BYU Women’s Conference and LDS Church History Museum

May 9, 2014 by shelley

BYU Women’s Conference

and

LDS Church History Museum

Ellen Riley flew in to meet me to attend Brigham Young University Women’s Conference. Our first stop was to eat lunch in the Nauvoo Cafe, and then a visit to Temple Square and the Church History Museum.

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.

Nauvoo Cafe In Joseph Smith Memorial Building

goodies at the Nauvoo Cafe

Visiting Temple Square and the flowers of Temple Square

Salt Lake City Temple

Reflecting pool in front of Salt Lake City Temple.

Assembly Hall at Temple Square, Salt Lake City

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.

Flowers Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah

Our timing was just a little late to see all the tulips in their prime, but Temple Square was still gorgeous!

Flowers Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah

The L.D.S. Church History Museum

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.

Old Set of Mormon Coins

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.

Painting of Persecution of the Saints in 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:

Joseph Smith letter written in Liberty Jail

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)

Cast Iron Face Wheel from Hauns Mill

Then we were off to Women’s Conference 2014 at Brigham Young University.

BYU’s beautiful campus!

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.

Women’s Conference 2014

Marriott Center Brigham Young University

Thursday Morning Opening Session was a real treat!

Thursday Morning Opening Session was Sheri Dew.

Sheri Dew

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

Thursday Afternoon General Session was Elder Bruce C. Hafen and his wife, Marie.

Elder Bruce C. Hafen and Marie K. Hafen

They spoke on the Redeeming and Strengthening Powers of the Atonement.

Friday Morning General Session

Linda K. Burton, Bonnie L. Oscarson, Rosemary M. Wixom

Linda K. Burton, Bonnie L. Oscarson, Rosemary M. Wixom spoke on the Atonement Heals, Comforts, Consoles, and Enables Us to Show Mercy and Grace Unto Ourselves

Friday Afternoon Closing Session was Elder Quentin L. Cook and his wife Mary.

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve and Mary G. Cook

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve and Mary G. Cook spoke on

The Rewards of Righteousness

We stayed for the evening performance which included; Mercy River, Hilary Weeks, Hudson Lights, Sandra Turley (broadway star), and Jenny Oaks Baker (Emmy nominated). All incredible, but the climax of the evening was a video “Evil Did Not Win” about one of the victims of the Sandy Hook Massacre Emilie Parker and a talk by her mother Alissa. I noticed as we left many red, rimmed eyes.

Sandra Turley

(I had to take this picture of Sandra Turley and send it to Becca. Becca is good friends with Sandra’s sister and brother-in-law [also a Duke graduate with Carl]. We sat by Sandra’s mother at graduation.)

Side note: May 1st was the first day of BYU’s new President Kevin Worthen. Kevin grew up in Price and was one of the best friends of my brother Craig. Really exciting to see a kid from Price do so well. The Deseret News and BYU today called Craig to interview him to find out what Kevin was like as a kid. Craig told a couple of “Kevin Stories”.

“Craig Smith became Worthen’s friend in the third grade, the same year Smith remembers running into Worthen one day in the library in Price. Worthen lived in Dragerton, a small town owned by a coal mine several miles away.

Smith was working his way through the Hardy Boys books. Worthen was carrying a stack of novels that included “Advise and Consent,” the 1959 Pulitzer Prize-winning political novel by Allen Drury.

“He was reading as an adult already in those days,” Smith said.”

AND

“Kevin is a very smart guy, but he’s also a very humble guy,” Smith said. “He’s usually the smartest guy in the room, but he doesn’t advertise that and doesn’t care if people know that or don’t know that. Lawyers usually want to let you know.”

His fellow BYU law students figured it out, Smith said. Their nickname for Worthen, who would graduate first in their class, was Zeus.

“Of course,” Smith said, “Zeus was the smartest and strongest of all.”

Congratulations to Kevin…13th President of Brigham Young University.

Music and the Spoken Word and the Tabernacle Choir

June 20, 2013 by shelley

Music and the Spoken Word and the Tabernacle Choir

This year Ellen Riley and I decided we would attend Music and the Spoken Word and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Temple Square. She had never attended. It is an incredible opportunity to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in person and definitely worth the effort. No one is ever disappointed.
The May 5, 2013 Program of Music and the Spoken word

Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the Tabernacle May 5, 2013

The program did not disappoint!

Visiting Brigham Young’s gravesite.

After finding out Ellen had never been to Brigham Young’s gravesite we decided to stop at the mini-park and gravesite.
The grave of Brigham Young is located in the Brigham Young Family Memorial Cemetery in downtown Salt Lake City Utah. (located in the avenues; 194 East 1st Ave.) Brigham Young was born June 1,1801 at Whitingham, Vermont and died August 29, 1877 at Salt Lake City, Utah. Brigham Young was second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He led the Mormon pioneers from Winter Quarters to the Salt Lake valley. He became Governor of the Provisional State of Deseret and later Governor of the Territory of Utah. The posted coordinates will take you the final resting place of Brigham Young.
The grave site is open to the public and can be viewed most anytime.
Brigham Young’s grave is kind of nestled in between some apartment buildings. Unless you have the address, one would drive by it without even knowing it is there. There’s a more general pioneer memorial in the front, and then the graves of Brigham Young and some wives in a more private area towards the back.

Brigham Youngs Gravesite, Salt Lake City Utah.

Mary Ann Angell Young’s gravesite. She was the second wife of Brigham Young. She married Brigham Young after his first wife, Miriam Angeline Works died in 1832. She also brought many seeds with her to Salt Lake City and is credited with planting the beautiful trees that grow along the eastern end of South Temple Street in Salt Lake City, which was once known as Brigham Street. Mary Ann Angell was the sister of Salt Lake Temple architect Truman Angell.

Gravesite of Mary Ann Angell Young one of Brigham Young's wives.

Gravesite of Mary V. Young one of Brigham Young’s wives.

Gravesite of Eliza R. Snow

There is also a delightful sculpture of Brigham Young reading to children.

Near Brigham Young’s grave statue of him reading to children in Salt Lake City,Utah.

Statue of Brigham Young reading to children.

In this small park tucked away in the avenues of Salt Lake City, was a grand old gnarly tree. I loved the textures of its trunk.

Interesting textures on trunk of old tree in Brigham Young’s gravesite park.

Gnarly old tree in Brigham Young’s gravesite park.

Wrinkled old trunk of tree.

Loved the texture of the gnarly old tree in park.

Visiting Temple Square with Family, Salt Lake City, Utah….the Temple a Beautiful Sight!

August 23, 2012 by shelley

I visited Utah from the 19th to the 30th of July with lots and lots to do while in Utah. One of the first things I did was to visit Temple Square with Jen, Adam and the kids; Becca and Henry. And then one of the last things I did while in Utah was to visit Temple Square with B.J., Jen and Jack.