Sean is Eleven

Last night we celebrated Sean's eleventh birthday with dinner (he picked hamburgers and fries as he always does), an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins (chocolate cake and chocolate chip ice cream), and presents (his big present was a 3DS).  Words cannot express how much I love this boy!  He makes us laugh all of the time and he is so smart and sensitive.  Here are some other pictures from his party.

His 3DS!  It is seriously cool because you play games in 3D!

He got lots of games for his 3DS.

When Sean is interested in something, he gets really obsessed with it.  For a while he has been really obsessed with being a spy and getting lots of spy gadgets.  Now he is obsessed with magic.  Out of all the presents he got, this is the one that captivated him for the rest of the evening!

With his cake!  I can't believe that Sean is eleven!  When did this happen?

2009

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2014

Ode to Joy

Last night Abravanel Hall was definitely filled with a joyful noise as the Utah Symphony performed Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and you should really stop reading right now and get yourself a ticket to tonight's concert!  The evening began with Control, a piece by Nico Muhly commissioned by the Utah Symphony to commemorate its 75th Anniversary.  The composer was in attendance and he explained to the audience that the piece represented various landmarks in Utah and how people interacted with them.  I absolutely loved it because it was very dramatic and included quite a bit of percussion.  At one point the first part featured a xylophone, a marimba, and a vibraphone in unison.  I also really loved the theme played by the brass in syncopation with a bass drum in part four.  As the orchestra played, there was also a video presentation of the Utah landmarks which inspired Control designed by Joshua Higgason.  I thought it was stunning.  I really appreciate that the Utah Symphony is such a dynamic organization able to program new and innovative pieces along with the cannon.  After the intermission the orchestra performed what is widely regarded as the greatest symphony ever written!  When I created my season package last summer, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 was at the top of my list (along with Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2) and I've been looking forward to it ever since.  The orchestra was joined by the Utah Symphony Chorus, the University of Utah Chamber Choir, and the University of Utah A Capella Choir (they looked very dramatic on stage) along with soloists Celena Shaffer (a Utah favorite), Sarah Coit, Eric Barry, and Michael Dean.  The first movement is stirring and dramatic, the second is lively and exuberant, and the third is romantic and atmospheric.  However, nothing can compare to the magnificent fourth movement featuring the chorus and soloists singing the lyrics from the poem Ode to Joy by Friedrich Schiller to the accompaniment of the instantly recognizable main theme played by the orchestra.  I think the lyrics, about the universal brotherhood of man, are particularly salient for these troubled times and listening to the chorus sing them gave me goosebumps.  If you are still reading this, I highly recommend that you go here to get tickets to hear this incredible piece!

Note:  The orchestra paid tribute to Joseph Silverstein, conductor of the Utah Symphony for over 15 years, by playing "Nimrod" from Elgar's Enigma Variations.  It was so beautiful!  I remember him fondly because he conducted the first Utah Symphony concert I attended.

Festival of Trees 2015

Yesterday I volunteered at the Festival of Trees for the seventh year in a row!  It is a wonderful opportunity to help raise money for Primary Children's Hospital.  Various individuals and groups decorate trees, often in honor or remembrance of a patient at Primary Children's Hospital, and donate them for auction.  After the auction, they are put on display for the general public at the South Towne Expo Center for several days.  I volunteer as a hostess and I am assigned to a particular area to answer questions about the trees and to keep them from being damaged.  Here are some of the trees in my area.

Most of my trees were in remembrance of premature babies who had died so, when people would ask me questions, I would tear up a little bit.

This "Angel Tree" really made me emotional because all of the ornaments were in honor of children who had died.  One mother asked to find her daughter's ornament for her and take a picture of it.  What an honor!

This "Superhero" tree was probably the most popular tree of the whole festival.  It was across the aisle from me and there was always a large crowd of people around it.  After my shift was over I walked around to look at all of the other trees.  Here are some of my favorites.

My very favorite tree was this "Travel" tree!

And, of course, there was the usual BYU/Utah rivalry tree!

The Festival of Trees runs until Saturday, Dec. 5 at the South Towne Expo Center.  Go here for more information.

Youth

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a free advance screening of Youth, a film by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino.  Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) and Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel) are long time friends vacationing at a luxury spa in the Swiss Alps.  Fred, a well known composer and conductor, is being lured out of retirement by an emissary of Queen Elizabeth to play at Prince Philip's birthday celebration but he repeatedly turns down the offer.  Mick is working with a group of young writers to develop the screenplay for his next film which will only be financed if Brenda Morel (Jane Fonda), an actress he discovered, agrees to star in it.  They share the resort with a group of eccentric characters, including a young actor (Paul Dano) who is trying desperately to be taken seriously after playing a robot, Miss Universe (Madalina Diana Ghenea), an overweight former soccer star (Roly Serrano) who is never named but modeled on Diego Maradona, and Fred's daughter Lena (Rachel Weisz) who has recently been dumped by her husband Julian (Ed Stoppard), who happens to be Mick's son.  The story is told through a series of vignettes, some of which are absolutely hilarious and some profoundly sad, as Fred and Mick reflect on their lives, their regrets, and their uncertain futures.  The theme is developed very slowly but, ultimately, the characters learn that they must live life to the fullest.  There are so many things that I loved in this film: the series of horrible performers at the resort each evening, the cameo of European pop star Paloma Faith (playing herself) as the woman who steals Julian away from Lena, all of the swans made of towels, a couple who never speak to each other until they are surreptitiously observed by Fred and Mick in an intimate moment, the Queen's emissary literally begging Fred to come out of retirement, and the young actor playing Hitler at breakfast.  I laughed and laughed through most of the film but it is quirky and a bit unsettling (think Fellini), particularly the many scenes of bored people mechanically participating in activities at the resort.  There is also a fair amount of nudity which may be off-putting for some.  However, Caine and Keitel give incredibly affecting performances in a beautifully crafted film.  It is most definitely not for everyone but I certainly enjoyed it!

Spotlight

I'm not a big fan of Black Friday shopping because I don't like crowds.  I decided to see a movie instead but, ironically, I think half of SLC had the same idea!  The Broadway Theatre was just as packed with people as any mall!  Luckily, I chose to see Spotlight, which is one of the best movies I've seen this year, so it was worth waiting in the long line in the frigid cold to buy tickets!   This film portrays The Boston Globe's investigation of the sexual abuse of children by priests and the cover up of these crimes by the Catholic church.   The new editor of The Boston Globe, Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), wonders why the paper hasn't written much about the sex abuse case against a defrocked priest and assigns the Spotlight team to investigate.  The Spotlight editor, Walter "Robby" Robinson (Michael Keaton), reluctantly agrees.  Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo) interviews the mercurial attorney for the victim (a brilliant Stanley Tucci) and discovers hundreds more victims while Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) interviews the prosecutor (Billy Crudup) and learns that the Catholic church has settled multiple cases against many more priests out of court in return for confidentiality.  Furthermore, researcher Matt Carroll (Brian D'Arcy James) learns that the majority of these priests have merely been moved to new parishes rather than removed from the priesthood.  As the team pours through clippings, reads endless directories, and knocks on doors looking for potential witnesses, the suspense builds and builds until it is almost unbearable.  The story is much more than a procedural drama because each of the members of Spotlight must grapple with how these revelations affect their own faith and it is very compelling.  The ensemble cast is absolutely incredible!  Lately, I'm becoming more and more impressed with Michael Keaton and Liev Schreiber.  This thought-provoking film is getting quite a bit of Oscar buzz and I highly recommend seeing it!