whit meets world

I have a little more catching up to do. When I was down in Utah in November, Nicole and I spent a night at the Homestead, a little resort in Midway, Utah. Nicole had a free night’s stay from performing at a charity event at the Homestead this past summer.

My sis and I went for a dip in a 10,000 year old crater, filled with 95° mineral water (it goes 55 feet into the earth). We were swimming around in the crater, and this nice older guy we had talked to earlier swam over and we started chatting. I mentioned that Nicole was a singer, and he was like, “I need to introduce you to one of my friends.” So we swam over to this bench area in the crater to meet...drumroll...Michael Martin Murphey. We had no idea who he was, to be honest, but we soon found out. He had a #1 hit back in 1975 (which he cowrote) called “Wildfire.” I had never heard of it, but when we told our mom, she was like, “Oh, I love that song!”

So we chilled with Michael Martin Murphey and his fun cowboy friends in this crater for over an hour. Michael told us his life story. He’s from Dallas, Texas, and he had been writing songs and performing for while. This drunk guy would come to his performances all the time and make a ruckus at every show. At one point, Michael even told him he needed to sit in the very back so as not to distract the audience. But he was a huge fan. He told Michael, “I’m going to do everything in my power to see that you make it.” Michael just brushed it off. After all, this guy was a drunk…what could he do? But one day after a concert, this guy from A&M Records in Nashville came up to him, and said, “Hey, I LOVE your stuff. Do you want to record an album?” Michael responded with an enthusiastic yes. He asked the A&M guy how he had found out about the concert, and he pointed to the drunk man. They had recently attended the same wedding, and the drunk guy had told him he just had to come hear Michael Martin Murphey sing.

We said goodbye after a lovely chat, and went back to our hotel room to get dressed for dinner. Our hotel phone rang and we wondered who it could be. It was Tennessee, one of Michael’s cowboy friends...they had connections. “We’re going out to dinner tonight at the Bear Dance Café—wanna come?” We joined them and had a blast. We enjoyed a jam session after dinner. Nicole played for them as well and they loved her music. It was fascinating to hear these cowboys tell tales of the wild, wild west.

Murphey's claims to fame: MMM has played alongside Willie Nelson. In 1983, he was voted Best New Male Vocalist of the year by the Academy of Country Music. His songs have been recorded by Kenny Rogers, John Denver, Cher, Lyle Lovett, Bobbie Gentry, and the Monkees.

I performed in a local production of the Nutcracker at the beginning of December, and it was a delightful experience. I met lots of really wonderful people, and I got to watch the parts I wasn't in for free! I love the Nutcracker.

…by my dearest, most wonderful friend Becca. Thanks Bec! :) With this tag comes the exciting, yet challenging task of putting into words what the spirit of Christmas means to me.

What Christmas Means to Me

To me, the spirit of Christmas means gifts, very special gifts, chosen with care to symbolize our love for those we cherish.

The spirit of Christmas is also about a belief in something that others may mock or have given up hope in—a belief that doesn’t necessarily follow logic, but is based on faith.

The film The Polar Express beautifully illustrates both of these elements of the Christmas spirit.

Near the end of the movie, the main character’s friend, Billy, jumps off the train to return home, and dashes inside, hoping with all his might that Santa has come to his house this year. Billy’s hopes are confirmed as he discovers the very same gift he saw in Santa’s sack underneath his family’s tree. He scoops up this precious gift and runs outside. His eyes sparkling, he holds it up for his friends to see as the train pulls away. Santa is real! And he cares about Billy enough to come to his house and deliver a very special gift.

The second time I watched this movie, I was moved as I noticed something in particular about that gift. As Billy holds this gift up triumphantly for all to see, only the bottom side of the gift is visible. It occurred to me that the ribbon on the gift was in the shape of a cross. My whole life, I had seen several gifts wrapped similarly with beautiful ribbon, but never given thought to the symbolism: on many Christmas gifts is a symbol of the greatest gift ever given to mankind. “All things testify of Christ.”

This gift means many, many things in our lives: the ability and power to truly change, to forgive and be forgiven, to have our burdens lightened and even lifted. Christ’s great sacrifice—His gift—to us, has many purposes, but perhaps the most meaningful is that if I choose to follow Him with my whole heart, my family relationships can be eternal…without end. That is the greatest gift.

I spent Christmas ‘04 and Christmas ’05 in Tuscany, away from my dear family. On Christmas Eve ’06, I remember sitting around a candlelit table with my family, saying a blessing on the food. My heart swelled with gratitude for the blessing of being with my entire family again at the holidays—my dad, my mom, Nicole, Brian, and Scott. And I had the thought, “This is the true meaning of Christmas. Of course Christmas is about being reunited with your family.” He is who makes that gift possible in the eternities.

That is what spirit of Christmas means to me—the greatest gift, and a belief in the Giver of that gift. Though some may have given up hope, for us believers, both He—and His gift—are very real.


If you read this, consider yourself tagged. :) You can write about what the spirit of Christmas means to you, what you do to feel it, or favorite holiday traditions.

Merry Christmas!

Time to do a little catching up.

My dear friend Gloria (who I get to see in about two weeks!) came to visit in October, and I was able to get some time off work to go down and see her! Tammy, Sara, Gloria and I did a little road trippin' down to southern Utah to take in the sights of Zion National Park. We met Gloria's friend Dane there, and had a blast exploring the beauty that is southern Utah.

Gloria was pretty excited to clean the windshield and to pump her own gas, because in Taiwan, the gas station attendants always do it for her. :)


I got my first speeding ticket on our way to Zion's. Gloria had never been pulled over by a police officer, and wanted to remember this first in her life. I had no idea she was documenting as I was talking to the officer. Too, too funny. At least I'll never forget my first speeding ticket. :)We got up close and personal with a California Condor. It's HUGE (the largest land bird on this continent). It's wingspan is over 10 feet! It was pretty impressive to watch this guy swoop in. At one time, there were only 22 of California Condors left in the world.

Adorable, random people on the streets of NYC answer the question, “What are you thankful for?”



LOVE LOVE LOVE this.

I love that we have a holiday called Thanksgiving. I have lived in other countries where they don’t have Thanksgiving, and I’ve had friends tell me they wish they had this fantastically wonderful holiday. A whole day to reflect on the many gifts we have received. I am thankful for Thanksgiving.

Theoretically, we should take time to pause each day and ponder what we are grateful for. I remember hearing a man once say he was grateful for his eyebrows. He went on to explain~ his friend had lost her hair due to chemotherapy. She had also lost her eyebrows. There was nothing to stop her sweat, and it would run into her eyes. Ever since, he has given thanks for his eyebrows.

This year, I am grateful for many blessings that make my life richer. I am grateful for YOU and for the ways in which you have enriched my life. I am grateful for the opportunity to go back to TAIWAN in January (surprise!). I CANNOT wait. I cannot wait to create new memories with dear friends, make new friends, drink bingshas, learn more Chinese, ride scooters, go hiking in GORGEOUS places, teach cute kids, eat MANGOES (!!!), etc. etc. etc!

I am grateful that the world we live in is so beautifully diverse. I am grateful for different countries and places, accents, languages, foods (did I mention Taiwanese mangoes?), dishes, tastes, colors, skin colors, personalities, voices, melodies, instruments, talents, minds, ideas, perspectives, styles, smiles, laughs, stories, seasons, lessons, opportunities, experiences.

Life is bea-U-ti-ful. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I know I haven't done a fabulous job of blogging since I got back to the States. I need to catch up. I have been busy updating other blogs, though. My little bros, Brian and Scott, arrived in Chile three and a half weeks ago. They're loving their missions. I'm posting excerpts from their e-mails each week on a blog...it's the easiest way for their loved ones to keep updated on their experiences. If you're interested, they're on my blog roll (Not Just Chillin in Chile and Mission: Santiago East).

I finished work about two weeks ago, and right now, I'm taking a breather. I'm taking advantage of this time to get my belongings organized for when I do move, practice the piano, study Spanish, work on family history with my mom, etc. We have a huge box we got from my Grandma full of stories, etc. that we're organizing~ it's fascinating stuff to learn about your ancestors. Life is good.

A couple of things that may be of interest to you:

1. Did you know you can download free podcasts off iTunes to help you learn a language? Just search the iTunes store, and you'll find different options to choose from. I love that it's free, and it's a good way to learn while you're driving, getting ready, etc.

2. The Mormon Channel podcasts are amazing, and if you haven't checked them out, you definitely should~ another great way to use your time while doing other mindless tasks. I download them on iTunes, but I know you can download them other ways as well. Some of my favorite podcasts are: Conversations (they have interviews with Elder Bednar, Elder Perry, and Elder Scott), Into All the World, Mormon Identity, Everything Creative (I love #4, the interview with the Egyptologist), and The Light of Men (this one is really original~ you have to listen to it). Fascinating stuff. And so uplifting.

My sis let me know that this week's free discovery download on iTunes belongs to one of her friends, Benton Paul (he opened for her at her CD release). Apparently it's a huge deal to be selected for this. The song is called "Run," and I love it. Who doesn't want free music? You should check it out (see the main page of the iTunes store~ it's free until Tuesday). I'd also highly recommend his song "Moon."

Happy listening!

This hilarious video is the creation of some awesome kids from my church in France. They are some of the coolest kids I've ever met, really and truly...they are too much fun. If you speak French, this is going to knock your socks off. If not, too bad, so sad. :)

As of a few years ago, I really didn't know much about the Christian Contemporary genre. My sister got into it a little bit, and she's introduced me to some awesome music. This year, I've been working with a couple of great guys who are really into Christian music, and they've introduced me to some new stuff. It's definitely worth checking out...they have a pretty wide range of music styles within this one genre. Here are a couple of songs I love:

"What Faith Can Do" by Kutless (I heard this song on the radio yesterday as I was driving to work.)



"Perfect People" by Natalie Grant (My sister introduced me to this one. I LOVE the lyrics.)

Go here.

From left to right: Lisa, Zuleika (pronounced Zoo-lake-a), me, and Tammy. You ready for this? Tammy and I taught English together in Taiwan last year and became prettymuch inseparable. Zuleika is from Rome, and I served in her ward on my mission. Then, almost a year later, she got her mission call to Ohio and was in my classroom at the MTC for nine weeks. When I went to visit Zuleika back in April, we discovered that we both had friends coming to visit in July. We decided that it would be way fun if the four of us traveled together. Tammy and I arrived in Rome about a month ago, and started asking Zuleika about this friend who would be traveling with the three of us. "Her name is Lisa. We were mission companions in Ohio. Oh, and she's from Logan." Tammy is from Logan, and it just so happens that Tammy is friends with Lisa, but they hadn't seen each other in a while. And little did they know that they would get to catch up while traveling together through Venice, Cinque Terre, and Florence, Italy. Zuleika decided she would have some fun with this and not say a word to Lisa. When Lisa arrived in Rome, she was asking Zuleika all these questions about "Whitney's friend." Zuleika pretended like she didn't know anything, not even her name. :) When the four of us met up at the airport in Venice the following week, Lisa nearly had a heart attack. The look on her face was priceless. And the four of us had a blast traveling together in Italia.

Meet Brian. Brian is from Missoula, MT, about an hour from Hamilton, MT (where my family lives). He decided to teach English in France, and was assigned to a city an hour and a half away from Grenoble, where I lived and taught. We just happened to have our appointments at the French consulate in San Francisco on the exact same morning. A few weeks ago, my friends and I were in Piazza San Marco in Venice when I heard "Whitney!" Yup, it was Brian. We just happened to be in the same square, in the same city, in the same country, on the same day, at the same time, and he just happened to see me (it's a huge square). As fate would have it, we ran into each other again the next day on the island of Murano. It is a small world.

When Tammy and I went to Sassari (on the island of Sardegna) a few weeks ago (I served in that city on my mission), I went to church and guess who I saw? Sorella Watson. When I was serving in Sassari a few years ago, another Sorella Watson (her older sister), was also serving on the island of Sardegna. I had heard that her sister had gotten her call to the Rome mission, and it was so much fun to run into her at church.

When Tammy and I checked into our hostel in Rome, I did a double take when I saw the receptionist. "Wait a second...aren't you Rosario's son?" I asked him. I taught Rosario's sister on my mission when I was serving in Rome, and had heard all about her son, Jeffrey, who was also on a mission in Milan. I met him back in April when I visited Rome. And he just happened to be the receptionist in our hostel. Out of all the hostels in Rome... :)

When Tammy and I were in Rome, we went to Institute with Zuleika. We walked into the chapel, and an elder looked at me and said, "Hey, did you serve in this mission a couple of years ago? And do you have a sister who sings?" Quite surprised, I answered affirmatively to both questions and asked how on earth he knew those things. "Oh, I was serving in Sassari a few months ago, and my companion and I were eating dinner at Angelo's house, and he asked us to help him vote for your sister. And you look a lot like her."

This is my friend Denise. Our lives are pretty intertwined. She was in my sister's freshman ward. Then they both decided to do Study Abroad in Paris back in Fall 2005. When I got home from my mission, I signed up to live in the FLSR (Foreign Language Student Residence) for the summer. Denise and I just happened to be roommates, and had a blast together. So last year, I applied to teach English in France. And Denise decided to go on a mission. She got her call to the Switzerland, Geneva mission. And Grenoble, France (where I was assigned to teach English) happens to be part of that mission. Back in May, she was transferred to Grenoble! Needless to say, I was a very happy girl.

Tammy and I were in Paris taking part of our luggage to my friend Jérome's house (so that we didn't have to lug it around Italy). And guess who was there? Soeur Amouriaux, one of Denise's former mission companions, who finished her mission in April and is now living with Jérome's family. I had heard about how wonderful she is. And she just happened to be at my friend's house. It's so much fun to meet amazing people you've heard lots about, and be able to say, "Hey, I know who you are!"

You may have noticed I haven't blogged for a little bit. My teaching contract went until the end of June (the end of the school year in France). One of my best friends, Tammy, came over, and we were busy doing a little exploring on that glorious continent we call Europe. We saw dear, old friends and made some fabulous new ones. :) I'll be updating you on the adventures we like to call "Europe Extravaganza" in the near future.

I flew into SLC early Friday morning, putting an end to 48 hours of traveling. (I began in Paris, spent the night in the Dublin airport, flew to JFK in NYC, had an eight hr. layover there, and finally boarded a flight to SLC.) Arriving in Salt Lake, my plane was 40 minutes late. You see, they had to shut JFK down so that Mr. Obama could take off. So I saw Air Force One lift off out of my airplane window. A dream come true. Not so much... :)

Nicole and I road-tripped it up to Montana later that day, and had a blast doing so. She had class Friday morning, we had to dine at Café Rio, and then we stopped at my friend Tammy's (in Logan) to pick up a suitcase and exchange pictures, as well as return trip stories. So let's just say that if all had gone well, my sister and I would have pulled into the driveway at 2 AM. However, at about 1, the car died on us. If your car has to die, Nicole's picked a pretty decent spot to do so (there were two lanes at this point in the road). We stood out in that fresh Montana air, surrounded by dense forest, under the millions of stars that are only visible in such a place, and we prayed and we prayed and we prayed. There was no reception, so the only call we could make was heavenbound. It was a sacred experience to stand in the thick darkness, far from any sort of civilization, and to feel such peace, knowing that Heavenly Father was aware of Nicole and me and our situation at that very moment, and that our prayers would be answered. There was some sort of electrical failure on the car, and therefore we didn't have warning lights, or any sort of light, for that matter. We prayed to our Heavenly Father for protection and help. After a half hour or 45 minutes, we saw some headlights approching. So we took our flashlights and began waving them around like crazy so that this car could see us as it came around the curve. A kind lady pulled over and tried to help. The most help she was really capable of giving was to take our parents' number and call them as soon as she found a phone. Nicole's car was still in the road, and we couldn't leave it there...we had no lights, and someone could have easily come around the curve and run into it at full-speed. This kind woman went on her way, promising she would call our parents as soon as possible. Nicole and I continued to pray for help. Probably another 30 minutes later, we heard another car approaching. We waved our flashlights around frantically, and another angel pulled over. This angel knew a little more about cars, and was able to move the car over to the side of the road. He lives pretty close to us, and offered to give us a lift. We connected instantly...you see, he is a former redhead. :) This kind man entertained us with interesting stories on the way home, with sporadic, hilarious little interjections from his cute 100 year old father. So the journey home was an adventure, to say the least. But Someone was watching over us, protecting us from danger, making sure we made it home safely. And now I'm home with my family. There is nothing more wonderful in this world than home.

Introducing…one of the coolest French ladies I know: Manon Bout. She lives in a little town about 40 minutes from Grenoble…one of those quaint little French towns that you think only exist in the movies. Not so. Manon is the perhaps the spunkiest, liveliest silver-haired woman I know. Yet she is without question a lady; as all French (and Italian) grandmas, she is never without her high heels. I’m telling you, if I had to choose just a few words to describe the French, classy would definitely be one of them. (I think that’s one reason why I enjoy people-watching so much in France.)

During World War II, Manon was a teenager, and she participated in the French Resistance. (During the Second World War, Germany occupied France- it was an awful thing to have your country taken over, as you can imagine. And so people had the choice to either collaborate with the Germans, which was definitely the easier choice, but likely went against what they really stood for…the other option was to resist against the Germans, which was obviously a very dangerous decision, one that could cost you your life.) Manon walked long distances to deliver letters that contained information about the Germans. She only did this a couple of times before her fiancé insisted she stop because it was too dangerous. (Although they still took part in the Resistance, he thought a teenage girl shouldn’t be put in such a dangerous position.)

Manon has one of the best “how we met” stories I’ve ever heard. She met her hubby-to-be on the slopes. She loved to ski (her dream town is surrounded by the Alps); however, there was one little problem. She didn’t know how to stop. One day, she was swooshing down the bottom of the mountain when she saw a big group of people in front of her. “Get out of the way!!” she screamed. But no one moved an inch. So she crashed smack dab into this group of people…and guess who was swept off his feet, both literally and figuratively? Her future husband. You could say she was a knock-out. ☺

Manon is my French grandma. She gives me a big kiss on each cheek each time she sees me. You may know that that’s how the French usually greet each other…but her kisses are grandma kisses- every one is bursting with love. She also happens to be a fabulous cook. When you sit down at her table, you feel like royalty. Manon lived in Cameroon with her husband for a few years for his work, and they had several guests over for dinner practically every day. So she is an expert when it comes to entertaining!

Manon has so much faith. She says the most touching prayers; they are so sincere and full of gratitude. When she prays, her understanding of who Heavenly Father is is so evident, and you can't help but know Him better as a result. I love meeting people with such different, interesting stories, who also inspire you and give you a stronger desire to be better…like Manon Bout.