Richard's Girls Pay a Visit

Krista Foote (far right) called us one evening and invited us to dinner with her sisters (Jennie & Michelle and her daughter Canyon Rose). She said it was somewhere special, that they'd pick us up at 5:30ish in Jennie's van and take us for some fine dining. We all enjoyed some very different thin-crust pizza but it was the company that we enjoyed the most. It was a beautiful evening when we went into the restaurant but when we came out for the photo a full-blown snow storm had set in.

Church Printing Press Tour

     Every once in a while the three missionary couples that work in the Translation Division get to request, and be taken, on tours of interest to the group. This week we went to the church printing press operations south and west of Temple Square. This is where all the scriptures, manuals, handbooks, etc. are produced and readied for distribution around the world. The operation has a room full of the smaller, one-color presses for low volume projects, two two-color perfecta presses for larger run two-color projects, several four-color sheet-fed presses for full color manuals and magazines, and two very large web-presses for the high volume four- and five-color projects like the scriptures (all languages) and the Ensign & Liahona magazines. There is also a full bindary for saddle-stiched publications as well as perfect-bound soft and hard cover books.
     The tour sure brought back memories from my HP and Agilent days when I designed and bought printing. This facility also has specialty operations where they make the plastic sacrament cups, apply gold leaf to the scriptures and print and frame the fine art paintings on real canvas that are hung in meeting houses and church offices.
     this was so much fun that we've put in a request to attend the Manti Temple Pagent in June!

Social Group Tour

     Our missionary social group wanted a tour of M1 - the floor where all the interpreters record all the broadcasts - General Conference, Stake Conferences around the world, Church Education System teaching and training, etc. - and asked us if we could make the arrangements. Very few of the missionaries, or employees, around campus, ever get to visit the facility so it's exciting for many to get a guided tour from missionaries who actually work there. We planned on about 45 to 60 minutes but everyone had so many questions that it lasted for 1 1/2 hours. We even had the conference center host-program supervisors tag along so that they could make sure that their dialog was accurate for the VIP tours they gave.

Spring Is Coming

     Now that the weather has begun to warm up and the wet snows have watered the gardens, the spring bulbs and pansies are really beginning to bloom. The grounds people are busy getting the 'campus' ready for April General Conference and they will be absolutely  beautiful for the thousands of visitors and guests.
     The Spring Creek Mall,  two blocks long on South Temple across from Temple Square, is also coming along according to schedule. Crains must be the state bird 'cuz they are showing up every day all over the construction site - we counted 10 one morning last week. I was informed that some of the top floor condo suits will sell for a cool million dollars - and then you'd have to have enough money left over to buy furnishings and window coverings - Wow!