Sigh.
Today was stake conference, and Elder Anderson was visiting our stake. It's rare for an apostle to visit, and I have great memories as a kid of hosting general authorities in our home growing up. I was super excited to be in the presence of an apostle.
Unfortunately, the day did not go as planned.
We left our house about half an hour early to head to the institute building. I knew we would be way in the back, but I didn't mind that-it would have been way harder trying to keep the kids entertained for the length of time it would have required to sit up close. It was pouring when we left. When we got there, we were expecting Jared to be able to drop me and the kids off at the entrance so I didn't have to walk. They wouldn't let us. We thus parked about a mile away and began to hike in the rain, with 5 kids, while very pregnant with SPD, to the institute building. Thankfully, about halfway there, someone stopped in their SUV and offered us a ride. That helped a lot, as I was going so slow, it was taking us forever as it was. We got there, and as expected, went straight to the back. But it was ridiculously full. We ended up on the stage in the very back with no chairs. The kids sat on the floor. I pulled over a lone kid table for them to draw at while I was sitting on the edge. Jared dragged over a piano bench. A man in front of us kindly offered me his chair, though he forewarned me that it was broken, but at least had some back support. I was grateful, but it was probably the most uncomfortable chair I have ever sat in.
Still, I thought we are here to listen to an apostle, that is awesome. I prayed the kids would be able to handle it. And they did well, given the circumstances. However, an hour into the conference, I realized I had not heard a thing that had been said. James was having a hard time sitting still and continually flopped on the floor, banging his head into things on the way down. The other kids were trying so hard, but without chairs, and being in such weird circumstances, they were struggling. I started having fake contractions, and Jared was just doing his best to walk James in and out of the chapel as needed. I finally took James into the mother's lounge at one point to change him, and realized the mother's lounge was a huge, cool room, full of comfortable armchairs, and it was broadcasting the conference. I grabbed James, Sara, some snacks and coloring books, and that's where we spent the last 40 minutes of the conference. I have to admit, by that time, I was just worried about contractions, and keeping the two little kids quiet for the sake of the other mothers nursing their babies...I still didn't get to pay attention very much to Elder Anderson's talk, which makes me sad. At that point though, it was kind of like survival-lets just get through it and if we are lucky, we'll catch some of the spirit.
We started walking out during the closing song to hike back to the car. I sent Jared ahead with the boys minus James so he could pick me up halfway. I was dying about half a mile into the walk before he picked me up. I'm seriously not usually such a wimp, but this SPD stuff has been kicking my rear. I can't walk in more than a shuffle, and having to pull James with me while balancing a diaper bag and an umbrella (as it was raining, of course) was not fun. Jared picked us up though, and now I am laying in bed trying to recover.
I wish I could have gotten more out of the conference. I am sad about that, I was looking forward to that spiritual uplift. I really really wish they would have broadcast conference to other buildings. From our vantage point in the back-having snagged the last space available, chairs or not-we saw so many people come in to look for seats and then just leave. Jared was trying to find me a better chair that was not broken, and he said all the side rooms were full of people, and so many were sitting in the halls or just standing around. He talked to one of the ushers, and he said a lot of people who came in late just left because there was just nowhere to sit. I am sure many others not in our stake came today, and that's great, but I really wish they had planned this better to have it broadcast elsewhere just to provide more seats.
It can't be helped at this point though, so I'll just have to look forward to general conference and hearing the general authorities speak at that point.
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