General Conference with Friends

Last weekend Carter and I were invited to stay with some of our friends in Salt Lake City for conference weekend. We headed down on Friday afternoon and spent the evening eating Japanese food, Bear Country cookies (the BEST! Gateway Mall by Downeast) and catching up with friends. We had the opportunity to attend a session at the Salt Lake City temple with my friend Shelby, her mom Wendy, and her Grandma Cathy. That was so special and fun. I truly admire those women, and really appreciated enjoying such a neat experience with them. On Saturday morning we joined friends and family on the Conference Center sidewalks begging for tickets.  

Sign by Adam Quist, picture by Shelby Quist. Yes Shelbs I stalked and stole your pic. Sorry...not really.

  We attended the morning and afternoon sessions on Saturday, and then while the boys went to Priesthood, the rest of the girls went shopping at the City Creek Mall and I took a nap. Sitting in 4 hours of conference is just so much work...not...but oh well. After Priesthood we all went to a fancy dinner and did some hot tubbing.

On Sunday morning Carter and I watched our ADORABLE little niece Kyrie Bitnoff while her parents Gracie and Kevin went to the session. We were able to watch from the hotel room while we played with Kyrie. She is such a cutie! 

		What a doll!

 After the morning session, I felt really tired and sick so we decided to head out early and watch the afternoon session in Provo. We are so grateful for the opportunity listen to the words of living prophets. We believe that God loves his children, and has set up his church on the Earth so that we can receive the necessary ordinances that will enable us to live with Him again. The Prophets are the head leaders of the church here on the Earth and receive revelation for the church. I testify that these men are true servants of Jesus Christ. They are all humble, brilliant, good, Christ like souls who work selflessly for the kingdom. A study of any of their lives will leave one feeling amazed. It's always a joy to hear them speak, or rather to feel the Spirit that their words invite. I'm always reminded to be a little better, a little kinder, and to try a little harder. 

Gotta love President Monson's funny stories, Elder Holland's way of making you feel like you ought to get up and do something, Elder Bednar's penetrating stare, President Uchtdorf's reassurance, and President Eyering's touching testimony. All the talks were so great!

   Anyways, one of the highlights of the weekend was spending time with our friends. We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel with the Bearry Clan (consisting of the Quists, Hatchs, and usually another Bearry family and the Greenes but they weren’t there). I have never met such generous people. Every conference, the matriarch (Sister Cathy Bearry) and her husband Selby take their grandkids to SLC from California for conference. They stay in fun hotels, swim, shop, and take notes as they listen to the messages. All of the grandkids are best friends. Most of them have grown up together and have that awesome “cousin relationship” where you’re not stuck together as siblings, but able to be super goofy because your family. Shelby, my photographer friend, began inviting me to join my senior year of high school. I could go on and on about the fun I've had but that’d take forever. All I know is that if all those Bearrys don’t make it to the Celestial Kingdom, I’m not sure who will. They are so kind, welcoming, and generous. They’ve always made Carter and I feel like a part of the family. We hope to be like them someday.

Our goodbye to them was bitter sweet as it will be the last time that I will see my friend Shelby for a while. She’s always been such a good example, and a truly SELFLESS friend. She’s the type of girl who doesn’t hold grudges or act petty. She’s a genuine, fun person who doesn’t put on a show for people. When we first started hanging a lot I remember telling my mom “She’s just so…herself! She’s not dramatic at all! She’s just fun!” As I fell in love with Carter and decided to marry him, she was there every step of the way. I love this girl and am so proud of her for choosing to serve a mission. I’ll miss her a lot, but she’s going to do a lot of good. 

Shelby

Last weekend was so fun. I felt kind of bad for being so blah feeling; I wasn’t very talkative or fun, but oh well. Hopefully there will be future conference weekends with friends where instead of nausea I’ll have a cute little baby. But anyways, we’re just so blessed. Really, life is great.