Spirit of the Season

For Christmas this year, Martha gave me the new Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD called "Spirit of the Season." The CD features several songs by a Norwegian singer named "Sissel." I had never heard of her before. I wish I would have. Her voice is simply incredible. If an angel from heaven came to me and started to sing, I know it would sound just like her. Her voice has a clarity and brightness to it that makes you pause just to listen to its beauty. She shines best in the Norwegian folks tunes on the CD but is wonderful in the English language songs as well. Her sometime noticeable accent only adds to the charm.

My least favorite songs on CD were "Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella" (it sounded more like military march than a Christmas carol) and "Sunny Bank" (a variation of "I saw three ships" that was repetitive and annoying). There were also a few songs that require a stretch to fit into the carol category such as "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room" (an old ABBA song) but it was stunningly beautiful, nevertheless.

Wexford Carol is Martha's favorite on the CD and I think I have to agree with her. The Irish whistle in the song can't help but evoke images of the "emerald isle."

4 Beavers for "Spirit of the Season."

Savior of the World

Jane, Adam, Julia and I enjoyed very much our opportunity to participate in a sacred musical drama called "Savior of the World -- His Birth and Resurrection" put on by our stake. Check out the pictures...


Jane and Julia check out their makeup.


All made up and ready to go as Mary's Father.


Julia as villager.


Allen as Mary's Father, Jane as Anna (Mary's Sister) and Julia.


Jane tries out Mary's pregnant outfit.
Looks a little lumpy. They ended up not using it.


Adam as Ezra, Mary's Cousin.


Allen as Mary's Father at the betrothal.

"Joseph is a good man."


"Drink, and you have a covenant."


Jane as Anna and Mary (Kristen Jorgensen) talk about her betrothal.


Jane is excited for the wedding.


Ezra with Elizabeth (Janey Hick)


Marriage of Mary and Joseph.


Adam holds wedding canopy.


Allen as angel sings to the shepherds.

Mary Falck in the green room.

Mary Falck as Rebecca (a young disciple). She and Julia traded off the role of Rebecca every other night.

Maren Sedgwick hears the apostles.

Mary Falck and Maren Sedgwick as angels.

Julia sings like an angel.

Peter greets Mary Magdalene (Angel Westover)

Allen as Peter with apostles in upper room.

Peter with James (Matt Boyer), Thomas (Dave Astle)

and John (Blake).

Allen as Peter

Jane with women (Kim Clawson and Claralyn Palfryman) rejoicing over Christ's resurrection.

"Come deliver us..."

"Behold my hands...." Don Sedgwick (Cathy's brother) as Christ.

Christ appears to the apostles.

Peter encourages Thomas (Dave Astle) to believe

"Thomas, have you given up hope?"

Jane and Julia in finale.

Jane wows the audience with her beatiful voice.

I will leave it to others to review the show. All I can say is that it was a very moving experience for our family -- an experience we will never forget.

"What we thought was the end, is the beginning."

Digital Snowflakes

Check out this snowflake cutting site: http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/

You can cut out your own digital snowflakes and download them to share.

Here's the snowflake I cut... looks kind of art-deco don't you think?



5 Beavers for the snowflake site.

Thanks to Hailey Meyer Liechty's blog for this great tip: http://theletteroftheday.blogspot.com/

LOCAL DANCERS EARN PLUM ROLES IN BALLET WEST'S 'THE NUTCRACKER'

[Thanks to Kelly and Dave Ostergar for this... ACO]

Choreographed by Ballet West Founder William Christensen, "The Nutcracker"had its Utah premiere in 1955. That first year, Christensen used guest artists in primary roles and drew on children from several Salt Lake dance studios to fulfill additional parts. The result was one cast of 75 local dancers. This year, Ballet West auditioned nearly 500 children from Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo and surrounding areas for the coveted children's role, resulting in four casts of young dancers. The use of local dance students for the annual Nutcracker performances has been a holiday tradition. Congratulations to the following 2007 Nutcracker kids cast members! Noah Ostergar's name is listed in this article from the Salt Lake Deseret News 11/25/2007.
5 beavers to Noah for trying out and making it He will perform Dec. 12-17th. We will send reviews then.

Enchanted

After seeing the previews for Enchanted, I went with low expectations. I assumed I would see the same fairy tale clichés common to princess/prince movies: princess/prince falls into peril, princess/prince saved by prince/princess who overcomes insurmountable odds, prince and princess fall in love…. Oh yeah, and along the way princess/prince learns important life lessons about who she/he is and that she/he needs to follow her/his dreams to find true happiness and love. All these clichés were there in one way or another but they were presented in such a fresh way that also cleverly poked fun at them that the movie ended up being a real delight. I found myself laughing out loud numerous times. Patrick Dempsey as the disillusioned family law attorney was terrific. James Marsden as the prince played each cliché to annoying and hilarious perfection. However it is Amy Adams as the princess Giselle who completely steals the show. Her portrayal of the princess lost in New York City was a charmer. I hope we get to see her in many other movies. With her new success in the family market, I hope she doesn’t seek out more supposedly “serious” roles that will allow her to display her “true capacity” as an artist (i.e. the rated R market with all that entails -- though she may have already played such roles for all I know). Jane read in the LA Times that Adams grew up in a Mormon family in Colorado but that the family left the church when her parents divorced and that the church has not had much bearing on her faith. We took the whole family to the show and I felt it was appropriate for them all. I don’t remember any swearing. There was one exchange where Dempsey’s girlfriend complains about his “rules” in not letting her spend the night at his apartment (which was actually a good thing but may raise questions for kids). At one point, Giselle accidentally falls on top of the Dempsey character in her towel after getting out of the shower. There were some cartoon-type action sequences and a dragon that might be scary to young children. I would have been happier with a bit more modesty in the dresses worn by Adams which were similar to what you would see in a Pride and Prejudice type period piece. 4 Beavers.

Review of August Rush by Allen IV

[Thanks to Allen IV for this review --ACO]

I saw August Rush. The storyline and plot were good, but the visual and audio parts of the film were very amazing. For example, when August Rush (the main character) stumbles into New York City for the first time, the filmmakers did a great job in making the audience feel like they were in the city and were very small and insignificant. The loud metallic noises were intensified and the camera views were quick and shaky making the audience feel very nervous for August. The points of view and settings were well thought out. The way that the filmmakers used noise and sound to narrate the story was very unique. One problem was that the movie dragged on a little and was a bit too long. Overall I think that it was a great movie -- worth the ten dollars.

Laguna Niguel 4th Ward Gets New Bishop

I was released last Sunday as Bishop, along with my counselors Alan Keddington and Mark Pay. The new bishop is Scott Shreeve with Matt Eyre and Ray Damiano as counselors. Scott was the bishop of the Laguna Hills 2nd ward before recent boundary changes placed his home in the Laguna Niguel 4th ward.

People have asked if I feel lighter or if I feel free. The short answer is "no." I still feel the same worries and concerns and desires for people's lives that I felt before. The only difference is that now it will be somebody else's responsbility to direct ward efforts with respect to strenghtening those families. I will still be able to (and should continue to) work as an individual (or as part of whatever calling I receive) to bless their lives. I suppose all of us who have been to the temple should have those same feelings -- we should all feel the concern that our bishops, stake presidents, and church president feel and act in our own individual ways to remedy those concerns. From a practical standpoint, in the future I will not be privy to the confidential problems that people face. The resulting ignorance will perhaps mean a lessening of stress for me.


Alan Keddington, Allen Ostergar, Mark Pay

Beaver Alert! Allen IV gets accepted to BYU for Fall 2008

Rise and shout the Cougars are out -- and a beaver is in! Allen IV learned on November 16, 2007 that he was accepted to attend BYU-Provo starting in the fall of 2008. Is he a bodacious beaver or what?!

Look for this happy face at the Cougareat!

New York Pizzeria vs. New York Upper Crust Pizza – Best Slice of Pizza in Orange County

It is the end of AYSO soccer season. I coached Ruth’s team – the Red Rubies. At the first practice of the season, one of the seven year old girls asked if she could throw her ball at me. I said “no” but she threw it at me anyway. I batted it away. As she walked toward her ball to retrieve it she turned, glared at me, and said, “I’m going to kill you…. I’m going to kill you, with a knife!” I knew then that it was going to be a difficult season. Fortunately that girl never brought a knife, the team pulled together, and we had a great time.

We held our team party at New York Pizzeria on the corner of Aliso Creek and Moulton. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend their pizza. We ordered a cheese pizza and a combination (the New York special). Both pizza’s were soggy in the middle which made it hard to pick them up and not as pleasing to eat. We had to eat half the slice (assuming that you start eating from the middle rather than from the crust end) with a knife and fork until we got past the soggy part. That’s just not how Pizza should be eaten. 2 Beavers for New York Pizzeria.

Around the corner, on the other hand, is New York Upper Crust Pizza (on Greenfield and Rancho Niguel). I recently wrote about the best Hamburger in Orange County. You are now going to hear about the best slice of Pizza. From time to time I order pizza by the slice for lunch. Their Greek pizza is simply heavenly. There is no tomato sauce on this pizza -- just mozzarella, feta, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, garlic and a green herb (basil I think). No sogginess here. The crust is thin (the way I prefer it) and is perfectly done every time. They also have stuffed pizzas (that include a crust on top). If you go, try the dough knots, a variation of garlic bread made with olive oil and garlic. By the way, Martha agrees with me about the Greek pizza being the best, so I must be right. Ordered by the slice, it is the best slice of pizza I have ever had. 5 Beavers for the Greek pizza. 4 Beavers for the worker who always gives Martha extra food and a big smile. He’s got the fever!

Mary's Mandatories -- The Trouble with Nostrils

[We welcome the sage advice of Mary Falck as a new feature to Ostergar Family Reviews. We look forward to many more. --ACO]

Welcome Beavers to my new column! I am Dr. Mary and I graduated from Spot For Dorks University in 1983. So anyways, I publish a column every so often in Ostergar Family Reviews.

Ok. According to recent hard studies, the laws of science have proved that flaring your nostrils is a frequent occurrence that happens often to the Ostergars. If you are an Ostergar, or have been around Ostergars, and this happens to you, here is my advice:

At night, you should put some orange juice on your toothbrush and sleep with it in your mouth. It usually works……