Emily's Exploits

Right after I got married, I posted about "The Wedding Advice Nobody Gave Me" and mentioned how important I felt it was to prepare to be married in the temple by praying, reading scriptures every day, and even discussing these things with a fiancee. I still maintain that it's the best wedding advice-- and I will continue to give that advice to anyone wanting some!! But this week has caused some reflection. I have one more piece of advice for young married couples. It is this: if at all possible, find an elderly couple in your neighborhood or who attends your church and become friends with them. When Ryan and I moved to Eagle Mountain (right after we got married) I was a wee bit cross. I did not like living so far from my friends in Provo and Salt Lake. I had a very difficult time and I was lonely. Then one Sunday, I sat in a Women's meeting, and an elderly lady commented, "Whatever happened to being friends with all the neighbors and stopping by to say hello...

I returned last week from the MoTab's European tour-- the first tour outside of the country in 18 years! (except a quick stint in Canada in 2003). What an experience. I felt like the whole experience was a missionary trip to uplift the hearts and minds of those who have been experiencing terrorist attacks throughout the year. Although I enjoyed touring the historic cities, nothing paralleled the feeling of singing for the people and hearing their enjoyment of our music. The music of the choir affected me greatly as a teenager, and I like to think that there were some in the audience who are like me, who came to feel the peace of the music amid these tumultuous times. This tour seemed to go more smoothly than the last one, despite it being a week longer and in seven countries where the native language isn't  English. We were more prepared as a choir with our repertoire, and I was personally more prepared. I was particularly excited to return to Austria!!!  :D All you gotta ...

Close-up at the end of "Love One Another" on my first broadcast. I have been asked by a friend to share how I came to join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir . It's taken me a long time to put this post together. To get the full experience of this blog post, please watch the videos! I hope you'll enjoy listening to the songs. People often ask me, "What made you want to join the choir?" Grandma Bateman gave me  Consider the Lilies  soon after I turned fifteen. Mack Wilberg's grand arrangement of " I Believe in Christ " really caught my attention. I sat on my bed, captivated by the music and filled with the Spirit. The words and music of this hymn burned within my heart. I knew that what the choir sang about was true, and that Jesus was my Savior. I longed to sing with them. I knew then that I needed to join the choir. (Journal entry April 11, 2004, age 15) Happy Easter! It is my dream to become a part of the Mor...

Today was the day my family joined me! So great to have them visiting for my second Carnegie Hall performance and to see some really neat things! We stopped by Grand Central Station to look around before heading to the Neue Galerie on 5th Avenue. We saw art by Gustav Klimt!! Namely his Woman In Gold painting. But I was taken back in time for a bit when we went there because of my time in Vienna! A couple other artists that had work displayed were  Natalia Goncharova and  Vasily Kandinsky. Natalia's painting "Sunflowers" and her landscape "Spring" were my favorites of hers. I love being from a family who enjoys visiting art galleries. I love beautiful artwork and discovering nice After visiting the Galerie we went to Central Park to ride bikes! Ryan, Preston and I rode around the upper half of Central Park as we enjoyed the scenery.   I love my honey!! I've only been married five months but it's weird to me to be without him. I am so gratefu...

This Tuesday was a completely free day for us to explore NYC! I had a blast. And for the record, it looks like most of the tours that the choir participates in have much less free time for sight seeing as I've had. So I feel so grateful that on this trip I can not only enjoy performing but also enjoy the wonderful areas that I find myself in. I am very excited to see Boston  once we get there. My morning was spent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art! Shipley Munson showed us the highlights of the museum as it relates to events from scriptures and prophets modern and ancient. Because he grew up here and because he has a degree from Harvard in folklore, his knowledge of the stories of the bible is vast and fascinating.  I know that friends and family are going to read this entry, but this entry is mostly for me so I don't forget all the amazing things I learned from Shipley on the tour. You might learn some interesting things about Mormonism or Christianity in this post! I...