Growing Pains

Before I can complete today's post, there are two things you need to know:

1. I have a beautiful and talented daughter who is musically inclined. She has hummed and sung her way through life, filling our home with beautiful music.

2. I have a darling husband who is struggling with his beautiful and talented daughter growing into a beautiful and talented young woman.

Okay. With that in mind, I give you the laugh of the day.

This morning, I was in my room, painting yet another set of doors. Jess was the only other person home, and she would wander in out of my room, and we'd have short little conversations. At one point, she came in singing "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from the movie Mulan.

Jess: "Did you hear what Dad said to me about that song the other day?"

Me: "No."

Jess: "He said it was 'inappropriate.'"

Me (incredulous): "What? Why?"

Jess: "He said I shouldn't be singing a song like that. So I told him that it's a song from a Disney movie and Donny Osmond sings it. I said it was a song about preparing men to go to war, and if Donny Osmond can sing it, then it's probably okay for me to sing it."

Me: "And what did he say to that?"

Jess: "He said, 'OH! I thought it was a song about a young girl making a man out of a boy!"

Need.
I.
Say.
More?

My Television Debut

Every now and then, there are some pretty cool perks to being an automotive writer. Like, say flying on the Ford Corporate Jet, for one. Or driving around a race track with a professional stock car driver at 210 m.p.h. for another. Or riding in a top-secret V-12 Mustang. Those are super cool things to do, and if you ever get a chance, I highly recommend doing them, because those moments are far and few between.

Today, I had another one of those moments. I got to be on T.V.! Aside from having the sweatiest arm pits I have ever had in my life, it was a lot of fun! I was invited to do a segment on a local show here called The Daily Dish. So I drove down to the ABC4 studio in Salt Lake City early this morning and did my thing, talking about cars. I got to spend time in a green room. I met three guys who own a film production company. I met a psychic! And not a fake psychic like the guy on Psych.

The show's hosts, Nicia and Troy, were super friendly and immediately put me at ease. I was also amazed at how small the studio was -- like slightly larger than my living room-small.

A shot of the show's hosts during a commercial break

Can you believe all those lights?

The production booth (a.k.a. two tables right behind me)

Troy, the host from Australia

Those three guys talking about their film company

I had this horrible fear that I was going to freeze in front of the camera, but amazingly, I survived, and kept my arms firmly at my side! If you want to check it out, click here. It was a lot of fun, and despite having a face for radio, I think I'd be willing to try it again!

Yes, I Have a Problem

I'm a pretty simple person. When I leave my house, I am all set if I have but two things in my possession: sunglasses and lip balm.

That's it.

Simple enough, right?

There is only one lip balm I like. And there is only one place to get it. The last time I bought it, I bought two tubes, because I love it so much. Well, this week, both tubes ran out at the exact same time. So I went back to the place that always sells it; only they don't sell it anymore. This is a major problem.

There are only two other places I know of that carry it:

1. Harmons in St. George, which is a 4-hour drive away from where I live.

2. The Burger King truckstop in Fillmore, which is a 2-hour drive from where I live.

Don't tell me to try Chapstick, or Carmex, or Burt's Bees, or EOS, or Nivea, or Softlips, or anything else! I hate 'em all! I want my Shaka Laka! I know -- SHAKA LAKA. As fun to say as it is to use.

I'm typing this little post, trying not to think about how my lips feel like they might peel right off of my face any second now.

If anybody needs me, I'll be the lipless, shriveled up lady in the corner.

Cindy 4.0

Top 10 Birthday Highlights

10. Breakfast at Ruth's Diner with friends. If you're in the Salt Lake City area, you really have to go to Ruth's Diner. Secluded up in Emigration Canyon, it's an old trolley car that was converted into a restaurant 60 or so years ago. You can eat on the back patio, surrounded by tall trees and the sound of a rushing river. And their breakfasts are DEEEE-LISH!

9. There's something significant about having a birthday with a zero attached to it. Dan was especially sweet to me, gently easing me into my fourth decade on this planet.

8. Jamison sucked the helium out of my birthday balloon and sang "76 Trombones" in a very funny voice. Yes, The Music Man is still very much alive at our house!

7. Getting lots of texts and phone calls from friends and family.

6. Being sung to by a professional opera singer -- in Italian! (See #9)

5. Shopping at one of my favorite places as a result of receiving a generous gift card. (See #9)

4. Being told over and over how young I look. (See #9)

3. A good nap (I need my beauty sleep, after all).

2. A surprise party at an Italian restaurant, surrounded by wonderful friends! (See #9)

1. Speaking of which, a friend suggested that I am 4.0. Four Point OH. I liked that idea. It sounds like a really good Olympic score or a perfect G.P.A. Or just a better version of myself. So I'm sticking with that.

I am Cindy 4.0.

Around Here...

...you can always tell if a person isn't from around here. They're usually the ones driving 10 miles an hour, distracted by all the beautiful scenery we've got. And really, you can't blame them.

Mt. Timpanogas on a Summer Day

We have a little burger/ice cream shack here called Timp Freeze. It's a cute little place. They have a walk-up window where you can order shakes and cones and all of those yummy summertime treats. Everything they sell is listed on an overhead menu board.

Dan and I were sitting outside of the Timp Freeze one night, enjoying our ice cream cones. Another couple came sauntering up the sidewalk. I nudged him with my elbow and said, "Look. Out-of-town-ers."

"How can you tell?" He asked.

First of all, the two of them were dressed like all of those beautiful people you see on Pinterest.
 
 I mean, who ACTUALLY dresses like that? Nobody from around here, that's for sure! She had on a sheer green, drop-hem skirt with metallic silver stilettos. He wore heather gray, linen pants, a cream-colored button-down shirt and a gray felt vest. A felt vest! In July! Then there were his hipster glasses. I started to wonder if maybe they had just come from a wedding. Or a perhaps a Pinterest photo shoot.



They walked up to the little order window and he said, "We'd like to see a dessert menu."

Need I say more?

Cindy, Jedi Master

Today I took my daughter to Park City to do a little shopping. While she was in the fitting room at Old Navy, I searched my purse for a Tic Tac and realized that I did not have my wallet with me. I knew exactly where it was: sitting on my desk at home. So we returned the pants to the rack and came home. We decided to watch The Empire Strikes Back, which I had checked out from the library.

I hadn't seen that movie in years, and it brought back a funny memory. You know the scene where Luke Skywalker is hanging by his frozen feet in the monster's ice cave? His feet are frozen into the ice and his trusty light saber is stuck in the snow below, just out of reach. He uses the power of the force to summon the light saber into his grasp, then uses it to free himself from the ice.

When I was a kid, I would hang upside down from the top bed of my bunk and try for hours to summon my trusty toy light saber from the carpet. I would also try to close my bedroom door through the power of the force.

Alas, it never worked, but I was an expert at hanging upside down from a bunk bed!

There's a Girl I Know

That's my daughter there in the front with the tan skirt. Isn't she pretty? She has been involved with our local theater's production of The Music Man this summer. This has proven to be a major time commitment for our entire family. She's been rehearsing since March and performances have been running since July 3. Everything we have done for the last several months has revolved around this play! It's our first experience of this sort, and I might have complained to myself a time or two.

But I have watched this girl grow and learn from this experience. Because this is theater, there has been drama. And I don't do drama. They've changed her part several times, which has changed our schedule. But she took it all in stride, never letting it get to her, and she stuck it through. She's made friends, comes home with a smile, and generally has a wonderful attitude about the whole thing.

The reward for me was watching her the first time she came out onto that stage singing and dancing. What a great moment for this proud momma!