185th Semiannual General Conference

General Conference is a wonderful time of year. It is the opportunity for people everywhere to hear from today's prophets and leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as they help guide us with words of inspiration and instruction. General Conference is held twice a year during spring and fall, replacing our typical church worship meetings instead with six sessions over the course of a weekend. The speakers are broadcasted live from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, UT to listeners all over the world.

HERE is the link to the most recent talks at General Conference. Check them out, they're great!

Somehow, I have swung tickets (free tickets, but of high demand) to go to at least one of these sessions every General Conference since I have lived in Utah during college. And I love it! I enjoy being able to go to the Conference center with 21,000 other people (it is also the largest auditorium in the world) and listening to inspired men and women.

Here are a few pictures of the Conference Center from the very resourceful internet:

The Conference Center is also right across the street from the Salt Lake City Temple and the temple grounds, so I also enjoy going and walking around Temple Square after going to a session of General Conference. The grounds are always so beautiful, and I enjoy seeing all the tourists look at this powerful structure in the middle of a busy city.

Picture of the temple I took my BYU freshman year

Fun flash back: After I first met Dustan and we were becoming friends but before our first date, I invited him to come to a session of Conference with me in Salt Lake City. It was October of 2013. I had an extra ticket so I asked last minute if he wanted to come along with me and a few of my friends. But Dustan knew I wasn't really interested in him yet and thought it would be better for him to play hard to get--so he said no! It still makes me laugh.

Anyway. Dustan has always watched General Conference with me since then :) This year we went to the Saturday morning session in person at the Conference Center, and spent the rest of the sessions watching with family and friends. I tried a new technique with taking notes to help me concentrate better, and I really enjoyed it. I tend to fall asleep easily during Conference, so I took notes on my lds.org journal on my phone or on my computer, then also drew pictures of my favorite ideas and quotes in my journal.

One of the neatest things about Conference this year was the calling of three new apostles! Though I know it has happened in my lifetime, I can't seem to remember exact times that this has happened. It was a really neat experience though, to see three men be called and supported by members of the church everywhere. And crazy point to make, they were only called a few days before Conference started! I can't imagine how nerve racking that must have been for them, but so humbling to know that God called them to help lead us.

Dustan's thoughts on Conference: My favorite part about conference is that we have the chance to hear from God's prophets today. I feel like it is really easy to forget that we don't have to only rely on ancient scripture. God is still revealing scripture to us today about the way we should live our lives. I have found that when I got to Conference seeking guidance on my life, there are always talks that directly address my concerns. God knows what I individually need, and reveals it though his servants. For example, right now, I have been very preoccupied with getting ready for graduate school, and applying for national fellowships. I was getting pretty discouraged about the fellowships because the application includes writing a research proposal for a novel idea. I felt totally out of my element, and was considering not applying, but there was even a talk that specifically said, "Seek out scholarships and grants." I believe that God is very aware of what is going on in each of our lives, and cares deeply about our day to day lives. This really is Christ's true church on the earth again, and the prophet and apostles are truly called of God to lead and guide us.

Our General Conference Timeline 

Fall 2013: When I invited Dustan and he wanted to play hard to get so he didn't come...

Spring 2014

Spring 2014: Also when we announced that we were engaged!

Fall 2014

Fall 2014

Spring 2015: Dustan and I also had our some family with us at this session, it was fun! 

Fall 2015

*Don't you love how we pose the exact same way every time?! We'll try to mix it up in the future ;)*