project people

SB & I are project people.
We like projects and find we never run shy on them.  Usually we rope each other into 'our' projects.  Maybe me doing a little more roping than SB.  But tasks are accepted as group projects in this household.

Sometimes other's projects become our own.  Like games and invites for wedding and baby showers.  Or bunco score cards.  Or announcements for stake dodge ball.

Those projects are quick and aren't a good reason to neglect my blog.  However, some other projects explain better why I still don't believe anything.  Just kidding, I do believe A LOT of things.  But I may never write about them because I sometimes get caught up in things like the following:

1. Promote the Vote week at Work-- the Hematology/Oncology Unit Awards.  You recall, the cupcakes?  ... as well as helping out with the hospital wide Nurse's Week.  AKA making 1600 truffle bar wrappers.  SB got me all of the Adobe programs for Christmas, including Illustrator.  Love it.  Just figuring things out, but I love it.  Also I have the full version of Photoshop... the real deal, no more elements.  So now Hailey and I can start our photography business.  Once I learn how to be a photographer.

They may not look like truffle bar wrappers.  But they are.

2.

 
The Amazing Race in Heber City, Italy.  SB's nephew went to prom and we were brainstorming ideas for the date activity.   His mom kept telling him don't you dare put this on Leslie.  SB kept telling me don't you dare take this away from Zach.  But Zach and I were both fine with me helping out.  And by helping out I might mean take the date into my own hands.  I know I gotta lay low as my kids grow up.  I DO NOT want to be a mom that's in everybody's business.  But I'm not going to lie.  I like my ideas and I like to be in charge (don't be mad that I said I like my ideas, I always have.  And I'm glad to run with other people's ideas, too.  I just like ideas, period, I guess.  Ideas are wonderful things in my opinion).  So I'll be working on taking a step back for the next 14 years-- between now and the time the bug starts planning his big dates.  However, I do think the amazing race with all 9 of it's legs in Heber, Italy turned out pretty good.  [the theme for prom was "When in Rome" so we went with an Italian theme.  I LOVE themes.  I once planned a whole mystery date because IKEA has a puzzle piece ice cube tray and I wanted to use them at a party.  The tray could only freeze 6 ice cubes at a time.   So for days I froze puzzle cubes and kept them in a ziplock bag.  The date was great.  (in my humble opinion).  We incorporated everything mystery we could come up with.  We held it at my mother-in-law's home an hour away.  I had boxes of things to haul up there.  I think about 30 people showed, I don't remember.  They competed in couples.  (I love competitions, too).  It all went as planned.  Except that I forgot the ziplock bag of puzzle piece ice cubes.  The whole reason I planned (months) for this date.  Typical].

3. HOLY COW!  Vote for Majerle.  (pronounced Marley.  As in Dan Majerle).  My cousin ran for Student Body Historian.  Of her Junior High.  Matt & I were the campaign managers.  Truth be told, Bonneville Jr. does not let you actually campaign. They let you hang up one poster for 2 days and make a portfolio that apparently counts for nothing.  Because MK had the best looking poster any teenager ever campaigned with.  Matt sculpted a cow out of foam for it.  And the portfolio should have won a college scholarship.  But 12 votes separated us from Jack Sprat, the winner.  You win some, you lose some.  But Majerle had our vote and has since accepted the position as the McN family historian.  We do way cooler things than BJHS anyhow. 

4.  Days of '47 Parade Float.  "Pressing Forward, Still Singing as We Go."   I don't know how this big world works sometimes, but almost a year ago I was put in charge of our stake's parade float.  An opportunity that comes to each stake once in 10 years.  I didn't even think the Stake Presidency knew who I was a year ago.  I don't know that they know me still.  But they asked me to man the position anyhow, and it turns out that April gives me just a couple of months before our first parade and so things are in full swing right now.   I am sure I will post more about this venture.  But for now satisfy it to say it's turning out to be quite the project.

5.  Dinosaurs.  I've been 'playing dinosaurs' a ton these days.  I don't even know how to play dinosaurs.  I told SB sometimes I feel like all we do all day is eat and fight with any variety of dinosaur characters and that I don't really know how to 'play dinosaurs.'  He told me "it's easy, you can do anything with dinosaurs-- just find things and make believe with them." Ok, I thought... I'll give it a try.  The next thing I saw was the Bug's leapster game case.  I put the dinosaur in it, and said to his dinosaur, in my best dino voice (which simply means I was talking a little deeper), the first thing that came to mind:  "I am going to go tanning, Little Foot."  (The case looked like either a tanning bed or a coffin-- which in real life are eerily similar to me anyhow.  And tanning seemed like the better thing to do than to put the dinosaur in the case and say "my dinosaur died," which is what I would like to do sometimes).  SB immediately said "you're right, you don't know how to play dinosaurs."  But I've been working on it.  We (we being the dinosaurs, the bug and I) drive a lot of monster trucks, still do a lot of eating and fighting, but also decide to be friends and have an ongoing search for our moms, our dads, and a pond.  A reenactment from Land Before Time, I believe.  I think my life would have been made simpler if I would have followed suit of my friend Amy and taught my kids there is no such things as dinosaurs.  But I'd have missed out on some pretty cool laughs with this kid, so bring on the extinct (or never existed in the first place if you're a Choate) reptiles...

As the projects slow down my intent is to really write what I believe.  But in the event it never happens, it's probably safe to assume we've taken on another project or two.  And the blog usually goes on the back burner.

Happy Easter. 
All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light.

Dear mother earth, who day by day
Unfoldest blessings on our way,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
Let them His glory also show.
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

(Love that song.  A favorite hymn for sure.  Probably will share a story about it when (if) I write my 'This I Believe' Statement.  And the song was an inspiration for the parade float we're building.  A choir (Mormon Tabernacle) full of animals.  Maybe it doesn't make sense.  But look for it this summer, you'll know it when you see it).