21+9

 Thirty years ago today, you were born. I remember waking up and hearing Grandpa B explain that mom and dad were at the hospital because we would soon have a little sister. You are the youngest child and I admit that I once resented the fact that you were able to stay with mom and the grandparents when dad had surgery while Clay and I spent time with extended family and friends. I guess that's the middle child in me, wanting everyone to be together. I admire your courage, determination, and strength. You became a business owner at the age of 23 and continue to succeed while also excelling in your role as wife and mother. I am in awe with your goodness and selflessness as you give to others in the midst of a 'what's in it for me' world. You know how to make me laugh. Remember when we would drive to see the dressed up goose and attempt to take pictures without being caught? Or what about the time we went to the greenbelt to run/rollerblade and it was so windy that I ended up pushing you around the lake? In so many ways, I consider you to be the older and wiser sister and I am blessed to call you my closest friend. You may be 30 years-old, but in my mind, you will forever be 21.

Happy Birthday, Pip! Love you much.  

Look to the Rainbow

A few friends and I saw Idina Menzel perform with the Utah Symphony at Deer Valley this evening.  Keith Lockhart was the conductor for the night and this was his last show as director emeritus for the Symphony. Idina sang songs from Wicked, Rent, Glee, along with some well known classics and she had the audience join her a couple of times.  She was quite the entertainer and even stopped mid-song to tell a couple of stories and then finished the song. It reminded me of when I play the piano except that I will start playing one song and then start playing a different song without completing the first. Idina offered to end the concert when the rain started but the crowd, myself included, cheered for her to continue and continue she did. Idina's voice is clear and her range, endless, and I would pay to see her again.

Oh What a Night

I put my brave face on...

And kept on swinging.

Past Meets Future

If walls could talk, what a story they would tell...

Riding horses isn't the same without grandpa B...

There's no place like home(or grandma's home)...

If I Could Turn Back Time

It is written that Galileo was watching the movement of a chandelier in a cathedral and began to research the laws of pendulum motion to determine the exact period of a pendulum. A pendulum must be kept steady for accuracy and is easily swayed by environmental forces, much like our own lives.
I find it fascinating that parts of a clock are referred to as the 'face' or the 'hands.' Clocks are our time keepers, ever reminding us that time does indeed march on. How I can be in a meeting and time seems to slow down but when I am enjoying time with family and friends, our time together is over much too soon?
This concept became more clear as I spent time with my family this past weekend. Minutes seemed to pass ever so quietly and I found myself longing to freeze every moment. I was drawn toward old photographs and family journals and at first, I concluded that I simply wanted to remember the early days and recall stories from the past. And then it hit me. I was really trying to get the history back. To be able to view a photo and be transported to that time to relive all the feelings, thoughts, and wonders stored in the print.

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment, and in retrospection."

~Anais Nin

My Leg Pits Are Sweating

Spending the weekend with my family was wonderful. Clay and his family made the drive from the Land of the Ducks and I loved watching the cousins interact with one another. My niece Noelle-belle kept saying her leg pits(back of the knee) were sweating and I will now be adding that phrase to my vocabulary. I played with the kids during the day and the spent the evening talking with the adults about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We also spent time at Grandpa B's art studio collecting sketches, handmade belts, and other mementos. And of course we went to Rupe's for a root beer ice cream cone which is always an adventure. 

My dad and Sy decided to humor me by wearing BYU attire. 

 The Oregon Duck fan tried to injure the BYU fan. 

 My sister-in-law decided to be my twin for church. She likes to play pranks on me and I now have a battle wound because of her. Totally worth the pain. 

 My brother-in-law didn't think I could do a push-up. I showed him. Sy needs to work on his form. 

 I love these faces. Brin had eight teeth pulled earlier in the day and she was still smiling!

Evening Stroll

The ladies in the above picture walk around the neighborhood almost every night. The walker does not always make an appearance but I'm glad it is used for extra support when needed. I smile every time I see the walkers and next time I think I will ask if I can join them.

Animal Athletes

Disclaimer: I think animals are great.

I grew up near horses, cows, cats, dogs, chickens, and every other animal found on the farm, but when the rodeo announcer called the horses 'animal athletes,' I started to laugh. Sure, the animal has to be strong and trained in the ways of rodeo, and yet, that phrase seems silly. I enjoyed the rodeo and enjoyed sitting near President Monson.

My Survival

Today I chose to spend my lunch hour with Meags, Allison, and her twins Rosie and Evie. It was the perfect way to spend the afternoon. The three of us have been friends for several years and have shared many great moments and watched and supported one another through difficult points in life. I may have also helped Allison meet her future husband Ben(feel free to return the favor anytime, Allison). For some reason, I took several pictures of the twins but not one picture with Allison. I guess I better go visit her soon.

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."

~C.S. Lewis

God Bless America

I was given tickets to a closed to the public Mormon Tabernacle concert this morning which was the closing session for the Nation Association of Governor's. As I walked into the Conference Center, I recognized a few local and national leaders and wished I could spend time talking to them about public policy. We all stood for the National Anthem and then sat in awe as we heard several patriotic songs. It was the perfect way to spend the Sabbath morning.

Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.

~Victor Hugo

What's My Name?

I like nicknames. As a child, I was known as Belle and/or Shell Bell until I went to school and then I had to learn my name is really Shelley. There's something really great and connecting when a friend or family member calls me Shell, Shae, Bob, or any of my other nicknames. In turn, I like to give people nicknames.
My friend Pelos(short for Pelosi whose first name is Nancy) met some people from my hometown and had the following conversation:

Pelos: "My friend is from B town and you have the same last name. Her parents are Rufus and Lucy. Except, that's not their real names and I can't remember their given names.
Locals: Hmmmm. I don't know how to help you figure out their names, but I'm sure we know them.
Pelos: "Wait! She has a sister who is a hair stylist in town. Her name is Pip. Uh, that's not her name and well, you know the rest."

It's Friday

I spent the day with this family.

Brayden, 17 months old, taught me all about the ipad. Obviously his dad is a computer guy.

The best part of the day was talking to friends while enjoying the pool in the backyard. This is the life.

H to the P

I admit that I was a little late in jumping on the Hogwarts Express. My elementary education friends kept talking about the books and did their best to convince me to give the books a try even though I am book snob. I started reading the books after watching the first movie and have been hooked ever since. I have attended the midnight showing for the past several movies and my friends and I decided to dress up in honor of the final movie. There were many people dressed up for the movie and I wish I had taken more pictures of the owls, Sirius Black, Mad Eye Moody, and Storm Troopers. Yes, Storm Troopers and Darth Vader made an appearance at the theater.

Approximately 1 hour into the movie, I started to hear uncontrolled sobbing and sniffling behind me and then it seemed to multiply. I looked at my friends and we all smiled and handed the girls behind us a few kleenex's. The girls proceeded to cry during the rest of the movie. I did not shed one tear.

HP, Ginny, Prof McGonagal, Luna, and Dobby

Eyes Wide Open

I often drive in silence as I go from meeting to meeting and while visiting clients throughout the valley. As I see people, I wonder what their story is. What lead them to where they are today and where are they heading? The following are just a sampling of people whose story I'd like to know.

A man changing his clothes at a bus stop.

A cello player at a local eatery. I've also seen him play downtown and I know he was recently given a new cello.

Men hoping to be picked for a work crew.

Do You Miss Me?

I received the following texts from my sister this morning.

Do you miss me now?

How about now?

Simple Fix

I was at a friend's house for dinner and her disposal was clogged. We called several guys and they either didn't answer or they didn't know how to fix the problem. I decided to call my dad and he walked us through the steps to unclog the disposal. Solving drain and disposal issues is definitely going to be added to the long list of things I can do.

I'm Still the Favorite

My sister-in-law called me a few weeks ago to tell me a story about Noella-belle. NB is obsessed with frogs and has a frog shirt that no longer fits. She turned to her mom and said, "It's okay that the shirt doesn't fit anymore, Shelley will buy me a frog shirt for my birthday." Talk about pressure. I started searching and wasn't finding anything I loved. And then genius hit. I remembered that my friend Sara makes a birthday shirt each year for her kids so I contacted her with my request. I let Sara have creative reign over the shirt and I think it's safe to say that everyone loves the finished product.

Summertime and the livin' is easy

This is me...

I'm sort of soft spoken and kind of sporadic but that really doesn't say a whole lot because sometimes I'm kind of loud and a little predictable.

You'll just have to see for yourself, I guess.

Air Dry

I may be known to leave the house with wet hair and then roll down the windows in the car in order to dry my hair. Results in The.Best.Curls.Ever.

Yee Haw

I went to the Oakley rodeo, or radio as young Matthew kept reminding us, with Meags and her family. I look forward to attending as many rodeos as possible each summer and my favorite events are bareback and bull riding. I remember going to the rodeo and horse races with my Grandpa B and I think of him each time I attend one of those events. The fireworks after the rodeo lasted for a whopping 4 minutes-incredible.

I Went Camping

A few weeks ago, my friend Sylinda and I decided to attend the ward camp out and I am glad we did. My friend Suz came along and I still haven't stopped laughing about the craziness that ensued. The drive to the camp was entertaining as the driver had to find the spot listed on the map as the destination even though an email had been sent with a revision. We set up our tent with ease and then watched as some guys struggled to put up a tent. I should mention it was an Springbar tent which may be more difficult than the one we were using. We stayed up late talking and making new friends. I awoke in the morning wondering if the night before had truly happened as I showed more personality in that one night than I have in the past year in which I have been in this ward. Awesome.

We All Have A Story To Tell

We all have a story to tell.
Whether we whisper or yell.
We all have a story, of adolescence and all it's glory.
We all have a story to tell.
Oh, happily ever after, wouldn't you know, wouldn't you know.
Oh, skip to the ending, who'd like to know, I'd like to know.
Author of the moment, can you tell me, do I end up, do I end up happy?
We all have a story to tell.

The above words are from a song entitled "Happily Ever After." Sometimes I think I want to know the ending before the beginning and yet, there are a few things I know without having a perfect understanding.

Each person does have a story to tell and each life matters. Whether our story is told to the masses or to a select few, there is value and worth in who we are and what we do.

Do I end up happy? Yes. I choose to be, therefore I can.

Heart Muscles

I was driving to the store, when I felt that I should make a phone call. I'm glad I made that call because the person on the other end was in distress and told me that they had fallen, may have broken something and the ambulance was at the home. I felt helpless.

Meanwhile, a neighbor was teaching her grandson about fire trucks when he went to the window and exclaimed, "Grandma, there is a fire truck across the street." She went to the window, grabbed her phone, and started making phone calls.

One of the friends who received a call from the neighbor rushed to the hospital and stayed until the husband of the injured arrived. A blessing was given and the waiting continued and still continues.

How grateful I am that there isn't a limiting quota on God's love and this week I was reminded that we are surrounded by those who help us feel God's love in a variety of ways.

In Memory

For as long as I can remember, Memorial Day has included BBQ's with family and visiting cemeteries to place flowers on the headstones of loved ones. This year, my parents and I cleaned headstones and talked about memories of those who have passed. What a reunion we will have one day.

Choo Choo

My dad called me earlier in the week and asked if I wanted to go on a train ride with the family and of course I did. Lucy(mom), Sy, Avy Shae, and myself met Rufus(dad) in Poky and boarded a train with local dignitaries. I was hoping the local newspaper would be covering the story so I could be on the front page but no such luck. I guess I'll wait until I'm one of the local dignitaries and then my picture and life story will be on the front page of several papers. Sy took dozens of random pictures and Avy Shae kept asking if they would be serving peanuts during our short ride to AF. Riding the train made me want to go on a vacation via train. I'll add that to the never ending list of 'must do' vacations.

Let's Get Ready for Rumble*

I have just returned from a week in the Dominican Republic and I am ready to board another plane as the trip was not long enough. Or maybe I want to escape the reality of email, phone calls, and everyday life for another week. When we arrived in the DR, we were met by beautiful people and humidity and I felt my curly hair expand with each passing minute. The drive to the resort provided great scenery and a small taste of life in the DR. Overall, it was a great vacation. No set schedule. Fresh fruit several times each day. Bahama Mama Slushies. Sun. Ocean. Good books. Sun. Great friends. Amazing views. Sun.

People will try to sell anything to people driving by.

Do not ask the ocean waves if that's all they've got because they will cause an injury. I always wanted a scar from the DR.

A marriage proposal from Tyson #1 is something I will always remember. He and Juan Eddie gave us their contact information so we can skype, call, email. We gave them email addresses that we rarely check and I may have received an email which is a story for another day.

Our Italian friends, whom we sat with during the nightly entertainment, had us dancing and singing each night.

Water Aerobics in the ocean is fun, but avoid rocks.

We met Tarzan and fed him some fruit.

*Quote by Fabio Star. I didn't have the heart to tell him that the phrase is Let's get ready TO rumble. Bless his Dominican heart.

Easter Bommets

I spent Easter in B-Town with the family. We had an Easter Egg hunt at Grandma B's house and Avy Shae asked me to wear her Easter Bommet. What?! We all had a good laugh while explaining that it's called an Easter Bonnet, not Bommet.













Pip dared me to climb the treehouse and I wasn't scared...until I started up the ladder. Now, I should mention that I once fell from the ladder but that was years ago. And, the treehouse isn't that high up but I guess I was mostly worried that myself and the tree would come tumbling down. Luckily, I survived. My sister laughed at me until it was her turn to climb.

Keep Portland Weird

I spent some time in Oregon visiting family and friends and I almost didn't come back. I really do love the Land of Port and continue to tell my brother that he should find me a job and/or potential husband and I will live in their basement until I buy a place of my own. Highlights from the trip:

1- Jimmer surprised me at the airport. My niece Brinners was embarrassed by the sign and spent the week saying she didn't like Jimmer. She'll learn and then she will go to BYU.

2- We spent a night at a cabin and we stayed up late watching movies on my brother's laptop. Actually, Brinners and Noelle-belle stayed up while the adults fell asleep. Awesome.

3- We ventured downtown for Voodoo Doughnuts and sampled the offerings. We also saw the "Keep Portland Weird" sign which was very appropriate with all we saw while waiting in line for a bacon maple bar and pink bubble gum doughnut.

4- I was able to go to lunch with Kaydi Rae and Cohen and I also had lunch with Dan and Andrea, who recently moved to Portland. I'm beginning to think I must move.

The low point: The disappointing BYU loss to Florida but buying new shoes helped with the pain.

Jazz

I went to a Jazz game with a couple of friends. I'm pretty sure that my presence is the reason we won...in overtime. Seeing Jeff Hornacek on the bench made me so happy.

Care of Self

Many years ago, I met with a supervisor who asked what I was doing for myself when not at work. I was not prepared for this question and didn't know how to answer. As we talked, I began to see the importance of having a life outside of work. I work from home which means I could be logging information, making phone calls, or checking email twenty-four hours a day, but there comes a point when I need, no, crave and depend on, Shelley time.
Fast forward to last week and the lesson was relearned. I had an appointment for a facial and I contemplated canceling so I could deal with critical issues at work. I took a deep breath and made a choice. I chose me. I knew that I would be better prepared to handle anything that came my way, if I only took an hour to relax and take care of myself.
As I left the salon, I felt renewed and confident that I had made the right decision and was better prepared to conquer work and life concerns. I know that when I take care of myself, I am better able to care for others.

"Things do not change; we change." ~Henry David Thoreau

No explanation needed