Choir Concert

Blythe had a choir concert today, the Christmas concert. Her choir and the others sang beautiful Christmas songs. We enjoyed being there very much. That's Blythe, just above the harp looking towards us. Sadly, that's the best picture there is.

Lights On at Zions Bank

 Apparently for decades, each Zions Bank branch has sponsored a Lights On event wherein a local elementary school is invited to make Christmas ornaments, then bring to the bank at a set time and decorate the branch's tree. The school is then given $100 as a Christmas present. As I am the only one in our branch who lives locally and has any tie to an elementary school, my boss Dave turned this event over to me and said, "Take care of this." I reached out to Seth Hansen, the principal at Rock Canyon, and invited participation. 

Mikayla is the PTA President this year, so I had an inside scoop into whether or not my invitation was being received. Seth didn't send it out until about three days ago, so I wasn't anticipating we would get huge turnout. Dave bought cookies and chocolate milk, I made everyone put on festive headwear, and we waited with great anticipation for anyone to arrive.

Mikayla came with all her kids and cute decorations they had made. Corene Jensen also came, bringing Chase and Kai who know me mostly from substituting in Primary as the music leader and who had made darling Perler bead ornaments. Because I always sing with them, I had us sing a couple of Christmas carols, we all ate cookies, and that was that. Seven total children from two families. I love those who came so I was happy with the turnout. I'm fairly certain the children were happy with the turnout too because there were plenty of cookies for everyone to have several.

Me, Tyler Thompson, Dave Davis

Chase and Kai Jensen

All the Johnsens

Winston, the branch stuffed dog

If Freya weren't holding Winston, 

I would have thought he took this picture.

What a weird angle.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, day of food, family, gratitude, food, hours of preparation, food, games, blessings, and food. We gathered with the DeMartinis, ate delicious food, played some games, groaned stuffedly on the couch, and spoke of all we had. Life is good, blessing abound, we have enough and more to spare.

Did I mention the food? That's the content of almost all of the pictures from the day. We did more than eat, I'm just not sure what.

Mikayla spatchcocked a turkey.

Somehow, that sounds vulgar to me.

Look at all that delicious pie!

keylime           coconut cream

jumbleberry       lemon meringue

buttermilk           apple

pecan               pumpkin

Oreo cream           German chocolate

Temple Worship

Mikayla is working on a certificate through the Pathways program, and while enrolled, she has to take Institute classes. She asked me if I would respond to a question about the temple. Here is the prompt and my response.

Please talk about specific blessings received from receiving temple ordinances and participating in temple worship. How do you feel God's love by attending the temple.

I was endowed prior to leaving on a mission. I felt blessed to be able to go abroad, away from the safety of family and those I loved, wearing garments. They made me feel protected. I have felt strengthened physically by the promises made in the initiatory ordinance. I am extraordinarily grateful for the sealing ordinance. Our children are adopted and their sealing days, as well as my own wedding and sealing day, were some of the best days of my life. I felt God's love for me and my family so strongly, knowing He provided a way for us to be together forever. Participating in family sealing sessions when we have done proxy sealings for deceased family members has filled me with joy and rejoicing knowing I am giving ancestors that same blessing of being part of a forever family. 

For many years I have attended the temple weekly. Being in the Lord's house regularly has helped me stay on the covenant path and has given me spiritual strength I badly need. Even when life is a mess, I feel peace when I am in the temple. I have received answers to difficult questions as I have sought direction and inspiration. 

Kent Cuts Off His Finger

Titling this post "Kent Cuts Off His Finger" sounds horrible, and while the damage he did to his finger is real, it is perhaps less dramatic than all that.

Today, while helping Saneh clean out the rain gutters of her house, Kent sliced off the tip of his middle finger on his right hand. He was using a leaf blower to get leaves out of the gutters and Bill, Saneh's husband, for whatever reason, had removed the fan blade cover on the underside of the leaf blower. Kent reached under to change the angle of the blower and the moving fan blades cut through his leather glove and took off the end of his finger. 

Kent came home and bandaged up his finger, then returned to finish the job. He's no slouch. Sadly, while he is excellent at gutter clean-out, he was not excellent at finger bandaging. The finger continued to bleed throughout the day and was a mess. In the evening, after dinner, he asked if I would come help him clean it up some. I am a doctor after all. (eye roll) We removed the bandage, I took one look at it and said, "We have to go to Insta-Care." His finger looked awful, I had no idea how to really fix it, and I thought he might need stitches.

So off we went. It was just before closing but they graciously took Kent in. The doctor who came to assess the damage was an older man who had served in Vietnam. He cleaned up the wound, determined there was nothing to stitch as Kent has sliced away the skin, but did a much better job of bandaging the finger. He gave us better materials to replace the bandage in a couple of days and sent us on our way. We changed bandages a couple days later and every couple of days thereafter until it was healed.

As a post editing note, Kent's finger is still stiff over a year later. He can't fully bend the end knuckle and it remains a bit numb. While it is no longer painful, it is a reminder to him to, in his own words, "not do stupid things."

Les Miserables

After weeks and weeks and weeks of preparations, rehearsals, and work, performances of Les Miserables finally began last week. Kent and I attended today, but we've heard all about the past shows. Everyone we've talked to has raved about how good it is, and both Brandt and Blythe have been pleased with the way things have gone down. They have been at school for long hours and been frustrated in many respects with how rehearsals have been, but it was obvious from tonight's performance that all the hard work has paid off. 

Brandt is lead sound and Blythe is over props. One of the silver candlesticks broke at rehearsal just the day or two before the show started. Blythe asked me to put out a plea on the Google group to see if anyone had something silver looking they could borrow. No one sent me a message so poor Jean Val Jean stole a broken candlestick. From where we were sitting, you couldn't tell, but closer up, it was more obvious. 

Kent and I were both super impressed with the singing, staging, set, and of course, the sound. It's sad to go to a production your kids are in and not actually see your kids, but I took pictures after the show. I've also got a few pictures from Brandt and Blythe. It is wonderful to have them both participating in such a fun part of school.

Barricade set 

Music cues

Our Sound Designer

Blythe will hate this picture.

Please don't tell her I posted it.

A practically full house!

Hannah, actor and techie, in front of the prop closet.

Deez (Landon) and Brandt being emo.

They thought it was incredibly funny.

A thumbs-up from Avila

Go, Dog. Go!

Now that my kids are too old for Young Company productions at BYU, I have opted to take the Johnsens to see them instead. Today we went to see Go, Dog. Go!, a play based on the book by P.D. Eastman. In the book, different colored dogs zoom around in cars, go to a party, and one dog always wears a hat. She asks another dog, "Do you like my hat?" The hats are always pretty boring and the dog being asked always says no, until the last hat which is very flamboyant with feathers and ribbons and all sorts of exciting things. I had Cora come over to my house before the play and she and I decorated hats, which we then wore to the play. Mikayla got her other kids hats they colored, and all of us came behatted. I repeatedly asked, "Do you like my hat?"

Before the show the kids could make origami dogs and talk to the actors. The kids were invited to sit on the floor of the stage to be close to the action, and during the play, Cora, Freya, and I all got to participate. All the kids were enthralled by the action on the stage, raptly watching the dogs zoom by. About halfway through the production, Kal suddenly says, quite loudly, "They're dogs!" They had tried to spell it out pretty clearly at the beginning, but he got it eventually. We, and several fellow play attendees sitting near us, all laughed. 

We ended out outing with a stop at the Creamery for ice cream, because that's what you do after you've seen a play at BYU. It was a grand time and I hope we do it many more times in the future.

Cora in her fancy hat.

Pick me!

They did.

Cora, Red Dog, and Kal

Do you like my hat?

A 'Nuggle with Freya

  I love this girl!

Squid Dissection

Brandt sent me this picture today. He was doing squid dissection in zoology class. Gross but cool. I hope they were not carrying their squid over to the foods room when they were finished with them.