Honey With A Little Soul

On a frigid Saturday night last January I went out with my nineteen year old nephew Latyon. Our favorite local band Fictionist was playing at Velour. I wanted to prove my coolness on so many levels, so not only did I go with him to the show, I butted my way up to the front lines of the concert as he followed. As we stood there in the midst of a sweaty section of kids ten years younger than me waiting for the show to start, a tall handsome dude shrouded in a black hoodie moved his way to the front near us.

"Cotus* you know who that is?" Layton asked me, tipping his head in the direction of the hooded man.

"No, should I?" I asked back knowing this relieved some of my stronghold in the realm of cool.

"He's the lead singer of Imagine Dragons, Dan Reynolds," he whispered back.

This was even worse because I had never heard of Imagine Dragons.

"They are one of the best bands around. Well, they used to be here in Provo but now they live in Vegas."

And he spoke with so much excitement I knew this guy wasn't just anybody. He was definitely somebody.

"Like good enough to invite them to play at the Rooftops?" I asked.

"Oh yes. Definitely. They are huge!" Huge, like Layton's eyes at that moment.

As a gesture of how much I love my nephew, how much I trust his musical tastes, how desperate I am to be the cool aunt, I almost, almost introduced myself to the guy and prematurely invited him to play at our concert series without consulting the RCS board. But I didn't.

The next Monday morning Layton had an email for me with a link to his favorite Imagine Dragons song, Tokyo. When it played on the speakers of my computer I said to myself, "Are you kidding me? I should've asked him on the spot to come and play."

Tokyo:


But it turns out, they were already on the list for this seasons hopefuls. When Neon Trees had to back out of our September show we wanted it to be filled with another band as exciting and beloved. There was only one choice: Imagine Dragons.

I've been listening to their album all day and there isn't a dry song on the set. Even your favorite person Mindy Gledhill tweeted today:

Currently rocking out to the @Imaginedragons album. It's honestly SO good. Pumped that they'll be in Provo on Friday for @rooftopconcerts !

And Justin Hackworth the Utah Wedding Photographer tweeted:

Very excited to hear @Imaginedragons this Friday at the @rooftopconcerts. I've listened to that Tokoyo song about ten times this morning.

It's true, since Layton sent it to me Tokyo has frequently been found in my ears. Incidentally, three months after our date that cold January night Layton moved to Tokyo to serve a Mormon mission and three months after that we booked Imagine Dragons to come and play for our series.

Funny how those things happen.

From their press release:
Mixing synth-laden rock with infectious dance grooves and restless energy, Imagine Dragons createsan eccentric, often anthemic sound. The quintet blends massive high-energy with a unique and diverse sound, evident in the band’s latest EP. Imagine Dragons has shared the stage with indie notables Temper Trap, Hot Chip, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Nico Vega and The Envy Corps, and have opened for mainstream acts such as Weezer, Blue October, and Interpol. The band consists of front man Dan Reynolds on vocals and keys, Wayne Sermon on guitar, Ben McKee on bass, Daniel Platzman on drums and Theresa Flaminio on keys.

Opening for Imagine Dragons is Vibrant Sound. You like a little rap with your downtown Provo evening? It's like having a bit of the OC in the UC:


And lastly, the warm up spot goes to the The Neighbors, the best-looking, talented brother and sister band in Provo since Donny and Marie:


It's going to be one of those hot concerts. I only wish Layton were here to enjoy it with me, but since he can't come, will you?


(And if you can't come, know that we wish you could.)


*Cotus -one of the many nicknames I have picked up since my debut on this earth. Cotus came from my brother Matt's head. Someone once told me COTUS scientifically stands for
Center Of The UniverSe, which, if you know me . . .



I'll be posting more about the concert tomorrow. There's too much going on Friday night for one post. Until then, here's what you need to know:

August!

I could write a whole post about how magical this August has been (my favorite month so far?) but I think this Jed Wells photo of me as a mermaid should suffice. I mean what more could I say?

Magical, romantic and just a little bit freckled-pregnant-mermaid-August.

Also, I wrote a tribute to my summer at the Des News. It was a gratifying piece to write. Thanks to my editor Aaron Shill (Hi Boss!) for hounding it out of me.

Bring it on fall, bring it on.





Thanks to:
Jed Wells-photography
Jayne Wells & Chup Kendrick-lighting
Sarah Wiley-Art/Seaweed Director (real seaweed used!)(though no seaweed was hurt in the making of this photo...)
Scott Wiley- general teasing, making sure it wasn't taken too seriously






p.s. Did you get to watch the Lower Lights record this weekend on ustream? Chup and I stopped in on Saturday morning and enjoyed watching a few recordings (Christmas album + a second LL album).
I think this recording has been my favorite so far, Go Down Moses (watch for Ryan Shupe's fiddle):








Tomorrow I start posting about this bad boy!
This concert is going to be circus peanuts:

If Only I Had a Robot to do My Bidding

Working on some writing deadlines this morning. See you tomorrow.



p.s. On Tuesday I'm posting the Jed Wells headshot for August. I hope you like pregnant mermaids.

p.p.s. Ok, if you can't wait until Tuesday (let me guess, you're a huge JW fan) you can see a sneak peek on my facebook page.

p.p.p.s. I hope you like freckles too.





This Friday! This Friday! This Friday!

Donut Just Make You Happy?

We surprised Chup with a Donuts & Bacon Birthday party at 8am sharp yesterday. It was fun for me to see Chup feel appreciated by the people in his life. In the evening we had dinner at Sundance and spent the night at Page's cabin in a secluded spot up the canyon. This week has taught me to be better about celebrating people. It takes a lot of work to be totally cognizant of this, but the pay offs are so rewarding.I woke up this morning happy and bright and I think it's because I had forgotten myself for a week.

Thanks for your Facebook, Twitter and emails this week in behalf of my husband. We always talk about not overly romanticizing our life on this blog, but it's true what you've been saying, I am a lucky girl who feels safe and loved.

My only regret about this week was not conveying how helpful Chup is to me and others. Last week he hauled mountainous rocks off our neighbors lawn. He helped Lucy figure out a problem she was having with her computer. He made dinner for a family who had done a favor for him. And speaking of those mountainous rocks, after he hauled those for a couple hours he came home and rubbed my feet. Gah! I like him a lot.

To better illustrate Chup's goodness, here's an email I got this week from Chup's friend Amy Poulsen:

Once I got a call while I was at BYU from a neighbor who reported that she had seen a bird crash into my parent’s front window of their house. . . on the inside. My parents were out of the country at the time, and I thought she was little crazy for tracking me down to tell me something that sounded so absurd. But then my imagination got the best of me, and I thought I should probably drive to SLC and investigate. And I further determined, that if in fact there was some rogue bird flying throughout my parent’s home, it would need to be caught and I knew I was the person for that job. So, I called my good friend Chris Kendrick, who I knew would be willing to help me with such an awful task and crack me up in the process. And who are we kidding; I knew he was brave enough to handle the bird and I knew I was not. So, we drove to SLC (what a pain), and discovered that just as my neighbor had reported, there was a bird flying around in my parent’s house. And that bird was likely very nervous because it had a very active bowel. So your sweet husband, not only captured the bird, but spent the entire night helping me clean up bird crap all over everything. And thus he was prepared to clean up the Chief and Ever’s diapers years ago.

The moral of the story: Chris Kendrick is and has always been the kind of guy that will help you out of your crappiest situations! Please tell him Happy Birthday (O Tanjobi Omedetto Kendrick Sensei) . . . and 40? Good for him! And you! You got a winner, and so did he. 

Chup Week was fun, until next year...

Party in the USA

40 Things About Chup 31-40

Today is the day!

Chup is forty and I haven't even gotten to the good part yet.

31. I call my husband Christopher. Not Chris. Not Topher. Not Chrissy (although, why don't I?) It's the whole eleven-lettered shabang. But for most of his life he's gone by Chris. Just Chris. So in our life you can identify who knew Chup before me and who met him after. He's Chris to the old friends, and Christopher to the new. Because they knew him before the rest of us, Topher and Lisa are the only ones in my family who call him Chris. To everyone else he is Christopher.

My Mr. Christopher

32. Speaking of my family, we are world-class teasers. We teased each other growing up, we tease each other now. We communicate with tease, and we show love with tease and we get passive aggressive and tease each other to tears. When Chup and I started dating I teased him a lot too. It was meant in good humor, I actually knew no other way to show my interest. But my sensitive Chup reacted badly to it all, from anger to hurt and sometimes heavy confusion. So I've had to learn other ways to flirt with my husband, um, like a neck rub. Though it needs to be said, when he teases me, I swoon. Absolutely swoon.

33. Chup still calls his mother "Mommy" and he likes to go home to Idaho every few months to have her breakfast of eggs and hash browns. He always finishes two plates with a "Thanks Mommy."

34. One year when Chup was in his twenties, his dad ended up with three Harleys and together with Chup's little brother Jeremy they rode from Provo to the Grand Canyon. I never get tired of hearing about that trip, how hot it was, the helicopter ride, their impressions of that huge old canyon.

35. Chup and his brother Jeremy talk on the phone almost every single day. I call their relationship the Secret Brotherhood of Promise, or SBP. I've never seen two brothers so loyal and genuinely interested in one another. It would be sorta annoying if it wasn't so sweet.

36. The first time I was invited to Chup's house I saw a photo of Chup with his arm around a gorgeous, leggy blond with brown doe-eyes. My heart sank. I wondered who she was and what she meant to him. I actually dismissed his ability to be attracted to me when he had women in his life who looked like this. On the next visit I nervously asked who the girl was, "Oh that's my little sister Heather." Heather, hallelujah!

37. Chup is bizarrely talented in so many ways. He can repair your car, he can take pictures of your family reunion, he can take you snowboarding, he can cook you up a plate of hot potato latkes. He speaks impeccable Japanese, he is proficient at speed reading, he plays the bass guitar and has a degree in English. You should see the way he handles chop sticks with absolute precision. The other night he said to me, "I am going to go make some button holes" (on his sewing machine). But if you are asking me, my favorite Chup trick will always be his ability to do the splits:

38. In our house when things get broken there is a saying, "Daddy can fix it." The other day, The Chief broke the absolute stupidest toy in the world, his green plastic, wind-up helicopter being flown by a chicken. I feel like I should repeat that description. Stupidest toy in the world, green helicopter, chicken. On the scale of toys it ranks lower than the tub toys all scuzzed up with soap scum. When it broke I was secretly happy, but The Chief was not. "It's okay, Daddy can fix it," he told me and I am not kidding ten minutes later The Chief reappeared with that stupid toy all specially super glued back together. The chicken's head had fallen off, and now there it was re-capitated.

39. His butt? It's butter. I think it actually has won a few awards. And I'm not talking about the awards I host in my heart.

40. He's only been arrested once.



I could go on, it's hard to stop. This might get easier when he turns 50.

There's something to look forward to...

Happy Birthday My Love! Thanks for being everything.





Photos thanks to Justin Hackworth, Jed Wells and Jess Smiley.




ONE WEEK AWAY!

40 Things About Chup 21-30

21. When Chup was in college he had a roommate who was into acting. This roommate started noticing Chup's uncanny ability to pick up on accents (Australian! Indian! Utahan!) and asked if Chup had ever thought about trying acting. The power of this suggestion was strong enough that Chup auditioned for a play at BYU and got the part. And as these things go, he's been an actor ever since.

22. The first time I ever laid eyes on my husband was on stage. He had a part in my brother Topher's cheerfully directed Merry Wives of Windsor. I remember thinking he was one of my favorites in the ensemble.You could say I had a fascination with Chris Kendrick early on.

23. When Chup attended BYU he was a cast member of the Garrens Comedy Troupe which was started by the genius of Eric D. Snider (who you must follow on Twitter and who, incidentally shares Chup's same birthday--they still call every year to wish each other sarcastic birthday greetings). The Garrens combined sketch comedy with improv and sadly I only saw him perform once . . . unless you count all the Garren videos that continue to resurface on line, oh, like this one, Second Chance Cafe:


24. When we first started dating Chup took a role in Twelfth Night as the ridiculous character Sir Tolby Belch. Only for this particular Shakespeare interpretation, it was set in the 1800's wild west. This meant Chup had to carry on reciting Shakespeare with a Foghorn Leghorn accent and a pair of cowboy boots. I will never love seeing him play a character more than Sir Toby. Still makes me smile.


25. Thanks to his deep, vibrating voice (GO AND FIND THE COWS) Chup does a lot of voice over work. We love voice over work, it pays well and asks so much less than actual acting with your body. (I have attempted voice over work, and it was a nightmare for my self esteem, it really does take talent I concede). Big manly voices actually run in Chup's family. His dad Ernie was a DJ at KING radio in Seattle (partied with the Beach Boys) and his cousin also makes a living using his voice. You might know him if you live in Utah:

Ron Bird y'all!
(I also concede that is the worst picture of me in the world.)

26. Speaking of voice over work, Chup narrates the Messiah Series from BYUtv. Sometimes I watch it with my eyes closed because I love the sound so much. You can actually hear Chup's voice or see his face in a lot of LDS productions from Temple Visitor Centers to LDS spots on tv. He voices Jesus Christ in The Light of Men radio series and has a part in the beautiful Joseph Smith movie. We can't go anywhere in Mormondom without people recognizing him. If the church paid in pure gold bars from the secret vault WE'D BE RICH!!!

27. After we were married I daydreamed of Chup being on an episode of ER. ER was my favorite show at the time, you see. One day while working at Sunset View Elementary taping my student's short stories to the hallway wall I got a call from Chup saying he had booked a part in the upcoming season premiere of ER. I screamed and ran up and down the hallway all by myself. I thought it was the most exciting thing in the world. (He played the officer who finds Sam's son Alex after he runs away to find his dad in prison in Season 12. The drama! Loves!)


28.Once he had a scene in the World's Fastest Indian with Sir Anthony Hopkins.
(But he told Chup to just call him "Tony").


29. When Chup was in Dracula last year he was so excited about the whole production. For a month he went to rehearsals, and for a month the momentum built until I couldn't stand it. It was thrilling to see Chup involved in acting again after a three year hiatus. I went the opening night and sat in the best seat in the house. After the show was over I waited by the stage door anxious to gush to him about the whole show. But when he came out he looked defeated.

"I got nervous because you were in the audience," he admitted.

"I thought you were great!" I said, and I meant it too.

But he wouldn't have it.

"You will have to come back so I can try again," he said.

And so I did. I came back on the very last night. He was great again.

But this time he knew it.


30. If you asked Chup he'd tell you his favorite acting gig came when he worked on a show called I Shouldn't Be Alive from the Discovery Channel. His episode is called Nightmare Canyon and it's about two brothers who go hiking in a canyon and barely come out alive (thus, they really shouldn't be alive). In this dramatization Chup's brother is named Jeremy. In real life Chup's brother is named Jeremy. Chup didn't have to dig deep to find his "motivation."



Dear Chup, I'm glad you're alive.

40 Things About Chup 11-20

Chup made katsu chicken curry for dinner tonight. It was so good we couldn't stop eating bowl after bowl. Warm katsu chicken smothered in spices steaming over a heap of rice. Heaven help me to stay awake here, I feel as though all that cumin is settling over my consciousness... 

Here's ten more things about Chup as we count down to his 40th birthday, with photos:

11. Chup didn't grow up with lots of babies around like I did. The first baby he fell in love with was our niece Claire (now 9). We have videos and photos of Claire eating, drinking, sputtering out words and charming the heck out of Chup. You would think she was our own. The other day Claire wrote us a little note and I found it on Chup's night stand next to his wallet.


12. The day I found out we were finally pregnant with The Chief, Chup was in Salt Lake City making his directorial debut. Over the phone I asked if he was shocked like I was and he responded, "No, just excited." In five years he never doubted once we'd have a baby. How did he do that?

13. When The Chief came Chup felt somewhat nervous about the baby stuff. He left most of the nurturing up to me. When Ever came things couldn't have been more different. He was a confident dad who felt so much more at ease with a newborn. There were times I had to smuggle my own baby away.

(Those two still snuggle every morning.)


14. That's not to say Chup doesn't completely adore his son. They are the same spirit doubling in two different shapes of flesh. Sometimes I wonder why they need me around at all.



15. Chup loves being a dad in all aspects except sticky and messy. He doesn't like sticky and messy. Sticky and messy are Ever's two greatest friends. So it looks a lot like this around here:

(Secondsister called the latter photo "wife porn" ha!)

16. In the beginning Chup scoffed at my baby talk. Actually, it was a tiny point of contention in our marriage, my introduction of baby talk into our home made him feel mildly annoyed. It didn't take long for Chup's diction to slip into the same pattern though. His "r" became a "w" and his "s" was slightly lisped. Now he says things like, "Hi Seesy you want you wittle bankey?" Translation: Hi Sister, you want your little blanket?

17. One time while on a road trip we were listening to Hugh Hanley songs for kids to pass some critical high altitude desert country miles. When we arrived at the song Wake Up You Sleepy Heads out of NOWHERE, Chup starts singing with this Adam Pontipee voice, a dynamic singing voice I never knew he had. Needless to say, Chup is a very entertaining father:

(I call The Chief 'Chunkles' or 'Chunks' sometimes, in case you were wondering what is coming out of my mouth.)

18.Chup is a clever and creative dad. When we won a gigantic tub of bubbles with a gigantic blowing wand at a family party, Chup went home, closed all the doors to the Green Room, turned on the swamp cooler and held the dipped wand into the wind. This made for a very efficient bubble machine. Suddenly the Green Room was a wonderland of glistening bubbles. The children went nutty. Some of the bubbles were bigger than their heads. That's right, I said, THEIR HEADS!

19. Chup wants to have as many children as we can. This is the same man who didn't want any when we first were married. He's in love with his role as a father and he's in love with his children and he's in love with me.

(Or does he just like the baby making aspect?)

Anyway, can you blame him when his babies look like this?


20. Chup likes toys as much as much as the children do. Legos, robots, flying machines, mechanical doodads, underwater cameras.

Which reminds me, I have some birthday shopping to do . . .



Thanks to Justin Hackworth and Blue Lily Photography for photos in this post.

40 Things About Chup 1-10

At the end of this week my husband Christopher Erin Kendrick (Chup) (rhymes with soup) will turn the exquisite age of forty. I am not just saying this for footrub points, he is more handsome at forty than I have ever seen him. And happy too. Happy and handsome? Who needs the midlife crisis?

This week I am determined to write 40 things--ten each day--about Chup my main docket. But if, heaven forbid, something happens to me mid-week (choke on a pita chip?) and I don't make it to 40, just know that if you break the crust of his somewhat cool demeanor you will find the kindest boy on this planet. He's a softy my Chupstick. Like I always say, he's a Mr. Darcy-type . . .

 . . .maybe minus the untold wealth (but such little things can be overlooked).

1.Tonight we drove north a few towns over to visit a good friend of ours in her home. As we were sitting and visiting I noticed how handsome Chup looked on her new couch.
"Isn't he handsome?" I said to our friend.
"Oh, you know I already love him inappropriately," she responded.
And I laughed because it's true, he's easy to crush upon. He's always had a way with the ladies.


2. When I first met Chup, a raging bachelor of almost-thirty, he was a playboy. He liked snowboarding, water skiing and movies. Oh, and women. To everything else in his life he seemed somewhat apathetic. Over the years however, I've seen him become much more proactive in thought and policy. He actually emotes opinions on politics from time to time. And I love it when he's proactive about righting a wrong. Especially when he says to The Chief, "You may never yell at Mommy, do you hear me?"


3. All of his life he wanted to wear dude-fashion sunglasses, but because he wore regular glasses it was impossible. For his thirty seventh birthday he bought himself laser corrective eye surgery and the first thing he did with his new lifestyle was shop for sunglasses. And he's been shopping ever since. Sunglasses are a huge part of our lives here at Retro House. Every day brings a new pair. Mostly from the Dollar Store, of all places.



4. A very long time ago, far before the rage, I picked up Twilight and read it. Then Chup picked up my book and read it. Then he went out and bought the second book and read it. I never read the second book. I wonder how many wives can say their husband read more of the Twilight series than they did. But I swear, back then it was more about the physiology of vampires and the moral choices of sexuality than it was about the MTV movie awards and like, "the best kiss ever!".

5. He took me to see Amelie after he saw it LA. It was the first time he "knew me so well".

6. I fell in love with a somewhat sophisticated Chup. He liked culture, theater, movies, art, music, technology and creation. Then we went to visit his family in Idaho and a whole different Chup came out of the wood works. He was trucks, cars, gadgets and grease. Though it was quite the shock to me, I've grown to love the dichotomy. Next to his five hundred plus cd collection of 80's alternative is his Kawasaki ZRX 1200R and it reminds me to never box someone up.

7. After four or five wedding bands of some metal or another, and hating all of them, my bro in law Andrew gave Chup a carbon fiber black and gray checkered ring that weighs less than a penny. We know this because he weighed it on his electronic scale in his office. Anyway, I think we found a winner. We can now say we're married. Officially.

8. He obsessively drinks this. And not-so-secretly treats himself to these. The only vegetable he'll touch is a carrot. He tries to pass corn off as a vegetable, but we all know it's a starch. Oh I forget, he'll also eat cucumbers if soaked in vinegar and chilled with ice. And one time I saw him eat a banana.

9. He's the sexiest when he's got a toothpick in his mouth. Sometimes he even squints while nursing the toothpick. Toothpick and squinting. Done deal.

10. Chup seems to attract really intelligently funny friends. One of our favorites is Scott Christopher, a fellow actor, writer, and comedian. Scott and Chup worked together as speakers and trainers at the same company for a couple years. Though they don't see each other much these days, I always know when Scott calls because Chup suddenly turns into sarcastic clown man and says insanely stupid things to the phone. And one day, while going through Chup's Facebook photos I found this photoshoot they did together:


Did you catch what happened here?

If we had the next photo, you'd see Chup rolling on the floor.



See you tomorrow when I talk more about pants.



Photo credit:
1. Nanette Amis
2. Justin Hackworth
3. Property of OC Tanner

C. Jane Exculsive! Jack and White's Telephone Games

It's Monday, it's mid-August, I am thinking you need a treat.

My friend Brooke White asked if I would premiere her Jack and White Living Room Sessions video from her latest EP Gemini (out tomorrow!) on my humble blog. I said "Yes!" because I need a treat too. I also need her kimono, and I'm not kidding about that.

Brooke's voice reminds me of the female rock and roll music my mother secretly loved (loves?) of the 70's. There's something in that raspy, earthy tone that I just really like a lot. We spent the whole weekend listening to the retro, reminiscent album. The only problem with the EP is it has six songs, I wanted six more.

When I met Brooke this summer she introduced me to Jack from her band and explained to me how they were writing together. I am so glad they did.

I give you Telephone Games:


I am also hoping to see Brooke this weekend here in Provo. The Lower Lights are back in studio recording a Christmas album and Brooke is singing with the group this time. Scott says I come in and can ring a few bells. I don't know if that means I have the job of keeping everyone in line, or actually ring bells, I will come equally willing.

But now that you love Brooke almost like I do (or my brother Topher does: huge fan) then I shall further treat you to a few links:

• Jack and White website
• Jack and White facebook (the best way to stay up to date with upcoming shows etc.)
• Jack and White itunes (pre-order available now. Available August 23rd exclusively on iTunes for the first week, available digitally everywhere else August 30th)
• Also, for kicks, I enjoyed looking at this fashion post with Brooke in some pretty eclectic outfits

Stunning album cover photography Trevor Hoehne

Happy Monday Mid-August Treat. Now go and do something good on this sticky, slow day of summer. Hooray.

Congratulations on a beautiful album Jack and Brooke! See you soon!






P.S. Speaking of music I met Tyler Glenn from Neon Trees this weekend. He still rents a room here in Provo. I think that's pretty neat, because so do I.

Me, Tyler, Sarah Wiley (who introduced us) outside of Velour.
(thanks Trevor Christensen for the photo!)
(I'm never washing that shoulder again.)





Speaking of music...