{A&E} Poll: The 'Favoritest' Hymn of All--Round 2

The results are in and we have our Elite Eight (plus a few extras). With your help, we were able to narrow it down to a top hymn within each category, and it's time to narrow it down a little more.

We had enough write-ins for two hymns that we think deserve to be a part of the poll. Although Come, Thou Fount is not included in the current Hymn Book, it has been in the past and we think its popularity has earned it a spot in our poll.

Also included in as an extra category are The Runners-up. Three hymns were incredibly close, so we've decided to include the first and second runners-up from the LDS Living Staff Picks category as well.

Vote for you favorite of the favorites and the winners will advance to the final round of The "Favoritest" Hymn of All next week (I'm excited to see who wins, are you excited?!).

{A&E} Watch This: '17 Miracles'

Make sure to read to the end of this blog to learn how to coordinate a private screening of the film. I saw the movie 17 Miracles this past weekend, and would have to say, I walked away happy that I saw it. I am not a big movie attendee (I find it hard to sit still that long), but a glimpse of my ancestors’ story in the trailer peaked my interest. And so for me, a rare trek to the theater occurred.

Growing up, my father would always tell us stories of our ancestors, the Cunninghams, who came across in the Willie Handcart Company. What would captivate me first was the thought of what it would be like to endure those elements. (I am such a wimp when the temperature gets below 60 degrees F.) After spending considerable time on the topic of being cold, my attention would then turn to the qualities my ancestors had. I would marvel at the Cunninghams' faith, determination (or some may say stubbornness), courage, and love. I found that as I read stories of other pioneers who made the trek, they had these same qualities. Watching 17 Miracles brought back these same thoughts as multiple stories unfold.

The stories of individuals and families in 17 Miracles gave me a glimpse into the disappointment and miracles for the Willie Handcart Company.  I appreciated the brief background of Levi Savage, as it caused me to feel more familiar with who he was as he narrated the story. I enjoyed hearing multiple accounts of sacrifice and endurance as members of the company were followed in their various trials. I was so excited when the miracle of the Cunninghams was told, along with all the other miracles in this film. And I cried (which I rarely do in movies) when the struggles, disappointments, and losses were depicted.

{A&E} My Afternoon with David Archuleta

Ashley Jones is pictured on the far right.

How many of you have heard a song by David Archuleta? How many of you have seen David Archuleta perform live? I don’t know which word describes him better: darling or adorable. He fits both.

This past weekend, I got to spend a couple of hours with David (my coworkers and I call him Davie) at the BYU Book Festival on BYU’s campus. David was invited to be interviewed live on the importance of books and reading in his life. He spoke in front of a crowd of 100 or so and couldn’t have been more genuine. He mentioned in passing that one of his favorite books is The Alchemist, which I thought was very interesting. (Librarians: you might want to have a couple extra copies of The Alchemist on file—you’re going to have a large group of 14-year-old girls coming your way.)

{A&E} Poll: The 'Favoritest' Hymn of All--Round 1

Last Sunday my ward had a special music sacrament meeting. Five people were asked to choose their favorite hymn, speak about it, and then the congregation sang it. I loved hearing their testimonies of these hymns, and thought it was neat to see the variety of favorite hymns.

All of the hymns are sacred and it's hard to pick a favorite, but I think everyone tends to have a special song they are drawn to. I'm interested to know if certain hymns are more popular than others, and which is the most-liked hymn in the book. That's why LDS Living is hosting the first-ever Favoritest Hymn of All poll!

Below are eight categories of hymns. Vote for the one you like most within each category. Next week in Round 2, we'll take the winners from each category and pit two against each other and narrow it down to the final four (think NCAA bracket-style). And then in Round 3, you will vote for for one out of the remaining four.

NOTE: If you feel like your favoritest hymn of all has been left out, leave a comment below. If we get enough write-ins for a particular hymn, we'll add it to the list.

{A&E} Not Just Another Trek Story

What’s the first thing you think of when I say the word “trek”? Pioneer? Handcart? Bonnet? Hot summer? Freezing winter? Women’s pull? I’ll tell you the first thing I think of: my little sister. Here’s why.

I was 17 years old and my stake was doing a pioneer trek for youth conference. I had already attended a stake trek once, so I was a little disappointed that we were doing it again, and that I had to attend again (17-year-old attitude … lame, I know). The people in charge of the trek this specific summer had done a lot of research and gave each member of the trek a name, and not just any name, but a name of a person from one of the handcart companies. With the name came a small paragraph telling us how old the pioneer was when he/she made the trek, how long they lived, and if they lived, what they did after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley.

On the second morning of our stake trek, I woke up to find that one of the members of my trek family was gone. My trek parents explained to me that my “sister” had died during the night. (She hadn’t literally died, but the pioneer she had been playing did die on the trail to Salt Lake.) Each family in our stake trek lost a minimum of one family member, some two and three. We didn’t get to say goodbye to those family members, nor did we have any idea where they had gone. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for the real pioneers to wake up next to their loved ones who had passed away during the night.