Swing Dancing!!

Well, apparently the clogging routine didn't scare my choir director away too much!! A few weeks ago, we started putting together our new set of pieces for a next choir concert for the BYU Women's Chorus. One of the sets we decided to perform was a bunch of swing and jazz music (so fun!!!). One of the songs we performed for that set was "In the Mood". I don't know how many of you know that piece, but if you looked it up on itunes, you would recognize it immediately. It's usually done as a band piece, but we sang the choir version.

Sister Applonie had me help with the "choirography" and then asked if I would help put a swing dance routine together. After several rehearsals and a race to find dancers, the dance was put together and it went beautifully!! Caitie, Nathaniel and I all danced in it and when the dancers ran back on stage after the concert, we received a standing ovation. Talk about energy!!!! It was soo much fun!! Here are just a few of the pictures from the concert.

Harold and I

Sitting in the library studying our brains out for the next round of tests, I suddenly realized that the library was closing and it was time to leave. I looked at my notes and couldn't help but laugh. For the last two or three minutes I had been diligently analyzing the score to Star Wars and the strange feeling that the music was all around me wasn't just me lost in my own head, but the closing mix they play to remind students that it is time to leave the friendly confines of the HBLL and go. Closing time, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here! I looked up at Heather and sheepishly grinned, "I like the Carmina Burana mix better!" Heather stared up from her homework with that glazed look that only comes from studying long hours or eating doughnuts and said, "Emilie...that's sad. You know all of the closing library mixes." It's true. Lately Harold and I have been getting to know each other far too well. It started innocently enough. An afternoon meeting, a study group in the evening, but lately he's been more and more demanding, and it's getting to the point where we're going to have to talk! I know how he takes his chocolate milk in the morning, and I know what songs soothe him into gentle slumber. What's worse, while Star Wars isn't usually part of my analysis homework, several of his favorite lullabyes are and so the feeling of being constantly wrapped up in Harold persists even during my abortive efforts to study at home! And I'm not the only one. It's gotten so bad lately that I can stand at the door when the music starts and tell you exactly what measure of which piece my fellow music majors will emerge, bleary-eyed into the night to trudge wearily home. I'm not sure which is worse, the fact that I know, or the fact that I have analyzed all of the songs well enough to tell you!

:)

Here is the Washington Post's Mensa Inviational which once again asked the readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are the winners:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

2. edited for content. :)

3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly

5. Bozone: The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

6. edited for content. :)

7. Girafitti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

9. Inocculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

10. edited for content. :)

11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

12. Decafalon: The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

13. Glibido: All talk and no action

14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly

15. Arachnoleptic Fit: The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

16. Beelzebug: Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

17. Caterpallor: The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

Clogging

I have not written on this thing in a very long time. I recently visited my Sister in-law's blog and was inspired to start writing again. :)

I am currently a section leader for the BYU Women's Chorus. It is one of the funnest things I have done at BYU. I love working with Sister Applonie and the other women in the choir. Every week we have a meeting with her to talk about struggles our sections are having with the repertoire and with each other. Before our last concert, we had a meeting where Sister Applonie asked if we had any ideas of how to make a French Canadian piece more exciting. As I looked over the instructions, I found that it was a "mouth music" piece that they used to sing for cloggers to dance to. I mentioned that to Sister Applonie and suggested we get some cloggers together and clog during the number. She couldn't see it so I had her sing the song while I clogged (imagine clogging or dancing in front of your college choir director... it was pretty amusing!). She loved it! And then she promptly put me in charge of putting it together.

I called some old clogging friends from the folk dance team and together we choreographed and performed an awesome clogging number with the BYU Women's Chorus. It was so fun to be in charge and to have it be such a success! That will definitely be one of my fondest memories of BYU.

Womanhood: The Highest Place of Honor

"I wonder if you sisters fully understand the greatness of your gifts
and talents and how all of you can achieve the 'highest place of
honor' in the Church and in the world. One of your unique, precious,
and sublime gifts is your femininity, with its natural grace, goodness, and
divinity. Femininity is not just lipstick, stylish hairdos, and trendy
clothes. It is the divine adornment of humanity. It finds expression in
your qualities of your capacity to love, your spirituality, delicacy,
radiance, sensitivity, creativity, charm, graciousness, gentleness,
dignity, and quiet strength. It is manifest differently in each girl or
woman, but each of you possesses it. Femininity is part of your inner
beauty.
"One of your particular gifts is your feminine intuition.
Do not limit yourselves. As you seek to know the will of our Heavenly
Father in your life and become more spiritual, you will be far more
attractive, even irresistible. You can use your smiling loveliness to bless
those you love and all you meet, and spread great joy. Femininity is part
of the God-given divinity within each of you. It is your incomparable
power and influence to do good. You can, through your supernal gifts, bless
the lives of children, women, and men. Be proud of your womanhood. Enhance
it. Use it to serve others."

James E. Faust "Womanhood: The Highest Place of Honor," Ensign, May 2000, 96

Dancing

I had the best time driving home from work yesterday! As I got into my car and started on the freeway, the radio started playing, "Everybody dance now!". Immediately my head started jerking to the rhythm (when I say jerking.... it really was! I was so into the song!). I kept dancing like that for a few more minutes and then a car drove up next to me. In the car, was a nice looking man and he was smiling. He had been driving behind me the whole time! I hope it made his day as much as it did mine!!! Even if I did blush when I realized he had been watching!

video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8094143319539113148


Check it out. This is my favorite commercial... ever!

Baby Emily

What a wonderful month this has been!! Baby Emily was born on May 9th at 7:54 pm. These are her proud siblings and family. We have another Emily Gardner in the family!!!! What a beautiful baby!! Congratulations Dave and Lori! We love you!! And we love little Emily!

Limbo

I don't really know what to write about. I feel like a lot has happened, and yet nothing really has. I feel I've learned a lot, but I'm right where I started. I feel like I'm moving forward in life, but I can't really see any steps. Everything has changed, and nothing has changed. I feel frustrated and excited. I feel anxious and calm. I'm distracted and focused. I'm bored and busy. I guess I just feel like I'm in limbo right now. I have no idea where I'm going to be in the next few months. I don't know who I'm going to be with. I feel like I'm ready for something new. I've been feeling that for a long time now. Caitie, Nathaniel and I moved from our old apartment, but the feeling still remains. There are a lot big decisions to make in life. It's just hard to be patient enough with yourself to feel good about what you want. And.. like Ted always says, "you can't have your cake and eat it too." I pray the Lord will guide my steps. And I pray that I'll be ready for it when He does.

A good day!

Good news!!! I got two jobs, a car, a personal fitness trainer, and Caitie and I are the only girls in our apartment right now!!!!!!!! It's been a good day. Yay for good days. :)

P.S.

My Jury went really really really well!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Tender Mercy

Last night as I was reading my scriptures, my mind was full of small worries about my jury today. Don't worry... it's not a jury at a legal court. :) For a music major, a jury is where you go perform some songs for the department of your instrument. So for me, I will be singing for the vocal department. It's a little nerve-rattling. They give you a report on your progress. The people who judge you are mostly nice people. For some reason though, my legs go numb and I have to concentrate on not falling over and crawling under the piano. While consentrating on that, I have to sing my very best for them! It's scary stuff... I tell you what!

Anyway, while I was reading my scriptures I came across this verse in 2 Nephi 32:9. It reads:
"9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."

The Lord is wonderful, isn't He?

A New Niece!!!

I have a new niece everyone!!!! Her name is Della Lucinda Gardner. She is Matt and Britt's baby. She weighs 5 lbs. and she's 19 inches long. What a beautiful little family!!!! Congrats you guys! I love you!

My Last Masterclass

Tonight I sang at my very last masterclass at BYU. Before I sang, I was so excited to be done!! I was ready to celebrate! Now that it's over, I think I will miss it. I won't miss singing once a month, but I do think I'll miss listening to all of the amazing musicians that I've grown to love at BYU.

I had to sing tonight because at the beginning of the semester, my family went to California, so I missed my first performance. Tonight, was a make-up masterclass. Who would have thought that it would be the masterclass full of graduate students majoring in vocal performance????? All of these phenomenal singers sang before I did. My teacher then had me get up. The first thing I said when I got to the front of the room was, "You guys are all amazing!" They all tried to help me feel comfortable by saying they were excited to hear me perform. (instant look of terror inserted here!) "My name is Emilie Gardner and I will be singing Du Bist Wie Eine Blume by Franz Liszt" I began. The piano began playing the introduction and immediately my legs were paralyzed. I was so nervous! After I finished singing, my teacher told them all to think back to when they were freshman and imagine singing in front of the graduate students. All of the students gasped when they realized how nervous I must be. One even said he didn't even feel comfortable enough to look at the graduate students, let alone sing in front of them! he he.... little do they ALL know that I am actually a senior. I didn't really want to correct my teacher right there. I figured, it was better to have them think I was a freshman. :)

Anyway, my days of masterclass are done. My days in the school of music are numbered. I will miss this place a lot. As much as I have griped about the late hours of school, I really have loved it. It's amazing how grateful we are for what we have right after it's gone.

Huh??

I think I have officially reached the 'auto-pilot' stage of finals week. Every assignment is being completed mechanically-without any real thought to what I'm saying. This morning, I had a voice lesson and when I got there... I could not remember what the words were to my German song I'm singing at Juries next week!! The next weird thing was that I left my coat in the library. If anyone knows me, they know that I get really cold, really fast! How did I forget my coat in the library on a day like today!?? I didn't notice it was gone until after Women's Chorus. Weird! As I sat down to do my homework just now... I couldn't remember if I ate today.

Hmm... I'm really excited to have my brain back. I hope it comes back soon!!

Womanhood

Then a little later she writes: I read this verse in the Book of Revelation: "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." (Rev 12:1) As I read that scripture that morning, the sun shining brilliantly upon the written page, I can truly say that suddenly the glory and beauty and blessings of womanhood were illuminated in my heart. In my mind's eye I literally saw a woman--a woman like you--clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, wearing a crown of stars. And the glory around her from all these celestial sources was light. To my limited view I could see "woman" as a transmitter, a conveyer, a conduit of light and love. I could see that a woman can, if she lives for it and wants it and asks for it and seeks it, be the medium through which gospel light and truth can pass to or be conveyed from one person to another.

~Sister Holland

His Plan

"Recently I was anxiously pleading with the Lord that he would bless my oldest son in a special way. As I was pleading, asking the Lord to please bless him, these words came so resoundingly into my mind: 'I am blessing him. Be patient with my plan.'" I was stunned. I was moved to tears. I realized I was handing my views and my understanding and my determination to Heaven in a commanding voice, saying, "Lord, here is your work as I have outlined it. Please notify my when you have bestowed my blessings, pursued my plans, and carried out my will." In sweet reply comes the mild rebuke, "If you don't mind, Patricia, I prefer to bestow my blessings and to do it in my way." When we content ourselves that God has not forgotten us, nor will He ever, and that He is blessing us (albeit, and thank heaven for it!) in His own way, then the views of a better world come before our eyes. If we can be patient with His process--which simply means having faith--if we can commune personally and often with Him, we can spare ourselves the emptiness and frenzy. . . .We can keep our minds fixed enough on etenity to remember that "God's ways are not our ways" and that the mysteries of godliness lie in Him--in His mind and His heart and His love. Those mysteries and that fulness will be ours only as we strive to make His mind and His heart and His love our own."


~Sister Holland

Tomorrow is a New Day

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."


~Emerson

My First Arrangement

Ever sing Ted left in February, I have taken over the ward choir. I have come to absolutely love this calling. My ward choir is amazing!!! When we perform, about 1/3 of the ward comes up from the congregation to sing. It's the best feeling. We also have really great singers in our ward, which makes it possible to sing beautiful, and more difficult music than most ward choirs can.

This last Sunday, my friend Emily, and I, arranged a version of "That Easter Morn" for our ward choir. We wrote parts for cello, violin, and viola. It was performed yesterday and the choir sounded really amazing. During the last verse, the spirit was so strong, I had goosebumps! Several of the choir members came up to me after and told me how much the song meant to them. Wow!!! What an amazing feeling to have something I helped write, touch people's hearts in such a way!

The best part of the whole thing though, was having my Mom there to watch and listen to the piece. I felt pretty special that she could see the "premier" of the arrangement. :)

Easter was just wonderful!

Mr. Sparrow Comes to Call

Today as I was studying, I looked out my front window. This cute little sparrow was hopping up the stairs one at a time. I imagine he was going to visit a friend that lives upstairs.

I Love Roses!

This semester I have received more flowers than ever before in my life! I love it! My brother gave me a dozen roses for my birthday (along with a keyboard and surprise party!), Ted gave me a dozen roses just because, and since I've been really sick lately, my brother again bought me a rose last night. I didn't know how much I love roses until this semester. I really do love them though. I love their significance and I love the thought that goes into getting someone roses. I'm a very lucky girl!