Pre-Christmas (picture packed)

Gettin in the mood for the season...all that jazz...

Saturday before Christmas: I was in the Christian Dance Company at my alma mater.

(celebratory production of the life and message of the Savior by music and dance)...

One of my favorite parts of the season.

A plus: doing it with cute friends and fellow alumni

(Darlene, Michelle, Tori-love them!)

Best friends that I don't see often enough

Graced the audience with their saintly voices

(Jen and Cal)

Love this girl! (Kelsey-BFFB aka best friend from birth)

cute neighbors that danced my favorite dance of the show

"Consider the Lilies of the Field"

I tear up every single time I see this dance

Helps to have people I love dance it too...

(Calli Overstreet and Candice Huffaker)

Aren't they beautiful?

I flew out the next morning to California.

(Thanks mom and dad-I really appreciate that!)

My 2nd oldest brother, Rob, wrote and produced a Musical Nativity...

Soloists and a choir depict the feelings and thoughts each person involved in the nativity must have had. The angel that comes to announce to Mary that she will bear the Son of God, because with God nothing is impossible. She sings a sweet song of how the Savior could have come to kings, she may have seen him speak, but that he came to her...I cry every time at those sweet words. Mary and Elizabeth sing "Hope of a Child" (Elizabeth played by my Aunt Marrianne-she does amazing!), Joseph sings "Build Him a Home"-a sweet song about he has to build a home for a child not his own. A 5 part harmony of the shepherds takes your breath away, and then my brother (shown below seated on the piano) sings the final song "It had to be this way." I wept.

He sings with a gospel style choir behind him

At the end the words say "Because he walked the earth, new the earth, suffered on this earth, He knows my soul and my heart!"

I love the music and am so proud of him!

The fam that was there

Adopted Earl family also in representation below...

this is the amazing chapel that the "oratorio" was at. Pres. Hinkley once said that this was the most expensive chapel in the church!...pretty cool!

(I know that pictures in the chapel aren't usually allowed...so I'm a sinner...)

up above the choir is a stain glass of the Savior

(the back light was off when I took this though-sorry)

the "throne" that the bishopric and speakers sit on...haha

the rest of the chapel has tons of little passageways all around to different classrooms

the baptismal font is actually just under these chairs...really cool

(the first picture was taken By my brother Jacob-filming the event from a loft for people to sit at in the back of the chapel.)

My brother Mac recorded the whole concert and is now mixing and editing...

We have a working copy that I will try to put on here soon just as a taster...

More good times...

Some of my friends and I wanted to play a little after our wards FHE...

We had ourselves some yummy burritos at Los Taquitos and then headed to Main Street...

(Rachel, Wis, and my boyfriend)

Kyle...haha

CJ...He's new to the ward...this is the first time we've hung out...

what the hardcore? haha

a Chad Leroy sandwich! I love this boy!

(PS...definitely on a pig)

CJ said that he had to stick with his kind: Pig and Pig...made me laugh

whateva CJ!

Statues can be creepy sometimes...like when they leave the eyes hollow

Poor guy-that must've been uncomfortable for him-sorry...

In the window of a knitting store!...love it haha

"You're trying on my shoes?..." (name the movie)

naughty

Then the fun continues!!!

This crew decided no presents this year but that we would have a photoshoot!

This was such a party!

It was raining hard all day (thanks random AZ weather) and so we hurried some pictures in when the sky cleared up a bit...

Me, Abby, Cal, Katie

(I love these girls)

Our skilled photographer.

Thanks so much Megs-you are such a nice sister...

and doesn't she look so sassy?

before we left-Steve Cox graced us with his presence!

haha-so fun...we made sure to take a few with him too...

after we took all we could handle in our "bright and cheery" we hopped back in the car to change into our black duds and head to a new location

...did you know it is illegal to take pictures on a railroad track?...oops

Final destination: My house for some chill pictures of us showing both our Christmas and school Spirit

It makes me sad that we all go to different schools so we can't see each other that often...

except for the holidays and occasions like this.

We are so sappy...we even created the "sisterhood of the traveling ring"

No huge magical happenings...but the ring does help us stay in touch!

Me: ASU Abby: BYU Katie: NAU Calli: Mesa High

Yep...this is how we roll :)

for a look at more of our shoot check out some of the photos by Meg here