Saturday Night Drama =)

I went to the BEST concert in the whole entire world tonight and had the most amazing time!! Let me first give you a background of my week before I tell the most inspiring concert story EVER! Last weekend I was very sick and thought I was going to die from the flu, but I soon discovered that I wasn't dying from the flu, I was actually dying from a cold that encompassed and overwhelmed my whole entire body. I couldn't hear, I couldn't smell, I couldn't taste any food, my nose ran 24/7, I couldn't sleep because I couldn't breathe, and my throat was swollen 3 times its normal capacity! So in a nutshell- I was miserable. I missed 2 days of school and work and when I was actually at work, I hated my life because I was too congested to care about anything else. Anyways, Sister Crawford randomly called me on Thursday while I was home being deathly ill and wallowing in self pity, and she offered me 2 tickets to the Conference Center on Saturday night. I don't remember what event she said it was or even what I said back to her because I was too heavily medicated, but I ended up getting 2 tickets to some random concert. I forgot about it Thursday night and on Friday, but she left a message on Saturday and that's when I remembered that I said I would go. I thought of a million reasons to get out of it, whatever "it" was because I still didn't know what I said I would go to, but I didn't want to be rude after she had called me when she could have called anyone else. So I went and had a night that I never want to forget.

O. C. Tanner Gift of Music Concert,

An American Songbook
The repertoire includes favorite selections from American choral literature

I went with Becky and after we finally found a random parking spot, we walked in the building and I could NOT stop smiling. When we first walked in, some senior missionaries were standing there among all the volunteers with suits and name tags on that were standing around to help people. Besides the Spirit always being so incredibly strong at the Conference Center, to see missionaries with those sacred name tags on reminds me of how perfect this Church is and how much I loved being a missionary. We walked in and it was completely packed with millions of people everywhere, but we showed our tickets and were guided to the very front. Keep in mind that Sister Crawford is the Secretary to the First Presidency and hooks me up with the closest seats you could ever imagine. We were taken to the 4th row, where our reserved seats were, and I kept smiling like I had never been there before!! I was so excited for this random concert I was at, though I still had no idea what it was about! =) So we're sitting there waiting for it to began and as we start to look around, we realize that Sheri Dew is a row in front of us, who's sitting next to Elder Russell M Nelson, and Elder Eyring is only 2 rows in front of us! WOW- this concert already rocks! We were trying to find other spiritual figures around us, when it gets so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone around me stands up and is completely and reverently silent as President Monson walks in. PRESIDENT MONSON!!! Oh my!!! Seriously- what concert am I at???!!!!!?? He walks in with his wife and sits down as the orchestra continues tuning and warming up. And you wanna know where he sits down?? YEP- right across the aisle from us!! =) The audience is hushed once again as the entire Mormon Tabernacle Choir walks up on stage, in beautiful baby-blue colored and shining beaded satin gowns, with the men in tuxedos.

The concert then begans as the Utah Symphony, with the Mormon Tabernacle, performs An American Songbook concert. They played songs from South Pacific and Man of La Mancha and other great American classics. Lisa and Jill would have been so mad at me because I didn't recognize even one song, yet they would have known all the songs and the movies they were in because I swear they know every song that was ever invented- I did recognize Climb Every Mountain though, but that's because it's on one of my MoTab CD's!! There were 2 guest singers, Brian Stokes Mitchell (my new fave singer) and Denyce Graves. It was incredible!! No, it was more than that- it was sensational and enchanting and magnificent. The orchestra was moving, Brian's voice was miraculous, the MoTab was inspiring, and Pres. Eyring was so funny as he danced in his seat to some of the songs they were playing!! He was so cute to watch with his family and at one point, he loved the song they were playing so much that he stood up as he clapped as hard as he could. Maybe because he's a member of the First Presidency or because the audience didn't want him to look weird as he stood up by himself, but we all stood up and helped Pres. Eyring give a standing ovation!! It was so much fun!!

What a spiritually fun night with very spiritual people. I love music, I love the Church, I love Sister Crawford's hookups, and I love going with Becky because she appreciates these Church events as much as I do. It was incredible and I am the luckiest girl for sitting elbow to elbow with the greatest men on earth. Oh ya- and I'm grateful for the makers of Tylenol Cold Daytime because my ears weren't clogged too bad and I was able to hear the music!