Rootstech 2016

Whoa! Just had a major flashback when writing the title to this post and I accidentally wrote "Rootstech 2014" so THAT was crazy! 

Surprise surprise, I'm back after about a month! It may have seemed like I was never gonna post again and for a while I thought I wouldn't because I couldn't find anything worth while to write about but I finally do! 

Every year in Salt Lake City, Utah, they hold this huge convention for family history in the Salt Place Convention Center! I had heard that it was pretty cool, and some friends of mine had attended it last year and really enjoyed it but I didn't really give the idea a second glance. First of all, it was all the way in Utah! And second, how would I even get there? 

The Sunday night before it was supposed to start (it begins on a Thursday) January 31st, I was talking to my friend Rachel and she said her and my friend Hannah were going and they invited me! I was so excited to hang out with them and to go to Salt Lake, a place I had never really visited, so I came home and asked my mom and we worked it all out that night! 

We left on Tuesday afternoon! Our party consisted of Rachel, her mom, another Lady from church, Rachel's sister Chloe and her friend Alexa, Jennette, Kaylyn, Hannah, and Hannah's mom (mama Jo). We took two cars and headed out about 3:30, driving all the way to Boise! The first night with everyone in the hotel (Hannah, Rachel, Kaylyn, Jennette and I shared a room) was surprisingly fun!! I enjoyed it a lot! 

The next morning we were headed to Salt Lake, stopping for picture by the Utah sign, of course.

We got there and hung out in our rooms and then got ready in Church dress and went to the Provo City Center Temple open house. For those of you reading who aren't member's of the church, LDS temples are breathtaking!! And very very special places to us. So when one is built, everyone (even non-mormons) are invited to walk threw and see what it looks like! After the temple is dedicated as a house of God by the prophets, only worthy members can go in! But anyway, IT WAS AMAZING!! Say what you want about Mormons, we make pretty temples. Being there with my friends was also amazing, and walking through it gave me so much peace and happiness!! 

The first day of Rootstech was Thursday, and we all got up pretty early to get ready! I got there and had to get a student pass and fix my registration to get a student pass, but other than stressing out about that, we got there pretty smoothly! Everyday they begin the conference with a Key Note Speaker and each day I found so much inspiration from them all! After the opening Key Note Speakers, we went to 2 or 3 classes a day. Mostly they focused on why doing your family history, and knowing where you came from is important, and ways to do that. 

I won't bore you with details, so here are some of the highlights from my notes of all the Key Note Speakers and classes (anyone who knows me knows I love to take notes!!)

• Knowing about your family history makes you happier... knowing about your family history gives you more of a feeling that you can effect the world around you
• The way to get god ideas is to get lots of ideas
• Everyone has stories to tell that are IMPORTANT
• Find the joy!! Share the joy!! 
• Everyone can be involved
• People live on by the telling and retelling of their stories

On Thursday night we ordered Pizza and talked until 2am! It was insane!

Friday was also a good day of cool Key Note Speakers and classes. In between classes, if you aren't feeling like attending a class, you can walk around the Expo Hall. It's basically a bunch of booths where a bunch of family history companies set up a booth so they can advertise. You got a lot of free stuff from all the booths and some had cool activities. My favorite was the FREE POP! 

Here are some pictures taken in the expo hall:

On Friday night Rachel and I really wanted to go to the Church history museum and Jen, Kaylyn, and Hannah all wanted to go to the mall right by the museum, so we all walked over to Temple Square together. The museum was amazing, and even if I was a non member I would still find it fascinating! Salt Lake has an insane amount of cool history. The second floor of the museum was completely art and although I've never been into art, it was breathtaking. 

Then we walked around the temple and talked to this cute old man who was a volunteer missionary there. He was telling us all the fact's about it and the symbolism and told us we had to go to the top of the Joseph Smith building (it overlooked Salt Lake and the temple) so we all met up and did! 

(Plus they had a cool super huge statue of Joseph Smith)

Saturday came way too fast and that was the day that more youth FINALLY showed up to the conference, and the day with my favorite key speakers (including a lady who worked closely with LBJ and spent the night with Hilary Clinton in the white house, and the quarter back for BYU)! That night we were able to get dressed and go into the Salt Lake Temple, with some names of our ancestors for ordinances preformed there. It was an amazing experience! 

Finally Sunday came, my last full day in the Salt Lake Valley and Utah in general! (ps I was super glad to be done drinking Utah water. Oregon's water ROCKS) And we ended our sight seeing with some amazing places. First, we went and saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing LIVE!! They are amazing and one of the most famous choir's in the world! They even sang one of my favorite songs and brought me to tears! 

We then walked around the temple and took some more pictures. (surprised?)

 

And then got a tour of the huge building where General Conference is held (the big broadcast in which the leaders of the church provide counsel and instruction to the members of the church). Our tour guide was this elderly guy who spoke fluent German and loved basketball. He was funny and we were quick friends! The conference center was amazing and so much bigger than it looks on TV. Plus I was standing where the prophets of the church stand on a yearly basis so that's mind blowing to me. 

After that we went to the visitors center where they have the famously awesome and big statue of Christ in a beautifully painted room. It was one of my favorite things on the trip because of so beautiful it was. Some people in this world are just that talented. 

To end off the say, I got to eat dinner at one of my best friends house (whom I hadn't seen in 3 years) and his family! I loved catching up with them and it felt like I had seen them all yesterday, which is a great indicator that we're good friends because we picked up right where we left off. It was a good trip down memory lane and a great way to end the trip.

I came back to the hotel to Rachel throwing up, so between taking care of her, moving hotel rooms (you can guess why that was necessary), packing, and everything in between, our last night was super eventful!

So all in all, it was a well needed trip. I had so much fun and I can't even begin to express my gratitude to the families who took me there and my mom for helping me make it happen. Oh, and to God and Jesus Christ for being super cool and for letting me have the gospel in my life! I can't imagine it without it!

I'm so sorry for the super super long post!!!!!! Hope you actually enjoyed it and got something out of it (even if it was me relaying my activities 99% of the time)

Signing off until next time, 

Ella Frances Waite