My Bird Era

There are a lot of memes and jokes about how you start to like birds when you get old. I didn’t think it would happen to me, and yet, yesterday I found myself slowly creeping toward the bay window in my living room to get a closer look at a downy woodpecker in my tree without startling it.

I think every single friend I have has sent me this at some point. It makes me laugh so much every time!

When I was a teenager, and Scotty was on his mission, his mom would often take me on bird watching adventures. We went to the Great Salt Lake, the dump, Tracy Aviary, and various bird refuges. I don’t know why I went - I had no interest in birds, and honestly, I suffered. I must’ve been bored and lonely.

I never thought I’d give a hoot about birds (see what I did there?) but then in 2020, I ordered the bird-inspired board game Wingspan for myself for my birthday, and a pandemic hit and made life so slow and boring that birds suddenly became one of the most exciting parts of my existence. I downloaded the Wingsong app that lets you scan the cards from Wingspan and hear the bird calls. Then I downloaded Merlin Bird ID, which helps you identify birds by either sound or photo. I started going places to purposely look for birds - like the Great Salt Lake Shorelands and the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I even went to the dump and got an annual pass at Tracy Aviary.

We put birdhouses and bird feeders in our backyard. We ended up getting rid of the birdhouses, though, because we had a few batches of baby birds die in them, and we felt like murderers (and cleaning them out isn’t fun). So now we feed the birds, but we don’t provide them with lodging.

I’ve also become very set on taking photos of uncommon birds, as if I’m going to need to prove someday that I saw a grey heron by Target (true story). There’s a technique that anyone who takes photos of birds can relate to. You have to start taking pictures from way far back just in case the bird flies away. Then you sneak closer and take another photo… sneak closer and take another photo…sneak closer and take another photo… until the bird flies off. Which it will. Because birds do that sort of thing. 

Absolute truth.

So I unintentionally became a bit of a bird nerd. In fact, my friend Lynsie gave me a bird themed gift for my 40th birthday with a Bird Nerd shirt, a Nice Tits mug, and a bird sticker pack. 

But here’s the thing… sometimes I still hate birds.

Like in the summer when there are hundreds of them in our front tree every morning, and they chirp for two hours straight (4:00-6:00 am). 

SHUT UP, BIRDS!

And when magpies perch on our window frames and peck at the siding of our house.

And when geese leave their big, green, juicy turds all over the sidewalk and grass (sorry I got so graphic there).

And when robins dart at my head and ruffle my hair because they laid eggs in my yard, and I have the audacity to go outside and try and water my garden. 

And I really don’t like grackles. Them and their weird, beady eyes, and their parking lot lifestyles, and their annoying screeches. 

Ugh. Birds. The relationship is complicated. 

One thing I have to say about birds, though, is that love them or hate them, I really stink at identifying them. Thank heavens for the aforementioned Merlin Bird ID app because without it, I’d just call everything a penguin, much to my mother-in-law’s dismay.

The app is probably what has made bird watching the most exciting. It’s really fun to walk through a park or other bird-y area and scan for bird songs to see what’s around. A few years ago at Young Women camp I got out of bed really early and was tiptoeing around camp between everyone’s tents like a creeper holding my phone out as it scanned for birds. To anyone who doesn’t know what I’m doing when I’m scanning for birds (which is mostly everyone) I probably look like a total weirdo.

So even though there are some things about birds that still annoy me, I’ve mostly crossed over to Bird Enjoyment. I guess you could say I’m in my Bird Era. 

Easter 2024

For memory’s sake, I thought I’d do a little Easter re-cap. 

We started our Easter festivities a week early this year with a party at my mom’s house. I failed to take any photos, but BeReal went off during the party, so here I am with my giant egg:

Behold the giant egg

That night we had a stake fireside where the youth sang songs about the Savior, and it was really good. I know a lot of you were there, so hopefully you enjoyed it as well. 

The Saturday before Easter, we usually have an “egg roll,” a tradition started by Scotty’s grandma and continued by Scotty’s mom. The weather report wasn’t looking too good, so she ended up canceling. We took the opportunity to go to Lagoon in the rain instead. 

Rain hair, don’t care

I had to take a selfie in front of this ride to send to my friend Christie because she hates it so much!

That morning we dropped Nicky and his friend Addie off at the high school at 5:30 so they could leave for Disneyland. 

Nicky and Addie

As a long standing joke, they always take photos like this together.

In the afternoon, we had Scotty’s dad’s Easter party. 

Eva

On Easter morning, the girls got some things from the Easter Bunny - dresses for church and knock off LEGO flowers (that are actually really good for non-LEGO). 

We usually do Resurrection Rolls for breakfast on Easter, but I wasn’t prepared (I kind of forgot), so we told the girls we were going to have eggs and toast, and they weren’t happy about that. I improvised and made bunny toast.

Coloring before breakfast

Bunny toast

We went to church and attempted a photo afterward. I didn’t realize how tall Zoe has gotten. We need to reconfigure our photo formations for the future. 

Easter dresses (some years we do dresses, some years we don’t)

That evening we had an Easter party at Scotty’s mom’s house. I made funeral potatoes and finger Jello. 

Funeral potatoes (75 % corn flake coverage)

Chicks and bunnies

I took a poll on Instagram to see who is pro-corn flakes and who is anti-corn flakes when it comes to funeral potatoes. It turned out to be 50/50. Even as the participants increased over time, it always ended up equaling 50/50. 

(I’m pro-corn flakes, no doubt).

In summary, Easter was fine. We missed having Nicky with us, but we’re starting to come to terms with the fact that our family has reached the phase where our kids are going to be missing things more and more frequently. We’re trying to adapt. 

Now if I could just muster the energy to get these Easter decorations put away…

Got Frisson?

As you know, I recently started working part time. While I’m at work, I’m often by myself, and I’m able to pop my earbuds in and listen to whatever sparks my fancy. Most of the time I listen to audiobooks, but sometimes I change things up with a podcast or a TV show. I’ve found that music isn’t always my “go to” during work because I don’t like to just listen to music, I like to participate in it. The best part of music for me is singing and/or dancing along. I don’t know if anyone at work wants to hear me singing with earbuds in my ears. They probably wouldn’t care if I danced, but dancing while using a nail gun probably isn’t recommended by OSHA. Music just isn’t the same if all I can do is listen, so listening to music at work makes me feel like I’m being held back or living a restricted lifestyle. 

For the last two weeks I haven’t had much success with audiobooks because I haven’t been able to focus, so despite not being able to sing and dance at work, I’ve jumped around from playlist to playlist. One of my playlists is “slow country,” and as I shuffled through it, I pretty much relived my entire life - especially my teenage love life (to compensate for not being able to fully participate in the music, I tapped my toe and occasionally drummed my fingers on the work table).

When I was a teenager, I credited every song to be about (insert boy of choice). When I liked a boy, there was a song for that - written just for us. When a boy broke my heart, there was a song for that. And since I liked a lot of boys, there are a lot of songs that stir memories of (insert boys’ names here). 

I also have a lot of distinct memories of being in specific places and hearing certain songs. I have memories of singing with my friends in the car, slow dancing with boys, performing with my dance team, and belting out solos in my bedroom. 

It’s not just a “slow country” playlist that sparks my memories - I have always enjoyed a variety of music styles - but the slow country hit pretty hard. Not only were there songs I attributed to boys I liked, there were also several songs on my playlist that remind me of friends and loved ones who have died. There’s a country song that played on the radio one day when my friend Brian and I were out buying donuts for our French class. Brian passed away shortly after high school, and every time I hear that song, I think about him. Then there are some songs I listened to shortly after my brother died last year, songs that remind me of my grandparents, and a song that reminds me of my brother-in-law, Doug.

A few months ago I learned a new word: frisson. Frisson is an emotional reaction where you get goosebumps or chills or even get teary eyed as a response to music and other art forms. I was excited to have a word for it because it happens to me. I especially get chills during certain harmonies or key changes in music, and I have this response to dance as well, and -hear me out - I even get it on some amusement park rides (as I learned last year in Disney World when I kept crying on rides). I came across the word in social media one day, and the post said that only a certain percentage of the population experiences frisson. I did a little more googling and found different reports on how many people experience frisson - ranging from 50-80%. Regardless of what the actual number is, I was shocked that not everyone has that response to music. I was so curious about people who don’t experience frisson that I did a poll on Instagram just to see if any of my 32 friends are among the non-frissoners. Two of my friends said they do not experience frisson, and it was kind of surprising. Both of those friends have histories in musical theatre, and one of them is a very talented pianist (she’s the type who, when she accompanies in primary, doesn’t even open the songbook). Friend #1 said (as we messaged each other further about her lack of frisson) that she rarely listens to music, as to her, it’s unnecessary noise. She just doesn’t really like it. Friend #2, the pianist, claims her lack of frisson is due to her heart of stone. I was really shocked by Friend #2 because music is such a big part of her life (heart of stone or not), but then I thought… for people who are especially gifted musically, a lot of music probably sounds really awful to their ears, so it probably takes a really high level and quality music to stir them emotionally. Just a Theory by Britt. 

Recently I experienced frisson while watching Daisy dance in a concert at the high school. 

Daisy has grown immensely as a dancer this year, and Ive started to see her really feel the music. She has had the chance to choreograph and teach two dances to her company, and I cried the first time I saw her choreography on stage. 

I know that music makes my girl experience things, so I’m always trying to sneak it into her life. She loves to listen to music, and she sings constantly (sometimes I just really want her to be quiet, but I always remind myself that the day might come when she stops singing, and that will be a tragedy). I made her participate in a church youth choir for Easter, and boy, was she mad at me. She went to practice every week and pouted. She never confessed that it was a good experience, but by the time they performed, I think she knew. Plus, they sang one of her favorite songs (but anytime I call it “one of her favorite songs,” she argues and says it’s not, but it is. Mama knows). 

A couple of months ago, Scotty and I went downtown to hear the Tabernacle Choir rehearse in the tabernacle on a Thursday night (the rehearsals are open, if you ever want to go. I recommend it! You don’t have to stay for the whole thing. You can pop in for as long as you want). I realized that I hadn’t heard the Choir sing live since before COVID. It was amazing, and you can’t beat the sound of the tabernacle. As the youths these days say, it just hits different. I got many a chill!

Here’s the thing with me and frisson, though. I don’t want to get caught with it. I don’t want anyone seeing me get goosebumps or tears in my eyes. So when it happens in mixed company, I’m like, “Oh no! I’m feeling stuff. Fight it! Be strong!” But when I’m by myself, I just let it happen, and I feel all the things that come at me, and I might sing to dance or cry for a moment. In public it feels like I got caught peeing a little.

So… are you among the 50-80% who get frisson?

Currently (April 2024 Edition)

Reading: nothing! It doesn’t feel right. I’m kind of in a weird place with reading. I can’t focus very well right now, and I can’t find anything I like. 

Drinking: water, orange juice, and lemonade. And here is where I tell you that I had a bit of a soda relapse last week. I drank a few, and now I’m going back to my sober ways.

Cooking: April Fools’ dinner. 

Sick of: Costco cookies.

Suffering from: two huge zits in addition to my numerous tiny zits.

Wearing: not my favorite stretchy pants or “bird nerd” shirt because they went missing in the laundry vortex a few weeks ago. Also still not wearing my own socks because they are also missing (I’ve been wearing Scotty’s almost everyday for about a month).

Buying: probably socks.

Suffering from: FOMO. Nicky is in Disneyland with the performing arts, and a couple of my friends are there as well. I’ve been stalking everyone’s social media and loving all the photos and videos, but I have a bad case of the Want To Be Theres. Yesterday I checked to see if Disneyland had any reservations available, and I seriously considered booking a last minute flight or driving myself there. 

(They didn’t have any reservations left for today, so at least the decision was easy to make).

Feeling: a bit uneasy. I have a few things that are eating away at me.

Annoyed by: people who have the right of way but insist that I go first at four-way stops. You are no saint! You are disrupting the flow!

Singing: “What Could be Better” from Bright Star. 

Watching: Sherlock 

I’ve been wanting to rewatch Sherlock forever, but it hasn’t been streaming anywhere until now. I’m a little shocked at how old it is! The first season is from 2010! Benedict Cumberbatch looks like a wee baby.

Craving: a chicken biscuit from Chick-Fil-A washed down with a Coke. Which I will not get. Because I am one day soda sober.

Thinking about: my schedule for the day and how I am going to keep my girls busy (it’s spring break) and not spend a ton of money. I have the tendency to spend money to fight boredom. 

Playing: 

Needing: a new package of hair ties.

Missing: the bacon, egg, and cheese bagel that McDonald’s used to sell. And the fruit and yogurt parfait. 

And drinking soda. 

Laughing about: the fact that Scotty and I both split a hole in our pants yesterday. 

I’m laughing, but I’m also crying because my pants were my favorite pair. 

Grateful for: WiFi

Things I Didn’t Know in High School

My kids would end up going to the same high school I went to.

I would have five sisters-in-law that I went to junior high or high school with (and all but one would get divorced).

Coach Olson would still work there 20 years later and somehow look exactly the same.

I would have dreams about forgetting my locker combination, forgetting the dance choreography, forgetting my schedule, and forgetting to do my math homework for the rest of my life.

My teachers weren’t as old as I thought they were.

Some of the people I went to school with but never really talked to would become really good friends later in life. 

The boy who flipped a kid over in his desk during math class in 8th grade would one day be my brother-in-law and marry my best friend.

Some of my classmates wouldn’t live long past graduation. 

I didn’t miss anything by not getting a letterman’s jacket or class ring.

I would eventually reconnect with some of my teachers using something called “social media.”  

I would one day chaperone the dances. 

My high school would be the first in our area to have weapon scanners.

One of my kids would have their first kiss with one of my classmate’s kids. 

My parking spot would be converted to faculty parking. 

They would get rid of the Gate Lady (IYKYK).

It’s Officially Spring (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: I have big news - I got a new laptop today. I’m not blogging from it, though. Instead I’m posting in bed from my phone, which is always a pain, and I don’t know why I do it. 

Oh wait, yes I do. It’s because I’m too lazy to turn on a laptop and sit up to use it.

Fact #2: I realized recently that I have recurring dreams about doing the dishes at my grandma’s house. I’m always loading her dishwasher or scrubbing dishes in her sink, and I’m stressed about the amount of dishes. I have no idea why I have these dreams. I don’t have any weird memories of doing dishes at my grandma’s house. My grandma was always in the kitchen, but that’s the closest tie I have to her sink and dishwasher. 

Sometimes you just need to slap some dino nuggies on bread and call it dinner

Fact #3: Tomorrow is my day off. I haven’t really figured out how to manage my time on days I don’t work. There is always so much I want to do and so much I need to do. Right now I’m really behind on things at home. I’ve been wearing Scotty’s socks for three weeks because I’m behind on laundry, and I don’t know where my clothes have gone. Scotty has been doing a lot of the laundry lately, so maybe he’s hiding stuff. 

Fact #4: Even though I’m behind on things at home, I’m really enjoying working. I started with 12 hours a week, and then I increased to 18 (ish). I really like my job, and I’m strangely sad on days I don’t get to go to work. But I need that time to get home and family stuff done. 

Fact #5: We are already wrapped up in all of the end of the school year things. We’ve had a lot of performances and events to attend this past week, and it’s pretty much our lifestyle from now until school gets out in June. 

Daisy is going through a Michael Jackson thing since seeing MJ the Musical last month

Fact #6: For the past couple of months, Daisy has stayed after school for play practice. Now that the play is done, and she’s coming home right after school, I feel like I’ve lost daycare services.

The poor theatre teacher probably feels like he was running a daycare. He hasn’t come to school since the play ended. I told Daisy today that he might not ever come back.

Fact #7: This week I’m feeling very lovey dovey toward my friends. I have moments where I realize how many wonderful people I have in my life and how I am not fully embracing the relationships I have. I look around and wonder “Why are they still here? Why do they stand by me even when they’ve seen some of the worst of me?” And well… I guess I just feel very blessed. 

Nicky’s potter piece in the school art show (hopefully you recognize it as Delicate Arch and not a wonky pair of pants)

Fact #8: This morning our water heater pooped out. Luckily Scotty was able to get it working again this afternoon. When I asked him what was wrong with it, he used words I don’t know, so I zoned out. All I know is that he cleaned a part, and that seems to have done the trick. Yay for hot water! It’s definitely a luxury we take for granted until it’s not there. Then we realize how frail we truly are. 

Fact #9: The other day I had to fill out some paperwork for a school event for Nicky, and after I turned it in, it dawned on me that I dated everything 2025. I think I might have been doing this all year. I think I’ve been living a year ahead. Now I’m trying to get back into 2024, and I swear we already did this year.

Fact #10: I didn’t have any relevant photos to include in this post, so I decided to throw in whatever I could find. I hope you enjoyed the journey!

My brother’s dog

Thoughts at the End of a Weekend

It’s late Sunday night, and I’m not quite ready to go to sleep (I’m the last one awake in my house… I think… my big kids might still be up, but I don’t know). A lot of times at night I think I’m wide awake, so I start reading a book or writing a blog post, and within a few minutes I pass out. I get a false burst of energy right before I fall asleep sometimes. I say that because I start a lot of blog posts and never finish them, and that could be happening right now. I think I’m not tired, but my eyelids might betray me at any moment. I think I sometimes read in my sleep, but I’ve never blogged… that I know of (suddenly spends three hours combing through archives).

Anyway, I just thought I’d write a few thoughts at the end of a busy weekend. We had a lot of events and commitments over the last week. 

On Monday we helped move a set from our high school to a nearby high school for the region theatre competition. That was at 6:30 a.m. Then I went to work for a few hours and left early to go watch Nicky’s performance. That afternoon we moved the set back.

On Tuesday I was in charge of dinner for 40 theatre kids at the second day of region. I had a crew of helpers, luckily. Tuesday was also maturation for Zoe at school. We let our kids choose if they want to attend or not, and Zoe is the first one who wanted to go, so I left work early to go with her. 

On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Daisy had her school’s production of Footloose in which she had the lead role!

You guys! My daughter surprised the heck out of me. I never imagined her getting up in front of everyone and singing solos on stage! 

Who is this kid??? 

It was so much fun to go to the musical every night and see the kids do their thing. There are some fun personalities in this group of kids. 

One of the best parts was seeing 5’7” Daisy (Ariel) with 4’11” Kyle (Ren). With Footloose, you’re supposed to be Team Ren, but I gotta admit, I was Team Chuck. His mom and I have wedding plans for him and Daisy. It’s gonna be a long seven years for us mothers-in-law.

Ariel and Ren

(Is there anything more “junior high?)

Ariel and Chuck 

On Saturday we went to Lagoon for opening day! I bought season passports without telling Scotty. Tee hee. I can’t believe I’m a Lagoon junkie. I have rules though. I only go first thing in the morning for about two hours, and then I get the heck outta there. 

Love the rides. Hate the crowds.

We were there from about 10:00-noon. Then we came home and did our chores before Game Night at 4:00. Chad and Carlie came over, and we played Ark Nova, Viticulture, Take 5, and Quixx. We had chimichangas for dinner and brownies and Rice Krispie treats for dessert. 

This morning (Sunday) I woke up early and made two desserts for a family party (one pan of lemon lush and one pan of pistachio lush because I know you want to know). We went to church, and it was my turn to teach Relief Society. When we started attending our new ward, I was very disappointed to find that our ancient building (that predates Noah’s flood) has chalkboards still. I asked the bishop at then end of last year about getting a white board in the Relief Society room, and he said he thought we could do that. It got installed this week, and I was the first to get to use it! That was more exciting than anything else that went on. The lesson was fine, but the white board was beautiful!

After church I had to go to a stake camp meeting. Then we had an Easter party at my mom’s house. Then we went to an Easter devotional. 

Today was kind of insane, and I spent the morning on the brink of a breakdown. I was overwhelmed, but we got through it, and now we get to wake up tomorrow and do it all over again!