Photo dump time! I have a quiet moment, but the stillness rarely lasts long. Looking back to the end of April, our family attended a Donor Connect event at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center. The event celebrated the many heroes who have given life through organ donation. Recipients were invited to participate too. Kind of heavy stuff, but they kept it light with a fun, carnival-like atmosphere. Nothing says Utah like a dirty soda bar!
I kind of feel like I should end the post right here. Thinking about the gift granted us by Annika's organ donor, anything else seems trivial. Every day we are grateful. I wish I could hug her donor's family, cry with them, and thank them for giving her a fresh start.
Never one to waste an opportunity, Annika seized the day with artisan cheese and fine chocolate. We went to a foodie event at the Natural History Museum and were delighted but unsurprised to discover Spackmans (of the Neal and Eden variety) checking in at the same time,
Caputo's samples were delicious. While Utah boasts a surprisingly robust handcrafted chocolate scene, this selection included a Lithuanian chocolatier as well.
As delicious as the chocolate was, I enjoyed the cheese even more.
Once our bellies were satisfied, we moved on to appreciate the dinosaurs. These guys are the real millennials.
May the 4th be with you on Star Wars Day! We had a delightful celebration with the Millcreek Wheelers and the Wheeler grandparents.
Grandma Susie and Grandpa Charles shared a delicious post-Easter ham dinner and Brianna made bread. Yum!
Marshmallow is still the cutest bunny all year round.
Naturally Annika decided to get her face painted like a wolf because...why not? She's just a girl who loves wolves.
Ruby the artist, hard at work.
Violet makes a stinkin' cute kitty.
After our Star Wars dinner we headed over to Abravanel Hall where Talia was performing with YACP. It was a pretty monumental celebration! 40 year anniversary of the orchestra, commemoration for their beloved conductor Jack Ashton, and Senior night.
They had so many alumni return to perform with the orchestra that they had to turn some away because there was no more room on the stage. I felt touched to witness such a powerful moment. Jack never had much in terms of worldly wealth, but the number of lives that he impacted through music is remarkable. Whether performing with the Utah Symphony, teaching high school orchestra, or conducting the Young Area Chamber Players, he mentored innumerable youth to become better musicians and better people.
As for our sweet Talia, she got a personal call-out on the Abravanel stage for her crocheting skills because of the s'mores dinosaur that she gave Sugar following her father Jack's passing. Yes, Sugar is really a name and s'mores dinosaurs are really a thing.
They honored Jack with a reception full of all his bad jokes, some of which are inappropriate and the rest of which scourge violists.
Talia, we are so very proud of you an all the hard work you've dedicated to become such an accomplished musician. I'll miss hearing your violin in the early hours of the morning more than you'll ever know! I hope you'll keep playing at BYU and beyond. (Maybe you can convince Brooklyn to join you too--wink, hint. We miss her cello as well!)
All musicians have to start somewhere which brings us to...Cinco de Mayo! I had the best time helping chaperone Aunt Callie's amazing mariachi band as they performed at the City library and City offices. These elementary schoolers sounded as sharp as they look.
If you'd told Callie and I that some day she would teach violin and our children would play string instruments, we would have laughed in your face. We were band nerds supreme--fiercely loyal to all wind insruments. But hey, the world has a strange way of coming full circle.
\This smoking dessert is sure to keep the flame alive for another twenty plus years.
I love you Peanut Butter! Thanks for sticking to your Jelly, not only when the tulips shine but during colder seasons when the bulbs are tucked away waiting to blossom again.
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