Comment on the gift of time.....

For the last few years 2 of my good friends and I go to the Melting Pot at Christmas. We call it our gift of time. It's perfect-we schedule 3+ hours to spend talking and catching up, plus we get to eat amazing food and if we have a good waiter (which we usually do) the diet cokes flow like wine and we leave happy.

This was what was left of our last course: so amazing! The cheese fondue with apples and the rice krispie treats dipped in the chocolate are my faves.


Also it was nice to get a break from running errands outside when the sky looks like this:

Yep, we're breathing that in. Hence, I had to use my asthma inhaler for the first time in 2 years.
Love those Utah inversions.

Can't wait for snow and Christmas in Pocatello!

Comment on ward choir.....

In the LDS church you will find that almost every ward has a ward choir. The ward choir usually performs on the Sundays surrounding Easter and Christmas and maybe once a month beyond that.

The ward choir is made up of people in the ward who enjoy singing. Sometimes you may have a choir that is actually really good, or sometimes a choir that is downright off-key but everyone smiles and tells you what a good job you did anyway-but it doesn't matter because as long as you can sing, or have a desire to sing, all are welcome.

Unless you're in my friend's ward. Apparently her ward takes their choir a little too seriously. This is an email she received a few weeks after moving in-

Dear Friend of Jen*:

Your name has been recommended by the choir leadership as one of the singers in the ward that we definitely need to have participating in this Christmas season's choir performance on the 20th of December.

We'd like to ask if you could support and participate in the ward choir, particularly this season. Do you think you could arrange to attend the ward choir rehearsals at 12 noon (in the basement of the East Wing)? We really need consistency from singers like you, and to have a different attendance pattern in the choir this year (as you know, it is commonplace for the good singers to only show up at the last moment). Anyway, if you could help out, we would appreciate it. Also, the choir this season will be directed by {some guy} (associate choral director for Ballet West). I'd suggest you approach this request as a "seasonal calling." Let us know if you think you could make the commitment.


Lastly, you are invited to a choir dinner/social ......... Come and enjoy!


If your sister*, (insert name) , also sings, invite her.


Regards,
The Bishop of the ward

Really? REALLY?


That is all.

*The names have been changed to protect the innocent, also my friend has no sister which makes her wonder if they sent the email by mistake. All in all I'm sure that the choir will sound great but is it necessary to make it by invitation only? Kinda makes me sick!

Comment on the spirit of the season.....

Tonight I was able to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. It's quite the exclusive event as tickets are drawn via lottery or based on who you know in Mormon World. I came by my ticket via my aunt and uncle Pat and Ron and the fact that 2 of my cousins weren't able to go.

The concert was fantastic.

But my fave was a conversation that took place after I hit the ladies room and was trying to get back to my seat. The stairs to my chair (it's a rhyme!) were at a standstill due to people waiting for the ushers to help them find a seat and we were a little backed up at the top. I wasn't concerned since I already had a seat and I'm very patient (no comments from my family here please). Suddenly these 2 dudes came up behind me rudely questioning why nobody was moving, loudly announcing that they NEEDED to get through because they ALREADY had seats SAVED for them.

I was so bugged! I mean we were at a Christmas concert. Christmas is centered on Christ, so shouldn't we be Christlike at a Christmas concert?

I think so.

I calmly looked at the most vocal gentleman and told him that the people were waiting for the usher to help them find a seat and that since we already had seats it wasn't a problem for us to wait a couple of minutes. The girl in front of me who was seatless turned back and smiled at me. The dude looked at me very annoyed. I didn't care.

Within a couple of seconds of the exchange we were able to get down to our seats. Wouldn't you know the dudes were sitting next to us?

I swear (but not at the Christmas concert of course).