Life Lately: According to the iPhone

Our fun easter basket. We bought each other a few of our favorites (Reese's eggs for me, beef jerky for him and some Snickers and fruit leather to share)

Pete's mom sang the part of Mary Magdalene in a production called the Lamb of God during the week of Easter. In my opinion, it was the best possible thing we could have done to feel the spirit of Easter. It was incredible! The music was beautiful and very moving.

A typical evening at home.

Pete spent last week/weekend in Reno at a research conference. He got to present his research project on the Production Effect, which he has been working on for the past school year.

Before Paige, I was the RC Willey Girl

In 8th grade my siblings and I went to our talent agent's office for an audition. I am pretty sure all of my siblings older than I went. I was getting so sick of these auditions, because we would always drive up to salt lake, feel super awkward having to read a script in front of a bunch of adults and then never hear back from them. My older siblings had all been in various films, and I had played a small part in a seminary film when I was 10ish, but I felt discouraged about all the auditions I had to go through without ever getting a part.

So here we were again. They had me sit by a boy on two hard, plastic chairs pretending it was a couch and cuddle up next to him. That's it. Then my brothers did some things and they looked at us all together with some other kids and then we left. 

Surprisingly they called my mom a few days later and told her that I had been cast in a commercial! None of my siblings were asked to be in it (which I thought was weird because the whole point of the commercial was to film a family in their home). So I showed up that day and met my counterpart (a cute "older" blonde boy of about 14) whom I would be cuddling with on an RC Willey couch. On camera. Let me tell you, I know many of my peers at that age were used to this kind of thing but I had never cuddled with a boy in my life! This was all new and awkward to have a whole crew of people watching us not to mention a bunch of cameras. Oh yeah, and my mom!

I swear we took about a hundred shots during a long day and then I was told I could go home. They gave me what I thought was a fat paycheck and off I went.

Months later I heard people whispering in the halls and in my classes "is that her? . . .you ask her. No! You ask her!" Unsure what it was about in my insecure Jr. High self I got a little worried until someone finally asked me "Are you the RC Willey girl?" I shyly answered yes. And from then on I was known as "The RC Willey Girl." This lasted for the duration of the commercial (probably not more than 6 months) and then it was all but forgotten, even by me. Turns out watching yourself come on TV for a whole 1.5 seconds is not all that great. It's kind of awkward.

But hey, I caught somebody's eye (and perhaps heart) with that commercial. That happens to be the year I met The Hub in English class. He was definitely one of those whispering, "No way! You ask her!" 

Memory Monday

Lately I have been reminded of parts of my childhood/high school years/college that make me laugh. So I thought I would try to dedicate a post every Monday to some funny memory that makes me (and probably my sisters too) laugh pretty hard. The memory may mean nothing to you, but unfortunately for you this blog is about me (and occasionaly Peter too). :) And I may just have a thing or two up my sleeve that could remind you of something clever you did when you were young. . .

So without further adieu, I give you the very first Memory Monday:

It was most likely a nippy Autumn Saturday (although it could have been in the summer) that I was playing with two girls from my neighborhood. We were about 10 or 11 years old and getting bored of Barbies, dolls and the like.

I don't exactly remember whose idea it was--although I can confidently say it was not mine--but one of us three girls (learning from our older brothers, no doubt) decided to play a joke on my little sister and her friend who were playing in innocent dreamland in the front yard. (Do you know where this is going, Maggie?)

We knew it may be hard to coax them into leaving whatever they were playing so we decided to entice them by telling them we wanted to play Cops & Robbers or Bandits or something of the sort.

Of course they did not want to leave what they were doing so one of us (again not sure who it was) decided that force was our best option. We grabbed them and dragged them over to the pillar nearby at the end of my parents' driveway where we had a rope and the hose ready.

My little sister's friend, being scared of what she knew we were about to do, started crying and begging us to leave her alone. Since she was not related to any of us, we felt kind of bad and decided to leave her. But for poor Maggie (my 8 year old sis) we had no mercy. We tied her up to the brick post and turned the hose on full blast. I still can't believe I let something this cruel take place at my own house and to my own sister, but I guess those were my dark years.

Maggie's side of the story insists she ran into the house sopping wet, after we let her go, and told my mom what had happened but (again Maggie's side of the story) my mom was busy with something and simply said "Annie, stop" in a nonchalant voice. And come to think of it I don't really remember getting in trouble for this--although the guilt I still feel today is punishment enough.

Every time I think of this memory I laugh, but with a pain in my heart for such cruelty. My two friends with me during this time both had big brothers and were the youngest in their families--So I am sure they had a lot of pent up aggression from being picked on themselves, and I guess in my mind Maggie would. . . laugh about it?

I am not sure what went on in my 10-year-old head that day, but it surely wasn't any sort of logical, kind, normal thinking. But hey what are childhoods for if you don't act extremely immature and even brutal at times, right?

DISCLAIMER: both of these friends have turned out to be wonderful, kind women--we all laugh about what on earth we were thinking and how mean we were as children.

Maggie and I years after this 'Incident' -- she surprisingly still loves me.

Happy Easter!

I know He lives!