This Christmas, was a miracle.
I can't believe how much I have changed in this year. I started this year one way of being, and things have blossomed and I am, in some ways, changed. What I once was before, I am not anymore. All things are thus, Because of my choices to follow Christ, who is at the forefront of my heart and mind, even if I was, and still not completely one with his heart and mind.
I, like Enos, from the Book of Mormon, have had a wrestle with myself, and God, by part of my family, and the one that I have begun.
It has been a struggle, and there have been times where I was fearful because I believed in the worse outcome of the worse that seemed to be happening around me.
My parents invited me to come home for Christmas.
It was already in the plans that I come, but this year, my second year of marriage with my wife, Sarah Rebecca, was different than previous years. My wife had begun a new job, two or three months ago, giving up herself, for me, so that I may become the person I only had an inkling of knowing I could become. She knew my true potential.
Because of this full-time job, however, Christmas had to be spent among ourselves, and not among our immediate family, because Christmas fell on a Wednesday, and not in conjunction with the weekend (which would have allowed us to have more non-work days to be with family).
So, I had to make a choice about what Christmas was going to be for us.
I decided, in the end that I didn't want to abandon my wife in this Christ-filled holiday. So I didn't, and I spent Christmas with her. And all days preceding the holiday.
This was a struggle, as well. Sarah and I are still trying to find ourselves as a couple. The traditions we want to keep and the ones that are only meh traditions. But also creating new ones altogether that only the John/Sarah Gonzales family will do and make. And because this would be OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS with ourselves and not really anybody else, I knew I wanted my make this one our own, and only ours.
I felt like I had done a poor job, though. Not really, except that leading up to the holiday, on the 22nd, I realized that Sarah had not been feeling FESTIVE, that she was far away from this holiday as anyone ever was. I feel, mostly, because there wasn't a lot of things that she could SEE that she would count as things that were festive in her life. We had done a lot, but in the end, she was still far away from the holiday.
With this realization, came action, to make this a holiday that she would not forget (2/1 nights before Christmas Eve and Day). Yeah, I didn't do a good job leading up to make the holiday feel festive, but I was going to do my best to remedy that with hours to spare before the holiday itself.
The 23rd (next day), I decided to show Sarah that she can love OUR Christmas. And I started with incorporating a tradition of her Mothers that is very dear to her heart, that I had only realized on Sunday the 22nd. It was to decorate a door with wrapping paper to make it look like a gift or present, and stick all the Cards of the season, so that it looks like a present with cards on it. I didn't stop there. I only had hours to get this set up for her in surprise, but I took more money and bought two strings of lights, two Santa hats, two stockings, two garlands, and two more rolls of wrapping paper. And with that, along with a beautiful Christmas tree that Billy (Charles Snead) gave us, I decorated our Home.
I did that, and it was much appreciated, and longed for.
The 24th was not devoid of depressive feelings and sadness, for we still hadn't prepared ourselves for the Nochebuena activities, nor Christmas the next day. Well, after work (Sarah had gotten out before me unnaturally, that day), I joined myself with Sarah and made the most of the time outside of the home.
What Sarah hadn't known, is I had been inspired with a tune, days before, of which I used the 24th to add words and lyrics that fit it, to dedicate as my first song to a Woman (my women) that worked and was appropriate. I had spent a good portion of my last shift doing so, and I came up (miraculously) with four beautiful verses that fit the melody of this line. My plan was to share it with her, and this was the most opportune time, I felt.
It was a gift. For we had spent a couple hours outside the home in Dollar Tree, finding things we need, to give as gifts and useful things to help us organize our home (for we had bought a piece of furniture from IKEA recently). But Sarah's spirits were low. Especially because her plans of making the most of this Christmas, and the money that we had to buy things for organization didn't seem to be coming into fruition. And we were hungry, with no prospect of a meal for that evening, or for Nochebuena.
Well, I had the excuse, but true excuse to separate myself from her, so that I may go to the bathroom, and I was able to go to the nearest Grocery Store, if only but for a minute, while she headed to go to the nearest Other Dollar Tree to search for organization materials that were not present in the store we had gone to. I departed from her, letting her know I would meet her very soon.
At Fryes, after the pressure that was on my bladder that was pressing on me, I picked up several items of food. Something that I greatly wanted to incorporate into traditions. That something was bringing in Cornish Game Hen into the mix. I bought a pack of Cornish Game Hen, and it was glorious, cilantro, a sweet potato pie, two pizzas (cheapest) for our immediate hunger. I was also blessed to pick up a present for Jacob, which was $30 worth of Subway gift cards for he and Audrey (with the stipulation that $10 be for him, $10 for Audrey, and $10 for both of them to share, hehe). The limit was $15, hehe, in our family's secret Santa.
After the meeting Sarah at Dollar Tree, to get things that we both need, and that she needed, she was in a lighter mood, because Dollar Tree was not devoid of the thing/s that she wanted, and she also picked up things for me, and I gave her space so she could keep it a secret. But that made her happy.
We get home. And I tell her that I love her and I listen to her, holding her in our bed. Because the feeling is wavy, and she was feeling low, because of the circumstances of life and her attitude towards the holiday, and generational feelings toward the holiday that was still with her. After hearing her, and listening. I proposed from then, that we would make this our own holiday.
And that one of the first traditions that I wanted to uphold for every Gonzales/Trefflich Christmas hereafter would be for me, at around the 7PM hour on Christmas Eve, to offer blessings to her and to ALL members of our family that I am with (thinking of future children-filled Christmases). And, then afterwards, to share music with her, specifically the song that I had lovingly made for her, called, I Love You, I do!
And that is exactly what I did. And it was glorious.
Then I took over. We watched 'I'll Be Home For Christmas' with Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and we got a visit from our Elders (Boyack and Maughan), and I spent a good majority of that movie watching time making Arroz con Pollo, en estilo Peruano. And I took care of our feast that evening. And it turned out beautiful.
It was really great. Or at least that was my feeling of my first Gonzales/Trefflich-centered Christmas.
I love her and I would do anything for her, especially because she has done so much for me.
This will continue into another blog/journal post about Christmas 2019.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Friday, December 27, 2019
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
12/18
The waves of life pass by soooooo soooooo much!
There are days where I am up and there are days where I am down down down. But then there are times where I am even keel.
Living with another person is always crazy time.
I've had expectations that are inside of me, but that don't get met, because I don't say them.
However, since I found that out, I have gotten a lot better.
And have been more content with life.
The biggest thing that I have had to overcome is my sentiments about a clean home. Sarah and I go up and down with this one.
Sometimes our house is spic and span. And it is like we are conquering the world. But a lot of the time, we have a semi clean house. Which is actually okay. But then there are times where we just let ourselves go, and it is BAD. Or at least what I consider bad.
However, in the end, I just gotta think of all those who have it worst than me. Families who's homes are in disrepair, who can't organize worth a penny, and the feeling is not inviting of the spirit.
Anyways. IN the end, we are super blessed.
There are days where I am up and there are days where I am down down down. But then there are times where I am even keel.
Living with another person is always crazy time.
I've had expectations that are inside of me, but that don't get met, because I don't say them.
However, since I found that out, I have gotten a lot better.
And have been more content with life.
The biggest thing that I have had to overcome is my sentiments about a clean home. Sarah and I go up and down with this one.
Sometimes our house is spic and span. And it is like we are conquering the world. But a lot of the time, we have a semi clean house. Which is actually okay. But then there are times where we just let ourselves go, and it is BAD. Or at least what I consider bad.
However, in the end, I just gotta think of all those who have it worst than me. Families who's homes are in disrepair, who can't organize worth a penny, and the feeling is not inviting of the spirit.
Anyways. IN the end, we are super blessed.
Friday, November 1, 2019
11/1 Brent Jorgensen, Music, My Element
By this time of day, I am so tired (3:59PM), and I really don't know why.
Okay, it could be from the fact that I have been taking really early morning shifts. Today's was 4AM (and so was Wednesday's) which, funnily was another day I was pretty tired, haha.
But, it has been such a good day!
I was beaming earlier. I'll tell you why....
I made a friend here in Arizona. A man by the name of Brent Jorgensen. I had no idea he was alive, or even that I had profound respect for him. But, one day, here in La Rama de Guerrero Park, I was playing Prelude music on the Organ, with the only Organ book I have ever bought in my life. I was on the Organ, because it is my calling...or at least, I have been chosen to fill it for the foreseeable future.
Unbeknownst to me, a man walks up behind me; I look back, and he, smiling, says, You are doing a good job. A nod of acknowledgement from me (and maybe a silent thank you). And then he casually mentions that the book I am playing from is one he wrote. I almost dropped in my seat right there and then. I know a composer. I know a composer!!!!! This couldn't have happened at a most crucial time in my life.
Since then, we have gone from being mere acquaintances to having a relationship of a mentor and a student, but mostly he has become my good friend.
Today, was sooooooo great. I had planned to go see him, as we do every once in a while, and we just talked.
A few weeks ago he had sent me a rough draft of a song he wants to include in one of his newest ideas for a book: A collection of Hymns (melodies) to be played to a piano accompaniment for ALL types of instruments. He is calling it "HYMNALONGS." I love it.
He asked me to come up with ways he can improve the guitar tab portion of a melody. And I told him all my ideas today, after sitting down with him. He even took some of the things I suggested, and in a LIVE phone conversation with his publisher, he told them the ideas I had (which were to not include a chord diagram chart in the easy piano book, but to include only chord names).
Then as I was to leave him, he gave me a Gift. Before he had left on a week long trip, he asked me if I had any requests of his works, and as he was in Utah visiting the Publisher, he got all that I requested, and a little more. I was so happy!
I am so excited!
I am in my element!
This is what I was meant to do.
It is what makes me really happy. Really happy.
Onward and upwards!
Okay, it could be from the fact that I have been taking really early morning shifts. Today's was 4AM (and so was Wednesday's) which, funnily was another day I was pretty tired, haha.
But, it has been such a good day!
I was beaming earlier. I'll tell you why....
I made a friend here in Arizona. A man by the name of Brent Jorgensen. I had no idea he was alive, or even that I had profound respect for him. But, one day, here in La Rama de Guerrero Park, I was playing Prelude music on the Organ, with the only Organ book I have ever bought in my life. I was on the Organ, because it is my calling...or at least, I have been chosen to fill it for the foreseeable future.
Unbeknownst to me, a man walks up behind me; I look back, and he, smiling, says, You are doing a good job. A nod of acknowledgement from me (and maybe a silent thank you). And then he casually mentions that the book I am playing from is one he wrote. I almost dropped in my seat right there and then. I know a composer. I know a composer!!!!! This couldn't have happened at a most crucial time in my life.
Since then, we have gone from being mere acquaintances to having a relationship of a mentor and a student, but mostly he has become my good friend.
Today, was sooooooo great. I had planned to go see him, as we do every once in a while, and we just talked.
A few weeks ago he had sent me a rough draft of a song he wants to include in one of his newest ideas for a book: A collection of Hymns (melodies) to be played to a piano accompaniment for ALL types of instruments. He is calling it "HYMNALONGS." I love it.
He asked me to come up with ways he can improve the guitar tab portion of a melody. And I told him all my ideas today, after sitting down with him. He even took some of the things I suggested, and in a LIVE phone conversation with his publisher, he told them the ideas I had (which were to not include a chord diagram chart in the easy piano book, but to include only chord names).
Then as I was to leave him, he gave me a Gift. Before he had left on a week long trip, he asked me if I had any requests of his works, and as he was in Utah visiting the Publisher, he got all that I requested, and a little more. I was so happy!
I am so excited!
I am in my element!
This is what I was meant to do.
It is what makes me really happy. Really happy.
Onward and upwards!
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
10/30 Thoughts and Feelings on Being asked to Bless Nelly Nicoll Orellana Garza (baby) and Genesis Nevaeh Garza
A few days ago, we had just barely arriving home from our less than 24 hour trip to California for the Alfred Hitchcock'ed themed Halloween Party as put on by Lynn, one of Sarah's best friends, and a family that has always been there for Sarah.
I even had a concert that same afternoon for MCC, that was inspired, and there was a lot of music devoted to Our Lord, as performed by Canto Vivo-Dr. Peterson's other choir.
As we were arriving, I got the sad news that Jacob is still very much having a difficult time with his anxiety and the medicine, which seems to be doing nothing.
It had been a good long Day, but Sarah and it wasn't over yet.
Sarah had gotten a text from la hermana Maricela Garza, mom of seven kids and daughter of a super active member of the church, Maria.
We have been working hard to build relationships with the family and kids.
She had asked for a blessing for her newly born daughter.
Maricela then asked if she could have her babies blessed in front of the Church, a Child's blessing and the giving the child a name.
She then asked me if I could perform the ordinance. I was shocked and really truly honored and touched that she would extend this invitation to me, since her boyfriend is not a member of the church.
I never thought that I would be given the opportunity before my own children to perform this kind of thing. Not only that, but I will probably have to do it in Spanish, even though Maricela speaks perfect English.
I don't know really how it is that I could be this chosen vessel. It is really amazing, something words can't describe, and when my own babies come, I will be ready, or flooded with a sense of awe at those of my kids that have come to this Earth, and now, I can bless with my voice, as spokesman for Heavenly Father.
9/23
My classes are doing soooooooooo good right now!
I haven't really talked about them too much, at all. Or at least an update.
Well, I went from having 2 classes:
Aural Perception and Music Theory I---
to adding another 2-3ish classes:
German Diction
Concert Choir &
Private one-on-one Voice lessons with Leia Wasbotten
And let me tell you, it's been absolutely my element---you know, my jam.....something I have been missing all my life. Something I wish I had done more development with in the past. But now I'm doing it, and it's onward and upward from here. Sky's the limit and I've never been happier.
When I added the new 3 classes on the first day of school, my hardest class turned out to be German Diction. And by the Grace of God, for some reason, I had felt a couple of months beforehand to do some study of German on DuoLingo.
Anyways, for the first time in forever, I don't feel like a failure in College.
I haven't really talked about them too much, at all. Or at least an update.
Well, I went from having 2 classes:
Aural Perception and Music Theory I---
to adding another 2-3ish classes:
German Diction
Concert Choir &
Private one-on-one Voice lessons with Leia Wasbotten
And let me tell you, it's been absolutely my element---you know, my jam.....something I have been missing all my life. Something I wish I had done more development with in the past. But now I'm doing it, and it's onward and upward from here. Sky's the limit and I've never been happier.
When I added the new 3 classes on the first day of school, my hardest class turned out to be German Diction. And by the Grace of God, for some reason, I had felt a couple of months beforehand to do some study of German on DuoLingo.
Anyways, for the first time in forever, I don't feel like a failure in College.
Monday, September 23, 2019
9/23 Sedona and the Inspiration to Travel to Eastern Europe
It has been just a crazy time in my life...
Let me explain.
Really, I am just trying to be a good husband. Following the spirit, and getting better at listening to Sarah and showing Love for her in the ways that she needs.
About 2 weeks ago, before we took our trip to Sedona, we had gotten into a fight. It was a very hard fight on me. Although, something that I need to do is not to get soooooooooo defensive, and I have been working on that. However, this day, I felt that Sarah didn't recognize the LOVE, the love that I show her on a daily basis. The problem was that I had been complaining about not having enough time. I have a mindset of the fact that TIME just doesn't ever allow me to have time for myself. But Sarah had said something that truly ate away at me, because she had said that I don't really care about her. After she said it, though, she knew, at least about that, that she had been in the wrong, at least about that. I guess it is that I HAD been showing her love, but it wasn't in the ways that were meeting her needs. My ways of showing love, at least two weeks ago, was to be subtle about it, doing things for her without question or thought of myself. But what I found out, is that I needed to change that about myself. So I have been resolving, to show her love in ways that she can see, and that she loves and appreciates. Mostly, it has to do with Holding Her, hugging her, kissing her, laying next to her, being with her, paying attention to her.
However, she also had to learn stuff about me to change the way she loved me. We have understood that one of my weaknesses is that I am not always vocal about my things. That I am not always understood or heard in the time. She has come to learn to read my subtle cues while I try to improve my expression of my needs and desires and wants. It hasn't been perfect, but we are trying.
Haha, we even decided to get away. We left the dreariness of work life and took a day or two off. We took the time to be with each other in a place other than our home, and it was something that we both desperately needed. We decided together to get away, and I chose a place based on suggestions and intuition and we got out of Mesa for 2 days.
On the trip, she learned that I Have a Voice, a voice that when heard, can change and touch the people that hear it. We were driving to Sedona and Sarah had fallen asleep. So I decided to listen to my recording of my most recent lesson with Leia Wasbotten (coolest voice teacher I have ever had [of course, only one I have ever had]). Well, Sarah woke up in the middle of the drive to our rehearsal of the song Shenandoah. It caused Sarah to cry, hearing it for the first time. She expressed that I need to let my voice out, or at least that's what I gathered I needed to do.
God speaks to us in crazy ways.
I was very irreverent to the things I had heard about Sedona. I was treating the thought that "Sedona was a spiritual place" lightly, especially when I hear of stuff like vortexes, or vorticies, of areas in Sedona where the concentration of spiritual force is magnified. I just couldn't believe that such a place existed. I know now how close-minded those thoughts were, and how those feelings didn't leave much room for faith.
I was actually really happy there. It wasn't like totally overcoming me, when we first got there. Yes, the vistas were amazing, the happiness of this Grand Canyon-esque place was for lack of a better word, Grand. But, it was just a place to me.
Up until we went to a agreed upon "vortex" of Sedona. The Chapel of the Sacred Cross.
Let me tell you, I was not expecting anything of the feelings I received while I was there that day. First of all, it was a reverent place to be, akin to an area where you don't want to raise your voice above a whisper. You walk in and the first thing you see is Jesus Christ on the Cross. It wasn't Grotesque, like most cross images (except for his eyes), but the artist that crafted this place, also put a semblance of a tree or a root growing behind the cross of Christ. As if the Cross brought forth Life. I was struck at the beauty and the thought put into about how we can make Christ's last suffering a symbol of Life and Beauty. Well, this artist did it.
Sarah and I sat at the Pews in the chapel in silence. Definitely touched. And like pews of most Catholic Churches, they had a ledge for you to kneel and pray. We decided to pray as a couple. I went first. And as I was saying my prayer, ideas that weren't mind, in fact, they went in almost contrary fashion to my own ideas came: inspiration. I had to wait until after Sarah had prayed to let her know the wave of unexpected inspiration that came.
The wave of inspiration touched on the fact that my concert choir of MCC is going to go to Europe this following end of school year. In particular, the chosen destinations would be Munich, Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague; in east Europe. The voice said that I must take this opportunity of a lifetime to experience this with my Choir. I was like, What? Where is this even coming from? I had been telling myself that it wasn't worth the money ($3200) and that I can always go some other time. The thoughts about this trip hadn't even been on my mind. It was completely out of the blue. But God was giving me this Gift of inspiration to Go!
How am I so lucky? How does God Love me So?
After telling Sarah, we asked in regards to her. Well, the answer was that of a neutral one. Which is actually the very thing Sarah needed to do some inward searching and introspection about what to do about our future, especially if she is to come. Well, a couple days later, we had resolved to do everything possible to stay together, especially on business/leisure trips. And honestly, I don't want to be too separate from her, like when we were separated from each other in transition when I moved out here to find work and under the guidance of God.
Well, Sedona was what we needed, to get away, to come closer together as a couple, to become more unified, and to come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through our own unification.
Since Sedona, two weeks ago, our fights have been resolved better. We have chosen to listen to the other and try not to get hurt without finding out what is wrong and getting to the root. An example is how yesterday, we started fighting but resolved it quickly, looking bad, but working it out, with happy feelings of love and commitment to do better.
Things are so great!
Europe, here I come!
Let me explain.
Really, I am just trying to be a good husband. Following the spirit, and getting better at listening to Sarah and showing Love for her in the ways that she needs.
About 2 weeks ago, before we took our trip to Sedona, we had gotten into a fight. It was a very hard fight on me. Although, something that I need to do is not to get soooooooooo defensive, and I have been working on that. However, this day, I felt that Sarah didn't recognize the LOVE, the love that I show her on a daily basis. The problem was that I had been complaining about not having enough time. I have a mindset of the fact that TIME just doesn't ever allow me to have time for myself. But Sarah had said something that truly ate away at me, because she had said that I don't really care about her. After she said it, though, she knew, at least about that, that she had been in the wrong, at least about that. I guess it is that I HAD been showing her love, but it wasn't in the ways that were meeting her needs. My ways of showing love, at least two weeks ago, was to be subtle about it, doing things for her without question or thought of myself. But what I found out, is that I needed to change that about myself. So I have been resolving, to show her love in ways that she can see, and that she loves and appreciates. Mostly, it has to do with Holding Her, hugging her, kissing her, laying next to her, being with her, paying attention to her.
However, she also had to learn stuff about me to change the way she loved me. We have understood that one of my weaknesses is that I am not always vocal about my things. That I am not always understood or heard in the time. She has come to learn to read my subtle cues while I try to improve my expression of my needs and desires and wants. It hasn't been perfect, but we are trying.
Haha, we even decided to get away. We left the dreariness of work life and took a day or two off. We took the time to be with each other in a place other than our home, and it was something that we both desperately needed. We decided together to get away, and I chose a place based on suggestions and intuition and we got out of Mesa for 2 days.
On the trip, she learned that I Have a Voice, a voice that when heard, can change and touch the people that hear it. We were driving to Sedona and Sarah had fallen asleep. So I decided to listen to my recording of my most recent lesson with Leia Wasbotten (coolest voice teacher I have ever had [of course, only one I have ever had]). Well, Sarah woke up in the middle of the drive to our rehearsal of the song Shenandoah. It caused Sarah to cry, hearing it for the first time. She expressed that I need to let my voice out, or at least that's what I gathered I needed to do.
God speaks to us in crazy ways.
I was very irreverent to the things I had heard about Sedona. I was treating the thought that "Sedona was a spiritual place" lightly, especially when I hear of stuff like vortexes, or vorticies, of areas in Sedona where the concentration of spiritual force is magnified. I just couldn't believe that such a place existed. I know now how close-minded those thoughts were, and how those feelings didn't leave much room for faith.
I was actually really happy there. It wasn't like totally overcoming me, when we first got there. Yes, the vistas were amazing, the happiness of this Grand Canyon-esque place was for lack of a better word, Grand. But, it was just a place to me.
Up until we went to a agreed upon "vortex" of Sedona. The Chapel of the Sacred Cross.
Let me tell you, I was not expecting anything of the feelings I received while I was there that day. First of all, it was a reverent place to be, akin to an area where you don't want to raise your voice above a whisper. You walk in and the first thing you see is Jesus Christ on the Cross. It wasn't Grotesque, like most cross images (except for his eyes), but the artist that crafted this place, also put a semblance of a tree or a root growing behind the cross of Christ. As if the Cross brought forth Life. I was struck at the beauty and the thought put into about how we can make Christ's last suffering a symbol of Life and Beauty. Well, this artist did it.
Sarah and I sat at the Pews in the chapel in silence. Definitely touched. And like pews of most Catholic Churches, they had a ledge for you to kneel and pray. We decided to pray as a couple. I went first. And as I was saying my prayer, ideas that weren't mind, in fact, they went in almost contrary fashion to my own ideas came: inspiration. I had to wait until after Sarah had prayed to let her know the wave of unexpected inspiration that came.
The wave of inspiration touched on the fact that my concert choir of MCC is going to go to Europe this following end of school year. In particular, the chosen destinations would be Munich, Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague; in east Europe. The voice said that I must take this opportunity of a lifetime to experience this with my Choir. I was like, What? Where is this even coming from? I had been telling myself that it wasn't worth the money ($3200) and that I can always go some other time. The thoughts about this trip hadn't even been on my mind. It was completely out of the blue. But God was giving me this Gift of inspiration to Go!
How am I so lucky? How does God Love me So?
After telling Sarah, we asked in regards to her. Well, the answer was that of a neutral one. Which is actually the very thing Sarah needed to do some inward searching and introspection about what to do about our future, especially if she is to come. Well, a couple days later, we had resolved to do everything possible to stay together, especially on business/leisure trips. And honestly, I don't want to be too separate from her, like when we were separated from each other in transition when I moved out here to find work and under the guidance of God.
Well, Sedona was what we needed, to get away, to come closer together as a couple, to become more unified, and to come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through our own unification.
Since Sedona, two weeks ago, our fights have been resolved better. We have chosen to listen to the other and try not to get hurt without finding out what is wrong and getting to the root. An example is how yesterday, we started fighting but resolved it quickly, looking bad, but working it out, with happy feelings of love and commitment to do better.
Things are so great!
Europe, here I come!
Monday, September 9, 2019
9/9 Incomplete letter about the week
Life is Good!
Sorry about last week. I won’t bore you with the mundane details, but with the most important of the last two weeks, if I can even remember back that far.
One fun thing is that our neighbor and friend and maintenance guy, Frank Verdugo. He’s a really cool guy, that we first met when he helped fix a leak in our water heater, and that is when we found out he is a member of the church. Well, the missionaries heard that it was his birthday and invited us with the Santos to go and do a small surprise. Well, he cancelled on them, but we decided to walk to his house anyways as a group, mainly because there was a cake with blue frosting that the Elders had made. We found him out in a small grassy area outside his house playing with his three month puppy called “dude.” We had a fun conversation with him. We were about to leave but I would’ve been remiss if I didn’t sing a hearty happy birthday to him, with a the Peruvian twist of singing the Spanish version at a funner and faster speed than the English version. I got so hyped in the process that by the end of the song I was doing jumping jacks. Don’t ask me how that inspired that, but it was pretty cool.
A couple months ago I met the famous, at least to me and other organists and LDS enthusiasts, Brent Jorgensen, who attends the ward that meets at our building. It was one of those star struck moments where you meet one of the people that you have only heard about and who you want to be like someday. Well, he invited Sarah and I to his home to talk and to actually give us a scanner/printer and an actual desktop Mac Computer (albeit old, but still functioning), and with a music notation program that he uses called Sibelius. It was very nice of him. And I am happy to be mentored (or at least, I feel like he’s a mentor) for the things that I love. I even asked him to give me an assignment. It’s pretty exciting.
I’m really excited! I have finally chosen two German songs, 1 song from a musical, and my one on one helped me choose another song, for my repertoire. I’m not sure if I wrote about it. First, I have a one-on-one voice/singing coach. Her name is Leia Wasbotten and she is from Pennsylvania, actually. She is just really cool, and pretty inspiring, and I am learning a lot. So, my two German songs are called, “Wir Wandelten” and, “Odin’s Meeres-Ritt.” The musical song is, “Close Every Door, “ from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. And the one that she chose for me is the timeless classic “Shenandoah.” Now writing this, I was told to come up with one more song, and I was thinking that Shenandoah reminds me of the Tabernacle Choir, which reminds me of “Danny Boy,” which was President Hinckley’s favorite song. I think I might suggest it for the fifth and last piece to learn for the repertoire.
A couple weeks ago, Sarah had an awesome Relief Society activity where the women decorated a square that will be patched up into a quilt-like piece to be hung. Reminding them of their importance, and the importance to bring more to add to the beautiful tapestry that is the Relief Society.
We had amazing grilled fish with the Santos family in Maricopa
Sorry about last week. I won’t bore you with the mundane details, but with the most important of the last two weeks, if I can even remember back that far.
One fun thing is that our neighbor and friend and maintenance guy, Frank Verdugo. He’s a really cool guy, that we first met when he helped fix a leak in our water heater, and that is when we found out he is a member of the church. Well, the missionaries heard that it was his birthday and invited us with the Santos to go and do a small surprise. Well, he cancelled on them, but we decided to walk to his house anyways as a group, mainly because there was a cake with blue frosting that the Elders had made. We found him out in a small grassy area outside his house playing with his three month puppy called “dude.” We had a fun conversation with him. We were about to leave but I would’ve been remiss if I didn’t sing a hearty happy birthday to him, with a the Peruvian twist of singing the Spanish version at a funner and faster speed than the English version. I got so hyped in the process that by the end of the song I was doing jumping jacks. Don’t ask me how that inspired that, but it was pretty cool.
A couple months ago I met the famous, at least to me and other organists and LDS enthusiasts, Brent Jorgensen, who attends the ward that meets at our building. It was one of those star struck moments where you meet one of the people that you have only heard about and who you want to be like someday. Well, he invited Sarah and I to his home to talk and to actually give us a scanner/printer and an actual desktop Mac Computer (albeit old, but still functioning), and with a music notation program that he uses called Sibelius. It was very nice of him. And I am happy to be mentored (or at least, I feel like he’s a mentor) for the things that I love. I even asked him to give me an assignment. It’s pretty exciting.
I’m really excited! I have finally chosen two German songs, 1 song from a musical, and my one on one helped me choose another song, for my repertoire. I’m not sure if I wrote about it. First, I have a one-on-one voice/singing coach. Her name is Leia Wasbotten and she is from Pennsylvania, actually. She is just really cool, and pretty inspiring, and I am learning a lot. So, my two German songs are called, “Wir Wandelten” and, “Odin’s Meeres-Ritt.” The musical song is, “Close Every Door, “ from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. And the one that she chose for me is the timeless classic “Shenandoah.” Now writing this, I was told to come up with one more song, and I was thinking that Shenandoah reminds me of the Tabernacle Choir, which reminds me of “Danny Boy,” which was President Hinckley’s favorite song. I think I might suggest it for the fifth and last piece to learn for the repertoire.
A couple weeks ago, Sarah had an awesome Relief Society activity where the women decorated a square that will be patched up into a quilt-like piece to be hung. Reminding them of their importance, and the importance to bring more to add to the beautiful tapestry that is the Relief Society.
We had amazing grilled fish with the Santos family in Maricopa
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