HE PASSED

If you didn't already get the news via facebook, we found out last week that Clint passed his PE (Professional Engineer) Exam, which he took back in April.  When I texted my dad, his reply was, "I knew Clint was good at PE since kindergarten."  Ha ha.

I was not surprised that he passed - and I wished they would report his actual score to prove it - but we were of course thrilled.  Chili's got the honor of serving Clint his celebratory meal. And I got the honor of being married to such an amazing guy.  He will now be eligible to receive his engineering license!  Woop woop!! 

U2 LOOOOOOVE

WOWWW.  The concert was amazing.  Magical, miraculous.  Transcendent. 

 

Sound melodramatic?  It WASSSSSSSSS!!!

 

To give you an idea of how amazing the concert was, I will admit to you that the past 2 or 3 days back in "real life" have seemed more drab than usual after the penetrating sound and lights of Tuesday night. I have to keep looking at pictures of the concert to reassure myself that it happened! Hahaha. At the concert, with U2's soul-lifting sound pounding in my veins, I felt so ALIVE.  It was just amazing, peeps.  End of story.  They played like ALL the goodies.  So many of my favs.  "With or Without You," "Mysterious Ways," "Pride," "Magnificent," "Where the Streets Have No Name," "One" of COURSSSSE, "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Elevation" which is KILLER live, "City of Blinding Lights," "In God's Country" which Bono dedicated to our beautiful Utah itself, and most amazingly.... "All I Want is You"!! 

 

"Huh?" you say?  Well.  "All I Want Is You" has always been an over-looked favorite.  That's one of the many things I love about U2.  There's so much good stuff out there, that some of even their best songs are slightly undiscovered by mainstream listeners!!!  I've ALWAYSSSS wanted them to play this song in concert but was never gratified.  Then during the concert at one point, Bono was joshing around with his homies on stage and said to The Edge, "So what do YOU want to play?" and The Edge said, "All I Want Is You."  I think I was the only one in my section who gasped in that instant and said "What??  YESSSSSSS!!!" and then proceeded to scream exuberantly.  The performance of that song did not disappoint either, and Clint had his arms around me through-out it, which added to the "JUICE" factor.  I was in heaven.

 

I was in heaven all night, actually.  And I think it's safe to say Clint was too.  It was his first U2 concert and it was totally the best one I've seen to DATE.  I just have one unresolved question, "WHERE DO I BUY THE DVD??!?"  Signs around the stadium said it was being videotaped!!!

 

I like this story with photos from the sltrib!!!  Check it.

 

(More pix in following posts.  Could not fit all the files into one email!)

good times with The Fray opening

I told Clint, "This is the gig of their lives."  I love The Fray, but I gotta say, there was one slight con: U2 made them look like wimps.  But I was okay with that. :)

more U2 love

Clint and I were sitting by ourselves, but I did manage to get some pictures during intermission with my BFF/cousin Emilie who is a fellow U2-enthusiast.  She was there with her fiancee Todd.  Also, my sister Liz was in the crowd somewhere, and Brian and Annie were there too.  Shout out to y'all!!! Wasn't it inspirational???

U2 takes the stage

And what a stage!!

Bono will go crazy

Clint and I haven't been intensely thrilled with U2's new album, including songs "I'll go crazy" and "Boots."  However, we both had to admit that hearing it live was a totally different perspective.  I like Larry's drum.

The Edge: "All I Want Is You"

It's what I wanted too. :)

saying goodbye to U2

After the end, we sat in our seats for a few minutes, just basking in the afterglow.  I wonder if the ringing in Clint's right ear has gone away yet.

not supposed to like it

I woke up this morning to the beautiful sound of rain pattering out in the yard.  Soft, silvery light streamed through the blinds.  The occasional car that drove down Redwood Road about a block away made a low rushing sound, muffled and whispery, like the rain was hushing it back to sleep. The water would splash and settle in the car's wake, then return to the steady murmur of raindrops. A few blissful minutes like this passed before I realized that I was awake, and that I was not supposed to be content about the rainy weather continuing for another day. My alarm clock showed it was almost time to leave for work; in fact, I was late.  But these days, I'm late almost every morning, lingering in my bed until the last possible second when I can't justify laying there any longer.  Now it's afternoon, rain is still falling, and I'm rather in awe of it.  I suppose you could say I'm disgruntled about this endless stream of storms occurring so close to June.  But what I really want is to watch the rain from the cozy side of a window, with a blanket around my shoulders and perhaps a book in my lap.

love to surprise

I've reached a stage in my life where I love to surprise somebody else at least as much as I love being surprised myself.

Also, I love to startle.  But that's a different scenario entirely.

Loving to surprise Clint is a good and a bad thing.  This guy is SUPER difficult to surprise.  He knows his trivia, he's a good guesser, and he can read me like alphabet soup. But then... I've never claimed to have a poker face.

Earlier this Spring, I tried to surprise Clint by taking him out to eat at a barbecue joint where we'd never eaten together before, Q4U. We were discussing exits I should take from Bangerter Highway, and the instant I mentioned 5400 South, he guessed it. Surprise blown.

So you can imagine my triumph when I scored not just 1, but at least 2 surprises this year on his birthday.  The first was the gift of a new basketball.  Sounds trivial, but it was long overdue. Plus, he has keys to the church now with his new calling, so hopefully this ball will see more use than it would otherwise. Did I mention Clint has a new calling?  I'm story-telling in circles here.  Clint is our ward's new executive secretary to the bishop.  He does an amazing job. 

So.  About the 2nd well-deserved surprise Clint received on his birthday.  I was taking him out to eat and I wasn't saying a word about it.  He didn't know where I was taking him till we saw the sign-post!!!  It's called Pat's BBQ.  It's tucked away on this sort of ramshackle little street, but just ask him... I think it's a rival for Famous Dave's now!!!  He said it reminded him of delicious but extremely understated barbecue joints he saw in Texas.  The food, the authentic atmosphere, and the live bluesy music = huge hit.  Even I was pleasantly surprised.

Also, I think Clint was expecting this one, but I took him to "Thor."  It was fun.  Rather on the magical side, even!

Thanks for letting me surprise you on your birthday Clint!!!  I hope it was as fun for you as it was for me!

so please tell me what there is to complain about

We are back from our cruise!  In body, anyway. I'm having tantrums at least once a day since being home and Clint was hit with a cold the week we got back. We don't have a good track record of coming home from long vacays... But we're optimistic about coming back to some -- finally -- sunshine in SLC!  Thank goodness.

 

I have an announcement.

 

*Clint's birthday is on Saturday, May 14!!!*

 

I just wanted to take this post to say Happy Birthday to my Clint, and I want so badly to have a fun day for you.  You deserve not just one fun day, but really another cruise.  I have such a wondersome life with you, and I know I'm the luckiest girl ever because I get to be with you.  Thank you for taking me on our cruise vacation!  Even though coming back home has been a doozy, I'm just so glad we went away together. I am a cherisher, a reveler, and a hardcore basker of moments.  You give me lots to daydream about! 

 

Much love rolled up in sunshine and drizzled with chocolate,

Your Sam

 

Here's to a blue sky weekend!!!!!  Hopefully we can hang on to our Mexican Riviera tans just a little longer!

 

(You can find the whole album of cruise pics on my fb page.)