Check out this cool blog!

Alright, so he's my nephew-in-law(almost said son-in-law 'cause his wife is so dear to me, but let's get the relationship right here!), and I think he's brilliant, but let's be honest...James IS brilliant. Here's a link to his blog, which is NOT about himself, but is a collection of news/commentaries regarding movies and such in the industry. What you will also find, however, is a glimpse into who James is, which is important because I think he's going to be heard of in many areas in his lifetime.
So check it out!

http://oneguysmovieblog.blogspot.com/

Enjoy! And let me know what you think!

TEXAS RANCH HOUSE

I love this series on PBS. Not just Texas Ranch House, but all of the "house" projects. Here's some info from Texas, however. Check it out!
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ranchhouse/

an excerpt:

Robin Gilliam Crawford is the curator of the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas
Read diary excerpts of frontier wife Susan Newcomb
Up to the time of America's Civil War (1861-1865), ranching done by Anglo Texans was more commonly called stock raising. The ranch, a term borrowed from the Spanish "rancho," was then known as a stock farm. In the postwar years, both family businesses and international cattle companies expanded across the West, involving greater numbers of people, including the women. In most cases, the family ranch was worked by the men: father, brothers, uncles, and cousins. Young men from around the area were hired to help out -- if the family could afford to pay wages. Otherwise, the men from neighboring ranches gathered cattle as a group, herding several families' animals to a central location for branding and sorting. But what were the wives and daughters doing? Lots of food preparation, including tending the gardens, picking fruit or vegetables, canning or drying various foods, gathering eggs and plucking the occasional chicken, cooking hearty meals, and baking lots of bread. Then they had to bring in more water from the well; wash all the plates, cups, mixing bowls, baking pans, and utensils; and begin preparing the next meal. If the wife had a better head for numbers than her husband, she might keep the records of stock increases, cattle or horse sales, supplies bought, and so on. She usually made up the orders for bulk goods such as flour, sugar, beans, and coffee to be bought when a couple of cowboys could be spared for a week or so to take a wagon into town. It was a potentially dangerous undertaking, since Indian attacks were still a real possibility into the 1870s. Sometimes this job would fall to the ladies when the ranch hands could not make the trip. Life on a remote ranch was a matter of self-sufficiency, so the ladies usually made their own and the children's clothes and some of the men's things. Thankfully, sewing machines became more common after the Civil War. Only a few women continued to spin and weave cotton or wool as they had during the war. They did the family laundry (though hired cowboys usually had to wash and mend their own things), and all of the required ironing. While few outsiders would ever see them, the ladies tried to maintain a semblance of propriety in the way they dressed, and to keep the house clean and attractive. Women who actually assisted with the cow works were a minority, and one or two frontier Amazons might even ride astride like a man, wearing trousers! This was the extreme, and such women would be "talked about" as socially suspect. More often, ranch wives and daughters rode sidesaddle, and if they had to ride a man's saddle they did it in very full skirts. Divided riding skirts did not appear until the end of the 19th century. Page 1 Page 2

hmmm...

So, can you believe it? The one I called COURAGE quit. Crazy stuff. Just shows that you can't ever tell.
I still like critters best.
This is a fabulous show, I wish I could post it and share it with everyone. I enjoy this theatre stuff so much, it's great. We will be moving to Kirkland Performance Center in a few weeks, and that is even better. Backstage is awful, but the rest of the theatre reminds me so much of the old place where I played as a kid while my mom did costuming and stuff.

Anyway, onward.

Inlaws leave soon, next week. My sis is going through big, sad changes right now, Shauna is happy and doing well...it was funny, last weekend Em and I went down to Shauna's place and took her to IKEA to shop and then put together new furniture. I went from being the daughter with the mom visiting, to the mom visiting the daughter. I wonder if it was wierd for Shauna to have her mom sleeping on the couch? Too funny. Life just rolls along and we all get to take our turns at being in different places. Then I took Em school shopping and spent a bit more than I had planned on, but it's done and that's good!

Friends are hurting now also...why does change so often cause pain? Change can be so good for us, some not so great, but why does it have to hurt? Sometimes I get tired of being stretched and molded and just want to be left alone for a bit.

On the other side, Summer is fabulous. I am enjoying the sun and the time off and the opportunity to get caught up on stuff and finish other things up. The plants I put into the new house here are taking root and moving along, the garden in pots is growing and if all goes well we should have tomatoes, peppers, spinach, cukes, squash, cabbage, peas, green beans, and herbs. YUMMY!

Found a great quote at Red Robin over the weekend...

"Gather up as many good experiences as possible, they will help make you an interesting old person."

Hey there
It's been so long since I updated my page. I feel like I really let something slip 'cause this is a good barometer for me to check in and see how I'm doing and really feeling about stuff. Yeah, it really is just all about me, so that's your cue to cut and run if you want! :D

Pres. Hinckley's passing tossed me for a loop. Things were so tough for me with this doggone move and trying to stay in the groove with Em's school stuff, planning Shauna and Shawn's wedding, struggling to get the costuming for Beauty and Beast off the floor and into the air, and then finding out that my inlaws were coming back...oh golly. It's no wonder that the shingles were quickly followed by a fairly lengthy fight with whooping cough. Omigosh. What a hideous illness. It's not just coughing, it just feels like you're dying. Can't breathe, can't talk, can't sing, can't eat, can't sleep...but that's out of the way now, BATB opened this weekend and everyone is basically clothed, inlaws are only here for another month, it's summer break and this place is starting to feel like home. Oh yeah, and my gorgeous daughter and her fabulous husband are happy and healthy and I find so much joy in them, both as individuals and as a couple.

Masoud and I are at times alright and at times in seperate dimensions. He drifts in and out and here and there, so it's hard to stay together. Oh well.

Emma is great, enjoying her summer and loving the whole performing thing. She is already planning on her audition for next year's show, which is The Music Man. Fun little intense bug that she is. What a crack up.

Meeting some really great people through the show this year, and love reconnecting with the others. Most of them I was able to stay pretty connected to throughout the few months we were away, which is always good for me. When I invest time and energy into people I have a sad time of letting them go. The winter was tough enough, so I was spared this year, for the most part. The leads this year are amazing and super talented, but also super personable and enjoyable just as they are, or as they are to me. We have the genius boy-wonder playing The Beast(Brian Earp), gracious, intelligent and genuine. The beautiful and melodius Belle, Elise Campello( a real firecracker, don't let her dimunitive size fool you!), Logan Benedict as the ego-maniacal Gaston, focused, talented and funny as all get out, Carol Swarbrick, who is our Mrs Potts...in my self I call her "courage". I will miss her intensely when this show is put to bed. Charlene Niemeyer as Babette...can't typecast this beautiful lady at all. She plays the hot tot duster, but in her life she is a pastor's wife and a mother and so kind and gracious. Bob Nydegger as our Maurice, a little more rambunctious this year, but still Bob. Kevin Cobley as Cogsworth...I just love him. He's super fantabulous, and yes, that IS a word. Cheryl Phillips is Wardrobe and while I was worried at first, she is a sweet thing. I have to admit to being scared of people for the most part, especially when I first meet them. Always a puppy, I want to wag and be happy, but that sometimes backfires. Then there is Mo Brady. We've always got a little torch and this year that's Mo. He plays Lumiere. He's funny and sometimes a little sad it seems, but jolly good fun. Lots of young people in this show, bright and lovely people. I am constantly in awe of the talent that they have and their willingness to share it with others. There is little jealousy or envy that is exhibited...I think that the youngest ones have the hardest time, especially this year as there isn't a lot of stretch room for them in this show. Ah well.

This coming school year, jumping subjects now, I am going to be spending time on the PAC for Homelink. That's the Parent Advisory Committee. I really didn't want to do any committee stuff for awhile, it's so much less interesting as actually DOING something, but we love Homelink and all that it has given to our family, and it seems like the appropriate and right thing to do, for me to serve and give back in this way. Em will be in middle school, if I can ever believe that. WOW.

So it's good to be back on, and I'll be posting more often again. I have some great things about the history of this new area where we live and stuff about things I've pursued in the past few months(such as The WASPs in WWII, creative writing again, putting together lesson plans for a middle school aimed class dealing with life at the turn of the 1900's...just 'cause it seemed like fun to do...)

love to all
teri

The Passing of a Great Man

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, this morning finds me with a huge sense of loss. Our much beloved Prophet, President Gordon B Hinckley, passed away last night at the age of 97. While his death cannot be said to come as a surprise to most of us, with his age and his health issues of the past couple of years(which he NEVER let slow him down, not one whit), the feeling of loss is quite acute. He was a great man, not just to members of the LDS church, but to the world. He extended his great compassion, wisdom and strength to all the people of this earth for much of his life, and has been an example of the correct and true way for us to all treat each other according to The Savior's commandments. Here follows an official obituary:

SALT LAKE CITY 27 January 2008 President Gordon B. Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through twelve years of global expansion, has died at the age of 97.

President Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Church and had served as its president since 12 March 1995.

The Church president died at his apartment in downtown Salt Lake City at 7:00 p.m. Sunday night from causes incident to age. Members of his family were at his bedside. A successor is not expected to be formally chosen by the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles until after President Hinckley’s funeral within the next few days.

President Hinckley was known, even at the age of 97, as a tireless leader who always put in a full day at the office and traveled extensively around the world to mix with Church members, now numbering 13 million in 171 nations.

His quick wit and humor, combined with an eloquent style at the pulpit, made him one of the most loved of modern Church leaders. A profoundly spiritual man, he had a great fondness for history and often peppered his sermons with stories from the Church’s pioneer past.

He was a popular interview subject with journalists, appearing on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace and on CNN’s Larry King Live, as well as being quoted and featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines over the years. During the Salt Lake Olympics of 2002, his request that the Church refrain from proselytizing visitors was credited by media with generating much of the goodwill that flowed to the Church from the international event.

In recent years, a number of major developments in the Church reflected President Hinckley’s personal drive and direction. In calling for 100 temples to be in operation before the end of the year 2000, the Church president committed the Church to a massive temple-building program.

In 1999 — 169 years after the Church was organized by its founder, Joseph Smith — the Church had 56 operating temples. Three years later that number had doubled, largely because of a smaller, highly practical temple architectural plan that delivered these sacred buildings to Church members in far-flung parts of the world. Many more Church members can now experience the sacred ceremonies that occur only in temples, including marriages for eternity and the sealing of families in eternal units.

President Hinckley was the most traveled president in the Church’s history. His duties took him around the world many times to meet with Latter-day Saints in more than 60 countries. He was the first Church president to travel to Spain, where in 1996 he broke ground for a temple in Madrid; and to the African nations of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, where he met with thousands of Latter-day Saints in 1998. In 2005, he traveled nearly 25,000 miles on a seven-nation, nine-day tour to Russia, South Korea, China, Taiwan, India, Kenya, and Nigeria.

At a general conference of Church members in April 2001, President Hinckley initiated the Perpetual Education Fund — an ambitious program to help young members of the Church (mainly returning missionaries from developing countries) receive higher education and work-related training that they would otherwise likely never receive.

Closer to his Salt Lake City home, President Hinckley announced the construction of a new Conference Center in 1996 and dedicated it four years later. Seating 21,000 people, it is believed to be the largest religious and theater auditorium in the world and has become the hub for the Church’s general conference messages to the world, broadcast in 91 languages.

Even before his term as president, President Hinckley’s extensive Church service included 14 years as a counselor in the First Presidency, the highest presiding body in the government of the Church, and 20 years before that as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

President Hinckley was born 23 June 1910 in Salt Lake City, a son of Bryant Stringham and Ada Bitner Hinckley. One of his forebears, Stephen Hopkins, came to America on the Mayflower. Another, Thomas Hinckley, served as governor of the Plymouth Colony from 1680 to 1692.

President Hinckley’s first job was as a newspaper carrier for the Deseret News, a Salt Lake City daily. After attending public schools in Salt Lake City, he earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Utah and then served two years as a full-time missionary for the Church in Great Britain. He served with distinction and ultimately was appointed as an assistant to the Church apostle who presided over all the European missions.

Upon successfully completing his missionary service in the mid-1930s, he was asked by Heber J. Grant, then president of the Church, to organize what has become the Church's Public Affairs Department.

President Hinckley began serving as a member of the Sunday School general board in 1937, two years after returning home from missionary service in Great Britain. For 20 years he directed all Church public communications. In 1951 he was named executive secretary of the General Missionary Committee, managing the entire missionary program of the Church, and served in this capacity for seven years.

On 6 April 1958, while serving as president of the East Millcreek Stake in Salt Lake City (a stake is similar to a diocese), President Hinckley was appointed as a general authority, or senior full-time leader of the Church. In this capacity he served as an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles before being appointed to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on 5 October 1961.

President Hinckley received a number of educational honors, including the Distinguished Citizen Award from Southern Utah University; the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Utah; and honorary doctorates from Westminster College, Utah State University, University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, Utah Valley State College and Salt Lake Community College. The Gordon B. Hinckley Endowment for British Studies, a program focused on the arts, literature and history of the United Kingdom, was established at the University of Utah.

President Hinckley was awarded the Silver Buffalo Award by the Boy Scouts of America; was honored by the National Conference for Community and Justice (formerly the National Conference of Christians and Jews) for his contributions to tolerance and understanding in the world; and received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 2004, President Hinckley was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in the White House.

In March 2000 President Hinckley addressed the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. He also addressed the Religion Newswriters Association and the U.S. Conference of Mayors and twice addressed the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.

President Hinckley wrote and edited several books and numerous manuals, pamphlets and scripts, including a best-selling book, Standing for Something, aimed at a general audience. In it he championed the virtues of love, honesty, morality, civility, learning, forgiveness, mercy, thrift and industry, gratitude, optimism and faith. He also testified of what he called the “guardians of virtue,” namely traditional marriage and family.

President Hinckley married Marjorie Pay in the Salt Lake Temple in 1937. They have five children and 25 grandchildren. Sister Hinckley passed away 6 April 2004.

for more information, please see the official Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints website: lds.org

Clan McCallum...

Part of a multi-post on the history of the Clan McCallum. Too bad I don't have any familial pride, eh? Just for family info, I have traced the line back into the 1700's, in Scotland(no definite locale yet), with John McCallum married to Janet Black. So, here's part 1:

Part 1

The principal family apparently lived in Cologin about three miles south of the town of Oban. An old tradition relates that the Chief had 12 strapping sons and staunchly resisted the efforts of a local laird's wife to entice one away. She therefore put an evil spell on them and there were only three left alive. The father, fearing for their safety, ordered each to fill two saddle bags of goods and he would twist ropes of heather together and they would then set out southwards from home, having loaded their belongings on a horse. They were not to stop until the rope binding the bags separated.

The rope binding the first son's bags together split at Kilmartin near Lochgilphead so he made his home there and to this day there are McCallum families in this area, most likely descendants of this son. Indeed the present Chief of the Clan, Mr. Robin N. L. Malcolm of Poltalloch has his residence at Duntrune Castle near Kilmartin at the edge of a rocky promontory on the shore, near to and overlooking Loch Crinan and having a wonderful view of the lands of Mid Argyll. The old Clan lands have the old Rock of Dunadd where the Scottish Kings were crowned prior to the Stone of Destiny being removed to Scone and later to Westminster Abbey.

The other two (sons) continued their journey southwards until the second son's rope binding broke at the village of Clachan some 12 miles south of Tarbert in Kintyre. He set up home there and to this day there are descendants of the McCallum families, as well as very old gravestones in the local churchyard.

He bade farewell to his brother, who travelled down Kintyre, passing the town of Campbeltown, and eventually saw the sea coming into view. As the sea grew nearer and the rope showed no sign of breaking, he began to fear for his life, but when he was within a hundred yards of it, the rope suddenly snapped, so he set up home at Southend, where the McCallum family have been long established as valued members of the community as millers, blacksmiths and farmers. The late Ronald McCallum was one of the foremost
pipers in the County of Argyll and was for may years personal piper to the Duke of Argyll. Dugald McCallum, Southend, was an excellent blacksmith, skilled in every branch of his trade. The School of Highland Dancing presently run by James McCorkindale and Mary McCallum, has won countless awards at Highland Games and given many thrilling performances to large audiences in many parts of the country.

There are several different spellings of the surname in the few old records which exist of the area. The name may be spelt McAlchallum or McOlchallum or McAlchallam. The prefix "al", meaning "son of" in the Gaelic language, has now been dropped. The earliest names to be found are in the List of the Rebels of 1685.

These were supporters of the Earl of Argyll in the rebellion of that year for which the Earl was subsequently executed in Edinburgh.

Gilbert McOlchallum, residing in Achadunan near the village of Clachan was listed as a rebel on the lands of the Captain of Skipness together with Neil McCallum residing at Achinbreck in the parish of Killean. After the Earl's death, most of the rebels were pardoned, having taken the oath of allegiance, and in 1692 the following were found in various places in North Kintyre, listed as Fencible men:

On the lands of Blythswood and Skipness, Duncan McIlchalame. In Killean parish at Stockadale, John McAlchallum. At Achinbreck, John McAlchallum, and at Ernikell (Arnicle), Duncan McCallum.

The search was continued by checking the Hearth Tax list of 1694 when the Government of the time levied a tax on every house having a hearth (fireplace). At that time all houses were thatched, had few windows, and an opening in the roof to allow the smoke to escape from the fire which was mainly in the centre of the dwelling. This list was found to have several places where there were McCallum families and the following are in North Kintyre, which was then considered to be in the Paris of Kilcalmonell and Lordship of Knapdale.

Happy New Year!!!

Whew. Made it to the new year. I used to hate to celebrate New Year. Really. It was just awful to me, depressing, sense of loss and fear of the future. That all changed after 2005. That was a horrible year...what was it Queen Elizabeth said about the year Charles and Diana divorced? "Horribus Annus"? Can't recall exactly and don't want to research it, but you get the drift. Well, 2005 was horrible in many, most, respects. A few wonderful things did happen, such as my youngest daughter and husband being baptized at the same time, seeing my sister after a few years away...the rest was hideous. I had a serious emotional breakdown as a result, so I looked upon New Year's Eve as the doorway to a new beginning, for the first time. I came down with a terrible cold that afternoon, raw throat, the works, but still had to see the old year out and holler to the neighborhood that 2006 was coming home! :D So, from that point on, I love New Year's. I look forward to it. It is one of my most favorite holidays.
This year the 1st day of the new year was spent in our new home. We still aren't totally moved in, but for the most part we're done. I have some issues, but not with the house at all. We're still friends. I kind of feel like I've lived here a long time. So it's still all good.
New Year's Eve brought some very happy news to us in the form of our eldest daughter becoming engaged to a super dooper guy. I'm so happy for them, so excited for their future and their having found each other. There isn't a perfect fit ever, but they fit pretty darn well.
Today is almost the middle of January already, but I have felt spring in the air the past couple of days. Not warm, but that subtle almost imperceptible change that happens. Maybe it's the animal link in me that picks it up, or the gardener, but it's there. Now, I have no doubt that we'll see some wintery weather still, but it'll be different. I'm excited!
My husband has been painting his garage. Yep, HIS garage. I said it. He has this whole color, pattern thing going on. It looks fantastic, and it's been fun to watch him out there fussing and struggling over it. Now that he has his OWN room, to put his computer in and his games and all, does he spend any time in it at all? Nope. Doesn't it just figure? Like the commuter behind you on the freeway, just pushing pushing pushing...the second you move over and give them the free lane, they back off and won't drive ahead. That's Masoud and his room. Good thing I take a little blue pill to help me not care about that stuff!
I started this year, physically, in an interesting way. Had a terrible pain in my back and shoulder on Christmas day, lasted for a few days. I'm thinking, is my stomache exploding? Am I having a heart attack? Is it cancer? I mean, it was one of the worst pains ever. I felt, truly, like someone was jumping up and down on a bunch of nerves. Then it left. And a day or so later, a rash showed up. Harmless looking at first, then WHAMMO! And then on my back, side, chest...crazy insane itching!!! Yep. Shingles. Oh golly. Don't ever go there. Keep your life balanced so that it doesn't happen. I can't believe how awful this has been! Whine whine whine!!! And then, as if I wasn't already hurting enough, my daughter's cat BITES ME! This kitty doesn't like me in the first place, which I have to be honest and say is unusual. Kitties like me, generally. Anyway, she wanted me to pet her, so she said, but when I did she growled and whirled and bit me. Not a graze, like I'm used to, but a deep tooth sinking bite. I had to pull her tooth out of my hand. Man. Now, cat bites are almost always septic, immediately. I scrubbed the thing and held the skin apart and made it bleed and bleed and bleed, and kept that up for an hour or so. Then came days of scrubbing, pulling, soaking. Fortunately I avoided infection. Crazy stuff. I don't recommend that either.
So that's what's going on this year so far. Got a cold virus brewing so I'm downing the cold-eze and fluids to shorten it's life. Can't wait for springtime to happen!!!!!! :D It's coming, days gettin' longer and it's all good.

oh boy

Oye.
This is the move that will not end. It just keeps going on and on and on...

"Christmas is more than trees and twinkling lights, more than toys and gifts
and baubles of a hundred varieties. It is love. It is the love of the Son of
God for all mankind. It reaches out beyond our power to comprehend. It is
magnificent and beautiful. It is peace. It is the peace which comforts,
which sustains, which blesses all who accept it. It is faith. It is faith in
God and His Eternal Son. It is faith in His wondrous ways and message. It is
faith in Him as our Redeemer and our Lord. We testify of His living reality.
We testify of the divinity of His nature. In our times of grateful
meditation, we acknowledge His priceless gift to us and pledge our love and
faith. This is what Christmas is really about." Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign,
Dec 1997,

"This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten
friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write
a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest
your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a
grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand.
Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone
else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your
gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child.
Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.
Speak your love and then speak it again. Christmas is a
celebration, and there is no celebration that compares
with the realization of its true meaning-with the
sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself
unselfishly in the things that matter most."

Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, Dec 2002

oh golly

Wow.
So this is just a rant, or maybe a rave. Who knows?
New construction...just what exactly do they mean by "move-in ready"? It obviously doesn't mean that things are cleaned. Nor does it mean that stuff is done. It doesn't mean that paint has been touched up, that tile has been sealed or even that the carpet has been vaccumed! It also doesn't mean that floors have been swept or that sinks have been cleaned, that windows can be seen out of or anything else. A new mystery in life, that's what this is. So I guess that's a rant. 'CAUSE I AM SICK OF CLEANING MY BRAND NEW 'READY TO MOVE INTO' HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't know about the tile, but my skin is totally sealed. And the transfer of tiny random carpet fibers from the floor to my skin is complete. So, my skin is now move-in ready. Too bad there isn't room for the furniture.
On the flip side of this coin, I can tell that I will love this new house. It has a friendly feeling to it. It's a nice, relaxed, well-mannered house, that will grow easily into a family home. I put out the first bird feeder last night, and it fits. There are some houses that don't lend themselves easily to actually being lived in by someone like me as I expect alot out of a place...it has to look nice, behave itself and not make too much work, it has to be a friend to all who enter, to the birds and flowers and little barking dogs. This house will do that. It has that feel to it. It and I will be friends. That is good to know. We waited and prayed for guidance and God has blessed us with the right place. Whew. And thank heaven, literally!

My favorite Christmas Hymn is O Holy Night. I feel that it IS Christmas. Below is the brief history behind the song, followed by the lyrics. O Holy Night The words and lyrics of the old carol 'O Holy Night' were written by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure in 1847. Cappeau was a wine seller by trade but was asked by the parish priest to write a poem for Christmas. He obliged and wrote the beautiful words of the hymn. He then realised that it should have music to accompany the words and he approached his friend Adolphe Charles Adams (1803-1856). He agreed and the music for the poem was therefore composed by Adolphe Charles Adams. Adolphe had attended the Paris conservatoire and forged a brilliant career as a composer. It was translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight (1812-1893). O Holy Night Christmas Carol Lyrics O holy night! The stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine, the night when Christ was born; O night, O holy night, O night divine! O night, O holy night, O night divine! Led by the light of faith serenely beaming, With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand. O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming, Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land. The King of kings lay thus lowly manger; In all our trials born to be our friends. He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger, Behold your King! Before him lowly bend! Behold your King! Before him lowly bend! Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, With all our hearts we praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we, His power and glory ever more proclaim! His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Coming Soon...

Coming to McIntyre Hall, Mt. Vernon WA, summer of 2008

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Presented by The Amazing Lyric Light Opera of the Northwest

http://www.LyricLightOpera.org

Synopsis:

After a handsome but conceited prince treats a
beggar woman poorly, the woman turns out to
be a beautiful enchantress and turns the prince
into a beast. Further, the prince's staff is all
transformed into objects to do with their profession.
The prince is given a magical mirror to view the
outside world. To break the spell, he needs to
learn to love a person for who they are, and get
her to love him before a magical rose loses its petals.
Meanwhile in a nearby village, a beautiful young
bookworm (Belle) feels lonely and out of place.
She lives with her eccentric but kind father,
Maurice. Soon, Maurice goes off to compete at
an inventors' fair but gets lost in the woods and
ends up a prisoner at the beast's castle. Belle
eventually finds the castle and makes a
deal with the beast to let her father go
in return for her staying there with the
beast. As the beast's inner kindness slowly
reveals itself, Belle grows to be in love with
him. However, a jilted, self-centered and
overly-masculine suitor from Belle's village,
Gaston, takes a posse to 'save' her from the
beast. Gaston ends up stabbing the best.
Luckily, when Belle rushes to the beast and
expresses her love for him, he comes back
to life again as a handsome prince.

A Song for Today, Tomorrow and onward...

Incubus - Drive Lyrics

Sometimes I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear
And I cant help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer
It's driven me before, it seems to have a vague
Haunting mass appeal
Lately I'm beginning to find that I should be the one behind the wheel
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, I'll be there
So if I decide to waiver my chance to be one of the hive
Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive, oh oh
It's driven me before, it seems to be the way
That everyone else get around
Lately, I'm beginning to find that when I drive myself, my light is found
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, I'll be there
Would you choose water over wine
Hold the wheel and drive
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, I'll be there