Performing Arts Student of the Month

Alexandria Jones

Alexandria Jones is our Spring Creek Mechanical Performing Arts Student of the Month. Allie is a junior at American Leadership Academy and has been heavily involved in both drama and music for years. She’s the type of person who generally stays quiet and seems shy, but performing brings her right out of her shell and gives her a voice. Her personality and demeanor make her the person that everyone wants to be around. Her quiet work ethic is admirable; Allie has a 3.9 GPA and is on track to finish an associate’s degree from UVU upon graduating high school - something that eats up a lot of time already taken up by Allie’s heavy involvement in both drama and music.

Allie is the pianist for the jazz band, principal clarinetist in the symphony orchestra, and performs some guitar and banjo on the side as occasion permits.

Allie began learning the piano at 9 years old and the clarinet at 12, and added the banjo at age 13 during the 8th grade. She was hooked on theater when she saw her older sister perform in Henry V and one of her friends convinced her to audition for the school play.

Now, she’s the vice president of the Thespian Troupe, and has one of the lead roles in the play this month (coming out Feb. 24th @ ALA). One of her favorite roles is Puck from Midsummer Night’s Dream, which she was able to play last year in the montage comedy ShakeSPLOSION!!!

In her free time, Allie loves writing poetry and historical fiction. She is working on an Epic poem with a friend, at about 2,000 words, with a goal of 10,000. (The Iliad is 200,000 just for reference, but, who’s counting?)

In order to manage her extra homework load with college classes, Allie added a study hall to her class schedule. And a summer class. She stays diligent doing homework right after school/rehearsals, especially on weekends with the 3-day weekend. Allie also works at MOD Pizza somehow and still manages to keep up with the busy rehearsal, performance, and homework load.

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Supporting Local Music Programs For over 25 yrs

Five Things I Learned from Playing the Violin

-by Krista Olsen

—Resident Submission

I distinctly remember being 5 or 6 years-old, sitting in church, captivated as my cousin skillfully ran her fingers over the strings of her violin. When she finished, I looked up at my mom and said something that shaped the course of my childhood: “Mom, I want to play the violin.”

I was blessed with a mother who listened to my budding desire and promptly enrolled me in lessons. I was also fortunate that when I asked to quit a few years later, she told me I had to wait until 5th grade before I made that decision. It was around that time that I discovered the joy of playing in an orchestra and my desire to quit waned significantly.

While I don’t have the opportunity to play as often anymore, I still am grateful that I can share my gift. After practicing for so many years, I can still dust off my violin and find that my fingers still remember how to play.

There are so many things I’ve learned from playing the violin. I have been able to transfer many of these skills to other areas of my life. Here’s a list of just 5 things I’ve learned from playing the violin:

Consistency. Learning an instrument is something that requires daily practice to show significant improvement. If you can be consistent in whatever you work on, you are more likely to succeed.

Hard Work and Patience. Violin is one of those instruments that has a steep learning curve before it sounds pleasant. That means working for a while before you reap the benefits of your efforts.

Respect. One of the hardest lessons was learning how to respond when my teachers asked for improvement. After one lesson where I was particularly full of attitude, I quickly learned that I gain more from heeding my teachers rather than fighting them.

Confidence. From a young age I had to perform at recitals and learn how to deal with nerves. This has helped me with public speaking and being more comfortable in the spotlight.

Teamwork. When I played in ensembles, I learned that playing loudest isn’t playing the best. The same goes when working in any kind of team. It requires listening to other voices and finding balance to work harmoniously.

The great thing is that it is never too late to learn an instrument, or to learn these important qualities, for that matter. And if you are a parent, consider introducing your children to learning an instrument when the opportunity is available to them, whether through school or private lessons.

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With two small children, anxiety and depression began to dispel her normally sunny disposition. Doctors couldn’t help find any solutions. Kara realized her kids needed their Mom back. Her answer to fervent prayer came unexpectedly on a park bench where she met a lady learning alternative health modalities. After their conversation, Kara tried a few sessions and experienced some dramatic results. This began a quest of certifying in several mindfulness and energy balance modalities. Through the process of overcoming the majority of her physical and emotional health struggles, she then spent the last 7 years teaching and certifying others. Currently, Kara’s office resides at the Integrating Wellness Center in Springville, where she sees clients on weekdays.

Recently, Kara decided to launch an online avenue of educating a wider audience in developing mindfulness and improving their emotional intelligence. She is passionate about empowering people to step into purposeful action instead of the more typical uncon-

scious reactionary state we tend to slip into so much of the time. You can find her work at beautifullifementoring.vip.membervault.com. Her forthcoming online business will be called YourInnerGuru.com

Another passion project Kara is working toward is to create a non-profit organization to help single moms who have suffered financially-crushing legal or medical hardships and regain stability (shelter, food, safety, etc). Be on the lookout for its opening benefit concert, where both she and her husband will be singing together at a venue here in Spanish Fork to launch this endeavor.

Robert and Kara are currently planning to build a new home here in town. They love Spanish Fork, and we are greatly enriched by having them here!

Photo by: Sarah Watson

Nominate a family to feature in our magazine! Email their name and contact info, and why we should feature them to: sffamily@mycommunityutah.com

December Community Contest Winners

$250

1st Place – Melissa & Brandon Smith

3rd Place – Jared & Jessi Anderson

2nd Place

– Dennis & Susan Fay

$50

Winners, please reach out to contests@mycommunityutah.com to schedule a time to deliver your prize money!

$100

We want to thank the 33 homes that entered the competition and the over 180 voters we had! We hope you enjoyed this year’s Spanish Fork Christmas Lights Tour.

Keep an eye out for your chance to win with our new contests in the upcoming months! This year’s decorating contests will revolve around Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, and Christmas.

Sold Homes Around Town

Sq. Ft. Sold Price Bed Bath Lot Size Year Built

5094 $879,900 7 4 0.42 2018 4735 $850,000 4 3 0.62 2019 4280 $770,000 5 5 0.25 2018 4258 $699,900 5 3 0.3 2018 3516 $499,000 6 3 0.21 1960 3350 $649,900 4 3 0.22 2019 3114 $610,000 6 3 0.28 2007 3054 $554,900 5 4 0.19 1998 2976 $529,000 5 4 0.13 2006 2356 $455,000 4 4 0.03 2019 2295 $550,000 4 3 0.5 1991 2188 $350,000 2 1 0.17 1993 2080 $400,000 3 3 0.03 2007 1887 $385,900 3 3 0.02 2016 1820 $405,000 3 3 0.02 2016 1758 $400,000 4 2 0.23 1983 1663 $399,000 4 3 0.2 1997 1658 $355,000 4 2 0.28 1948

My Community Utah does not guarantee the accuracy of the statistical data on this page. The data does not represent the listings of any one agent or agency but represents the activity of the entire real estate community in the area. Any real estate agent’s ad appearing in the magazine is separate from the statistical data provided which is in no way a part of their advertisement.

Malena's Mexican Food

1253 Canyon Creek Pkwy

One of the most maddening feelings you can experience is unfinished business, at least for anyone with a little ambition. As a guy who dreams of trying all the delicious food the world can offer, I must admit, I’m feeling a bit restless. And it’s all Malena’s fault! Their menu just has so many options—an entire range of desserts and seafood dishes I haven’t even begun to explore, chiles rellenos, breakfast foods and tortas. I want it all! There are even keto options, for those who are sticking to their New Year’s resolutions, and congrats to you if you are. There’s just so much unfinished business! I feel a bit like the Patriots must feel every time they play the Giants. Actually, scratch that. The Pats had their chance twice and didn’t get it done (sorry, Pats fans). I feel a bit like General Macarthur must have felt as he left the Philippines in 1942, and if I may borrow his words, “I shall return”. Let me tell you why.

Tortillas – I’ll talk about the individual taco fillings in a minute, but the tortillas really deserve their own spotlight. If you’ve had fresh, fromscratch tortillas before, you know what I’m talking about. And if you haven’t, go to Malena’s. I mean it. 4*

Chicken Tacos – The chicken is a bit overcooked and needs salt. I know, I say that every time, but it’s true. In contrast with national chain restaurants that use factory-prepared foods, local restaurant fare almost always needs salt. It had great char, though. If you’ve read my previous reviews, you know how I love a bit of char. A touch of salt and lime and these were really nice. 3.5*

Carne Asada Tacos – Again, needs salt and a bit overdone, but somehow it was still tender. Most places will use a budget cut of beef for carne asada tacos, especially with the meat prices lately, and they’ll marinate it or mechanically tenderize it. I didn’t taste anything that felt like a marinade, so it’s either the cook or the cut. In either case, kudos to Malena’s. 3.5*

Al Pastor Tacos – Great! Standard nitpicks about salt and overcooking, but still great! But where’s the pineapple? A little salt and lime helped, but al pastor needs pineapple. That could be another full star. For today though, 4*

Barbacoa Tacos – Traditionally, barbacoa is mutton or goat but recently, especially in the US, beef has taken over. I wouldn’t criticize a Mexican restaurant for using beef since it is far more popular, and therefore a good business choice. But Malena’s, if you’re reading this, that might be an opportunity to expand an already diverse menu. As for the meat, it needs salt, but the flavor is solid. 3*

Birria Tacos – I really need a special code word for “needs salt, a bit overcooked”. Perhaps readers can suggest one on the My Community

Facebook page. For now, just imagine that word here. The cheese could be spread out on the tortilla a bit more, but there was plenty of it. The tortilla was absolutely perfect, soaked in the consommé oil, and beautifully charred. And speaking of the consommé, Malena’s actually serves it with the tacos. A lot of places offer birria, but don’t serve it with the consommé, which a huge swing-anda-miss. If it’s your first time, try these.

Chicken Tamales – There’s definitely some room for improvement here. The masa is a bit dry and

Four Taco Plate

Chicken – Carne Asada – Al Pastor – Barbacoa Birria Tacos

Chile Verde Burrito

crumbly, which is usually the result of too little broth and fat. That makes me wonder if they’re using the same masa for both tamales and tortillas. The tamales could use a little more filling as well. The meat is about the same as the taco filling—needs salt, but nice char. 2.5*

Pork Tamales – Same as chicken, but the filling is more flavorful. 3*

Rajas con Queso Tamales – Needs more green chile and a bit of salt, and the cheese could be crumbled or shredded instead of in a single solid block. 2.5*

Chile Verde Burrito – Chile verde is one of two dishes I will always try when I’m at a Mexican joint for the first time. And I have very strong opinions about what makes a good chile verde. So feel free to take this review with a grain of salt, which ironically, was not needed in this dish. It was very nicely salted. I found the sauce a little sharp but much more flavorful than at most local Mexican places, which tells me they’re using more green chiles and less tomatillos. If I had one critique, I’d say to lean even further in that direction—more chile. The meat was just a tiny bit chewy, so maybe they could cook it a bit lower and slower. But I was so happy that it tasted like green chiles that I hardly noticed. 4*

Filete de Pescado – This was a real treat! The fish is flawlessly cooked, moist and flaky with a crispy but delicate crust. That definitely piques my interest in trying their other seafood dishes. A couple of our tasters detected an off flavor they described as “musty” or “moldy”. But let me assuage any fears—it isn’t mold. It’s a flavor commonly found in Cajun blackened fish or chicken, and it results from cooking certain spices like cayenne, paprika, or cumin on high heat. I recognized it as soon as I tasted it, and because I love Cajun food, I quite enjoyed it. That said, if diners find it offputting, Malena’s could eliminate it by removing spices from the breading and sprinkling it on immediately after cooking. For my taste, however, this gets the brass ring! 5*

Filete de Pescado

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