Friday (July 27) night, we had dinner in the Conference Center. The original venue was the 26th floor of the Church Office Building, but once the RSVPs started rolling in, the organizers realized that we wouldn't all fit there. So we sat in the foyer of the Conference Center and ate our chicken enchiladas. Aunt Susan was kind enough to baby-sit/feed/put to bed our wee ones so we didn't keep them up past their bedtime.
Following the dinner, we had a family meeting in the Tabernacle. Henry Grow, a bridge builder by trade, designed and helped build the domed roof on the Tabernacle, hence the reunion being held at Temple Square. There we had a kind of introduction and welcome to the reunion.
Jessica, McKall, Tyson, Andrea and Seth waiting for the family meeting in the Tabernacle Friday night. Everyone had name tags--the colored dot represents the wife through which we descend.
How were we able to have a huge reunion on Temple Square, you might ask? When you're related to C. Scott Grow (of the First Quorum of the Seventy) and Marlin K. Jensen (Church Historian), these things happen.
Saturday morning, Seth stayed with the girls to help them get dressed, eat breakfast, etc. at Aunt Susan's while I got up early and went back into downtown Salt Lake to attend some morning discussions. We learned about the 2005-2007 renovation of the Tabernacle and more about the life of Henry Grow and his wives. Then I met up with Seth and the girls so our family could go on a special tour of the Tabernacle.
Seth points out some of the Tabernacle organ pipes to Analee, Rebekah, Seth and Miriam at the start of our tour.
They had trapdoors open along the top of the balcony so we could see the roof's trusses. A mirror helped us see the arched trusses.
Then we looked at the displays to learn more about the Grow family.
Every descendent present at the reunion was asked to place a blue dot on the child through which they descend. Mine is one of many next to Josephine Streeper Grow.
We also spent a little time enjoying the grounds and getting lunch at the new City Creek Mall before loading back up to go home.
Rebekah walking along the reflection pond next to the temple.
Analee and Miriam at the pond.
Rebekah, Analee and Miriam check out the live fish in the mall's creek.
I wish I could claim some of the genius that Henry Grow had, but my experience in architecture is limited to cutting and installing baseboard. In case you weren't impressed enough by my heritage, here's a quote from Frank Lloyd Wright about the Tabernacle dome: "[The Tabernacle is] one of the architectural masterpieces of the country and perhaps the world."