A lot of great things happened today. The sun was shining and I drove with Lucy’s windows down, I got my hair done by Magic Melanie the Beauty Sensei, and I went to an incredible movie screening with my dear friend, Winter. As if those weren’t enough, some other happy things from today included surpassing 20,000 hits on this blog (Woot!) and sharing the realization of a pretty big goal with my friends: my very first MUSIC VIDEO is now on the web!

A few months ago, I was performing at an event for The Feel Good Music Coalition (you may recognize these friends from their “Teach Me How to Jimmer“ song that went viral a little while ago). After the show was over, Richard, the father an amazing artist named Dean Risko, approached me to see if I had any music videos. When I told him I didn’t, he offered to film one for me.

Richard was great and let me be very involved in the creative portion of the video. After several filming sessions and a lot of Richard’s time editing, here is the final result:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ2yiT4DmPc

Hope you enjoy! What good things have been happening in your life?

We filmed the band in an abandoned warehouse my friends, Chris and Christel Ward, live in downtown.

Lots of friends, like Lindsey and Rich, came to help me film the band scene

Everyone was a good sport about the downtime

The great Richard van Schalkwyk in action

Teah's shot in the video is pretty dark- this is her beautiful face in the light.

Getting set up for the masses

“How do you feel about being surrounded by all of these Baptists?” my new friend, Reed, asked me as we set up the white plastic tables early Sunday morning. The line snaked in front of us as more and more hungry people queued in the frigid temperatures, waiting for some warm food.

“I love Baptists!” I replied cheerily, watching several members of the Calvary Baptist Church donning white hair nets and plastic aprons. Other members of their congregation prepared to offer a Psalm and blessings on the food (first in Spanish and then in English) before dishing out the feast on the tables.

Reed seemed surprised. He had just learned that I was Mormon, and an active one at that. When he asked why I felt that way, I told him that I thought Baptists were good people. We only had to look around us to verify that statement.

Not far from the food tables piled with everything from eggs, fruit, and oatmeal to hot dogs and cakes, another table was stacked with warm clothes to distribute to the homeless people in line. All of it was donated (or at least collected) by members of the church. As we served the food, a cheerful woman with a brilliant smile sang and called out, “Have a blessed day!” to people as she handed them their trays.

Free warm clothes!

It was a great way to start out a Sunday morning. Over the course of about two hours, I would estimate around 300 people passed through the food line.  At one point, a man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties let out some profanity, and his friend quickly chastised him and told him to show some respect. Another woman called some of the members of the church by name, and they asked her about her daughter. One mentally slow man started to talk about something and lost his train of thought as he walked through the line. He stopped himself and said, “I don’t know what I was talking about, but I’m just so happy right now.”

Getting ready for the blessing...

...And towards the end of the morning

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At the end of two hours, the cold had painfully seeped through my shoes and socks and my hands felt like ice. And that was only after two hours. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be homeless in Utah in January. It was wonderful to spend some time helping out with Fill the Pots and getting to know some very good people.

I’d recommend the experience to anyone who might be interested in helping out (see the previous post for details), and I was so glad that my new friend, Mary, told me about the opportunity. Each Sunday, the homeless in Utah are a little happier, a little less hungry, and a little more warm, thanks to the efforts of the Calvary Baptist Ministry and the Fill the Pots project. And being part of that filled me with some warmth to counteract the cold.

Mary, my new friend from the gym, in fashionable serving attire

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Around 8:00 AM each Sunday, the Calvary Baptist Church Ministry hosts an event called “Fill the Pots” where members of the congregation and community bring home cooked food to Pioneer Park (300 S 300 W, Salt Lake City) to distribute to the homeless.

Anything from breakfast foods like oatmeal, eggs, sausage and potatoes, to pastries, soups, and more are wonderful, and participants in the event are encouraged to bring a pot that will feed about fifty people. (Paper goods and utensils are provided, but donations are also accepted and encouraged.)

The ministry also collects clothing, toiletries, and various items that they take back to a storage facility to sort and distribute in packages to the homeless population. (They need large and extra-large clothing sizes specifically.)

I’m planning to go from 8 – 9:30 AM next Sunday, January 23rd, and would love for any and all of you to join me. Please let me know if you would like to participate so I can give the event organizer a heads up. (If you have a food handler’s permit, please have it on hand when you come.)

They are there every Sunday, so if the 23rd doesn’t work with your schedule and you’d like to help, please feel free to stop by on another day.

It would be lots of fun to do this together… hope to see you next Sunday!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 7,700 times in 2010. That’s about 19 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 37 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 61 posts. There were 232 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 147mb. That’s about 4 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was August 26th with 143 views. The most popular post that day was Week Twenty-Nine – Make A Memory With A Stranger.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, ldsspinster.blogspot.com, ajwheeler11.blogspot.com, twoplusc.blogspot.com, and blogger.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for countdown, financial freedom, flirty thirty, flirty and thirty, and count down.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Week Twenty-Nine – Make A Memory With A Stranger August 2010
6 comments

Week Two – Do Something I’ve Never Done Before January 2010
5 comments

Please buckle your seat belts and keep your hands and arms inside the ride… August 2009

About the Project (Updated) August 2009
7 comments

About Me August 2009
1 comment

Mark holding some of the boxes Darren donated

Meet Mark Moreno. He and his wife are service missionaries for a congregation of Latin members of the LDS church. Most of the people he works with couldn’t afford to have Christmas this year. In his estimate, only about three families in the entire congregation were okay financially. Many, although struggling themselves, were also helping those less monetarily fortunate in the congregation. Mark saw the need and sprung into action.

Mark organized a large-scale Sub for Santa project that involved participants from all over pitching in to help these families. I was grateful to get in on a little piece of the action.

When presented with different options, I chose the Martinez family. The Grandfather and Grandmother were taking care of their two young grandsons, who had such simple requests. While most boys their age ask Santa for XBOX, Playstation, and Wii games, the two boys in this family asked only for a sweater and a toy each.

The family was also joined by three other girls who came to live with their grandparents right before the holidays. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have the responsibility to provide for five young kids who are away from their parents at Christmastime.

Devin modeling her gift-wrapped jammies and beanie babies for the girls

Secily got a huge assortment of awesome toys for the boys

Claudine donated a new winter coat for the grandma

I was so grateful that so many of my friends offered to help the Martinez family when they learned about the Sub for Santa project. Right away, I had a few checks arrive in the mail and friends who shopped for specific items. Because of the efforts of friends like Melanie, Claudine, Secily, Heidi, Alisa, Devin, Jessi, and Darren, we were able to do a lot. Mark Moreno also delivered several items that he’d collected from donations.

When Dave helped me deliver Christmas, we had several boxes full of clothes, shoes, coats, toys, and food for the family. They didn’t speak much English, but they hugged us and expressed gratitude. One of the little girls came into the room, and her eyes grew large and shiny as we placed the presents under the tree.

Dave loading his red sleigh with presents

I just wanted to express gratitude to everyone who pitched in to help in whatever capacity they were able to help. I loved seeing so many of my friends and family subbing for Santa, doing angel trees, feeding the homeless, and reaching out to give a little of themselves this season. I learn from the examples of people like Mark, who are proactive in identifying and addressing needs around them. As these needs persist throughout the year, I hope there will be many more opportunities like this to come.

Merry Christmas, and thanks again!

Meeting the Martinez grandparents and dropping off the presents. Thanks for all of the help!

A six year-old boy who has requested a sweater and a toy (pant size: 7 shirt size: 7 shoe size: 11)

An eight year-old boy who would like a coat and a toy (pant size: 8 shirt size: 8 shoe size: 13)

A mom (skirt: extra large blouse: extra large shoe size 8.5 coat size: extra large)

A dad (pant size: 32×32 shirt size: 16.5 medium shoe size: 8.5 coat size: medium)

Please contact me if you or anyone you know might be interested in giving to help a family in need this Christmas. Hopefully, if we all pitch in a little, this could be a great holiday for them.

You guys are awesome!

-Carrie

Here's proof that I was born. I'm still working on this goal.

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Go shawty… it’s your birthday… we gonna party like it’s your birthday… we gonna sip… apple cider… like it’s your birthday… uh… well, yeah. The song kind of falls apart after that point when it’s applied to a Mormon girl. But I’ve had a birthday… Shout hooray!

This year I had such a fun time with great friends who came to celebrate with me. Here are some highlights:

Sim, Wylie, and David conquered the baby aisle on a Friday night with masculinity intact

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, I have beautiful friends

Birthday deliciousness from Gourmandise Bakery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I tricked a few people into thinking I was pregnant when I sent out invitations to my “baby shower”, and that was pretty funny to me. Come on guys. It’s me. The chances of that happening are less than the chances of The Spice Girls, Richard Simmons, and Abraham Lincoln releasing a psychedelic zydeco album together.

 

The “baby shower” part was real, though, and my friends gave in an amazingly generous way to help needy infants in the community. The House of Hope is a non-profit organization in Utah that helps people overcome substance abuse, child abuse, and family violence. Many mothers come without anything for their babies, and more give birth having nothing while they are there. It was awesome to see the way everyone pulled together to help these kids. We were even able to donate a sack of clothes for the mothers, thanks to other donations of friends.

 

 

Chelsea couldn't make the party, but she drove an hour to and from my house just to help me set up. What a babe.

Lee modeling his donated "Happy Camper" ensemble

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a fraction of the loot

Heck yes we got CARE BEARS wipes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazingly, ALL of this (plus a baby swing) came from my friends, Allison and Kevin Gill

Some of my favorites in the front row- "I'm with the band" and the matching baby and doll dresses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly made a special trip to receive our stuff. She's great!

 

I dropped the items off with Kelly at the House of Hope, who was very kind and helpful. Funny enough, I lived two houses away from the offices when I lived downtown, but I never knew what the building was until today. They’re great with anonymity.

 

The House of Hope in general and the Community Cradle Project in particular are great causes. For anyone interested in helping out, you can find information on their needs here. (Also, for anyone who helped with donations, they are tax deductible. If you’re interested in getting a receipt, let me know and I’ll email it to you.)

 

Thanks to everyone who made this such a fun and successful event… looking forward to the next adventure!

The first activity of the new blog goes down tomorrow night, Friday (10/8), at 8 PM. Join us for food, music, great people, and an awesome cause. Message me if you’d like to come and I’ll give you directions!

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One of my favorite authors, Paulo Coehlo, is credited with having said, “Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks. Perhaps this person will never be disappointed or disillusioned; perhaps she won’t suffer the way people do when they have a dream to follow. But when the person looks back- she will hear her heart”. It’s kind of the same concept as Teddy Roosevelt’s famous quote about “those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Any real progress or accomplishment comes with risk- it’s a part of fully being alive. Life without risk is paralysis. I love the approach author Benjamin Zander takes with his music students. In his book, The Art of Possibility, he says he actively trains his students that when they make a mistake, they are to lift their arms in the air, smile, and say, How fascinating! “Not only mistakes,” he says, “but even those experiences we ordinarily define as ‘negative’ can be treated in this way.”

This week, I had two things planned to risk the possibility of rejection: one which has achieved resolution, and the other, I’m going to ask for some help in achieving.

The first was to audition for a community production of “The Sound of Music.” I used to be very involved in theater in high school and my early collage years, but it’s been a very long time since I’ve even thought about auditioning for a show.

I actually talked myself out of auditioning and let things pass without taking any action. But like Paulo Coehlo says, I started to hear my heart. I talked with someone about coming to audition the first night of callbacks and they graciously agreed.

After I did some initial singing, they requested I come back the next night and attend callbacks for the adult roles. We learned and performed some simple choreography, read for several of the parts, and finished with more singing. There were a lot of talented people there, and I felt a little nervous, but mostly honored to be included.

A few days passed and I got a phone call at work asking me if I would be willing to play Maria, the lead role! I’m excited for the challenge and really looking forward to the experience and the new opportunities it will present for me to take some risks.

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In front of the posted cast list

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The second thing I explored this week has to do with this blog as a whole. I can’t believe the final week of this project has come and gone. It’s been a life-changing experience for me. I really do feel transformed, empowered, and above all, very happy and very grateful. With only a few weeks left until my thirty-first birthday, I believe this year has been one of the best I’ve experienced in my life.

I have also really appreciated the feedback from everyone given both here and on my facebook page. It’s gratifying to know that this has had a bit of a ripple effect with some of my friends. It’s because of that feedback and my own positive experiences that I’ve decided that I’d like to expand the “flirting with life” portion of this blog into a book. I would like to gear it towards a mid-singles LDS population with the hope that it will do some good for other people the way it has for me.

I talked with a very kind person this past week who is good friends with the CEO of an LDS publishing company called Deseret Book. After I explained to him what I wanted to do, he generously offered to give my book to her directly when I am finished. I’m not sure if she will be interested in it, but the offer motivates me to create the best product possible.

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So, here’s where the help part comes in. Many of you have been so wonderful about taking the time to read the blog. I would really love input from you as I rewrite and revamp this- any feedback, ideas, suggestions, quotes, stories, scriptures, etc. that come to mind for any of the thirty weeks. I want to make this as strong as possible and it’s going to take some work. Good thing I have some pretty creative and brilliant friends.

When I asked my mom for advice on putting together a book, her reply was classic: Do it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Well said, Mom. Well said.