BYU Education Week, 2017

I think the captions Roger and I are holding say it all.

I think a happy life is all about the light,

and everyone needs recharging now and then.

For a once-a-year major recharge, 

BYU Education week has been great for us!

We took this selfie in the Marriott Center while we were waiting to hear the Devotional on the first day 

given by Elder Lynn Robbins of the Presidency of the Seventy. What an inspiring message, packed with info about our agency and our responsibility in life. 

Most of the instructors use power points to help us take notes, and here are just a sampling of illustrated ones.

Tuesday at 4:30, we got to tour the new addition to the MTC, and we were so impressed!

It is a new, modern campus with lovely grounds between buildings with beautifully-appointed public areas 

for the missionaries, young and old.

 This gorgeous mural adorned this large wall.

This luminary chandelier hung from the ceiling in one of the lobbies.

It was created in Japan and when it arrived at the MTC, 

the construction workers didn't know how to hang it, so they flew the artist/creator to the states to give instruction.

It represents our spirits ascending from pre-existence to earth to heaven.

We attended several classes we enjoyed very much, including Brad Wilcox, Anthony Sweat and  Curtis Jacobs.

Roger and I enjoyed Wayne Burton's class, where he lectured, played the piano and sang his original compositions.

Wednesday evening, we enjoyed four concert pianists playing music written for all four to play at once on two grand pianos.

They were excellent and they concluded with the rousing, Stars and Stripes Forever!

Mindy and Jack joined us . . .

. . . as well as Patty and Hal.

On Thursday, Patty joined us for classes all day. We stayed with Patty and Hal for four nights in their wonderful home in Elkridge.

We met Patty's best friend from high school, Lois, who lives in Wyoming, and her sister, Karma, for lunch in The Hole in the Wall in the basement of the Wilkinson Center. Lyle, Lois's twin brother and a presenter at Ed Week, his wife and Nancy, another friend from high school, also ate with us.
We also later attended Lyle's parenting class.

Anthony Sweat's class

After lunch, we attended Anthony Sweat's class and while we were looking for seats, my friend in St. George, Charlotte, came running up to me to say that President Uchtdorf's wife, Harriett, was on the second row. Then, as Roger was talking to old WHS classmates, the Morrises, the wife asked me if I would take a pic of her, Sister Uchtdorf and her daughter, who she knew.
Long story short, I got this pic with Harriett Uchtdorf (she was lovely!) and my friend, Charlotte.

Patty went with me to Wayne Burton's class and we enjoyed it very much. Such a humble, sincere heart!

That night we took Patty and Hal to dinner in downtown Provo and Mindy dropped Addie and Jack off at the restaurant
so they could go to the concert with us.
Jeff and Mindy had planned to go, but it was their anniversary and friends from out of town had planned a party that night.

It was absolutely wonderful, with these two superb vocalists singing many Broadway favorites, including Impossible Dream, Popular, Girl in 14 G, For Good, Something's Coming, The Music of the Night/ All I Ask of You, Think of Me, Bring Him Home and The Prayer. Such a feast of sound!

Stacy and Sydney are friends with Sandra Turley from their Connecticut and Steve Young's Forever Young Foundation days. Addie wanted their autographs, so we got them and enjoyed talking to Sandra Turley. Addie also talked to and got Dallyn Vail Bales's autograph.
Both these stars are as kind, spiritual and good as they are talented!

Another bonus of being at Education Week was running into old friends, notably two different KD sisters. 

Cheryl Smith was our sorority president and we hadn't seen her in years and Linda Taylor Ballesteros was one of my best friends. 

We talked over dinner in the Cougar Eat with her and her husband, Bob, 

whom Roger knew when he was working for Braniff and Murdock.

We headed for Mesa on Friday morning for Jake's Farewell before going to the MTC for his mission to Edmonton, Canada.
We missed a day of classes, but we wanted to get to Stacy and Tom's Friday night so we could go through the Mesa Temple with Jake and family for him to take out his endowments on Saturday.

We really loved being at Education Week this year and we feel renewed and recharged, 

hopefully ready for what life might bring until next time.