Abby Payne

When I was younger, I had a doll that I loved to dress up, but clothes that fit her were expensive, so my grandmother would sew clothes for this doll and give them to me for Christmas or my birthday.

As I've gotten older, I've starting sewing myself. With the help of a family friend, I've learned to sew several suits, dresses and just about anything else you can imagine.

Sewing can be time consuming, but it's one of my favorite hobbies and can be very rewarding.

When you enter Bear River High School on Friday, Saturday or Dec. 5, you'll notice something has changed. The commons area, normally filled with texting teenagers and studying kids, will be transformed into a medieval hall complete with tapestries, garlands and all the bells and whistles you'd expect at a royal gathering.

The teenagers themselves will have changed too. They've abandoned their T-shirts and blue jeans for tunics and dresses. A meal is served that seems fitting of King Arthur and his knights. Jesters and courtiers joke and play along with the crowd.

This isn't Bear River High School but 16th century England, and you are a guest at a royal feast to commemorate the season -- The Madrigals' Feaste.

To say that the Madrigals' Feaste is true to the time period would be stating the obvious. Over the past nearly 30 years of the event, the food, fun and general controlled-chaos are its hallmark. Jesters, as directed by the king, queen, and lords and ladies of the court, find many ways to entertain the audience. Audience members who violate any of the court rules and procedures find themselves hanging in the stocks or perhaps singing or dancing in front of the assembly, as directed by the jesters.

PET FASHIONS

From V-necks to feathers, Top of Utah teens tell us about their favorite trends in back-to-school fashions.

* A gray sweater with red wooden buttons and different designs is Damonique Clair's best purchase. "It gives a lazy at-home feeling, yet it's cute and stylish," says the Northridge High sophomore.

* Scarves are the pick of Alyssa Murphy, a senior at Sky View High: "They're the BEST accessory and always so cute!"

I remember the morning it all happened like it was only a few hours ago.

No one calls a teacher on their classroom phone, especially not to just call a student to the office.

Regardless, I picked up my books and shuffled off to the office. My dad was waiting for me in the hall.

We got in his car and my dad broke the news to me. My best friend, my boyfriend at the time, had been killed in a car crash.

BRIGHAM CITY -- "Feel free to grab anything that moves. If you realize that you've grabbed a spider, feel free to drop it!"

Ranger Katie McVey gives a group of Top of Utah teens their instructions one morning as we cross the parking lot at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. We find ourselves standing in a drainage pond crawling with frogs, macro-invertebrates and spiders the size of my thumb.

Our objective was to grab and analyze 80 or so Western chorus frogs.

Every teen goes to concerts and goes home wanting to start a band or pick up a new instrument. It all looks like so much fun! But, ever wondered if all that head banging, string picking and drum bashing is all it's cracked up to be?

Some Top of Utah teens who have started their own bands agreed to share an inside look at what it's like really like.

David Archuleta. Need I say more? For many teenage girls -- me included! -- not at all!

Now, if you throw in a dash of nostalgic, classic Christmas charm, a stage actor retelling a magical and historical story, and music of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, parents are just as eager to join in the festivities. This year's "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra," with special guests David Archuleta and Michael York, was impressive and heartwarming!