Photo Shoot

A few weeks ago we had a photo shoot with the talented Brady Burrell and Bret Applonie. It's their handiwork that adorns the top of this blog and our Facebook page. Brady and Bret took us over to a fruit orchard of some kind, in the early morning hours of a Saturday when the light was still soft and temperatures cool. Apparently that's important in the photography world for getting good shots. Here's a few more shots to accompany the ones you've already seen. We had a great time and laughed a lot. And boy, didn't they make us look good?

Here's a few outtakes when they caught us mid-joke or something equally silly. And we've also learned that it's never a good thing to ask me to make a non-smiling, pleasant face. Because apparently I just look annoyed. Hmmm.

-Sarah

Changes...

There have been some changes with Higher Ground.
Big ones.
And I know that not all that long ago we sprung a new name on you.
That was pretty major.
What could be bigger than that?
Well...
Rather than a quintet, we are now a trio.

(We'll let that soak in for a minute or two....)

Maybe you saw this coming based on the new pictures that adorn our blog site.
But if you weren't looking all that closely, let me fill you in.

Higher Ground now is comprised of Sarah, Kami and Julie.

Life is always full of change....
And we are often looking for ways to better ourselves, to fulfill dreams, to live more meaningful and authentic lives.
Sometimes we have to make sacrifices.
Sometimes we have to change priorities.

At the end of March Stephanie and Catrina made the difficult decision to leave Higher Ground.
As amazing as this past inaugural year of Higher Ground had been, at times it has perhaps taken a toll on our families, on our health, on our own personal dreams.
Stephanie and Catrina made the choice to step back, take a break and re-evaluate where they wanted to go, what they wanted to do.
That they both still will perform and keep up with their music, there is no doubt. They are following their hearts but even more than that, they are following what they feel is the will of the Lord.

Kami, Julie and I have decided to continue on. And though we miss Catrina and Stephanie keenly and are tremendously thankful for the shared experiences, friendship and love....we are excited about our new direction.
Because though this came as a bit of a surprise, we too feel, just like Catrina and Stephanie, that this is God's will.

So stay tuned. We have upcoming performances we are working on. We are anticipating wonderful new opportunities and experiences. We are so excited to continue to share our love of the gospel and our love of music!

Come to Jesus

Come to Jesus when you hunger for a feast that satisfies. 

Come to Jesus when you wonder why your spirit's running dry.

He will feed you from His table, living water He will pour,

till you're filled with bread of life and your soul will thirst no more.

So, if you hunger, come. Come to Jesus.

Come to Jesus when you're weary of the burdens you must bear.

Come to Jesus when you're fearful and your heart is in despair.

He will ease the load you carry by the power of His hand.

As you lean on Him for strength you will find that you can stand.

So, if you're weary, come. Come to Jesus.

Come and claim the Savior's grace.

Seek for Him and you will find yourself in His embrace.

Come to Jesus when you're ready for a sweeter way of life.

Come to Jesus when you're heading down a pathway with no light.

He will take your sin and weakness, He will wash away the shame.

He will purify your heart and you will never be the same.

So, if you're ready, come. Come to Jesus.

This song right here, more than any other epitomizes the spirit of our programs this past March. Because March marks the birthday of the Relief Society, many wards tend to plan big activities...which meant that we had a performance each week of the month. In Kaysville, Roy, South Jordan and Taylorsville. And though we did the same program in each Relief Society, it was kind of amazing to see the differences in what stood out each week. Maybe indicating that the ladies in each of these wards were drawn to different parts of the program depending on what they were dealing with in their own lives. 

But without question, this song, Come to Jesus, was always a highlight...always the song that was commented on and asked about the most. And I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise, seeing as it is the song that meant the most to the five of us. It was rare that we could even get through the song without getting emotional. Me personally....I was mess of tears every single time we sang it. The message is so powerful...and combined with the beautiful melody and harmonies....it is truly memorable.

After our March performances were over, Stephanie gave each of us the words Come to Jesus in vinyl to hang in our homes...to look at, reflect on and remember. What an amazingly thoughtful gift!

-Sarah

Christmas Singing

It doesn't truly seem like Christmas if I'm not singing in some performance or another. But because the season is so busy, we tried to keep our performance schedule somewhat simple. We sang in a Sacrament Meeting here, a musical number for a Bishop's Storehouse fireside there. Our two big ones where we were able to share our whole program, were at Temple Square and for a Relief Society in Taylorsville...the ward I grew up in, actually. My mother, who was the Relief Society President at the time, booked our group to come sing for their Christmas party way back in March. When my parents decided to move last summer, I asked my mom about the program. "Oh, I'm sure we'll still be around at Christmastime. Houses take a long time to sell, don't they?" Not theirs. It sold the day after they put it on the market. So I worked the details with the new Relief Society president...not a problem in the slightest seeing as I had known this woman since I was very little. If I'm remembering correctly, I think she was even one of my young women leaders when I was a teenager. And though it's been over 20 years since I officially moved out of the ward, I was surprised at how many familiar faces I recognized, and how well they still remembered me. 

Our program wrapped around Mary, the mother of Christ. I especially liked this quote by Bruce R. McConkie that I had the opportunity to share in the program...
"Can we speak to highly of her whom the Lord has blessed above all women? There is only one Christ, and there is only one Mary."

The Joseph Smith Memorial Building on Temple Square is such an amazing place to sing...the acoustics were awesome, and nobody decks the halls for Christmas quite like Temple Square. It's such a beautiful place, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building especially. We also sang at the Church History Library.

-Sarah

Mixer and mics!

With the money we earned from our Veterans Day Deseret Book gig, we bought sound equipment. Here's a few pictures at our rehearsal this morning as we try to learn how to use the mixer. Is it weird if I admit how geekishly excited we all are about each of us owning our own professional microphones? Up till now I personally only had a cheesy little American Idol mic that went to the kids' karaoke machine...

 Catrina did the original research into the various equipment brands. Once we had an idea of what we wanted, Kami made the trip to the store, chatted up the sales guy for info and actually bought the stuff. Julie has been our champion in actually digging into the manual and figuring out how everything actually works! Here she is during one of our songs, listening through headphones as she sings along, trying to make sure the sound levels are right.

 Catrina bought a special stand for her mic so she could be hands free to play the piano for a few of our songs.

The realities of our rehearsals....lots of kids under foot. Between the five of us we have 18 children. And yes, most of them are at school while we rehearse, but the youngest few tag along. Ask them...betcha they know the words and melodies as well as we do!

Cheat sheets as well as microphone in hand! Got the notes down...still fumbling some of the words!

-Sarah

Wearing hats...

Although this program for a Kaysville Relief Society might not have been as flashy as our Deseret Book Veterans Day....it was every bit as wonderful.

Our program...all about hats. Yes, you read that right...hats. More specifically the hats we wear as mothers and women. The message we shared had much to do with how to access the atonement in our daily lives and how women of God can never truly be women of the world....all while wearing the various hats that we do throughout the day. The taxi hat, the chef hat and maid hat, hats for being a teacher, a hair dresser, a nurse. But also the inner changeable hat (rather than interchangeable), the I'm-not-all-put-together hat, the hat of enlightenment, the blemished hat, the hat of comfort/warmth, and even the silly hat.

We sang, we shared testimony. And with the audience we laughed and we cried. It was truly a privilege and honor to spend the evening with such sweet and wonderful Relief Society women who were so welcoming and excited to hear what we had to share. We left with not only gifts of sweet treats and a vaseful each of beautiful flowers...but also with our spirits lifted and our hearts full.

-Sarah

Veterans Day

It was a shocker when we got a call from the vice president of publicity for music from Deseret Book a few weeks ago. She had heard of us and got our names from the Davis Arts Council...and was wondering if we'd be willing to dress up '40's style and sing for their Veterans Day Event at their flagship store at the City Creek Mall in Salt Lake City. We were interested and excited just at the invite to perform....but while on the phone she also felt us out for future possibilities of performing at Time Out For Women and Women's Conference and also recording. Well, oh my and holy wow!!

 Needless to say, despite the fact that we had a performance already scheduled for a Relief Society two days later and it would be an entirely different program, we jumped at the opportunity and started some heavy duty rehearsing immediately. That heavy duty rehearsing was a hindrance AND a blessing to our daily lives. It was a little overwhelming at times to make arrangements for the extra rehearsals, to plan and prepare two entirely different programs. There were a few tears shed here and there. But the spirit we felt as we buckled down and dug into our music and the messages we planned to share was equally overwhelming in a truly wonderful way. We knew we were being aided in what we were trying to accomplish and our families were being blessed for their sacrifices.

The Veterans Day program was also the DVD release of Saints and Soldiers Airborne Creed. The program consisted not only of the seven numbers that we performed but also messages from the director and actors of the movie, the author who wrote the book the movie was based on, and speakers Representative Curtis Oda and Congressman-elect (and author) Chris Stewart. But the true stars of the day were the veterans. A few even from as far back as WWII, the room was filled with them. I'm not even sure I have the words to express what it felt like to sing The Star Spangled Banner with all those veterans, most in their dress uniforms and medals, standing at attention with their hands in a salute. Veterans Day took on a whole new meaning for me...a more deeply appreciative one. And even if nothing else comes from this opportunity with Deseret Book other than this one performance...it was still incredibly worth it!

After the performance was finished, the meet and greet was concluded and all the pictures had been taken, we headed across the street to the Blue Lemon Cafe for lunch. The Saints and Soldiers group had the same idea. They teasingly and often called out to us from across the room to sing. "Hey....flash mob in 5 minutes. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Okay?" ha. ha. ha. We had fun joking around with them. But as we were getting ready to leave, they directed our attention toward a table in the corner where a newly returned missionary was enjoying lunch with his family for the first time in 2 years. Stephanie marched right over to welcome the missionary home, understanding well that first day home feeling, she having served a mission herself...albeit many years ago. I'm sure the family was rather surprised to have a quintet of women all dressed up in bright red lipstick and '40's garb come over to talk to them....but then even more surprised to have us break out into a 5-part harmony rendition of "I'm a Child of God." Surprise or no, they were all in tears, the whole family, when we finished. It was like the frosting on the cake.

-Sarah