May the force be with them!

Last week James had to write a report on a country of his own heritage, completed with maps, make-your-own flag, and a picture of a little boy in a traditional costume.  James, of course, chose Albania.  We had so much fun working together in this that I now have a renewed desire to teach my kids Albanian and take them back to my native country in the near future.  Nostalgia is a dangerous thing, but it also can serve as a reminder of beautiful memories.

In his report, James was asked to share one specific tradition that defines that country.  It was hard to choose from the many great things I love about my heritage, but I finally pinpointed one that meant a lot to me as Melita.  Here is James's report:

Albania is a small country found in Europe, north of Greece and across the Adriatic with Italy.

Albania is an ancient name of the country which is called “Shqiperia” by its people.  It means the land of eagles. 

Albanians are known for their hospitality, generosity and service-oriented acts of kindness.  Albania has a deep tradition of honoring guests that continues on to this day.  Their homes are always open for friends and visitors.

Here is an interesting story that demonstrates this strong characteristic:

 Once upon a time, an Albanian had done a lot of damages to the city and country.  Finally he was caught and brought to justice.  The leader wanted to make an example of him, so he organized a celebration where the criminal was to be executed.  When the executor was about to chop off his head, the leader, called Pasha decided to humiliate the Albanian in front of his guests. "Tell me," said he, "have you ever been in a position like this before."

"Yes. Twice," answered the Albanian, in surprise to everyone.

"When," asked the Pasha.

"Twice I have had guests in my house, and I didn't have any food for them. They went to bed hungry", answered the Albanian, tears rolling from his eyes. The Pasha was so touched by this, that he spared the Albanian's life. 

Albanian language is called Albanian or shqip.  The traditional music is highly influenced by the Greeks in the south and the Turks, who had invaded Albania for 500 years.  The same can be said about Albanian food.  Located on the Adriatic sea, fish is a staple in the Albanian cuisine.  Albanians take pride in the cooking of their meals.  Everything has to be fresh so moms go buying food every day. 

The most popular sport in Albania is soccer.  Kids play it as soon as they start walking. 

Albanian clothing includes more than 200 different kinds of varieties.  Qeleshe is a common headdress for men and Xhaqete is a traditional vest worn across the country.

The flag has one black eagle with two heads on a red background.  The red background represents the blood shed to protect the country and the double headed eagle stands as a reminder that although long time ago there were two different kinds of people living in Albania they still lived in harmony with each other.

Last Friday, Gillian's 5th grade class presented their musical "The Pirates of Grammar Island" to their whole school.  All their parents were invited as well.  Elijah took a couple of hours off, and mom, Charlton, and I all attended my beautiful daughter's show.  I loved the idea of learning about grammar and its usage through songs and acting.  Gillian had many parts that were general and specific, but the one major role she loved was the Queen of the Pronouns.  I was able to record some of her singing, but my camera went dead all of a sudden, so it's not complete.  Nevertheless, enjoy it, because we truly did.

 Saturday was an unusually busy day. We try to keep our Saturdays relaxed and concentrated on our family.  Sometimes, days like this come along and you do your best.  Elijah didn't get his only day sleep-in time.  He woke up early in the morning to accompany Jefferson to his Cub Scout activity.  Their pack had planned an activity at a nearby airport.  They were going to learn the ins and outs of the plane and then fly with their instructor in a small plane over the Bay Area.  Needless to say, Jefferson had a grand time, and his dreams of becoming a jet pilot were reawaken.

This is the plane Jefferson flew in.  He wants his own now.

Here is Jefferson truly feeling at home.

Elijah's passion is motorcycles; this one has wings, a great combination for Jefferson, who wants to be like dad, but also keep his own identity.

While Jefferson was reveling in the magic of flying, Gillian was preparing for a cross-country race.  She had been chosen to represent her school in the Annual Millennial Mile, having had the best time of all  the 5th grade girls.  When her turn came to run, she got so nervous especially after seeing that in her heat there were several tall African American girls with bodies made for runners.  I told her to never quit and just keep going, that being there amongst the best runners was an honor.  She didn't buy my encouragement speech and was still a bit scared as she started on her run.  In the end, she wasn't among the first ones, but she wasn't last either and she never gave up.  That's all I wanted her to learn today.  I know which battles to fight for, and this wasn't it, at least not yet.

Tired and discouraged yes, but not a quitter

As soon as the cross-country race was over, we headed home.  Gillian took a shower, and she and James got ready for their Spring Choral Concert.  I accompanied them there taking them a bit early for their rehearsal, and Elijah and the rest of the family joined us later.  The concert was phenomenal.  The choir director is a well renown musician and a perfectionist.  And it showed from the music selections, the professionalism of the singers of all ages, to the flawless performance of everyone involved.  The music pieces varied from the baroque era to modern choral songs, from Germany, England, to Africa.  My favorite pieces from James's group repertoire was The Sound of Music piece, My favorite Things, and I Won't Grow Up from the musical Peter Pan.  It's hard to choose from Gillian's group music pieces that I like the best, because they were all just amazing.  But if I had to choose the Appalachian folksong Bowling Green and Bist du bei mir by Bach were my favorite.  From the Advanced Chorus, I loved Verdi's Witches' Chorus from Macbeth and Gershwin's Clap Yo' Hands.  What a privilege for my kids to be part of this musical experience and for us to enjoy the fruits of their labor!

On Sunday evening, while Elijah attended his Stake Priesthood meeting (a new patriarch was called), I took the rest of the family to another concert at the Interstake Center by the Oakland Temple.  The first part of the concert included a few piano concertos from Tchaikovsky, and the guest pianist, Dr. Scott Holden, the director of Keyboard Studies at BYU, was exceptional.  He knew how to portray the tenderness of Tchaikovsky's work in ways I hadn't heard before.  The children were mesmerized by his playing, and I kept telling them since they already possess musical talents, they just needed to put practice hours to become like that pianist.  Gillian gets scared when I introduce these kinds of expectations, but Jefferson took it in stride.

The second half of the concert included Gustav Holst 's The Planets, which I had never heard, but was pleasantly surprised, as well as John Williams' Star Wars Medley.  This last one was especially well attended by my kids since it also offered dance choreography portraying parts of the movie.  In the end, the children were invited to take pictures with various Star Wars characters, which of course was greeted with loud applause by kids of various ages.  It was a beautiful evening for everyone involved.

And now my friends, may the force be with you till our next adventures.

Wow! It's that time of the year!

Gillian has loved participating in choir.  During the Christmas season, their performance schedule is  a bit more busy than during spring time, but this has given Gillian more opportunities to share her talents with others and enjoy singing.  James joined her this year in choir.  He was in a younger level, but he has loved it as much as Gillian does.  Between the two of them, we've been to four performances (with one more coming up this Friday) and two rehearsals for each performance.  I can't wait for next week when there will be no rehearsals and no performances, just us in the family with plenty of time to read and play.  That said, I've loved every performance and every song that my kids have sung.  I've enjoyed the beautiful spiritual music that their director had chosen for this season.  I've truly felt the power of angelic music praising the Lord touch my soul.  That is priceless, and I will take my kids to as many rehearsals as it takes to give them those opportunities.

 

 

James's choir director

James's choir buddy, Adri

Besides singing joyous carols, the older children have enjoyed playing the piano and participating in recitals.  The first recital was amongst their own peers, and the second one was for the parents.  As always, I was a few minutes late getting to their recital, and the teacher had just started to introduce the first students.  And you guessed it, James was first to go.  He didn't have time to sit or even think, but as soon as we got in the room, he went straight to the piano, sat down, and started to play his piece.  And he didn't even make one little mistake!  I was so proud of him.  When he finished, he bowed, and came and sat by his mother, who was angrily chewing herself up for not being able to make it on time to her kids' recitals.  Elijah was kind enough to take Charlton out when he became fidgety, and allowed me to relax as I listen to my sweet children demonstrate their talents. 

Here they are with their teacher, Judy Stover, holding their little trophies for having practiced 1000 minutes this semester.

In between rehearsals, performances, and recitals, we've been able to also serve others and enjoy the season with each other.  The children helped me assemble over 15 packages for teachers, school administrators, widows, and friends around the area.  That has been my favorite thing so far.  I also finished two major on-line projects that I'm very excited about, as well as all my Christmas shopping and cards. Elijah rendered his so-much needed help with various tasks so I could accomplish my goals on time.  I'm grateful for that, and especially for the feeling of partnership that I've felt these past two weeks as we have had to rely on each other a bit more. 

 I also loved accompanying James and his class to a nursing home, where they brought hand made gifts, sang carols, and shared cookies and hot chocolates with the elderly.  James was ever so polite as he shook their hands and asked them about themselves, as if he were a big kid.  His love for his fellow beings whether young or old, healthy or sick is inspiring.  I'm so happy I'm guiding this boy to be a doctor.

We also found time to enjoy each other's company by being together and having fun.

Elijah and the kids watching "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

Visiting Santa and being with dad at our ward's Christmas party

Having a special time with Gillian attending "A Christmas Carol" play.  That play inspires me more each and every year. This year what struck my soul most of all were Marley's words to Ebenezer: "Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!'"

I hope that as you find yourself busy with shopping and caroling and serving, you won't forget to take a moment and ponder the joy that this season brings. I'm grateful for God's love for all of us, and for Jesus Christ, His Son, who was the demonstration of that love.

Pier 39 Christmas Tree Lighting

Sunday, November 18, was a busy one for us.  I don't usually try to do many things on Sunday as to keep it relaxing and restful, but between getting ready for church, packing for a sleep-over with the Wiederholds, and trying not to forget her choir outfit for her performance after church and the many details that go with that, was a bit much for me.  But all the children helped with their own packing and showers, and we made it on time to church, with our car packed and ready to go.

Gillian's choir level was invited to sing their prepared holiday songs at Pier 39 for the Christmas Tree Lighting.  This is her first performance of the season, and first among five.  Add to that two piano recitals, as well as the Christmas activities I've planned for them, and we are booked for the holidays.  I know it's a wonderful experience for my children to be part of this Christmas cheer, and so when I feel myself kind of tired of being their driver taking them to and fro, I try to relax and enjoy their singing, playing and laughter.  And it helps that I've been asked to be their photographer for all of the performances, because it makes my "relaxing" even more enjoyable.

This semester Gillian has been asked to sing a short solo (six verses) in some of the performances, and although it is a small part she is excited she told me because she gets to stand alone in front of non-denominational audience and sing about her Savior.  There are moments like this that make me realize the enormous blessing of having the fullness of the gospel in our lives and teaching our children about their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ at such an early age.  I'm truly grateful for that opportunity - to raise my children with a love for God and a humbling desire to do His will.  It makes these beautiful carols have so much more meaning to me.

I know Thanksgiving was just last week, and November isn't over yet, but I'm so happy about Christmas.  The music, the feeling, the service - the magic of it all - is what I crave in a holiday.  Christmas offers that and more.  It's a time for me to devotedly ponder about my Savior and positively feel His love come from all directions.  What joy!

Birthdays, our sweet Bekah, and much more of such fun celebrations (August 6 - 12)

On Monday, August 6th, we celebrated Elijah's 35th birthday. If we had been in Albania, he would have had a wedding-scale celebration, whether he wanted one or not. Since we weren't in Albania, I tried to be considerate of his desires and had a small birthday party with just our family. We made his favorite diner, we loved eating his favorite cake, and presented him with our gifts, his favorite being a very nice baseball glove with which he could play baseball better with his children. He even got me out to play catch with him. The favorite part of his birthday, however, was snuggling with his family. And that's exactly what he wanted for his birthday.


On Tuesday, August 7th, my friends and I took our kids to a nearby regional airport for a tour of their rescue vehicles, as well as to check out the inside of a helicopter and single engine planes. This was heaven for my boys, especially Jefferson who dreams of becoming a pilot. He was the first to enter the airplane and pretended to be flying it. Gillian loved seeing the helicopter better because it reminded her of the helicopter they use in the T.V show MASH, which she told me she watched last year with her grandfather. She said she loved it. Funny thing is I watched MASH for the first time while I was pregnant with her, and I loved it too.
Charlton also liked the helicopter the best, especially climbing inside. Since visiting the aircraft carrier the previous week, he has been obsessed with airplanes and helicopters. He has been playing with his toy airplanes taking them to bed with him as well. I told Elijah that it's already too late for Charlton to change his mind about his future career; I've already decided he is going to be a dentist. Too many teeth to fix in our family! I was comforted by the idea that came to my mind that children change their interests every week. I'll keep telling Charlton what a great dentist he will be. As for our fun tour at the Buchanan Field Airport, I really enjoyed it. It was short, it was close by, it was educational. We got back just in time for lunch.

On Wednesday, Elijah decided it was time for us to taste some of our own corn. We have been harvesting our own tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and green beans for weeks now, but we hadn't tried our corn yet. We shared some with our neighbors and friends, and boiled the rest for ourselves. And that corn was delicious! Fresh and juicy, it made for a great snack and side dish. And more importantly, it increased a desire in our kids to rely on our own garden continuously. Next year we plan to plant even more vegetables and fruits.


On Thursday, I took the kids swimming, and while they played and swam, my friend and I conversed about everything under the sun. It's really helpful to find friends you like whose kids get along perfectly with your kids. And what's even better is having a daughter who doesn't mind that most of my friends' children are boys. I guess to her it feels like an extension of the games she plays at home with her brothers. I love it that she is so easy going, although I know she misses having her best friend Mary around. Those two girls were so well-matched. Just the other day they were talking on the phone to each other as if they were teenage girls, which was very fun to witness. I hope Gillian finds a friend like that nearby. I think we can all honestly say that having a bosom friend during this age is very important; I still find myself reminiscing about my childhood and friends of that period.

Friday morning was spent cleaning and getting the house in order for our guest, Elijah's sister, Rebekah. My kids love her, but Gillian was most excited. They get along very well with each other as if they were sisters. They even look alike, and sometimes I find Gillian use facial expressions that I've seen on Rebekah. Needless to say, Gillian was really looking forward to being with Rebekah.


When we got home from the airport, Rebekah gave my older kids a little gift and was going to give Charlton his on his birthday. Charlton, who is very sensitive, came running to me whispering that Rebekah didn't have anything for him. And then he started crying, which of course melted our hearts at once. When Rebekah gave him his gift - a superhero mask and cape - he couldn't have been happier. He had just changed his clothes and was still in underwear when we put the costume on him. He looked so funny that I couldn't help it but take a few pictures of my sweet, sweet superhero flying to the rescue.


On Saturday, Elijah and I went to the bishop's storehouse, our church's food resource center, to work on our 1 year supply of food. Although we do have a couple of months food storage, Elijah feels strongly that we need to work on having in store 1 year supply of food for our family. Do you know how much space we need to store all that food for six people? We have just started with this project, after having finished with our 72 hour kits and three months rotating food supply. Getting all that wheat, which is good to have since it can store for more than 10 years, made me realize how unprepared I am when it comes to preparing meals from the food storage. I don't even have a grinder!!! But I'm not put down. As long as we start somewhere and work a day at a time in following our Lord's admonishment in being prepared in all things, we'll be blessed. I hope our guests don't mind sleeping surrounded by food cans and cereal boxes.

On Saturday afternoon, we took our kids to a friend's birthday party, where they were introduced to laser guns. Now even my youngest child wants a laser gun for Christmas. I'm sure next year he will ask for his own iPad. Continuously I'm reminded how hard it is to try to provide my kids with a childhood similar to mine, where books and friends played the most important part. This summer has been somewhat a similar experience for them - just an old fashioned childhood filled with magic tree house games, swimming with friends, and reading lazily in the hammock. They watched a movie now and then, used the computer when they would remember once a month or so, and learned how to cook. They rarely felt a need for other things except each other. I will keep those laser tag guns and Wii games out of my house as long as I can, which from the look of it, it isn't that long.


Early Sunday morning I took Gillian to sing with her choir. They were performing the national anthem at a regional swimming championship.
I was a bit skeptical about doing this on the Sabbath. Till now keeping our Sabbath day holy has been relatively easy since our kids were young and they didn't have many activities that they needed to participate on Sunday. Each family has their own set of rules of what constitutes relevant activities for the Sabbath. Elijah and I have always maintained that sports isn't one of them. Good music on the other hand offers peace and inspires. Listening to that choir sing the national anthem I had no doubt that this was an edifying activity. But it was still a hard decision to make. And I thought taking care of babies was hard; being a parent to growing children with their individual issues is proving already challenging. I can't wait till they become teenagers! I hope by then I would become a bit more wiser. I'm also truly grateful to have a husband who is a strong leader for our family and always on my side. It helps to know that you are not alone in this journey we call life.