Christmas on Temple Square Concert

This past Saturday, my choir, "The Salt Lake Symphonic Choir" joined "The Sterling Singers" for the first concert in the "Christmas on Temple Square Concert Series." They have all kinds of concerts going on at the tabernacle, and we got to be one of them!

Was great, I think we sounded good, but couldn't really tell, since from the stage, the acoustics don't really allow for...hearing yourself, it's weird. But, I heard that we sounded good from the audience's position. We sang some great songs like Mac Wilberg's "The First Nowell," which I LOVE, "Baby What You Goin' to Be," that my Mom loves (sorry you couldn't be there!), the "Hallelujah Chorus," "Some Children See Him," and "Come Thou Long Expected Savior" (Which is to the same tune as "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing")....to mention a few.

DON'T WORRY...if I didn't invite you, that's because we're doing pretty much the same concert on December 21st at the St. Thoma More Catholic church in Sandy, and that'll be JUST my choir...and I'm planning on inviting everyone to that one...let me know if you want to come!

My good friends Wendy and Michael came to this one, and said it was great, so there you have it...a good first review :) Thanks for coming you guys!!

P.S. This lovely picture above is of me with my good friend, Juliann, in our HIDEOUS...I mean, GORGEOUS choir garb... BOTH of ours had to be pinned in the back because the lady that sewed them made just look like whales--actually, Juliann, I'm sure you didn't look like a whale pre-pinning, but I sure did :) I need to go in this week and get mine altered. It was totally HUGE. I think she made me a "fat" person's top, rather than a "pregnant" person's top. That's what it was. Juliann and I REALLY would like to replace the ladies that have been on the choir dress committee for the past 30 years...It's time for a change, don't ya think?? Jordan summed it up perfectly--he said "You look like you're a guest on Oprah, but in the 60's." :) haha

At least the flyer looked good (above)... yes, Juliann and I are on the marketing committee.

Twilight

OK. I saw it this past weekend. I read the books--loved them, except for the 2nd one because Edward was almost nonexistent. Not that I have a "thing" for Edward or anything--I'm not in the "Twilight Moms" group or anything lame like that, but I just prefer him over Jacob.

Anyway, I was slightly dissappointed just because the clips I saw really did surpass the overall movie experience--they were better than seeing the whole thing--does that make sense? Plus, I mean, it did kinda look more like a made-for-TV-movie... the budget just wasn't there. BUT next film, they'll have the budget, so it should be better! (even if it is based on the lamest of all 4 books :)-sorry Ariel :)

I'm not a Nazi about all of the left out details or anything...I realize a movie won't be JUST like the book with all of the details intact and actually would have rather seen LESS if it meant the movie would flow better! I just felt like it was really choppy... and I wasn't totally impressed with Robert Pattinson's portrayal of Edward. In some scenes he was great, in other scenes, he wasn't so hot. Kristen Stewart did a great job portraying Bella though--she was a total "stick in the mud" just like Bella.... haha.

Was REALLY glad there were no screaming teenieboppers in the theater though. Loved the smooching scene :) Thought that was perfect... Loved most of the characters--they did a great job at portraying what the author had in mind. Not sold on Edward yet though--some of his facial expressions...ughhhhh!!!! I hear I'll like him better if I see it again, haha.

Overall, thought the character portrayal was really good, screenplay was so so--just too choppy...they fall in love in like 1 day, it's weird...and parts where it was like "oh we need to stick this in the movie" and it's there, no rhyme or reason, and in totally the wrong place! And the cinematography left a bit to be desired, but that's all about budget.

Thanksgiving: What I'm Thankful For...

Just thought I'd make a list...some silly ones, I have to admit.

1. Jordan--the most wonderful husband ever!

2. Our unborn offspring :) The little kicker, or "Baby Helga," as Jordan and I sometimes call her, since she's been nameless.

3. The fact that I CAN get pregnant. That is a blessing.

4. My family, Jordan's family, all the family...

5. To live in a FREE country!! Hopefully it will stay that way!

6. Tylenol and Diet Coke for the headaches...

7. The gospel, scriptures, the true church, the Prophet, etc.

8. Cell phones, email, computers, texting, all of the wonderful ways in which to communicate

9. This blog! Journal writing is OUT OF THE QUESTION.

10. That my house isn't in foreclosure...that we can pay all of our bills and that we have jobs!

11. My soft bed, central heating and air, food on the table, etc.

12. That I haven't totally swelled UP...at least not yet, I guess...I can still wear pre-pregnancy SHOES

13. Almond Joy, chocolate in general, those chocolate cherries...yummm...Harry & David :), pumpkin pie, people that cook yummy food for me to eat!

14. http://www.hulu.com/

15. GREAT FRIENDS...you know who you are!

16. That I don't have stretch marks ALL over my body, just on most of it...

17. That Jordan has decided on "Claire" for our little girl--YAY!!!! Middle name still to come...

18. That terrorists aren't coming to blow up my neighborhood

19. That Obama probably won't totally follow the ways of his friend Bill Ayers :)

20. That my husband still thinks I'm HOT, even though I feel and look like a whale, I think!

21. That Christmas music plays on the radio...even during Thanksgiving!! (except for that absolutely STUPID song, "Christmas Shoes." Sorry, hate it. WHY does the dying Mom have to have new shoes? Did she have a shoe fetish in her life? Why waste the money on the shoes if she's going to die? Plus the little kid didn't even have the money for them--he should have just stayed by her side instead! Ok I'll stop talking about this.

22. That I sing in the Salt Lake Symphonic Choir...it's so fun!!

23. That I never had to have braces and my teeth grew in perfectly

24. That my husband is Mr. Fixit around the house, Mr. "Geeksquad" in terms of computers and any electronic equipment--he is VERY useful and saves us LOTS of money!!

25. That Jordan and I will be together forever, awwww :)

Soap Box Sunday

Do I ever manage to do the Soap Box on Sunday? No. :)

This week's Gospel Doctrine lesson discussed the sad ending to the Nephite civilization. Mormon and Moroni and only 33 others are left, and the Lamanites are still hunting them. Mormon even tells us that he cannot write even a hundredth part of the things that occured.

There were SO MANY things to learn from these chapters, but the part that I felt really applies to us in these difficult times is this:

Mormon 8:17, 22

"O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!"

"O that ye had repented before this great destruction had come upon you. But behold, ye are gone, and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven, knoweth your state; and he doeth with you according to his justice and mercy."

Hugh Nibley said:
“The tragedy of the Book of Mormon is not what became of the Nephites but what the Nephites became.”

And Ezra Taft Benson described it this way:
“Great nations do not fall because of external aggression; they first erode and decay inwardly, so that, like rotten fruit, they fall of themselves. The strength of a country is the sum total of the moral strength of the individuals in that country.”

It is interesting to think about a civilization, people, or culture eroding from within SO MUCH that at one point, 230,000 people are killed in a single day of battle (our biggest war casualties...during the civil war in the 1860's amounted to about 140,000 within a 5-year period). Now, I don't want to make this about gloom and doom. And I'm not saying that our nation is actually headed there in the fast lane or anything. Who am I to predict? But, I can tell you this--I see our nation eroding from within, yes. Eroding in morality, justice, civility, and integrity.

At one point, the Nephites won two consecutive battles against the Lamanites. Unfortunately, by this time, they were beyond feeling, and ended up boasting in their own strength, causing Mormon to observe:

"[We won] . . .Nevertheless the strength of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak (without theHoly Ghost) like unto our brethren." (Mormon 2:26)

As our society erodes in these last days, as corruption rises and as moral standards fall, it is important as Latter-day Saints to strengthen ourselves from within. We must not become "weak like unto our bretheren," meaning we must always strive to take the higher road, stand in holy places, work at maintaining the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. Of course, we should also be good examples to those around us and allow others to feel of the Spirit through missionary work and the simple tokens of light and truth we can give to them.

I know that as we strive to keep from "eroding from within" ourselves, no matter what happens in these times, and to our society and people, we will be strengthened and uplifted. The prophet, Alma said it perfectly:

"I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things" (Alma 26:12).

BYU-UTAH Rivalry

So...I went to BYU. And I had a great time. Didn't get my tuition reimbursement when I graduated sans the "Mrs." title, but I don't have any hard feelings :) I have to say that during my time there, I went to TWO football games. They were both on first dates. That's it.

People can't seem to understand why I'm not into the "rivalry" hype. And to be honest, I LOVE playing football--like flag football--but I just really don't get much joy in watching it! Basketball and soccer are WAY more interesting to me. In football, they just yell "hike," the QB passes the ball to someone close by, usually, that person gets nailed, and then they break apart again...gaining like one yard. Most of the time I can't even SEE what's going on with all of those huge BODIES in the way!!! Gosh! And soccer players (although very wimpy, howling in pain every time they are even NUDGED by their opponent) are a lot hotter to look upon :)

Another reason I don't watch the games is that my husband is kinda...well, not into them. In fact, I'M the one watching the Olympics by myself! Funny story... So, we were in church a few weeks ago, when the speaker, talking about leadership, decided to use a couple of analogies. He said, "For women, lack of leadership is like sheep without a shepheard." And then he said, "And for men...It's like a football team without a quarterback." I promptly turned to Jordan and said, "Honey, what's it like for you??" He said, "It's like a computer without a CPU." WHAT a nerd he is. hahaha.... But such a CUTE nerd!!! Oh, and I looked it up: A "CPU" is a "Central Processing Unit" or what is commonly known as the brain of your computer. It takes the orders, processes them, and then tells all of the other parts to work.

OK back to the original story. Are you bored yet? I'm just rambling I guess.... So, I wore a RED shirt today on accident. To work. In hindsight, I should've gone home and changed! There were WAY too many Utes fans in the office. I was just a number--AND people thought I was numbered among THEM. Almost NO representation for my alma matter. Oh well!

One of my friends, Larry, got his cubicle decorated by our coworker (and Utes fan), Ginni. She decorated die-hard-BYU-fan-Larry's cubicle in Ute style, haha... Here are the pictures!

Fresh Cranberry Apple Relish

Something I'm especially thankful for this season is FOOD. :) Especially delicious things like our family's traditional Cranberry-Pineapple-Apple Relish. I have looked for similar recipes, and no one seems to combine all three! My family can't even imagine Thanksgiving without it, to be honest--or Christmas! I now make it every year so that wherever I go, I have it! The Cranberry-Orange kind isn't as good...even though this picture has an orange in it...it was the best I could find online! Anyway, here's the recipe!

1 c. frozen or fresh cranberries, washed
1 or 2 apples, cored
1/2 c. crushed pineapple, drained
2/3 to 1 c. sugar
pinch of salt

Grind up cranberries and apples in a food processor. Mix all ingredients together and stir until sugar is dissolved. User the lesser amount of sugar if you want your relish to be more tart. Store in the refrigerator. (Best tasting if you let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before eating) You can also freeze this mixture for use at a later time.

If you make this for Thanksgiving, please let me know if you/everyone/anyone liked it!! (via great comments in this post :)

On Saturday, I had yet another baby shower. I'm seriously so spoiled. My friend, Rachel (the one who went to Mexico with us!) threw me a shower with friends in the neighborhood and at church. They were so awesome! Like 15 people came and it was great!

Rachel's sister, Adrienne, made the CUTEST CAKE for it!! It looks just like the cakes they have at that bakery, "Nothing Bunt Cakes." She also made this wonderful chicken noodle soup, and Rachel made this great creamy...can't really say what it was...potato? Bacon? Something like that, but it was awesome :) hhaha.

And everyone was very diligent at playing the game! Congrats to Lindsay for winning! They had to make up names for the baby using my name and Jordan's. It was really funny. Lindsay Black is a teacher, and MAN she needs to teach US! She went to town, and got some fluffy socks for her troubles :)

Ok I feel bad, but...I totally got some GREAT gifts but I seriously don't have time to talk about them...just know they were all wonderful, and thank you so much!!! Thank you Rachel and Adrienne for the WONDERFUL shower!! It was so fun!!