UTAH, A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Jim and I went to Utah from April 3-6. Our main objective was to watch General Conference in Salt Lake City. It is the main headquarters for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our prophet, President Monson, spoke to us and also many of the other leaders of the church. They share gospel messages about Jesus Christ, family life, and other important things that help us improve our lives. I begin with this snow covered hill. The Salt Lake valley is surrounded by these beautiful mountains of the Wasatch Mountain Range.

Our first trip down memory lane came the 1st night in Utah. We went to a church in Salt Lake for Jim's Missionary Reunion. He went to Scotland for 2 years, from 1972-1974. He shared the gospel in Scotland. We were able to hear about how Scotland has grown and other updates. Then we separated into groups and talked to other past missionaries.
My favorite part is at the beginning. The bagpippers play several songs. I love the sound of the bagpipes.

The next day we went to General Conference. This Conference Center holds 23,000 people. There are huge TV screens on the side walls, projecting what is being said at the pulpit, so every seat in the place is a good one. We were on the second tier. We attended Sat. and Sunday afternoon. The Conference Center is about 8 years old. Conference used to to held in the Tabernacle, much smaller. One of the 1st dates Jim and I went on, after we met (At BYU) was to General Conference.
That was 33 years ago. I look 33 years older, but Jim . . . not so much.

Here is the beautiful sounding Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They also perform during the conference. Notice the size of the pipes for the pipe organ.
This is the pipes of the pipe organ in the Tabernacle where conference used to be held.

After conference we walked around temple square. All the flowers were in bloom. There are many water features. There are several buildings with informational displays about the church. They are all centered around the beautiful Salt Lake Temple.
From the Conference Center with the Salt Lake Temple behind us.
Conference Center.

In the conference center there was a huge art display of religious art. I loved the art.
The old Hotel Utah was refurbished and it is gorgeous! The architecture is fabulous.
Next stop on memory lane was Brigham Young University in Provo,UT. Yes, this is where it all began. Jim got his bachelor degree in Law Enforcement and I got my Mrs. degree. After 6 weeks at BYU, Jim and I were engaged and 6 months later we were married. Jim asked me to marry him behind the Provo Temple, about 2 miles from this sign. This month will be our 33 year anniversary.
One of the very first things we did, before getting engaged was to paint the "Y". The students make a big long line from the base of the mountain to this "Y" and throw white paint on it every year. It's quite a hike, but lots of fun.

We went on a tour of BYU because so much had changed. Lots more buildings and we enjoyed the interesting facts about the school. Things you never pay attention to while going to school. School population 30,000. The law school is in the top 50 in the nation and a 10th of the tuition. The 1st Hepititis B vaccine was developed at BYU. Teaching degrees are taught in 60 languages. Buildings ranges in age from 100 to 2 years old. Word Perfect was developed here. The testing hall can hold 750 students at one time.
And this glass structure is the ceiling of the underground library that houses 8 million items. 3 million are books and if you put them on 1 continuous bookshelf, it would be 98 miles long.OK, I'm getting a little carried away. Jim had to stop at the Lavell Edwards Football stadium. Jim still keeps track of his old football team. Jim and I went to every football game. We were in the "stunt card" section, that spelled things to the opposing team across the field. It was really fun and gave us good seats at every game.

This is the Gordon B. Hinckley Center Alumni Building, newest building on campus.
Our last stop was in Orem, UT, to Emergency Essentials. We have been ordered food from them and wanted to go see the store in person. They have lots of great food storage products. One day, our pantry will look like this. About a month ago, I asked Kelly how her food storage was going. She said, "We have enough for a week and then we are travelling to your house, mom." I laughed.
And finally, This is Trevor and Lesley. We stayed at their house in Draper, UT. They were wonderful to us. We slept well and ate well. They are expecting their first baby. It amazes us because we remember them as babies (also a trip down memory lane). Thank you Trevor and Lesley.
This is Meredith and Brandon. Meredith is Lesley's sister. They are going to school at BYU. Meredith is graduating this month and Brandon, next year. They also spent the weekend with us and we all had a fun time.
Well, that was our trip down memory lane. We had a great time together! And here is Mount Hood. It was a beautiful clear day when we came home. It almost felt like the plane's wing tip was going to touch the mountain.When we got home from Utah our kids and grandkids were at our house. Kelly arrived the same day we left for Utah and Crystal arrived the same day we got home. We spent the rest of the week together, so Chapter 2 of this blog will follow in the next couple of days.