Festive Concerts

A while back I decided that our family needed to go to the Piano Guys Christmas concert in Salt Lake.  Mom and Dad willingly watched Ben for us and we made an evening of it.

We went to City Creek and had dinner and walked around a bit...

Then we went to Temple Square.

I used to go every year with my family when I was a kid.  I realized we had only ever taken our kids once and that was when they were so young.  I was glad to have a chance to experience it with them again...

Then we took TRAX down to the Vivint Smart Home Arena for the concert.

Most of us were excited to be there and those who weren't consoled themselves by buying ice cream and popcorn to consume.  In all seriousness, we knew Matt would love it once it got going but in the mean time, he acted like he wasn't that enthused ;)

It was so amazing!  Even Matt got super into it :)  It really was a fantastic show...such great talent and enjoyment.

(My poor phone camera does not do zoom well so I apologize for the blurry pics)

Here is Jon doing his upside down, backward and cross handed song...

Before their standing ovation, they closed with their version of Fight Song/Amazing Grace...one of my favorites!  It was so neat when they had actual bagpipers come out on stage!

 Such a wonderful evening with most of the family :)

The next night, I dragged Andy to a Nathan Pacheco concert in Logan.

I think he has such a great voice and seems like a genuinely nice guy as well.

It, too, was a fabulous night.  I didn't get many pictures since we were in a rush to get home, having received a phone call in the second half saying that Matt was feeling sick and throwing up :(

   It is rare that the Bryans ever go to concerts so to have two nights in a row was something quite                                                                                      unusual.

Grandma's Funeral

 My sweet Grandma "O" passed away recently.

I'm not great with words so this will be mostly pictures but I will copy what I posted on Instagram about her...
"She was rock solid and a valiant servant of Christ.  Grandma was Canadian, a candy maker, a farmer's wife, a seamstress and a musician.  I will remember her yellow Canadian roses, making owl cookies with her in the fall, her devotion to her family, driving up the canyon with her and Grandpa to look at the autumn leaves, her bright, sunny kitchen with a blooming Hoya plant and her quiet way of going about in the service of others."

My aunt Valerie had found 5 necklaces among Grandma's things and had us 5 granddaughters each choose one before the funeral.

The granddaughters and a grandson's wife and my brother Jo's girlfriend sang "I am a Child of God" for the service.  Here we are practicing beforehand. 

I accompanied my dad and two brothers on the piano while they sang an arrangement of I Know that My Redeemer Lives.  About 5 minutes before they sang I realized I had the beginnings of a migraine.

I don't get them often, maybe once a year or so.  When I had migraines in my younger days I would have the bad vision and then end up with an awful headache.  For the last several years though I just get the funny vision.  I won't complain about that but this was awful timing!  How was I going to accompany without being able to see the music well?  I prayed really hard and was somehow able to play.  I had to try and look at the music indirectly as the spotty vision was right in the center.  I was just so grateful it didn't end up causing any problems.

Two of my honorary pallbearers...

The Relief Society prepared a wonderful meal for the family afterward...

***Sidenote...

I grew up calling her Grandma "O."... short for Olsen.

When Ben was younger and beginning to form his own little language he picked up on that and began calling all of his grandmas simply, "O".

Thanksgiving 2017 with the Bryans

I didn't get a whole lot of pictures on Thanksgiving but here are the few that I did...

Grandpa Hubbard was able to come up and join us.

Some of the gals waiting for the dinner bell...

   

  

We've really had to force Ben to eat lately.  Rarely does he ask for food these days and sometimes he resists it when we try and put it in his mouth. 

We did get some turkey, mashed potatoes and rolls down him though :)

Some of the guys...