The Silva Residence

Here are a few pictures of our home!

I rather like the way this turned out.

My bathroom

This is part of an open area that basically connects everything. Notice the mirros that Julie did for the wedding. Perfect Spot!

Oscar's bathroom. I know, I know. He often asks, "why do I have the pink bathroom?"

Master bedroom. The bed will eventually be dark brown to match the rest of the furniture.

View from the diving point from the dining room and living room. Looking east into the apartment.

Living room and dining room. Not all pictures are hung...but they do have a nice resting place in the corner of the dining room right now.

Kitchen.

Entry way.

I hope you've enjoyed your brief tour of our home. There is a 2nd bedroom but it was not complete enough to include in this picture gallery.

January 2, 2009
Wedding of Oscar Silva and Chelsea Johns

January 2, 2009 was a wonderful and memorable day! Follow the URL to view some of my favorite photos from the wedding.

The day could not have been any more perfect! The weather was cooperative until about 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. which was great! The snow did come and made for an interesting departure at the conclusion of the reception. Osar and I are so appreciative of those who came to celebrate our day with us.

Not only did I have the "Make It Happen Team" to help with the set-up and during the reception, I had many members of my family by my side to make the day perfect! I am so blessed to have so many people (family and friends) who love me and wanted my day to be the best it could be. I love all of you!

Pictures from the wedding!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=101801&id=699001619

...one moment in time

November 1st started out as a normal day. I woke up in Paris, France! Today was the day I would be flying home after being gone for 15 days. I could not wait for the wheels of that plane to touch down in Salt Lake City. Before that could happen I had to fly nearly 10 hours to Cincinnati, OH; go through immigration; retrieve my luggage, go through customs, re-check my luggage; change clothes and look pretty. What? I was under strict instructions to "look beautiful" when I landed in Salt Lake City. A difficult task on most days but on this particular day this could prove challenging after flying for 14 hours. I did my best!

I landed in Salt Lake safely and on time. On the flight I was sitting next to a very nice gentleman from Montana. We chatted while we waited for the flight to take off about where I had been and whether or not we were both flying home. I was so nervous and excited not knowing what was going to happen when I landed in Salt Lake but having an idea of what might happen. I blurted out, "I think my boyfriend is going to propose to me when I get to Salt Lake". This kind gentleman looked a bit shocked followed by a huge grin. It was so fun to share my excitement and receive a response of this enthusiasm with this man.

View the video below to see what happened when I finally made my way to baggage claim.

This was one moment in time that I have dreamed of for a long, long...long time. In all of my dreaming I never imagined that I would be proposed to in such a way and by such a wonderful, loving, kind, handsome man who loves me with all of his heart and soul...much the way I love him. We will be married on January 2, 2009 and it will be another moment in time that will be one of the most joyous days of my life!

So, how did we manage to get on TV? My brother, Graydon, works for KSL, a local TV/Radio station. Oscar had talked to Graydon about how he wanted to propose and Graydon made it happen. Thanks Graydon!! A shout out to Bobby Jackson, the man behind the camera.

Just a quick note: I was traveling from Paris with my colleague, JAE, and as we waited by baggage claim in Cincinnati we retrieved my bag and then proceeded to wait and wait. JAE's luggage did not come. If my luggage had not come I would have landed in Salt Lake City wearing jeans and a polo shirt. Thanks to the 2nd team for assisting in my task to "look beautiful".

The Long awaited introduction to...

Oscar Silva...Red Hot Chile Pepper Extraordinaire

Why, you might be asking, do I call him "Red Hot Chile Pepper"? Well, he is a native of Vina del Mar, Chile and speaks with a very strong Latino accent, which I love. Oscar and I met January 9, 2008 at the Orem Fitness Center. I had decided that week to start taking a Spinning class and we met during the 2nd class I attended. It wasn't love at first sight more like intrigue at first sight. In fact, I was on my way to take the bike that Oscar normally rides and he wasn't too happy about that. Since I am so giving and compassionate (ha!) I happily let him have the bike. His good looks did not go unnoticed by me so, ladies, you can understand why I was so willing to give up the bike.

After the class was over I asked him where he is from and when he said Chile I told him that one of my brothers had lived there for 2 years. He asked what part and when I said, "Vina del Mar", he smiled and said that is where I'm from. Small world! Anyway, over the course of the next few days and between conversations with Oscar and my brother, Murray, we were able to determine that Murray was in Chile at the same time that Oscar was meeting with the LDS missionaries and was, subsequently baptised.

Oscar has been in the United States for almost 13 years and in that time has really gained a strong command of the English language. He is a critical care nurse as well as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve. Oscar is an American soldier with an accent.

We love long walks on the beach and picnics in the shade....yikes! It is not uncommon to find Oscar and me just leaving the fitness center after a good work out, sweating, and having a good time. We would enjoy walking on a beach if one was close by and picnics would be a good idea if we had time to enjoy a picnic together. Over the course of the past six months we have almost spent more time apart than we have together because of my travel schedule. We have had plenty of goodbyes and hellos after weeks of being apart. NOT FUN! Plus, Oscar works the night shift a lot so our paths may cross and I'm getting to the gym and he's leaving to go to work.

So far he has met all but Murray and his family. We traveled to Las Vegas, NV and Canton, OH to visit Carrie Anne, Rick, and Clark and their families. In August we will be traveling to Tennessee to visit Murray and his crew. My parents seem to really like him and he has been able to spend time with Megan's family as well as Graydon's family. It really has been fun to introduce him to everyone.

Here are just a few pictures for you to enjoy!

I have been very neglectful on my posting the past few months. In an effort to catch up I will give a brief summary of my travels in April, May and June:

April 7 - 10, 2008
A domestic, U.S. trip for a change:

Orlando, FL: FranklinCovey Certification event and a visit to English Estates Elementary school. SRC was given a warm and enthusiastic welcome by about 200 elementary students. Clapping and shouts of welcome were followed by shouts of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It was a very touching moment.

Williamsburg, KY: SRC spoke to faculty and Staff at the University of the Cumberlands. It was fantastic! The school campus is beautiful; brick buildings, green and lush landscapes. This was a highlight for me. To open the event the school had invited a Scottish Bagpipe band to perform. It was amazing! They also had vocal numbers which were very moving.

Lansing, MI: Greatness Summit. The highlight of this event was meeting Jon Schmidt. He is a well known (at least in Utah) pianist and I love his music. He composed the song "Waterfall: which is the piano piece used in the FranklinCovey film "Creating Greatness".

Portland, OR: Along with a great event I was able to see Julie Hillyard, a great friend and mentor to me in my job. It was so fun to see her and have a chance to catch up.

April 25, 2008
Texas A&M, Mays Business School

This was a fun event. SRC did a fantastic job and really hit a home run with the group.

May 7, 2008
Phoenix, AZ Greatness Summit for the FranklinCovey Western Region

This was a fun event for me...I was able to see some of my friends and colleagues that I don't see very often. SRC was fantastic!

May 13-15, 2008
London, the Netherlands and...Phoenix? Strange combination!

London: well attended event. If I remember correctly we flew in late and scurried back to the airport right at the conclusion of the event. No time to even figure out where I was in London. I do remember the bed in the hotel room: twin bed, very narrow and the duvet was short.

Zeist, Holland (The Netherlands): This event took place in a very charming town called Zeist. SRC and I arrived early enough that there was still daylight left in the day. We walked up and down the city street and enjoyed the quiet and pleasant weather. We passed a city part nestled in some trees that had a path around and through it. I took advantage of this path and ran a few laps. It felt good to get up and move! The event was great! SRC did a terrific job.

Phoenix, AZ: you may be asking why in the world would we add a domestic event to the end of an international trip. The way these events worked out we actually added the international legs to the already booked event in Phoenix. SRC spoke at a lecture series for the Mayo Clinic. It was a superb event.

May 22, 2008
Memphis, TN
Barret School of Banking

Remind me to not visit Memphis again in May or after a rain storm. It was so hot and sticky you could not stand being outside for more than 2 minutes and that was stretching it. This was a great event. The audience was so enthusiastic and intent on learning.

May 26 - June 4, 2008
Australia - Sydney, Canberra, Perth, Brisbane
South Africa - Johannesburg, Cape Town
Botswana - Gaberone

This was a trip to end all trips. I think SRC were not quite recovered from all of the other trips and that is why this one was so hard. We traveled a lot of sky miles.
Our flight to Sydney was quite eventful. Not really eventful but an event for me nonetheless. Prior to leaving on this trip I had been surfing the internet trying to find a show or something fun for SRC and I to do while in Australia. I saw on one website that Michael Buble would be in Australia at the same time that we would be. However, we missed each of his concert dates/times by a day. Well, because of that I thought it quite interesting that Michael Buble was on our flight to Sydney. It's true! It wasn't until the very end of the flight that I actually spoke to him but nevertheless, I spoke to him...shook his hand and exchanged words. It was fun!

Sydney: this was my second trip to Sydney in 2008. It was nice to fly in and recognize the airport. I sort of knew where I was going. We stayed at a hotel which was right across the street from Darling Harbor. One my first visit to Sydney SRC and I took a bus tour and I remember thinking that I would like to visit Darling Harbor the next time I was in Sydney. I actually had a chance to walk around the harbor and it was delightful. The weather was amazing and it was not a busy time. Below are some pictures.

We arrived in Sydney early in the morning. By the time we checked in at the hotel I only had time to drop my bags off in my room before I had to go to the event venue for my AV rehearsal. I was a pretty picture in jeans, t-shirt and a baseball hat. At least I was comfortable. I just hope I didn't smell like I had been traveling on a plane for 18 hours. This was a two day event so the morning of the 2nd day I showed up for my AV rehearsal showered and in my black suit. It was funny to see people's reactions when they saw that it was me. Quite a change from the baseball cap the day before.

Canberra: I celebrated my birthday in Canberra, which is the capital of Australia. That was something new I learned on this trip. The photos below are taken of the new parliament house. It was an amazing structure. We were in the government part of Canberra which was away from the shops, malls, etc. To celebrate my birthday, SRC and I asked our driver to take us to get some ice cream. He took us to a large mall that must have covered 4 maybe 5 city blocks. It was huge. The ice cream was very good - Happy Birthday to me!

Perth: Below are pictures of Perth taken from my hotel room. Let me tell you about this hotel room...it was more like a suite. Very big! The bed was so comfortable! The event in Perth was so cool! The event was sponsored by the Western Australian Primary Principals Association: an education association. The subject: the importance of teaching leadership skills in primary (elementary) schools, which is something SRC is very passionate about. I felt the day was a huge success.

Brisbane: Also a great event. I'm not sure I remember much about Brisbane. That's not true. We landed about two hours later than we thought we would; at 3:00 in the morning I nearly flew off the handle when the hotel front desk clerk gives me a hard time about not contacting them that we would be late. I can't say that the entire stay at that hotel was bad: the bed was comfortable, the hair dryer worked and the bathroom was clean but my interactions with the staff was less than fun!

I received exciting news from home early in the morning on the 31st. A new nephew! Ezra Dallis Boshard was born on May 30th. I could not wait to get home to see him. However, I still had 6 days left of the trip. Ugh!

June 1, 2008
Johannesburg, South Africa

It was great to be in South Africa again. The Community Event in Johannesburg was held at a university. The picture below is a picture of the front of the building...beautiful! The event was well attended and it was so great to look out into the audience and see so many families attending. We flew from Johannesburg to Cape Town that afternoon.

June 2
Cape Town, South Africa

The pictures below are of the hotel, fountain, etc. It was a beautiful place with a Casino attached. SRC and I went to the Casino...rather we went through the Casino to a large food court and had KFC for dinner. AS many of you know SRC wears some sort of hat when he is out and about. We walked into the Casino and almost immediately we were stopped by a security guard asking him to turn his hat around or take the hat off. He decided to turn the hat around and let me just say it was hysterical! We laughed and laughed!

The event in Cape Town was awesome! It was well attended and the audience was engaged and asked amazing questions. As you can see from the pictures below the AV booth was quite a distance from the main floor. It was cool to be up that high. During the first session we struggled with the audio for the videos. It was so frustrating but at the break (within 15 minutes) we have the problem fixed and the sound was impeccable the rest of the day. It can get very intense when something like this happened but luckily everyone was on the side of "let's get this fixed". The problem, a bad cable connection, was an easy fix once it was identified as the problem...we were very glad it had nothing major to do with the entire audio system. That would have been disastrous.

June 3
Johannesburg, South Africa

Another great event! Let me first tell you about the hotel. It was amazing--The Westcliff Hotel. It is built on the side of a mountain and was not one building but multiple buildings built on the side of this “cliff”. You could take the walking path to and from your building but you had better be ready to huff and puff. The easiest way is to take the shuttle…seriously in a suit, carrying a laptop bag and wearing high heels, you would have chosen the shuttle as well. The view from my room was amazing and if I had remembered to take a picture you would be able to see just how breathtaking it was.

The event, as I mentioned above was great. We spent the day at ABRA Bank…multiple sessions with multiple audiences. These pictures were taken at the afternoon session. This building was amazing. This open area was at least 5 stories high and very open. It was cool to look around and see people listening to SRC from the balconies.

June 4
Gaberone, Botswana

Beautiful! Botswana is one of the diamond capitols of the world. We flew into Gaberone at night so I really did not see much of the beauty until the next day and even then I only saw what I could see from the hotel and our drive back to the airport…very green and lush but also flat.

The event was very well attended and the participants were very excited to be there. The Vice President of the country came after lunch and gave a speech to the audience. His speech was inspiring and focused on the principals taught by SRC. It was very cool to be a part of that event. I did find it interesting that the Vice President’s handlers walked up to the podium before he did and placed a copy of his speech on the podium. I wondered if that was a matter of precaution or just part of the process. It was a bit intimidating to look around the room and realize that there his security detail was everywhere.

…Our final event of this trip and the beginning of our long journey home.

June 10 – June 14, 2008

My five days at home were wonderful…not very restful but it was great to sleep in my own bed, do laundry and not have to wear a suit.

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Wonderful experience! This was my first trip to Guatemala and I was impressed. I was reminded of El Salvador with the rolling hills and trees…trees everywhere. The two events were held at a university. The morning event was a public event and the afternoon was a community family event. Both were very well attended. I don’t think there was an empty seat in the house.

Mexico City, Mexico

This was a long day, with a lot of moving from one meeting to another and one event to another. The highlight was ending the day and taking a helicopter ride from the El Camino Real Hotel to the airport. It cut our travel time in half. The traffic in Mexico City is awful and would have taken us about 2+ hours. The helicopter was bright red and seemed to just float in the air…perhaps that was due to the fact that it was very windy. The wind seemed to either push us a long or lift and move the helicopter. Not scary but definitely unsettling at times.

Finally, the flight home…for a few hours and then on another plane to Calgary.

Banff, Canada

Although I was exhausted and so tired of traveling I found the strength to enjoy this trip. We had about a 75 minutes drive from Calgary to Banff for both directions we had daylight…which is a change from our normal travel. The drive could not have been any prettier. Banff reminded me of Tahoe, a bit of Park City, Estes Park (Colorado), and Sun Valley, ID. I could have stayed there for a few days to relax. That is for sure.

The event was great. All participants we so enthusiastic and SRC was right on with his message and engaging the audience. Overall it was a home run.

March 30- April 1, 2008
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Hot! Sticky! Yuck! Not the best first impression of Kuala Lumpur but an honest one. We arrived at night so I was unable to see the grandeur of this city until the following day. It is quite the city but it was hot and sticky!

The first event was a community event hosted by an organization/association dedicated to raising awareness about Autism as well as provide support to families of autistic children and those with autism. SRC was able to meet a few of the autistic children and families who are supported by this organization. It was quite an experience. The event was well attended and SRC's message well received.

The second event was HUGE! This is probably the largest public program I've been a part of since working with SRC. I mean largest as far as participants paying to attend. I think the U.S. Symposiums were close to this number and may have exceeded but at any rate there were 1,000+ attendees. It was an amazing event. So well orchestrated and the AV was spectacular. I was sitting off to the side of the stage and unlike other events I had to manage more than just my laptop. I wish I had taken a picture: my laptop sat in the middle along with two DVD players, a large sound board to the left and a large switcher on the right. I worked the switcher and sound when playing a video. So, it was a lot of juggling but it went well. I was testing a DVD player right as SRC was being introduced and not knowing the the audio was live when the DVD played the sound came over the speakers...loud. Luckily, it was like intro music so it fit really well. I could have passed out right there but I quickly recovered. I also had to count on the person on the other end of the headset to switch between camera and graphic from my laptop. For the most part it went really well.

SRC did an amazing job with such a large group. He got out into the audience and at one point engaged in a two way dialogue with one of the participants when he asked a question. The gentleman was so great. He did not expect this two way dialogue to take place so, in desperation said, "Help! Someone else come and take over." He did an exceptional job talking with SRC and going back and forth with the questions and answers. At another point in the day he also engaged in a two way dialogue with a woman who had a point to make. It was so interesting to see this happen but enjoyable for everyone.

At the conclusion of this event we moved hotels in order to be where the event would be held the next day. It was a beautiful hotel! Below is the view from my room. At this point in the trip I was feeling very anxious to get home and I was counting down the hours until we boarded that plane for the U.S.



The program on April 1st was with a client and it was just a a half day event. It think it went well although the end seemed a little rushed. Then again, I would have rushed to if I were speaking. I just wanted to be done and on my way home. I guess that is not fair to the client but it was an accurate description of how I felt. SRC came away very energized because one of the things he had been asked to do is to help the client determine the origin of a prevalent issue in their company. Within the first 90 minutes he found the source and could not have been any more enthused by that. I was enjoying that enthusiasm as he proceeded with new insight into the client.

This is a picture of me with one of the organizers of the event, Liana. She is wonderful and after so many months of communicating by email regarding this event I was so happy to meet her in person.

After 20+ hours of flying we did make it home. I was so happy to be home and could not wait to sleep in my own bed. As we came around the corner into baggage claim I spotted the driver who welcomed us with firm hand shakes. I then began looking to see what baggage claim we needed to go to. My eyes were scanning the room and came to rest on a tall, dark, Latino with a huge smile on his face. There he was, my knight in shining armor who came to rescue me and take me home. I was so shocked to see him there I turned and walked the other way. I also felt really gross and smelly but I turned back around and gave him a huge hug. It was so good to see him. I thought he had to work that night but he just smiled and said, "April Fools!"