Conference Time!

Hyrum scored us some tickets to conference from the Bishop for the afternoon session on Saturday SO we made arrangements for Weston and Afton to go to Maama and Pa's for the day and Zach, Hyrum and I headed up to Salt Lake early while listening to the first session on the radio.  I was bracing myself for the worst because the last couple times I actually went to conference (yes, it was probably 11 years ago) the traffic was dreadful and we ended up late for sessions, or not back in time for the next or just sitting on the road for hours... But we did it anyway.  Turns out, with the freeway construction almost done, people directing traffic in the city, and parking lots assigned to everyone with tickets we drove strait up to SL with no problems, parked and ate lunch (McDonalds in City Creek, Hyrum's choice.:) before the next crowd came flowing in. Nice!  We also ran into my old Bishop and his family, the McMullins! at the mall.  It's always crazy to see someone you know when you are in such a HUGE crowd.  I love it.  On our way to the Conference center, we walked past the Deseret Book where Alex Boye was giving a little concert, just up close and personal and Lex De Azevado was signing cds.  Zach took a minute to ask the clerk about their up and coming items and got an enthusiastic plug for his dad's new D&D reference companion.  Yeah, he didn't tell the girl he actually wrote 30 articles for the book... :)
Though he has been to performances in the conference center, Zach had actually never been to a session at the conference center so it was a first for Zach AND Hyrum.  Sadly, I didn't bring my camera because back in the old days when the Conference center first opened, if you had a camera you had to check it in at a desk in the back and then pick it up when you were done. I just wanted to avoid any hassle so I left it in the car and took no pictures of our adventure.  Turns out, it's too hard to take cameras and phones from every person in the  audience so they don't do it anymore.   Thus, there were still guys playing on their phones DURING conference.  Hello, people!  Anyway, we had great seats pretty close to the front, Hyrum brought his binoculars to see things even closer up and we got to hear and see our Prophet and leaders... pretty cool.
My favorite talk for the session, I think, was Elder Gay's "Would you sell your soul for a nickle?"


After the session I was just sure it would be crazy traffic getting home... but it was perfect. We got home by 5, dropped Zach off at our house so he could go with his dad and brothers to the Priesthood session and Hyrum (who slept the whole way) headed to Maama's house to get the little ones and then go to Kristi's house to make some fabulous Haunted Gingerbread houses with all the girls. This, I
do have pictures of!

How's that for a party day?  Whew!  Good times, good memories...