Big brother

This is the oldest child in our family, Perry. Perry has changed a lot over the years. I can recall quite a bit of merciless teasing during my childhood. Luckily he grew out of that. And I grew some thicker skin. Both necessary.

First, Perry is creative. He was always coming up with ideas of little movies or music videos we could make together. He made the best marble machines and blanket forts. He would make these mazes/tunnels out of chairs around the house, and I thought it was just about the coolest thing ever!

Perry is also talented. He played the trumpet in high school: in one of the best high school orchestras in the nation. No joke. He also made it into jazz band as a freshman, which was apparently quite a big deal. He played in that band with some of the guys who became Reel Big Fish. He sings well too, though I doubt anyone besides his family knows it. I heard him once, just messing around singing all operatically, and I stopped, shocked, because it sounded good.

Perry's an accountant. He did auditing for a few years, but just recently switched to being an accountant for a university in Southern California. I think he was determined to avoid another busy season. I don't blame him, especially since he had to commute everyday. L.A. traffic? No thank you!

Perry is also athletic and has an excellent sense of humor. He's one of the funniest guys I know! He has this awesome dry wit. You know, one of those who just quietly says something, and then you look at them and just burst out laughing? I think he likes subtle humor, which is why very few people outside his family know just how funny he really is. That's kind of a theme with Perry...he's this amazing, talented, smart man, and yet quiet enough in public that people probably don't have any idea.

One thing I know for certain about Perry is that he loves his family. Jon is 11 years younger than him, and David is 11 years younger than Jon. And yet he has an excellent relationship with both of them. I wouldn't be surprised if Perry listed Jon as one of his best friends. They were always out playing tennis or hiking together.

I have a great older brother. He annoyed me to no end when I was a kid, but what else are big brothers for?? He and I also used to get into epic arguments, because neither of us would back down. I used to say, "I hope I never marry a man who argues like you do!" But guess what? I totally did! Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I honesty don't think I could handle someone who didn't argue back if they didn't agree with me. Where's the fun in that?

In any case, I'm ever so happy to have him in our family. Love you, Perry!

(And that's enough for tonight. Our family's much to big to do this all in one sitting)

My mom

Now it's my mom's turn. I have often reflected on what a blessing my mom has been in my life. Out of all my siblings, I probably look the most like her. Isn't that lucky? And she and I have a lot of similar interests: reading, music, child development, even dance!
Our lives have followed similar paths as well:

1. Graduated from high school as valedictorian
2. Went to BYU
3. Met the man of our dreams, both of whom share the same birthday and are 3 years older than us, respectively.
4. Married the man of our dreams (she was 19, I was 20)
5. Became pregnant within the first year of marriage and graduated with a baby in our arms.
6. Became a stay-at-home mom.

I like being like my mom. Except she's ever so much more kind and unselfish than I am.

My mom would never do or say anything to purposefully make someone feel bad. She's someone that everyone loves to be around because she makes them feel good about themselves. She listens. Sometimes at great lengths to people when she'd probably rather not, but she still does it with a smile on her face because she loves them. She possesses charity.

I have no recollection of her ever raising her voice to me when I was a child (though I get the picture that I may have merited a bit of stern punishment as a toddler. But I don't remember that Mom, so you're safe!). She would express disappointment in something I'd done, and presto! Instant tears and remorse. All of my siblings have had that same experience.

My mom is smart. Brilliant, actually. My dad loves to tell stories of how she would find errors in textbooks, or how she was once the only student in her college class to realize that the professor had given them the wrong test. Everyone else thought they hadn't studied enough. She knew better. A lot of people have asked her if she regrets being a stay-at-home mom and not being able to fully utilize her brains. Her response is always that she's used every bit of knowledge and brain power she has in raising her six children.

You can tell that my mom LOVES being a mom. I don't always find it so easy--I often wish Livia would entertain herself for a while so I could get some things done. My mom would often put off doing things around the house because she just couldn't bear to not play with her child. She was always down on the ground with us playing games, building Lego towers, or dressing up Barbie dolls. She would chase us around the yard playing tag or hide and go seek. I never once felt like my mom didn't want to spend time with me. That she wouldn't have dropped everything to do so. That's a good feeling.

My mom's major failing? She can't bear to throw anything away! I find myself being a bit like that too, but luckily Chase is quite the opposite, so I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff. My dad likes to pretend he's not a saver, but he's a pack-rat too, so it's a bit of a hopeless case! Ü

Only as an adult have I come to realize that my mom doesn't really like to cook. I think it stems from having so many picky eaters for children. But I never knew she disliked it, because we still had a home-cooked meal every night. She's just like that. She's not one to complain.

My mom is musically talented. She played the clarinet and piano, and was quite good at both. She taught piano for years, including lessons for each of her children. It didn't really work so well for me...I needed a meaner teacher who inspired fear (my violin teacher was like that. I didn't dare not practice, and left more than one lesson in tears). She's had the same old upright, out of tune piano for probably 20 years. Someday we'll get her a new one.

My mom is modest, unfailingly honest, upright, always willing to volunteer in church and in her community, and puts other's needs above her own. My grandmother likes to say that she's "practically perfect in every way." Amen to that!

Family time

Spending time with each of my immediate family members last week made me realize what a lucky girl I am. I love and, what's more, like each and every member of my family. And so I thought I'd do a little spotlight on them all, just so they'd know how much I appreciate them, and so those of you who don't know them can learn a little bit about them.


This is my dad. He's a good man. Always serving, always working hard, and yet still (usually) managing to find the time to coach his kid's little league games, or attend our concerts and sporting events.

My dad pushes himself hard, too hard, and sleep is always the first thing he sacrifices. Do you know that for a few years he drove kids in our ward to 5:45 a.m. seminary when none of his own kids needed a ride? He goes to bed late and is up at the crack of dawn--or before--nearly ever day. Consequently, he falls asleep anytime he's allowed to sit still for a few minutes. I'd swear he spends more time sleeping in various chairs around the house than he ever does in his own bed! We tease him about it, but the only reason it happens at all is because he spends more time on others than he ever would on his own needs.

My dad is strong. He was a collegiate athlete--a pitcher for BYU's baseball team. He never has time to exercise now, and yet he's stronger than both of my adult brothers (sorry guys!) and used to easily be able to beat them in a foot race. Too bad I didn't inherit that gene...

My dad loves animals. The only time I've ever seen him cry during a movie or when reading a book is when an animal dies. We always had a mini zoo of pets at our house. Cats, dogs, tortoises, fish, frogs, a snake, mice, crayfish, and more that I can't even remember! I also have this memory of when I was a small child going with him to some animal clinic while he volunteered. My mom doesn't really like pets, so the fact that we had any (not to mention so many!), says something about how much my father loves them.

If my dad could have done anything in life, he would have been a pilot. He's been reading books and magazines on flying since before I can remember. Instead he became a businessman, and now owns a franchise. Maybe someday he'll learn to fly...

My dad has a great sense of humor, and is always quick to tease. If he likes you, he'll tease you. He was that dad who told guys who called my house that I was in jail, or that I'd said I didn't want to talk to them, or that they had the wrong number, all the while silently laughing with a huge grin on his face while they stammered and tried to figure out if he was serious. It used to drive me crazy!

He also is one of those men that seems to know everything about everything. "Dad, what kind of bird is that?" And he'd know. "What kind of plant is that?" And he'd know. "How does that work?" And he'd know! He almost always fixed our cars by himself--if he didn't already know how to do it, he'd figure it out. He did all the fix-it jobs around the house. We once went on a cross-country road trip (before dvds), and he built and set up this crazy contraption that held both a small tv/vcr AND a super nintendo, all of which fit over the cooler of snacks. That was mainly an act of self-preservation, I'm sure (4 kids in a car for two weeks!), but we sure loved it. I can still ask him about almost anything and he'll know at least something about it. He just retains knowledge!

This is getting too long. I'll try to finish up, though I could go on at great length.

One last story...

I've always had great respect for my dad, though as a teenager he and I used to clash a little bit (I wasn't rebellious, our personalities were just a little too similar: determined, independent, and convinced that we were always right). He taught me a lot about the gospel, especially about following the spirit of the law. I was, and largely still am, a letter of the law kind of gal. We had very strict rules around our house growing up, and I have very strict rules in my house now. No PG-13 movies whatsoever. No tv on sunday. Stay dressed up in your church clothes all day on Sunday. Never miss a church meeting/activity if you can possibly help it. You get the idea. Most of that stuff isn't specifically required by the church, but it's what we did as a family, and I still do it because I honestly feel like doing so helps me to be better and focus more on my Savior.

In any case, one Sunday morning I came downstairs, all ready for church, and found my dad in jeans and a t-shirt, about to walk out the door. What the?! Shocked, I asked where he was going. To help a neighbor move. A neighbor we didn't even really know, but who needed some help. He missed church that day to help him, and I've never forgotten it. It might seem like a little thing, but to me it was huge. It taught me an extremely important lesson about doing as the Savior would have done. Is it important to follow the letter of the law? Absolutely. But the spirit of the law? The spirit that guides us to help another person and do good works? That's vital.

So thanks, Dad! Thanks for being such a good example, for always being someone I could trust and rely on, and for being someone whose company I could always enjoy! I love you!

And he's off!

My brother Jon entered the MTC a couple of hours ago. He is going to be such a great missionary! The people up in Washington are so lucky to be getting him. Ü We took a family vacation down to my parent's home so we could see him off. Everyone managed to come, and it was so fun to be all together as a family! (My grandparents and Uncle David were there as well, but the only picture I have of them turned out blurry.)

Me and Jon

Laura and I got talked into playing a violin duet in church while we were there. It went just fine, despite the fact that neither of us had so much as touched our violins in months/years, as well as my managing to forget to put on my shoulder rest during the musical number. Any of you who play the violin know that that's kind of an important part! I thought for sure that violin was going to go flying out from under my chin at any moment, but we made it through okay!

Here's a shot of all the Self kids.

My mom and Jon, just after he was set apart.

Staying entertained during the crazy amount of picture taking. Pretty sure I caught Livia gouging out chase's eyeball.

It was such a fun little trip! I'm so glad we were able to go. The Tour of California was going on that weekend, and Chase took the opportunity to catch a couple of the stages. I went with him to one that finished in Big Bear. We were there early enough that we were able to squeeze our way to the edge of the course just in front of the finish line, and it was so exciting to see the leaders come charging up that final hill! It's amazing how fast they go, especially when you consider that they'd climbed around 14,000 feet in the preceding 6 hours.

I also got to visit with my friend Virginia, whom I don't think I'd seen since before Livia was born, so that was a lot of fun too! Lots of family, lots of friends, lots of good memories.

Here's a video I got of Livia dancing on our drive down. She did surprisingly well in the car, and was content to look out the window and say the word "cow" approximately 426 times.

P.S. Livia's been looking at pictures from the trip and talking about all of you ever since!

Ebroidered skirt #2

Remember that $1 skirt I picked up about a month ago? Well, after several hours of Biggest Loser watching/embroidering, here's the finished product!
I think it turned out pretty well! So now, after a couple of moderately successful attempts at small embroidery projects, I'm starting my first BIG project. I'm making a large, ridiculously involved alphabet chart. You probably won't see any finished project til Christmas...and that's only if I work on it dutifully. But I'm still excited about it!

Whirlwind weekend

This past weekend was crazy busy for me.

On Thursday (ok, so that's not technically the weekend) I babysat two boys for a friend of mine who was out of town. They are such good kids, and Livia had so much fun playing with them! I will admit that the energy level caught me a bit off-guard. I don't know if it's a boy vs. girl thing, or just Livia's personality, but she and I spend a lot of time sitting and playing together, and there wasn't a whole lot of sitting going on that day!

They had a lot of fun jumping in Livia's crib together (hope I didn't set a bad precedent, but they were having such a blast!)
That evening I went to my ballet class and then rushed to Madeleine's baby shower. I arrived as most everyone was leaving, but still had fun chatting with those who stayed late.

On Friday I watched those two adorable boys again, and in the morning had Livia's friend Emerson over as well, because I always watch her on Fridays. It was, in a word, wild.

Not a bad wild, just wild. Very high-energy. Ü

As I mentioned, Livia and I sit a lot as we play together, and at one point she just got tired of running around and planted herself in a corner where she spent the next half hour by herself, reading.

That evening I headed off for a Jane Austen movie night. We watched the new Emma, a brilliant 4-hour long version (Laura, you must see it!) that I thoroughly enjoyed. And then we chatted. Until 2 am.

Saturday morning dawned bright and early. Livia woke me up crying in her crib, and Chase had apparently already gotten up, because he wasn't in bed. I let her cry for a few minutes, wondering why he wasn't getting her, and then figuring he was eating breakfast or something, called him on the phone. Yes. I am that lazy. Turns out he was out on a bike ride, so I had to get up. :(

We hit the library book sale, which was extremely fruitful as usual, then headed off to a friend's 30th birthday brunch. Following that event we got ready and headed off to a wedding up in Mill Valley. I've mostly been to LDS weddings, though my sister and I have been to a few small church weddings where we played the violin as the bride walked down the aisle, so this was my first full-blown wedding, and I have to say it was a lot of fun! The whole experience, driving time and all, was about 10 hours: Ceremony, hors d'oeurves, open bar of which I did not partake, toasts, full dinner, dancing, desserts, more dancing...it was so much fun! I could have stayed and danced all night, but we thought it best to leave before all the drunk people did.

Here we are, waiting for the ceremony to start:

This next picture is terrible, but it's the only one I got of this man with the long grey hair who provided us with so much entertainment that night. Let's just say he was getting a little overly friendly with his much younger wife as the bride was walking down the aisle, and since he was standing directly in front of me I had a front row seat to that little side-show. I had to try so hard not to burst out laughing, and at one point let out a snicker that I had to pretend was a cry so as not to ruin the entire moment for everyone. Chase certainly wasn't helping the matter--he kept nudging me and grinning because he knew I was so uncomfortable!

Sunday was rather typical, and then tonight I had my mini ballet recital. Did I mess up? Oh yes. We only started learning the choreography a few weeks ago, and only ran through the entire thing with music a handful of times. Only one other girl in the class came often enough recently to learn the choreography, so it was just the two of us tonight. I feel terribly, because I made some rather large errors but just kept going, pretending that that WAS the choreography (which is what you're supposed to do, right?) but Chase said that because I looked more confident in what I was doing than the other girl, it just made it look like she was the one to mess up, not me. Whoops! Well, at least I know I'm good at winging it. Ü

It's been a lot of fun to take ballet again. I wish I could have learned ballet earlier on in life, since every single teacher I've ever had has pulled me aside to tell me that I have just the right feet for ballet, but alas! I'm already too old to really learn it. Livia was so cute at the recital tonight. It was way past her bedtime, but she sat perfectly still, positively enthralled by all the performances. Maybe I'll start putting her in some classes next year!

Slight resemblance??

It's pretty clear that Livia takes after Chase in almost every way. But the other day my grandparents sent me this picture of me and my cousin, and is it just me or does my profile look like Livvy's?!

Who does that?!

While Livia and I were walking home from the park today, I spotted an older lady about a block ahead of me, carrying some obviously heavy grocery bags. My pace must have been faster than hers, because I started to catch up to her, and I thought to myself "If I do catch up to her before she gets to her destination, I'm going to offer to help carry those bags."

A couple blocks later we were still heading in the same direction and I was almost close enough to offer some help. Suddenly she stopped in front of a home with a nice flower garden and I saw her stretch her arms up and wiggle her fingers.

"She's totally sore from carrying those bags! I'm definitely going to help her," I thought to myself.

She bent down in what I assumed was a hamstring stretch, but when I reached her, I saw that she was taking some flowers out of the garden. Let me clarify--she didn't pick a flower, she removed an entire flower plant, roots and all, and put it in one of her bags. What the...?!

Now I felt super awkward and just kept walking right on past her. A few minutes later I thought, "well, maybe that was her house??" and turned around....nope. There she was walking steadily along behind me.

Is that not bizarre?

(Julia--doesn't it put you in mind of a situation we might have discussed in our moral development class?)