Autumn Awesome

 I love these October weekends.  They seem to last forever in the golden light that is unique to this time of year.  Everything is more beautiful in the fall, and everything is more fun, even sitting in a cardboard box!

We started the weekend early when Tricia and Jim invited us to Pepperbelly's for a birthday lunch.  Ptolemy was thrilled to have been included, and look how sweet and precious he is!

 The zumbathon was a big success, especially for the kids I took, mine and some others, who loved the concession stand and the dancing.  Nobody loved the dancing more than Tziporah.  She dove right into the crowd (here) so her mother wouldn't be able to find her and stop her from doing her moves.  When I had to leave early to pick up Ruby at guitar, Tizzy screamed all the way out, "My dancing!  Myyyyyyyyy dancing!"

Scott had dropped Ruby off in Salt Lake on his way to Park City for some legal stuff and an overnighter at the Ranch for his birthday, so it was a quick trip in to grab her, with several kids in the back seat watching a movie.  I love that technology allows me to make a routine pick up seem like a Friday Night Movie Night, especially when Tizzy was so sad about leaving her zumbathon!

Saturday morning started at 7:00, with Nutcracker pictures.  Golda had an all-day flute workshop at Weber State right after, and I was teaching, so everything depended on pictures running on time, which of course, they didn't.  I hate scrambling when I'm teaching.  Luckily, one of Golda's nice friends offered to take her to Weber so that Tricia wouldn't have to bring Ruby down to teach my class while I ran her, which would have been hairy because Ruby was teaching violin and there was nobody to watch the babies, since the other three were at ballet, too.  It could have been crazy! (Like it wasn't. lol.)

 Later in the afternoon, it was Xanthe's piano recital.  Freestone couldn't perform because of Nutcracker pictures and rehearsal, so I only had one musical star this time.  Well, two. (Watch here)  Tziporah can't stand not being in the spotlight.  Janet, in the background, may have been a little nervous, but I assured everyone afterward that Tizzy wouldn't accompany any of the other students.  In order to keep my promise, I had to spend the next hour in the hallway with Tizzy,looking at paintings while she howled, "My panno!  I play!"    Sheesh, can we get this kid some lessons?  She is way too precocious!

 Next up:  the Kaysville Monster Mash at Heritage Park.  Golda was performing Thriller with dance company, and the other 9 kids I had with me were just happy to be there, roaming through all the fun vendors and listening to the storytellers.

 Dance company had had only a few rehearsals to choreograph over six minutes of a dance they had to perform on a really small stage.  They were great! (here. but it's long and bad quality recording, sorry!)  They ended up spreading out into the audience, which was more fun (and more possible) than crowding onto the stage.  It was so fun to see them dance!  Golda works so hard at dance, with a dozen or so classes each week, that every chance I get to see her perform is heaven, and there aren't nearly enough of them!

 During all the Saturday fun, Scott had been in Park City.  He golfed at Soldier Hollow with his brother Jeff, then met Ari and a handfull of other Dopps at the Utah game.  By the time I wrangled the kids away from the Monster Mash storytellers, Utah had wrangled a win away from Stanford.  I buzzed in to pick up Scott from the game, escaped up Emigration Canyon and made it to Grappa almost in time for our 8:30 dinner reservation.  It was such a cozy setting, filled with happy tourists, decked out in Halloween touches, that we settled in and closed the place down.  We didn't get to the condo until 11, but the dinner was the perfect way to wind down after our adventures.

 Next morning, we had church responsibilities (and HOW!), so we drove down in our separate cars.  I took Emigration again, since I like it so much better than I-80.  I like going through downtown, too.  The whole drive was breathtaking.  The leaves this year were disappointing, but the aspens saved it to some degree, with their cheery yellows providing a nice contrast to the browns and purples.

 The Dopp family has a lot of October birthdays, and we celebrated all of them at Nikki and Clint's house with soup in pumpkin bread bowls.  At the end of it all, I was wishing we could have more days of weekend and fewer days of all the other stuff.  My wish will be granted this week, with Thursday and Friday being fall break.

Fall break.  What a great idea!