There are many things that I suck at. Making a cake look pretty is one of them. I am a fan of making most food from scratch. I'm not a fan of boxed cake, but this is what happens when I experiment...
Luckily you can't see this photo too well because it was taken on my phone. The photo quality is not great, neither is the appearance of the cake. But, I assure you, it WILL taste amazing. I know, I sampled some of the pieces that fell off as I removed it from the pan. It is delicious.
I got the recipe here at Mel's Kitchen Cafe where most things I have tried turn out amazing. It's a great recipe site. This is what the cake is supposed to look like...
Maybe it looked almost as bad as mine and that's why she took a picture of a slice of cake. Notice how the actual cake is blurry in the background? Maybe it's just so moist (horrible word) "not dry" that the cake literally falls apart before you can get it frosted.
I am a huge Imagine Dragons fan. No, not merely a fan, I'm more of a groupie. I've also been called a "super fan" and "obsessed". I've seen them in concert 15 times (I know this sounds super excessive, but I really REALLY like them) including a couple of acoustic performances and photo-ops. The first time I saw them (March 2011) I paid $5 to see them open for another band that's now obsolete. I fell in love with them immediately. Their live performance is full of energy and emotion that can't be described.
Soooooo, why am I telling you all this? Cause something awesome happened.
On my way down to St. George over UEA weekend, my husband informed me that ID was looking for extra's for their music next video. They requested that anyone interested send in pictures of themselves in 60's garb. I was headed right toward my best friend Lindsey Madsen, I knew she could work her magic with clothing and a camera and make me look good enough to make the cut. This is what she did to me:
I was just messing around on this one, but she made me send it in.
I think it's the leg reveal that got me the spot.
Or maybe it's the seductive face I was making at Andy.
A few days later, I got an email telling me where to be for the filming! Wahoo!!!
I'm pretty sure they took everyone who bothered to send a photo, but who knows. All I know is I MADE IT!
I showed up at 10:00 and sat in a room full of women at Studio C at BYU Broadcasting Center. I felt like I was in a time warp, everyone looked so great in their 60's gear! I chatted, made friends, and waited in this room with a 60's living room set.
How awesome is that couch?! And the rug!
At 12:00 they called me and a few others back and added some accessories to our outfits. We were to be in the front of the pack, then the other ladies followed behind. The director told us to run down the hallway past the camera as though we were storming into a concert. Well, no problem for me....I've done this before! So we all ran down the hall screaming with excitement (as though we were running into a concert) and when I ran past the camera, I saw them.
Dan Reynolds was watching us through the monitor with a huge smile on his face, eating a granola bar. The other band members (Platzman, Wayne, and Ben) were huddled around Dan watching with as much excitement as we had! It was so fun to see them.
We were back in the studio by 12:30 and told we could leave until 3, or just wait there. I stayed there and hung out with some other die hards. More people started filing in around 3:00. It was a steady stream until at least 4:30, and we all waited. And then we waited some more.
^Here are some of the friends I made. Such fun ladies!
After a few hours of waiting, the band came in and gave us some encouragement. They looked so cute in their space suits! They were very grateful for us being there, and humbled that so many would take the time to be in their video. They answered a few questions and then headed back on set.
Dan is such a friendly guy, he just chatted and hung with us for a bit.
At this point, most of these people had been here for 5 hours. I had been there (with a few other ladies) for 10 hours. That's when Mac Reynolds (ID's manager and Dan's brother) brought in pizza for everyone. They felt bad they were so far behind schedule and that we were waiting for so long. Very cool of them.
About an hour later, we were called in to do our thing. We ran into the big room cheering and dancing to the music. This is what I saw from where I was standing...
Wayne Sermon and Dan Reynolds
Astronauts with guitars!
They played the song over and over and we bounced the blow-up worlds around above our heads.
My new friend Emily and I got our picture taken together with the band "on the moon" behind us. She and I really hit it off and had such a fun night together!
The director
I ran into my friend Larissa there. Turns out her brother is the videographer for the film! She is the sister in law of my college roommate from Dixie. It's a small world.
The band was behind the monitor calling the shots when they weren't on set. It was so fun to watch them work their magic, give their input, and see their ideas come to life.
Daniel Platzman, Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Alex Sermon (Wayne's wife) Ben McKee
Look how happy they are!
I chatted with Daniel Platzman, the drummer, for a while. He's (of course) phenomenal at drumming, singing, the viola and the guitar. This poor guy was so exhausted he could hardly keep his eyes open. It was 11:30 pm by this time and they had started the day at 8. All he wanted to do was crash out for the night, but he told me all about his time at Berkley College of Music and how he was roommates with Wayne and Ben while they were there.
As extra's, we were banned from posting any photos from the day until the official video was released. Well, that happened today. Here it is for your enjoyment!
Here I am, at 3:14 in the video. My half-second of fame!
I can't wait until Dec. 30 when I see them in concert. Again. For the 16th time. Wahoo!
We took a trip up Big Cottonwood Canyon a couple weeks ago to enjoy the beautiful colors of Autumn, a season that never lasts as long as I'd like it to.
^^My cute kiddos and their darling cousin Ava
^^The stream looked so beautiful with those leaves peeking down over it.
^^Crossing the river on a log
^^The path to heaven :)
^^My spider monkey swinging from the branches.
^^This is a total personality shot of all three of my littles.
Look how bright the leaves are!
In years past, I always viewed Fall as the cooler days that only meant that winter was just around the corner. It was not a pleasant time of year for me. I always longed for summer to stay just a little longer because I am not a huge fan of winter. Especially since it lasts at least 5 months here in Utah.
Now, I love Autumn!
Why the change?!
Last summer we moved to an older neighborhood with big mature trees surrounding us everywhere, and the colors of Autumn are vibrant and breathtaking. Just on our property we have 5 large trees whose leaves of yellow, orange, and red dance to the ground for weeks. It's a beautiful thing. I do miss summer when it's gone, and I sort of dread the winter, but I thoroughly enjoy Fall now. I see the hand of God in the beauty of His creations.
