i've been excited all month for this one and it did not disappoint. jimmer went off for 43 points and jackson emery held their leading scorer d.j. gay (30+ ppg in his last two) to 0-7 from the field and 0-5 from behind the arc.
the place was louder than i've ever heard. the fans knew how big this game was and they were willing this team to win. it seemed every time jimmer crossed midcourt someone was yelling for him to shoot it.
michael, amy and i had a 'nice fun day'.
the night started with pizza and poster creation. we entered the marriott center at 6:30pm as the doors opened to the public for the 8:15pm tip.
michael was loving the warmup period.
michael counted every shot jimmer took from the moment we came out, and while we were watching michael counted 209 points made..:)
and what a treat to have mom with us. she's always spicing things up with her presence...
the crowd rushed the court and michael could not be held back. it was fun to mingle with players etc and before you knew it we were on TV!
thank you cougars for a spectacular night. a meeting of two top 10 teams in provo was all it had been billed. we won't remember this night soon and i made a little video to commemorate..:)
michael, amy and i are going to a game together. not just any game. the game.
i grew up going to BYU games with my dad. his father has had season tickets to BYU football and basketball games for like 50 years (or so.) my pops will be at a young men's activity tomorrow and offered his tickets in the lower bowl to michael and me. however, when my aunt and uncle (who sit next to pops) offered to take granpa anywhere he wanted with them as chauffeur he said, "I'd like to see BYU v SDSU." it was a no-brainer--he should have our seats. these have been his seats for 50 years (or so) afterall. i moved quickly and purchased some bench seats soon thereafter. so we're set!
byu has an RPI of #1 in one of the big three national RPI rankings. (for those of you who don't know, RPI is a rank of the strength of a team's schedule.) this means that BYU has played--according to one expert--the hardest schedule in the country with a record of 19-1. BYU is also ranked #9 in a tie with syracuse in the national polls. SDSU has an RPI of 4 and is ranked 4th in the country with a record of 20-0. so tomorrow at the marriott center two top ten teams will meet in provo for the biggest college basketball game to ever be played in the state...oh and there's a certain jimmer who is in a neck and neck competition for player of the year playing for the cougars.
buckle up and enjoy the ride. we'll be cheering as loud as we can and will give you a report on how it went.
What a great Christmas! But I always say that... every year. So let me show you what was great about this year...
The greatness started when my mom and dad and brothers--Paul and Todd--arrived a few days before the big day. We loved having them here to share this special time with us. The kids thought it was pretty special to have them here, too. They were probably the only ones who truly appreciated Christmas Eve dinner, helped with Christmas preparations into the wee hours of Christmas Eve (including a trip to the neighbors house for a "Christmas miracle" to replace a missing part), and doted with us over the kids' excitement over all things Christmas.
The gift giving started early, with the biggest surprise coming the afternoon of Christmas Eve. A PIANO!!! I was drying my hair in my bathroom when I came out to remind Paul to take out the recycling can to the curb for the garbage man. I'm glad I didn't use my super naggy voice, because as I came around the corner, Abby ran up to me and exclaimed, "Mom! We got a new piano!!!" "What??"
The first playing of the piano...
It didn't take me long to realize the door was open and there were strange male voices coming from our (empty) music room, and as I came to the doorway, Paul told me I needed to tell them where I wanted my Christmas present. !!! What a surprise... still glowing over it. Thank you, thank you Paul. :)
The anticipation of the day was so fun with the kids. Here, Bekah and Michael are re-reading all the tags, wondering what is in their packages, and excitedly pointing out the ones they wrapped.
(Notice the pre-piano emptiness of the room??)
During the day, the kids played with uncles and grandparents, watched Christmas movies while last-minute shopping trips were made, read a ton of Christmas books, and finished their own preparations for gift-giving.
That evening we had a red-and-green Christmas dinner. They helped me make the menu... they are good brainstormers. Ravioli with red sauce, green beans and tomatoes, strawberries and kiwi, green and red veggie tray, and a tomato-mozzarella-basil appetizer they saw somewhere and wanted to make. We made dinner to Christmas tunes... fun times.
Michael was proud of his creations.
Abby sampled the raspberry drink before preparations were finished... the red around the mouth was positive proof.
We ate by candlelight (battery operated... I learned my lesson at our candlelight Halloween dinner when Ella singed her hair...) and the light of the family room Christmas tree...
Once dinner was over, we did our nativity reenactment. We split off to find costumes.
This year was a little unique... and I've never heard anyone having this special addition... but this year we had a twin baby Jesus duo.
That's right... we couldn't agree on who got to be baby Jesus... couldn't agree to take turns... so we just had two. Both swaddled. Both laying in the pretend manger. Aren't I a lucky Mary??
Ella was a donkey who said moo while jumping and dancing...
Paul was Joseph. Michael was a Wise Man carrying myrrh. Mom was a sheep/shepherd with an incredible baaa, Todd the Wise Man carrying gold, and my dad (who chose to take the picture instead of showing off his costume) was the Wise Man carrying frankincense.
Lovely.
After reading the nativity from the Bible (thank you Todd) we moved into the music room and had our first gather-round-the-piano experience singing Christmas hymns and carols. To me, it was picturesque and fulfilling. This was probably my favorite part of Christmas Eve. Thanks family. And thanks again, Paul... you made my wildest Christmas dreams come true...
I have always loved singing harmonies with my family. Thanks for joining in. It was a special time.
The music room with Christmas lights....
After singing, we gave the kids their first Christmas presents... new jammies and a new book. We set out treats for Santa and his reindeer, wrote a thank you letter, then hurried upstairs. I read one of the Christmas books before settling them to bed. A fun bedtime.
I love the Christmas nighttime routine. No fussing about going to bed FAST. It is a rush, and obedience is never a problem. Soon they were all fast asleep.
That night, Santa was busy. He left quite the stash for the good boy and girls in our house.
They all got what they had asked for...
Michael's electronic football game. And quite the addition to his collection of NCAA football helmets.
Abby's pretend kitty (which looks more real than pretend... complete with meowing, purring, and licking of paw). Bekah's pretend violin. And he threw in a great dollhouse to share because they have been so very good this year.
Ella's little red wagon and a dollhouse of her own (not asked for... Santa just knew...).
And stockings stuffed full of favorite trinkets, toys, and tasty treats.
And "sound asleep" lasted most of the night for most of the kids. Michael, however, came down the stairs at 4:30 saying, "Mom, I just can't sleep anymore. I'm just too excited and it feels like morning should already be here."
We talked about his excitement for a while then I said, "Michael, should we see if Santa came? Do you want to take a quick peek with me?"
We poked our head around the corner for a few seconds, then rushed back to my bed. I asked him "What did you see?" With wide eyes he said, "My football game... and a bunch of new helmets!" Just with that small peek, he was able to name some of the team names on the helmets...
We agreed that he could sleep in our bed for the rest of the night. I told him he needed to sleep until about 7am. I think the sneak peek did more harm than good... he told me "I just can't stop thinking about those helmets and wondering about the ones I didn't see!" He tossed and turned for a while, explaining in wonder that "every minute that goes by feels like 10 minutes." I think we both got a bit more rest before it was 7:30 and Michael was anxious to go upstairs to get the girls.
The kids were so excited to come down the stairs. I think those moments right before seeing what Santa brought are one of my favorite parts of Christmas. Then the audible gasps and shrieks of delight. Love it...
When they first came into the room, Abby went right to her pretend kitty, exclaiming "KITTY!!!"
Bekah went right to her stocking to see what was stuffing it.
Ella played with her toys in her new red wagon.
And Michael and Paul spent quality time together reading the directions and figuring out the football game.
I guess I didn't take many more pictures of the day... after Santa presents, we ate a breakfast of sticky buns, eggs, little sausages, and OJ. Then we gathered in the family room with the rest of the presents to/from each other and took turns opening those. I really enjoyed seeing the kids' excitement in giving their gifts this year... they were so completely confident that they had the perfect present to give. Especially Michael with the pillow pets he picked out for each of his sisters. And he was right... they love them!
I loved having my parents and brothers here to share it all with us. They were so fun, took the craziness in stride, and joined in the memories of our family. I especially loved that we got to feel of the love of my parents. It added so much to that great feeling of Christmas.
Later that day we joined with more family members for a movie: Disney's "Tangled." It was our second time, and the kids (especially Abby) loved it even more than the first time. We were joined by Paul's parents and grandparents, Stephen and Hillary, Hannah, and Lafe. It was a great time.
We mingled at the house for a while with food and talking. Matt and Angela and their family joined us later that night... AJ and Marc joined us the next day. And thus began the Risenmay Christmas celebration that lasted another 3 days. So fun...
Another great Christmas on the books. It was a year of new traditions for our little family... being the first real Christmas we have had together in our own home. (I only half count the year during residency when Paul had to work at 6am so we woke the kids up at 4:30 to open presents while daddy was there, then play with presents while he was gone all day...). I loved focusing on my children and enjoying their experience.
Christmas gets better and better every year... but I always say that.
we got a piano! after 10 years of marriage and my patient wife dropping hints from day one, we purchased a piano... it had to wait for other large purchases in the marriage including mountain bike, road bike, house and 3 different computers. each of those purchases passed and amy (and my mother) lamented mildly the lack of a piano in our home. what kind of musician am i? how did this happen? well, the final straws were watching our sweet kids practice their let's play music on the floor in the front room. in december, amy organized a musical presentation for the young women and i found myself sitting on the floor of the front room looking up at those for whom i was accompanying. the time had come.
and so a new era begins in our home.
each of the kids have climbed onto the piano separately to sample the musical wares.
michael has daily (or so) practice for his let's play music songs. and i have enjoyed accompanying for each of the kids string instruments!
by the light of the christmas tree..:)
and even a small dance party in celebration of its arrival!
here's to years of productive learning and performing on our new friend...
So I'm scared as I type the words of this blog post... terrified, really. Terrified of myself and the possibility of failure and broken promises. But last night as part of our family night we watched the video Paul made of Abby and Bekah at their gymnastics performance. We laughed and cheered, and wanted more. So we went back in the archives and pulled up posts from last year, and the year before. There were jabbering twins, dancing crazies, and old friends to reminisce about. It was fun, fulfilling, and fantastic.
Then I got that feeling. That sinking feeling that I've let something very valuable go. That terrible feeling that I've lost something that I can never get back... the little everyday memories and moments that have fallen by the wayside because they weren't recorded. Tragic. Shame on me.
Thank you to Paul for the sporadic updates and anecdotes to keep things rolling.
Thank you Melinda and Libby for your affective spirit of rejuvenation in your own blogging efforts.
But if I fall off the horse again... please please forgive me... and hopefully I'll find it in my heart to forgive myself as well. Because I hate not doing things well. And unfinished projects are unsettling to me. I may not be terribly consistent... but each post will be a success and a finished project. And I'm ready to record again.
Because I love this little family so much. And I want them to know it. And I want to remind myself and have happy moments to reflect on at the end of my days.
And if no one but my family ever sits through these posts... today, tomorrow, or in the years to come... it will all be worth it.
the alpine aerials group that bekah and abby are a part of let us know on fairly short notice that the group would be performing at half-time of the utah flash game.
the girls had a ball.
michael loved the ambiance as we were courtside for the rehearsal. abby may not show it here, but she too loved it.
the girls have been taking gymnastics for a year and have loved each week. they have learned a lot about their bodies and have enjoyed the social nature of their weekly practices...
they are learning cartwheels, and if you watch the video you'll see how they are in the very early stages (ie. they've got the hands right, but the feet are lacking.)
anyway, it was a surprisingly good time watching these two cuties give it their all in the gym...
david campbell wrote 'American Grace. How Religion Divides and Unites Us'
it is a fascinating and sweeeping look at american religion since the 1950's. the books makes its points based on copious data collected through from surveys of americans.
the book has been mentioned in prominent national news publications (wall street journal, new york times, washington post to name a few.)
on times and seasons there was a two-part interview of campbell placed in print here and here. while i had read in the new york times a halting treatment of one idea coming out of the book (that religious people are happier), i was further intrigued to find one of the co-authors of the book was mormon and that there were a few mormon fact gems to be found within its pages.
returning to the book as a whole though, i will present to you a few of the recent reviews of the book and then a passage from the book itself.
from the washington post (by Michelle Boorstein):
Even as a religion reporter, I was surprised by some of the findings in this hefty new book about American religion by political scientists Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell.
Among them: Secularism is increasing most rapidly among the less educated (the opposite of what happened in the 1960s and ’70s); the growth of evangelicalism ended nearly two decades ago; and evangelicals diverge most from the rest of the country in their opposition to premarital sex, not in their views on abortion or same-sex relationships.
…American Grace is still perhaps the most sweeping look yet at contemporary American religion. It lays out the broad trends of the past 50 years, assesses their sociological causes and then does a bit of fortune-telling….[American Grace] is packed with fun facts: The intensity of one’s religious belief is more predictive of one’s politics than religious denomination; about 60 percent of people who switched religious identities didn’t do so because of marriage; 89 percent of Americans believe heaven is not just reserved for people of their own faith. The book also brings to life complex issues such as how politics play out in a synagogue in suburban Chicago and in a megachurch in Minneapolis.”
from the wall street journal (by Wilfred Mcclay):
Perhaps the best and most interesting chapter in this respect is "Religion and Good Neighborliness," which convincingly argues that, contrary to the stock depiction in popular culture, religious Americans make better neighbors by almost every index. They are more generous, with both their time and money; more civically active, in community organizations and political reform; more trusting; more trustworthy; and even measurably happier. The only exception to this list of positive traits: religious people tend to be less tolerant of views that clash with their own. These results hold even when the authors control for such factors as gender, education, income, race, region and age.
and finally, points about religious people's happiness from the book itself (by David Campbell and Robert Putnam)
As with good neighborliness, the correlation between religiosity and life satisfaction is powerful and robust.It remains strong even when we hold constant the same long list of other factors that might have made the correlation spurious.Other thing being equal, the difference in happiness between a nonchurchgoer and a weekly churchgoer is slightly larger than the difference between someone who earns $10,000 a year and his demographic twin who earns $100,000 a year.
As with good neighborliness, religious people are more satisfied with their lives mostly because they build religious social networks, thus reinforcing a strong sense of religious identity.A person who attends church regularly but has no close friend there is actually unhappier than her demographic twin who doesn't attend church at all.
As with good neighborliness, religious friends remain very important, even when we compare people with equal numbers of friends overall, and in that sense religious friendship seems supercharged.Moreover, as with good neighborliness, the effects of religious social networks do not depend on maintaining a religiously homogeneous social environment; on the contrary, people whose closes friends are all from the same religion are, other things being equal, less happy than those who friends are diverse.
what think ye? do these ideas fit with your worldview? do they fall short? are they repugnant? life-affirming? do you figure these 'facts' are just a conspiracy of the religious right to recruit new republicans? i haven't read the book in its entirety, but i purchased it from amazon and plan on delving in..:)
my reading, at times, comes in binges. and the reading decisions i make are often random and unsystematic...
this month has been a binge, beginning with reading a book during our new york trip to glorious pre-christmas days with no work and no school--reading with michael for hours at a time.
without further ado, the four books i read this month.
'freedom' jonathan franzen. 'freedom' is a sprawling, epic of a novel. it took franzen 9 years to write the book after his last blockbuster, nyt bestselling 'the corrections' spurned the oprah book club and went on to sell millions of copies. ironically, i read the book because my mother in law brought it by and set it on our counter and said i could read it if i wanted. i started without knowing a thing about franzen or the novel itself and was hooked. i wasn't hooked in the mystery, suspense variety but in a 'wow, this is unique' way.
franzen writes in a very frank, at times ironic and always poignant way regarding surburan life. his characters are compelling, rich and interesting. the story is at times heart-wrenching and at times repelling.
here is an example early on in the book of the way he skewers yet nails the suburban experience as he gives examples of the concerns early on in walter and patty's neighborhood, "Was it true that the glaze of old Fiestaware contained dangerous amounts of lead? How elaborate did a kitchen water filter actually need to be? Did your 240 sometimes not go into overdrive when you pushed the overdrive button? Was it better to offer panhandlers food, or nothing? Was it possible to raise unprecendently confident, happy, brilliant kids while working full-time? Could coffee beans be ground the night before you used them, or did this have to be done in the morning? Had anybody in the history of St. Paul ever had a positive experience with a roofer? What about a good Volvo mechanic? Did your 240 have that problem with the sticky parking-brake cable? And that enigmatically labeled dashboard switch that made such a satisfying Swedish click but seemed not to be to anything: what WAS that?"
in the end, the book was compelling. it laid out the lives of its main characters in a way that required me to re-examine my own life and the reasons behind the major decisions i've made.
the politics in the novel were intriguing and eye-opening for me. it was interesting to read the character's take on contemporary politics as the book was based in 2004. the politics and opinions of the characters were intriguing and forced me to think about several topics in new ways.
'pathfinder' orson scott card. some of orson's recent novels have seemed preachy and political, but this book was a return to form for him. the story and characters were classic orson. smart, snarky, compelling, unique, inventive, intriguing and fun. it is the story of a young boy with the ability to see the paths of people after they have passed through an area. he teams up with a youth from his village who can slow time. together they wend their way upriver and grapple with increasingly perilous dangers and intrigues. it was a page-turner and i read 2 and 3 hours longer than i should have on several evenings to finish the book.
don't be a hater stephen. try it.
'fablehaven--grip of the shadow plague' brandon mull. this is book three in the series and i am reading it outloud to michael. the girls sit in occasionally, but are often not engaged because of the vocabulary and story. michael loves it. the story is based on two siblings, kendra and seth, who's grandparents are the caretakers of a perserve for magical creatures. they are collectively battling the 'society of the evening star' to prevent destruction of good in the world. this book in particular was compelling for the re-introduction of several very interesting characters with whom we'd interacted with in previous novels. the children in the book are increasingly given greater roles to play in the plot because of their innate qualities and those qualities and gifts bestowed upon them by the magical creature with whom they interact. great story. great ethics. great topics to discuss with my growing son...
'the promise' jonathan alter. yes, thank to peter for recommending this book. the title would seem to portend propaganda and fawning on the annointed one, but it is a great read. the insider status allowed alter gives an intimate picture of the power players in the obama white house. if just for a look at the work of the president it is worth the read--regardless of your politics. i loved reading about obama's handling of the transition and the financial crisis. i remember distinctly listening to POTUS on XM in yosemite when mccain 'suspended' is campaign to confront the financial crisis. the insider details of this moment in the campain that sunk mccain's chances were one example of the delightful details in the this book.
the other great thing about reading this book, was that i did the bulk of my reading during our trip to new york and can you think of a city who would be more approving of a white male reading about obama on the subway..? aren't i such the hipster?
the night started with pizza and poster creation. we entered the marriott center at 6:30pm as the doors opened to the public for the 8:15pm tip.
michael counted every shot jimmer took from the moment we came out, and while we were watching michael counted 209 points made..:)
and what a treat to have mom with us. she's always spicing things up with her presence...
the crowd rushed the court and michael could not be held back. it was fun to mingle with players etc and before you knew it we were on TV!
thank you cougars for a spectacular night. a meeting of two top 10 teams in provo was all it had been billed. we won't remember this night soon and i made a little video to commemorate..:)
