Girly Mormony Flowery Stuff

Well you guys I think I can official get my "I'm a Mormon married person" badge now because I made a craft yesterday. Successfully (after a couple crappy ones). I am so proud of myself I just had to document it!
Sorry for the awkward self-taken picture. Joe wasn't home. But seriously, look at those cutenesses!

I also learned something else - when you bring a dessert to an Enrichment (ahem, Relief Society) Meeting, it not only needs to taste good, but it has to look good too. I brought a deeeeelicious pumpkin sheet cake with cream cheese frosting all made from scratch. Seriously, heaven in my mouth. But it ain't pretty. I brought it covered in foil in my ugly well-used and well-loved baking sheet, to find that when I pulled the foil off it took some of the frosting off with it. As I scrambled to patch it back together, I saw beautiful cake after cake being placed on to the table next to my "sweet spirit." Seriously, those things were masterpieces - we all thought they were store bought because of their very precise, beautiful frosting patterns, plus they tasted SO GOOD! My sheet cake looked like a rusty old oil tanker next to these fancy shiny speedboats. I wanted to grab my cake and hide it in the kitchen! Sigh. So note to self, next time I make a cake for Relief Society (which will probably be NEVER), I've gotta step my game up! Haha. Oh well.

New recipe!

Joe and I tried a new recipe for Halloween - stuffed pizza rolls! We got the recipe from Our Best Bites (one of my favorite food blogs). We made the chicken bacon ranch flavor and pepperoni, which we adapted from the ham and pineapple recipe on their website. The chicken bacon ranch was definitely more labor-intensive, but if you're looking for a fun/easy party food that is just a little cooler than your average party snack, the pepperoni kind was fast and easy! Both were delicious...we will definitely be making them again sometime.

Wanna hear a crazy story?

(Note the shoddily self-cut bangs. What?!?)

See this picture? That's me, circa 2007. And that girl that I'm pointing to in the picture, with the blonde hair and white shirt? That's me, circa 2006. That painting recorded an important day in Katie and Joe history that we didn't even know was important until years later. That was the day that we brushed shoulders and didn't even realize it!

Let me explain...

Once upon a time I was a sophomore at BYU on October 6, 2006. My friend Spencer, a trumpet player from my freshman ward, was leaving on his mission and he came down to Provo to say goodbye to all his friends before he left. We met up at the HFAC to reminisce and do lunch at the Cougareat (we ate chicken taco wraps at L&T - it's almost eerie how many details I remember about that day). While meeting at the HFAC, an art major stopped us and asked if he could take a picture of us looking at some artwork in the main gallery. We were going to be subjects in his painting. It was supposed to be a sort of "picture of a person looking at a picture" type of thing. Deep. So we posed for the photo and I remember trying to look very serious and concentrated (very unnatural traits for me). Anyway, we went to the Cougareat and had a grand old time remembering stories from freshman year, speculating about the future, and wondering where we'd be in two years. It was lots of fun and we parted ways back at the HFAC, with me scooting off with my bassoon to E-251 to practice just as Spencer ran into some trumpet friends.

Enter Joe. Joe was fresh, and I mean FRESH, off his mission. Like, he'd been home for 24 hours fresh. I'm not as clear on the details of his side, but he wanted to come back and visit the HFAC - get reacquainted with the place and visit his old music friends, etc. So on October 6, 2006, he was strolling by the rehearsal halls with his trumpet pals when BOOM! I said goodbye to Spencer, rounded the corner to E-251 and didn't look twice at the group of people Spencer was joining. That is when Spencer met Joe. (So strange that Spencer was leaving for his mission right as Joe was coming back.)

About six months later, a painting popped up in the HFAC - a painting of people looking at a painting. I happened upon the painting, freaked out, and took a picture. Because, who wouldn't want a picture of a painting of themselves looking at a painting? And I loved it because it reminded me of my friend Spencer and forever memorialized the last day we hung out before his mission. Little did I know that it also memorialized the first time Joe and I ever crossed paths.

Years later, sometime in the blur of 2008-2009, Joe and I figured this all out and realized we'd crossed paths the day after Joe came home from his mission and I'd said goodbye to Spencer just as Joe was meeting him. And it wasn't until now that I realized this painting will forever mark October 6, 2006 in our history.

Strange how the universe works, huh?

P.S. I don't think Spencer made it into the painting. I guess the back of his head just didn't look serious/concentrated enough!

My husband

I thought I should do a little feature on the person I love the very most in this world, so this post is dedicated to the one and only Joe! He is quite the multi-faceted human being.

He's handy:

He's musical (and looks great in a tux!):

He's a super-star athlete:

He loves being Uncle Joe:

He's smart:

He's a master chef:

He LOVES swimming:

He's funny:

He's a great friend and example:

He's romantic:

There are lots of other things I could post but I'll be done now! I am so lucky to have the greatest husband EVER. I know everyone says that, but he really is the perfect match for me. I love Joe!!!

(Aww look at us, all young and engaged. Can you guys believe that was almost 3 years ago?!?)

American's Got Talent's Jackie Evancho - A Musician's Opinion

I'm sure most of you have heard about the 10-year-old opera singer, Jackie Evancho, who is a finalist and heavy favorite to win on America's Got Talent. If you haven't, you can get caught up here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nabo1iTcA5w&feature=PlayList&p=40589F682349E4DF&index=0&playnext=1

Pretty amazing, huh? First off, I won't argue that this girl has some astounding God-given talent and she seems like a truly sweet little girl with a good heart. But as a musician (albeit one who has limited vocal knowledge) I have some concerns for her.

To start, if I were just listening to her voice on face-value, without knowing that she was ten years old, I'd rate her as OK at best. Her intonation's shaky, her vibrato's not developed, and her musicality is immature. She lacks overall finesse. BUT when you realize that she's only ten years old, it is truly amazing. My fear is that with all of the ego-stroking she's been getting from the show, she will think that she's made it to the top and doesn't need to develop her vocal/musical skills any further, which is a HUGE PROBLEM!!! Like I said before, she has some amazing raw talent, but that's the problem - it's raw. It hasn't been developed. She lacks the finesse, musicality, and maturity that all great opera singers have. All musicians have raw talent to some extent (some more than others), but to be one of the great masters you have to pay your dues. No amount of raw talent can compensate for years and years of practicing and studying music. So I'm afraid that while her success on the show is wonderful at the present, it may hurt her long-term future career as an adult because she will think she's already "made it" and doesn't need any further musical development. I just hope she's smart enough to realize that this is not the case.

My other worry is how her voice will change over the years. What will happen to it as she matures? Obviously, girls do not go through quite the dramatic voice-changes as boys do during puberty, but there are some changes nonetheless. Will her astoundingly mature vocal chords go sour in adulthood? I am no vocal expert so I can't weigh in on this, but I think it's a legitimate concern. If any vocalists read this blog, tell me your opinions - I'm curious!

But at any rate, I'm fascinated to see what path this girl's musical career will take. Will she grow and develop and become a respected opera singer in the years to come? Or is she just a flash-in-the-pan that will fade into nothingness?

Things we love about Ann Arbor:

-Our awesome big apartment! It is literally twice the size of our old one in Provo.

-Having a dishwasher and washer/dryer. The loud banging and sloshing is music to my ears.

-Our new ward. Even though we've only been there for one Sunday, everyone was so nice and welcoming. We hadn't sat down for ten seconds in the chapel and there were people lined up to introduce themselves...I have realized just how nice it is to have a network of members in a place where we know absolutely no one.

-The weather! It was a tad chilly today, but most days have been 70's and 80's, sunny, with a nice breeze. We're enjoying it while it lasts!

-No TV - well, at least, I like this one. It is so nice to come home to peace and quiet with no loud TV noises in the background.

-Our apartment complex's heated pool and hot tub. Great for late-night dips!

-Being grad students = awesome. If any of you are considering graduate degrees, DO IT! You know how everyone says college is so much better than high school? Well, grad school is so much better than your bachelor's! It is wonderful to study exactly what you want to without having to take any of those nasty GE's. In the music program, we basically get to choose whatever classes we're interested in, as long as we get in all the credits we need at the end of the two years. Other than that, you choose, and there are limitless options of what to take. It is also nice to be in small classes and get a lot of one-on-one time with professors and develop a mentor-ship with them.

-Michigan accents. You didn't know there was such a thing, either? Well, just mix a bit of Minnesota with some Upstate New York and you've got a Michigan accent!

What I learned from watching the new Twilight movie.

-I cannot believe I spent $9 and two hours of my life watching the new Twilight movie.

-Vampires and werewolves do not get along. Shocker?

-When playing Edward, Robert Pattinson chooses a different accent for every scene...versatile!

-Apparently this movie was better than the first two?

-We counted 27 smolders.

-In group settings, if you want a strong smolder, it is important to stand in a semi-circle, facing out.

-It's important to get what you want, even if it means playing two guys at the same time. And as long as you're skinny.

-Edward got Bella's engagement ring at Forever 21. FUG. We see right through your antique BS, Edward.

-Stephanie Midol sure did write some true-to-life dialogue. I mean, it felt like I was watching a movie of my LIFE.

-There were five men in our theater. Five. [NOTE: Joe was NOT one of them.]

Summer update!

Hi everyone! I hope you guys haven't given up on me, although I would have if I were you. I fail as a blogger! Oh well. Just thought I'd catch you all up on the past three months, in a somewhat chronological order...

-I had my non-required Master's recital which went well! It was a lot of fun and a "last hurrah" before I left BYU.

-We played our last concert with the BYU phil (Beethoven 5). SAD SAD SAD. Not sure what the future will hold at Michigan, but I know I will miss all the friends I made over the years, but most of all I will miss Kory! No one can replace him!

-Joe graduated! Here's a stunning visual with him and the K-Man:

Fun Fact: Joe's wearing my cap and gown...never mind that the tassel says '09, right?

-After the semester ended, Joe worked full-time at the performance library for two weeks while I enjoyed life as a stay-at-home-wife (way cooler/easier than being a stay-at-home-mom).

-THE BIG MOVE!!! I got deathly ill a few days before we drove cross-country to Virginia. Perfect timing, I know. The doctors said it was a virus that could last 10-14 days and, of course, they couldn't give me any medication to make it go away faster. Awesome! So Joe did the brunt of the heavy lifting and moving, while I sat on the couch with my Ibuprofen, Kleenex box, Vitamin C drops, and ten blankets. It was fabulous. After a couple days though, I was able to muster and help a lot more/clean stuff. With the help of family, friends, and guys from the ward, we got our butts out of our apartment!

-Carol threw us a going-away party and a lot of our friends came. It was a lot of fun but made me realize how much I will miss all of the awesome people I pay to pretend they like me.

-ROAD TRIP. We packed our little red Solara full of all our earthly possessions and drove to Virginia! It took us three days , driving around 11-13 hours each day. Highlights of the trip included listening to copious amounts of Flight of the Conchords and Muse, and me narrating the first two books in the Chronicles of Narnia. I think I have a future in recording books on tape. Did I mention Joe drove THE WHOLE WAY? Yes, that's right. I still don't know how he did it.

-Which pretty much brings us to now. We've been having a lot of fun in Virginia with the fam. Joe and I have been looking for jobs for the last two weeks, to no avail. It is so hard to just get a job for the summer! But we'll keep trying...on the other hand, being jobless really helps fuel my WoW addiction.

-My sister Sarah suffered a traumatic bike accident a few days ago. Her and my dad are into cycling, and they were on a long 50-mile bike ride when it happened. She was going downhill really fast, hit some turns and lost control. The end result was that she knocked out 3 1/2 of her top front teeth, got stitches on the bottom of her chin, has a fractured jaw, and some major road rash on her legs and arms. It was traumatic, to say the least, and I wasn't even there! She spent two days in the hospital, and thank goodness the doctors found no injuries to her head or spine. Now she's at home recovering on an all-liquid diet. On the plus side, she has an awesome lisp from her missing teeth! Anyway, it has been a crazy week for the Smith fam, but it has made me realize how wonderful it is to have a strong, supportive, loving family and ward. It has been difficult, but we are grateful that all of her injuries will heal over time and that she didn't sustain any life-threatening/long-term injuries.

Welp, that is everything. Hopefully I won't wait three months to post again!

For everyone who's been dying to know...

After applying, auditioning, and waiting...waiting...waiting...

Joe and I are going to the University of Michigan this fall!!! We absolutely love the school and Ann Arbor and we are so excited to go there (despite the butt cold winters!). We are so thrilled/grateful/hugely blessed to have this opportunity to pursue our Masters Degrees at such an awesome place.

WOO! Go...wait, what's U of M's mascot?

WOLVERINES!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Holy crap just google imaged "University of Michigan mascot" and this is what popped up:

Wtf? I guess I've never seen a wolverine before...I had more of a "Hugh Jackman" look in mind.

Possibly all of my favorite things at once?

Behold, the pear and gorgonzola pizza from California Pizza Kitchen:

(Image from foodiebytes.com)

Just LOOK at what's in this baby: Caramelized pears, Gorgonzola, Fontina and Mozzerella cheeses, caramelized sweet onions, and chopped hazelnuts. Topped with field greens tossed in Gorgonzola ranch dressing.

Is it possible to have all of the things I love in my mouth at one time? I once said that if I could have one taste in my mouth forever, it would be Five Guys fries...but I might have to change that.

To Annie freakin' Elmer my taste bud twin, if you haven't tried this, you MUST! It may seem weird at first, but I have a feeling you will fall in love.

An open letter

Dear Obnoxious Lady who sat next to me during Alice in Wonderland,

Thank you for choosing to sit right next to me during the movie I have anticipated watching for over a year. During the previews I immediately caught on to your keen sense of humor when you loudly guffawed while Brendan Fraser got shot in the crotch by a sprinkler, and later got knocked over in an outhouse by a bear. I must say, that was humor at its finest. While the rest of the audience lightly snickered, your hyena laugh reverberated throughout the entire theater.

Thank you for loudly whispering "CUTE!" every time you saw a dress that Alice wore that you liked, a dog, or a small woodland creature appear on screen. Also thanks for being the only person who applauded throughout the entire film - thank you especially for clapping for that non-applause-worthy scene where the Mad Hatter did that really awkward dance at the end.

And finally, thank you for making me wish I had 108 minutes of my life back (or at least had picked a different row).

Sincerely,

Katie

Olympic Thoughts

Olympics, once again I cannot stop watching you. Here are some of my thoughts after being glued to the TV for the past week and a half...

The U.S. freestyle skiing uniforms:

(Image from http://www.kansascity.com/495/story/1747246.html)

Come on America. Can't you come up with a uniform that doesn't look like the pajama set I owned in the 3rd grade?

Vancounver's medal stands:

(Image from http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal?pg=8)

Canada, I know you've gotta make budget cuts somewhere, but did you really have to make the medal stands out of cardboard?

Luge, bobsled, and skeleton:

(Image from http://www.ocw.cn/NR/rdonlyres/Global/2/2166AC8C-6DFF-41CC-A6D5-A1183C12D0D7/0/chp_bobsled.jpg)

Ok, so sue me - I have a hard time watching these events, mostly because I have a hard time telling how each person stacks up against each other. However, I came up with something that could make them a heck of a lot more entertaining - stick two competing lugers, boblsedders, skeletoners (wow I made up three words!) in the lane next to each other, then let 'er rip. Maybe for safety purposes they could put up a divider to form two separate lanes, but srsly, way more entertaining.

Bahhhhston

Things we learned in Boston:

1. There are no blondes in Boston. As Annie would say, "We're a national treasure."

2. Never, ever, try driving in Boston unless you have a GPS. And even then, don't believe it all the time.

3. Do whatever you can to get tickets to the BSO, just so you can see James Levine's happy feet.

4. Elliott Carter is 101 and he is STILL composing. What?!!?!

5. If you ever get sick, call Annie freakin' Elmer. She will make you homemade chicken noodle soup. What a star.

6. Boston has weirdly-named restaurants that you can't remember, like Zaffie's and Birdy's...or something.. But they're good.

7. Don't go to Boston in February.

8. I want a Neti Pot.

2009: Year of the Swine (Flu)

Well guys, it's official. I am the worst blogger ever. But to make it up to you, I give you 2009: A Year in Review (Nibley-Style).

January: Angie and Lulu came to visit and we celebrated Lulu's birthday. All I remember is her reaction to her presents - "OH MY GOODNESS!!!"

(She definitely takes after her grandmother.)

February: I can't remember a single thing about this month. February's a crappy month anyway. Moving on.

March: I played my senior recital! Halleluiah! And Joe played on it.

Pumps of Justice.

April: Joe and I took a trip to University of Michigan to take lessons with the bassoon and trumpet teachers, get to know the campus, etc. It was awesome and we had a great time staying with our friends the Bergmans!

May: This month was all over the place! We went to University of Maryland to take lessons with the bassoon and trumpet teachers and got spoiled rotten staying with my parents in Ashburn. Also, we went on a week-long tour to Oregon with the chamber orchestra, I took a trip to New York for my Grandpa Killian's funeral, and I got called as Relief Society secretary! Insanity.

Outside U of MD's School of Music. Uber-cute!

Beautiful view of the Oregon coast. I love that place! So many hippies.

June: I got my second gum graft, Joe and I had a great time working as Summerfest counselors (and got to eat at the Morris Center for a week...delicious?), celebrated my 22nd birthday, we celebrated our first anniversary (I roadtripped to Boise with SSASS for Sister Weiner's farewell...worst wife ever), and most importantly I discovered the greatest baboon who ever lived - Jackie.

Delicious.

"I am Lars, your new friend and counselor!"

We miss Sister Weiner!!

July: We went to the American Idol concert! I am still verklempt.

August: I graduated with all that I could've asked for from BYU - a degree and a cute husband.

Yah, I graduated - no big deal, vhatever.

September: Back to school! I started my Master's degree at BYU and realized that being a grad student is freaking awesome (perks include free donuts and bagels on Thursdays, primo parking, and convincing the freshmen bassoonists to take us out to lunch with their Dining Plus cards in exchange for our sage knowledge). Joe started his last year of his undergrad. Good times all around. Also, Angie and Lulu flew out and we went to the zoo. Highlight of my life.


October: Halloween! We went to Denny's and bowled in costume with other married couples. We are cool, I know.

From L to R: A pencil, a pregnant woman, vampires, Albert Einstein, a black woman (only in Utah could you dress up as a black person and not get shot), and a slumber party.

It has been proven that cigar smoking can improve your bowling score.

November: Thanksgiving! We stuffed ourselves silly at Joe's dad's and made a gingerbread house with the girls. Also, we auditioned at ASU and enjoyed the sunny warm weather for a couple days. It was pretty depressing coming back to the snow in Utah and realizing we still had 3+ months of winter hell to endure.


December: Joe, Sarah, and I headed to Virginia for Christmas break for a Smith Family Christmas. We enjoyed the down-time and basically did...nothing. We spent about 90% of our time looking up Bruno clips on youtube. Ach-ja!

(Picture taken from http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/news/00023573.jpg)
Uber cute!

We also did a little shopping. Joe had fun.

And here we are now, in 2010! Joe and I are embarking on our grad school auditions...we'll be hitting five different schools in the next two months. Insanity!! I'll keep you posted. Maybe.