My House Debra

Dad and I and Kaylma and Warren Rhorer, our friends from Midway were able to go on a 12 hike mile hike into the high Uintah Mountains last weekend. We really had a wonderful time and felt so exhilerated by the experience. We actually bit off quite a bit more than we were up to... but our attitude of high adventure carried us through. Kaylma and I actually hiked for approximately 10.5 miles while the guys finished up with the last leg of the journey going on up to Amethyst Lake. We stayed behind at the meadow. We were pretty tired. We actually did the right thing, because by the time we finished up we just barely made it back to the car before it turned dark. We had a wonderful time and Seth and I hope to be able to continue our hikes at least once a month. The Lord really has given us a beautiful world to explore.

Dede was my stand partner for the recording session. She is such a fun person and I enjoyed sitting by her. I sat with her today for "The Spoken Word" also. I'm getting to know my of the violinists all the time. Dad and I during a break.

My children will relate to the many times we have listened to Josh Groban and Charlotte Church sing together in the famous rendition of "The Prayer". Well last night after a week of recording for our new upcoming CD we were priviledged to have Andrea Bocelli come and his producer David Foster, (the composer of "The Prayer") We were video-taped with Andre Bocelli for his upcoming Christmas special in the performance of the Lord's Prayer. Then the Choir and Orchestra performed for them and their entourage of people "Come thou fount of every blessing" The spirit was very strong in this rendition. Our final project was to video tape with David Foster in the performance of "The Prayer" (He played the piano part) I can honestly say that after listening to the score many dozens of times that it was a thrill to be able to play the same orchestration with the composer himself. I believe that we literally lived the music. It was an unforgettable experience.

News from the Choir

When world-famous, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli walked into the Tabernacle on Temple Square on Saturday, September 12, it was his first visit to the historic structure and his first face-to-face experience with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. A few weeks ago when the Choir recorded “The Lord’s Prayer” for his upcoming Christmas album, so taken was Bocelli with the sound of the 360 voices recorded in the renowned Tabernacle, he determined to film a portion of his upcoming PBS television special from there as well.

He found what David Hurley of The King’s Singers, veterans of Tabernacle performances, described: “The Tabernacle seems to have this wonderful sound that contributes to the lovely sound that the Choir makes. It isn’t just the singers; it’s also the space within which they perform and the history of the choral singing there over many, many years.”

David Foster, acclaimed Canadian musician, composer and conductor accompanied Bocelli on the Tabernacle’s legendary pipe organ. Foster is a celebrity in his own right having produced 15 Grammy Award-winning albums including three for producer of the year.

Bocelli, who has sold more than 60 million albums, began his career “singing for relatives.” He learned to play the piano at age six and added flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, harp, guitar and drums to his repertoire. But it is his voice that distinguishes him. At age 12, a soccer accident left his already weakened eyes blind. He initially turned to the law for his life’s work but quickly shifted to follow his passion – music.

August was a busy month of sharing in the joy of Lauren's birth. I was able to be there for three differnt visits and enjoyed spending a week with Audrey and Andy when Lauren was born. Audrey and Andy were so happy to have little Lauren here that they just radiated from their faces the whole time. Andy was anxious to learn all he could - changing diapers, getting bottles ready, burping etc. Audrey just kept exclaiming how happy she was to have her little girl finally here with her. She was always commenting on how cute she was and how delighted she was to look at her. I am so grateful for this new little bundle of joy and am so blessed now to have three beautiful little girls grand daughters to watch grow up.

I couldn't believe the many visitors that came to see Audrey and Andy and congratulate them on the birth of little Lauren. When I had my children I was anxious to rest and get my sleep, but Audrey was so strong and delighted in sharing her joy with the many visitors that came by. Here are a few shots of the visitors.

We have had a wonderful month rejoicing together as we have welcomed Lauren Ashley Cooper into the world. Audrey and Andy are so excited about being parents and are enjoying little "L" so much. I was able to be there when the baby was born and stay for a week. Little Lauren was so cute and I enjoyed holding her so much. We were able to be in AZ 2 more times and again enjoyed our visits with Audrey and Andy and our new grand daughter. We feel so very blessed - now we have 3 beautiful grand daughters.