Mercy River Musings

light at the end of the tunnel

2011-05-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I just had my third baby three months ago. She is such a blessing in our family-this I know. But I'm really not a fan of this stage in post-pardum. The stage where I feel almost normal but I definitely do NOT look normal. (My pants practically laugh out loud every time I try to pull them over my hips. Or maybe they groan. Anyway!) Also, at this stage I start sleep training my babies, and although the payoff is totally worth it, the work is rather tedious. This is the stage I start to get frustrated, almost antsy for my life to go back to how it was before I had a newborn. (Let me reiterate-I'm so in love with her. Honest.)

Sometimes I feel like I just need a change. Or maybe I need things to slow down. Or let's be honest, it very well may be my hormones are still a bit nutty. At any rate, it's not an easy time for me. But I do have moments when I remember that this stage doesn't last forever. Things will improve at some point. It's like I tell my husband, "I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I just can't see it yet." It helps that I've been through this before, and I've lived to tell the tale.

This reminds me of something our dear friend Amanda Dickson talked about. How change is inevitable. It's constant. We know things won't remain as they are, simply because change will always be waiting for us around the next corner.

Now, this is definitely not the hardest thing I've gone through, but I think there are two lessons here that can be applied to our most difficult times in life;

1) It will get better. It has to. Because that's how change works.

2) There is something to be said for knowing that someone has been through the same thing and has "lived to tell the tale". Although there's a good deal of faith that is required of us, I think it's so comforting to know that in my darkest times, our Savior felt the same things I have felt. And He knows how to help me through this. Even when my faith isn't strong enough.

So if you're going through a rough patch-hang on! Change is a comin'. Even if you can't see it, there is a light at the end of that tunnel.

Right now, I'm just hoping that light involves 8 hours of sleep. xo
Brooke

Left Over Halloween Candy: Making it Work for YOU

2010-11-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

It's Halloween night. I have allowed the kids to sort, trade, and devour their candy for a good 30 minutes. Then I announce that everyone must choose one last candy before they surrender it all to me. After all, candy is not good for us. It rots our teeth, makes us unhealthy, and can be addicting. Oh...and Mom likes to secretly eat it through December. But I leave this last part out.

I climb the stairs to my bedroom with the heavy bag of sweets. I stuff it onto my third dresser drawer where it will be safe from little hands. And I smile at the thought of many candy gorging sessions for weeks to come. Not to mention the BRIBING power that the bag brings to me, seeing as how my kids will do ANY thing for the smallest piece of candy. Faith, prayer, and sugar. The three tools of any smart mom.

But listen. The possibilities do NOT end with sweet tooth sessions and bribery. Oh no, my friend. There are MANY ways you can employ your Halloween candy for your benefit. Read on.

1) Lost your wedding ring? (Or...perhaps it has "shrunk"?) No problem. Slip on a Ring Pop and you will be the envy of the neighborhood. Remove before showering or doing dishes.

2) Out of $ for a tip? What waitress wouldn't LOVE a pile of Smartees on the table??

3) Vacuum pack the candy and use it for upcoming holidays. Christmas stockings, Valentine parties, even NEXT Halloween!

4) No need to keep track of your kids in the store. Just let them lose with pockets full of candy. Enjoy your shopping. When done, follow the trail of wrappers to your children and go home.

5) Jazz up bath time! Kids reluctant to bathe? Just dump Pixy Stix powder into the water. Watch as the water turns beautiful pastel colors, and enjoy the aromatherapy benefits as well.

6) Protect your home. Place candy on your porch so you will hear the crunch of the wrappers when an intruder approaches. Then, while he sits down to eat the candy, call the police and go back to bed. Foolproof.

7) Keep a stash in your car. When you are pulled over, brightly smile at the officer and casually ask him if he likes Snickers. Who doesn't feel happier with a little chocolate?

8) Dress up the veggies. Stick a broccoli stalk on top of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and voila--instant healthy snack for the kids.

9) Melt all chocolate candy together. Pour into a golf club candy mold and let set. What husband wouldn't want a chocolate golf club for his birthday? No need to buy anything else.

10) Sell it on ebay. Who knows? People are weird.

With a little imagination, you can definitely find ways to make your Halloween candy work for YOU. Good luck.

Whitney

Time for Interviews!

2010-10-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

We were in Las Vegas this weekend at our last Time Out Event for the year, (*Sniff!*) and I thought maybe it's time all our readers get to know us a little better. And although we had a fabulous time in Vegas, and it deserves a blog post all it's own, this one is coming first. I decided to interview Soni and Whit on the plane ride home Saturday night. Granted, it's usually an exhausting time for us after performing all day, but they were good sports...ish.

Me: Girls, thank you for sitting down for this interview.
Soni: (Silence.)
Whit: (Silence.)
Me: GIRLS! You WILL participate in this interview!

(After my pep talk...)
Me: OK. First question-what did you want to be when you were a little girl?
Soni: I wanted to be a school teacher. I made my neighbors come to my house, and they were all my students.
Whit: I wanted to be a singer/actress. Until I was 12, then the "Mother" thing kicked in.

Me: What do you want for Christmas?
Soni: An IPod.
Whit: A blue tooth and a popcorn maker.
(Rock and Treion, are you listening?)

Me: What's your favorite dessert?
Soni: Mmm, Almond Poppyseed Cake...or homemade brownies with HOMEMADE frosting...or this this orange cake trifle thing I make...(20 minutes later)...I can't pick just one. (Love her!)
Whit: Cinnamon rolls or mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Me: Where's a place you'd like to visit?
Whit: ISREAL!
Soni: That's TOTALLY what I was going to say! Or maybe Italy.

Me: What's the worst advice you've been given?
Whit: Never go to bed angry. Whatever! I'm tired!
Soni: (Silence.)
Me: Soni! Wake up!
Soni: Oh, um, I need a couple days on that one...

Me: What's your secret talent?
Soni: I can drive with my knees.
Whit: I flair my nostrils.

Me: OK, last question. If you had one day all to yourself, what would you do?
Whit: Lay in bed all day with a book and my OWN bowl of popcorn. (I think she has to share a lot.)
Soni: OK, I would clean my house till 4:00, then I would sit on my couch and just stare out the window and watch cars for awhile, then I would look through all my cookbooks and find the most AMAZING meal and cook it all for myself, and then I would eat as much as I want, then I would clean the kitchen and be happy it was going to stay clean the rest of the night, then I would go to bed at 8:00.
Whit: Are you writing all this down?
Me: Um, yes. Soni, that's quite the day.

Me: Girls, thank you for your cooperation. I have learned a lot as I'm sure our readers will.
Whit: (Silence.)
Soni: (Silence.)
Me: GIRLS!

Oy vey. :)
xo
Brooke

Weeds

2010-09-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

So it's late Sunday night, and I can not shut my brain off. Blame it on pregnancy, a too-long Sunday nap, or just the upcoming General Conference weekend. (I tend to get philosophical during this time!) But lately I've been thinking about what improvements I need to make in my life. And I've decided I need to love more.

But first, let me say this. I really don't like dandelions. (Isn't that a great thing to say? Right after I said I need to "love more". Just stay with me, folks.) Emily Freeman talks about dandelions in her Time Out for Women presentation, so that may be the reason they are on my mind. They are a constant presence in my yard. No matter how often I fertilize my grass, or pull each seedling, they are persistent little buggers, with their obnoxious yellow heads that leave yellow streaks on my arm, their stubborn roots, and those fluffs that just spread their wealth. I shudder at the thought of those fluffs.

But a couple years ago, while out walking with my kids, my 2 year old daughter gave me a special gift. The first flower she picked, especially for me. And you can guess what "flower" it was. Yep. A Dandelion. "For You!" she said, in the sweetest voice. "Because I love you!"

All of a sudden, that dandelion wasn't so awful. For that moment, I saw the dandelion as my daughter saw it. With it's vivid color and hundreds of petals what's not to admire? That day my daughter's love turned that weed into something I'll always remember. It's amazing what love will do to our vision.

So now I'm thinking about the "weeds" in my life. There are definitely certain people that may fall under that category. People that have hurt me or hurt the ones I hold close to my heart. (I have a mama bear in me that rears it's ugly head whenever someone I love feels pain.) But maybe I'm missing that key ingredient-LOVE. Maybe if I tried to love them-prayed to love them-I would see them as our Savior sees them. Someone worth dying for. Maybe if I had the courage to forgive I could see THEIR vivid colors. Maybe if I had charity in my heart for each of my "weeds", I would find a beautiful person underneath, who's trying their best-just like me.

So that's my goal. To love my weeds. And now it's out for the world to see, so maybe that'll hold me more accountable! ;) Wish me luck...
xo
Brooke

Sacramento...Until We Meet Again!

2010-09-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a FANTASTIC weekend in Sacramento at Time Out for Women. This was the first TOFW of the fall season, so we had those all too familiar butterflies as Saturday got close. But the women of Sacramento put us right at ease. I couldn't beleive how responsive they were from the minute TOFW began. It was like we were old friends.

I have to admit that there were MANY interesting things that happened to me in Sac. Starting with the first number of our morning set. There was a little confusion with the sound cue...and Hello Sunshine started playing before we were on stage!!!!! Not only were we yards away, but Brooke had NO shoes on. I sprinted to the microphones and dashed on stage, as I am the first to start singing. I missed the first 5 words or so...Brooke and Soni were hot on my heels...I was frazzled, out of breath, panicked....wow. I can say we've never quite had an entrance like that!! I was worried that this would throw me off the rest of the day but the energy and generosity of the 2500 women literally sustained us.

I adored meeting the women of California. I am always amazed at the stories the TOFW women share with us. And this was kind of fun...one woman came up to me and introduced herself as my mother's first cousin! We had never met and she hasn't seen my mom in over 35 years. Very cool. I also met a homeless woman after TOFW who was searching for any extra Hope Kits. They had already been taken away, but Soni and I talked to her for a few minutes and were able to find her some lunch. That's one of the things that surprised me about Sacramento--the number of homeless people on the street. It is sobering to be reminded how people suffer right under our noses in our own country. And what a blessing these TOFW Hope Kits will be to so many of those struggling women.

And now this--Sacramento, do you always have 50,000 police cars patrolling the midnight streets with their sirens on full blast? It took me a while, floating in that place between awake and asleep, to realize that surely that wasn't normal. Then when the helicopters started circling I had no choice but to peek out the window. Here was this helicopter, circling this bank right across the street from us with its light fixed on one of the floors. And poilice car after police car--surely every police car in Sacramento--came to join in on the fun. It was quite a loud affair. And what makes me mad is that I can't find anything about this excitment on the news. If I had to be awake half the night, I wanted 1) an explanation, and 2) bragging rights that I was there at whatever IT was. And an interview on CNN (I WAS an eye witness afterall ) would have helped to make up for the lack of sleep.

I will end with 5 happy words: Carmeled Apples In Old Sac. (I will be craving more oreo and chocolate chip covered apples until I return to you, Old Sac.)

We love you, Sacramento!!!

--Whitney

I Wish I Was...

2010-07-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

The other day in the car, my 4 year old daughter said to me,

"Mom, I wish I was a REAL princess".

Cringe. I told her she was a real princess, and in her almost patronizing way she acknowledged she knew that, but still. "A REAL princess", she repeated.

Is it starting already? This horrible part of being a girl. The wishing-I-was-something-else part. I thought this would hit around school age. When she started to notice the differences between herself and her peers. But how could I not see the the "danger" in her obsession with all things princess? Of course there is something glamorous in the lifestyles of the rich and...Disney. I'm sure I'm reading into this more than her 4 year old statement intended. Maybe she didn't mean "I wish I was as pretty as a princess. As thin as a princess. As rich as a princess. As quick-to-attach-a-dark-handsome-prince as a princess." But one day it will be that. There will always be someone smarter, thinner, shorter, funnier, more popular than her. Someone who catches that certain boy's heart a little faster. Someone who will dance better, sing better, throw a ball better. It's that way for everyone. But more than anything I hope she gives her all-HER best. And that she's happy with that. Maybe I want her to learn this early on, so she doesn't struggle with it into adulthood. (Like her mom.)

So to my dear future daughter-remember this quote from Henry Van Dyke;

"Use what talent you possess. The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best."

You can always be your own best. And that will always be enough.

Oh, and you are a real princess.

Love, Mom (Brooke)

Just For You

2010-06-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Wow. So I'll be the first to admit, we're not being very good bloggers. Here's the thing-(in our defense, sad as this defense may be), we've been running non-stop since last August. As soon as we got the go-ahead for a new album, we started working on it. The minute that was over we were rehearsing and writing for Time Out for Women. And then we started PERFORMING at TOFW. Oh, and then the album released so there was a lot of work for that. In the middle of all that, we were still doing firesides and rehearsals. So as soon as our last Spring tour was over, Whit was off on vacation and then Soni took her turn and we just mentally...checked out. Is that sad? We didn't have anything booked, so we just took time to enjoy our kids, reconnect with our hubbies, and apologize to all the friends we've blown off the last few months.

This month I think I got sunburned twice, made cookies at least 6 times, planted my garden, put together a garage sale, and READ A BOOK. I can't remember the last time I was able to do that. So it's been nice. But now it's time to apologize to all our Mercy River friends. And to help make amends, I am passing on a recipe. And it's a GOOD recipe-the kind you can make and take to BBQs and Potlucks and people will be tripping over themselves to get to it. They may threaten the life of you and your loved ones if you don't share the recipe. So consider yourself warned. (Of course, you are under no obligation to share it. It's up to you. ;) Enjoy!

Texas Sheet Cake

Serves 24

Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Cake
2	cups all-purpose flour
2	cups sugar
1/2	teaspoon baking soda
1/2	teaspoon salt
2	large eggs plus 2 yolks
2	teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4	cup sour cream
8	ounces semisweet chocolate , chopped
4	tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4	cup vegetable oil
3/4	cup water
1/2	cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Chocolate Icing
8	tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2	cup heavy cream
1/2	cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1	tablespoon light corn syrup
3	cups confectioners' sugar
1	tablespoon vanilla extract
1	cup toasted pecans , chopped

1. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 18- by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Whisk eggs and yolks, vanilla, and sour cream in another bowl until smooth.

2. Heat chocolate, butter, oil, water, and cocoa in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk chocolate mixture into flour mixture until incorporated. Whisk egg mixture into batter, then pour into prepared baking pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack.

3. For the icing: About 5 minutes before cake is done, heat butter, cream, cocoa, and corn syrup in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Off heat, whisk in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Spread warm icing evenly over hot cake and sprinkle with pecans. Let cake cool to room temperature on wire rack, about 1 hour, then refrigerate until icing is set, about 1 hour longer. (Cake can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.) Cut into 3-inch squares. Serve.

Soo...do you forgive us? xo

Brooke

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-05-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

My daughter's prayers are becoming much more...shall we say, from the heart. Here are some of things she is praying for this week:

-She's thankful for the birthday party she recently attended, and for the Barbie movie they watched afterwards. She's also thankful for chocolate chunk cookie cakes, and princess shoes.

-She has blessed us to not eat too much candy, to be nice to our brother and give him kisses, and most important-

-She blessed us to not pick our boogers.

Her prayers are officially on the list of "My Favorite Things."
xo
Brooke

Beauty and The Beast

2010-05-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

A good friend of ours emailed me this article. She heard it read at BYU Women's Conference last week, and it must be shared! (Thanks Natalie, for spreading the wealth.)

Beauty and the Beast

BY DAVE BARRY

(This classic Dave Barry column was originally published on Feb. 1, 1998.)

If you're a man, at some point a woman will ask you how she looks.

''How do I look?'' she'll ask.

You must be careful how you answer this question. The best technique is to form an honest yet sensitive opinion, then collapse on the floor with some kind of fatal seizure. Trust me, this is the easiest way out. Because you will never come up with the right answer.

The problem is that women generally do not think of their looks in the same way that men do. Most men form an opinion of how they look in seventh grade, and they stick to it for the rest of their lives. Some men form the opinion that they are irresistible stud muffins, and they do not change this opinion even when their faces sag and their noses bloat to the size of eggplants and their eyebrows grow together to form what appears to be a giant forehead-dwelling tropical caterpillar.

Most men, I believe, think of themselves as average-looking. Men will think this even if their faces cause heart failure in cattle at a range of 300 yards. Being average does not bother them; average is fine, for men. This is why men never ask anybody how they look. Their primary form of beauty care is to shave themselves, which is essentially the same form of beauty care that they give to their lawns.

If, at the end of his four-minute daily beauty regimen, a man has managed to wipe most of the shaving cream out of his hair and is not bleeding too badly, he feels that he has done all he can, so he stops thinking about his appearance and devotes his mind to more critical issues, such as the Super Bowl.

Women do not look at themselves this way. If I had to express, in three words, what I believe most women think about their appearance, those words would be: ''not good enough.'' No matter how attractive a woman may appear to be to others, when she looks at herself in the mirror, she thinks: woof.

She thinks that at any moment a municipal animal-control officer is going to throw a net over her and haul her off to the shelter.

Why do women have such low self-esteem? There are many complex psychological and societal reasons, by which I mean Barbie. Girls grow up playing with a doll proportioned such that, if it were a human, it would be seven feet tall and weigh 81 pounds, of which 53 pounds would be bosoms.

This is a difficult appearance standard to live up to, especially when you contrast it with the standard set for little boys by their dolls ... excuse me, by their action figures. Most of the action figures that my son played with when he was little were hideous-looking. For example, he was very fond of an action figure (part of the He-Man series) called ''Buzz-Off,'' who was part human, part flying insect. Buzz-Off was not a looker. But he was extremely self-confident. You could not imagine Buzz-Off saying to the other action figures: ``Do you think these wings make my hips look big?''

But women grow up thinking they need to look like Barbie, which for most women is impossible, although there is a multibillion-dollar beauty industry devoted to convincing women that they must try. I once saw an Oprah show wherein supermodel Cindy Crawford dispensed makeup tips to the studio audience. Cindy had all these middle-aged women applying beauty products to their faces; she stressed how important it was to apply them in a certain way, using the tips of their fingers. All the woman dutifully did this, even though it was obvious to any sane observer that, no matter how carefully they applied these products, they would never look remotely like Cindy Crawford, who is some kind of genetic mutation.

I'm not saying that men are superior. I'm just saying that you're not going to get a group of middle-aged men to sit in a room and apply cosmetics to themselves under the instruction of Brad Pitt, in hopes of looking more like him. Men would realize that this task was pointless and demeaning. They would find some way to bolster their self-esteem that did not require looking like Brad Pitt. They would say to Brad: ``Oh YEAH? Well what do you know about LAWN CARE, pretty boy?''

Of course, many women will argue that the reason they become obsessed with trying to look like Cindy Crawford is that men, being as shallow as a drop of spit, WANT women to look that way. To which I have two responses:

1. Hey, just because WE'RE idiots, that doesn't mean YOU have to be; and

2. Men don't even notice 97 percent of the beauty efforts you make anyway. Take fingernails. The average woman spends 5,000 hours per year worrying about her fingernails; I have never once, in more than 40 years of listening to men talk about women, heard a man say, ''She has a nice set of fingernails!'' Many men would not notice if a woman had upward of four hands.

Anyway, to get back to my original point: If you're a man, and a woman asks you how she looks, you're in big trouble. Obviously, you can't say she looks bad. But you also can't say that she looks great, because she'll think you're lying, because she has spent countless hours, with the help of the multibillion-dollar beauty industry, obsessing about the differences between herself and Cindy Crawford. Also, she suspects that you're not qualified to judge anybody's appearance. This is because you have shaving cream in your hair.

Dear Dave Barry; As a woman who played with Barbies as a child...I concur. :)

Brooke

The Indianapolis Baggage Gnomes

2010-04-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

On the plane to Indy

Mercy River and the AMAZING TOFW presenters. (Mariama, Merilee, Richard, Kris, and Emily)

After our forced shopping trip! Poor us.

I, Whitney, had never set foot in Indiana until 2 weeks ago, where MR was lucky enough to travel to for TOFW. At first glance, it seemed to be a pretty nice, normal place. But THAT'S before we came face to face with........THE INDIANA BAGGAGE GNOMES. Ok, we didn't actually SEE them, but I know they exist. How? Because they stole our carry ons--THAT's how! It's a curious thing to carry your luggage ON to the plane, but because of a crowded flight, have your luggage taken OFF the plane....and nabbed by those pesky gnomes. Thus, we landed in Indianapolis last Friday with, literally, the clothes we had on.

I was kind of excited to perform on Saturday in sneakers and ratty Old Navy T-Shirts, but our boss lady Laurel wasn't hot on the idea. And so, instead of enjoying Friday night's event, we headed to the mall to frantically find coordinating outfits for the next day. I know, I know. Life's tough when you're with your best friends in a cool city and you HAVE to go shopping. We suffered through the agony of it all.

Aside from all the luggage drama (and btw, all luggage showed up at 6am Sat morning!), Indianapolis was INCREDIBLE! I was boggled by the fact that although I had heard most of the speakers before, it was as if I was hearing them all for the first time. I guess it'f kind of like reading the scriptures--different things jump out at you at different times. (Now LISTEN--if you have ANY chance of attending a TOFW in 2010, DON'T PASS IT UP. The stories and speakers this year are life-changing.)

To the women of Indy: Thank you SO MUCH for your kindness and laughter. Your energy and faith were so soothing to the souls of these three tired mommies. We hope to see you again!!

Love,

All the Single...Moms

2010-03-31T19:17:00.000-07:00

Soni's been in South Africa the last two weeks. She gets home this Sunday. Whit and I, although missing her terribly, were a little relieved to have an excuse to take some time off Mercy River and devote our energy to our families. I had big plans-crafting, a family vacay to St. George, major Spring cleaning, maybe a trip to Ikea...

Then-THE BACK PROBLEM HIT.

While on afore mentioned vacation this last weekend, my husband's back decided to cause some issues. He's had back problems off and on for the last 5 years, but this was the worst it had ever been. Intense pain was shooting down his left side, leaving him unable to walk or even sit. I spent half my vacation in the Emergency Room, running back and forth to Walgreens for medication, and then keeping my two kids busy while trying to do everything I could to make him comfortable. His pain hasn't let up this whole week! Today he had a shot in the middle of his back to hopefully solve the problem, but it could take 3-5 additional days before he'll be able to walk again. As a result my poor husband is confined to our bed, barely able to stand long enough to get in a 2 minute shower.

So! This week I've traded my dreams of craft projects, Ikea trips, and organizing for the single mom role. All cooking, child care duties, cleaning, and nursing my hubby have fallen to me. I'm sure some of you are reading this thinking, "Big Whoop! I've done that and worse!" You're probably right. But I wanted to say, I have a such a respect for single moms, or even mommies who have kids and also take care of another adult family member. And when you throw in a job with that! I don't know how you do it, or where you get your strength. But I have an assignment for you.

Stand in front of a mirror. Are you there? Now, look at your reflection and say, "I.AM.AWESOME. No really, I am a full-blown rockstar. I do amazing things."

Did you say it? Do you honestly know how amazing you are? This week I've had moments when I was almost too busy to read to my little girl, or almost too tired to read our scriptures, or in such a hurry I almost forgot to bless our meal. And each time I gather up my strength, take a deep breath, and think about all the single moms doing the same thing. You women have given me strength this week.

I know my situation isn't permanent, so I hope I don't come across as thinking I know what any of you go through. All I want to say is, thank you for your example. You are a true life hero.

XOXO

Brooke

Miracles

2010-03-10T12:53:00.000-08:00

We just returned home from Orlando-one of those trips that will go in the books as "Fave Mercy River Memory". The women were, for lack of a better term, amazing. So kind, so accepting, so open to the Spirit. We had left snowy Utah, only to arrive in sunny Florida. (It felt wonderful!) We didn't fly home until Sunday morning, so we had an unforgettable Saturday night with the other presenters. It was all great, and definitely added to this memory. But one thing really stands out. We witnessed a miracle.

Before I go into our miracle, I need to tell you something. None of us feel like we're the most amazing singers. No seriously. We have to work extremely hard to get our harmonies tight, to get our voices to blend. We take almost every note of every song and dissect it until it's perfect. In rehearsal we're nailing it, but put us up on stage in front of a 1600+ crowd? All that practice tends to fly out of our heads and we sit thinking "WHAT ARE WE DOING!" But we learned some things in Ogden, and in the month between Ogden and Florida, we worked our tail ends off. And by the time that Orlando week came around, we felt ready. Aaaanddd then Soni lost her voice. On Friday.

Can I tell you how frustrating that is? It's happened to all three of us. We practice practice practice for a big event, and then someone loses a voice. We were heartbroken. I believe my thoughts were, "Will we EVER have a great performance? One where I won't want to crawl-in-a-hole-and-die-from-sheer-embarrassment afterwards?" (Call me dramatic!) All we want is for people to feel God's love-to be strengthened and soothed, to find peace and healing, to feel joy. We want to do the missionary work we're supposed to do, and no matter how hard we work, something gets in the way. Nerves, sickness...anyway, it's frustrating.

Saturday morning Soni received a blessing from S. Michael Wilcox, one of the presenters. It was incredible. He promised Soni that the audience would hear her at her best. He promised they WOULD feel of God's love. We came out of that blessing trusting in those words. And we witnessed a miracle. We sounded just like we did in rehearsal! A miracle in itself, but to have it happen with Soni's voice gone? As the day wore on she would turn to Whit and I and say, "I don't know girls, I don't know if I can do the next set..." But she would stand up there and sing each time. We were so proud of her. But more important, we ALL felt the strength of our Heavenly Father that day.

I can honestly tell you that now, more than ever, I KNOW we can not do this without Him. We have to do our part-we will still practice until we're blue in the face-but we have to have Him with us or it won't work. Kind of like life...we can do all we can, but without our Savior to fill in those missing pieces, it won't work. It is only through Christ that we can become our very best. I'm so grateful for that in my life.

So thank you Orlando-for your weather, your hospitality, your great restaurants, your temple, Downtown Disney...but most of all, for being a part of our miracle.

Brooke

I Did Something Stupid.

2010-03-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

That’s not unusual for me, but this one was a doozey. Here’s the story:

My husband serves as a leader in our church’s “stake” organization. One night they were planning something called “Bishopric Training"--a meeting where the Stake Presidency trains the Bishops of the stake. They thought it would be nice to have a musical number, so Rock texted me this: “Remind me to invite you to sing at Bishopric training.” I texted back and said, “Not a chance!”

Now, here’s the part where I calmly defend my poor actions, even though I know I was wrong:

HELLO SCARINESS!!! Are you kidding me?? Sing in front of 50 men that I know personally?? Look, I know I am—quote, unquote—a “professional” singer, but the truth is, I still have stage fright. My stage fright used to be HORRIBLE. I have come a long ways, for sure. But there are still times when I get sick thinking about singing in front of people. Ironically, I would rather sing at Time Out for Women, in front of a crowd of 2,000 women, than at Bishopric Training. At TOFW, the lights are low and the spotlight is in my face. I can’t see anything. And even if I could, the faces are small and far away. At Bishopric Training, the lights are up and I can see every expression, every face. Even worse, I know the NAMES connected to those faces. And I will continue to see those faces again and again for years after the performance. If I stink it up at TOFW, at least I won’t see most of those women again.

I knew if I said yes to this, I would be stressed about it for 2 weeks ahead, create a mess of the song because I would be so jittery, and then feel sick about it for 2 weeks after. In my opinion, that was a lot of hoopla for nothing. Why couldn’t they just play a recording of the song, or make a nice power point video or something? I had enough to worry about. And so, I lovingly declined the offer.

Well, the day of Bishopric Training came. That morning Rock and I were eating breakfast and I asked if they were ready for the meeting. As he answered me, this awful feeling began to creep into my stomach. Guilt. Guilt! GUILT!!! And then, these exact words popped into my head, “I sing all over the world but I said no to my Stake President.” Oops. When I thought about it that way it was clear to me that I had made a mistake. Singing isn’t about ME. Who cares that it was scary? Who cares that I might do a less than perfect job and have to face those people again? Heavenly Father has given me the gift of music…and who am I to decide where and when to use it? Perhaps the MOST important place for me to sing was at Bishopric Training. How could the Lord bless me if I don’t use my talents in the right ways?

I went into panic-mode. “Rock, call President R. and tell him I’ll be there!” He was surprised. “No—don’t worry about it. We already have it planned, you don’t need to come.” “I know, I said, but I feel really bad. Just call him. I’ll be there.” I spent the rest of the day trying to make it happen. I got the sound equipment from Soni at practice. I called my sweet neighbor and asked her to sing the backup part. I searched frantically for the minus track of the song. I tried to find someone to watch my kids while I sang. I was even starting to get a little excited. This would be really neat!

90 minutes before the meeting started, I got a call from Rock. “Hey,” he said. “I just got off the phone with President R., and…it’s not going to work out tonight.” I was stunned. “What….?” “I’m really sorry,” he said, “it’s just that we have everything figured out to the minute and it seems a little complicated to throw you in at the last second. I think it’s better that we just leave things how they are for tonight. We all feel really bad…I wish it could work out…sorry, Honey…” “Um…ok…that’s ok….” I was totally deflated.

After I hung up the phone it hit me like a ton'o'bricks. I had "procrastinated the day of my repentance" (Alma 34:33)!! I had realized my mistake, decided to to do the right thing, even got excited about it...but I was TOO LATE. What a horrible feeling!

Sooooooooo..............don't be stupid! Don't procrastinate anymore. Don't put off the things you know you should be doing. Stop doing the things you know you shouldn't. And try to make your wrongs right again. Even if it's scary...even if it's embarrassing...even if it doesn't seem that important.

Because all of the sudden...it will be too late.

Stupidly, Sheepishly, Smilingly Yours,

Whitney :)

Inspired

2010-02-27T11:27:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, we participated in our first Time Out for Women a few weeks ago in Ogden. Unlike the other presenters, who speak for 35 minutes at one point and are done the rest of the day, we sing for 10-20 minutes, three different times throughout the day. Our second set starts right after lunchtime, and in that set, I share a story that for me is very personal. It was a really rough time in my life, and I learned some major lessons that are very near and dear to my heart. I was excited to share that experience, and the things I had learned with the women at Time Out.

Enter Mariama.

Right before the lunch break, it was Mariama's turn to present. She told us her incredible life story. Raised in South Africa, she was forced to flee for her life several times during a terrible war. She witnessed her parents' death, her sister's torture, and was abused in ways I can't even imagine. Her story was one of strength, triumph, sheer faith, endurance. This woman is a saint. She joined the church, helped countless people in her country, and is now inspiring people around the U.S. with her story.

Enter my shriveling confidence.

Wow. This is what I had to follow? I turned to Whit, Soni, and Emily Freeman, who happened to be standing next to us. "How in the world can I share my story after that?" I cried. "My problem seems so small compared to hers!" I felt panicked. Then Emily said something that hit me like, well, something hard.

She grabbed my hands, looked me right in the eyes and said, "Never doubt what you have been inspired to say."

Something clicked my mind. That's right! I DID feel inspired to share my story! I knew there was someone in that audience who would gain something from it. Emily's words have been with me since then. How often do I doubt what has been inspired? Recognizing it as true inspiration from God is the first step, but it's up to me to move forward with it, void of fear and doubt. And not just in the things I say. Have I been inspired to bring dinner to my neighbor, teach my children, compliment my spouse, call a friend, forgive a family member? Yes. Do I always act on it? Noooo...But when I do, I can feel those giddy butterflies in my stomach and my heart seems extra warm. Duh Brooke! (Who says "duh" anymore?) THAT'S INSPIRATION! It doesn't matter if your story is different than someone else's. It's YOUR story. It's YOUR inspiration!

This post is rambling-long, but real quick. One of my fave scriptures to go along with this. Found in Alma 48:11-

And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;

Then in verse 19-

Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable unto the people than was Moroni...

Mariama's story is definitely of Captain Moroni quality. But it doesn't mean I can't be a Helaman. We can't all have amazing stories of leading armies, conquering huge tragedies, and overcoming insane obstacles. But, we can ALL be inspired. And we all have the capacity to use that inspiration to do God's work. So I'm repeating Emily's words-for me, and for all of you.

Never doubt what you've been inspired to say.

Now go follow that inspiration! :)

Brooke

Pssst!

2010-02-22T20:53:00.000-08:00

Did you know our new album was out in stores? (i.e. Deseret Book, Seagull Book, DB's website, Walmart, Costco...)

And for you fellow techno kids-did you know our new album was on ITunes? And on Amazon?

It is! But we're not like...shamelessly plugging it or anything...er...um...OK, we are. Will you forgive us? More important, don't you want a copy? :) I'm done now.

Brooke

For Your Rainy Day

2010-02-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

As promised on our Facebook page, here is the recipe for my rainy day treat. Trust me, peeps, this is THE BEST. Cinnamon rolls used to be one of those things I couldn't perfect, and after trying countless recipes this was the clear cut winner. They turned out great and oh my, they taste divine. Try them out and tell me what you think, okey-dokey?

XOXO

Brooke

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls

1 1/4 c. warm water
1 1 /2 c. sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. yeast

Add together and let set for 10 minutes. Then add-

1 1/4 c. melted butter (Hey, I didn't say they were HEALTHY!)
1 1 /4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
2 1/2 c. mashed potatoes
9 c. flour (1 c. at a time)

Knead until smooth, then let rise until double. Divide dough into two equal portions and roll each out into a large rectangle. Spread with softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. (I don't use measurements for these, so...) Roll them up, cut them into 1 1/2 in. pieces, and let them rise a 2nd time, until doubled. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-16 minutes.

Mmmmm....!

Meet Evan

2010-01-30T12:25:00.001-08:00

This is our friend Evan.

First thing you notice when you meet him-he is hilarious. He has a great, dry sense of humor. The kind of guy who passes off jokes without a crack of a smile, (until we're done laughing). You're immediately comfortable with him. He's very open, and out going. He has a love for music. And he's not afraid to ask for what he wants. (i.e. for his mission farewell, he wanted the group, Afterglow to perform. So he asked, and they came! I loved that.) His wife Julie is beyond darling. They've been sweethearts for a long time, and they're the kind of couple that seem like they're still newly weds.

Evan has a great love and respect for his friends. Oh, and his friend tally is pretty high too. But it's pretty easy to see why people love Evan.

Oh, and Evan has cancer. He's very open about it. He knows that one day soon, it'll take his life. But he's the kind of person that has taken this trial in stride. And despite (or maybe because of) this challenge he and Julie have faced, they are both glowing with their testimonies. It's very, very clear how they feel about this Gospel, the plan God has for them, and their acceptance. Just amazing, amazing people.

We had the privilege to do a concert for Evan, Julie, and their loved ones. Evan called it, "His going away party". He joked that, since he wouldn't be able to hang out with them at his funeral, he decided he would throw himself his own shin-dig. (Although he made it clear he wasn't going anytime soon-he's too stubborn for that!) As I looked around that room, you could almost feel the love these people had for Evan and Julie. It was an incredible night, and we have made a couple of life-long friends. Thank you for including us Mattingly family, it was an honor.

Evan and Julie.

We had to add this one-Evan's brother looks just like Kenny Loggins! We got a kick out of that.

XOXO

Brooke

To Be, Or Not to...You Know

2010-01-26T22:21:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for a confession? You may recoil in horror, or turn your head in embarrassment for me.

Oh wait, first. Let me tell you my story.

Yesterday we drove out to Whitney's for rehearsal. Some of you may not know, we live a good 1.5 hours away from each other. We generally meet in the middle for rehearsals, etc. but that day we headed to Whit's. Which, of course, put me a little behind schedule, and I was feeling a little antsy. That morning, as I had rushed to get myself and my two kids ready for the road trip, I shuddered at the state of each room. My house was officially a disaster. My laundry pile was completely taking over my closet. I had absolutely nothing planned for dinner that night. So when I finally pulled into my driveway late that afternoon I gave my kids strict instructions to stay downstairs for one hour while I picked up. I was a madwoman on a mission. With the Clorox wipes in one hand, laundry baskets in the other, and a duster in my teeth, I cleaned my house, started the laundry, emptied the dishwasher, reloaded it, then RE-STARTED IT, (that's how bad my dishes were), and started dinner. And after I crashed on the couch with my little ones pulling at my pant legs, it hit me. (And here comes the confession.)

I am a MARTHA.

That's right people, I'm a Martha. What's a Martha? Think to the story found in the bible of the two sisters, Mary and Martha. Martha was cumbered about with much serving, while Mary spent her time at the feet of the Savior, listening. We all know Mary chose "that greater part". But secretly I've always felt a little defensive of Martha, while at the same time wishing I was more Mary-like.

But when my husband came home that night, after a rough day at work, he took a look at the house and with a sigh of relief said, "The house looks great!" I could almost see the stress melting from his face. My family was able to sit together for dinner, then we had a nice FHE. This isn't always the way our nights go, but last night I was grateful to be a Martha. And I thought about all the "Martha-ish" things I like to do. I love throwing parties and making lots of unhealthy food for people. I love decorating my kids' rooms. I feel calmer when my house is picked up.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, I like being a Martha. After all, the scriptures say, "Jesus Loved Martha." That being said, I really want to be more like Mary. So I decided I want to be both. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too? I think the real challenge is prioritizing. But like Whit says, the beautiful thing about this Gospel is we CAN have it all. We just have to be willing to fight for it. So Marthas of the world-Unite! Fight with me! Or at least come over here and clean my house so I can be more Mary-ish. :)

XOXO

Brooke

We Can Hear it Still

2009-12-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

It's probably a bad thing to admit this, but this is the first year in awhile I've felt the TRUE spirit of Christmas the entire season. I owe it all to this Primary song. (Ward buddies, you've already heard my feelings on this, so sorry for the repeat.)

Here are the words:

Stars were gleaming, shepherds dreaming, and the night was dark and chill.

Angels story, rang with glory; shepherds heard it on the hill.

Oh that singing

Hear it ringing

Earth-ward winging

Christmas bringing

Hearken we can hear it still. (There's a fantastic minor chord in this line that makes this song over-the-top.)

That last line kills me. It's so true! It's the same message today as it was over 2000 years ago-it's never changed. We started learning this song right before Thanksgiving, and I've had it stuck in my head ever since.

Today I found myself getting teary-eyed over several songs. "Silent Night", "Angels We Have Heard on High", and the afore mentioned "Stars were Gleaming" all overwhelmed me with such gratitude for that sacred night.

What an incredible story. And even more, what an unbelievable gift we've been given. Music touches my heart like nothing else, and I'm so grateful we have so many beautiful songs testifying and telling us of Christ's birth.

So as I look at my countertop filled with neighbor gifts to be delivered, presents to still be wrapped, and cookies to be dipped in chocolate, I can't help but smile. Despite my 4-foot long list o' things to do tomorrow, I feel at peace. It's amazing how little those things matter when there's such a miracle to celebrate. We have a Savior! We can live with Him again. We have someone to guide us through this life. We are never alone. And like that message the angels gave so long ago-HE WILL NEVER CHANGE. And that makes me giddy-happy.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bowl of melting chocolate that needs some taste-testing...

XOXO

Brooke

Amazing Salad Dressing Recipe

2009-12-04T12:23:00.000-08:00

So....we are always talking about how we should post recipes we "sample" at Relief Society events. You sistas know how to cook! Last night we were in Clinton and had the most amazing dinner. The three of us were raving about the dressing on the salad. After some questioning, we were able to get the recipe.

It's amazing, but kind of complicated.

Are you ready??

Here it is..........

1 bottle Kraft Caesar Salad Dressing.

Open bottle.

Pour.

Eat.

Does this mean we have cheap taste??

See you at the table,

Whitney :)

Gratitude Post #4

2009-11-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

Soni's Thankful List...

1) Nice people who are willing to watch my somtimes naughty kids.
2) Brooke's baking. (She brought her pumpkin cheesecake to the studio today!)
3) Whitney; I can read her face like a book so I don't have to guess what she is thinking.
4) My husband, aka Mercy River's biggest fan!
5) Anticipation of Thanksgiving Dinner. Mmmm....
6) My Savior.

Gratitude Post #...3?

2009-11-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

OK, are y'all done crying over our last two posts? I know, we're kind of cheesy. Can I say after we read each other's posts we yelled out, "GROUP HUG!" And we embraced like the three best friends that we are. (Well, we did, but we were just kidding with it.)

So now let's post something else we're grateful for. I've been thinking about what I could post; the obvious choices-families, the Gospel, (and all that comes with it), this country, etc. ran through my head. But then I thought-MUSIC. I know what you're thinking. "Could you pick anything more obvious?" Once again, I'm asking you to indulge me. Just go along with it. Mmmm...K?

Many of my happy childhood memories are tied to music. When I was little, my sister and I would sit in the tub while my dad strummed on his guitar and sang "Sunshine on My Shoulders". (John Denver rocks my world.) We'd dance around the living room to any Beach Boy song that came on. Road trips were dedicated to The Judds and Collin Raye. Whenever I hear these artists, I'm immediately taken back to my childhood, sitting in front of my dad with his guitar. A smile is immediately brought to my face, because of music.

In middle school, I didn't WANT to be a singer. I thought only dorky people sang. (I know-I'm a titch dorky, so that would've made sense.) My mom insisted music was my forte, but I insisted on playing sports. (HUGE mistake. But that's another post!) After a particularly embarrassing tryout for the school's basketball team, I finally embraced the music world, and, by doing so, changed my life. My life has been changed because of music.

Music was the jump start to my testimony. And it keeps my testimony strong when it threatens to become weak. I distinctly remember sitting in my room as a teenager, pretending I was Jenny Jordan Frogley, as I sang along (and cried) to my EFY albums. Songs like I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus and I am a Child of God were empowering to me, even as a child. Janice Kapp Perry's Young Women albums were immediately bought and memorized the moment they were released. Music touched my heart like nothing else could. It still touches my heart like nothing else can. I owe my "conversion" to music.

And now, what can I say about music? It's our missionary tool. It bonds us together as a group. It connects us with people all over the world. And next to my family and the Gospel, it's one of the most important things in my life. So yes, an obvious choice. But worth the post, nonetheless.
XOXO

Ode to Brooke

2009-11-13T11:14:00.000-08:00

Before I post my "gratitude post," I had to get Brooke back. Couldn't just let her get away with tooting OUR horns and not toot HERS!

So here goes. (Thanks for indulging us):

We call Brooke the "dad" of our group. For example, whenever Mercy River flies somewhere, the first thing Soni and I do when we walk in the doors of the airport is hand our tickets over to Brooke. No, let me correct that. Brooke pulls out our tickets from her own bag (that she printed off at home) and keeps them in her own hands. Cuz...if she gives them to us we could very well lose them. Then we turn off our thinking caps and follow Brooke around the airport. I shudder to think of myself at the airport without Brooke because then I would actually have to THINK instead of getting lost in my own thoughts.

Admittedly, Soni and I have become super complacent about bringing tracks, scripts, directions, contact information, chewing gum, or food to performances...because we know Brooke will have it all. (We'll make it up to you somehow Brooke.....unless we forget.)

So, besides being super organized and sharp and on the ball, Brooke is a fantastic friend. When I start to panic about something (Mercy River-related or otherwise), Brooke is often the only one who can calm me down. She is a sound voice of reason and comfort.

Brooke has a natural way of making others feel comfortable around her. I think that is why she is so good with young women. And I KNOW that's why Brooke is in charge of booking--she just works so well with other people (sucka!).

Brooke, we absolutely adore you. Mercy River could not survive without your diligence, hard work, patience, nurturing, organization, enthusiasm, and humor (not to mention the hours you have spent on email, Facebook, and this very blog.)

WE LOVE BROOKE!! :)

A Month of Gratitude

2009-11-07T19:59:00.001-08:00

A friend of ours had a great idea of blogging about something she's grateful for each day this month. I found that inspiring, but I also found the 30 day blogging thing to be a bit overwhelming, so we'll just do a few!

OK, did that sound bad? Like I don't have 30 things I'm grateful for? Let me clarify-I definitely have A LOT to be thankful for, I just don't think I'd make it to this blog each day to write them all down. There, that sounds better. I've given Whit and Soni each the assignment to do the same, so hopefully there will be some variety here!

Today, I'm going to be super cheesy and say I am grateful for...Whit and Soni. First I'd like to tell you a little about each girl.

Whitney is our creative genius. She has this incredible ear for pitch. She can write a mean harmony, and, it turns out, some amazing songs. She is also our spiritual guru. She pulls things from scriptures that would go over most people's heads. (OK, over mine and Soni's head!) Whitney only sees the good in people. She has a lot of compassion for others-to a point where she carries burdens on her shoulders that don't even belong to her. She's so fun to talk to-I'm not a phone talker, except with Whit. I can bounce off ideas, cry, laugh, and get the reactions I need when I talk to Whitney. Oh, and she's a spit fire. She knows what she wants and she'll work till it happens. I love that.

Soni (aka Sone-dawg) is our heart of the group. She's laid back, sweet, and happy. Soni is often our "middle ground". If Whit and I are on opposite ends of an opinion, Soni will be the gal in the middle who understands both sides. Soni does great on assignments-this works, because Whit and I are bossy, so Soni's happy to indulge us! She's a fabulous cook, and we're constantly asking her for cooking advice. Also, she's a great listener. I can't believe her ears are still attached to her head, for all the ramblings she's had to listen to. There are many times when I think, "I wish I was more like Soni". She's just low key, drama free, and patient. (i.e. at 11:00 PM-two hours past her bedtime, and giddy time for Whitney and I. Bless our Soni!)

I'm so grateful for these girls. Many women know, a group of 3 girls generally equates to a recipe for a disaster. But the longer we perform together, the closer we get. I'm not going to say we never argue-we do, but it's always done with a respect for each other. We're often asked, "Are you all sisters?" I'm never sure how to answer that, because, to be honest, I think of them as sisters. We argue like sisters, we laugh like sisters, we talk like sisters, we love like sisters. Lately we've been faced with some difficult obstacles, but we're learning together, and we're getting through them together. We're so different from each other, but each of our strengths compensate for another's weakness. It just...works.

I'm sure this has been a pointless post for a lot of you. But I justed wanted everyone to know how grateful I am for these women. They are what I love most about Mercy River. If the music part was dropped tomorrow, I would be OK, because I would still have my Whit and Soni.
xo

A Letter to My Daughter

2009-10-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

My dearest, darling, daughter;

You are the joy in my life-the butter for my bread. I'm eternally grateful that you are part of my forever family.

However-

We have been battling your picky eating for the last year and a half. It's getting old. Really, really old. And we've tried everything. So-

I curse you and your future family. I curse you with one...no, TWO...picky eaters. This is no ordinary curse. Your children will not only refuse any and everything you put in front of them that doesn't resemble sugar, but they will sneak suckers and gum, defy every trick in the book, and drive you absolutely insane with worry about their health.

Now don't get grumpy about this! As I place this curse on you, I do so with all the love my heart can hold.

Good luck with that!

Love, Mom

Hope For the Best

2009-10-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

I am a self-proclaimed drama queen.

In my defense, it runs in my family. And I'm not as bad as I used to be. And I have to say I'm really working on it. I'm trying to break that cycle. Really. Anyway...

Here are two scenarios to illustrate my dramatic persona-
1. My tires needed to be rotated, and we're lucky to have a car that beeps at me constantly until the task is done. (Can you hear my sarcasm?) My husband noticed the beep and asked why I hadn't taken care of it yet. "Are you kidding?" I said. "Sitting in that disgusting tire place with two kids-a wild three year old and a 13 month old who REFUSES to walk and hates to be held, so I would have to wrestle him to make sure he didn't crawl on that flu infested floor?" (I said this all in one breath.) He suggested I just put them in the stroller and walk them over to PetsMart for half an hour. "That's easier said than done." I sighed.

2. A couple Saturdays ago I had a crazy schedule. We had a fireside in the morning. Pictures for my side of the family were planned immediately after. There was a Halloween party and a Primary training meeting. I was dreading that day. I had to leave the fireside and go straight to the photo sight-leaving me no time to doll up my kids. I just KNEW my kids would be grumpy and look like ragamuffins. I knew my morning man-voice would kill that fireside. (It's pretty low in the mornings!) I could go on but I'll spare you the dramatic details.

But here's what I'm learning-again. The anticipation is often worse than the outcome. Here was the outcome of both scenarios:

1. I took my car to the tire store. I loaded my kids in the stroller. Walked across the parking lot on a nice, sunny day. Walked around PetsMart for 20 minutes. Left without any tears or whining. Walked back, got in my car, drove home. So ya. Really easy.

2. The fireside went great. Set up with time to spare. Felt calm. I sounded feminine. Got to pictures in plenty of time. My kids looked AH-dorable. (Can I say that?) Got some amazing shots. Rest of the day was a breeze. Are you seeing a pattern here?

It reminds me of that quote - Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. I think I have the prepare for the worst part down, but I'm not HOPING FOR THE BEST. Things may go wrong, but there's a good chance it'll go great. I think sometimes as women we tend to play the martyr role. Sometimes we make our lives seem harder than they are. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of women with REALLY difficult trials. But it seems like the ones with the hardest paths are the ones that have that HOPE thing down. I need to be more like them. There are lots of things I need to be focusing my energy on-stressing about the outcome of each situation seems such a waste.

So this week I'm focusing on hope. I'll probably still prepare for the worst, (I like to have a plan), but once I'm prepared I'll let it go and just HOPE. That seems like a better option...and far less dramatic.

Suzi's Smiling

2009-10-09T10:32:00.000-07:00

Sweet Suzi Baxter passed away last Saturday, surrounded by her loving family. Our hearts and prayers go out to her husband, daughter, and all those who loved her. Thank you for letting us be a part of something bigger than ourselves. XO

Ladies' Night-Fort Union Blvd.-Deseret Book

2009-10-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

You're coming, right? It's at 6:00. And it's free. And there's give-aways. Aaaannnddd...it'll be fun! And you can bring your kids if you need to-(we're bringing ours!) And there's always neat authors, and treats, and great deals...so, you're coming, right? Good. Just wanted to make sure.
xo

Suzi makes us Smile

2009-09-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Isn't it amazing that we can be so inspired, motivated, and touched by people we've never even met? What a great world we live in. We're constantly meeting or hearing of people who have touched our lives. People who make us want to be better. This is one of those gals. We had the opportunity to take part of a benefit concert in her honor. Her condition wouldn't allow her to come, so we've never met her. But I can't get her story out of my head, and she's touched my heart. Please read her story, and be reminded that we are so blessed.
XOXO

Our "new" favorite author...;)

2009-09-19T22:39:00.000-07:00

I believe in angels.

And many times they show up when you need them the most. During another brutal and intense week of finding songs for this next album, we were surprised with this article, written by one of my favorite authors. (Really, I think I've read most of his books, but now he's our favorite favorite!) Orson Scott Card, you were our angel this week. Thank you.

Click here to read the article.

Thankful

2009-09-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

These last two weeks have been such a roller coaster! We're in the process of choosing songs for our next album (which we'll begin rehearsing/recording in two weeks!) and to prepare for it, we've spent a lot of time listening to other Christian artists, and studying lots of Celtic music. I've felt lots of different emotions throughout all this; excitement-we're doing another album! Gratitude, a sense of awe at other people's talents...oh, and humility.

Here's the thing-I'm not that great of a singer. OK, let me rephrase that. I'm not a diva-knock-your-socks-off-with-my-Aretha Franklin-chops-kind of a singer. (My friends have asked me, "Why don't you try out for American Idol?" And all I can do is laugh, as an image of me crying on stage and Simon sneering, "You are SO out of your league" runs through my head!) There is so much talent out there, I wouldn't be surprised (or offended) if some gals listen to our music and think, "Why do these girls have this opportunity, and not me? I'm a MUCH better singer!" The truth is, you may be right. And I don't even have an answer as to why that's the case. But in the midst of all these discussions of song choices, budgets, and deadlines I'm re-learning this lesson.

With God, all things are possible.

So if He can feed a multitude of people with 5 loaves of bread, and a couple of fish, He can help us become instruments in His hands. We can make music that will, through His spirit, touch other people's lives. We've come to learn that this our calling. Not to blow people away with our killer vocals, but to testify of our Savior, to bring strength to those who need it, and to share the joy that comes from following Christ. So I'm OK not being the next Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson. I admire their talent, but I'm so grateful to be a part of the journey I'm already on. And I'm grateful for all the times we fail, because we always learn from it. (And it keeps us grounded!) I'm grateful for two big-wigs (you know who you are!) who see something special in us. I'm grateful for husbands who are supportive and kids who are flexible. And most of all I'm grateful for a Heavenly Father who can see potential underneath my imperfections. With this kind of support system, how can we lose?
XOXO

Back to School Cooking

2009-08-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

To celebrate my favorite time of year {Fall!} I'd like to share a recipe with you. This is my recipe for Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies. Enjoy!

First of all, it's imperative that you make these during an extremely busy day. It's even better if you are making said cookies for the neighbors, visiting teachers, or a sick child. Pressure is good.
Next, make the dough of your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Any will do. After scooping out the dough into little balls, place in the oven and set the oven timer for 2 minutes LESS than the required baking time.
When the timer goes off, check the cookies. They should look like they need about 2 more minutes. Perfect. At this point set your MENTAL timer for 2 minutes.
Read your daughter 2 books. Your 11 month old son will be hungry, so make him a bottle. He'll also need his diaper changed. Change his diaper. He's now ready for a nap, so take him in his room and put him to bed.
The phone will ring at this point. Answer the phone and proceed to talk for about 3 minutes. After your phone conversation it will be time for your daughter's nap. Read her another book in bed, and snug her for another 3 minutes.
Your mental timer should now kick in. Run to the kitchen, yank open the oven, and pull out your concoction.

That's it! Your final product should look like this-

Yummm! Give them a try, it's a no-fail recipe. :)

Whitney's Parable of the Lost Beans

2009-08-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

On Monday my mother-in-law stopped in from Idaho and brought us about a zillion green beans, fresh picked from her garden. I was thrilled since we didn't plant any this year.

We began snapping them and preparing them to be bottled.But alas, this week was quite a busy week. I had several things to do everyday--some days I was hardly home at all. Swimming lessons, meetings, performances...not to mention a huge sale at Albertsons that took me way-too-many-hours to clip coupons for. All week the beans were on my mind. I stressed over them, knowing that I had to get to them soon. Everytime I was in the kitchen, there they were, hundreds of green reminders that time was running out.

Finally this afternoon I had a clear schedule and deemed it "bean time." After cleaning and preparing all the bottles and lids, boiling all the water, and preparing the pressure cooker-- imagine my horror to discover that the beans were ruined.

I was sick. Seriously. If you had come over this afternoon you would have seen the twin words "regret" and "guilt" tattooed on my forehead. All those hours my mother-in-law spent hand picking every bean. All the hours my family spent snapping them. All the beans--gone, ruined, wasted. (Oh, how I HATE it when things go wasted--time, money, food--I hate wasting.) I actually cried over this. And I was super grumpy. But as I was scooping the martyred veggies into the trash I had a flash of insight.

Today's waste was just beans. Just beans. Tomorrow's waste could be something much bigger. It could be time that I did nothing with, a child that grew too fast, or a lost opportunity. Who wants to live with regret and guilt, wishing they had spent their time in different ways? Not me! I made some choices, and lost the beans. The things I did with my time were important and somethings were even necessary. But it doesn't change the fact that the beans are gone and I can't reclaim them.

What are the more important things I won't be able to reclaim? All too soon I won't be able to reclaim Braden's childhood or the chance to help a friend when she really needs it or the moments I still have to tell my Grandma I love her. How would it FEEL to look back and realize that those things had been lost, wasted, because I was so busy with other things?The scary thing is that I know it could happen. I know that it happens to people all the time. How do I keep it from happening to me? How do I make every moment count, in the right ways? I don't have the answer, and I think it will take some time before I can figure it out. But today's tutoring has made it loud and clear: today's beans may not keep 'till tomorrow!

Cherry Hill, Take Two!

2009-08-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

We were happy to come back to Cherry Hill this summer for an encore performance. And finally--the weather was perfect! Enjoy these pics taken by one of our super-fans (thanks, Nat!)

New Blog-New Attitude!

2009-08-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

So blogs are about getting to know people, right? We thought that, although we love posting about the adventures we have, we need to post more personal things too. Our thoughts, jokes, insights, mistakes...that's what makes us friends, being able to relate to each other. So welcome friends, to the new Mercy River blog! :)

Mercy River + Cherry Hill = Wind

2009-07-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

OK, it actually wasn't THAT windy. There was a breeze, but it was NOTHING compared to last time. (i.e. chairs weren't blowing on top of people!) We had so much fun this time around. Cherry Hill has a way of helping us see how far we've come, and how far we have to go. We're so thankful for the opportunity to practice our concert chops! Thanks to all those who came-and for those of you who missed it, don't fret! We are doing it again August 8th, so mark your calendars! XO

Brooke

I have to post this picture too-my daughter is obsessed with dress-ups, and it's usually easier to let her keep them on when we go somewhere. This was her ensemble for the concert. Her style is impeccable, right? She caused quite the stir that night!

Catch Up--CANADA!!!!!

2009-06-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

We have a lot of catching up to do--LOTS of great performances and adventures that we want to share. Let's start with...

CANADA!!Zach sitting like a big boy on the plane.

Our trip to Canada by FAR was one of our favorite Mercy RIver experiences yet. In May we flew to Ontario, Canada to perform at a tri-stake scripture mastery conference. It was a three day adventure—traveling all day Thursday, performing Friday, and traveling back on Saturday.

On Thursday we sat in our first plane for an hour before take off—because of some "paper" error—so we missed our connecting flight in Denver. Brooke demanded free food (that girl!) so we enjoyed pizza and cinna-sticks and ice cream while we waited for the next flight later that night. When we arrived in Detroit, I was shocked to discover that the Meagan Sandor I had been in contact with for months--the Stake YW President--was OUR AGE! We quickly learned about the church in Canada--how members there are few and far between (literally). Some members, like Meagan's husband David, drive 2 hours every week to go to meetings. And most members juggle several callings at a time and fill in leadership positions at young ages. It's amazing. What an ispiriation it is to meet such good, faithful people.

The London Stake YW Presidency

Meagan and her counselor, Cheryl (just as young and just as darling!) picked us up and drove us across the border to Meagan’s house. I enjoyed soaking in their Canadian accents—"howse," "owt," sore-y".....

This is Meagan's house. B & S said they would kill me if I posted this picture (no makeup, peeps) but I wanted to show this darling place!!!! If I go missing you'll know who did it.

Meagan’s house was this darling cottage like thing on a street with huge trees and houses just like hers. So cute. Inside it looked like we had stepped into a Jane Austen book. I thought Brooke would pass out. Around the house were vases filled with our favorite flowers, and on each of our beds we found our favorite candy.

The next day we worked on our script, trying to re-vamp it to meet the specific needs of the youth in this stake. Many of them are the only members in their schools. We prayed hard about what and how to teach these youth...and when it finally came together and I was very pleased (and relieved!).

Here are some YM trying to win Mercy River magnets. Would you believe me if I told you they were practically wrestling for these?

The fireside went great. My favorite part was mingling with the kids and hearing about their lives and seeing the light in their eyes. The next day we sang to them after breakfast (a fun little "mini-concert") and then we headed off to the airport. Meagan and Cheryl took us to “Big Boy” in Michigan for lunch, and BOY oh boy was it yummy.

Here we are with real Canadian syrup!

Chillin' in the airport with our amazing new cookbooks, a gift from the London Stake. Is it weird that all three of us LOVE cookbooks????? We spent the entire flight home reading them....

And so it was, that with full bellies and siutcases full (really full) with Canadian souvineers, we headed back to the USA.

Thank you, Meagan and the London Stake, for an AMAZING time!

Pictures: Concert and Ladies Night!

2009-04-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from our BIG weekend earlier this month--a benefit concert and Deseret Book's Ladies Night--all in 24 hours!

Backstage at the Lori Udy Benefit Concert in Idaho

The PopRocks

David Osmond

Backstage...

Saturday morning breakfast with David Osmond and his wife, Valerie

Ladies Night!

This weekend....it's CANADA or bust! :)

In Memory of Lori Udy

2009-04-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we were privileged to perform at the Lori Udy Benefit Concert in Idaho. I promise to post more later about this AMAZING show (lots of pictures!) but today, we wanted to pay tribute to our friend, Lori.

Lori battled with cancer (starting with breast cancer) for about 6 years. She is a wife to Steve and a mother to Mikayla and Austin. Her courage and strength in the face of so great a challenge inspired those who were lucky enough to meet her.

At the concert, Brooke, Soni, and I were able to talk with Lori. Honestly, my thoughts were, "I could be really good friends with her." I found myself wishing that I could know her better-- spend time with her, maybe take our kids to the park, talk about books we just read, agonize over laundry, complain about the weather.

That's the kind of person she was--even when you first met her you felt like you'd known her forever.

The concert was amazing. The energy and excitement were strong, as was the spirit. It was a night of celebration but also one of somber realization that Lori didn't have long.

And two weeks later, she was gone.

Lori passed away on Friday, April 17, 2009...only 14 short days after the concert. Her funeral was today in Florida, and all day long I was wishing that I could have been there. But instead, I wanted to pay tribute in this way--to honor a woman whose very smile inspired me to be better, count my blessings, and thank Heavenly Father for every single day.

Thank you, Lori!

BIG WEEKEND!!

2009-03-31T12:18:00.000-07:00

OK, so first of all, I'm sure you've all noticed our New Year's resolution has pretty much bombed. So much for once a week updates! We've been nice and busy these last few months-whether it's rehearsals or firesides or concerts, there's always a Mercy River adventure. As soon as we've recovered from one, it's on to the next. Lately we've been working hard to get ready for...

THE BIG WEEKEND!

This Friday Mercy River will be performing with David Osmond, (enter high school girl squeal here!) and Pop Rocks, (a rock-your-world accapella group), at a benefit concert for Lori Udy. (Read Lori's story here.) The concert will be held in Rockland, ID and starts at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $10 a person and all proceeds go to help Lori and her sweet family. Read her story-we know you'll be touched. We would love to see you there!

Saturday we'll be at the University Mall in Orem for Ladies' Night! Ladies, put on your dancing shoes and come party with us! We'll be there from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, (during the Priesthood session of General Conference), it'll be a blast.

And finally, what better way to top off a fun filled weekend than General Conference? We're so blessed to have such strong and incredible church leaders during this otherwise difficult time. We love our Prophet, and can't wait to receive his inspiration and counsel.

Thanks for all your sweet emails and kind words! We feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of this.

XOXO

At the Feet of an Apostle

2009-03-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

Last week, Brooke, Soni and I had the privilege of attending a Deseret Book banquet. The best part was not the amazing food, not being in the same room with incredible authors and artists, not even getting a night away from the kids.

It was sitting at the feet of an apostle.

We didn't know that Elder Bednar and his family would be attending that night. When he walked in I thought my husband might pass out! (We love Elder Bednar because he was our President at Ricks College.)We got to shake hands and visit for a moment, and Brooke (lucky) even got to ride in the elevator with him.

After dinner he spoke to us about some of his experiences while being an apostle. What hit me the most was the reminder that the gospel is SO personal. It is so one-on-one. The Lord would send an apostle half way around the world to help ONE PERSON. Just one.

It's about individuals.

If the Lord would send someone as busy and important as an apostle to help ONE person...surely He would need me, and you, to help in the same cause (cuuuuz, last time I looked, He had a LOT of children...)

I have since looked more closely, more carefully around me--seeing faces, reading expressions, searching for a need.Who around me needs MY help? Who is the person that the Lord needs me to wrap an arm around?

What a fantastic reminder that the Lord would--and will--come after each of us one by one. And how humbling to remember that at times, He is counting on US to reach out--so that through our arms, that precious ONE will feel His love.

Be Thou Humble

2009-02-12T12:33:00.000-08:00

Being a part of Mercy River has BY FAR been the most humbling experience.

Ever.

Let me explain our latest adventure. (Because it's always an adventure with the three of us!)

Soni, Whitney and I have been working non stop on rehearsing and performing. Whit has arranged some amazing new harmonies for some of our songs, so we've also been learning and trying to perfect those. We had an opportunity this last week to perform with our friend and mentor Jenny Phillips-it was for the Seminary classes at Springville High School. We would be performing for each class, for 2 days straight. We were excited about this-sure, we all have brand new babies, (which makes EVERYTHING a little hard!) Sure, it's all day long-for two days straight and we have a handful of kids, no biggie! Sure, it's ridiculously early, we'll be fine! Sure, I was recovering from a wicked cold, I'll get over it! We couldn't wait to perform with our well-rehearsed skills, show off our new harmonies, and WOW the crowd. Hmmmm...

The night before our first day, we were doing sound check, when I noticed my voice slowly quitting. By the end of the night, my voice was gone. Completely. We decided to go to bed, and see how it was the next morning. I did everything-gurgled salt water, chewed on some Bayer, sucked on an entire bag of cough drops-to no avail. I sounded worse the next day.

What to do? With a third of Mercy River out of commission, the only option was to sing the songs with two gals, and cut all our fancy three part harmonies out.

So what did we learn from all of this?

This isn't about us. It's about Him. That's why we do this. To spread His gospel, to invite others to feel of His Spirit. This opportunity is a gift from Heavenly Father, and we owe it to Him to use it to benefit His kingdom. And even though we know this, and try to always keep this in our minds, sometimes we all need a reminder. And it's always humbling.

We likened this to the story in the scriptures of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who were about to be burned for not following the king's orders to worship a false idol. When the king asked if they were really ready to be killed for such a "small" matter, they responded in a way that shows their true faith;

"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."

(Daniel 3:17-18 Emphasis added)

So whether or not things turned out the way they would like, they would not lose their faith. They would continue to do the work they were sent to do.

It would've been nice to have a great performance, with all three of us in perfect health. But it didn't work out that way. We still need to do our best to deliver His message, and bring His spirit. And with faith, He'll make it work. We just have to do our part. And that's the lesson we learned. It's something we will definitely remember, and use it in not only our Mercy River world, but in our everyday lives.

Whew! Long post. I'll leave you with a picture of Mercy Babies-in birth order. They were born to be BFF's! This picture shows these babies in their true form-Chase is ALWAYS chewing on something, Zach is ALWAYS smiling, and Gemma is ALWAYS looking dainty and innocent. It's been so fun to have them so close together.Remember to check our website for our upcoming firesides and events, and we'd love to come to your next Enrichment Night or YW/Youth Fireside!

XOXO
Brooke

Announcing our Colorado and Canada Tours!

2009-01-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

We are excited to announce two mini-tours this year: Colorado and Southern Alberta Canada! We are currently in the process of setting up our performances and have room for a few more in each area.

And here's where we need YOUR HELP!!

Do you know anyone in a ward, stake, or city (in either of these two areas) who may be interested in a Mercy River performance? Send them to our website, where they can email us directly.

Thanks!
Whitney, Brooke, and Soni :)

The Great and Spacious Makeup Kit!

2009-01-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

One Young Women fireside we do is called, "The Great and Spacious Makeup Kit." We have such a blast using items in our “Spiritual Makeup Kit” to combat the “Great and Spacious Makeup Kit”---also known as Satan’s deceptions.

Satan has is trying his hardest to distract young women from what is most important! We feel so strongly about encouraging young women to develop confidence in themselves by pleasing Heavenly Father, not by pleasing the crowd. Developing Christlike attributes and habits makes a person not only beautiful, but absolutely stunning from the inside out!
A few weeks ago we shared this program with a great group of young women in Lehi, Utah. They took the theme and ran with it--just check out these "makeup bag" cakes that some leaders made for each girl. Each cake was "quilted" and had a zipper and everything. And each cake was unique. Amazing. Definitely a talent I do NOT have!

To book this fireside for YOUR young women, visit our website and send us an email! And feel free to pass this info along to any YW leader you know who may be interested!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T06:23:00.000-08:00

We just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! It's such a sweet time. This year my almost-three year old is understanding the whole "Santa" thing, and although that's been a lot of fun, we've also been trying to teach her the true meaning of Christmas. We've told her the story of Christ's birth over and over. That along with having a new baby in the home, I've been especially overwhelmed by the miracle that came in a little bundle so long ago.

I'm so grateful for a Heavenly Father who willingly sent His eldest son to this world, all because we needed a Savior. I'm grateful for Mary and her example. I'm grateful for foreseeing wise men, humble shepherds, and a trusting and faithful Joseph. But most of all I'm grateful for my Savior. His atonement changes everything! I have gained new understanding of that atonement this year, and more than ever I know I could not function without the gospel.

I hope this Christmas you are surrounded by the people you love, and that you feel Christ's love for you. Thank you for all your support throughout this year! Merry Christmas!
XOXO
Brooke, Whitney, and Soni

PS Soni had her baby! All the babies are here, so starting Jan. 2nd, we're ready to go. And guess what our New Year's resolution is-update our blog once a week! :)

Baby #2 Has Arrived!

2008-11-24T12:04:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce the arrival of our second Mercy River baby! Whitney and her family welcomed Zachary David into their family a few short weeks ago. Whitney was ECSTATIC to achieve her goal of an unmedicated birth. Everything went great and both baby and momma are doing well!

With two babies down...there's only one to go! Soni is due with her little one in about 4 weeks. Despite all of the baby action we have still managed to stay busy doing firesides for youth groups, Relief Societies, and ward and stake functions. Check out our website to book us--we would love to come see you!

XOXOXO

1 Down, 2 to Go!

2008-09-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

OK, so this is 3 weeks late-but anyone who has had a newborn, or known someone with a newborn, you understand, right? I had my baby! He was a little early, which we expected. What we didn't expect was the 2 weeks of bed rest in the hospital, prior to my c-section! What an adventure that turned out to be! I'll spare you the boring details-long story short, our cute little guy, (and myself!) are both healthy and happy! We had our baby Chase on September 5th-he was 6 lbs. 10 oz. and 19 inches long. He's an absolute doll, even if he does look like an old man! :) I thought I'd share some pictures of our big day with ya'll! Thanks for all the cute emails, and for all the love and support we've gotten!

Me and the hubby

Our daughter holding her brother for the first time!

Our Baby Chase

P.S. A little update on our calendar-we're no longer doing the Fall Time Out tour. It's a little much with 3 babies scheduled in 3 months, (thanks Laurel, for your amazing and inspired insight!) so we're going to rehearse our behinds off, and hope we get a shot at the Spring 2009 Time Out tour. In the meantime we have a couple firesides scheduled-check out our website! And!!!

We will be at the Layton Hills Mall for Ladies Night next weekend! Come have some fun with us, while the boys are attending the Priesthood session of General Conference.

XOXO

Brooke

Our WINDY night at Cherry Hill

2008-08-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

There's one word to describe our performance at Cherry Hill last weekend: WINDY! Chairs were blowing over, leaves were flying, and a few times we had to really steady ourselves on stage to keep from toppling down ourselves! But it was an experience we will never forget, and despite the wind we had a GREAT time performing at this cute venue.

Singing our last song, "I am a Child of God."

Here is a picture of our three pregnant bellies! These days, we refer to ourselves as "Maternity River." It just seems more fitting. Brooke is due in a few weeks, Whitney follows 6 weeks later and Soni is 6 weeks after that. It wasn't planned this way, but it's kind of convenient!

Here is "Mercy Men," showing off thier growing bellies as well.

Some members of our fan club waiting for the show to begin.

For the record, our kids have dubbed thenselves, "Mercy Kids." Watch out for this rising talent!

The official Mercy River fan club/support group (aka, our families) showed up extra early to get the best seats. We love you!!

The whole Mercy River clan.

Thanks, Cherry Hill! We would love to come back again :)

Yes, we're here!

2008-07-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hello y'all! July has been a small "vacation" month for us! Whit was out for the first two weeks-Soni's out for this entire last week, so besides a rehearsal and a meeting, we've barely seen each other! It's been rather sad, really! But June was nuts, August will be seriously insane, and baby #1 will join our brood of children in September, so it's been great to have some time with our families.

We start back up next week-we will be performing with the rest of the Shadow Mountain artists for the LDSBA Convention on Tuesday, and then we have our last girls' camp for the year on Friday! :( We LOVE doing girls' camps, so we hope we have lots more opportunities next year. Make sure you check our website for the rest of our August concerts! It's quite the month!

We promised a shout out to one of our favorite gals-Gracie Shirley. She's one of the cutest 6 year olds we've met, and she is chock full of talent! She was able to come to one of our firesides in June, and we fell in love with her immediately! So "Hi Gracie! We love you!"

Still Learning!

2008-06-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those moments in life when you look back and still kick yourself? You still get that pit in your stomach, and you feel your cheeks getting hot from embarrasment? I think those moments, as awful as they seem, are there to teach us, even humble us. Most days our performances are on and we feel great about it. But other times we feel like we chose the wrong song, or we didn't blend well, or one, or two, or all three of us didn't hit that note. (And when one doesn't hit the note, we all sound off!) We've had several things go on this last month-2 girls' camps, a couple concerts, (and one more fireside tomorrow!), and we've had a mix of those two experiences. I think it's human nature to get discouraged or upset, but if we can learn to take the negative experiences in life, and use them to motivate us and humble us, we'll come away stronger than before. And how will we know what to improve if we don't fail, right? It's a tough lesson, but a valuable one. And one we're all learning. So here ya go, your motivation for the day! Blush over that mistake for the last time-get rid of that pit in your stomach-learn from it and move on to the next. And in the meantime, know we're fighting the same battle!

Our "Thank You" this week goes to Tyler Castleton. He has been the head of the music division at DB and has done so much for us and our album. He's been such a great support, and we're excited to have opportunities to work with him in the future. He's an extremely talented musician, and we feel privileged to know him. And a big welcome to Bob Ahlander, who has taken his place! We're thrilled to work with him and start sharing all our crazy ideas. Heads up, Bob! :) XOXO
Brooke

Staying Clean

2008-06-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! We had the opportunity to sing at a 24 stake Young Single Adult fireside this last week, and the speaker was...drum roll...Sheri Dew and Wendy Watson Nelson. They did an incredible job, and talked about staying clean in a filthy world. We learned a lot-As Sister Dew put it, it's not that we live in a BAD world, but it's definitely full of filth. One thing she said that stuck in my mind was "Foreordination is not enough." It's not enough to know we were saved for the Latter days. Were we strong in heaven? Yep. Is this a hard time to be on this earth? You bet. Were we saved for this time, because we have certain tasks and responsibilities? I'm sure we were. But it takes more than that knowledge to do what we have been sent to do. I'm big on finding your purpose-I truly believe, (as I always tell the YW in our ward) that we've each been sent with certain talents, strengths, and even weaknesses-because Heavenly Father knew we were the only ones who could take those tools, and use it to further His work. It's fun to be able to sing at these types of events, but I always feel like we come away with so much more.

This week we have two firesides-both at Stake Girls' camps. Now, I don't know about Whit or Soni, but I can't think of a better place to be. I LOVE Girls' camp! We're really excited about this, and excited to perform for the Young Women.

Which leads me to our weekly "Thank You"-(I know, I forgot last week!) With all these firesides, (plus drive time!) I have to send a thank you to our husbands. They are so sweet, and patient with our schedules, and even more, are our biggest fans. (We even call Soni's husband "The Manager"!) So thanks guys-we love you!
XOXO
Brooke

Yay!

2008-05-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

We're so excited-we're finally on ITunes! Spread the word...

Summer's right around the corner! I can't believe school's out for the summer, I swear the school year just started! But this is such a fun time of year. I thought I'd leave y'all a fun summer recipe-although it's good anytime of the year. It's a little time consuming, but oh my, it's worth the effort!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons white sugar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen strawberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 tablespoons sugar; mix well and press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until set. Set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl cream together cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture onto cooled crust.

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in still frozen strawberries and allow to set briefly. When mixture is about the consistency of egg whites, pour and spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.

Enjoy!

Don't forget to go on our website and sign up for our email list! We'll send out a newsletter each month full of tips, scriptures, thoughts, and recipes-straight to your inbox! How fun is that? Until next week...!
XOXO
Brooke

Let's try this again...

2008-05-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

OK, Blogger is driving me nuts! It won't let me post pictures! Grrrr...I'll get to the bottom of this, but until then...

This last week has been a quiet one for us. With the craziness that lies in Time Out, and all the marketing whirl, it's been nice to sit with our families and be calm for a minute. (Oh wait, I can't believe I was thinking being with kids equals calmness...)

I wanted to share a quick thought today-lately I've had some challenges arise regarding my calling in the ward. This week, an answer was provided to me through my Stake YW Presidency. It requires a lot of work on my part, but the outcome would not only bless the young women in my ward, but their families. However, even knowing all the positive things that would come from the hard work, I was initially overwhelmed, and to be honest, my first thought was "No thanks!" This was not the answer I expected! I knew in my heart it was right, but I was scared. What if my family suffers? What if I fail? What if it has the opposite effect and I make things worse? Then I remembered a scripture I read about a month ago in Mosiah. It says, "Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings." (Mosiah 8:18)

So I am once again learning the lesson, that through Him, all things are possible. So now, I welcome this challenge! I want to encourage all of you who are facing a problem right now, to have the faith to work mighty miracles. You have the power to be a great benefit to those around you, and if you put your trust in the Lord, he will bless you and your family for your effort.

And last but not least-our thank you "Shout Out" this week goes to our own Krista Maurer, marketing guru. We're so grateful for all the work she's put into getting our album out there. She's worked tirelessly answering our dumb emails and questions, and has taught us to be "Gracious"! Thanks Krista, for all you do-we love ya! XOXO
Brooke

Whew!

2008-05-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

What a crazy week! Sorry for the delay in new posts-I know this is WAY overdue. But better late than never, right? (Right, Krista? :) )

So the reasoning? Whit was crazy busy this week-I was on vacation-and Soni, oh Soni, has now jumped on the pregnancy bandwagon and was basically bed ridden with morning sickness and sheer exhaustion! So there ya go! But we have to talk about Women's Conference! It was a BLAST. We felt like Mormon rockstars! The crowd was so full of energy, we had this unbelievable band playing with us, and it was just too fun. The other performers were so great, it's such an incredible experience to sing with them. Below are some pics from some of the CUTEST girls we've met-thanks girls, for emailing them to us! It was definitely a night we'll never forget, and we hope hope hope we get to do it again next year! (No pressure DB!)

That was just a crazy day anyway-that morning we had the chance to perform on Good Things Utah. OK, these women are basically Utah celebrities, and we know they have quite the fan base, so to be honest, we were more nervous for that than Women's Conference. But oh my, they were nice! We did our best to not think about the thousands of women watching us at that moment, and then tried to avoid eye contact with the cameras, and then...it was over! It went so fast, and as always, the anticipation turned out a lot worse than the actual event. It was really fun! It helped that half the studio audience was made up of our friends and family! :) So thanks friends and family! Those GTU women were even cuter in person than they are on TV, (is that possible?) and we're SO grateful we had the chance to perform. It was such a fun morning. So thanks ABC4!

And last, I wanted to throw in another thank you. We have so many people that do so much for us, so I think I'm going to add a thank you each week, and then maybe by the end of the year we'll have them all mentioned! (Yes, there's that many!) This week's thank you goes to our close friend, songwriter, producer, mentor, etc. Jenny Phillips. She's done so much for us-given us all kinds of opportunities, written us some amazing songs, and has just been such a strong shoulder for us to lean on. We've learned so much from her, and are so grateful to her for giving us a chance to do something more with music. We love you Jenny!

OK kids, that's all for this week. Stay tuned-the three of us need to clean out our cameras and I'm sure there will be some pics posted in the upcoming days! XOXO
Brooke

We miss y'all in Oklahoma!

2008-04-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

Another week has gone by, with another Time Out for Women under our belts. We had just as much fun at this one as we have at the ones in the past, but this one was a little bittersweet-it's our last one of the Spring! It's nice to be home with our families on weekends, but we love doing Time Out, and we love meeting all the incredible women, so we're glad we start back up in the fall. Whitney's husband accompanied us on this trip, so it was nice to have a "man servant" on hand! He even went out at 10:30 on Friday night to get us pregnant gals a pizza! What a guy!

We had the privilege to be in Oklahoma City during the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Soni and I had to fly there Thursday night and didn't have sound check until 5:00, so we had the day to wander the city, and we were able to see the Memorial. It was such a moving experience. I'm always so impressed to see how a senseless act of terror can bring a community so close. We were amazed with the people we met, and hope that those who were affected by this tragedy have been blessed with the peace and healing Christ offers.

We'd like to offer a fond farewell to our new, and close friend Dean Hughes and his sweet wife! We've been able to attend the last two Time Outs with Dean, and he's been an absolute blast, but he and his wife have been called to serve in Nauvoo on missions. They'll be leaving in September, so we won't see them for awhile! Dean, we'll take care of your house, seriously, just let us know...

OK, "peeps", (Soni's new favorite word!) we will be on Good Things Utah next week! Next Thursday, May 1st! Oh, we're so stinking excited for this. Then we head to Women's Conference that night, where we'll be performing with quite the line-up. We're so excited to see some our favorite people again-Kenneth, Michael, and Hillary (goodness, dear, we love ya!) have been so great to us, and have welcomed us into this music industry family with open arms. Thanks to ya'll in OK, you were amazing! XOXO

Love, Brooke

P.S. We'll post some pics a little later...Whit, share the love babe!

Time Out Girls!

2008-04-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had our 3rd Time Out event-this time we were in sunny Fresno, California. The weather was HEAVEN! Coming from a snowy, rainy, freezing Utah into clear blue skies and 75 degrees was the best welcome we could've received! So we of course were in love with the town the minute we stepped off the plane. We had a great time performing. It was a smaller crowd this time, but oh my, the energy was awesome! The minute we started singing this cute lady in the front got up and danced and sang the whole time. It's so much easier to perform when you have a great audience to feed off of. We performed with the Nashville Tribute Band for the first time. They are so incredible, I'm almost tempted to move to Nashville! It was a lot of fun this weekend.

One of the things we love about travelling to these events is meeting the presenters. Normally we don't have a chance to talk much-we're all rushing, and most of the time we leave the event on Saturday and head straight to the airport. This time though, there were no flights from Fresno Saturday afternoon, so we all flew out Sunday morning. Since we had a Saturday night to kill, the cute Time Out team arranged for us to go to dinner together. It was such a fun night! We learned so much and laughed even more. Thanks y'all, for an unforgettable dinner!

One more Time Out-this weekend we're in Oklahoma City. We love doing this, and love meeting all you fantastic women! Until then...XOXO
Brooke

Soni was cold at dinner, and thought her bitsy little napkin could keep her warm-she's such a crack-up!

Us and the "gang"-the presenters; Dean Hughes, Ardeth Kapp, Kenneth Cope, Emily Watts, Sharon Larson; and the DARLING Time Out gals! Thanks for the fun night!

PS I need to throw in a "Thank You' to Krista's assistant, Whitney. She was with us through the hand-to-hands, drove us around looking around for a KFC so prego Whitney could have some mashed potatoes, kept us on schedule and Sharpies-in-hand during Ladies' Night, pep-talked us through the Bob Lonsberry show, and is just so fun all around! Thanks Whitney for all your help during those crazy days!

Our Crrrraaaazzzzyyyy Weekend!

2008-04-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

Brooke again...We survived! First of all-General Conference was amazing! It's so nice to hear from our church leaders. It's amazing how each conference you hear at least one talk that you think, "That was written for me!" They are truly inspired, and we can't wait for October's session! :)

Friday morning we found ourselves nervous and waiting in the control room for our turn on the Bob Lonsberry show. Side note-the nice thing about doing a radio show is you don't have to do your hair or dress up; Ponytails and jeans work great!-Bob was amazing, you'd think he's been doing this for years! :) He made it so easy to just talk and forget about the hundreds of people listening. Singing on the radio was an interesting experience-it's quite different singing in a radio studio than a recording studio! But it was a lot of fun, and we want to thank Bob and his sound guy for making it so enjoyable.

Saturday night we found ourselves in the midst of hundreds of women chatting, laughing, and shopping. We were so excited! It was such a laid back atmosphere, which made it really fun to perform. We sang three different times, for 15 minutes each. In between our performances we had the privilege to hear Carmen Rasmussen. I remember voting for her on American Idol, but as she sang we were looking at each other saying, "She is AMAZING! I can't believe she didn't win that season!" She sounded great, and it was fun to meet her. It was such a fun night-we met so many incredible people. Our favorite story of the night was a girl we met from San Diego. Her stake challenged their youth to read the Book of Mormon-all those who succeeded earned a trip to Utah and tickets to all 4 conferences, and she had completed the challenge. It was so great to see a 13 year old girl absolutely giddy about the opportunity, and she proudly showed us the pages and pages of notes she had already taken. We were so impressed with her spirit and faith.

We have another crazy weekend-Friday we're off to Fresno California for the next Time Out for Women Event. Make sure you come say hi if you're there! We love hearing your incredible stories, and we're constantly inspired by you. Also feel free to email us pics and stories that we can put on our blog. We want this to be about you as well! We love y'all! XOXO

Brooke

Friday morning-don't we look NERVOUS!

Waiting during a commercial break...

After the ordeal-with Bob! He's so nice!

Signing at Ladies' Night

Carmen Rasmussen...and us!

Here we Go!

2008-04-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hi it's Brooke! Our first post! We're so excited to have this up and running-there's so much we want to do with our blog! We hope people will send pictures and experiences that we can share, and we hope it'll be a "window" into the lives of Whitney, Soni, and myself.

Tomorrow we have our first radio interview...! Auggh! It will be on the Bob Lonsberry show (570 AM for all you Utahns!) in the morning. We're really excited/nervous, but I think the anticipation is always worse than the actual event. Soni and I made an agreement-if there's a question that stumps us we'll turn it over to Whit-she's good at these kinds of things! Make sure you tune in! And then on to...

Ladies Night! Saturday night we'll be at the downtown Deseret Book during the Priesthood Session of the LDS General Conference, along with Carmen Rasmussen. We're so excited for this! Because the store isn't quite big enough to accommodate the number of women that attend, it will actually be held at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It will be a blast so we hope to see y'all there!

And finally, we're so excited for General Conference! We're so grateful to have a chance to hear from our leaders, and can't wait to hear from our newest prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. We hope you all get a renewed sense of strength and hope from this conference. Thanks for all your love, support and kind words and emails-keep in touch, eh?
XOXO
Brooke

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2008-02-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

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