My niece Courney got married in the Salt Lake Temple June 13, 2015
Everyone gathered in Salt Lake City.
The Wedding and reception was beautiful
Living Life and Loving It
by shelley
My niece Courney got married in the Salt Lake Temple June 13, 2015
Everyone gathered in Salt Lake City.
The Wedding and reception was beautiful
by shelley
Landing at the Salt Lake Airport and gazing at the mountains in Utah I feel such a sense of homecoming. Living in Kansas I miss the mountains, oh how I how miss the mountains.
My favorite mountain is perhaps Mount Timpanogos…the backdrop for the BYU campus.
Mount Timpanogos not only is beautiful but has its own legend. There are multiple versions of the legend. If you look hard at Mount Timpanogos you can imagine a young Indian Maiden Princess lying on her back with her hair flowing down. And just as most legends go, the legend of Mount Timpanogos involves two young lovers. (You can read the legend of the beautiful Indian Princess here.)
Women’s Conference is held on the BYU campus between BYU’S graduation (after Winter semester) and the beginning of spring term. The annual two-day event attracts an estimated 15,000 women who come to hear leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and attend classes featuring more than 200 presenters on topics such as marriage, family and gospel principles.
Women’s Conference gives me a chance to catch up with two close friends, Ellen Riley and Linda Esplin. Ellen lives outside of Boston and Linda lives in Phoenix. Linda and I became friends when I was in graduate school and she was an undergraduate. We met in the student ward but we bonded over running. I married Bob and moved to Boston for Bob’s internship and residency. Linda married Cordell, (attended law school), moved to Hawaii for Cordell’s internship. Then they moved to Boston for Cordell’s residency. Here we met Ellen. We all became fast friends. Thankfully, we get to meet once a year in Utah for Women’s Conference. It is a time to renew friendship, catch up on news and bask in the learning opportunities afforded at Women’s Conference.
BYU campus is a beautiful campus.
The theme for BYU Women’s Conference this year was: “My soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord.” 2 Nephi 11:5
BYU Women’s Conference is the largest two-day gathering of LDS women anywhere in the world. Over 200 presenters share their perspectives and insights on a variety of topics including womanhood and sisterhood, gospel principles, marriage, family, and practical and timely topics of interest and concern to women of all ages.
One of the memorable classes for me was “A Time for a Woman’s Voice” given by Ally Isom and Michael R. Otterson. Michael Otterson is head of public affairs for the church and he talked about the church and social media today. It really opened my eyes to the need that we need to make a presence on the internet.
I also enjoyed Elder Ballard’s presentation.
General session speakers in the Marriott Center included Sister Wendy Watson Nelson, wife of Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women general president; Kevin J. Worthen, BYU president, and his wife, Peggy; and Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
I also enjoyed a special presentation at the Fine Arts Museum on the BYU campus. Artist Brian Krishisnek
spoke on “Nativity and Other Paintings of Women”.
also on view through 2016 is a breathtaking display of color:
The two translucent structures filtering through the Museum’s skylight appear to be luminous rays of light refracted through a giant prism. Gabriel Dawe’s stunning Plexus no. 29 is a corporeal installation of colored filament meticulously threaded between the Museum’s mezzanine walls and oculus.
I also got to spend time with my daughter Jen and my grandchildren Becca, Henry, Caroline and Emily!
And the beautiful flowers at temple square…
by shelley
The Nauvoo Cafe is located on the corner of South Temple and Main Street in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, in Downtown Salt Lake City.
Visiting Temple Square and the flowers of Temple Square
Reflecting pool in front of Salt Lake City Temple.
The Salt Lake Assembly Hall is one of the buildings owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the southwest corner of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. It has seating capacity for an audience of approximately 1,400 people.
The Salt Lake Assembly Hall is a Victorian Gothic congregation hall. Rough granite walls are laid out in cruciform style making the hall’s exterior look like a small gothic cathedral.
Our timing was just a little late to see all the tulips in their prime, but Temple Square was still gorgeous!
The L.D.S. Church History Museum
The museum is located west of Temple Square and north of the Family History Library.
I was excited to see a set this set of coins in the museum.
I had heard about a set like this one in the news recently. ABC had a story about them, as did KSL in Salt Lake City and LDS Living.
They were the rarest of a seven-piece collection of Mormon coins made in 1849 that brought in nearly $2 million at an auction staged by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.
A $10 Mormon gold coin fetched $705,000, and a $20 Mormon gold coin sold for $558,000 at auction this week.
The territorial coins, put up for sale by a collector, went to an undisclosed buyer. Bidding ended Thursday night.
Tyson Emery, a coin expert at All About Coins in Salt Lake City, said coins and currency were scare when Mormon pioneers arrived in Utah in 1847, and the settlers began making their own coins primarily to buy goods from the East.
“The gold that they used to make these Mormon gold coins came from the original California gold strike, probably right from the American River at Sutter’s Mill,” he told the Deseret News (http://bit.ly/1h1t3cv ).
Only 46 of the $10 gold coins were made, and just a few are still around.
I was also excited to see the “originals” of Missouri Church history. This picture by C. C. A. Christensen showing the persecution of the Saints in Jackson County, Missouri is the “one” always used showing the Saints being expelled from Jackson County Missouri.
Another “original” is Joseph Smith’s letter written in Liberty Jail to the people in Quincy, Illinois after being expelled from Missouri. Parts of this letter would latter become scripture D&C sections 121-123:
Displayed with the letter were original bars from Liberty Jail.
And lastly, the original cast iron face wheel from Haun’s Mill on display at the Church History Museum. (Article about Haun’s Mill)
Then we were off to Women’s Conference 2014 at Brigham Young University.
The Theme this year is found in Psalm, 84:11 which reads, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” In this verse we are reminded of the blessing and power of divine grace.
Her theme was: “For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield: the Lord will give Grace and Glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.”
—Psalm 84:11
Elder Bruce C. Hafen and Marie K. Hafen
They spoke on the Redeeming and Strengthening Powers of the Atonement.
Linda K. Burton, Bonnie L. Oscarson, Rosemary M. Wixom
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve and Mary G. Cook
The Rewards of Righteousness
AND
Congratulations to Kevin…13th President of Brigham Young University.
by shelley
Temple Square in the springtime! No words can describe the beauty of temple square and it’s glorious landscaping and colorful flowers. But it took my breath away with all the blooming flowers; tulips, daffodils, and crocus’. I was absolutely mesmerized by some of the tulips and daffodils…they had 5-6 blooms on one stem. Each stem was like a bouquet of tulips or daffodils…gorgeous!!! Say no more a picture is worth a thousand words…
We also visited the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, near the Salt Lake temple.
and a few pictures of the Salt Lake Temple…
by shelley
I attended BYU Women’s Conference again this year with my good friend Ellen Riley from Boston.
We joined about 17,000 other women for two days of guest speakers, great entertainment, service projects, and great companionship.
Thousands of Women in the Marriott Center for Women’s Conference.
Women’s Conference is a happening and this car seemed to say it all:
Program from Women’s Conference:
It seemed this year I connected with lots of people; i.e. a general session speaker Kevin Worthen (friend of my brother growing up) from Price, Utah- we grabbed good seats for this session and went up after to say “hello”;
Or a presenter in one class Carol Mikita, mother of my daughter Becca’s good friend Jen Bennion:
Class: “It Is for You . . . to Lead the World and toLead Especially the Women of the World”(President Joseph F. Smith)
President Joseph F. Smith encouraged sisters in Relief Society to lead the “women of the world, in everything thatis praise-worthy, everything that is God-like, everythingthat is uplifting and that is purifying to the children of men.” As women of God, we can lead by lifting in our spheres of infuence in our homes, the Church, ourcommunities, and work. What qualities and attributeshelp us to be effective leaders? How can we maintain ourdivinely given female natures, be distinct and different inhappy ways, and also be infuential and effective?
The weather was beautiful this year and the campus was beautiful as usual and of course the mountains-the glorious mountains.
This year we stayed late to catch the evening entertainment:
This year in addition to Women’s Conference we also visited
This is the Place Heritage Park
Step back in time and see the West as it was in the early settlement of Utah. Ride one of three trains, the Jupiter, Blackhawk or the 119, as they tour around the Park. Or enjoy a ride around the pond on the mini train. City kids will love riding ponies, meeting and petting farm animals and don’t forget to try your skill at milking Clara Bell the Cow.
Guests love panning for gold. There is no excitement quite like finding a shiny nugget hiding amongst the silt and sand. “Set sail” on the Ship Brooklyn, a one-sixth replica of the original that tells the story of the expedition of pioneers who sailed from New York Harbor over 24,000 miles in search of a new home in the West.
Visit the Native American Village, which celebrates Utah’s heritage before the arrival of the settlers. Authentic Navajo Hogan’s and Shoshone teepees stand in a quiet circle on the hillside. Grind corn and make arrowhead necklaces.
Interact with a blacksmith, tinsmith, and saddle maker and don’t forget to purchase some snake oil from Dr. Quackenbush! Try your hand at some old-fashioned pioneer chores, or at spinning and carding wool. And there’s endless old-fashioned fun from the bucket brigade to the Candy Cannon that shoots salt-water taffy during special events. The streets are alive with a variety of musical performers, and be on the lookout for a train robbery!
Brand new Summer 2013 is Irrigation Station splash pad! Cool off and learn why the Salt Lake Valley “blossomed as a rose!”
The Gift Shop at the Visitor Center is one of the premier destination shopping experiences in Salt Lake City. And theZCMI Mercantile is filled with sweets from yesteryear and loads of goodies. Huntsman Hotel is home to Hires Big H products, there’s an old fashioned ice cream shop with soft serve and flavor burst cones, and Brigham’s Donuts are cooked fresh everyday! A little bit of sugary heaven!
Visit the Mormon Battalion Museum, The Stoddard Gallery and see the iconic Monument that was erected under the supervision of a committee composed of Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish and Latter-day Saint representatives. Visit the Walk of Pioneer Faiths honoring early religious groups and leaders who contributed to the religious diversity of our great community.
I think we visited just about every building in the park: