Category: Richard’s projects

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.

Winter light

There are few dependable things right now, but if I had to choose one creation on which I could depend, it would be the sun. The sunsets this month have been glorious and encouraging.

We are working on home improvement projects this weekend. It’s a domino game: if we want to create a better home office, we need to schedule carpet installation before we move in the furniture. So, we need to finalize carpet choices, a process we began 1 1/2 years ago. When we shop for carpet, we remember we want a new medicine cabinet. As we look at medicine cabinets, we remember we really want to replace the bathroom sinks and one of the faucets. When we take down the old medicine cabinet, we realize we need to patch the walls. You know.

I guess that another thing on which we can depend is the avalanche effect of home improvement projects.

December Snapshots

We made gingerbread houses with Grandma and the cousins over Zoom.
Timothy turned 18 and one of his gifts was a quilt I made from his baseball uniforms.
I spent a lot of time planning this year: consolidating errands, creating more handmade things, shopping away from crowds, finding good music, and organizing creative ways to visit and give safely.
My brother Joe and his family delivered their gifts to our porch with a song.
Richard was awarded a patent. On the plaque, he is titled, “Inventor.”
Christmas Eve Zoom Call
Grandma Ruth really liked her Squirrel calendar and held it up to the screen for a good 5 minutes.
Our dog is really showing his age right now. He is cold and off-balance, confused, and nervous. Some days are better than others. Aging stinks.
Small celebrations call for selfies.
With nowhere to go, we gave enormous Lego sets to keep everyone busy.
I made nachos instead of turkey on Christmas Day. I made beautiful dinners each Sunday, but Richard decided to photograph this meal from every angle. 😀 Everyone lingered and smiled through this gathering. Mark is sporting new contact lenses this month. He is thrilled!

Surprises

One surprise was this subtle, powerful song was the audience favorite at the Pioneer Day concert I attended.

Last Sunday, when I made my trusty plan for the week, I thought my highlight would be a small Primary Presidents’ luncheon for twelve women. It was to be a good, but basic week. But then, invitations came. All week, I have been surprised by the expansion of my plans.

One big change in plans was I was asked to accompany someone in church on the violin, only the music was written for the cello. Richard watched me trying to transpose music by hand and took charge and produced the music I needed using the computer. He intervened quickly, without my asking, and this was so helpful!

Another small surprise was being invited to perform our song at two family gatherings last night after playing the song in church. It was an honor to be invited to these two homes for a few minutes.

Do we know how powerful a home and family feel to someone stepping in? Even though I came from my own cozy evening with family, I felt honored and gifted by the family feeling (the Spirit of the Lord) in each of these homes.

Friends, I am certain that your brand of hospitality and your family, even if it’s one person, have power and goodness. That may be a surprise to you, but I know it is true. Invite someone to your home for lemonade or music or a meal. They will not forget it.