April 2nd, 2018 | General Conference in Utah

Hey everyone!! So guess what!! We went to GENERAL CONFERENCE!!

It was my second time and for the rest of my family it was their FIRST! 

I just wanted to update you guys a little bit of what I’ve been up to while I’m waiting to leave! 

So here’s the thing. My mom and I finally decided to put together a trip. We wanted to take a family vacation in some shape or form before I head on out of here and head to the Philippines. Time has been going pretty slow but also WAY TOO FAST at the same time. Crazy how that works. Anyway, my mom and I were brainstorming for like 2-3 weeks trying to come up with something to do as a family. We came up with Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Big Sur, etc. Until her and I realized that general Conference was coming up and that my mom and siblings would love to go in person! I thought about and I thought it was a great idea and so did my mom. So we started planning. Hotels, rental cars, food, all that jazz. Then the day came and it was finally time to go! After a couple complications, we finally got on the road.

I forgot how painful this drive was.. yikes haha 

We definitely took our time driving up. My family hadn’t been in a car that long so I didn’t blame us but then. I just wanted to get there ASAP. But it’s okay. Honestly enjoyed  the drive even if there wasn’t too much to look at. 

But hey here's the thing. My family and I went up to Utah without any tickets to general conference. Before I share any more about the trip, I need to define general conference for those who may not know what that is exactly. So General Conference is a semi-annual broadcast that can also be seen in person in the conference center in Utah that serves a purpose to communicate to all the members and non-members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through whom we know and believe to be our Prophet, Russell M. Nelson and his apostles. They are called to communicate what God/Heavenly Father/Elohim would have us to either work on, continue, or start doing and as well as any changes and announcements to further the work of the Lord. They communicate words of love and guidance and they only share what is directed by honest and sincere prayer which leads to inspired revelation. During this weekend, they did just that. I know that the power in the words that these men and women share are not of this world. They are of divine guidance directly from God himself. It's a blessing to have a Prophet today just as those prophets of old and continue to be guided by God even today. He is real. He lives and so does His Son, Jesus Christ. 

As a family, we were able to attend the Sunday Morning session of general conference. We really didn't sleep much at all during this trip. We spent all of Saturday the 31st with the Butikofer family and just pretty much ate through the day. It was a treat to spend time with a family that feels like our own family. I'm grateful for the deep and beautiful friendship my family and I have with them. We stopped at the Jordan River Temple, but because it was General Conference weekend, the open house wasn't open. Oh well. Did some shopping and then had dinner and crashed at the hotel after a long day and a ton of driving the night before. Somehow still ended up going to bed late.. haha typical..

SUNDAY!! 

We woke up at 5am.. 

or well tried to.. lol 

No one in our family is a morning person when you don't get the sleep we need, then again no one I know is, but anyway, we did it, we got up. Now you may ask, why so early? Well like I mentioned at the beginning we decided to go without tickets. There's this thing called the stand-by line and we needed to get in it as early as possible to guarantee entry. There's no way we weren't going to be able to. I drove us to SLC and we parked nice and close to the conference center where we were kindly noted and guided that the standby line was clear on the other side of temple square. A conference center usher was kind enough to walk myself, Kiara, and Kyle over to the line. We waited about at what seemed an hour and a half before we moved significantly and eventually joined by my mom and Kaipo. We met this sweet lady in line (her husband is a translator for Vietnamese viewers and was in the church office building.. crazy cool, right?) we chatted about her sons that are on their missions and I swear she looked 30 and she was actually 45. Crazy haha. Blessing in disguise because she brought a lot of peace and just talking about the mission with her was calming. I love knowing that coincidences really don't exist haha. 

We FINALLY reached the door and we each got tickets. I got called out for responding back to something I wasn't supposed to because I was in a different row. Totally easy target for any kind of tease. I'll never forget that haha. But we eventually walked over to the conference center and it was the coolest view to see how happy my mom and siblings were to experience this. From the drive, to waiting in line, to eventually sitting in the conference center in full view of the pulpit where the Prophet himself will address and speak to us and those around the world. Amazing. 

I'll summarize and say that I never fail to half doze off during conference. Whether I'm home watching it on tv or in the conference center itself. Never fail to do so and I'm not sure why. BUT my mom got to hear her "fav" apostle and 2nd counselor of the First Presidency, Henry B. Eyring speak. She was basically fangirling in the most reverent manner I'll ever see haha. I sat next to Kaipo and Kiara. It was just cool to observe and feel the whole experience. Always one of a kind. 

I just know and believe and feel with my whole being that what this church entails and teaches is without a shadow of a doubt 100% true and correct and perfect because it is the restored Church of Jesus Christ. The same church when Jesus was on the earth in the time of the New Testament. Called Joseph to restore it and everything included. A church of revelation and led by Christ even today. He provides and blesses his children today with a Prophet to lead and guide us. He isn't perfect because he's human just like we are, but he tried his best and only counsels with Heavenly Father and his apostles. I am blessed to be a member of this Church. The LDS/Mormon Church. 

We made the drive home safely and surely and actually very quickly. I will never forget it. 

Thank you!! New post about the temple is coming soon!! 

Love, 

Kalyx 

Soon to be Sister Christensen 

Fun fact: I ran into a guy I used to have a thing with in temple square and I hadn't seen him in almost a year. There's like over 30k people in temple square, what are the odds of running into someone you haven't seen in THAT long. Crazy. Also ran into the Monroe and finally got to see Charity after returning home from her mission in Reno, NV. SO HAPPY AND SO EXCITED! SO BLESSED!