SLC and Women's General Session

Our stay in SLC kind of came at the perfect time in the trip. The altitude left us tired in the afternoons and the desert air made us constantly thirsty. Because we were drinking much more fluid than we usually do, we were also running to the restroom. The previous two days entailed a lot of driving. Sleeping in and hanging out in the hot tub while Liesel perfected her flips in the pool were just what the doctor ordered. We didn't leave the room until the last possible minute and ended up literally throwing things into our suitcase.

 I love Hampton Inn breakfasts... and their adorable cups!

The City Creek shopping center has some really fabulous shops. We stopped in at the Restoration Hardware and Tiffany's where we talked about our favorite charms. I'd run out of the hotel so fast, I didn't put any makeup on so we went to Sephora where I was able to have it done professionally.

Liesel loved the Disney store... of course!

 She also loved the water fountains by the food court.

 All the shopping we'd done was clearly not going to fit in our carry-on so we hunted down a FedEx to have the things we didn't need shipped. It was literally a load off. From there we met up with Janeal and Andrea at The Cheesecake Factory for an early dinner. Sometime during the meal one of the girls observed that Janeal and I never stop talking. It's totally true, I could talk to Janeal for days... actually, I have! She inspires me to hang more family photos and quotes I love on my walls. She makes me think a bit harder on things in motherhood, in the gospel, in the world. She makes me want to throw open my windows and let in the fresh air, even when it's raining. She makes me want to try harder to be a better person... not for the world to see and oooh and aaah over, but for my own personal development. No matter how much or how little time I spend with her, I always miss her right after we say goodbye.

 We headed over to the Conference Center and took our seats. Again, I'm so glad Janeal was with us because she worked there during the Olympics and knows the place well. The ushers were filling up a very long row that would have had us sitting far to the right but Janeal asked if she could just go one row back. Again, so gutsy but with such great results. Love that girl. We were close to the middle AND we had easy access to the aisle for little ones who might need a restroom break. The highlight for me was hearing President Dieter Uchtdorf speak about his wife. So funny and so tender. In the middle of the session Liesel leaned over and asked me what I thought would make a good tattoo design. I'm holding out hope that some of the valuable messages made their way into her mind somehow!

 A kind stranger offered to take our picture on Temple Square as we headed back to our cars. 

I'd heard about this place called Swig and wanted to try it out. Liesel ordered the Tiny Turtle which is Sprite with apple and banana flavoring added. I tried the Texas Tab which is Dr. Pepper with coconut and vanilla flavoring. That's some serious concentration of sugar in one drink but of course we were desperately thirsty so we gulped it down. As if we needed more sweets, we tried their famous sugar cookies, which were really yummy. When I moaned to Liesel that we were eating our way across Utah, she corrected me, "No, we're TREATING our way across Utah!" She's right, we don't normally eat like this so a little indulgence is ok I guess.