BYU Women's Conference

I went to BYU Women's Conference yesterday! Amazingly enough, I had never been before. Which is strange on a variety of fronts.
First...just about every woman I know makes it an annual tradition to go with friends or sisters. I have four sisters so you would think this kind of thing would be right up our alley. But nope.
Second...I've actually sung at Women's Conference twice. In 1999 and 2003 I performed with Lex de Azevedo and the Millennium Choir at the big Thursday evening concert that they always hold. But despite having to drive down for those, it never occurred to me to go earlier so I could attend some classes beforehand.
Third...the conference used to be a huge part of my mother's life for many years seeing as she had been hired by Deseret Book to be the editor and compiler of a yearly Women's Conference book. When I was pregnant and soon to give birth to Rebekah I remember my mom telling me, "Sarah, you know I will drop everything and come when you go into labor. But if you really want to be convenient....it'd be great if you could wait until AFTER Women's Conference." :)

Despite all of these things, it wasn't until yesterday that I got my first taste of what Women's Conference is all about. I went down with five other awesome friends from my neighborhood and we had a great time. I'm not sure I've ever seen that many women in one place before. Thousand and thousands of women all packed into the Marriott Center for the opening session by General Relief Society President Julie Beck (kind of fun to see her in a little less formal of a setting, actually. She's pretty funny...) and then spread across campus attending the widely varied workshop/class offerings.

The three classes we chose:
1. The Tongue of Angels or Sounding Brass: Communication in Marriage
2. "He Has Borne Our Griefs, and Carried Our Sorrows": The Power of the Atonement
3. "Like Lionesses at the Gate of the Home"

All three were great and we took copious notes...especially Didi who was the only one us that was smart enough to bring a laptop. I don't don't know about you but I type much faster than I write. I had a ridiculously hard time trying to keep up with all of Elder Bednar's fabulous quotes in the closing session. He was spouting off gem after gem of amazing stuff and I couldn't get it all written down. Guess I'll have to wait for the transcript. Or hope Didi's flying fingers got more of it than I did.

Didi, Sita, Brooke, Emily, (me) and Ann

I look rather ridiculous in this picture...and the picture (not the weather) is somewhat foggy because, well, I don't know why, really. It was Rebekah's camera. But whatever. Picture proof of our fun and spiritually enlightening day.
(Special thanks to Bryan for taking the day off work so I could be gone all day! Is he awesome or what?)