.

A Great Day!

As Sunday's go, today was better than most! And most are gOOd! Today was AWESOME! Started out with regular service at church this morning. Pastor's message was very good - but it almost always is - so no surprises there. Then I came home and Krysti wanted to go to Panera's for broccoli cheddar soup. I'm always up for broccoli cheddar - so we did that. Then she wanted to head up to Paint & Pottery to make a Christmas present for her "new fella's" mom! Oh yea... Krysti has a new fella! Keegan is his name! I haven't met him yet - but I've heard WONDERFUL things about him! I will meet him this Friday! Krysti met HIS mom this weekend and they hit it off immediately. When Krysti left, his mom told him "I like this girl -- don't do anything to mess it up!" ROFL!!! Keegan said he thinks his mom likes Krysti better than she likes him! Hehehehe.... This is gOOd! But I'm off track! After Paint & Pottery I stopped and got stuff to make spaghetti and we had that for dinner.

THEN I went back up to church for our first showing of our Christmas Cantata! It was AWESOME! I missed our cantata last year, and I was sad, because I later heard how good it was... and so I was determined that I was going to see this years! It was sooooooooo good! It was entitled Journey To The Manger and was actually somewhat of a Christian spin on A Christmas Carol. Sort of. Of course, it started with the orchestra, and then went into the choir and they sang some beautiful songs that I did NOT know -- but also many of the good old fashioned Christmas hymns! And in between, our First Place actors were putting on the story. It was about an artist who runs a shop and has a hand carved nativity for sale. The Pastor (played by Pastor) of this little church comes in and he's looking for a new nativity to replace one that had been on loan to them - but then the family moved away. So the artist tells him he could let him have it for 3.... Pastor thinks $300... he only has a very very small parish - but they could probably scrounge that much up... but then the artist says $3000.00. WHOA. The artists wife thinks he should have let the Pastor have it - in the spirit of Christmas. They argue... she leaves... and HE is visited by (no... NOT the ghost of Christmas past...) (NO! Not even the Holy Ghost!) ... he is visited by MARY - Mother of God. She takes him back through the depression and Victorian days teaching him about how Christmas's were celebrated even without much money or not even the custom of giving gifts... Then Joseph comes to visit and he actually takes him back to the manger. Tells him about the night of Christ's birth and... low and behold, he comes out a believer and when his wife comes back to the shop to wake him up, they run up the road to the church to give the Pastor the nativity.... and they all live happily ever after! It was a GREAT story! Surrounded by GREAT music and GREAT voices singing GREAT songs! And we, the congregation, got to sing along on the last 4 songs! Which were Joy To The World, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Angels We Have Heard on High, and O Come, Let Us Adore Him... and I was HHAAPPPPYY!!!! Especially during the GLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORIA in excelsis Deo.... I LOVE that part! And I especially LOVE when the choir is miked and singing loud enough that I can sing sing sing and NOBODY can HEAR me!!! It was great. I can't wait to see it again all over on Christmas eve!!!

After the cantata, I gave Pastor all the gifts for "the family" and he will deliver them to them soon. Then a group of us went up to the Mexico restaurant and some had dinner -- I just had a drink because I'd already eaten. But the choir people were hungry. They've had long hours of practicing for this event... it really amazes me the WORK that they put into this -- and then they only get to perform it TWO times! (last year they only performed it ONCE!) That is real devotion, I tell ya! And I soooooo envy them! Because if I had a voice, I'd be right there with 'em!!!

posted by Melli at 10:33 PM