June 1, 2010 - LONDON! (workshop with Paul Spicer, cheese party, Love Never Dies)

AMAZING European hot chocolate. I had it before Love Never Dies.

At the cafe with Chris and Phil. :)

Cheese party!!

Oh my gosh... heaven on earth??

More heaven. My mouth is watering while I look at this picture.

Rolls Royce...

Lamborgini

Today we had a workshop with Paul Spicer. He is a British man who conducted the Finzi Singers. They were a group of singers that focused on recording works that most choirs don’t record. He gave us a workshop about the British choral tradition. It was really interesting. Actually, the first half was really interesting. Towards the end, I had a hard time keeping my attention focused on what he was saying. He began to say things in script form. I need to remind myself NOT to do that when I’m a teacher. Some of the notes I got from the workshop were helpful and I’ll put them down here. :)

Sound - and the production thereof

He has taught himself how to conduct through watching people he admires.

He started the conducting program at the royal college of music

He wanted to create a technique that provided clarity.

What is the role of the conductor

Your job is the creation of an instrument

Every single human person is different and the conductor creates the instrument

You must first and foremost be a singing teacher

Warmups are crucial!

You are giving the technique which you are going to use for the template for the rehearsal and throughout your life.

Always go around the vowel plane to make sure every single vowel is placed in the same place

Have them put their fingers behind their jaw and they will automatically place the sound in the right place

“Conducting is externalizing what you hear internally”

You must have in your ears what you want the choir to sound like.

Score preparation

Words come first before anything

Find the text away from the music... read them separately

Making music come alive is a completely different issue!

Reading the poem out loud will help give color to the piece

“Here is the Little Door” - Herbert Howells

How the Finzi Singers came about

There is introspection, reflection and melancholy in British music

The personality of the group needs to come out into the music

The philosophy of sound

Something I find very interesting about the British choral tradition is that they have the organ scholars become conductors. Why don’t they have singers conduct the choirs? It’s just a completely different mindset. I’m glad people like Paul Spicer are attempting to change that tradition.

After class, I went with Josh, Caitlin, Heather, and Jessica to get some French cheese from a cheese shop just down the street. The French men were very funny and they thought it was crazy that we had never had wine. We asked them to help us pick an assortment of fine cheeses that would only cost about 24 pounds total. They made us a beautiful platter and we immediately went home and sampled all the cheese. Oh what a delight!! I LOVE cheese!! I especially love non-American cheese!!! It’s such a treat. Oh my.

I went to Love Never Dies tonight with Chris and Phil. It is the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. I will be quiet honest... I enjoyed the music but I was very disappointed in the plot. I felt like it was a 20th century opera story-line. It wasn’t the most uplifting show I’ve ever been to. It wasn’t terrible and there were some very good parts. I don’t ever need to see it again. I am glad I went. I’m glad I saw the original cast a month after it came out in London. :) It was a very very good day today.

May 31, 2010 - LONDON! (Cricket and Legally Blonde)

Anchovy pizza... not my favorite ever. I probably don't ever need to eat it again. Ever.

The cricket field

Me on the cricket field

Watching the cricket match with Jonnie and Heather

More cricketness

Just a porsche... don't even worry about it. We see these all the time. Seriously

On the bus to the cricket match

Some of the signs on the bus. I thought they were funny. :)

This morning I woke up early to prepare myself for the glorious activity of watching cricket. Cricket is not simple. It is super complicated! In England you have football which is very high on the most important sport ever created list and then you have every other English sport like tennis, badminton, and cricket (there are more... I just can’t name them all). We decided today was our cricket day. We got to Lord’s Stadium and walked 15 minutes just to get to the end of the line to buy our tickets! It took us another 45 minutes to get through the line. It was a very productive 45 minutes though. There were two British young men who were extremely willing to explain the game to us Americans. I thought it was just like baseball, then I found out there are two bats, two batters, two bowlers, a pitch, 10 wickets, runs, innings that can last a day and a half, and let’s not forget to mention some very attractive cricket players. :) I really don’t understand the game very well, but I do know a little about what is going on now. I actually started writing a poem about cricket. ha! I can’t believe I’m about to share this with the world... but here it goes.

There is a wicket

If you pick it...

to play this game of cricket.

There is a bowler

and a batter

and food that makes you fatter.

There is a pitch

and runners switch

but there’s definitely no snitch.

The field is green

refs aren’t mean

cute cricket players I’ve seen.

Enjoy the day

watch others play

feel your blues just drift away.

:) The end

After the cricket match, Chris, Heather and I went to get pizza at this Italian place. The pizza here is a bit different. There was only cheese on the cheese pizza. The rest of the kinds had just tomato sauce and then the topping. I tried my very first anchovy pizza. It was all right. It was quite fishy... and I don’t think I ever need to try it again. Not that it was bad... it was just definitely not my favorite. Immediately after that, we went to McDonald’s and had chips (fries) and a Mcflurry. Funny, huh? :) We went to a store called primark where I bought two pairs of shoes for 4 pounds each. They are super cute! I’m excited about this new shop we’ve found.

Chris and I went to Legally Blonde the musical together with Logan and Haylee. I enjoyed the first half immensely. The second half had a couple of scenes where I was very very uncomfortable. The first half was quite delightful though. Now I’ve seen Legally Blonde. I only have one more musical on my list of musicals. :)

May 30, 2010 - LONDON! (Sunday)

Today Heather, Cebre and I went to the family ward. It was so nice to have children in the background! :) I loved it. Sunday school was phenomenal. Our teacher talked about the qualities that Ruth, Esther, and Naomi are known for. She asked us the questions, “If you could be known for two or three qualities, what would they be? What can you do this week to develop those more fully?” It really got me thinking. I hope I am known for my faith and love. A good lesson helps change peoples’ lives and she definitely helped me with mine.

After church, I came home and made some delicious pasta and took a 4-hour nap. I have had a cough basically since I got to London. Since I woke up from my four-hour nap, I haven’t had the cough as badly. I think I need some more sleep than I’m actually getting. :) Since then I have been updating my blog and listening to a CD of The Sixteen. Have I mentioned I love this group?

London is amazing... really.

Saturday May 29, 2010 - Free day!

Today was incredible! Heather and I were up until 2:00 this morning talking so I actually slept in until 11:00. I have not slept in that late in a very long time. It was crazy! After we woke up, Heather and I made a delicious breakfast of breakfast burritos, new potato hash browns and tomatoes. We are spoiled here. The cheese is so good, it makes any meal gourmet and we definitely had some gourmet eggs this morning. I loved breakfast!

I went to a rehearsal at Westminster Abbey. It was a rehearsal for the boys’ choir. I love their sound. The boy sopranos are so clear and resonant up in the stratosphere. It was funny to watch the rehearsal because there were two little boys who were definitely not getting along. These boys are 8 or 9 I think and one was frustrated with the other because he kept getting lost in the music or something. These boys are still boys. They sing beautiful and sight read better than I do, but they are still little boys.

The evensong was lovely. We have had a few days off where we haven’t gone to rehearsals or concerts and I can honestly say I’ve missed this music while we’ve been on break. I love this choral music. It really does speak to my soul. If you had asked me how I felt about this music while I took music history, I would have said it was extremely boring and I didn’t care for it at all. Being here in London and listening to it how it’s supposed to be heard brings it deeper to my soul than I ever imagine it could. I love this music.

We went to an Indian restaurant with Sister Hall and her son after the evensong. It was a delicious dinner and I realized I can like Indian food sometimes. :) After Nathaniel worked there a few years ago, I couldn’t handle the food anymore but I actually really enjoyed my meal this evening.

As I was riding on the tube with Sister Hall after dinner, we had a short discussion about where she thought she would be now back when she was my age. She said that when she was studying conducting as a grad student at BYU, if anyone had told her she would be replacing Mack Wilburg, she would have had a heart attack. I think her place in life is a very good one. She has the ability to look at her life and see the specific steps that led her to where she is today. The Lord hand-designed her tapestry of life to be just what it is today. And because she was willing to obey His will, she has been able to touch more lives than I’m sure she ever imagined she would. Someday, I will be able to do the same thing.

Heather and I walked home from the tube in the pouring rain tonight. There’s something about walking in the rain that makes me want to think deeply about life. This London experience is specifically designed for those students who are here now. What a blessing this will be in my life for eternity. I am so grateful to be here. Wow. I am blessed.

May 28, 2010 - Free day!! Temple

Every time I am in a place where there are really amazing people (like Nauvoo and here), I exert a lot of energy in the beginning getting to know everyone. I talk to everyone, I laugh, I smile, I am friendly to everyone I meet! However, after about two weeks, my spirit starts to protest all of the energy I am using for other people. And my spirit tells me I need to take some time for myself. The past two or three days I have needed some good alone time. And today I finally took it.

A few of the men and I bought train tickets last night to go to the temple this morning. We were all pretty quiet on the train ride which was exactly what we all needed. The train was great! We took a cab through the lovely country side to the London temple. We did some temple work and then had fish and chips in the cafeteria. Oh! We also ate this amazing apple pie thing with custard over it. It was so delicious!!! Oh my goodness. America needs to adopt that whole recipe and put it on apple pie things. So good. After that we did some more temple work. I sad in the Celestial room for a very long time praying. It was a remarkable time to think about life and where I’m headed. I was so grateful for that time to think.

We took the train back home and I fell asleep for more of that. I talked to Emily a lot this evening. She is a remarkable woman and I’m so glad she’s here in London. Everyone who is here, has a story and a reason to be here. I am so grateful to be one of them. :)

Lion King pictures

Oops!

The Lion King!

We really tried to get her to open her eyes...

A ferrari I saw after tea. We see these on a regular basis...

May 27, 2010 - LONDON! (Tea Party)

Today was a perfect day!! Heather and I woke up late and got ready at a leisurely pace. Our friend Phillip had booked us to go have tea at Fortnum and Mason. This store... is very very posh. They have little chocolates for 4 pounds a piece. Everything there is super expensive. On the top floor though, they serve tea.

There were four of us that went: Heather, Phil, Robert, and me. We walked in to the tea room and there were probably 50 different love seats around different tables where you could sit and enjoy the atmosphere. We ordered peppermint tea and lemon tea. After we ordered, the server put our napkins into our laps and brought out some sausage rolls, cheese bread, and another really delicious thing that I don’t know it is called. My mouth was having a party. It was the most delicious treat! They brought us our tea. We each had our own tea kettle and strainer for the herbs while we poured our tea. They gave us cream, sugar, and little tea spoons. After we ate the delicious treats on the small plate, they came out with a three-level plate thing (I’m sorry I don’t know what all these things are called!). The first level of the plate had cucumber, salmon, and turkey sandwiches. It also had a shrimp curry dish. My mouth is watering as I think about what we ate. It was so good! The second level had scones (pronounced scons) and madelines that we put clotted cream and jam on. I wanted ten more of those. They were delightful. The top level had lemon cake and jam cookies and then they let us choose two desserts to go along with all that we were eating. I chose lemon tart and gooseberry custard. WOW!!! It was amazing. I felt like a queen the whole time. I sat up straight and we talked about the weather and the delightful things we were eating. I also had all these little girl memories come flooding back into my mind. I had little tea sets and tea parties all the time when I was little. For my 9th birthday party we had a tea party! I just lived every little girls dream today. It was wonderful. So so so wonderful! I also think that everyone that goes to London should go get tea... no matter how much it costs. :)

After tea, we went to go see Lion King. It was awesome!! Heather and I actually got our tickets after everyone else so we sat in really crummy seat. We had to lean over the railing to see any of the stage so the second half we sat on the stairs and were able to see a little bit better. I really liked a couple of the songs. I was really impressed with the puppeteering! I really loved the show but I think I would have enjoyed it more if we had better seats.

After the show, we rode the bus home. I sat next to this French girl who didn’t speak English. However, I didn’t know that when I started talking to her! I asked her all these questions and she looked at me with a little bit of a blank expression but smiled and nodded. Anyway, I finally asked her where she was from... three times and she answered France. I asked if she spoke English and she used her hand to say a little bit. :) I felt foolish. Oh well! I was trying to be friendly.

Another beautiful day in London town.

May 26, 2010 - LONDON! (Class and Holst Singers)

Today’s class was super intense. We talked about so so so many composers!!! It was extremely interesting and I really enjoyed it. I had a hard time staying awake though. I really enjoyed class and I might post some notes on here sometime soon.

After class, we had a short break and Heather and I made some delicious pasta and relaxed for a short time. Then we headed over to hear the Holst Singers. This was one of my favorite choirs. They were very in tune. I really enjoyed the Bach motets. They are phenomenal pieces. I also really liked the conductors style.

After the rehearsal I went with some people over to a pub where I had fish and chips. :) Delicious!

May 25, 2010 - LONDON! (Canterbury... or not)

Today we got up early to get on the coach to Canterbury. We sat there for about 45 minutes and then were kicked off the coach because it was overheating so we could not go to Canterbury. Sad! Instead our professors paid for us to go on the London Eye. It was a really fun experience! The London eye is basically a giant enclosed ferris wheel. We rode in that for about 45 minutes and saw some beautiful sites of London. It was gorgeous from up there!

After that, we talked to Sister Hall for a short while about her life. It was fun! We also saw a movie in 4D. It was super cool! I loved it! I hope all movies are done in 4D someday.

Heather, Chris D. and I walked around taking pictures around London after that. We ate a gross British hotdog. I had my very first sip of coke. It was an enjoyable and relaxing day. When we got home that evening, we watched Brian Regan. Can I just reiterate how much I love that comedian? Awesome. It was a great day.

May 24, 2010 - LONDON! (BBC Singers and shopping and London Philharmonic Rehearsal)

Today was a great day! We were invited to observe the BBC Singers in their natural habitat. :) We went to the BBC studio and were given a tour of the entire place. We were given name tags and were treated like royalty. It was amazing to realize that they really do only practice one or two times per piece before they record it. They are phenomenal sight readers. I really wish I could do that! They worked on some American pieces that were very interesting. They worked on “The Monk and His Cat”. I remember that piece because there was a girl in my masterclass who attempted that piece and it was extremely difficult for her to perform. It’s extremely difficult to count out and sing all the jumps. It’s a crazy difficult piece. They sight read it perfectly. Astounding. Truly astounding.

After the rehearsal, Heather and I went shopping. :) It was wonderful. I feel like there are some British styles that are gems... but you have to search hard to find them. I found a few shirts and some fun earrings. It was really fun to have girls’ time with Heather and just relax for some time.

We went to the London Philharmonic Choir (LPC) rehearsal after shopping. These singers were not as pleasing to my ears as were the BBC Singers. It’s hard to beat the Tallis Scholars, The Sixteen, and the BBC Singers. The LPC is like a normal American choir. They don’t sight read amazingly well. They did all right, but it wasn’t earth-shattering like most of the other choirs I’ve seen. They were extremely friendly. We had 4 or 5 members of the choir come up to us after the rehearsal so we could ask them any questions we had. They told us about the history of the choir and what they loved about singing in it. During the second half, we hummed along with the music a little bit. I got a little bit frustrated because there were some in our group who were not as quiet as I felt they should be so I got up and left to listen outside the rehearsal. It’s interesting to me how sometimes people don’t think about how loud they are being during a rehearsal. Anyway, it was a nice experience. I’m glad I went. I was even more glad that I saw the BBC Singers rehearse this morning.

May 23, 2010 - LONDON! (Sunday)

Today we went to church. :) Of course. It was a lovely meeting. I really enjoy the diversity here. Everyone has such a powerful story they can share. All of their testimonies are all their own. I really enjoy hearing them and gleaning from their spirits.

After church, we went to St. Bartholomew's Chapel for evensong. It was a very different evensong I think. We sat down for the first little bit while the pastor walked around with his scepter carrying a burning lamp of incense. The smoke permeated the entire chapel. It was quite difficult to breathe with the cough I’ve had lately. It was interesting though. The choir sang the responses that I sang when I went to Oxford and it was really nice to know how they are supposed to sound. The choir was very impressive. I loved the soprano sound. I enjoyed watching the conductor. I enjoyed the atmosphere immensely. There is something about hearing this music in the venues they are meant to be performed that really speaks to my spirit. My brain seems to work on connecting every synapse -whether it’s about music or about any other aspect of my life - it really doesn’t matter. I just love hearing it. I love having it speak to me. I love hearing the harmonies, the dissonances, the nuances in the voices. I feel like the music that is heard in these venues is like a new aspect of religion I have never even known existed. There are places that my testimony has reached and grown that I didn’t even know existed because of this music. It is amazing.

Immediately after the evensong, Heather and I met my friend Darren for dinner. He took us around London in his car. I will tell you that it was a very disconcerting experience to ride in the front left passenger seat of his car while he drove around London. I was so thrown off and uncomfortable. I really felt like my world was upside down. Darren kept having to calm me down when we turned corners. It was funny. He also made fun of me a little bit because I asked some of my questions with a british inflection. He showed us where Prince Charles lives. We walked around Covent Gardens. We ate some delicious Japanese food that he actually paid for. It was very kind. He and I talked about Nauvoo and London constantly. I loved the evening. I really really did. I’m so glad he could come and teach us a little bit about London. :)

May 22, 2010 - LONDON!!! (Generosity)

Me, Heather, Phil, and Robert eating a french pastry :)

Today I learned about generosity. My roommate Heather left her wallet at a gas station on our way back from Cambridge the other day. Her wallet had her travel card (which is the only way we get anywhere in London), her drivers license, student ID card, SS card, and all of her money in the form of cards and cash. We’ve called a lot of people but we still have no been able to locate her wallet so today was our day to get her re-situated.

To start the day off, we went with our friends Robert and Phillip to go to a French bakery and have some lunch. I’ve been paying for Heather since her wallets been lost and Robert wouldn’t have it. He paid for her and paid for some of mine and wouldn’t let either one of us pay him back. I actually had to fight the tears because he’s not rolling in money either. He’s a student just like me. It was so kind. We then went to get Heather her travel card at the Tube station. Now, when we bought our travel cards initially, we registered them and the reason we registered them was so that if we lost them they could be replaced without additional cost. Apparently, that means nothing in England. Oi!!! We were frustrated. Robert helped us communicate with the lady at the front desk and she finally helped us kind of. :) They really don’t understand their own system I think. So we finally got a card that she can use for the next two weeks. We’ll be out about 25 pounds or 35 dollars but at least Heather can get around now. Robert gave me 10 pounds. Just gave it to me. I told him I would pay him back but he would have none of that.

Our next stop was to go to the train station because Robert needed to pick up his tickets to Wales and the whole way there we had incredible discussions about the gospel. We talked about raising families based on principles instead of policies. We talked about homeschooling. The three of us had incredibly fulfilling and uplifting conversations. It was just wonderful.

After we picked up his tickets we toured St Mary Abbott’s Cathedral that is very near where we live. It’s a beautiful building with much of the same architecture that we’ve seen throughout this trip. I think we’ll go to an Evensong there later.

On our way home from the church, we ran into Sister Hall and relayed our adventures of the day with her. She then took all three of us to the bank and she took out 100 pounds from her own account for Heather to use until she had money.

On my way home, my heart was full. I truly feel like we’re here with some of Heavenly Father’s very choicest children. Everyone is so kind and everyone makes sure to pull together to help others in their times of crises. I told Heather the other day that if I were ever to be in a stressful situation, I would want to be there with her. These people are so kind and so giving it makes me truly humble. I also see so many qualities in these people that I can emulate and things that I can work on to be a better person.

The gospel is incredible. I am so grateful for the promptings I received to come here. The Lord truly is watchful over His children.

May 21, 2010 - LONDON!!! (Free day.. for real this time)

Today was awesome! We began the day by going to breakfast with our wonderful friend Ceri who is in London for the day. We went to this delightful little shop in London and I had a belgian waffle. I tell you what... American’s really need to learn how to make Belgian waffles for real. It was so much more delicious than any waffle I’ve ever had. Without syrup! It was so good. Heather had a croissant with English cheese and some kind of delicious meat. Oh man it was such a delicious way to start our day. I love it!

After we had breakfast we went over to Buckingham Palace and watched the changing of the guard. People ask how it was and I answer saying that there were a ton of people there and I’m short... :) I didn’t really see very much just because I am short. The soldiers wear funny fuzzy hats. They walk around a lot. It was kind of cool... probably not my very favorite thing I’ve done in London though. :)

We bought some tickets to watch Phantom of the Opera tonight and then Heather and I headed back to our flat to eat some lunch and take a nap. It was much needed! We spent some of the afternoon watching some Youtube videos of an amazing pianist playing some of our favorite pieces.

I’m afraid we woke up a little bit late from our naps and had to run to the show - only getting there maybe a minute before it started. I LOVE musicals!!!!!!! Oh man. They are they best!!!! Phantom was fantastic. The singing was impeccable. I really loved all of their voices. The staging was great. The set was phenomenal. I can’t say enough good about that show. My friend Robert asked me after it was over what the draw is for women to that show. I told him that I felt like most woman have loved a Phantom (someone she shouldn’t love) and have let him go for someone who would be good for her. It was an interesting question. Your thoughts ladies? :)

May 20, 2010 - LONDON!! (Cambridge)

I'm in the cream shirt sitting down. :)

Wow. Let me just say that Cambridge is my favorite! I love this place!! This morning, we rode there on a coach (a bus in America) and we actually made a stop at a WWII memorial for all of the Americans that died while serving with the British troops. It was a beautiful garden area and there were around 12,000 soldiers that they have the memorial set as a tribute to. It was beautiful. There were crosses everywhere and some statues. There was also a place of prayer for those who wanted to pray. Every time I go to a memorial about war, my heart is full of gratitude for their sacrifices. They paid so much for the cause of freedom. It’s incredible what these people were willing to do so that we can have the world we know today. I feel like these memorials are very sacred. I always have a prayer-like solemnity come over me as I walk and think in these places. In Women’s Chorus last semester, we sang a gorgeous song that was written during WWII. Here are the words:

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

- John Magee

I was really glad our professors decided we should stop there. It was definitely one of the highlights of my experience here.

Cambridge is much more open-feeling than Oxford to me. Oxford almost feels oppressed and Cambridge seems more free and ready to enjoy life. I don’t know. I enjoyed the atmosphere of Cambridge so much more than I did Oxford. I’m so glad we went. We had several hours that they gave us to just enjoy ourselves.

A group of us went to a delightful sandwich shop and I got a bacon, chicken baguette and some crisps. It was delicious! We then went punting. If you don’t know what punting is... google it. I don’t really feel like explaining it on this blog. :) One of my very favorite experiences in London happened while I was doing the punting. You know those boats that people use sticks to push the boat forward instead of paddles? I was punting (using the stick) and I stuck it into the water and it would not come out. I kept pulling and pulling (trying not to fall into the river) and finally, my friend Chris helped me pull the stick out. There was a bicycle stuck to the stick. The people along the shore started clapping. It was one of the best experiences ever. :) I was laughing so hard I almost fell off the boat. Oh man. Just imagine pulling a stick out of the water with an entire bicycle attached! It was fantastic!

We punted for about two hours. We sang opera on the boat while we drifted lazily down the river. One of the riverboat guys even hit on me. :) That was kind of fun.

After we finished punting, I bought a sweatshirt from Cambridge and we headed over to the Trinity College to listen to their rehearsal and then attend Evensong. I LOVED this choir’s sound! Oh my goodness. They had a richer, deeper alto section. The sopranos also had a further back sound, but it wasn’t too deep. The color was gorgeous. I just loved it. They sang some incredible pieces. A couple of their pieces reminded me of Eric Whitaker pieces and I really liked it. The hall was a wonderful venue. I loved the acoustics in that hall. The director stopped them during rehearsal a lot which was different than we typically see here in England. It seems that usually, they just let things slide and hope that everyone gets it the next time because they are such incredible sight readers. The director also put some really great percussive dimensions to their songs with dynamics that I thought changed the sound dramatically and in a very good way. I liked it a lot. The music here heals my soul. It’s just amazing.

We drove home after the trip and went to bed. I’m afraid I’m a bit sunburned but I wouldn’t have traded today for anything. :) I LOVE Cambridge!

May 19, 2010 -LONDON! (Class and Les Miserables)

Heather and I doing some funny faces on the tube after the show. :)

Today we had a lovely class about Bach’s Motets. I really enjoy zinget comme! It’s a happy piece. I really enjoy that music that is written for a funeral are often the most joyful music of all.

The highlight of my day today was watching Les Mis. It was Heather’s first time so that was fun to be with her for that. It’s my favorite musical that I’ve ever seen. Les Mis has so many juxtapositions. It’s interesting to me that Jean Valjean is seen as the sinner, to everyone he came in contact with, yet as you look at his life you can see how much he had done for the world. Javier was seen as the spiritual leader on the outside, and you see how much he hurt the world. Javier didn’t try to hurt the world. He was doing what he thought he should but he was always living by the letter of the law. When you live your life with love as the base, the principles behind what you do will become apparent. Charity is the most important quality a person can have and I see that in the character of Jean Valjean. I was disappointed in how quickly the lines were read and the music was performed. I felt like the performers didn’t have enough time to breathe while they were singing their solos. The conductor wanted the music to go so fast and he was not accompanying the singer, he was the soloist. It was quite bothersome to me. I was not able to enjoy the musical they way I always have before. I love the musical and I always will, but quite honestly I loved the rendition I saw in Salt Lake City more than I loved this show I saw in London.

We enjoyed some delicious British Chinese food after the show was over and then came home. It was a very enjoyable day. I love this place and I feel like all of my senses are being pampered on a daily basis. I love everything I see. I love all the music I’m hearing. I love the food I eat. I love the things I touch. I love the smells of the city. This is a beautiful place.