The Wondrous Gift of Christmas

Across from Temple Square in Salt Lake City, is an amazing architectural wonder called the Conference Center.

Completed in April of 2000, it was built to accommodate an audience/congregation of 21,000.

Each December it is transformed into a virtual winter wonderland in preparation for the most anticipated concert of the entire year.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square Christmas Concert. CLICK HERE

Photo from the Deseret News

It is miraculous to me how we as musicians can begin rehearsals on Tuesday, and by Sunday afternoon we have performed for over 84,000 people!

Photo from the Deseret News

It requires an exhausting amount of effort from all involved, but is so richly rewarding. Last year "I sold my birthright for a mess of pottage" and took a paying job that week instead. Audrey performed without me that year. I determined then, that would be the last time... Some experiences are worth way more than their weight in gold. This year we would experience this together.

Photo from the Deseret News

Our special guest artists were Natalie Cole, grammy award winning daughter of the late Nat King Cole...

Photo from the Deseret News

And Pulitzer Prize winning author and historian, David McCullough. I became an admirer of this great man after he spoke at our son, David's University of Utah graduation last spring.

Photo from LDS Church News

After "Music and the Spoken Word" and a mini concert on Sunday morning, President Monson presented our visiting artists gifts and gratitude.

Natalie Cole responded,

"I've never been deeply as moved as I have been since I arrived here in Salt Lake City. President Monson, meeting you moved me to no end. The presentation of the genealogy was more than I could take. Your church and your people are beautiful people and I am so glad to know that we share the same faith, the same heart. All your hearts are so good. I [could] feel it every day, as I would wake up, that this is my city. Thank you for your hospitality, your love. …I hope to see you soon. God bless."

And Mr. McCullough spoke these very moving words,

"President Monson, I am, oddly, at a loss for words. (That brought a chuckle from the audience) "I want to say it is a thrill beyond anything in my experience to have taken part in the last several days here and an honor beyond my capacity at the moment to stand with two such great Americans, you and Natalie."

"I just want to say one thing quickly. Toward the end of his life, President John Adams was having a conversation in privacy at his home in Quincy, Mass., with the young Ralph Waldo Emerson who was newly out of Harvard College. The president said, 'I wish to God that there were more ambition in the land.' And then he paused and said, 'By that I mean ambition of a laudable kind: ambition to excel, not to have more power or money or fame, but to excel.'

"And I have felt that these past days in a way that I have never been a party to; this desire of everybody involved in this production to excel. Your great Mormon Tabernacle Choir is one of the high achievements of our nation. To me, it stands as a noble attainment, and we've had many of those in our story as a people. I like to think of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Marshall Plan, for example. I would include the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as one of the proudest achievements of our country, an expression of the human spirit for all."

As they faced the choir and orchestra, we sang, "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again." It was so touching to see the two of them so visibly moved -- I felt such a sense of gratitude well up inside me; I couldn't sing a note.

What a treasured blessing!

Last year’s concert, Ring Christmas Bells will be broadcast across the nation on PBS during the next two weeks. CLICK HERE for local listings.

Angels

"If trouble hearing Angels song with thine ears, try listening with thy heart."

~Meriel Stelliger

When our young family acted out "the nativity" at Christmastime, Emily was our angel.

She was perfect in her part and took it as seriously as a little child could.

Last weekend, I attended the church's production of "Savior of the World" and watched with tear-filled eyes as Emily once again played the part of an angel (AND one of Mary's aunts - but we're not talking about aunts right now.)

I found my mind drifting twenty-two years back... I envisioned our little angel child,Emily, as she was then. I could hear her say in her itty bitty sweet little 2-year-old voice, "Fear Not!"

Here she was again, with her beautiful blond curls, all dressed in angelic white, singing praises and declaring glad tidings of great joy!

Was she actually among those angel voices who sang with the hosts of heaven when Christ was born over two millennia ago? I just have this feeling....

Giving Thanks

This is our daughter Jenni, and her husband, Mark, with their two children, Payton and Sadie. They were so sweet and invited us to spend Thanksgiving with them in their new home in Covington, WA.

We had a good Seattle Rain all Thanksgiving Day.

But that was okay by us; there was plenty to do to keep us all busy indoors!

We became reacquainted with our little Sadie Bug who was a bit shy with her Gammie and Potts for just a moment or two.

Jenni dressed and basted the 23lb. Turkey she had soaked in brine overnight. She just LOVES handling raw meat!

Emily was in charge of making the rolls.

And all I had to do was stir up my sour-dough and sausage stuffing. Sorry... no picture, but in case you are curious, it looks like every other stuffing, but tastes extraordinary, that's for sure!

Payton busied himself with entryway bowling.

a daily activity for him, so I hear from his mother.

We wonder if he will grow up to become a professional bowler?

He is totally obsessed with the sport!

Our scholarly Audrey caught up on her studies, like a good BYU senior.

Jenni and I dawned our "flirty aprons" (Jenni designed and made mine for my birthday!) and set a fancy table with her new Lenox "Opal Innocence" china plates.

Well, the turkey came out picture perfect and was honestly the best and most tender I have ever tasted.

We were joined by friends, the Cooks,who brought delicious marshmallow topped sweet potatoes (May I please have your recipe, Cali?) and relished a wonderful Thanksgiving meal together. It's a good thing we "enjoyed the journey," because dinner was literally gobbled up in no time.

Audrey? Were you really afraid to try Jenni's pumpkin pie?

Our Converse Kids - Emily and Sadie!

Thank you, Jenni and Mark! There is such a sweet feeling in your home. It is one of my favorite places to visit. The Northwest holds a special place in my heart because you are there.

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."

~Thornton Wilder

Twelve Hours on the Road to Covington, WA

It's hard to believe that an individual can fly to Seattle in just an hour and a half, but it takes over twelve hours in the car. It's a long stretch of road, that's for sure, but sometimes it is good to take the time to experience the "scenic route" in the company of one good husband and two very entertaining daughters!

How did we pass the time? We played "Would You Rather" for three straight hours!

• Would you rather be blind or deaf?
• Would you rather be the sand castle or the wave?
• Would you rather give up your computer or your pet?
• Would you rather have a big group of friends or one close one?
• Would you rather be saved by Superman or meet Winnie-the-Pooh?
• Would you rather become uglier or stupider?
• Would you rather have knees the size of basketballs or fingers the size of toothpicks.
• Would you rather wake up every morning with your face in a bowl full of peanuts or shimmy uncontrollably every time you meet someone new?
• Would you rather be forced to preface everything with the phrase, "Tuck it in!" under threat of being slapped or have a magnetic head.
• Would you rather have needles for leg hairs or flares shoot out your nose every time you say the word "the".
• Would you rather be able to stop time while you sleep or never need to do laundry.
• Would you rather have a foot long eyebrow hair you are not allowed to pluck, or an earlobe the size of a football?
• Would you rather meet the Beatles or eat beetle meat?
• Would you rather have a freakishly huge smile or a freakishly small nose?

But when Randy came up with "Would you rather lick an old man's stinky armpit or chew on a rotten yellow toenail?" that was it! We were grossed out to the max and laughed until we cried.

Well.... What would you rather do?

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."

~St. Augustine

Family Home Evening Spooktacular!

Hosted by Katie and David in their brand new home!

What is it about our camera skills? We failed to get a picture of Katie and David together in their new home, but we did get pictures of their cute little bugs:

Ladybug #1

Ladybug #2 - Pizza Style

My BABIES - plus Tiffany

Potts and I "dressed up" for the occasion in our traditional skeleton torsos. How many years have we had these now?

Pumpkin Carving Contest

I voted for Emily's "Audrey"

But Potts won AGAIN with his Ninja Turtle Creation. (He ALWAYS wins. Mine was really cute... so cute that Randy was jealous and dropped it on the cement to get rid of the evidence.)

Cookie Decorating Contest - Note Potts' cookie on the far right... He did NOT win.

Desiree's did!

And Evylee came as Einstein and swept the Costume Contest. One itchy nose and the mustache disappeared.

Fun with Gammie's Halloween Glasses!

Should I be Nervous?

This is Veronica, my stand partner in the Utah Symphony this week.

I wonder what happened to her stand partner from last week? I'm shaking in my boots!

You Know You're Fifty-One When:

You admit you wish you were an ice skater and your daughter looks you over from head to toe and... just smiles.

You try to put your reading glasses over the reading glasses that are already on your face.

You bemoan total calorie intake and your husband states, “ It’s okay -- it’s the gift that keeps on giving!”

Your 12-year-old dog (that's 84 in dog years) can out walk you, but SHE has to potty 3 times in 1/2 hour and you don't!

Masterpiece Theater is your favorite TV show.

You receive an AARP invitation in the mail the day before your birthday.

Cream of Wheat is your favorite breakfast cereal.

You call the Internist, the Dermatologist, the Gastroenterologist, the Opthomologist, and an Orthopedic Surgeon all in one day. (no joke!)

Your bicycle has a padded seat and a wicker basket.

You feel twenty-years-old inside, but the mirror on the wall tells a slightly different story.

You climb the stairs, your heart beats a bit faster, when you go back down, you feel it in your knee.

You can boast having five PERFECT grandchildren.

You pick up the phone to hear "Happy Birthday, dear Gammie" sung by the sweetest little voice on the planet.

You hear, "It’s okay, Grandmothers are suppose to have gray hair."

Your house stays clean and quiet, but you miss the clutter and clamor of children.

Your children think you might really know what you were talking about after all these years.

Your husband's kisses are a bit sweeter.

You have precious memories to last a lifetime.

"The older the violin,

The sweeter the music"

Happy Birthday to Me!