Jenna: Voice Recital

Jenna is taking voice lessons from our talented friend and ward member, Rebecca Gulbranson. It was so fun listening to all of Rebecca's students sing at their voice recital in her back yard tonight! There was a bit of rain at the beginning, but it was short lived and it ended up being very pleasant out. Jenna sang "In My Dreams," from Anastasia and did a fantastic job! I love listening to her sing! 

Christmas Sacrament Meeting Program

We had a beautiful Christmas program!! I am the music coordinator for our ward and so I am very invested in the Christmas program, and so I am glad it went so well! Our "temporary" ward Christmas Choir sounded awesome!! I tried to record the song that Jenna, Jaiden, and Emily sang, but the app decided to malfunction at that moment. Sad!! It was beautiful though! Rick and I both sang in the choir (Rick took some convincing, but I am glad that he gave in.) Jaiden also sang in the choir!

1 Opening Song: “Away in a Manger,” with the ward choir. (Congregation come in on the third verse).  

2 “Witness of Christmas,” Sung by the Primary. Accompanied by Reagan Tachiini. Led by Sophie Rees.  (This was absolutely darling! Three little girls sang little solos at the end and it was so cute!)

3  “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” sung by Alivia Jackson. Accompanied by Brooke Ence (Beautiful!!)

4 “If I was There,” sung by Paige Allred, Ethan Allred, and Chay Gubler, with Drue Ence on the violin and Josh Allred on the cello. Accompanied by Rebecca Gulbranson. (Drue and Paige wrote this song and it was gorgeous!)

5 Youth reciting “The Living Christ” (The Bishopric asked four young men and four young women to each recite a part. It was nice having the youth involved and I liked the variety of having different speakers).

6 “What Child is This,” sung by Jenna & Jaiden Jensen, and Emily Williams. Accompanied by Rebecca Gulbranson. (GORGEOUS!!! Jenna was really worried since she has been sick for the past week, including losing her voice, but the song sounded beautiful!)

7 “Peace, Peace, Peace,” sung by the Ward Choir. Accompanied by Jennie Rowan, led by Rebecca Gulbranson (Beautiful song!)

8 “Oh Holy Night,” sung by the Ward Choir. Soloists Jenna Jensen and Ethan Allred. Congregation join in when indicated. (One of my favorite songs! Jenna and Ethan did a nice job on the solo parts!)  

 
9 Closing Song: “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” with Shauntel Anderson on the organ, Rebecca Gulbranson on the piano.
(Such a powerful number!! The piano is extremely fast and complicated. Add the organ and congregation and this song is thrilling! I loved singing to this!! )

I pride myself on planning a program that ends on time (I hate when programs go over!) But we had a last minute addition to the program, which pushed us over by five minutes. But it was a beautiful number and a nice addition!

Jenna: Madrigal Salt Lake Trip

Jenna went to Salt Lake for the Madrigal Christmas trip the past couple of days and I also had the opportunity to go as a chaperone. I am really grateful that I had the opportunity to go. I have never been on the Madrigal Salt Lake trip before and I really enjoyed it! This would be my last opportunity to go and so I am glad that Mr. Moore approached me about it. 

The Madrigals met at the high school at 3:00 to head up on a school bus. I rode up with my friend Amy Ence, the other chaperone. It was really fun to visit on the way there and back. We left a half hour after the kids did, but still caught up with up them when they stopped for dinner in Fillmore. The kids continued on to SLC where they went ice skating at the Gallivan Ice Skating Rink. It was really cold. I told Jenna that she should bring a nice coat, beanie, and gloves, but she didn't listen and only brought a hoodie, so she probably froze!  

While they went ice skating Amy and I stopped in South Jordan for dinner. Amy was meeting up with some family members and so I had her drop me off at Texas Roadhouse. I got a grilled chicken salad and it was delicious. Then we headed to the Hampton Inn in downtown Salt Lake arriving shortly before the kids. Jenna said that she and Anna stayed up and listened to a scary podcast and then had to watch a Hallmark move after that to get their mind off the podcast. So they were up until 3:00 a.m. apparently, which was definitely not a good move and left them very tired the next day.

Tuesday we had breakfast at the hotel and then we all rode on the bus to the Hartvigsen School, which is a school for special needs students. I guess Mr. Moore had ordered teddy bears for the Madrigals to pass out to all of the kids, but they didn't arrive in time, so that's too bad. But the show went well and they were able to carol to some of the classrooms after. 

Then we all headed to the State Capitol Building and took a bunch of pictures and then did a concert. The accoustics were awesome and I was able to get some good videos. Then we stopped at an area where there were lots of restaurants. Jenna, Anna came with Amy and I to Cafe Zupes. I got a yummy salad. Then we all went to Trader Joes. Who knew that Trader Joes would be such a highlight of the trip, ha ha. They carry lots of yummy gluten free food and Jenna came away with a whole bag filled with snacks. 

We then went to the Joseph Smith Building. That is such a beautiful building! The set up was kind of weird though because they were singing up on the balcony with the audience below on the first floor looking up. I stayed on the second floor and walked around to the other side where I had a more eye level view. It was a bit of a rough performance. Jenna said that it was so hot and so they all felt like they were going to pass out. 

Rick met us here for that performance since he was also in Salt Lake for some work meetings. He had come up on Sunday and then stayed with him mom in Ogden and had meetings all day. He brought his mom out to dinner for a belated birthday gift and went to visit Tanner Wittwer in Primary Children's Hospital. He became very sick a week ago and they found a brain tumor. He is only 15. It is so heartbreaking! Since Rick was going up we asked the RS presidency if they wanted to send up a care package. They put together a huge basket filled with books and fruit and treats and other items as well along with a minky blanket. When Rick arrived Tanner's parents had just learned that Tanner would require surgery. We are praying so hard for him! 

Rick had to teach a class over zoom tonight and so he planned to stop in the seminary building in Fillmore to do that. So he had to rush out right after the performance.  After the performance we all went and looked at the candy display in the Macy's windows, were which so exquisite and amazing! They have these HUGE Christmas ornaments made entirely from candy. Jenna took a little cat nap on a bench in the mall. 

We then walked over to the Church History Museum for a performance there. Jenna's feet were killing her because of her church shoes. They are typically supposed to wear black performance shoes, but several of the girls had comfortable shoes, boots, or even slippers, which were a lot more warm and comfortable for walking around so much. Their feet didn't show anyway under their dresses, in fact they all had pajama pants or other pants under their dresses too, which I thought was funny. I wish we had known they could get away with alternate shoes because she would have been a lot more comfortable. 

After the performance at the Church History Museum Jenna and Anna decided that they were more tired than hungry and so they skipped dinner and took a thirty minute nap on some couches in the building. Jenna said that she slept great and that the nap really helped. We then went to the tabernacle building for the next performance. That is such a beautiful, iconic building with great acoustics. Being there brought back a lot of memories from when I sang with the Mormon Youth Chorus as a young adult. 

Jenna said that they loved singing there because the building was so cool. After that there was time to walk around temple square, but it was really cold and so everyone headed over to the conference center, where they had their final performance. It was a busy day, but fun to follow them around and hear them sing. 

Then we headed back to the hotel for a meeting with the group, where Mr. Moore emotionally gave a sad announcement that he wouldn't be with them after this semester. All four of my girls had Mr. Moore as their director in Madrigals and we really grew to love and respect him. He retired in 2020 after a wonderful, successful career of directing Madrigals, band, and orchestra. Then when Mr. Leonard had to leave at the end of last year because of his family situation, Mr. Moore felt prompted to come back. But so much has changed in the past five years and it was a really rough transition for everyone. There were lots of differences in opinion, and drama in the group, and kids started dropping out. About ten members of the group ended up leaving, which was really unfair to everyone else. This is why the numbers are so small. It was all very unfortunate. 

As for Jenna, I wish she enjoyed Madrigals as much as her sisters did. She was in Madrigals last year with Mr. Leonard and seemed to enjoy it okay, but wasn't passionate about it. She wasn't going to do it again this year but I convinced her to audition again. I was so excited that Mr. Moore was coming back and wanted her to be able to have him as a director. But then there was conflict in the group and she really struggled with the earlier time. With Mr. Leonard they met Monday through Thursday at 7:00, with Fridays off, but with Mr. Moore it was every other day at 6:40. The previous time worked better for Jenna and she and her friends went to the temple every Friday morning since they didn't have Madrigals that day. 

Jenna is also taking lots of college classes and an AP class this year and kept both her jobs (Tuacahn and lifeguard) and so she doesn't have a lot of down time. Mr. Moore required (or very strongly encouraged) them to take Concert Choir along with Madrigals and so I signed Jenna up for Concert Choir. She was at FSY in the summer during Class Choice and so I am the one who put together her schedule. But she hated Concert Choir. She said that the only reason she survived Madrigals last year was because she had a free period right after on some of the days (not really a free period, but an online class). So she could roll out of bed and go to Madrigals and then come home and take a shower and get ready for the day. 

She said that having Madrigals and Concert Choir back to back was exhausting. So I wished that I had listened to Jenna and let her take an online class after Madrigals, like last year, and not forced her to take Concert Choir. She would have had to get special permission and learn the songs on her own, but it definitely would have been better than listening to her complain about it everyday. 

The school will be getting an new director, and I wish Jenna would continue, but she has already decided that she is not going to, which makes me so sad! I have LOVED watching my children perform through the years! I was already so sad that Jenna didn't want to be involved with the plays anymore and will miss hearing her sing with the Madrigals. 

On the upside though, Rick has decided to put together a caroling group again in conjunction with Liberty Village. Jenna only got to be a caroler one year, several years ago, and she is excited about being able to do it again. So I guess the timing is good in that way. So I WILL be able to still watch her perform, and I am excited about that! Carolers is a lot smaller, more personal, and includes acting, bells, and sign language. I think it will be a better fit for her. But I am grateful that she was able to participate in Madrigals under TWO amazing directors over the past couple of years. I am sure she has learned a lot from her experience and I look forward to seeing her perform in a different way in the future.  

Jenna and Anna Ence 

Southwest Choreography Showcase

Tonight we had the opportunity to watch Jenna dance at an end of year student-run showcase for the level 5 and 6 classes. Since there were still three weeks left after the final dance concert, the instructors decided to have the senior girls choreograph numbers for the level 5 and level 6 classes. They split the girls up into three groups and each group had two senior choreographers. They did a great job and it was fun having the opportunity to watch Jenna dance again!

   

Pops Concert

Tonight Rick, Jaiden, and I went to Jenna's Pops Madrigal Concert! It was a lot of fun! This is Christopher Leonard's last concert. He had been the director for the past 4 1/2 years, but he is needed more at home now. He has a special needs son who is getting older and requiring more than his wife can handle and so he is going to become a stay-at-home dad to take care of him and his other children while his wife works. Mr. Moore (who retired in 2020) is coming back to take his place! You can review that post HERE. So Leonard replaced Moore and now Moore is replacing Leonard! So, tonight's concert, along with honoring all of the graduating seniors, the Madrigals and Choirs also paid tribute to Mr. Leonard. Mr. Leonard also sang a song at the end with the quartet that he is involved in. It was a fitting way to end the show! We are grateful for both Mr. Leonard and Mr. Moore, and all of the wonderful teachers who influence the lives of our children! 

 

LD Singers Reunion

Today I had the amazing opportunity to go to the LD Singer's reunion in Orem. I have so many wonderful memories from being involved with the LD Singers while attending Snow College. I would like to offer a big shout out to my sweet husband for traveling four hours each way to come with me! I was in LD Singers in 1986-1988. The experiences that I had and the friendships I made had a profound impact on my life. It was so fun seeing Brother Willmore, and his wife, Pat again! It was because of my experience working with Brother Willmore in LD Singers and in LDSSA years ago that I made the decision that I wanted to marry a seminary/institute teacher someday! When I was dating Rick I told him this and he said that I was definitely looking at the wrong person, because he would never want to become a seminary teacher. 

Well, I married him anyway, and three years later after working in the field of finance, insurance, and accounting, he realized he might want to look at something different. Well, long story short, he eventually ended up as a seminary teacher. This was completely his decision. I didn't suggest, or even encourage him to take that route because I knew it had to be a decision that he pursued on his own. Yes, I may have planted the seed years ago when we were dating and I am sure I offered many prayers that it would happen, but other than that, the path opened up for him and he took it. It has been a wonderful career and I am so glad that we have been able to be a part of it! 

At the reunion we mingled in the church gym and then everyone went in to the chapel to sing a couple of songs that were traditionally sung every year in LD Singers. One was, "Oh, That I Were an Angel," and the other one was, "Bonding," written especially for LD's by David Naylor, a former LD Singer. He sadly passed away at a young age, but his legacy lives on through his music. At least one of his songs is in the new Hymns for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is amazing how you can sing a song you haven't sung in 37 years and still remember every word and every note. It was so powerful and touching to be able to sing these songs with members of the group through the years. It was so fun and sounded amazing!! 

I was glad that I got to see Lesli and Steve Neighbergall and other friends. There were a couple of people I was excited to see, but they didn't end up coming. I think they regretted not coming after seeing all of the pictures and posts on Facebook about it. I was glad that I came though. Rick didn't really know anyone at the reunion (except for Julie Shuppy, because they served in the same mission) and a few people through me, but he said it was still enjoyable. He was so touched by the songs we sang that he took a recording of it and sent it to the person who is over all of S&I so that he could demonstrate what an impact groups like this had on so many people through the years. 

We were sad when the church did away with LD Singers and all other groups like it. Institute Choir is still around, but it just isn't the same. Institute Choir is more like a once a week class that people show up to and sing, but doesn't have the same impact as something like LD's. LD Singers, and other performing groups like it, involved auditions, concerts, going on tour, fun songs (in addition to spiritual songs) and so many other things. We made lifelong friendships. There were at least five marriages that came out of the group, just from the two years I was in the group. I can't imagine how many there are throughout the many years it was in existence. Rick and I feel that these groups are so important and demonstrate the S&I's mission of belonging. So Rick sent a letter along with the video showing the impact groups like this have made on so many people through the years with a request to revisit the idea of bringing groups like this back. 

There were several others from my years that I didn't get pictures with, but here are a few pictures I did get!  

Cheryl Tolman and Mark Tarr (who we ran into at Golden Corral with two of our missionaries when he was also dropping off his missionaries!) 

Lilly, Tresa Haymond... (in LD Singers with my sister, Jen), Rex Hale, Leslie and Steve Neighbergall, Julie Shuppy, Ruel Haymond, Wendy Jensen

Julie (Julie served in Rick's mission and they had the opportunity to sing together), me, Lesli (Lesli has been dealing with cancer the past several years and her hair is just barely growing back from the chemo treatments. She has had such a great attitude through the whole ordeal. She is amazing!)

Wendy and Brother Willmore

The last time we most of us saw each other was at Shawn Prince's funeral in 2018  

Some pictures from the past!! 

 Preston Black, pictured below, passed away in 2019 from Cancer, leaving behind a wife and 8 children. So sad! He was the President of the LD Singers my first year. 

Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter! We had all those who were in the bell number meet at our house at 8:00 am to run through the song and then headed to church to run through it one with in the chapel. The church program turned out really nice!! 

Opening Song: 199, “He is Risen” 
1 Youth Speaker Bridger Larsen
2 “This is Jesus,” sung by the Primary, Acc. by Jennie Rowan 
3 Musical Number: “It is Well With My Soul,” sung by Paige Allred and Christine France. Accompanied by Rebecca Gulbranson
4 Speaker: Megan Smith 
5 “He Knows/Gethsemane,” sung by the Young Women, Accompanied by Rebecca Gulbranson
6 “Son of God,” singing and handbells by small group (Rick Jensen, Ethan Allred, Andrew Rowen, Calvin Gulbranson, Jaiden Jensen, Jenna Jensen, Clarissa Williams, Bridget Layton) (4-5 minutes)
Closing Song: 200, “He is Risen” 

It was a spirit filled meeting and all of the songs and talks were really nice! I am in charge of the music and so I am always praying that everything goes smoothly! The bell number was beautiful!! We got SO many compliments on it! Even the congregational hymns were loud and powerful! 

We came home and the girls got their Easter baskets. We ate a quick lunch and then I went and interpreted for another ward across town as a last minute sub. I enjoyed their meeting also! Jase and Ellen came over with the kids. We took naps and then had a lovely dinner of ham, cheesy potatoes, salad, vegies, and dessert. 

We didn't have a family Easter lesson today, but we had already had a great lesson with our family mid-week and watched a touching Easter video. We visited with Josh during his mission zoom call while the kids dyed easter eggs and then had a big Easter egg hunt! We had filled a giant bowl with candy-filled eggs and then Jase and Ellen brought another big bag of eggs also! So they boys had a long hunt. They filled their baskets and them dumped them out into the big bowl so that they would have room for more! 

Then they did the egg bash. It was a wonderful day! I am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ! I make constant mistakes and am so glad for the opportunity to repent. I am so grateful that we will see our loved ones again who have passed away! He is Risen!! 

Janika sent a picture of their cute Easter baskets...

Janelle sent a picture of their passover dinner! (It's a little blurry!!)