Saying Goodbye to American Idol 2008

I've been a bit hesitant to admit it, but Andrew and I went to the American Idol Concert about a month ago and I've decided that it's time to report. Originally, I wasn't embarrassed about going. Those who have been long-time readers of our blog know that I didn't really know what American Idol was until this year and it got me through the rough months of pregnancy. However, once we made it to the concert and realized that there was a bimodal distribution of ages with the two peaks being ages 12 and 50....then I felt a little out of place. Still it was a fabulous concert.

The concert didn't change my opinion too much about the top 10. As I have always thought, Ramiele??? Not too impressive. And David Archuleta...still my favorite, although I have yet to find anyone (besides my 14 year old niece Dallyn and my husband) who agrees with me. He pretty much rocked. However, I think I owe the following artists a pat on the back.

The "Oh yeah, how did he get kicked off so early??" Award: Michael Johns. This guy can seriously work a stage. He definitely should have made it to the top 3 or 4.

The "Did she really just hit that note? Award: Carly Smithson. She never really won me over, but I have to admit, this girl can sing.

The "When I'm not nervous I can rock the house" Award: Brooke White. I was always a Brooke fan and voted for her most of the time, but she performs soooo much better when she's relaxed. She was phenomenal.

The "Even though it's hard to go wrong with a rock song...I'm a pretty good performer" Award: David Cook. People think I'm crazy for not jumping on the Cook wagon, but I still think that most of his success was due to his "cool" song choices and not so much that he's any better than every other rock singer in the world. However, I will admit that he's extremely charismatic and puts on a good performance. I was probably a little too hard on him.

Well, that's about it. Here are some pictures (the video's are taking too long to download...maybe later):

Michael Johns

David Archuelta - even better live

The Whole Gang

Pregnancy Top 5

As one would expect, the ninth month of pregnancy is not the most fun. In fact, I think it is especially designed to help the mother overcome any fear or hesitation about becoming a mom, by making a continued pregnancy seem like a far more scary fate. However, I want to focus on the positive, so I thought of the top 5 things that I love about being pregnant (notice there are not 10).

Number 5 - I don't have to feel guilty about dipping my carrot sticks in ranch.

A few months ago, I was discussing my diet with my physician and she casually mentioned that fat is actually really good for the baby (obviously not chips and junk food...but other kinds of fat like cheese, etc...). She suggested, as an example, that instead of eating carrot sticks plain, it would be better to dip them in a little ranch dressing. Well she didn't have to say that again. I picked up some ranch dressing on the way home and have been a happy camper ever since. Even though I have tried to maintain a reasonable and healthy diet during pregnancy, it's nice to know that a little extra fat in my diet is applauded by my health practitioner.

Number 4 - Strangers suddenly feel comfortable talking to me.

Pregnancy seems to be one of those things that can unite even the most diverse groups of people. I'm surprised how many people will walk up to me in the store and excitedly ask when I'm due and if it's a boy or a girl. Sometimes they tell me about their own children. All barriers seem to break down and I suddenly have something in common with most of the population. That makes me happy. It's a little weird when they want to feel my stomach, but that's really rare and it hardly feels attached to me anyway.

Number 3 - Everyone has really low expectations of me.

I don't know if this is a good thing or not, but suddenly I have become a champion for merely completing day to day tasks. Andrew finds me even more amazing for cooking dinner or cleaning the house. A few months ago, I helped a family move (along with 10 other people who carried all the heavy things) and the accolades in my direction were endless. Sometimes this can also be a bit frustrating because I'm actually still a very capable person and don't need to be praised for tying my shoe...but I'll admit, sometimes it's nice to exceed everyone's expectations because the expectations are so mediocre.

Number 2 - Hearing my little boy's heartbeat.

When I first realized I was pregnant, it was January 1st and I was miserably sick. At that point, it was difficult to imagine that there was actually a purpose behind the sick feelings. I didn't look pregnant and I certainly didn't feel a baby kicking around. Then I went to my first appointment a few weeks later. I remember hearing the heartbeat and seeing the little peanut on the ultrasound screen. That was probably my highlight for the whole month of January. After that, I have always looked forward to my doctor visits. All my thoughts of how uncomfortable pregnancy is or how sick I feel have always disappeared as soon as I get to hear the heartbeat (or catch a rare glimpse at an ultrasound).

Number 1 - Pregnancy means I get to be a mom soon.

Duh. If you didn't know what number one would be from the get-go, I'm disappointed in you. I've thought about becoming a mom for a long time now. I remember getting ready to come home from my mission in Japan and being so sad that I would have to leave and start living a normal life. One day, I went to my mission president's house and got to hold his little boy who was a year and a half old. I suddenly realized that I was really excited to be a mom...and the only way to become a mom was to leave Japan and move on with life. I had to be a little patient for the opportunity but it will be here soon and I feel really lucky. Who knows if I'll be any good at it, but I've talked to enough random moms in the grocery store to know that no matter what mothers experience - colicky babies, whiny toddlers, rebellious teenagers, etc - they always have a little sparkle of happiness in their eyes when they think of their children. So if pregnancy is the pathway to motherhood, I'll take it.