Deck the Halls

...with bows of holly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Tis the season to be jolly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Follow me in merry measure,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Strike the harp and join the chorus,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Sing we joyous, all together,

Fa la la la la, la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Adeste Fideles

This week McKay and I had the privilege of putting together a Christmas program and performing it at the Los Angeles Temple Visitors' Center.

We narrated the nativity story with songs in between.  It was mostly cello and harp duets, but we also played a few solos.

Before the concert we joked that we would be happy if just one person showed up, thinking not many people would attend, but we were overwhelmed with joy when 250 came instead!  

If you are interested, here is a little snippit from our concert.  It was taken by my photography camera, so the sound is not great.  And there were quite a few kiddos in the audience, but we love when kids come to our concerts, so it is a happy noise ; )

The concert went wonderfully and we were just happy that a few friends and strangers stopped by to listen.

After the concert we were craving some In N' Out, however it was packed and we were possibly a little underdressed for the joint, so we indulged in our fav addiction!
Sushi!

Delicious as always!

Concert number 2 down, 5 more to go!
I'm glad I just finished this post too because now I have to run to concert number 3!
Wish me luck!

Dinner and a Show

It's concertizing time!

Following in the footsteps of both our families' musical traditions, McKay and I have magically emerged as the McTrapp Family this holiday season (Minus the fighting, and wailing and gnashing of teeth enjoyed during rehearsals in McKay's household - McKay's mom was a saint to run rehearsals with seven children!)  That's right, besides being a PhD student, aspiring Top Gun, and awesome husband, McKay is a very talented and accomplished cellist.  So, from now until the end of this year, we have been invited to play in a variety of performances, ranging from solos to 45 minute programs.  We couldn't be more honored or excited!  Music is something near and dear to our hearts that lifts our spirits and renews our souls, so bring on the concerts!

 Since I played a solo for this evening's performance, McKay, bless his heart, was so sweet to make dinner while I got ready for the concert.

What a gourmand, eh!  I guess it helps that he lived in Italy for a while.  It was so yummy!  I'm grateful McKay decided to cook again despite his little mishap in the kitchen.

After getting all dolled up we snapped a few shots before the performance...

(Yea, those jackets definitely came off right after these pictures! -- It's still not cold here!)

And then we were off!

...And here's the part where you enjoy the photos from the performance with me up on stage gently resting my hand on the harp preparing to bow...wait a minute...ok, we may have forgotten to take photos at the performance!  Lucky for you, we remembered upon returning home after the performance, so here is the glamorous shot of me wheeling in my harp.  

I guess we were chatting it up a bit too much...No, actually, I think the refreshments afterwards was our real hang up - I love after performance food!  At least the performance went great and all the individual performers were amazing!  Great job everyone!  

Just so you guys know, in case you didn't, McKay really is the best!  As I said, he made me dinner AND helped me move my harp!  What a guy!  I'm so grateful to his sister too for training him to move harps because he is a pro now!  There's nothing more attractive than a harp-movin' husband!

Mmmm...I love this man!