Jerusalem!

For those of you that haven't heard, I plan on going to the BYU Jerusalem Center this upcoming fall. I have started the application process and just need to write a few short essays. Here is a quick description of the Jerusalem Center for those that aren't familiar with BYU:

The Center itself is a beautiful building on Mount Scopus overlooking the Mount of Olives, the Kidron Valley, and the Old City. The 125,000 square-foot, eight-level structure is set amid five acres of beautifully landscaped gardens. Students study a core curriculum that focuses on Old and New Testament, ancient and modern Near Eastern studies, and language (Hebrew and Arabic). Classroom study is built around field trips that cover the length and breadth of the Holy Land.

I am very excited. As part of the application process I needed to have a few ecclesiastical interviews. I met with the 2nd Counselor in the Stake Presidency. He has newly been called and I discovered he was one of the main directors at the Jerusalem Center for the past two years--Richard Huntington. So he told me all about it during the interview. I will keep you all updated when I hear back from them.

The Pilgrim's Journey Home

Many people have asked me recently about the upcoming concert being put on by the BYU Choirs and Philharmonic Orchestra. So I'll tell you a little bit about it and why I'm excited.

Sometimes BYU films our concerts and runs them over and over on BYUTV. This is not one of those concerts. Over eight years ago they did one called A Thanksgiving of American Folk Hymns (the one with the girl crying at the end of an amazing arrangement of Come, Thou Fount) and before that was Celebration of Christmas in the early 90's. It is hoped and expected that PBS will pick this up and show it nationally as they did with the two I just mentioned.

The songs are all about journeying home. Here are five reasons to go:

1) The arrangement of Come, Come, Ye Saints is one of the most powerful and inspiring pieces I have sung in all my four years in the choir. And I haven't even heard it together with the orchestra yet.

2) This is a once every eight or nine years opportunity. And most of you won't be here in another eight years.

3) This may sound weird, but we're singing an arrangement of When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again/Keep the Home Fires Burning (you've probably never heard of the latter) that makes me tear up almost every time we practice it--it's amazing. I've always heard When Johnny Comes Marching Home again growing up, but never thought about what it meant. It was written during the Civil War and speaks of the longing for those that have gone off to war to return back safely and the joy that will be had when they do. Keep the Home Fires Burning is a British tune written during WWI. It contrasts to the march with a sweet and beautiful chorus about not losing hope. It's incredible how relevant this song is in our day. I feel more grateful for the men and women that serve our country each time that I sing/hear this song. And the arrangement is INCREDIBLE. I can't wait till we put it together with the orchestra.

4) You'll have a chance to see something live that will be televised nationwide (not on BYUTV). If you're thinking you'll just wait till it comes on TV then, believe me, it will be much better in person.

5) You'll enjoy an evening of high-caliber music and be uplifted.

For tickets go to the ticket office in the HFAC on BYU or online at www.byuarts.com

Love at Last? - It's our new FHE Film!

The long awaited moment has arrived. Our FHE movie premiered last night at the Ward Oscar Night and now it's available for everyone to see! So watch and enjoy. Make sure you click on the HQ (high quality) button on the bottom right corner for a better experience.

It's gonna be hard to pay attention

The brackets are out. This is the hardest time of year for me to pay attention in class. I love the NCAA tournament! It's the most exciting sports event of the year for me. Better than the Superbowl, than college football bowls, even anything tennis has to offer. Last year Nathan started an Elder's Quorum bracket and it was pretty much our apartment and two other guys in the quorum. What's wrong with the others? Don't they find this fun?

Anyway, I haven't made my predictions yet. Someone guessing will probably do better than me, but it's still exciting. Memphis let me down at the last second last year, so I don't know how far I'll be putting them. And BYU . . . (sigh) . . . please get past the first round this year!

More excited than ever!

So the next Pixar movie to come out is simply titled Up. I haven't been too excited about it other than the fact that it is made by Pixar--so it has to be good. But after seeing the newest trailer I can't wait to see it! It looks like it will be pretty funny. Take a look at the trailer.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/up/hd

Validation

Here's a great short film I just came across. It's 16 minutes long but it's really good. Take a minute to watch it and it will make you smile.

A look back

Last year our apartment created this video for Ward Oscar Night. We're trying to come up with a new idea this year. It's gonna be hard to top 3 Days to Eternity, but we've gotta try. Most people that know me have already seen it. But in case you haven't or you want to see it again, take a look.