CRUCIFIXION SCENE

I had to jot down some thoughts about this scene. I want to always remember this experience. But, first, let me back up...

Erik & I were originally cast as the Blue Wise Man & the Blue Wise Man follower in the Easter Pageant. A couple of months or so later Erik received a call from Jenee Prince (the Director) asking if we wouldn't mind switching parts. She asked if we would be willing to play Mary & Joseph this year in the pageant. Of course! We always talk about how we're willing to do whatever part is asked of us. We also like mixing things up & trying new parts. We've been the parents of the Dead Girl for 5 years & needed something new. After doing the same thing for so long you tend to get complacent & it becomes routine. It's hard to give it your all & give the same kind of spirit to a part when you've done it for so long.

So, we are now Mary & Joseph in the Boy Jesus & the Temple scene. There's a different Mary & Joseph for the Mary's Lullaby scene. She dances & there's no way to get from one scene to the opening of the next scene in time. With that casting comes the casting of myself as Mary in the Crucifixion scene. I've been in this scene before - years ago. I didn't think much of it when I heard I would be in that scene because I've done it before & thought I knew what to expect. Little did I know that this would change me. This would impact me forever.

When I showed up for my first rehearsal of this scene I was expecting to have an easy night. Don't get me wrong - I knew being in this scene would be hard just for the sheer nature of what it represents. However, I figured I would just be on stage "mourning" so to speak. When rehearsal started they started giving us direction.

Jeff (one of the Assistant Directors) started asking if any of us have been in the room as someone passed. To which I thought - yes. {sigh} That brings tears everytime at the very thought, so thinking of that will make tears flow easily.

Then, they started giving me a lot of direction. How many years have I been in the pageant? And, how did I not remember that Mary was an intricate part of this scene? I've heard the soundtrack a million times, but had forgotten.

Let's do a little refresher course from the scriptures that's basically the wording for the scene shall we? Here's an excerpt from John chapter 19:

25 ¶Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his ^amother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of ^bCleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the ^adisciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, ^bWoman, behold thy son!

27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy ^amother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

Did you catch that?

Did you read it the same way I did?

To me - reading that with this scene in mind I think - YIKES! How did I not remember? This scene is testing my acting abilities tremendously. (Or should I say lack of acting abilities?) Not only that, but how do you appropriately portray this part? Not only are you standing there watching as the Savior passes away....

...but, you're watching on as his Mother!!!

As a mother myself, I just can't begin to fathom this at all!! Thinking about this horrific act effects all of us in some way as it is, but this is different for me now. I think of Mary in a totally different way now - she had to watch these horrible acts happen to her son. Not her Savior - HER SON!

I think of that often while on stage & how my dad must have felt being in the room as Michael passed. Words just can't describe that event - for me - as a sister. I can't imagine how it was for him as a dad. And on Father's Day no less. I think this experience gives me a little bit of perspective. Let me say that again - A LITTLE BIT - because I, again, can't begin to fathom!

With that aside, I also feel a little bit of pressure. How do you give spirit to that scene? It's obviously a very important scene & I don't want to mess it up. I want to do it justice as well as give it the complete reverence & respect it deserves. Yet, it's hard to portray this beautiful woman & how she must have felt. This is an experience that I will never forget. One that will effect how I feel about this event forever. It has given me a new perspective & I am grateful for this opportunity.

Click on the "easter pageant" label for more stories through the years. ;)

PAGEANT 2011

As much as it pains me to do so, I'm going to go out of order for this one. I really wanted to be all caught up to focus on some pageant posts like I do every year. However, things don't go the way I plan. Things have been a little crazy, but that is a whole other post.

Pageant this year, of course, has been wonderful! We have a great family group. Although, we're still pretty partial to our family group we had a few years ago. Apparently, we all are, as everyone that was in that group keeps saying that was the best group ever & we want to boycott to be together again next year. It's definitely an amazing thing to be able to be on the temple grounds every night, portraying the most important story in history, and being with your family & friends! It just wouldn't be Easter without it.

This year I was actually quoted in an article seen HERE. It's quite hilarious actually since some of the info. was wrong. This cute girl is in my ward & was very excited to get this job. I recently spoke in church & told a pageant story about my dad & she remembered that & asked me a few more questions & if I would mind if she used me in her article. She got some of the numbers mixed up, but I don't have the heart to tell her. My dad played the Savior for 11 years, not 30. What's even funnier is that my mom said almost the exact same Easter quote as me in an article when I was about 7. I guess I'm like my mother.

This year one of the Roman Soldiers gave us copies of a bunch of his photos from the years. This year he took a lot of behind the scenes shots that I love from the angel stage. Such as: the tents set up for Super Saturday rehearsal, the 3 Wise Men staffs, baskets of flowers & fruit props, etc. I love the details of things.

One of our rehearsal nights was rainy & freezing!!! It was pretty miserable. Luckily, we had awesome people in our family that brought a pop-up canopy & portable heaters. We also love being around some of our favorite people - the Crosland's! The girls just adore them & especially they're little girl Castle. We've had a wonderful pageant year indeed!!

If you want to read more pageant stories you can always click on the Easter Pageant label link. Lots of stories I know you're all dying to read! ;)

DETAILS

I have been through 5 different directors in the Easter Pageant & I love & respect each one of them for their different views on things. Nanci Wudel is no exception! Maybe because I'm an adult now I'm more aware of things, but I don't remember a director so attuned to details as her. It amazes me the things she thinks of. Maybe it's because she has a larger team of assistant directors than any other director has had - maybe not. Whatever the case, she's wonderful! Here's just a couple of examples...

{1.} Once the Last Supper scene has started she asks for complete silence backstage all the way through the Crucifixion scene out of respect for the sacredness of those scenes. Obviously, this is quite difficult with a cast of 400 - including a few kdis!! But, amazingly enough, it is pretty quiet backstage. We make a huge effort to keep our girls quiet during those scenes to follow the rules, show repsect & just to have them listen & try to grasp what is happening.

{2.} We have a lady in our family group this year that's been in the Pageatn for 5 years now. She is in the Crucifixion scene this year. (I was in that scene once & it's just as hard as you would imagine!) She was telling me a little attention to detail that was not envoked when I was in it. When the men on the crosses get off there is someone waiting their for them with a blanket to put over them. (That way they're not walking half naked backstage to the dressing tents.) That has always been the way it works for as long as I can remember. However, this is new...

She told me that when the man that plays the Savior on the cross gets off the man that plays Judas waits for him to hand him his blanket. What an amazing image to see every night!! That really struck me as an awesome detail!! One that was given thought & is probably wonderful for the man that has to portray Judas. I'm sure that is a difficult role.

SPEAKERS

There are many things I love about being in the Easter Pageant. One of the things I love are the devotionals. We have a devotional every night before a performance. With cast notes from the directors, a speaker & a special musical number. The musical numbers are my favorite. They always find the best in town! Especially these guys: three2u - they're amazing! I may not be a huge fan of this type of music, but these men are all in the pageant. When they stand up to sing in their costumes there's usually not a dry eye in the house. They really are wonderful!

As far as speakers go, we've had our share of special visitors. Last year we were priviledged to hear from Elder Hinckley. (President Hinckley's son) I have other stories in my Easter Pageant label of other speakers through the years as well. This year, however, it seems like we've had more than normal already.


THURSDAY night we heard from Elder David Ellsworth LeSueur.
He's a member of the Seventy & from Gilbert. He told a great story that Elder Oaks told him. It went something like this (I don't remember it word for word, so this is the gist of it)...


Elder Oaks had a conversation with one of his young sons....


SON: Dad, do you remember the profound question I asked you the other night?


ELDER OAKS: No, what was it?


SON: I don't remember either. I was hoping you would. All I remember was your answer.


ELDER OAKS: What was my answer?


SON: That you KNOW that Jesus lived & that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God.


WOW!!! What greater lesson could he have taught his son? I love how the question was not remembered by him. Just the all important answer! I hope I am able to have the same impact with my own kids some day.



THURSDAY night also brought some political visitors to the Pageant. They weren't part of the devotional, just part of the audience. There were some legislative members, or so I was told, as well as the Governor - Jan Brewer.

What I thought was interesting about this was that after the Pageant was over the director, Nanci Wudel, asked her what she thought. She told Nanci that everyone in the state of Arizona needs to see this Pageant. That's kind of cool!


FRIDAY night brought another area Seventy. Elder Spencer V. Jones.
A good ol' Safford boy. He mentioned how he was just a common man. Just like everyone else. Only he had a very uncommon calling. He told all of us that we were also common people with an uncommon calling at this time. As a cast member, most may not know this, we are actually set apart as such. This is a calling we each have for a month. This is something new that they do & I think it's great. It really does help.


Again, I LOVE being in the Pageant. It is a huge time commitment, but I can't fathom not being involved. When we lived in Vegas & weren't able to participate Easter was really strange for me. Looking back I realize how my focus was so different about the holiday not being around the Pageant. I feel so blessed to be able to continue this tradition that started with my Grandparents long ago with my girls & have these experiences. It helps keep things in perspective!

JAY

Jadyn is priviledged enough to be able to play the "Dead Girl" this year. She's loving it!! She does such a good job. She asks Kylie for advice on what to do. The first time she did it at rehearsal that everyone got to see she immediately asked Kylie how she did once she saw her. It was so cute! Jadyn really loves the fact that she now gets to go to make-up. If you know Jay then you know that this is Heaven for her!!

I absolutely LOVE this picture....

It melts my heart & let me tell you why. If you look closely you'll see she has a dot on her chin. We love her dot! It's become our tradition that as soon as Erik picks her up to prepare to carry her up the ramp we each kiss her dot before going on stage. Again, we LOVE her dot & feel so blessed to be able to have this experience with her this year!!

SATURDAYS

Pageant is in full swing again. As always, I can't believe it's been a year already. We absolutely LOVE Pageant time. Sure, it's a big commitment & a lot of work, but what better way to spend time with your family then spending every night on the temple grounds portraying the life of the Savior?!

Here's a couple of pics from our Super Saturday rehearsals...

I usually find some little coloring activities to bring for the girls to do during our down time. Here they are showing they're spoils...

E relaxing with his Pringles close at hand. It's become a tradition to have Pringles at these rehearsals. It's just what we do. Along with having Cadbury Mini Eggs at our night rehearsals. (We can thank Allison for that tradition! ;))

Here's the girls with some of their Pageant friends (Gabriella & Ivy). These cute girls are sisters, too & the same age as our girls. The older girl asked Kylie all of the time last year some tricks on being the "Dead Girl". She wanted that part so badly. I'm sure she was heartbroken when she didn't get it this year. Sad for her, but Jadyn's loving it!!

As always, click on the Easter Pageant label if you want more stories. I'll try not to bore you all this year with my stories.

Easter Pageant FHE

Tonight was our Easter Pageant Family Home Evening. It was so fun to see everyone again. It's only been a couple of weeks since Pageant ended, but in some ways it seems like so long ago. We miss seeing our friends every night. This is a picture of us with the Jackson family...

they are AWESOME!! We just love them. Unfortunately, I wasn't very quick with my camera, so this is the only picture we got of people tonight. Hopefully, we can keep in touch better with people this year. We were so lucky to have such a wonderful family group this year. They will all be missed! We had a fun night of food & wonderful singing entertainment. We're already looking forward to next year!

FRIENDS

Pageant is now over. It's always a bitter sweet ending. We are excited to have things, hopefully, be a little less chaotic. To have a little more time to breathe. But, we will miss being on the temple grounds everynight & we will especially miss all of our new friends. As I've said before we are placed in family groups every year. This year we were lucky enough to have the best family group ever! We truly enjoyed everyone in it. Here's a fun photo of our family group....

We will miss our friends. The girls loved playing with this guy..

His name is Bryan Crosland & he plays John the Baptist. He's even John the Baptist in the Reflections of Christ photos. He is an awesome guy. He got married this past year to Lindsay who is equally as cool. Our girls loved to go on stage with Lindsay whenever they could. Bryan was nice enough to watch Jadyn for us half the time while we were doing Kylie's scene. It was his favorite scene to watch so he was always watching us on side stage & he would lift Jadyn up so she could watch us.

This is brother & sister powerhouse Ryan & Brooke Jackson...

They are quite possibly some of the coolest people in the world. I joked with Ryan the last night that I wasn't saying good-bye to him because he's going to be my brother-in-law soon. I want him to marry my sister Stephanie because he's so dang awesome! They were so nice to our girls & keep asking to come babysit them for us. What 20 year olds want to babysit? Our girls sat by them as much as they could & they were glad to hang out with them. Poor Brooke had a hurt knee. She ended up being on crutches during performances & went on stage when she could. She used a brown cane to go on stage with. Hopefully it heals for her soon because she has a scholarship to UofA for basketball.

Then, of course, is the men who played the Savior. Tyler Maxson played the Savior on the spanish nights & he was so fun. He was always telling us how wonderful Kylie was & how she liked to help him out. This was his first year & he said Kylie would give him his cues to let him know when to do things. Silly girl! Robert Allen is the other one & he is wonderful. He just looks the part. That's probably why he gets his picture taken a lot. wink, wink He is such a nice guy & was so nice to my girls. They loved to run up to him & say hi any chance they could like little groupies. Here's some pics of them...

The last night is always an emotional night, but this one took the cake. The devotional is always a tough one. The directors & everyone on the stage sang "Love One Another" to the cast which lead to everyone in the cast eventually standing up & singing with them. Always a tear jerker. We were lucky enough to hear from Elder Mask of the Seventy on the last night. Elder Anderson that was just placed in the Seventy during the last conference spoke to us on Friday night. The hardest part, however, was Kylie's scene. We've been telling Kylie all year that this is more than likely her last year because she's just too big. So, when she jumped into Erik's arms that last time & he gave her his usual kiss for good luck - Erik started crying. Which, in turn, made me cry. So, those that were in the audience that night wondering - yes, we had real tears on this performance. Kylie did wonderful, of course. When I was walking off the stage Joe Tenney (he plays the male narrator) gave me a loving little nod. He's such a cool guy.

When we, Erik & I, walk off stage I go to pick up Jay & Erik picks up Kylie & then we meet for Triumphal Entry. When Kylie came walking up to me she was crying. She just told me that she didn't want it to be her last time. She made it through the scene & then we went back to our group. She spent the rest of the pageant sobbing in my arms. She was so sad that it was over. Right before we had to go up for finale she went to give Brooke a hug & completely lost it again in Brooke's arms. She will really miss pageant more than anyone. She just loves it! And loves all of her friends their.

I just have to quickly comment on the weather. It was a rainy day on the last day - which jsut made for a crazy day on many levels. The rain stopped a little before the pageant, but it was cold. When walking to devotional after make-up I took this picture....

If you look close you can faintly see a rainbow to the left of the tall palm trees on the left of the temple. It was brighter in real life, but I love this picture. It was a cold, cold night, but one we won't forget in a long time. Hopefully, we will be lucky enough to be cast again next year. We look forward to seeing everyone at our FHE party in a couple of weeks!!!

VOICES

Every night we love to listen to the voices in the soundtrack of people we know. Just for kicks I wanted to jot them down....

John the Beloved - Brett Hallows (Brett's my uncle. Not technically, but we love that family!!)
Accusing Woman (accuser of Peter) - Becky Burgess (Becky has been involved with the Pageant probably longer than we have. She has an amazing family. This was also the only line I've ever had in the Pageant back in 1998)
Judas - Chip Boynton (Chip played the Savior one year & became the Director the next year for one year. He cast my Dad as the Savior for the first time. He's also the Dad of my good friend Melanie!
Pilot - Lund Johnson (Lund was the Director for a few years & was a riot!! He also directed the Hill Cumorah Pageant.)

I remember as a kid after one of our Easter Pageant cast firesides going into a courtyard of the old church building on 1st St. & being asked to help with the soundtrack. The men yelled for the mob scene - which my Dad told me last night that if you listen close you can hear my Grandpa Organ pretty well. Funny! If I'm not mistaken we even recorded the Triumphal Entry background crowd noise. I just remember doing a few scenes & it was all the crowd scenes. Maybe even the Cleansing of the Temple scene. Either way - somewhere lost in the crowd is my tiny little kid voice.

BACKSTAGE

This is a snapshot of the backstage area of the pageant. I love how organized everything is into "family groups". When I was young we didn't have groups - or even chairs like this that I can remember. Everyone brought their own stuff & mostly blankets. They had trailers lining the back area instead of a fence & most people hung out in the trailors to change if they could. Especially if it was cold. But, the backstage was just a big party. I remember just running around playing with my friends. Things are a lot different now. Sometimes different is hard, but sometimes it's good. Here's a few things I love about the backstage....

I love how Nancy requests total silence from the Last Supper scene until the end. To give respect for the seriousness of those scenes. It's not always silent, but pretty close considering there's around 400 people sitting back their. Some of which are running around for their scenes. It's obviously quite hard for my girls to be silent, but they do pretty well.

I love watching the angels make a human chain to keep people off the sidewalk after the baptism scene. Robert (or Tyler - whoever's playing the Savior that night) has to run from one side of the stage to the other in a dead sprint. In order to make sure no one gets in his way the angels all line up to remind people to stay away. It's pretty neat to see a long line of white wrapped around from one side of the stage to the other.

Last year our group was near the south side of the stage. I liked being able to watch the torches being lit & then being put out after the betrayal scenes. They have a Polynesian fire dancer in charge of the torches. This guy seems so cool. He brings his guitar every night to sing & play while he's sitting under the stage. (Before the pageant starts. He doesn't play during the pageant.)

We've had fun this year waiting for the end of the Conspiracy Scene. We've just ran back to our seats from Triumphal Entry when that scene is already ending. Then, we get to hear my Dad's bells on his costume & we love watching him walk by. He comes out one side of the stage & then has to enter at the other side of the stage.

Most importantly I love our little routine when getting ready for Kylie's scene. I wear the same capris under my costume because they have big pockets that I can place a brush & a hair wax stick in. Once the Healing & Teaching scene is over we run to our spot to get ready. While waiting for our cue I re-brush Kylie's hair & try to smooth it out. Then, shove the items back in my capris. When the Jesus & The Children song starts Erik lifts Kylie into his arms while I hold her hair out of the way. We remind her to do big arms & legs & he gives her kisses. We tell her good luck & then to go limp. I let go of her hair & kiss her forhead in time to hold little the curtain to the side to let them out. I'm sure going to miss this. I can't imagine they'll let Kylie be this again next year because she's just so big. Maybe Jadyn will be lucky next.

I know these stories may be boring to a lot of you. But, it's been important to me to document as much as I can. Especially since stories from when I was young keep getting a little mixed up & no one can remember some things. I want to remember these stories & when they happened 20 years down the road.

DEVOTIONAL

One of the many things I love about Easter Pageant is the devotionals. We have a devotional every evening before a performance. It gives the directors a time to give notes & encouragement. Someone from the Pageant Presidency or the Missionary Dept. shares their testimony as well. My favorite part, however, is that every night they have a special musical number. The other night we were priviledged enough to hear from the Roberts sisters. They were in the Pageant with us when I was a kid. Their mom was the original voice for "Mary's Lullaby". They were truly wonderful.

We also have devotional in our family groups backstage. Last night was my turn & I condensed & paraphrased this talk by Elder Boyd K. Packer. I wanted to put it on here because I want to remember this talk. ENJOY!!

FEED MY SHEEP

Imagine that our bishop has appointed you and me to plan a picnic for all of the ward members. It is to be the finest social in the history of the ward, and we are to spare no expense.
We reserve a beautiful picnic ground in the country. We are to have it all to ourselves; no outsiders will interfere with us.

The arrangements go very well, and when the day comes, the weather is perfect. All is beautifully ready. The tables are in one long row. We even have tablecloths and china. You have never seen such a feast. The Relief Society and Young Women have outdone themselves. The tables are laden with every kind of delicious food: grapes, cantaloupes, watermelon, corn on the cob, fried chicken, hamburgers, cakes, pies—you get the picture?

We are seated, and the bishop calls upon the patriarch to bless the food. Every hungry youngster secretly hopes it will be a short prayer.

Then, just at that moment there is an interruption. A noisy old car jerks into the picnic grounds and sputters to a stop close to us. We are upset. Didn’t they see the “reserved” signs?
A worried-looking man lifts the hood; a spout of steam comes out. One of our brethren, a mechanic, says, “That car isn’t going anywhere until it is fixed.”

Several children spill from the car. They are ragged, dirty, and noisy. And then an anxious mother, leaving the car, takes a box to that extra table nearby. It is mealtime. Their children are hungry. She puts a few leftovers on the table. Then she nervously moves them about, trying to make it look like a meal for her brood. But there is not enough.

We wait impatiently for them to quiet down so we can have the blessing and enjoy our feast.
Then one of their little girls spies our table. She pulls her runny-nosed little brother over to us and pushes her head between you and me. We cringe aside, because they are very dirty. Then the little girl says, “Ummm, look at that. Ummm, ummm, I wonder what that tastes like.”
Everyone is waiting. Why did they arrive just at that moment? Such an inconvenient time. Why must we interrupt what we are doing to bother with outsiders? Why couldn’t they have stopped somewhere else? They are not clean! They are not like us. They just don’t fit in.

Three choices

Since the bishop has put us in charge, he expects us to handle these intruders. What should we do? Of course, this is only a parable. If it really happened, my young friends, what would you do?
I will give you three choices.

First, you could insist the intruders keep their children quiet while we have the blessing. Thereafter we ignore them. After all, we reserved the place.

I doubt that you would do that. Could you choke down a feast before hungry children? Surely we are better than that! That is not the answer.

The next choice. There is that extra table. And we do have too much of some things. We could take a little of this and a little of that and lure the little children back to their own table. Then we could enjoy our feast without interruption. After all, we earned what we have. Did we not obtain it by [our own] industry, as the Book of Mormon says? (see Alma 4:6).

I hope you would not do that. There is a better answer. You already know what it is.

We should go to them and invite them to come and join us. You could slide that way, and I could slide this way, and the little girl could sit between us. They could all fit in somewhere to share our feast. Afterward, we will fix their car and provide something for their journey.

Could there be more pure enjoyment than seeing how much we could get those hungry children to eat? Could there be more satisfaction than to interrupt our festivities to help our mechanic fix their car?

Is that what you would do? Surely it is what you should do. But forgive me if I have a little doubt; let me explain.

Called to be missionaries

We, as members of the Church, have the fulness of the gospel. Every conceivable manner of spiritual nourishment is ours. Every part of the spiritual menu is included. It provides an unending supply of spiritual strength. Like the widow’s cruse of oil, it is replenished as we use it and shall never fail (see 1 Kgs. 17:8–16).

And yet, there are people across the world and about us—our neighbors, our friends, some in our own families—who, spiritually speaking, are undernourished. Some of them are starving to death!

If we keep all this to ourselves, it is not unlike feasting before those who are hungry.
We are to go to them and invite them to join us. We are to be missionaries.

It does not matter if it interrupts your schooling or delays your career or your marriage—or basketball. Unless you have a serious health problem, every Latter-day Saint young man should answer the call to serve a mission. Even mistakes and transgressions must not stand in the way. You should make yourself worthy to receive a call.

The early Apostles at first did not know the gospel was for everyone, for the Gentiles. Then Peter had a vision. He saw a vessel full of all kinds of creatures and was commanded to kill and to eat. But he refused, saying they were common and unclean. Then the voice said, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15). That vision, and the experience they had immediately following, convinced them of their duty; thus began the great missionary work of all Christianity.

Almost any returned missionary will have a question: “If they are starving spiritually, why do they not accept what we have? Why do they slam the door on us and turn us away?”
One of my sons was serving in Australia and was thrown off a porch by a man who rejected his message.

My son is big enough and strong enough that he had to be somewhat agreeable to what was happening or the man never could have done it.

Be patient if some will not eat when first invited. Remember, all who are spiritually hungry will not accept the gospel. Do you remember how reluctant you are to try any new food? Only after your mother urges you will you take a little, tiny portion on the tip of a spoon to taste it to see if you like it first.

Undernourished children must be carefully fed; so it is with the spiritually underfed. Some are so weakened by mischief and sin that to begin with they reject the rich food we offer. They must be fed carefully and gently.

Some are so near spiritual death that they must be spoon-fed on the broth of fellowship, or nourished carefully on activities and programs. As the scriptures say, they must have milk before meat (see 1 Cor. 3:2; D&C 19:22). But we must take care lest the only nourishment they receive thereafter is that broth.

But feed them we must. We are commanded to preach the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. That message, my young friends, appears more than 80 times in the scriptures.

PICS

On the last Saturday rehearsal it is tradition to let the cast come onto the stage early to take some photos. Not everyone does, but we do! Here's some pics of our family....

Here's some pictures of my Dad's costume. They really went all out for this one!

They had a guy come from Salt Lake to help with the wigs this year that has worked in Hollywood & has even won some Emmy's for his work. He won an Emmy for "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman" & worked on "Santa Clause 3",, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", and "Pirates of the Carribean". His name is Karl Wesson & he did a great job making my dad look like Santa Clause. That's what my girls think anyway with the white hair & the jingle bells on the bottom of his costume. (They're actually small cow bells.) My dad actually did some research about his character & the costume & found that it's VERY accurate. Maybe we can get him to post that info. wink, wink Anyway, enjoy...

WIND

Last night was REALLY windy. As I'm sure most of you that live here in AZ know. It made for a miserable rehearsal for me. Contacts & dusty wind DO NOT mix. Luckily, Nancy was kind to us & let us go home a little early. Last night was the first night I was EXTREMELY grateful for my headpiece/veil. It kept my hair from blowing in my face all night. Plus, I basically hid my face behind it all night to keep the wind from blowing in my face. It was YUCKY!!

On a happier note - we got Kylie to make-up early enough that I got to go into the room & snap a few pics of her. She loves going in & chatting with the ladies that do her make-up. (I know, big surprise!) The timing was so that she got to stay in their a little longer while the make-up crew had their nightly devotional & prayer. Pretty cool for a little kid!

Here's just a fun shot of the fam in their costumes...

Erik was lucky enough to get the same costume as last year. Oh - and here's what happens when your 5 year old wants to take a picture of her Papa & his fake beard....



(Don't kill me Dad!)





Silly kid. We'll get some better ones. One cool thing did happen last night. Well, cool for Kylie. At the end of the rehearsal Nancy had the cast clap for Kylie (& the little "cripple boy" in her scene) saying how WONDERFUL they are. She does a great job with her part & we're so proud to be the parents of such a great "DEAD GIRL"!

ANGELS

At tonights practice we were talking about the angels. I was telling the girls about how I was an angel once. A LONG, LONG time ago. I was also telling them about how the angel stage slants downward & is a little scary when your turning & the wind is blowing. After this little conversation we proceeded to line up for our scene. We were still watching the angels up top & I asked Kylie if she would like to be an angel someday. To which she replied, "yes". Next was Jadyn. I asked her if she would like to be an angel someday as well. She told me, "Yes. And I want to be a foolish dancer like you were, too mom".** Erik & I were dying. Maybe it's one of those 'you had to be their moments', but we thought it was funny. Was that suppose to be a compliment?

When we got home & were getting ready for bed we asked Jadyn what she wanted if she got straight A's at the end of the year. We bribe Kylie all the time to try harder & raise her grades. Jadyn consistently gets straight A's, so she gets sad that she doesn't get anything. We promised her that if she got straight A's at the end of the year we'd do something big for her. We asked her what she wanted & this is what she told us...
"I want my room changed, a new computer, an ipod, and a cell phone." WHAT?!?! To which Erik replied, "How old are you?" She's 5 going on 16. YIKES!!

SATURDAY

We had another full day of rehearsals this past Saturday in the heat. (Erik & I have some red faces to prove it.) Here's just a few pics of my Dad on stage practicing his parts. He ended up getting a pretty large part this year. He said it's a little more than he bargained for. He jokes around that he's getting too old for this stuff. Just remember how old Brother Chapman was Dad. You're nothing!! This is the boy Jesus scene where he's teaching the priests....

This is the betrayal scene where Judas tells the soldiers he will kiss the Savior so they will know who he is.....

I couldn't get any pictures of us because I'm always on stage when my family is. So, Padre gets to take center stage in this post. Here's a picture in our canopy again since the one from last week didn't have my Dad in it.


When we're not needed on stage this is where we hang out. The girls color, read, and eat their little hearts out all day. This second Saturday is pretty cool. We have little meetings with missionaries who teach us how to talk to people in the audience. My favorite part is at the end of our time with them they all gather on stage & sing to us. SO COOL!!

And to top the spiritual day off right you know we drove by Target on the way home to buy TWILIGHT! I think I purposefully put the date in the back of my head so that I wouldn't get myself all worked up & too excited for it to come. That makes for a LONG waiting time. But, Erik reminded me all of the time. And he was all worried about getting it before they were sold out. He informed me about midnight parties, but I wasn't that crazy! We even watched it as soon as we got home. I was going to wait to watch it that night, but Erik wanted to watch it right then. Secretly, I think he really likes it. He doesn't say he doesn't like it, but I think he likes it more than he lets on!

PAGEANT TIME

What did you do this past weekend?



As for us, we started Easter Pageant rehearsals - WAHOO!!! We love Easter Pageant time & can hardly believe it's been a year already. It's marks the time for orange blossoms to fragrant the air & beards to make an appearance on the men. The first rehearsal is always on a Saturday & usually a day event. We had a meeting at 10:30am & then headed over to the grounds & practiced until 4:00pm.

Here's my family under our canopy. This is where we hang out when we're not needed on stage.

It's quite funny actually to see all of the canopies out on the grounds on these Saturday rehearsals. But, with the fact that we live in Arizona & out in the sun all day they are needed. (How do you like Jay's pose in this picture EmmaLee?)

The meetings, however, are UNBELIEVABLE to say the least! They have a special musical number come to every meeting/devotional & they take great care on choosing outstanding people & numbers! Plus, just the sheer spirit in the room always brings a tear to my eye. And the congregational hymns are something that would impress anyone. In most wards people sing just barely loud enough that the person next to you can't hear you sing. At least, that's what I do since I can't carry a tune. I try to sing just loud enough that I can't even hear myself sing. But, here, with this group of people I can sing out loud & it doesn't matter. It always takes my breathe away to hear this congregation sing because it's just amazing! (Mom - it would even take your breathe away - trust me!)



We even talked my Dad into being in it again this year with us. It's been a few years since he's been in it. (Mimi was going to do it as well, but had some other commitments come up that she couldn't do it after all. :( ) My Dad has sounded a little worried about the time & the fact that he lives in Maricopa now & will have quite the drive late at night. But, I could tell, that once he was their - he realized how much he's missed it & was extremely happy to be their. Am I right Dad? I even spotted a tear or two come to his eyes during the meeting.



Pageant's been such a big part of our lives & I'm so grateful for the experience it is every year. Now, I'm lucky enough to share that with my girls. They get into it more than I do now - which is great! Kylie will tell everyone our life history of the Pageant upon first introduction. I think she's quite proud of her "Pageant heritage" if I'm not mistaken. It just makes Easter more meaningful than just dealing with the Easter Bunny. In fact, the Easter Bunny barely makes an appearance at our house. Easter is focused on the true meaning with us. That's the way it was for me as a kid & it's something I want for my girls as well.



Last year I posted a bunch of Pageant stories. If you want, click HERE to read those & scroll down a little bit to the month of March. It's our little family tradition to head to Bahama Buck's after these Saturday rehearsals to cool off a little & our girls get a little silly! They love to watch there mouths turn colors from the shaved ice. (Soon Ruby - soon you'll be eating here with me!!!)

GO CARDS!!

In honor of the Cardinals participating in the Super Bowl this weekend I'd like to post this little picture...
This is Erik with Deuce Lutui. He's a Guard for the Cardinal's & he was in the Easter Pageant in 2007. He was so nice to take this picture. I asked if he would mind taking a picture with Erik & he said,"No - can I take MY picture with this guy? Check out this costume." I'd love to see the Cardinals win if it was just for his sake because he seems like such a nice guy! GO CARDS!!!

FAVORITES

As Pageant comes to an end I now tell the end of my stories. Try not to be too sad - even though some of you may be jumping for joy that this will end. But, now I will reflect on my 3 favorite scenes to be in:

3. The 10 Virgin dance. I know this one's a shocker for you all, but I love this scene. I was in it for 5 years. I was foolish twice & wise 3 times. I've been through multpile choreographers, 2 different dances & 3 sets of costumes. Still to this day - I love this scene & it will forever hold a special place in my heart. I watch it everynight while waiting for my cue with Kylie & feel sad that I'm not still up there. Oh the glory days!

2. The Jesus & the Children Scene. I remember the first year this was introduced into the Pageant. It was the first year my dad played Jesus. Also, the first year for Chip Boynton to be the Director. What a truly inspired scene this was for Chip to add. (Not to mention that he has the coolest daughter - my good friend to this day Melanie. Yes, one of my best friend's is named Melanie.) I loved it back when I was in it as a kid & I love it even more now. During our first rehearsal last year for this scene I remember just crying when I first heard the music. I hadn't heard it in 8 years because we were out of state & being able to hear it again just moved me. It reminded me instantly of how wonderful Pageant is & how powerful this scene is. Being in this scene with Erik & Kylie is beyond words. When we were cast in this scene last year with Chandler Wolfe as our daughter for the scene (she was the Dead Girl last year) it was fun. But, it so much more meaningful to have Kylie be with us & she does such a wonderful job on her part. I'm so proud of her!

1. Mary Magdalene Scene: I know the previous should be my favorite, but I cannot tell a lie. This scene is the best to me! The last year I was in the Pageant before moving out of state I was lucky enought to be in this scene. I say this because I showed up to auditions sick. I could barely even stand - let alone dance & couldn't complete the audition process. I was devastated! The next day I went to the doctor & found out I had strep throat pretty bad. Before rehearsals started - I was cast as an accuser of Peter & a mourner in the Crucifixion scene - I received a call from the choreographer Melanie Reynolds saying that someone had to back out due to scheduling conflicts & would I be able to take her part? Well, YEAH! She was also cast to be one of the friends of Mary Magdalene to dance with here upon seeing the resurrected Savior. JACKPOT FOR MEL!! This was the best year for me - I loved being so involved! (I know that's a shocker for you all.) But, in all seriousness, there is no way to describe what it was like for me to be in this scene. Portraying my love of the Savior through dance. Towards the end of the scene the 3 friends of Mary Magdalene & Mary would go to the front of the stage & reach up toward Heaven on the words "He Lives"! Still to this day it sends joy to my heart hearing that phrase in the song & remembering what it was like to be in that part expressing to the audience the truthfulness of that statement. I know I keep saying this, but there's just not words to describe how wonderful that experience was for me.

As Pageant comes to and end - I am sad. Yet happy as well. We are tired this year. But, it is always worth the late nights & long days. It's an experience I am so grateful to have. I am forever thankful to my parents for starting the tradition & to my Dad for continuing it even through the tough times. I truly don't think I would be who I am without it. That may sound silly, but it's such a big part of my life. Easter was never about the Easter Bunny & easter baskets for us. It was always about portraying the life of the Savior & walking in his shoes. That's why it's been so important to me to have my own girls have this experience. I want them to live the true meaning of Easter as I did. Hopefully it will be as meaningful to them as it has been to me. Happy Easter to all & always remember:
"HE LIVES"

CLIFFORD

Why do I write about Clifford the Big Red Dog you ask amongst all of my Pageant experiences? Well, because Clifford came to Peageant with us the other night to meet some "Pageant celebrities". Jadyn's preschool class has Clifford as their class pet. When it's their turn to take Clifford home they write in a book upon returning it back to school about what adventures they had. So, we thought it would be fun to take him to the Easter Pageant & take some photos for the book. When we asked Jadyn who she wanted to take a picture with Clifford with she always said, "the Centurion!" Which is so funny since He's not someone we know or really see all that much. But, that's who she wanted. So, here's the pic...



















Then, we have our dear sweet "chocolate lady" as Jadyn calls her. We have to remind her everynight that her name is Melanie. Melanie Conway is so sweet & brings chocolate coins in her pouch everynight & passes them out to the children in the audience while she walks around. If she has leftovers she's so nice & usually looks for my girls to give them one. Melanie also handles all of the decorating of the stage as far as the plants & even painted all of the rock work on the walls. She's amazing!!



















And last, but certainly not least, is Doug. He plays the Savior on the spanish nights & even a couple of English nights. He's so nice to the girls. He has such a fun sweet spirit about him. My girls just think he's awesome!



















Then, upon browsing the internet one night, I found these photos in somone's photobook that I just had to share. First, the ascension. Just because it's cool.



















Then, is my lovely Kylie doing her part. I wish I could get my hands on this picture. I LOVE IT!! She's doing such a wonderful job with her part!

SILLINESS

One year (1993ish) L. Tom Perry came to see the Pageant. We have a devotional every night as a cast before a performance. Truly one of the best parts of being in the Pageant. They're so inspiring! Upon arriving at our cast devotional & walking into the building how was he to know that a strange little teenager would be walking down the hall looking at her feet. Well, that was me & what happened? Yep! Bumped right into him. Imagine my shock as I look up & see I just ran into L. Tom Perry. WOOPS! Sorry! It was a neat devotional & they even asked my Dad to come sit on the stand next to him. Which of course sent my Dad into tears at the opportunity to sit next to such a wonderful man. Then, we perform our show - all went well. Afterwards I head out to the crowd - still looking at my feet of course. (I have some real self esteem issues!) I walk around & bump right into someone again. Who was it? You betcha - L. Tom Perry again! He just laughed.