I'm in Utah!!

Yesterday morning I boarded an early morning plane to Salt Lake City! I have been excited about this trip for a long time and I can't believe it is finally here. I will be spending the first half of the week at Handi Quilter training (more on that in the next post) and will attend Sewing Summit during the second half of the week!! This trip really is a dream come true :) 

We arrived in Salt Lake City early yesterday and decided to check out the city. And when you are talking about Salt Lake City this means visiting Temple Square! It is absolutely breathtaking!! There are many gardens covered in beautiful flowers, fountains, and running water.

And the temple isn't half bad either (joking-it's amazing!) Non-mormons are allowed to walk around the temple grounds, enter the visitor's center, and take guided tours of other buildings. However, there is a gate around the temple and the gardens that immediate surround the building.

we took a guided tour of the Church Conference Center. The building was amazing and has a large garden area on the roof. This photo of the temple was taken from the top of the conference center.

And a view of the mountains from atop the building. The mountains are gorgeous!!! It is my mission to get a good photo of the mountains before I leave.

Inside the conference center is a large auditorium that seams 22,000 people! It is a one-of-a-kind theatre that offers each attendee and unobstructed view of the stage. The church holds national conference in this space, hosts concerts and spoken word, and puts on lavish performances around the holidays. The tour guide was fantastic and was able to give so much insight into the faith, the Book of Mormon, and the building. I definitely suggest going on a tour if you are ever in SLC! This photo is of the giant organ at the front of the hall. It is massive!

Another view of the temple from the visitor's center.

I have no idea what this building is, but I really like it.

I asked the tour guide what percentage of the city practices the Mormon faith and she said less than 50%. This was a lot smaller than I had originally suspected. Many shops and restaraunts were closed yesterday in observance of the holy day. I can definitely see that the religion has a strong impact on the values within the city.

I'll be back tomorrow with another update!