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Conference Weekend!

General Conference is amazing! I just love it every time! Conference weekend started out with the most amazing football game EVER on Friday night against Utah State! In the last few minutes of the game we were down by four points and needed one touchdown to win. In the couple minutes of the game, Riley Nelson led the offense to get the ball closer and closer to the end zone with a series of plays (yes I am VERY well versed in football...) With 15 seconds left in the game they scored a touchdown and the crowd went WILD!!!! We were screaming and going nuts! Then we all rushed the field! I thought I was gonna be trampled, but thankfully that did not happen. Even though a football player did accidentally smack me in the face. I was secretly a tad bit starstruck. It was so much fun!!

I absolutely LOVED all of conference, but I'll just write about a few of the talks that were my favorites. I got SO excited when President Monson announced that the Provo Tabernacle was going to be rebuilt and become a second temple!! I also loved when talking about the Wyoming temple he goes, "I'm going to dedicate that one. There's some good fishing there." I. love. him. Anyways, President Uchtdorf is one of my favorite speakers of all time. I could listen to him talk about the Gospel all day and never get bored! One of them many things I love about him is that he always places an emphasis on our self worth and how valuable we are to our Heavenly Father. I have this quote from his talk written on the white board on my desk: "Next to God we are nothing, but to him we are everything." He then went on to say that the most powerful being knows us, loves us with a perfect love, and sees us as the being we are destined to become. I just think that is truly amazing, and God's love for me never ceases to amaze me.

Another talk I loved was Elder Andersen's about families. It's so strange to me to think that in less than a decade I could be a mother. At the same time I am so excited! I loved when he said, "Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling." I just love that our Church places such a strong emphasis on eternal families. I love mine with all my heart and I don't know what I would do or who I would be without then!

I always love talks on the Savior, so I greatly enjoyed Elder Oaks' talk. I met him when I was 12. It was awesome. He was SO nice. I always love being reminded of what the Savior has done for me. He conquered both temporal and the spiritual death that is a result of sin. He gave us the chance to work towards eternal life through repentance and commitment to follow the Lord's commandments. He also referred to Jesus Christ as the light and the life of the world. Such a great talk.

Okay this isn't a talk, but I absolutely LOVE the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! They sing so beautifully and bring the Spirit to Conference through music! I feel so blessed that I got to see them in concert over the summer! I loved all of their musical numbers throughout the conference!

I love President Monson so much. Every time I hear him speak, my love for him increases. He is just a truly incredible man and prophet. If I had to pick a favorite part of his talk, it would have to be the part when he talked about how much he cherishes his relationship with our Heavenly Father. He said that we should not let a day go by without communicating with our Heavenly Father. When we draw near to the Lord, he will draw near to us. We just have to trust him and he will be with us. He also said that the Lord's constancy is an anchor to which we can hold fast and be safe. I also loved the story he told about the 5 dollar bill being sent to the laundromat on accident in his jeans pockets and him having it returned safely to him after he prayed. One final thing he said that I absolutely loved was that there is nothing which can bring us more joy and peace into our lives than following Christ and keeping the commandments of God. I also LOVED his short concluding talk at the very end of Conference. He said that the Lord's hand is present in everything. He also stated that our Heavenly Father is mindful of our challenges, and will help us when we seek him in prayer. He then said that we are God's servants here on this Earth with a mandate to love one another. Towards the end, he looked right into the camera and said, "I love you and I pray for you." I honestly felt as if he was talking directly to me and I knew without a doubt that he meant it! I just love him so much!

After the last session, my friend Ashley and I decided we wanted to do something church related. So, we went down to the music room in the basement of our buildings and sang hymns for a solid hour. We took turns picking hymns, and whoever picked the hymn played the piano. It was such a fun way to keep the Spirit with us. We then joined two other friends Melanie and Katrina from our hall for dinner and we talked about Conference. I noticed as I watched my friends talk about some of their favorite parts, their faces were just lit up with happiness. I was feeling the exact same joy inside. General Conference is just truly amazing! I love this Gospel and I feel so blessed to have it as such a huge part of my life!

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