Crazy Christmas Time!

My month of December has been completely insane!! And the best part is, I loved every minute of it. Actually, my life outside of work during December has been completely insane. Right now at work, we are in a down time. There really isn't too much to do at work. It is kind of odd that my "relaxation" time is at work, and then when I get done with work, I'm struggling to even get the basic necessities of life done.
Just last week, I was involved in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. The guest artists this year were Nathan Gunn and Jane Seymore. Before this concert I knew who Jane Seymore was. I was an avid Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman watcher growing up. We always watched Dr. Quinn (for me and Ashley) and then Walker Texas Ranger (for Zac) back to back. Those were actually some of the few tv shows I watched growing up. Anyway, I had no clue who Nathan Gunn was prior to this concert. So, when I found out who the guest artists were, I YouTube'd him. Amazing voice!!!! There is also a fun video of him doing something with Kristen Chenowith. He is an opera/broadway star. He is most famous for playing Lancelot in Camelot. And after this Christmas concert, I can honestly say he has such a great voice, and he is very good looking (although at least 20 years older than me and married).
The theme for this years concert was more of a Renaissance theme. We had Jane Seymore tell the story of Good King Wenseslas, with the dancer costumes looking like they stepped out of Victorian England. Nathan Gunn also sang a fantastic version of Twas the Night Before Christmas, as well as Winter Wonderland and other "snow" songs. (I think Winter Wonderland was my favorite thing he sang.)Here is a picture of me and a girl from my ward, Jen Davies, who is the event coordinator for the Choir. We are on stage in front of one of many Christmas trees set up. The set was beautiful!
During the week of the Christmas Concert, my life consisted of going to work for 8 hours, then going directly to Temple Square, and hopefully picking up something to eat on the way (or buying a Lunchable from the vending machine), and rehearsing or performing until 11 pm, then doing the same thing over again. Despite how busy I was, and I didn't have much of a life that week, I was extremely happy. I LOVE being in the Orchestra at Temple Square! Even though I do not get paid, and it brings added stress to my life, I feel that the Lord blesses me with happiness and contentment in my life just by doing it. When people ask me what I am doing with my music degree and I tell them that the only thing I do I don't get paid for, they are surprised that I am ok with it. However, even if I don't get paid in a monetary way, the Lord makes up for it twice as much in spiritual blessings. There are also some non-monetary perks as well. Things such as free parking at Temple Square any time, free trips to the east coast to tour with them, people think I am just that much cooler and think their social status is raised because they know me (flattering, but not too important to me), and an invitation to a really awesome, super fancy Christmas party every year, with the Prophet, and legendary former members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir organization in attendance.
So, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Party was last night. Such a great experience. We were encouraged to bring a date, so I asked a really good friend of mine from my ward, Phil Sanders, to go with me. I bought a new, red dress for the occasion, and got all dressed up. I've got to admit, I looked pretty good. The party was held at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake. We had a extremely tasty dinner, and a program of recognizing prominent members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir organization, a musical number from the percussion section, and singing Silent Night with the Choir. As I mentioned above, in my ward, I am not the only one in the Choir organization. We have a member of the choir, as well as the event coordinator, Jen. We ran into Jen there, and took pictures with her, her date and another member of the Orchestra that they know. It was a fantastic evening!
Now that my crazy December schedule is almost over, I can focus more on the true meaning of Christmas. The whole purpose of Christmas is to focus on Christ, and what he did for each of us. I am so very grateful for my Savior who came to this earth in the most humble of circumstances, and died for me so that I can one day return to live with my Heavenly Father. What a great gift he has given to everyone. I am thankful each day for the gift of the Atonement, and the love that my Savior and Heavenly Father show to me on a daily basis. I am truly blessed in my life!