Official Start to the Christmas Season

This weekend we got our tree and all the decorations out. We put on the good, old-fashioned Christmas music, and Max was actually more a help than a hindrance this year. The house now looks all festive and beautiful and amazing, and I have this overwhelming urge to bake sugar cookies. Now I'm starting work on finding and arranging musical numbers for church Christmas music on top of preparing for the symphony concert this weekend. The Christmas season is not a time of rest for the musically talented!

On another happy note, Darreck submitted his grant on behalf of MSDB this week. The grant was the last major project for his master's degree. He'll officially be done this December, and he'll walk in graduation this May. We couldn't be more proud of him!

Black Friday Traditions

This year I told myself (funny!) that I wasn't going shopping on Black Friday. There wasn't much I needed, and I knew it was a dangerous position. But (the way all the good stories start), my anti-shopping baby sister decided that she wanted to go this year for the first time, and I had to go along for moral support. Yeah, you can see where this is going. One long, blurry day and a few hundred dollars later, lets just say I remembered why I usually try not to shop with my mom. At least I got a really, really great camera for a really, really good price!

This afternoon we went over to spend some holiday time with Darreck's family. We ate pie and played games and life was good. The only thing we didn't get to do today was put up our tree, so hopefully I will have pictures of that in the next day or so. Happy Holiday Season!

Thanksgiving Day

We had such a fun Thanksgiving this year! I got to make an apple pie, a lemon pie, green bean casserole, and the world's most awesome cranberry sauce (if I do say so myself). I love cooking, especially for family. I was telling Darreck yesterday that making pies for family is one of the most persevering labor of loves in my family. Not totally sure he got it, but I do! We also had Johnsons and Yates spend the day with us this year, and I'm so grateful for wonderful influences in my life. Such great people.

A fun tradition we have is our thankful chain, which we do throughout November. Every day we each say one thing we're grateful for then add a link to the chain. The only problem was trying to get Max to say something other than baseball; the boy is totally obsessed! Our thankful chain included the normal stuff- our house, our family, the Gospel, Jesus Christ, food- and some that were quirky related to our family- bedtime and naptime, warm showers, learning ASL, Christmas music, binkie and blankie, Kindle, and cupcakes. We also included some of our favorite things to do- playing violin, the library, playing as a family, playing with friends, date night, and mommy time. It was such a good way to bring in the true spirit of the holiday into our everyday lives, and Max got really into it, which made us really excited.

The only dark spot on the day was, after we got home, Max sliced his finger open on a can. We did the whole "ER or no ER" debate, but it finally stopped bleeding after about 30 minutes. The cut is bad, and we'll be dealing with it for a few more days, but we are incredibly thankful it wasn't worse. He's such a tough little guy, and we are such lucky parents.

Primary Program!!!

It's that time of year again (or at least yesterday was)! We had our primary program! I hate overusing exclamation points, but I gotta say, I love my calling. I'm the 1st counselor in our primary presidency, and it keeps me plenty busy. We have an average of 45-50 kids, split into junior and senior primary, every week with another 15-20 in nursery. It's by far the largest primary in the stake, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love our kids, and I love working with them.

As for the program, I was in charge of the music this year (as with most years) and the kids did really well. It's so inspiring to see them get up and do their absolute best. As a kid, I always dreaded the program, much like I still do with public speaking, but the songs I loved. I still have a fond place in my heart for the primary songs. Now that Max is learning them, I'm so excited to get the family around the piano and teach him all the songs I love. However, I'm still happy to sit behind the piano and let Darreck do the majority of the singing; I could spend the entire day listening to him sing :) That's one talent I really, really hope Max inherits.

Jenny Oaks Baker

Interesting weekend. Hmmm, not totally sure where to start. Jenny Oaks Baker- Julliard trained violinist and daughter of Elder Oaks- was in town this weekend to play for the symphony and play a fireside. I got to drive her around on Saturday, play with her for the symphony concert, attend the Sunday fireside, and meet her for breakfast before she went home Monday. It was kind of a mixed experience. First and foremost, I think she's a really sweet girl, very genuine and very funny. However, I also got the vibe that we would not be friends if we lived near each other. This is a person I've looked up to since I was a kid, and while she was perfectly pleasant, she exhibits a lot of the qualities I'm not particularly fond of in myself.

Maybe my problem is that we're too much alike. For example, she shared a story where she was upset over being asked to play a simple piece that didn't showcase her abilities well for President Hinckley's 90th birthday, and she got really upset about it. She obviously learned a lesson from it, but it made me really stop and think how wrapped up I can get in appearances at times. She was also (justifiably upset) at the symphony for not a) already knowing who she was and b) not treating her like she was a big deal. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten upset at symphony for feeling under-appreciated. Not a fun feeling. However, paranoia, narcissism, and jealousy seem to be common themes among violinists. So, which came first: do we choose violin because we have the personality, or does playing violin (which is insanely competitive) make us all a little crazy.

Either way, I wish Jenny the best and I'll continue to buy her CDs. However, it did make me take a harder look at my own tendencies and want to try and do better.

Halloween: The Final Chapter

Ahhhh! I completely forgot to post about Halloween Day! It's been that busy this week. Craziness.

Halloween went well, expect that we had enchiladas instead of waffles for dinner. Unfortunately, one of mom and dad's freezers died, and we had to eat up a freezer meal that night. Max went trick-or-treating around my parent's neighborhood as well as our own. It was so cool that he actually got the concept this year. He was literally dragging me from house to house! This is probably the best year with him we'll ever get; he got the idea but was stilling willing to dress up as something cutesy and share his candy with his parents. Doesn't get much better than that.

I also helped Kayla with her costume this year. The overall goal was the "just stuck my finger in a light socket look". Gotta say that I think we pulled it off.