General Conference

I was sitting on the top balcony and I had my camera zoomed in as far as it would go and I know this picture is fuzzy but I still think it's cool.
My family, Ryan, Mom, Dad, and Ciara. I know that flash photography is technically not allowed in the conference center but what are you gonna do?


I went to the Sunday afternoon session of conference with my family and I loved every minute of it. I love spending time with my family and especially in a setting such as conference. I've never been a huge fan of actually going to the conference center to listen to conference. In my mind I don't see a point in getting up, showering, getting ready, driving into or close to Salt Lake, fighting the traffic of other cars and people and then sitting in semi-comfortable seats for 2 hours and then going back into the battle zone of people and vehicles to go back home when I could have spent all that time on my couch in my comfy pajamas. To me it should be clear which option sounds more appealing. BUT as much as I love to sit in my pajamas all day I will admit that it was a really good experience to actually go to the conference building. I've been before but it was several years ago and I had forgotten how awesome it is to see the swarms of LDS people flooding the streets and knowing that you have so much in common with them and feeling some kind of connection with them because you are all there for a common purpose - to listen to the prophets of God and other leaders of the church.
There are two moments that made the trip completely worth it. The first is the instant silence and reverence that washes over the entire building when the prophet walks into the room. It was amazing that although no one was talking, or moving and barely breathing I could feel and hear the Holy Ghost bear witness that Thomas S. Monson is a living prophet of God. The second moment was being in the building when Jefferey R. Holland spoke and the 3 seconds after he left the podium. In those 3 seconds I'm positive that the 20,000 people in the room who were holding their breath through the entirety of his talk let out their breath all at once and I actually heard that soft sound of breath being let out and then a slight rustling sound as everyone kind of shifted in their seats. I LOVED Elder Hollands talk and I would definitely say it was my favorite of all the sessions. The power in his voice as he gave his testimony to the world of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon was unreal.
Being there with my family was awesome. I love spending time with them and sometime during the meeting I just looked over and saw all of the sitting there in a row listening to the speaker and I could help but feel such a sense of gratitude for my family and for the relationship that I have with each member. I am so blessed to have been born into my family. I love that the plan of salvation allows me to be with them forever. I only wish I lived closer to home so I could see them more often.