A house or a piano? That is the question...

Anyone love Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue?" Take a look at this Steinway named Rhapsody:

"Crafted in tribute to the 100th anniversary of [George Gershwin's] birth, the piano is dyed in brilliant blue and over 400 mother-of-pearl stars have been hand cut into the piano and inlaid in random fashion. The plate is gilded in silver to give the impression that the piano is emanating light when it is opened."


This sells for $150,000. Wow. The one I want only costs $56,000. :)

(http://www.steinway.com/steinway/featured_artcase.shtml)

my thoughts

I'm sure many of you have seen the man that occupies so many of my thoughts. He makes his way up and down University Avenue regularly, almost daily. He seems normal enough: going through life with trials and smiles, looking out for himself, just trying to stay afloat in this busy and hectic society.

Unlike most of us, though, he doesn't have a home.

He carries all of his possessions all of the time wherever he goes. I drive past him in my air-conditioned car with a million cd's, with my snazzy sunglasses and costly clothes, a new pair of shoes every so often. I'm either going to my cush job, the university where I pay thousands to become educated, or my home stocked with food and things that would never be considered "necessities" by most of the world.

Every time I see him, my mind becomes preoccupied with thoughts about him. Where does he go everyday? Where does he sleep, eat, bathe? Where does he come from? How did his wandering homeless life start? When? Why?

He walks from Will's Pit Stop to south of BYU and back everyday. I don't know where he stops...maybe the food and care coalition. But then in the evening, around 3:30pm, he's back near Will's Pit Stop. There's no bus stop or anything there, so I don't know where he sleeps, but around 9, he's no where to be seen. Maybe he sleeps in the grove of trees right there. Why does he walk all the way across Provo everyday to sleep in a grove of trees...maybe? How does he survive the elements? Where does he put his stuff? Does he know anyone around here?

Will once saw him in Burger King shaving. What would it be like to have to go to a fast food joint to freshen up and clean yourself? I have no idea.

I wish I could give him a house and a job. Or at least a meal. I let my inhibitions stop me from dropping off a meal every now and then. I make stupid excuses. What if he's allergic to McDonald's? It's not safe for a young lady to be stopping and talking to homeless men. It's not safe, but inside I know he's harmless. I see other people stop and talk to him. Why can't I do it myself? I see him laugh and smile when some biker decides to stop and engage him in a conversation.

He walks slowly, stopping every so often to take a break. I notice that he's always completely covered, even if it's hot. I've only seen him wear short sleeves twice, and never shorts. What he wears everyday is what I consider to be ski gear: the big poofy pants, indestructible boots, a massive coat. All of his clothes used to be an orange color, but are now mostly brown. His skin is dark and wrinkly due to the sun and weather.

When he reaches Will's Pit Stop in the afternoon, he sits and reads the newspaper or something else. I often see him pacing near his possessions even after walking all day long. He may pull out a box of crackers occasionally. When people honk, he looks up and waves happily and offers a big smile. I've never been courageous enough to honk. What if he thinks I'm making fun of him by honking?

I talk about him often. I think about him even more often. I wish to do something, but I'm afraid of I-don't-know-what. I don't really even know what I could do for him. I talk about my endless material possessions, but they won't really help him. What would he do with a pile of cd's? --nothing. Maybe my car would help, but I can't give away my car. Does he even know how to drive? How old is he anyway? How old was he when he started his journeyings back and forth? Has he been outside of Provo? Was he born here? Does he have any family members alive? He's obviously not a member of the church, otherwise he would be taken care of. He would have sufficient for his needs. Right?

Will listens to my endless questions, and he answers them with patience.

What a hard life to lead. I can't even fathom it. Who will know when he dies? What will happen to his body? If he has a funeral, who will attend? Can I...please?

I know a lot about him, but really I know nothing about him.

Neil Diamond

I don't understand how someone could not like Neil Diamond. A few of Will's coworkers make fun of him for being a Neil fan. Why? I don't know. Neil is classic. His music is timeless. Nothing compares to Neil.

It was fun to hear him sing last night. Wasn't that a great song? We need more good music like that these days.

Click here to hear his new song :)

{dream}

One of my favorite things that I have ever done is ballroom dance. I danced in elementary school (4th-6th grades) and danced my way to the school's top team. I competed against friends and with boys who had warty hands (gross). I got a gigantic trophy that I still have for 3rd place. I was even chosen as the one student to participate in a BYU student's senior dance project. Loved. every. minute.

The only problem was that I didn't continue.

If I were to make a list of things that I wanted to do (assuming I had more time and money), this would be at the top. I would re-learn all those fancy dance steps, I would get in shape to fit into those flashy outfits, I would dance to my heart's content, I would compete and win.

This is one of my dreams.

Pet peeve

I don't like soap boogers. I always have to pull them out. Ewww.

Room pictures

Here are some pictures of our room at my parents house:

Godzilla stopped in for a visit

Yes, our first godzilla of the season appeared on our bedroom ceiling yesterday. Godzilla is actually an understatement; this spider was more than just a monster. Just before he could kill me, I ran the whole 2 feet across the hall and into the bathroom to retrieve approximately 350 squares of toilet paper.

Then I brought out the big guns: Will.

He saved my life by sacrificing his shoulder to the falling spider, which had first been hit by a shoe. With me on the bed and Will frantically shaking his shoulder to get Godzilla off, we finally found him. He was a hairy and crunchy monster and was buried via the toilet.

I wish I could live where there were no Godzillas.

Mini-Spring Break!

For the past two nights we have been in Park City with my family. My parents decided to rent a condo for Spring Break; it sleeps 8 and is so cool! It was fun to get away and not worry about finals or packing and cleaning. The only downer was that we were going from almost-Spring to definitely-still-Winter weather.

The first night we had fun swimming and settling in. Swimming was interesting; actually it was freezing to be exact. With the wind blowing, it was hard to not be in the water for any amount of time, especially after already getting wet.

We spent most of Thursday shopping at the outlet mall. I got some fun clothes and headbands, both of which I can't wait to wear in this warmer weather :) We got through the whole thing and the men survived! Actually, the shopping was worth it to Will all because of this:

Update

I thought it was about time for a Sykes family update, since a lot of changes will be occurring over the next few weeks.
The most exciting news is that we made it through another semester full of assignments, projects, and tests, and today is the last day of classes!! Tomorrow and Thursday are "reading days," but we have no idea what that means. On reading days, we usually sleep in, go out to eat, and mostly do whatever we want. The only things we read on reading days are menus and our mail :)
Finals start on Friday and go until Wednesday of next week. I only have 4 finals this semester, three of which are open-book and only one of which has to be taken in the dreaded testing center. During and after finals, we'll be packing and cleaning for our move on Saturday, the 26th. (I don't think we've mentioned on the blog that we're moving, so here's our official announcement: We're moving!) We'll be moving in with my parents so that we can start saving for a future down payment. Why pay rent when you can save it for a real home? (Thanks Mom & Dad!) Will and my dad have been working on the last unfinished room in my parents house so that it will be ready for us. We are so blessed to have family close by who are willing to let us live with them for a few months.
Both Will and I will be taking classes during spring term, but only I will be taking classes summer term. I was happy to receive a scholarship for my gerontology minor, which will pay for about half of my spring tuition. That definitely helps with financial tightness around tuition deadline dates :)

The weather has been great for the past few days, but what's with it now?!?! Is that SNOW in the air? Is it really only 37 degrees? What happened to the beautiful glimpse of Spring?

Bad situation...Great turnout!!

Today Bri and I decided that lunch at McDonald's was a great way to finish off a rough week of class and work. We got in the drive through line because Bri likes to stay warm and not go inside to the AC- filled dining room. We ordered our meals and we drove up to the payment window. She gave us our total, and then I gave her my trusty ATM card.

Well, the Asian, Hispanic, and Caucasian girls all tried swiping the card into the system and the system just would not work. Two of them at separate times asked me if I had any cash on me...

Of course not!!! Who actually carries cash with them these days?! Especially with all those commercials out now that ridicule all cash or check users of slowing up lines and wasting everybody's time. So the Hispanic girl leans out the window and says, "Sorry, but our machine is broken." So I asked, "What about my food?" She said that she was sorry, but there was nothing that she could do. So, being my mother's son, I got on the offensive side and attacked. I kindly told her that this was not my problem, and that I shouldn't be penalized for their machine not working. Then she said something that I laugh about now, but didn't take too well at the time. She said, "Well, there is a Wells Fargo around the corner if you want to go get some cash?" I fake laughed and asked to see her manager. The manager came and asked what the problem was. So I said, "Your worker just told me that the machine does not work and that I need to go get some cash before I can get my food." She replied, "Yes, that's correct."

I then decided to bring out the big guns. I explained that I had been in line for 15 minutes (it was 12:00 on a Friday... lots of cars) and that I gave my form of payment to them and THEIR machine was the issue and that this is not my problem. She then, with an attitude, said, "What am I supposed to do, give you your food for free?!" I then said, "Yes, that is exactly what you are going to do."

So then she said, "Fine, give him his food!" Needless to say, the food tasted so good being that it was FREE and that I was right in an argument... something that I needed since I never win at home... Thanks McDonald's for ending a rough week with a free lunch... and yes, "i'm Lovin' it!"

Manly chuckles

So I was sitting in class the other day. (When am I not in class?) And my teacher tends to make funny comments frequently, so after one such comment, I gave a small chuckle. The sound that came out of me was not the sound of a female, and that's one reason I don't like being sick: I sound like a man.

Baby Oil....for adults?

Oh yes! Maybe the reason people get bad skin is because they stop using baby products :) Sensitive (meaning annoying) skin runs in my family. My grammie has the driest skin ever, my sisters have eczema, and who doesn't deal with acne sometime in their life? Well after dealing with all 3 of said problems and after trying intensive care lotions, medicated Gold Bond lotion, and a wide variety of facial cleansers/toners/lotions/anything-to-get-rid-of-that-zit-products, I decided to take some advice and try baby oil. It was at a Gerontology Conference that I learned to apply baby oil right after a shower/bath to keep in the moisture. I thought to myself, "If it works for babies and old people, why not me?" Last night was the first night of trial, and today has been heaven on earth. My skin feels great and is finally not itching every second of the day. I told Will that I didn't want to shower and get rid of the oil, but then I realized that I would just get to put some more on after my shower (!), so now I'm not opposed to the idea :) For anyone who is suffering from dry itchy winter skin, give baby oil a try. Let me know how it goes! (I actually have the baby oil gel because I was a little wary of the straight oil.)

Celebrity Morph

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Dynasty - Family genealogy

Celebrity Morph

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Free family tree - Family tree research

My new decor!

I spent way more than I planned on spending at Taipan, but it was definitely worth it. I bought a bunch of new spring decorations to lighten up my little apartment and a few things that I really did "need," like this great easle for my tile.


















There was a display at Taipan that looked similar to this one. It had a straight glass jar filled with these summery citrus fruits and I just had to copy it. All together, it cost probably $10, so it was worth doing it myself instead of paying for someone else's work. I had fun, too, and I'm sure I will love filling this glass jar with other fun things.


For now, it is my citrus jar :)








My favorite Taipan deal is a flower arrangement. I bought the container, the flowers, and the grass, and voila! A flower arrangement!! Rice in the bottom of the container helped the flowers to stay in place (especially since I didn't want to go out and buy that messy green foam stuff). Here is the finished product:

Easter weekend

This Easter weekend was so much fun for us: Will's parents, Bill and Patty, were able to fly in for a visit! On Friday night, my parents joined us for dinner at Magleby's. It was absolutely delicious, and I highly recommend the Grapefruit and Avocado Salad. (Don't forget to leave with a piece of their enormous chocolate cake!!)

Saturday was shopping day for the girls. Patty, my mom, and I went shopping for home decor items. We spent most of our time (& money) at Taipan. Then we made a quick stop at IKEA and ended with Rod Works. The boys had a fun elder's quorum activity eating steak and potato salad, and then worked on Will's (almost broken) truck at my dad's house. Saturday night we ate at Mimi's Cafe (I recommend the salmon, either the citris or hibachi), and finished our day with August Rush.

Patty's birthday was on Easter Sunday, so we had fun celebrating her 29th birthday...again! It was a great weekend full of laughter and excitement. (check back for pictures!)

bows and clips

After growing up with four younger sisters and no brothers, I'm sure one of us is destined to have all boys, since that's what we know the least about. However, I'm wishing upon a star that I have at least one little girl to dote upon and be my baby doll. When I found out about Binga Bows and taia hair clips, I couldn't help but buy some bows and clips for my niece. Eventually when I have a girl of my own, I'm sure I'll be back to buy some more. Binga Bows has a wider variety of hair accessories (including beanies and headbands that can be clipped with the bows) and is less costly, but both sites have the cutest products.

Caldrea

One of my favorite cleaning supplies is this

sophisticated-looking bottle of Caldrea cleanser. I have only used it for cleaning my floors, but it has many other uses. The best part is the smell....mine is Lavender Pine and I love it. I also have the linen spray made by Caldrea scented Citrus Mint Ylang Ylang. This is great for making ironing fun and aroma-full. These products are great gift ideas, especially for bridal and baby showers!

in the mood for SPRING?!

Click on the following link if you're anxious for the arrival of spring! It will bring up a black screen. Click anywhere on the screen to see a wonderful surprise; click and drag for a whole lot of surprises!
(Thanks to Mom for the link.)

SPRING!!

More Pictures of Holly

Well, a new shipment of pictures came of Holly and we just can't help but share them with all of you. We are going to be the spoiling Aunt and Uncle I can already tell. I hope that you enjoy them.