Freeman Family Reunion

Last Saturday after teaching my students, Nate and I got to hang out with some of my favorite people...Nate's family. This was a special reunion in Alpine which happens only once every several years. It is for the descendants of Nate's Great-Grandparent's Freeman. These are the famous Freemans from Snowflake :). Mason was the center of attention (which he loves), and we all enjoyed talking, playing sports, and eating. They also had a 15 minute meeting where the siblings of Nate's Grandpa Freeman spoke about their parents and family life growing up. It was so great for me to get to know Nate's extended family better! I feel lucky to be part of them.

loves Grandma Freeman!

playing on her lap

Mason with Aunt Lissa

aha. a BIG kiss for Aunt Jenica :)

with Jenica and Camber

Memorial Day Weekend

Friday night we got to go swimming at 7 Peaks with a lot of family. We also got to meet my cousin Laura's fiance Wilfried. It was Mason's first time in the water, and he loved it! The next day Nate got to go to Emily's baptism while I taught my students in Draper and Lehi. Then I came back to Orem and he watched Mason while I went to Judy's violin recital. So proud of that girl! That evening we got to have dinner with Wilfried & Laura, and had such a great time talking, laughing, and getting to know Wilfried better. It was all of our first time at 'Chef's Table', and I was taken back by how fancy it was! Wilfried is a gem, and so perfect for  my cousin Laura! They will have a wonderful life together, and many great adventures. We came back so that I could play again with the Orchestra for the broadcast on Sunday morning. I loved that Memorial day broadcast. It was so sweet to see the applause when Lloyd Newell asked all of those currently or formerly involved in the US Military to stand up. That evening we went back to Nate's family's house in Springville, and were able to spend that night at their "cottage"/cabin. It's in a beautiful area next to the golf course. The next morning we woke up and went on a jog up Hobble Creek canyon, to prepare for our 1/2 marathon coming up on August 18th. That day we also got to hear Alissa play the piano with Springville HighSchool Orchestra in preparation for their Disneyland tour. They sounded especially good for a highschool orchestra I thought. After that we went to Orem for a family 'Memorial Day' picnic, and then to visit our good friends Ben and Brittany StClair in Provo. They just welcomed another sweet little boy into their family. It was such a great weekend!

picnic at the park

Nate and Ben with their little boys



helping with laundry...sort of



a wonderful evening with Laura and Wilfried

 

loved swimming!

my darling student's recital

It was held at my Parent's home in Orem. They each performed two pieces. I delighted to hear them and the progress that they have made!

laundry day

These are a few pictures I took this morning of Mason helping me with laundry. I sent them to Nate at work. He thought that perhaps I should play the song for him "put it in the bag".

laundry day with Mom

getting a little bored

i hate laundry!

Mother's Day and my Birthday

This last April 30th, found me turning 26. It is amazing to think what a full and good year this has been...filled with incredible blessings. To celebrate, Nate took me to 'Flemings', a downtown steakhouse. It was fun to run into one of my highschool friends, Chris Cox, who is the manager at that Restaurant. Mother's Day was incredible. I am amazed that so much joy and love can come from being a Mother. Great work and sacrifice? Of course, and yet I honestly can't think of anything that compares to the joy I feel as a Mom...except marriage. We enjoyed attending a Jazz game with Nate's work friends, against the San Antonio Spurs (we lost unfortunately, which consequently ended our season). We also had a wonderful time hosting our friend Bethany who was visiting from London. She is a lovely girl. One of our favorite date's was having a barbecue and playing tennis with my brother Rich and his wife Jen. Mason is growing so fast! He rolls a lot, laughs and smiles, and is mostly just content and sweet. He is learning how to eat ... everything. He enjoys rocking in his rocking chair from Great-Grandparents Freeman, and hanging out with his new friend Kensington. Nate thinks he kind of likes her. We are still loving Salt Lake, and looking forward to Summer: 1/2 marathon, barbecueing, swimming, and spending time with family and friends! Hoping to write more often on the blog :). Sorry for the feast/famine affect.

Lava chocolate cake and vanilla icecream



steak skewers





Argentine food...yes I made them...a little overly done :).



Paper...yum!

Eating applesauce, with some moral support from cousin Mynoa

pic taken in front of Bridal Veil Falls



in his rocking chair



Jazz v. San Antonio

Barbecue/Tennis date with Rich and Jen



i'm so in love with that little boy!



Mother's Day pics that my sister-in-law Jen took.

I love that kid!

Mason and cute Kensington

Spring fashion, Family &Friends, and the Utah Symphony

So if you have read any of our family's previous posts...you can see that Nate is good at keeping me on my toes with current events, names of things and places, and...fashion.

This is the REAL me and the pink pants (that I never wore, and I'm never going to wear actually :))

I have to say that the styles of 2012 (in America...since Europe's about 10 years ahead of us), don't really match up very well with my personality. Call me crazy, but I'm not big into neon and weird designs. I think if I wore those pants, I'd feel like a piece of bubble gum walking around. I expect people to notice me, even without neon :). When I walk through Forever 21, or Gap, or Nordstrom, or even Macy's, I feel like I'm taking a stroll through the 70's again. Why can't I just buy a normal piece of clothing for a reasonable price? :)

Don't get me wrong...I don't have anything against anybody who loves that kind of thing...in fact I'm kind of drawn to them (literally), but it's just not really my personality to go out on a limb like that. I prefer the classy, conservatice styles...the ones that don't go out of style...you know, like Classical music, and red bricked houses, and wood, and Honda's, oh, and let's not forget Jane Austen, or old Europe. Call me Goeorge Banks. You know...nothing extravagant, just sophisticated :). For that reason...Nate enjoys teasing me once in a while. :)

On the brighter side however (no pun intended) he has given me strong encouragement (not verbal..rather through example) to live up life a little more than I thought was possible. Notice the title of our blog 'in all things love'. Well, it comes from a saying that was commonly known among the Czech's early Protestants Moravian Brethren, and is also what we commonly refer to as 'our family moto'. You've probaby heard it before. The complete phrase is:

In essentials unity
In nonessential liberty
In all things love.

Let's just say that the middle phrase 'In nonessentials liberty'... is not taken lightly in this family...especially by my Nate. In fact we should probably make that the name of this blog. He is serious about life when he needs to be, but he is also lighthearted and knows how to make a good joke..especially when he senses too much seriousness where seriousness is not helpful. This includes things like wanting to sing the BYU 'Rise up and shout song' at his funeral, and someday wanting to write the "PERFECT FAMILY CHRISTMAS CARD"...full on with the 'American Smile', the perfect house, the perfect car, and the perfect family in perfect clothes. Let's just say that he lives up to the family name of Freeman. So while Im known as the strong 'conservative' in the family when it comes to fashion, vacations, music, and more, I love his free loving soul. Perhaps every marriage needs a little of both.

Now that we've got that behind us....

Last night we had a great time at the Utah Symphony's 'John Williams Concert'. It is part of a rewards program for my students, so when students pratice one hundred days (as four of them had), they earn a free concert and a treat. This time they got a 'Symphony' bar. Funny how children can be even more excited about candy, than a concert. We had a great time last night! Another highlight was running into our friends Bob and Jacobie Hoopes, who set up Nate and I on our first date, and Nate's highschool friend Suzi who just got into medical school at Temple University in Pennsylvania (Congratulations Suzi!). It was such a fun evening, and the conductor did a great job including orchestral excerpts from other composers such as Gustav Holst, Gabriel Faure, and Antonin Dvorak who had influenced John Williams work.

Four of my students and their parents at the John Williams Utah Symphony Concert

Afterwards Nate and I went out for a night out on the town. Even though it wasn't a weekend, our babysitter Aunika (who had also been my doula) was so sweet to encourage us to have fun that night. We strolled through City Creek and around Temple Square. We ended up at an Italian shop in our neighborhood 'Dolcetti', and got some gelato and a yummy scone.

We ran into a photographer from the Salt Lake Tribune, and he was so nice and took this picture for us

Fountains designed by the same guy who designed the fountains in front of the Bellagio in Las Vegas

Italian goods on display in the window at Dolcetti. Nate loves everything Italian ever since he spent those two summers in Italy



So what's the difference between icecream and gelato?
That's what i asked...and they said that gelato has less fat, and less air..so there you go! That's why they serve you such small portions and charge you so much for them :). 



Nate and I shared the "large" cup you see..that looks like a dot on the table. I'm not big into the "all you can eat American style", but I know a theif when I see one :). Maybe I can blame this one on small business being taxed out of their minds. There is the pragmatist coming out of me again (thank you Dad!). I had to remind myself to enjoy the ambiance of it all!

orange cranberry...mmm! I think I will make those sometime at home

These are just a few of the things we have loved about living in Salt Lake City. Perhaps the best part of the evening was just strolling through Temple Square, seeing 'our Temple' lit up, and smelling the beautiful blossoms. For me, it was like heaven! Romantic and a little cheesy? Probably!




Tulips...I love tulips ever since I lived in Holland

It's hard to believe it has only been a little over a year since we were married there on February 5, 2011

Another great part of the week has been having my sister Ramona and her cute kids here from Colorado Springs for the week. Ramona, Shirley, and I (the three youngest of the 11) had a great time shopping and going to lunch. The great part is that we even got my Mom to come...who like me isn't a big shopper, but enjoys her daughters and is interested in what we are interested in. I love that about my Mom!

too cool for school...for now :)

City Creek with the Fam

Ramona and her cuties: David, Marianne, Lydia and Adam (in her tummy)

Here's a little of Mason's life the last few weeks:

In his sunday best and on his blanket of many colors. Yes he is our favorite son!

Wrestling with his little lamb and his bear (which Aunt Jenica just game him). He is drawn to soft, cuddly things.

Fire in Water at City Creek...I thought that was pretty creative (to the intro song on 'Beauty and the Beast').



aha..oh yeah...I made Nate pose with Chubaka (since that what his friends called him in highschool..in his pro tennis days), Indiana Jones, the scary guy from Harry Potter (I'm sorry Alissa....I don't know his name!), and Luke Skywalker after the Utah Symphony Concert.

 


I also got to spend some time with my friends from the Nauvoo Performing Mission in 2005. We had breakfast at Kneaders the Saturday before Easter. These are without a doubt some of my favorite people on earth!

For Alissa's birthday (Nate's sister who just got into BYU Piano Performance program)...we had Mason dance for her...to the chicken dance:

Mason and I got a hugely special treat by getting a visit from our friends, and former Bishop and his wife in Holland...Arto and Femke Hornweg. They even brought him a super cute outfit from Holland. When he wears it, I call him my little Dutch boy. We love them!

There he is...my little Dutch boy!

After our Spring Concert with the Orchestra, Nate and I got to introduce Mason to my violin teacher Vesna Gruppman and her husband Igor. Vesna is one of the greatest teachers on earth, and she loves her students so much that she is almost like a mother to us. So here is Mason with his musical grandmother Vesna Gruppman.

Mason has also been learning how to suck on his toe. It's his new favorite trick.

So I think that is probably a good place to end for now. Those are some of the highlights of our lives this beautiful springtime! Hope you are all well..happy, and finding joy in the journey (as Nate is often reminding me to do). We love our family and we love our friends...and we're learning to love our enemies :)! Go Mitt Romney! Just kidding!

Cheers and so forth from the Free Masons!

Get ready...get set...Spring!

We like spring.  After all, who doesn't appreciate the blooming flowers and the WARMER DAYS?!  Wahoo!   Today we want on a pleasant stroll around the neighborhood and up to the cemetery, which is only four blocks to the north of us.  It's an inside-27th ward-joke that we have 10 presidents of the Church in our ward, which is technically true, as the cemetery is part of our ward boundaries.  We are trying to reactivate them and their families, so hopefully our fellowshipping efforts will pay off.  We love the Avenues, and we've both concluded that we wouldn't mind living here again in the future if the opportunity comes.

A lot has transpired in the last few weeks, the most notable event being that Joanna bought bright clothes!  This thrilled me to no end as I had begged her to buy something to match the spring season, and she did it.  I think it's a sign the Apocalypse will indeed happen in 2012.

Joanna modeling her new pants.  I call her the Pink Pantser now. 
She's even got the new hairstyle going.  Gotta love it.

I still wouldn't classify Joanna as a shopping enthusiast, but that's totally fine with me.  However, she did have a fun time visiting City Creek with her family a few days ago.  As she is the downtown SLC expert of the family, she took it upon herself to give the family a tour of the newest thriving economic area.  She actually made up crazy stuff about most of the tour, but they believed her so that's all that matters.

Joanna teaches violin part time, and taught a master class a couple weeks ago.  I think the term 'master class' is a bit presumptuous, but I guess that's the musical lingo :)  Joanna gets a lot of satisfaction from helping her students progress with their musical talents, and I get a lot of satisfaction from her satisfaction.  I always hoped to marry someone who loves and plays good music, and Joanna certainly fits that category to the letter.  I'm grateful music is part of our lives; it is truly a gift from God.

Mason is growing like a weed, but he's not a weed.  Imagine that!  As of the last appointment, he's the 97th percentile for height, and the 80th percentile for weight!  What does that mean?  It means he will be taller than me by the time he starts junior high.  I still have nightmares of my elementary experiences when our teacher would have us stand in a row according to height and I was always at the end of the line with Rosa Maria Hernandez and Kim Chang.  Looks like Mason won't have that problem thanks to Joanna and her Viking heritage.

Mason in 2040

One of the treats of the last few weeks was attending the Easter concert performed by the Orchestra at Temple Square and some of the newest members of MoTab (btw, I'm campaigning to raise awareness of the fact that MoTab accompanies the OTS, not the other way around.  It's a common misconception).  They sounded marvelous!  The concert really helped set the tone for Easter season.  We're looking forward to a memorable spring and hope you are, too!