His name is Sawyer

 

Ben & Lindsey have a baby boy!

Monday night, Dec 3 at 10:07 pm their little boy was born.  His name will be forthcoming!  He weighed 7 lb 11 oz and 18.5 inches tall.  He was born at American Fork Hospital.  Lindsey had a very good delivery although labor went for about 12 hours.  We are so blessed to have this little one safe and sound!

Christmas: It's All About Kindness

I'm really into showing extra kindness these days with our PTSA theme of ARK (acts of random kindness...have you seen Evan Almighty? SEE IT))  So, speaking from the wife of a retail manager,  I implore all of you who may read this:  Show extra kindness to the souls who may serve you in the stores you may shop!   They're people too!!   Here is a simple truth:  The person who buys is no better than the person who sells.  All are alike in the retail arena.  Don't go into a store with the attitude that I am better and I deserve more.  Yes-customer service is important but not more than the person who is serving you.  BE KIND!!!  Your kind action will make that person's day and carry on into other people's lives as well.   Your impatient or condescending attitude will only add to too much unkindness that is already out there.  Put positive vibes out into the universe during this season of kindness and make it a Merry Christmas for everyone!!!

(p.s.  I know you are all kind anyway!)

It changed my life!

Well I had my vocal assessment with our vocal coach. She is a delightful person and so intelligent! She has a doctorate in vocal pedagogy I think its called. She spent a half an hour with me! I am still on a high from the experience. First of all, as she had me sing to review my range, she stopped after I reached c or b below middle c. She said you have a true contralto voice! She said it is a rare thing. Then she related stories about Mary Martin as Maria in the broadway sound of music and about the singer, Marilyn Horne. She said,"Okay now sing in your choir voice..." I had to tone it way down and prove that I could sing a pianissimo. She said when Craig asks for the russian alto sound you do not need to darken yours at all. That was nice to know! She also had me sing a hymn a few times to check for vibrato,intonation,posture,jaw tension,head lift,etc. She observed that I had a lot of tension in my jaw by being too tense in my diaphragm, She was exactly right. I knew I had too much tension but wasn't sure where and how to fix it. She changed my life!!! In the past, I have had so many facial aches after singing, I cannot tell you! She gave me a good exercise to get used to feeling more looseness in my diaphragm. This is just a sampling of the things I have been learning in the choir! By the way , check out the article in the NY times about the choir audition process! Click here to see it

Brad's new Blog

Brad wishes you all to visit his new blog. Click here to take a look at it. This blog announces all the new and upcoming events on electronics. All the information on this blog is helpful and true. Brad is there to help you figure out what questions you have about electronics.

Beautiful Zion

(These pictures were recently taken at Cascade Springs)
Did you hear the Tab choir sing Beautiful Zion this conference? For some reason that song really was my favorite. Its hymn #44-look up the scriptures in Revelations that are listed there.I did this in preparation for conference. I truly felt the hope and the joy of the Lord's zion that is to come. I prayed that this zion would burn in my heart as it did in the hearts of my ancestors who left everything behind and walked and walked and walked.
M W arranged this just for my voice range. Unfortunately though,not really. Lately He tells the 2nd altos to sound more like the sopranos singing more in a head voice. I agree that the sound should be blended but why can't the sopranos sound more like the altos??? Its funny too because CJ's favorite part is the 2nd alto and he likes the deep russian alto sound. In fact, he has said many times that this section is the most important one in the whole choir. SO...I've decided that the 2nd alto simply must be the most flexible of all parts; at different times, sounding like a Russian woman, a tenor, an alto and a soprano. NO other part is asked to do that! I have definitely learned a lot in the past six years (this month) I have been in the choir. We are now being scheduled for vocal assessments. I'm looking forward to a good lesson!

This and That

Sorry its been awhile since I've written. School is back in session and I am going full speed with PTA pres at American Fork High School. Its been fun and I think I make it busier than I need to...just coming up with more and more ideas all the time, you know... . We are sponsoring the ARK with an actual one in the main office. It stands for Acts of Random Kindness. The idea is that when you see someone doing something kind you put their name in the ark. We read all the names at the end of the week and draw one for a prize. So far its catching on. I think its a good thing for kids this age to try to think about someone else!
Last week I was in SLC almost every night in recording sessions with the MTC. We are producing a CD of MW's sacred works including his new "Requiem" . CJ said he is going to nominate M for the Pulitzer prize for choral composition.
He said there is nothing out there this good. We are performing this week at BYU for the homecoming spectacular show. C and M are being honored at it too. I;m excited for it.
We heard from Bryce today and he is now zone leader and opening up a whole new area. It is the northern half of Curacao called Barber. His zone also includes Bonaire. He sure enjoys the work of the Lord.

Trek at Martin's Cove

Brad and Britney have been at martin's Cove these past four days. They enjoyed cool temperatures and just a little rain. Oddly enough, the hardest part of the trip was the ride there in school buses! It took ten hours with all the stops. Nevertheless, the trek was successful and meaningful to all who participated.

This is Devil's Gate.

These statues depict the men that rescued people and carried them across the icy Sweetwater river.

More Choir Tour ....

This top picture is at the Newell K. Whitney Store in Kirtland, OH.
Barry was in charge of all the venue sales for the tour(on his vacation time). He set a lofty goal of 100,000 in sales. At the first stop in Toronto, he and his team (all volunteers- a lot of choir spouses) sold 22,000! They were working like crazy. The funny thing is, the theater only held about 1500 people! We did two concerts there though. Barry had shared his goal with everyone and before long the whole choir knew about it! He would be asked by several people every day how the sales were going. By the second venue sales were already up to 44,000. Yes... by the end he made his goal and even went over by 9,000. Choir Pres. promised him a steak dinner if he made the goal...we'll see. We performed in four outdoor venues-The Blossom ampitheater in Cleveland, Riverbend in Cincinatti, Ravinia in Chicago and Chautauqua in NY. The hottest was in Cleveland. It must have been 90 degrees and 90% humidity. We were informed there that a broadcast was going to be taped for future a showing. I only hope there were not too many closeups because most of us were dripping with sweat, especially me! When the bright lights were turned on it must have gotten to 110 degrees easy(add a hot flash to that! I about died). In Cincinatti we were the opening concert for the summer season with the Cincinatti Pops. Conductor ,was a lot of fun. He did something weird though...he made us all bow together! He was so thrilled with our sound and ability that he said a number of times that we had to move to Cincinatti. He never had anything to say to us but praise. There were over 10,000 there at Riverbend. All of the crowds were so enthusiastic and warm. It was a pleasure to perform for them. This picture was taken at Chautauqua during "Ah El Novio" Boy was I glad to get to the last two venues that were indoors. We performed in Nashville and Memphis. The latter for the very first time in the choir's history. At this point, KSL's and her cameraman joined our tour. We had a general authority travelling with us as well. We also had church security and travel department people with us. The tour was extremely well organized as you can imagine it would have to be with 574 people. We stayed in the nicest hotels, mostly Marriots and ate very delicious food...too much I'm afraid. I learned something though... food cannot energize you alone, you have to have enough rest as well. We lacked the rest portion a lot. I rested on the bus rides but you know how that is...I never really slept. Check out the list on the top left for some of our great newspaper reviews! Copy and paste the address .

A 12 Day Mission

Well we're back from the choir tour. It was honestly so busy that I never had time to enter a post.
Here is an example: On the second day in Toronto we were up at 7am and bussed to sound checks at 10 am,then bussed to lunch, bussed back to 2 hour matinee concert , bussed back for dinner , bussed to evening two hour concert. After the concert we left Toronto in an eleven bus convoy stopped at the border for passport checks on every bus, and to Buffalo, NY to arrive for sleep at 1:30 am. That morning up at 7am leave at 9am for Chautauqua, NY. Sound check at 11:30 matinee at 2:00 hang out around the grounds til evening concert at 7:30. Around 10pm load buses for Cleveland to arrive around 2am. YAY got to sleep in til 8:30! These were our hardest days. It was a difficult and demanding tour physically,mentally . I felt at times that I was pressed to my limits. I remembered the pioneers that "in their extremities they became aquainted with God" I hoped that would be true for me and then I was reminded that I was only singing!!! This was a happy opportunity to bring peace and comfort to others! The Lord blessed me greatly and gave me strength of voice and spirit. We sang to over 50,000 people who shed tears of joy as they witnessed the Lord's choir perform with His power and love.
The choir is an amazing ambassador for the church to soften hearts and open doors. More to come....

Preparing for Choir Tour

We'll be leaving in about a week to go on a choir tour to Canada and the midwest. We'll be in Toronto,Chataqua, Cincinatti,Cleveland, Chicago, Nashville, &Memphis. Please email anyone you know that lives in these areas to support the choir, take a nonmember friend, and go to the concert. It'll be for 12 days and includes 7 venues and 9 concerts. I'm suffering from a head cold right now so keep me in your prayers that I'll have a strong singing voice for the tour. We'll be traveling with 574 people in 11 buses. Barry has been given the big job of arranging all the CD sales at every venue. So his trip has been paid for this time by the choir. He has a goal of selling $100,000. We'll be performing hymns,classical,folk,broadway,patriotic, etc. Some of my favorites on tour will be The Impossible Dream, Morning Has Broken, Cindy, Come Thou Fount of Every blessing, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Betelehemu. Tours are very demanding and exhausting. Although the tour planners allow for as much sight-seeing as time will allow, I usually sleep in and skip it if there was a concert the night before. Its important to reserve your energy. I have to admit though, that I do slip in some tennis just a little if I can with some choir friends. I need to make sure I bring plenty of cough drops, travel pillows, ear plugs, eye covers and sleeping pills. Those are my staples for a tour. I'll try to blog often while on tour to give you a feel for it. We will literally be on a 12 day mission for the church. I feel the weight of that responsibility and ask for your thoughts and prayers in this worthy endeavor to touch the hearts and minds of the people we come in contact with. Thanks!!!

Here's our newest high school graduate

Britney has graduated from American Fork High School this past week. She had great intentions of sending out announcements, she even made them...so you still may get one.
She ended the year voted as "most improved student". She even did well in her Algebra 2 class. She was a member of the tennis team, choir and orchestra. We are very happy for her to pass the milestone in her life!

A Memorial Day prayer

I thank God this day for this land of America, the greatest country on the face of the earth. She is a light and hope to the world of freedom and a better life. I thank Him for those who" more than self their country loved " that have given their lives for Her. I thank God for the abundant freedoms and possessions we have. I only pray that all citizens will remember that we have our "liberty in law", laws founded on the laws of God. Amen

The Age of No Common Sense

I went to the gym this morning and watched some TV while I exercised. We decided about three years ago to give up TV. I do not miss it at all except when it comes around Memorial day for the US Tennis Open or other big tennis events. As I watched today at the gym I was stunned with the lack of common sense that seemed to pervade almost every story I saw. California wants to install a new power plant system that would cut down pollution dramatically. The environMENTALists say "No!" it MAY have some affect upon the natural landscape...so what about human kind ??! Another story said "Does sexy attire in the work place hinder a women's progression in her career? DUH! If a woman does not respect her own body no one else will either. Then to top it off...within this same 30 minute period...the whole discussion about immunizing young girls against sexually transmitted diseases. Has the world gone crazy? The commentators spoke as if being chaste were completely out of the question and irrelevant. Truly this is the age of no common sense! You better guard your own with your life!

Bryce has gone to Curacao !

We received word today that Bryce is flying 490 miles south of PR to serve now in Curacao which is part of his mission. This is a beautiful small island 38 miles long and 8 miles wide . Its actually part of South America 40 miles from Venezuela. It has a dutch influence and the language is a new one he'll have to learn called Papiamientu(dutch,english and spanish mix). There are 150,000 people made up of black, english,dutch and jewish descent. It should be cooler and not as humid and it is out of the hurricane region. We loved hearing his voice on mother's day...I wish I had recorded it!

Crime and Cruelty-Warning! this is really sad and insane

I have to share this because it weighs me down so heavily. Its a story that you could never make up...its too insane. I thought that writing about it might help. This is the sorrowful plight of a sister, friend and devoted mother. It is hard to imagine the suffering that some people are called to go through. Most of you probably know that Barry's sister, Jennifer, died this past Tuesday. She came here 8 months ago with her four children and new husband she met over the internet ( that her sisters begged her not to marry). She discovered back home in Indiana that she had melanoma cancer. She wanted to come home to be with her extended family and receive support. Unfortunately Jennifer left in a hurry and did not bring sufficient clothing and supplies for her family. She came destitute of any means hoping that the new husband would take on responsibility for them. She had been abandoned by her first husband who left her and the children for another woman nine years ago. This man let her live in poverty, paying the smallest amount of alimony and child support that was allowed. He neglected to pay many months as well. Jennifer had social disabilities but managed to have a part time job as a church janitor. She gave her children the greatest gift she could, and that was her love. They are wonderful, loving children, devoted to their mother.
Four months ago,two weeks before Christmas, the ex husband came to Utah with a warrant charging child abuse of the new husband. With the intimidation of a police officer, he ripped the four crying children from the arms of their sick and dying mother and flew them far away to Florida. I was very involved with those children as I would pick them up from school daily and visit with them. They seemed happy and anxious to go home each day. I even asked the older brother of any unusual behavior and he vehemently denied anything. The new husband did raise some red flags as he was socially lacking and unknown to any of us. I kept very close watch on the situation and am convinced that the ex husband and his mother were extreme in their accusations and vindictive in their actions. The new husband was sent to jail for a time leaving Jennifer alone to fend for herself in her sickness. He never did hold a job of any kind and seemed indifferent to it although always promising Jennifer of something. As you can imagine, all of these events have caused Jennifer's extended family the most extreme pain and dismay as well as worry over her financial obligations. Jennifer's children wrote letters and called periodically which cheered her spirits. However, her health declined from them on and she spent weeks in the hospital until she passed away this week. I witnessed the last goodbyes from her children over the phone. We all thought, surely these children will come see her in her last days and for her funeral! But "No!", here is the crime and final cruetly-the ex husband (who most likely does not want to spend the money to bring them) claims that it is in the children's best interest not to come, and that the children cannot be around the new husband for fear of witness tampering! Is not this insane reasoning?!!! The new husband vowed he would not be in the same building with them for the Jennifer's sake.
It already feels better to purge these events from my mind. I leave final judgement to the Lord who knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts. He alone administers true justice which cannot be robbed in the end. Jennifer's funeral which is being paid for by the donations of her extended family and ward is this Sat. at 11 am at the brown chapel on 600 W and 500 N in PG. I have learned that when we see and experience the sufferings of others, we witness the sufferings of Christ for he descended below all things and has suffered all of our pains,sorrows, sickness and sins. I am also convinced more than ever that we need not suffer to extreme degrees if we will but individually exercise careful diligence in keeping all of the commandments of God.

Wow! What a weekend!

I've been busy with some choir concerts this week. The piece we performed for its premiere is a new Requiem by Mack Wilberg. It is an amazing piece of music and sure to be a classic. Its absolutely beautiful. Mack's publisher, Oxford Press (England) even sent two editors to be there. Mack is their best selling composer surpassing John Rutter. I hope it might be broadcast on BYU TV so watch for it. The Temple Square chorale also performed Mozart's Requiem which was as good as you could hear it anywhere in the world. We had four soloists from New York that were excellent. We got a pretty good review in the SLTrib. We never get to rest on our laurels though...we're already preparing now for a performance of Elijah with Bryn Terfel in less than two weeks!

The Q&A Thing Going Around

For hours and hours I could...

visit with my husband and or children

sing with the Tab Choir.

Read a really good book.

I feel best about myself...
when I put others first

when I have work to do and I get it done

I absolutely cannot stand...

complainers

lying

I am afraid of..

deep murky water

the idea of parachuting

I love to splurge by...

buying a new tennis racket

I save by...

buying one on sale

I hardly every buy groceries that aren't on sale

I am trying to work on...

remembering that I am third

Increasing my knowledge of geography

In high school...

I surprised my AP English teacher by really applying myself on a term paper about Jack London. She gave me a straight A

I loved being in choirs,tennis team and on the seminary council

I enjoyed my good friends
In college...

I enjoyed my great literature class and piano lessons

I feel I'm a good mom when...

I make a good dinner

I really listen to my kids

I regret...

not finishing college

I could never have too many...

tennis balls, flowers

grandchildren

friends

What about you?

I'm a Tennis Bum

I went to the 4.0 tennis workout last Friday at Gold's Gym in Orem. It really makes me huff and puff ! There's a family of two brothers and a sister that do it for us. Sperry is their name. It is fast paced and fun. They have so many different drills that keep you moving for an hour and a half. I wish We had them two or three times a week. I finished our league season with a pretty good record-4 wins and 2 losses. I even won two singles matches. Tennis is so good for your mind and concentration. One time my doubles partner and I drove up to our match in SLC. For some reason we got on a really heavy subject...raising problem kids. We kept up the conversation all the way onto the court. We started our match but our minds were too far gone and we did not play well. We could have easily won the match but we blew it mentally by getting so involved with that conversation !
That's how it is in tennis. I've found that to do my best I need to psyche myself up a little the day of the match and focus well. I've been playing league for 15 years. Its pretty competitive which I like although a little time consuming. We play mostly in SLC and even Park City. Summer is the most competitive season. Its too bad it gets so hot!! I play better indoors. The Gold's 4. 0 AND 3.0 teams went to Hawaii last year for the National play off and the 3.0 team won theirs. We have a good group of players here. Its never too late to learn how to play and to improve your game!

The Choir's Home Again

This past week or so the choir entered the tabernacle for the first time in two years. We were rehearsing some things for conference and the dedicatory concerts. I felt a somber spirit of gratitude and awe at the beautiful additions and renovations done just for the choir. As we started Come Come Ye Saints I could not contain the emotion and lowered my head into my music folder and sobbed! My friend behind me was sobbing too! It was like everyone who has ever sung in those seats was sending a sigh of relief and joy that the choir was back where it belonged! It is definitely the HOME of the tabernacle choir and will be always. I felt humbled at the opportunity to hold this stewardship for a short time. Yesterday we had a picture taken with everyone who has anything to do with the broadcast production. There were probably 500+ people including Pres. Hinckley, front and center, who has been the adviser to the choir for 45 years. Our next big concert is the end of this month. The temple square chorale is performing the Mozart Requiem and the choir, Mack Wilberg's Requiem. In May, Bryn Terfel is coming to play the part of Elijah in that great work by Mendelssohn.

Guess Who's Expecting! & A funny thing happened...

Yes...we are expecting another grandchild! Ben and Lindsey announced it to us last week. He told the story of she and him driving along in their jeep and a bird swooped down and knocked Lindsey on the head. The funny thing was, it was a stork! We all got it but Bree. She said "Maybe it was a sign!" You'd have to be there. He or she is due around Dec. this year!
A funny thing happened at the last session of general conference. The choir is allowed to go up to the roof of the conference center between sessions to eat lunch. I always go up to get some fresh air and enjoy the view. There's one freight elevator that takes a bunch of us up. Well, it got to be 1:30 and we knew we better get to the elevator because it usually takes a while to transport everyone. We stood and waited 15 minutes and it wouldn't come! We (about 30 of us) started to panic and look for alternate ways down. I followed some members down some stairs and we ended up in the middle of the lobby and then right in the aisles of the main seating! We hurried past ushers who asked for our tickets (until they saw our attire) and up the side of the stage. It was by now 1:55 ! I whizzed to the stairs past Craig and Mack and to the loft putting on some powder and lipstick on the way. I was one of the last to make it ! One guy didn't make it and had his seat given to an alternate person (new member) I was a little rattled and sweaty but tried to gain some composure for the opening song !

See You This Weekend!

Its general conference again and I hope to see you all. It will be a thrill to participate in the re-dedication of the tabernacle and all four sessions. We actually don't look at the music together until the Tuesday before. We prepare more spiritually by 1-doing an anonymous good deed,2-attending the temple,3-fasting, 4.righting something wrong in you life. I love this time of year. It seems heaven and earth meet for a brief moment.I had an experience one conference weekend in the early morning hours. I woke to the sound of a radio playing. I looked around from my bed and decided it was from outside somewhere. I started to worry about getting back to sleep because it was going to be Sunday and a long tiring day. Whenever I start to worry sleeping only gets more difficult, so I prayed that the Lord would just take care of it for me. I then started hearing music. It was the tab choir singing,"If you could Hie to Kolob" (one of my favorites)It was quiet and sounded from a distance then came closer into my room. It calmed me and I felt blessed. I drifted back to sleep to the sound of it. Later that day I realized that there is no recording of that song except from maybe a past broadcast and for sure from the very first conference session I sang with the choir. What are the chances of that being played on a radio in the middle of the night? That's what I mean by heaven and earth meeting during conference time. It is a time when the heavens open and revelation pours down upon the saints in a miraculous way. I hope you all experience the wonder of this time of year.

Sadness in my other family

I think I've realized how much the choir is a family to me. A younger sister, Bertha, came down with a rare disease about four months ago. She was a tall beautiful Samoan in her early thirties. She had thick black shiny hair down to her waist. She was quiet and mild tempered, kind and lovely. The disease was called an Auto Immune difficiency. It started out as a virus with skin blisters and spread over her whole body. She became an actual burn victim in the intensive care for months. Her hair was shaved and skin grafts were attempted but failed. They said she would surely recover but she just didn't make much progress. I can hardly comprehend the suffering she has been through. Bertha passed away last Wednesday from kidney failure and a collapsed lung. We had choir rehearsal the next day without fail but the mood was somber. It was hard for me to even go but we hugged and cried and mourned for our friend and sister together. We'll be singing at her funeral on Monday . I was a little surprised at how deeply I felt for this person. I spoke to her on occasion but didn't know her well. I think I have discovered that there is a bond that exists between us all in the choir that goes deeper than we realize. Through it all I appropriately had the words to a song in my mind.."there but for you go I"

Bryce is Doing Great!

I thought you all might want some news about Bryce. He is very happy serving in P.R. He said,"I'm feeling good. I'm slowly getting more and more tired every day...I can feel it. I'm excited to be halfway. I look forward to this coming year. I love being a missionary."
I thought the first lines were funny..he must be working hard! He says the Lord is blessing him to have a continual teaching pool. He's district leader now . He said the mission is actually going to be split this year. We hear from him by email every week which is really wonderful. He looks pretty skinny in his pictures. We are confident that the Lord watches over him and strengthens his faith and testimony continually.P.S. Pray for Samuel and Isaias -they're scheduled to be baptized on the 24th.

In a Dream

Our Disney cruise was like a dream. Barry said he thought heaven was like it. We enjoyed (almost)all our family around, had no cares and viewed extreme beauty everywhere.
I agree with him. It was truly magical. We are all still talking about it.
We also stayed one night at the Disney Resort, Saratoga Springs. It was just beautiful . We bought into the Disney Vacation Club which is a time share and our actual property is there. Ben gave Barry & I two free tickets (from friends in his ward) to Disney World so we went there for part of the day. He and Lindsey were very sweet to give them to us. Of course, Britney had to come too! The boys were content to take a ride on the surrey bicycle at the resort which is in the picture. I guess we've had enough Disneyland for the year(4 times).

The Disney Wonder was WONDERful! As we entered the ship ,someone announced,"Welcome aboard to the Jensen Family!"
We ate and and ate and ate. There was ice cream and pizza 24 hours a day. Ben bragged that he gained 10 pounds! We played shuffleboard, jogged around the deck, saw a Disney Musical stage show, watched three movies, went to the spa, swam, played ping pong, ate and ate and ate, Sang Kareoke (Barry got a standing ovation-no kidding!) bonded with our servers, JoJo and Rey, shopped, explored, rode the glass elevator, saw disney characters, watched onboard fireworks, made friends, snorkeled, paddle boated, toured, rode a banana boat,and that's the fun in a nutshell! Disney's private island, Castaway Cay was a real highlight. The Flying Dutchman ship from the Pirates movie was parked there which made for a very picturesque view. They fed us a barbecue picnic on the island and provided activities on the three different beaches. Serenity beach was just for adults.
We also stopped at Nassau and toured there for a day. We are already talking about our next cruise because I guess once you've done one you're hooked!

Blogs Away !

Jan showed me her blog last night and it looked like a lot of fun plus a good way to keep a history of yourself. So...here I go. I have enjoyed Dad's blog and the way he seems to say something important every time he posts. I don't expect to do that but hope to improve my writing skills and share my pedestrian days with family members that might care a little.
My next post will about the picture below....our Disney cruise! I will include pictures too. The DVD (produced by Barry) has been released as well to anyone interested! Bye for now

Aboard the Disney Wonder