Saturday, March 29 was the General Young Women's Meeting. The Conference Center and also Temple Square was all decked out. Each of the flags stand for one of the Young Women's values. The white flag for faith was on the other side of the bank of doors. Blue for Divine Nature, Red for Individual Worth, Green for Knowledge, Orange for Choice and Accountability, Yellow for Service, and Purple for Integrity.

We served in the Tabernacle, which was ready for overflow from the YW meeting which was to start at 6:00. About 5:45 the Guest Services person and I were listening to the radio. The person in the Conference Center said there were about 15,000 seated and even though there was room for 21,000 people, yes, the Tabernacle would be used for overflow.

Immediately this huge group of people started to come in the doors of the Tabernacle. The crowd continued until 6:20 when the noise finally settled down. I had never witnessed such a scene before. Sister Susan Tanner, the General YW President's talk was lost in the chaos.

Several YW Leaders asked me why they were not allowed in the Conference Center. I asked, "What time were you supposed to be in your seats." The answer was, "5:30 - but we got there at 5:35 and the door was shut."

Over 4,000 YW, their mothers and leaders were late for this important meeting.

Remember the ten virgins? Five were wise and five were foolish. We witnessed over 4,000 foolish virgins who were very disappointed. And, I'm sure they all had a good reason for not being on time.

This week-end is General Conference and we have tickets for two sessions. We plan to be there very, very early. And it's impossible to save seats.

Leslie, Christian, Anna and Emily arrived Friday, March 28. Christian was all excited about going to the State Capitol. You can see Christian, Emily, Ed, and just the top of Anna's head.
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The rotunda of the State Capitol. Quite a sight!
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Emily, Ed, Christian, Anna, and Leslie. What a great idea - we enjoyed adventure even though it was very cold and windy.
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Elder Bruce Porter was the General Authority for our Mission Conference. This is not a very good picture, but each missionary had the opportunity to shake he and his wife's hand. His message was wonderful.
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Today was "Do you know . . . . ." day. Elder Burton, Sister Ferrier, Sister Burton, and Sister Lasson visited Temple Square from Reunion Island off Madagascar where Jacob Bair (from our Ward in Ephrata) is serving. Sisters Ferrier and Lasson live in his first area. Elder and Sister Burton are returning from their mission.

The trip is a first time to Utah for these sisters and they were so excited to be here. They report that Jake is doing very well. Elder Burton kept saying, "Elder Bair is a fine, fine young man."
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Sister Olson received a letter from Elder Mark Ouradnik. He is teaching one of her Temple Square referrals. Elder Ouradnik (also from our Ward in Ephrata) is serving in Lansing, Michigan. He was her District Leader at the MTC. She thinks he is an awesome missionary.
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There are Sister Missionaries from all over the world serving on Temple Square. In addition to their name tag they wear the flag of their country. I recently made this chart so I could memorize the flags.

The Sisters also give tours of Temple Square in all these different languages. When someone comes and requests a foreign tour we call Mission Support and usually within 10 minutes a Sister arrives who can assist them. Ours truly is a world-wide mission and we are amazed that so many foreigners come to visit.

We went to the Salt Lake Temple today and the entire General Primary Presidency and Board were in our session. It was great to meet them. The past Church News had a wonderful article in it about their concerns for Primary.

I came home and called Sister Chamberlain, who was our Ephrata Stake Primary President with whom I served the past few years. She said we were all released two weeks ago at Stake Conference. What great fellowship we had with the Primary workers in our Stake. Loved it - so thankful for the opportunity to serve.

Well, we had our shortest summer and fall on record. Winter is here again - or maybe this is just Utah.

Hey, Robbie and Ryan - Grandpa is ready to make a snowman - wish you were here!
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We had our Seniors Birthday Party and Elder Asplund got the biggest banana split. I wish the picture were from another angle but it was huge. We all guessed he couldn't eat it all.
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Well, we were wrong! He almost licked the platter clean. Good job, Elder Asplund!
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Good going! We finally got pictures of Robbie's birthday. As you can see he turned 6 on March 5. His party was at the fire station. Everyone had a great time. Cute smile, Robbie!

Robbie belongs to Roger and Leanne.

How exciting is it to put on a real fireman's hat!
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I want to share this wonderful picture. These are the first 75 quilts we did last year for a service project with Grant County Realtor's Association that benefited the needy in our area. Several of the Realtors helped and a nice article appeared in the Grant County Journal. Just before Christmas Ed and I finished 35 more and they were given out with the food baskets by the Ephrata Food Bank.

This is an on-going project in memory of my dear mother who passed away July 24, 1998. My current quilt journal records that since 10-18-04 I have made 728 quilts.

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Our first over-night guests arrived. Laurie, Bishop Walker, and Megan. They are on their way to the MTC. Megan has been called on a mission to Argentina and will be at the MTC for 9 weeks. Thanks for coming - we enjoyed having you.

And yes, we would love to have YOU come also. "Our door is always open to friends who pass our way."
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I just received these pictures from Curtis (Kelly and Wendy's son) who is on a mission in the Philippines. He is doing great and having a lot of success.
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Curtis is excited about being a missionary. He is doing well with the language and you can see in his face that he loves it. Keep up the good work, Curtis.
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Saturday before Easter, Elder Millet and I were walking home lamanting that we had no Easter dinner planned or even a hard boiled egg. Oh, well.

Easter Sunday we had a great Sacrament Meeting, Music and the Spoken Word was outstanding, Relief Society/Priesthood Meetings and then we did our assignment at the West Gate.

I was in the booth and Ed was outside. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him step out on the sidewalk and before I knew it, he was hugging a young man that looked like Austin - And surprise of our lives it was Austin and the whole gang.

They had drived by and yelled "Hi, Pop-Pop." That was when Ed stepped out wondering who in the world they were. To him Pop-Pop meant grandchildren. What fun! And, what a surprise.

We all had a delicious Easter dinner together - deviled eggs, sweet potato souffle. green bean casserole topped with onions, pineapple stuffing, ham, and strawberry shortcake. Joette is a great cook!

Kimball, Rhett, Tom, Sister Millet, Kelsey, Lori, Joette, Austin, Elder Millet, Nicole, Madison, and Savannah. The Tabernacle is in the background.

Kimball, Lori, Rhett, Kelsey, and Nicole. They live in Cedar Fort near Lehi, Utah.
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Joette, Tom, Austin, Madison, and Savannah. They live in Corning, California.
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Everywhere we go on Temple Square we see boxes of bedding plants ready to beautiful the place.
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There is an army of gardners planting everywhere. The Square will be in beautiful bloom for Conference. This picture was taken in front of the Church Administration Building.
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We enjoyed a wonderful Zone Conference today. Snapped this picture in one of our favorite places.
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The crocus are so delicate and beautiful. The gardners are just beginning to plant for General Conference. It will be a beautiful Spring.
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Well, here we are busy as can be at South Gate. Elder Millet (with the hat) and a pair of Sister Missionaries greet the guests and tours of Temple Square begin every 15 minutes. The Salt Lake train system (in the background) takes up a lot of the street in the downtown area. Parking is at a premium. We are so glad Salt Lake was originally set out with very, very wide streets.
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As you could see from the previous picture everyone was in winter coats. Here is my post at South Gate. There is a wonderful heater in my kiosk and I am cozy and warm without a coat. Just outside and to the left of my window you can see a heat lamp for the Sisters and the Elder to warm up by.

We love it here. Today we met so many wonderful people and arranged tours in Spanish, Swedish, Cantonese, Portuguese, and Korean. It's amazing how many foreigners come here to visit.

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Like I said, the weather has been strange. This afternoon we went on duty in beautiful weather and came home in a blizzard. When we got home our lawn was covered with snow. We are so thankful for warm coats and a large umbrella. Every missionary gets a Temple Square umbrella to use. It has our name on it and they are kept in bins at the mission office.
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There were 4 spotlights on the corner that created a lovely picture of the snow. Winter Wonderland!
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Here are some cute pictures of Troy's family and their birthday celebrations this past month. Anna celebrated her 4th birthday on March 11.

This article was in the Grant County Journal about Troy and Christian just before Troy's 9th birthday on February 29.

This article was in the Lynden Tribune when Troy celebrated his 1st birthday way back in 1976. How cute.

The weather in Salt Lake City has been very unpredictable - yesterday it rained, hailed enough to cover the ground, and later the sun came out like it was Spring.

Both Ed and I have had a cold and sore throat. Yesterday I stayed in bed all day and he manned the Legacy Theater by himself. It's the pits to be sick.

Savannah showing off her "National Champion" medal and jacket.

The team with their trophy, jackets, and medals.

Madison and Savannah with their coaches.

Tom, Madison, Austin, Savannah, and Joette at Epcot Center their last night in Florida.

Madison, Savannah and Austin at the beach in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Tom, Joette, Madison, Austin, and Savannah were in Florida this last weekend for cheerleading competition.

Madison and Savannah's team won the National All Star Cheerleading Championships for their division, Senior Open Level 2. The team did awesome! In this picture, Savannah is the flyer in the middle, and Madison is the second girl in from the left.

You can view a partial video of their performance at http://www.varsity.com/. Click on the box that says "NASCC". You will see where you can search by team. Enter Chico Cheer and their team will come up.

Savannah is usually the flyer in the middle, and Madison is usually the flyer to Savannah's left at the back not the front.

We hope Joette will send more pictures when they get home.

Working in the Tabernacle is great fun. Here is a close-up of the organ. I would love to play it.
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An interesting view of the Tabernacle from the podium. The platform is set up for the Orchestra At Temple Square Spring Concert on March 12.

The program was wonderful:
1. Air from Orchestral Suite no. 3 in D Major (Air on a G String) by Bach.
2. Symphony no. 8 in F Major by Beethoven
3. Scheherazade:Symphonic Suite, op. 35 by Rimsky-Korsakov.

My camera was set on a funny spot and my picture of the orchestra was blured.
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We were going through some older pictures today and came up with this one. Ed and I were sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple July 14, 2007.

Ed's Mother passed away on July 11 and we made the trip to Idaho for her funeral. Ed's brothers and sisters were all there so we took advantage of the opporunity and went to the temple for the sealing the morning of Mom's funeral. It was great to have Ed's family with us for this special occasion. Jan and Al DeCoria also came. What a great day that was.

Elder Gardner - what a great missionary. He taught at Ricks College and was Kelly's coach way back in the early 80's. Kelly said, "Please look up Elder Gardner. He and his wife are on a mission to Temple Square." As it turned out they were one of the first couples we met and it has taken this long to catch up to him.
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An unusual view of the temple through the window of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We saw a worker up on this spire today. How he got out there I don't know but he was very careful.
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The daffodils, crocus, and tulips are coming up all over Temple Square. The gardners are busy planting pansys and other flowers. Everything should be in bloom for General Conference next month. Spring is coming but Winter is still holding on.
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Hard at work at the North Visitor's Center. This suit cost $10 at DI. The blouse was $5. Ed's tie was $2.
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Ed at the main desk at the North Visitor's Center. This was our first afternoon/evening assignment. We were very tired when we got home about 9:45. We hope to get acclamated very soon.
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This is a map of Jerusalem 33 A.D. You can choose a site like Herod's Palace, press a lever and the location lights up. The other sides are interactive and depict the last week of the Savior's life. With each picture and narration the location is lit with a little red light.

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A very special feature of the North Visitor's Center is the Christus statue by Bertel Thorvaldsen. It is located on the upper floor and is accessed by a winding ramp. The statue stands within a great rotunda covered by a huge dome depicting the creation of the world.

It is very impressive to be there and to hear "I am Jesus Christ ... I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning...I came into the world to do the will of my Father...Learn of me and listen to my words: walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me...In my Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you...If ye love me keep my commandments."
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It's hard to capture the rotunda with a single picture. The creation painting covers the walls on the ramp, all around the staute, and on the dome-like ceiling.

The placement of the stars represent the appearance of the heavens in the Northern Hemisphere at midnight on April 6, 1830, the day the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized. It took 155 gallons of paint to complete this magnificent mural.
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The temple is ever changing. The lights at night are outstanding.
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