Dizzy Dandelion: 2014

Wednesday, December 31

Interview with myself 2014

Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life -- well, valuable, but small -- and sometime I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?
- You've Got Mail

I'll be honest: 2014 was not an easy year for me.

I saw big, wonderful changes in the lives of many of my loved ones: my family grew, my friends had babies. They have been through a lot and I am glad they finally get their happy "re-beginnings." It is truly awesome!

Aaron and Heidi are the cutest.

My own life stayed stagnant. I wasn't very good at not being jealous of my loved ones' life events. The future I expected to have is more unlikely with each year that passes. I'm not quite sure what to do with myself in the meantime. Then again, nobody's future is secure and no one knows what will happen one day to the next. Whether I marry and have kids there will always be times of stagnancy, but I like to think maybe then I will be less lonely. I've had a tough time trying to come to terms with my loneliness this year.

In the theatre world, I was in two plays that I have wanted to participate in since high school: The Sound of Music and Jekyll and Hyde. Who else can say they played a nun and a prostitute in the same year? To be honest, it felt like a step backwards playing in the ensemble two plays in a row. I missed having my character development built into the script and personal attention from directors. But I worked with awesome choreographers and worked with a lot of people I've wanted to. I am glad I was in both of them. I'm proud of my work and grateful for my new friendships.

I saw plays in New York City, and Cedar City. I went on my first business trip. I got to go to Salt Lake Comic Con, Fan Xperience, and Fantasy Con for free. The events and vacations infused some much-needed relaxation time, and fueled my gratitude for my regular life at home.

What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?
I exercised 5 days a week for 9 weeks -- first time I've ever been that consistent!
Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? The only resolution I made last year was to read at least 12 books. I ended up reading 41, including plays, children's books, young adult fiction, adult fiction, religious and other non-fiction.
Did anyone close to you give birth? My brother Peter and his wife Jordyn, and my besty Kate and her husband Brandon both had their first babies this year -- both boys!
Did anyone close to you die? Not this year
What countries did you visit?
None outside the United States
What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
A significant other to share it with
What dates from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
No specific dates, just events
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
3.7 weeks without sugar or carbs
What was your biggest failure?
Gaining all of the weight back after #8
Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing more serious than allergy-related colds. I had laser surgery again.
What is the best thing you bought?
Tickets to Matilda, Newsies, and Cabaret on Broadway
Where did most of your money go?
Probably food.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?

The panels at the conventions: William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Denise Crosby, Nathan Fillian, Adam Baldwin, Karl Urban, Karen Gillian, Doug Jones, the guys from Kid History, Billy Boyd, John Rhys-Davis, Sean Astin, Simon Pegg, Mark Sheppard, Renee O'Connor, Alan Tudyk, Manu Bennett, Stephen Amell, and John Barrowman. Waiting in line was totally worth it every time.
What song will always remind you of 2014?
Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off" and "Everything is Awesome" from The Lego Movie
Compared to this time last year, are you:

Happier or sadder? Sadder
Thinner or fatter? Fatter
Richer or poorer? Richer (hooray!)

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Exercising in any form
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Feeling sorry for myself
How did you spend Christmas?
Surrounded my family and food at my mom's house
Did you fall in love in 2014?
Nope
What was your favorite TV program?Parks and Recreation. The Late Show starring Jimmy Fallon is a very close second.
Do you dislike anyone now that you didn't this time last year?
Not that I can think of.
What was the best book you read?
Cinder by Marissa Meyer. A dystopian-future, fairy tale retelling that doesn't feel bleak and is actually quite funny? Yes please! I couldn't read it or the sequels fast enough -- can't wait for Fairest to be published later this month!
What was your greatest musical discovery?
John Legend's "All of Me"
What did you want and get?
A Roku for Christmas
What did you want and not get?
A family of my own
What was your favorite film this year?
I'm going to go with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1, though Captain America: Winter Soldier, Veronica Mars, Into the Woods, and Big Hero 6 are big contenders.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 36, and spent the day at Regional Conference for church, ate waffles with friends, and dinner with my family.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A romantic relationship that lasted more than a few weeks
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
"Accentuate the positive; decentuate the negative."
What kept you sane?
Friends who know the right thing to say or do. Never condescending, always supportive and kind and often funny. We celebrate and commiserate together and love each other no matter what.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Tom Hiddleston
What political issue stirred you the most?
The sorority house shootings in California. It makes me crazy that a person can think that another person not wanting to sleep with them is a good reason to murder them. No one is "owed" sex or anything else. My feminism is growing stronger.
Who did you miss?
Dr. Cristina Yang. Grey's Anatomy is not the same without her.
Who was the best new person you met?
This is hard! I'm going with Madison Hanson and Wendi Griffiths. They and a few of our other dressing-roommates in Jekyll and Hyde made the experience great, and I love having having a few more Disney-obsessed friends.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.
This year my big one is that I am terrible at "enduring to the end." I can handle short-term goals, but tucking in for the long haul of days with unrequited hopes, or dieting or exercising consistently, or a large number of work weeks with no vacation in sight, and I too easily fall into a bad attitude. It's so, so hard to put that aside and cultivate a good one again; to see the beauty in the now and have faith in the future.
What are you looking forward to in 2015?
A trip to Disneyland
What else?
Growing relationships with friends, family, and (hopefully) the man I'll share the rest of my life with.

Enough of that. On to 2015!

The most wonderful month of the year!

December is at an end and a New Year is baring down on us. I had a fun month, full of family and friends, parties, dinners, and plays, and two full weeks off from work. I'd say I cannot ask for more, but I'm still asking for a boyfriend someday soon (just putting that into the universe).

I scaled back the Christmas decorations in my condo this year, but I couldn't do without my tree or my Swedish star.
It finally feels like Christmas!

My mother made me this gorgeous angel. She reigns over my tree in goodness and peace.
My friends say she looks like me, but I think she looks like my mom (and a little like Glinda the Good Witch).

Larissa went all-out for her A Christmas Story viewing party this year. The details were perfect, from the movie-themed food to the leg lamp she borrowed from Kristen. I didn't do much movie watching, but I did manage to catch up with a lot of people I like!

Hostess Larissa, and Chris

The "soap" was molded chocolate. This face was me trying not to think about how many other people had put it in their mouths ;)

The G-unit performed in a special after-school choir over the holidays. He's a performer through-and-through, and the true child of his parents. He hammed his way through the actions and had a huge smile on his face the entire time. He even had a solo in one of the numbers. I'm proud of him!

This smile was right after he messed up the words. Luckily, the entire choir was singing, so nobody noticed except us... and only 'cause he started laughing!

When Brandon offered Nichole, Larissa, and me tickets to see him in A Christmas Carol at Hale Centre Theatre, we jumped at the chance! Nichole and I have fond memories performing in the play, and Larissa had never seen it before. It's a lovely production, and the story of Scrooge and Bob Cratchit has a message worth learning over and over. Maybe I'll audition for it next year...

My ward organized a special event where we attended an afternoon session at the Salt Lake Temple, and then ate a catered dinner at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. My date cancelled on me, but I made myself go anyway. I knew I'd have plenty of friends there.

This was the view from our ballroom!

My table, minus Trinnette (the photographer)

I wasn't going to let Trinnette get away without a photo!

Blueberry chicken. It was different, but I liked it.

We had chocolate mousse for dessert. It tasted like frosting and was fabulous.

Terrible, terrible selfie with some of the lights at Temple Square

Peter's company rented out a theatre and had the employees invite friends, family, and clients to view The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies the night before it opened. I was the only one to dress in costume, but I couldn't not do it. It was my last chance!

The office Christmas party was at Tucanos this year. It's the one time of year that absolutely everyone comes into the office, and I'm always surprised at how many of us work from the Salt Lake office. I ate lunch with the User Experience and Marketing teams. We were surprised to see so many women together at once, since some of them work from home and others work in a part of the office the rest of us don't get to very often. I nearly blew their minds when I told them there are three other women on my development team, and one more in customer service!
We were also gifted a box of Cummings chocolates and a coupon to see a movie at the Megaplex for free. Hooray for the holidays!

I cannot say no to this chocolate cake. Not when it's free and lasts for four days (if I can restrain myself)

My two-week vacation started the next day :D

My nieces convinced me to do the unthinkable: I downloaded some games onto my phone. Now Breezy asks to play on my phone every time she sees me.

Hair Salon is Breezy's favorite, especially the "blowdryer" function.
The top left one is mine. I've accidentally shaved heads more often than I care to admit.

This Frozen Princess dress up game is also pretty fun.
These are all my designs.

Zonks's favorite is Dumb Ways to Die. I couldn't not download it when she moaned "I looooove it!" We both laugh our heads off while I read the directions and she tries to save the poor characters from grisly deaths (wow, that sounds horrible, but the game is hilarious).

I bought this cookie 'cause I was worried I wouldn't get any gingerbread this year. It tasted ok, but it prompted this amusing story:
"Dropped this cookie while walking up the stairs to my apartment (it was in a tiny bag). I exclaimed, "Oh no!" and one of my neighbors came running out to see if everything was ok. I was a little embarrassed to explain my reason, but she joked she would have been sad, too. I asked if she was the one doing laundry and she said she was, so I thanked her for the lovely detergent smell in the stairwell. Then we introduced ourselves. Nice to know another neighbor."

"For today's #creepshow, I parked for church, and these pigeons (plus a bunch more) immediately flocked to land on the street right next to my car. They then began circling and landing ON my car, so I backed up a bit so they'd get off, but they settled back in after I parked the second time. So, I drove away to park up the road. Happily, they didn't follow. But, wow, it was weird!"

I invited Larissa to join me for a day at the movies. We saw The Imitation Game, ate lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, then her husband, Rob joined us for Interstellar. It's been a long time since my last double-feature, and I loved having Larissa with me!

I love this time of year when gas prices are as low as they've been all year. I remember a time when I thought $1.99 per gallon was a rip off! Filling up my gas tank for less than $20? Yes, please!

Some other notable events were watching the entire series of Ugly Betty -- which I LOVED -- and joining Aaron, Heidi, and Dave in seeing Into the Woods, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I've been saying since day one that I was cautiously optimistic about ITW. It's a tough show, but the movie got the tone just right and that is the most important thing to me.

Christmas was everything I hoped it would be, and New Year's Eve was delightfully spent playing board games with my besty, Kate, her husband, and his family. Such a nice way to end the year!

Friday, December 26

Christmas 2014

I didn't take many photos over the holidays this year*. I just enjoyed being with people I adore and drinking in the future memories. Christmas Eve and Day were two lovely, peaceful, happy days. Just as they always should be.

Christmas Eve

My mother's brother and sister-in-law returned from their mission this year, so they reinstated the combined Christmas Eve celebrations. I'd missed my cousins, and it's so fun to see how our family has grown in the three years since we last celebrated together. Two new spouses and four new babies! Thank goodness the new house accommodate everybody!

I love that we have an actual kid-sized kid's table!

The G-unit plays "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" while his sisters sing along

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus

The Nativity -- we almost have enough kids to do it without making the adults dress up, too...
Almost. (Thank goodness for cool uncles)

Having a real baby sit in for baby Jesus makes the whole thing that much more poignant

My darling sisters-in-law

Adam's family sang a song they had made up about Zonks's stuffed unicorn, Uni. Here, Dave and Aaron model the Uni decals the Jr. Smyth's wore while singing.

Best cousins talk about their respective medical school experiences

Christmas Day

Extended-family schedule juggling was complicated as usual (thank goodness there were no conflicts for Christmas Eve), but we all came together in time for my sisters-in-law, mom and I to help out with Christmas dinner prep while the boys distracted the kids. We opened presents in shifts based on when people arrived -- before dinner and after. This turned out to be nice because it didn't go on too long and no one had hurt feelings if they had fewer gifts than others. That night, the adult siblings and the G-unit played card games and laughed a lot. Oh, and there was plenty of traditional junk food.

It was a great day.