Holiday season for the Larsens

So I haven't posted in about a month or so. I hope you are in for a short and sweet review of all the past holidays and a brief preview of christmas. Ready, here we go:

Halloween at my parents house is always awesome, but this year it was SPECTACULAR! The boys knew that it was going to be the last halloween that the whole family would have together for the next 5 years, and so they all made it so big. With flying head's on fishing line, ghosts on motorcycles, graveyard with orange and purple twimkle lights, and THEE electric chair wired from the house. It was super awesome. The best one we've ever had.


Thanksgiving was awesome! Lots of food and family. I decided the two best things in the world are food and family, and on thanksgiving you get lots of both. I didn't take any pictures of thanksgiving, but I was so lucky and glad to have work off and to have McCord off work. We loved every second of thanksgiving this year.

Jared's family and friend parties went well. I ended up making 418 cookies for the big event. Can't believe he only has 2 days left until he reports to the MTC. He'll be a great missionary, but I will miss him.
This picture we took of us and the Carpenter family (well, all who could make it). It's a priceless picture, so I had to post it. They've bene family friends since I was 3 years old (I think). =)


Christmas this year is going to be different for us. It's the first time I've been able to put up my decorations (because we've moved so much). So I MUST show off my favorite pieces. And yes, they are the only pieces that I have too. =) But I'm so proud.
This nativity was made by my grandparents and given to me the christmas after we got married. It's a HUGE porchelin nativity and I absolutely love it! They are both quite gifted in making ceramics. This is one of the many things I have from them.


This is my cute, not to mention awesome, village set. When we got married, McCord said that he'd get me one new piece each year. This year, the stuff was 50% off at JoAnn's, so I got the little family with the carriage too. In time I hope to get a school, a church, another house, street lamps, etc. But for now I have one house, a toy store, and a lighthouse. I love them all. I've been just starring at them and playing with them all weekend.



Black Friday was a HUGE SUCCESS this year. We are getting some great presents. We decided to put the small present money into a pot and buy one big present this year. Yes, we did open that big present before christmas. We are so bad at that. But I'll post pictures of christmas presents later. You'll have to wait... =)

"Vampire Comedy" movie shoot:
As most of you know, McCord has been on a shoot for the last 4 weeks straight! It's a new Vampire comedy and is supposed to be a spoof on all the vampire movies that are coming out. It's been super good for him to experience this awesome set of people. He's met so many awesome people, including "couch bulton" from High School Musical, and his brothers and sister.
This picture is of Lindsey and McCord after a long and late night of shooting. They are the only P.A's on this shoot - hence all the walkie talkies.

I teased Lindsey and told her she looked like a suicide bomber with all the equipment she was carrying around, so she posed for me:

McCord at work, in the job he loves, helping direct extras (in the back). This was during shooting.

Didn't get too many pictures of the rest of the crew because they were all working, but when the wrap party comes, I'll put up more pics of faces.

She's My Daughter music video shoot

This was a small but such a fun shoot. It was very low budget and every person involved was a volunteer. We got to stage a wedding. The guy who wrote and sang the song is in the first picture. Tiffany and I, she's in the last picture with me, decorated and did wardrobe, etc. McCord directed and Jason did the camera work. Our actors were Chad, the groom and Chelsea, the bride. Yes, the father of the bride is really Chelsea's dad. McCord's dad gave the wedding service/ performed the staged marriage. He made all the extras and crew laugh with his words. Since we were dubbing over the sound later with the music for the music video, he nicknamed Chad Luke Skywalker, and Chelsea Misty Moonlight. It was hilarious!
(Hopefully I can put the song on the blog later)

"Lethargic" - McCord's 2nd film project

This is a 2 min short that McCord made for one of his film classes. It's not the most peppy video, but I'm proud of him for succeeding expectations on all his projects. Now the main actor in this short is Rory, he and his wife Becca are our great friends,lived beneith us in Aggie Village in Logan last year. My hubby is a great director. =)

U of U Admissions Job

Don't know who has heard and who hasn't, but I got a part time job working in the Admissions office at the U here in SLC. I just finished my first week and LOVED it. I fit right in the office and everyone is fantastic. We are so blessed to finally have jobs. We are even more blessed that McCord's movie career is moving forward. Hopefully I'll be able to post more about McCord's film work soon.

"The Sweetness of Addiction"- McCord's FIRST video

"The sweetness of addiction" is McCord's FIRST video that he's done - this was a project for one of his classes. It had to be one minute long and couldn't use 'real time' sounds (closing doors, footsteps, etc). YES, he did it all - writing/directing, editing/sound, etc. The only thing he didn't do was the camera work. The "shady character" in the movie is actually McCord too. =) Enjoy!...and please leave comments.

8 years ago...

8 years ago on September 11th. We will never forget how we felt that day. McCord and I always reflect about that day and how America kinda came together. Yes, it was so tragic, but it's important that we look back and learn from what happened, remember how we felt that day, and let that day govern whatever choices you have for the future. Whatever your political views, etc. We all know that 8 years ago, the horrible happenings changed each individual of our nation. More people were saying prayers for others and themselves. More people came home to love their families, and more people were grateful for what they had instead of be greedy for whatever was being advertised through the tv.
Our experience this Sept 11th:
We were randomly driving in downtown SLC when we came across this.

McCord and I shed tears. We love this country and have been in Germany for those 6 months at the beginning of this year. We never saw anything like the patriotism that the US has while we were there. The sight of this...We couldn't believe our eyes. We both just couldn't believe it.

They held a ceremony for the soldiers that have died in the war, fighting for our families and our freedom. Here are the mothers of the lost soldiers, they all hugged each other, strangers, but they all had one thing in common. The mothers cried when the roll call was sounded and their son's names were read and there was no answer of "here" from the soldiers. They played taps and all the soldiers present soluted.

The fire truck that was there let us go up on the ladder and take a picture of all the flags that were there. It was so amazing!

It was a priceless experience for us. We love our soldiers so much, and anyone who stands up for this country. We love the United States and the freedoms that we have here. God Bless the USA.

News all around the Day household and Update

I'm trying to update our blog every week to let y'all know about what's been going on with us, but I fear that I've been failing about the every week, so I'll try to do better.

So much news from the Day's side
- Angie and Adam are PREGNANT! YAY The first grandchild on the Day side. She is done with the first trimester and she has had no morning sickness. Lucky duck. Baby is doing well:

- Jared got his mission call to Chile Osorno mission! That's the very southern part of south america. He leaved Dec 9th. He's going to go to USU for one semester before he leaves. This is him in Germany with his buddy, Brad. He'll be a great misisonary.

- Jake is engaged to Kaia Christensen! They are getting married September 5th! So happy for them both.

- Mom got a new job! She started as a reading assistant at North Park Elementary school! She is so excited and we all, as her kids, know that she will do famously.

McCord and I are proud to show you all our lovely "extremely gorgeous" couches in our apartment:

I know, how much hideousness can we shove into one room. =) Oh how wonderfully they all match each other. And how great they match the room. ha ha ha. Even the bold beautiful pillows add just the right touch.=) I'm sure almost everyone who has been married can relate to a room like ours.

McCord got a job! He is working for Sweet Chicago Pizzeria in Draper.

We are so thrilled and so blessed to finally have a job set in stone. He will deliver pizzas for them and he started today. He came home with tips and a smile on his face. We are so grateful. I am continuing to apply and call and interview. When something is secure on my end. We will let you all know. McCord started school (14 credits for him) and he is doing so well in all his classes. I haven't seen him this busy in a long long time. He's writing like crazy and impressing all of his professors.
We were able to go to the new Oquirah Mountain Temple this week. It is beautiful and we loved the spirit there. We are very happy and grateful for what we have. Until next week. (I'll try to update every week at least)

"I Live at the House With the Blue Door" crew

"I Live at the House With the Blue Door" is a dark drama that will go to the film festivals first, and we'll see if there will be a theatre release. If it comes to video, we'll let you know.

Anyone remember the season of The Amzing Race with the "hippies"? Tyler Macniven, "the hippy" was an actor in this film. Here he is! He's freakin' awesome!

Tod Huntington was the main actor in this film. McCord did some great assistant work for him and took care of him. They both have great respect for each other.

Dave Kranig played the drunk father in the production. He is an AMAZING actor and everyone knows it.

This is Renny (main actress and Producer), McCord, and Sarab (the Director)

McCord with Sahna: Production coordinator

McCord, Keith: the whole Art Department, Lindsey: PA with McCord, the sound guy, Andy: Grip.

Sahar: She and her hubby were the set designers (their house WAS the house with the blue door), then the make up girl, Danny and below is Mike: Director's Assistants, and McCord. Danny is going to market McCord's next production.

Kari: head makeup, McCord, Lindsey, again: PA and her fiancee Daron.

McCord with another actor in the show, and Natalie: Costumes.

Craig - Gaffer (sp?) = light & electric, and McCord.

McCord's movie #3, Weekly Update

"The House with the Blue Door" has started filming in Park City! We are thrilled that they hired McCord on as a PA (Production Assistant) and Extras Coordinator for this movie. Yes, they are paying him! Woo! He will be vigorously working on set M-F 5am-10pm for the next 2 weeks. He has also finished up post production for the 20 min scary short film. Classes start the end of August for him at SLCC and he's excited to be majoring in film.
I am still looking for a job as a CNA, or any job for that matter. We are loving SLC and hope to stay here for longer than a year (we haven't been in one place for longer than a year yet, new grounds for us.)

Pictures and Happenings the last little while:

Elder Jared Day:
Can't believe my little brother is an Elder! His papers are in and he's off to Germany for the next 2 weeks. He's been touring southern Germany and loving it. He'll return home and we'll open his mission call then. Turns 19 in Oct. So excited for you, J. We know you'll do famously.

Private, 1st class, Jake Sorenson:
Can't believe that Jake will leave for the war in october. I'll have 2 brothers leaving in october. Jake left today for training, and will leave to go overseas in october for 1 year. He'll be training until he leaves. We know he'll do great and we are so proud of you for serving this great country. Soldiers now-a-days deserve a lot of credit for offering up their lives for our citizens. We are SO glad that Jake has chosen to serve.


Uncle Gary's Ordination:

FINALLY FINALLY, after 50+ years of not being active in the church, McCord's uncle Gary (Paul's oldest sibling) received the melchezadic (sp?) preisthood. It was a wonderful experience to be there! Paul gave the ordination and so many tears were shed. McCord got to stand in the circle and that was a HUGE opportunity for him. This goes to show you that ANYONE can come back to the church to open arms if they want to. =) We love you, Uncle Gary.

Angie and Adam are closing on a house:
They found the cutest house in Mendon and they'll be closing on it next week. They've been searching long and hard for a place to call home and we are glad they found it!

Jo made the drumline on tenors and Nate on saxophone!:
Geez, the growing up never ceases. Jo's been practising hard to make the drumline this year at Sky View and he pulled it off. Nate made it on sax, and is contemplating running for student body officer. Looking forward to a great year of watching them perform. Jo will be 17 in sept and Nate will be 16 in April (driving, eek!). They both are planning on being on the track team this year as well as being brainiacs in school.


Larsen girls are in town:
This is the first time we've all been together in the last 1.5 years.
Courtni is back from 2 years in Australia and moving back to California. We are glad to have the whole family on the same continent again. =) It'll be so nice. We went to Bear Lake with the Larsen clan last week and it was so fun!
Mauri came from Minnesota this month and her car broke down in Nebraska. So McCord and I went with Mauri on a 24 hr. road trip to get her car back. It was great fun and good times.

4th of July, and catching up

4th of July!!! WE LOVE THE USA!:
This 4th of July was really emotional for us. In church everyone stood up to sing the national anthem and I couldn't even sing the first word. It has just been so long since I've seen such patriotism, even with a simple standing ovation in respect for their country. We listened to patriotic songs and shed a lot of tears that day. We are truly blessed to have such a great nation.
We watched the Taylorsville fireworks from our apartment complex. That was nice. We got to see the Logan stadium fireworks from the best location in the town. We were right under them. We loved it! We were right by a canal and my dad was throwing big rocks into the canal as other people would walk by on the other side of the canal. It would splash really high and get them wet. It was funny. After we went to Jamie and Justun's house, APX friends from NY, and Phillip. Enjoy the pictures. We had fun with the sparklers. McCord loves the sparkler pictures because he says it makes us look like we have super powers. =)










Saturday with Robert:
Robert Marx if one of McCord's German students came to Salt Lake City and asked us to show him and his mother around temple square. It was so fun and they were able to get a tour in German, which was nice. They had lots of questions that were answered. They treated us to Rodizios after for dinner. Here's some pictures:



Grandma Evey's Things:
I inherited some of my grandma Evelyn, who died in '98. My aunt Annette gave me these little gismos and the mirror holder. Most of them are from Japan. Some from D.C. and Seattle. I didn't even know that she went to those places. I feel pretty special to have these things. They remind me of her and apparently I'm a lot like she was.


Big Buff Brothers:
My brothers are getting so buff and handsome, charming and intelligent. We had a fun photo shoot at home. It was fun to look at the pictures after and see my size compared to Jared's in the picture. The one with all 3 of them is definately the best.





Friends Forever:

(Lt to Rt: Alex, Tristan, Chuck, McCord)
McCord's good friend from high school, Chuck got married on July 3rd. There we were able to get a picture of Cord and his friends from high school. All of them in this picture are married now. It's pictures like this that will always be memorable.

Moved in:
We are moved in! YAY. We like our little apartment and all is well. I have a washer, dryer, dishwasher, new carpet and tile, and a little storage place on the patio. We hope to be here a while. I'll post a video tour for those who are far away of our house and post it here later.

2ND & 3RD INTERVIEW AT U of U HOSPITAL:
I have a second and 3rd interviews with the U of U Hospital Gynecology unit!! YAY! This time it will be an interview with the board of physicians. The third will be in front of the rest of the staff. Got past the board of nurses in the first interview though. Hope that I can be better than all the other candidates. 2nd interview is on Wed 11:30-12:30. 3rd is on Thurs 3:00pm. We appreciate all the prayers that are going out on our behalf. We appreciate all of Justin's, my brother in law, great answers to interview questions. Keep us in mind if anyone hears about openings for jobs or anyone who is hiring. We are still looking for work.

Movies we recommend:
We've seen some great movies that are out on video. If you are looking for a good show, try one of these:
Taken
Eagle Eye
The Recruit
Ghost Town

Television shows we recommend watching:
Chuck
Cupid (got cancelled after 5th episode or so)

"My Boyfriend's Girlfriend", U of U interview

I have an interview on Monday at 2:30pm at the U of U Hospital, Gynecology Department. YAY. Keep us in your prayers. This would be the best job in the world for me. It's been one of my dreams to work in a hospital.

McCord will be on his FIRST movie set starting this monday!! Double YAY. He's going to start as an extra in the new movie "My Boyfriend's Girlfriend" starring Alissa Milano. They also said to send them his school schedule and they might have him work on some other things too. OH YAH! We are excited.

Keep your fingers crossed for McCord to get maybe a PA job, or some other position with this movie producing company and for me to get the job at the hospital. Love you all. Tschuss.

Accepted!

For those of you who may not know, McCord has been accepted to the film program at SLCC in Salt Lake City, Utah! We are so excited to continue with his dream to be a writer. He already has many ideas for movie scripts, and has completed 2 150 page screenplays. We are thrilled that he can get great experience in EVERY aspect of the film business through this program. Cheers to 2 more years in SLC, and to fulfilling dreams.

We got a call from the VP of the Fine Arts Department at SLCC. She said that McCord's interview went well last friday and they'd love to have him on the Fine Arts Student Leadership Board. Woo Hoo! We are so excited. He starts next monday. We are excited because this will allow him to be in the middle of all the Fine Arts happenings, including the Salt Lake City Film Festival! He is in charge of it! They meet every monday. They also pay for some of his tuition, which is huge.