Simply Magical

It's been a few months since I posted anything and a lot has happened. The biggest change was that I moved and that took a big chunk of my time and attention for a few weeks. Last weekend I was able to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert at the LDS conference center in Salt Lake and I wanted to blog about my experience. I felt lucky because I was able to go on Friday and again Saturday night. On Saturday I decided to try out the new frontrunner train because of the snow storm.

Here's a picture of the view I had from the window on the train...brrr, it was cold

I arrived at Central Station in Salt Lake just as the Christmas lights in the plaza turned on 

 I met up with a friend at City Creek Mall and we explored the mall some while trying to decide what to do for dinner. I loved the decorations, it's a beautiful mall!

After dinner at the Lion House Cafe we walked across Temple Square towards the conference center. This was the view we enjoyed...so beautiful!

I snapped this picture of the choir just before the program began

The performance was amazing! My favorite moments included hearing Alfie Boe sing Bring Him Home, from Les Misérables and watching Richard Elliott playfully perform Sleigh Ride on the organ.

The magic came for me when Tom Brokaw told the story Christmas from Heaven: A gift that changed the World. He told the story of Hal Halvorsen, also known as 'Uncle Wiggly Wings' and the 'Candy Bomber' who dropped candy rations by parachute over Berlin in 1948. The story came to life through pictures and sounds. It was magical when "snow" started falling in the conference center along with several parachutes. The Deseret News shared this picture of that moment:

The big surprise was when the parachute-like screen that they'd been showing pictures on dropped to the ground and Hal Halvorsen waved to the crowd. He made his stage appearance encircled by children dressed as German refugees with the sound of flying airplanes filling the hall and searchlights piercing the dark. He's 92 and I thought it was impressive to see him jog down the stairs then talk with Tom Brokaw about his experience. He even mentioned that he was wearing the same jumpsuit he wore in 1948! Wow, it was a special experience I won't forget!

Here is another picture from the Deseret News showing Tom Brokaw and Hal Halvorsen

I snapped this picture of the final moments of the concert when the crowd gave a final standing ovation 

On my way to the train station I took this picture of the Salt Lake Temple. It was a wonderful concert and I'm glad I was able to enjoy the magic two nights in a row.

Merry Christmas!

I blame the 41 flavors!

I brought some store brand jelly beans (wanna be Jelly Bellies) to church today to share with my primary class. The bag has 41 flavors and I didn't take time to read through all of the different ones but now I know that I should have. Today in class one of the kids was standing by me and I realized they had strong coffee breath! I quickly gave them a few more jelly beans so I didn't send them home from primary smelling like coffee. I hope they ate lunch before the parents noticed :)

After church I looked at the bag and found the culprits...



Java and Tiramisu

I'll be picking those out (along with the few black ones, yuck!). I don't need anymore primary kids with coffee flavored breath, oops. Haha!

Adventures in Primary

I teach primary...for those that don't know, that's a class the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) has for the kids. I get to teach the kids turning 5 this year. They are so curious and they love to ask questions. I love to hear their answers! Sometimes it's hard not to laugh. They are teaching me patience too. Today's conversation was great and I had to share:

Me: (after telling the parable of the lost sheep found in Luke 15:1-7) who can tell me what Jesus did when the lamb was lost?
Kids: did you wear braces? your teeth are really straight!
Me: yeah, thanks. What happened to the sheep? What did Jesus do?
Kids: He found it. Who took them off?
Me: what?
Kids: the braces
Me: oh, yeah...the dentist.
Kids: did it hurt?
Me: not really.
Kids: I'm hungry. Is it time to go home yet?
Me: Always remember that Jesus loves you. Here, have a marshmallow (ok, so I didn't say it exactly like that but I did bring fun star shaped marshmallows for a treat today)

I wonder sometimes how much they remember but they surprise me with what they know. It's fun but challenging to teach them. Here are some other fun things I've heard from my primary kids:
-You smell like shampoo, did you take a shower?
-I don't like birthdays anymore, birthdays mean getting shots
-This is so boring
-I want to color the grass yellow so the sheep can eat dead grass
-What is that? Does it hurt? (pointing at my scar from surgery I had on my hand)
-Can I sit in the window sill?
-Are you a mom? You should be because you are so nice
-My feet can't be reverent today

So there you go, a sample of life in primary. I think I found something new to blog about. Kids are awesome!

A Day to Remember

It's been a great Memorial Day! I took this picture after hanging our flag in the front yard this morning. Then we enjoyed a drive to Fountain Green, Utah.

The beautiful view from the Fountain Green Cemetery...on a clear day you can see the Manti Temple but it was a little hazy today.


Another view of the cemetery

Remembering Grandpa and Grandma Anderson today...

Dad enjoying the beautiful sunny weather

Of course you can't go to Fountain Green without seeing the sheep. We saw lots of lambs too!

A beautiful flag!

We ended the day with a family BBQ and some sidewalk chalk art...can you see the cowboy on the horse?
 

I also had fun watching this hummingbird out in our yard before coming inside and watching a Memorial Day broadcast on TV. It's been a great day! It's nice to have a day to help us all take time to remember those who have served our country and loved ones who have already gone on.

Window Art

March already? How did that happen! Well my opportunity to blog during February is gone. The last few weeks have been busy. The office where I work moved to a new building just over a week ago. It looks pretty but it has a few issues. I'm grateful for a nice place to work though. I can't wait until they install blinds! Until that happens my window paper art and sunglasses will have to do...

Raisin filled cookies

I made these yummy cookies for New Years day. They turned out so well I decided to share the recipe. I found a recipe on allrecipes.com but I modified it slightly. I actually made the dough and filling on new years eve then left them in the fridge overnight which worked well. I rolled them out and baked them yesterday. Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
1 c brown sugar
1 c sugar
1 c margarine
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
5 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsps vanilla yogurt

Filling:
1 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsps flour
1 c brown sugar
2 c hot water
1 1/2 c seedless raisins

In a mixing bowl cream sugars and margarine. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Add dry ingredients and yogurt then mix well. Chill at least an hour in the fridge.
For filling combine cornstarch, flour, and brown sugar in a sauce pan. Stir in water and then raisins. Stir and cook on medium-high heat until mixture boils and is thickened (about 3 minutes). Cool completely in fridge.
Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut in 2 inch circles. Spoon about 1 tsp filling on a circle and top with another circle. Pinch edges and cut a small slit in the top. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 2 dozen cookies. Yum!