General Conference Saturday

After sleeping in a bit, on Saturday morning we did some shopping, including a trip to Ikea, which is nearby and also close to the temple site. The GPS took us around the area a few times, but we finally made it. We bought a bunch of things for the apartment which help make it more comfortable. For example, we bought some small padded rugs to put by the side of our bed. I have foot issues which make walking and even standing on this hard marble floor somewhat painful, so having some padding helps me a lot. Also, I can now kneel for prayers without contemplating knee surgery <g>. As with any trip to Ikea, it took a while, but was well worth it.

We then did grocery shopping for the next few days at the Institute, since we won't have another chance until Tuesday. By the time we got back home, we were pretty tired, but there was time for only a quick bite of lunch before heading down to the Institute. A few kids came in to watch last Saturday's General Women's broadcast recording at 4pm, and then we watched the Saturday morning General Conference opening session live at 6pm local time. Sunday we expect a bigger turnout.

Some friends of my former mission companion, Elder Draughon from Alabama, were in town as tourists and came to join us for the "evening" session. Afterwards, they took us out to a late dinner at a nice restaurant just downstairs. We had met John and Julia in Alabama in June when we visited the Draughons, and it was a fun evening. They insisted on paying for our dinner, because that's what you do for missionaries -- I guess it was our first dinner appointment!

By the time we got home, it was pretty late, but we slept really well and are headed for a long day of Conference at the Institute in a bit. The mission president called last night to see how we were doing after our first week, and the verdict is overall quite positive. I think within a few days we'll be completely done with cold symptoms. My chest is still sore from the CPR, and I am still a bit weak each morning, but overall we are getting there. 

There were some wonderful and inspiring messages yesterday, and we look forward to more today. I especially liked our friend Sharon Eubank's comment that acts of creation and inspiration are spiritual gifts -- that has certainly been  my experience.