The 2K Corner of the World

Best of Breed Advertising

2008-07-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

It is rare that you find a piece of advertising that so beautifully accomplishes its goals. These ads are some of my favorites EVER! I love how they communicate how trading with Etrade is so easy a baby could do it, but in a clever and viral way. I've shown this to soooo many people already -- free word of mouth for eTrade. Genius!

I have to warn you, get some tissues because you will laugh until you cry. (The spit up one is my personal favorite). : )

Spit Up Trader

Mobile Baby

Clown & Baby

Straighten Up!

2008-06-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

I have braces... yes at my age, braces. I've needed them for years and am finally doing it. I'm kind of glad I have waited because when I was young they didn't have the magic of Invisalign. These are the clear trays and they work like a charm... AND you get to see the CAD animation of how your teeth will look when you are done. Take a peek!

Lost and "Found"

2008-06-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've been terrible at updating my blog. I apologize. I have been using my Facebook site more and if you would like, feel free to add me as a friend in Facebook.

Update on book, still need to trim it down and resubmit it. The literary agent thought it was "creative" and interesting, but needs to speak more to an eight-year-old rather than the ten or eleven-year-old voice it currently has. So, I'm working on this this summer.

Still at Nu Skin, making the world safe for good skin.

Oh, and I am now the new girls camp director in my ward. Camp is June 16th - 20th so I get to spend a wonderful week in the mountains with the YW. Yes!!! You gotta love the theme they came up with: The them is "Found" -- a play on the TV show "Lost." The acronym stands for Faithful, Outstanding, United, Noble, Daughters of God. Very clever.

Don't worry, I'll keep my eyes peeled for the Dharma initiative.

The graphic above is the T-shirt logo one of the girls came up with for camp.

Must See "Penelope"

2008-03-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

If you have not seen it already, I highly recommend the movie "Penelope," in theaters now. It has a great "emotionally healthy" moral, is clean enough for young kids, and has jokes that adults will enjoy as well. The twist at the end is great!

Don't miss it!

Penelope Trailer Extended Version via Noolmusic.com

Get Video Code For Penelope Trailer Extended Version

Is it Just Coincidence?

2008-03-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

Hello! Yes, I am still alive!

I've been traveling quite a bit and busy with some entrepreneurial ventures (to be named later).

Also, lately I have spending some time in prayer with the question, "If I ask for it, how involved will God be in my day-to-day stuff?"

One of my recent travel destinations was Japan. I had an interesting adventure there which made me wonder... how much am I really "watched over?"

Here is what happened...

The last day we were in Japan, my boss (Kevin) traveled to a small town about an hour an a half out of Tokyo called Kamakura. On the train, I said a silent prayer asking for a good time and that we would be protected along the way. I asked that we be able to get where we needed to be on time and safely.

Since I am typically directionally challenged, I let Kevin navigate. After miles and miles of NO TREES, we broke through the concrete jungle and got off the train at one of the Kamakura stations. This station let us off near all the ancient temples and a really big Buddha statue. He mentioned the name of the area which started with an "e."

So, we began along this walking trail that took us to several Buddhist temples that dated way back into the 14th century. They were lovely and peaceful, but kinda boring, so we decided to make the trek to the big Buddha.

What I didn't know is that the big Buddha statue was a few miles up a mountain. And, unlike the big Buddha I visited in Hong Kong, there was no tram or paved path, this was a hike. Well, I hadn't brought my hiking shoes. NO, I was actually in high heels (I hate packing shoes).

BUT, I gave it a shot! I'm always game for a good hike.

About an hour and a half later (and deep in the woods at this point), we come to a sign that says the Big Buddha is another mile up the hill.

I realize I'm not going to make it in the shoes I was wearing.

So, I tell Kevin to go on without me and I will meet him at the train station. He reluctantly agrees and goes on up the mountain.

Well, my dogs are KILLING ME at this point, so I think I'm going to be scrappy and I convince a maintenance man at a nearby rest stop to drive me down the hill (without speaking Japanese, mind you).

He agrees then asks which train station I need to go to (without much English, mind you).

Of course, I say "Kamakura." Minutes later, I am standing in the Kamakura train station with absolutely no recollection of the building. I realize I am in the wrong place, so I think I will be scrappy again and simply take a train to the correct station and spend several minutes waiting for Kevin and sipping a drink called "Pocari Sweat" which actually tastes like sweat. A target market I never would have guessed. Go figure.

Well, I read the map and look for the "e" word where we started our trek. I find what I think is the right "e", buy a ticket, and quickly board the train.

Well twenty minutes and about three stops later, I realize, I am in a completely different town.

No worries, Kevin has a long way to walk and... I'm scrappy, right?

So, I get off the train at the next stop and ask a station worker for a map and how to get back to the Buddha (luckily his English was decent).

Well, yes, I am several towns away and need to go back to a stop called "Kira Kamakura."

Great! I hop on the train and hop off at Kira Kamakura.

As I'm walking down the platform, I see a blond American man at the other end dancing around like a jack rabbit. It's Kevin. I wave and he about collapses with relief.

"The train comes in two minutes and it's the last back to Tokyo in time to make our flight," he says.

So, by the skin of our teeth, we make the train and get back to our hotel. We choose not to take the reserved bus to the airport, but instead to have a leisurely lunch (we're starving by then) and take a taxi later.

We get a taxi and start the 45 minute ride to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Then... traffic.

We arrive at the airport late, but luckily our flight is delayed. We settled down on the flight and I try to sleep (unsuccessfully) for the 8 1/2 hour flight.

As I sit on the flight, I think back over the day and review in my mind all the things that could have gone wrong,all the places were Kevin and I could have missed each other, our trains, our rides or planes. If I had not gotten off the train at the third town down and turned around, would I still be in Japan?

We arrive in San Francisco in the middle of the worst turbulence I have ever experienced. We are bounced around like a rubber ball and as we come in for a landing our pilot gets about 100 yards from the runway and pulls back up into the clouds through the rain and wind.

He gets on the PA and says "Folks, looks like we've got some severe wind sheer on the runway, so we're going take another pass at it."

ANOTHER PASS! ARE YOU KIDDING?

I know what wind sheer is, and does, (my Dad was a pilot) and I'm thinking another pass isn't such a good idea.

"How about SACRAMENTO instead?" I'm thinking.

If you're not familiar with wind sheer and how tricky the landing is, take a look at this footage...

Yes, that is what it was like for us.

I was praying HARD at this point. Pulling out all my "goodness" cards and apologizing for my sins.

Eventually we landed safely, however, we were at this point... yes, you guessed it... 2 hours late for our connection.

We checked with the United agent and to our amazement found that our connecting flight to Salt Lake was 2 and 1/2 hours delayed.

We walked down a few gates, hopped on the plane and landed safe and sound in Salt Lake an hour and 45 minutes later.

So, I ask you -- was it all just coincidence?

2K Blog Guest Map

2008-01-02T21:44:00.001-08:00

Please be sure to sign my guest map -- just click on the link and enter your message.

Christmas Glamorama!

2007-12-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

This year my sister, Norrie (and I imagine my neice Cami had something to do with it), surprised me with some Christmas decor hand-me-downs from Nordstrom. They are so fabu-fun-a-licious, I had to share them and thank them for thinking of me!

Afterall, every girl needs a little Christmas Glam! Thank you!!!

Let it Snow

2007-12-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

So, Utah got dumped on yesterday... finally. Now, as you may know, I'm not a big fan of snow. I don't ski and I'm not particularly crazy about a white Christmas. However, there are a few things about snow I do love. They are:

1) Ice Skating - yes, you can do this inside, year round and you don't need snow, but there is nothing like skating outside on a rink with the beauty of snow all around you.

2) How the field next to my house looks, covered in white, with the contrast of beautiful, bare, black-barked trees against it. This view is breath-taking with the morning sun streaking across the white blanket.

3) DOG SLEDDING! One of the funnest things I have ever done in my life was dog-sledding in Canada. About two years ago, I went with some friends to the beautiful land of Whistler. We not only got to sit on the sled, we got to MUSH! Take a look at the video I took while mushing!

Just one thing I want to know... Where can I dog-sled in Utah?

"Phillip" Book Update...

2007-11-22T13:38:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me about my book, PHILLIP FIRES THE TOOTH FAIRY. Just wanted to give you an update. The literary agent is still reviewing. He said he has started it, but needs more time to finish it (so happy he is reading the whole thing! The ending is the best part).

Thanks to Clarrisa G., the book will be sent to a certain Hollywood family (mother is actor, husband director, nine-year-old daughter reader) in the next few days. Hoping they will love it and want to give it to their good friends at Dreamworks or Warner Bros. or perhaps produce it themselves. Everybody pray.

And, last, but certainly not least, Kurt G. is working on a set of illustrations for a couple of my characters. Here is his first round of Lanna and Infinon. I'll show you the next set when they are done.

Support Your Local Author

2007-11-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to my friend Natalyn Lewis on her new book! It's a journey of hope and you will love her stories and style.

If you would like to support this first-time author, Click Here to purchase her book. Makes a great Christmas gift!

Marie, Marie, Marie

2007-10-30T16:53:00.000-07:00

You know, I don't even know what to say.

I Love L.A.

2007-10-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I visited Los Angeles on a business trip and was reminded why I like it so much. I have people in my life who think I am crazy for liking L.A. for the following reasons:

1. Traffic
2. Traffic
3. Sprawl
4. Real Estate prices
5. Dirty ghettos
6. People with fake body parts
7. Earthquakes
8. Wild fires
9. An army of wanna-be's
10. Britney Spears
11. Traffic

And yes, I agree that although none of the above are appetizing, as I sat in the Century Plaza hotel and overlooked both the MGM building and the GORGEOUS CAA building (which I couldn't stop staring at - see above), a familiar feeling washed over me and I was finally able to articulate why I love L.A.

There is an underlying current there. It gets into the pores of your skin and under your tongue and its not the weather. It is, in fact, the feeling that anything is possible.

I don't feel it anywhere else in the world like I do in L.A. Whenever I stay there, I go home believing that I could try just about anything and it would work out for me. What a gift. I try to hold onto it here in Utah and although it exists inside me, it is never quite as palpable as in L.A.

So, while the fires burn in the west, I'm hoping that they do not burn away the underlying feeling of potential that I love.

Perhaps instead, we could lose the Spears-paparazi-frenzie? Hmmm. Does anyone have a lighter?

Real People Who Inspire Me

2007-10-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

Everyone who knows me knows I love an inspiring book or movie. And, yes, a good tale of redemption or triumph is a great escape. But, the inspiration that seems to resonate loudest in my ears and linger the longest is the kind I get from the people in my life. The real people.

For some reason, I seem to be particularly lucky with having a lot of REAL people in my life who have recently REALLY inspired me because they took a risk.

Here are just a few...

1) Jake Bryant who is living 2 of his dreams - he bought THE camera and is in a film this month.
2) Anganel Davis for taking a risk and changing it up - love the new hair!
3) Jill Harmon - She bought the bike! Now she's an easy rider and living one of her dreams!
4) And last but not least, my brother Larry. For taking a chance on two of his passions he has had since childhood. Congratulations to my favorite award-winning racing photographer!

"Blue Blur" by Larry Knight, 1st place Amateur Photography, Utah State Fair

Warming Your Heart

2007-10-09T12:45:00.001-07:00

This was sent to me by a friend and I couldn't resist...

In 1986, Mike Membre was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University .

On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Membre approached it very carefully.

He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it.

As carefully and as gently as he could, Membre worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments.

Membre stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Membre never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Membre was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Membre and his son Cantri were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Membre, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Membre couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant.

Membre summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Membre' s legs and raised him high into the air and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn't the same elephant

Pedicures, Mother Theresa & Astral Projection

2007-09-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

So, critics of our fair county often bemoan the homogeneity of the citizens. After going to New York, I remembered that there are places in the world where I am -- refreshingly -- a minority (being blond and blue-eyed).

I had an interesting experience that illustrates how variety can be found even in Provo if you look... sitting in a pedicure chair. The Viet Namese man who was working on me had a tat consisting of a set of wings and a number. When I asked him what it represented, he proceeded to explain that it represented the date that his soul took flight... without his body.

"Ah," I said, "How interesting. Tell me more."

He proceeded to give me his personal treatise on how astral projection is possible in every religion, although very few people have the skills to achieve it.

"Hmmm. Please explain," I pressed.

"Take Mother Theresa, for example..." he went on to extol the virtues of her life only to criticise her for never finding the kind of outer body enlightenment that he had.

After several minutes of this interesting diatribe, he left me to dry. As I contemplated his words about enlightenment and life, I wondered if I had happened on some special being, a guru of some kind... here, in a pedicure chair in little old Utah County.

Then, I looked at my paint job.

Well, you can't be good at everything. Maybe he should spend more time out of his body.

K.K. Rowling?

2007-09-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

So, the good news!

A certain literary agent -- who will remain unnamed (but part of Dystel Literary Agency)-- contacted me while I was in NYC. He asked for my full manuscript which after some help from my good friend Shannon Farmer (thanks Shan!) I felt ready to send him yesterday morning.

Now we wait. And hope. And pray.

I have a photo of J.K. Rowling over my computer in my home office. I will go home and meditate on it this evening.

New York Minute

2007-09-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

I'm in New York this week for the HBA conference. It's cold here, but learning a lot at the conference and the energy and architecture is exhilerating.

I had dinner with my good friend Christian Sherwood who lives on the west side. We had Mexican food, asked for "hot" and got mild. Who knew that New Yorkers were wimpy when it comes to their spice.

Still waiting to hear from Troy Dunn to see if he was able to contact his literary agent.

Crossing my fingers... toes... legs... just about anything I can find. Let the book LIVE!

By the way, WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME THAT JANE AUSTIN DOESN'T GET THE GUY IN THE END!!!!! Obviously I'm still upset about the "Becoming Jane" movie. The audacity of the plot. How dare they call it a romatic comedy! I don't care how cute James McAvoy is... I feel used.