11th anniversary/Tabernacle concert

So, we had Christmas on a Tuesday, Wednesday Mark had to go back to work, Thursday I can't remember what we did, and then Friday Dec. 28th was our 11 year anniversary!

We have never left the kids overnight with anyone before (ever), but we thought they were both old enough to handle it by now. My brother Tyler and his wife Monica agreed to let the kids stay with them. Madelyn had been talking about it for months--her first sleepover!

 

This was the only picture I took of us, but we crammed quite a lot in while it was just the two of us. We dropped our wedding rings off at the jewelers to get cleaned and re-plated, went to Target, Old Navy, TJ Maxx, Golden Corral (we were going to go to Olive Garden but ran out of time), went to see Les Miserables, stayed overnight at the Lexington Hotel and went to the temple the next morning.

Ironically, with all that peace and quiet, nobody slept very well, including the kids. We just weren't used to being away from each other. Madelyn and Luke had a blast playing with their cousins, and got to sleep in a big tent in the living room. We were worried about Luke, but he actually put himself to bed at 9:45. Madelyn was homesick and didn't sleep well. It was still a good trial run, though. Thank you, Tyler and Monica!!!

 

We treated the kids to a trip to Pizza Factory for lunch, and everyone stuffed themselves with pizza, breadsticks and spaghetti. Yum, I love that place.

We had church the next day, and then had to turn around and drive back down to St. George (through a blizzard...) for the family concert at the Tabernacle that night.

The St. George Tabernacle was built during pioneer times and has been in use since 1875. It is right next to the building (which was the original Dixie Academy, 1911)  that I used to take my ballet lessons in.

My mom and brother Kevin have performed there before--they hold concerts, recitals and firesides 3-4 times per week. It's a busy place!

The program we performed was Christmas themed. My sister-in-law Lori played the harp, my sister-in-law Monica sang a few solos, my mom played her guitar, my brother Kevin played a few numbers on the pipe organ, and me, Lori, Monica, mom, my sisters Meg and Maria and my niece Hattie all sang O, Holy Night. And my dad narrated.

(By the time we took these, they were turning the lights out)

Top: Mom (Carolyn) and Kevin

Bottom, l-r: Monica, Megan, me, Lori and Maria

 

Kevin is currently working on his piano/organ performance degree at Dixie State College. He has plans to go on and get his PhD in it someday at a schmancy music school.

 

I was always a little fascinated/creeped out by that big eye on the wall when I was a kid.

(I got this picture here, because all of mine were too blurry)

 Presumably, it's God's All Seeing Eye, and then below it is a disembodied hand pointing straight up at it, and then two hands shaking, with "1875 Holiness to the Lord Faith & Union". I used to think I saw the eye blinking at me when I was a kid. Also, see the plaster clusters of grapes above it? They go all the way around the entire ceiling, and I remember Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (who's from St. George) saying in a conference talk that he used to sit and count the grape clusters during stake conferences as a kid to stave off boredom. 

Anyway, it's a really cool building. After the concert I hurried and took some more pictures.

 This was the pulpit (sans the microphone) where Lorenzo Snow announced the Law of Tithing to the saints in 1899.

 

My nephew Nathan decided to sit down at the Steinway and play Come Though Font of Every Blessing. I was impressed!

 Hattie and Madelyn up in the balcony

Lori with her harp (she's preggers with a little boy)

 

 Me

 Monica

 

Madelyn was playing on the balcony and spiral staircases during the whole concert. I could see her from where I was sitting. Looks like she had fun... Luke had to sit still and be quiet with Mark and his Grandma and Grandpa Yoder.

He got to explore a little bit afterwards, but the number of "fall and break your neck" opportunities were too many, so Mark took him (kicking and screaming) out to the car to wait for us.

This is how they did folding chairs back in the 1800s.

Such an awesome place. My mom has arranged for two more "Murset" concerts, in this coming August and December.

Oh, look, you can see Luke fighting with Mark to get his coat on down there in the pews. Ah, memories.