New York~Upstate

Day 1

We have arrived. Lucky for us–we began our trip with Rochester, New York–rather than the big city right off the bat. We more rural-types have to take these things in small steps you know.

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Purple luggage helps…it does. It’s very calming to the soul–not to mention easy to find at the baggage claim. So–we jumped in our rental cars and headed out. But wait…

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What is this odd looking fixture? I was informed that in New York, you have to pay to drive on some of the roads. Whaaaat? Toll booths. I think I’ve seen them on CSI Miami once. Hmmm…sounds like a racket to me.

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And they kept popping up all over the place. One would give us a card and the next one would charge us money. I couldn’t keep track of it.

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Toll booths aside, we drove and drove and drove until we reached our destination—Palmyra, New York.

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After sifting through some shifty looking characters we finally found my little Nephite—or rather…

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she found us!

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The pageant was beautiful, averaging 9000 viewers each night for two weeks straight.  Tomorrow Jillian promises to show us behind the scenes of this amazing production.

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She really made a beautiful bad guy.

I believe we’ll keep her.

A Good Daughter…Gone Bad?

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Several weeks ago, my sweet Jillian packed up and took off to New York, and promptly became a bad guy.

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Oh, she was excited about it, all right.

Hobart College

She was very stalwart to call us as soon as she arrived and was shown to her room at the 100 year old Hobart College.

Soon after, she broke the news.

“Mom,” she said, “I’m a Harvest Dancer.”

“That’s nice, dear,” I said.

“And…” she said, “a non-believer bad guy.”

“A WHAAAAT?!”

She sounded disturbingly…happy.

I tried to stay calm–but it was tough. After all, this is my Jillian we are talking about. What on earth would she know about being a bad guy?

HillCumorah

A few days later, she sent us pictures of the Hill Cumorah that she will be running up and down for weeks–carrying her spooky torch…because, as I said, she is a bad guy, and bad guys carry torches…apparently. Who knew?

HC Pageant

Here’s part of the Hill Cumorah Pageant set where she will be her old bad guy self–you know, trying to stone ancient prophets–that sort of thing–(I assure you, she was raised better than this) while the good guys run around trying to get the wicked people to behave themselves.

The redeeming news is that apparently towards the end my girl has a change of heart and decides to become a “believer” after all.

That was close.

Jillian the non-believer

You know, it’s funny…

She still looks like my sweet Jillian.

Phew…

The Graduate

Looky what we have…

My little daughter–Jillian, graduated from BYU on Friday with a Bachelor’s Degree in Family History.

Congratulations my Dah-ling. We are so proud of you. Now you are clever, all knowing, brilliant, and wise. But the best part is…

You’re FREE!

Pucker up!

Don’t be afraid—or disappointed–this is not a post about kissing. Well not completely. It might, possibly come up, in passing–but that would purely be a coincidence.

It’s much more about the pre-kiss thing people do…you know…the PUCKER. I sincerely believe that some people are genetically predisposed to a natural pucker–whether or not they have any prospects close at hand. They just scrunch up their lips like they are just waiting for something.

Don’t you find that odd?

I do. Especially since there are a raft of these sorts at my place.

Take Dane for instance. He makes this face when he’s being all serious and stoic.

Then there’s Jillian–she makes this face when she’s being demure and playful.

Lyndi swears that she never makes a pucker face ev-er. She is incorrect. She makes the face when she is really mad. Almost too mad to speak. You know, the spitting nails kind of mad. I can’t show you a picture of that because how would I ever take a picture of someone that angry–and live to blog about it?

I’m not an idiot, for Pete’s sake.

April makes the face as more of a smirk–as if to say, “Why am I constantly surrounded by stupid people?” So her’s is an attitude pucker. Again, I have no picture of that because, well, I have no desire to be spontaneously  incinerated.

I believe it could happen.

And the bald kid? Well he may be the exception in our pucker-face gene pool…for now. I can’t say that I’ve actually seen it, but I believe it’s in there. He just hides all traces with the willpower and stamina of Jason Borne. Someday I’ll capture that kissy face on film, and prove it to the world.

Likely be his wedding day and involve a pretty girl–but I’ll get it.

It’s in the blood, I tell you.