General Conference fun!

Twice a year, April and October, our entire church, all 14 million of us, gather together around the world to hear from our leaders. It is broadcast in dozens of languages, simultaneously, around the world from Salt Lake City over a Saturday and Sunday. It is the coolest thing ever, and one of my favorite weekends of the year! This year, Mitch's grandparents got us all tickets to see our church's General Conference live in Salt Lake. This meant we'd get to see all our leaders in person, which is a really cool thing. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings at these meetings, and hearing them in person is just breathtaking.

Everyone went to Salt Lake this weekend for the session we had tickets to. Camille was even able to come down from BYU to see us! She spent the night in the hotel that Mitch, Nathan, and I (and the rest of the family) were staying in. It was amazing!

I didn't get to see it in person because they don't allow anyone under 8 in. Because the last thing you want when you get 21,000 seats filled to broadcast all over the world is hundreds of little children crying and talking all through the broadcast! So, he and I watched it from a broadcast location near the Conference Center where the family was seeing it live.
The Conference Center holds 21,000 people and is state-of-the art in every way. Because our church owns their own satellites, the meetings are easily broadcast and can be watched on the internet, listened to on the radio in some areas, and watched on tv in most areas (on BYU tv). Everyone has access to it.
Nathan and I found a window on the tenth floor of the building we were watching the session from. We were so close to the Salt Lake Temple and had to take some pictures!
I loved having my big, long lens to take pictures with. I was able to zoom in really far and didn't have to crop much away from the pictures you see!
Every LDS Temple has a gold plated statue of an angel on top, named Moroni, instead of a cross. He reminds us to look to heaven and sound our praises for our Father in Heaven and His son, Jesus Christ.
I can't believe the detailing in this Temple. It was built in the 1800s and took 40 years to complete. The early members of the church even ground down their fine china to mix with the granite, giving the walls a sparkle!
It was amazing to spend time in Salt Lake City. Our ancestors have so much history there, and sacrificed so much to get there and establish themselves. The little things I complain about every day are nothing compared to what they went through. They sacrificed everything to build this Temple, and it has stood the test of time beautifully.

Thank you, Dooley family, and Grandma & Grandpa Sheffer, for hosting all of us and making this trip possible!