This Christmas

Dylan and Diego are ready to open presents on Christmas afternoon!

The kids added their gifts for each other to the pile under the tree.

In a small Christmas miracle, we were all able to gather at noon on Christmas morning to open family gifts together. Everyone had the day off from work except Chris, who had to work from 2-10 p.m., so he did have to miss Christmas dinner. And Jacob wasn't able to make the trip to join us. Those two facts were what prevented it from being a BIG Christmas miracle.

We had a White Christmas!

We also had a nice White Christmas, with a small snowfall in the morning, then some sunshine, followed by a little more snow in the afternoon. Pretty, but not enough to make driving unduly dangerous for careful drivers.

Even before Christmas Day, we enjoyed cards and gifts from friends & family,

like homemade candies from Prestwiches & homemade bread from Johnsons.

It had already been a wonderful Christmas season, beginning with David Archuleta's great Christmas concert, followed four days later by a lovely "Evening in Bethlehem" church dinner (I'll post photos from the dinner in a couple of days), and then Sarah's Christmas concert with White Mountain Symphony Orchestra eight days after that. There were a few other events that I missed due to a sinus infection that lasted almost two weeks, but the holiday spirit was everywhere. Along the way, we received beautiful Christmas cards and a few handmade gifts dropped off by good friends.

Mark's and my gifts to the family were all under the tree by Christmas Eve.

But now, at last, Christmas Day had arrived! Due to the aforementioned sinus issues, I did most of my Christmas shopping online this year. That was a first for me, because I'm one of those rare people who doesn't mind shopping, and the bustle of seeking the perfect gift in a store filled with like-minded shoppers simply feels like Christmas to me.

Online shopping, on the other hand, was a little nerve-wracking. Each item is given a possible timeline for delivery, and the latest date listed for my selections was Saturday, December 21. That seemed safe. In reality, though, the predicted dates had little resemblance to the actual deliveries. Some arrived more than a week before expected, which was awesome. Others were well past their delivery windows. I held my breath until the last box arrived on the day before Christmas Eve.

Because Jacob was unable to join us, a few gifts are still unopened.

So everything was in place when the kids arrived at noon, ready to see what they got for Christmas this year. We always open one gift at a time, going from youngest to oldest. First, Dylan opened his gift from his dad; then Jake opened his gift from Mark; then Sarah opened her present from her dad; then Chris and then me. Then Dylan opened his present from Sarah and Chris; then Jake opened his from Sarah and Chris; and so on. I like that it stretches out the fun and gives us all time to admire each other's new goodies along the way. When everyone just rips open their packages at the same time, it's all over much too fast!

Dylan had barely opened the first present when Jacob called us from Mesa to wish us all a Merry Christmas. We paused the gift-opening so we could enjoy a nice long visit with our absent family member. Dylan put Jacob's call on his iPhone so we could see Jacob and he could see us while we talked. It was the perfect way to start our festivities. Sadly, Jacob's presents are all still under my tree, but we may drive down next week to hand-deliver them to him. I like to be there when he opens them!

Dylan with his Christmas presents.

So...here's what Dylan got for Christmas 2019:

Sarah and Chris gave him a $20.00 Walmart gift card, attached to a big M&Ms milk chocolate bar (embedded with lots of mini m&ms).

Mark gave him what appeared from the packaging to be a GIANT Kit Kat bar, but in actuality held about 30 regular Kit Kat bars.

I gave Dylan a "Make It Fancy" tee-shirt; a Mario Kart Monopoly Gamer board game; two of his beloved Terry's Chocolate Oranges; a $20 gift card to Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers; and ten $1,000,000 bills adorned with cool characters and items from the Zelda video games.

Jake with his gifts.

And here's Jake's take:

Sarah and Chris gave him a $20.00 Walmart gift card, attached to a big M&Ms milk chocolate bar.

Mark gave him a big Santa Claus-shaped Reese's candy.

I gave Jake a Darth Vader tee-shirt; a crystal ball surrounded by flying Dementors, resting atop a sculpture of Hogwarts; a framed bit of tee-shirt (more about that below); and a Special Collector's Edition of Hollywood Spotlight, "The Complete Guide to Star Wars."

After they got home, Dylan and Jake texted this picture

of them wearing their new shirts. Perfect fit!

Here's the story of the framed print, below. Back in July 2012, when we drove cross country to upstate New York to visit my then-husband's grandmother and other relatives, we also set aside three days to spend in New York City. While at Coney Island (part of Brooklyn, NY) on our last day, we came upon a vendor on the street, selling everything from parrots to cell phone cases (Dylan bought himself an OtterBox case for $5.00). The guy was also selling some very nice souvenir tee-shirts for cheap. I think I got six tees for $10.00.

Dylan wore his shirts all the time, for years, but he'd only worn this red one a few times before one of the shoulder seams unraveled. I folded the shirt and put it into my "mending drawer," where I put everything that needed a few hand-stitches...and where they lived the remainder of their lives because I never actually mended a single item from that drawer. Last summer, I cleared out that drawer. I threw away or donated every piece of clothing that was in there, except this shirt. I just loved the colors and how it named each place we'd visited during our long-ago stay in New York City.

A closeup of the framed tee-shirt I made for Dylan and Jake.

I was pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Even if I mended it now, it was too late to be of use to Dylan, who long ago outgrew his 15-year-old self. Then I realized it might have sentimental value to both Dylan and Jake. Although they didn't meet until a few years later, Jake was still living in the Bronx (where he grew up) at the time we were there. When they compared where Jake lived and the places he frequented with the places Dylan and I visited while in the area, they concluded that they may have been close--maybe even passed by each other--at times during our stay.

Thus, I cut up the shirt and stretched the print to fit inside the frame, giving it to Dylan and Jake as a memento of a time when they were so close, never suspecting what the future held.

Sarah with her Christmas presents.

Sarah's surprises:

Chris gave her two heart-shaped necklaces with purple gemstones, her favorite color.

Dylan and Jake gave her an adorable Puppy Puzzle, and they also plan to get her some puzzle glue for it so she can display it later.

Mark gave her a pet-treat launcher and a bag of dog treats, which they had to try out right away, of course. Diego appreciated the treats!

I gave Sarah a Jim Shore sculpture of Simba, Timon, and Pumba walking across a log from a scene in The Lion King (we all had "Hakuna Matata" in our heads for the rest of the day); a Harry Potter version of the board game Clue; a leash hanger printed with "did someone say 'walk'?" to hang on the wall; and a fluffy fox key chain.

Chris with his gifts.

Chris's goodies:

Sarah gave him a new iPhone as an early gift after he dropped his in water at Disneyland and couldn't revive it.

Dylan and Jake gave him an external hard-drive for gamers, so Chris will no longer have to delete some of his games when he wants to play video games with Dylan and Jake, just to have to reload them all again later.

Mark gave him a box of Hickory Farms cheese, sausages, and crackers.

I gave Chris a small, portable Bluetooth speaker to use when he listens to his Spotify playlists on his phone; and, because Chris is gradually turning his small office at home into a Den of the Dark Side, I also gave him some Darth Vader and Stormtrooper vinyl clings for the walls and small action figures of Darth Vader and Kylo Ren for his desk.

Mark's Christmas presents.

For Mark:

Sarah and Chris gave him a $20.00 Walmart gift card, attached to a big M&Ms milk chocolate bar.

Dylan and Jake gave him a small, portable Bluetooth speaker to use when he listens to his Spotify playlists on his phone. 

I gave Mark a Metallica "Ride the Lightning" tee-shirt; a wireless phone charger for Mark's cell phone, which Dylan pointed out is too ancient to work on a wireless charger (oh well, Mark will be getting a new cell phone in a few months anyway); a $10.00 Walmart gift certificate; and a 2020 Muscle Car calendar. Mark always has one hanging by his bed and faithfully changes it to the next muscle car photo each month.

My gifts.

For Mary:

Sarah and Chris gave me a sweet new Willow Tree figurine called "Love You." Love it!

Dylan and Jake gave me the Star Wars version of Monopoly. Can't wait to try it out!

Jacob told me he ordered my gift, but it won't arrive for another week or so. Wonder what it is!

Mark gave me an Angel Has Fallen DVD (I already own and love the first two DVDs, Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen); a $20.00 gift card for our local WME theaters (I love escaping into films); and a pair of pretty, dangly blue earrings.

Dylan, Sarah, Jake, and I played a round of Harry Potter Clue

after we got dinner prepped and into the oven to bake.

After opening our presents, we got started on dinner preparation. Jake prepped the baking pans with heavy cream and basil pesto while Sarah shredded the Parmesan cheese. I stuffed six chicken breasts with fresh mozzarella and Roma tomato slices, and then Jake filled the mozzarella's spaces with fresh, crushed basil. Dylan took care of spreading the French bread with garlic butter, baking it until perfectly crispy, and slicing it before dinner. It was a family affair. Well, except for Mark, who took a nap. He'd had to be up at 6:00 and at work from 7:00 to 11:00 on Christmas morning.

While the chicken baked, Sarah opened and assembled her new Harry Potter Clue game, and we enjoyed playing a round. The "plot twists" were fun. Instead of solving a murder, we had to solve the mystery of a missing Hogwarts student, who happened to be Ron Weasley this time around. We could earn House Points, and there's an extra die that can cause doors to various rooms to lock unexpectedly, move hidden passages around, or bring a dark mark down upon our heads, as well as provide magical spells and items that might help defeat these obstacles. It was challenging and a lot of fun. Oh, and by the way, I won!

Dinner is ready: Caprese Chicken!

Then the food was ready, and we took a break to enjoy our Christmas dinner. It was delicious! The only thing that could have improved it would have been to have both Jacob and Chris there with us.

Dylan prepared the garlic bread and sliced it up.

After dinner, we sat around a while and moaned about how stuffed we were and how we just wanted to sleep, but then we gave ourselves a good shake and took out Dylan's new game, Monopoly Gamer: Mario Kart. This was another fun twist on the original. We could still buy property, based on locations in the video game, but all the money was gold coins. We could also drop banana peels on the track to stop our opponents and use various power-ups in different ways. My favorite part was the cute game tokens: little karts driven by Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad. Apparently you can separately purchase more karts for the game, with other characters, from Bowser to Yoshi.

Dylan and I didn't do so well with this game. I was the worst, with no property and only six coins left at the end of the game. I'd won a single race (out of seven) and finished with 60 paltry points. Jake and Sarah were the big property owners--they really battled it out--but in the end, Jake won with 400 points!

Dylan, Jake, and Sarah (and me, too) play a game of Mario Kart Monopoly.

I have no idea what Mark was watching on TV in the living room beyond us.

At the end of our Mario Kart Monopoly game, Jake was the big winner.

By the time we'd finished our lengthy game of Mario Kart Monopoly Gamer, it was almost 7:00 and time for some brownies a la mode. It was so decadently, chocolaty rich that it was hard to finish even one single brownie! We were all ready to call it a night by 7:30, so everyone packed up their gifts and some leftover brownies (plus some chicken and garlic bread for Chris to enjoy when he got home from work) and headed home to sleep off our fudge-brownie carb-crashes.

Except for Jacob' absence, we had a great night. I hope everyone else out there enjoyed a Christmas Day filled with the fun of family and friends, warm memories of Christmases past, and hopes for the joys of Christmases future.

A closeup of the adorable little Mario Kart Monopoly Gamer tokens.

Merry Christmas Concert

White Mountain Symphony Orchestra's 2019 Christmas Concert program.

December 14, 2019

Each year, we look forward to attending the Christmas Concert of White Mountain Symphony Orchestra, with whom Sarah performs on violin. We are never disappointed!

The orchestra opens with Mendelssohn's Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

Unfortunately, Chris had to work from 2:00 to 10:00 that afternoon/evening, and the concert began at 3:00 in Snowflake. However, Chris's mom, Brenda, was there to support Sarah alongside Mark and me.

The Master of Ceremonies, Mike Bosley, narrates the program.

This year's program had some especially fun moments. Dr. Michael Solomonson, a professor at Northland Pioneer College, read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" to a small crowd of young children who'd been invited to come up from the audience and sit around his chair, while the orchestra played musical themes to match each stanza of the poem.

One tiny girl kept walking back and forth at the start of the story, as if she weren't sure what to do, so the emcee joined the children on the floor and let her sit on his lap. I thought maybe she was his daughter, but after the number he announced to the audience: "Whoever that little girl's parents are, you really need to figure out a way to add unicorns to that Christmas story!"

I neglected to take a picture of this cozy scene, but I filmed a short segment of the beginning, which I'll post on my Facebook page.

Maestro Ted Vives pauses and speaks to the audience. 

Sarah is the second face to the left of his right elbow.

Toward the end of the concert, young dancers from The Dance Academy, a local business, performed to selections from The Nutcracker Suite. It's always fun to see young people developing their artistic talents.

Young dancers from The Dance Academy perform to Marche.

When the concert ended around 5:00, we took Sarah to dinner at Dairy Queen. It's kind of our annual Christmas concert tradition to go out to dinner afterward. We so love our traditions at this time of year, both those of our family and those of our community!

Teens from The Dance Academy perform to Danse Arabe.

A Jedi Thanksgiving

Chris, Dylan, and Jake are locked in a three-way lightsaber battle!

December 1, 2019

Briefly, we thought we were going to have our Thanksgiving celebration on the actual official date of Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 28. Our two Walmart employees, Dylan and Sarah, each had schedules that would allow us to feast in the early evening of that day (that never happens!). However, Jacob wouldn't be joining us since he was coming up for the David Archuleta concert the following Monday, December 2, because he didn't want to stay that long or make two trips so close together.

Then, three days before Thanksgiving, Dylan texted me to say he and Jake wanted to go to the Valley to soak up some warmth, leaving Wednesday night and returning on Friday. Could we do Thanksgiving when Jacob came up on Monday? Ummm...NO. Now that I'm retired, it's much easier to be flexible, so the last minute change wasn't an issue. I hadn't even purchased a turkey at that point. However, I am very detailed-oriented, and there were a lot of specifics that needed to be sorted out for this to work.

1) I wasn't preparing and digesting a full Thanksgiving meal on the same day as a concert, especially since we had to leave at 4:45 for the meet-and-greet beforehand. Nope, not doing it. Solution: Dylan called Jacob, who agreed to come up early on Sunday instead.

2) Dylan was scheduled to work until 8:00 on Sunday. What's the point of waiting to get together when Jacob can be here, only to have Dylan absent? Solution: Dylan was able to switch shifts with a co-worker and got off work at 5:00 instead.

3) Biggest problem of all: a big snowstorm was coming in on Thursday, with the worst to hit on Friday, rendering travel difficult to impossible. But Friday was the day Dylan and Jake needed to return home so they could be at work early on Saturday. Solution: Jacob offered to drive up with them on Friday so his heavy four-wheel-drive truck would be available if there were any trouble, and they would use the southern route through Globe-Miami, which receives less snow.

The dinner rolls start to rise, early on Sunday afternoon.

Once Dylan had addressed all my concerns, we shifted our Thanksgiving celebration to Sunday. I did the bulk of my Thanksgiving shopping at 7:00 on Wednesday morning, allowing me to beat the worst of the last-minute-shopper crowds. My biggest issue then was that all the larger turkeys were sold out. I usually choose a 22-24 pounder (I love leftovers), but I had to settle for a 16-pound turkey.

It wasn't all smooth sailing. As the storm raged through, my stress level climbed higher and higher, worrying about my boys traveling under such dangerous conditions. Dylan called me on Friday morning, and we worked together to decide the safest options, given the expected snowfall and the numerous highway closures already in place. We agreed that their best chance was to leave as early as possible, in case the snow became so heavy that they would have to close Hwy 60 between Globe and Show Low.

They left Mesa around 9:10 and got to Globe a bit after 10:30. Dylan described the drive from Superior to Miami as being "like blizzard conditions." Unfortunately, when they arrived in Globe they found a traffic advisory warning that the highway from Globe to Show Low was closed. 

We reviewed our options. A different route through Safford-to-Hannagan Meadow-to-Alpine-to-Springerville-to-Show Low was out of the question, not only because it would mean more than five hours of additional driving, but also because Hannagan Meadow and Alpine are at higher altitudes and often receive nearly as much snow as nearby Sunrise Ski Resort. If the road didn't reopen within a few hours, I told them they could get a motel room for the night and I'd reimburse them (I needed my boys to be safe!). Then they could come home the next morning when the storm had abated, but they reminded me that they both really needed to be home that night so they could be at work the next morning.

Thankfully, Hwy 60 reopened a little after noon, and they were on their way by 12:20. It turned out that the road had been closed due to an eighteen-wheeler accident rather than the snow. Dylan said the drive was stressful, yet not as bad as he'd expected. They were all safely home at Dylan and Jake's apartment within two hours. BIG sigh of relief!

A 16-lb turkey is in the roaster and the potatoes have been scrubbed.

(Notice Chewbacca's picture on the calendar above the roaster.)

The best part of the situation was that we now had Jacob with us for an entire four days, and we were able to have all seven of us around the table for our Thanksgiving celebration on Sunday. No empty place at our table or in our hearts.

Everything in place for that final hour of madly finishing all dishes at once!

I spent Sunday morning getting the pies in the oven, then moved on to getting the turkey in the roaster and doing as many ahead-of-time preps and assemblies as possible. I'm good at organizing everything, including the times each thing has to go in and come out in order to flow smoothly, yet somehow it never goes as smoothly as it does on paper!

Dutch Apple Pie and Razzleberry Pie (plus Silk Chocolate Pie in fridge).

Except for Dylan and Jake, who both had to work, everyone else was at my house by 12:30 to assist, but I already had everything done that it was possible to do by that time. The kitchen didn't get busy again until 3:30 (time to start the potatoes boiling), so we were able to relax and enjoy visiting. Dylan even joined us on his lunch hour around 1:00. Jake came over straight from work just after 3:00, so then all we needed was Dylan's return.

I think they're ready now!

That last hour is always madness in my tiny kitchen, as you remove one item from the oven just in time to put something else in, with three or four pans steaming on the stove top. In the end, though, it all came together and we were ready to eat right about the time Dylan arrived from work at 5:10.

Jake, Mark, and Jacob load up their plates in the kitchen.

On the menu: Turkey; stuffing (boxed, since I dislike stuffing); mashed potatoes and gravy, corn-on-the-cob; Green Bean Supreme (my low-carb replacement for green bean casserole); and dinner rolls. And, of course, pies with whipped cream for dessert.

Sarah and Chris at Thanksgiving dinner.

Jacob at Thanksgiving dinner.

Dylan and Jake at Thanksgiving dinner.

Mark at Thanksgiving dinner (with Dylan and Jake beyond).

Thanks to our recent California vacation and our visit to Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland, our day ended on a Jedi-Thanksgiving note. I'd invited Jake and Chris to bring their new lightsabers along, which they and I had hand-built at Savi's Workshop in Black Spire Outpost at Galaxy's Edge. I wanted to get pictures of all three of our lightsabers side by side, something I hadn't thought to do while we were still on vacation.

I also invited Dylan to bring over my new "grand-droid," a little black-and-silver-armored R2 unit he built at Droid Depot in Black Spire Outpost. Dylan named him R2-42 ("Fortoo" for short). I filmed a short video of Fortoo but neglected to take a still photo that I could post here. Suffice it to say, Fortoo is adorable as he toddles around, running into walls and beep-booping conversationally. Until I have actual flesh-and-blood grandchildren, I'll enjoy my new little grand-droid!

After dinner, we play eighteen rounds of Sabacc. Chris, Dylan, and Jake

plan their moves; Sarah, Jacob, and Mary are behind the camera.

Once dinner was over and the table was cleared, I got out the brand-new Sabacc Cards I'd purchased at Toydarian Toymaker in Black Spire Outpost (on the planet Batuu at Galaxy's Edge) and invited everyone to play a few hands. Only Mark declined, preferring to watch TV. 

Sabacc is the gambling game by which Han Solo won his famous spaceship, the Millennium Falcon, from Lando Calrissian. The game is both fun and frustrating, thanks to a pair of dice that have the power to completely alter everything mid-hand. It also requires some basic math involving positive and negative numbers.

We end the night with an epic lightsaber duel (Dylan wields my blade).

At the end of the evening, right before we served up the pies, Dylan, Jake, and Chris staged a lightsaber battle for the camera. Dylan, having built his droid rather than a lightsaber, used my blade for the duel.

Mary, Jake, and Chris display their newly-built lightsabers from Savi's.

Originally, as we built our lightsabers, I had chosen a blue kyber crystal (which determines the color of the blade), while both Jake and Chris chose red kyber crystals. Later, we returned to Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities, where you can buy additional kybers in any of the six blade colors: red, blue, green, violet, yellow, and white. I purchased a violet kyber crystal to go with my blue one, and both of the guys bought green kybers to go with their reds. (Apparently there are also extremely rare black kyber crystals hidden in one-out-of-a-hundred red-kyber cases.)

Up until our Thanksgiving get-together, I hadn't even taken my violet kyber crystal out of its case, so the guys removed my blue kyber and installed the violet for me. It's a beautiful thing. Jake had his green kyber in his lightsaber, while Chris had his original red one in, so it was nice to have three different colored blades for the photos.

For the uninitiated, a lightsaber's blade color is heavy on symbolism:
RED: Power and Evil (Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, Sith Lords)
GREEN: Peace, through Force if need be (Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn)
BLUE: Protection and Justice (Obi-Wan Kenobi, young Anakin Skywalker)
VIOLET: Moral Ambiguity (Mace Windu, Mara Jade Skywalker)
YELLOW: Intrigue and Pursuit (Jedi Sentinals)
WHITE: Obedience and Service (Imperial knights)
BLACK: Self-Obsession (Supreme Leader Snoke; called the "darksaber")

Our lightsaber blades: violet (mine), green (Jake), and red (Chris).

Another fun fact is that the three of us each chose a different style of lightsaber to build, and we didn't even plan it that way. There are four options: Power and Control (no surprise that Chris chose the  dark-side, Sith-inspired type); Elemental (Jake agonized over his decision, but in the end he chose this Force-energy style); Peace and Justice (Old Republic designs); and Protection and Defense (related to the "ancient wellspring of the Force").

I wavered between Peace-and-Justice and Protection-and-Defense, but finally decided upon the latter. I'm very happy with my choice. I've never really seen myself in the role of peacekeeper or imposer-of-justice, but anyone who knows me well would never doubt the lengths I'd go to protect and defend those I love!

Our lightsaber hilts: Mine is a "Protection and Defense" lightsaber (at top);

Jake's is an "Elemental" (center); Chris's is a "Power and Control" (bottom).

After our Jedi fun and a few slices of pie, the celebration ended a bit after 9:00 and everyone headed home. I'm so grateful for my family and the fun we have with our shared interests. I have so much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving and on every other day of the year!

I do love my lightsaber!

David Archuleta in Show Low

David Archuleta and Sarah Kinsky, together again!

December 2, 2019

Last night, David Archuleta gave a concert here in Show Low, which is about a 15-minute drive from our Lakeside homes. It was his first time to perform this close to where we live, but it was Sarah's and my fifth time to attend one of his concerts. A little history...

1. March 25, 2016 in Queen Creek, AZ: Our first David Archuleta concert was exciting for our family (except Jacob, who was living in Utah then). We'd all been fans since David's American Idol days. Several of my nieces and nephews were also there that night. We sat near the front, but at that time we were just faces in the crowd.

2. June 23, 2017 in Snowflake, AZ: This was the day we met David in person during a small Dinner-with-David event prior to his concert in another small town located about 30 minutes away from us. He and Sarah really connected that day, partly over their shared love of music (he was impressed that she plays violin with our local symphony orchestra). After the concert ended, we were unexpectedly invited backstage, where we enjoyed talking more with David, and where the infamous "watch me nay-nay" incident occurred, leading to David talking to Dylan on the phone and then recording a personal video message to Dylan. No doubt that's what made us memorable!

3. April 14, 2018 in Mesa, AZ: Four months before this concert, we had run into David's manager Kara at a Nathan Pacheco Christmas concert in Snowflake. She'd recognized us and assured us that David hadn't forgotten our meeting, but by now it had been almost ten months. Sure enough, David immediately recognized us during the meet-and-greet sound check before this concert. He called to us from the stage, "Hey, I know you two!" When we posed for photos, he took a little extra time with us, and even asked Sarah if she still performed with the symphony orchestra. He remembered!

4. December 6, 2018 in Mesa, AZ: This was Jacob's first Archuleta concert. He and Mark joined us, and this time we didn't do the meet-and-greet. Our seats were at the far end of the third row, and that end of the stage was blocked by equipment and the bass player, so we doubted David would even know we were there. However, by some miracle, he saw us! His eyes locked on Sarah, and he got that "I know you!" smile and sang straight at her for at least 30 seconds. Jacob looked at me, wide-eyed, and whispered, "He's singing to Sarah!" And it didn't end there. For the last song, David squeezed between the bassist and speakers to stand right in front of us. He sang directly to Sarah and gave her a little wave with that twinkle in his eye. (Our row was several seats longer than the first two rows, so there were no seats between us and the stage, plus behind us was only an empty aisle. People were craning their necks to see who this girl was that David had singled out.) When the concert ended, after he'd touched the hands of fans lining the stage, David stopped in front of us and cried, "Hey, Sarah! I'm so happy to see you!" before hugging her and spending a few extra moments with her.

Sarah and her friend Emmi do a selfie before the meet-and-greet begins.

And then there was last night. We bought the meet-and-greet tickets again, this time for Sarah, Jacob, Mark, and myself (Dylan decided not to spend the extra money). We met outside the Show Low High School auditorium at 5:00, and then we were escorted into the auditorium at 5:15. The band was already set up and playing while the technicians did a sound check. Soon, David himself came out and began singing a couple of Christmas tunes, while pausing here and there to ask the techs to make adjustments, like adding a little volume or reverberation.

David Archuleta does a sound check during the meet-and-greet.

After the sound check, there was a question-and-answer session. Many of the questions were about David's experiences as a missionary to Chile several years ago (most of the participants were obviously members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as David is...and as we are). There was also the inevitable, "Why aren't you married yet?" That one always makes him visibly uncomfortable, and he murmured something about having a few heartbreaks before changing the subject.

Up until this time, David hadn't paid any more attention to us than the rest of the group. Then someone asked, "What's your favorite thing about Show Low?" He pointed out that this was his first time in Show Low so he was still getting to know about the town. Then David looked at Sarah and smiled, asking, "Sarah, you're from Show Low, aren't you?" She said she was (she and Chris lived in Show Low for seven years, until they bought their house in Lakeside last year), so he turned back to the crowd and said, "My favorite thing about Show Low is Sarah!"

It was a great moment. Sarah is always a little surprised that he still remembers her name!

David and Sarah before the concert.

Next, it was time for pictures. David greeted Sarah with an open-armed, full-frontal hug. Sarah was proud of herself that, this time, David's presence hadn't rendered her unable to speak. She introduced David to her brother and her dad, and clarified that Jacob was not the brother for whom David had made the short video recording more than two years ago. David said he was wondering if he was finally meeting the Dylan of that experience, so he still remembered it!

The Carters with David Archuleta: Mary, Sarah, David, Jacob, and Mark.

As always, the concert was amazing. Not only does David share his voice in song, but he shares his voice to express learning experiences and struggles and triumphs. During this performance, he spoke about his lifelong struggle with depression and feelings of worthlessness. He shared what he's learned in therapy and how voices in his head still tell him his current success won't last, no one cares, he should give up. It's a struggle that so many of us can relate to, and by sharing our own issues, we not only help ourselves heal, but we touch and lift those around us. That's one of David's great gifts.

David Archuleta performs in his Christmas concert.

One sweet moment came at the end of the concert, after David had come out to perform two encore songs. Beth Loomis, a young lady with Down Syndrome and a former high school classmate of Sarah and Jacob, ran up to the stage with a big sign. I think it said something like "You are my American Idol." David stopped everything to meet her at the edge of the stage and talk to her. In a humorous moment, Beth snatched the microphone right out of his hand and announced into it loudly, "I love you, you are my idol!" (Or words to that effect.) After he leaned forward to give her a big hug, she spun around with a look on her face that said she'd just died and gone to heaven!

David Archuleta performs in his Christmas concert.

After that, David spoke about a recent tragedy that occurred to a local family, which he'd learned of upon arriving in Show Low. Bill and Trudy Rawlings lived not far from me for many years, attending our same ward at church with their sons, Daniel and Jay. Those sons are now grown with families of their own. On Friday of Thanksgiving weekend, Daniel and his wife, four children, and three nieces (Jay's daughters) were crossing a creek bed in a heavy truck on their way home from a holiday wilderness getaway, when they were struck by a flash flood. Three of the children--a 5- and 6-year old brother and sister, and their 6-year-old cousin--were washed away by the force of the waters. Even the truck was buried by the crushing force of the flood. The bodies of the little boy, Colby, and his cousin Austin were recovered the next day about three miles downstream. Sadly, his sister, 6-year-old Willa, has still not been found despite four full days in which hundreds of volunteers have searched tirelessly for her. The search will resume tomorrow.

This has been very tough for Sarah. A few years ago, both Colby and Willa were in Sarah's nursery class at church, so her tender heart is broken. She has a truly Christlike love for all small children, and especially those she has served. We were deeply touched when David Archuleta announced that a portion of the ticket sales and merchandise proceeds will be donated to support the search efforts and the Rawlings family at this tragic time.

As seen from backstage: David touches the hands of fans along the edge of the stage.

Emmi and Sarah are visible directly beyond and below him.

David dedicated his final two encore songs to the Rawlings family and those in the community affected by this tragedy. In a small town like ours, that's pretty much everyone. He started with "My Little Prayer," which he wrote after both the lyrics and the chords came to him in a dream. Then he finished the concert with "O Holy Night." It was a somber but special ending to a wonderful evening.

Thank you for blessing us here in our community, David Archuleta. Last night, YOU were our favorite thing in Show Low!

You can see me and my camera right behind David's "behind"!

As you can see, our seats were front and center.