Soul Carving

       Free concerts are music to my ears - even more so when they are designed with families in mind! I was lucky enough to discover one such concert advertised on BYU's website last year. Even though admission was free, online registration was still required. I scored 7 tickets for the whole family (no ticket required for baby!) to enjoy a Saturday morning of Jazz music.        The concert hall was crowded with families. We encourage respectful and quiet attention from our children during performances like this, but it was a big stress-reliever, knowing that should any of the little ones grow restless, we'd have a more sympathetic audience this time! Usher's handed out booster seats so we each had a comfortable view of the band. And one added bonus which I love about attending BYU performances, was the opening prayer. I love that it helps my children recognize the source of all our blessings in...

       For a while now, I've been wanting to introduce you to some of the songs and artists that I feel play such an integral part of my life. A surprise birthday gift gave me the perfect opportunity to do this. Richard shocked me with tickets to a Mat Kearney concert! Let me tell you a little bit about why we're such big fans.         Kearney (pronounced CARN-nee) hails from Eugene, Oregon. His latest album, "Just Kids" is perhaps his most autobiographical so far. You can hear a little bit about his inspiration for it in this brief interview. Kearney is a gifted storyteller. Often the setting plays a major role in these stories and is identified in great detail. It transports the listener right into the shoes of the singer, seeing what he sees, smelling the same smells and hearing the same sounds, sharing the same feelings. Consider these lines from a track on his first album : "I can still hear the trains ou...

12 months in a year. 12 roses in a bouquet. 12 donuts in a box. 12 eggs in a carton. 12 inches in a foot. 12 Tribes of Israel. 12 is the Atomic Number of the element Magnesium on the Periodic Table. (Just had to put that one in there since I'm studying it in my Physical Science class)      And this week, my sweetheart and I have been married for 12 years.      "Do you think I've changed much since we've been married?" Richard asked me. We were sitting at the restaurant, waiting for our food. The light was dimmed but warm, and the savory smell of Indian spices perfumed the air. I felt so contented, sharing this special evening with him. But I sensed a hint of concern in his voice. I wanted my response to soothe whatever fears he may have. I wanted him to feel assured that not once have I ever regretted my decision to marry him, and that while we each at times may fall short of the grand expectations we hold for our marriage, I love him more...

     Statistics.      Just the word is enough to make some people cringe. Mark Twain is reported to have said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." But after finishing an introductory course this past semester, I can honestly say I've gained a new appreciation for the subject. I was nervous about the class in the beginning. I had't met anyone who had fond memories of their Stats class. But I was pleasantly surprised to discover an instructor whose enthusiasm for the subject was endearing, if not contagious. I found myself thinking differently about things, applying equations and concepts I'd previously seen as strictly scientific, but suddenly seemed so appropriate, helpful, and. . . dare I say - fun! Have you ever tried formulating null and alternative hypotheses to justify an opinion you have which contradicts popular belief? Or plotting data to measure the correlation between bedtimes and crankiness-levels among young chil...