Category: Fatherhood

MMSK and Conference

Before Mark was set apart as a missionary, he wanted one last gathering with his Sanchez cousins who are his age, so we invited them to spend part of conference weekend here. MMSK is pronounced “misk,” and it’s an acronym of their names. Mostly, there was a lot of nonsense going on as they “watched conference”, but I think that the time together was important.

Mark and Richard attended a session of General Conference on Sunday. They brought the binoculars, which was a great idea.

Mark’s last traditional general conference tower for a while.

When Mark sent in his mission papers last spring, I assumed he would be on a mission long before now. We’ve had a long preparation period, which was good in many ways and challenging in others.

We had time for more spiritual preparation and temple worship. Mark received mentoring in Preach My Gospel and got some work experience from his Sanchez grandparents. We had time to travel this summer.

The long wait means that the bandaid is being removed very slowly. I am pretty fragile lately.

Now that Mark has had a few days of home MTC, he is excited to go to the Provo MTC next week. Everything is as it should be: the wait, the anticipation, the emotions accompanying a goodbye, the excitement, his assignment. Everything.

Goblin Valley and a hike through Ding and Dang Canyon

Richard and Mark were the advance party for a trip to Goblin Valley for the Young Men, traveling there a day early to claim a good campsite. Because they did this, there was an established camp ready when the young men arrived, making it possible to do a long hike before dark.

Mark and Richard spent a night beneath the bright stars together before the others arrived. It sounds pretty ideal.

Richard introduced the group to the hike through Ding and Dang Canyon. It was a challenging hike, and the boys had a wonderful time. It sounds like a successful campout. Well done, Richard and Mark!

Montana and Glacier National Park

We stayed in Whitefish, Montana in an Airbnb called 3 Bears Cottage. It was adorable.
In the evenings we sat outside and read, then watched movies before bed. One night we watched an action movie. The next night we watched Mall Cop. Mall Cop was better than the action movie.
It was a serene place to stay.
We had one day to see Glacier National Park. We took the day to drive the Going To the Sun Road, 51 miles of narrow winding road each way. The views were beautiful. There were red touring cars all along the route. To drive this road west to east, you need a reservation. Richard secured our reservation many months in advance.
The water was so blue.
Mark is always in search of rocks in the water.
We are getting splashed by the waterfall in this shot.
Waterfalls were everywhere, some right next to the road.
We couldn’t find parking at the top for the high line trail, so Richard and I drove down the road while Tim and Mark hiked.
I believe this is the most beautiful picnic site I have ever seen.
This water was full of colorful rocks. Someone called them “fruity pebbles.”
We saw two bears on this day, one near our cabin, and one in Glacier. Both bears crossed the road right in front of our truck.
We broke up the drive home by staying one night in Island Park, Idaho, where we borrowed a friend’s side by side and drove to this beautiful place with crystal clear water.

It took all day to drive through Montana each way. Highlights were the big lakes, but a lot of the time Montana reminded me of Nevada. We were able to finish our audiobook in northern Utah, and when we got home, I felt some withdrawal symptoms from not hearing our British narrator all of the time.

Well done, Richard, on the planning and work you did for this trip!

Yellowstone 2024

We drove into Yellowstone on Tuesday and visited much of the park that day. Yellowstone is familiar, but still my favorite. We stayed in a lodge at Old Faithful, which meant that we could explore until bedtime.

People lined up to take photos at this spot at Artist’s Point. A crowd of people surrounded the person taking our photo and told us encouraging things, “This will be your Christmas card!” And, “Will you send one to me?” “That is a great shot!” People can be so nice.
Taco salad picnic
A little view of Old Faithful for those who haven’t seen it in a while.

Jackson, WY and Grand Teton National Park

I’ve decided to post photos from our trip in portions over the next few days because this seems to be the best way to honor the great planning that Richard did for this trip. Our days were full and we slept soundly every night.

The first leg of our trip was through Jackson, Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park. We began our audiobook of the trip, The Fellowship of the Ring, read by Rob Inglis. It was a great backdrop for our adventures in the hills and mountains. We tried different narrators, but he was our favorite.

We left on Sunday after church and enjoyed a picnic dinner in a mountain campground before continuing our drive to Jackson. We loved driving through the beautiful Star Valley as the sun set over the very green fields in this open valley. The Star Valley Temple was right on the main road through town.

On Monday morning, we drove into Grand Teton National Park. We couldn’t stop for everything, but we tried to locate the most interesting places.

One of our early stops was a group of pioneer houses called “Mormon Row.”

This view of the Snake River and The Grand Tetons was made famous by Ansel Adams, and it seemed to be Mark’s favorite view at the park.

In the line of the Teton Mountains, Mount Moran seemed the least of them until we drove a little closer and discovered how beautiful its reflection was on the water.

During the afternoon, the men went on a white water rafting trip. I rested in the hotel room because I am exciting like that.

In the evening, we went on a wagon ride to a chuckwagon dinner just outside of Jackson. The wagons were pulled by draft horses and we chatted with people in our wagon from Huntsville, Alabama and San Francisco, California. There was a live band with a fiddler and guitars for entertainment at dinner. I think the favorite parts of dinner were the beans and the cookies.

The boys shopped for shirts, hats, and candy in town.

This was a great first day of vacation.

Mark’s Senior Piano Recital

Well, we made it to our last piano recital, and it was a big one. It was a solo recital for Mark, and he played seven pieces.

I have heard nearly every practice session of Mark’s life in our home (11 years of lessons), but Richard and I enjoyed hearing his pieces played on this magnificent piano. Knowing all it took to get to this point made us really appreciate his interpretations and his growth as a musician and a person.

We had 44 in the audience. I wasn’t expecting that many, and we are touched that people came to cheer for Mark. Piano study is usually pretty solitary, unlike sports or band. So, having family and friends fill the recital hall to give one last hurrah for our youngest pianist made this a joyful night.