Christmas 2010

This post is heavy in photos because I have been laid low by a nasty Christmas flu/cold and have not felt much like posting.

Our annual tree-decorating party took place several days after the fact, once Katy had arrived in town. To celebrate having the Ensigns with us for the evening, we opened our present early and had them install our new blue-ray player and HD television. It has a pretty spectacular picture and we can stream Netflix from the internet straight to the TV.

The pre-Christmas season also included a batch of baklava. Katy is quite an expert now and it turned out very well. We were joined on Christmas Eve by Stephen and Ann. We cooked another rib roast and I believe it was the best one ever. We had a slim version of the traditional nativity. The cast was much smaller with cousins in the east this year. The talent show was great, but the highlight was Phillip's impromptu guitar serenade, which was by turn, wonderful and hysterical.

Everyone scored on Christmas morning with lots of good gifts. The crowd at the Ringer's Christmas brunch was small this year, which is a good thing. The rest of the holiday has been filled with games and food and that probably won't let up until after New Years. That's just how it is.

The usual fare

Red-wax lips are de riguer

Auntie Katy working over the Ensign kids

We were so surprised

These two are a godsend for their
technologically-challenged parents

Katy Kathryn adds another layer of filo

The finished masterpiece

In Anna's absence, Phillip has become the rollmeister

Delish

Ensigns and Taylor-Woodburys

The binkers picking at their food

The Christmas pud' with lemon sauce

Jayson thought that Phillip was "very fun tonight"

Phillip performing via Skype for the cousins in VA

The minimal but excellent nativity cast

Lizzy plays a Christmas ditty

As does Ollie

And Meg

Even Max showed a new talent this year

Kris with her new fire topaz

The Ensigns and Uncle Adam (shades of Uncle Tony?)
on Christmas morning

Max is following in Uncle Pippy's footsteps
with his new guitar

Amy, Hansen, and Jeff on Christmas morning

A very noisy game of Pit

That was Christmas 2010. Hope you all had a good one -- we missed the Virginia and Arizona cousins like crazy. We're glad that y'all could be together in Virginia even for just a few days.

OXO

D.

Happy Birthday Maria Magdalena

17 December was Madeline's birthday and last night (21 December) the troops rallied to celebrate in style with dinner at Janet's, followed by grasshopper pie at the Ensigns. The food was good and the company even better.

The birthday girl is one year from being 16!
(that's Janet in the mirror behind Madi)

Janet was thrilled to provide the venue

Pippy, Ollie, and Max

Katy Kathryn, Meagan, Meg, and Lizzie

Madeline, Emily, and Jayson

Grasshopper pie

Happy birthday Madeline. We love you!

OXO

D. (PP)

"Thanks for the Moisture" by Robert Gibbs

For days it has been raining in the valley with snow in the mountains (my preferred winter-weather pattern). This is the same series of storms that is inundating California. Last night, however, it was cold enough to snow and we awoke to 12 inches of the stuff, heavy and wet, perfect for snowmen. I drove Kris to work early in the dark snowy hours before dawn, and drivers were insane. We saw a car careening down 900 East sideways at about 40 MPH trying to make the turn onto Birch Lane. Nobody seems to understand that even if you can GO with your nifty four-wheel drive, YOU CAN'T STOP!

We had a compound shoveling fest and Millie and Uncle helped me clear the driveway on the north side of the house where all the snow must be pushed forward. That was most appreciated. The entire time I was shoveling this morning I had a little ditty composed by Robby Gibbs running through my head.

By way of background, you are aware that it is extremely common to hear, "Thank you for the moisture" in prayers at church and elsewhere here in Zi-yon. Don't get me wrong, that makes perfect sense in the desert where we live; we need every drop we can get. Bishop Christensen, who was raised in Seattle in constant "moisture" mentioned how odd that bit of prayer language is to him and apparently he isn't the only one who feels that way.

A while ago, Alison Gibbs received a musical message from her very creative and humorous older brother, Robby. It was a very peppy little song sung as only Robert can. It said in part: "Thanks for the moisture, thanks for the moisture, thanks for the moisture on this rainy rainy day." Today those words cycled through my head, with the word snowy substituted for rainy.


I am pleased we had rain rather than snow for the last few days, otherwise we would be buried in several feet of "moisture."

That's all for now.

OXO

D.

Tabernacle Update

There is already a push underway to rebuild the tabernacle. You can read about it here.

Emily found this photo online today. It was taken by Mayor Curtis, who was allowed to enter the building. Pretty sad.

And have a look at this photo also found by Emily. In Latin America this would become a sacred relic and form the centerpiece of a pilgrimage shrine.


D.

A Tragic Loss

Early Friday morning (17 December) the Provo Tabernacle was destroyed by fire. The roof collapsed around 6:00 A.M. The fire wasn't completely extinguished until Saturday night. The fire was a tragedy because they are not sure if it can rebuilt. That is still to be determined. Of course, even a building that is gone (Nauvoo Temple) can be rebuilt. It is just that with President Hinckley gone I don't know if the church will have the will to do it. I certainly hope so. The building we knew and loved had already been "restored." It was where our stake held conference during our entire married life. We attended concerts, scout speech contests, and seminary graduations there as well. The tabernacle was tightly woven into the fabric of our familly.

An early view with the tower intact and the original
Pioneer Tabernacle still visible on the left

The interior view from near where we usually sat

The stand, podium, and organ, now gone

Fire fighters trying to extinguish the fire

This is how it looked this morning in the rain --
it felt like the heavens were weeping

My greatest fear, as I mentioned, is that the church won't have the will to rebuild it. Following is a photo of the Summit Stake Tabernacle demolished in 1971 during the night (to prevent preservationists from interfering). It was demolished to make way for a new and more functional church building. I fear the same fate for our tabernacle, though hopefully President Hinckley left a strong legacy of preservation.

Summit Stake Tabernacle in Coalville

The building that replaced it

This all makes me very sad.

That's all for now.

OXO

D.

A Holiday Concert

Yesterday, 15 December, Katy arrived in SLC and Kris and I picked her up. We lunched at Greek Souvlaki and then drove through Salt Lake (twice because of a wrong turn on I-80).

Emily came by the house after the kids finished school so they could see Katy and she invited us to accompany them to Wasatch's choir program. It was really good!

Thankfully, there was nothing even close to Frosty the Snowman or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, both of which I really don't care for even the tiniest bit. Instead they sang numbers like I Saw Three Ships, Il Est Ne (3rd Grade Choir [in very-good French]), Ding! Dong! Merrily on High, Pie Jesu, Handel's O Sing Out With Pleasure, and Thank You Very Much from Scrooge, all of which I adore! Well done Max and the "Best School in the Land!"

Young Mawell Gaylord Ensign of
the Wasatch School 5th grade

Please be sure to enlarge this one and look at the
young lass two away from Max: hysterical!

Mr. Peterson conducts the Concert Choir

The happy and well-rewarded concert goers

This music program is all run by volunteers without any budget, and they practice before and after school. The commitment paid off because the 3rd Grade Choir and Max's Concert Choir are both really are great!

Thanks for the invitation, Emily. This was a holiday highlight.

That's all for now.

OXO

D.

Thanksgiving Week 2010

This has been an eventful and fun Thanksgiving week. Just about week ago on Saturday, the weather people were predicting the storm of the decade: a full-on, two-day blizzard just like Little House on the Prairie. In preparation, we madly cleared all the leaves from the yard before it was buried in several feet of snow. Well, the storm stayed north of here and we escaped untouched. Maren and Gavin encountered a bit of it further south as they traveled through the mountain passes on I-15 the next day. They were hung up on the highway for quite some time until Gavin made a sneaky run up the middle between all the cars and semis that were stalled on the slick and snowy roads. They arrived a few hours later than expected to a joyous welcome from the cousins on Sunday evening.

Monday, Kris and I both had work, but Tuesday we went to the BYU MOA for a look at the Carl Bloch exhibit, which is quite wonderful, in spite of several families with screaming and crying babies and small children in those echo-prone spaces.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and a small gathering of the family met here for dinner. Emily and family went to Jayson's sister's, Anna and family are in VA, and Katy is with them. So it was just 10 of us for dinner.

Friday, Auntie Em very kindly volunteered to baby sit while we went to the movies with Maren and Gavin. We saw the latest edition of Harry Potter, which we enjoyed quite a lot. Last night we went to SLC for Greek food and a swing around Temple Square to see the lights. Millie, Colton, and family joined us and introduced a new wrinkle into the tradition. We parked at Gateway and rode TRAX three stops to Temple Square. It was great fun -- Salt Lake really is a wonderful place, particularly at Christmas.

This morning we awakened to snow -- not the blizzard of the decade, but serious snow. We got the driveway cleared, Gavin got their car packed, and the Youngs are now on their way to Las Vegas. They scored a very inexpensive room at the Bellagio and will stop there for the night, continuing on to Phoenix tomorrow.

Rushing to get the leaves raked before the storm
that never materialized here

Max, Lizzie, and Ollie welcome the cousins

Getting reacquainted with a larger Beck

Tuesday at the MOA with Carl Bloch

A very cold nine-degree walk along the newly refurbished
canal walk at BYU on Thanksgiving morning

Those who walked, on the steps near the Maeser Building

The walk finished in the Park with Timp in the distance

The kids' table

Pippy, Beck, Maren, and Gavin

Kris, Meagan, and Phillip (again)

Millie taking family photos on Friday

The sitter tries feeding Beck some Germade

This was a bit of fun

Supper at Greek Souvlakia in SLC

Waiting for TRAX

On the train

Family group at Temple Square

Aren't they cute?

A snowy farewell this morning

We have that melancholy empty-house syndrome today, but will be back at work tomorrow and things should be better. We missed Anna and her family and Katy, and hope they all had a nice holiday in Virginia, too.

That's all for now.

OXO

D.