Continuing education.

I have been spoiled the past couple weeks:

On my birthday, Matt and I attended William Doherty's lecture at BYU, entitled "Parenting Wisely in a Too-Much-of-Everything World." (Yes, it was my idea and Matt's attendance may be considered a birthday gift to me. He did end up enjoying it, though probably not as much as I did.) This highly educated, highly motivated, very enthusiastic and personable man inspired me with his dedication to families. A snippet of the hour-long lecture gives an interesting overview, but I hope to see the whole lecture available soon on BYU-TV. It felt good to be using my family science brain again, this time with a lot more opportunity for personal application of the material.

Last week, as a date completely unconnected to my birthday, we attended a presentation by local artist, James Christensen. I find his work fun and thoughtful, and his personality absolutely genuine and likeable. Matt commented that he is an excellent storyteller, and I think that description applies to his actual paintings as well as his speaking abilities. Though fantasy art is not usually my favorite, there is something charming about Christensen's style. Here are two pieces that really spoke to me. Hmmm, I wonder why.

"The Responsible Woman"

"A Place of Her Own"

Finally, my mother-in-law recently invited me and my sisters-in-law to a private cooking class with another local star, Kelsey Nixon. I learned that this cute Utah girl was a favorite (though not the final winner) on FoodTV's "Next Food Network Star." What an evening: two hours of watching Kelsey prepare, cook, teach, and chat, and of course a fantastic meal at the end of it all. That woman really knows her stuff , and is so friendly I felt like she was one of the family. The bonus for me was twofold: I got delicious recipes I already know I like, and I am inspired to cook again. (Not that I don't prepare meals three times a day, but it has been a couple years since I have truly loved the process.)

So now I've dabbled in Family Theory, Art Appreciation, and Gourmet Cooking, I'm eager to search out more free classes...this is even better than college.