'd like to show you what one of my former Primary kids and her sisters made for me; her older sister is one of my Young Women and the three of them came and brought it to me Monday night:
Isn't that sweet?! The bag was filled with fruit and chocolate. Yum! The girl who was in my Primary class was sick a couple of weeks ago and had a minor surgery. I had made a get well card and brought it to her last week so I guess that's why she wanted to do this for me. The older sister told me it was all her idea. It was definitely appreciated and made me feel really good.

I finally started to really feel better Monday night so I decided to go with my family to Mardi Gras on Tuesday. We had four cars of people: my mom, Ben, Becky, Belle and Brenna and Becky's parents, brother, sister and nephew and her cousin and her husband and kid (14 of us). We went to the Argus parade in Metairie and that parade is followed by two truck parades (the truck parades were going on forever and we finally left before they ended). We got there a while before the parade got to where we were and we all had chairs and lots of food, including King Cake, of course! The weather was perfect and I even got a little burnt on my face and forearms. The girls were so cute dressed up in their LSU cheerleader suits and they had a great time. Here are some pics from the day:

{An ice cream truck came and parked at an adjoining street and Belle got an ice cream treat}:

{She loved being on her dad's shoulders and seeing all the bands and floats}:

{Cute little family pic}:

{My mom & I just before we left}:

{My favorite float in the parade :) }:

{Brenna taking everything in--wonder what was going on inside that pretty little head?}:

{She was having a blast playing with her daddy and being on her mommy's shoulders}:

It was pretty fun, even though my back was killing me by the time we got back to the car and drove home. We went back to Ben & Becky's house, where my car was and I had just enough time to wash my face and freshen up a tiny bit before I drove straight to the church in Denham for Young Women night. I was pooped but it was a fun day. I just wish that Jared (who had to work) and my dad (who wasn't feeling well) could have been with us at the parades. I hadn't been to Mardi Gras since 1999 and I'm glad I went. It's one of the things that makes me glad we're down here. Also, Jared surprised me by bringing home boiled crawfish yesterday. They were so good!!! Definitely one of the perks about living here again! :) Well, I'm off to teach piano lessons. Have a good day!

Top 36 week 2

Last night was very disappointing.  I wasn't completely wowed by anyone and was extremely disappointed by almost all of the contestants.  Here are my thoughts on each performance (once again, these are notes I took during the performances, before I heard anything the judges said):

1. Jasmine Murray: BEAUTIFUL girl but that was HORRIBLE!  Off-key nearly the entire song and way too nasally for my taste; I never really liked her voice, anyway, but that performance was atrocious.
2. Matt Giraud:  I REALLY wanted him to do awesome and blow everyone away but nope.  He chose the completely wrong song and the arrangement was just weird to me.  He really should have done something on the piano.  I kind of hope he gets through just to see what he can do next.
   
3. Jeanine Vailes--She started singing the song in the wrong key or something, it sounded terrible.  I did not like her singing style at all--it was weird and uncomfortable to me.  I liked what Kara said--it was "overdone".
4. Nick Mitchell/Norman Gentle:  I could do without ever seeing him again; I personally don't even think he's that funny or good.
5. Allison Iraheta: I can't believe she's only 16!  I really like her voice and she has great stage presence.  Definitely the best girl last night.
6. Kris Allen: I didn't like his song choice--"Man in the Mirror", are you kidding me?  He has a nice voice, though, is cute and showed some personality but it just didn't do much for me.
7. Megan Corkrey: She is so pretty and I like her voice; the song was good for her but her vocals were only OK and her arm and body movements were weird and distracting to me.  There were some good parts and other parts that I was almost cringing.  Really weird.
8. Matt Breitzke: Here's another one that I really wanted to do well but made a bad song choice.  He has a nice voice but the performance was so flat and boring and he showed zero personality, much different from how I thought he would be.  He just looked like and old man up there doing karaoke.  I liked what Simon said--it was an "uncomfortable performance".
9. Jesse Langseth: Her voice is different and I like it but I just wasn't wowed; it was a good performance, just not great.
10. Kai Kalama:  Again, I wanted him to do great and he has a good voice but, wow, what a BAD song choice!  It came off a little cheezy to me.  I agreed when Randy said it was a "safe" performance.
11. Mishavonna Henson:  I like what she did with the song and she has a good voice, it was just an alright performance.
12. Adam Lambert: Definitely entertaining, knows how to work the stage and has star quality.  He has got a great vocal range--I like his high voice.  I think he's great but sometimes it seems a bit...contrived?  Acted out?  Not sure I can put my finger on it but, as I was watching it, I was trying to decide if I really liked it or not.  I think I do.  He definitely make me want to watch and see what he'll do next!

I didn't vote because I'm positive Adam will go through and I don't really care who else makes it this week.  Although, I do kind of hope Matt Giraud makes it because I think he has great potential.

I really don't like how they're picking the top 12 this year--that we only get to see people once and they either make it or don't.  If they had done it this way last year, David Cook probably wouldn't have made it to the top 12.  I remember thinking he was so cheezy the first week and thought he would be the one to go home and I thought he got lucky that he made it to week 2.  I didn't start liking him until the 2nd, or maybe even 3rd, week.  I think some people will make it through over others who deserve it more just because they got the luck of the draw in the group they got put with.  For example, I think several people from last week did so much better than just about everyone last night.  Oh well, I guess we'll see what happens on Wild Card week.  I hope next week's performances are much better!

Valentine's Day, etc.

Since I've only posted a couple of random things the past couple of weeks, I thought I'd come and post what we've been up to. Here are just a few of the things (besides our normal goings-on):

Tues., 2/10--the young women and leaders met at our house and we went and "heart attacked" an older lady in our ward. Heart attacking is when you go and cover someone's house or yard with hearts and love notes. We hung out with the sister a while and I think she really enjoyed it.

Sat., 2/14--Jared and I went out to eat for lunch at Sizzlin' Wings (I was craving wings and cheeseburger), then we went to the Denham Springs Mardi Gras parade. It was Jared's first MG parade. It is a very small parade and, as you'll see in the pics, the floats are nowhere near as big and grand as they are down in Metairie and New Orleans but it was still pretty fun. And we saw a couple of our youth in one of the marching bands. We caught a lot of necklaces but gave a lot of them to the kids around us. We went to Wal-mart after the parade ended and got a few things really quick then headed to the church for a youth activity and dance. The youth participated in speed dating, then we all had fun dancing. There was lots of great treats and food at the dance. There was even a photographer there who took pics of anyone who wanted them--she had a cute background set up and even had all the pics printed out for people to take before the dance was over. The photographer is in my parents' ward and even printed a copy and gave one to my mom at church the next day. Sweet, huh? I had a great time dancing with my girls and especially with Jared. We were pooped by the time we got home late that night, though! Here are pics from the day:Sun., 2/15--Of course, we were at church for over four hours (Jared was there from 7am to 1pm!) but we went back a few hours later and went with the youth to see the Reflections of Christ exhibit. If you have never heard about it or seen it, you must go to the website Reflections of Christ. It was so cool! We went back to our church bldg. and had a testimony meeting with the youth. It really touched a lot of them and was a very spiritual experience.

Mon., 2/16--I worked in Jared's office, taught piano lessons, and went to CVS. :)

Tues., 2/17--I had another epidural steroid shot in my neck and had to stay in bed all day long. I was so bored, and sad because I had to miss the youth activity that night. Jared went and took pics and video for me, though, so I could see what they did. They had a caveman dinner--they had spaghetti and meat sauce and had to eat it on all kind of weird "plates" (Jared's was a tiny little tea cup saucer) with all kind of different utensils (everything from tongs to potato mashers to whisks). It looked pretty funny.

Wed. 2/18--I went and did a session at the temple, then I went to Reflections of Christ again with some of the sisters in my ward then we went out for lunch. My neck was really bothering me the whole day and the entire next day so I rested quite a bit.

Fri. 2/20--I went to lunch with a bunch of the ladies I used to play volleyball with every Friday before the wreck, then I went shopping. I started feeling a little ill while out and about and by that night I was full-blown sick--sore throat, coughing, runny nose, ear aches plus back and neck pain.

Sat. 2/21--I slept in then made myself get up, take some cold meds and go to Jared's company party; if he weren't a supervisor, I would have totally skipped it. I felt so crummy the entire time and couldn't wait to get home. The food was pretty good but I didn't even feel good enough to really enjoy and didn't eat much of it. We were supposed to go to our ward Spring Fling (chili cook-off/dance) that night but I just felt worse and worse hour by hour. Add stomach cramps to all the symptoms I had Friday and to say I was miserable is a gross understatement. I was in bed all that night and all the next day, missing church and choir practice (after already preparing my Young Women lesson early in the week--go figure, ha ha).

I finally felt much better today (Monday) but I'm still coughing just a little bit. If I feel even better in the morning, I'll go to Mardi Gras with my family. Too bad Jared has to work. :( I hope to get some cute pics of Belle and Brenna tomorrow, though! :) HAPPY MARDI GRAS, Y'ALL!

Last night's AI

OK, it's that time again.  You get hear my run-down of the American Idol contestants each week.  Here's my views of last night's performances (in order of appearance--BTW, I wrote all my notes before hearing what the judges had to say):

1. Jackie Tohn--CHEEZY outfit and performance.  Yuck!
2. Ricky Braddy--nice voice but not much personality
3. Alexis Grace--Good personality and voice
4. Brent Keith--I liked his stage presence and think he could be a good country artist
5. Stevie Write--Cute girl but yikes--really rough start with those low notes, pitch was everywhere!
6. Anoop Desai--Great voice, still weird to see him singing with that voice
7. Casey Carlson--Beautiful girl but that was a really bad song choice, she was off key a lot and the winky and "sex kitten" stuff was cheezy
8. Michael Sarver--I really like this guy; I love his voice and he has a great personality and smile but I would like to hear him sing something more soulful
9. Ann Marie Boskovich--A lot of off notes, just OK performance
10. Stephen Fowler--I like his voice but man was that pitchy
11. Tatiana Del Toro--Good vocals, way better than I thought they would be but I don't want her to make it through.  Either she was a total fake last night or she was a total fake at all the auditions before last night and that bugs me.  I like what the judges said about her song last night--there were good moments and bad moments and it was like being on a roller coaster.
12. Danny Gokey--OK, he blew everyone else straight out of the water.  Wow, I loved it!  BTW, he reminds me so much of Robert Downey, Jr.!

I wish they wouldn't do the boy-girl thing.  I think the guys this year are by far better than the girls.  I don't think I like the new way they are moving people through.  A lot of my favorite guys from the previous shows were in this one group and only one or two of them will go through?  Sucky.  Here's who I hope goes through to the top 12 from this group:

#1 boy--Danny for sure!
#1 girl (only 'cause I have to pick one)--Alexis Grace
3rd choice--Michael Sarver (this is a tough choice because I also really liked Anoop and Brent)

Journal Jar #1

So we got a journal jar a few Christmases ago from one of Jared's sisters. It's a jar filled with strips of paper with various questions written on them. The idea is to use the jar to help in journal writing. I thought it would be kind of fun to start doing this on my blog. Feel free to do it along with me on your blog. Here goes:

What was your first paying job?
Besides the basic babysitting jobs that all teenage girls do, I first got a "real" job attending to the Super Bar at Wendy's the second half of my senior year in high school. Anyone remember the Super Bars? It was a salad bar with all kinds of stuff and also contained toppings for baked potatoes. I basically kept the bar clean and made sure each item was full at all times--had to continually rehydrate the cheese sauce, chop tomatoes and other veggies, etc. I also had to clean tables some times and stay late after closing to clean the darn thing. I remember being there 'til 1 to 2 am a lot. Oh, and I remember chopping meat to make the chili--they take burger patties that were on the grill too long--they were still good, they were just to the point that they didn't look as good as they wanted them to--and chop them up to put in their chili. I don't know if all Wendy's are like this, but my managers were very concerned about food quality. They were constantly going through the tomatoes, lettuce, etc. and if something didn't look completely fresh, they would toss it.

The job wasn't too bad because I didn't have to cook or deal with people at the register or drive thru. Every once in a while, if the drive thru got ridiculously busy, I would be asked to go help dress burgers. I remember one time somebody overcooked some baked potatoes and the manager yelled at me and made me cry. He felt really bad, especially after realizing it wasn't my fault at all. I also remember calling in "sick" at least once to go watch a movie with friends, ha ha. I don't think I was on that job for a full six months. I had to quit in order to travel with a drum corps that summer, then I went to LSU. It was definitely an experience and I always try to be nice to employees at fast food places because it can be a very sucky job--just from what I saw go on in the kitchen and at the drive thru. I feel lucky to have never had to actually work those positions.

Family dinner & a trip to visit a friend

On the first of this month, we went to my parents' house for family dinner. Mom made a fabulous roast dinner with stuffed potatoes, deviled eggs and rolls and some other things I'm forgetting. We brought a spinach salad. We also had two different kinds of king cakes from a really good bakery--pecan praline and strawberry cheesecake. Yum! I love family dinners! :) Here are some pics from that day:

{Brenna chowing down on some bread}:

{Belle & Tim--Belle ate a ton of cucumber slices!}:

{Mardi Gras baby--check out that adorable muffin top, hee hee!}:

Last week, I drove to Humble, TX on Wed. to visit my friend, Shelly. I've known Shelly since jr. high and we hung out a lot at LSU. She had a baby 3 months ago and it was great to meet him and her husband. They took me to Saltgrass Steak house where I had (what else) an awesome steak and shrimp and loaded baked potato. We got a cheesecake and bread pudding to share between the three of us. SO good! I've been to this place in Dallas after Nikki's first wedding. It was just as good as I remembered it. That night, we watched "The Secret Life of Bees" and cried; it's a great movie!

Thursday, I went with Shelly and Angelo to small claims court; Angelo owns a business and is being sued by a really dumb guy--long story. Shelly and I went and ate at a pizza and pasta place for lunch; we ate outside to enjoy the view of a lake and nice, breezy weather. That night, we went to the grand opening of a Life Fitness gym in their town. It was the biggest gym I have ever seen and I could never have imagined a gym that big. If you've ever seen an Ikea store, it was that big.

I left Friday mid-morning so I could get back before dark and not hit the horrible Baton Rouge traffic. I had such a great time with Shelly and can't wait to visit again. Some pics:

It was an uneventful weekend for me but Jared had to supervise drivers all night at one of the plants both Sat. night and last night because one of the dumb drivers pulled away after unloading his sulphur without unhooking the hose! Poor Jared has to deal with that kind of stuff all the time. I haven't seen him much the past couple of days so I'll be glad when he gets home from work tonight. Love ya', babe!

Latest Happening

I went to the temple with the youth last Wed. night; Jared wasn't able to get off of work in time to go with us. We ate at McDonald's afterwards. Here are the girls that went and one of the other leaders:
A friend of mine that I met my senior year of high school asked me to play at Drummers for Jesus at a Baptist Church this past Saturday. I talked about and played both the piano and the marimba. I played two songs on the marimba--one with two mallets and one with four:
The Young Womens' New Beginnings is tonight. A few of the girls came over to my house last night to make the castle cake for it. The theme for our New Beginnings is "Be the Girl of your Dreams". Here are some pics from last night, including the cake:



I think they did a great job! Tonight should be fun.

So that's about it for the last week, besides normal goings on. Oh, I got a webcam over the weekend and video chatted with Kiki and her kids on Sunday. It was so fun! Carma LOVED it; she was laughing and goofing off the whole time and making faces right into the camera. Judson didn't say much and Wyatt just sat there in Juddy's lap. :) I loved seeing them, though! We plan on chatting at least every Sunday. I've also v-chated with my friend Shelly a couple of times. It's a blast. Why didn't I do this sooner? We're hoping we can get all of our family that is far away to start video chatting.

New Callings!

I was released as 2nd counselor in the stake Primary presidency in Dec. because the president was called as our ward Relief Society president. Our bishop called me on a Saturday night (12/27), while I was still in Utah, to call me as the 1st counselor in the ward Young Women presidency! Since I was in Utah, I wasn't there when I was sustained, then stake conference was the Sunday after I got home, so last week was my first activity night and Sunday was my first time teaching a lesson in Young Women's.

Jared was just released from the Elder's Quorum presidency and called as the YOUNG MEN'S PRESIDENT! I'm really happy that we will get to go to some of the activities, dances, firesides, temple trips, etc. together! Jared was just sustained on Sunday, so he hasn't had a chance to do anything except go to a meeting and attend a fireside Sunday night. I know he'll do a great job!

The end of my trip to Utah

I last posted from Utah so I'll start from there and just tell about the rest of the trip. I pretty much spent the rest of my trip sick at Kiki's house--I think I h.

Friday 1/2--I watched most of the Sugar Bowl alone but Kiki and Michael got home early so I watched the rest of it with Michael.

Saturday 1/3--still sick, slept a good portion of the day; Kiki & them went to a wedding reception that night but I stayed home.

{The kids before the reception}:

Sunday 1/4--Felt a tiny bit better; went to church (Wyatt's baby blessing); Nikki and Levi came over and we played a couple of games

Monday 1/5--I took Carma shopping with me to the Distribution Center, Deseret Book and the Dollar Tree. It started snowing just as we got back and just kept snowing and snowing. I watched the Fiesta Bowl that night.

Tuesday 1/6--Kept on snowing; Nikki & Levi brought chicken topped with bacon and cheese for dinner and we played Phase 10 with Judson.

Wednesday 1/7--Kiki brought me to the ariport at the butt crack of dawn--we left the house at 3:30! Thankfully, all of the roads (once we got out of Kiki's neighborhood) were plowed and salted and we made it there safely with plenty of time to spare.

Here are some pics of Wyatt that I took the day before I left (the white outfit was his blessing outfit):

Suze Orman's 209 Action Plan

If any of you have debt or just want to learn about using your money more wisely, check out this book you can download for free from oprah.com.  Hurry, you only have until Thursday, Jan. 15!  She gives advice on credit, retirement investing, saving, spending, real estate, paying for college, protecting yourself and your family and more.  It's worth checking out even if you don't have much debt.  I just love her straight forward approach!