Youth Conference

 We went to Temple Square in SLC for youth conference.

My Mom was nice enough to watch all the little kiddos while Bob went back to work, and I went to youth conference.  We had a wonderful experience!

The picture above is my Beehive class in front of the Relief Society Commemorative Bell (it used to be the Nauvoo Bell).  Bob's ancestors are responsible for bringing this bell across the plains.  Here's the story:

"the bell was donated by the British Saints for the Nauvoo Temple and sent to the United States in the care of Wilford Woodruff. 

The bell hung for only a short time in the Nauvoo Temple. Pressure from unfriendly neighbors forced the Saints to evacuate the city, leaving the bell behind. Thereafter, it was apparently taken from the temple and placed in a local protestant church.

We owe recovery of the Nauvoo bell to the Lamoreaux family. Shortly before they left Nauvoo for the West, according to family sources, “one stormy night the men gathered in secret and without horses pulled the wagon to the Church and lowered the Bell, pushed and pulled the wagon by hand to the edge of the Mississippi River and carefully concealed it in the water. Andrew Lamoreaux and his brother, David, were chosen to bring the Bell to Utah with their families, concealing the Bell in their wagon with their provisions.”

En route, the bell was reportedly used to awaken the herdsmen at dawn, to signal morning prayer, to start the day’s march, and to sound during the night watches to let the Indians know that the sentry was at his post. In Salt Lake, the bell was used at the first old bowery and as a signal to the herders to take out the cattle. It was also used on Brigham Young’s schoolhouse for some time. Thereafter, it seems to have been in a Church business building for a while and then later was housed in the Bureau of Information on Temple Square. In 1942 it was placed in a bell tower on Temple Square by the Relief Society to celebrate their centennial. It remains there today.

 We did a scavenger hunt in Deseret Book

 Walked all over temple square and Salt Lake City

 Spent fun times with the youth of our ward

 Played silly fun games

 Hiked Ensign Peak

 I adore these girls

 It was a short, but steep hike

 with a beautiful view of the SLC valley

 These are my three favorite youth in our ward

 We had a cooking class in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, then dinner there that evening

 Here we are on the last day, waiting for the elevator to take us to the Conference Center rooftop.  Everyone was getting pretty tired.

 Taycie came with us the last day

 We also watched "Legacy", did Family History, went to the Church History Museum, listened to Brad Wilcox speak, and ate great food.  I can't wait to take the rest of our family sometime.

I saw M. Russell Ballard and his wife in the Joseph Smith memorial building!  Taycie was being fussy during Brad Wilcox's talk, so I walked out in the hall.  I was praying that she would quiet down (she's usually so quiet), but she wouldn't, so I kept walking down the hall.  Elder Ballard and his wife were just leaving a reception just down the hall.  They walked down the hall and were waiting for the elevator.  They both told me that Taycie was cute.  All I could think to do was say thanks and keep walking down the hall.  After that, Taycie was as good as gold, and as quiet as can be.