15 years!

On August 3, Alfredo and I celebrated our 15th Anniversary.  We went out to dinner.  I should have made reservations but I didn't...it was a Wednesday evening so I didn't expect it to be very busy.  We planned to go to a new restaurant because one of my students gave me a gift card for the restaurant.  But we picked a bad night...they had some kind of big celebration going on and they were pretty busy.  The hostess said she could get us in in 35- 45 minutes.  So we went across the street to City Creek and did a little shopping.  Then we headed back to the restaurant 45 minutes later and she was waiting for two tables to leave...they had already paid their bill and were just talking so she thought it would be any minute.  We sat and waited for about 20 minutes and finally decided to go somewhere else.  Like I said,  I should have gotten reservations.  So instead we headed to Brio, an Italian restaurant at City Creek.  We've passed it a number of times but have never eaten there.  They only had a five minute wait, happily.   And the food was delicious.  We sat outside where it was quiet and peaceful.  It ended up being really lovely.

Alfredo had the crab crusted salmon.  I had the gorgonzola crusted beef medallions with haricot vert and mashed potatoes.   I wasn't sure what haricot vert was so we googled it.  It's a fancy name for green beans.  We also had an appetizer of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, greens and balsalmic vinegar.  Everything was absolutely delicious!

Alfredo's food

My food

The appetizer

15 things I love about Alfredo:
1.  He works really hard.
2.  He makes us laugh.
3.  He knows how to do home improvements and makes our home a really nice place to live.  He's almost always planning or working on some type of home improvement project.
4.  He enjoys traveling.  We take a vacation every year and I have been to so many new places.
5.  He supports me in my callings, responsibilities and all the things I want to do.
6.  He encourages me to be a little braver and try things I wouldn't try on my own.
7.  He is very organized...which I both love and it sometimes drives me a tiny bit crazy since I am not.
8.  He is a good dad.  He teaches our girls lots of things.  He listens to them and attends their events and helps them.
9.  He is a great cook.  I do most of the cooking but he makes the best tacos, empanadas, burgers, pico de gallo, flan, eggs, spaghetti, carne asada and other foods.
10.  He keeps our yard looking so nice.  I help somewhat, but he does the majority of the yard work, planting, watering, and so on.
11.  He is supportive of me spending time with friends. I don't go out with friends often because I don't want to be away from my girls too much, but I go to book club once a month and occasionally to dinner or a movie with friends.  He always encourages me to go and makes sure he can be home so I can go.
12.  He is a loyal friend.  He has a small circle of friends, but he would do anything for those he considers a friend.
13.  He gives really good backrubs.
14.  He gives wonderful, thoughtful gifts.
15.  We have been through some great times and some challenges, but he is always there and works with me to make things work.
I love you, Alfredo!

Pioneer Day

On Saturday, July 23, we went to Leo and Annette's house for a Pioneer Day barbecue.  I had just gotten home from Trek that afternoon so it was nice to be able to relax with friends and have such a delicious dinner.

We had ribs, sausage, grilled pineapple, grilled corn, grilled onions, salad, steak with chimichurri sauce, flan, and watermelon.  I had two plates full of food.  So. Very. Delicious.

 The kids all "practiced driving" and played happily with each other.  It was fun to watch them.  And we did a few fireworks. Then we climbed on the roof and watched fireworks happening around the area.  It was a great night!!

Trek

Our stake did a pioneer trek for the youth from July 20-23.  I was asked to participate as part of the food committee.  I am so glad I was able to go;  it was a wonderful experience.   My experience, obviously, was different than the youth and leaders who pulled the handcarts.  I was driven to the different locations and helped prepare and serve and clean up the food.  I served with great people and really enjoyed getting to know several members of my stake better.

One of my two pioneer outfits.
 

The area we did trek in was a bit desolate. It had some beauty but I just kept thinking about the pioneers.  Many of them had lived in the east in beautiful areas filled with trees and greenery...and they traveled for weeks or even months through this dry, dusty, fairly desolate land.  They must have felt discouraged at times to consider what they had left behind.   And yet they must have been filled with hope that they would "find the place which God for [them] prepared, far away, in the west.  Where none would come to hurt or make afraid."  (Come, Come Ye Saints.  Hymn 30)  Along with the greater suffering that some experienced (losing loved ones, suffering hunger, illness, pain, etc.), they must have been hot, dirty and tired.  And after pulling their handcarts all day (not knowing how far exactly they would go or where they would stop to rest), they still had to prepare their own food.  Our experiences were only a small representation of what they endured.  I have always loved and felt thankful for the pioneers, but that feeling of gratitude increased tremendously.

The youth were put into families with a ma and pa.  I was so impressed by most of them.  They were strong, physically and spiritually.  They were willing to work hard and work together even though they hadn't really known most of their "family" until trek.  Most of the youth (as well as the leaders) maintained such a positive attitude...even when you could tell they were in pain or it was difficult.  And they learned they could do hard things which is a valuable lesson.

My favorite part was the women's pull.  I was able to participate.  The women's pull was one mile long, which isn't too far.  But it was uphill so that made it more challenging.  For the first little leg, I was in the back and that wasn't easy but it wasn't too bad.  But then we took a short water break and moved around and so I went to the front.  That was much harder and I felt tired very quickly.  I really wasn't sure that I could make the mile (which was frustrating because I'd been exercising all summer and walking 3 miles, 4 days a week).  But the young woman next to me, Veronica, was so upbeat and so excited to be in the front because it was hard.  I figured if she could do it, I could too.  So I said a prayer and kept putting one foot in front of the other.  And it quickly got easier.  Partly because we got help... some of our kitchen staff had decided to participate in the women's pull and some had decided not to.  But at maybe the halfway point or a little past, they joined us.  Telsie said that she had just prayed to Heavenly Father to help because it was hard (those handcarts are heavy) and she called out to us to look up.  She looked up and there were the other women from the kitchen staff.  Her response was, "Heavenly Father, that was fast!  And I can see these angels."  And it did help adding another person to our cart.  But to me, the most remarkable part was when we reached near the end.  All of the men and young men were lining both sides of the path with their hats off.  We had been instructed that at that point, everyone was to be silent.  And the men/young men were instructed not to help us even if it was hard for them to watch.  Well, as we pulled alongside them, the cart was suddenly lighter.  My energy felt renewed and it felt as if we suddenly had many more people pulling with us.  Although I could see them and see that they weren't touching our carts, their strength was added to ours and the last bit of the journey was the easiest...and the most spiritual.  There is real power in the priesthood...and there is help from both sides of the veil.  I don't know if angels came and helped us with the women's pull...although I believe it is possible.  But I have learned this summer that"those that be with us are more than those who be with them."  That angels, seen and unseen, are sent by our Father to help us.  And I have learned that our loving Father is always there and knows exactly what we need.  Yesterday, Deseret Book posted this quote from Wendy Ulrich, "There are many reasons we keep God at a distance, all the while thinking He is the one who chooses to stay away."  I am thankful that He continues to find ways to help me know He is there...even when I occasionally find myself keeping Him at a distance rather than allowing Him to fully succor me.  How very thankful I am for my knowledge of the gospel and for the precious experiences I have had this summer that have strengthened my faith!!

Gabby is 8!

Today is Gabby's 8th birthday. She will have a party on Saturday and she will get baptized on Saturday, September 3.  It is hard for me to believe that my baby girl is already 8.  They are all 3 growing so fast!

We had Carey take Gabby's baptism photos.  They turned out beautifully.  I am so happy with them.  Here are a few of my favorites.

The girls and I love this cute, creative photo since it was so clever.  The dress Gabby chose for her baptism is definitely a "princess" type dress.  It's not what I would have chosen...I would have chosen something much simpler...but it fits her and she loves it.  And she does look darling in it!

8 of Gabby's favorite things at age 8:

1.  Playing with her friends.

2.  Piano.

3.  Dancing.  (She starts at Shellie's school of dance in September and she is so excited!)

4.  Playing outside.

5.  Going to church.

6. Traveling...going on trips.

7.  Spending time with her family.

8.  Liv and Maddie show.

 8 things Gabby doesn't like:

1.  cooked vegetables

2.  going on hikes (I'm working on changing that!)

3. getting hurt

4.  doing chores

5.  being one of the smallest kids in her class

6.  being sick

7.  being called my "baby"

8.  being bossed around by her big sisters

 

Los Angeles Temple and Holocaust Museum

It's a tradition that whenever we visit a city that has a temple, we walk around the grounds and take photos.  We've walked around the grounds of the LA Temple before but it was several years ago.  So we went again.  Some of my favorite photos from our trip to LA were taken at the Los Angeles Temple.  I love my family and I am thankful that they are sealed to me.  I am so thankful that families can truly be together forever.

After walking around the grounds of the LA Temple, we headed to the LA Museum of the Holocaust.  I didn't think about it at the time, but in a very real way we paid tribute to my children's heritage on both sides of the family that day by visiting the LDS temple and then going to a museum to learn about the holocaust.  Many of my ancestors were pioneers and sacrificed much to live the gospel.  And Alfredo is a Jew. 

The museum was amazing.  I could have spent all day there.  It's not a very big museum but it has an audio tour and it packs a lot of information into a small space.  You go into about 8 different rooms with displays and then there are numbers you press on the audio tour to hear about the different artifacts, people and events.  Some of the audio portions describe the events/timeline of the Holocaust and WWII. Others describe artifacts from that time period.  Most tell about individuals...some survivors, some who perished in the camps or from the war.

Many parts of the museum and the audio tour brought me to tears. The two rooms that impacted me the most were a room that told stories of specific individuals who survived the camps and a room that told about individuals who worked to save and protect the Jews. 

Examples of the stars that Jews were required to wear as well as a Torah scroll.

Clothing, socks, shoes removed from Jews as they entered concentration camps.  Some of them were from very small children.

 As I mentioned, the tour brought me to tears multiple times.  But there was one room/one display that affected me emotionally more than any other.  This room was actually outside the museum.  You enter a room where there are all these holes drilled into the wall.  There's a sign that explains that each hole represents one of the 1.2 million children who died during the holocaust.  The holes are different sizes to represent the different ages.  There is a small table that had slips of paper with a photograph and a name of a Jewish child.  You could write a message or a note on the slip of paper and then you rolled it up and stuck it into a hole.  Some people had spelled out messages.  I wrote, "We will never forget."  It is so hard to comprehend the evil, prejudice, racism and hatred that had to exist to allow such a tragedy to happen (and unfortunately, this is just one of many tragedies that has occurred in recent history).  But I hope that we, as a society, can learn from this horror and prevent anything like this from happening in the future.  I fear maybe we haven't.

Love and Hope...what we need to prevent the holocaust from happening again.

After the museum visit, we had just a little bit of time before we needed to head to the airport.  We were hungry so we went to get food...Chinese food and ice cream.  The ice cream was delicious!!  (But Gabby was mad that we got one ice cream to share instead of getting individual ice creams.)

Then we headed to the airport to come back home.  It was a great trip!!