A Year In Review

Happy New Year! This time of year always makes me reflect on what I have been able to accomplish and do for a whole year. Here are 10 events that are highlights for our little family. WARNING: THIS IS A BIT LENGTHY!!

#1 Spark Festival
Christian was invited to attend an Electroacoustic Music Festival in February in Minneapolis, Minnesota @ University of Minnesota. While there he was able to present a paper he wrote about his piece "A Parenthetical (Meditation)." He was able to attend some great concerts and lectures, including a fascinating lecture by composer Morton Subotnick. He also learned a bit about the cold and snow of Minneapolis and and spent much of the time trying to dry off and warm up.

#2 Seattle or Bust

Over President's Day weekend I flew out to Seattle to visit my gal pal Julia. This was my first trip to Seattle and I absolutely fell in love with the city. I had such a wonderful time hanging out with Julia. She is an amazing friend and we know how to have a good time no matter what we are doing. Julia is always game for adventures so we were able to visit the Animal Game Park where we fed bears, bison, and oxen and peacocks from the car. Yes, Bison came right up to the car and ate bread out of our hands; we were screaming for 2 straight hours as we drove around and could barely talk the next day!

I was also able to eat my first fish while looking at the ocean which was incredible. Fish really is better when you are close to the ocean. We went on a few ferry rides,to Pike Place Market, KEXP radio station (Christian's favorite), and other fun events in Seattle. We have decided to do a girls trip each President's Day Weekend and 2008 is bringing these two hot girls to New York City Baby!

#3 Anthem 5K
In December of 2006 our friends, the Parkers, issued a challenge to the Gentrys. They challenged us to run a 5k in March and who ever could run the the 5k with the quickest time as a couple would win a dinner paid for by the other couple.
If you know me at all, you know that I HATE running! I had never even run a full mile before this challenge. But you also know that I hate to lose and I am always up for a challenge. So Ollie bought a treadmill and I hit the gym. Shane and Christian hit outside in the cold winter. I found myself running a mile or 2 3-4 times a week and hating ever minute of it. I really do love working out but running was a huge task for me.
So the big day came, the day to see if I could run the entire 5k. You wont believe it, but the Parkers both pulled out the sick card and didn't even run the race. Christian and I decided we had trained hard and we were going to run either way. I was so nervous and there were so many people I thought I might get trampled; amazingly enough it didn't happen. I ran the entire race without stopping and it was the most exhilarating feeling crossing the finish line. I ran 3.2 miles in just over 34 minutes and felt pretty stinkin' awesome! I know some of you are not impressed with a measly 5k but it was freakin' amazing to me. I will never run again if I have anything to say about it.

The Parkers still owe us dinner!

#4 Nashville, TN trip

My grandma Taft and Aunt JaNean came to visit us in Louisville and we decided to take a trip to the heart of Country Music. We had such a fun time, on the drive down we stopped by President Lincoln's birthplace; yes Honest Abe is from KY. We had fun going to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Tootsies, and Wild Saloon where Christian and I won a line dancing contest with our smooth moves. We had a really fun time and it was fun to have my grams and aunt visit. Nashville is such a cool city with so much country music everywhere.

#5 Applying for PhD programs
Christian's Master's Program at UofL went by quickly and we found ourselves applying for 10 PhD programs in Music Composition across the United States. For any of you who have done these applications it is long drawn out process that is a lot of work and a LOT of money. Christian has his friend Collin Santos design a cool CD cover for all of Christian's works. All of Christian's hard work paid off by getting accepted to 4 different programs. Money talks, and Brandeis was talking our language ; they offered us a deal we couldn't resist.
Christian and I both felt good about moving to Boston and for him to attend Brandeis. He will be funded for 5 years while he works on his PhD.


#6 Christian Graduates from UofL with his Masters in Composition

Christian's parents flew in from AZ to hang out with us and of coarse see their eldest son graduate from UofL and become a Master Jedi. Christian got a Graduate Dean's Citation and we were able to attend a breakfast while Christian got a real pretty certificate. His graduation was very nice and much more personable than any UofU graduation I attended. It was a really special experience for us. That night we were able to go to P.F. Changs with some of our good Louisville friends to celebrate the event. It was so fun to be able to spend time with Mom and Dad, we miss them so much.

Christian with Professor Rouse and colleague and friend, Jeremy

#7 Kirtland, Palmyra, and Niagara Falls

Kirtland Temple

I had the opportunity to drive from Louisville, KY to Somerville, MA twice. I know lucky right? My first time it was with my handsome hubby and adorable doggie in the Budget truck and all our junk. We were able to stop by Kirtland, Ohio and Palmyra, NY. We were able to see some of the church history sites and really loved our experiences there. Sacred Grove was my favorite stop, the spirit and peace we felt there was so wonderful. It was such a great opportunity.


Julia was the best friend ever to fly out to Louisville from Seattle to drive with me to Boston and then fly home. She was wonderful company and we were able to stop by the church history stops as well and also took a little excursion and went to Niagara Falls in Canada. This was my first trip to Canada but it was a lot of fun. The falls are beautiful and wet. If you ever go to see the Falls bring a rain coat or an umbrella, because it is not a dry experience. A BIG thanks to Julia again for making the drive with me, it was so much fun. I could have never made the drive on my own!


#8 Move to Boston
In July we made another huge move, this time is was from Louisville, KY to Somerville, MA.


We couldn't believe how fast our time in Louisville went; we really loved our time there. We really miss all of our friends there. But we found that it is possible to make good friends no matter where you live.
Moving to Boston came with all sorts of challenges, mainly driving and not getting lost. We moved into the bottom floor of a house in Somerville on a street that we love. We couldn't ask for a better neighborhood or neighbors. We also became members of the Cambridge 1st ward and have made so many wonderful friends there. Being able to see the city of Boston and the surrounding areas has been such a great experience. Anyone who wants a cool city to visit should come stay with us! We are really happy to be where we are (just wish the cost of living was a little less) and think it will be a fun place to be for at least the next 5 years.

#9 Christian visits with Pauline Oliveros

Christian had the pleasure of going to Kingston, NY with his new music pal Peter to interview a famous living composer named Pauline Oliveros. Christian thought this was an awesome experience. In the world of modern composers apparently Ms. Oliveros is pretty talented. This was a great experience and one Christian will never forget.

#10 New Job
One of the parts I struggle with when moving is finding a new job. I struggled when we moved to Louisville and the struggle was no less when we moved to Boston. While applying for jobs I also applied at a temp agency and got a job working for Food services in the Cambridge School District. I entered over a thousand applications into a computer for free or reduced school lunch. While I was very grateful for the work and the friendly New Englanders I got to work with , I was able to realize why I love social work so much....because it gives me purpose. I was so excited to finally find a job here in Boston at Ethos working with elderly. I am working as an Elder Protective Service worker and learning a lot about a whole new population.

The Lord has blessed us so much this year. Thanks to all the family and friends who visited with us this year, we wouldn't be the people we are without all your love and support. We hope this new year finds you all with good health and happiness!