Hello to all my lovely sisters!!! I hope you are all doing as well as you deserve to be. Sister Garrett probably already beat me at this, but here is something I have owed you all for quite some time. Love you!

Remember!!!

I'm guessing we probably all got this email from Elder Wells, but just a reminder for those of us around these here parts.... :)

Dear YPMs,

In case any of you haven't heard, there's going to be a Nauvoo Reunion, hosted by President Lewis at a Stake Center in Spanish Fork, Utah, on Friday, October 3rd, from 1:00-3:00 pm. We've been asked to put together two musical numbers. Some of the band YPMs have asked that we sing ones that everyone knows, so we'll sing "Where Two or Three are Gathered" and "Come, Come Ye Saints" (Bring your violins and harmonicas, everybody). Let me know if you'll be there so I can tell the Graves.

Thanks,
(Elder) Paul Wells


P.S. If anyone wants to carpool, umm...I think we should. -Thomps :)

ALSO. This is random, I know, but does anyone remember "Saved by the Bell?" Well, I was watching it last night with my roommate for a few minutes, and remember the tall girl, Jessie, on the show? I couldn't stop laughing because she was TOTALLY Audrey Hansen. :) If you ever miss her, all you have to do is watch an episode of Saved by the Bell. It's a cure-all. :) Hahha.

The "new" High Hopes - or in other words...

First of all, I'm sorry all I have to offer for videos are ones made with my hands that wouldn't hold still.  :)  Okay, now on with it!

DadadadadadaLA!!!!  (That was supposed to be the opening music we know so well...and open large Disney-esque pioneer storybook...you know the drill.)  :)  You be the judges.  Except for when I interject my opinion and you have no choice but to read what I wrote.  :)  This is still a good plan.  :)  I'll do my very best to let you come to your own conclusions.  For the most part.  :)  The story is exactly the same, and all the songs are new except for "Riverboats a 'comin" and "Whistlin and Whittlin'"...because those were already Pat Davis creations, of course.  :)  But the funny part is: most of the songs are just different versions of what was there before.  Many of the same words, phrases, and ideas...huh.  Interesting.  :)

Riverboats a comin'...that was still there...one of the two songs that are still the same in the show.  And oh...good thing they still had a few hat boxes lying around...what would the opener be without a good hat box celebration dance?!  Lol.

Oh, Hi, Chanc-ee-pants-ee-poo...I don't know what I would have done if Chance didn't continually take Ella Mary out with a giant trunk all the time.  :)

Sister Davis was true to her word and made Henry Ramsden Mott a much bigger part this year.  This is one thing I actually LOVED about the new show.  Henry is no longer this...cardboard cut-out of a man who is constantly getting bossed around by Sarah Jane.  Oh, she doesn't stop telling him what to do, but he's got a better hold of himself and comes back at her with a few every once in a while.  :)  I liked his character SO much better this year!

Here's part of his new song...they are from two different casts, but you get the picture...  "Little by little, Log by Log...from a little tiny village, we're an up and coming town!"  It's kinda fun, even.  At least I thought so.  :)

Look, Pulsie and Rees!  Your dresses!  See, Rees?!  I told you they added crazy stuff to it!  AND there's that stupid hat.  How the HECK that thing keeps making it back into the shows is BEYOND me!!!  Doesn't Sister Davis CARE that it practically has its own solar system?!  Clearly not.  :)

And here comes the part where...well, you'll see.  "That's the Man that I'm Going to Marry" is now...uh...another marriage song...except this one is clearly different...because Sister Davis wrote it?  Yeah.  I miss the old silly song, but hey - Sister Davis likes to do things her own way, as we all well know!  You'll know when I have a strong opinion.  Those are coming up.  :)

There are a shocking lack of town meetings this year.  I felt a little sad in my heart for their lack of meeting experience, but...then again, a small sense of joy at not having to sit through another one, even in the audience.  :)  

Shakespeare is no more, folks!  Woah!  What do we even think of that?!  It's all dialogue now...and a really great jumping, leaping, and falling on the boot-ay scene of Eli getting into yes, folks, even more trouble than ever.  

"Courtin' time in Quincy" was NOT a fine afair this year.  She used the exact same words and put them to her own tune.  It was slow, awkward and terrible.  Sorry.  I absolutely hated it and refused to ruin expose my dear little camera to it's...

sorry.  :)

I'm almost giddy to show you the replacement of our little "Hoedown."  Not necessarily because I didn't love our hoedown.  It's just that...well, this year, the song is called "The Nauvoo Whoopdeedoo."  Feel free to burst into laughter at the mere title.  :)  Ahem.  And here we go...

"I've come home" is purely dialogue now.  Is this happy or sad?  I don't know...but regardless, William does not sing a note by himself in this show anymore, according to my recollections...

BUT GUESS WHAT?!?!  The corn is absolutely NOT in tassel!!!  HAHAHAH!  I know I had a love/hate relationship with that song, so I actually enjoyed it's..."replacement."  Mostly because Henry is involved in the song, and gives Sarah Jane a little respectful crap, if you will.  :)  Please enjoy the ending..."...sincerely yooooouuuurrrrsssssss...."  Ah, funny Nauvoo.  

Next, of course, we have the new martyrdom scene.  I can't even talk about the replacement for "The light will not go out."  Seriously.  Why?  Because I LOATHED the new song.  Period and end of story.  I sincerely hope Sister Davis never sees this because I think that was the worst decision ever.  And let me just take a moment to tell you my feelings are NOT because that's the song Sister Garrett and I sang.  It is purely because I feel like it didn't reflect the spirit that should have been there.  It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't...argh!  I can't even write about it without getting angry!  So I won't.  The words were something like   "they were no ORdinary men....they were no ORdinary BRUthers..." and so on and so forth...BLECK.  This was the other song I couldn't even record.  Oh, I started, but stopped in disgust and immediately erased it.  I'm sorry if you wanted to hear it.  Clearly I cannot stand it.

But I guess the "So we were taught" replacement was okay...at the time, it felt like a relief because it mercifully ended the terrible song right before it.  I actually liked how it sounded.  Please bear in mind my distraught soul at the time.  Lol.

And next, we have Chance singing his big solo.  If any of you saw the video of the song Steel wrote his year; that duet between Chance and Ella Mary...you'll see right away where the uh...inspiration...for this song came from.  That sneaky little Sister Davis!  The song itself is good, and I'm glad Chance is the one you're more drawn to, etc.  I just remember my first thought being, "You little stinker!  You stole that from Steel!"  But if we don't think about that part, here's Chance in all his nice voice-ness.  :)

Whistlin' and Whittlin was the same, of course.  :)

"Brother Brigham Says" is no more!!!!  :(  I was actually so SAD about that!!!  Not surprised at all, really, but sad nonetheless!  This song is good, though, and ends things well enough I suppose!  She took out the Brigham Young part at the end, and shortened the whole "remember Nauvoo" portion considerably.  And there aren't multiple ending songs anymore...there were the first time I saw it, but she changed it after that, and the ending was much better after that.  I didn't get a recording of it, but you've basically seen the end here in addition to what's already burned in our brains.  :)  

The spirit is still there during the show, and I thought the story had fewer holes, etc. than last year, and the YPMs this year were so talented.  They sounded great and I loved watching them!  I forgot how much fun it actually was, in addition to the work and the fact that we did it twice a day EVERY DAY.  Lol. It made me miss it, but I found myself being so constantly grateful that we were all there together last year.  We definitely went at the right time for all of us!!  What an incredible thing we were privileged to be a part of!!  Despite the changes, it was so fun to see it continuing on, and to be able to sit in the audience and just soak it in!  :)

Sunset by the...Mississippi..."by" being a relative term these days...

These took FOREVER, but here are a few peeks at Nauvoo this summer for those of you who didn't get to see this summer.  :)  I didn't think I would get to go, but I got lucky.  So here you go...because I know I would have been dying for it.  :)

Mississippi Mud: Okay, so check out that ridiculously HUGE stage!  What would we have DONE with all of that room?!?!?  There were pros and cons, though...locations seriously lacks in great sunset picture opportunities, and I didn't see any logs by the river for contemplation....  :)

Elder Maxfield IS his own Grandpa.  :)  Isn't he so great!??!?  Hahah, oh boy don't you just miss him?!

And Nauvoo Hoedown...huh.  Sorry it's so long!  You could probably skip to the middle of the video and not miss anything "new."  :)

Introducing yet another Nauvoo miracle...dun dun da dun.  Okay, so this had nothing to do with any of our memories last year, but - hey.  It's not everyday you see a...whatever that is...  :)

Do you think Elder Lee felt kicked out when the YPMs got his song?!  Wait for it..."aaaand TURN..."  hmm...interesting trend here, folks...

Listen to that "Old Man River" awesomeness!  I love love LOVE the seniors and their talents!!

And So long Everybody.  :)  Done and done.  There you have it.  Your very own evening of Sunset by the Mississippi.  Listen.  I would have recorded "Devil" or The Egg Skit...but...ummm...I liked ours better.  So I didn't even record them.  Ahem.  Don't be mad.  Just be gloriously happy with our own memories.  Trust me.  :)  That may or may not have happened with a few other numbers throughout my Nauvoo stay.  I never said I would be completely unbiased.  :)

Something to pray for...

Some of you may know this already, but I just wanted to let you know just in case any of you know these wonderful girls. (From the 2007 YPM Summer)

Kimberly Wigham got married this past Saturday in Georgia. Carly Pedersen and Nicole Rich, two of her friends who also served in Nauvoo that same year, flew out to Georgia for the wedding. After the temple, they were in a car with two other passengers and one of Doug's (who just married Kimberly) former mission companions. Someone in another car fell asleep while driving and hit that car. Doug's former mission companion died on the scene, while Carly and Nicole were both taken to the hospital. Nicole has been undergoing brain surgery since then, and Carly is doing okay from the sounds of it, but was pretty beat up as well. This blog has a little bit of info about it if you want: http://christinbuck.blogspot.com/

I just thought it might be nice for us to keep them in our prayers. I can't even imagine the pain Kimberly and Doug are going through right now, and I can't imagine how I would feel if these things had happened to any one of my sisters. Thank goodness for a knowledge of the gospel to ease the burdens of loss and things we don't understand; but prayers on their behalf will always help, I think!

Nauvoo Mission Reunion News

I found this info on http://www.nauvoonews.blogspot.com/ I think as many of us that can should get together and go! Eh?! Anyone?

Thursday, February 21, 2008

President Lewis' First Nauvoo Reunion October 3, 2008

Mission Reunion Friday, October 3, 2008. It will be held in the Spanish Fork South Stake building located at 1150 E. 1240 S., Spanish Fork, UT, 84660. The time will be from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. There will be a short program and light refreshments. The primary purpose is to be together and renew friendships. Please email President Lewis by September 1, 2008 if you are going to attend. My email address is: nclewis@gmail.com.

There will not be an 'official' reunion held in April 2008. Just our ongoing Lunch Bunch get-to-gethers (2nd Monday at Golden Corral, 7200 S. & 700 E., SLC, at 1:00 pm).

Thank You

Neal (AKA President Lewis)

Pantaloons Two in Salt Lake...Ooo!

Hello, Sisters!

Now, I don't want to take away from Sister James' news. It's the biggest and the best. But we just got our wedding photos this Monday, and I wanted to share them.

This first one, admittedly, is from Thomps. My photographer got pictures of my wonderful, amazing sisters who came to my reception, but this one was better. Bing-face was totally there (and the Graves!), though she missed the picture, and I loved walking back and talking with everyone after the line, cake cutting, bouquet throwing (or lack of throwing), and all that jazz was over. Thank you so much for your love and your support!


The sealing was the most beautiful experience. I semi-controlledly cried through the whole thing and afterwards in the Celestial room with Jeff for a few minutes. My Aunt Katy (who served as my hair and makeup specialist, made my cake, and gave me much-needed life counsel) was much displeased with me for messing up my face. :) But she got me pulled together for the pictures outside the temple afterwards.

This pose--groom holding bride's train, but with bride and groom doing whatever faces they want--is a tradition in my family. I love Jeff's expression.


And the Pantaloons: Ta-da! We were rushed on photo time--Salt Lake Temple in June, what can I say?--so I only got one picture. But I promise: those are my feet. You may recognize them from such instances as "comparing-grotesque-levels-of-mosquito-and-chigger-bites" last summer. They've healed. Time does that.

I love the temple, I love Jeff, I love marriage, and I love all of you! Hurrah for the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantaloons! May their course never falter!

Get excited, Jamesie. You get them next.

Love,

(How cool is this!)

Katie Brown

Hello to my Beautiful Sisters! Just a quick note.....I am ENGAGED!!

I was proposed to by the lovely Shane Steel on July 25 on a lowly little bench in the Blacksmith Shop in our beloved Nauvoo. I got a little Prairie Diamond myself!

I hope all is well! I love you all more than you will ever know!

love, Jamester....Sadie....Sister..oh....Sister

Pantaloons Debut in Old Nauvoo

Thank you so much, sisters, for making the Pantaloons a reality! They are really beautiful pantaloons, much better than our cherished daily wear last summer. How appropriate that they should make their debut in Nauvoo! Pantaloons are, of course, a symbol of scandal. They are worn under wedding dresses, after all! In beautiful Old Nauvoo, they were just what I needed to protect my legs from scratchy tulle and the woes of immodesty. Here are some shots:



By the temple of course, scandalizing Shea... in front of the good ol' Bakery, certainly...



What a wonderful day that was! How incredibly blessed I feel to be sealed to a most wonderful, singing husband! When he sent me that package of fruit last summer, Sis. Davis told me to marry him. Yumm, those pears were so good, and I recall I shared them with you lovely ladies! If I could share with you a taste of the incredible happiness I experience in married life, I most certainly would. Good luck the rest of you finding your eternal companions! Katie, you will always be "Pulsie", but based on your cooking skills I could possibly get used to calling you "Brownie".

All the happiness in the world to you! I love you all!



Sister Owens

Scandaloons, Scantyloons, Pantaloons

Thanks, Thomps, for getting this together! It's a great way to keep in touch, and I hope everyone contributes so we can all see the wonderful things our sisters are doing.

I decided to look for pictures from Nauvoo that include pantaloons, and I found an interesting thing: they are all uniformly scandalous. I sure hope none of the Elders can see this blog...


This first one is during our lunch break at an early point in the summer. I don't know about you, but I was quite often in just pantaloons and a slip when the big tour wagons rolled by the window. "And there's the house where our performing sister missionaries live. Say hi, girls!


In case you can't tell, this next one is Sisters James and Wyson backstage at the indoor Sunset. We were all going a little stir crazy in the dark.

Travel Log...#1

Hello sisters!  So...I've been thinking about this for a little while and wondering if it would work.  Here's my solution to the "traveling pantaloons" master-plan of all plans we had last summer.  :)  Since mailing things...especially pantaloons...can cost so much, and maybe get lost...(AH!) I've decided to try the blogging solution.  :)  Here's a great way we can keep in touch no matter where we are.  (Okay, so maybe Hansen and Woahn won't be able to post until after their missions?)  But maybe we can include their parents in this gig and let them post how they're doing every once in a while?  Your thoughts are all welcome.  :)  

Also, I know we have our group on facebook that Sis. Elbert (not Owens, I know!) set up for us.  Who knows if we'll keep up on this, but it'd be neat, I think!  Here's a place where we can post what's going on in our lives, pictures OF the pantaloons (Elbert and Pulse...) when the time comes for each one of us, and...maybe just any thoughts you're having, or if you ever need anything, etc...this is the place for it.  We're all "authors" on here, so we can all post.  We could make it private if anyone ever wants to...so only the ten of us can see this.  Let me know what you think.  

Also, if anyone else has a blog, etc., you can add the address to the section called "sister oh sister" by clicking on the little tool in that corner.  I added my blog...that's what you can get by clicking on "thomps."  I don't know who blogs and who doesn't...so...have at it!

Also, I think it's vital that any pictures anyone has of any Nauvoo pictures of us in pantaloons, those should most definitely be shared...preferably with a story, memory, etc. about that moment.  :)  Here's one to get everyone started...This was a night when Sunset got cancelled...which I remember being a tender mercy for a lot of us.  I think this was the first time it got cancelled.  I remember we were all a little disappointed for about 2.5 seconds, and then...then we realized we had some FREE TIME!!!!  This is pretty descriptive of the joy I felt...and clearly I wasn't alone in that feeling...one of the millions of moments of happiness from that summer.  :)

It's just a test run, but it'd be so neat if it worked out, don't you think?  I love you all so much, and look forward to hearing from you soon!  

Love,

Thomps