Category: Extended family

Weber 2024

Today we go back in time a few weeks for a post about our Sanchez family reunion.

The theme this year at the Weber cabin was Wogworts, our version of “Hogworts” from the Harry Potter books. We did this theme in 2017, but the younger kids asked us to do it again so they could participate.
There were many magical classes offered. Here is the potions class, ready for students.
There was a sorting hat that “spoke” the assigned house to each child.
My sister planned an escape room for the older kids while the younger kids had little classes outdoors.
My job was to run the wand shop. The kids decorated wands and wrote down spells (things they could say) that would make people happy.
There were enough wands for anyone who wanted one. My dad carved about half of them. 🩷
Cousins of all ages here. Tim is being a good sport playing Duck, Duck, Goose.
It wasn’t possible for the entire Ross family to be present for the family portraits, but that’s okay. These representatives are awesome.
Our woodworker Mark spent a lot of time carving more wands.
Daniel and Mark harvested some fun boulders and rocks from the Smith and Morehouse River to bring home. This big one is now in our front yard.
This is the moment that Mark met his nephew for the first time. 🩷
We couldn’t stay all week, but Mark stayed several days longer than the rest of us. He relished the time with his cousins and grandparents.
Here is something on the smaller scale that represents the Weber experience, the tiny hot cocoa mugs which have been on the table at the Weber for 50+ years. Each can hold a few sips of hot cocoa and there is just enough room for one big marshmallow.

There is so much I could say and show from this cabin experience. Not pictured are the big family portraits, the Virginia Reel, tubing in the river, the duckie races, etc. I simply don’t have photos of everything. As always, the experiences live in memory and take on new qualities with time.

Weekend in St George

Quick stop at the Beaver Creamery
We took a day trip with Richard’s parents to Cedar Breaks. We stopped at the Bristlecone Pines, which they say are 4500 years old.
We are enjoying our audiobook, Tolkien’s The Two Towers, and this ancient tree fits right into that world.
The Virgin River Valley with Zion National Park in the distance.
Cedar Breaks
Tailgate picnic
Tim also happened to be in town with TPM for an employee weekend, so he stopped by to say hello.

After the storm

I drove through a heavy rainstorm on Saturday to attend a niece’s temple endowment. I was flustered by my commute and ran from my car to the unfamiliar temple in the rain.

I was greeted in the usual way by young and old temple workers, ushered through new halls, and given spiritual assurances that my visit was important.

You’d think that after years of temple attendance that these things wouldn’t surprise me, but that is the way with joyful things.

“Surprise!” Joy cries, as it jumps out from a hiding place such as a rainy day or a challenging relationship.

There was a time when I didn’t think I would ever see this niece again because of family difficulties, but I was invited to be with her on her important day. Poised and happy, she greeted me in the celestial room with a hug.

Later, when I walked outside, the clouds were gone and the brilliant afternoon sunlight descended like a confirmation.

Surprise!

Surprise!

Last week, I misinterpreted my dad who I thought was inviting the young men of the family to help pour concrete for a new shed on Saturday morning at 10:00 am.

Mark and I drove down to my parents’ house on Saturday morning to discover that the extended family wasn’t gathered and someone had poured some concrete the night before. My parents were surprised to see us, but my dad, being the eternal Boy Scout, had just gotten home from picking up another dozen bags of concrete from the hardware store. At that moment, we had shade, helpers, and materials. So, even though it wasn’t in his morning plan, my dad built the forms and Mark began mixing concrete. Mark also got a few more cousins to come over and help, and just like that, another piece of the foundation was complete.

While I don’t like to surprise people into doing big projects, I am glad that my parents didn’t end up pouring concrete on their own on Saturday night, as my dad later confessed he was planning to do.