I didn't realize how much I missed the USA until we were back. It is just so beautiful. Especially Utah...it's a pretty gorgeous state, I must say. What I found most striking were the buildings. We have lots of pretty greenery on Okinawa...and lovely hills and beaches...but for the most part the buildings are completely uninteresting. They are built to resist typhoons, not to win any aesthetic contests. I didn't realize how their drabness was such a stark contrast to most buildings in the US.
Anyway, it felt great to be here. It was WAY colder than we were used to...Utah fall is generally more mild in October...but we had only a short walk from our hotel to the Conference Center, so it wasn't bad.
Cliff took Jacob to the Saturday morning session while Coree and I watched on TV...then we went down to the hotel deli, bought lunch and walked to the Conference Center to meet them when the session ended. The choir was singing the closing hymn when we got there (Come, Come Ye Saints) and this is what we saw:
They were filming the little stream for one of the shots while the choir was singing.
Then I had to snap this shot of the temple across the street.
This was just after the closing prayer...just a few people milling about. We knew we'd be waiting awhile for the boys since they'd be sitting down front, and it takes some time to empty a venue of 22,000.
Getting thicker...
They should be here any minute now.
We were enjoying our turkey sandwiches when I spotted these beautiful sisters from Africa and had to ask them for a photo.
Seeing this pic makes me miss Troy and Patrick...it just wasn't the same without them.
Jake and I said goodbye to Dad and Coree and made our way back to the hotel to watch the afternoon session on TV. These Segways were something new this year. Wondering what advantage they give?
As wonderful as it is to be in that Conference Center, there is something to be said for having a front row seat AND a comfy place to rest.
Especially after lunch.
That evening Cliff went to the Priesthood session while Coree, Jake and I headed back to the Gateway mall to meet up with some other Chaplain wives. I turned the kids loose with some money and the ladies sat down to enjoy some Thai food. And for a special treat...when we were done, Grandma Garrie met us back at the hotel to take the kiddos back to her place. Anything we had to offer couldn't possibly compare to Grandpa's house!
No comments:
Post a Comment