A GammPottsie Day!

Truth be told, it was really a Pottsie Day.

I was called to play with the Utah Symphony for their Lollipops Concert, a performance especially designed for very young audiences. I knew how much the girls would enjoy "Carnival of the Animals" with all the dancers, so I arranged for tickets and invited Lily, Kylie, Evylee (and Potts) to come along.

The girls dressed up in their finest!

Before the performance, the girls had fun trying out all kinds of instruments at the "petting zoo."

They enjoyed the morning performance, and while I played the second, Potts gave them a tour of Temple Square. 

I walked over to meet them,

and we enjoyed a tasty lunch together at a nearby Wendy's.

What a GREAT time we had. 

LOVE you girls

and you too, Potts!

Because I Happened to Be There...

LOVED our days in Seattle.

It gave Randy the chance to photograph the kids. It's been a while.

Jenni hoped for a couple to hang in her music room.

SO CUTE!!

Met Tim for lunch at University Village.

Despite the chilly weather, the kids had a ball playing in the fountains.

Worried about the increasingly bad weather through Snoqualmie Pass, we gave Randy, Audrey, and Matthew our goodbye hugs. I would be flying home in three days.

Jenni, asked if I might hang around for a while to take care of Payton and Sadie. Mark was making a business trip to D.C. and Jenni was hoping to join him and spend a day or two with Emily. Emily and baby AJ would make the two-hour drive from Charlottesville and meet her there. Sounded like a plan!

The kids were as good as gold; we had a such a GREAT time together. 

I got a big kick out of my Sadie! She says the funniest things!

We were watching Mr. Poppers penguins. When Angela Lansbury (age 89) entered the picture as Mrs. Van Gundy, Sadie exclaimed, "Gammie, she looks like YOU!

Hmmm....

What do YOU think?

I know.... SCARY!

The Active Choice

I read some advice in the Reader's Digest once: (I wish I could remember the exact words, but here is the jest of it --)

When faced with a decision, take the active choice rather than the passive one. 

It was noted that an individual would have fewer regrets, if this advice is taken to heart. It's one of my mottos these days, really making life more full and rewarding.

For instance: Jenni called months ago to tell me that Itzhak Perlman would be performing with the Seattle Symphony in February of 2012! I think of any violinist, he has been my greatest inspiration. I have seen him perform three times with the Utah Symphony, the first when I was a sophomore at BYU. The second time I remember my mother rushing us backstage to get his autograph. We weren't even supposed to GO back stage; you'd have to know my mother! (I tried to find my signed program, but it's buried in my memorabilia somewhere. sigh.)

The third time, I was seated just feet away and performed WITH him -- I was a substitute in the second violin section!  

While we were living in Boise, he gave a solo violin recital of sorts performing the entire program with a piano accompaniment. Jenni attended with me -- She was just 10 years old or so, but remembers it well.

Despite the fact that the tickets were over $100, and it would cost to GET to Seattle, I called Jenni on the phone, "You're NOT going to this concert alone; can you get me a ticket?" Then I called Audrey to tell her about what I just did; she and Matthew made the active choice too! We drove to Seattle together (We couldn't really afford two tickets, but Randy came along for the ride, AND to see his grandchildren.)

Perlman performed "Summer" and "Winter" from The Four Seasons then conducted the remainder of the evening's program. When Perlman was just four years old, he contracted polio which left him unable to walk without crutches. He sits to play. He is 67-years-old now, manuevering seems more difficult for him now than even the last time I saw him. But as soon as he places that violin under his chin, you forget that he is disabled at all. He plays with such spirit and passion for music as a whole.

I'm unsure whether polio shortens a life span, but I'm quite certain he will not be concertizing as a violinist much longer. He conducts more than he plays now. I'm so glad we made this trip. What a choice experience to be here with my two violin-playing daughters.

Thanks, Jenni! I really enjoyed seeing Perlman again, but even MORE special than that was the fact that it gave me the chance to be with YOU!

Kale

Inspired by our Sweetheart Dinner at Olive Garden, I decided to find a recipe for their Zuppa Toscana. I guessed that the "green" in the soup was Kale because it remains firm rather than going limp like spinach would.  

I'd never cooked with Kale before, but found two DELICIOUS recipes that I've added to my WINNERS collection.

Kale is extremely healthy food. It is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. Kale contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical with potent anti-cancer properties. Kale is also a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells.

Good enough for me!

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage 

2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices

1 large onions, chopped

¼ cup bacon bits (optional)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups kale or 2 cups swiss chard, chopped

2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth

1 quart water

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Chop or slice uncooked sausage into small pieces.

2. Brown sausage in your soup pot.

3. Add chicken broth and water to pot and stir.

4. Place onions, potatoes, and garlic in pot.

5. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.

6. Add sausage and bacon.

7. Salt and pepper to taste.

8. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

9. Turn to low heat.

10. Add kale and cream.

11. Heat through and serve.

Claudia brought this salad to our Symphony Knitting Group a while back. 

DELICIOUS!

Lori's Kale Slaw

Ingredients

4 cups kale ( shredded)

1/4 cup carrots ( peeled, shredded)

1/2 cup walnuts ( chopped, toasted)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/3 teaspoon curry powder

1/3 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cloves

Directions

1. Combine the kale, carrots and walnuts.

2. Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and spices.

3. Toss with mix.

4. Cover. Chill 1 hour.

Sweetheart Day 2012

We started this tradition when the kids were little ( Feb.1988, I think - the twins were just 6 years old.)  It began as an "etiquette" night the evening of Valentine's Day; we'd dress up, the boys would greet the girls at the front door with flowers, and take us to a "nicer" restaurant, seat us, order for us, etc.

Now that our children each have his/her very own "Sweetheart," this day has become something a bit more meaningful. We begin by attending the temple, serving as proxy sweethearts, sealing husbands and wives together who did not have the opportunity in mortality. I am overwhelmed with feelings of love and gratitude as we are there, each dressed in white (a symbol of cleanliness and purity). I thank my good children and husband too for living their lives in such a way as to enable us to experience this together. 

And then Potts treats us all to dinner. This year we chose Olive Garden. We talk and laugh and fill up a little too much. It's SO much fun! Definitely one of my FAVORITE days of the year! We missed you, Jenni, Mark, Emily, and Joe and hope you had a wonderful Sweetheart Day on your own!

Three New Babies!

I'll be Gammie to three new bundles of joy this year!

David and Katie are expecting baby girl #4 at the end of May.

Audrey and Matthew's first is due the end of August or the first of September.

Michael and Desiree have announced their third should arrive sometime in September.

So much to look forward to!

A Tabernacle Choir "Tour" to Phoenix

February 10-11, 2012

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square were invited to take part in Arizona's Centennial Celebration. 310 choir members, 65 orchestra members, and 40 staff members participated in this quickee tour of just two and a half days!

Friday

We flew out on three commercial flights arriving at the U.S. Airways Center at various times before noon. We were asked to "stay put" until our 3:30 sound check, so Audrey (my adorable roommate for the trip) and I walked around and around the indoor perimeter of the arena chatting merrily and looking longingly out the windows at the warm Arizona sunshine. 

We watched as the arena was made ready...

... and busied ourselves as best we could as we waited patiently for our afternoon sound check.

A time-crunch necessitated a police escort to our hotel for a quick dinner and speedy check-in. 

It was pretty entertaining to watch the seven policemen perform a kind of "leap frog" from intersection to intersection. They stopped traffic so our multiple buses had a clear shot from place to place through the rush-hour traffic.

They performed their duties, then parked and joined us for dinner!

After dinner, we had just enough time to locate our room, throw our bags in...

the view from our room on the ninth floor

... and re-board the buses for our evening concert. People on the streets waved to us as we passed by. 

photo source

As I mentioned before, we performed at the U.S. Airways Center.

We performed for over 20.000 people in our two evening concerts. There was a little something for everyone with a mix of hymns, classics, show tunes, and folk tunes. Both events were great, but Saturday's audience was especially excited and appreciative.

Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer's remarked, "The choir is a magical mix of voices and music bound together by abiding faith... We are especially blessed by this concert... One voice doesn't make a choir and one pioneer doesn't make a state, but together their power and beauty grow beyond our imagination," she said. "We are deeply grateful for that wonderful blessing on behalf of the state of Arizona."

Saturday
Free time until dinnertime! Audrey has many relatives, on the Taylor side of course, who live nearby. Two of Matthew's aunts, his cousin, and grandparents picked us up and treated us to an amazing day.

First a trip to the Zoo. 

(Just in case you are wondering why Audrey and I wore skirts to the zoo -- while we are on tour, we are to dress as missionaries with name tags and all. Besides looking "nice" I think it also helps us remember who we are,  and who we are representing.)

Audrey's Aunt's Lynae and Lynn

Grandma and Grandpa Taylor

I got a kick out of this sign... Hmmm. Go figure.

I think it was nap time for the animals. How do you like this ape under his "Do It Your Self"shade?

This guy was about the only animal awake, and who know, maybe he was asleep too!

After the zoo, lunch at a nearby restaurant culminating with strawberry-topped chocolate cake served as we experienced the Salt River aboard a Pontoon Boat.

Audrey married into a wonderfully kind family!

We finished our festivities just as the Skirt Chaser 5K runners began theirs. What an amazing day!

It was back to the hotel for a rejuvenating nap and dinner -- then off to concert #2.

We flew home early Sunday morning. It was a whirlwind weekend, that's for sure, yet...

so rewarding. 

Thanks, Audrey, for being my roommie! Love you, Sweetheart!