Category: Extended family

Old photos

Slowly, I am thinking more about my grandmother. I think it hurt too much to look at photos or read her writing after she passed away. A few days ago, I read her last message and looked at a few pictures and it didn’t kill me. I listened to her voice, recorded on my phone, and I didn’t cry.

I packed up a bunch of pictures right after she passed away and they spilled in my car on the way home. Every few weeks I discover another picture I didn’t find when I cleaned things up. If I make a sudden stop, this tends to bring them out of their hiding places. It’s like I have been showered in pictures since she left us. She was a little mischievous and LOVED being surrounded by photos. I like to think she smiles as I find these happy old memories.

Observer

A lot happened in the two years since we gathered at the Weber cabin with the Sanchez family. The kids are all taller, smarter, and more confident. I am an observer in a group, so I saw many encouraging things about my family. I heard a recurring theme: things had been really rough for our teens during the past couple of years. From my vantage point, they are doing better than they know, and they have steady friends in their cousins. These friendships will continue to be a real source of strength in their lives. And those challenges they’ve faced? These have given them a new depth and maturity.

photos by Susan and Richard Jaussi

Our family moved from Arizona to Utah 9 years ago. We don’t see extended family as often as I thought we would, but living here makes it possible for us to be there for the little things. Life is made of little things like a shared meal, a group project, listening to music together, exchanging books, babysitting, and being available to come over and visit. I loved living outside of Utah, but I couldn’t do the little things when we lived away.

Today I am feeling a little longing for the family that we used to be, but I know it was good that we traded almost complete independence in Arizona for a more connected life in Utah.

nine years ago, right after our move to Utah

Eagle Court of Honor for Tim and Mark

The boys earned their Eagles about 18 months ago, just before the pandemic. We wanted to do a court of honor with family at the Weber, so we waited a long time for this. We gathered on a Sunday evening at Pines Ranch during the reunion, and I just love a mountain backdrop for this event. It was a special evening.

Our Cub Scout and Girl Scouts helped with the flag ceremony.

I really like how the little cousins wanted to be in the middle of things.
Richard and I made a slideshow of each boy, and Richard took some time to reminisce about Scouting with Tim and Mark.
My dad pulled out from storage his uniform and presented the awards. We dug deep into our closets to find the Scout things we have neglected for 18 months. I remember picking up their Eagle awards in February 2020 (it feels a lifetime since then) and crying as I drove away from the Scout office for the last time.
Their cousin Ray just completed his Eagle project, so while we couldn’t award him his rank, we honored him with a slideshow just like we did for Tim and Mark.
A wild eagle flew overhead as Mark was presented with his Eagle.
I was delighted, as you can see.
singing with Grandma
My boys (singing)
The end.

Photos by Daniel Ross, Michael McLaughlin, and Richard Jaussi

2021 Sanchez Reunion Day 1

The trading post was run by my parents. Kids could trade for knapsacks, toys, gear, and treats.

They traded with beads they earned by doing good deeds in the weeks leading up to the reunion.

Class 1: knots by Paul
Class 2: orienteering by Susan
Class 3: field study by Matt
Class 4: first aid by Sarah
Class 5: rock painting by Paige
We have a tradition with the little kids to paint rocks and trees with water and they love it.
Class 6: slingshots with Richard
Lots of river play

My dad gave everyone a copy of his book.
Virginia Reel before bed

Harvest

Richard brought in a bowl of fresh raspberries from our yard, and within two minutes he was eating them on top of ice cream.

This week I got a call that my dad’s books were ready. Mark and I hauled out the heavy boxes to the car and took them to my dad. He hugged the one I handed to him and said it was pretty. The books ARE pretty! I also took a copy to Paige who illustrated the book so beautifully.

At church on Sunday, a bishop took time to acknowledge my work the past year with baptisms. With Covid, we needed to schedule baptisms individually, which meant a lot of coordination with bishops and families and many trips to the church. This was a huge piece my life for a year and someone noticed and took time to thank me publicly for some very behind-the-scenes work.

Richard and I have been working on an Eagle court of honor for Tim and Mark. Because of the pandemic we decided not to gather last year to honor them. Last night we finished the slideshows of their Scouting years. Richard’s steady presence in their journey was evident in the photos and videos we sorted. And they grow up right before our eyes in these slideshows.

Life has felt burdensome lately, and these harvest moments have given me a needed lift.

Outdoor Concert

My sisters, mom, and I planned to go to an outdoor concert together, but one by one, people had to drop out. It morphed into a Ross family plus one occasion. The performer said this was the first time in a year and a half that she was able to sing for people. She was pretty emotional about it. We were surrounded by 3500 people on a hillside at Deer Valley and it felt good to be there.