Happy Birthday Sean!

Sean's birthday was actually last Wednesday but we had the family celebration yesterday.  Sean gets so excited about everything so he couldn't wait to get the party started!  Dinner was chosen by the birthday boy and he picked hamburgers and fries (he always does).  Then we had an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins (a birthday tradition in our family).

Sean's cake had trick candles so every time he blew them out they would light up again!  He tried really hard to blow them out!

After cake, Sean opened his presents.  He got lots of clothes and superhero action figures (which he plays with for hours) from Grandma and Grandpa, Marilyn, and me.  As he opened presents, he seemed to get more and more distressed.  For weeks he has been telling us that he wanted a bike (with gears) for his birthday.  He thought it would be too expensive so he told all of us to go in together and get it as a "family gift."  Because he was opening presents from us, he thought he wasn't going to get a bike.  But his Mom and Dad came through!

When my brother-in-law brought it in, the look on Sean's face was absolutely priceless!  He went from disappointment to extreme joy in about ten seconds!

He immediately took it outside to try it out and practice "changing gears."  I asked him if he had a good birthday and he said he was so happy because he had lots of new toys to play with, new outfits to wear to school next week, and a new bike!  Happy Birthday Sean!  We sure do love you!

Note:  I am so glad that Sean still likes to play with superhero action figures!  I sometimes wish we could go back to the days when all Tashena wanted was Barbies!

Beethoven's Ninth

If you live in the Salt Lake City area, stop reading this post right now and go here to get tickets to tonight's Utah Symphony concert featuring Beethoven's Ninth Symphony!  If you are lucky enough to get tickets (there were very few empty seats in Abravanel Hall last night), you will hear what is widely regarded as the greatest symphony ever written and, even if you are not a big fan of classical music, you can't help but be swept up in the emotion.  This piece of music, about the universal brotherhood of man, is absolutely sublime and the Utah Symphony performed it beautifully.  The orchestra was, once again, joined by the Utah Symphony Chorus and some wonderful soloists, including the amazing Celena Shafer, Cynthia Hanna, Chad Shelton, and Michael Dean.  I absolutely love Symphony No. 9 and this was actually the first concert I selected when I created my season package.  I have been looking forward to it ever since.  I had goosebumps almost from the first note because I think the first movement is incredibly stirring and dramatic.  The second movement is lively and exuberant and the third movement brings tears to my eyes because it is so hauntingly beautiful.  All of this is merely a prelude to the incredible fourth movement featuring the chorus and soloists singing lyrics from the poem Ode to Joy by Friedrich Schiller to the accompaniment of the instantly recognizable main theme played by the orchestra. Words cannot express how amazing it was to hear this performed live with the acoustics in Abravanel Hall!  The symphony is more than an hour long but, like all wonderful things, it felt like it was over in an instant.  I get chills just thinking about it! It was a joyful noise, indeed!  If you are still reading this, stop now and get your tickets here.  You will thank me later!

Note:  If you do get tickets, go a little bit early because the traffic downtown at this time of year is really heavy.  However, this performance is worth the hassle!

Festival of Trees 2014

I have been volunteering at the Festival of Trees for many years (some years I even took students with me which was incredibly rewarding) and I had the opportunity to do so again last night.  The Festival of Trees is a holiday event where groups and individuals donate decorated Christmas trees (and other items such as wreaths, centerpieces, and gingerbread houses), usually in honor of someone who has died or who has been very ill.  Corporations, and sometimes individuals, bid on the trees at an auction and all of the proceeds go to Primary Children's Hospital.  Then the trees, and other items, are put on display for the public at the South Towne Expo Center.  I volunteer as a hostess and my job is to monitor a small area of trees.  It is such a worthwhile cause and I look forward to it every year!  After my shift is over I like to wander around and look at all of the trees (and get one of the delicious sweet rolls).  Here are some of my favorites.

While I was working in my area, I kept hearing people talk about the Pirate Tree!  When my shift was over, I decided that I should try and find it.  So fun!

This was my favorite tree of the evening.  Obviously!

 One of the trees in my area was donated by the musicians of the Utah Symphony.  You know how much I love the Utah Symphony so I thought that was awesome!

This cute Frozen tree was also in my area.  I actually had to chase down a little girl who took a doll from the tree!

The most popular tree in my area was called "Unified Heroes."  It was donated in honor of a little boy named Gage who loved firemen.  All of the children (and some adults) wanted to touch it!

The Festival of Trees continues every day until Saturday, Dec. 6 from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm.  Go here for more information.

Messiah Sing-In

The Utah Symphony's performance of Handel's Messiah is a long-standing Christmas tradition in Salt Lake City but, for some reason, I have never gone before.  Marilyn and I decided to go last night and it was absolutely wonderful!  The orchestra was joined by the Utah Symphony Chorus (they always look so impressive on stage), soloists Melissa Heath, Abigail Levis, Tyson Miller, and Christopher Clayton and a few thousand audience members who joined in during selected choruses (scores could be purchased in the lobby for $9.00).  The program mentioned that Maestro Thierry Fischer would be singing the baritone part but he told the crowd before the concert started that he had, mercifully, decided not to sing!  I wonder if this was a joke or if he really can sing?  I find Thierry Fischer to be so endearing!  As I mentioned, I had never heard Handel's Messiah performed before but there was much of it that was familiar, especially the "For Unto Us" chorus.  The music was beautiful, the words were powerful. and the soloists were incredible!  I was pretty much overcome hearing all of those voices sing the "Hallelujah" chorus with the fabulous acoustics in Abravanel Hall!   It was so amazing that Maestro Fischer had the orchestra, soloists, and chorus (including the audience) perform it again as an encore!  Both Marilyn and I enjoyed this concert immensely and I think this is the beginning of a new Christmas tradition!

Redemption Song

My book club chose Redemption Song by Bertice Berry as its November selection. Josephine and Ross both end up at a bookstore looking for a rare manuscript written many years ago by a slave called Children of Grace.  Miss Cozy, who owns the bookstore, senses that this manuscript could change both of their lives and refuses to sell it to them. Instead, she insists that they read it together in the shop. The manuscript tells the love story of Iona and Joe and how they were ultimately separated but continued to love each other all of their lives. Spoiler alert: Ross and Fina (Josephine) are both struggling with identity and with their relationships but as they read the book, they discover that they are descendants of Iona and Joe and that they are meant to carry on their love story. (I figured this out about 20 pages into the story so it is not a very dramatic spoiler). This is a really quick read but it is a sweet story about things happening for a reason. Even though all of the coincidences which bring about this love story seem a bit far-fetched, it is very beguiling to think that there is someone out there who is perfect for you just waiting for you to find them! I did find the love story between the slaves Joe and Iona to be more compelling than the modern one. I am obviously not African American, but the dialogue between Ross and Fina seems very stilted to me. I think Berry tries too hard to make Ross sound like a brother. However, the emotion between both couples is very real and I almost cried when Joe and Iona's son are both sold away from her to punish her and I almost cried again when Ross and Fina figure out their relationship to Joe and Iona.  I loved the message that the only way to move forward in life is to know where you came from and I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone searching for love.