A Concert Review and a Little Shout Out to Some Friends

I've been a bit sporadic in my blogging as of late.  I know I keep whining about things being busy, which is true, but that seems to go for everyone else in their lives as well.  Today I thought I'd share a little review I wrote for the Utah Chamber Artists concert which Danny and I went to last night.  It was beyond beautiful.  Usually when I write reviews, I try to include the pros and cons of the production, but I honestly couldn't think of any cons.  Even the hard benches in the cathedral didn't bother me. Plus, it was fun to see so many neighbors and friends there.

Speaking of friends, I've been really lucky lately to see or hear from some of my old friends, or perhaps I should call them my long term friends, as they are not really old.  I see all of these little interactions as such blessings, because I've really needed it lately. I feel like listing these little blessings as a thank you to my friends and family members who have helped uplift me as of late:

•  My good friend Becky, who now lives out of state, was in town for a wedding, so we went out lunch yesterday.  It was so great to see her and talk about life.  I considered Becky as incredibly wise and I've always looked up to her. 
• On Sunday, I felt I was having some spiritual insight into some things I was trying to understand in my life.  I shared with Danny these thoughts, but my mind was still mulling over things I was trying to understand. I needed to talk it through with a female listening ear so I called my great friend Eliza, who lives in the mid-west now.  We aren't much of phone talkers so I could tell she was surprised by my call. I laughed and explained that I called her to talk about spiritual things.  We served our mission together, so I knew this wouldn't be too weird of a request.  I felt so uplifted when I was done.  As always, thanks Eliza, for all your insightful thoughts.
• I don't know if I mention enough on here that I consider my sisters as some of my closest friends.  I always love spending time with them.  On Saturday, my sister Noelle asked me to watch her baby boy during the morning. Babykins and I hung out all morning and things went pretty well, except nap time really equals sad time.  The whole experience didn't make me doubt wanting to have children (which wasn't always the case when I taught primary) so I would say it was a success.  Plus, Noelle and Jared brought us lunch and we hung out afterwards, which was fun.
• Last week, I had a really rough day and came home to an empty house, as Danny was still at work.  I thought "Who can I rant to and not feel judged?" and my past roommate and wonderful friend Rachel came to mind.  I called her and explained I needed to whine.  She listened, validated and raved with me when needed. By the end of our conversation, I felt so much better. It reminded me that I need to reach out to others more in these situations instead of wallowing, because I do wallow sometimes.  
• There are other examples, like good phone conversations with my mom and dad, a handful of gchat conversations that made me laugh or made me think (Talena, Brittany, Heather, Heidi, Julia and Melina, that means you) and thoughtfulness, which has left me feeling really grateful today.