A Little of This and That in March

I can tell by the number of photos I took in March that we had a lot going on. Let's see what I can remember. Highlights included . . . 

Acquiring . . . a driver's license. Max's 16th birthday fell on a Sunday. We celebrated with presents, dinner with the Blodgetts, cake, and games. The next day, bright and early, he was at the DMV to get his license. He had already passed his driver's test, so it was all fun and no stress. His maiden voyage was to . . . his saxophone lesson. A couple of weeks later, he needed ice cream, so he drove to the grocery store. When he got home, he said, "There's just nothing like driving to the grocery store to buy ice cream that you bought with your own money that you earned by working at your job." He was basking in the light of independence. (But I must mention that he has also already scraped up the front of the car in a parking garage, so it isn't all sunshine and roses.)

Performing . . . at the junior high. The high school's old auditorium was in the process of being demolished this month and the new auditorium isn't finished yet. That meant that the high school choirs had to do their spring performance at the junior high. (And because the junior high auditorium seats fewer than the high school auditorium, they also had to ticket the event and give each family a three-ticket limit--luckily, we were able to acquire one more from a friend.) The concert was fun (both Aaron and Max sang), and I prefer the sound in the junior high auditorium.  Also this month, Silas and I popped over to the junior high in the morning to watch the district jazz festival, which Clark and Bradley were both in. That was fun because Bradley had a solo in one of the songs, and we got to hear the adjudicator's comments, which were overwhelmingly positive (and he even had a moment of disbelief when he found out there were 6th graders in the band, including Clark). And finally, Ian also had an orchestra concert. It still surprises me to see him being so attentive and serious, playing so well and staying with the other members of the orchestra. I never would have believed it a few years ago.

Contrasting . . . a lot of different weather. In typical March fashion, it was snowing one day and raining another. The wind was gusting followed by a day of warm sunshine. Silas and I made a little rain gauge at the beginning of the month, and it saw a lot of action, which was exciting for us. (snow pictures, biking with my mom, ruby pulling sled)

Injuring . . . my foot. I noticed my foot hurting on a Sunday evening, but I did the stupid thing and continued to walk on it (including several long walks), and by Tuesday afternoon, I literally could not put any weight on it. It was bad enough that I went to the instacare. They took an x-ray, and it wasn't broken, so I just tried to stay off of it as much as possible over the next few days. It gradually got better, but I still don't know what caused the pain in the first place (but I suspect maybe it was walking a lot in unsupportive shoes). 

Singing . . . at Disneyland. Aaron and Max went on choir tour to southern California. They spent a day on the beach and then two days at Disneyland with clinics, performances, and lots of fun all mixed together. They made new friends, strengthened old friendships, and made a ton of memories. The only unfortunate things were that Max got sick towards the end and the trip also happened to coincide with Pi(e) Day (see below), which they were sad to miss. 

Hosting . . . Pi(e) Day! Not only did we have over 350 people show up for pie, but our dear friends, the Langstraats, came all the way from Arizona just for this! (Mike credited them for turning this from a local to a national event, haha). The weather was a huge gamble, as usual. The forecast looked amazing six days out, but as the date drew closer, the forecast changed to include wind, rain, and colder temps. I even got a "severe weather" alert on my phone the morning of, saying that extreme wind gusts could cause damage to property and life!!! But we were already in too deep with 87 pies filling every available space. And I think the prayers of our neighbors literally held the weather at bay: there was a tiny sprinkling of rain at the very beginning but then it was quite pleasant (albeit a little cold) for the rest of the time. I had told Mike to make fewer pies this year since Aaron and Max and all their friends were on choir tour, but he didn't listen to me, and good thing! For the first time ever, we actually ran out of pie (see pitiful photo at the end). Seeing this tradition evolve and grow over time and become beloved by so many people has just been the most unexpectedly delightful thing. And we loved sharing it this time around with Alicia and Curtis and their kids. 

Sneaking . . . away for a fun night out. While Mike was knee-deep in pie making, Alicia and I went out to dinner and a play. Her friend, Emily, was in a production of Fiddler on the Roof and had a couple of complimentary tickets. We went to this super eclectic place called PoPie for dinner. I don't even know how to describe it--there were meat pies, pasta, risotto, all with random flavor combinations. It was actually quite good, and I'm excited to go back with Mike. And then the play! It was so good I've seen Fiddler on the Roof many times over the years, but it never gets old. Such a good story. This was my first time seeing something at the The Ruth, and I loved everything about it.

Creating . . . an outfit for Easter (which I actually wore on Palm Sunday instead). My mom bought me some beautiful silky floral fabric for my birthday. I knew I wanted to make a bias skirt with it. And then I remembered that I had some green yarn that I bought when we were in Seattle two summers ago that would be a perfect match for the skirt, so I found a pattern that I could modify to be a short-sleeved top . The yarn was made from cotton, silk, linen, and wool, and it seems to be the perfect combination for the warm weather. I loved putting the skirt and the top together, just like I'd planned. Besides that, I also sewed a collared shirt, and I've worn it way more than I thought I would while I was making it. (It's also some of the best, neatest sewing I've ever done.)

Receiving . . . my third and fourth church callings. I don't know if there's a record for number of church callings held at one time, but I might be getting close. I am currently serving as: a primary pianist, youth choir accompanist, organist, and a member of the service committee. And while none of these are, in and of themselves, big or stressful callings, they all require me to communicate and plan with a different set of people, which feels like a lot. 

Visiting . . . the zoo a couple of times, once with just Silas and me, and another with Sarah and Margaret. It has been years since we had a zoo pass, and I have to say that I'm quite enjoying having one again. Things are always changing there, and the animals are always doing different things, so it never gets boring.

 

Working . . . on his mission papers. I don't think I've fully accepted that this is happening yet, but Aaron is turning in his mission papers. It just feels like it's too soon, like there's no way he's old enough for this to be an option. But here we are. The month was filled with medical appointments, interviews, and writing and filling out forms. And now we wait.

Spotting . . . more flowers. This month has been an explosion of blossoms. Because we had such a mild winter, everything seemed to bloom almost simultaneously. It was a feast for the eyes and the senses (and the allergies). I drove past our old house multiple times to see the queen in our old front yard (the blossoming cherry) in all her splendor. My consolation prize was that our crab apple tree, which is a bit hit and miss, did decide to blossom this year, and it was stunning. (I'm going to look back on these photos come September to remember how lovely it was as we clean up all the crab apples.)

Crushing . . . it as a Newsie. After months of rehearsals, the junior high production of Newsies was finally ready for an audience. Clark loved every minute of it and absolutely relished the energy and excitement of performing. I ended up going to all four performances. That wasn't my original plan, but I couldn't seem to stay away. It was just such a fun show and so well done, and it made me happy to watch Clark so focused and happy. My favorite scene was "Once and For All," where everyone in the cast held candles and paced around the auditorium in a dramatic display. The boy who played Jack Kelly is in our ward, and, while everything and everyone else about the play felt like it was at a junior high level, he convinced me that he was actually Jack Kelly. So good. I'm so glad Clark got to be a part of this.

Wrapping . . . up choir for the year. We had our third and final elementary choir concert of the school year. This one was delightful, with such fan favorites as Les Poissons, Seize the Day, Pure Imagination, and Rattlin' Bog. We brought back Clark, Claire, and Henry as alumni to help with the percussion on How Doth the Little Crocodile. Such a joy to get to do this choir with my two dear friends (but also, grateful to have my Tuesday and Thursday mornings back for April and May). 

Finding . . . all sorts of new interests. Here are some of the things Silas has been doing recently that have been making me smile: singing everything (imaginary games, actions, instructions, stories, requests, etc.); drawing (cute little drawings of people and objects; also, a lot of drawing on his own body to give himself "powers"); putting together a lot of Lego mini figures and Lego ships; dressing up in all sorts of looks (but his favorite is probably a cowboy); writing his own name (this one took a bit more prodding from me, but he practiced a bunch and now writes his S's going the correct way 25% of the time, haha; math (he found two dice and rolled them over and over, saying things like 3+1=4 or 5+2=7; when I asked him where he learned that, he said, "What? It's just a math equation!").

Rescheduling . . . family photos. A couple of months ago, I reached out to a photographer about doing family photos this spring when the trees were in bloom. We scheduled them for April 4th, but then the blossoms were ahead of schedule, and the weather was not looking like it was going to cooperate, so we were able to move the photos up by a week. And even though it was a bit of a scramble to figure out what we were going to wear, we got it done. Chelsea Hillyard was so easy to work with: she was reasonably-priced, so fun and energetic, and got all the shots we wanted. She also took Aaron's senior photos at the same time, which was so nice. We went to a family-owned orchard in Fruit Heights, and the blossoms were out in full force, which was exactly what I was hoping for. So happy to have these photos of our little family just the way it is before Aaron takes off in a few months. 

Listening . . . to beautiful music on Palm Sunday. Because General Conference fell on Easter Sunday this year, our ward's Easter program was on Palm Sunday. Most of the meeting was musical numbers with just one speaker in the middle. After sacrament meeting, we had a little lunch on the front lawn. And then later in the day, we went to Mike's parents' house for dinner with most of his siblings.

Walking . . . through the most amazing Holy Week experience. Over the course of several days, our church building was completely transformed to represent the events of the week leading up to Jesus' resurrection. I feel like words are inadequate to describe it, and I felt like taking photos would detract from the sacred nature of it. It began in the chapel where we listened to peaceful music before the official tour began. Our group was escorted out of the chapel, and that is when it stopped looking like a church. We walked down a path lined with palm trees and people shouting, "Hosanna!" We went into rooms that represented the temple just after Jesus turned over the money-changers' tables, the remnants of the Last Supper, Gethsemane, Calvary, and the Tomb. In each room, there were actors discussing key details and feelings from the events. The attention to detail was amazing: fabric covered every inch of the walls and ceilings; there were trees and bushes and structures and lighting that all contributed to the representation. At the end, we were escorted outside to a large tent where we could think write down our thoughts. I loved seeing what Ian wrote at the end. It was a beautiful experience for all of us, and I know it represented countless hours of work from so many people to make it all come together.

And that's all she wrote for March!