On Tuesday, the 10th, we were invited to attend something called The Big Picture. I couldn't quite figure out what it was going to be. It was scheduled on our P-Day, so I asked the Price's (our Zone Leaders) if we could have Wed. as our P-Day. We don't usually go in until 3:00 any way because it's our research day, so I felt that wouldn't put them in a bind for people at the library. That was fine.
The Big Picture was held on the 10th floor of the JSMB. We'd been told they would feed us breakfast and lunch. We were to be there at 8:15. So we got there, early of course. We enjoyed the view from one side of the building and then from the other. We sat and we waited. About 8:25 our phone rang--it was the Birches--they started with breakfast on the 5th floor! Robert had noticed that detail. Breakfast was yummy--scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh fruit--umm, so good. One of the guys told (an employee) told us how he got started in genealogy and some stories. Several other people also shared stories. It was a nice way to set the tone for the day. We went up to the 10th floor and an employee who's in the finance office, I think, told us about his family and how he came to work for the church. He gave us some statistics and said a few years ago (maybe 5), about 1-2% of the names done at the temple were supplied by members from family names. The leaders were concerned about two things--1)the members were only getting 1/2 the blessing and 2)the church only has so many places where we can go in and extract names that go straight to the temple. Hence, the big push toward family history and taking our own names to the temple. There turned out to be several results besides the two expected ones--the help it is for those who've gotten into internet pornography and retention of converts of those who get into family history and preparing names for the temple.
Another employee showed us a film of a blended family who started doing family history, preparing names for the temple, then getting ready to go themselves and having the kids sealed to them. It's a touching video. Robert had seen it in a training meeting of some kind. We played a game trying to build a tower out of 3x5 cards and talked about working together and learning from others. Then we had a yummy lunch and our mission president spoke to us.
We agreed that being out 5+ months helped all of this be more meaningful to us than it would have been at the beginning. We were learning so many new things we were almost on overload already. This gave nice insight into what goes on behind the scenes of the new directives that are given in leadership meetings, etc. It was a very worthwhile day.
We came home and it was about 3:00. I lay down on the bed, covered up and took a nap! I think the first one I had was the day after we got here and unloaded and unpacked and shopped and put away and I was so exhausted. This was the second one-five months later, and it was heavenly!
Wed. morning Robert wanted to "get an early start"--his favorite phrase and my least favorite. I had a brilliant idea (if I do say so myself)--he could go early and either get tires for the car or get the oil changed and I would stay here! As it turned out, I was up and at 'em early, too, but I didn't have to be dressed and leaving. I cleaned the kitchen, did laundry and started putting away "stuff"--we always have LOTS of "stuff" to put away. I felt I had accomplished a good bit when Robert got home and had bought new tires AND had the oil changed AND bought groceries. So we put them away and headed out to go to DI and find snow clothes for the kids.
We hit the two here in Salt Lake that we go to often. We found a couple of things for the kids at both places. It wasn't late and it was a beautiful, clear, crisp day, so we decided to call my cousin Glen and see if he had time to go to the Bountiful Cemetery with us. He said he would meet us there.
He admits that his memory is failing some, but he was able to take us to the family headstones--Burningham's, Tolmans, Browns, Parkins. Then we went to my mother's headstone--she is next to my grandparents. I was touched again at seeing them. It hadn't dawned on me until Lena mentioned that Katie was born 100 years after my grandmother. Yes, she was. Glen had promised to meet a friend for dinner for Veteran's Day--they had both served in the Korean War, so we parted at 4:00 and headed off for the Bountiful DI.
That's what I now call The Big Mama Mecca--boy, did they have the larger ladies sizes! I got two more skirts, a pullover sweater, a shirt and a cardigan! I now have 3 winter skirts and 3 winter dresses--enough for a whole week. Hallelujah! We also got more kids' stuff and think we have stuff for all the boys and just need Katie.
At the library a couple of weeks ago Nellie had asked me if I would like tickets to the symphony. I said "Sure," thinking how much Sister Isaacson would enjoy it. Nellie is our missionary who is 96 and is determined to be the first 100-yr-old missionary. She brought us tickets for Saturday night--symphony and opera! I don't think I've ever been to an opera; if so it was in college and I don't think I did even then. There was a little trepidation in my heart as I wondered how it would be. I kept thinking, "I'm way out of my league."
We went to the "lecture" an hour ahead of time, where they explain the music, what to listen for, etc. Explaining the opera was particularly helpful--she told us the story and how the stage would be set up and all of that. She also said there would be a big video screen and that was immensely helpful because it had the words in English, and I would have been totally lost without it. As it turned out, it was very interesting and I'm going to go home as the new and cultured Patty!
At the library on Saturday, I had two new "finds." On a marriage record we found it in a lady's married name and can only figure she sent for one as an adult and they put it in her married name, which was pretty strange. Then I found on an 1870 census record where a lady was listed as "dead." I thought, "That can't be. What does it say?" I had two others look at it and this one lady was very adamant, "It says 'DEAD'"! I guess it did. She had died in 1869. The census taker must have asked the names of everyone who had lived there in the past year, they named her and then said she was dead. Robert said, "Maybe she was still in the back bedroom." Let's hope not. I am learning interesting things.
