Each house has been unique and special on this trip. We are near the Columbia River Gorge in a cottage which boasts of alpacas and a small creek. Blackberries line many roadways and paths.
Last house
Category: Family Time
Silver Falls State Park
Country house
House #3 on this trip has horses, chickens, rabbits, and a pond. We will be hiking a trail of ten waterfalls tomorrow.
Talkative
This is the view from our balcony on house number 2 on this trip.
Mist
I am not sure if the ocean will ever be as interesting to watch on its own. I’ve only ever known it as a backdrop to my children.
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.
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.
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.
Photos by Daniel Ross, Michael McLaughlin, and Richard Jaussi
2021 Sanchez Reunion Day 1
We have a tradition with the little kids to paint rocks and trees with water and they love it.
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.