Still snow in Salt Lake

Another week has come and gone;  it's hard to believe how quickly time is passing. We have new missionaries in our zone from Tasmania and Australia to add to our already diverse group that includes missionaries from Ireland, England, Canada, California, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina and of course Arizona.

On Tuesday night we went to a lecture by Andrew Skinner entitled "The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Emergence of Early Christianity" that was held at a building called The Leonardo which is a museum converted from the Public Library.  There were many other missionaries there and the lecture hall was filled to capacity.  Much of what Brother Skinner talked about was over my head but interesting nonetheless. Brother Skinner is one of Byde's favorite authors so it was a special treat to get to hear him.

Our daughter-in-law, Heather sent us a picture of the Flatley Family (flat from a fall from a bulletin board) and asked us to take them with us to the Temple so that she could share it with the primary. Apparently they were having a lesson about Temples and wanted as many "visits" as they could come up with.  The Flatleys visited both the Salt Lake and Bountiful Temple while they were with us and got to see lots of snow in the process.

The Flatley Family

Flatley family with us at the Bountiful Temple

Snow outside our back door

More Snow

Taken from the car window

On Saturday night we had a Zone Social at Sister Kathy Mickelson's home in Sandy.  There were about 30 of us there and we had a wonderful potluck dinner, good visiting and sharing stories. One of the Elders brought his clarinet and serenaded us with a couple of songs. As a young man he played in a dance band.

Dessert Table

Salad and rolls

Sisters Murdock and Barwick

Elder and Sister Rust (He is a brother to our former Arizona neighbor, Marvin Rust)

Happy New Year

How quickly 2013 slipped away and what a GREAT year it has been for us. Not only have we had the opportunity to serve a mission but we have been blessed to see 2 of our grandchildren called to serve. Our granddaughter is serving in the Michigan Lansing Mission and our grandson is serving in the Mexico Chihuahua Mission.

We got a new snow on Saturday morning which made the whole landscape beautiful and white again. It has been several weeks since the last snow and it had become pretty dirty and ice packed.  I still don't like the snow but it is beautiful to look at.

On New Years Eve we had friends from the Library come to dinner and we played Rollick (reverse charades) and a "Who is the Best Liar" game.  We enjoyed a fun time together and then about 9 pm (VERY late for us) we went to Temple Square to join in on the New Years Eve activities.  There were singing groups in the various buildings on the campus so there were lots of choices.  Our favorite was Dallyn Vail Bayles and Friends who did a number of Broadway show tunes including "Bring Him Home" from Les Mis which is one of our favorites.

Dallyn Vail Bayles & Friends

"On film, Dallyn portrays Hyrum Smith in Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration and Emma Smith: My Story.  He also stars in three movies in the “Liken the Scriptures” series.  Dallyn has performed leading roles in numerous LDS Church stage productions including Joseph Smith in the Nauvoo Pageant, Joseph the Carpenter in Savior of the World, and Alma Richards in Light of the World.  He has also performed as a soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on "Music and the Spoken Word," and at “Time Out For Women” events across the country.

Dallyn has recorded two solo inspirational albums: Song of Redeeming Love and Prayer.  Prayer received two Pearl Awards from the Faith Centered Music Association, and the Listener's Choice Award from the LDS Booksellers Association.  His recording of “Savior, Redeemer of My Soul” is featured in the new movie, 17 Miracles.

Dallyn graduated from Brigham Young University with a BFA in Music Dance Theatre, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.  He and his wife, Rachel, recently moved from the New York City area to Springville, UT, and are the proud parents of four children." 
 It has been amazing to watch the Christmas decorations come down on Temple Square; what took months to put up has come down in hours. We will miss getting to see the lights as we went to work each morning in the library.  The lights are turned off each night at 10 pm but they are turned on in again in the early morning hours when it is still dark.

We continue to be very cautious as we go to the library on snowy days. The area immediately surrounding the library is red brick and for some reason it always seems to be slippery when we have new snow.  It was there that the sister from our floor and fractured her skull so we walk very carefully as we encounter that area.

The patrons coming to the Library during the Holiday Season have been fewer than the previous months so we are looking forward to having them return to give us more people to help. We are already beginning to see an increase perhaps the result of New Years resolutions to finally do the family history work they've been meaning to do for years.

Last but not least, my last picture for the Christmas season.  This is the tree and fireplace that was on the British Floor.  The fire in the fake fireplace looked real enough to make you want to get near it to get warm.  The decorations are all taken down now and the library looks very bare without them. So it's on to 2014 and the adventures it will bring.

Christmas Activities and Son's Visit

On Christmas Eve we went with several friends to the Cathedral of the Madeleine to hear a special Christmas Carol Service that was presented by the choir there. The program was completely a cappella with scripture readings done after each of the musical numbers. The Cathedral was full with standing room only and the program was very well done. The congregation was invited to join in on some of the songs. After the program we went to Cafe Rio for dinner and then back to the apartment building to play games. It was while we were playing games that the young elders came to sing Christmas Carols for us.

Fuller's Christmas Tree 2013

Elders serenaded us while we were playing games at the Garretts

On Christmas day we joined our good friends from Arizona, Boyd & Dot Williams, for a very nice Christmas dinner prepared by Dot. We enjoyed ham and scalloped potatoes along with red and green Christmas jello, fruit salad, cranberry salad, carrots, and rolls.

We had Christmas Dinner with the Williams at their apt.

Dot set a beautiful Christmas table

I normally post on Sunday but we had our son visiting from Arizona and I just didn't take the time to work on the blog; it was much more fun to visit with him.We enjoyed a short walk around Temple Square and I was able to take pictures of some statues inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building which I hadn't been able to do.

Byde, Pam, and Scott in the Assembly Hall

Conference Center for the Tab Choir Broadcast

In the Lobby after the Tab Choir Broadcast

We were able to attend the Tabernacle Choir Broadcast on Sunday morning and then at 1:00 pm Scott attended our Branch with us. We had a beautiful organ solo played by Phil Dunn who is also a member of the Tab Choir and is a professional Family History Consultant on the British Floor in the library where we work.

On Monday morning before we took Scott to the airport we attended the weekly devotional conducted by the Mission Presidency which we go to every Monday morning. We were excited to have him attend with us. The high temperature during Scott's visit was about 35° with a low of 15°.  Needless to say, coming from Mesa, Arizona where the highs during the same period of time were in the 70's, he felt the cold.

We went for a walk on the East side of Temple Square and I took a picture of some of the nativities which represent different countries that are on display there in front of the Church Office Building.

 

 These statues are inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building near Legacy Theatre.

First Vision

Depiction of Joseph Smith reading James 1:5

Joseph and Hyrum Smith

49 Years

Tuesday was the anniversary of our wedding which occurred on December 17, 1964 (49 years). While we were working in the Library that morning we had a lovely bouquet of flowers delivered to us from our oldest daughter, Jennifer. We celebrated that evening with a nice dinner at Market Street Grill. We have had a great life together and look forward to the coming years.

Flowers for our 49th Wedding Anniversary

We have seen lots of snow this week. In fact, it snowed all day Tuesday and was bad enough that the Library closed at 1:00. We walked very carefully to and from work watching every step as we went so as to avoid falling. On Thursday afternoon one of the sisters from the British zone fell just outside the front of the library and sustained a head fracture. She expects to be in the hospital for several more days and has a severe headache.

On Monday morning Byde went to Temple Square to take a picture of a special tree that someone told us about. Apparently this Cedar of Lebanon tree is only "lit" every other year to help to preserve it. I looked up the story online and here's what I found:

"The Cedar of Lebanon was brought to Temple Square around 1949. At that time it was 7 inches high. It was packed in a suitcase of a Mrs. Petty who lived in Sugar House. Planted in a corner of Temple Square, it was later threatened ruination by an accident. The top was completely sheared off. So gardeners forced a branch up to become the new leader. Today you can see the trunk has a slight wiggle. However that was not the end of the challenges this cedar would face."

"Brother Emil B. Fetzer, then Church architect, was given the responsibility of designing the new South Visitor's Center. Part of his design contemplated a plaza just outside that Visitor's Center. Accordingly, the Cedar of Lebanon was first marked for removal, then plans were changed. As construction began, however, due to some oversight, the Cedar of Lebanon was still slated for removal. By the time Brother Lassig noticed, construction crews were within two hours of taking out the tree. Brother Lassig hurried to Brother Fetzer's office with documentation showing the oversight. Brother Fetzer immediately halted the construction crews and the Cedar of Lebanon was saved."

Cedar of Lebanon facing East

Cedar of Lebanon Aerial View

A few more lights on Temple Square that we hadn't taken last week.

Nativity shooting North

Nativity on pond west of the Temple

Shepherd scene West of the JSMB

Snowman in front of apartment building - (note the name badge)

Sunday morning we walked to the Tabernacle Broadcast in light snow and it was COLD (again).  In the "Spoken Word" today, Lloyd Newell talked about the song "The First Noel."

"Noel is originally a French word related to the Latin natalis, which means 'birthday.' Today, of course, noel connotes not just any birthday but a birthday that would change the world and everything in it; a birthday that, for much of the world, reset the calendar, marks time, and is celebrated still today."

"Over time, the word noel has come to refer both to Christmas and, more specifically, to Christmas music. 'The First Noel,' then is a song about the first Christmas carol - the one sung by a choir of angels to humble shepherds gathered in a lonely field outside of Bethlehem. We can only imagine what their glorious music sounded like, but in a sense, our carols today are each an echo of that first noel. Whether it's our own rousing declaration of 'glory to God in the highest' or a gentle affirmation of peach on earth and 'good will toward men,' we humbly join the angels in singing praises to the newborn King.

How grateful we are at this special time of year to sing praises to His name and reflect on the blessing of His birth..

2013 Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert

Many of you know that when President Monson enters the Conference Center for conference or any other event the audience almost immediately comes to a complete silence and stands in respect for the Prophet. It is always awe-inspiring to be there to feel and witness this occurrence.  We were in the Conference Center on Friday night and again Sunday for the 2013 Christmas performance and were once again able to witness this event.

These 2 people (pictured below) were the guest artists for the 2013 Mormon tabernacle Choir Christmas concert and I will tell you that it was FANTASTIC!! We were so grateful to have tickets and sat on the 6th row on the main floor.  We could actually see the faces of the performers. But WAIT, there's more; we were fortunate enough to get tickets to the Sunday morning broadcast and see the show again after the Sunday  Broadcast.  For the Sunday performance we were sitting in the balcony and even though we couldn't see the performers faces so closely we could see the whole stage and get the pleasure of seeing the "whole" picture better.  Both seats were fantastic for different reasons and we loved the show.  Ms Voight's voice was so unbelievable! Even if you don't like opera you would have loved the songs she did! Wish you could all have been there to enjoy the performance.

Mr. Rhys-Davies did a beautiful reading of  Luke 2: 1, 3-14 as well as a sketch of a behind the scenes of what inspired Charles Dickens to write "A Christmas Carol" which was first published in 1843. Interestingly enough, the book has never been out of print since its first publication. The book is said to have been credited with restoring the Christmas Season as one of  of merriment and festivity in Britain and America after a period of sobriety and sombreness.

The show is co-produced with PBS and will air in the 2014 Christmas season on PBS - watch for it! The 2012 performance which was done with with Alfie Boe and Tom Brokay is playing now on your local PBS channel. You should be able to Google it and find when it is playing in your area.

World-renowned soprano Deborah Voigt and acclaimed British actor John Rhys-Davies will join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for its annual Christmas concert.

I should probably have started with the beginning of the week instead of the end but we didn't do much this week aside from our assignment at the Library each day.  We always enjoy being there and doing what we can to help the patrons. The association with the other missionaries is always a bonus; we work with some unbelievable people.

On Tuesday we went to the Salt Lake Temple with the missionaries from our zone and afterwards had
dinner in the social room in our apartment building.  We watched a video of the story of Good King Wenceslas as told by Jane Seymour which was done in a Tab Choir Christmas concert several years ago. What can I say - is there a concert the choir does that isn't spectacular - not that I've seen so far!!