The wedding plans continue for a July 1st wedding. Karlan Richards, a wonderful cousin of Alan's, gave Anne and Loren a family Bridal Shower at her home. It was so fun to see everyone we love so much, on both sides of the family, come and support the kids. Everyone brought a favorite family recipe and the happy couple went home with a "family cookbook." It was great fun and very much appreciated. We have such a big family, I hope Anne isn't too overwhelmed!
We've included a few engagement photos in the slide show. You can click Anne and Loren Engagement Photos to see additional pictures.
May is always the month of concerts and recitals at our house! Alan and I performed in 3 spring chorale concerts. This year as a gift, one of our concerts was professionally filmed and recorded so we are excited to see and hear it. Since we stand on the back row, we really have no idea how any of our songs sound until we get to hear a recording!
Elliot and Clark both performed in a Percussion Recital, a Percussion Concert and a Band Concert. Elliot also performed in Madeleine's String's Concert. All the music was great and the boys got to play a variety of instruments including marimba, vibraphone, drum set, snare drum, shekere, piano, buckets and a keytar! See some sample videos: Clark on the vibraphone, Clark playing the buckets with several others, and Elliot playing a duet with his teacher, Dan Chamberland.
Madeleine performed in a Chamber Concert and a Strings Concert. They were extra special because they were her last Waterford Concerts. Mrs. Morris, her teacher and good friend was teary saying her good-bye to all the Seniors. Madeleine played really well and even sat first chair first violinist for one number. The strings program has been such a great opportunity for Madeleine — she will miss it greatly and always remember it fondly.
Of course the highlight of Mothers day was our phone call to Phillip in Madrid Spain! We got to talk to him for about an hour and it was just great to sit around the family room and listen to him tell us all about life as a missionary in Spain. We all got a chance to "update" him about things that are going on here. He sounded happy and well, which is what every missionary mom is listening for. That is our last phone call to Spain because he will be here for Christmas. We will however be getting to talk to Tess in Poland! I think we figured out that we will have 5 years of continuous missionary service from our family. We feel truly blessed!
Pat and Wally joined us later in the day for dinner (they missed the phone call because they were flying home from NY) and as we were sitting around visiting afterwards, we heard a knock at the door and discovered that Wally's 1st cousin Louis Turner and her husband Elmo and their girls Jill and Jean had been driving in the neighborhood and stopped to see if we were home for a visit. It was such a lovely surprise. It reminded me of being a child and being taken around on Sundays to visit family members — we should all do it more!
Later that week, I picked up Lois and Elmo from the nursing home where Lois was spending some time and took them to visit Aunt Shirley at Sandy Regional. It was a great surprise for Shirley and a wonderful visit for all of us. I loved hearing them reminisce about growing up on Berrett Lane. They were so sweet to Shirley.
Our weekend was busy with suit shopping (Loren's birthday present), taking flowers to cemeteries, and two fun barbeques. We spent Sunday night with our friends and neighbors, the Lundgrens and their kids. We had dinner and had fun playing a variety of games. Monday we spent the evening with Pat and Wally and their friends from Nepal: Ram and Urmila. Wally barbequed and we enjoyed cream cheese brownies that Clark made for dessert. In between all, Tess and I worked on mission stuff and Loren and Anne worked on wedding invites — very busy time for everyone!
The last Friday in May was the Draper Temple Celebration for which our teenagers have all been rehearsing the past several months. It involved the whole temple district which includes 25 stakes — around 7,000 youth. It was a fabulous program held at the Conference Center and attended by President Monson, President Eyring and many other church authorities. It was broadcast to the stake centers which is where we were able to watch it. It was a great experience for the kids which I'm sure they will always remember.
The day after the big temple celebration we took Tess to the Draper Temple to receive her endowments. It was such a great experience for her and those of us with her. She was well prepared and already has a good strong testimony of the gospel that she is eager to share with the people in Poland. There is no feeling to compare with having your children in the temple with you — a truly special day in our family.
We celebrated Loren's 24th and Tess's 21st birthdays that evening after we returned home from the temple. Loren needed a new suit for the wedding and Tess needed mission things, so it was a year of practical gifts. We had a birthday dinner with an oatmeal birthday cake. With all the celebrating we have been doing around here lately, It will be a miracle if I don't gain 20 lbs!
The Seniors at Waterford have a "cross dressing day". So Madeleine donned a pair of khaki pants and a school tie and became one of the guys.