1sts (the 2nd time around)

I'm really excited to blog about Taiwan this time, since I never actually committed to my blog the last time I was here. I love love love this place. It feels amazing to be back!
Bingsas! They're kinda like a smoothie, but
without the dairy...they're more icy. Delish!

Fenny...I missed her sooo much!We got to put on these special blue gowns for our x-rays at the hospital.

Callie, me, Erin, and Amy
Notice the women with the face masks on in the background. The Taiwanese wear these when they're sick or afraid of getting sick.

You see these gorgeous creations at the opening
of a new business or when someone passes away.

My teaching schedule! I'm teaching 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade,
as well as a writing class. I'm so excited! My favorite twins (after
my brothers, of course), Danny and Wesley, are in my 2nd
grade class. I've missed those darling little boys too much.

Fabulous finds at the fruit stand!

A Buddhist/Daoist temple.

I live in Christmasland

Taiwan, here we come!

This is my new family for the next six months…plus Megan, who had to leave training early, plus a few other people who are extending their stay in Taiwan. We’re gonna have a blast!!

Chillin' with a Conspicuous Cowboy

I have a little more catching up to do. When I was down in Utah in November, Nicole and I spent a night at the Homestead, a little resort in Midway, Utah. Nicole had a free night’s stay from performing at a charity event at the Homestead this past summer.

My sis and I went for a dip in a 10,000 year old crater, filled with 95° mineral water (it goes 55 feet into the earth). We were swimming around in the crater, and this nice older guy we had talked to earlier swam over and we started chatting. I mentioned that Nicole was a singer, and he was like, “I need to introduce you to one of my friends.” So we swam over to this bench area in the crater to meet...drumroll...Michael Martin Murphey. We had no idea who he was, to be honest, but we soon found out. He had a #1 hit back in 1975 (which he cowrote) called “Wildfire.” I had never heard of it, but when we told our mom, she was like, “Oh, I love that song!”

So we chilled with Michael Martin Murphey and his fun cowboy friends in this crater for over an hour. Michael told us his life story. He’s from Dallas, Texas, and he had been writing songs and performing for while. This drunk guy would come to his performances all the time and make a ruckus at every show. At one point, Michael even told him he needed to sit in the very back so as not to distract the audience. But he was a huge fan. He told Michael, “I’m going to do everything in my power to see that you make it.” Michael just brushed it off. After all, this guy was a drunk…what could he do? But one day after a concert, this guy from A&M Records in Nashville came up to him, and said, “Hey, I LOVE your stuff. Do you want to record an album?” Michael responded with an enthusiastic yes. He asked the A&M guy how he had found out about the concert, and he pointed to the drunk man. They had recently attended the same wedding, and the drunk guy had told him he just had to come hear Michael Martin Murphey sing.

We said goodbye after a lovely chat, and went back to our hotel room to get dressed for dinner. Our hotel phone rang and we wondered who it could be. It was Tennessee, one of Michael’s cowboy friends...they had connections. “We’re going out to dinner tonight at the Bear Dance Café—wanna come?” We joined them and had a blast. We enjoyed a jam session after dinner. Nicole played for them as well and they loved her music. It was fascinating to hear these cowboys tell tales of the wild, wild west.

Murphey's claims to fame: MMM has played alongside Willie Nelson. In 1983, he was voted Best New Male Vocalist of the year by the Academy of Country Music. His songs have been recorded by Kenny Rogers, John Denver, Cher, Lyle Lovett, Bobbie Gentry, and the Monkees.

Nicole and me with Michael Martin Murphey

He sang “Wildfire” for us. Here’s an excerpt from
our jam session (sorry the quality's not great):

Here’s MMM performing on the David Letterman show in 2007:

Gettin' in the Christmas Spirit

I performed in a local production of the Nutcracker at the beginning of December, and it was a delightful experience. I met lots of really wonderful people, and I got to watch the parts I wasn't in for free! I love the Nutcracker.

Why I'm Going Back

I’ve Been Tagged!

…by my dearest, most wonderful friend Becca. Thanks Bec! :) With this tag comes the exciting, yet challenging task of putting into words what the spirit of Christmas means to me.

What Christmas Means to Me

To me, the spirit of Christmas means gifts, very special gifts, chosen with care to symbolize our love for those we cherish.

The spirit of Christmas is also about a belief in something that others may mock or have given up hope in—a belief that doesn’t necessarily follow logic, but is based on faith.

The film The Polar Express beautifully illustrates both of these elements of the Christmas spirit.

Near the end of the movie, the main character’s friend, Billy, jumps off the train to return home, and dashes inside, hoping with all his might that Santa has come to his house this year. Billy’s hopes are confirmed as he discovers the very same gift he saw in Santa’s sack underneath his family’s tree. He scoops up this precious gift and runs outside. His eyes sparkling, he holds it up for his friends to see as the train pulls away. Santa is real! And he cares about Billy enough to come to his house and deliver a very special gift.

The second time I watched this movie, I was moved as I noticed something in particular about that gift. As Billy holds this gift up triumphantly for all to see, only the bottom side of the gift is visible. It occurred to me that the ribbon on the gift was in the shape of a cross. My whole life, I had seen several gifts wrapped similarly with beautiful ribbon, but never given thought to the symbolism: on many Christmas gifts is a symbol of the greatest gift ever given to mankind. “All things testify of Christ.”

This gift means many, many things in our lives: the ability and power to truly change, to forgive and be forgiven, to have our burdens lightened and even lifted. Christ’s great sacrifice—His gift—to us, has many purposes, but perhaps the most meaningful is that if I choose to follow Him with my whole heart, my family relationships can be eternal…without end. That is the greatest gift.

I spent Christmas ‘04 and Christmas ’05 in Tuscany, away from my dear family. On Christmas Eve ’06, I remember sitting around a candlelit table with my family, saying a blessing on the food. My heart swelled with gratitude for the blessing of being with my entire family again at the holidays—my dad, my mom, Nicole, Brian, and Scott. And I had the thought, “This is the true meaning of Christmas. Of course Christmas is about being reunited with your family.” He is who makes that gift possible in the eternities.

That is what spirit of Christmas means to me—the greatest gift, and a belief in the Giver of that gift. Though some may have given up hope, for us believers, both He—and His gift—are very real.


If you read this, consider yourself tagged. :) You can write about what the spirit of Christmas means to you, what you do to feel it, or favorite holiday traditions.

Merry Christmas!

Zion National Park

Time to do a little catching up.

My dear friend Gloria (who I get to see in about two weeks!) came to visit in October, and I was able to get some time off work to go down and see her! Tammy, Sara, Gloria and I did a little road trippin' down to southern Utah to take in the sights of Zion National Park. We met Gloria's friend Dane there, and had a blast exploring the beauty that is southern Utah.

Gloria was pretty excited to clean the windshield and to pump her own gas, because in Taiwan, the gas station attendants always do it for her. :)

I got my first speeding ticket on our way to Zion's. Gloria had never been pulled over by a police officer, and wanted to remember this first in her life. I had no idea she was documenting as I was talking to the officer. Too, too funny. At least I'll never forget my first speeding ticket. :)We got up close and personal with a California Condor. It's HUGE (the largest land bird on this continent). It's wingspan is over 10 feet! It was pretty impressive to watch this guy swoop in. At one time, there were only 22 of California Condors left in the world.

Angel's landing. Gorgeous!

Stunning sights, dear friends...what more could a girl want?