morris fam

 Ahhhh! The Morris family. We were so happy to be able to see them for a few short minutes before we left Utah for New York. We never seem to have much luck when it comes to picture time with this family. We got to see their sweet little Sailor and hear her sing a song about Minnie Mouse. It was cool hearing about their upcoming plans and pursuits as a family as well. We love you Kendra and Sterling! (and Sailor). Can't wait to see you in New York! Check out our last failed group photos here.

time in utah

Ahhh! The Lees! We went home for a quick visit so that we could pack up some of the things we left there. It was so nice being able to spend time with family. Although our days were crowded with moving tasks and duties we still found a little bit of time to share music and laughter with these fine people. Audrey played the piano for us and serenaded us with a little bit of Debussy and Schubert. Audgie's friend, Dom, played his guitar for us and blew all of our minds. We then heard an a capella number from the Lee girls. Erin sang a jazzy Gershwin song. The Allenbach-Lees sang the Kermit "Rainbow Connection" song that brought us all to tears. Konrad and Alison sang some stunning pop numbers that I can't remember the titles of. Bri sang Radiohead "I will" for everyone and I sang some Strauss.

There really is something so joyful about listening to each person share their talent. I can never get over how musical the Lee family is. I used to think my family was a version of the Von Trapp family, very musical and song and dance-y...and I still do, I just think the Lees are like Von Trapp family 2.0. The upgraded and more spectacular version. Ha.

Our trip was short but we were happy to spend time with everyone. Especially the babies!!! Little Graham and James stole our hearts.

We also got to see my sisters Janay and Becky and my older brother Rob. I somehow managed to not take one single picture with them. Too bad. We loved seeing them but again the time was too short. One highlight for me was walking into the Hansen's basement and finding my neices and nephews having a dance party to some Beatles jams. Pretty cool kids. Check my sister's blog to read more about our time with her family.

Click here or here to see other Lee family photos.

happy easter 2013

We hope you had a Happy Easter! We sang in church and ate way too much candy. Later in the afternoon we listened to a radio broadcast of my sister singing some John Adams. As we listened to the music we lay on our backs in pain-- promising ourselves that we'd never eat so much candy again...

We hope your day was uplifting and not cursed by the Easter Bunny like ours was. Despite our rotting teeth and sad tummies, it was a lovely weekend. Bri rode his bike all day and did all the chores such as grocery shopping and laundry doing.  I got to workshop a new opera which I really enjoyed. I love hearing new music and getting to meet and experience new people and new personalities. In church we sang with the choir and enjoyed getting to know more people in our community.

See last Easter in Houston here.

have you seen these?

Hey! Sorry it's been so quiet around here. We've been busy busy. Tam was in town for a concert, Bri's working like a mad man and now I'm workshopping an opera--and we might have found an apartment to move into..so many things filling the minutes. For now enjoy these stills from Prada's new add campaign directed by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola. I love the little episodes and the colors and the food and the dancing. I just weirdly love these commercials so much...so enjoy. More upadtes coming soon

Prada Candy Episode 1 from VOGUE on Vimeo.

Prada Candy Episode 2 from VOGUE on Vimeo.

Prada Candy LEau by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola - Episode 3 from Style.com Arabia on Vimeo.

the dream lives on

If you want to read more about our fun in Montréal (I know you mama.)
Check this out.

montréal

I put these pictures together last week but have been consistantly busy since then. When my friend Ellen put up her post I realized I could just refer you to her blog for all the details and I wouldn't have to be bothered too much with writing everything out. She is so candid and detailed in her posts so I know my mama will like reading it especially.

We decided to take a short weekend trip with Gabe and Ellen last weekend to Montreal. It was seriously snowy all day and all night while we visited. Usually this kind of weather would really upset me--but in this case it was spectaularly beautiful. On our first night we went to a really hopping Mexican restaurant and then walked into old town where we found some music playing (which we later found out was provided for the ice-skating rink.) After dancing around the streets and sliding around in the snow we bought some treats and headed home. Our little hotel was cozy with walls covered in artificial wood-paneling and floors drowned in baggy coke-stained carpet. It was absolutely perfect for us.We put on some jammies and cuddled up to some French television. We always have the best conversations with Gabe and Ellen. There really never is a dull moment or an awkward one for that matter.

We tried to fit as much as we could into our second day. We woke up and headed straight to a creperie we had seen congested the previous night. We had some savory buckwheat crepes as well as some sweet strawberry and nutellaed varieties. We immediately headed to the biosphere following that. I was strangley so excited about it because it looks like a giant snow globe.

We then headed to the botanical gardens and McGill University to do some exploring. Ellen and I had cold tired feet so we were glad to have a rest at the university. The boys were cracking us up acting like we were a study group and bringing up important issues of discussion. (Like: where would we eat next? can the girls go shopping?)

Yes the girls did get to go shopping! But our French was a little rusty. I was so embarassed asking for shoe sizes. I couldn't remember how to say 39. So I kept asking in French if they spoke English. (which they all do like champs) and then I would say my size.

Our last night was more magical than the night before. Everyone was out and about enjoying the buzz of Nuit Blanche. All of the museums and theaters were open all night long free for everyone. (which is very good for young professionals and students) We saw some stand-up comedy act, some serious tap-dancers, backstage of the opera house, artificial sled hills, and some crazy art. More than anything I loved all the people-watching. Being out with everyone in the cold was so much fun. There were fire pits everywhere with people roasting hotdogs and marshmallows.

We really couldn't have had a better time with these guys. I think something special happens when we're all together. Activities and adventure always seems to fall in our laps. Thanks again for the fun weekend!