This in an excellent and easy read on athlete neurology.

The Brain, Why Athletes are Geniuses

For those unwilling to take the time to read the article I'll paraphrase it.

Athletes are more efficient in the neurons they use.  They have this skill because the brain is maleable and when it sends a command it takes into account the response.  It improves the efficiency of its commands with each outcome.

Athletes who are more practiced perform better and are better able to anticipate an outcome with only seeing the beginning movement.

Athletes with less experience in practice can only guess what outcomes will be.

"These studies are beginning to answer the question of what makes some people great athletes: They are just able to rewire their brains according to certain rules. As neuroscientists decipher those rules, they may find ways to give people better skills."


They tried out a theory of using an electrode whenever patterning a new skill.  Those with the electrode remembered better how to do the exercise after months of not practicing.


It definitely questions what is the future ethics in sport training.

I love President Uchtdorf

I'm Thankful For My K-12 influencers

I've been reading LOVE is a VERB by Mary Ellen Edmunds.  Good book.  It started to remind me of all the teachers that believed in me.

I want to thank my pre-school teacher for taking me on a treasure hunt for chocolate filled gold.  I still don't know how they made a hole in the wall.  Maybe my memory is fuzzy.

I am so glad my art teacher in 1st grade didn't dumb down true artistry.  I felt confident as he explained the specific rules that made drawing more simple.

I'm so glad my third grade teacher was so patient with me.  After all it was my first, (and last), year in a private school.  She praised me for having the ability to paint well.  (I don't remember her ever being frustrated that I didn't know cursive like all the other students.)  I still have that Santa Boot I painted.  It was meticulously painted and the encouragement from my teacher is entched in that paint.

I'm grateful for my second third grade teacher, who patiently spent hours catching me up and taking me on exotic field trips.  I remember seeing Snowflake Obsidian for the first time near a whole filled with naturally beautiful stone.  I'm relieved my sister did not get stung the scorpian on chrystal mountain.  I was a little dissapointed not to go to the Geod field...but I heard it was hard to find them anyway.  I'm also grateful she discovered the Boxcar Children.  I would not be such an avid reader without them.

I'm grateful for my fourth grade teacher who patiently allowed me to participate partially in her classes.  I can't immagine the extra effort she had to put into helping me try to fit in when I only came half day.

I'm glad I learned early that when a teacher says "you can use your notes on a test" they mean the notes before the pre-test review.  Unfortunately, I don't think I ever told MR. Stutz that was why he found me cheating.  I thought I was obeying the rules.  It also made me realize that children are very literal.  I wish he knew that I was above cheating.  Oh, well.  I'm glad it's over.

I'm grateful for the symphony at age 11.

I'm grateful for Mrs. Jensen.  She taught me poetry would put hair on my chest.  She brought words to life and never criticized my "genius."  (I just reviewed that poetry and saved a few choice poems.  I threw the rest away.  They were rather...juvenile.)  She had faith, hope, and charity.
On her wall read this saying on bright yellow paper:
"Smile awhile, and while you smile, another smiles, and life is worthwhile because you smile!"

I'm grateful for the teacher who told me that her brother died because his gym teacher refused to let him get water.  That was the beginning of change in my lifes course.

I'm grateful for the gym poster that said "Practice does not make perfect.  Perfect practice makes Perfect."  It is in that gym I learned that the scient teacher was a gymnastics coach!  He knew about science so that he could protect and assist his athletic students.  Another course guiding example.

I'm grateful for Mrs. Chapple.  She taught me that even when you come from a small town where most people go nowhere you can have a passion for science and life!  I hope she was able to go back to Alaska and help her town the way she helped us.

I'm grateful to Mrs. Irvine for teaching me that Polio doesn't keep you from excelling at your passion.

I'm grateful for my cooking teacher, Mrs. Benson.  I will never forget how she taught me to cook with prudence, skill, and how awesome 10" french knives are!  I've had those cookbooks for 13 years.  I'm grateful she was true to herself and her father's art.

I'm grateful for Haley Stiles who always had Chocolate chips in her food storage!  She made it possible for us to have chocolate chip cookies every Sunday!  (I'm also grateful for the case of chocolate chips she gave us when we got married.  They were a wonderful treat!)

I'm grateful Mrs. Harrington made us draw a lifesize skeleton on black paper.  We used "Harry," her in locker skeleton, and I started to understand the simplicity of how bodies are made up.  she also taught me beautiful things about light, color, leather, stamp making, and clay.  I was so blessed to be in that class.

Bryce and Suzy Cropper have made significant impact on my life.  Bryce taught me pivot turns!  Suzi taught me to sing.  They both taught me that a business run by a family is completely possible.  They took a body without pointed toes or refined skills and taught me the "Time Step" and many other things. They took a big chance on me.  That big chance taught me the value of practicing with stubborn determination.  It taught me that raw material can be polished if taught in a direct and correct manner.   As smart coaches they made me do scary lifts over and over until patterns and trust were formed.  "Illumination" changed my life.

I'm so glad I have a sweet brother Kyle who gave me a precious rock.  I still have that rock.  It reminds me of the good that he is and does.  

I'm ever so grateful for my kid-sister Karolyn.  I'm so impressed the wonderful young woman she has become.

I'm so grateful for Mr. Bruff.  I have the beginnings of my appreciation for history from him.  I hated his class because he was not afraid to show us true history.  Sure, we used the required history book, but he brought it to life.  After taking the second semester from another teacher, for one day, I transfered back into his second class!  I was thirsty for real knowledge and real history.  I still have those notes.

I am grateful for Sundee Stone.  She is a woman of virtue.  Her children are good because she is.  Her patience is so enduring.  Her listening ear and thoughtful lessons have had an impact on my life that she nor I will ever completely understand.  I love that someone could have had such a difficult life and still be such a good woman of God.  I love her dearly.

Kimberly was such a good example of going and getting her degree.  She and Rob make such a great couple and are awesome examples of prudence and frugality!  What a great mom.

I'm grateful to Mr. Perry.  Though he was imperfect he taught me many of the skills in theatre.  He pushed my ability to do theatre makeup.  I was awed to be in the presence of a real Broadway Makeup Artist.  Wow!  He taught me amazing things about acting and was always good at communicating when things were scheduled so that we students could earn the money and make the arrangements to participate.  He is a good man.  I hope he keeps discovering that.

I'm am so proud of my Brother Kenneth.  He has been such a good example of loving!  I could not wish for a better example of true compassion, honesty, integrity, and repentance.  Boy, I love him!

I especially grateful for Patriarch Gibb.  His calling, Priesthood authority, and closeness to the spirit has left me with a document that is ever shaping and directing my life.

I'm grateful for the Utah Regional Ballet Society for seeing potential in me.  (I went to the audition so that my friend wouldn't have to go alone.  I had NEVER done ballet before.  I watched what everyone else was doing and I followed their movement.  Ha!  Ha!  I wish I could get a copy of that day!)  They gave me confidence and hope.

I'm grateful for Marsha Russell, Tiffany Stuffle, and Sharon Holman for giving me my very first courses with isolated dance technique.  As a girl of 16 I learned a great deal from their passion and their expertise.  They opened the doors to many great experiences in the following years.

I'm grateful for Katie Jean.  She drove me to work.  Worked with me side by side.  Allowed me to think her friends were cool.  Did her best to make me laugh...and get songs stuck in my head.  She is such a good example of scholastic determination and sewing excellence.  That was a cool blanket...pillow!

I'm grateful for Hawkins.  It seems odd to put a Mr. before that.  He always told the truth.  When a compliment was givin I knew that I deserved it.  They were rare, but precious.  He made a great difference in the lives of myself and many of my friends.

I'm so very grateful for my awesome teacher Mrs. Villarta!  Wow!  I can't begin to express the amazing things I learned from her.  I hope she has gone back to making dust fires in class.

I'm grateful for Mrs. Hansen.  She brought life to our theatre, allowed me to blossom in my stage directing and makeup design.  She also gave me the example of tenacity when it came to fundraising for a good cause.  It was she who gave me my first true taste of competitive ballroom dance.  (She started the Ballroom program that now exists at UVU.)

I am so thankful for Diana Walker Nieve.  She taught me many important aspects of posture and correct muscle usage.  She also introduced me to the classical side of singing in a way that I had not anticipated.
While I'm at it, I'm thankful for Ewan Mitten.  She showed me beautiful avenues in singing.  She also showed me the stupidity of putting young children in dangerous dance routines before they were ready.

I'm grateful for Mr. Lunt.  He took the "fun" choir class and turned it into a winning competitive experience.  He introduced beautiful and amusing new music that stretched my abilities.  Because of him I have a recorded copy of my vocal abilities as a youth.  He has inspired me to do and be many great things.

Most importantly I am grateful for my Heavenly and earthly parents.  They loved me when I'm sure no one else even wanted to.  They gave me direction and good examples.  I've learned much from all of their patience and instruction.

Thanks everyone, and more.

A week before it snowed again.

While Brian does windows we have fun on the neighborhood swing set!

Fairlight was especially happy about this adventure.  I think she's been inside too much, this winter, because she only was willing to chase a tennis ball a few times.  After that she would run halfheartedly to it then walk back to me.  I know it was just a warm front.  I look forward to days without snow.

Living truthfully does not make life easy; it does make it easier.

I have gone through soul searching for some time now.  I have been placed, gratefully by my Father in Heaven, in position of need.

When I first started to need help I was more humble.  I was more prayerful.  I was ever so grateful for the love, support, and tender mercies of the Lord.  I was surprised and thankful for those I knew, and didn't know, who followed the sweet promptings of the spirit...so much that I wanted to be like them to someone else.

We worked very hard to be divinely guided by the Spirit.  Something that didn't occur to us was that He would lead us to failure so that we knew the best way to Succeed was to do it His way.  (It makes sense to anyone who has been through it.)

So, I sold my soul the the government.  I was willing to debase myself and sign away all my privacy and dignity to receive assistance for housing, Food-Stamps, WIC, and Medicaid.

It's funny.  There is a portion of the applications that say I may have to do something in return for the food and medical assistance.  I was a little concerned at first because it didn't specify what or when.  In the three years of receiving food-stamps and I did not once receive any kind of notification that I would have to put in anything other than paperwork to receive my assistance.  I never had to show anyone my receipts that I faithfully saved in case they wanted to review them.  They never checked to make sure Brian was not eating the food with the kids and myself since he did not qualify for the first year.  (I've wondered if those clauses were put in there to get important voters on board to get them passed.)

The longer we received assistance the harder it was to excel.  We didn't feel the pressure to be creative with the food we could budget in because we received $400-$600 a month in food.  We built up some food storage and shared our bountiful "harvest" with those who needed our love and assistance (which, mind you, is against the rules.)

Our value of ourselves and our ability lessoned each time we "had" to receive help to pay a bill, eat food, or talk to the Bishop.  Not because these wonderful people tried to make us feel bad.  By all means they did their best to lift our spirits.  Some of them even tried to empower us to see our potential.  Unfortunately we felt less and less like we could make it with our talents.  They were obviously unappreciated in the "professional" world.  We began to believe that those with more must have been better than us because they had the means to help us.

It took some soul searching to realize that my wealthy friends were not better than me or worse than me because of their wealth.

Now, understand that working at the High School was probably the best and worst thing we ever did.  It certainly showed us where we thought our worth was.  We were paid less than minimum wage.  We were treated without respect or love.  We were valued at volunteer help, because ballroom is a hobby not a profession.

Why?  All of the other "coaches" had some other full time job that was paying their bills and putting food on the table.

At first we bought into the fact that we were not good enough to require more than $400 for the two teams (medley and show) we were running.  We were also expected to pay our way to take the students on the required tour with the money we weren't paid for working.

(After adding the elementary and middle school programs we started, we hoped we would be paid a decent wage.  Most dance instructors start at $20 an hour, as a beginning wage, for class time.  What each of us ended up working was approximately 20 to 30 a week.  With all that we were doing in class and we figured out that we would be paid $1,200 each, in a fair market, for what we were actually doing.  Studios and most schools also absorb the cost of the instructors to go on tours so the students have their instructors there.)

We felt debased.  We were constantly told "NO" when we made fundraiser suggestions and ways to help the students learn responsibility.

I remember the students being upset, and "telling" on me, when I told them that Obama had given immunity to an international police force.  I told them that was the scariest thing I had ever seen happen in my USA.  I told them to get educated.  They needed to make decisions on what they believed and stood for.  They needed to pay attention in History class and government.  They are the future voters of America.  When I was scolded for bringing politics into the classroom I finally replied "I will burn before I am not patriotic."

Many times we felt they thought we were just selfish beings.  We spent a year and a half thinking maybe we weren't worth more and weren't any better than they said.  Finally we said in our hearts "we are good at what we do, we love these students, and we need to change our situation so the students don't have our example telling them we need to debase ourselves."  When we chose to leave I know it was the best thing for us to do for them - even though it made us look bad.

We could not morally stay at the high school.  We believe in the Love and Logic mentality that people love and need boundaries.  They want to know where they stand and what their role is.  These boundaries are not unfair, they are logical.  (kind of like the free market)  If they whine and complain, refuse to practice or be on time, and are unkind, they do not get to perform in the number they were learning.  It is not good team behavior to be lazy and mopey then get rewards.  When students were told certain consequences, and then did not receive them, they became complacent and resistant.  What were we doing?!  We want to prepare them for life!

Thoughts started creeping into our hearts...So why were we any different?  Why would we accept a handout when we didn't do any work or the right work to receive it?

We also discussed with the counselor on record about what he really wants this team to be.  In the end he wants a place for the students who don't want to be really good.  As frustrated as he gets at students leaving to go to the better team, he really doesn't want to have the better team.  This was good to have on the table.  We know that if we encounter students who want a "chill" experience, where they can chat and dance, we know that they would be happier at the high school.  We, on the other hand, would not be there any more.

In the end of the year concert we choreographed 10 of the 15 dances!  We were disappointed at some of the moral and choreographic changes they made to our pieces while we were gone; but the concert was okay.   Granted, the students did work part of the time, the other female coach did bring some good "Mama" skills to the table, and they had a great new number from a well known choreographer.


Back to the mentality.  You see, there's a cap of how much you can make before you don't receive any assistance.  It is just about $1000 jump before you can get on your feet.  It's hard to have the strength to make that plunge when you know that you won't be able to budget in food unless you make an additional $1000 for the month.

I wasn't strong enough.  Not yet.

The more I got back into studying about my country and the downfall of other countries I began to reflect on what needed to change.  I knew that we were only using food stamps and Medicaid until we could get on our feet...but when was it going to happen?  Last time we qualified for food stamps we chose not to apply for Medicaid because it just didn't feel right.  That was a step in the right direction.  After all, our only inaliable rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  We were going to pursue happiness.  That's why we have capitalism.

It hit me in the gut when my sister said I didn't make any sense because I didn't like democratic leading yet I received food stamps.  Wow, how did I get into this mess?  I remember Glenn Beck talking about how we the people need to be less selfish.  I realized he was talking about me.  As long as I was selfish enough to receive government help, when I might be able to do without, I was willing to support Socialistic ideals put in place by FDR.

I realized that even though it would be hard it was worth it to stop food-stamps cold turkey.  I discussed it with Brian and he joined me in being surprised at our folley.  Stupidity hidden in plain sight.

We are liberated!  We feel like good people again!  We are empowered to do what we do best, serve.

It has been a month since we received food-stamps.  It has been three months since we stopped working at the high school.  We have spent much time preparing our business to be opened.  The creativity is definitely heightened when you know that you have to have so many clients in order to purchase a gallon of milk and a carton of eggs.  (Yet the food tastes so much better.)

I won't say it is not hard or that my faith has been strong the entire time.  Yet, I know that this choice was the best choice for us.  We better understand what it means to give, to receive, and to empower.

I remember reading a quote...I think by Ghandi...but I've never been fabulous at name recollection.  It went something like this.

"Peace, without dignity, is not peace."

We have been taught to fish and we are preparing for the bumpy ride down the river as we truly enter the free market.  :)

This is what was left of the snow on Saturday!

It Snowed! Happy spring day!

These are some of the best pictures of the say...280 or so pictures we took.  This is what happens when two photographers get a camera with cool features and a lot of space.  :)

Little bug built lots of little snow men.  Little Dude ate/threw a lot of snow.  Bri threw really hard snowballs at the snowman and embedded them in.  It was really fun.

Like my snow-angel?

This is a powerful testimony of the Best Book I have read, the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ

Our weekend

Nana Cropper asked if she could seek Bug's altered dress (which she's wearing her leotard elongating the sleeve look) and her prized Jessie.

We also spent some time at Brian's parents home.  He played the Wii with his dad and we watched different brides pick which dress they wanted.  They did not listen to me...which is silly because I at least chose dresses that flattered them-which is more than they did for themselves.  If you are going to pay that much for a dress don't waste it by choosing a dress that flatters someone elses body type.  Really.

The Raspberries are doing well with the transplant.  We'll have to keep an eye on our garlic because it didn't like having to move pots.  Wish them luck.  :)

Brian did some hard-core hard-water removal!

We've lived here for six months without being able to see through our windows.  Brian, talented as he is, decided to wash windows as a side job until the dance business was booming.  This is his practice session on our windows, which turned out really well.  

Wow!  look at those windows.