Visiting our Families and Friends, General Conference Weekend

Julie and Bernd took us by tram to the top of Snowbird Ski Resort, to enjoy the view and activities with relatives visiting from Germany. Newly-married Christian had been a preschooler when his family stayed in our solar home in Colorado at the time of Julie and Bernd’s wedding in the Denver Temple. How fun it was to encounter him as an adult and to meet his beautiful Denise!

I am so slow in writing this post that TODAY was actually the opening day for skiers at Snowbird. Lots of snow, so of course, Julie is there, skiing her heart out. It was quite warm and windy on September 29. Earlier that morning I had driven to Mapleton UT, south of Provo, to attend the funeral of a beloved roommate, Evelyn Thompson:

After greeting each of her five children beside the casket, I hurried to find two other roommates who had also travelled to be there. We had not been together in the same room since we graduated from Brigham Young University! We reminisced about old times in Wells Hall at Heritage Halls and on 400 East; caught up on current family details, and listened to Evelyn’s children and grandchildren as they sang and spoke at this celebration of her excellent life. Too soon, I dashed back to Julie’s home, so we could make the planned drive up the canyon to Snowbird. It was the Friday before General Conference… and Marty and I were still looking forward to a rare third occasion that evening.

We served under two different mission presidents in the Czech-Slovak Mission, and are well-acquainted with several earlier ones, as well. Traditionally reunions are held before each General Conference, but we are seldom in town. We were especially pleased to see the former Sister Scerra as we entered the building, now an insurance agent for house inspectors. She had left a toddler home with her husband Adam Jaynes. We all served together in České Budějovice.

Once again, my photos didn’t stick, so here are the delightful Munros from Melbourne, Australia and the Jaynes at an earlier reunion. A fine photo of the senior couples was taken, but I do not have a copy yet — it would include some from the 2014 photo above (at the mission home with President and Sister McConkie), plus many later couples. It was wonderful to see so many of these seniors, but a bit shocking to notice how much we are each growing older… graying, more stooped and deaf, but happy as ever. We shared amazing adventures when we served in that mission together. Because there were regular senior missionary conferences, we all became acquainted with each other’s assignments.

The chapel filled up with young missionaries and spouses, many of their young children and friends. We enjoyed seeing and visiting with so many — meeting several spouses in person for the first time — but we didn’t stay for the potluck. Of course we all sang the mission hymn, and enjoyed a Jesus talk. (An audio tape is already posted on the mission website) Evidently we had misread a post from President Pohořelický, because he and his wife were not in attendance this time. But any time we can share a space with the Munros and the McConkies, it is worth the nine hour trip!

We watched Saturday General Conference from Julie and Bernd’s home. All the extended family drifted in and out as we ate, talked, played games, and watched Conference. We watched Sunday afternoon at Joe and Ely’s home in Eagle Mountain. (None of my photos stuck on the phone, so here is a hint of the happy group from an earlier occasion. Not quite right, because Montagues were not in town, nor Anna, but we did see Luke and Wade, although they’re not in this photo.) Ely fed us; the boys showed off their backyard sports, reading books to us and playing the piano. How we wish we could see our families more often!

Suddenly it was time to make a 2.5 hour drive up to Logan, to see Celebrando Nuestras Raíces at Utah State University. Ely is part of a dance group that performs Chilean dances throughout the area. This was our first time to be at one of her performances. She was marvelously graceful, and beautiful as always. We enjoyed the chips and salsa provided. Photos show dancers from Cuba, Peru, and Chile (the Easter Island segment looks quite Polynesian):

This was a weekend of spiritual feasting, family, food, and fun. We particularly enjoyed conference talks by Sisters Runia and Freeman, Elders Oaks, Anderson, Soares, Uchtdorf, Eyring, and Gong. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10?lang=eng

Julie and I picked green and purple grapes, sorted and froze them. Yum, yum! We also took some great little hikes on Steep Mountain in Draper:

Another day we toured the Pioneer Museum, which is beside the Utah State Capitol. It had been many years since I had been there, but I remembered there was an entire room devoted to portraits and items from our Richards ancestors. We were there for many happy hours and still didn’t see everything… but hung on a random wall, I saw the the very portrait which my mother had recognized, years ago: Christina Kennoch Proudfoot MacKenzie, the mother of Elizabeth Graham Macdonald. Some written records in the family, hard to decipher, had seemed to read “Crawford,” but it turned out to be “Proudfoot –” all because mom recognized that this unusual face belonged to the family tree. I won’t share that photo here, because I’m sure Christina was once a beautiful lady, but this family-famous portrait shows her after immigrating from Scotland, walking across the plains, and apparently losing her teeth. I wouldn’t want anyone to laugh at how she looked when she was in her declining years. I’m proud that she’s one of MY pioneer grandmas…

Having missed my mother’s funeral last year, I was happy to go to the cemetery briefly with my brother, after a lovely dinner at their home in Bountiful. We wish Scott and Louise didn’t live so far away, because we always enjoy time with them.

My parents’ graves are within sight of the Bountiful Temple, with an endless view of the Great Salt Lake to the west, below.

We drove four hours up to Rexburg ID, to visit the lovebirds Emily & Weston, who were sealed in the temple in July. They are students at BYU Idaho

They took us on a VIP tour by golf cart through the gorgeous campus. We walked inside several of the buildings. And none of my photos stayed put, although I remember importing them onto the laptop and selecting and photoshopping them. Am I becoming too old to photoblog?

25,000 students attend this school, which runs three semesters each year. This is where BYU Pathway Worldwide was developed, which currently serves more than 63,000 students in 180 different nations, and is prized by so many of our former missionaries in Ghana, for example. Quality on-line education, flexible and affordable for all! If I were younger, I would definitely teach for Pathway.

Emily & Weston attend college in person, plus Weston works full-time. We enjoyed looking over all their wedding photos. (Somehow viewing them in a book is classier than seeing the on-line album.) We played enough rounds of Shanghai for Weston to catch on. It’s probably a lot slower game than he’s used to playing… We loved eating at their chosen spot: the Curry Pizza Place. Very delicious, very Indian.

We are glad to see Emily & Weston off to a good start in their married life, busy and happy. They are only six hours away from us, now that we’re home again in Montana.

We feel so very energized from the Conference talks and visits with family and friends. Now, we look forward to reading those talks again and again, discovering the inspired wisdom from our prophets and apostles. There’s something there for everyone…