An open letter to Brett and Sariah

Dear Buriah,

Acting on the old adage that the early bird gets the worm, I am now beginning my submissions of possible names for children that may come into your family. Outside of the obvious James, there are some great options which have come to mind that reflect a good deal of our family culture. Hence, I am appointing myself to the Naming Committee for your future children and my removal can only be effected by a unanimous vote of all other committee members.

1. In light of our family tradition that it is better to call someone Fred than to call them Hey You when you cannot remember their name, and in view of the fact that after years of this tradition Brett became the de facto Fred in our family, and with the additional weight of our support of BYU basketball whose star this year is from a line of Jameses so long that he was named Jimmer to differentiate him from all the other Jameses in the family, I propose that your first daughter be named Fredette.
2. While working at the temple the other night I saw a temple file card for a woman who had been born in Uruguay in 1902. She possessed a name so lyrical that it seemed a waste not to add it to the list of names for Wilson granddaughters in honor of their mother's missionary service in Uruguay. The name was Petrona Sanabia Susoni Gusoni. If this name never appears on an official Wilson family birth certificate, I think it is a shoe-in as a "pretend" name for all tea parties held in your home over the next twenty years. Just be sure to invite Mrs. Blobins as well to avoid any problems with hurt feelings.

Thanks for your careful consideration of these important matters.

Love, Gramma LaRae

Speaking of Hungarian culture...

Brett learned how to crack a bull whip while he was in Hunary. He brought home a couple of whips and I love watching him work a bull whip. Everytime he cracks the whip I am surprised by how loud it is. The purpose of swinging the whip is to get the tip of it moving across the speed of sound, so the crack is actually a mini-sonic boom! You learn something new every day.

Congratulations are in order!

This last weekend brought a visit from Brett and Sariah, and an ENGAGEMENT! It's official, they have decided to get hitched. Brett wanted to propose in Reno at the Reno temple, because the first time they talked seriously about marriage was in October 2007 at the Reno temple. At that point they had dated on and off (mostly on) for about a year, but both wanted to serve missions. Brett had his call and Sariah was completing her paperwork. Brett entered the MTC in January 2008 and departed on March 16. Sariah entered the MTC on March 5 so their time in the MTC overlapped. In fact they ran into each other within minutes of her arrival. And the missionary guidelines weren't the only thing that prevented much communication between them there. Brett had just started his consecration week (speak Hungarian ONLY) the day she arrived. For the rest of their missions, her parents and Brian and I forwarded on their emails to the other one. They exchanged a few hand-written letters as well, but stamps from Hungary to Uruguay are expensive and letter-writing time was also at a premium.
Since arriving home on December 10th, Brett has spent almost every spare minute with Sariah catching up and obviously planning ahead. They've known each other 4 years and are ready to take this relationship to a whole new level. We've spent time with Sariah and had her in our home twice. She is an exceptional and bright woman who is easy to be around and always ready to have a little fun. She is majoring in Dietetics and wants to work on a MSW so she can do nutritional counseling for eating disorders and diabetes. Brett is working on a degree in Neuroscience with hopes to attend medical school. He has secured a position as a research assistant with two neurologists at IMHC in Murray.
Brett and Sariah plan to marry in May - they have their eye on the 8th in the Oquirrh Mountain temple in the southwest Salt Lake Valley. After they take a short honeymoon, we are planning a trip together to Hungary, where Brett will play host and tour guide to Sariah, Brian and I as we travel around that beautiful country. We hope to visit people and places that are special to him and get a taste for the Hungarian culture.
Congratulations to both of you on finding a love you want to commit to and on your decision to marry in the temple! I really look forward to the months ahead as we plan to celebrate your marriage.

Once in a lifetime!

I attended a concert by Itzak Perlman tonight. A friend found tickets on Craig's list a few days ago for this concert that sold out in less than a day. Her husband didn't want to go thanks to a recent surgery and she invited me to go with her. We loved every note!

For more information about Itzak Perlman click here.

Winter is back in Reno and for a few days the event organizers worried that Mr. Perlman wouldn't be able to get into Reno because of the snow. In reality, today it rained almost 24" in Phoenix and that is where he flew in from. His plane was one of a handful that departed Phoenix today because of the rain. Who'd have thought? So we were thrilled that he made it to play for us.
Call me star-struck, but when they opened the door for him to enter the stage I felt so excited! He wheeled onto the stage with his pianist, Rohan de Silva, and the audience went nuts. He uses a motorized chair with a seat that rotates around so he can place his feet on the floor and play. First he had to wait for the applause to die down and then the piano just launched in and away we went.
He played three pieces - a Mozart Sonata in A Major, K. 526, Beethoven's Sonata No. 7 in C minor, and after intermission Stravinsky's suite Italienne. He played for an hour before the intermission and it felt like half of that. In excitement and enthusiasm for our performer, many in the audience began to clap after the first movement of the Mozart piece, others joined in and by the third movement most everyone was clapping between movements. After the Mozart piece they left the stage momentarily and upon returning we received a wonderful lesson in humor and grace. Mr. Perlman hadn't spoken yet, but he paused there and announced that while he was backstage he had received an urgent call - from Mr. Beethoven. Beethoven told him that he had enjoyed the Mozart piece a lot and could tell that the audience did as well. However he was hopeful that when Mr. Perlman played HIS piece that he would play it without applause during the space between the movements. Mr. Perlman said that he asked Beethoven, but why do you care if the audience claps between movements and Beethoven told him that the space between the movements is as much a part of the music as the notes in the movements. The space allows one movement to linger and prepares the audience for the next. His approach was kindly, taught an important musical idea and got the point across with a great deal of humor - not diminishing in the least the audience's appreciation, but ensuring an great musical experience for everyone. I was almost glad about the audience faux pas, because it allowed us a quick glimpse of Itzak Perlman. After the Stravinsky piece (which was very short by comparison to the other two) we gave a standing ovation and they left the stage. When they returned, the pianist carried a stack of music about 12 inches high. Together they would consult about which piece to play for us next, leaf through the music to find it, announce it from the stage and start to play. As he announced each piece he would share a little about the composer and in the end the story would have a great punch line that brought lots of laughter. He played two compositions by Kreisler and another by Reis - which of course brought a little joke about a single "Reis Piece" (think Reese's Pieces). In another joke, as he announced a piece by Tchaikovsky he told us that the composer had written it for a Russian friend who spent many years in a Russian prison after being convicted of a minor misdemeanor, so he titled it "Chanson sans Paroles" (literal French translation: Song without Words - NOT Song Without Parole. This is only funny in English.) He played two very technical pieces - fast as lightening and so amazing that people were actually gasping as he ended them. I think the favorite though was when he announced that he would play John Williams Theme from Schindler's List. Mr. Perlman actually collaborted on and played the violin for the movie soundtrack. I sat there thinking, "I am watching Itzak Perlman play the Theme from Schindler's List" and listened as this music from his heart filled the auditorium and touched everyone there. An unforgettable evening.

Whoooo's there?

I was awakened last Sunday morning before dawn to a chorus of owls calling out to each other from the branches of the trees outside our bedroom windows.  Shifting from haunting to almost racous, their individual voices combined and wove together in a rhythmic counterpoint.  Since moving to this neighborhood we've been treated to owl seranades before, but never this close, at a moment so quiet, and for such a duration.  I lay quietly for minutes listening until I could restrain myself no longer.  Quietly I moved to our door and inched it open hoping for a glimpse of nature's neighbors.  Upon hearing my intrusion, one by one the voices silenced as the birds slipped away into the still-darkened sky.  Disappointed that I had hastened the end of nature's reveille, I returned to the warmth of my bed where Brian and I shared our thoughts and impressions about what we had just experienced in the last few minutes. 

Late that afternoon we stopped our activities around the kitchen to listen carefully -- the birds had returned to our trees to offer a reprise of our morning's melody.  We stepped to the windows and in the fading light we saw two of them sitting in an evergreen just 30 feet from where we stood.  We watched them as they called back and forth - first a melodic hooting and then a rhythmic bass reply.  As the performance lengthened we grabbed a camera and from inside our window used a telephoto lens to see them more clearly.  They gazed directly as us and then looked away to continue their conversation.  This happened repeatedly letting us know that they were aware of us and unafraid.  Feeling somehow invited to the party, I quietly stepped out the back door and listened amazed as I took photo after photo of two great horned owls.  Eventually they moved from the shelter of our evergreen to the top of a broken cottonwood and then the peak of our neighbor's home.  During all of this they occasionally looked our way, gazing calmly into the lens of my camera.  As light faded entirely, they took flight and began their nocturnal hunt.  We haven't seen them again this week, but here's hoping they return for an encore. 

You can click here to listen to owls calling - ours sounded like a combination of the pair calling and "Alice".

Our first glimpse...

...there's two!

They're so big!

Great shot.

In plain sight.

Now you're just showing off.

Ready for flight.

707 Days - but who's counting?!

Conspicuously missing from my 50th birthday party, Brett now resides in the U.S. after returning  from a two year mission to Budapest Hungary.  I loved being a tiny part of his mission and loved the opportunity to support him as he worked to share the restored gospel with the people of Hungary.  I did however miss him every day he was gone and am adjusting nicely to the idea of his proximity to family and friends.  We text frequently and talk when he has time.  He has returned to his studies at BYU in Neuroscience and Psychology after spending three weeks with us and being the best Christmas present Brian and I received this year.  Brett served well, loved the work, grew in a multitude of ways (I swear he is an inch taller), made so many friends among the Hungarians and his fellow missionaries, and learned Hungarian - which is more impressive than it sounds.  I know that walking away from such an amazing experience can be a difficult thing, but all good things come to an end (and none too soon for this mother).  Welcome home, son.

Waiting...

He's home!

Merry Christmas!