Daniel joined our family in the early evening, a perfect baby after a difficult pregnancy which included major abdominal surgery. I was ecstatic that my little Daniel had made it through the lion’s den of my health issues. Prayer, faith, and a priesthood blessing were important elements in that miracle. (You can read about that here.)
He has always been resilient and strong. It’s a blessing that I don’t have much to worry about with Daniel. His independence, height, resourcefulness, and encyclopedic memory set him apart. He is great company in the car because he always has something interesting on his mind. You could come and hear him play a piano concerto on October 17th if you are in town.
Today we celebrate with homemade pizza, cheesecake, and presents, but the best celebrations are in my heart for a son who constantly amazes me. How thankful we are for Daniel.
We hosted another Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner party last week. This time there were 21 people at our house. I set 3 lovely tables in autumn colors but didn’t take pictures. We served pasta and played “Heads Up” on my mom’s iPad. If you haven’t tried this game, you should.
Uh oh. This picture reminds me that I left the mother’s pin on that blouse and it’s been through the wash. I hope it’s still there. Mark is working hard in Cub Scouts and is well on his way to earning his Wolf!
I think these pictures that Daniel took on his bike ride are very nice. I am grateful for mountain views like this that are just a few steps away. I am grateful for children who appreciate beauty.
They sat on the back row of the chapel, feet crossed neatly in the aisle where people walked into sacrament meeting in my parents’ ward. They were a long line of widows and a few elderly couples. Their well-set hair and brightly-colored tailored jackets were predictable parts of the scenery at church. They may have sat at the back of the chapel to distance themselves from perfumes, infants throwing Cheerios, or just because that is where they always sat. I think they sat there for the view.
Every week I knew that they were watching me and everyone else who walked into church. They were the silent cheerleaders in my life, and a smile was their greeting. I was surprised at how they knew my name or occasionally singled me out to talk about something, even years later when I would visit my parents’ ward during college or after I was married and living out of state. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Of course they knew me! They had watched me walk into church my whole life. They were my in-town grandmothers that I saw every week, unlike my own grandmothers that I would see only a few times a year.
My parents live in the same house they bought when I was two. They haven’t been to church in their ward in seven years because of missionary assignments. Eventually when their missionary service is over, they will go back to a ward that no longer has a long line of elderly women on the back row. I think that will be difficult for them. Their mentors and friends are almost all gone now.
We lost another of our grandmothers from the back row last week. Her name was Pat and instead of working on my “to do list” today, I decided to attend her funeral. She is one of the last of a beautiful group of friends who raised children together, served in the Relief Society together, and grew old together. I just had to go today so I could see a few of their faces again.
It was the right thing to do. I wanted to honor the steady influence she and the others have had in my life. Although this sister was unwell and unable to attend the temple for years, she renewed her temple recommend faithfully. The last temple recommend interview was just a few weeks before her death and she asked that they place her recommend in her hand before her burial.
This is the caliber of women with whom I attended church in my childhood. I was influenced by them when I was young, and memories of them make me want to be a better person now. They are angels to me because they watched over me… Sister Dunford, Sister Axelgard, Sister Asay, Sister Christensen, Sister Whittle, Sister Carter, Sister Hanna, Sister Stone, Sister Holcomb, Sister Davies, Sister Peterson, and more… (Only one from this list is still living.) Thank you for being my in-town grandmothers, steady, beautiful, and true to the faith.
Have you wondered how my parents’ new place is coming along? We took some pictures on Saturday. It’s getting close to completion and it’s very exciting. My parents and siblings have worked so hard on this. Richard and Daniel have worked hard as often as they can. I’ve only helped to paint a couple of rooms. It’s not a round house anymore, but my dad’s design is full of nods to the previous architecture, such as stone work, rounded staircases, and a rounded turret room with a view of the Payson temple. The house is full of windows and lots of natural light. It will be a great family gathering place.
The stone mason did a nice job.This is from the back corner of the kitchen looking through the great room. My mom and Susan did the tile work.looking toward the kitchen from the east front doorGame room southGame room northCraft roomRoom beneath the turret… soon there will be a spiral staircase built to the upper level.Going to the upper level of the turret room is a scary climb without stairs.More of my mom’s tile handiworkMy dad in heaven, painting and painting and painting. I didn’t take pictures of all of the bedrooms. There are a lot of them and they’re all being painted.Another view of the great room from the master bedroom hall
Earlier this week we discovered that someone is “dying to go to homecoming” with Paige. The crime scene has since become a little disheveled, but it makes me smile every time I walk outside.
Where have you been during my absence online? I hope you’ve seen something beautiful or read something good or eaten a delicious meal without having to do the dishes afterwards.
We have been inside the house, at parks, in our schools, church, and work. It’s a full life. Richard works very long hours and on Saturdays. It is stressful for him. I am used to having him gone on weekdays, but those desolate Saturdays without him are just no fun.
The tepee is finished and looks so fun in Mark’s room.
Mark continues to pass through the gate behind our house to his friend’s house to play each day. There are kittens! There is a puppy! Our house lacks these things, but we do have Legos to make up for it, and I have been told that our food is good and I’ve been enlisted to sew a couple of projects for the little boy.
Paige completed the first two applications for awards and scholarships that she will submit this semester. What a task that is! Here is a collage of some of her art.
Paige spoke in Stake Conference on Sunday. We are so proud of her. She was calm, confident, and her talk about the Book of Mormon was beautiful. I wish you could have been there. Someone took this picture from another building where her message was being viewed on a screen.
Timothy made some great plays as catcher and first baseman last week and he tells me that he’s not ready to play the trombone for me yet.
Mark is good at hitting baseballs in his red helmet.
Daniel travels in a pack of friends that I really like. There are movie nights and Frisbee games at the park, game nights in our basement, and lunchtime ball games at school. Hooray for good friends!
Photo by K. Trounce
The new violin had two debut performances this weekend at Stake Conference. I have been given so much praise. At first it made me feel shiny to get all of the attention. Now I feel a little dulled by it. I can’t explain it. Perhaps it’s just too much for me to take in. I do like hearing that people were touched by the music and that some people have translated the music to an expression of my testimony. Because it is.
Photo by K. Trounce
The weekend of music and speaking at Stake Conference made me feel like we’re accepted here. It’s not easy to integrate into a new place with people who have lived here a long time. The kindness of our neighbors has always made the transition softer, but to be invited to share thoughts and music makes me feel like people accept our version of contribution.
Richard made lemon ice cream to celebrate everything. All is well.
Autumn colors are on their way to my kitchen. The reds, whites, and blues of summer are feeling out of style as the golden light filters through the windows and the leaves begin to look strained. I’ve decided to sew a couple of autumn buntings. Now and then I add to a collection of objects that I might display on the mantel. Autumn is a cluttered time outdoors so I like to clutter up my indoor spaces a bit. I’m having fun finding unlikely combinations in objects I already own.
Home decoration and craft stores overwhelm me. How about you? I walk into a store and think that I want to buy a little something but there are just too many options (most of them beautiful) and I walk out with nothing. I prefer natural objects and things that already have meaning for me to put on display: a tea cup from a grandmother, a craft from a child, maybe some chalk lettering on my little chalkboard, orange candies, fruits, pumpkins, and some framed leaves. My favorite decoration, regardless of the time of year, is family photographs!
If you’ve been in my house, you probably could have guessed that.
My first college roommate taught me to surround myself with photos of people I love.
It’s a great way to cheer up a space, and you don’t always need a frame.
*Writing about decorating feels a little bit like trying to write in Russian for me. The only design elements that get a lot of attention at our house are the kids’ art and our organized drawers of Legos! 😉
One day my violin teacher, Liz Deters stopped me during my lesson and made me promise that I would never stop playing the violin. She was always very dramatic, but I took the promise seriously. I am so grateful that I did.
I became very sentimental before I picked up my new violin this weekend. I thought of all of the amazing opportunities that I have had with my old instrument, the generosity of my parents who bought it for me, the places I have played, and the people I have met. I reflected on the blessing that it’s been to be a violinist.
I reminisced a bit with Richard and I wondered if I would play in as many places with my new instrument. No, we decided, probably not. But that is okay. The opportunities of youth are over, but that doesn’t mean the memories and the experiences cease to enrich my life.
With my little instrument, I’ve been invited to celebrate at weddings and parties; I’ve also been invited to provide comfort at funerals. I’ve been invited to unique venues such as a high council meeting when I was a teenager and years later, a mountainside in the dark for Pioneer Trek. Some of my best friends have been my music friends. I’ve met generosity and sacrifice in my teachers, parents, husband, and children so I could play.
I’ve played my little instrument in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, high school auditoriums, LDS stake and ward buildings, at universities, and on hillsides. I’ve been a soloist, a concert master, and sat so far back in an orchestra that I could hardly see the conductor. I’ve felt strong and I’ve felt weak. I have learned to accept both compliments and mistakes gracefully.
My favorite times on the violin were a couple of Christmas parties in Arizona where I joined a band and we presented a fun program with pop, folk, and sacred music. I love fiddling for my family’s traditional dancing of the Virginia Reel in the mountains.
I am thankful for the emotional outlet my instrument has given me and I cherish the notes of thanks that I have received from people who have been touched by the music.
My new violin is here and last night I played everything I know how to play and then brought out some old concertos from my high school days. I am so thankful to be a violinist and I am excited for the new chapter of music in my life!
