American Idol--The Final 11

I started watching American Idol a few seasons ago. I became a RABID fan the year David Archuleta competed. I mean RABID! I actually voted that season. Not once. Not twice. But easily a 100 or more times EVERY TIME he performed. Thank goodness, Emily supported me on this and she would take over the speed dial when my tender little fingers would get tired. Heather and Jennifer did not share our passion. They were David Cook fans.

I told them they were NOT allowed to use the family phone to vote for David A.'s arch-rival.

Yes, I had no life.

Alas, David A. came in second place and Heather and Jennifer's David won. But, at least my family did not support his victory with our votes. I have supported David Archuleta's career by purchasing all three of his CD's. But, I digress. It's now Season 10 and we're down to the Final 11. And unlike the season Archie competed, I haven't voted once. Not once. But, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the show.

In fact, this post is dedicated to Jennifer hoping that she'll jump on the American Idol bandwagon this season and make it one of her reality shows to watch! I would LOVE to know who her favorites are so we can have some good old fashioned competition.

So, now for a recap.

Last night was Elton John night. He's got so many great songs that I was excited. Overall, the contestants did well.

Scotty McCreery – “Country Comfort” This was the one Elton John song I was NOT familiar with. I love Scotty. I'm not a big country fan, but he's adorable and his low voice always impresses me. I'm worried because he's in the first spot, but he has enough teenage girl fans that he should be OK.

Naima Adedapo – “I’m Still Standing” This was my least favorite performance of the evening. She tried to add a little Jamaican flavor and I don't think it worked. Overall, she's a very good performer and I hate to see her go, but I think she may be in the bottom three tonight.

Paul McDonald – “Rocket Man” I like Paul. I like his relaxed manner and his unique singing style. He broke out "the outfit" again last night. When Steven commented on how his outfit had grown even more flowers, Paul gave his toothpaste commercial grin and said, "How could I not wear it on Elton John night?" My big question is: How does he get his teeth so white?

Pia Toscano – “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” Pia sang another ballad. Randy and the other judges have challenged her to do something different. She promises that if she goes through another week, she will do just that. Some people may feel Pia played it safe, but she has an incredible voice and stage presence. I predict she will be in the final four.

Stefano Langone – “Tiny Dancer” Two weeks ago, Stefano had the BEST performance of the night. Last week, he ended up in the bottom two. Last night he tried much harder to connect with the audience. He kept his eyes open more, looked into the camera and even sang to Jennifer. (Randy was hoping he would grab his hand and sing to him, too. One of the funnier moments of the show.) He has a good voice, but I'm not sure if this song and this performance will keep him safe. I predict he'll be in the bottom three tonight.

Lauren Alaina – “Candle in the Wind” Before the commercial break, Ryan announced that Lauren would be singing the all time number one song for Elton John. Ron and I had a contest to figure out what song that would be. I kept thinking--"It's the song about a dead person. It's a song about a dead person." Suddenly, I remembered the person was Marilyn Monroe. Since Emily was on the computer, I asked her to Google Elton John and Marilyn Monroe. I was thrilled when they announced this was THE song! My little bit of trivia brain had paid off.

OK, now to Lauren's performance. She is an incredible singer and mature beyond her years. I can't believe she's only 16 years old. She did incredible last night and I predict that she will be in the final four.

James Durbin – “Saturday Night’s All Right” James is NOT my favorite singer in the group because I don't really like the type of music he sings. He's a little too rocker for my taste. But, he is very talented and last night, I enjoyed watching him interact with the audience, jump off the piano, and have fire spout everywhere. His joke about worrying that his overly hair sprayed hair would catch on fire and he would have a "Pepsi moment" was the other funny part of the show since American Idol is sponsored by Coca Cola. Of course, us ancient ones KNOW he was referring to Michael Jackson's unfortunate incident filming a Pepsi commercial years ago.
I predict he will also be in the final four.

Thia Megia – “Daniel” I like Thia and I like "Daniel." When I was growing up, my brother Daniel told all his (gullible) friends that Elton John was singing about him. They believed him. His friends were not. too. bright. But, since I DO have a brother named Daniel, this song has a soft spot in my heart. Thia did an OK job with this song. She has an absolutely beautiful voice but tonight (sigh) she didn't wow me as much as other times. I'm very worried she will be in the bottom three.

Casey Abrams – “Your Song” First I must say that I'm very, very glad that Casey got his hair and beard trimmed. He was looking positively scary and even evil the past couple of weeks. It wasn't just his hair and beard either--it was in his eyes as he growled and shrieked. I could not bear watching him. Last night, he did much better. He looked saner. He sang with less growls and I don't think I heard any shrieks at all. The judges saved him last week. I think he's safe on his own tonight.

Jacob Lusk – “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” I like Jacob. I like the type of music he chooses and the emotion he brings to a song. He is trying harder the past two weeks to hold back a little and when he does, he's more successful. This performance was not the best one Jacob has ever had, but he did fine. He should be safe. I predict he'll be in the final four, too. Or it could be Scotty. Still trying to decide between these two.

Haley Reinhart – “Bennie and the Jets” This was my FAVORITE performance of the evening! I have not been a Haley fan in the past, but Ron and I could not stop smiling the whole time she sang. It was infectious. It was fun. We wanted to sing along. Haley had a couple of bottom three weeks, but tonight, she's SAFE!

Bottom Line: Bottom three: Naima, Stefano, and Thia. Who's going home? Hmmm... this is harder but I'll say Stefano.

Best performance of the evening: Haley, Pia, and Lauren.

So, I'll see tonight how I did.

Poor Aching Head

Emily suffers with migraines. It has progressively gotten worse over the past year. She called me again this afternoon and asked if I would please pick her up from school. She was having a very rough day.

This is the second time this month I've picked her up from school. I'm concerned. I've taken her to the doctor a couple of times and they have challenged her to keep a "headache journal" and record what she has eaten, how much she has slept, and rate the stress she is feeling.

Has she done this?

No, she has not.

Today, when I arrived at the school, I saw a fire engine and a ambulance in the parking lot. My first thought was--Emily! I hurried to the school office where I saw a stretcher, several paramedics, and worried looking school officials. I didn't want to be a "looky-loo" but I worried, "What if it's my daughter?"

A few minutes later, I realized it wasn't. The office personnel were pretty busy and I waited a few minutes before Emily came from her classroom. As we left the school, I challenged her once again to PLEASE keep a headache journal so we could figure out what is causing the migraines. She is finally to the point where this is important to her.

When we arrived home from school, she found a "pretty flowery" notebook and started recording what she ate yesterday afternoon and evening.

One chocolate peanut cluster.
One snack sized Snicker Bar.
Applesauce.
Microwave popcorn.
Baked Potato stuffed with cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, and bacon.
Baby carrots.
Milk.
Hot Cocoa.

As she listed what she had eaten she said, "I feel fat! I didn't realize what an unhealthy diet I have!"

I reassured her that she was NOT fat.

She moaned as she remembered more non-nutritious foods she had consumed such as Jelly Bellies.

"Mom, I can't BELIEVE how horrible I eat!"

She grabbed a banana and began chewing.

"I NEED to join the Smokin' Hot Mama challenge and watch what I eat!"

"I NEED to place the Smokin' Hot Mama challenge in my binder and remind myself to only eat healthy foods!"

Tonight for dinner, Emily was very conscious about what she ate.

Pasta, chicken breast, spinach, red bell pepper, romaine lettuce, baby carrots, celery, and non-fat milk and (shudder) non-fat salad dressing, too.

What a difference 24 hours make. I told her she needs to record this in her headache journal, also. That way, if she has another migraine tomorrow, we'll be able to see if there are trigger foods.

If keeping a headache journal helps us figure out WHAT is causing the headaches so we can prevent them in the future AND helps her improve her eating habits, it's a win-win situation.

But, she told me she's not giving up her Hot Cocoa.

I Wonder if Warm Milk REALLY Works?

It's 2:00 am. I've been awake since 1:00. This is a problem because I went to bed after 10:00 pm. So, what's the problem now?

The camp fundraiser is over.

I've completed my last BYU class.

My last BYU class has been graded and I passed.

I don't teach seminary until next week.

Everything should be GOOD. Eternally speaking--all is well!

But, I've been awake for over an hour and I know that it's going to be hard to go back to sleep.

The reason I can't sleep now is because when I tried to order my cap and gown for graduation, I found out it was too late. The deadline to order caps and gowns closed over two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, I didn't know for sure that I had been approved to graduate in April. Two weeks ago I didn't know that the deadline to order caps and gowns was happening.

Without a cap and gown, I can't walk. Oh, I'll still graduate, and that's the big thing. But, I wanted to walk.

Now, not all is lost. There will be a LIMITED amount of caps and gowns to purchase the week of graduation. First come. First served. Christie has already told me that she would be willing to help out. I'm sure Heather or Jennifer would be, too.

But it's the NOT knowing that keeps me awake. Thanks, Grandma for my "worry gene."

But, that's ANOTHER blog post.

A Taste of Heaven on Earth

Last Friday evening, Ron, Emily, and I went to Mimi's Cafe to celebrate that I was finally finished with college. Possibly forever. Although Emily thinks I should now go on and get my Master's and eventually Ph.d. I laughed hysterically when she said that.

Emily is a very, very funny girl.

But, as I was saying, we went out to dinner. We enjoyed a lovely meal but the highlight for Emily and I was their delicious chocolate mousse topped with yummy sliced strawberries.

It truly was a little taste of heaven on earth.

Emily was enjoying her portion so much, that she ate v-e-r-y slowly. She wanted to savor every bite. I actually finished before she did. That's saying something.

So, now that I have accomplished the goal of getting my college degree, my next goal is to learn how to make a delicious, melt in your mouth wonderful, chocolate mousse.

If you have a GREAT recipe, let me know. When I find a winner, I'll post it and share my glad tidings with the rest of the world.

We Believe

This evening, Emily and I attended the Young Women broadcast. It was wonderful. The talks by the General Young Women presidency were inspiring. The message from President Eyering was thought-provoking. I'm looking forward to reading them in the May Ensign so I can digest their messages fully. The theme tonight was I Believe. I believe in being honest and true. I believe in being benevolent. I believe in being virtuous. President Eyering taught eloquently how we can believe--how we can have a living, growing testimony all the time. He mentioned Alma 32 quite a bit and explained how we can gain our own testimony. I had finished re-reading Alma 32 earlier in the week so many of his references were very fresh.

One thing he said that impressed me was, (and I'm paraphrasing) "Every time I read the Book of Mormon I take Moroni's challenge and pray and ask Heavenly Father if the Book of Mormon is true. This is one way that I keep my testimony living and growing."

I've done that myself occasionally, but I can't say I've prayed about the truthfulness every time I've finished reading it. It's something that I need to do.

As I was sitting in the chapel next to Emily, I suddenly realized that this was the last Young Women meeting I would attend with a daughter. I've been attending one of these meetings since 1994 when Christie was 12. Every year for 15 years, at least one daughter has sat by me in the chapel. I'm feeling a little nostalgic that another chapter is coming to a close.

However, I may have the opportunity of sitting in the chapel with my daughters for the Relief Society broadcasts. That will be a lovely experience.

Lost and Found

In February I checked out a book from the library called A Year of Fog. I read about three chapters before I needed to return it unfinished. I had started my last BYU class and simply didn't have time to read like I wanted to.

The opening chapters have haunted me. Someday I will have to finish this book. It's about a woman who loses her soon to be step-daughter on a beach in San Fransisco. She looked away for just a few seconds and in the blink of an eye, this little girl disappeared in the thick fog. This reminded me of something that happened within my own family:

When Christie was three years old, I was pregnant with my second daughter, Heather. My mom, Ron, Christie, and I drove over to Santa Cruz where we enjoyed a lovely day at the beach. The Santa Cruz boardwalk with all their thrilling rides was nearby. After enjoying a picnic lunch, Ron and Christie went down near the water to build sandcastles. My mom and I sat on blankets and towels and visited with each other. The beach was very crowded that day. It was one of those perfect days where there wasn't any fog and the temperature was very warm.

After Ron and Christie had been playing happily for 10 or so minutes, Ron walked up to where we were sitting.

"Where's Christie?" he asked.

"She's with you," I replied.

"No, she isn't. She said she wanted to get a couple more toys from you and then build more sand castles."

Panic set in immediately. With all the people at the beach, she somehow had not seen my Mom and I. We immediately began searching for her. I know that each one of us had a prayer in our hearts that we would find her soon.

I approached a life guard sitting on his tower and explained what had happened. I described what Christie was wearing and he radioed the other life guards to let them know to be on the lookout. I began walking down the beach, heading in the direction of the boardwalk. Where could she be? Was she in the water? Was she attracted to the rides on the boardwalk? Had someone taken her?

Meanwhile, my mom came across a group of young adults from our church. She had overheard them talking about church related topics and so she asked if they would also join in the hunt. Ron, my mom, fifteen or so strangers, and I along with the lifeguards were now searching for our lost girl.

As I prayed, I felt prompted to head toward the boardwalk. I didn't even want to think about if Christie was in the water. She could not swim. I'm sure I was crying as I continued my search wondering if I would ever see her again.

After searching for what seemed like forever, a lifeguard approached me and asked if I was the mother of the lost girl? I told him yes.

"We found her," he said. "She's in the first aid station eating a sugar free lollipop."

He directed me where to go and I was so relieved to see her again. Christie had been trying to find us in the mass of people. She wasn't wearing her sandals and the sand became so hot to her tender feet that she began crying. When a family saw her, they asked what was wrong.

"My feet hurt and my Mommy and Daddy are lost, " she told them. They allowed her to stand on their towel to cool off her feet and then immediately sprung into action and took her to a safe place.

When I picked her up, the person at the first aid station told me what a smart girl she was. "She knows her name, address, and phone number." All the practicing had paid off! I was so glad she remembered this important information. I was so happy that we were reunited and that she was safe.

As I remember what happened all those years ago, I am so grateful that we had a happy ending. I'm not sure if the plot in A Year of Fog does.

Someday, I'll have to find out.

Just the Way You Are

This morning I did a step workout that combined circuits of cardio and strength training. I had not done this tape in nearly a year and I forgot how quickly it moved.

"Turn off the heater," I exclaimed to Ron as beads of perspiration were running down my face. "I'm hot."

Oh yeah. That's right. A real woman NEVER perspires. OR sweats. I was glowing in an over-abundant way.

Ron kindly turned off the heater even though he said it was FREEZING in our house.

It felt like 95 degrees to me.

Fifty minutes later, I was finished. It was time to take Emily to school.

"Oh, Emily," I said as we were walking out the door, "I am so hot and sweaty."

And then she burst into song,

When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are!

Somehow, I don't think Bruno Mars was picturing a glowing, middle-aged woman wearing sweats and an old T-shirt as he sang this song.

But it put a smile on my face as we loudly sang together.