A friend in need

I first met Kelly DeHaan at the University of Utah about 2001, where we both studied music education and choral conducting. Kelly and his wife, Shellie, are very dear friends. For many years, we performed together as part of an LDS fireside group. He currently teaches choir at West Jordan High School in the Salt Lake Valley and works frequently with Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley City as a performer and music director. He has one of the most amazing voices I've ever heard.

He recently posted the following on facebook, and I'm appealing to my readers to consider buying his CD to help with this cause:

"My dear friends,

For more than three years I have been battling a condition called gastro esophageal reflux disorder (GERD). It’s an ugly word for an ugly condition. Due to a combination of hiatal hernia and over-zealous acid and pepsin production in my stomach, there is an almost constant presence of acid on my vocal chords and in my esophagus. This acid eats away at the tissue and leaves my voice raw and vulnerable. The continual erosion and healing in my larynx and esophagus is a cause of concern for doctors as this is an ideal environment for the development of cancer. There is no sign of cancer at this point. For three years I have been taking the highest dosage of anti-reflux medication available. I have changed my diet and eating habits. I have tried vocal rest, voice therapy, allergy shots, chiropractic assistance, and I have had endless scopes that have showed no progress, only progressive damage. I have consulted with 5 different doctors about this issue: an ENT, a gastroentrologist, a general surgeon, and two gastric surgeons. They all agree that the only permanent solution to my particular reflux problem is a surgical process called Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. This surgical process reroutes the acid and pepsin to the large intestine and creates a small pouch from the stomach for initial digestion. This surgery is common for severe weight loss treatment. It will also stop the acid and pepsin from attacking my esophagus and vocal folds forever. Finally.

After two failed appeals to our medical insurance for coverage, Shellie and I have decided to pay for the procedure ourselves. With two missionaries in the field this is truly a leap of faith, but we feel the time is right. I have scheduled a date for the surgery later this month. I know this is the right path.

In thinking of how to pay for this surgery it came to mind that many of my friends and members of my choirs have often asked me to record some of the songs they have heard me sing at various firesides and church services over the last few years. The Lord blessed me with a small window of time where my voice felt healthy enough to go into the studio and record a few songs. They are all songs of faith and testimony. These are songs that have changed my life over the past few years. My dear friend Merrilee Webb accompanied me and together we recorded the songs at her amazing sound studio. I am reaching out to my friends, hoping that they might be interested in supporting me with this project. If I can sell about 1000 CDs the bulk of the surgical costs will be covered. Maybe you know of someone who could benefit from this type of music. I feel really great about how the songs turned out. You’ll recognize most of the tunes: Consider the Lilies, How Great Thou Art, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, There is a Savior, and many others.

I feel like this project will help me continue serving the Lord with my voice and my music. I’m so thankful for the way He has blessed my life with singing and with friends. Below is a link that will take you where you need to go if you’d like to place an order. Thank you so much for your time and friendship.

Kelly DeHaan
http://tinyurl.com/mvqwken"

Whether you are LDS or not, if you enjoy religious music, you will enjoy this CD.

Percy and Harry visit Sherwood Forest

Our dear friend, Dizzy Dandelion, was in a wonderful production of Robin Hood: Legend of the Sherwood Bandit with Clearfield Community Theater. We loaded up the car (okay, we grabbed some jackets to ensure it wouldn't rain or be cold) and headed out into the wilderness (okay, so it's only about 25 miles from our house). And we remembered to bring Percy and Harry along.

The show was just so much fun. It's an original script, and the opening song tells us that this is "the absolutely true and not made up story of Robin Hood." How can you go wrong with a show that includes a song with that lyric? Seriously.

You could tell that the cast was having a blast, which really helps to pull in the audience. The playwright also played Sir Guy Gisbourne, and he seemed to really relish playing a baddie. Dizzy Dandelion's character was conflicted, and we weren't sure which side she would end the show on until almost the very end (good job!).

Sadly, last night was the last night of the production. It was really our only chance to see the show (Mr. Perfect is in rehearsals for West Jordan Sugar Factory Playhouse's production of South Pacific right now, and last night was a rare night-off), and we are so glad we did. It's great fun to support friends, but it's also a bonus when the show is worth both the drive and the price of admission.

Percy & Harry see Steel Magnolias

Mr. Perfect and I were very anxious to make it to the theatre this weekend. Our own Sweet Cecily was starring (with five other amazing women) in a wonderful production of Steel Magnolias. She played Shelby, a part she has been dreaming of playing almost her entire life. And she was amazing. The whole production was well done, from the set and costumes to all of the women cast. We laughed a lot, and many people in the audience cried (even Mr. Perfect a little). Game Boy and his girlfriend, Champion Debater, came with us and enjoyed it, too.

We sat with another wonderful friend, Dizzy Dandylion, who is another amazing actress. We love going to her shows, too. She was more than happy to pose with Percy & Harry during intermission.

They also got a tour of the women's dressing room, courtesy of Sweet Cecily.

As usual, they enjoyed some time on the set. They're such hams.

I would recommend that everyone see it, but Saturday was closing night. Maybe next time we'll get to the show in time to send everyone else to see it, too.

What has a pigeon every done to you, Mr. Lehrer?

About three years ago, Mr. Perfect and I had the great fun of being in a production of The Odd Couple together.

Performing the role of Gwendolyn Pigeon is one of the highlights of my acting career. From the director to the cast to the crew, it remains one of my top three theatre experiences. Plus, it's where we met Sweet Cecily. However, being in The Odd Couple playing a woman with the last name of Pigeon also reminded me of a song that I first learned about as a music major at the University of Utah. I hope you enjoy it, though please take pity on the poor pigeons you come across in life. Some of us really are just English girls looking for some fun.

(The song starts about 20 seconds into the video, so if you want to skip all the intro stuff, you can forward to that point.)

Wordless Wednesday

The best tent buddies a girl could ask for

Visit from dear friends who live too far away

One of my best friends lives in a city far, far away. Last week, Sister from another Mother and Captain, My Captain were in town for a family wedding, and Mr. Perfect and I were able to meet them for lunch (Smashburger is da bomb!). We had a wonderful visit. Whenever we see each other, I realize just how much I miss talking with her face-to-face. I love reading her blog, but there's nothing like sitting for an hour or two together, sometimes talking, sometimes not. You know how it is with people you've known forever. It was also the first time that they were able to meet Mr. Perfect.

A slightly over-due plug

A dear friend of mine was part of a writing collaboration to help a family whose father was murdered a little over a year ago. They collected and published a book of Christmas stories with all proceeds going to the family and the children's college fund. The book is called Christmas Wishes: A Collection of Holiday Tales. Even though Christmas is past, the book is still available from Amazon.com. Please consider purchasing it. Good stories for a good cause. You can't go wrong.

Way to go, Brodi!!!

Brodi Ashton is an old friend of mine from WAAAYYY back. Okay, not high school, but before either of us were married. I recently found out that her first novel was just published (December 2011). That is so exciting! The book is called Everneath. Here's the premises (courtesy of the King's English Bookshop website):

"Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

"Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

"As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s queen.

"Everneath is a captivating story of love, loss, and immortality from debut author Brodi Ashton."

Percy and Harry do Coyote Gulch, Part I

When last we left our intrepid travelers, they were enjoying themselves with the cast of Man of LaMancha at the Empress Theatre. What gay times were those.

For their next adventure, Percy and Harry decided to tackle the 3-day/2-night adventure of Coyote Gulch in Escalante Territory. They had missed the hike last year to Wolverine and Horse Canyons, and were determined to make it this year.

And they did so with flying colors. The same could not be said for Most Happy Girl's left knee (but more about that later).

First stop was our favorite gas station in Scipio.

Then on to Red Canyon.

We stopped at Spooky and Peek-a-Boo for fun, and meet up with the rest of the crew there.

We spent the first night near the trail head at Hurricane Wash. You're not allowed to camp at the actual trail head, but you can leave cars there for days on end, provided you have a permit, which we did. The foil dinners cooked over hot charcoal chips were fabulous. Can't wait to try making them again, with more veggies and better quality meat. Elk would be great!

The next morning, we left two cars at Hurricane Wash and took two, full of eager hikers, up to Crack in the Wall, where we were entering the Gulch. After walking about three miles, we reached the crack.

When they named it, they weren't kidding. You can't get down to the Gulch and the Escalante River without the crack, unless you are prepared to repel (which I'm not sure is legal).

Tune in later for more of the exciting adventures of Percy and Harry and Coyote Gulch, coming to a blog near you.

Back to Cedar City

This past weekend, Mr. Perfect and Most Happy Girl set off for the beauties of southern Utah with Crazy Writer Lady for a couple of shows at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. It was the first serious trip for her new car, Sir Henry, the Black Knight, and he made it admirably.

We saw Greater Tuna and The Adventures of Pericles. Neither were fantastic (we enjoyed the shows in the summer more), but it was a fun trip. And it was great to spend time with a good friend. It had been too long.

Here is Sir Henry in front of our hotel the morning we headed home. Yes, the Knight's Inn. Very fitting.

Random duck sightings

When Most Happy Girl was in a singles ward, she was part of the most amazing group of friends, known as the Odd Ducks.

We weren't rich or cool or anything like that. We just knew how to have fun. A lot of fun. We had themed pot luck dinners (best curry chicken EVER). We had movie nights in the Parkers' basement. We would get together just to play board games.

Okay, maybe we were cool.

Well, the Odd Ducks slowly got married or moved out of the ward. In fact, I don't believe anyone still lives in the area. So, we decided (actually this lovely lady to the right decided) that we needed to get together again for a fun-filled picnic at Sugarhouse Park. And she was right.

It was the first time Mr. Perfect had meet most of them. Strange that none came to our wedding, but that is how life goes sometimes, isn't it? It wasn't neglect. Just time.

Well, the picnic was a huge success, and we're planning on another party in January -- indoors this time.

As you can see, even the ducklings had a good time.