mormon heritage tour

I have to admit I was skeptical about going on a church history tour. On a bus. For days on end. With strangers. At the mercy of an unknown tour guide. I'm not sure which I was more worried about--the lack of independence or the lack of alone time. Even on family trips with my five favorite people (yes, that's hubby and kids) I get a little on edge about so much compromise and togetherness. So spending two weeks with 52 people? There is no choice in that situation--you just have to go with the flow and hope for the best.

And it was the best! Of course they weren't all strangers--twelve of the passengers were from my family. And certainly the highlight was spending time with my siblings, their spouses, my parents and two teenage nieces. The pleasant surprise, however, was the joy it was to get to know the "strangers." They weren't strange at all. They were just like all my favorite people I've collected throughout life, but with new faces and names. I wouldn't go so far as to say we had "the movie-star, the professor, and Marianne," but we did have a cast of characters. Each so different--some a bit mysterious, others outright hilarious, yet all aboard with a unifying purpose. To trace the footsteps of early pioneers.

What is the point? Sometimes I've wondered that, too. Our mormon culture seems to nearly worship pioneers. What with trek reenactments, movies, mega-series novels, and vast merchandising. But there is something about it that won me over--not only did I learn the history of my own heritage, my own ancestors, but I felt an emotional connection to these actual people who came before. I felt not only a deep gratitude, but also a spiritual kinship. I can't presume to relate to the hardships of the pioneers, but I can try to comprehend it. And I can hope I would be as faithful and courageous. I can probably even meet my own trials and concerns with more faith and courage.

We tend to romanticize the aspects of daily pioneer living: baking bread in a brick oven, dipping candles, weaving rugs, building furniture with hand tools. But really, it all looks exhausting. On top of all that arduous work, heap a pile of illness, pestilence, and persecution. And then in the middle of that, build a temple. It's almost too much to fathom. The only explanation is FAITH. It was so humbling to step back in time, and encounter such great faith.

on such a winter's day

Road trip! 

Wish we were on one right now. It's so cold outside, I'm California dreaming. 

So here are a million pictures of our Christmas in paradise.

In-and-out Burger

Holy Cow! A SLO classic: the Madonna Inn Chocolate cake.

Boy cousins

Happy Birthday, Maia!

 Favorite past-time at Grandpa's house: Golf Cart!

Climbing "indian rock" in front of the house

Camille and Berk observing birthing season for the elephant seals

Grandpa and Grandma, great hosts and tour guides

Caitlin and Sydney

Even the dirt and sand in California look golden!

Madelyn and Maia

Yes, Sydney really does wear her 3D glasses (sans lenses) ALL the time!

Decorating cookies for Santa

Girl cousins

Boy cousins

Christmas Eve feast

and program

New Christmas eve nightgowns and grandma O's custom caps

Chocolate fountain! Thanks, Danny!

Christmas day--Grandma A's custom aprons. Lucky girls!

 

This flock of wild turkeys visited us every day to pilfer pomegranates

Berkeley's happy place.

Mike's happy place: Chili Peppers in downtown SLO.

 I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Oregonian, but right about February, I fantasize about defecting. 

Oh, but look at the weather report! It's raining there today. Ha ha!

holiday stress

Maybe it's the sugar overload. Or the travel overload. Or the schedule overload. This Christmas is less relaxed than Christmases past. Here are the lists I made when I got up this morning.

 To-do lists for myself and each kid. Pack list for California. Shopping list. Maia's birthday party list.

On a happier note, my niece Jessica got married in the Portland temple last weekend and we were able to travel to both beautiful Oregon receptions.

And as an added bonus, we got a picture of our whole family smiling (sort of) and facing the same direction (sort of) in the temple atrium. Hooray! That is a rare occasion, indeed.

there's no business like show business

BFFs: emily, katie, maia, and syd

For days I've been waiting for the girls to crash or meltdown or both. The late nights, irregular mealtimes, the spotlights, the chaos, the constant party backstage, the make-up touch-ups, the braiding and rebraiding of the hair, the stress, the fun, the hilarity...but these girls are superstars. They have taken it all in stride. In fact, I'll just be honest, I'm the only one who has had any meltdowns around here lately. The post-play let-down is a bit brutal.

So as reality sets back in, I keep coming back to the question--is it all worth it?

I've been ambivalent about "Annie, Get Your Gun!" all along, for various reasons. Some of which I've already written about. But I didn't even know until last week that this version isn't the same as the one we saw this summer. When I saw the "revival" ending, in which Frank throws the match because Annie is throwing the match, I felt enormous relief. Great job, Rogers and Hammerstein, on fixing an adorable yet flawed storyline. Both the gender-tension and the race-insensitivity are toned down to a palatable level. Toss out "I'm An Indian Now," and "Annie's" songs are among the most catchy and comical of all the musicals out there. It is a darling, entertaining play.

there's no business like show business. i'm in the middle, second row.

"Moonshine Lullaby." my trio with new friends, Erin and Margaret

steve ashby with his dinner-run daughters

But still, is being in a play worth the time and effort? The neglect of other areas of life? The delusion that because something is all-encompassing it is actually important? Here are the "lessons learned" I've come up with to justify the last couple of months. I learned to smile, cooperate, dance (sort of), and harmonize while spinning. I have marveled at the talents of others and enjoyed seeing them get their time in the spotlight. Even though some, like Heidi, Heidi, Judy, Jill, Julianna, and Laura weren't under the literal lights. I just can't believe how amazing they are. Old friendships were strengthened and new friendships were made. Plus, it was fun!

waiting in the wings for their time on stage

I could do a whole blogpost on lessons learned from ballroom dancing. I had to deal with some of my issues--like following someone else's lead, spinning, wearing something too beautiful to hide in, falling backward hoping someone is there to do the catching, physical coordination, and overall exposing myself to scrutiny. All of those facets of fear turned into great learning experiences. Plus, again, it was fun! 

curtain call, with my brave and dashing dance partner, Steve

It may be a once in a decade experience, but it has been unforgettable and I wouldn't do anything different--except maybe feel less conflicted about it from the start.

Let's go on with the show!