40 by 40 #15: Go to a Classical Music Concert

 My lovely sister-in-law Suzanne offered a birthday present of epic proportions: a ticket to see Beethoven's 9th Symphony performed by the Utah Symphony, and a check mark for my 40 by 40 list. Obviously, I jumped at the opportunity.

Beethoven's 9th, aka, Ode to Joy, is one of the most glorious works of music ever written. To listen to it is to love it. To hear it performed live is to understand the power of music. I hadn't ever experienced this until September 22, 2018, and I am still in awe of how much better it is live. I definitely cried. Just thinking about it now, over a year later, I get chills. What a moving experience, never to be forgotten.

 40 by 40 #15: Go to a  Classical Music Concert: 🗹

40 by 40 #1: Run a 5K. (The whole time. No walking.)

To be honest, I'm not sure why I included this one. I have never liked running. And yet it called to me, like a siren, the idea of being able to run for 5 kilometers, without stopping to catch my breath. So I started training in January 2018. I did a Couch to 5K program, which got me ever so slowly up to running 3.1 miles without stopping. It took quite a while, but I did it. But this goal was meant to be met by running a race, and it turns out I didn't do a race for nearly a year.

Finally, in April 2019, I ran the Rex Lee Run, a race near and dear to my heart. Back in my college days, I worked as a secretary (THE secretary) for the Cancer Research Center. As such, I worked closely with the student-run Cancer Awareness Group, who was responsible for the race. I helped organize t-shirts, medals, race routes, registration...basically I wasn't in charge but had my fingers in a lot of pies. So it's been a race that I have continued to follow and participate in, even when I'm not a runner, and even when we have lived far away. I didn't really run, but I walked in the race multiple times. Even when we lived in St George, we often came up for the race. The specifics are fuzzy, but I know I've walked while pregnant (cause I couldn't figure out where to put the bib), and I know I've pushed a stroller (that could have been the same year...). Anyway, the point is, the Rex Lee Run and I have a history. So completing this goal by running this race was extra-special. They also changed the course, making it run right through the middle of campus, which brought back all the memories of running to class and studying on the quad. Basically, this race was full of nostalgia and victory, and that is a killer combination.

40 by 40 #1: Run a 5K. (The whole time. No walking.): 🗹

The New Testament of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

This year's scripture study focused on the New Testament, individually, as a family, and as a church.  I read each week's assigned reading on my own and again with my family. Then we talked about it as a family, and again at church in our classes. You might say we were immersed in that book of scripture. And I am here to tell you that it was a truly sacred experience.

I've read the New Testament before. Multiple times. Especially the Gospels. I went into the year feeling like I was pretty familiar with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and I don't feel like that perception was off. Reading the Gospels I didn't feel like I had any truly new insight, but I absolutely loved reading it with my daughters and sharing my thoughts, insights, and feelings with them. I was so grateful for "Family Home Church," as we call it, and the opportunity to bear testimony and have gospel discussions in our home. Not that we couldn't have done that before this year, but something about being given a specific directive made it happen. I loved reading and discussing the life of our Savior and Exemplar, Jesus Christ. It renewed my desire to become more like him.

But then there was the rest of the New Testament, Acts through Revelation. I know I've read it all before, but some of those stories seemed brand new to me! Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch! Ananias welcoming Saul/Paul into the church! Peter's crazy dream about taking the gospel to the Gentiles! Philemon and Onesimus! There is so much goodness and love and brotherhood to be found in these books, and I had somehow either missed it or forgotten it. But this year, these stories were emblazoned on my heart and mind, never to be forgotten. I will admit, the book of Revelation is still somewhat of a mystery to me (so we ended on a bit of a low note), but the rest of these writings were inspirational and uplifting and wonderful. Shout out to Thomas A. Wayment for his translation that helped when the Old English was less clear, and my friends (ha, I wish they were my friends) at Don't Miss This for their weekly videos to bring even more clarity.

We commemorated our completion of the New Testament with a bearing of testimony, and I'll never forget hearing my girls talk about their love of Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for that book of scripture, and for the experiences we had this year in studying it. It takes effort to make the time for daily scripture study as a family (and some days we were less faithful than others), but it has been so worth it for us to experience spiritual growth together.

On to the Book of Mormon!