Be Quiet or LEAVE!

Being Mormon is really cool, and not just because you get to be married in a fairytale castle. It is cool because we have our own choir. SAY WHAT? Yep, in case you hadn't heard it is one of the best choirs in the world, and definitely top 10 in the nation. I give you, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! AKA MOTAB. Basically, it is one of the best choir's ever. They don't just sing church hymns (but that is what they are known for) they also sing different renditions of Broadway songs and such. They are really good.

 Every Sunday morning the MOTAB performs in the old Tabernacle on Temple Square. It's called, Music and The Spoken Word. I've never been before, and it sure was a fun experience. There was supposed to be a thing on 9/11 that day, but it wasn't shown live it was broadcasted. So we actually took part in a recorded session of Music and The Spoken Word, that will air in February. (Because the Choir will be in Arizona that Sunday.)It was neat! This is Liz & I before the performance started...

 Jane & I! Isn't her short hair fabulous?

 The flags were flying at half-mass around most of Salt Lake that day, in honor of 9/11. It was definitely a great weekend to be in town. I love the Salt Lake Temple, it is so beautiful!

So hopefully you are still reading because Sunday just get's better. I forgot to take more pictures but, after Music and The Spoken Word we went to Liz's house and ate breakfast. Then we just bummed around until it was time to go to church. Liz lives within walking distance of the chapel, so we walked over. Let me just say, it was the most interesting time at church I've had in a long time.

Everything started off pretty normal, Relief Society was first and it was a great class. Then Sunday School started, there was about a ten minute period of waiting before Sunday School began, because people are walking to class and just settling in. So as people are chattering, but not too loud, the teacher - I would say she was about 22 - stands in front of the class. I assume she was tapping her foot and clearing her throat, because all of a sudden she screams "OK EVERYBODY, BE QUIET OR LEAVE!!" Holy crap. The room fell silent, then almost every head in that class turned side to side to look at their neighbors, "Did she really just do that?" Of course, me being me, I get giggly in awkward situations. I started to laugh.

Things press forward, and class begins. She starts to talk about the lesson, which I don't really recall what it was about. Then she asks someone a question. Immediately after they respond she says, "That's not the answer I was looking for. I was looking for something more personal." The girl who answered responded quickly, "I don't have anything personal I would want to share with YOU." (Number one reason why you don't poke and prod for answers in Sunday School, some experiences are personal!) Well, she didn't need to poke or prod anymore because she answered her own question with a slue of personal stories.

"I had this guy once who wanted to date me. I thought it would be fun, so I was like, okay. Then when I left for a study-abroad to Spain he kept e-mailing me! He was a total stalker!" ..... "I went on a blind date with a guy once, and at the end of the date he told me I wasn't marriage material. He was a jerk, and totally stupid."

What did that have to do with the lesson? I've got no idea. But I spent the whole class laughing, at her much too personal stories about ex-boyfriends and blind dates. Jane leaned over to me and said she should raise her hand and start telling a story about how her sister was a pro surfer and got her arm bitten off by a shark. I died, I died. I'm so lucky I didn't start laughing really loud, that would have been embarrassing. What was truly embarrassing though, was the guy sitting next to me... who was completely asleep and snoring like a bear in hibernation. GLORY BE!

So, as you can see Sunday was eventful. It was awesome, crazy, and totally funny. After we got out of church Jane and I left for Provo to go to the CES Fireside. It was fantastic! We spent the night at her brother Jake's house, and showed him and his wife a ton of hilarious youtube videos, like Kid History. It was great! I will be back soon, with what we did on Monday! FUN TIMES!