Rocking the Lucky 7 stage

I tell you what, I think all three of us were so much more calm performing at Cherry Hill this time around as opposed to last summer. Basket case of nerves...well, me at least. Having already performed much of our repertoire at the Kaysville Arts Council and kind of feeling like we'd had a dress rehearsal of sorts, was really nice. We felt so much more casual this time around, playing off each other and the audience and just having fun with the whole thing. Our theme loosely wrapping all the songs together was, "It's a beautiful life"....sharing music and talking about our freedoms and blessings. 

(We went all gospel-style with our version of "Down in the River to Pray" with choir robes, swaying, snapping...the works!)

One of our favorite new songs we've added to the show...."This One's For the Moms." It's a funny little tribute to mothers, the new lyrics put to Martina McBride's country-stye accompaniment of "This One's For the Girls." Props to Kami for coming up with the idea, the lyrics and our choreography! 

Vs. 1

This is for all you moms with a new baby

No sleep at night can drive you oh-so crazy

Poopy diapers seem to never end

And a shower...wish I could fit it in

This one's for the moms.

Vs. 2

This is for all you moms with kids around 4

Spilling their milk and breakdowns at the store

You can't hear a talk in church at all

Don't get through an entire phone call.

Chorus

This one's for the moms

Who drive around a mini van

Eats chocolate when she can

Has every size of Pyrex pan.

This one's for the moms

Who've memorized the Wal-mart

Who's fridge is like a work of art

All around the world

This one's for the moms

Vs. 3

This one's for all you moms with busy teens

Always hungry and needing a new pair of jeans

Late night chats and homework always due

Oh and mom, can you bring me my gym shoes?

Chorus

Bridge

Ya we're all the same inside

Sometimes you just need a cry

Repeat chorus

We've been booked twice this summer for Cherry Hill so we have our next performance on the Lucky 7 stage on August 9th. We have plans for a few changes, taking out a song or two, adding a few more in. We're looking forward to it!
(And maybe next time I won't have the stomach flu....ha!)
-Sarah

Kaysville Arts and Music Festival

The festival was an audition sort of gig. We decided, "Hey, why not? It is our hometown after all...." So we made an appointment, filled out an application and sang a song for the judges. We weren't entirely sure what kind of music they were looking for, having never been to the festival before. (This is only the 3rd year.) But we happily found our name on the official list of performers a week or so later. And then realized that we must've made a really good impression on the powers that be when we got a phone call from the organizers of the Kaysville 4th of July celebration saying we had been recommended to them by the Arts Festival people and wanted to know if we would do a half hour show at the big Independence Day carnival. Oh! Well, certainly! We'd be happy to!

But first, the Arts Festival....held at a nearby park and housing all sorts of booths and tents with various kinds of arts, crafts and food, it also had two stages at opposite ends of the park. We were assigned to the bigger, main stage. Can I just say how nice it is to have professional sound guys? And cordless mics? We were spoiled. And we had a really good time. All three of us decided that this was the most prepared and confident we'd felt for a performance in the whole year and a half we'd been singing together. And to have our families in the audience rooting for us....it was a good afternoon.

We have such amazingly supportive husbands! They are not only willing to take care of the kids and hold down the fort when we rehearse and perform, but also take an interest in how things are going and are willing to be a listening ear. We often find that when each of us go to our sweethearts with a specific question as how to handle something we are wondering about or struggling with....we get back together only to discover that each of our husbands independent of each other, have more or less given the exact same advice. They are good men and lift us higher.

-Sarah

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