Christmas in Salt Lake

"Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second."

~Marc Riboud

Christmas at the LDS Conference Center

Christmas lasted quite awhile for me this year since I started thinking about putting up my tree and listening to music on November 1st. I refrained from putting up all my decorations until the day after Thanksgiving, but I was certainly listening to and rehearsing Christmas music at the beginning of November.

What follows is a few pictures to remind me of what went on this Christmas: concerts both attended and performed, a play, dinners, a wedding, warm weather in early December, cold weather just after Christmas, daily walks downtown, and loads of pleasant days.

A beautiful December day in Salt Lake City

Mom and I saw "Peter and the Starcatcher" at Pioneer Theatre.

Emery, Amber, Mom

Stephen, Mom, me, Amber, Claire, Emma, and Grant

After my concert in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square

Terra and Bryce got married

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Wed.

"If you find someone you love in your life, then hang on to that love."
~Princess Diana

William and Kate's wedding was just stunningly elegant. I loved everything I saw. I have to admit I've been looking forward to this for awhile. Remember how excited I was when their engagement was officially announced?

Well, the months of anticipation has truly paid off. Kate looked absolutely beautiful. I seriously can't stop looking at pictures and videos. So I'm posting a few of my favorites so that I can look back and remember. She was just so elegant and regal. The few public intimate exchanges between the two of them were just wonderful to see. I loved the double kiss. And I loved the looks they exchanged in Westminster Abbey.

Okay, so that was more than a few. But it was worth it, wasn't it? Even if you're seeing them all again... worth it.
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Kate Middleton and Prince William Make It Official.

"Without love, what are we worth?
Eighty-nine cents! Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around lonely."
~Hawkeye on M*A*S*H

So I'm just a little bit giddy about this.

Kate Middleton and Prince William
posing at their official engagement announcement in
The State Apartments of the St James Palace on November 16, 2010 in London, England.

I'm so excited about the upcoming royal wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton, which may seem silly to you, since I don't even know them personally. It may even seem a bit elementary, or even naïvely dreamy, but it's much more about the pomp and circumstance which will surround this event which piques my interest. It likely stems from the same reason I like people watching (and maybe also something to do with my admiration of performance and being on stage, myself). I enjoy seeing how people choose to present themselves, how they choose to act, what version of themselves they choose to portray to the world.

Maybe it also stems from the fact that, as a three year-old, I am certain that I watched the widely televised wedding of Charles and Diana, as she walked down the aisle with her 25-foot long train. Who could forget that? (I'm sure I watched it again when I was around ten, so maybe that helped the memory, also.)

Or maybe I'm just living vicariously through them? I suppose there is something to be said for this suggestion. I haven't had a wedding of my own, nor ever announced my own engagement, so it's sort of fun to watch someone else doing it all.

Or maybe it's a lure that's genetically inherited. My grandmother, to whom I am often compared, had a real fascination with the royal family, and I guess I just also find their ways and their lives intriguing. I am always drawn to finding out why people do the things they do, and the royal family has undeniable appeal when it comes to determining motivations. Think about it, there are always so many things you begin asking as soon as your start hearing about the royals and the way they do things:  By what title will Kate (or any other new royal) be known? How do they determine places in the line of succession to the throne? When do they use Her Majesty versus Her Royal Highness? The questions abound. (You can find a lot of answers--and squander away heaps of time--at the Royal Family's official website, here.)

But the clincher? The royal family would have nothing short of famously elegant wedding and I do like elegance. I also like wedding dresses. I like a handsome man in a suit (and William is not half bad--the Diana half, that is). I like seeing happy people finding each other and choosing to make a commitment to each other and embrace and own that commitment by telling the world. And... I like sapphires wrapped in diamonds.

William gave Kate his mother's engagement ring.
We haven't seen it in public since Princess Diana and Charles announced their separation.

Wow. Simply beautiful. And totally my style, in case you're wondering.

I've heard also that Kate and William want this want to really be a wedding for the people of Britain. They've vowed to ensure that their families pick up the bill for all the events surrounding the wedding, so it should not cost the citizens anything. Also, they've decided to invite 100 random citizens to the events, as a way to show their interest in including the public. Wouldn't you love to one of the lucky 100 chosen at random to attend? You could see all the glamour up close and rub shoulders with all of the who's who guests. Oh, pick me. I can certainly pull of a wicked British accent for a day. What do you say?

All pictures found at zimbio.

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Corlikowski Wedding and a little history.

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Laura and I first met in high school. I don't know remember the first time we met. Despite the fact that she was two years younger, it felt like I always knew her, but I think we only met my senior year, her sophomore. We ended up in choir and dance together. Then we were cast in the spring musical together. Oklahoma! I was Laurey Williams and she was my Aunt Eller. Oh the memories! So many fun afternoons in rehearsal or hanging out at my house singing and dancing.

We were silly. We used to compete, testing our breath control while singing "Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera. Goofballs, I know, but it was so fun. We didn't race through the song. We'd sing, giving each note it's proper value and depth. No shying away. We could easily get through the first stanza, but began running out of breath by the middle/end of the second.

Think of me
think of me fondly
when we've said goodbye
Remember me
once in awhile, please
promise me you'll try

When you find
that once again you long
to take your heart back
and be free...

By that point we'd be on the very last bit of breath, pushing out the last note to win the competition. And then... we'd start all over again. Try it. It might not seem hard just looking at those words, but when you're really singing, as if truly performing, that's pretty incredible breath control. :) We practiced.

Closing night of Oklahoma! we glued our heads on pictures of Victoria's Secret models and put them on the postcards that Jud, the hired hand, had in his shack. Poor Alexi. I think it took everything in him not to laugh.

Then Laura and I went on a cross-country train trip one summer. From San Francisco (well, Emeryville... fitting, I thought) to Boston and back. The California Zephyr. Fiddling and singing our way across middle America, flirting with every boy within five years of our age, visiting New York City, Boston, Berklee College of Music (then just a dream... now, her alma mater), hot springs in Glenwood Springs, CO, we solidified our friendship.

Then Laura's dad died. Motorcycle accident. She asked me to sing at his funeral. What an honor. Only, it was a Catholic mass... and I was singing Ave Maria. Mormon girls don't grow up hearing Ave Maria every week at church. I'd never sung it in my life. I had a day or so, while recovering from bronchitis and a sinus infection, to learn it well enough to pull it off for a church full of friends who'd heard it countless times and had it memorized. Somehow, it turned out beautifully and I was so happy to be able to share that moment with Laura and to offer my love and condolences in such a meaningful way.

After that, Laura went east to Berklee College of Music in Boston. And she's been there ever since. Last time we saw each other was when we met up around New Year's several years ago back home in San Francisco, but mostly we just keep up with each other on Facebook.

A year ago, Laura emailed me:

Hi Emery,
Just in case I forgot to tell you….cause i know I did. I have a man in my life and we got engaged! We found a spot and are hoping you will save the date for our wedding. ... The wedding festivities will take place between September 24-26, 2010. We hope you can join us!

Love,
Matt and Laura

So finally, in reference to the title of this blog... I went to Laura and Matt's wedding (they affectionately combined last names - the Corlikowski wedding). To make a real little vacation out of it, I took my mom with me. I'm so glad I did. I just love her and had a wonderful time talking and exploring!

New Hampshire in the fall. Beautiful setting! Wonderful little B&B. Gorgeous bride. Great music. Themed attire with hats and all. Fantastic Scottish accents abounding. And here are the pictures to prove it.

The Merry Martha Suite at The Greenfield Inn. Greenfield, New Hampshire.

Cobb Hill Estate. Harrisville, New Hampshire. (Photo by another wedding guest.)

Here comes the bride... walking down the aisle flanked on either side by kilts.

Music any which way you turned.

Laura and Matt. Bride and Groom.

Hats were everywhere.

Dress by Luxe Emporium in Ventura, CA. Hat by Mom.

Cobb Hill Estate. Cocktail Hour.

Fall in New England.

Beautiful night. (Photo by another wedding guest.)

New England in the Fall.

Did you see those colors?

Pretty purple wildflowers in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

Here I am. Peterbourough, New Hampshire.

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