And a Happy Cotton-Pickin' New Year to All!

Our New Year's Eve celebration may have ended early, but it was GREAT while it lasted. There was entertainment at the Assembly Hall and in the lobby of our own workplace, the Joseph Smith building, from 5 o'clock on. The Mama's Boys were scheduled at 6:30, and we got there at 5 to be sure to get a good seat. We love those guys! I think Bob and I have both mentioned them before because we went to see them at a dinner theater in Pleasant Grove shortly after we arrived here. I'm going to try with all my might to embed a video so you can enjoy them as well -- hopefully with earphones or a good speaker system. It's a father and his sons (well, one is a nephew because one son is on a mission) and in one instance, a grandson who couldn't be more than 3, and they do the best blue-grass music I ever heard but they also sing beautifully and have some great arrangements of other kinds of music as well.

It's been a wonderful year. I can't even begin to count all the good things about it but I surely do appreciate them. This music kind of perfectly illustrates our mood right now -- upbeat.

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Guess what. I waited about 15 minutes while the video uploaded, only to get an error message that told me to contact somebody or other and give them a string of 25 or so numbers. Ain't gonna happen! You'll have to take my word for it that you would have loved them, and Amy would have wanted to adopt the fiddler. Oooh, I'm so frustrated!

Anyway . . . Happy New Year! We love you all and miss you and can't wait to see you!

(Hey, Amy -- how do I change the appearance of the blog? I can't figure it out with my own tiny little mind. We seem to be beyond Christmas, and even as we speak they are taking down all the Christmas trees and lights. So sad.)

"More"

I haven't posted for quite a while, but I think Bob's journal covers the ground better anyway. December was a wild month -- everything was "more." More socials; more luncheons and dinners; more shopping and cooking; more sweets and goodies; more rehearsals and performances; more wonderful concerts, both major and mini; more time with extended family; more correspondence with family and friends; a visit with dear friends who are just like family; more reasons to be happy and to love and enjoy one's co-workers. Also more sadness as we said goodbye to some friends who left the mission field and will be missed. And some major ambivalence about snow -- beautiful as it falls from the sky and piles up on trees and other objects, but much less beautiful as it turns to dirty brown slush and ice, making scootering impossible and walking downright tricky.

This was a very different Christmas for us, being away from our families for the first time ever. But it was a sweet morning, especially as we counted up all the blessings that have come to us through this mission. We have managed to contain our envy for those of our friends and associates who either had family come and stay here, or who went home for the week. We'll get our turn! It's very heart-warming to know that our families love and support us in what we're doing and are praying for us daily. And any time our spiritual batteries need re-charging we only have to walk a half a block down the hill to Temple Square, where the lights and the decorations are beautiful and everything is Christ-centered. How grateful we are to be spending this particular holiday in this particular place!

The Elijah Choir

Here's a link to what we were doing Monday morning at the crack of dawn. I know you won't have the patience to listen to the whole thing, but my arrangement of "What Child Is This?" with the new flute part I wrote just for the Elijah choir comes at 37:00 minutes. The program was in the Assembly Hall. I wish I could watch it with you and point out all the wonderful friends we have in the choir and tell you neat things about them. If I can get hold of one of the pictures Bob took at rehearsal I'll post that as well.Here's the link:

http://stream.lds.org/FCH/Family_History_Devotional_15Dec08_english300.asf

I hope it works, but you won't lose much if it doesn't. We're doing much the same concert the night after Christmas, but without the benefit of 40 of our singers, all of whom have said they would not be here for that performance. Ouch. But I don't blame them -- if I could get home, even for 24 hours, I would do it too.

The rest of the day (and week) was also packed. There was a Branch social and dinner in the evening for which Bob and I were in charge of entertainment, so we were pretty tired by the end of the day. Then on Tuesday at lunchtime we went over to the Church Office Building for another wonderful meal and another little devotional. Today I skipped the luncheon so I could eat with Bob, but still had to sing with a sextet. Then Bob and I took a very long lunch hour so we could finally get our Christmas cards mailed. I'm not worth much tonight, but at least I was able to get some downtime in the recliner and it sure felt good! One more early day this week, but a lot of the pressure is off now.

Sometimes I just have to laugh . . .

. . . at the contrast between my horrible little pictures (that I took in the freezing cold with my little bitty camera and my little bitty talent and my mittens on) and those that Bob took with his lovely big professional camera, also in the cold, with no mittens on and with a mighty talent to boot. I just had to laugh when I finally saw his gorgeous pictures and then looked at my own efforts. We're not even on the same planet. It's great to be married to such talent.

God "Rest" Ye Merry, Elders and Sisters

We haven't done much resting this last week, but we've sure been doing a lot of music in one form or another. In addition to the 3 early morning rehearsals plus one devotional per week, we've been involved in rehearsing and performing in several other things. We're singing in a small group, and I'm singing in a women's sextet next week at the branch Christmas party. Besides that, a different sextet sang for the New Missionary breakfast, and I also played my flute for that. And the branch choir sings twice a month, and we're gearing up for Dec. 21 at the moment.

And that's just the stuff we're performing. There's a whole lot of music going on all over the campus. From 1 every afternoon until about 9 in the evening there are groups performing in many of the buildings on the campus, all the way from the Church Office Bldg. and the Joseph Smith building, to the Visitor's Centers, to the library and the museum. So any time it gets quiet upstairs I just slip down to the lobby or the mezzanine and there will always be something going on.

We walked down Friday evening to look at the lights and could hardly see them for the crowds of people, mostly families, milling around. It was very cold, but very wonderful. I'll try to post a picture of my favorite scene -- the nativity scene in the middle of the reflecting pond, with the floating lights. There's something about it at night. I just love it and am always very moved by it.

The Tabernacle Choir is divine and they're doing all my favorite Christmas music. They use a lot of music by another great arranger (there is another great arranger besides Mack Wilberg, believe it or not). I always look forward to anything that has the name Arthur Harris on it -- he never disappoints. For this morning's broadcast in the Conference Center they had all the gorgeous decorations up and it was heavenly. We were sitting in the very tippy top row for the First Presidency Devotional tonight (every single seat in the house was full by the time the broadcast started. The picture is of the warmup before it started.

What a wonderful time of year this is. I never thought I could survive a Christmas away from family, but I'm managing okay so far. I have to fight the envy I feel for those missionaries who either go home or have families who come here, but I have to admit that being left to our own devices allows us to spend more time reflecting on how grateful we are for the "reason for the season." We are so grateful for our Savior and so anxious to do those things that he would have us do. I love my Savior, I love my companion, and I love my mission. I love my family so dearly and tenderly and wish only the best for them all and pray constantly for their welfare and well-being. I'm so proud of the kind of people they are. For all of those who support us and pray for us and wish us well, we thank you. We're doing fine and wouldn't be anywhere else -- at least at this moment!