When I'm sick, I blog.

Well here we are again folks. (folks meaning, the 2 or 3 people who are reading this)  The weather is cool and beautiful here in California. But alas, cool weather has some downsides. Like colds. Randy started to get sick first. And I was feeling pretty good until last night. After a full day of teaching yesterday I woke up this morning with no voice. I sound like a boy going through puberty. Seriously. I haven't answered any of my phone calls because I know how ridiculous I sound, especially when I try to sing "Hello" by Adele. (yes, i tried) And since having a voice is sort of necessary to teach someone to sing, I had to cancel all my lessons. Le weep. So I had some Cocoa and have been in bed while Randy works hard at school all day. Speaking of school, Randy is finishing his Doctorate school applications, in fact he's submitted a couple already. I can't believe how fast our time here in California has gone. Randy graduates in May, and then come September we will be somewhere new. Our first choice is the University of Utah. Not only does it have a great program for Rands but it is close to both of our families. And family is what it's all about right? I think so. Anyway, we will find out sometime in February or March. If you ask me, Randy will have options, he's a smart cookie. And look at him? Who wouldn't want this hunk of burnin' love at their school?

What else? In October we made a quick trip to Boise to celebrate my Dad's 60th Birthday. He had no idea we were coming. After He got home from work he was in the garage and I promptly walked in and asked "Is dinner ready yet?" I'm so witty. We had a big party for him, and it was fun. It was hard to leave after only being there for a weekend, but we're excited to come back for Christmas. We are also excited to visit Randy's family in a couple of weeks! I am firm believer that everything is better when family is around.

Music lessons are going swell. I got 4 new students last week, it's been crazy trying to get everyone scheduled, but I love it! I wouldn't want to spend my time doing anything else. One of my sweet students Claudia came up to me and said "Ms. Heidi, because of you I got the biggest solo in my school's talent show. I beat a SIXTH grader. My teacher could tell that I take singing lessons." I smiled so big when she said that. It's the little things, isn't it?

 That's all for now! I'm going to try and be a more consistent blogger.  And I know that you've all been thinking, "I would be so much happier in my life if only Heidi Powell blogged more." Well get ready kids, your dreams are about to come true.

p.s. only 189 days until X-Men: Apocalypse comes out.

"Sunshine is from Cal-i-FORN-yuh"

September is the time I usually sing to myself "Fall is here, fall is here, time for me to get drunk." But guess what. I'm not singing that this fall because it has still been in the 90 degree range here in bless-ed California. However, I did see some pumpkins outside the local grocery store, which gives me hope. And since you're all dying to know what is new in my most extraordinary life, I will tell you. Randy is back in school, and doing great of course. He is currently at a conference in Missouri for four days. sigh. Good thing I never get scared at night and think of every bad thing that could happen to me when Randy's not here to defend me with our broom. And good thing I saw "The Visit" last week. For those of you who don't know, that is the movie about the scary grandparents. And it changed me. I may never look at elderly people the same way again. I used to be really sentimental towards them. Every time I saw a sweet elderly lady in the grocery store looking for the sugar aisle, I would tear up. But now, all I feel is fear. So if you feel the need to call me at night and tell me a funny story, I would answer. Anyway, I am teaching voice lessons and loving it. We have a new piano that is just stellar, and all the keys work! Such luxuries.

Random side -note. Does anyone else frequently have dreams of a tsunami coming right for them? I've had at least 30 (im not even exaggerating) dreams that I'm on the beach and I see a huge wave coming for me, and I'm trying to warn the people around me, but everyone just thinks I'm being a fool. So the waves come and sometimes I ride on top of it on a mattress, or I get sucked under it and grab onto a nearby tree branch. And other times I just die. Someone please, interpret my dream.

As you can tell I have written this blog tonight, not because I have important things to say, but because I am bored, and I miss Randy. I will probably regret this post in the morning. That is all.

"You got any Cash?..... Hollywood?"

So a couple weeks ago, Rands and I decided it was time to to see the sights. So we headed to Los Angeles. We took the metro from Claremont to L.A. Union Station and walked around for a little while. Then hopped on the Subway to Hollywood. It was hot outside, but fun, and also really scary! Lots of crazy people just walking on the street yelling out loud to themselves, and a plethora of homeless people, we must have gotten asked for money at least 5 times. Hollywood was a lot less glamorous then I imagined. It was mostly just dirty, we only stayed for about 45 minutes. Some guy who would not leave Rands and I alone kept trying to get us to pay 100$ to go in a sketchy van to see Kim Kardashian's house. First of all, Kim Kardashian? Really? Of all the people's houses I could see?I don't care to see her house in my whole entire adult life. I did really want to see someone famous though. I was furiously looking around to see a celebrity (I was hoping for Harrison Ford) but alas, all I saw was cross dressers. I weep for humanity.

                                                    Our first stop was little Tokyo!

                                                                                 

                                                                 

The wish tree.

"Heidi, look at this creepy baby." A common statement.

Union Station. Please notice the woman in the bottom right corner. mmmhm.

The Pantages! 

Hollywood was not ready for this.

Let's all talk about how good Randal looks with a beard. SO brave.

I put my feet on Doris Day!!! I also put them on Kate Winslet, but it somehow got deleted. sigh. My heart will go on.

Waiting for the Subway to take us out of this cursed land.

This is all I could think of the whole time we were in L.A.

That is all.

Cheez its or me?

I feel that I need to write this story down so I don't forget! This happened after Randy and I were first married. So we were sitting in our little apartment and Randy was eating Cheez- its. (one of his most favorite snacks of all time) and he was eating out of the box and every once in a while he would exclaim "THESE ARE SO GOOD." or "Oh this hits the spot, heids...." or, "Oochie mamma these are good, I just love em!" So, after all these professions of love for cheez -its I turn to Randy and say "Do you love ME, or Cheez its?"(a valid question I thought) and Randy's face immediately goes from elated, to super serious. And he looks at me and says "Heidi, you.... you can't ask me that. I love both of those things." No hint of sarcasm or laughter. So I say "How can I NOT ask you that? You should not have to think about the answer!" He responds " I don't really know what to say..... but I love both." This goes on for awhile, back and forth "How can you not know?" and "I love both!" So I'm very confused and getting quite angry that Randy's love for me does not trump his love for a cracker. And I finally yell "Randal Louis Powell, you tell me right now that you love me more than a cheez-it or I am ending this marriage!" and he stops and says "Wait, did you say cheez-it?" Me: "Yes!" Randy: "OOOOOH I thought you said Jesus."

Yes people. That was our official first fight as a married couple, and that is probably the most anyone has ever used the word Cheez-its.

The end.

Provo and the 4th!

We have been in Provo for over two weeks now. Randy has one class left, then he presents his paper on Thursday. I am so proud of him for trying something new and doing this seminar, he is the literal best. You may ask, "But Heidi, what do YOU do all day in Provo whilst Randy is being a champion?" The answer? Not much. My daily routine goes as follows; Wake up. take Randy to class. Go for a run. Watch some embarrassingly bad reality shows. Question  my worth as a human being. Wait for Randy to get home. Repeat. My day is always best when Randy gets home, even if he is just doing homework. Now on to more exciting topics.

Like the Fourth of July! We drove down to Blanding to be with Randy's family. (I don't like saying "Randy's Family" because I feel that they are just as much my family too, but ya know, I gotta specify) Now let me be honest here, I love Randy, with my whole heart and soul. But even if I didn't, I might have just married him anyway so I could be apart of the family. There is never a dull moment with the Powells. I always have so much fun when we visit them. We swam, we played volleyball, we ate, and we watched fireworks. And in between we were just together. Some of my favorite parts of the weekend, were watching the crazy random storms that rolled through. On the fourth of July it rained really hard and there was a  huge lightning storm, or"nature's fireworks" as Beth would say. The combination of lightning and fireworks was quite magical. It was a fantastic weekend. I feel incredibly blessed to be apart of such a wonderful family, (though they may not feel blessed to have me be apart of their family) and it reminds me even more that God truly cares about our happiness. It would be easy to say that I am just lucky But I don't feel lucky, I feel that God has taken care of me, regardless of my many inadequacies, and given me so many undeserved blessings because he loves me, and is aware of me. He doesn't judge me by my flaws, or by my faults, but he sees what I can become, and I will work hard every single day to become that person.


Moving on. For those who don't know, "The Killers" is my favorite band of all time. And I LOVE Brandon Flowers (the lead singer) himself. Randal got me his new album "The Desired Effect" for my Birthday, and I've been listening to it non-stop. So if you've never heard of the Killers (you probably have) , or if you need some new music in your life, look them up. Here is my favorite song by Brandon Flowers. That is all.

Summer time is party time!

We flew into Boise at the end of  May to spend time with our family and it has been so fun. For the past month our days have consisted of swimming, playing with our nieces and nephews, watching movies, going on bike rides, and basically doing whatever our hearts desire! It has been pure bliss, and it was much needed. Randy has been working so hard in school and I was SO ready to be done teaching my students for awhile. But our time in Boise is coming to an end, as we are leaving for Provo Monday morning. Randy is getting paid to go do research and write a paper over there. I always said "You couldn't pay me to write a research paper." Apparently you can! He's just so smart, which is good because I possess no smarts, ask anyone. Hmmmm what else is there? I turned 23 ("nobody likes you when you're 23"). Driving on freeways and roads that aren't packed 24/7 has been nice. We are looking forward to seeing Randy's family next weekend when we go to their reunion in Victor. We've just been having so much fun that I fear it will be hard for us to go back to real life. But alas, we must. (sigh) first world problems. Until then we will continue to enjoy our summer! And now for some pictures....

                               Ted and Shirley (love them!) sent me some "Heidi Ho's" cheese spread for my                                              birthday. It was quite possibly the greatest gift I have ever received.

My sisters and I ran in the famous Idaho Potato race! It was so fun. I ran the 10k. My one goal was to not stop, and I am happy to report that I did not. (though old ladies in wheelchairs were passing me)

And this picture. I don't even know what to say. I wasn't able to be home for Mother's Day, so my family felt the best way to include me was by holding my decapitated head.

                                         We got family pictures taken. And my parents are cute.

                                     Grandpa gave all the grandkids suckers, as to persuade them to behave for                                                                  picture taking. Aren't they cute?

                                                                                     That is all.

"Don't shame me in the Synagogue"

Things that have happened recently:

1. I was made the sunbeam teacher ( I am already the choir director, so I was pretty bitter at first), but then I remembered how cute 3 year olds are. So now, I get super excited to plan my lessons. Pictures, snacks, games ,but mostly I love the titles of the lessons... "I am grateful for trees." Amen to that.

2. Some girls and I from the ward got together and had a movie night, we watched "The First Wives Club" one of the greatest movies of all time. Starring Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton, need I say more? (go watch it) It is the movie from which the inspiration for the title of my blog comes from. It was so fun! We laughed, we ate, we talked about our lives. It was much needed and will definitely be happening again soon.

3. As of today I have 23 students. What? It's so great. I love teaching, I love that I get paid to do the thing that I love. It has been a huge blessing for me, and I am so grateful that I get to do it. Not only that, but I have learned so much, about how to teach, how to sing, and how to work with people. I am a very shy, social anxiety filled person, (people, they're the worst) so this has definitely been good for me.

4.) March begins the beginning of another month that I will not miss working out. I made a New Year's Resolution that I would work out six times a week no matter what. Even if it's just for 30 minutes, and I haven't missed yet. (knock on wood.) 

                                                           Ladies Night! woot woot!

And here is a  clip from FWC (first wives club)

                                                                      That is all.

Basically............

I just love my husband. He is so patient, and kind. He takes care of me, and always makes me feel loved. He makes me laugh,  and he watches chick flicks with me (even the really cheesy ones).  He goes running out in the rain with me, and performs impromptu dance moves in the living room. I am so proud of him for working so hard to get his Master's degree. I truly don't know what I would do without him. He is the sunshine of my weather, and I love him so much. So in honor of his greatness, here are some of my favorite pictures of Rands That is all.



                                     
                         

The Parental Units.......

are here! My parents flew into California on Thursday, and are leaving early tomorrow morning (le weep) It has been a non-stop party since they've been here. We gave them a tour of campus, went running on the track, showed them all the shops in the village. Yesterday, we spent the whole day in Santa Monica Pier right on the beach. It was awesome, and yet, I saw so many swimsuits that made me question humanity. I hadn't seen my parents in 7 months..... I know you're all thinking "oh geeze" but that is a long time for me. I didn't get to see them at Christmas and had really been missing them, so this was a much needed visit. What else? My Dad has been stealing lemons off of trees. My mom officially knows more about technology than me (whipping out her i-pad to take pictures and such, she had to show me how to use it). My parents have been spoiling us, taking us out to dinner, driving us everywhere, it really has been a grand adventure. I will be sad to see them go, but Randy and I are hoping to visit Boise in June to go to family reunions and such. And for your viewing pleasure, some pictures of our weekend.

                                                 One of the lemons my dad stole off of a tree.  My mom made sure I placed my hands very carefully, so you can see the full size of the lemon..... you're welcome

Looking out onto the beach at Santa Monica

This man on the street just came over and handed my mom a bird....naturally

That is all.

Froyo Throw Down

Yogurtland. This is where the tension mounds people. Randy and I were sitting at a table just talking and living our dreams, and all the sudden a young asian guy (we'll call him Frank) and an older gentleman (lenny) who was probably in his sixties just stand up, stare at each other, and then briskly walk towards each other. It looked like a choreographed dance at first, which I was quite excited for. But then Frank threw his water on Lenny and they both start yelling and cussing at each other. Then all these people ran over and held both of them back. Randy looked like he was about to get up and help, but one of the employees came out with a broom and told them they needed to leave.  After Frank gave lenny a thirty second stare down he walked out. Why did this fight happen? No one knows. Maybe Frank took the last of the chocolate froyo, which, let's be honest, would make anyone want to throw some punches. However, I did hear the older guy say something about Frank calling him a grandpa and taking pictures of him with his phone or something. But still. Keep it together people, it's Yogurtland.

On a side note: Randy and I have just been enjoying our time together before he starts school next week. We've been hiking, going on walks and playing basketball at the church. I've been teaching lots of voice lessons. And over the weekend it was raining like crazy, so we decided to go out for a run. It was so much fun. The streets were deserted because to Californians the rain is equivalent to a tornado warning. We just talked and laughed as we ran jumping in puddles like little children. Then we came home and played this old school Aladdin game on the computer (ya know the one from Supernintendo, it's awesome) and again, we are children.

"Workin' in a Coal Mine....."

Christmas was a blast. We went down to Blanding,Utah this year to be with Randy's family. Don't feel bad if you don't know where Blanding is, just know that it's a hidden dream. We flew to Salt Lake and then from Salt Lake to Moab. We were on this tiny plane that made me fear for my life, but we made it. We stayed for about 10 days and came back on New Year's Day. What did we do for 10 days in Blanding you may ask?




Randy's brother Stewart (Chocolate covered Stewberry as we like to call him) led us down  a treacherous mountain. It was really fun, and scary. Randy is sliding on his bum in hopes of grasping on to that metal pole down below.

                                                                                We made it!

We woke up early to go watch the Sunrise. (The same day as our 1 year anniversary by the way, woo hoo!)

And when we weren't being awesome climbing mountains and watching sunrises we were hanging out at Beth's house playing games, watching movies, eating, and playing with all the nieces and nephews. It was a blast. I'm already counting down the days until I can see those crazies again.



                                    This was the theme song of our trip. "Oh i'm SO tired."