Music and Lyrics

Dear Reader, A good portion of my female friends and acquaintances love country music. It is something perplexing to me, but it has never been a problem. Two of my closest friends at the moment listen to country music almost daily, especially Keith Urban and Toby Keith. This fascination with cowboys became apparent to me when my best friend and I were cowboys for a day back in 2007. Here is an article that recently came to my attention: " One girl gets exactly what she asks for. " Read the story. It is pretty entertaining. Now, let me share our side of the story. Mike and I grew up together and we had just become part of the same priest's quorum in 2007. We were always being told to be our best selves and serve others. Little did we know that would include a random cowboy day on Christmas Eve. Our young men's leader asked us one day if we wanted to help out in giving a Christmas present. We of course agreed, allowing him to explain the situation. He told us a...

Dear Reader, Deck the halls with lots of students! Fa la la la la, la la la...way too many students. Here is your fun fact for the day: the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University becomes one of the busiest places in Utah during December. Students at the University are studying for finals, meeting up with their groups for the final projects and getting those last minute tips from their tutors. They are all in the library. Today I could not find a spot to sit! There is no need to fear, faithful reader. The floor can be a great place to write, as long as there is a wifi connection that provides communication with you. I realized that this Blog was visited for the 8000th time this week. What a great Christmas present! Thanks to my mom for the 7999 visits! Thank you, dear reader, for the 8000th. I figured that between this milestone and the Christmas season, today is a good day to share my view on Christmas and the reason for the season. So go ahead students, take a break fr...

Dear Reader, It is that time of year. Everyone seems to fall in love. Every song you hear seems to say, "Merry Christmas, may your New Year dreams come true." This year that is the case. This year I have been focusing a lot more on why we celebrate Christmas. The video above shares that. I just have to add my testimony to what has been shared. I know that Christ was born with a specific purpose. He was born to perform the Atonement. The night of His birth was a very significant day for the entire world and I am glad we have the time to spend with our families and remember what He has done for us. Tonight I wanted to make a list of songs commemorating Christmas. They are linked to a favorite arrangement for each song on Youtube. The intent was to have as many different artists as possible. If you have any you would like to add, just let me know through your comments or emails. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! " Mary Did You Know? "  "...

Dear Reader, Please have snow and mistletoe. Emphasis on the snow. There is certainly a special feeling being around loved ones for the holidays. Today my family and I had an early Christmas Eve party. It is a little difficult to plan logistics when two siblings are married with kids while two others are living away from home. Thus, we have started a new tradition. Cool story, right? The Lundstrom Family, Thanksgiving 2014 My feelings towards the holidays have been pretty different than they have in the past. I hear stories about friends traveling home for Christmas break. Some of them travel to the east coast, others to California, etc. It has come to my attention this year more than others that some college students don't see their families during months because of the distance from home. It has definitely helped me appreciate the time with my family more. I also appreciate my other "family," or the people who are not literally related, but we are very close.  ...

Dear Friends, As I have mentioned before, Barbershop is a big part of life. In "The Christmas Song," there is the line about tiny tots having a hard time sleeping because they are so excited to see if Santa is coming. When it comes to singing, I am like a tiny tot with a glow in my eye. It is the best! Singing with a group is one of the greatest experiences anyone can have in their lifetime. With that, I will share parts of the concert we put on last weekend. Combined choruses from Utah Valley put on a concert in Lindon. Below are the videos of our songs. Our quartet, Ever Higher, sang "The Christmas Song." Mountain West Voices with their rendition of "Homeless." Soloist: Josh Wiser.  The Short Version of "Silent Night." Soloist: Clayton Watts.