Video Player
00:00
00:00
Woot!
Each day leading up to Christmas I will post a scripture about Jesus Christ at the bottom of my latest post.
Category: Music
Boulders, a Wedding Crasher, Pimpernel, and White Gloves
A month and a half ago, the mudslide at Spring Lake looked like this. But after more rain, it became clear that this mud was also full of boulders and rocks. My dad is a master with rock walls. The mountain couldn’t have gifted these to a better recipient.
(The family has been trying to dig out trees from the mud to save them.)
While the men and boys worked on the dirt and rock project, I organized the library at my parents’ house. The Sanchez family is a family of builders, minus me. I just like to be zen and organize decor.
I crashed a wedding gathering this week so I could see Paige as a bridesmaid at the Salt Lake temple. I sat in the sun on a bench on the south side of the temple, warm and bright, and couldn’t imagine anything I would rather be doing. I didn’t take any photos of the wedding party because I wanted the moment for myself. Plus, I shouldn’t have been there. The less evidence the better.
A friend took me to see this play this week and we ate Peppermint Crunch Junior Mints. Delightful. Except I can’t erase the guillotine scenes from my mind. HOW did they do that?
Mark had a band concert this week and Tim was a guest artist since they needed trombones. Ha! He and his two friends sat at least a head taller than the middle school kids. But he had his own dressing room with pizza. Mark has taken to wearing white gloves when he plays his trumpet. He is pretty dapper sometimes.
Two Weeks of Music
The boys had two very busy weeks of performances, from jazz band to piano recitals and piano concerto performances. Richard took me to the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera production of Candide because he knows I like Opera.
With two children grown and gone, I see the little things such as reading, the arts, and music are part of my most precious memories. I have no regrets for the resources and time spent on lessons and books.
To watch a child do something well is one of the supreme joys in life. 2018 has been full of these moments. Well done, my children. You bring me joy!
Music of the Season
It’s been a solitary six weeks of painting. I am almost finished, so there is hope for posts about something else. To break up the monotony of the work, I listen to music of all kinds. It’s funny how I can look at a room and remember what I listened to when I painted it, even if it was five years ago. It was the Wicked soundtrack for the basement hallway baseboards in 2013; I remember John Denver, Mindy Gledhill, David Archuleta, and the Dixie Chicks for Paige’s walls in 2017; Mark’s room was painted almost entirely to Classical 89. This is my playlist recently:
- The Sound of Music Soundtrack
- Coco Soundtrack
- Some of Hamilton
- Josh Groban
- Tabernacle Choir
- George Ezra (repeat 16 times)
- Harry Potter audio books
- A lot of classical music, including all of the piano practice going on when the boys come home
Sometimes I just turn on the TV for company. I chose these shows recently:
- Lark Rise to Candleford series
- Jane Eyre (1983)
- Fixer Upper
- Love it or List it
- Boise Boys
- All Creatures Great and Small BBC series
- Upstairs Downstairs series (BBC 2012)
I am almost ready for Christmas music, but I am holding back the urge to listen to it. We don’t want to overlook Thanksgiving!
Catching up
Mark was honored as an Eastmont Patriot of the Month for citizenship, leadership, scholarship, and extra-curricular activities. Woot!
I helped make this quilt for a new baby in the neighborhood.
Every conversation at our house includes a status update on my massive painting project and Richard’s apple harvest. I stopped counting gallons of paint, but Richard knows exactly how many pounds of apples were produced.
Court of Honor
Missionary
BYU Homecoming Spectacular 3rd row seats. Awesome!
It’s Inktober for Paige on Instagram.
ONE page of a piece Timothy is working on. Legit!
Did I mention I am painting a lot? It feels like our house is finally becoming our own. I waited a long time to paint because I knew what a big job it would be and I didn’t have the time. So far, I have spent about 17 full days on it. I have not had this kind of time…ever in my life to devote to such a project. Someday I might post “after” pictures, but you could also come and visit.
Mark’s practice
Video Player
00:00
00:00
This is a little glimpse of what I hear each day as he practices. Lucky me. And he is growing up so quickly.
Jazz, Art, Band, Choir, Twelve, AP
Video Player
00:00
00:00
Richard and I had plans to go to Timothy’s jazz band dinner dance this week, but I was sick and had to miss it. Mark went in my place. I really missed out on a great evening! Timothy was able to play with some seasoned jazz musicians and play some of my favorite big band music. He is the trombone player on the second row in the video.
Today is Mark’s 12th birthday. I am happy for him, and a little sad for me. This week he displayed some work in an art show, played trumpet in a band concert, and sang in a choir concert. I couldn’t get a good photo of him in the back of the band. However, I bet you can spot him easily in the choir. He is ambivalent about the choir experience for many reasons, one being his section.
It’s the Fathers and Sons campout tonight, so we will celebrate Mark tomorrow night with all the good things.
Each day but one this week Daniel or Timothy took AP tests. I tried to warn them, but they took the classes and tests anyway. 
Old, Last, and New
Losing trees is one of the saddest things. The previous owners’ daughters called this grove and the stepping stone path through the periwinkle “the beautiful.” I will miss the flicker of light filtering through the leaves. It hurt my heart to see two trees go, but aspens don’t live forever. The trees really called to me when we looked at this house the first time, and I feel some nostalgia for the days when there were tall aspens lining the path.
Speaking of moving to Utah, that was almost six years ago. Leaving Tucson meant leaving the incredible piano ensemble experiences our kids had every spring, where they played duets on a stage with twelve grand pianos. There is nothing on this scale here, but there are “monster concerts” the kids play in the mall with five pianos. It was nice to hear the boys perform duets together one last time before Daniel leaves.
We came home from the monster concert to discover that the corsage Daniel ordered for prom was the wrong color and the flowers were wilting, so I made my first wrist corsage on Saturday. I felt more stress about this corsage than I thought was possible over some flowers and glue. Daniel went to prom with McKenna and I just hoped the flowers would stay on that wrist corsage all evening. I probably should have hoped he would have fun, but that was a given since he was with McKenna and happy friends.
Couch conductor
Video Player
00:00
00:00
10:30 pm Sunday night. I am recovering well from a hand laceration. Richard still has no energy after the flu. The boys play trumpet and piano while we rest.
Last Sunday Timothy gave a talk in church with 30 minutes to prepare. He did so well!
Timothy and Mark played in a piano recital on Tuesday night.
It was a good week to be a parent.
Daniel advanced to a regional level in the Sterling scholar competition.
Daniel was named a National Merit Finalist.
Paige began work towards a summer internship in New York.
I finished hand-quilting my international doll quilt. I will finish the binding some other day.
Richard and I watched the John Adams miniseries, except when my eyes were closed during the violence and 18th century surgeries.
We watched Wonder. Tears streamed freely for me.
I can’t type this week as my hand heals, so this is it for a while.
Senior Christmas Performances
We have heard a lot of beautiful music at Temple Square and the high school in the past seven days. Here is a sample of Daniel playing piano at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building today.
Video Player
00:00
00:00
I love these concerts because they give us time to sit and reflect at Christmas time.
We stopped at the vending machines where you can donate livestock, food, water, and first aid supplies last week. Today my mom came, too. The vending machine had to be restocked as we stood in line. Chickens and goats are very popular items.
