A Weekend of Old and True Friends!

On Saturday I had the chance to see some of my oldest and dearest friends.
The Woods family, Stephanie (with the baby) and I went to BYU together, both in the dance program. We also took dance together at a studio in PG. I taught her sisters dance at their studio in their home for a couple years. Their concert was my senior project. This is our FOURTH annual Halloween Party! Below is Steph with her husband Joseph and their sweet baby Benjamin.
Charlotte, me, Josie, Krista, Brooke and Em. We all grew up together in the PV5th ward. Josie flew out from Washington for a baby shower here in Utah. It was great getting together with the gals to reminisce! Josie is such a cute pregnant lady! She's having a girl in January.

I've been Tagged!

I was tagged by lovely Lisa Badal . . . . i now list 6 facts/habits/embarassments about myself

Fact/Habit/Embarrassment 1: I double, triple and quadroople check if things are locked. Like i'll lock my car, walk into work and then walk back to see if its locked. Or i'll lock my office, go to the dance room, and then walk back to my office just to double check. Also the stereo in the dance room (with my ipod in it), i go back like three times during lunch to make sure its secure. I'm crazy like that . . .

Fact/Habit/Embarrassment 2: I love shark shows on the discovery channel! I basically love any large preditor show, sharks, polar bears, grizzlies, alligators. . .i'm just fascinated! Shark week every summer is the best!

Fact/Habit/Embarrassment 3: When I was in Jr. High I thought i'd play professional soccer, i only did dance just because i'd been doing it since i was a little girl.

Fact/Habit/Embarrassment 4: In high school I wanted to be an OBGYN and have 10 children. Then I basically flunked chemistry, and learned that doctors had to take lots of that so I decided to find something else.

Fact/Habit/Embarrassment 5: Whenever I talk to someone who I want to impress or who I need to be professional around I replay the conversation over and over in my head, after its over, until I'm sure i didn't say anything stupid.

Fact/Habit/Embarrassment 6: When I was in 3rd grade I fell off a slide on the playground and cracked a few vertebrae, I had to lay down on my back for 6 weeks and the doctors told me I probably wouldn't grow anymore . . well i'm now the tallest girl in my family! Also, side note, during that 6 weeks I watched the movie "Newsies" practically everyday and had dreams that I was this girl newsie.

well, now I will tag Michelle, Josie, Hilary and Betsy! Have fun!

Mrs. White's School Picture or Emily's 18th grade school picture

Picture day was always so traumatic for me growing up, its funny how even us teachers are concerned about how our pictures turn out. I had pink eye that day. . . good thing you can't tell! It was really cool because the photographer had a digital screen and took a couple pictures of me and I got to choose which one I liked best! Wish they would have had that when I was in school, then maybe my 9th grade picture wouldn't have looked like a boy. . .

I LOVE THIS ALBUM!

So, I have so many favorite music artists I could never narrow it down to one, but Vanessa Carlton is definately up there, I own all of her albums and when this was released last week i didn't hesitate to buy the whole thing on itunes. Its just as fabulous as her others. I especially like, Nolita Fairytale, My Best, Heroes and Thieves, Home and More Than This. I just love her voice, the lyrics and the piano. If your looking for some relaxing, pretty, and uplifting music, check it out!

SUCCESS!

Don't they look scary? Well we did our first dance showcase of the year this week at Granite Park, here is the Advanced Class in their "Thriller" costumes.

I Am Not My Hair. . .

Ok, though you may not know this, I have colored my hair probably 50 + times in my life. I've had super blonde hair and super dark hair and everything in between. About a year after we got married I decided I wanted to see what my natural hair color was, since I hadn't really seen it since about the 5th grade. So I've been growing out my hair and lo and behold I actually really dig my natural color! (At least for now). Anyway, this week one of my students, Cheyenne (on the left), colored her sunkissed blonde locks dark dark dark brown. I did this exact same thing in October of my senior year in high school. When she came to class I told her how adorable I thought it was, (seriously she was a beautiful blonde but the dark looked just as gorgeous). She seemed really upset and told me that in her last class all of her guy friends told her they didn't like it and she wasn't even the same person anymore. I remember when I dyed my hair from bleach blonde to dark my guy friends were all like "it's just for Halloween right?" and were disappointed when I told them it was permanent. I was older and it didn't really get to me like the boys comments got to Cheyenne, but then again I still remember it, so I guess it did get to me a little. But anyway, my hope with these Jr. high kids is that I can somehow influence them in a positive way and help them realize that who they are on the inside is far more important that who they are on the outside and anyone who makes them feel like appearance defines who they are is no friend at all. Well, just for Cheyenne we warmed up to the song "I Am Not My Hair" by India Arie featuring Akon. Its one of my faves, especially because of my job. check it out on itunes. The chorus goes "I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within . . . .". And here is a picture of blonde Emily, just to reminisce.

THRILLER! . . . you're invited!

Who is that guy? Yes, its Michael Jackson in his famous music video "Thriller". This is my way of catching your attention to invite you to my upcomming FALL DANCE SHOWCASE. Its a SMALL dance concert (about 30 minutes) that features all my students that I have this quarter. The finale is the advanced class performing "Thriller". (a three minute version). Anyway, it is this Wednesday at 2:10pm at my School, Granite Park Middle - 3031 S. 200 E. South Salt Lake. Our next "big show" is on December 12th at 7pm, mark your calendar! :)

Lily Gaskin on TV!

I'm posting this here because a lot of you gals were in the ward and I don't know if you received word that the Gaskins were on the Rachel Ray show! check it out! For the rest of you, Lily Gaskin is in our Wymount ward and is only 2 years old, she can point out almost any country on a map! She's also going to be on 20/20 this Friday! Pretty cool huh?

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/where-world/

Sqaw Peak Road

Between Conference sessions today Jared and I drove up Squaw Peak Road in Provo Canyon to look at the leaves. The pictures don't do justice, it was absolutely gorgeous.

Presidente Jared

Jared is in his second year as President of BYU's chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the Spanish Honors Society. They have an initiation for new members every semester, here are some pics from the one this week for Fall Semester. It's tradition that every member gets a red carnation. Sigma is also one of the places that helped Jared go to Spain last summer by giving him a scholarship to a school out there.

Farewell Old Friend . . .

A tribute to "the kitty" who has been Jared's faithful pickup truck for the past five years, I've always been sentimental about cars . . . just ask my parents. I'm glad the kitty is staying in the family (Chase). BUT we are excited and blessed in having a great new car though, thanks White's!

HAPPY OCTOBER!

I love Fall! Every since I was a little girl I loved watching the leaves change on the mountains and looked forward to my family's drive up the canyon for FHE to look at the leaves. Here are some pictures Jessica (Jared's older sis) took for us last October. We decided we needed new pictures of us besides our engagement and wedding pics.