Give Thanks...For Friends

 A week ago and a day, me and tens of thousands of other fans gathered to enjoy a game of college football. Parents attended with their children, couples both married and not came on dates. Older couples--season ticket holders for generations--sat and watched the game together. 

Me? I sat with friends.

Friends I've known them longer than I haven't known them.

There was a time when the three of us sat in a building a few blocks north of the stadium, a building originally constructed for religious studies...to add a balanced education to an already-full educational plate. Thirty years ago, we gathered at noon and rehearsed for an hour, every weekday, week after week, month after month, year after year. We learned songs, studied under the tutelage of Dr. Edgar Thompson, and created life-long friendships.

As we walked to the game (after scoring an awesome free parking spot...), we actually passed the West Institute building where we rehearsed. My friend recalled when it all began. I sat waiting for a class to begin, Professor Vrooman's econ class--the one with Scott Mitchell as a fellow student--when Bob saw me sitting alone. He joined me and said that he was not enrolled in that class, but hoped to add it, because he got into an a'cappella choir and they were going on tour to England at the end of the year. I said I'd like to do that. Bob said to show up to class--they were still looking for singers.

I went, I auditioned, Dr. Thompson added me to his group and that chance meeting in that freshman class ended up changing my life.

That's what friends do. They change your life. Because of friends and the decisions made with them, because of them, lives are changed. When I say I'm eternally thankful for my friends, that's not hyperbole...it's the truth. 

We sat and watched the game clock tick down to 00:00, cracking jokes and enjoying the company. To cap the night, the home team won, but even if they hadn't, spending time with friends--win or lose--is always worth it. I'm thankful for friends.

Man...I Miss Singing With These Guys

 Five years ago, two friends and I posed for a photo...a selfie is what the kids call it these days. We met at work, at my autumn gig, October 26, 2018.

The three of us used to spend time together, October 1989. It wasn't at work, but at college, not at an amusement park, but at a singing class.

Those were some of the best times of my life.

Thanks to a social media site that has a better memory than I do, I was reminded this photo exists. It's interesting...five years doesn't seem so long anymore, but a lot has happened in those five years. My family moved north, and both my friends joined a choir--not just any choir...

They joined THE choir...

The world-famous Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.

If you watch the church's General Conference, or the weekly choir broadcasts, you'll spot them both, if you look long enough. I'm usually not jealous of my friends, but I was when I watched conference earlier this month

It got me thinking...why was I jealous? Was it because they were both in a choir that I can't join? I'm so close to the "kick-out age," it would't even be worth trying. No...after some thought and reflection, I was jealous to not be singing with my friends. I know we can't turn back time, and I can't re-live those college days, but singing with several members of the University of Utah A'cappella Choir decades later would be a close second. It would sound, well...in a word, heavenly.

I'm no longer jealous...okay, that's not entirely true. I still would love to be singing with my friends (and with so many others who are not in the choir...), but I'm fine now. I am glad the two--and others--are finding joy in their endeavors. I'm glad they made it in (it's not an easy thing to do...) and I hope they're having as much fun as we used to those many years ago. 

But I'll bet they're not.

Camille Nelson's "Little Drummer Boy"...Beautiful

 Looking back on my almost five and a half decades, there are moments that, at the time, may have seemed ordinary or of little consequence, but in reality, were anything but. The first day of my second year at THE University of Utah, I sat in Professor Vrooman's Macro-Economics class when Bob, one of my best friends, found me. I was glad to be sharing a class with someone I knew (a rarity at the U for me...). Bob said he wasn't enrolled in that class but needed to add it because he had gotten into the U of U A'cappella Choir which was at the same time as the economics class he originally signed up for. He said I ought to try and get in the choir, myself.

Long story short, I auditioned for the choir a few hours later, inexplicably got in, and that one decision changed my life. I met my wife because of that choir, and I became associated some of the most amazing people I've ever known. I've watched with great interest how those people have grown, had families of their own, and shared those talents with the world.

One of those families...The Gregorys. 

While perusing social media earlier today, I ran across a post from Christine, one of those choir friends. Christine's sister Camille downloaded a video on YouTube featuring her and a singer, Yahosh Bonner. I knew not the sister or the singer, but I'm glad I clicked on the link. You can watch the video, Little Drummer Boy, by clicking: HERE.

 The Yuletide season is quickly approaching. I think, after the year we've had, some Christmas music is the right medicine for a hurting people. 

Thanks Christine for posting (and being part of such an amazingly talented family...). Thanks Camille, Yahosh, and all those involved in making the video. Thanks, Bob for the friendship and inviting me to join you in the choir. Thanks Dr. Ed for accepting me into your musical family. Thanks to all my choir friends for allowing me to hang with you and sing beautiful music for four years.

If you get a second, click on the video and let a little Christmas music (from a little drummer boy...) make your day a little bit better.

Blast From The Past...Winter Journal 1992 Vol. 2

And today, I present the rest of my walk down memory lane. This particular journal (Journal #14, by the way--I'm currently on Journal #64...) extends into the summer of 1992, the last day written was the entry for June 3. And June means graduation and marriages.

Here's the program for our A'cappella concert. You can even see who was in that fantastic group. We were working on songs for our European choir tour--an absolutely amazing experience! Maybe one of these days I'll take pictures of the things in that journal.

Even though there were many things that attracted me to my wife, one was her musical talents. I was lucky enough to see her perform in Hale Center Theater's production of Brigadoon. She played Jean, and if you're familiar with the musical, Jean gets married in the show. That was a bit surreal watching my fiancee get married on stage. She did great in the show, by the way.

With graduation came senior recitals. We all got pretty close in that choir--great talent and even better people. Corinne definitely fits that description.

Another choir member gained notoriety for another reason, he was a U of U poster boy! Yes, that Mat-Bill.

I included an embarrassing note from someone (I forgot who gave me that...), an apologetic note from Daron, the same Daron who gave me a Christmas card (see previous blog post...) and who passed away, and hand-written note on how to handle stress. For all of the kids out there, this is the way we remembered things before the internet. We wrote things down and put them somewhere to save. My, how things have changed.

And since it was the time for weddings, I tried including announcements and the accompanying photos whenever possible. In this particular journal, I found the announcements for Angela and Erek and Tammara Lynn and Daren. As far as I know, both marriages are still going strong.

And that's a few of the things you'll find in Journal #14 comprising a daily blog post covering December 5, 1991 to June 3, 1992. I'm glad Bob asked me to check something in my journal. It's probably one of the only times I've looked at it in twenty-five years. I should do this again with my other journals. I've only got sixty-three more journals to go.

Blast From The Past...Winter Journal 1992 Vol. 1

My friend Bob asked me a question last week. Back in the spring of 1992 he and I joined a group of students from the University of Utah on a camping trip. We visiting some of the most amazing places in America. Bob asked me if I could reference my journal from 1992 and let him know exactly when we went on our trip. I'd said I'd be glad to. Luckily, I remembered his request and pulled down the journal.

And suddenly, it was twenty-five years ago.

Except for my missionary journals, I've always used three ring binders as journals. I've loved being able to use my journal as a scrapbook, of sorts. I found the dates. I remembered about when it was because after the trip we came home to the knowledge that California was on fire due to the Rodney King Riots that took place while we were gone. We knew nothing about the riots (this was pre-internet, mind you...). Tonight, I messaged Bob, gave him the dates, but I didn't put away the journal just yet.

1992 was quite the year for me. I met my wife, proposed (thankfully, she said, yes...), graduated with my undergrad degree, toured Europe, returned to my old mission, and got married. We remember the big things, and usually remember the important dates, but looking at the things I put in my journal made me remember so much more. There was so much, I'll need two blog entries to include all the stuff.

My journal included Christmas, 1991. I found several Christmas cards from many friends, one friend who passed away shortly after.

There was a card from the Fraternity/Sorority committee complete with their signatures.

I attended a hockey game at the then Delta Center. I believe this was the first sporting event held at that venue.

Then came the infamous U of U Choir Retreat, the place where I first met the woman I was going to marry.

And I included the ticket stub to where I took her on our first date. I can't remember who won--must have been concentrating on other things...

I found the flyer for one of the more interesting fraternity tradition: The ∆X Scamofolage. The goal: go to the BYU campus in Provo, Utah, and see if we could get dates. We would all meet at an agreed upon location at the end of the night to see who was successful, and who wasn't. Check out our lame "pick-up lines." They're classics!

Of course, not everything was fun. I lost a friend that year--I'm sure many people lost many friends during that time. I'm glad I put Shauna's obituary into my journal all those years ago. It brought back some bittersweet memories.

Next blog post--more pictures from 1992, more experiences, more of the life that was.

To Those At The Party...That I Missed

I stopped by my friend's office a few months ago and we were shooting the bull. And, as is wont to happen, we chatted about the old days, high school, summer jobs, college, and one of our personal favorites--the years we spent in the University of Utah A'Cappella Choir, Dr. Ed Thompson, Conductor.

"We should have a reunion," my friend said.

"We should," I agreed.

We picked a date, created a Facebook Event and sent out invites. I awaited the day with anticipation. The day came and has since passed. And because of work commitments, I pretty much missed it.

I arrived more than three hours late and greeted the hearty souls who stayed until the bitter end. We caught up, shared hugs then wished them well on their journeys home. Finally my friend and I--the original event organizers--were the only ones left. He prepared a plate of food for me (complete with delicious pie...) and we sat and shot the bull.

"The party was great," he said. He told me how everyone sat and talked, just talked. He then told me of an experience they all shared, one I won't include here. Oh, how I wish I could have been there, to see those wonderful people and enjoy their company.

Decades ago we meet every day at a former LDS Institute building and we sang. I looked forward to that class every school day for four years. After everyone left the reunion party, my friend and I talked about how that class changed our lives. We met our spouses through the choir. We've made fast friends through that choir. And both of us shared stories on how we made it into the choir, each could have ended up in another group and so much of our lives would have been different.

To those at the party, I'm sorry I couldn't attend. To my friend who ended up hosting by himself (I'm sure his wonderful wife helped him to make it a fantastic party...), I apologize for making you do all the work. I know I missed an amazing event. But I'm happy my friend and I decided to do it because those who attended had a blast.

I'll just have to go to the next one.

Harry Connick Jr.'s "Heavenly"...A Great Little Song

Tonight's moon was epic! I wish I had a better camera to capture what we all saw, but that's the way of it sometimes. If you didn't see it, you'll just have to take my word for it.

The moon has fascinated humans as long as there have been humans. I did a web search of quotes about the moon. I thought it would be cool to post some of my pictures an include some notable quotes. There were so many, even a couple of excellent quotes by Jack Handy.

None of the quotes, however, seemed appropriate. They just didn't feel right. Then I remembered back when I was a member of the University of Utah's A'cappella Choir, a few friends and I sang Harry Connick Jr.'s wonderful song, Heavenly, and I found the poetry I wanted to include. So, if you haven't heard this little a'cappella number, you ought to check it out. I love it.

Here's the lyrics:

*He's always happy

He never looks mean

Even if the sun should

Come in between

The man in the moon is smiling

'Cause he's in love

The man in the moon is smiling

'Cause he's in love with the girl in the world

She's there in the evening

She never comes late

All day she spins around

But never makes him wait

The girl in the world is smiling

'Cause she's in love

The girl in the world is smiling

'Cause she's in love with the man in the moon

When two heavenly bodies glow

All the stars agree

A planet might be born

Maybe even a galaxy

And in the morning

They don't say goodbye

But with a kiss

They blend into the sky

Oh, they're smiling

'Cause they're in love

The man in the moon is smiling

'Cause he's in love with the girl in the world

The man in the moon is smiling

'Cause he's in love with the girl in the world

Heavenly

* Lyrics taken from: http://www.metrolyrics.com/heavenly-lyrics-harry-connick-jr.html