Cheer Camp!

This week was the Murray High Junior Cheer Camp.  They high school cheerleaders work with the different age groups of kids (mostly girls) on Wednesday and Thursday after school.  Then, the kids get to cheer at the boys basketball game on Friday night and do a dance at halftime.  Go Spartans!

I'm obviously not super into cheerleading, but after less than successful attempts at dance, swimming,  and karate, I chose not to enroll Molly in any kind of activity this winter.  After much deliberation, I thought we'd try this out.  It was only a 3 day commitment.  She knows some of high school kids anyway because they work in the daycare and would hopefully be more willing to cooperate.  Jack could do it, too.  There was another little girl from daycare doing it. It seemed like something worth trying.

Jack - There were only 4 little boys who signed up.  Jack was excited and had fun doing somersaults on the mat and being hoisted in the air.  Otherwise, the 3 boy cheerleaders wrestled with the kids and tried to keep them entertained at least for a little bit of the 2 hour clinic.  Jack had fun, but 2 hours is a long time.  He lost interest and hung out with me for quite a while.

When it came to the actual halftime performance during the game, he chickened out.  Over the course of the performance, he got more brave to the point where he actually ran about 20 ft out on the court when it was his turn, only to turn and run back to me. It's ok.  He's little.

Molly - Wednesday was a little rough.  She laughed -She cried.  She had fun - She was scared.  She participated - She ran back to me crying.  It was a typical Molly experience.  On Thursday, though, she was great!  She had fun and did mostly what she was supposed to the entire time.  On Friday, it was even better!  She ran to her group when we got there.  She sat with them through the entire first half of the ball game and said the cheers.  She did her dance like a champ at halftime.  I was so proud of her!  My mom and dad came to the game and said maybe she'd finally found her niche.  I don't know about that, but we can certainly sign up for the cheer camp again next year and I think it was good for her to have a positive experience with some type of extracurricular activity!

Guster

We went to see Guster on a friday night at the Depot - James, Annie, Ross, and I.  Guster is just my most favorite thing ever.  Their albums are good, but their live shows are just so much better.  I don't know how many times I've seen them, but at least a dozen or more.  As far as I know, I've only ever missed one performance and that is because they did a show once at DV8 before I'd ever even heard of them.  Annie and I think I was still in high school when we saw them the first time, so it has definitely been ages since we've been going to their shows.  They are showing their age, as well.  The Thundergod definitley has a lot of gray in his beard and Ryan Miller's hair is longer, yet shorter in front.  

It was great!  Their new album is called "Evermotion" and it is a little . . . odd.  If you want to try out Guster, I wouldn't recommend starting with the new one.  Start with one of the last two albums, instead.  Ryan Miller mentioned during the show that they know this album "is a grower."  I guess that means it has to grow on you a little before you like it.  He also admitted that he doesn't think he's ever stuck with a band through 7 albums and he's glad that people have stuck with them.  For whatever reason, Salt Lake City is always a good crowd and a great show.

We saw them with the BNL's and the BF5's at the USANA, but the last time they headlined, Jack and Quinn attended, too, in their unborn and fat mamma state.  

Until next time . . . 

Bowling

On Martin Luther King Day we decided to celebrate by taking the kids bowling.  We considered ice skating, but then I though, "who are we kidding?"  Bowling was much more likely to actually be fun.  It was!  We'd played 2 games.  The balls rolled slowly.  James and I had higher scores than normal thanks to the bumpers in the gutters (though we don't know what normal is since we don't remember the last time we went bowling).  We ate greasy french fries and gooey cheese bread.  It was a fun afternoon!

Side story . . . . when we got there, no bumper lanes were available so we went to a regular lane.  We started to get situated when this woman said, very excitedly, "Hi Haley!"  I looked at her and tried to enthusiastically say hi back, but I was totally drawing a blank.  She said, "I knew that was you."  I said, "Remind me your name" and she told me.  I had this movie rewind moment of my whole life zooming backwards in my brain in an instant - Murray, Tooele, New Ward, Old Ward, Parent's Ward, Molly dance, James family, I was trying to recall all associations I have ever had with different groups of people until finally . . . ZAP!  I remembered.  She was a girl I went to high school with.  The guy with her (husband or friend, I don't know, but not the father of her children) I also went to high school with.  

I know a little bit about her and was able to make small conversation.  It was weird, though.  I know a little bit of her post high school story and it has been a rough one.  She looked tired.  I felt bad.  I don't think she would have ever even spoken to me in high school and I didn't know that she would have even known my name.  I was super nerdy braces girl and she was super social dancing girl.  Our short bowling conversation was pleasant enough, but I honestly was relieved when the bowling alley guy came over to tell us a bumper lane had opened up and we got to move away.  I'm a friendly enough person, I think, but I just don't particularly care to associate with many people I went to high school with.  Most days I am happy with who I am and the choices I've made in my life.  High school wasn't that fun and I just would rather not go back. 

Book review

Starting at Zero: His Own Story by Jimi Hendrix

I read this book.  It was interesting.  It was about Jimi Hendrix and actually written by Jimi Hendrix . . .  sort of.  It is a chronological compilation of writings, including letters sent home, song lyrics, journal entries, etc.  Hendrix had a pretty sketchy life growing up in Seattle.  His mom died, he dropped out of high school, joined the army, and somewhere along the line learned to play the guitar.  He was pretty well a vagabond for most of his life.  He never had any money and just went from odd music job to odd music job, including playing back up in the Little Richard band.

He eventually moved to England and lived there for a time.  He honed his skills, formed "The Experience," and basically turned himself into a legend.

The writings are pretty introspective about his style of music and why he did what he did.  He doesn't talk much about drug use, which I thought either means he didn't think that it was important to read about or perhaps all we know about him is wrong and he didn't really use much.  The other interesting thing worth noting was his desire to eventually record an album with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  The statement comprised one whole sentence in the book, but certainly stood out as a strange fact.  He died shortly after that was written and it obviously never happened.

Paper Towns by John Green

I decided to crack open another book in the John Green collection.  I liked it.

This is a story of a boy Q, who has a major crush on his next door neighbor and former childhood friend, Margo.  Q is pretty boring and stable.  Margo is pretty, popular, but a little irrational.  The story takes off when Margo kidnaps Q for a crazy night of pranks on her snobby friends and ex-boyfriend.  She ends up disappearing a leaving Q a weird trail of clues.  The highlight of the book was a crazy road trip with Q and his friends involving peeing in bottles and confederate t-shirts.  I can't really say much more than that without giving it away, but I liked it.

There is also a movie of it being made.  I'm not sure when it come out.  

The Wrong Book

Our primary presidency has challenged the kids in junior primary to bring their scriptures each week. If they bring their scriptures, they get to put a pebble in a jar.  When the jar is full, they get some kind of prize.  Knowing my Molly, I didn't want her to be disappointed, so I made sure that taking scriptures was a priority.

We found an extra Book of Mormon at our house.  She picked out the purse she wanted to put it in.  She added some pens and candy to the purse.  She was very proud to take HER scriptures to church.

During Sharing Time today, there was exactly 1 scripture announced for the kids to try and look up.  It was in . . . .  . Malachi!  This was junior primary and most of the kids who remembered to bring their scriptures had nice blue Books of Mormon just like Molly. I was sitting in my chair up front (I have a new calling as co-music leader in primary) and here comes Molly.  Her face looked like she just found out that she didn't get invited to her best friend's best birthday part ever.  Pure disappointment.

"Mom, you gave me the wrong book.  My teacher says I don't have that one in here."

She was just about in tears.  Her head looked at the floor.  I tried to tell her that there was more than one book and I just thought she would need that one.  It didn't help.  I was in trouble.  The world had ended.

This girl . . .  I don't know what to do with her some days.  There is never a dull moment and I can NEVER predict how things will turn out with her.

Oh well.

She then stood by me for most of the time I led the singing.  When it was time to go to class, she started sobbing and I have no idea why.  After a stern talking to and telling her that she was going to miss the treasure hunt and the treat her teacher had told her about, she ran from me and down the hall to her class by herself.